Children of the Virus

47: Interlude: Emily

Emily's pulse quickened, her gaze locked on the retreating forms of the robot guards as they vanished into the shadows, summoned by Zo to the lake perimeter. Before her, the research facility stood as a daunting edifice, its imposing silhouette a blend of cold steel and stark concrete. Yet, with the lives of a thousand children hanging in the balance, the weight of her mission anchored her to this moment.

"That's your signal, Emily," Toshiro's voice echoed in her head through the mental comm link.

"Got it," she shot back, her thought-transmission pixelating in a way that betrayed its digital nature. Her gaze was steely as she turned to face her fellow rebels. "Alright, team. Let's go."

Sliding through the entrance with their weapons drawn and nerves taut, they moved in sync. The dimly lit hallways throbbed with an intangible presence, amplifying the tension that constricted Emily's heart.

"Stay close," she instructed, her eyes darting around the darkness. "Remember to follow Gushvin's routes exactly. We can't afford any mistakes."

"Got it, Em," came the whispered reply from one of her teammates, a young man named Jiro, who kept his hand near the laser pistol holstered at his side.

Venturing further into the heart of the building, Emily's thoughts drifted to Gushvin—the man who took Baz's life. Here they were, placing their trust in his instructions. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she knew that his inside knowledge offered them the greatest chance of making it through undetected.

"Left here," she muttered, recalling Gushvin's directions from memory. Her team followed without question.

They hadn't gone far when Toshiro's voice interrupted her focus again. "Emily, status report?"

Emily fought the irritation bubbling up inside her. She didn't trust Toshiro, not entirely, but there was no room for doubt now, not when they were so deep in enemy territory. "We're on it. No issues so far."

"Good. Keep me updated," he said, his voice strained with the weight of worry, a reflection of the tension inherent in orchestrating a high-stakes infiltration.

"Will do," Emily replied tersely, before commanding the comm link to switch off using only her thoughts.

As they continued to follow Gushvin's routes, the team edged closer to their goal. They moved in near silence, punctuated only by their own breathing and the softest of whispers. But as they came to another bend in the corridor, Emily came to a sudden stop, raising a hand to signal her team to do the same. "Remember, Gushvin said this is where the security is tightest. We need to be extra careful."

"Understood," came the chorus of whispers.

Emily took a deep breath, preparing herself for what lay ahead. If they could make it past this point, they would be one step closer to their goal.

The chamber housing the central superintelligence, a fish tank not unlike Hugh, lay before them. A monolithic structure of gleaming metal, it was the heart and brains of this place. It hummed with silent power, a palpable force that set Emily's nerves on edge. She knew that one wrong move could trigger the alarm, jeopardizing their entire mission.

"Alright, team. This is what we've trained for," Emily said, her voice steady despite the thunderous pulse in her ears. The gravity of their mission pressed down on her as she surveyed the scene, the superintelligence's core pulsating with an eerie light.

"Piece of cake," Travis quipped from behind her, though his hands betrayed a slight tremor as he unpacked the specialized toolkit.

"Let's get to work," Emily said, studying the array of wires connecting the fusion battery that supplied backup power to the superintelligence. She knew patience and precision would be key.