The Rise of the Cyborgs

CHAPTER 34/Hannah

Meta's POV 

Institution #71 

It was dark inside the institution. You could smell the burning of plastic. It was loud, Brooklyn had set the fire alarms off. The ceiling was hazy with smoke. We moved deeper back into the building. As we passed dormitories I made sure that they were empty. The emergency lighting was on which gave a spectral glow to the rooms and corridors. Our progress was slow needing to check every corner for the presence of SWAT teams. The emptiness made them feel coldly terrifying. I was glad we didn't need to speak over the noise of the fire alarms. It was like having drills in your ears.

We were walking up to the end of a corridor. Suddenly the door burst open and one of the SWAT team pointed his handgun at me and Zoe.

Zoe moved back and grabbed me twisting my hand behind my back.

"I've got this one" she shouted.

"Fuck" I got out.

'Play along' Zoe said silently. She was still in the warder outfit.

"Warder bitch," I said struggling.

"Both of you on the ground now," the swat man said through his gas mask.

"I've got her but I'm lost," Zoe said.

The SWAT team man Press the button on his Jacket. "Control I have two fitting the descriptions you gave out. Repeat... Control? Control?"

It was at this point he must've figured out but I'd jammed his personal radio. He had a taser but it was very close to a grenade. I didn't want to set it off and blow everyone up. He had moved back slightly and we were at another T-junction. We were in the base and he was standing at the corner next to the cross or top of the T.

"Get down on your knees now!" He said pointing the stubby end of his gun.

Then he melted. His knees buckled forwards and he collapsed down.

"Was that you?" I said to Zoe, surprised and what she'd manage to do.

"No" said Zoe as confused as I was.

There in the smoke was Brooklyn. He had obviously just punched the back of the SWAT officer's knees. Now down at Brooklyn's level, Brooklyn punched the officer. Brooklyn pulled the swat officer's gas mask, and weapon off.

"Please to see me?" Brooklyn said smiling. He looked like he had been through a lot.

Zoe and I jumped onto the fallen man rolled him onto his stomach and push his hands back so we could tie him with his own handcuffs.

"Impaired scum," the man said, "I'll get you."

I looked down at the stupidity of his own argument.

"I don't know if you have just noticed you're the one that's just got their arse kicked. Either you or wrong or you're weaker than us. Which is it? That was too obvious, wasn't it? It was ?"

Then Colin came around the corner. He had a pair of crutches. Zoe and I put his arms around our shoulders and helped half carry him. It was obvious he wasn't strong enough on his feet.

"One girl under each arm. Now I can walk on to the dance floors at Vegas" He said.

"We hacked the truck but Craven's dead," I said to Brooklyn my hand was shaking.

"Two bits of good news," Brooklyn said.

'Hannah' I sent to Hannah. 'Time to pull out. Meet you at the rendezvous point. We are going to V's primary extraction plan.'

'See you in the latrine' Lee said.

As we moved it looked like there was a glowing map projected on the wall. In fact, Valerie had managed to send her plans to everybody. The first part was simple. We had to get to a disused toilet. There was a window at of the room which we could open and just about squeeze through.

'Crap' said Hannah.

'what's up' I said silently as Zoe and I moving down another corridor with Brooklyn and Colin.

'we've just found a couple of kids, no three, hiding in a cupboard.'

'Fuck' Hannah added. 'we can't leave them here'

'the building is about to come down. It's a miracle it's still here.' Lee finally said.

We reached the atrium of the dining hall. In the centre was the three-story free-standing building which was used as a kitchen a serving area. You could see the smoke rising from the kitchen Hannah and Lee were occupying. It had something like an upstairs complete with fake windows. I figured perhaps they could escape up there and climb out on to the second level walkways close by.

To our right, you could see some warders and SWAT teams. With them were some technicians who looked like they were to do with the truck. They were hiding behind a wall of dining tables. Hannah and Lee had been throwing plates at them. Very effectively, three men were out cold on the ground. The floor was covered in broken crockery.

We would have to get through the barrier to get to them. The SWAT teams had figured out our ability to disable their weapons. They had attached knives to the front of their assault rifles. One of the team brandished a mechanical shotgun. They could have attacked but the smoke pouring from the kitchen was doing their work for them. Occasionally another plate sailed out through the serving hatch and landed where they were.

Looking up I could see one of the kids climbing out of a window on the second floor. Lee was able to guide them through the smoke. The SWAT people could see them and were moving to the stairs to capture them. When they did Hannah would throw a plate or knife. One fell down as he got his in the leg.

'Thrid one Get out of there!' said Brooklyn silently to Lee and Hannah.

'Our turn. We will distract them' I said silently to Hannah. As the last terrified teen reached the second floor balcony.

Before I could say much more the entire frontage collapse. Smoke and dust billowed out along with a hot wave like opening an oven.

'Fuck' Hannah said 'Lee's dead. Shit shit shit. I'm trapped. Shit I'm burning. I'm on fire. Crap. Run. Shit. Get out of here and get the other machines. Get them or I died for...'

Then the building fell down in top of them. The SWAT team looked around for Brooklyn's voice.

"Hannah!" Brooklyn shouted.

"They are dead. We need to get out." Valerie said in front of us.

The emotion of what was happening hadn't really cut deep. I was still thinking very logically. Hannah was right we had to stop the other trucks.

"To Valerie," I said.