Cross My Mind

HIDE AND SEEK WITH A KILLER

“Get them some nice clothes and prepare them for their departure, we are really putting them back into their lives”. Akihiro said on his phone.

“I can’t believe we actually doing that, how can you be so comfortable with this after all the time we spent perfecting their synergy rates?” Nora fired back at Akihiro.

“We don’t have any choice for the time being, just do as you are told Nora, we will get our chance to get them back and study them as much as we can but as of the moment we have to let them go” Akihiro fired back.

With disapproved gesture, Dr. Nora walked up to where Mila and Garba were lying unconscious with all sorts of tube delivering fluids intravenously to them. He picked up a box that has been stationed next to them and opened it, inside are two syringes filled with a yellowish looking serum with one of the syringes tagged with Mila’s name and the other with Garba’s.

He picked the syringes and emptied their contents into the veins of Garba and Mila accordingly, afterwards he went on and unplugged all the infusions attached to their bodies, cleaning the needle wounds one at a time until he was done with all of them; he monitored their life signs for a while and called in four people dressed properly with two sets of clothes.

“Dress them properly and make sure you don’t open any of their treated injuries while you’re doing so, we need them properly dressed by the time they wake up”. He said and left the room.

The four persons walked to Mila and Garba and begin to undress them, putting the new clothes they brought in on them and lay them neatly on their individual beds. A few hours later, Nora came back with Akihiro into the room with five different persons dressed in sky blue uniforms and holding two wheelchairs with them. With a wave of Akihiro hands, the persons carry Mila and Garba and begin strapping them on the chair with belts.

“You will be taken back to the mega building back in Texas where you’ll mediate their release and departure as the head of the research team for Neuratechnologies Nora, you’re the only one fit for this job right now” Akihiro said

“ I have stopped their Neuraface from Charging so we estimate that it has shut down some time ago, this is to stop the risk of having them utilizing it and gaining back their memories. It is also completely invisible to scanners at the airport or even x-rays so they should be safe from other countries trying to sniff our technology out” he added.

“I don’t understand, you are the head of the research team, I am just your helping hand when you need one. Why not go yourself?” Nora quickly interjected.

“My dear fried, you still don’t get it do you? This research, Project Ragnarok is a government funded one, as a foreigner involved in this research, I am not allowed to leave this island at the moment, they are afraid I may betray them and sell the technology to a foreign power or even worse, be kidnapped and tortured into giving all I know out on the Project. I must remain here for my safety and the safety of the research. I will advise you don’t break protocol and try anything stupid too, you could be eliminated at anytime without warning” Akihiro said.

“I will pack my laptop computer and instruments, then join them.” Nora said in response. And Akihiro looked at him and started laughing hysterically.

“you wont be allowed to Carry a single piece of equipment off of this island as a security measure to avoid leaking of our research here. Just travel empty handed, all you need will be provided for you once you arrive in the mega building.” Akihiro said and walked out of the room, leaving Nora to handle the rest of the situation.

He looks back at Mila and Garba who have been strapped to the wheelchairs that have been brought into the room earlier.

“Take them to the jet and strap them properly, I will be boarding in fifteen minutes” he said and the people in sky blue uniforms simply did as he ordered.

****(Garba’s dream)****

As Garba’s mental space disappears due to a complete shutdown of his Neuraface, he was forced into a lucid dreaming state where he is aware that he is dreaming. In the dream he finds himself back in the day he was back from school with his sister Salma, holding her hand and banging hard on the door to their house as flashes of lightening and thunder crash boomed in the dark sky about to pour onto the earth a really heavy rain. Having known this memory, Garba already knows that his step mother was inside the house hearing them knock on the door but has already decided not to help them.

Without warning the rain begin to fall heavily and within seconds, Garba and Salma were completely drenched and shaking with cold and at this moment, Garba thought to take his sister to their neighbor’s balcony and avoid any further rain falling on them. He looked behind him and realised that the balcony cannot be accessed because the neighbors have closed their outer door.

Just when Garba realized that, a car parked next to them, opening its door and a woman with grey eyes and short blonde hair from inside the car waved them in all it took was one look for Garba’s instincts to relax and feeling of safety and security to overcome his alertness.

