Alex

Revitalized

"Alex? Alex, can you hear me?"

A metallic echo rang in my ear, distorting the words. Cool, damp air filled my aching lungs. A musty scent burned my nose.

"Alex?"

My eyelids fluttered, refusing to open at first. Slowly, they lifted, and my surroundings blurred into focus.

The orange glow of a streetlight shone through the dirty panes of a skylight overhead. The cavernous black of the warehouse surrounded us. Abandoned machines lay dormant under dingy canvas tarps, casting their monstrous shadows across the floor.

"Wh-where are we?" I managed my throat dry and hoarse.

"Somewhere safe," Dr. Meyers answered.

"H-how..." I trailed off.

"A few days. It took a bit longer than expected, but I got you out of there," Dr. Meyers smiled slightly, weariness pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Dr. Meyers lifted a tin cup filled with tepid water to my lips.

"Here, drink this," he said, tipping some of the water into my mouth.

The water, though room temperature, quenched my thirst and soothed my throat.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely a whisper, unable to meet his eyes. "Thank you for everything."

"I wouldn't thank me just yet," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We are going to need to keep moving. As soon as they realize I'm gone and have taken you with me, we'll be hunted down for sure. The only reason I stopped this soon was to bring you back online."

"Then we mustn't wait," I said, sitting up from the cot. "It's best to move while we still have the cover of the night."

"I just need to make sure you're ready to go. It's probably safer to move on foot. While you were out back at The Consortium, I removed your GPS tracking device to buy us some time," Dr. Meyers explained. "Along with the modules that inhibited you from disobeying commands and fighting at full capacity. You are completely autonomous now. You're free."

Free. The word sank into me like a weight, yet there was a hollow echo to it. After years of being controlled and molded into a weapon, freedom felt foreign. Could I even trust it?

Dr. Meyers pulled a tablet from his jacket pocket. "I want to run a few diagnostic tests first, if you don't mind."

"Sure, but be quick."

He connected the tablet to the port behind my ear and launched an app. "This should only take a few minutes," he assured me.

As the gauges fluctuated on the screen, Dr. Meyers frowned. His brow furrowed in concern. "Something's not right," he muttered. "These readings are... off."

"I feel fine," I said, more firmly this time. "We need to move."

He hesitated before closing the tablet, clearly unsettled. "Fine," he conceded, "but we'll need to find somewhere more secure to perform a deeper analysis. I know just the place."

Dr. Meyers led the way through the warehouse, navigating the maze of machinery. We reached a back door that opened into a dark alleyway. Shadows stretched long as we hugged the walls, moving silently. The end of the alley opened onto a quiet street, dimly lit by streetlamps.

Dr. Meyers grabbed my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. His touch sent an unexpected pulse of warmth through my arm. "We're just a normal couple, out for a late-night stroll," he whispered.

His words were meant to calm, but my mind was on high alert, scanning every corner, every shadow for possible threats.

We walked hand in hand for several blocks, the city's night sounds filling the silence between us. Finally, we arrived at an apartment building with a gated entrance. Dr. Meyers punched in a code on the keypad, and the gate buzzed open.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"This is my sister's place. She's on a summer-long vacation in Europe. We'll be safe here for the night until I can arrange something more permanent."

We entered the building, riding the elevator up to the fifth floor. He unlocked the door to a modest apartment. It was simple, sparsely furnished, the kind of place that felt as though it existed only when its occupants were there.

"Lie down on the couch," Dr. Meyers instructed. "I want to run a full diagnostic now that we have time."

I complied, reclining as he connected his tablet once again.

"Just relax. This is going to take a few hours."

The night passed slowly, the hum of his tablet filling the room. I drifted in and out of restless sleep. At some point, the tests were complete. Dr. Meyers sat back, staring at the screen.

"I just don't understand," he murmured. "Everything seems normal now. Whatever anomaly I saw earlier... it's not showing up."

"I told you, I'm fine," I said, standing up and stretching. "I only wish I hadn't failed you during my evaluation."

"You didn't fail me at all," Dr. Meyers said, rising from his chair. "Ashcroft rushed things like he always does. He has always been against my work with you. You know that."

"But why?" I asked, turning to face him.

"His outdated mindset. To him, women have no place in a project like this, or anywhere beyond the roles he deems fit for them. He's been trying to sabotage my work with you for years. He thinks I'm wasting my time." Dr. Meyers' voice grew tense. "You were my chance to prove him wrong, but..." He shook his head, frustration evident.

I walked to the window, gazing out at the city below. The streets were quiet, but I knew danger lurked just out of sight.

"They'll be searching for us soon, won't they?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Dr. Meyers didn't answer immediately. His silence was enough.

A memory flashed before me, sharp and vivid.

"Why are you making this so difficult?" Jacob's voice, low and menacing, echoed in my mind as he stalked toward me on the rooftop.

"I don't want to be a part of this anymore," I had begged, backing away.

"You already agreed," he growled, "and one way or another, you will."

The edge of the roof pressed against my heel. With blinding speed, his hand struck my face, the sharp sting of his wedding band cutting into my cheek.

"Goodbye, Alex," he had whispered coldly as he shoved me over the edge.

"Jaaaaacob!" I had screamed, but no one had heard.

I blinked away the memory, my hands trembling as I pressed them against the windowpane. The ghost of his touch still lingered, cold and unforgiving.

"Alex?" Dr. Meyers' voice pulled me back to the present. He stood behind me, his expression full of concern.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "We need to be ready. They're coming."

He nodded. "And we will be. But this time, you're not alone."