Escape from Metal
Chapter 27: Twenty-three-of-a-kind

Two hours later, several kilometers from the spire.

Jake exhaled deeply and watched as his breath escaped his lips, transforming into a cloud of vapour that danced in the crisp, freezing air. Slowly making its way up into the sky but fading away just as quickly as it had appeared.

Almost as if it was trying to follow the short-range transport that had just dropped them off several kilometers from the spire. They couldn’t drop them off right next to the spire it was still fairly unstable and any major disturbances like the engines might trigger an avalanche of parts of the structure to fall off.

Jake and Gwen had left almost immediately after the meeting at the holo. Deciding to not waste any time they set out to see if they could find the machine they were looking for. They were wearing body suits that kept in most of the heat their bodies produced but they wouldn’t be viable if they took too long.

Before the rebellion and the collapse of the planet. Machines used the billions of people they had taken for menial tasks mostly, but the people would grow older and die after some time. So, the machines came up with a solution.

The machines would take the genetic profiles of the people copy them, create new identical bodies for them. Finally, they would take peoples consciousness and transfer them into these new bodies. Stretching the usefulness of people out indefinitely.

As time went on the needs of the machines changed and so did the roles of their slaves need to change with them. The problem the machines encountered was that people were usually specialized in certain areas and couldn’t change fast enough for them. They took the consciousness of those they needed and transplanted it onto someone else instead of making a new body. Suppressing whoever’s consciousness was in that body. If they needed that suppressed consciousness, they would just play musical chairs and pull out the ones they needed.

“Hey, Gwen you ever wonder why the machines just didn’t make new people you know from scratch?”

“I’ve never really thought about it that much. I just assumed psychopathic machine does what psychopathic machine does.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s a fair assessment.” Jake said.

Gwen sensed that the conversation was running dry. It was something she had been meaning on working for a while now. Actually, talking with people and caring about what they said. Since the machines and her not feeling any emotion, she didn’t particularly care to talk beyond what was necessary.

“But… I guess it’s something to think about. What was your theory on why they couldn’t.”

Jake seemed surprised for a second to get such a response from her.

“I’m not 100% sure but probably because eventually if they made enough people assuming they were like us. We could probably overthrow them, not like we did were lucky that worked at all from what I hear. I wonder if the machines really understand what they are doing. Enslaving us for so long, perhaps we were just a set of numbers to them.”

Gwen didn’t answer. Jake looked over at her she seemed to be deep in thought.

“It’s not fair, is it?” Gwen asked.

“What isn’t fair?”

“I never did tell you why I am the way I am did I… I was in the machines research division to make us last longer, so they didn’t have to replace our bodies so often and to make us more subservient. Guess what they came up with was cybernetic bodies.”

“I’m sorry that’s…”

“That’s not my point my point is my entire lifeeveryone has been trying to make me the number while you were just a number. It’s not fair, is it?”

“Wow.” Jake said.

“Wow what?”

“That’s probably the most human thing I have ever heard you say.”

“Just because my bodies mostly circuits and metal doesn’t mean I can’t say something human like.”

“Sorry it’s just I thought you didn’t care about people. You never seem to show any emotion towards anyone.”

“It’s complicated.”

A silence fell between them. Jake didn’t know what to say and well Gwen never knew what to say she was surprised she could keep up with the conversation this long.

They kept walking like this for a couple minutes.

“I think it’s fair.” Jake said as he broke the silence.

“You think its fair. Really?”

“I might just have been a number my entire life but it’s the small numbers that keep the big machines going every day and it’s made me a lot stronger than I thought I could be. I think I’m ok being a number after all that’s what most people are, just numbers.”

Gwen remained silent for several moments.

“C’mon we have to hurry, before we run out of time.” Gwen said as she walked ahead of Jake.

Something seemed different about the planet as they walked towards the spire. The planet had always been dead even before the rebellion, it was just a giant chunk of metal. There was no grass no trees nothing organic. The cold however made the planet feel truly dead.

As a corpse cooled, stiffened and rotted away so had this planet begun too. Jake looked into the distance even the hue of the sky had started to get a light tint.

The giant spire now loomed over them as they came upon the entrance. It looked much the same compared to the last time Jake saw it except with less flames.

“You know I had a suspicion you would visit Sol before we left, why did you? Anything you want to tell me about that?”

“Nope.” Gwen said flatly.

In truth though he was right. She had gone to visit Sol. She felt like she had to get justice for what she had done.

*

After Akilina had interrogated Sol, she went back to the holo room to discuss their next plan of action.It didn’t take them too long to devise their plan but all the while something was bothering Gwen. She had not forgotten what had happened to her only friend, but she had certainly not tried to do anything about what had happened.

