Chapter 49
Chapter forty-nine
Anna
Anna woke up to her baby stirring. She lifted herself up, feeling achy and sore from the waist down. “Atlas?”
He wasn’t in the room.
Cries pierced the silence, and she looked over to see her baby red in the face. She forced herself up, feeling the soreness from the stitches deep down low. “You hungry sweetie? I’ll get you.”
Anna picked up the baby and held her while checking her diaper.
"Oh, you’re wet too." She quickly changed her and propped her arms up on pillows for the baby to nurse.
It was night outside, and the room was lonely as she sat back down.
Where was Atlas? Or Sterling? Heck, even Zero?
Nora and the others were back at the farm, but why was she alone right now?
Immediately, she tensed. Was there something wrong? But everything seemed peaceful, other than her body being so sore.
The only sound in the room was the hum of machines and the air conditioning. She settled herself back in the bed, then put her baby down within arm’s reach in the little bassinet.
Anna lay back, trying to rest.
There was a soft knock on the door. Alice entered a second later, leaving the door open wide behind her.
“Hi Alice.” Anna lifted herself to sit upright. “Where’s Atlas?”
Alice didn’t make eye contact, checking the vitals on the monitor. “He’s helping Sterling in the other room.”
“What did he need to help with?”
“Some of the newborn testing.”
“Oh.” Anna’s eyebrows furrowed.
Alice didn’t bother saying anything more as she busied herself around the room, putting back a fresh stock of the diapers in the bassinet. She extended a hand, adjusting the blanket swaddling the baby. “Did she just nurse?”
“Yes, but is Atlas coming back soon?”
“Should be.” Alice suddenly straightened. She flashed Anna a clinical smile. “In the meantime, I need to take the baby to be weighed really fast, alright?”
Before Anna could protest, Alice started wheeling the baby out of the room.
“Wait.” Anna disconnected the leads monitoring her. She stood on limbs that wobbled as the wheels squeaked on the tile floor. “I’ll come with . . .”
“No need,” Alice tossed over her shoulder cheerfully. “Rest, okay?”
Anna hesitated, but the infant’s thin cry spurred her forward. “No. I need to go with her. That’s my baby. Where are you taking her?”
Something in her gut felt wrong. Everything in her chilled. The room began to narrow as the bassinet moved further away.
Alice was now rushing toward the door, exiting fast. But it wasn’t until the door closed and clicked behind her that Anna knew there was a real problem.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Anna yanked on the door handle. Normally it opened outward with a plain utilitarian handle, but nothing gave when she pushed or pulled. “This is locked?”
She yanked the handle down harder. Nothing. Then pounded on the door’s side until her hand throbbed. “Let me out!”
There were no windows looking out into the hall from the room so Anna could not see the bassinet, but a faint squeak came as it moved down the hall. Away from her. She yelled, pounding on the door again, “What are you doing? I’m trapped in here! Why?”
There was no answer. Everything in her went into high alert.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, nostrils flaring.
They took my baby and locked me in. Her limbs began to shake.
She frantically searched the silent room, but then she could hear her baby crying, faintly, down the hall.
Adrenaline surged throughout her body. She needed to get out. Any way she could.
She slammed her body into the door, screaming, “Let me out!” she screamed as loud as she could. “ATLAS? STERLING? ZERO?”
No answer.
“ATLAS?” Anna paced the room, breathing quickly. Her entire body tensed, her heart pounding. How do I get out?
And where was Atlas? Where is he? She yanked on her hair. Where. Is. He?
Fear flooded her, making her gasp.They have my baby! What were they doing? Was Stella behind this? Her eyes darted side to side. Atlas said everything was okay. But then, why did they take her? Why? Not all the androids would go along with this, right? Zero wouldn’t. Sterling?
What could she do? She had to do something. Anything!
Cold panic rushed over her. She slammed her shoulder into the door again and pounded with her fists. “Give me back my baby! Now!”
No reply.
