The Heart of The System

Chapter Two

"Wait," Anse said, slowing. Jones stopped beside him, one arm still wrapped around his shoulders for mutual balance.
The security guard, his uniform identifying him as Lawrence, halted as well.

"They're going to leave," Anse said. He was covered in goosebumps, the only physical indicator of Anse's special ability that Jones and the lab had been able to identify.

"What?"

"Everyone. They're leaving. The bunker, I assume."

Jones listened. There was no more gunfire coming from any direction.
"Thank God," he said, "It's over."
"Hold on," Anse said. He no longer looked as if he was trying to see anything. The episode was clearly over. Now he was thinking. "It's just a vague impression, like a hunch, so I can't say for certain, but I don't think I could feel any joy or relief... There's worry, I think."

"You mean they're going to be captured?" Jones asked. He was aware of his heart pounding in his chest.

If the intruders were truly sent by the Western Confederacy and they want the lab's research, that means they're going to take the kids, he thought. And that means that they aren't going to have any use for the adults in the bunker after the kids are gone.

"Don't just stand there then, we gotta go," Jones said, moving forwards again, pulling Anse along for a brief moment before the kid got into sync with him. "Lawrence," Jones said, "I need you to go ahead, fast. Try to get near the main bunker before anyone comes out and watch. If they're being captured, I need you to interfere. If their numbers are too great, then try to follow them instead. We'll be right behind you." Lawrence nodded, then turned and ran ahead. He turned the corner and disappeared from sight. The pair continued to move at their slower pace.

Today was not shaping up to be a good day.

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At a run, Lawrence Jackson reached the bunker in minutes. In the center of the fairly large laboratory complex, far from all of the outside edges, within equal reach in all directions, is a T junction. At the intersection of the three hallways lies a set of solid steel doors. To the right of the bunker entrance is a single button on the wall.

Lawrence arrived from the right wing of the intersection. Reaching the junction, he peered down the other two lanes. No one was coming this way. He stepped up to the button on the wall and pressed it in a rhythm, making certain to be as precise as possible. The button emits beeps inside the bunker, the only way to communicate through the thick metal of the entrance. All personnel are taught the proper rhythm for pressing the button. If anyone tries to just knock on the doors or does not know the official rhythm to the signal button, those hiding in the bunker will not open the doors.

Once he finished, he stepped back and waited, checking the intersection again. He wiped his long, blonde hair out of his eyes, and turned back to face the door.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, then there was a series of bangs and clicks as the locks were disengaged.

One of the doors opened just a crack. "We gotta go," he said hurriedly.
The door swung open all the way. A head emerged, large, round, and covered in metal plates, moving parts, and glowing lights.

The mouthpiece lit up as it spoke. "Are there any more of you?"
Lawrence couldn't pull out his gun in time. A deafening crack pierced his ears, the sound of piston technology working its magic. His gut erupted into pain, but it was already numbing. It seemed as if his body had hit its tolerance for pain already and was simply throwing away the excess.
"Whoever else is still alive will turn up here eventually, but I cannot have you scaring them off," the robot continued, opening the door all the way. It bent over and picked Lawrence up. He didn't even realize that he had fallen to the ground.