"you're telling me you all let her drive off with the fastest car in this facility without an inkling of where she was heading!" GMN-4 was trying so hard to hold on to his temper and so much harder to hold on to his sanity.
"We tried alright! We did but she gassed us!" GMN-3 replied equally pissed. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the smell of the most common anesthetic gas on the planet.
"I can't believe she did that!" GMN-6 exclaimed angrily
"I can! She didn't seem to be in her right senses!" GMN-5 replied
Gmn-4 was beyond frustrated and infuriated. This was not happening. He ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time and they were very sure he had lost more than a few strands. His mind was in shambles. She wasn't dead, that he was sure of. That was the only plus he could think of right now. She was alive and she left them. Something was definitely wrong somewhere. He couldn't make out any tangible thing from what they told him. How could she be deaf or dumb? He didn't want to consider the possibility of her being both, he just needed to find her.
"When we woke up, she was long gone," GMN-9 said like he was having trouble believing these past few events. He still had his computer and was searching for anything.
"none of these even make sense!" GMN-4 said. He was beyond frustrated and they could understand. They weren't sure before if she was okay physically, but now they weren't even sure she was okay mentally.
"she didn't even recognize me" GMN-6 sulked
"I doubt she even recognized herself" GMN-5 commented,
"none of you is making any sense!" GMN-4 said. He was seconds away from pulling out all his hair. He wanted blood right now and not a transfusion.
"Neither are you. You said you saw her. We've gone over every surveillance feed from the time she woke up to the time she left. There was no point where she was found on the floor you were in. The only place she was seen was the library, her room, and the garage" GMN-2 said
"I know what I saw alright. She was there!" GMN-4 shouted briefly placing his hand on his chest than his head.
"We all need to calm down. That's the only way we'll be productive" the head doctor said
"I know what I am saying," GMN-4 countered. So he wasn't feeling chipper but he was sure he wasn't hallucinating either.
"Maybe he does," GMN-9 said and they focused on him. "He was so insistent that he saw her and we've checked the feeds almost a million times but I decided to keep checking I might find something of use and I found this" he showed them the screen.
"a blur? Seriously?" GMN-5 said
"That's what I thought at first but I decided to investigate this blur. I had to edit the program to make it this slow. Watch" GMN-9 said and played the video. It was so slow that it was exhausting to watch but after a while, a figure appeared on the screen and even looked at the camera, looked at GMN-4 who was lying on the bed, and then went to the next room to check on Williams before finally leaving.
"he was right after all" GMN-2 said
"Her speed is reaching astronomical levels and she didn't even seem to put much effort" GMN-3 commented
"Who knows how many other places she went to, maybe we could find some clue," GMN-5 said
"If she wants to disappear, I'm afraid you'll find nothing," GMN-4 said, rubbing his head again. That was the most frustrating part.
"Are you going to have that checked? Your breathing isn't normal" GMN-3 commented
"i'm fine" turning to GMN-9, GMN-4 said "it's worth the shot. In the meanwhile, I will like to see the feeds from the library"
"I have to tweak the search program. I can't possibly watch all the feeds in slow motion" GMN-9 said turning to his computer.
"I'll head to her room and check what is left," GMN-6 said
"I'm coming with you," GMN-4 said but 3 grabbed him by the arm
"no. You're coming with me" GMN-3 had that expression between very serious and patronizing.
"What is the rest of us supposed to do?" GMN-5 asked
"make yourselves useful that's what" GMN-3 replied
"I see no reason why we should look for her" GMN-5 blurted out. Everyone stopped what they were doing and faced her. " I mean let's face it, if she wanted us around she wouldn't have left, she would have taken us along or at least told us where she was going but she didn't. I say we let her be. It is easier to find us than finding her"
From a point of view, she made sense. It felt like GMN-1 or Rosetta, whichever she was now, wanted to be alone, wanted space. On a normal day, they would have let her be, let her figure things out on her own, and give her space but this wasn't a normal day.
"Can you ascertain that she was in the right frame of mind when she left?" GMN-2 asked her. "did she look like she needed time to think things through?" he directed the second question to the rest who saw her. There was no response. " Most of us saw her. she didn't look like someone going through anything, she looked like someone who wasn't even habiting her own body. Lifeless, emotionless, and cold. Given these circumstances and oh, being more superhuman than the rest of us, do you still think it wise to let her loose among the ignorant population?" he directed this question to 5 who was now silent. He continued.
"She's not that reckless' ' GMN-5 said and was shocked. This might be among the few direct compliments she had ever given 1.
" She? Who is she? 1? Rosetta? Until we can ascertain who she is, and a whole lot of other things, we can't stop trying. We may have diverse reasons for wanting to find her but based on what we know and don't know, it is pressing that we find her and fast. With her IQ, she could come up with something so deadly, I mean she gassed us and now travels three times as fast as we do not count other things she could do or her current motives. She has not just the fate of the ignorant citizens but our lives as well. What she produces could as well kill us. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but 1 has never been more deadly than she is now. One wrong move and we are in the limelight having every human organization on our tails, people with resources and access. It's not just our identity that it jeopardizes but our freedom. On a different day, it won't matter much because she's on our side, right now she may not be on her side so where does that leave us? We might be strong but the odds are seven to what a million, ten million?"
