"Wait!" he yelled. "Whats going on here? One minute you are trying to keep me here, the next...now your trying to get me out?"
Sonya stopped and turned back toward him. "Look," she said, "I know you need to know what's going on. I know this is confusing, but if we don't leave right now..."
Her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence. Jeremy looked at her and was going to ask what was wrong when he realized she wasn't looking at him. She was looking passed him. Jeremy turned around quickly to see what was there and was surprised to see nothing. "Sonya. What is it?" he asked.
Sonya just continued to stare down the hallway. Jeremy took her shoulders in is hands and gave her a slight shake.
"Snap out of it Sonya! HEY!" yelled Jeremy.
He was starting to feel a wave of panic wash over him and just when he was about to give her a little more than a slight shake, more like a rattle, she started talking again.
"...we'll both be in more trouble than you could imagine." Sonya stopped speaking again, but this time she was looking at Jeremy and the strange look on his face.
"Why are you looking at me that way Mr. Colin?" she said.
Jeremy started to speak, then stopped. He started again and then stopped. Finally he said, "Something is wrong."
Sonya was confused. "Yes, there is something wrong. We are still standing here talking when I need to get you out of here before they change all of the access codes to the security protocols. Once they do that, I am of no use to you."
Jeremy continued to stare at her. "That's not what I meant," he said. "Just now, while you were talking to me, you stopped in mid-sentence. Then, just like that, you were taking again. I think you even continued right where you left off!"
Sonya's face began to change from one of exasperation to one of fear. "What do you mean? Tell me exactly what you saw me do!" she yelled. Jeremy had never heard her raise her voice, even in the room with the mirror. He didn't know what to make of it, but it couldn't be good. "Well," he began, " you were telling me about having to go, then you slowly stopped talking. I tried to snap you out of it, but you had this spacey look in your eyes. It felt like you were here, but not at the same time...then you just started taking again..."
Sonya started to shake her head from side to side slowly. "I can't believe it." she muttered. "I can't believe these bastards did this to me." "Did what?" Jeremy asked. "I don't have time," said Sonya. " If I don't get you away from here soon...Listen, I need you to promise me something."
Jeremy didn't like where this seemed to be going. He'd seem one too many movies turn out bad with lines like that, but he nodded his head anyway. Sonya looked at Jeremy with a cold dead stare. "If it happens again, promise you will run. I mean it Mr. Colin. If I do what you just saw me do, promise me will run and not look back." Jeremy was at a loss for words. With everything that had been happening to him, this was yet another in a long list of confusion.
"I'm serious!" Sonya shouted. "Before we move forward, I need to know I can trust you to do that!" She may have still been able to show a strong exterior, but Jeremy could see how frantic she was. He could hear it in her voice. So he agreed.
"Yes," he stated simply.
Sonya took a deep breath and continued forward down the corridor. She knew her time was running out and she needed to find a safe place to take Jeremy.
As they began walking quickly down the hall, Jeremy thought about what he had agreed to. Leave Sonya behind? Could he really do that? How was he supposed to find a way out if he left the only person he knew? These questions and more floated around in his head as she led him.
Sonya turned left down the corridor and and stopped in front of one of the doors. Above the frame was a blue blinking light. She waited until the light went out and turned the handle.
"Hurry," she whispered and motioned for Jeremy to step through the door. She closed the door behind them just as the light glowed blue again. Jeremy looked around. They were standing in a stairwell. He walked toward the railing and looked down. There seemed to be countless floors below them. He turned his head and looked up. There were also several flights above them. He wondered what kind of place would need that many floors. Especially when the only people he had seen so far were that fellow Tom and Sonya. He turned away from the railing to look at her. She seemed to be looking at a device in her hand. It was about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. The screen was glowing white and he couldn't quite make out what was on it. He could here her mumbling something to herself. He couldn't hear, so he moved closer.
"Hurry," she whispered and motioned for Jeremy to step through the door. She closed the door behind them just as the light glowed blue again. Jeremy looked around. They were standing in a stairwell. He walked toward the railing and looked down. There seemed to be countless floors below them. He turned his head and looked up. There were also several flights above them. He wondered what kind of place would need that many floors. Especially when the only people he had seen so far were that fellow Tom and Sonya. He turned away from the railing to look at her. She seemed to be looking at a device in her hand. It was about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. The screen was glowing white and he couldn't quite make out what was on it. He could here her mumbling something to herself. He couldn't hear, so he moved closer.
