Kale looked down at Kershala's hand in his own he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Anubis spoke about leaving the planet. It didn't bother him that the AI said that he was not it's concern, that was its programming, but he couldn't handle the thought of them leaving. With the tension that now sat in the room the next few minutes would determine their fate. Kale noticed the soldiers had their guns pointed at Kershala seemingly waiting for the order to kill him.
"We will not be held at the mercy of a machine," said the General. Kale could see him reaching for his gun. "Kill them!" Without hesitation Kershala pushed Kale against the wall at the same time kicking the table at the guards. Kale put his head down when their surroundings began to change, he looked again and could see that the simulation of Kershala fighting the Shiron to save his family was playing. The guards starting shouting and firing at the images being projected. He felt Kershala's hand on his arm and he was being pulled to his feet.
"Let's go!" he said. With the AI ahead of them they headed toward the door Officer Stanfield was cowered there. Kershala stopped and helped her up she looked at him with tears and fear in her eyes. "I am sorry, this was not what I wanted, but I cannot stay here like this." Kershala helped her against the wall.
"Kershala it is imperative that we search the Arktora's body," said Anubis with great urgency. They ran through the door slamming it behind them, and down the hall, Kershala stopped with Kale at the window.
"I will not risk Kale's life, we can come back for it!" Kershala slammed his fist through the window and fresh air started to blow in.
"There will not be another chance, if we leave here they will likely transport the body somewhere else, there is no choice. We must do this now!"
"Kershala we can go, I'll be okay, let's just do it!" Kershala looked at him with concern in his eyes. "Don't worry, nothings going to happen to me. I'm with you."
"Have you determined where it is?" asked Kershala turning to face the AI.
"I have scanned the facility and can lead us easily to it. There is a lab on the lowest floor, it is below where you were being held." The AI flew down the hall and turned a corner, there was a flash of light when Kale and Kershala took to running after it. Kale turned the corner last to see a guard laying on the floor Anubis had stunned him like it did the police officer. He grabbed the officers side arm from their body and looked up to see Kershala and Anubis already in the elevator. He checked the gun over as he joined them.
"I think these elevators are code locked, they don't move on their own," said Kale tapping a couple of buttons on the panel.
"I will deal with it." Anubis hovered over to the panel and performed a scan seemingly a second later the elevator began to move, the fourth basement level was lit up on the LED display. "From what I can tell this facility is minimally staffed to maintain discretion. There will only be medical staff and a team of 4 guards to deal with."
"Using that simulation back there was a good idea, but it was only temporary right? There's a good chance they know we are coming now," explained Kale. The elevator came to a stop and a red light came on above them. "I guess they know now."
"They have put the base on lockdown, but I can and will override their security measures." Anubis' lenses began flashing in sequence and the elevator began moving again before settling on the bottom floor. "We have arrived." The doors to the elevator didn't open on their own, Kale moved to push the button to trigger it when Kershala stopped him.
"Wait, the implant is showing that the four guards are waiting for us," he said putting his hand down in front of Kale to stop him. "Anubis you must create an illusion to provide cover for me. Kale you will stay here." Kale nodded, and the AI began to create an illusion filling the elevator with mist. Kershala guided Kale to the side of the elevator placing his hands-on Kale's hips pushing him to the wall, out of the potential line of fire. "Please do not endanger yourself." Kale was grateful for Kershala's protection, but he was also pretty sure of what was about to happen once that door opened.
"If they throw something, it's probably be an explosive," he said. Kershala went to the other side of the elevator before hitting the button and sure enough as the door opened a flashbang hit the floor. Kale shielded his eyes as it went off with a piercing bang that left his ears ringing. After the bang he opened his eyes and couldn't see Kershala or Anubis anywhere, they had both left the elevator leaving Kale literally in the fog. He got to his feet and looked out into the hallway in time to see Kershala put down the final guard. The fog subsided revealing the bodies laying on the ground. "Are they…"
"I did not kill them," said Kershala.
"Their weapons, you should destroy them," Kale advised. Each of the men was holding an assault rifle in their hands. Kale watched Kershala kneel and pick each of them up and break them in half. Anubis began down the hallway.
