Artificial Mates - Chapter 136

A huge uproar shook the command. The technicians were cheering and hugging each other. Dr. Laurell approached the front of the room with difficulty and searched the smiling faces.

“Where is Elija?” he had a hard time getting his question across. When the euphoria eased a little a thick glasses guy patted him on his shoulder. “Where is Elija?” he repeated. The man shrugged his shoulders but the one standing behind him answered with a concerned face.

“He left an hour ago, said he was going to use the restroom and get us coffee,” the speaker, a slim man in a green t-shirt.

“One hour?” the man nodded at Dr. Laurell. “I thought he was the one who deleted the problematic file?” silence fell on the surrounding men.

“Sir, no one did,” the glasses guy with the name tag: Johny Delmor, answered.

“Then who did?” frowned Dr. Laurell. Johny shook his head and averted his eyes.

“Sir,” called someone in the back of the room. When he got up another one on the opposite side of the room also got up. Both peered at each other, then the first one spoke. “Sir, Aquarius… I can’t access his core anymore. It seems to be empty⁠—”

“Empty? That’s impossible,” snapped Dr. Laurell who marched to his own console next to the giant screen in the front of the room. Eyes followed him as he punched in his access codes and frenetically typed with his good hand. His gaze glued to the uncooperative program.

“Impossible,” he whispered to himself.

“Sir,” called the second man. “Sir, Atlas had sent me a video,” Dr. Laurell froze and slowly turned to the speaker.

“Video? Transfer it on the main screen,” frowned the doctor.

“I don’t⁠—I believe it’s not appropriate to⁠—” protested the man. Dr. Laurell gave him a dark look.

“You are not paid to give suggestions. Play the god damn feed,” he shouted. All attention turned to the trembling man in the far corner as he clicked on his keyboard. Seconds later the giant screen animated. It showed an aerial view of a corridor, the crowd gathered around to watch. Then two tall cyborgs entered the shot, marched to the door at the center of the screen, smashed it and got in.

When they came out dragging the familiar face of their colleague the technicians let out a gasp. One of the cyborgs rose its gun and before he pressed the trigger the screen went black. The room was dead silent. It took several minutes before Dr. Laurell spoke.

“Did Atlas really sent that?” he turned to the pale technician who only nodded. “Were their a note, anything else?” he swallowed.

“Yes⁠—” the man replied in a choked voice. “H-he said it’s only the beginning,” the man sunk in his chair with a sigh. Dr. Laurell pushed away his hair from his forehead.

“Ok,” he stared at this keyboard. “Evacuate Texson city. And call General Yardley, tell him I’ll wait for him in the command room,” Johny stepped forward then hesitated.

“Sir, if we leave our workstations⁠—Atlas will just take over everything, the facility will be compromised, security in the building will go offline,” Dr. Laurell held his gaze then nodded.

“Go, the military will take over,” a young man on his right got up.

“The military, Sir? But what about all our work?” Dr. Laurell sighed and sunk in his chair. He fished a silver gun from his inner jacket pocket. He lazily swung it around. All those found around him took a step back.

“I was polite and told you to go. So why the f.u.c.k are you all standing here? If you want to die and can fix that,” he grinned. The men left in a chaotic rush of turned over desks and scattered stationaries. When Dr. Laurell was alone again he turned to Elija’s workstation.

“Stupid kid! I thought you were a genius?”

“He was, what a shame I had to kill him,” the voice made the man jumped in his chair.

“Did I startled you?” Dr. Laurell cursed under his breath.

***

Grant faced the exit door ready to fire, just then it burst open spilling angry human guards with ill intent. Since he was not built for hand to hand combat he shot them in the least lethal zone to neutralize the four men who sprung out. They felt to the ground yelling when Grant rapidly took their weapons away.

“Freak! F.u.c.k.i.n.g⁠—” shouted one as he struggled to get a hold on Grant.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured at each of them as he forced them to sleep. Out of guilt, he tore on one of the men trousers to inspect the bullet shot.

“Damn it,” he whispered. The wound wasn’t lethal but the guard will surely death to death if he wasn’t treated. He got to his knees feeling both extremely grateful that they weren’t dead and torn that he was the one who inflicted such pain on them. Just as he was getting on his feet from treating the wounds of his enemies a voice startled him.

“Grant! Liliane is in danger. Atlas is taking her to the core to kill her. Retrieve my body, level 3 room 14⁠—” Grant was sure it was Demos. Yet, he had never heard such despair in his voice. Before he could move a muscle a bullet hit him in his side, from reflex he raised his weapon and squeezed the trigger. The man who had erupted from the staircase dropped backward, his gun fired repeated at the ceiling.

“No, no no,” Grant let go of his gun disregarding his own pain. The gun fell to the floor with a heavy metal sound. He rushed to the guard who gazed at him with wide terrified eyes. Already dark blood was gushing out of the chest wound. Grant applied pressure on it and held the man’s head. “Hey, I’m sorry. Why did you have to come out of nowhere,” he frowned. The man opened his mouth to answer but blood spilled out streaming down his chin. Grant’s eyes light up, he knew he couldn’t do much for such severe damage. “Why did you had to⁠—” his voice trailed off. He shook his head as the guard convulsed then went limp.

“Ah,” he jumped away from the man and fell on his butt. He had fell life slipping away from the poor man. His hands shook and he pressed it on his bullet wound. It left a bloodstain on his shirt.

“I-I killed him,” he whispered. He searched around the corridor as if waking up from a nightmare. “I killed him,” he repeated louder. He placed a trembling bloody hand on his face. He blinked.

“Oh, no Liliane!” he fought to get up and bolted down the corridor.