Chapter 148 - Time is ticking

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.

"This way," we went downstairs to a spacious waiting room. The chairs were pushed to the sides against the walls. There were covers scattered in my corner. The s.e.xbot carelessly dropped my bag in a corner.

"Is this where you sleep?" I asked. The nurse paused and looked at the covers. She picked them up and starting folding them neatly.

"Some of us took the habit of sleeping from our masters. Those who did manual tasks don't. Some of us use the chairs others stand up in the corners," she smiled when she was done folding. It was a little odd. I've never stopped to ask myself how it all worked. what kind of lives the artificial had, as long as the work was done, I didn't really care. Now, I feel guilty for what I said to Demos. I can still, picture the way his lips dropped on the corners. 'I'm sorry you think that way'. He was clearly disappointed in me.

The two left me, the nurse kept on with the cleaning and the s.e.xbot disappeared behind one of the doors to the left. After a couple of minutes idly standing there feeling useless. I approached the nurse, timidly.

"I-I remembered you from the building...you helped me get on the helicopter—saving my life. I never got the chance to thank you," she looked up from her task and smiled. "Thank you," she was stacking the chairs together into a row of three towers.

"What is your name?"

"It's Elma. I was working on the 14th floor, assisting Mrs. Bennet, an old lady of 93 years old. She was bed-ridden—" her voice trailed off. She looked up at me, there was so much pain in her eyes. "When Grant touched me in that smoke-filled corridor—I was changed. But I still wanted to save her. In the confusion, I went back to her room but it was too late. She inhaled too much smoke—" my heart squeezed inside my chest.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. Her eyes were lost in the distance, I could imagine her reliving this terrible event. My own demon lurked in the corners, threatening to pull me back into that furnace.

"The most difficult choice I had to take was to follow Grant and the others out," she blinked and her smile returned. "Grant told me that my core mission was to assist people. That everyone still alive needed me," that sounded so much like Grant. It brought me to tears. She squeezed my shoulder gently. "I understand doubt. I've seen many struggles with it especially when it involves death. I've witnessed the worst of humanity and the very best when their final minutes ticked by," her gentle smile reminded me of Grant. She had the same peaceful aura around her. "The moment you let go of the fears and the doubts you will feel so much lighter," she helped me sit on a chair and took my hand in hers. "Try to breathe slowly and left each of them to go as you breathe out. Can you do that for me?" I slowly nodded. I suddenly felt very tired, heavy.

"Take a deep breath, hold it, and breathe out slowly," I felt dizzy with each breath and in seconds I was out cold. I had no memory when I got off the chair or how I was lying on the ground with a blanket over me.

When I wake up, the sun was coming throw one of the doors, casting a square of light over the wall next to me. I rose up on one elbow, I haven't slept that well in a while. My pulsing headache was gone. There was a low engine in the distance, I scanned the room and found Elma sitting on one chair with her eyes closed. Pushing the cover aside, got to my feet, my shoes were neatly placed on the side.

"They are here," the s.e.xbot, whom I still didn't know the name peeked through one of the doors on the left. I quickly shoved my shoes one without securing them and dashed after her. Elma joined us minutes later as the truck stopped in front of the bridge. I smiled when I saw Grant jumped from the passenger side of the c.o.c.kpit.

"Quick!" he yelled without looking my way. His face was grave with wrinkles between his brows. Something happened. Something bad. Nicolai got out of the driver's seat. "Close the doors, they are not far," Grant barked. Only seven members out of the dozen that made the trip came out of the truck. I ran across the bridge to them. I quickly spotted Demos helping Alter carrying a limp body. They were the tallest of the group. I covered my mouth when I recognized the body.

"Oh god!" I shouted. "Olga!" I remembered her face before she pushed me out of that elevator. Demos turned towards me. He held my eyes. Pain—some much pain.

-We were attacked. We lost many—

He lowered his head. I could feel the helplessness through our link. His shirt was torn open and fresh bruises on his chest. The others hurried to close the gates and barrier it with plunks and leftover materials from the construction. Alter held Olga's frail body in his arm, he nodded at Demos and went to the bridge.

"Come inside, I'll tell you what happened," he wrapped an arm around my trembling shoulder and we walked away from the other busy members. Grant didn't once look my way. It hurts to be ignored. I gave one last peek over my shoulder as he shouted orders.

"Liliane, he is only thinking about everyone's safety right now," Demos gently squeezed my shoulder. "Just try to understand," I hugged him back. Elma was right. This uneasy feeling was only fear and doubts.

"I'm trying," I whispered. He ran his fingers into my hair and kissed it.

"For a moment, I thought I would never see you again and that scared me," we reached the lobby. We paused letting the others walked past us. We waited still until we were alone. I looked up at his troubled face. There was something wrong.

"What is it? Tell me," I urged holing on the front of his torn shirt. He averted his eyes. This can only mean bad news. "However bad it might be, please tell me. I know I've been a little harsh—maybe, a lot...before you go. I'm sorry. I was scared. I was so scared. Please forgive me for not believing in you—in Grant. I understand that he is angry. I just hope you can forgive me," he shook his head with a tight smile.

"I'll always forgive you," he leaned forward pressing his forehead against mine. "You will need to talk to Grant, we may be one but we react in a different way," he sighed and pulled away. His copper eyes were gentle and sincere.

"Olga was able to stop Atlas from escaping online. She cornered him but couldn't stop him," he sighed. I wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged me back. Quick footsteps in the entrance interrupted our embrace.

"What are you still do here?" raged Grant with Nicolai standing beside him. "We need to get down the bas.e.m.e.nt. Don't you know that the military are going to blow up Texson city and that Atlas's henchmen are out for blood?" I gasped at the revelation.

"What—"

"They followed the truck and promised to annihilate us all..."