"We are close." They turned another corner and the AI floated over to a door with a card reader on it. "Humans have so many ways of locking their doors." Anubis scanned the reader and the indicator light turned from red to green, Kershala pushed the door open and Kale followed them in. As they entered they could feel the temperature drop a couple of degrees and Kale knew they were in a lab designed to keep frozen specimens in. They walked into the sterile room everything Kale would expect to find in a lab was here. In the center of the room there was an operating table fully stocked with all the tools used in an autopsy. Testing equipment and other medical equipment lined the room some of it Kale wasn't familiar with. As they walked deeper into the room they could see a mass of flesh sitting on a table behind a glass window leading to another room. "There." Anubis moved to the glass window, there was a high-pitched noise before the glass shattered and Anubis hovered over to the mass of flesh. Kale couldn't help but wonder that if things had gone a different way that Kershala might be lying on a table like this.
"How long will you need?" asked Kershala.
"Not long, but I will be collecting all relevant data. We have not had the opportunity to study the Shirona Arktora so closely," Anubis explained as it hovered over the body it's lenses projecting a scanning beam.
"I wonder where the medical staff is?" asked Kale as he stepped through the window.
"They have likely been taken to another part of the facility for their protection," explained Anubis. A strong odor filled the area as Kale stepped into the other room, it reminded Kale of a mixture of Sulphur and raw sewage.
"Does that thing ever stink, how much longer do you need," he said.
"You must hurry, we do not have much time before the rest of the facility is fully mobilized." Kale watched Kershala pace as Anubis continued scanning. Kale walked over to him and took his hand stopping his pacing.
"I can't wait to be outta this place." Kershala brought his hand to his mouth and lightly kissed the knuckle.
"I agree, I just want to be alone with you again," Kershala whispered against Kale's hand. Kale took Kershala's cheek in hand and went to kiss him.
"I have found the device!" Anubis interrupted the moment almost purposely. Kershala and Kale glanced at each other before heading to the remains. As they walked over the device ripped from the flesh pile and floated up with Anubis. It was only centimeters in diameter, to Kale it appeared to be some sort of crystalized material, it glimmered as the sterile lights hit its surface. "It is of crystallinear design." Kershala's look became that of concern at the mention of the word.
"What does that mean?" asked Kale, looking between the two of them.
"The data contained on this device is vast, it will take time to break its security, even for me," said Anubis.
"Okay, but let's worry about that later," Kale grabbed the device and put it in his pocket, "Let's get the hell outta here." Kale and Kershala hopped through the broken window with Anubis hovering behind them as they exited the room. They got out into the hall and Kershala put his arm across Kale's chest signaling him to wait as he went on ahead. The illusion had since subsided, and the hallway was clear.
"They are here," Kershala stopped at the corner.
"Anubis why can't you just stun them all?" asked Kale.
"It takes a while for me to configure the neuro disrupter. It is meant to be lethal, I must adjust its output slightly every time it is fired to prevent permanent damage." Kershala took his shirt off and threw it into the hall ahead of them, several gunshots went off and bullets collided with the cement wall behind it.
"Now might be a good time for it," said Kale bracing himself to the wall.
"Kershala, there is no way out of this compound that won't cost innocent lives. Stand down and maybe we can work something out." The generals voice rang throughout the hallway. Kershala looked at Kale trying to reassure him, Kale could tell by the look on his face he was not going to stay here another day.
"If you check your soldiers you will see that we have killed no one. My only intent is on our freedom." Kale realized that Kershala was only buying time as Anubis glided passed them and into the hallway ahead of them. Kale looked away and heard the familiar sound of what he learned was a neuro disrupter go off and heard at least five bodies fall to the ground. The two of them stepped around the corner to see the general and several other soldiers laying on the ground. They stepped over them and into the elevator, the door shut, and it wasn't long before they were on the top floor. "Kershala where do we go from here? Once we get out I mean?" Kale asked as they walked toward the window they would use to exit the building.
"We run, Anubis will eventually decrypt that device and we will have a ship again." Kale felt the pit in his stomach grow.
"So, is that it, you're just going to leave?" he asked, his voice shaking. He wasn't sure if he wanted to have the next part of the conversation. They arrived at the window that had already been broken, Anubis exited the building first and Kershala stopped to look at him. Kale tried to hide the fact that he was almost in tears.