"I hate to say this but he's right," GMN-3 said
"come on. Not you too. She would never hurt an innocent at least not willfully" GMN-6 said
"things have changed and we don't know how much. I hate to say this too but until we have facts, she is a threat in the sense of the word" GMN-3 said
"so we need to find her, the question is how? We all know that she can be precise and untraceable" GMN-7 said
"that's the problem. We are going to need all we can get our hands on. 9 extend your search to the surveillance camera around. The rest of you search anywhere she has been for longer than an hour and see if you find something. 2 see if you can get anything out of her… Dr…whatever, I need to run some tests on him." GMN-3 said gesturing to 4 and they nodded
Three hours and many tests later, GMN-3 stood beside 4 who was seated on the bed.
"it looks bad but I can't tell how bad," GMN-3 said
"you better. I need this buzzing and flashes in my head to stop" GMN-4 said rubbing his forehead.
"and you said you were fine. I don't know what to make of it since it started after you woke up so…" GMN-3 said just as the door opened and GMN-2 put Dr. Stone on his feet. GMN-4 made a growling sound and made to attack the doctor but 2 and 3 rushed and held him back.
"as much as we hate this, he is the only one that knows more about us than we do and for you to be useful, you need to be fully functional" GMN-3 tried to reason with him and calm him down.
After a while, they were able to calm him down to the point of not attacking the doctor. It was then 4 and 3 took a good look at the doctor who had been standing still all this while. He seemed to have shriveled and lost his vitality. He looked pale and numb. He collected the file with mechanical movements and looked them over.
"your current trauma is reviving your previous trauma" Dr. Stone's voice was so mechanical and lifeless.
"what is wrong with him?" GMN-3 asked 2
"I told him everything" and some more. GMN-2 replied
Dr. Stone just turned back. The strain showed on his face. He looked like he hasn't slept for a very long time.
"you've been stressed and traumatized recently. You may be on your way to regaining your previous memories" Dr. Stone said looking from them to the charts again.
"Is that good?" GMN-3 asked
"If he wants to die, I assume it is good news," Dr. Stone said and 4 just about pounced on him. 3 looked him over again and had a bad feeling. What exactly did 2 do?
"What is wrong with him?" GMN-3 asked while 2 just stared and 4 gritted his teeth to control his aggression. 4's health was the top priority.
"given time, everything. The mutation is beginning to demand so much from his body, coupled with the strain of regaining his memory, he will very likely be out of commission " Dr. Stone stated. There was something wrong with Doctor Stone. No sugar coating, no mild talks, just straight to the point. In a way, it reminded them of someone.
"I don't understand. I read the file. Although it was experimental, after survival it was considered full-proof" GMN-3 said. Dr. Stone scoffed.
"This was her contingency plan" Dr. Stone replied. At their blank look, he contemplated explaining and decided to. "Ann never did anything without a contingency plan. It was her way of controlling things."
"explain this contingency plan of hers" GMN-3 still couldn't understand. He dropped the file on the table beside the bed
"She creates a glitch that can only be resolved by her insuring that she stays relevant and in control. She made sure after a while the mutation and reconfiguration will keep evolving by themselves. Unchecked evolution at an astronomical rate will ensure that the mutation goes beyond the body's capacity" Dr. Stone said
"what exactly is the implication?" GMN-3 asked,
"forget implication, what is the solution?" GMN-2 said
"the ultimate implication will be painful death with actual pain as for the solution, research or you ask her" Dr. Stone stated
Everyone was quiet. They were trying to assimilate what was just said. It was as if they couldn't comprehend what was just said.
"but…" GMN-3 began
"It is not just restricted to him. Soon all of you will suffer the same fate. She wanted to have your lives in her hands and she made sure she did" Dr. Stone said
Just then the others filed in. They were so engrossed in what they just heard that they didn't notice their arrival. The rest were surprised to see Dr. Stone still standing. The man was pale and looked stressed. They were more concerned about the other pale faces staring into space.
Dr. Stone felt threatened by the presence of the others. He quietly and stealthily moved back.
"what is going on here!?" GMN-6 asked. There was an underlying anger in her voice. She couldn't see this man without feeling like crushing his bones one by one so he could feel excruciating pain.
"he dying," GMN-2 said solemnly
"What!?" they all shouted simultaneously
"shut up! I'm not dying" GMN-4 said trying to stand but 3 stretched an arm in front of him preventing him from standing.
"how much time do we have?" GMN-3 asked Dr. Stone
"sorry we? I thought it was his thing" GMN-5 said confused
"not sure. From my estimations which I will advise you not to go by seeing as I do not have all the details, you still have a while or less" Dr. Stone
That was as precise as saying 'Rome is that way' without any direction. So far they have nothing to work with. He just stared into space thinking.
"I can only tell you a way you can buy more time," Dr. Stone said picking up the file again. They all looked at him. He had worked past his previous uneasiness. He knew a well-deserved death was coming his way, if not by them, by others, his daughter, wife, son, and even father. He had to do all he could. There would never be an atonement but he would try.
"You have to stop one. The two must not occur at the same time." Dr. Stone said
"what two?" GMN-7 asked
"they know or at least he knows," Dr. Stone said gesturing to the three that were with him before and finally GMN-3.