The Horrors of the Futuregraph part VII

Kami checked her wrist-navigator again. She pointed towards a main street. _____ was happy to be walking towards a well-lit and well-populated area. She could still smell the smoke from earlier and the smell of these back alleys was giving her a stomach ache.
         “This way, just past this building and we should be right on top of it.” They picked up their pace. The orphanage was in sight as they walked out in to the streets of the hive-city. The large stone staircase was a massive sight that led to the large building. It was a refreshing vision. Whatever was causing the Horrors, they had hoped to find their clues here.
         “Did Stephon say what he had left behind, exactly?” _____ asked, picking up her pace to walk alongside the Detective.
         “No, he had just sent me specific coordinates inside the building.” They were hoping that whatever they'd find would be the solution. Something was happening; with the explosions and the creatures appearing in the city, whatever was going on was getting much, much worse. It all focused on Anne's technology and the Futuregraph ©. _____ couldn't help but wonder what her aunt had hidden deep inside the old building. What terrible secret was she hiding, that she took to the grave?
         Her thoughts were interrupted by a gunshot. She nearly hit the ground. Her head whipped around to see Kami holding a pistol in one hand.
         “Sorry--” she said, as she checked her weapon. _____ followed where she was aiming. In the distance, she saw a smoldering pile of embers. She may have knocked it back with her gunshot, but it was starting to move again. The child was re-building itself.
         “Well, that answers that question. We need to get out of the streets, now.” Javid took the lead and together they climbed the stairs to the orphanage. Javid hoped that whatever Stephon had left behind made damn good sense. He wasn't sure they'd have very much time to investigate.
         They were halfway up the stairs when _____ stopped. She held her hand up to her eyes to block out the early morning simulated-sun.
         “Hey—-I think that's Kitsune and her son.” _____ looked at Javid who followed her line of sight. When the Detective nodded, he looked at Kami.
         “She was with Stephon. Want to go and--” Kami was bounding down the stone steps before Javid could finish his sentence.
         _____ and the Detective entered the doors to the orphanage alone.
#
         Javid pushed against the wooden doors to the orphanage. They were slightly ajar. _____ stepped up beside him. They listened, but heard only the sound of distant sirens in the distance. Javid opened the door and stepped inside. He checked the coordinates that Stephon had sent over. Whatever Kitsune and Stephon had left behind, it wasn't too far in to the building.
         An elderly woman approached them, escorting three crying children. She looked up and made eye contact with _____. She looked sadly at the children.
         “Anne said you would come. I had hoped the day would never arrive.” The woman walked out the front doors with the children in tow. Javid could only shrug. He checked his coordinates again.
         “It should be down this hallway, on the right.” They walked through the building. It appeared to be under construction. They avoided painter's tape and construction material. No one was working, the entire building appeared to be evacuated. It was silent. Javid led the way, moving down the hallway.
He turned in to a small room on the right. It appeared to be the orphanage's library.
         The room smelled like old books. It was a comforting smell that reminded _____ of her mother and aunt. They were both collectors of old books. Javid walked down a line of books and knelt down.
         “It should be close by.” _____ looked around. She ran her fingers along the bindings of the books, looking for anything that would stand out.
         The world shifted to a shade of gray. She watched at Anne and the same older woman from before walked casually along the rows of books. Her aunt approached the same book shelf and knelt down. She was holding a bookmark in her hand. She pulled out a book and flipped through the pages. She took a pen and notated the page, then placed the bookmark there, and re-shelved the book.
         The older woman appeared to be angry and Anne returned the pen to her. The two exited the library, appearing to be arguing. _____ couldn't hear anything. She braced herself as the world came crashing back. She was kneeling down next to Javid and had a book in her hands. She looked at the front cover. It was a book written by _____ Sidane, Anne's sister and _____'s mother. It was from a vanity-press, a poor copy but one that Anne had made possible during college for her sister.
         _____ frowned. Her mother had written a handful of books, but was never recognized on the same scale as her aunt. When her mother had become sick and eventually passed away, even her books had been forgotten. _____ had always regretted not being more supportive. Now, her mother's book stared back at her.
         It was a mystery novel. Inside the front page, _____ knew the dedication would be to her daughter, and her sister, whom she loved dearly. Her mother had passed away just a year after publishing the book. _____ opened it to the bookmark.
