Alexa Carson was stressed. Hair pulling, room pacing, water chugging stressed. she was sure, so sure that Sam could pass Test #04. Positive, in fact. But now she...

She failed. Alexa cringed, hating the word. Failed. Ugh, it was such a... Disappointing word. She tugs anxiously on her hair, which was once in a neat ponytail as always. but today, however, it was messy and frazzled.

Alexa knew there was no delay it, but she knew she had to write it down. She had to mark the test as failed. Yet she tried to put it off, tried desperately. It wasn't the end of the world, right? Sam would pass, right?

She had to pass. If she failed to escape eventually, it would be too late. Alexa stopped pacing and looked at the large screen on the wall. It was not currently showing Sam and Linda, rather, it held a series of charts and graphs that few would be able to understand. Waving her hand, Alexa cleared it and brought up a picture instead.

Taking a step back in surprise, Alexa gasped. No, it couldn't be. How was it possible? Already?

She took a closer look. The picture depicted a long mountain range, flecked with waterfalls and streaked with rivers. But right at the peak, threatening to pour into the city below, was a murky green goo.

The Virus, they called it, although no one knew for sure what it was. It was impossible to get close enough to take a sample without gagging from the smell. But they did know one thing: It was bent on destroying anything in it's path. Also, they knew that, more than likely, it was alive. A churning, rumbling mass of gunk, progressing slowly and swallowing the rocks and trees in it's way. Rivers began to run green, and Alexa felt incredibly thankful that the city of Red Brook had a backup water supply, that ran from deep beneath the mountains.

The Escape Room had been her idea. Several people had been put through before, but all had failed. If her daughter failed...

The idea was that if one could escape the room, they would prove to have the skills to travel beyond the Virus and find it's source, it's heart. Like all living beings, the Virus had a point that provided life to all of it, and that point could be it's weakness.

The heart was said to be located... Alexa paused in thought, looking at the picture. Where was the heart? It had to be passed the mountains, right? That was, after all, the only possible solution. Unless the Virus didn't spread from the heart, in which case, Alexa figured, humanity was screwed.

Whenever she tried to explain the Virus to those who didn't know of the threat it posed, this is where her thoughts ran into a wall. Surely Red Brook wasn't the last city, they would say, is it? Surely humanity existed somewhere else, right?

But with the Virus approaching from the west, and coming at them slowly from all other sides, it was unlikely that any other human settlement, big or small, was still standing. And those that were still standing, several other scientists claimed, would be crumbling by now, slowly being consumed by the Virus.

A beeping noise startled Alexa, who had started gazing blankly at the picture, lost in a sea of thoughts. She could wait no longer. A pair of sliding glass doors, through which a long corridor could be seen, opened. A large man stepped through. He was dressed in a beige suit, with a deep blue tie. He had slick, combed hair lying neatly on his head, on which a pair of sunglasses perched. His jeans had frayed slightly at the knees, and where tearing a bit near his boots.

"Change of plans, Alexa." He said. Despite his big, cold appearance, Charlie was a nice guy, and everyone in the building new it. He was always offering snacks and gum to his colleagues, taking funny pictures for the office bulletin board, and lighting up the room with a smile. Well, that last one depended on his mood. He may be nice, but he only smiled when he was happy.

Or if he had good news. And right now, Alexa noticed with worry, he was definitely not smiling.

"Hey, Charlie." She said, trying to disguise the nervousness in her voice. She pulled her hair into a proper ponytail, and smoothed out her shirt.

"Having a nice day?"

Charlie ignored that comment and sat down, his lips pressed tightly in a frown.

"Cut the crap, Alexa." He said plainly.

"This is serious. As you know, Sam has failed Test #04, survival. Also, I'm sure you've noticed the current situation."

He sent a meaningful glance in the direction of the screen, which still displayed the Virus endangered mountain range. Alexa nodded, and pinched to fingers in front of the screen's sensor. It took a second to process the command, but shut itself down just as Charlie began to speak.

"So, a change of plans is required."

Alexa looked him in the eye. A change of plans?

"You mean, we aren't going to proceed with Test #05?

"The escape test? No. We don't have time for that. Both Sam and Linda will be withdrawn from the room. Linda will be cured, and we will prepare them for their journey."

Alexa sat up straighter, slightly shocked.

"They won't... Need to escape?"

"No. We're doing that for them."

Charlie must have seen the look on Alexa's face.

"And before you ask, no. They will not have their memories back. An overload of information like that would be way too much for them to handle before a mission."

Alexa looked down to hide her disappointment.

"But..." She whispered, "But they failed the survival test. How are they ready to travel beyond the Virus?"

Charlie grinned for once, and Alexa's heart skipped a beat. Good news, perhaps?

"I was waiting for you to ask that. Follow me." Charlie got up from the padded bench and led Alexa down the hall to a door she had never been through before. But she knew what is was, everyone did.

"The... The Test Lab?" She asked nervously.

"Do you-"

"I have authorization to go in. Just stay be my side, there are some dangerous experiments in here."

Alexa nodded, filled with a strange sort of excitement. The Test Lab was where ongoing projects were kept. Some alive, some dangerous, some free to roam about. She leaned forward slightly, waiting to see what lay behind the thick metal door.

With a creak, Charlie pushed it open. He made it seem easy, but the noise that burst out from behind them when the door slammed shut showed that it was indeed heavier than one would expect.

"Welcome to the Test Lab, home of ongoing experiments and projects! Don't touch anything and stay with me at all times." Charlie instructed. Alexa grinned despite her nervousness. What if she knocked something over? She couldn't help but feel 10 again, walking with a tour guide during a field trip at some museum.

Charlie led her a short ways from the entrance before stopping in front of another door. This one was wood, not metal. He knocked on it a few times.

"Come in!" A voice called.

Charlie pushed the door open. Alexa was surprised to see what looked like a bedroom, and even more so to see a girl, who looked about 15, sitting on the bed in a, orange dress.

"Grace, this is Alexa. Alexa, this is 9223, also known as Grace."

Grace waved.

"Hi!" She said, grinning.

"Alexa," Charlie said proudly, "Grace is the one who will accompany Sam and Linda on their journey."

Grace picked up a book and flipped through it rapidly, eyes barely moving. She put it down again.

"Charlie, I'm going to need some new books. I know you just got me this one, but I've already memorized it word for word."

Alexa gaped, shocked. She looked from Grace to Charlie, a bit confused.

"Oh, right. Did I forget to mention that?" Charlie said, blushing.

"Grace is our newest project... A robot human."

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Yay! More Alexa POV! I hope you enjoyed!

Peace!

-Frost