Gwen was not really paying attention in the meeting either. She was thinking of only one thing and one thing only. What had happened to Aisha and what she should do now.

As soon as the meeting had finished, she and Jake were supposed to be preparing for their mission to the spire.

“Hey Gwen, where are you going the armoury is this way?” Jake asked.

“Don’t worry about me I’ve just got something to do before we leave.”

“Alright meet you outside then I guess.”

Gwen started walking briskly towards the holding cells. Some people were staring at her as she walked past them. She guessed they weren’t used to Gwen looking at the floor. As insignificant as it might sound. She always looked straight ahead of her. Most people wouldn’t look at her with her empty gaze.

Not this time though they could sense something was off with her.

She finally reached the holding cells entrance, Dan still had two guards posted at the entrance. Two big men by the looks of it. They looked like they had seen some combat too by the way the carried themselves. There weren’t a lot of those types of survivors. Dan wasn’t taking any chances with Sol, he learnt from Gwen’s little incident when she woke up. Not to mention everyone thought that Sol was a homicidal maniac.

“Hold it right there robo girl.” One of the guards said as he stuck his hand out at her to signal her to stop.

“You are not authorised to go in there.”

“I just had a meeting with the heads of the base, they asked me to get something from the prisoner.”

“Is that right? You wouldn’t mind giving us the code to get in then, would you?”

“The meeting was last minute they didn’t give me a code.”

“Sorry we can’t let you in then, strictly against regulations.”

Gwen didn’t have time for this, if she took too long Jake would come looking for her and she definitely did not want that. She didn’t mind Jake, but this was personal she had to deal with this herself.

“Look if you don’t believe me, you can go ask Dan.” Gwen said maintaining eye contact with them and keeping her posture unchanged.

“Sounds like a plan to me, I’ll contact him and ask him to come here.”

This was not going the way Gwen had planned. She could easily overpower them and break down the door, but Jake had sort of grown on her and he seemed to be trying his best to fit in. She didn’t want to ruin that for him. He went from a complete coward to somewhat less of a coward.

The guard pressed a button on his wrist. Gwen assumed he was calling Dan.

“While we wait robo girl, I’ve been wondering what’s with always having a stone face. Trying to intimidate us?”

“Gwen I’ve been waiting for you.” Jake said as he walked into the area.

Not good. With Jake here there’s no way she was going to pull this off. She needed this to work, she might have to resort to knocking them out after all.

“Yeah, sorry my detour is taking longer than expected.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, the guards won’t let me into the cell even though I told them Dan authorized me in the meeting we just had.” Gwen said.

Jake’s facial expression seemed to drop for just a split second, quickly returning. He stood there for a few seconds seeming to think.

“Yeah, that’s right, why are you guys giving her trouble anyway?”

The guards seemed to stiffen up and seemed ever so slightly nervous.

“Well, we were just following protocol. We didn’t know anything about the robo girl so…”

“Well fellas, you heard it straight from me she’s authorized. Let her in.”

“Well, uhm we can’t do that…”

Jakes posture changed. His shoulders loosened. His stance was more relaxed, and he had a slight smile on his face all be it ever so insidious.

“Yes, you can just open the door. You have heard of me haven’t you. The man that beat Akilina in two fights. You know her, right? The best fighter on the base. Look I understand your hesitance to believe her, I should know she nearly killed me, but you know what she has been doing since the rebellion? Trying over and over and over to save hundreds of lives. Possibly of people you knew, and do you know what stopped her?”

“No? That woman right inside of that room.” Jake said pointing to the holding cells. “Now if she wants to talk to the lady in there let her. Otherwise, you really can call Dan, instead of fake pressing a button on your wrist.”

The guards shared a nervous glance between each other and quickly opened the door.

“We are sorry we didn’t know.”

“That’s alright fellas it happens.” Jake said as he turned around to walk away but quickly swung back around.

“Oh, just by the way. Her name isn’t robo girl, it’s Gwen. It would do you well to remember that.” Jake said as he really walked off this time.

“I’ll be waiting outside Gwen.” Jake said as he waved still walking away.

That could have gone much worse for Gwen, Jake might be a coward most of the time but sometimes he had these rare moments of brilliance. This was a far better alternative than knocking them out and loudly hitting a reinforced door made out of whatever the machines built everything out of off its hinges.

“Hello again.” She said as she stood in front of Sol’s cell.

“I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get here.”

“I was not planning on originally doing this, but you did kill my only friend.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

“Just like your body was torn apart and put back together with metal and wires. So, I was also used by the machines. They made me forget every single mission ever single person I killed. My hatred was true, but I think the flame of it would have gone to nothing far quicker if I knew how many I killed. Still…that does not make your feelings for what happened invalid. You and a hundred others.”

