The Nexus

Chapter 29

She drove through the dawn. For the first time since all of this started, she was quiet inside. Empty.

The car headed east and needed gas. She automatically dug into her duffle bag for a wallet, there would still be some cash in there. She was instinctively looking around her. A place to stop, a place to hack into some of her accounts and start over. Not too small because everyone would notice her in a small town, big enough to get lost and small enough to live on the edge. Somewhere like Idaho Springs back in Colorado. Disappear or check in to an asylum.

A sign for a gas station and other various shops appeared on her left and she took the next exit. She used the cash to fill up her tank and then drove to the pancake shop on the other side of the street. This place would never do for her to stay. It was basically an exit with nothing more than the pancake shop, coffee shop, gas station and gift shop. She considered doubling back to Grand Forks, it was still in North Dakota and maybe the Alliance and the Agency wouldn't guess that she would stay that close to the last Alliance safe house.

The waitress came over to take her order. She ordered coffee and oatmeal with berries. Her small table was next to the window that didn't face the highway and Emma gazed out at the grassy landscape. Rolling hills patched with gold with a green under hue, it was hypnotizing. She contemplated the peace in her mind. Her brow creased a little when she wondered how she had been able to put up a wall to her emotions, when had she first done this?

She shook her head, it didn't matter. The calm was something familiar and welcome.

The waitress dropped off the coffee and oatmeal. Emma looked at her as she walked away and her gaze fell upon a familiar face in the restaurant, Aranda! He smiled at her from a booth two tables down. Her heart froze.

He casually got up from his booth and sauntered over to her. There were two other people at the little lunch counter, a couple of families, and a young couple at the other various tables, about half of the other tables were empty.

"I never imagined that finding you would be this easy," he said. His features were dazzling as he smiled. Emma was breathless.

He sat down across from her and the waitress came over to offer him something, he waved her away with smooth lift of his arm.

"You look surprised my little subject," he said to her, referring to her Agency name, subject 1673. She still couldn't respond. Her palms were damp and it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This fear was somewhat familiar, but the last time she felt it was decades ago, in another life.

"It was good of you to leave your little crew behind," Alexis Aranda purred, "noble almost. But you and I both know how noble you actually are, don't we?"

Emma eyes started to dart around the restaurant. "There's really only one escape for you out of this mess, my dear," he said with a little gesture in his hand. He was extending the hand to her, "You need to just take my hand and walk out of here nice and compliant, no reason to hurt anymore innocent people."

She knew he was right. He had backed her into a corner. No doubt there was a whole army of agents surrounding the pancake shop, probably the whole town. A small click went off in her brain and she surrendered to this moment. Something in her wanted to go back.

"That's my girl," he said. He knew she wanted to go home and she took his hand.

She left way too much cash on the table, he grabbed her duffle bag, and they walked out of the diner hand in hand.

The wind had kicked up and there was a chill in the fall air. They walked passed the mini-van and across the street to the souvenir shop parking lot. There was a large, white SUV with black tinted windows, but Alexis pulled out a pair of keys and she heard the doors unlock in the red car next to it. When they got to the passenger side of the car, his hand tightened around hers and he pulled her close. His lips came to the hair that covered her ear and said, "Wave to your friends."

One of the windows of the SUV rolled down just enough for her to see Sophia's confused eyes, then it rolled back up again.

Emma pulled away hard, but felt a prick in her arm. The world around her faded and then went black.