“Come on in Garba its alright now, you are safe now” the woman said and Garba begins to step forward towards the open vehicle but his sister Salma pulled his hands back. He stopped and turned towards her.

“It is okay Salma, we are safe with her. We can trust her” he said.

He and his sister entered the car and the woman was holding two warm and dry towels which she wrapped around each of them to warm them up. She tapped him in the head and said,

“My name is Mila Goldenberg and I can see you already recognized me since you were willing to get in my car without question. Your eyes are still as beautiful as ever, the penetrating gaze you have always makes me feel at ease, I fell in love with the blue eye at first sight” the woman said.

While Garba understands what she is saying, he is still not sure how. The woman lifted her hands from his head and caress Salma's face gently.

“she is even more beautiful than in the pictures I have seen of her. Your eyes are very beautiful Salma” The woman said.

“Only my mother and brother ever said that to me and you have seen my pictures, where?” Salma asked.

“Yes I have, your brother Garba here showed me” the woman said and closed the door of the car, asking the driver to drive them away.

After a an hour and a half, the car came to a stop and the door opens up once again. It has stopped raining outside and everywhere has already dried up. Garba walked out of the vehicle and froze at the sight of where they are, he turned around in tears and helped his sister out of the car.

“Do you remember this garden Salma, mom used to bring us here and buy us ice cream when you were smaller”

Salma nodded her head in agreement and Garba turns around to see the woman holding ice creams in her hands. She gave one to Salma who is now playing on the well kept carpet grass and sat down with Garba on the bench.

“Your mother loves you Garba, even though you have not heard from her for a very long time. Always remember that because that is the strength you wield, your Mother’s love. I know you are also aware that this is a dream, I came here specifically to remind you to be strong. As soon as you finish your ice cream, you will wake up so do not forget that your mother loves you and your sister is waiting for you at home, do whatever you can to change her life but more importantly, be there for her”. The woman said.

****(Pasadena California)****

Agent Stone arrived at Skyline hotels to realize that Dr. Reece’s car is nowhere to be found, as he wait the minutes for his tracker to ping him the next updated location, he sneaked into the conference hall and sneaked up on one of the volunteer undergraduates who are part of the faculty student representative council. The young man’s job is to keep a tab on all the VIP guests present in the convention.

Once Agent stone saw her name written to have arrived a few minutes earlier, he started to search for her face among the VIP guests seated row by row and by the time he was in the last row, he realizes that she is not there at all. It quickly hit his thoughts that she must have realized he was chasing her and entered the convention to distract and lose him while she quickly sneaks out and droves off.

A sudden beeping sound from his phone wakes the agent out of his thoughts and he quickly pulled out his phone and opened it.

“target’s new location, Lane 2 heading towards Catalina Villas, currently heading away from Pasadena” the massage read.

He turns around and begins to run with all his might back to his vehicle in the hopes that if he can speed off on his charger, he will probably be able to catch her on the road and finish his mission.

On the other hand Dr. Reece Mallory has hidden herself perfectly well among the large crowd of guests and spectators on the lower decks of the building. Once she was sure her pursuer was gone, she walks up to a student of hers which she recognizes among the crowd and asked him to come with her to the extreme end of the hall where very few people are standing.

“Can I borrow you phone please? I forgot mine in the office when I was coming here.” She said in a polite but commanding manner that most undergraduates will not be able to refuse.

The man handed her his phone, telling her that she should keep it until Monday when she in in school that he would come to collect it in her office.

Reece collected the young man’s phone and downloaded an application from a website she inputted on the browser from her memory and started to type in a code as she exited the building hiding her face so as to not be recognized.

Once she was outside, she pulled over a taxi and started heading in the opposite direction from where her car and the Assassin are headed.

There is only one last place for me to go, She thought as the image of a heartbroken man shedding tears next to a table full of robotic parts came to her mind.

"but is he willing to accept my request for help after what i did to him? " she thought as the taxi keeps driving away.

after a few hours, the taxi driver arrived at a gated compound with security guards patrolling the area.

she paid the driver and he drove off.

she walked to the gate post and pressed the bell button three times and a man on the other side picked said.

"Jesus Christ, what are you doing here Dr. Reece Mallory, to what do i owe the pleasure of your visit today?".