CHAPTER 2: TRAPPED

Flap, flap, flap…

The first thing that came to her mind was hunger. She was starving but the sensation of cold air hitting her face made her head throb profusely. The endless flapping coming from God knows where made Amelia open her eyes only to close them immediately to the blinding white light.

Am I dead? Is this what death feels like?

She barely managed to open her eyes just to notice the worried face of a scientist she knew very well talking to her. The sun was to her back giving her an ethereal look.

Huh… strange. No one said that there would be redheads in heaven!

She fell back unconscious yet again.

Flap, flap, flap…

Ugh… Not again! Someone please stop that!

Her head started throbbing yet again as soon as she opened her eyes. She was on a mountain now. Someone was carrying her. More voices came from the distance but they were incoherent as she threw up whatever was on her stomach.

Don't worry, I Gotcha'!

That redhead again….

"She is waking up!" A black woman who was sitting beside her yelled to whoever was on the other room.

"Please don't yell." Amelia rushed her hand to the side of her head trying desperately to stop the sudden pain. "Where am I?"

She braved opening her eyes for what felt like an eternity. She was greeted by a room resembling an army barracks. The standard metal walls and white light adorned the corners of the room. However, the degraded room made it look ancient. Something that she would not expect from such facility. The room smelled to nothing, no disinfectants or medicine, the only thing she could smell was the rather peculiar scent to plants and dirt from the woman sitting beside her. Someone who was clearly dressed rather peculiar.

Amelia tried to stand but was stopped by the woman in front of her.

"Woah there, we still don't know if you are okay so please take a sit."

Amelia was about to force her way to her feet but the door opposite her hissed open. There came a redhead, this time with shorter hair holding what looked like her patient paper. She also looked like she was dressed incorrectly to the type of job she would be conducting. Is she a nurse? Where are her scrubs? The amount of questions coming to her where overwhelming and did nothing but worsen her headache.

The redhead nodded at the black woman who took it as a sign to leave the room. She CLEARLY was not a nurse.

"Hello. My name is Beta." The redhead approached extending her hand to salute her.

"Hi, my name is Amelia." She replied in kind noticing the strong grip coming from the rather thin woman.

"I am aware that you may have plenty of questions…" Beta started as she took seat near her. "…but we will have to wait until my sister is here because it will be a little complicated to explain."

"Wait… do I know you?" Amelia stared at Beta. "Your voice and face look very familiar but I am not sure."

Beta seemed to hesitate for a moment but she was able to keep her face and body reigned. "I might look like someone you used to know."

"Apologies, I don't know how long I have been on ice" Amelia laughed trying to light up the mood.

"No problem!" Beta awkwardly tried to adjust her seat. "Listen, my sister should be back in a couple of days. In the meantime, I suggest you to please rest while we finish some tests. I assume that you are still suffering from headaches?"

"You have no idea." Amelia squinted for what felt like the thousandth time. "Even now I am struggling to look at the lights. Is there any chance you can dim the brightness a little bit?"

"That should be possible." Beta reached out to her Focus. "Zo, could you set up the lights to brightness? Thank you…"

"Thanks!" Amelia smiled. "I appreciate it. That reminds me, where is my Focus and the rest of my stuff?" She looked around trying to spot the same backpack with the little valuables she was able to store on the rather small capsule.

"Do not worry; we have them stored on a locker room for you." Beta stood up; folding the few papers, she had with her. "Please return to your bed, your meal will be ready in a few hours."

"AMELIA GET IN THE CAR!"

"Dad wait! We can't leave Apollo here!" she turned around and into the house.

"THE MACHINES ARE ALMOST HERE! We can't go back for a…."

Her father's voice broke away as she ran back into the house. "APOLLO!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "APOLLO WHERE ARE YOU!" For the first time in her life, she cursed having such a big a house.

Her dad had moved in several weeks prior after the order was given to evacuate the majority of California. However, with the benefit of hindsight, moving with her to Arizona was simply delaying the inevitable. Several bot patrols had engaged the police and various military outposts during the past few days. The swarm, now known as the "California Marine Swarm" had touchdown on the coast. They also saw various reports that "Enduring Victory" succeeded in Santa Monica. Her father seemed rather satisfied after the news. To the point where he was boasting on "how he would be back before Christmas." As for Amelia, she was not so sure about that.