         “What's in the book?” Javid asked.
         “This wasn't left by Kitsune. This was left by Anne. We need to keep looking, I think the two go together.”
         Javid looked around until he found a book that stuck out from the shelf. He reached back with a grunt and pulled back.
         “I found it. And some spiders.” _____ made a disgusted sound, but Javid held out his hand. He held a polished silver skeleton key. _____ opened the book again to the bookmark. Kitsune had left the key, and Anne had given them directions.
         “The note is from Anne, it has a list of coordinates. Can you follow these?” She handed the book to Javid. He studied the hastily written numbers and entered them in to his data-pad.
         “Yes. It's on this floor, towards the center of the building.” They exited the library and moved towards the coordinates. They were getting closer to unraveling whatever mystery Anne had caught them in. 
#
                   “We needed a location, not a goddamn key. This is useless.” The man's voice could not mask his irritation.
         “Calm yourself, X01.” The blonde woman leaned back in her chair. Her cool gray eyes looked up at the man who stood in front of her desk. They were far beneath the ground, in a room just outside the prison they had recently kept Kitsune and her meddling F.E.U. partner.
         “Mistress X09—-we have spent years searching for the exact information that Kitsune had. She was supposed to provide us with a location. I have spent months decrypting the information from Anne's research notes; Anne was very thorough. The target has a very specific location. This key does not give us the information we need, in fact, it only raises more questions.”
         “Anne Sidane is dead. Do not speak of her any longer.” The Mistresses' response was harsh like a whip. X01 did not push the subject further. He bowed his head in response to her anger.
         “Please, then. Tell me how this key is relevant, and why we didn't kill Kitsune on the spot for delivering it.” The man turned and paced the large office. The walls were cold stone, window-less because of the depth, with simulated sunlight in false windows. It was mid-morning in the hive-city but the windows were overcast.
         “We are not murdering heathens, X01. Those people committed no crimes beyond succumbing to Anne's lies and the crutch of technology. They will be punished for their deeds soon enough.”
         The man shook his head. X01 did not like the thought of loose-ends running rampant in the hive-city. Too many secrets, too much liability. Still, he had no authority to challenge his Mistress.
         “You forget just exactly how cunning Anne Sidane was. She was a scientist, but she was also a world-class computer programmer. This is no ordinary key. This has the coordinates we need. They are just hidden in the object itself.”
         X01 stopped pacing. He was nearly seven-feet tall and wore the same slate-gray as Mistress X09. It was form fitting with built-in bullet-proof vests and other metal-fabric replacements. It was completely natural without any form of data-receivers or cybernetics. There were no logos and no distinguishing marks on the uniforms at all. Nothing to distinguish X01 from his superior officer, Mistress X09.
         “And once we have the location? With Anne dead, we have no way of accessing the machine.” X01's dark brows pulled to a deep frown. His thick jaw tightened as he thought aloud. Mistress X09 sat up in her chair. She reached in to her desk drawer and pulled out a folder. She flipped through the papers, found what she was looking for, and laid it on the table.
         “Anne took her very flesh-and-blood and created a weapon. That weapon will be drawn to the location, and when she finds it, we will find her. Then, we can activate the machine, using this key instead of the one Anne meant to use. Not all of Anne's experiments were as.. innocent, as she wanted everyone to believe.”
         “The woman, she was able to destroy the creatures that manifested after Anne's death. How do we know she can't stop the rest?”
         X09 arched an eyebrow.
         “She can't stop them all.”
         X09 nodded. The Mistress stood from her chair.
         “They will be approaching the location soon. We'll want to make sure we know exactly where they are going inside the building. Anne's research indicated that, if the location was left unattended to, the Horrors would start to appear. We'll need to use the serum to make it to the location undetected.”
         X01 swept from the office followed by X09. They walked through the empty hallways. The rest of the organization was mobilizing, getting ready to descend as soon as the coordinates were determined. The prison below the hive-city was just one of the old bases used to coordinate the Identity Theft War. The organization had been effectively sleeping ever since; they were laying in wait for the opportunity that would allow them to return the world to a state of normalcy.
         The assassination of Anne Sidane had been the first step of many down their path to freedom. The organization used no hampering technology aside from what was absolutely necessary. Their vehicle-pods were cloaked with the same grade as military vehicles. Their communications were masked and encoded; their location an absolute secret. The lack of technology, however, hindered them for certain tasks.
