Chapter Thirty-Nine

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As Alex and Milo raced out of the Facility's emergency exit, they stopped dead in their tracks. A swarm of guardians and security personnel was waiting for them. The guardians inched forward like a person trying to feed a squirrel. They knew any sudden movements would spook the marauders.

One of the guardians tried to mollify the situation by speaking to them. "Did you two really think you could break into a restricted area, assault a security guard, steal a very powerful and expensive piece of equipment, and just walk out of here?"

Milo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, "Yeah."

"You are both under arrest."

There were at least a dozen guardians in front of them and Milo certainly was not going to use his Kung Fu on them.

"Got any plans?" Milo whispered to Alex.

"Yeah, just one... run."

Alex turned around and ran back inside the Facility. Milo was right behind her.

"I don't suppose you brought an extra invisibility cloak for me?" he joked.

"Come on, down here," Alex instructed.

The two ran down several flights of stairs and ended up breaking off in separate directions. Fortunately for them, the Facility was a big place and since they had spent their whole lives there, they knew every inch of it. In a fight between lions and sharks, the winner is determined by where the fight takes place. The guardians chasing them were lions in the water – they were completely outmatched. Trying to keep up with Alex and Milo would be difficult.

Alex locked herself in a storage room, climbed up the shelf, and penetrated the ceiling. She could hear guardians stampeding passed her as she remained perched in darkness above the storage room. She was somewhat relieved she was able to lose them; however, she still needed to escape with the device.

She activated the flashlight on the access pod, which she still had from Milo, and it provided just enough light for her to see. With the entire floor plan committed to memory, she quickly devised the best route for escape. A network of pipes led her to a ventilation system, where she was able to crawl through. For over twenty metres, she shuffled along at a snail's pace trying to be as silent as possible. The metal of the vent crinkled under her weight, but she kept moving. As her knees dragged across the dusty vent, it irritated her sinuses. She felt a sneeze coming and knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it. A powerful sneeze blasted out of her nose and mouth, echoing throughout the vent. A mixture of blood and mucous sprayed out, reminding Alex of her debilitating condition. Despite the loud sneeze, she was thankful that no one discovered her presence.

Still feeling faint, she continued on until she found an exit to the ventilation shaft. She pushed the grate out, causing it to crash down on the floor below. It was much louder than she had anticipated and she hoped no one heard it. She popped her head into the room and took a deep breath. It was not exactly fresh air, but it was much better than the stuffy air she had been inhaling in the confined space of the shaft. When she was convinced no one was coming, she gripped the edge of the vent opening and flipped her body out of the shaft like a ninja. She hung for a second before dropping down in another miscellaneous storage room.

The room was pitch-black; the only light was coming from the access pod on her forearm. She dusted herself off then made her way over to the door. With both hands, she pried the door open so just a sliver of light entered the room. As she peered out, she did not see or hear any guardians.

She wondered if Milo was okay. Just as she thought that, there was a loud crash behind her. She was so startled that she nearly hit the ceiling. She quickly turned around and shone her light in the direction of the noise. The light lit up Milo's face, causing him to squint.

"Milo, what are you doing here? You scared me half to death!" she said in an excited whisper; her heart was still pounding uncontrollably.

"Oh hey, Alex," he said clutching his knee.

"Let me guess, you downloaded a copy of the floor plan?" she asked.

"Yeah and you?"

"I already had it."

"You picked a good room. You can see many different angles from here," he said.

"I know, that's why I picked it."

"Same," he winced, clearly in pain.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Evidently, I wasn't as successful with the dismount as you were."

"Don't go injuring your legs, those come in handy in escapes."

"Alex..."

"What is it?"

"Listen, I'm not feeling well, I think I might be dying."

"Come on, don't say that. You've just been breathing in that stuffy air. I felt the same way."

"No, I'm serious. If I collapse on the floor, I want you to just leave me."

"Alright."

"Alright? That was quick, I was expecting at least of bit of resistance."

"Milo, you're talking nonsense and I just wanted to shut you up. We have an important mission ahead of us. Pull yourself together."

"But if I do die, I want you to know how I feel about you."

Milo hesitated a bit, but then just blurted it out, "I don't know what's going to happen to us, if the world is going to end or we all die from some crazy illness or we get arrested, but I just want to let you know that I love you."

"That's sweet, Milo, I love you too." The words deflected off Alex as if she did not even hear them. It was not how he had pictured the conversation going, but he figured Alex was too focused on the task at hand to engage in such a meaningful conversation. As it was, her feelings toward Milo remained a mystery.

"Okay, I think we're in the clear, let's move," Alex said.

Before Milo had a chance to respond, Alex was already halfway out the door. He quickly ran after her and met her at another exit.

"Ready to try this again?" she asked.

Milo nodded.

The final set of doors slid open and this time, there were no guardians waiting for them.

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