Computer, Jolo thought. Do you have a map of the Vellosian facility on Montag?
An older image popped into his mind. This one did not have the newer BG structures, but did have one large square building next to a diamond-shaped pool.
Jolo pulled up the schematic of the building. It had four levels. Ground level was called the Birthing Room, above that was called Quarters and underneath them was marked Water Lab. “This is some kind of synth production facility,” said Jolo.
“You want me to light this room up?” said Greeley, tapping the blast packs he was carrying.
“Save it,” said Jolo, making for the far end of the room. They turned down a hallway that led to the lower level and ran into a dozen BG warriors. Jolo darted to his left and Greeley stopped and tossed a bomb into the center of the tall, mechanical creatures. The blast knocked Jolo and Greeley off their feet. Broken bits of hot metal, black alacyte warrior parts, shattered several nearby tanks. Pale-skinned humanoids, the size of small children slid out in a flood of blue water. Bots from every corner of the room converged and started flying them back into new tanks further back. Two warriors not destroyed in the blast got between Jolo and Greeley.
“Go find her, Jolo!” yelled Greeley as he shouldered Betsy, then took out the closest one. “Come to me, you bastards!” A few more jumped into the room, their energy staffs lit on both ends, their armor smoking from the blast, blocking off the entrance to the lower level. There were too many so Jolo broke into a run and turned down a tight hallway at the end of the southwest corner.
The map in his head showed an exit at the end of the hall, but it was blocked by several large storage pods. He turned and two warriors were running straight for him, red eye slits glowing. The hall shook when each of their metal feet hit the floor. Jolo shot the closest one twice, dead center of its chest plate, and it slowed and then fell to its knees. He shot the other one once but it was close enough to cut him in half or crush him, so he jumped to the left and there was a door he hadn’t seen earlier, a door not big enough for a warrior—a simple white door with a knob like a human-sized person might use. He dove into the room as the warrior, stunned from the bullet, crashed into the storage containers.
Jolo crawled inside the room then kicked the door shut with his foot and scampered away on his knees, worried an energy staff might cut through the door at any moment. It was a small room not on his map. He was breathing hard and rolled over on his back and looked up.
And there, staring down at him was a beautiful blond-haired girl, the one he’d been searching for ever since he could remember. The girl in his dreams was real. He jumped up, gun still in his hand.
Jaylen smiled at him and he held her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. He stroked her hair. It was the same blond hair, the same large brown eyes, the same sharp chin. The same skinny-armed girl he knew. He kissed her and she smelled like he remembered, sweet and clean. He embraced her and just stood there for awhile, taking deep breaths, feeling her against him, feeling for the first time in as long as he could remember, that he had a place in the world. She knew him then and he was back. She knew he would come back. It felt good to be needed by someone.
Just then the small door blew inward and a warrior’s long arm and half its body tried to squeeze in. The hot end of its staff carving burn marks into the ceiling as it tried to fight its way into the room. Jolo shot it and it stopped moving, but was immediately ripped out of the hole and replaced with another warrior, the wall around the doorway giving way so now one of the large black machines could almost get through.
“I knew you would come,” she said.
“Sorry I’m late, but no time to talk, we gotta go,” Jolo said, grabbing her hand and pulling her in the opposite direction toward a door on the other side of the room.
She stared at him calmly, as if they were standing on Duval watching the night sky. Meanwhile metal sheared, dust flew, and alacyte claws scratched in the background as another BG worked his way inside.
“Do you remember the book?” Jolo said, still pulling her away.
“Hemingway?” she said, still smiling.
“Yes! I gave it to you,” Jolo said, firing another two shots at the warrior’s chestplate.
“Yes, you did.” She pulled back, amazingly strong. “Follow me,” she said.
And then she jumped. The ceiling was at least 10 meters high with a small opening like a vent shaft in the center. She disappeared into the hole and yelled for him to follow. He jumped and found handholds that took him up a set of stairs inside the air shaft. They climbed onto the floor of the upper level. She held his hand and led him in the darkness to another room. In the background Jolo could hear the sound of a BG thruster whining like a ship fighting to stay in the air and the incessant BOOM, BOOM of the Leviathan’s guns.
The room was dark but Jolo sensed that it was large. Their voices echoed slightly, but he knew this was Jaylen’s room. It smelled of her. Her smell was everywhere.
He
