As Charles rode the elevator down to the cavern, he keyed commands into his comm unit. He relayed Roger’s command to activate the Guardian Defensive Squad in New Sebastian. For as long as he could remember, they had stood dormant in their storage room, designed only to be activated if New Sebastian had been overrun from the outside. Charles had been carefully instructed that they had been preprogrammed to repel invasions, and to control the population. And as far as he knew, these orders could not be overridden. Guardian Control could activate them, but they operated autonomously from their control. He waited until he reached the elevator before he made his final decision to either obey or disobey Roger. Charles could not override a direct order from the Premier. But he could delay it, indefinitely he thought, if he felt it was in New Sebastian’s best interest. Even as he pressed the final authorization codes and sent them to Guardian Control, he felt sick to his stomach. But ultimately it was his loyalty to Roger that made him complete the command. His heart still ached for Jillian even after all these years, and it had been Roger that had offered at least a vague hope for her. He owed this to him, he thought, as the elevator came to a stop and he exited. He turned back to see Amelia as she moved uncertainly when she exited the elevator. She passed the Guardian still stationed at the door without a glance. He smiled. She would get used to them eventually, he thought. He turned and spoke to the Guardian.
“Assemble all units in this area. Prepare to board the skid.”
“Affirmative.” Answered the Guardian, and it marched off towards the center of the room.
“Amelia?” He asked, as he watched her lean her back against the wall. Her face was flushed. “You okay?” He asked. She nodded, and stood erect. She took a step towards him.
“We’re going back?” She asked. “Through the tunnel?” He nodded.
“Come on.” He said. “We have to get back over there quickly.” He turned and walked briskly down the aisle towards the skid. As he rounded the corner, he saw the Guardians as they stood on the perimeter platform that surrounded the skid. He ran the last few steps, stepped to the rear and climbed aboard, just as the last stack was sat in place by the overheard machine. Amelia had just rounded the corner of the aisle, as the skid began to move.
“Run!” Charles yelled to her, and she broke into a run. Initially she gained on the motion of the skid. She reached her arm out toward him. He held tightly with one hand and leaned back towards her, as their finger tips almost touched. Then the skid gained speed, and his hand pulled away from hers. She slowed her gait as she realized she could no longer catch the skid as it continued to accelerate. She gradually came to a stop as she watched Charles disappear into the tunnel.
“Great.” She said to herself, out of breath now.
“Stay here!” He yelled back to her. “In case they come back!”
“And what?” She asked herself. “If they do come back, what the hell am I going to do?” She turned and began to walk back to where she had come from. “Ask them to stand here nicely until the Chancellor returns?” She laughed. “Fat chance of that happening.” She reached into her tunic and withdrew the weapon that she carried. She checked its charge, though she already knew that it would read full. It had never been fired. She was unsure of what it would do when fired, she realized. Training had indicated there would be a slight push back from the weapon itself as it discharged. She had been told that it would emit a bright flash that could, in some cases, temporarily blind you. And that depending on what the target was, a loud explosion might be heard afterwards. She turned the gun around in her hands, and looked its smooth metallic finish over. She realized that it seemed to be made of a similar material to that of what the Guardians were made of. She wondered what the gun might do to a Guardian, if anything, she thought. She shuddered as she thought of those huge masses of metal. She just knew that they always seemed to look at her. To watch her, as they waited for her to make some mistake the Chancellor did not see.
And Charles, she thought. How cold and heartless could you be? That dead woman surfaced in her mind. Lady Mackary of all people. That poor lady. So old and frail, she thought. She was in desperate need of rejuvenation if anyone was. And the Premier had only just recently approved to allow her to have the process done. Now with her specimen damaged, she’d never live long enough to have the chance. Absentmindedly she touched her own face, as she subconsciously remembered her own rejuvenation years ago, and the wrinkles that she remembered from before. The aches and pains. The failing eyesight. She had been so grateful once the rejuvenation had occurred, which was why she had agreed to join the Chancellor as his assistant. Now it all seemed like a nightmare. Those tiny little babies in the tanks. In her minds eye, it was as if each of them had looked at her. Directly at her. Had begged her for help. But what could she do. She couldn’t even make it to the skid in time to go with Charles. Now here she was, stuck on this side. Now she waited. And waited for what? In case the intruders came back this way? Who was she kidding? She wasn’t going to shoot anybody. Not even one of those stupid Guardians. No matter how scared of them that she may be.
She casually walked to the far wall, turned and leaned her back against it, and then slowly slid down until she sat on the floor, gun still in hand. She noticed to her left, a large door, even larger than the elevator door. She could see the seam down the center of the door where it opened. Though she was slightly curious as to where it may lead, she had no real desire to find out. She quickly surmised that it may lead to some other section of this horrid place, and reveal to her some new nightmarish secret that she never wanted to know. She laid the gun on the ground, and began to weep. Softly at first, and harder, as her hands came to her face. How had this all happened to her, she thought, as suddenly her comm unit vibrated. She quickly sniffed back her tears, as she reached in her tunic and retrieved the unit. It was a message from the Premier. She looked in disbelief and reread the message header again. It was unmistakable. It was from the Premier himself. She stared in horror at the message itself. It too, was unmistakable. And unbelievable. Her tears began anew. And she dropped the device on the ground, and it clattered away. She shook her head as she cried, as she tried to come to terms with the message. The Premier had just ordered her to kill Charles.
Chapter 32
Immortal Page 31