Into hiding (a sequel for Time and Again)

Chapter 5: ambushed

Penny's pov:

Talon wasn't next to me when I woke up. I sat up, looked around and found a note on the bedside table, explaining that he was at the grocery store.

I untangled myself from the wrinkly bed sheets, put on a t-shirt and jeans, and made my way into the living room. The fact that I couldn't see the sun through the windows indicated that it was nearly midday.

I suddenly became aware of how quiet the cottage was. Too quiet... Something was wrong. I looked at the clock hanging above the door to the kitchen, and it was 09:45 AM.

Uncle Gadget never slept this late. His batteries take about six hours to charge, and then he's up and inventing stuff, usually with a lot of noise. "Uncle?" I called out with no reply. Adrenaline was already pumping through my veins, and I could hear my heart thump in my ears.

I slowly opened the door to his room, and peeked inside. He was laying on the bed, nose facing upwards and his arms flat at his sides, creating a perfectly symmetrical form. This wasn't right. The window was open by a tiny bit, and that was enough to make me feel suspicious.

I went to his side and carefully lifted his eyelid, to reveal that his eyes were completely black, with not a speck of white left. I drew back in shock. Someone rebooted him. I heard a small beep, and my uncle's eyes opened. They weren't his eyes.

A red glow came from where his pupils and irises should be, and he slowly sat up. His eyes trained on me, and I could hear the lenses shift to focus on my face. I started backing up towards the door. He's gone terminator.

Terminator was a mode aqquired for his design in case a third world-war broke out and the world went into a post-apocalyptic state. Someone activated this mode to target someone.

But who- "Target aqquired." A robotic double voice said, and I didn't wait to find out who the target was. I was sprinting down the hall and out of the cottage, my feet knowing what to do better than my brain.

I was running as fast as my legs could carry me, vaguely aware of the approaching sounds of the truck.

Suddenly, it swerved to a halt right in front of me, and Talon whipped open the door. There was a trail of blood coming from the side of his temple, and he had a bruised lip. "Get in!" He cried, and I didn't hesitate to jump into shot gun. "What's happening?" I asked and tugged my seatbelt into place as Talon stepped on the accelerator.

"We're being ambushed. I was attacked at the grogery store. Where's your uncle?"

"He's gone terminator. I can't fix him unless I have the right code, and currently, I'm his-"

A wave of gunfire aimed at us interrupted me, and Talon switched to the next gear. "His mission. Alright, we need to get out of here."  He said, and I was holding onto my seat for dear life.

We lost Gadget, but I was hearing something else. I whipped my head around, and I spotted other cars and motorcycles chasing after us at a high speed. "We got company." I stated, grabbing the gun from the glove compartment.

Talon's foot was pressed down on the pedal but they were still gaining on us. I fired a few warning shots at their general direction, but they replied with some shots as well.

Out of nowhere, T1000 Gadget appeared and stepped onto the middle of the road ahead of us, lifting his arm. A magnetic mine shot from where his hand should've been and attached itself to the bottom of the truck.

"Oh no shi-" Talon couldn't finish his swearing, because in the next second we were thrown airborn from the force of the explosion. The truck flew up and spun a few times, causing Talon and I to whip our heads towards the center of gravity.

After we stopped rolling and ended upside down, I fiddled with my seatbelt until it released me to drop onto the truck roof. Bikers and people with guns surrounded us, and both Talon and I climbed out while knowing how utterly dedeated we were.

It was official now. We were discovered, and there was nowhere safe to go. So the only logical thing to do was run straight into their trap and confront whatever laid ahead. No more running. It was time to meet the queen of spades.