The Legacies (Sequal to The Unrated)

Morning Meeting: Part Two

After Hunter was done explaining, the room fell silent. "A bloody android?" Shaun asked. "I've never seen one like her before. I suppose anything's possible."

Naomi sat on the ground and looked at the monitor. Her eyes fixed on Levi. Hunter started putting two and two together. "Levi, you've been acting weird. Weirder than usual. You two keep staring at each other like we're at a high school dance, and neither of you wants to make the first move. What's up?"

Levi tried to come up with an excuse, but he knew it wouldn't work. "I may have overseen her design. It was a long time ago. I used to help out in the medical division from time to time. It wasn't my main line of work, but I still did what I could do. It all came back when I saw her. I don't understand. She was just a prototype. Not even in the manufacturing stage yet. Who sighed off on that?"

Naomi shrugged. 

"Never mind that; what are we going to do about today? I know it's only going to get harder," Zach asks. His head turned to the door as Isiah walked in. 

"What's going on?" Isiah yawned. He looked over to the screen and nodded. "Coming up with a plan?"

"Trying to," Alissa said. She looked at the clock. "We don't have much time before we're called down for breakfast."

"You're worried about food?" Zach asked.

"No, dumbass. She's worried about what comes next—the next phase. We might not get a chance to talk like this for a while...or at all. Not saying what you think I'm saying, but we need to air out all concerns," Hunter said. "No matter what happens, we need to make sure Alissa get's in front of those cameras. Reporters and news people will be there covering it."

"If she gets on screen, what's stopping them from shutting it off?" Isiah asked.

"I'll keep them on," Levi said. "No need to worry."

"What if this doesn't work?" Zoey asked. "What if-"

"Zoey, we can "what if" until the cows come home, but we don't have time for that. I know Young won't hurt her once he finds out who she is. I don't know what they're going to do with us, but we need to act before the ceremony ends," Hunter said. "I know you're scared, and I am too, but it's going to get a lot worse unless we do something."

"What about the escape part?" Isiah asked. "There's going to be a lot of guards there. They won't just let us stroll out."

"Wasn't someone's job to secure a way out? Who was that exactly?" Zach asked, side-eyeing Isiah.

"What we need is a distraction," Hunter said. "As soon as things start to go south, we need to draw their attention away."

Isiah sighed. "It's my job. I'll do it. I'm not hungry anyway. I think I know what I can do."

Zach looked around. "Sooo, what? Do we have to guess?"

"It's best if you don't know. Just wait for the signal and book it. I'll try to steal one of the news vans or something. While everyone is confused, we make our escape. We'll lay low until the coast is clear."

"Sounds good to me," Hunter said.

"Better than nothing," Alissa said.

Naomi pulled at Hunter's pants leg. "What about me? What should I do?" She signed.

"Stay close," Hunter signed back. "I would tell you to go with Isiah, but I doubt you'd listen." Naomi smiled and shook her head. "Thought so."

"Where are you guys going to go? There are miles of woods until you reach civilization. You guys are a couple of hours away from The Obsidian Zone. Wouldn't recommend that as a safe place," Shaun said. "How about I meet you halfway? They might see you speeding off and make the van."

"No, no way. You need to stay where you are. They might see you or something," Hunter said.

"I could say I was on my way to The Games to see if anyone needed medical attention. It wouldn't be that odd. They'd be in too much of a panic to question me," Shaun said. 

"And what about me?" Zoey asked. "I'm going too."

"No, love. You need to stay here. At least I'll know you're safe," Shaun said, holding Zoey's hand.

Zoey snatched her hand away. "I'm not going just to sit here and do nothing. I'm going to. End of story."

Before Shaun could replay a pop-up can on screen. The message read, "Please make your way to the dining hall."

"Showtime, everyone," Hunter said. "Let's end this."