         To find Anne's research notes, they had to resort to more – brute tactics. Kidnapping Kitsune's son had given them the leverage they needed to make Anne's death possible. They had no intention of killing Jin or Kitsune. The events they would release, using Anne's very own technology, would kill enough people. They wanted to give them at least a fighting chance. It would be a short and blood fight, but it was still more of a chance than most would get.
         The rooms below the surface were barricaded and reinforced. The organization was planning on surviving here until the terror above ground would subside. They had been planning the breach of Anne's technology since she thwarted their first attempt to destroy humanity's co-dependence on technology.
         Futuregraph © was not the only organization with access to bio-chemical treatment and immortality treatments. They had waited a very, very long time to extract their revenge. They were a patient organization as a whole. Each one passionately dedicated to their mission; each one patiently waiting to strike when the signal was given. Mistress X09 was planning on giving that exact signal as soon as the location was deciphered.
#
         The creature stood over Stephon now. Flakes of ash fell from it's arms and sides. The fire appeared to be dying down now that the creature was full of glass. The bodyguard watched as the creature seemed to pull the blood from his shoulder into itself. The more blood he lost, the darker the creature became. He was starting to get dizzy.
         The creature shot out another tendril of glass and cut straight in to Stephon's shoulder. He growled in pain. He knew if he stood still, this creature was going to cut him to shreds. He tried to roll against his bleeding shoulder to rip away from the creature, but it's grip was just too strong.
         A loud ringing sound filled the air, the another, until Stephon recognized it as gunfire. He watched as two large holes were blown through the creature's chest. It stumbled backwards with a child's howl of pain. It released it's grip on Stephon's leg as it recoiled in pain. He was able to push himself backwards.
         A hand gripped his shirt and started to pull him up. He looked over and was surprised to see Kami, covered in blood and ash. He steadied himself and stood up quickly. She fired another round at the creature and started to run the opposite direction.
         “It won't keep that thing down for long, come on!” Stephon tried to ignore the pain and ran after her. His legs and arms were aching from deep gashes. He would need some form of medical attention to stop the bleeding. He was lucky to have Kami around.
#
         _____ ran walked quickly and tried not to stumble on the damp stairs. The skeleton key that Kitsune had left did not open the door to the staircase; it had been activated by _____'s Identity badge. She had no idea how old the stone stairs were. The stairwell smelt like dirt and mold, but she was moving so quickly she hardly noticed. She stopped to catch her breath and put her hand against the wall. She felt damp moss beneath her fingertips and recoiled. She continued at a slower pace. She heard Javid moving behind her.
         “It's down here!” She yelled back. She could see a faint glowing light at the end of the staircase. She slowed to a walk, taking each step at a time. Her heart was beginning to pound. Her stitches were aching; her skin felt like it was burning beneath her shirt. She rubbed her shoulder and pulled her hand away when she felt dampness.
         She didn't want to look at her hand. Somehow, she knew she was bleeding. She stumbled down the last stair and fell to one knee. The hard stone floor struck her knee and she cried out. Javid was right behind her and pulled her to her feet. She brushed off her pants angrily and continued forward. At the end of a short hallway was a door.
         She approached the doorway. There was no handle, no keyhole of any kind. A sensor scanned her Identity Badge. The heavy barricaded door slid open. ____ expected dust and grime, but the door slid open without any complications.
         _____ stopped outside the door. She felt wetness slide down her left arm. She turned to Javid. She started to feel light-headed. She closed her eyes for a moment. She knew what was inside the room. She knew something terrible was waiting for them.
         She walked through first. The room was lit with light blue light. In the middle of the room sat the same machine as in her visions. It was rumbling now, shaking against the floor. Tubes full of red liquid were moving from the vibrations of the machine. _____ was no expert, but by the steam and the way the equipment was rocking, it looked like it was overheating.
         “What is this..?” Javid asked, walking toward the machine. _____ knew it was not the right question.
         _____ stared at the machine. The room was starting to heat up. The rest of the room was empty except for the machine that seemed to be powering itself. The only other object was a large Futuregraph © that was blank, against the wall.
         “Are you able to recall the last image on this Futuregraph ©?” She asked, looking over the blank screen. Javid looked at the large image nervously.