"APOLLO! GODDAMMIT BOY WHERE…." Amelia stopped right on her track as she reached the door looking at the backyard.

A bot. A scarab had impaled the poor Husky right through its abdomen and it was using it as fuel. Amelia could do nothing but stand, horrified at the dog turned into food. Unfortunately, her stomach couldn't hold it and spewed her lunch into the garden in front of her. Suddenly, a red light slowly moved up to her and just stared. She and the machine were looking at each other. Completely still, refusing to move a muscle.

There was no time now. It was do or die and Amelia was refusing to die. She had to take care of her father. Run away, as far as possible and hope for the best. In a surge of bravery, Amelia turned around into the house and started running. Behind her, she could see the machine roar and move towards the door, throwing whatever remains of the dog were left to the ground.

"DAD! GET IN THE CAR NOW! IT IS A SCARAB!" She yelled as she ducked from the tail of the bot who made an attempt at grabbing her. "TURN ON THE CAR NOW!"

She ran as fast as she could. The machine had seemingly given up on her but she soon heard loud thumps coming from the roof. It had jumped up and trying to reach the other side. She could not let her dad be caught by the bot. As she turned around from the kitchen into the formal dining area, she could see her dad walking back towards the house.

"Amelia, where are…"

THUMP

The machine had landed between the house and her dad. "NO, NO, NO! DAD!" Tears where already streaming down her face as the machine turned to face the only person left in her life. "LET HIM GO YOU FUCK!" She yelled yet again, charging down the entrance of her home with a bat. The poor thing broke in two as the robot slithered his way to her father and grabbed him with its claw.

"Amelia run!"

Amelia jumped, almost falling from her bed. Her heart was about to explode, her head was even worse. So much so that she was incapacitated by it and knocked right back to where she was before. Sweating and breathing profusely, she had to force herself to calm down and catch some rest. Eventually, she woke up by a rather peculiar smell coming from the other side of the door. Assuming that it was the meal mentioned hours prior. She sluggishly tried to sit up and support herself against the wall to be able to eat.

Swoosh

The door opened revealing the same black woman with her peculiar outfit carrying a tray. Amelia was starting to get suspicious about her current situation. The tray was made of wood, the same as her utensils and the bowl. Who were these people? Why were they dressed like a bunch of Neanderthals?

Amelia was about to jump out of her bed when suddenly… "Hello Amelia! I have your food." She was dumbfounded by the tone of voice coming from the woman in front of her. "Hope you like what I have hear. I have mixed also some medicinal herbs to get you back on track as soon as possible"

Amelia could not do anything else but accept whatever concoction was provided to her. "I'll be back later for the dishes." She had to admit, this was better than expected. Hell, this was better than any hospital food she tried before.

Unfortunately, the room was making Amelia run into a fit of paranoia. There was no music, no TV, her FOCUS was gone. She was also isolated from the other side of whatever installation this was. She has not been seen by any doctor either, save for the past few times where the same woman came in to pick up the empty tray of food and deliver a new one. Minutes turned into hours or days, who knows?

Eventually, curiosity took the best of her and finally decided to approach the door that has been staring at her for what felt like millennia.

"Alright, one step at a time." She pumped herself up as her feel touched the cold metal below her. She was weak and she could tell that her body needed to recover. Badly. Perhaps going into cryo wasn't that bad of an idea. Considering the fact that there were people tending to her. The world she left was hell and hospitals were... Well, no need to get back to those thoughts.

The slow tap of her feet on the metal echoed throughout the room as she slowly crept towards the door. However, no noise came from the other side. She was starting to feel nervous and her hands were shaking. As she reached the seam between the wall and the actual door, she had to take a breather. She was frustratingly tired and had to take a look around to see if she could find something that would help her walk.

The only thing she found was a mirror. She had noticed it before but paid it no mind as her days were spent in bed, but her reflection gave way to a terrifying truth. There she stood with bandage wrappings around her chest and pelvis. Her weight had deteriorated so much that she could see her bones. Almost as if her skeleton wanted to free itself from her skin. Her blonde hair was in total disarray and the bags under her eyes could definitely carry the groceries.

Her new sense of self made Amelia hyperventilate. She had to get out of there. Definitely eat and perhaps go to her house. In a panic, she stretched her hand out to open the door, and what she saw drove her to the edge.

