Chapter 148 - Time is ticking (1/2)
The corridor was crowded, the murderous robots in the entrance were now inside the building surveying each corner for survivors. They were doomed. Olga looked up at Alter, she looked so small in his arms. He gave her a tight smile almost embarrassed.
”Sorry for drooling all over you,” she smirked. The front of Alter's blue overall was soaked. Grant gave them a dark look.
”Do you want them to spot us,” he hissed. He turned back to the staircase, eyes resting on the group behind him. How the hell were they going to get out of this death trap? It won't surely go smoothly and not without a few victims.
”I'll stay to create a diversion,” we all turned towards the speaker in the back. He has been silent throughout the whole mission. They barely noticed his presence.
”I can't let you do that,” Grant frowned to the cybot who agreed to lean them the charging vehicle. He stepped forward, he was a basic construction model. Gray metal with scratches of the simplest design made to withstand shock and hardship.
”It's ok, I'll be able to lure them away and when they follow, you ran and don't look back,” his simple rectangular eye flashed in the dimness. Demos let out a frustrating sound between a sigh and a chuckle.
”No one is staying behind,” he turned to Grant.
”We are wasting time,” commented Olga. ”Nicolai, switch me off. I won't be of any help if my core is fried,” she fished from her pocket for the black box then pushed it at Grant. ”This has more value than your existence...all of us combine,” they held their gaze in solemn silence. ”Construction guy! If you want to do it... give them a reason to follow you,” Demos reluctantly hand him his gun which the cybot refused.
”I was happy to fight for your cause,” he said in his flat voice, he reached for the knob and gunshot followed as the door shut behind him.
***
”Wait! I said wait!” I shouted to the nurse gripping my arm. Yet she didn't stop and forced me to follow her on this dark road. Adrien's s.e.xbot closed the procession carrying the bag Grant filled with food supplies and clothes. Everything I've said to convince her Grant was lying didn't work.
”He said to make sure you get to the safe house and that exactly what I'm doing,” she gave a quick peek over the shoulder. The sky now took a light purple color, the sun hasn't risen yet. This deserted road led to the river where I could hear the water rushing but was still invisible in the shadows.
”Why don't you believe me? I'm telling the truth,” I pleaded for the millionth time. The girl behind us laughed, it was a low sarcastic one. Right, awesome. Artificial humor, haven't seen it in a while.
”You know what, Liliane,” she smiled.
”What?” I snapped exasperated and tired.
”What's so good about you, anyway? You're whiny, mistrustful, mean. I'm surprised the boys keep up with such a disagreeable person,” her footsteps echoed on the solid surface. I kept quiet. Where did that hostility come from? ”You know they are doing everything for your sake, right?” she paused. ”Putting your safety first. And here you are calling them liars and traitors,” she sighed. The nurse didn't allow me to pause and look at her.
”It's the truth!” I insisted.
”Do you actually love them? Cause if you don't... we do,” her statement shut me up. I stared with wide eyes. What did she know about love? Of course, I loved my mates. Why should I prove my feeling to this machine whose sole purpose is to please men's deepest—unspeakable desires?
”We are almost there,” the nurse broke the thick tension building up between us. I knew there was something going on in Grant's little cult. My mouth itched to ask more. Did they cheat? Was this woman walking behind me wanted to take them away? She said 'we', did that involved other members of their group? Oh, god the thought and suspicion kept growing and taking over me. The whole idea seemed to turn sentient.
We arrived at a fenced entrance with a green board nailed to the side. It said construction site in big with chucks of smaller text underneath. I had to squinted my eyes to make out the first sentence.
”Developmental infrastructure Dyneapolis Zone 003, Alteron Enterprises,” I read aloud. The nurse let go of me, I lost focus on the board and watch her pulled the chain holding the door. There was no lock, just chains making anyone walking by thinking it's locked. She pushed the pedestrian door open then slid it to the side wide enough so that the entrance was clear and a truck can get in. Beyond was a brand new parking lot. The black asphalt was pristine with no marking yet. The parking led to a long stilted bridge to a three-story-high unfinished building. The lower half had large glass windows that reflected the reddish sky as the sun peeked on the horizon. The top one was concrete gray with strange hollow windows that looked like eyes staring down at me.
”Come,” said the nurse. She had already crossed the parking and reached the bridge. Somehow this place seemed familiar.
”How did you found this—safe house?” I couldn't help asking. The s.e.xbot was on my heels holding on the straps of her bag. Her presence pressing in my back, I hated that.
”Olga allowed us to stay here,” she answered in a bored voice. ”She mentioned that she was in charge of building it,” my head snapped in her direction.
”No wonder it seems familiar—” I turned back to the front at the building loomed above us. ”This is the water system we've been working on,” I did see the blueprints but never once I imagined it was an actual REAL building. this whole time, I was sure we were working on yet another prototype.
”How did they build it so quickly?” I admired the glass door with the logo of our project engraved in it. It was three waved over an inverted triangle with the word Water System Management written in bold. ”I can't believe this is real?” I whispered. The nurse took out a magnetic card and used it to open the door. I ran my fingers over the logo before getting in. The lobby was painted white with stripes of gray on the lower half of the walls. There were wall lamps missing on some walls with wires bare. On the floor were carton boxes full of decoration and frames. The air had a faint smell of fresh paint, concrete dust, and new leather. We reached the front desk, it was still wrapped in plastic. A gray granite top with bleu waves and a white Alteron logo on the front.