         “It may take a few minutes, but I should be able to.”
         Javid moved around the Futuregraph © and pulled his data-pad. He had the software the F.E.U. Technicians used and connected the data-pad to the frame. He started to upload the software.
         A loud banging noise came from inside the machine. _____ stared wide-eyed at the machine. Javid nearly dropped his data-pad.
         _____ approached the machine. She remembered from her vision that a sealed window was near the middle of the machine. It was filled with bubbling clear-blue liquid. She walked up to the window and peered in. Her vision had stopped earlier and she never was able to look inside. She noticed at the base of the machine held a keyhole that matched the skeleton key.
         “I'm nearly finished. I should have the image restored here in a minute.” As he spoke, another loud knock came from inside the machine.
         “Do you think it's overheating?” She asked, peering through the liquid. She could see something in the liquid itself. It didn't look like any kind of coolant or fuel she had ever seen before.
         “Not sure-- there, the image is restoring now.” Javid stepped back and they watched as a faint outline appeared on the Futuregraph ©.
         This time, Javid did drop his data-pad. _____ thought she was going to be sick.
         “Is that..?” Javid's voice was barely a whisper.
_____ leaned against the moss covered wall and heaved her breakfast on the stone floor.
#
         “We need to get you patched up,” Kami grunted, holding Stephon with  his arm over her shoulder. Blood had soaked through his bullet-proof jacket and duster and was spreading to her clothing now. She noticed a trail of blood was running down his legs as well. The creature had cut him pretty badly.
         Stephon's jaw was tight from clenching his teeth against the pain. He gave her an agreeing nod and tried to put more weight on his leg. He sputtered a nasty curse and leaned back in to her. They were moving slow down the ramp of the parking garage. He held up his hand to try and stop their descent.
         He leaned against the cement wall and Kami was glad to give him a break. As he caught his breath, she was checking the ammunition in her gun and looking around the immediate area. She didn't see any sign of the creatures. Stephon wiped sweat from his brow. He reached towards his ripped duster sleeve and tugged at it.
         Kami watched his struggle for a moment with a sad smile, then walked over. She tore the jacket sleeve off and used her knife to cut it in to strips. Stephon sighed. He watched helplessly as his jacket was transformed by skillful hands in to bandages. She moved wordlessly around him and tried to tie off wounds where she could. She used her knife without asking to dig out the larger bits of glass.
         “Alright, woman – I'm a man, not a pin cushion. Enough is enough.” He shook his head and pulled away from her. Kami gave him a smile.
         “..Thank you.” He added, checking her work.  The studied him for a moment, found that most of his chest and ribs were unscathed, and wrapped her arms around him. Stephon coughed, covering up a surprised sound, and looked down at the woman giving him a hug. He moved his arms gingerly to encircle her small back. Before he could get too comfortable, Kami moved away. She brushed dark hair from her eyes and shot him a teasing smile.
         “Where is Kitsune?” He regretted asking about another woman first, but it was too late. If Kami had noticed, she showed no outward signs. He had always appreciated that; she was a woman who was not prone to jealousy.
         “I found her and Jin outside the parking garage. Once I heard the explosion, I sent them running towards a building, and I came after you.”
         Stephon pushed himself away from the wall. He put his full weight on his new wrapped ankles. The cuts were deep and ached, but he thought he could walk. He hoped he wasn't going to have to run anytime soon.
         “Do you hear that?” Kami asked. Stephon strained to hear but couldn't make out anything unusual.
         “Walk this way...” She started moving slowly down the parking garage ramp. As they neared the exit, he did finally start to make out the sound.
         “A hovercraft?” He asked, and Kami nodded. Leave it to the pilot to hear an incoming vehicle. They crept down the ramp, pressed against the wall. They peeked around the corner of the cement building towards the sound. They couldn't see where the noise was coming from---but the wind that the vehicle used was blowing debris all around.
         “I think it's landing outside that building.” Stephon jabbed a finger towards the orphanage.
#
         Mistress X09 stepped from the hovercraft on to the sun-warmed pavement. X01 followed behind, jumping off the last step. His heavy form impacted the cement. He took in his surroundings. He could see smoke in the distance and the acidic stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils. The hovercraft engines powered down and the roar subsided.