There was a mound of dirt or whatever it could've accumulated from the water leak coming from the roof. Stalactites decorated the place everywhere she looked. It was slimy and it was causing mold to extend all over the floor. To her right there were a bunch of… candles? Also, a golden chest that looked quite expensive was locked. Clearly protecting whatever was inside.

"Aloy, it has been 15 days. We can't keep her there too long. It will affect her, and badly."

Amelia's ears perked up as she heard someone in the distance. The same woman who had tended to her previously, was staring into the void. of course this woman was using a FOCUS which meant that Amelia couldn't see the person on the other side of the conversation. Then again, only linked focuses had the "privilege" to look into another person's conversation.

"I know Beta and I am sorry. I had to go back and make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind. So far, the place is empty or well, emptier than before. There was no one else on those pods."

"What the hell?" Amelia whispered to herself. Both voices were the same. She must have been hallucinating now, believing that the same person was talking to and from the hologram.

"As per your request." The voice on Amelia's side continued talking. Beta, if she were to believe the hologram. "Her focus was safely stored and no one has scanned it either." The woman chuckled.

"It was very hard to keep Alva away from the device but GAIA had to explain to her how the old ones valued their privacy." Amelia stopped right there. Old ones? Who were the "old ones"? Could this woman be referring to her?

Amelia stopped once again to look around but the coast was still clear. She had to get out of there and fast, unfortunately, she did not know where the exit was. For all she knew, she could be inside a bunker with a bunch of Nature cultists protesting against the war with the machines claiming that, "This was divine retribution for stopping the decline back in the 2040's."

"When are you coming back?" Beta asked somewhat excited.

"I should be there by noon."

"Alright, see you in a few."

FUCK! Amelia turned around as she noticed that both of the voices had stopped talking. She picked up the pace and tried her best to get back to her room. However, as per her previous check, she noticed that they were alone. Her body protested as she pushed herself forward towards some stairs that were close to the room she had just left. Strange, her room was the only one without decorations.

Stair after stair, her legs were burning. She didn't have long, or so she presumed. It was very difficult to tell when you were underground of course. The two flight of stairs were a complete odyssey to go through. Suddenly, not far from her, she heard the familiar sound of doors opening and someone dropping their belongings.

"SHIT!" Amelia had to stop herself from yelling as her heart picked up the rate and pumped her body with Adrenaline.

"AMELIA!" A woman yelled.

With renewed strength, Amelia pressed forward to the door at the top of the stairs. Only to be greeted by another hallway and another door. Without hesitation, she closed the door behind her. She was sure that the sound could be heard for miles so she didn't have long before someone found out where she was. Slowly but surely, she approached the second door and gave it the command for it to open.

"GODDAMMIT! MORE STAIRS!" Amelia was about to faint until she heard more voices coming from the other side.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know! No one has left the base. Otherwise GAIA would've said something."

Amelia looked up and saw a golden light coming from beyond. It looked like finally, luck was looking down upon her and she had dumbly stumbled upon the exit. She climbed the rest of the stairs, desperate to exit until…

"Hello Amelia. Weren't you supposed to be resting?"

"What the fuck?" The light turned out to be a hologram of a woman dressed in what looked like Greek tunics. "How do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I?" Amelia barely had the strength to stand up but the sound of the door opening behind her scared her more than whatever she had in front of her.

"AMELIA!" A woman yelled yet again.

Refusing to turn around she tried to put as much distance between her and whoever was behind her. However, she slowly realized she had come to a dead end. To her left, there stood a console with some weird symbols. In a panic, she pressed the buttons, as the footsteps grew closer to her. Suddenly, the whole room started to change as an image of a desert came into view.

"I like this one." Said the woman behind her. Amelia chose to ignore her as she lifted her face to check whatever the room was changing into. The landscape of a canyon came into view. She was surrounded by rocks, but far in the distance, there was a scarab impaling a tank. Its eye, though devoid of its usual red light, was staring at her. Boring into her very being and her body told her to run. To run once again and not look back as she did once before, God knows how long ago.

Amelia screamed as hard as she could for help. She turned around to see another woman. Much more muscular than the scrawny lab lady who assisted her before. Most importantly, that red hair now shining with a very distinct copper under the light coming from the projected desert scene.

"Red Hair…" Amelia whispered once again before falling to the ground unconscious.