Free Meteorite Strike by A. G. Taylor Page B

peered at the glass, trying to see if she could make out anything behind it. She’d seen two-way mirrors in police dramas on TV and assumed there was someone watching on the other side.
    â€œWho are you?” she asked her reflection, suddenly struck by the strangeness of it all.
    â€œWe’re here to help,” answered the voice. “My name’s Mandy and I’ll be looking after you from now on.”
    â€œWhere’s my brother? What’s with all the mirrors?”
    â€œWe realize that you must be confused by the way you were brought in,” Mandy replied, a note of regret in her tone, “but we needed to remove you from the hot zone as quickly as possible.”
    â€œHot zone?” repeated Sarah. “You mean the fire at the refinery?”
    The woman chuckled. “No. A hot zone is an area infected by a virus. From what your brother told us, we know you’ve seen the effects of the meteorite strike first hand. The survivors of the plane crash. The workers at the oil plant.”
    â€œRobert talked to you?”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t he?” Mandy replied, as if the question confused her. “We’re here to help.”
    Once again, Sarah started to feel the strange tingling sensation that had passed through her brain in the storeroom just before they were grabbed. This time, however, it was stronger, almost like the buzzing of the phone line connecting to the internet on her mum’s ancient computer. She was filled with a very strong feeling that the woman behind the mirror was lying to her, hiding something. It was impossible to tell what it was, however, as the mirror seemed to be forming some kind of block. Sarah thought if only she could see the woman’s eyes, she’d be able to tell more. Strange.
    She also became aware that Robert was somewhere nearby, less than a hundred metres away. In fact, if she concentrated, she could almost…
    Robert. Robert, are you there?
    â€œSarah, is everything okay? Sarah?”
    The sound of the woman’s voice snapped her back to reality and the strange feeling was lost. Sarah stepped away from the mirror, looking around the room. The sudden urge to smash the mirror grabbed her, to break down the thing blocking her odd, new instincts. If only there was a chair or something heavy…
    â€œSarah, someone is going to enter the room,” Mandy broke into her thoughts.
    â€œI want to see Robert.”
    â€œI don’t want you to be afraid,” the woman continued. “We’re going to take you to your brother. Okay?”
    Sarah nodded. One second later a section of the wall opened, revealing a door she hadn’t noticed. Through it stepped one of the white-suited figures, the mirrored faceplate showing a fishbowl reflection of the room. Instinctively, Sarah backed away from the advancing figure.
    â€œIt’s okay, Sarah!” Mandy exclaimed. “Delta-6, your mask!”
    The suit stopped and reached up to press a button on the side of its helmet. Immediately the mirrored surface of the faceplate became clear glass, revealing the features of a man about the same age as Daniel. He smiled and beckoned her to follow him with a gloved hand.
    â€œHe won’t hurt you,” Mandy said. “Just go with him.”
    With a final look at the mirror, Sarah walked forward on slightly shaky legs. The suited man stepped aside so she could lead the way through the door.
    Sarah moved into a corridor with curved walls and a flat floor. She brushed her fingers against the wall and found that it was made of a soft material that gave to the touch.
    â€œJust keep walking,” the man’s voice crackled from a speaker in the suit. “That’s right. Keep going to the airlock at the end. Don’t stop.”
    When Sarah reached the circular hatch at the end of the corridor, the suited man swiped a card through a reader on the wall and it slid open. He gave her a little push with his