         “They've found the machine.” The Mistress walked across the pavement with X09 trailing behind. Horrors crept from the alleyways and lined the streets. They shuffled towards the stone stairs of the orphanage but did not notice the hovercraft or the two figures that walked fearlessly through the crowd. X01 side-stepped a creature too late and it's slender, claw-like hands scraped against her uniform. She grunted and pulled away. The creature did not notice her. Blood soaked in to to her right leg.
         She ignored it and continued onward. They approached the stone stairs and started to walk. The creatures began to wail. X01 looked back over her shoulder. She counted twenty total, all child-like in shape and consisting of blood, glass and various parts salvaged from their surroundings. They seemed to be approaching the building with increased speed.
         “We need to get to the machine before the serum wears off.” X09 spoke as she started to climb the stairs. X09 carried a large satchel at his side. As his Mistress spoke, he opened the bag and double-checked their supplies. They had just enough serum to make a retreat from the building and make it to the hovercraft. Each small bottle was carefully wrapped. The vials glowed blue in the darkness of the bag.
#
         _____ wiped her sleeve across her mouth and tried to ignore the smell of vomit. She couldn't stop staring at the Futuregraph ©.
         “Is that—-you?” Javid was finally able to form the question. _____ felt sick but her stomach stayed calm this time.
         She recognized herself only by her face; the expression she had terrified her. She looked to be in pain. She was strapped to the same machine they stood next to. The only part of herself that was visible was her face through the thick glass window in the machine. Her mouth was open as though she was screaming.
         _____ looked toward the machine. Her gaze settled on the skeleton key hole that rested beneath the window. She stood up and walked towards it. Her footsteps were slow and deliberate. She took the skeleton key from her pocket and fumbled to turn it. She heard a metallic 'click' and the machine stopped rumbling. The machine emitted a large cloud of steam.
         The outline of a door appeared on the machine and it pushed outwards and swung open. All the clear-blue liquid sloshed out in to the room. It burst in to steam as it hit the base of the machine. Once the liquid had drained, Javid and _____ stared in to the machine.
         The body of a little girl was hooked in to the machine. Tubes ran, carrying red liquid to and from the child's chest. As they watched, the red liquid was injected with a dark color, turning the red to pitch black. The darkness crept through the tubing until all the plastic was contaminated. _____'s hand rose to touch her own stitches. The tubes were inserted in the same location as her own scars.
         The child opened her crystal-clear blue eyes. She was strapped to a chair that was far too large for her. She opened her mouth to draw breath. Her lungs rattled as she tried to draw in air.
         “Help.. me. Mommy's gone.” The child's voice was sweet. _____ looked at Javid. He shook his head. He had never seen the child before, but he could not deny that she had an uncanny resemblance to _____. _____ stepped towards the child.
         The little girl looked up and cocked her head to the side. She had the same mannerisms as the creatures outside of the orphanage. She gave _____ a small smile.
         “Mommy's gone, isn't she?” The child struggled to sit up but was held by her restraints. _____ could only nod, terrified.
         “Yes, she's gone, child.” Her voice sounded distant.
         _____ was studying the machine and following the tubes. The red liquid was nearly gone and the child appeared to be connected to it. The tubes ran from the child, through the machine, and connected to the Futuregraph © on the wall.
         “Was your mother's name Anne?” _____ asked. The child looked at her weakly and nodded.
         “Yes, but she's gone now. I've been so afraid. She stopped visiting. The nightmares came.” The girl's voice was starting to become rushed, more frantic.
         “Mommy always stopped the nightmares. She said she sent people to chase them away. Now, they won't stop. I can't stop them.” The child's head rolled to the side and she stared at the Futuregraph ©.          
         “Mommy said you would come. She said you'd stop the nightmares.” The little girl focused on _____.
         Her world spun out of control. She felt herself disembodied again. She was accompanied by the child. They were outside, standing on the staircase of the orphanage. They looked out over a burning city. Smoke rose to the skies and clouded the simulated-sunlight. The entire city was being plunged in to darkness as the technology began to fail.
         The child turned towards her.
         “We have to stop them.” She lifted a slender hand and pointed to a series of hovercrafts that were landing near the orphanage. They shimmered in the daylight; they were cloaked in military technology. She recognized the shimmer from Kami's vehicle.
