Chapter 21: A...slight interference
She ran.
Needless to say she didn't stop to look back. This was her one shot. Her one shot at freedom.
The walls flickered as she brisked by them, her dress flowing behind her as though to drag her back.
A tear fell.
"Rob. I'm coming."
The footsteps hammered against the floor.
Guards surrounded all sides. We needed a way through and I was not turning back.
"There." She pointed towards a space with what appeared to be only one tango. I nodded.
We carefully shifted along in the foliage, not wanting to make too much noise. It would have been peaceful if not for the occasional test shot or fly over of helicopter blades. Or the roaring of trucks...or the shouting across the area. Yeah never mind.
Looking both sides, we finally emerged. Na1suki was agile, and though small, was very nimble. I was struggling to keep up as we went from crate to container to crate. She had done this before, as though by instinct. She put her hand on my chest, as I almost rounded the guard. Moving her finger to her lips, she glared at me and used her other hand to point around the corner.
I nodded and pointed around the side, signalling to catch him from behind. She acknowledged it with a smile and nod.
"You have backed up the simulation, after the interference yes?".
"Sir I have. I'm really not sure how she-"
"And the other three. They are still okay?"
"Another has...escaped..."
"Good."
"Sir may I ask wh-"
"Keep them going. I don't care how unnatural it may look to him, keep him moving. They must be kept moving. Did she get through?"
"She's out."
He stopped. His creation was running free. Well not entirely.
"Get her back."
"But sir you-"
"Are you questioning me?"
The operator looked into his eyes, blue holograms flashed in his eyes.
Ever since the new member had joined, something was off. The first week had been fine. They had established characters. The entity still thought he had a tragic story. His motive was clear, but he didn't know the half of it. What they had planned?
Meanwhile the commander was having his own problems. He had ended up hiding her. The subject he had used to test the stability. She had seen it all.
Of course she wouldn't remember. But if anything were to spark the missing files, she...
She would break free.
Destroying everything.
He had locked her away, but she had reached out. Used the last of strength to reach one player.
She had directed it towards the main CPU of the system, which had hit their next subject.
He sighed.
The other girls were just as strong. But not to h3r level.
"Sir are you okay?"
"Yeah yeah I'm..." he wiped his eyes, his palms were sweating.
"Keep...keep it going. I'm going to go grab a drink."
He grabbed his coffee mug and walked out.
The boot tracks still lay in the dirt. Drag marks that is.
His radio suddenly blasted out.
"Come on guys we are moving. Subject has gone. Jeff, call in Alpha 1010. We are leaving."
Puzzled I shrugged. That was it?
"Come on let's move." I whispered.
"Wait." Looking back, I saw her smiling into a crate. She licked her lips.
Oh no.
"We don't have time for this. Come on..." I gestured for her to come over. She looked left, straight at me. Then grabbed 5 bars of what seemed to be chocolate.
"Hey!"
Shit!
I began to run at him, hoping to tackle him before a shot could be fired. But then, something odd happened. He began to clutch his headset, a deafening screech coming out of his earpiece.
Then another scream in the distance.
Then another.
I looked at the pink haired baker.
Her eyes.
.
They were grey.
Objects began to appear in front of me. I kept running. The bastards weren't locking me out of this. I knew what they were. Even he knew. His stomp was getting louder.
The corridors weren't ending.
It had been at 2 minutes and not a single sign. My chest was clenching tighter by the second.
Soon.
My fingers were crossed.
The commands were flowing through my blood.
" .Hallway."
My had brushed along the wall once more. I felt its 1's and 0's.
A door.
I squealed internally.
My shoulder desperately bashed through.
The floor disappeared.