twenty-five

                                    

                                          
"They escaped."
                          
"What do you mean they escaped?! How is that even possible? That place is on total lockdown. There's no way in or out without fingerprint identification. Is there someone working with her on the inside?"
                          
"SHE is working on the inside. Since we initially thought she had died in the accident, her clearance was never removed from the system."
                          
"She knows then? She remembers?"
                          
"I can't say for sure."
                          
"So what CAN you say for sure? Do we know where she is?"
                          
"Yes, but you're not going to like it."
                          
"Spare me the theatrics. Where is she?"
                          
"It isn't so much where, as with whom. She had help in getting away."
                          
"Who's helping her?"
                          
"The rebels."
                          
"What?! How in the world did they get to her before we did?"
                          
"It gets worse. We have reason to believe that she's had direct contact with Dr. Ivanov."
                          
"You've got to be kidding me! That is worse. Much worse. If that is the case then we may not be able to find her in time. This is no longer a search and rescue mission. It's all-out war. In order to get her, we're going to have to attack the rebels."
                          
"I'm aware."
                          
"Well then I will let you make the General aware of the situation. I'm growing tired of your incompetence, but we both know he will have more patience if he hears the news from you."
                          
"Unfortunately, it no longer matters who he hears it from. We're running out of time. If we don't recover her soon, all of this is for nothing. I'm making an executive decision to send in the troops."
                          
"You can't make that call."
                          
"Oh, but I already did."
                          
"On what authority?"
                          
"You know what authority."
                          
"You're pushing your luck and your rank. You might be in the General's good graces right now, but everyone has a limit of what they will tolerate. I'm sure he won't be pleased to find out you went over his head."
                          
"Let me worry about that, and you worry about initiating phase four."
                          
"You know that once we go to phase four, there will be nothing left."
                          
"I'm aware. Now make the call and let's finish this already."
                          


                          
***
                          


                          
I can feel the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria burrowing into the back of my skull as I turn around to leave. I don't want to do this. Not in front of all these people. I don't know how much Lex heard, but the look on her face tells me it was enough to make her realize something is going on between Wyler and I, and her quick departure from the cafeteria confirms my suspicion. 
                          
As I exit the room, I realize that I don't have a clue where I'm going. Every rust colored wall looks the same. It's a maze of passageways with no signs indicating which direction is which. And even if there were signs, I wouldn't know where to go. I've never seen this place before. It isn't a part of my dreams, or should I say, a part of my memories. I'm somewhere I've never been before. I'm in a strange new place yet I'm a stranger to no one. I'm a celebrity being gawked at. The sole human being on Earth who can procreate. A star strapped to a sinking ship with no way off and no one willing to throw me a life raft. My actions have alienated the few remaining people I love and I suddenly feel very alone. I also feel lightheaded, which is when I realize that I haven't eaten in quite a while. Why couldn't I have grabbed a snack on my grand exit out of the cafeteria? I suppose reaching for a banana from the fruit bowl would have minimized the impact. I place one hand against the wall to steady myself and just when I think I might collapse, Kelly is at my side, stabilizing me, wrapping my arm around his neck for added support. He has a habit of showing up just in the nick of time, and I wonder how much of it is coincidental.