         “What can do we?” She asked, watching as hundreds of men and women unloaded from concealed crafts. She could see their shapes shimmering in the daylight. Somehow, the people were obscured from normal vision. It was hard to focus on them. The creatures that crowded the streets outside the orphanage paid them no notice. The little girl took her hand.
         “I can stop them, but I need your help. Mommy said this day would come, when I could help save you. Save everyone.” The child placed _____'s hand over her heart. She felt the child's heart beating fast.
         “What do you mean, save everyone? What's going to happen?” _____ was starting to panic. If those men and women were heading towards the orphanage,  they were guaranteed to be discovered any second.
         “If they find me, if they find mother's machine – they will destroy it. They will destroy me, and all the Futuregraphs © mommy worked so hard to make. She just wanted people to be happy.” The child looked out at the crowd moving towards them. The world shifted with a violent blur.
         They watched as a blonde woman closed the door on the machine and inserted a black key in to the keyhole. The little girl, who was leaning dead against the corner, sat up screaming. In a blinding flash, her flesh evaporated into ash. A Horror emerged from the remains of her body. The woman with the key stood, watching the Horror. The creature craned it's head around, ignored the woman, and ripped open the door outside.
         They followed the creature as it walked up the darkened stairs and through the orphanage. _____ walked past her own body, fallen next to Javid. They were torn apart from shards of glass. Blood pooled beneath them in the orphanage lobby. The creature walked outside and down the stairs. Everywhere, people from the hive-city were running in a panic, being run down by the Horrors.
         The sky was as dark as night. The simulated-sun had shorted out and darkness had fallen on the hive-city. _____ could hear screams and explosions in the distance. The Horrors were tearing the city apart, exploding glass and growing larger by the minute. It wouldn't be long before the entire city was destroyed. _____ looked to the child.
         “How do we stop this madness?”
         “I can help you. I can help all of you—-but you must also help me.” The world shifted one more time.
         Anne stood in the room with the machine. She was peering through the glass at the child who appeared to be sleeping. A man stood next to Anne in a white lab jacket. He was scanning the machine with a portable data-pad. _____ did not recognize the man.
         “Her vitals are fine. She accepted the immortality serum perfectly. She will survive in the machine, comfortably.” Anne put her hand on the window glass.
         “And the dream simulator? Was it installed properly?” The man nodded at Anne's question. He pointed to a small panel on the machine that blinked with a green light.
         “Yes, she will sleep and will dream. She will not be in pain. She will only awake when your presence is detected. You'll want to periodically check her vitals, but otherwise, her dreams should keep her occupied.”
         Anne checked the tubes running from the machine.
         “And if the machine is ever unlocked?” Anne ran her hand along the tubes, checking the connection at the frame of the Futuregraph ©.
         “Then the mortality serum will be applied. The child will die, and a replacement will have to be found. The machine will only accept the same blood type as the child. They will need to keep the machine running, or the Futuregraphs © will fail.”
         “What about the – failed key? It cannot be destroyed. What if the wrong key is used to open the machine?” Anne's voice was subdued.
         The Doctor shook his head.
         “Then God help us all, Anne Sidane. You do not know what you have created.”
         Anne gave a sad smile.
         “I know, Doctor. Believe me, I know. This child is paying the price, but so many will benefit. She will sleep here, dreaming. It's a life she otherwise would not have had.” Her hand still rested against the glass. The Doctor watched her curiously.
         “It's true, then? The child was synthesized? Your creation?”
         “My greatest failure. Yes, I created her. An attempt at human life, but it was no life at all. She was in so much pain. When I stumbled upon the company, I was spending all my time trying to keep her alive. I discovered that, through her delirium, she was able to predict the future.. Can you believe it? This little angel, a miracle of science, a sick and dying child. She would become the greatest contribution I'll ever make to the world. I had no choice but to preserve her any way that I could, Doctor.”
         The Doctor stayed silent. Anne turned to face _____ and the child. It was as though she knew they could see.
         “I had no other choice. The Futuregraph © would make dreams come true. It would revolutionize the world, it would give people hope. I couldn't just watch my daughter die, not when she had the potential to give the world such a great gift.” Anne's voice faded. The Doctor turned towards her.
         “It's time to go, Anne. You can come back and visit in a few days. Let her sleep.” Anne nodded and left with the man, locking the door as she left.
         The child turned and looked at _____.
