Lab-Tech

Annabeth POV

"You're late, Jackson. Punctuality is important in missions like these," I affirmed. I watched as the young man climbed into the back of the empty jeep. He simply sighed and rolled his eyes while sitting on the floor.

"Don't be so uptight, Wise Girl," Percy cooed.

I glared at him while the others chuckled at our argument. Everyone is used to constant bickering at this point. Percy and I simply can't sit in silence. We're always finding something to argue about.

"Why can't you guys just get along?" Thalia asked. She shook her head in disappointment while Percy just smirked.

"I'd be happy to get along if he wasn't such an idiot. Even today, it's him that started the argument with a clever (subtle) insult," I explained.

"You're the one that's ragging me about being late," Percy countered. "Besides, I'm not even the last person here. Beckendorf and Silena are still yet to arrive."

"THEY ALREADY LEFT," I snapped.

"ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ENOUGH," Luke ordered. Everyone turned to him as he approached the truck with a few extra weapons. "I can easily dismiss someone if you guys can't get along. We can't be fighting outside the perimeter because zombies will make it very dangerous. Keep your heads on straight."

"I'm always straight," Percy muttered. I glared at him.

Piper and Jason chuckled but used their hands to hide their smiles. Meanwhile, Thalia continued to reprimand us. Charles and Silena took a different truck out before us. Luke is driving this jeep upfront. Jason, Piper, Percy, Thalia, and I settled in the back. Nico and Bianca stayed behind to fortify the camp after we leave.

This is the standard protocol for raids. Since today is going to be a large haul, we need more people to assist. Regardless, we always leave a few guards behind.

Luke drove out of the perimeter. I was standing in the back, and I watched the di Angelo siblings and Leo quickly secure the traps again. Before long, the museum melted behind the trees of central park.

We drove too quickly for zombies to get near us.

The wind ruffled my hair wildly as we drove through the park. We left early in the morning, and the goal is to come back by nightfall.

I finally sat down on the jeep's floor.

Jason and Piper were talking quietly in the corner. Thalia was organizing weapons on the trunk floor, and Percy was helping. They were talking about which weapons are the best against zombies.

"I'm just saying that nothing beats a gun," Percy said.

"I highly disagree," Thalia stated. "A gun is useless once you run out of bullets. Meanwhile, staff or spear is always helpful. Plus, the length of the weapons keeps a good distance between yourself and zombies."

"Yes, but they're harder to use," Percy argued. I rolled my eyes, but he noticed. "You have something to say to me, Wise Girl."

"Yeah. Stop calling me Wise Girl," I huffed.

Percy smiled mischievously. "No can do, Wise Girl. Once I settle on a nickname, it sticks. I can't erase my mind you know?"

"Considering there's nothing in that head of yours but seaweed, I find that hard to believe," I expressed. I crossed my arms. "Seaweed Brain."

Percy gasped in horror. He clutched his chest in fake hurt. "I can't believe you'd insult me like this. You know how traumatizing it is for bullies to make fun of the innocent people of the world. I think I'm gonna cry."

"If you're an 'innocent victim', then I'm the mayor," I shot back.

Percy chuckled while grabbing a pistol. He pocketed the weapon in his holster before taking hold of two knives. He held one in his hand while the other was placed into his knife holder. He was getting ready to get down. We were almost near Columbia University.

Suddenly, the jeep hit a bump in the road. Piper yelped in surprise. The weapons shook from the impact, but nothing more happened.

In a few minutes, we reached Columbia's research building.

I stood up to survey our surroundings. Zombies were sluggishly walking around the streets of New York. There were dozens of them. Most of them were probably college students who turned into zombies. I sighed at the thought. Before the apocalu[ose, I was an architecture student at Columbia University.

One of the zombies out there could easily be me. I just hoped that I wouldn't come face-to-face with a zombie that I recognize.

Luke got out of the truck to meet Beckendorf and Silena. We were parked right next to each other. Our jeep is an open rooftop. Only the driver's and passenger's seats are covered. Meanwhile, Beckendorf and Silena brought a small moving truck.

This was on purpose.

Essentially, Jason, Piper, and Percy don't know about the dealings in South Sector. We intend to keep it that way. All the tech and machines we need for South Sector are going to go in the moving truck. Food and other resources will be on the jeep.

Luke stabbed a fat zombie that came too close.

"All right, everyone, we are going to split into two groups. Beckendorf, Silena, Annabeth, and I are going to Columbia. The other four individuals will scour the buildings nearby for food and other materials," Luke ordered.

Everyone nodded while getting out of the truck. We geared ourselves with weapons and got ready to go on the raid.

"Why are we at Columbia's bio-lab?" Percy asked.

"That is on a need-to-know basis," Luke answered. "We will take care of that. Your group is going after food."

"What's with all the secrets?" Percy muttered. I shook my head before walking to Beckendorf and Silena. Luke was strapping a few guns to his holster. I watched Percy whisper something to Jason in private.

I didn't like the look of their interaction. I felt as though Percy is planning something, and I didn't like it. He's not one to follow orders that easily.

My thoughts cleared as two zombies approached us.

I launched my knife at one of its heads. The zombie started crumbling while I ran toward it. I grabbed the knife out of its skull and quickly stabbed the other zombie. Both zombies fell to the ground at the same time. Over the past nine months, I had gotten very good at fighting zombies. They were easy to take care of.

The hardest part of dealing with zombies is when they're in a group. A few zombies at a time are easy. A horde of them is when it can be overwhelming, especially alone.

Thalia's group walked away from us.