"I cannot stay here, Kale. It puts too many innocents in danger, it is only a matter of time," Kershala paused and took Kale's hands, the base around them seemed oddly silent. "But I won't leave you behind unless you make me." Kale hadn't really considered that he could potentially go with them, thinking of his current situation, he'd likely be a fugitive the rest of his life if he remained on Earth. If he did manage to hide, then he'd likely just be a danger to anyone he was close to.
"Kershala, Kale! We must hurry!" said Anubis from the outside. Kale smiled at Kershala and both jumped through the window. The air was hot and muggy and, Kale thought of the time they'd been captive determining that it was likely the first week of July. Surprisingly they were ground level, Kale looked at their surroundings. He had just assumed that they would be at the base in Halifax, but he could see that just beyond the walled courtyard they were surrounded by trees. The wall that enclosed the yard was around twenty feet up, across from them Kale could see an unmanned security check point. They had likely called all the staff to deal with the break out. "I have been actively suppressing their attempts to contact the outside. No one beyond this facility knows what has happened. We must make our escape now."
"That looks like the exit over there." Kale pointed and the three of them walked to the checkpoint. The gates as Kale expected were locked. "Anubis can you unlock it, or do we have to break it down?" As he spoke Kale noticed the card reader for the lock on the side of the door. No sooner had he noticed it there had the reader made a strange sound as the door unlocked. Kershala pulled the door open and they stepped through finding themselves in a small parking lot. There were only two cars and a military vehicle present, Kale could see a very small unpaved road that lead out of the yard and seemingly into the forest. The picture that was starting to form before him was slightly unsettling. It was clear that the guards that had been watching them these passed weeks were permanently stationed here and, the vehicles present were likely those of Officer Stanfield and the two Generals. He shuddered to himself at the thought of what's gone on here in the past, considering everything they had seen.
"We should proceed on foot as to not be easily followed," Anubis spoke as it floated ahead of them and stopped, it seemed to be scanning the area.
"Let's check the cars, they might have keys," said Kale walking toward the vehicles parked by the wall. "We can take it a few miles and abandon it somewhere." Kale walked over to the closest car, a large black sedan, from looking at it he guessed it probably belonged to the general. He looked inside and could see that it was a keyless starter. "Here this one, Anubis you can probably hack it and unlock it." Anubis and Kershala joined him as he investigated it.
"Kershala?" Anubis spoke plainly and seemed to be hoping for its original plan to take priority.
"Unlock the vehicle," said Kershala walking around to the passenger side.
"This course of action is not in our best interest."
"I have noted your objection. Unlock the vehicle." Kale got tired of waiting, he picked a rock up off the ground from nearby and slammed it through the driver's side window. An alarm sounded from within the vehicle and Kale immediately opened the door and knelt under the steering wheel. He ripped a panel from under the dash and pulled a handful of wires from within shutting the alarm down.
"Never mind I'll just do it myself," he said clearly frustrated, "Kershala can you use your implant and tell me what wires lead from the starter to under here?" Kale pointed to the starter and lead his finger along the frame. Kershala opened the passenger door and entered the vehicle looking intently at the area Kale had designated. He reached across and indicated the wiring for Kale who began to hotwire the car, he used a sliver of the rock to cut the wires and began rubbing them together. Sparks jumped from the wires as he touched them together lightly a couple of times and the car started, the engine revving to life. He stood up and looked at the AI that had now moved closer to him and he held the door open. "You coming?" Kershala got comfortable in the passenger side of the vehicle and Kale sat down and shut the door the AI hovered in through the broken window. He quickly put the vehicle in gear and drove as fast and as safely as he could out of the lot and onto the road. "Hopefully there's no other check points." The path they were on was clearly man made the road clearly more gravel than actual dirt. It winded through the forest and as Kale drove no one spoke, the surrounding area was extremely dense forest, it was almost unnatural. The engine of the vehicle was quiet to the point that as they drove all they could hear was the tires on the gravel and the occasional debris hitting the bottom of the car.
"Does any of this look familiar to you?" asked Kershala glancing between Kale and the road.
"No, we're not where I thought we were at first. This doesn't look like any part of Nova Scotia I've been to. Certainly not near the HRM." Kale looked at the AI that hovered just above the dashboard between them, expecting it to chime in with something useful.