She swallowed, pacing like a caged animal. Where is Atlas?
Anna quickly scanned the room. For privacy, this was one of the few rooms that didn’t have cameras. How could she let them know? Anyone?
She kicked everything in the room, pushing all the equipment on the desk around, looking for anything sharp. All the surgical tools had already been cleaned and taken away. The only things left now were related to baby care. Diapers, blankets. Everything, except her baby.
She swallowed and scanned the room again. The direct communicator to Atlas had been left at home, on their new kitchen table. But maybe there was another way to connect? There was a speaker on the wall, right? She ran to it.
She pushed the buttons frantically on the small intercom. “Hello? Help? Someone? I’ve been locked in!”
No answer.
“Hello?” Smashing the buttons, she tried again. “Help? Anyone?” Then she pounded on it with her whole fist. “They took my baby! Help me!”
Anna stood back, nausea rolling in her gut and sweat rolling down her back. Through the walls, her baby cried. She could hear through the wails, faintly.
She screamed back, “Let me out! You fucking machines! I hate you!”
Finally, the intercom buzzed and crackled. Relief poured over her, making her limbs shake. She ran over, smashing up against the intercom. “Hi. Who is it? I’m trapped . . .”
“Hate is such a strong, scary word. Don’t worry, Anna.” Stella’s clipped tone rang out. “Everything is being taken care of.”
Anna’s heart stopped for a minute. She pressed against the wall, palms sweaty, face smashed against the tiny speaker. “. . . Stella?”
“You’ll have your baby back, after.”
“After? What are you doing? Are you doing something with that chip?”
“Yes. You see, you didn’t honor the deal.”
“I did though,” Anna cried. “You saw. I had to take it out! It was hurting me.”
Stella’s voice dripped acid. “All I saw was a human who, after the chip was removed, threw rocks at our drone. You were, frankly, unhinged. Rage-filled.”
“Unhinged?” Anna shouted back, “Stella! Did you make the drone follow me that close? Did you make me fall?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That was an accident.”
“But after. Did you make the drone hover and watch me struggle?”
“You struggled because of your rage. We all saw it.”
“Wait!” She swallowed and said with forced calm, “Look we can make another deal.”
“Too late.”
“Please Stella.” Anna yanked on her hair, her voice pleading. “Atlas said you didn’t have any authority to touch my baby.”
Static. The line had gone blank. She pounded the intercom frantically. The scrape on her hand broke back open, leaving bloody spots where she smashed.
Then the speaker crackled to life one last time. “The thing is, Atlas never had authority to take off the chip either.”
Then the intercom turned off. Anna smacked the call button. “Stella. Stella!”
No reply.
Pushing off the wall, Anna paced frantically, ignoring the pain from the stitches after childbirth and the blood that had begun to run down her leg.
Panic flooded her. I need to get out. She kicked and rammed the door, feeling the sting reverberate in her foot.
Caged in. She pushed her hair out of her face, twisting her body side to side.
The bed. It’s on wheels. She dripped blood, filling the maternity pad she was wearing and leaking through the light hospital gown.
On the floor some had fallen, bright red on the pristine white tile.
Anna didn’t care. The bed was on wheels. It was the biggest thing in here that could move. I need to get out. The wheel safety locks unlocked one by one, and she pushed with all her might, slamming the bed into the door.
Her arms shook as the door barely moved. There was barely a scratch for her efforts.
She firmed her shoulders. “Again. I’ll push it again. Only from farther back.” She braced herself against the floor and dragged the bed back again. And if this doesn’t work, I’ll break the window leading to outside and get help.
Also, where was Atlas?
Fear flooded her again. Stella must have tricked and trapped him as well. Anna gripped the bed, pushing it again to ram into the door. The bed made contact with the metal, stopping immediately.
“All you fucking machines!” Anna screamed. “You should be scared of an angry human!” Her voice broke as she pulled the bed back again. “I’ll do whatever it takes. Anything at all. That’s my baby!”