Chapter 2: Chapter 2

AREA X

Lola trotted to her mirror hanging by the wall in her ridiculously small parlour. Barely furnished and a room that lacked proper maintenance. She reviewed her looks carefully. Appreciating her braided hair complemented with a silky black top and a pair of fitting trousers. On a matching heel.

"Bad News for citizens of Area X!" The reporter that pitched eloquently from her 26 inches PLED TV jacked her attention. "The peaceful protest ongoing in the central part of the City as now exploded into a riot between protesters and the cops. Damaging several buildings and costing casualties too. It is unsure if Mayor Brooks will hold his meeting with the medical associates of Area X. An-"

Lola groaned at the abrupt shortage of power that dawned. She heaved a sigh thinking about loads of problems she had to handle for the day. She paced to her faulty circuit box, unraveling the appliance whilst letting a surge of energy course within her. Her veins started to glow tiny balls of orange before lightening protruded out of her right palm. Brisk and bright orange as it delved into the box. The power supply restored instantly.

She took a sharp glimpse at her digital watch which displayed past nine. A time that told how much lateness she had incurred. In haste, she switched off her appliances before jetting outside with her small hand bag.

The atmosphere greeted her with it's usual environmental pollution; poisonous smoke chilling with the clouds, oil spills that drenched port holed roads, garbages scattered across several poorly structured buildings. And the horde of demented people that wobbled nonchalantly in the city. Lola heaved another sigh, this were the daily hurdles she had to struggle with.

"Doctor Lola!" Her thoughts tousled as a neighbor strode to her with burdensome face. "Thank Goodness, you're around." The old woman sounded in a relieved status.

"Good morning Mrs. Dunlop." Lola flashed her a bright smile. One so superficial yet infectious enough to brighten the wrinkled face of the elderly woman.

"Morning my dear. I know you are probably late for work but I just wanna thank you for last night."

"Oh no Mrs. Dunlop, it's nothing. I just did my job!" Lola's smile deepened as she held the woman's arms that cusped a small package.

"No!" She weakly disagreed. "If not for you, my granddaughter could have died. Thank you for saving her life. It really means a lot to me." Lola nodded slowly. "Here, I brought this for you."

"Mrs. Dunlop," Lola sighed thinking about the several packages of sweets her neighbor occasionally blessed her with. "You don't need to do this. Honestly." Lola politely added but the woman wriggled her head.

"I insist my dear. I insist."

She courteously relieved the package off her neighbor's arms after several seconds of hesitation.

"Thank you Mrs. Dunlop. I really appreciate." She softly mentioned while the woman shrugged her off with a chuckle. Lola watched sadly as the old woman slowly pace into her wretched home.

"Taxi!" She pitched at the black and green stripped car that threaded the road path solemnly. "St Mary's hospital." She stated as she resigned into the rickety vehicle.

"That will cost you 100 Pillings ma'am." The young ebony skinned man politely interjected as he drove.

"100 Pillings!" Lola pitched with an obvious glare, loathing the fact a drive that usually cost for eighty now weighed for hundred.

"It's not my fault ma'am." He heaved an heavy sigh. "Blame the armed forces causing ruckus and traffic in the city."

She relaxed her back inadvertently, recalling the news her TV had aired.

"This Continent just gets worse day by day." She whispered as she looked through the window.

"Honestly, it's infuriating and we're beginning to feel like the government is dejecting us. Instead, they patronize us with several meetings that births only one thing. Fruitlessness." The driver groaned.

"All the more reason why we shouldn't give up." Lola chuckled sadly as she studied his hurt countenance through the mirror.

"Hopefully our voices will pay off someday." He replied.

"Hopefully."

She sighed, opting to enjoy the rest of her journey in silence.

"Here you go!" She said as she paid the driver a blue 100 pilling note. She alighted from the rickety vehicle only to be greeted by the eeriness of St Mary's. The biggest hospital in the entirety of Area X. Several Ambulances blared their sirens as they passed through the gates, soldiers circling about the environment agitatedly and violently controlling hordes of injured people trying their luck into the building.

She slipped her lab coat hastily out her bag as she paced through the gates. Threading the long narrow path that led to the building.