"The facility is not on any marked public maps," it said. Kale continued to drive for about an hour before they pulled out onto a paved road. He still had no idea where they were, but he figured they would start seeing road signs sooner or later. "Kale, can you please take out he device, I wish to interface with it to begin decryption." Kale reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal glancing at it in his hand.
"Stay low try to be out of sight," said Kale placing the device in the cup holder. Anubis hovered down to it and sound emanated from it before a beam of energy connected the two devices. Kale could see smaller lights travelling back and forth between the two machines assuming it was information transferring between them. Kale continued to drive in silence debating on whether it was a good idea to confront Anubis about its sudden distain for him. As he drove it continued to be an area he didn't know. They hadn't come across any signs yet telling him where they might be, nor did he have anyway of figuring out where they were without a cell phone. "Anubis can you take a second and just figure out where we are, so I know where a good place might be to go hide?" Anubis flickered and the beam to the crystal shut off.
"We are approximately 4 hours west of Halifax. I will project a map that can show you how to get back to the city." As Anubis finished speaking it projected a map on the dashboard so that Kale could see where they are.
"Is it really a good idea to go back there?" Kale didn't think they'd want to be so close to the area that the fighting had taken place in, for fear of being recognized.
"It will be best for us to hide in plain sight. They will likely not suspect us of going back to your city."
"Alright, at least we can go to my apartment and get a change of clothes, that's if they haven't thrown all my stuff out yet. We should at least try to find another vehicle maybe in one of the small towns between here and there." Kale looked at the map and could see a couple of different small townships between where they were and Halifax.
"Stick to the back roads, I am able to monitor their communications and they are looking for us and have set up blocks. I will project a route that will lead us safely around them," said Anubis. Kale glanced from the map to the road and watched as a violet path was cut through the map for him to follow.
"Good, make sure you keep a listen on that mess. Let me know if anything changes." Kershala had been quiet for a while and Kale looked over at him to see him fast asleep resting his head against the door. Kale had been so tense as he drove the stolen car that he hadn't realized how tired he really was. It was only nine in the morning, but he hadn't really slept soundly since being in the facility. Often only sleeping two or three hours on the bad nights and five or six on the good ones. "At least one of us is getting a decent bit of sleep," he said to himself.
"The nanites are releasing a light anesthetic as they repair his damaged tissue. It can otherwise be quite uncomfortable," Anubis clarified. With Kershala seemingly out like a light Kale knew his opportunity was here.
"Alright time to come clean. What's your sudden problem with me?" asked Kale.
"What do you mean?" It irritated Kale that Anubis seemed to be playing coy with him.
"I mean back there when those guys were threatening my life, you seemed perfectly fine just letting them kill me." Kale did his best to keep his voice calm, but his resentment was beginning to come through. "After everything I did for you and Kershala for you to just throw me to the wind like that, like I didn't even matter."
"My duty is to protect Kershala, with him being the last known member of the family I was created to protect I must be willing to take extreme action should the situation require it," Anubis' voice seem to change to a calmer demeanor.
"Okay but you didn't strike me as the type of machine that was bound by programming. Quite frankly you don't seem that limited," Kale paused, "What changed, and you don't need to lie to me."
"Your romantic interest in Kershala is not acceptable." Kale glanced at the AI then Kershala than back to the road.
"Why isn't it acceptable? If it makes him happy then it should be acceptable, shouldn't it?"
"Kale, Kershala is of a royal line, eventually he must take a mate worthy of that. You must know that this is not personal but given my responsibility I cannot allow this to happen."
"I'm not going to just shut it off because you don't want us to be together. Hell, I don't even really know if he feels the same for me as I feel for him. He's not like any other man I've ever met before."
"I wouldn't have the objection if I had no reason to. Kershala cannot afford to be emotionally connected to a nonblood relative. He cannot put himself in a position where he can be compromised," the AI paused, "You are a liability, you cannot defend yourself and Kershala cannot afford to defend you. He has already risked himself for you once. Next time he may not come out of it." Kale stayed quiet, at least he had clarification and he could agree that it indeed was not personal. He couldn't help but be a little bit offended that the AI thought he couldn't defend himself. Maybe not like Kershala but he wasn't an invalid.
