Marcus awoke slowly. He was groggy from the blast. He heard monotones wringing his brain. , though he could not hear the crackle of flames he knew he should he. He could smell the acrid smoke, and he could taste the vapor on his tongue, along with the salty slickness of blood cascading from his ears. His body wrenched with pain, but he knew he had to get on his legs and move, or die.He found his center of gravity and pushed as forcefully up with his thighs as he could and was amazed to find himself propelled across the un-level gravel toward the door of a building.

He slammed into a worn brick wall, feeling, but not hearing his contact. He fumbled along the wall until he found a door. It flew open when he pulled on the door latch. He went into the door and fell to the ground, out of breath, bleeding profusely, and unable to remember what had happened or who he was. He again worked himself up and through a stairwell door. As he entered the long hallway ahead he saw the soldiers waiting for him. Smoke from the explosion outside was flooding into the hallway through the broken laboratory windows ajoinging the