The Ice Warrior

Chapter 20

"Now is not the time to fall apart! Not now! I am a soldier; I am better than this! Yes, I've been betrayed, but I have to put that aside for now. All that matters now is getting out alive." Silv thought.

Thus, she determinedly wiped away her tears and locked up all the emotions as best as she could. However, her mind was suspicious of Rose's motivations yet, she was ready to go past it to ensure their survival.

Silv didn't even dare think about what might happen after the mission but one thing she knew for sure was that her safe and cushioned life was behind her, there was no going back.

"Fine. Since you are so good at creating strategies, what do we do now?" Silv asked bitingly.

"Arthur, my dear, would you be so kind as to project the map of this compound?" Rose asked, deciding to ignore Silv's bitterness and address the issue at a more convenient time.

"Yes, my lady," Arthur said.

Seconds later, a holographic image was projected from his left eye while his right eye continued scanning their environment in case of danger. Silv wondered if she would ever uncover the full extent of Arthur's modification and how unique he truly was among the AI community. What annoyed her was that she was unaware of most of his abilities.

"Silv, you know the layout of the bunker better than anyone. Can you add what you know about the underground network and how it is connected with the world above?" Rose asked.

"Yes, but how do I do that on this map?" Silv asked, looking at the hologram in confusion.

"Right, sorry. Arthur, initiate manual holographic map manipulation." Rose said.

"Manual holographic map manipulation initiated, ma'am," Arthur said.

As he said that the map detached itself from the tether that connected it to his eye and hovered above the table, looking more substantial than a hologram should look in Silv's opinion.

Rose picked it up and started arranging objects, buildings, and paths as if they were real objects. It reminded Silv of the way robots built smaller buildings that were necessary to add from time to time for the growing human civilization.

"As far as I can tell, we are here now, and this is the door we went through," Rose said, drawing the path they traversed on the map.

"What other exits do we have available?" Rose asked.

"According to the map I've seen and the passages I've been through so far, there are multiple exits. Here, here and here are the ones I've used or the ones I am sure are in working order." Silv said, pointing at the map and adding the familiar passages.

Though she tried to keep the professional tone of her grandmother, she was failing miserably. Silv ignored how annoyed she was by the fact that she couldn't achieve the same level of professionalism since they had no time to lose. It was only a matter of time before their pursuers figured out how they made an impossible escape.

"The problem is, even if we do escape from here, they will know exactly where to look for us. Denis will tell them everything about the base. Besides, now that they know that some aliens have managed to contact humans whom they don't have under their control, they'll do everything in their power to keep the truth from coming out." Rose said.

"They will go to the old base to prepare an ambush if they can't find us here, won't they?" Silv asked.

"Yes, I am afraid so," Rose replied.

"Warned sister. We use entrance humans not know." Wir Eis said confidently.

"How could you warn your sister when you were here all the time and didn't use any communication devices?" Silv asked.

"Implanted telepathic communicators. Humans not have them?" Wir Eis asked in shock.

"I am afraid not. Though, I have come upon some propositions that discuss different ideas on how your device could be extricated." Rose started to say but stopped seeing the expression on the alien's face.

Unbeknownst to Silv, Rose had seen a lot more videos about the experiments done in area 51 than she first let on. Thus, she was aware that the expression on Wir Eis's face was indicative of pain.

"I apologize, I don't know what I was thinking. That was very insensitive of me." Rose said.

"Wir Eis okay." Wir Eis said, busying himself with gathering all the technology Arthur had procured for them.

Luckily for them, with the advancement of human technology, everything became smaller and easier to carry. Still, there were a few heavier devices that Wir Eis gathered to carry on his back since he was certain that the frail human backs couldn't withstand them.

"Are you sure that humans won't be able to enter the area where your spaceship is?" Silv asked, changing the subject swiftly.

"Yes, sister block human entrance. Other well hidden." Wir Eis said.

"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice. We'll scout the area when we get there and make sure it's safe. I am sure Arthur can get in unnoticed." Rose said.

"All right, where to now?" Silv asked.

"Here." Rose tapped the hologram, and a red dot appeared.

"Sector 15? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Silv asked.

"It's the best option if we don't want to be caught. Besides, I know a few LS who owe me a favor." Rose said.

Lower Stratans were not Silv's favorite people, so it took her a moment to absorb what she was hearing. Furthermore, she couldn't help but stare at the stranger who stood before her and whom she once knew as her grandmother. However, Silv didn't make any comments about Rose's illegal activities, doing her best to avoid conflict in the times when group cohesion was of the essence.

As far as Silv knew, Sector 15 was the worst one in what was left of the world. It was a place where Lower Stratans who refused to optimize were allowed to survive if they didn't cause too much trouble. Silv had been there only once when they had to implement some order into the disorderly society that was often left on its own.

It was the worst part of her duties, and she still remembered having trouble washing away the filth and discomfort from her skin once the semblance of order was restored. Still, Sector 15 was one place where order didn't last for long, which Silv often found odd but finally understood that some people needed more or less than what the Government had to offer.

"Very well. Dirt and discomfort, here we come." Silv said as they started packing up their things.

With one hand motion, Arthur picked up the holographic map on Rose's command, and before Silv could register exactly what he was doing, the map was once again tethered to his eye, then completely gone.