Thomas stopped next to her, keeping his own Electro Gun raised.
‘Where is everyone?’ she asked him. ‘This place was active when I was last here. It’s like everyone dropped tools and left.’
‘Maybe they were ordered to leave. With the city’s defences down, it would only be a matter of time before we showed up.’
Maybe. She hoped Jerome and Alex hadn’t been cleared out, too.
‘We should check this floor anyway. It’s where Alex was. It’s possible they returned him to this floor.’
Her trainers squeaked as she sneaked down the main corridor. Thomas stayed behind her, covering the rear. She arrived at a corridor with several doors down it that ended in a dead end. This was where she and Alex had been trapped for a week. Sucking in a breath that was designed to steady her nerves but had the opposite effect, she stopped outside her old room.
She tried the handle. It didn’t budge.
Anya knocked on the door. ‘Hello? Alex, are you in there?’
She heard a noise on the other side. ‘Anya?’
It was him. Her heart pounded faster. ‘Alex! We’re going to get you out of here.’
She turned to Thomas, not sure how. ‘The access cards open these doors. We’ll need that Copy guard to open it.’
‘Maybe not.’
Thomas handed his gun to her. She pointed both their weapons at the entrance to the corridor. He pulled out a small tin from inside his coat pocket and opened it.
Anya saw an array of tools, narrow in design. ‘What are you going to do with those?’
He smiled. ‘Why, pick the lock, of course.’
Anya nestled both guns in the crooks of her arms. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use them. The revolver in her waistband was her backup in case the electricity ran out. Not a great backup plan though.
Thomas got to work on the locking mechanism. ‘They may use electronics to lock the doors, but every piece of electronics I’ve ever seen always has a manual override.’
His explanation took Anya back to Brookfield. Jason used to sit at the kitchen table with Praesidium’s equipment spread out before him. He’d ream off an explanation of how the inventions worked. She wished now she’d paid more attention.
Thomas cursed, then said, ‘Aha, here it is.’
Something clicked and he got the door open. Waiting inside was a worried Alex. No Jerome. She stepped inside the room, eyeing the big bed she’d slept in. Suppressing a shiver, she gave Alex a hug.
His hug back was brief, rushed. ‘How’s June?’
‘She’s fine. They’re taking the baby out.’
His eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘June’s fine. Listen, where’s Jerome?’
‘I don’t know. We got separated when we arrived here.’
Anya exited the room, glad to leave the familiarity behind. ‘This floor’s empty. Where are all the Copies?’
‘I don’t know that either. They blindfolded me when I got here.’
‘Blindfolded?’
Alex shrugged. His eyes shifted to the way back. ‘I need to see June.’
‘Jerome first.’
His wild gaze softened. ‘Of course. We should check this floor.’
Anya handed one of the Electro Guns back to Thomas.
Alex eyed the exchange. ‘Any for me?’
She paused, then pulled the revolver out of her waistband. ‘You remember this?’
She’d taught Alex and others how to shoot in the rebel camp.
He hesitated, then took it. ‘Aim and shoot, right?’
She checked each of the rooms in the same corridor by knocking on the doors. Nobody answered their call.
They spread out and checked three more corridors in one go.
Searching the corridor farthest away from their starting point, Alex called her over. ‘In here!’
He pointed to a door.
Thomas worked his lock-picking magic faster than before. Alex eyed his methods. Anya was equally impressed.
The door swung open. A relieved Jerome stood there, hands on hips. ‘What took you so long?’
‘Thomas insisted on doing things the old fashioned way.’
Jerome’s lips curled up into a shaky smile. Anya hugged her old friend. Warren’s old friend. They’d all lost someone they cared about.
She pulled back. ‘Come on, we’ve got to go.’
‘Where?’ asked Jerome.
‘To see June,’ said Alex. ‘Where is she now?’
‘They were headed for the first floor to deliver the baby. There’s surgical equipment there.’
Alex marched on ahead to the stairwell. Without pausing, he crashed through the doors and up one flight of stairs. Anya followed him, frowning. She knew he must really want to see her, but they still needed to be cautious.
They arrived on the first floor and followed the smell of iron. They stopped outside a room.
No, not iron. Blood.
Her own blood ran cold at what awaited them inside.
Alex sucked in a breath and jerked the door open. He peered inside. Anya checked past him. It looked like a bloodbath in there. Alex stood clear of the mess, staring at it.
She pulled him back from the door, hoping June was okay. ‘She’s not here. Come on. I know where she will be.’
‘Where?’ asked Alex.
‘We should try the third.’
The machine Carissa had said accelerated growth was there.
Alex stormed back to the stairwell, taking the stairs down two at a time to the third. Anya followed, curious about this angrier Alex. She guessed being back here again must be one time too many.
She hurried to catch up with him. Thomas and Jerome were on her heels.
‘What’s the emergency?’ Jerome muttered.
Alex burst through the door for the third floor and followed the corridor back to the Nurturing Centre. Outside stood the soldiers and the Copy guard. The guard’s eyes widened when he saw Alex. Then Jerome.
Jerome strode up to the Copy and grabbed a fistful of his uniform. ‘Thought you could keep us here, did you?’
The guard said nothing, did nothing, except narrow his gaze at him.
Alex pushed past the soldiers blocking the way inside the hidden