"Doctor Lola, thank goodness you're here!" A nurse dressed in a pink uniform gown worriedly stated as she emerged into the building. But Lola's attention was quick to divert to the soldiers that roamed the building with heavy guns and other nurses pushing injured patients hastily on gurneys. Doctors running with their Stethoscopes helter skelter from one ward to another.

Lola's face morphed into a frown intertwined with concerns.

"What happened here?"

"These are patients who sustained severe injuries during the protest. They just keep flocking in and there's more bad news." The nurse responded as they both paced to a ward. "There has been an outburst of mutant cases in some part of the city. Many of them are here but barely responding to treatments."  Lola gasped as she emerged into the large room filled with shrunken people on the brink of deaths. Some of them had large wounds that reeked enough for her to vomit, some had their body glowing excessively with balls of orange, some were inches away from death and others had died.

"At this rate Doctor Lola, This hospital workload will collapse at the number of cases we're receiving." The nurse mumbled worriedly with a sigh following suit.

Lola immediately jetted to a patient having convulsion. She took slow and steady breaths to calm herself. And then, she briskly placed a pillow underneath his head. She loosened the buttons tightening around the patient's neck before yelling to the agitated nurse.

"Lola, where were you?!" Doctor Maxwell, a fellow youngster, joined her hastily.

"I'm so sorry I came late Max!" Lola exhaled while they battled for the patient's survival. "I don't understand what's happening here, what's with the soldiers and this new epidemic cases?"

"Don't you know? Mayor Brooks will be arriving in ten minutes. They need to prepare safety grounds and of course, thanks to them this Hospital's capacity hasn't exploded yet." He answered.

"Well I don't get why they should be roaming about wards with guns!" She pitched. "Heavy ones at that." She added furiously before five soldiers encompassed them. They brushed her off the patient violently, before wheeling the patient.

"What are you doing?!" Lola yelled in agitation but none of them paid listening ears. "That patient is in a delicate condition!" She continued to raise her voice as she fiercely pursued.

"Oh no no no no no no Doctor Lola!" The Captain dressed in his uninspiring black uniform blocked her instantly with a tiny smile. Holding his rifle dearly in his arms.

"What are you doing Captain Morgan?! That patient is going to die." She screeched but he remained unmoved.

"We're simply following orders of the Mayor. Every Mutant patients are to be treated lastly. They are more or less like the living dead." He proudly stated sternly but his statement only dosed her infuriation.

"They're not mutants! They're humans just like us!. Victims of the explosion. For once can't you and your stupid Mayor show compassion for these people?" She muttered through her gritted teeth.

"That is your say but I shall follow the Mayor's orders." He scoffed. "Boys! Round them up and dump their burnt asses in the slum!" He ordered. Her breaths started to hyperventilate whilst feeling the rush of electricity that pumped through her veins, exciting her nerves. Her eyes briskly reviewed the surroundings. Doctors being pushed off their patients and soldiers wheeling the helpless through the exit.

"Don't give me that look!" Captain Morgan scorned but her rage wouldn't let her mind settle. Hence, she inched closer to him, holding his arms.

"What are you doing?!" He remarked with a smirk but she let her electric charge flow into her palms and unto his body. Captain Morgan shook violently, his irises dancing upwards and eyes twitching till he collapsed to the ground.

"Oh my God!" Maxwell shrieked behind her dragging the attention of others. "What happened to him?" He asked shockingly. Lola gulped down her saliva.

"He had a convulsion." She lied. "The Captain is down, Quick get me a gurney. We need to treat him as quick as possible."

"Lola we have to go, Mayor Brooks has arrived." Maxwell muttered beside her. She nodded, deriving pleasure from the unconscious face of Captain Morgan. As she took the elevator up the building alongside her teammates, all her mind raced about was Captain Morgan's irking words. The elevator pinged open revealing a brightened room donned in white with several dignitaries seated around the long rectangular table.

"Took you long enough." Mayor Brooks toned from the end while she sat opposite him. Welcoming him with a stern look.

"Pardon our lateness, Mayor Brooks. We had impending patients to attend to." Maxwell courteously replied.

"Alright then." The 55 year old man voiced whilst adjusting his suit jacket briefly. "I believe we all know why we are here. The daily growing epidemic cases raiding the Continent."

"Yes Mayor Brooks." The medical Director of St. Mary's affirmed while the rest nodded.

