Chapter 51
Chapter fifty-one
Anna
Anna’s arms ached. She had long since torn out any remaining wires from her body.
Blood drops ran down her legs and dotted the floor under her bare feet.
None of that mattered. Her chest heaved from exertion.
A dent had finally appeared on the door from ramming the bed into it.
Hopefully that meant the metal was weakening.
She took a deep breath. Again. Rage coursed through her veins. But before she could pull the medical bed back again, everything was plunged into darkness.
Anna stumbled forward. The residual hum of electronics stopped.
She pushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes and limped to the door.
Did the power cut out? She bent over to see under the door’s threshold, cheek smashed on the floor.
The hallway was dark too. The power was out.
The first sliver of hope made her tremble as she tried the handle again.
The door opened, easily, revealing the corridor behind. The electronic lock was disabled. She flung herself into the hallway before the door could close again. But it remained open even as she clung to the wall on the opposite side of the door.
She was out. Whatever happened to the power let her get out. Now what did she do?
Anna froze in the hallway, which extended in both directions. Where do I go? Which way did Alice go? She vaguely remembered the layout from being wheeled in before giving birth, but this was Sterling’s office, apart from the human quarters. She put her hand over her mouth and listened.
Her head whipped around. There. To her right—definitely to the right—came a baby’s faint cry. A cry that pulled at her on a primal level. Tears sprang to her eyes. There. I need to go there.
Anna stumbled forward toward the sound. Her legs automatically moved, jerking her into a run, ignoring the pain.
The cut on her hand from falling the day before had broken back open further, and she left a bloody handprint on the wall.
She could feel the stitches from childbirth painfully move, and the blood that pooled in that stupid maternity pad dripped out on the floor.
She followed that thin cry down the hall. Immediately ahead were more surgical rooms, abandoned and dusty. The cries were louder now. But there was no baby. Where is she?
She didn’t want to yell, in case Alice found her and forced her back into a locked room.
The floor swam before her eyes as she ran.
Blood dripped down her legs with every step.
I’m so woozy. But a different kind of adrenaline ran through her veins.
The kind that made her push forward, despite everything else.
The first room on the left had two male androids inside, both standing beside a small solar lantern as she stumbled through the doorway.
They were the same model, spindly and tall with black hair that jutted in every direction over equally dark eyes.
The same as that researcher, Leo, but different enough she knew they were not him.
Anna only spared them a glance as she scanned the rest of the room. Not here either.
“Where is my baby?” she hissed at them as they stood motionless.
A pale android hand reached toward her. “You’re bleeding . . .”
She shoved the hand away. “Get away from me.”
The hand retreated. A blank look came over both their faces.
Anna looked up at one of the android’s almost-black eyes and snarled, “I never did anything to you. Never did nothing. Where did you take my baby?”
The two androids looked at each other.
“Where’s Leo? He’s in charge of you, right?” Anna yelled again, “Where is my baby?”
The one on the right looked down, guilt in his eyes. “This feels wrong. I’ve felt wrong the entire time working on this project.”
“You’re right. I’m done.” His partner sighed, then pointed. “Your baby is through that room. To the right. The power . . . is turned off.”
The crying, as if on cue, continued in the other room.
Anna pushed forward where the male had indicated, into a room set up for surgery. Tools were lined up on white sterile gauze, all now cast in dim shadows with the lights turned off. The only light in the room came from a skylight above.
The crying was louder in here. Anna’s eyes needed to adjust as she stumbled forward, but there, in the shadows, was that android nurse, Alice, that had locked her in.
She was standing, trying to hold her little infant, expertly rocking the baby.
But it didn’t matter. As if the tiny life knew something was wrong, the infant wailed into the android’s perfect arms.
Alice’s eyes flicked up to her as she walked in.
Anna’s lip curled and her eyes bulged. She stopped only a few paces away, held out her arms, and hissed, “My baby. That’s my baby. Give her to me. Now.”
More androids like the dark-haired males in the front room were present. One was in a surgical outfit. They all stared at her. Half of them looked like Stella clones. Some looked like nurses. Others still were models that Anna had only met briefly at the one dinner she’d had here at the facility.
Leo was there, in his normal outfit, holding a clipboard. His head was angled to the side.
She looked around at them, hysteria threatening to overwhelm her as she sobbed, “What is wrong with you?”
All of the androids looked back, stone-faced.
“She’s mine. She needs me!” Sweat began to gather on Anna's back, fear overwhelming her senses. She yelled, “Give her to me. NOW!”
She reached for her infant, and Alice took a step back.
Behind her, a flashlight beam swept over the area. She didn’t look back to see who had entered, but she heard the boots of many feet. Still, she didn’t take her eyes off her baby. “Give her to me. Now! You machine!”
Zero’s voice echoed over hers. “Give her the baby. Now.”
Anna glanced back then. Others were coming in. Now along the wall it was not just Zero, but six of his brothers in total. And one of Stella’s models, but this one had brown hair and a dark-skinned complexion.
The brown-haired Stella lined up with the Zeros like she was on their side. She fingered a golden locket around her neck as she said, “You heard her. Now.”
Zero walked forward, pointing the flashlight beam at Alice, who squinted. There was a serious expression that hung oddly on his face. “Give her the baby.”
“Alice.” Leo cleared his throat. “Hand her over.”
Anna couldn’t even register Zero was there, because in the next instant, Alice handed the little, perfectly swaddled bundle to her.
She quickly felt around her whole head. Unchanged.
She’s okay. She turned and walked toward the door.
Her feet carried her squalling baby as she rocked her. “I got you baby girl. I got you.”
Zero moved to her. “I’ll walk you out?”
“No.” She shook her head. She gripped her baby to her chest. “Everyone, leave me the hell alone.”
The baby settled when she spoke. But Anna didn’t stop. Her feet went into a staggering run.
Behind her she heard Zero yell, “Go straight down this hall and turn right. You’ll be outside then.”
Anna didn’t stop until she ran down the long hall, spinning around in a few spots, until she got to the exit.
Her only thought was to leave. Leave and never return.
Run away as fast as she could, before anyone could change their mind.
She left the facility, and only breathed easier once her bare feet hit the dirt outside.