Chapter 139 - Retreat

"It's you—" I reached trembling fingers towards him. He smiled and caught them in his warm solid hands. Demos pulled me up my feet into an embrace. "It's really you?" I buried my face in his chest. My cheek rubbing on the rough texture of his bandages. I raised my hand to his chest and brushed over it.

"You're hurt?" I met his gaze. He let out a low chuckle.

"The Medpod repaired the major damages but my body is not completely fixed. I'll have scars," he lowered his head. I touched his chin, a light flickered in his cooper eyes.

"I don't care about the scars. I don't about the envelope," tears spilled. His arms tightened around me.

"It's ok, I've got you. I'll never let go," he whispered in my hair. I abruptly pulled away and gazed into his confused face.

"Atlas said he deleted your file," all expression drain away, my heart raced. Was it true? Was it a lie? Talk to me. He averted his eyes. I pulled on the front of his shirt for answers.

"I—" he sighed. He then switched to our link. The shift was so unexpected I felt like a physical blow in the face.

-I don't have any memory of what happened with—Atlas.

Hearing his inner voice was such a relief and torture at the same time. There was a mixture of opposing emotions conveyed in it. Such despair and helplessness. So much love I felt like drowning. And yet he hesitated as he searched his words. What was he trying to hide? I dove into the thick soup of sensations reaching for him, grabbing that red pulsing thread.

-When I wake up, the last thing I recall was that episode with a nasty cop by the roadside. When I looked up, Grant was standing there, worried.

I searching his face as well as the trembling lights around our connection. He was telling the truth. Then what about the black box? Was it gone? How was that even possible?

"I don't get it?" a blast of orange flame startled me. From the bottom of the stairs, a cyborg had fired explosives damaging part in the railing where Grant was standing. Alter and Nicolai had pulled him just in time out of harm. Demos held me firmly in his arms when I tried to run to him. Grant fired back, he and his group were yelled at their assailants below. When I focused back on Demos, his expression has shifted to sadness.

"I'm a copy—a backup. If Atlas said he deleted my file then it means he deleted the original," it took more than a minute to sink in. I couldn't tear my eyes from his sad face. Even as smoke stung my eyes and the fight raged around us—I couldn't accept the truth.

"Fall back!" shouted Alter.

"Retreat," waved Grant towards us. "They've called backup. Let's get out of here," Demos grabbed my arm and in seconds I was safely tugged against his chest as we fled. We gathered our wounded and dashed to a long brightly lit corridor. On the wall, I made out in golden letters, Ground floor.

"Wait, what about Olga?" I called. He gave me a quick peek.

"You'll figure it out when we get back to safety," his jaw was tight. We saw bodies littered on the floor that led to the cafeteria. Bloody trails on the pristine wall. What the hell happened here? My heart was about to explode in my chest.

-Don't look.

I buried my face in his chest. It was odd to be this close to his silent heart. Before I could ponder over this newfound security bullets were fired when we crossed the door to the large room of the cafeteria. We took cover behind overturned tables and chairs.

"They are blocking the doors," announced Nicolai. Indeed, in front of the exit door where the horrible event that started it all was blocked by four massive security robots. They were the ones that usually guarded the entrance.

"Come out," said a voice that boomed from the ceiling. "Come out," it repeated. "You can't escape filthy rats," Atlas sang in a childish way. Grant peeped over his shoulder at us then turned to his friends.

"I'll charge out and you cover me," suggested Alter. Grant frowned at him and touched his shoulder when he made a movement to get up.

"No," he whispered. "I don't want any more casualties—" Grant didn't have a chance to finish his sentence that a loud blast blow the front tables away. Demos shielded me from the debris. Angry machine guns followed in loops as smoke and yelled clouded the exit.

"What—?" I started. Demos placed his hand over my mouth to quiet me down.

"Liliane Kerry?" called shadow emergy from the dust. I froze, I heard it right. Someone just called my name. I turned to the entrance. Demos pulled me back to safety.

"Who is asking?" replied Grant gripping his gun. The exit was still covered with a thin haze, concealing the figure. There was silence. Grant's friends aimed at the vaguely human form.

"Don't shoot!" said the male voice with hands over his head. "It's Angus!" Slowly the dust settled and more people appeared around Angus. Some were wearing white lab coats others dressed as civilians. Grant risked a peek over the table. "You can come out, there are lorries waiting in the parking lot," he explained. "We need to hurry, Dr. Laurence is planning handing over the facility to the military. They will arrive shortly and I really don't want to get arrested," he waved. We quickly got our of our hiding. When I got near him, I got near him I had to ask.

"How did you know I was still here?" Angus grinned.

"Elija called me before they shot him," Grant and Demos exchanged a knowing look.

"Where was a note in the morgue drawer where I found Demos. It was signed, Elija. I didn't know he died," the man pressed his lips together.

"Well, we don't have time to mourn our dead, right now. Let's get the hell out of here," we hopped over the corpses of the robots that were preventing ours from getting out. I was surprised it was pitch black outside. As Angus had explained there was a big military-type lorry with its engine roaring waiting for us. Grant helped me get on and we all squeezed inside.

"Let's roll," Angus slammed his fist on the side of the lorry and it rattled forward. The wheels squealed as he sped out of the parking lot slamming the fence door in our passage. We were sitting on the hard surface of the body and with each bump on the road, you feel it in your whole body.