I threw open the emergency stairs door and took off toward the flight of stairs leading down, not even bothering to look back to see if Smith was following. Although I didn't need to look back to know he was there. I heard as the door slammed yet again behind me, its slam echoing all through the stairs. I speeded up my running, skipping a few steps at a time as I went. I didn't dare stop, for I had a good head start. If I stopped to catch my breath, Smith was sure to catch me.
It was a long hard climb down, but I finally made it to the door leading outside. I pushed it open and ran out. I stopped for a few seconds to look around me to see where I actually was. Visiting a strange city you've never been in before is nice when you're sight seeing with a map, but if you're in a very big hurry it can be quite a problem. I soon figured out which way I was to go, and it wasn't too far from the hotel I was staying in. As I ran all the way, all I could think about was getting my laptop and getting back to the Twins before something happened.
I burst through the front door of the hotel and ran straight to the elevator, almost slamming the 'up' button into the wall. Finally the elevator came and soon let me off on my floor, and I ran all the way to the door of my room. Breathing hard from running and shaking like a leaf from fear of Smith following me, I shakily shoved my hand in my jeans pocket for the key card to my room. After finding it I had to try and keep my hand still as I slid the key card through the slot and waited for the light to turn green. Once inside, I slammed the door and ran into the bedroom to get my computer. After setting my computer out on my bed I decided to take a little time out to rest and put on some fresh clothes since the ones I wore were stiff with rain and the smell of hospital. Yick! The smell of hospital always made me shudder. I wrinkled my nose as I threw my shirt onto the bed and walked over to my suitcase for a clean one.
It wasn't long until I came out of the bedroom—fresh clothes on, my hair brushed, and my laptop safely tucked under my arm. Before I could touch the doorknob of the front door, it slowly started to turn on its own. I stopped and looked in wide-eyed wonder. Someone was coming in! But it was impossible; the door automatically locked on its own until someone entered a key card into it. Forget impossible, it was happening, and in a few more seconds someone was going to be in there with me. I quickly darted behind the sofa and ducked down. I heard the door open, the sound of footsteps, and then all went silent. I sat in a hunched position and clutched the laptop in my hands and dared not make a sound or a move. For awhile I think I even held my breath as I listened for any noise. After a long silence, I soon heard the clearing of a throat then the clicking of what sounded like a handgun. I shuddered and continued to remain silent and still. I didn't dare make a move, for any movement I made would surely make some kind of noise and whoever it was was listening for the least little sound to pinpoint my hiding spot. As I sat there I finally heard whoever it was walk into another room. Seeing that it was my only chance of escape, I jumped up and ran for all I was worth toward the front door that had been left open by the mysterious visitor.
"Hey, you, stop,"
I heard a very familiar voice shout from behind me. It was Smith's voice. Not even bothering to look back, I ran and caught the elevator just as it was closing and got on. I fumbled with the buttons then turned to look at the man who had stepped in before me. I smiled as I tried to act calm. Suddenly an array of flying bullets from Smith's pistol came ripping through the elevator door, making the man and me duck down and cover our heads in the elevator's small space. Soon as it had started, the bullets stopped. I slowly got up and looked around at the many smoking holes in the wall opposite from the door and the door itself. Smith was desperate, I could tell. I looked over at the guy beside me, whose eyes bugged out from his head like a bullfrog's. Huffing and gasping, he slowly and shakily got to his feet and stared at me. I tried acting as calm as I could so as not to frighten him, trying out some of my witty humor in the process.
"Guess I should have let him on with us. Must have had a bad day," I calmly stated. The guy only looked at me in silence. I leaned against the side of the elevator, clutching the laptop to my chest, and rode in silence for the rest of the flight down.
