The sun was starting to set and finally Whip and Eva arrive at the scene where to explosion occur, they were in front of the military headquarter. People were gathering outside trying to take a peek and photograph at the huge crater left behind by the explosion. Military personnel were guarding the whole area and they had block all entrance with barricade and tanks were place at four different area. "Wow, look at all this people. Where do you think is Lyra?" They squeezed their way to the crowd. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!" She said while trying to reach the front. She saw a guard and asked, "Do you know where Lyra is?" But she was only ignored. "Hey, don't ignore me, I said where Lyra is?"
"Sorry, ma'am but who are you looking for?"
"Lyra"
"Lyra..." A guard was flipping paper after paper from his clipboard. "There is no name written here, she alive and well she probably somewhere else in this city."
"What are you talking about I know she alive that why I looking for her. She is also working in the military."
"Sorry about that ma'am. What was her name again?"
"It's Lyra Ross." Eva replied.
"Lyra Ross... Ross that the family name of our General but he is at the moment M.I.A. And his wife Nora Ross is on her way. You can wait for her but we can't let you in."
"What are we going to do for now while we wait?" She asked Whip.
"Well, why don't we kill time and take that tour you wanted." Whip dragged Eva out the crowd and started their tour of the city.
Meanwhile, Zi and Free were on the other end of the city searching for the exit. The exit are filled with vehicles line up try to leave the city but there were guards searching every vehicles and people before they can leave the city. "It seems this going to be difficult leaving this place, there are guard everywhere." Free said.
Zi headed for the exit followed by Free. "Stop right there." A guard stopped them, "I need to see some ID."
"I lost my ID when I got here, can't we just leave this city without one."
"Sorry sir, but we can't just let you leave, after the incident we are on high alert."
"Is that so, well thanks anyway, we'll be going back and find our ID."
"Sorry sirs' but we can't let you do that after going this far." A guard pointed his gun at them."
"Seriously!" Zi raised his hands. "Whip going to laugh if she fined this out."
Free raised his hands, "Look at the bright side, she not here to see this."
"We just need you to do us some inspection before we let you go to make sure that you aren't suspect from the bombing. Now move on, sirs." He pointed to the direction where they were supposed to go. They started walking and headed for a small shelter. As they entered, four guards stood up from their seat and pointed guns at them. "It's all right, I brought them here to be inspected."
"Good job. Now then you two need to go in the room over there and change your outfit and come back here."
They had no choice but to comply with their request. They entered another room and when they entered they saw a sign written. 'Put your clothing inside the plastic container and leave them.' Every inch of the room was painted white and there were racks and on top of it was full of white clothing. "The only way to leave this place is follow their order until they finish their inspection of us."
Free said.
Zi was observing the room that he didn't heard Free. "We need to get out of here."
"How? I think we be able to leave if we follow their instruction."
"I don't know if you can feel it but something is not right here."
Free got nervous and started looking around the room. "There nothing wrong." He came closer to the racks to get a white shirt when out of nowhere felt a sudden chill in his spine. He looked around but saw nothing unusual. He talked to Zi, "It feels like there is something watching us."
"Shhh! Did you heard that?"
"Heard what?"
"Are you done, yet?" A guard knocked on the door.
"Can you help us?" Zi asked.
A guard entered the room and said, "What's wrong can you guys just follow the instruction?"
"I can hear something knocking over there." Zi pointed at the opposite corner of the room.
"What's wrong?" Another guard entered.
"He said that he can hear something knocking over here." The two guard came closer at the corner and place their ears at the wall.
Zi and Free knock them out cold and grabbed their guns. Zi aimed at the door and fired multiple round. They heard something fell from behind the door. Zi peek through the gap as he opened the door, he saw two body lying on the floor. "Well, it seem you were right someone is watching us."
"But why?"
