MINE

Chapter Nine

Nathan was going to say something else but he knew she was right. She was probably scanning all the files she could access to find a way to beat the system. He suddenly felt remorseful for being stern with her and proceeded with an immediate apology.

"I'm sorry about my outburst."

"It's okay, Nathan. Being here must be hard for you." She replied.

Nathan managed a small smile before replying.

"It is. But I shouldn't take it out on you. You're the only part of my past left."

"Isn't that sweet? I'd really like to swoon but you have to eat your breakfast. The Rover will be here for you soon." She replied.

"Did you have to be sarcastic?" He pouted.

Borgina laughed. It was the mirthful sound of an excited girl he had uploaded as her laughter file. It always made him laugh in return.

"Are you excited to be leaving the apartment?" She asked.

"Not really." He replied, taking a spoon of his dry cereal.

"Hey! Don't be like that. You'd finally get to meet other survivors." She encouraged.

"I guess I should be excited, Borgina. But I'm not. Not with everything that's not right around here."

"I'm sure the Ruling Council has reasons for doing the things they do. We just need to find out what those reasons are." She replied.

"You're right. I'm sure there will be other people with similar questions. Once I meet them, I'd ask about it." He said.

"I don't think you should ask just yet." She replied.

"Why not?"

"You should study the behavioral patterns first. The Ruling Council might not be pleased to know you're asking." She replied.

She was right. He should have known not to jump right in but he was carried away with his desire to know. Several things were not right and he was going to get to the bottom of things.

The thought of things not being right reminded him of Borgina's awkward remark to Nurse Reese. It was no secret that his virtual assistant took a while before completely trusting other people around him but she had never confronted anyone before.

"By the way, what was that about with Nurse Reese?" He asked.

There was a slight pause. For some reason, Borgina didn't want to answer the question. Just as Nathan was about to press her for details, he heard the clicking sound of his door lock. Two MoonEx soldiers walked into his apartment and signaled him towards the waiting Rover.

"We'll finish that conversation later, Borgina." Nathan stated, walking out of the apartment.

"Oh no, we won't." Borgina replied, once she was sure he was out of earshot.