Back at the hospital, I met yet another problem. Agent Brown was standing outside the front doors, guarding the entrance that I would use to get back inside. Apparently Smith had placed him there to watch and see if I'd return. Goodness knows what orders he was to carry out. I stood and thought while glancing over the building. My eyes soon fixed on the hospital's parking garage. Yes! It had to have an entrance of some kind to get inside the building. I slowly crept to the garage, all the time keeping an eye on Brown who stood erect like a stone statue, not moving a muscle. One would think the guy had fallen asleep standing up. After climbing down the ramp and into the cold, near dark garage I scanned the area for a door leading into the hospital. It was directly in front of me. I ran, looking this way and that to make sure the place was clear of cars going in and out. My shoes hitting the stone pavement under me echoed throughout the garage, sending a cold chill through the place. I skidded to a stop in front of the only entrance into the hospital from the garage, and pulled open the heavy door and went inside—running to the nearest elevator. All was going too well and easy. In fact it was almost scary. As the elevator took me up, I sighed with relief when I thought of being with the Twins again. The outside had suddenly become too dangerous for my liking. At least Smith and his other agent buddies couldn't kill me inside the hospital. No concealed weapons were allowed. Of course Smith and Brown aren't exactly normal, and rules like that didn't mean beans to them. A slight, nervous laugh escaped my lips at that thought then the elevator doors opened. I got off and walked across the hall to the ICU and pushed open the double doors. Expecting to find the Twins asleep or in one of their childish teasing conversations, I stopped suddenly and looked around. The Twins! Where were the Twins? The two beds I came to know too well were empty and neatly made for another patient. I nervously looked around again before heading back through the double doors and down the hall to the nurse's station.
"May I help you?" the nurse asked as she approached me.
"Yes. I'm with the two twins that were brought to ICU last night. I went out for awhile to freshen up a bit and came back and they're gone. You have any idea where they are?"
The nurse pecked around on her computer for awhile then turned to me. "They've been taken to a regular room, miss. You'll find them on the second floor—room 201."
I quickly thanked the nurse as I ran off toward the elevator again, relieved that nothing bad had happened.
The room was dark except for the tiny bit of light that managed to seep through the blinds covering the window. The clicking of IV machines was the only noise to be heard. After quietly closing the door, I slowly made my way through the dark until I found the sides of the Twins' beds. I placed my laptop on the table that stood in-between the two beds then leaned over Two's bed. Not meaning to wake him, he jumped in fright at seeing me but eased when he saw who it was.
"Angel," he whispered in a shaky, weak voice. "I'm so glad you're back."
"What's wrong, Two?" I asked, rather concerned.
"Nothing," he sighed. "Only I feel as though I could throw up—if that's possible for a rogue program to do."
I smiled at Two as he closed his eyes and lay back down.
"Our hands hurt where they stuck these tubes to the top of our hands with needles," Two cringed as he looked down at his hand. "How in the Matrix do you humans ever get well in a place like this where all they seem to do to you is cause you more pain?"
All I knew to do was shrug my shoulders and smile at Two's question. I reached out and ran my hand through Two's dreadlocks and brushed some of the wild ones, which managed to dangle across his face, to one side.
"Don't worry, buddy, you'll be out of here soon," I whispered. "Is One awake?"
"Yeah, I think so."
I turned around to One and nudged his shoulder a little.
"One? You awake?"
"Angel? Is that you?" One turned his head toward me.
"Yeah it's me. I brought the laptop."
One struggled to sit up in his bed at the mentioning of the laptop. "Let us have it."
I handed it to One, who quickly opened it up and turned it on. He blinked a few minutes as the bright light of the monitor came on, but continued on. One for the longest time punched keys on the keyboard. I had no idea of what he was doing, but I watched on and waited anyway. I sat silently in the chair that set in-between the two beds, leaning my left arm on the side of Two's bed. Every-so-often, not having anything else to do, I turned to look at Two, who had a firm hold on the sleeve of my shirt as if it brought him comfort. Occasionally Two fingered the piece of sleeve he held and squeezed it. At times he pulled it rather tightly, almost cutting my arm, but I kept silent and smiled.
"Aha!" One finally said, breaking the long silence. "Two, get up."
"What?" Two weakly turned his head.
"I said get up."
One set the laptop on the table and threw his sheet off. His once beautiful silver pants were now totally wrinkled from being under the bed sheets. Spots of dried blood were still visible too, from where he had been cut and gashed. One's light grey shirt was also badly wrinkled. By this time, Two was sitting on the side of his bed, his silver pants and dark grey shirt were wrinkled as well. Knowing that the Twins knew what they were doing, I continued to watch in silence. After looking his brother over, One touched a button on the laptop, and before I could blink both of them disappeared—their IV tubes laying limp on the beds. I jumped up and looked around the small room then glanced at the screen of the laptop. It had the digital green code raining down all over it, reminding me of one of those Matrix screensavers that you download from the Internet. This one looked different, though, and somehow I knew it wasn't a screensaver.
