The Remnant of the Past (GXG)

Chapter 17: The Escape

"What the hell..."

My mouth went ajar to the things I saw inside the laboratory. There were instruments and tools that looks horrifying, weird stuff in chemicals, and those bubbling sounds that sound like there was something being boiled in water.

The laboratory extends even further, I walked further into the room and the lights automatically turned on when I passed the deeper part of the room. I remained focused on finding out what they are trying to hide here, ignoring the creepy-ish sounds I am hearing right now.

I reached the end of the room only to be faced with a room that requires an identification card. Well, I have mine with me but I don't know if it's valid for a room that has a high clearance. I fished the card from my pocket and faced it to the scanner.

"Welcome, Ms. Groves." 

The door opened with a hiss and I quickly went inside. It automatically locked behind me, but then I saw another scanner that can open it again which made me calm down a little. I started to roam around, but there's really nothing much here. It looks like empty storage, or an abandoned one.

Though there were a few bags that is resting against the wall that has the same height as a human. I curiously made my way in front of it but did not touch it yet. I checked for any signs or stickers that might help me tell what is inside of it but I found none.

I internally slapped myself for being such a curious being as I slowly took the zipper and zipped it down. 

"Chantel?" 

I breathed out a shaky sigh as I saw the unconscious Chantel inside the bag. I checked for any pulse and fortunately, there are still live ones. I tried shaking her to help her wake up but her eyes still remains close.

"Why the hell are you here?!"

My heart almost leaped when I heard a voice coming from behind me. At first, I thought it was Chantel but then I turned around and saw the panic on Anne's face. She stomped her foot on the ground like she was in hurry.

"We need to take her with us, it's not safe for her here."

Anne groaned and took my wrist to drag me to the corner of the room. "Groves, I am only telling you this one time...that is a Remnant, and you know what they can do! We need to go now without her." 

"You think I don't know? That girl just saved me from dying out there after you took everything I need to survive." I clenched my jaw in irritation. I thought she will understand this, but the disagreement in her eyes tells me that she is still on the coin's other side.

"Anne, we really need to take her with us. She knows something about us that we might never find out if the council makes her one of their guinea pig, and...she also knows about my mother."

Anne suddenly looked at me with concern. She swept her head to the unconscious Chantel with a sigh. "Alright, fine, but we can't take her back to Section 58."

"Where she goes, I go too." I didn't even hesitate to say that, Chantel is very important to me right now. Anne gave me a knowing smirk but it didn't last when I squinted my eyes at her.

"To the outskirts, where her kind mostly lurks around. Do you really guarantee that they won't hurt us?"

"They almost did...but it changed when they knew that I was harmless."

Anne only nodded and looked towards Chantel. "Let's get going then."

Together, we lifted Chantel from the bag and slumped each of her arms around our shoulders. Anne used her own card but before we can go back outside again, I offered to go out first and check if there are no guards in sight.

"Be careful."

I nodded carefully and took the turn back to the center of the whole place. I was surprised that it was still filled with people and there were no guards roaming around. I took that as a sign for them to come out, we also made sure to walk in the blind spots to avoid the eyes of the cameras.

We released a breath we felt like we held so long when we arrived at the bathroom that leads to our grand exit. Anne opened the hatch and went down first, we both lifted Chantel down too, and then I was the last one to go down.

"Security breach. Initiating lockdown. Security breach. Initiating lockdown."

Those were the robotic voice we heard as we walked to the tunnel, and here I thought we will get out of here undetected. 

"Damn, that must be my card's fault. I'm kinda on a violation..."

Instead of getting angry at Anne, I just laughed quietly at what she said. She gave me a weird look but she quickly shook it off when we entered the vehicle that was still parked outside. We placed Chantel in the backseat so that she can comfortably lay down, while I was beside Anne who quickly started the engine and took us out of the place that is now blaring with sounds.

"That Remnant...or whoever she is to you needs some explaining to do when she wakes up."