"...since I was a child, and now this." she muttered. "I never once was disloyal. I never once disobeyed. I followed orders. They had no reason not to trust me." She pressed areas of the touchscreen as she spoke. With each press there seemed to be a clicking sound from the upper levels and lower levels. Jeremy was curious.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just...nevermind.” She paused. “I'm locking several of the doors to this stairwell. Specifically the ones the Sentinels are on." she replied.
"Sentinels?" asked Jeremy.
Sonya sighed as she continued to lock the doors.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just...nevermind.” She paused. “I'm locking several of the doors to this stairwell. Specifically the ones the Sentinels are on." she replied.
"Sentinels?" asked Jeremy.
Sonya sighed as she continued to lock the doors.
"Mr. Colin. This organization does many things, from weapons to better tasting toothpaste. The Sentinels are more along the lines of weapons. They are part of a project a special group of researchers were working on about 20 years ago. After extensive testing, it was realized that they were only useful as drones. At this point in time they basically get programmed to do assignments and are then reprogrammed for the next. Over and over again until their bodies run out. The project itself has never gotten any further than that. The chief supervisor in charge left suddenly after being taken ill." She looked up from her device and stared off as though remembering a moment in time.
"Uh, Sonya?" said Jeremy in a low voice.
"I'm fine," she replied. "I was just thinking about something. Something that happened a long time ago." She went back to pressing the device. A few more clicks were heard in the stairway.
"I'm fine," she replied. "I was just thinking about something. Something that happened a long time ago." She went back to pressing the device. A few more clicks were heard in the stairway.
"Okay. Now that that's done, we need to get you out of here." said Sonya.
She began to walk down the stairs. Jeremy followed close behind. He was not trying to be left alone in this place. Sentinels? Programming projects? Black outs? Toothpaste? What in the world had he been dragged into and why?
"Sonya," said Jeremy after a few flights, "you never did tell me why I was brought here."
He could see her sigh visibly, even from behind. "No, I suppose I haven't," she replied.
"Well?" asked Jeremy.
"Well I guess this is as good a time as any. Mind you, I don't know the whole story. Some of this happened before I was employed here." she said.
"Okay," said Jeremy.
She began to walk down the stairs. Jeremy followed close behind. He was not trying to be left alone in this place. Sentinels? Programming projects? Black outs? Toothpaste? What in the world had he been dragged into and why?
"Sonya," said Jeremy after a few flights, "you never did tell me why I was brought here."
He could see her sigh visibly, even from behind. "No, I suppose I haven't," she replied.
"Well?" asked Jeremy.
"Well I guess this is as good a time as any. Mind you, I don't know the whole story. Some of this happened before I was employed here." she said.
"Okay," said Jeremy.
Sonya stopped as they reached the fifth or sixth landing in the winding staircase. At this point he couldn't tell. He only know they had been walking down for quite awhile.
Sonya turned to Jeremy with a look in her eyes that made him feel as though he was going to hear something he may regret.
“Mr. Colin,” she began, “I want you to keep in mind that I never knew until a day ago what you meant to this organization. I didn't know what they planned on doing. I was given orders, and like any other mission they have given me, I carried it out. If I had have know what their intentions were, believe me, I would have done this a long time ago. It wasn't until a few hours ago, after speaking with one of my superiors, that I realized I had been misled all this time. Maybe I can make up for some of the things I have done to these people in the name of progress and human benefit.” Her voice had begun to take on a slightly chocked tone. She was doing her best not to let the anger she was feeling come out, but it was proving to be difficult. “These people I work for. The ones I thought knew what was best for the world, for our country. They have deceived me the whole way through, but they have done little damage to me in comparison to what they have done to your family.”
Jeremy eyes squinted as he asked, “What do you know about my family? What do you mean by that?”
Sonya's eyes turned toward the floor. She shook her head slowly from side to side.
“I wish I would have known then what I know now,” she whispered.
“What? What do you know? What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked. “What do you know about my family?!”
Jeremy had a flash to two funerals. His mother had passed away not to long ago. He stood at the foot of her grave and promised he would find out what happened to her. Find out why the doctors didn't do their job and find a way to make her better.
The second flash was of his father. They buried him 10 years ago No one ever knew what had happened to his father. Jeremy's father had packed his clothes one day 20 years ago and was never seen again. What Jeremy and his mother buried was an empty casket.
It wasn't until a few weeks ago he received any clue of his father being alive.
It was in the form of a handwritten letter.
Sonya looked back up at Jeremy with tears in her eyes.
“If I had have known what they'd done to your father,” stated Sonya.
© 2009 by Laira Reid