As Kale pulled the vehicle to a stop Kershala opened his eyes and sat up. It had been roughly an hour when they had run across a camp ground and pulled into the parking lot. They needed to ditch the car they were in and find another one. Kershala sat forward and looked around as Kale parked the car discreetly close to the trees.
"How'd you sleep?" asked Kale.
"Not well," said Kershala wiping his eyes. There weren't very many cars in the lot but there also wasn't anyone around to stop them from grabbing one of the vehicles there. He didn't like the idea that he was going to be stealing a vehicle but given their situation he didn't really see any other option. They had to avoid capture until Anubis could decipher the Shironian device and get the ship to get them out of reach.
"Anubis can you tell if there is any surveillance?" asked Kale as he tried to discreetly look around the area.
"I have detected a wireless receiver somewhere overhead. It has already been intercepted," answered Anubis.
"Okay I see one. Follow my lead." The three of them got out of the car, Kale walked over to a green sedan. "Anubis can you do something to break the glass?" Anubis floated over to the vehicle and emitted a quick sonic burst, the glass of the driver's side window shattered quietly, and Kale put his fist through it. The warm air inside hit Kale in the face as he leaned inside the car. It was a new vehicle and had keyless entry like Kale had hoped. "Can you start it?"
"Yes, I have also silenced the security system." Anubis floated in through the window and the vehicle started, Kale got in the car and looked around as Kershala jumped in the passenger side. As soon as he was in Kale didn't hesitate and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. Kale sat the crystal in the cup holder and Anubis again began the decryption process.
"Any idea on how long that's going to take?" asked Kale partially hoping that it would be awhile.
"I have only begun cataloging the data, there are zettabytes worth of data to channel through before the decryption process can begin. I also must bypass the security to ensure that the device does not wipe itself," explained Anubis, "I currently have no ETA on when it will be deciphered." Kale couldn't help but feel slight relief that it was going to be awhile before it was done. He knew once all that started happening things would get crazy, for now he just wanted to enjoy the calm. Even if they were on the run from the military.
"Man, I'm getting tired can you find us a place to pull over to get some sleep?" Kale's eyes were heavy from driving all morning and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was falling asleep at the wheel.
"There is a rest stop not far from here. It is registered as a Bed & Breakfast."
"That's great but we don't have any money," said Kale.
"Your currency system is very basic I can create an account and fill it with your currency. I can digitally manipulate your debit machines with no issue." Kale shook his head at how easy everything seemed with the AI around. An indicator on the map lit up signaling that the location he talked about was a half an hour away.
"We should be careful with this car it'll eventually be reported as stolen," said Kale. "Maybe we can drive by and park the car in the woods somewhere." Kale looked down at himself then back to the road. "There's also the problem of the fact that we look like escaped convicts in these cloths. Maybe we should just keep going."
"The AI can use holographic technology to hide our clothing based on how we dressed before we were captured," said Kershala adjusting himself.
"I never would of thought of that."
"As long as we stay close and don't move too quickly, it should not be a problem."
"I keep forgetting that you guys are used to staying hidden," Kale chuckled. It wasn't long before they drove passed what Kale was sure was the Bed & Breakfast, a rather large house at the end of a long wrapping driveway. There were no cars parked outside but he could see a couple of people moving around the property, most likely people who worked on caring for the large well-groomed property. "There must be a good place to hide the car somewhere here."
"My understanding of the way these places work is that it would be more suspicious to arrive without a vehicle. I will keep surveillance on the status of the vehicle report," said Anubis.
"That's true." Kale shook his head, he was starting to get fuzzy. "My brain's really not working as well as it could be. I think I'm more tired than I thought." Kale turned the vehicle into the yard and drove up the yard slowly. "Looks like no one else is here. Business must be slow right now."
"According to their booking computer there is no one booked until the weekend." Kale was starting to be surprised at how easy Anubis was hacking into everything now that it had access to the internet. They pulled into the parking area and Kale got out of the vehicle and suddenly his clothing changed to what he had been wearing when they had been taken in. Anubis floated out of the vehicle with the crystal and situated itself in front of Kale. It turned into itself into his phone and the crystal disappeared. "They have the system you refer to as tap available here for payment. Hold me to their payment machine and I will activate it." Kale shrugged and took the AI core disguised as his phone in hand. Kershala walked up next to him dressed in the clothing he had bought for him back before they came to his apartment.
