Duplus

Chapter 14:

Amaani's POV:

Lx16 stared at me. Her eyes were stuck to my face like super glue and she didn't dare bat an eyelash. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it again, dumbfound and speechless. I waited patiently for her to overcome her state of surprise.

Finally, I spoke up, breaking the unbearable silence. "Something tells me those weren't the only ones sent after you. I think we should hide." Realizing I still had the heavy gun in my hand, I tossed it to the ground. I glanced back at the two dead bodies lying by our feet.

Shivers crawled on my back and I diverted my gaze back to lx16. She snapped out of her daze. She looked at her feet, hand under her chin. "You're right. The authorities probably sent out more senior guards for me." A look of worry flashed on her face. "They didn't send the robotic guards. It means they're dead serious about tracking me down."

I just nodded my head, having no clue about a single word that left her mouth. "In other words; we're dead meat." I stated, stepping closer to her. She shrugged. "Pretty much." My hands flew out on their own and grabbed hers. "Then what're we waiting for? More killers on our tail? C'mon, let's scram."

Lx16 gave a look that showed her approval to my suggestion and she gladly took my hand in return.

Both of us started running away, leaving behind two dead bodies and a gun with blood splashed all over it. Once we found a boulder gigantic enough to cover us, we stopped. Both of us knew it wasn't time for questions. It was time to run for our lives.

"I'm sure they won't find us here." Lx16 said. "It'll give us some time to rest and let things calm down." I nodded in reply.

"Luckily, I got some food. This suit's pretty convenient. It's got dozens of pouches inside." I told her and took out the bag I had been holding on me all that time. She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Where'd you get food? There's not a soul in sight." She looked around as if confirming her statement.

"Saira gave it to me. She said that I would need it since this place was so barren. She was gonna give me two bags when I sai—" I sat up straight. My eyes widened as panic rushed over me. "I totally forgot! I was here on a mission!" I blurted out but quickly regretted it when Lx16 leaned in with curiosity. I backed off slowly, bracing myself for what was to come.

"What mission? And who's Saira. More importantly, what kind of name is that? That reminds me; what's your name? Is it weird like that too?" Her eyes twinkled with interest as she bombarded me with all the questions. It was the first time I realized what others felt like when I did that to them. A nervous laugh left me and I twirled the hem of my sleeve.

"Umm... Well..." I couldn't find the right words to voice out my thoughts. Maybe because I didn't want her to know much either. I couldn't betray Broad shoulders and the others, especially since I didn't know who she was myself either.

She raised her eyebrow at me, expectantly. "Well what?" I took a deep breath, trying to buy more time to come up with a lie. "Well, I'm a... police officer and... I was on a mission but... Uhh... I kinda got lost...?" It sounded more like a question than an answer to Lx16's doubts. She gave me a bored look.

"You're a really bad liar." She said simply but then lit up again. "That's what we have in common too." She laughed a little and it cracked me up too. Both of us started laughing and it was like one voice but doubled by some computer effects. We were so much in sync.

"It creeped me out at first, but I think this is kinda cool," I told her. She nodded quickly. "I so get you!" Our conversation with each other had made me forgotten, once again, why I was sent there. And deep down, I didn't want to remember it either.

Completing the mission meant handing in Lx16 and at that moment, it felt like a crime. A betrayal and deception. I didn't have it in me but Lx16 did say it herself. No hesitation. Once more, my mind was torn between what was right and what was wrong.

Meanwhile, I fought my inner demons, Lx16 was already getting comfortable. She leaned back to rest herself but didnt dare close her eyes. She looked around herself like a hawk. And something told me; she wasn't going to blindly trust me either. I leaned back beside her as well.

Both of us looked at each other as if we had a dozen questions in mind. But letting them out meant giving away important information in return and it was like neither of us was in a position to be overly friendly and obvious. After all, I was there to trace her out and only Allah knew why she was there.

"Do you think they will come after us again?" I asked her. As soon as the coast was clear, I had to contact Usama. What was important had to be done and I had made up my mind? Even though, it killed me inside.

She searched her surroundings. "I don't think so. But you never know what the auctrix have planned. They're so unpredictable." Lx16 replied, getting uneasy again. The unknown word she used rang in my mind.

"Auctrix?" I repeated. She got startled suddenly as if she had let out something she wasn't supposed to. She looked at me cautiously. "It's just another word for authorities." She quickly covered up. A little smile appeared on my lips. "You yourself said that we were bad liars and look at you now." I chuckled.

She sighed. "Alright, you got me." I folded my arms over my chest. "Well, it's okay. I'll let you off if you do the same." I held out my hand to strike a deal. She looked at my hand suspiciously. "Let you off of what?" She asked.

"You won't ask me any questions and I won't ask you any. Well, at least not yet. Maybe when we meet each other some other time." I said. I knew she'd have to let out everything to Broad shoulders so it wouldn't hurt to wait for a little bit. She grinned and shook my hand. "Deal."

"Well, I'll go and see whether there are more crazy motorbike maniacs out there to kill us or not. I'll be right back." I stood up quickly and didn't wait for her to answer. Once I was far enough to be sure that she couldn't hear me, my fingers clicked the earpiece.

My heart beat fast and I felt the worst I had ever felt. My guilt was eating me alive and I wanted to somehow run away from whatever I was going to do. But on the other hand, I knew that Broad shoulders would never hurt her and even if he wanted to, I would never let him raise a finger at her. Not on my watch!

"Ms. Sohail!" The voice boomed into my earpiece, shaking me out of my thoughts. I got startled. "Usama! Can you hear me?" I whispered back even though I knew Lx16 couldn't hear me. "Yes, I can hear you just fine. Where were you? Are you okay? Did you find anything?" He started throwing all those questions at me.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine Alhamdulillah."  I tried to calm him down. I looked back one last time where Lx16 was and I could see her dot of a figure sitting there from afar.  What I was going to do was probably the worst thing someone could do to their savior. But, only my Allah and I knew how important my freedom was to me.

"I found mystery girl. Come as fast as you can." I could hear a gasp from the other side. "And be careful, she's a skilled fighter."

"Stay right where you are, Ms. Sohail. We'll be there in no time." Hearing Broad shoulders' voice stunned me for a second as I was expecting Usama to reply. But I recovered quickly. After that, I could only a beep that indicated the call was over. "Okay..." I said to no one as the call had already ended. I took a deep breath and started to head back to face Lx16.

Oh, Allah.  I feel terrible...