"Wait here and watch the exit, the other guard might come any time." He then notice another room that wasn't there before, as he entered he saw monitors. One of the monitor was from the room where they were earlier, the others were a bit dark could hardly see anything but he definitely saw some movement. He pressed a button from his left and the exit behind him close off. He pressed it again and it opened. He press the button from his right and he heard a sound. He quickly return to the room earlier and saw an entrance. He checked it out, "It's too dark to see." He took a flashlight from the unconscious guard and turned it on. He investigated the room further while Free was still standing guard.
"Is anybody in here?" His question was bounced back through echoed. He beamed the light in front of him and started walking forward. He came across a spiral staircase leading further down. Half way down, he asked again, "Is anybody in here?"
He heard rattling sound followed by voices of different people. "Help us!" "Somebody please come and save us." "Who's there?" He hurried down the stairs and at the bottom he saw a set of keys hanging on the wall. When he took the keys from its hook, the light turned on. What he saw was alarming. People were caged behind bars with their cloth all tattered and their body were malnourish. There were some that was recently put there but most of them were lock up here for many months.
Zi unlocked all the cell releasing everyone. "Go up the stairs, someone will be there to help you guys so please calm down." He noticed one person among the crowds, "You! What are you doing here?"
The woman pointed to herself and asked, "Do I know you?"
"This is bad. We need you to come with me." Zi grabbed her wrist and hurried up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Whip and Eva returned to the area where the explosion was. They were able to meet with Lyra and the colonel inside a tent, who were grieving at the loss of their father and husband. "I'm sorry for your lost." Said Eva.
"We know it will happen someday but it still hurt when it happen." Lyra said.
"Is there any way we could do to help you?" Eva asked.
"What are you talking about, we hardly knew our way around the city, and how could we help them?" Whip said.
"I not sure if you could help but my father was trying to unlock this device that could help end this war." Lyra looked at them, "I know that the chances are slim but I can only hope that you might be able to unlock it."
They thought for a minute and hesitated answering but eventually Whip said, "Okay, but like you said we might not be help much."
"That great!" Lyra was excited and grabbed Whip's hand, "Let's go!" They went on heading at the center of the crater. They slid down crater and headed at the center. There was a bunker at the center guarded by arm soldiers.
The colonel went ahead and saluted at the soldiers. The door opened and they went inside. Inside there was a single large capsule at the center and in it there was a sphere that was glowing green in color. The colonel headed for the capsule started typing a seconds later a screen appear on the capsule. "Just put your palm on the screen like this." She put her palm to show them how to do it.
"Access Denied"
Eva approached the capsule with caution, she placed her palm on the screen and later. A voiced said, "Access Denied." She returned back to Whip. Whip took a deep breath and approach it and place her palm on it. The screen scanned her palm and it lighted green, "Access Granted."
Everyone was delighted at Whip, "You did it." Lyra was jumping with joy, "My father will be happy that the war will soon be over."
The colonel took out the sphere and put it inside a metallic container. "Well, let get out of here."
They head back at the door, as soon as the door opened. "Zi! What are you doing here? Where Free is and what are you doing with this girl..." Whip was staring at the woman with tattered clothes and messy hair. "Lyra?" She looked back and saw Lyra.
The woman saw Lyra and colonel but was more focus on the colonel, "Mom? Is that you?" Her head started to hurt that she felt an extreme pain that she kneel down. "That can't be you're supposed to be dead. I saw you die. They killed you." The pain stop.
Lyra shouted, "Run!"
The soldiers started shooting at them. Lyra block the bullets while the colonel flew up creating a hole at the bunker and headed north. Lyra fell on the ground from all the bullet that hit her. A soldier check Lyra and said, "Affirmative it's a robot."
Another soldier contacted others, "Affirmative they took the sphere."
"What's going on here?" Whip asked.
"I knew it something was not right the moment I saw her."
"Who is she anyway?"
"This is Lyra, the Lyra that we never met."
"Then who is this other Lyra?"
"She probably an imposter, or in this case a robot who disguise themselves as human. I think we need to discuss this later."
"Why?" She looked around and saw soldiers surrounding and pointing their guns at them. They raised their hands up to show their surrender.