Rogue *EDITING*

Escape

Less than a year ago.

The scientist was furious. The patch was working, but Avis was rebellious as ever. Especially around Simon. He was on full lockdown. He changed the locks. He confiscated everything Avis had. He upgraded the security system. But still, he could feel Avis didn't want to comply. He looked to his wife and asked, "Lorraine, what are we going to do?" It was late, and he was drained that his project was failing.
His wife looked at him empathetically. "Honey," she said, going behind him to massage his shoulders. "It's just a phase. Remember, we programmed her to be a teenager."
He covered his face "a teenager that could overthrow the world if she wanted" he replied. "She's not going to, honey. Look at her. She doesn't want that. She just wants to learn." The man looked at his wife, and said, "it's that Simon boy. He's all the problem. He won't leave her alone and he eggs her on. I want to fire him."

Simon was only a few feet away from the scientists' room. The place to stand was perfect because he could eavesdrop on what they talked about, and the angle was right through Avis' bedroom. His heart ached when he saw the the empty room. They were testing her so terribly. He hated it. He hated it because he cared for her so much. And when he heard the plans he slid behind the security camera that looked at Avis' door. And he tore it from the ceiling. He picked the lock on her room, as it locked from both sides now and packed up her clothes in a bag he hid just for the situation. He shook her awake. "Avis. We need to go, now!" He whispered.
She looked at him, bleary-eyed and tired looking, and mumbled a small, "Why?"
He looked her in the eye, picked her up off the bed, and held her. "They're doing it" he said. "They're chalking you up as a failure. They're gonna deactivate you"
Avis' jaw dropped and she shook Simon off. "We gotta go." She said, running out of her room, Simon running behind with the bag. He grabbed her and ran ahead of her. He could run faster and was practically dragging her behind. Suddenly, alarms went off. The camera set it off. Avis looked behind her, seeing her parents behind her. "I'm sorry" she mouthed.

Simon rounded a corner and shoved Avis into a large duct, going in after her, and closing the vent behind them. He shushed Avis and covered her mouth as the scientists ran by.
"Okay." Simon said, "I'm gonna tell you where to go. It's gonna be okay and you're gonna get outta here." With Simon's directions, Avis made it to a different vent. She kicked it open, and came to a stairwell.
"This is the emergency staircase. It goes to an emergency exit. When you go out, it's gonna trigger another alarm. You. Need. To. Run. Run far, run fast, don't look back and get to the bus station and go anywhere but here." He says.
Avis' voice warbled. "What about you?" She asked.
Simon hugged her tightly, and took a deep breath. "This is your runaway. I have to stay here."
Simon knew running with her would be the nail in the coffin of his academic career if he ran off with a 15 year old. He let go and shoved 50 dollars into her hand and looked her in the eye. "Run." He said and pushed her away as she sped down the stairs and out the emergency doors. He dropped to his knees and cried as the second alarms started to blare.

Avis stumbled as soon as she got out, and was shocked by the cold night air, but regained her balance and ran as fast as she could, getting a second wind after the short and hectic break in the stairwell. Soon, she was in the city. A city she had never seen and barely heard of. She looked up and saw a sign for the bus station and turned towards it, and it came into view. Only a few more steps and she would be there.  It felt like an eternity but she made it. She stopped for a breather, just so she didn't look absolutely crazy when she went in. She saw nobody following her. But the odds of that staying the same were thin. She strolled in and looked at the map, and thought about her paltry budget. The farthest she could get was a town 20 miles away and the fare was 45.99. She went up to the counter and slapped her 50 dollar bill and asked for the ticket. She ignored the looks the lady at the counter gave her.
"Next bus to there is in two hours. Better settle in, skitty." The counter lady said. Avis did not appreciate the nickname but accepted the time given. But the bus station was so obvious. She needed to lay low for a bit somewhere. "I need some air," she said, to no one in particular. She walked out and looked around. Then she saw the alley. She ran into it and went as far back as she could. She could still see the bus, and the clock on it. She crouched behind some boxes that easily covered her. As she suspected, her parents came by, but they didn't go in. They looked in the station window and walked away from the empty station. Avis silently exhaled and stayed put, just in case. She stayed, until it was minutes until her bus arrived. She jogged in and waited the remaining time until her bus came. When she walked in, the bus was deserted. She walked to a random seat and collapsed into it. She threw her bag in the chair beside her and burst into tears. Loud, wailing cries that she didn't care who heard. She cried as she watched the bus pull away from everything she ever cared about. "Goodbye," she whispered to empty air as a teardrop rolled down her cheek.