“I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.” I wish there were better words to express my remorse.
Her response shocks me as she plants her lips on mine. I don't know what to do. My eyes grow wide, and my heart speeds up. Fear and happiness fight for dominance. There is something else there. A yearning for this moment to be eternal. It feels the fear, helping it triumph. My arms go limp, and she pulls away.
She looks at me, ashamed. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.”
“I liked it. You took me by surprise.” I take her hand to show her that I mean it.
She clutches my hand tighter and sits me down. “Where have you been? I haven't seen you at the line, and I've slogged around the stadium for hours each day, hoping to see you.”
“I didn't think you'd want to,” I respond. Her expression lets me know I was in the wrong. “I've been recovering.”
Over the next few minutes, I fill her in on the last few days in the stadium and how I was attacked. She tells me about her family and how they've been recovering from the attack. I apologize a dozen times for putting her and her family in that position. She responds by saying that it was a wake-up call for her mother and that she's has a newfound vigor.
“Pocket asks about you.” She smiles.
It puts a smile on my face as well. “Tell her I say hello.”
Her eyes shift from mine to her left, and her face drops. Fear replaces the joy that filled her face. I place myself between her and what she's looking at, ready to protect her at any cost. After a couple of seconds, I realize that it is 13.
He hasn't spotted us yet, so I call out to him, “13, over here.”
KJ pulls me down to hide behind some rubble. “What are you doing?”
“It's okay,” I reassure her. After what happened at her home, I know that 13 is the last possible person she'd want to see. Now, however, I can show each of them a little bit more of the story they don't know.
13 hustles over but comes to a stop when he sees KJ. He's also aware of what he did, and remorse floods over his entire body.
“KJ, meet 13. 13, this is KJ.” I try to break the ice. Neither of them responds. KJ remains behind me.
“I'm so sorry, KJ.” 13 breaks the silence. “I truly am. I didn't know what I was doing. I'm sorry if I hurt any of you. I didn't know any better.”
For someone who has never apologized before, he did pretty well. It also seems to have worked, because KJ steps away from behind me.
She looks me dead in the eyes. “Explain.”
“13 and I were created a certain way. Programmed to fulfill only a handful of objectives. Follow orders and protect the scientists’ agenda at any cost,” I dive in. “But the programming can be reversed. That's what happened to me back in Egypt, and it’s why Farouk brought me here.”
13 looks at me, surprised by how candid I am with KJ.
“I didn't know,” KJ interjects.
“There is a lot that the scientists haven't told you guys. They've lied to keep you tame and in the dark. They don't want you all to try to fight them like in Egypt.” As I speak, I see a dark silhouette coming from the stadium. I turn to KJ. “Someone is coming. You should go.”
“Okay,” is all she says.
Before she leaves, I grab her hand. “I'll meet you tomorrow night. Further in.”
This puts a big smile on her face. Before I can react, she kisses me on the cheek. “Look for the X.”
My cheeks turn bright red, and words have trouble climbing my throat. KJ runs off, leaving 13 and me alone. I'm afraid to face 13 because I am unsure of what he might say, and I'm too embarrassed.
“What was that?” he asks.
I don't want to answer, and as I turn, my wish is granted. The silhouette has reached us.
“What are you two doing?” It's a thin and short scientist. She looks familiar, but I am having trouble placing her.
Both 13 and I stand at attention, doing our best to represent ourselves as drones. I respond, “We were patrolling the exterior, and we came to investigate a noise.”
The woman looks around us to check the validity of our statement. I hope beyond anything that she doesn't catch a glimpse of KJ, but I can't move to block her view or do something that would be uncharacteristic of a drone. The way everyone keeps showing up unannounced, I half expect Paz and Farouk to turn the corner. I know that it will look very suspicious if they do, so I need to get 13 and myself away from here.
“May we continue on our patrol?” 13 speaks for me. He must have been thinking the same thing.
The scientist is caught by surprise at his question, and after looking us over again, she turns and walks away. “I'm going to check the register to see if you are supposed to be out here.”
I look at 13. “There's a register?”
“No. She's trying to get the upper hand.” He walks off in the opposite direction. “I've been seeing her around a lot lately. It almost feels like she's been following me.”
I hustle to catch up. “Why would she be following you?”
“I don't know. Maybe she’s seen me talking to Farouk or Paz.” He shrugs. We walk a few hundred feet, crawling over the occasional pile of rubble. Then we see two indistinguishable silhouettes ahead. No other person I have encountered in my life comes close to the amount of space Farouk occupies, so it’s pretty easy to identify him.
They spot us as well, and Farouk meets up with us first. “Who was that you were talking to?”
I almost say KJ, but realize he means the scientist. “It was a scientist. She was asking us what