We went in the other direction. Our group walked straight into the biology facility. Will is a medical student at Columbia. He gave us specific instructions on where to go. Beckendorf found the stairs, and we walked to the second floor.

The zombies were very dispersed in the building. Every time one came close to us, one of us would take it out. Once we made it to the second floor, Luke motioned us in different directions. Silena and Beckendorf went to the left while Luke and I went right. First, we need to make sure that every zombie on the floor is terminated. Then, we'll lock the exits and entrances on the floor.

This will ensure that we can work safely and quickly.

"The equipment is going to be very heavy. How are we going to get the tech down?" Luke asked.

"Will said that there are transport carts in the storage closet. We'll use the carts to move the equipment. Also, the cargo elevators in the back are generator operated. Beckendorf said that they should still be functional,' I explained.

"We're working on a lot of assumptions here," Luke expressed. I nodded at his hesitation, but we can't do much else but hope.

As soon as Luke opened one of the lab doors, two zombies ran out. I took a breath before stabbing one of the zombies. The other zombie was in a dirty lab coat. Luke quickly took care of that zombie. He motioned us into the lab. There were three other zombies inside, but it was easy to take them out.

Luke and I high-fived before going to the next room. We repeated the process with all the rooms One thing is for sure. I had gotten accustomed to fighting alongside Luke. We make a good team in terms of fighting zombies.

We met Beckendorf and Silena in the middle.

"There's a lot of equipment here. I'm confident everything we need for South Sector is on this floor," Silena expressed with a smile.

"I agree. I already saw some high-def microscopes and viral culture setups," I continued. Luke nodded while gesturing to one of the labs. The sign mentioned that this is a viral genetics lab. It has everything we need.

"This is going to be back-breaking work," Silena complained.

Beckendorf came into the lab with two transport carts. The steel carts rattled every time we put something on them. The equipment was heavy, and most of the time, we had to work together to move the technology. The microscopes and viral culture sets took up an entire cart. We need a few additional machines as well.

In my opinion, Will would've been much better at recognizing the research equipment. None of us are involved in science. However, Will is a medical student with clinical experience. A doctor is very important for the camp.

Essentially, we can't risk losing Will on a raid.

Regardless, Will and Dr. Claymore were very clear in their instructions, so we gathered everything on their list.

It took all morning to find all the machines and place them on the carts. We filled five transport carts, and one cart took up the whole hallway. That's why we brought a moving truck on this trip.

Silena and Beckendorf went down the cargo elevators first. They were going to clear every zombie on the basement level. Luke and I waited for them upstairs.

"Hey, Annabeth. Is Percy bothering you too much?" Luke asked surprisingly.

"Pardon?" I surmised.

"Well, you and Percy seem to be arguing all the time. You guys don't seem to be getting along, and that's a problem. You'll tell me if something is wrong, right?"

"Of course, I'd tell you. You're one of my closest at camp," I expressed. "Percy is not an issue. We just don't get along, but it's not anything serious."

"Are you sure? I can get him transferred if-"

"It's fine, Luke. Besides, Percy is an excellent fighter. It would be foolish for us to transfer him out of the guard," I stated. The truth is that I don't want Percy to not be a guard. Even though we don't get along, his presence is both exciting and satisfying.

"I care about you, Annabeth. Just remember that" he whispered.

"I know that, Luke. We're fine."

Just then, the elevator buzzed loudly. Beckendorf and Silena came back to the floor with blood splattered on their clothes. "There were more zombies than we expected," Beckendorf informed.

"But, you secured the basement?" Luke asked.

"Not exactly. Here's the thing. The basement has an open entrance. It doubles as a parking garage, so there aren't any doors. It's just a garage and road," Beckendorf stated.

"We have to take the equipment down and transport it with the threat of zombies. On the bright side, we went back to the truck and brought it into the garage. It's about 30 yards away from the elevator," Silena continued.

"That's great work, Silena."

We rolled the carts into the elevator and crammed inside. As soon as the trip down ended, zombies groaned at us. Luke pulled out his gun and fired. The three zombies crumbled. Beckendorf had to drag them out of the way.

Charles, Silena, and I dragged the heavy carts while Luke took care of the zombies. He makes sure to walk in front of us and protect us. I admired Luke at times.

He's one of the original members of the camp. He's a leader at the museum. It must be hard to take on that level of responsibility, but Luke does his job well. He enforced the rules and uses caution with everyone to ensure a safe environment.

Even with questions about Percy, he's simply trying to keep the museum safe. After all, Percy and I not getting along can be a detriment.

The strip protocol for newcomers was Luke's idea. We have to ensure that no one at camp has bite marks. We can't just let a zombie into the camp. Some people think Luke is harsh, but he's protecting us from the zombified world.

"You guys can load the truck. I'll keep watch and pop any zombie that gets too close," Luke expressed.

I nodded, and we got to work. It was heavy lifting work.

"Annabeth, why don't you keep watch? I'll help with lifting the equipment," Luke suggested after a minute. He gave me his gun and took my place.

I smiled at Luke. He does care about me. Despite how harsh or strict Luke can be, I know that he cares about me. The past few months at the survival camp brought us closer together.

I turned around and shot a large, screeching zombie in the head. Gods, zombies are such a nuisance; not to mention, disgusting.

We finished loading the truck in a couple of minutes.

BOOM. WHOOOSH.

Suddenly, a loud explosion pierced the stale air of the basement. The whole building vibrated in response. Our gazes shot to the basement entrance. I'm really hoping the others aren't responsible for the explosion.

Yet, a bad feeling crept into my gut.