18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 501

Stella Larson didn't waste a second as she eagerly stashed the variety of firearms from the warehouse into her trusty Arcadia. In a flash, an entire thousand square meters of supplies vanished.

Taking a deep breath, Stella headed to the adjacent warehouse. Using the same method, she swung the doors wide open. Canned pork, fish, fruit, nuts—you name it, there were tons of it, all produced years after the disaster with enough preservatives to give them a shelf life of a decade. Stella wouldn’t touch the stuff herself, but that didn’t stop her from taking it all.

Coffee, sugar, various spirits, dried fruits, dehydrated vegetables, freeze-dried milk powder—all measured in tons, at least thirty by a quick glance. And then there were the luxury items: 20 boxes of coffee mugs priced at $1280 each, 10 boxes of $3000 coffee pots, $300 surge protectors, $10,000 toilets—over 300 of them—plus various spare parts. Honestly, these folks were so attached to their luxuries they wouldn’t even let a flood get in their way. Stella was particularly smitten; she absolutely had to try out a $10,000 toilet.

If she wasn't mistaken, these supplies were meant for the upper echelons of the Five Eyes Alliance; the stuff for the rank and file was probably stashed somewhere on the lower levels and nowhere near as fancy. To her surprise, there were also pallets of pharmaceuticals. All manufactured post-disaster, they were essential and in high demand: anti-inflammatories, fever reducers, painkillers, antibiotics, as well as gauze, surgical tools, iodine, and alcohol. These were life-saving supplies, far more useful than any of the other goods she’d found. Stella quickly checked for expiration dates and found none had passed. She silently thanked her generous benefactor; this trip had been well worth it. What a haul! Not even the wooden pallets were left behind.

As they prepared to leave, Stella and her companion Jasper stumbled upon another door, inconspicuous and unmarked, yet requiring biometric access—face recognition, no less. Stella's intuition told her that the more inconspicuous something was, the more valuable it likely held within. So, they commenced with chip sensing and fingerprint identification. Dragging a corpse over, Jasper pressed the deceased's face to the scanner. After three beeps, the smart door opened slowly. A chill hit them immediately, the air biting cold. Unfazed by potential danger, both Stella and Jasper, equipped with gas masks, ventured inside cautiously.

It appeared to be a cryogenic storage, with the temperature hovering around minus 30 degrees Celsius. Rows of coffin-like pods lined the floor, each one seemingly designed for a specific creature. Inside each pod was a body, but not human. Stella’s eyes scanned the rows, her confusion mounting... Fish, chicken, ducks, geese, rabbits, turkeys, pigs, cows, sheep, kangaroos, monkeys… Dozens of animal species, each with over twenty specimens, all with fur and feathers intact. Cryogenic storage indeed, but not like anything she’d seen before.

Jasper’s gaze fixed on the peculiar pods. “These seem tailor-made for each animal. They might be… hibernation pods.” "Hibernation pods?" Stella echoed with surprise. Hibernation technology was something out of sci-fi movies, yet here it was in reality... perhaps. There were clients frozen before the disaster due to incurable diseases, whether this was true science or a scam, no one could say. But indeed, some creatures could survive in extreme cold, like the ectothermic insects of the Arctic and Antarctic. When temperatures drop, they enter a state of suspended animation, ceasing to grow and move, ready to survive the winter. Technically, this was hibernation.

Unfortunately, Arcadia wasn't that expansive, barely able to hold one vessel. Besides, these ships had already been scrutinized by the Russians, and their sudden disappearance would raise too many questions. Moreover, China would likely have moved the best goods to their underwater base. There were still ships, fighter jets, fuel, and other supplies, but to maintain harmony, Stella believed in sharing the wealth. Hogging all the goodies was a sure way to make enemies. Deciding against further action, Stella and her companions bypassed the Russian patrols and braved the biting wind and snow, eager to return home. Concern for Rosie and Cooper weighed heavily on her mind as dawn approached.

Having put enough distance between themselves and any potential pursuers to feel secure, Stella pulled out a snowmobile. With Jasper at the helm and Snowflake in tow, they cut through the darkness and the blizzard with growing confidence. Jasper had a rocky start with the snowmobile, nearly tipping it over at one point, but his calm demeanor soon translated into skillful handling. Their return journey was swift; they made it back in less than two hours, a significant improvement from their cautious trip out.

As dawn broke, painting the sky with the first light of day, they arrived to find the front yard in disarray. Dried blood and bodies littered the ground. It was the work of Union Base's forces; they had indeed executed a feint. Stella's heart raced to her throat, her lips quivering as she tried several times before managing to speak, "C-Cooper?" Silence hung heavily in the air. Jasper dashed forward, pounding on the door with an urgency that threatened to break it down. "Rosie?" he called out, his voice a mix of fear and desperation.