Automata

Chapter 10 - At a Crossroads

They've been walking around the seemingly endless corridors for what felt like hours even though it has only been around 45 minutes. 

Conversation between the three was scarce except for a few commands given by 9s whenever they walked into a place devoid of light.

They were looking for Courtney now, but there was still no sign of her.

"Where could she be.." Annette whined.

"Maybe she's dead. Ever entertained that thought? Why are you so dead-set on finding her anyway? Are you obsessed?" 9s replied bluntly, not looking back at her.

"No," Annette replied as she hugged the cloak tighter.

9s suddenly stopped walking and turned around.

"Oh really? Then why are you wearing that dirty cloak then?"

"Maybe because I miss my friend?"

"That makes you sound like a creep. If she's dead, that's even worse—"

"Stop assuming she's dead! She's somewhere—"

"My job right now is getting you home! Not helping a lost puppy with her wild goose chase!"

Annette didn't respond and silence filled the space for the next few minutes. Only the sound of their footsteps and flickering lights remained.

9s finally broke the silence.

"Sorry Ann, I just- I just don't want you getting hurt. All I'm saying is that we should stick together right now, especially since we're in unfamiliar territory."

Annette's eyes softened. She knew he was right about sticking together. If only she hadn't been so eager to come down here...

Isabel didn't quite understand the situation, so she said nothing.

Eventually, they found another metal door similar to the one they found earlier. 9s was hesitant to open the door. Annette reached out in front of him and turned the knob herself.

The room was dark, but they were greeted by multiple security camera screens on a desk, which cast a cold blue glow throughout the room.

"A control room?" Isabel asked.

It was ominous. The lights were flickering, and ironically.. they couldn't help but feel like they were getting watched.

Based on the state of the room, it was clear that it was recently abandoned. The cameras were recording the facility.

Isabel sat in the chair and grabbed the desk to pull herself up to it, but accidentally pushed a hidden button under the desk in the process.

The screens changed scenery, now showing different angles of the village they visited a few days ago.

"What the.." Annette studied the screens.

"My house!" Isabel exclaimed as she pointed to the screen on the far left. The footage wasn't clear, but it was damming evidence that someone- or something wanted to keep tabs of the freshly abandoned village.

9s remembered when he encountered the four-legged Molded creature in the village. Of all the time he spent on the Surface, he had never seen that variation of Molded before. And come to think of it, he never saw it again once they left.

9s looked at Isabel.

"Isabel. You lived in this village, correct?"

"Yes.." Isabel replied, expecting a longer question from him.

"What was your daily life like?"

Isabel raised her eyebrow and thought for a moment.

"Well, I was kind of a shut-in, so.." her voice trailed off. Her tone implied that this was an uncomfortable topic for her.

"Of course.." he replied dryly.

"Why would someone be monitoring a village in the middle of nowhere? An abandoned village no less!" Annette chimed in as she crossed her arms.

Isabel shrugged her shoulders as 9s scanned each screen for clues.

Suddenly, a cold breeze flowed through the room.

But if we're underground, how can there be a—

Annette gripped her cloak and wrapped it tighter around herself.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the darkness behind them.

"I'll be taking that back now."

—-
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! Trust me, the next chapter will be super long (I even considered splitting it into two chapters, but decided that it's best enjoyed in one sitting), so hooray! 

Have a blessed day.