Artificial Mates - Chapter 120

I kept expecting a bomb to drop at any minute. Peering over my shoulder as I work. My anxiety level skyrocketed. Since we left Demos in his lab Grant has been silence. Even when Olga gave us questioning gaze we didn’t voice our fears. This was not the place for confidences. We didn’t use words, Grant sent me short messages through our link. But he was brief and concise. By lunchtime my stomach was tight into a knot, still, Grant pushed me into getting out of the lab to the cafeteria.

“I’ll accompany you,” there was a certain tension in his voice he tried to hide with a smile. Me on my part, it was impossible to conceal the distress. However, I was happy I was able to stand up for my mates but I tremble with fear of the outcome. I’ll have to train and train with more conviction.

“If you see Dr. Churchhill at the cafeteria tell him to come to do some god damn work,” Olga tossed over her shoulder as we head out of the lab. We escaped to the corridor and hurried to the elevator. I sweat heavily in that small space praying that it would go down faster. Grant grabbed y hand when it came to a stop on the ground floor.

-Stop flinching. You’re making me nervous.

I gave him a dark look since I couldn’t voice my opinion. We walked out of the constricted space to the long corridor and took a sharp turn left to the double door leading to the cafeteria. There was a low murmur in the large room beyond. We froze on the threshold a second, a little taken aback with the crowd in front of us.

“Excuse me!” shouted an irritated woman behind us. She forced her way through before we could react. Grant pulled me forward to the waiting line.

“You want something to eat here or a takeaway?” he asked but was already steering to the takeaway section. I just nodded and followed him. Anyway, I was not hungry. When I came to our turn, Grant selected grilled cheese sandwiches and orange juice. Then thanked the cyborg with a smile.

“Let’s go,” he said and I spotted Dr. Churchhill in the crowd talking to a woman. I couldn’t see who she was as her back was facing us. I tapped Grant over the shoulder and pointed in their direction.

“Should we bother this cheaper?” the good doctor was so into the cheerful conversation that he didn’t see us coming towards him. When he reached for his cold half-filled coffee he noticed us. His smile dropped instantly. We were too close for him to escape.

“Kids,” he called with a fake smile. The woman turned around, it was Dr. Nadaly. I thought Angus warned us to stay away. she paled when we stopped at their table.

“This been a while,” I said with the fake enthusiasm. She gave us a tight smile then turned back to her lunch. Chicken salad with chickpeas. She stabbed her plastic fork into some lettuce.

“I’ve been busy,” Dr. Nadaly murmured. Yeah, right. Busy running away. Sure! The old man took a quick sip from his coffee and grimace and placed the cup down.

“Is there something the matter?” I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn’t want to know about the relationship he has with Olga or this woman. It was none of my business, anyway. But the more I see of Dr. Churchhill’s personal life the less I like the man. Lazy, untrustworthy, and now cheaper.

“Olga said,” I crooked my fingers into air quotes, “to come to do some god damn work,” one side of his lips curled up. Ok, I don’t want to see anymore. I turned around without waiting for an answer.

“Hey, Miss Kerry, tell her⁠—”

“Go tell herself!” I snapped without looking back. What a nasty old man. I can’t believe he actually created Olga. She is far too advanced to be the work of this old fart⁠—like Olga loves to call him. Grant followed me out of the building, I didn’t take the direction back to the lab but exit through the back door that led to the parking lot.

“Liliane, where are you doing?” Grant ran with my lunch in his hand.

“I need some fresh air. I feel like I’m going to suffocate,” I shouted and threw my arms in the air. “I need to walk⁠—I need to think. But I can’t to that in there,” we were rapidly reaching the gate leading to the main road. It was closed during the day. The cyborg station next to the gate straightened up as we got need. I slowed down. What now? I didn’t really have a plan. Grant grabbed my arm when the cyborg reached for his gun.

“You have no authorization to exit the premises, please turn around and get back to your respective labs,” warned the cyborg. Grant pulled on my arm to force me to turn back.

“Come on,” he whispered.

-Liliane, please. You are putting us both in danger. I’m sure we are all ready on his blacklist. Don’t give him an excuse to shoot us down. Please use your head.

I let him dragged me back inside. We took the elevator in silence. What exactly did I want to prove? I had no idea, it was one of those crazy moments when things just happen. I chuckled and it echoed back at me in the small enclosure of the elevator. My wide eyes and pale face hidden behind my black-rimmed glassed were distorted in the shiny surface of the door. The elevator didn’t take us back to the lab. We stopped on the 5th floor where Demos was.

“What⁠—?” I started but closed my mouth before I said too much. Atlas was probably listening to us. After all, this was his domain. I just hope he is a forgiving god. I marched in the dimly lit corridor to the anonymous room that hosted my man. The door opened on blackness. Grant stepped in murmured under this breath. I caught “I can’t believe this” but the rest was lost into a low rumble.

“Lights!” the room lit up in a blinding explosion of neon lights. My eyes took a couple of seconds to adjust but when I registered what was in front of my eyes I gasped. The table on which the black box was supposed to rest was empty, cable hanged loosely on its surface.

“Where is him?” yelled Grant. He glared at the ceiling. He shook with rage and I quickly took my lunch bag from him. He didn’t even notice me.

“Answer me! Where did you take him?” After a long minute, god answered.

“Demos is safe⁠—with me.”