         “I can help. I can send the monsters to stop the people who are approaching. But, there is no time. Mommy said if this happened, you would have to end my dreaming. It's the only way.”
         She was staring at the child, mesmerized by her blue eyes.
         “_____, what is it?” Javid's voice sound concerned.
         “We have to kill her.” _____ closed her eyes.
         “What? That's crazy—-she's a living person!” Javid's voice was angry. The child turned to look at him. His eyes clouded. _____ realized he must have been seeing the same memories.
         “You must do it now. They are moving too fast. Soon, it will be too late.” _____'s hand shook.
         “How am I supposed to..?” She looked at Javid. His gun was holstered at his hip. The child shook her head.
         “Mommy said all you had to do was hug me goodnight. It would stop the dreaming.” _____ stumbled towards the child. She stepped through the doorway of the machine and unstrapped the child's arms and legs. She picked the child up and carried her out in to the room. In the dark corners of the room, she found a small cot that was inches deep in the fluid from the machine. She laid the child down and rested her head on the pillows. This must have been where Anne slept, she thought, making the child comfortable.
         “Sweet dreams, child.” She leaned forward and gave the child a hug. A blinding flash of light filled the room. _____ knew her software had responded to the girl just like it had to the Horrors.
         Javid stumbled back. His hand went to his head as through recovering from a headache. _____ saw her chance. While Javid was staggered, she rushed towards him. He looked up with surprise. She slammed in to his chest and knocked him backwards through the doorway. The door responded to her Identity Badge and closed shut. She heard the door lock.
#
         The Mistress and X09 stopped near the top of the stairs. They watched as their camouflage flickered and failed. The one technology they were relying on to take them safely to the orphanage had just malfunctioned. The Horrors turned their heads sharply and started to move closer.
         “X01, draw your weapon.” The man nodded and drew his gun from his holster. The Horrors piled in. Gunshots lit up the air as he fired at the rapidly approaching Horrors. They simply did not have enough bullets. The children wailed, screaming for their mothers. With long, clawed fingers, they tore in to the terrified man and woman.
#
         Kami, Stephon and Kitsune watched from their hiding place in an abandoned office building. Jin was asleep, curled in an office chair. They were all thankful for the few moments of silence.
         “Wait, something's happening..” Kami was peering out the window. She was staring out the window and pointed. They watched as two figures shimmered and appeared in the middle of the crowd of Horrors.
         “I'm certain that was not their plan.” Stephon cringed. He watched as the Horrors turned slowly and directed their full attention to the two unfortunate fools who were trying to creep past them. Kitsune pointed past the commotion.
         “Look, there are more. Hundreds of people. They were searching for Anne's machine.” They watched as men and women walked towards the orphanage, only to be turned on by the children.
         “Now might be our only chance to get in to the orphanage and save them.” Stephon said. They watched the Horrors direct all their attention towards the group of people that had been approaching the building. Now, they ran in terror. Whatever had been protecting them before had malfunctioned and made them an easy target.
         “You're not going anywhere. You can hardly run, and we don't have time to try and outrun those things.” Kami's voice was harsh. She could still hear hovercrafts in the distance.
         “I think our best chance is to get to one of the hovercrafts. It may be the only safe way out of this city right now.”
         The group was silent for a long moment.
         “You take Kitsune and Jin, and get me a hovercraft. I'll go after your fool Detective and _____. I'll meet you there.” Kami put her hands on her hips. There was no arguing with her. Stephon grinned.
         “I'm not sure how helpful I'll be, but as long as we can sneak past them, we should be fine.” Stephon was not looking forward to trying to fight the Horrors off.
         “Let's get started.”
#
         Javid stood slowly, rubbing his head. He looked at _____ through the thick glass of the doorway. Without a handle, it would not open. It did not respond to his Identification Badge.
         “I understand now. Javid, it was always meant for me. The machine can't stay empty.”
         _____'s voice was muffled through the door.
         “The Horrors, the child controlled the Horrors, she kept them in check. When Anne died, she must have been so alone, so afraid..” She spoke through the door.
         “You don't have to do this, we can find another way.” He was pressed against the door. _____ shook her head. Tears fell down her cheek.
         “No. There is no other way. Anne made sure of that. I'm the only one that the machine will accept. It has to be my blood.”
         Javid's fist hit the door.
         “Damn it, _____. What am I supposed to do?” He leaned his forehead against the cold metal door and closed his eyes.