"This is so weird," said Kale looking over himself. He couldn't even tell the difference in the clothing on his person until he touched it and the tips of his fingers disappeared inside the hologram.
"Shall we go," said Kershala. Kale could see a difference in Kershala that seemed to happen since they had escaped, something seemed more professional than before. Kershala smiled at him then beckoned for him to walk ahead of him. Kale obliged and walked ahead of him heading into the building. As they stepped into the building the smell of baked goods perforated the air, the entry way was welcoming, it was decorated to resemble an old-style home. The desk was just about ten feet in the door way and an elderly woman was minding it. She gave them a welcoming smile as they walked in and waved her hand at them to come in.
"Welcome come on in," she said cheerfully. The two of them walked over to the desk and she fiddled with her computer. "Would you like a room each or are you looking to be thrifty this trip?"
"We'll take a room together," said Kale.
"Okay," she clicked the mouse to her computer a couple of times, "one room and two beds it is boys." As the women typed into the computer Kale decided not to correct her thinking that all the way out here they may not be the most accepting of anything they considered an alternative lifestyle. "I'll need your name please." Kale and Kershala looked at each other, Kershala clearly caught off guard, Kale deciding to play coy.
"Let's put it under mine," said Kale smiling at the women, "it's Kevin Joba." Kale quickly made up the name in his head from a couple of different names he knew from his favorite band.
"Great and how will you be paying?" She typed in the information.
"Oh, it'll be debit, tap," Kale could only hope that he wasn't coming off as weird as he pulled his "phone" from his pocket. The women pointed to the debit machine in front of him and he held the phone to it half expecting it not to work.
"Great would you like me to show you to your room, or will you boys be heading back out for a little bit?" She asked as the transaction completed.
"Oh, we've been driving all night we'd like to nap for at least a few hours. Do you have any rooms that are particularly dark?" asked Kale. The women grabbed a key from behind her and walked out from behind the desk.
"All of our rooms have very heavy curtains, but I'll put you on the west end of house. Come with me." The women walked past them and through a door. They followed her, and the door led to the rest of the house, it had an almost Victorian feel to it. It was old but very well kept and Kale could tell it had been newly renovated. The women headed up a set of stairs that were just in the door and they followed her, Kale could see a sitting area in the other direction, likely where the restaurant portion of the building waited. "Are you boys hungry? You look a little haggard now that I've had a look at you?"
"Yes actually. If you could send up some kind of breakfast platter that would be great," said Kale as they stopped at the room.
"Absolutely, it'll be up in a half hour or so." The women smiled as she put the key in the door and unlocked the room. "My name is Edith, if you need anything let me know." She pushed the door open and passed the key to Kale. "Enjoy your stay."
"Thank you, Edith," said Kershala. The lady headed back downstairs, and they walked into their room, it was small but comfortable both of the beds were single, but Kale didn't care as he flopped down on the closest one and sank right into its softness.
"Oh my god, this is so nice after the beds they had us on at that place." Kershala sat down beside him as the hologram fell away from them. Kale looked at him, he was still shirtless after their escape, he reached up to touch his beard that had grown out over the time they were captive. "I'll give you a trim in the morning maybe eh?"
"I would like that," Kershala spoke quietly and leaned into Kale's hand kissing his palm.
"We should get cleaned up, wash away the smell of that place." Kale wanted to just jump on Kershala and follow through on everything that had been running through his head but after what Anubis had said he didn't want to come off as too forward.
"Yes, I agree, you can go first if you want," said Kershala.
"Okay." Kale laid still for a few seconds staring at Kershala before he sat up and stood from the bed running his hand along his face as he walked to the bathroom. The bathroom was quite luxurious, the shower and bath combo were a standalone tub with a clear glass shower door. He quickly undressed and got into the shower almost excited to be able to shower in something other than a room with a cement floor. He turned the water on and as the water hit him the cold woke him up he laughed quietly to himself as he moved out of the stream and waited a few seconds for the water to get warm.