"Honestly, I am tired of our countless meetings and hopefully today, I'm hoping we could all reach an agreement." Mayor Brooks mentioned as he gazed precisely into her eyes. "I have spoken to the Chief-in-Power and he would be blessing us with more Hospitals and Workers in the coming weeks."

"I'm sorry Mayor Brooks but I don't see how this is solving our problems." Lola declared courageously causing all attention to be diverted to her. She pressed on regardless.

"Apart from the shortages of Hospitals and Workers there's also the impending issue of funding. Our Hospitals are poorly structured neither is any worker paid well. We have only a total of twelve hospitals running in the Continent with several staffs who are inexperienced!" She paused.

"Even if you build more Hospitals, bring competent staffs our epidemic cases wouldn't drop in the slightest!. The continent's poor state of economy, lack of proper infrastructures, low standards of living and stigmatism towards victims of the explosion is enough to increase the epidemic. But how will you possibly understand the daily hurdles of the people, when you yourself don't live in your Continent." She paused again, noting the distress inscribed on the Mayor's face.

"In 2020, Area X was the center of nuclear explosion that wiped out half of the world's population and technology. Other dsytopian Continents have improved since the catastrophe. Republic of Africa, Heathers, New Canada, Rivernea and Utopia. But look at us, we are still the same where the explosion left us. We need a change and not just Hospitals and Workers alone but a better standard of living."  Once she finished her speech, all of them had lost the courage to speak, precisely the Mayor himself. Only after minutes was his voice heard.

"Your complaints we'll be worked upon, I assure you but in the mean time, I shall press on with the Hospitals and Workers first." He paused his lips, gazing deeply into her eyes. "This meeting is over." He declared and briskly exited the building with his security.

"That was inspiring!" Maxwell tugged at her arm with a bright smile.

"Doctor Lola," one of Brook's guard interjected. "Mr. Brooks requests of your presence. Please follow me." He ordered in a polite gesture. Lola exchanged knowing glances with her friend before following suit.

"I admire your speech Doctor Lola but don't you think you're going too far?" Mayor Brooks said as she entered into his vehicle parked in the Hospital's garage. She peered at his grimaced face cautiously.

"That wasn't a speech, I was simply stating the obvious in my own jurisdiction." She replied. He chuckled, taking his gaze off her.

"Doctor Lola Williams, your name is quite popular these days." He muttered. "Deputy chief to the medical association and also an active human activist." She held his gaze trying to decipher his objective. "You know politics is a delicate system, I believe you're versatile with how things work around here. So let me make you a deal."

Her palms started to curl into a fist, another surge of electric charge exciting her nerves. Pleading to electrocute Mayor Brooks.

"I'll give you fifty million Pillings and you will drop the protest you're staging and shut your parroting mouth." He smirked with his eyes reviewing her status dangerously.

"That's quite a lot of money but I'm sorry, as long as I live, I'll keep on fighting for the betterment of Area X." She explained calmly.

"I do hope you won't regret your decision. I'm quite powerful, you know." He bellowed. She frowned and then smiled. One so daring and superficial.

"You're not the only one who's got powers." She retorted. "I'll take my leave now." She added before stepping off his luxurious vehicle gingerly.

The Knock on Lola's door jolted her awake from her couch. She had sunken into the deepest state of worry from her day's work and occurrences until the gentle sound that emanated from her door. She wobbled to her door, unlocking the door knob in a tiredly fashion but the person that appeared in her line of vision terrified her. In a surprised fashion.

"Doctor Roberts!" She pitched surprisingly, rubbing her eyes to affirm she wasn't hallucinating. But he was there! Smiling brightly and donning his accustomed lab coat on his black suit. The World's greatest scientist and billionaire was standing right in front of her rickety home.

"Will you allow me in or shall I keep standing under this cold night." He muttered with a slight chuckle, jerking her from her statutory position.

"Oh pardon me, please come in." She urged in a nervous state. As she shut the door behind her, his face morphed from a bright smile to a stern expression.

"I know you must be wondering why I'm here." He stated while she remained statutory, dumbfounded.

"I want to offer you a job. One that has more purpose than you working in St. Mary's and being an activist."

She sported a quizzical look.

"What kind of job?" She asked slowly, trying to decipher his eyes that barely revealed anything.

He smiled.