         “I need you to protect me.” Her voice was shaking.
         “I won't die in this machine. I've been treated with the immortality serum. Anne was preparing me to take this girl's place. If this machine is destroyed, the Horrors will come out of every single Futuregraph ©. Think about it, Javid. Everyone will die.”
         Javid looked up. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes. He nodded.
         “I need you to go. Get out of the hive-city until the Horrors die out. They won't last long now that she's gone...” She looked over her shoulder to the where the child's body lay silent. She looked peaceful. She could have been sleeping.
         “I'll come back for you. We'll find a way. This isn't—-this isn't natural. No technology should be fueled by human life. Anne had no right to make that decision.” His voice was angry. _____ closed her eyes.
         “Go, Javid. Please.”
#
         Javid's vision blurred as he stumbled up the stairs of the orphanage. He put out his hand to stable himself. He was determined not to look back. He walked through the orphanage, watching carefully for any Horrors. Outside, he heard screams and the sound of distant hovercrafts.
         The vision the child had shown him was a brief glimpse of hope. He knew the Horrors were attacking the group that sought to control them. The child has shown _____ in the machine; he knew that, for the briefest of moments, she would be in control of the Horrors. They would not attack him or the others. No one that _____ recognized would be harmed until she was fully integrated with the machine and fell asleep.
         She would dream, just like the child, until he set her free. He promised himself he'd find a way. Javid walked down the stone steps of the orphanage. He had to find a way to escape the hive-city.
         “Javid!” He heard Kami's voice come from down below. She was perched on a derelict fire escape, waving down at him. He turned to look at her and caught the attention of a Horror. The child bounded up the staircase towards him. He braced himself for impact.
         The child stopped short. It turned it's head slightly as if to study him.
         “I.. won't let them hurt.. you.” The child's voice was a little girl. She lifted her hand and pointed a featureless hand towards Kami on the fire escape.
         “They won't follow.. you. Hurry. I can't control them for long.” Javid nodded. He heard _____'s voice through the child.
         “Kami, get down here. We have to find a way out of here.” Kami lowered herself down from the fire escape. She dropped roughly on the cement below and ran towards him. She still took a wide path around the Horrors but none pursued.
         She met Javid halfway down the stairs, breathless.
         “I came to find you and _____. Stephon, Kitsune and Jin are waiting for us at the hovercraft. It's the only safe way out of the city.” She gulped for air.
         “We have a brief window - _____ is keeping the Horrors at bay. We can't waste our opportunity.” Kami nodded without asking any more questions. Together, they moved quickly along the edge of the Horrors. They kept their eyes to the ground and tried to avoid witnessing the carnage of the Horrors attacking the men and women who had unwittingly became their targets.
#
         _____ shook as she lowered herself in to the cool metal chair. The leg and arm restraints were too small for her own limbs. She lay back in the chair and closed her eyes. The machine detected her Identity Badge and the door began to close.
         Pale blue liquid began to fill the interior of the machine. _____ reached a hand out to touch the surface. It was surprisingly warm. She pulled her hand back and waited. The inside of the machine darkened and all she could hear as the sound of running water. Her heart began to pound in her chest.
         Unlike the child, she had no scientists, no Anne to help her understand how the machine worked. She knew certain cables should have been connected, but the water was filling up faster than she could understand the machine. At this rate, she'd drown in the machine instead of taking the place of the child!
         She panicked. The water was rising faster. Blood dripped down her arm and splashed in to the rising water. She lay back in the chair and closed her eyes. The straps from the machine loosened and wrapped around her arms and legs, securing her beneath the water. The clear-blue liquid crept higher and she took a deep breath just as the water covered her mouth.
         The straps tightened. She watched the tubes in the machine start to relocate and snake towards her. Her eyes went wide as a tube slammed in to her chest. She saw another burst of blood mix with the water; her chest began to burn. She gasped for air against her will – and breathed. She looked around, head jerking from side to side. She took another breath. The water entered her lungs but didn't burn. She exhaled.
         She relaxed in to the chair. Whatever the liquid was, she was able to breathe it. Or, she couldn't breathe it, but couldn't die. She didn't want to think about it. As she closed her eyes, her retinal scanner flashed a message across her vision.
         'Welcome, X99. Beginning dream sequence now.'