Turned Cold
Chapter 3

In the morning, I did as I promised. I took Jane to the alleyway to look for Jack. We peered around the corner to where we had last seen him. He hadn't moved. I opened the back seat door of my car and we struggled to get him inside. I knew that he was too big for the trunk.

"I'm sorry that I hurt him," I said.

"It's what I would have done. You saved my life over Jack's. I can rebuild him, but not me. Again, thank you." Jane smiled. She climbed into the passenger seat and we went back over to the hospital.

I had a feeling that my sister was alive, that Boskonovitch had betrayed me. I had promised to kill him, but I believe he could help my friend first. But I did bring something to prove my point to Geppetto. And as I had helped Jane carry her beloved robot to my vehicle, I had a dagger sticking into my leg. There was no blood, my leg wasn't punctured. Boskonovitch should never have double-crossed me.

When we walked inside, I knew I was correct. My accomplice disobeyed me. Steve was at the front desk. He had just finished checking on his mother. I let him walk out. I was too infuriated to go after him now.

I saw Geppetto talking to a nurse. I marched toward him, calling to him. "Boskonovitch! You're meddling in my plans!" He'd heard me, just as I'd wanted. He began running off in another direction. I didn't bother to keep up my appearance for Miss Jane. I ran after him, my heals clicking against the floor. He began fumbling for his keys to get through a door at the end of the room. The scientist knew of my danger. Yet still he had betrayed me. I wasn't close enough to catch him. But I knew that I could stop him. I reached down my body and pulled the knife from the strap under my dress. I made my move to pause his journey. I threw the knife in his direction. He found his lab coat pinned to the wall by the force of my dagger. This gave me enough time to catch up. "Boskonovitch, I told you that I would kill you if you crossed me." The doctor struggled to break free. "But I have a proposition for you. Instead of my killing you, I need you to help my friend Jane to rebuild her beloved robot. If you succeed, I will spare your life." I pulled the knife from the wall, allowing the lab coat that was pinned to be freed and causing its wearer to fall slightly.

Geppetto gave a fearful nod. "I'm sorry, Anna. Forgive me for me betrayal."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," I said coldly. "You're just lucky I spared your life."

He nodded again. "Jane," he called across the room. "Follow me." It took her a few moments but she did as she was told.

She didn't like to have to listen to Boskonovitch, but she would rather have that than to have Jack forever destroyed. Geppetto walked into his lab and past his keeping of cryogenics. His lab had extended since I had been in it last. He reached into his file cabinet and pulled out his records of the robot.

I thought that I should stay to keep watch and keep my authority but I had other things to attend to. I walked from the room and down the hallway, into my sister's recovery room. There she slept. My dagger hovering above her, she opened her eyes. She had only feigned her slumber. Nina reached up her hand and pulled the knife from my grasp. She cut her hand in the process but took no notice. Her heart rate was immutable. She sat up and pulled the I.V. and heart monitor cords from her body. The heart rate monitor made a sharp sort of ringing sound. Not the way I'd wanted to hear it. Nina twisted the knife around in her hand so she held the handle, all the while never taking her blue eyes off of mine.

I wasn't prepared for what's to come.