Separated By a Wall

Is It Real?

I was packing the human items I would bring to Ryker. Technically, they were Anoch items since they made it but they're for humans? So wouldn't that make them Anoch things? Or human things since we use them? Snap out of it Rose, I scold myself. I was probably just stressed. I decided to bring my CareBot. I didn't know if it still worked without a human host but I would try. I would show him what books were like for us. I would show him my ID card and the pills we used. Shoving it into a strange black pouch I found stored all the way in the back of my closet, I slung it over my back. I was still in my work clothes. It was the perfect way to slip into Omega without attracting any attention from the guards. I made a promise to Annalisia which I intended to keep.

Let's hope that after two failed attempts of a simple rescue I actually get this right. Third time's the charm, right? I slid my thumb across the side of the glass, activating my ID card. "I hope this works." I whisper to myself. I gripped the CareBot in my hand. "Take me to the front of Omega Inc." I command. I hear a few clicks and static before the voice repeats back to me. "Teleportation activated." I heard some more notorious clicking before a flash of white light blinded me, my ears popped and I felt as if I was being choked. It could have been 15 seconds, it could have been 15 hours, when I finally reappeared, gasping for air and blinking my eyes quickly to readjust to the sudden darkness.

I guess I'm rusty. I push the glass doors open and walk past the receptionist who barely looks up. Her voidless, emotionless face stares from the holographic keyboard to the screen. I eye her warily and slip into the elevator. "Here goes nothing." I push the basement floor button and nearly jump when it slides down the shaft. "Annalisia, Annalisia, Annalisia..." I keep muttering the name in my head as if I were going to forget it. I knew it was going to be engraved in my mind forever. Testing a child. The image of her tears printed on the back of my eyelids. Her fear in my nightmares. The doors slid open and I let out a deep breath. "I'm coming." 

***

Did you know that because I haven't been able to do any lifting, thanks to that oh so wonderful Carebot, I have no upper body strength whatsoever? I managed to make an easy exit with Annalisia. It was still quiet. Not a soul in sight. Probably ordering their CareBots to flick over previous day's notes. Probably reading something in the library. Probably living their dull human lives. I had my bag of human items (I resorted to calling them human, no longer wanting to suffer the meaningless conflict) slung over my shoulders and Annalisia in my arms. They didn't know what kind of dose to give to a child but whatever they gave her was too much. 

Just as they were about to insert the tracking device, I detatched her from the metal skeleton. But she didn't wake up. Her eyes were still closed, her body limp, her skin pale. I didn't want to see what kind of emotions would reflect in her eyes when she woke up and saw me. I wasn't sure when she was going to wake up. All I know is that I had to get her across the wall. I pressed the earpiece. "Caitlin, what time is it? Are the guards off schedule?" I finally manage to connect the earpiece to communicate with her instead of Ryker...Okay, she did it. She still seemed off after the flower incident but she still wanted to help. 

"It's 10:30. The guards should still be off their posts until 11." she tells me. As if on cue, I see the wall from a distance. "Almost there!" I tell her. Another painful five minutes later, I'm standing in front of the door registering whether I should set her down on the concrete or put her over my shoulder so I could open the door. After much more (meaningless) internal conflict, I manage to outstretch my thumb and index finger to slip the door open. "I'm going in. See you when I get back tomorrow." I tell her. "Yeah, yeah. Don't forget to ask them-" I tear the earpiece out, disconnecting it. I know exactly what she was going to say. I just didn't want to hear it. I'm starting to think I'm alone with this fascination for the Anoch.