behind.”
“What? You want to go back there?”
“Of course. We came here to get him, Matthew, regardless of the state he’s in. They may have turned his body into some cruel idea of a robot or automaton, but he’s still my brother.”
“And how do you propose we get him?”
Jocelyn looked around, searching for answers. They’d faked being an employee of Mrs. Stone’s. How about being an employee of the transportation department?
“Here,” she said as she grabbed the large overalls from a hook over the bucket. “Put this on.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You saw that Enforcer, Matthew. They’re all brawn and no brain. It doesn’t take much to convince them we belong here. Besides, you did such a great job of lying earlier, I’m sure you can be convincing as a janitor as well.”
“And what about you?” He shoved one leg into the overalls and huffed as he shoved in the other. “Are you just going to sit here and wait?”
A huge metal barrel was set on a buggy. “The guy probably uses that to clean out all the trash cans. You can push me around in that.”
Matthew eyed her with uncertainty.
“Look at the size of this thing,” she said as she walked to the barrel and ran her hand along the rim. “There’s room in here for Jacob.”
“Okay, we’ll try it your way, but the moment anyone even looks at us funny, we run, you got that?”
“Sure thing.”
Jocelyn worked her way into the barrel while Matthew grabbed an old soiled rag and ran it across his face, camouflaging the youthfulness of his face. With a cap on and the old rag shoved in his pocket, they were good to go.
Out in the hall they were met with silence. Jocelyn stared at the ceiling as Matthew pushed her back to the laboratory where Jacob was.
“The room is empty, Jocelyn,” Matthew whispered. “Jacob’s not there anymore.”
Jocelyn stood and gazed at the empty room. “They couldn’t have brought him far, not so quickly.” Her sweeping gaze took in every corner of the room. “Look,” she said slowly, pointing to a series of drawers at the far end of the room.
“Terminated,” Matthew read.
“Wheel me in there,” Jocelyn ordered.
Matthew pushed her up to the glass doors which eased open as they passed before the sensor. The smell inside the laboratory completely contradicted that of the smell they’d endured below. Clean, antiseptic, sterile.
Certain they were well inside the laboratory, Jocelyn climbed out of the barrel and headed for the wall of drawers. With her fingers on the handle, she hesitated. It was too much like the morgue, and the thought of her brother lying on a cold metal slab weakened her.
“You gonna look or what?” Matthew said.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Yeah.”
The drawer slid out easily under the light pressure of her fingers. Jacob’s hair, brows, ears brought a sense of relief... his nose, lips, the gaunt cheeks and the once proud chin. It was almost enough to make her forget all she had seen that night, but as she pulled the drawer out further, she was cruelly reminded of the fate Jacob had met.
His neck disappeared into the metal encasement. Was he still in there somewhere? Did his heart still beat or was he kept alive by the machine he’d become?
His eyes flew open with one sharp and sudden movement. Startled, Jocelyn jumped back.
“Jacob,” she said softly. Returning to his side she put her hand to his brow. It was oddly cool, his skin hard and dry. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
Though wide open, his eyes were void of life. His lids occasionally closed over his eyes in an automatic and robotic fashion, but always pulled back to reveal a vacant gaze. But he was still alive.
Chapter 8
“ H elp me get him off this slab,” Jocelyn said.
Matthew came around to stand next to her and grabbed Jacob’s upper torso while Jocelyn took hold of his lower extremities.
“On three.”
“What? You want to go back there?”
“Of course. We came here to get him, Matthew, regardless of the state he’s in. They may have turned his body into some cruel idea of a robot or automaton, but he’s still my brother.”
“And how do you propose we get him?”
Jocelyn looked around, searching for answers. They’d faked being an employee of Mrs. Stone’s. How about being an employee of the transportation department?
“Here,” she said as she grabbed the large overalls from a hook over the bucket. “Put this on.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You saw that Enforcer, Matthew. They’re all brawn and no brain. It doesn’t take much to convince them we belong here. Besides, you did such a great job of lying earlier, I’m sure you can be convincing as a janitor as well.”
“And what about you?” He shoved one leg into the overalls and huffed as he shoved in the other. “Are you just going to sit here and wait?”
A huge metal barrel was set on a buggy. “The guy probably uses that to clean out all the trash cans. You can push me around in that.”
Matthew eyed her with uncertainty.
“Look at the size of this thing,” she said as she walked to the barrel and ran her hand along the rim. “There’s room in here for Jacob.”
“Okay, we’ll try it your way, but the moment anyone even looks at us funny, we run, you got that?”
“Sure thing.”
Jocelyn worked her way into the barrel while Matthew grabbed an old soiled rag and ran it across his face, camouflaging the youthfulness of his face. With a cap on and the old rag shoved in his pocket, they were good to go.
Out in the hall they were met with silence. Jocelyn stared at the ceiling as Matthew pushed her back to the laboratory where Jacob was.
“The room is empty, Jocelyn,” Matthew whispered. “Jacob’s not there anymore.”
Jocelyn stood and gazed at the empty room. “They couldn’t have brought him far, not so quickly.” Her sweeping gaze took in every corner of the room. “Look,” she said slowly, pointing to a series of drawers at the far end of the room.
“Terminated,” Matthew read.
“Wheel me in there,” Jocelyn ordered.
Matthew pushed her up to the glass doors which eased open as they passed before the sensor. The smell inside the laboratory completely contradicted that of the smell they’d endured below. Clean, antiseptic, sterile.
Certain they were well inside the laboratory, Jocelyn climbed out of the barrel and headed for the wall of drawers. With her fingers on the handle, she hesitated. It was too much like the morgue, and the thought of her brother lying on a cold metal slab weakened her.
“You gonna look or what?” Matthew said.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Yeah.”
The drawer slid out easily under the light pressure of her fingers. Jacob’s hair, brows, ears brought a sense of relief... his nose, lips, the gaunt cheeks and the once proud chin. It was almost enough to make her forget all she had seen that night, but as she pulled the drawer out further, she was cruelly reminded of the fate Jacob had met.
His neck disappeared into the metal encasement. Was he still in there somewhere? Did his heart still beat or was he kept alive by the machine he’d become?
His eyes flew open with one sharp and sudden movement. Startled, Jocelyn jumped back.
“Jacob,” she said softly. Returning to his side she put her hand to his brow. It was oddly cool, his skin hard and dry. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
Though wide open, his eyes were void of life. His lids occasionally closed over his eyes in an automatic and robotic fashion, but always pulled back to reveal a vacant gaze. But he was still alive.
Chapter 8
“ H elp me get him off this slab,” Jocelyn said.
Matthew came around to stand next to her and grabbed Jacob’s upper torso while Jocelyn took hold of his lower extremities.
“On three.”
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