Sterling came closer. “I’m not in maintenance. There has to be something.”
“I would call Zero, but the wireless connection is still down.”
“Stella must have sabotaged that too.”
“I should have asked the model-Ms before they left.” Atlas regarded the still-blinking head. “If Stella shut all of this down, then she must have the schematics.”
He reached in and touched her data processors again, further linking up with her mind. Her mind felt slimy. Even the data she held was corrupted in ways, biased by her thoughts. But yes, the entire grid paneling was there.
“I have it.” Atlas started to open terminals in the computer’s interface. Between himself, Sterling, and Stella’s neural data, he had enough authority to override the entire facility’s power grid.
Success happened a minute later, and the facility plunged into darkness. The only light coming from through the windows. Birds were chirping outside, oblivious to the drama happening within the facility.
Then Atlas picked up Stella’s head by the scalp and ran. Ran back to Anna.
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 hallwaybefore 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.”