Gwen didn’t say anything instead she turned off the shielding on the cell and walked into Sol’s cell. Gwen picked up Sol by her collar and looked straight into her eyes without so little as blinking.

“I have no feelings to make me feel invalid nor do I care to have feelings to make me feel valid. All I care about is getting what was taken from her. Do not think I came here to kill you, you’re prolonged suffering will be far more to bare than quickly dying.”

Gwen said as she stuck her hand into Sol’s coat pocket and snatched the patch Sol stole from Aisha.

Gwen then threw her against the holding cells wall and walked off.

“We will not meet.” Gwen said as she engaged the shielding on the cell again.

*

“I don’t particularly want to talk about what happened with Sol and me, but I am curious why did you help me with those guards. I didn’t have authorization or codes, but you helped me anyway. I don’t think I have ever seen you act that confident before either.” Gwen said.

“Well, I thought it was only fair that I help you, you saved my life. I saved your dignity sounds like a fair trade to me.”

Jake sounded like he wanted to say more but he stopped talking and his joking face suddenly turned serious.

“After all it’s become a running theme of everyone saving me, I only wish I could repay you somehow. As for me being so confident it may have looked like it outwardly, but my heart was racing on the inside and I was trying my best not to break into a sweat. After I left and rounded the corridor’s corner, I felt like I was going to pass out.”

“You are a strange one Jake but… thanks I appreciate it.”

“This is it, the place where it all started for me and where you rescued me. I guess we should go inside now.”

Gwen nodded in agreement.

Jake told Gwen of the rough layout he could remember of the building. He did warn her that it might not be as accurate as she might have hoped considering he was being chased by a death machine and not exactly paying attention to anything around him.

What he did remember however was there was a gaping hole in the floor where he had escaped from. They decided to use a different entrance to avoid that obstacle, albeit much smaller and with more obstacles in the corridors.

The Spire was looking worse for wear. There were no fires this time, but it had definitely taken its toll on the building. It had an almost devouring rustic metallic echo as they walked inside of it. Tempting it to collapse in on itself at any moment.

Jake and Gwen continued walking through the spire for several more minutes. Ducking under hanging bits of the ceiling and hopping over rubble on the floor. Occasionally having to crawl through tight spaces where the corridors had almost completely collapsed.

At one point a piece of the roof sheared off of the main structure and fell behind them.

Jake got chills and stood still for a moment.

“What is it?” Gwen asked.

“Nothing.” Jake said, truthfully though he had gotten a flashback to the moment he saw the hunter chasing him for the first time. Taunting them as its blades hit the side of the walls. It would be a sight he would never forget. The sparks flying in the dark, the near silent steps it took and most of all its one red eye.

“Hey, I think I found a room that is still intact.” Gwen said as she poked her head out of the room she found.

Jake quickly followed her inside, but he recognized the room as soon as he entered it.

“I remember this room. I was here before, this is where I woke up. For the longest time I couldn’t remember anything before this point. I am not sure if it’s worse not knowing what happened or knowing the hell I was put through.”

“Looks like storage cells. They suspended us in these pods with water in them before they transferred our consciousnesses. That could explain why even months after the rebellion happened you didn’t know anything that had occurred. You were probably in this pod till something broke it or it malfunctioned.”

“That would explain it but not why everything looked like it had only been burning for a couple hours.” Jake said.

“In all likelihood a gang or group of survivors were fighting about something. It happened a lot in the early months after the rebellion.”

“If this room is here that means the consciousness transfer device should be nearby.” Gwen said.

“Isn’t that what we need for your sister?” Jake asked.

“No, the consciousness transfer device is much smaller than the extractor. The transfer device in laymen’s terms only needs to transfer data, which for the machines is relatively easy. The extractor however needs to extract only certain bits of data and put them into new bodies according to their consciousness profile. I just hope it’s still functional.”

“I… I think I saw the transfer device next door last time I was here but there was a bunch of skeletons there.”

“Probably people in the process of getting their consciousness transferred when we rebelled. Can’t exactly escape or rebel when you are not in a body.” Gwen said walking towards the corridor.

Jake took one last look at the room. It seemed the fire had spread to this room after he had escaped. All the corpses that were laying there had been charred. A question popped into his mind, back then he was unsure if he was a monster that killed everyone. Now that he knows what really happened is he the monster, he was in war worse or the one he thought he might be?

“Looks like you were right the transfer device is here. Which means that more than likely the extractor is here too probably under this one on the floor below.’

“We should radio for them to drop your sister off.”

“No not yet, even if there is one here, we don’t know if it works.”

Jake and Gwen spent the next while looking for a way down into the lower floor. The elevator that used to provide an easy way up and down the towering spires were long out of working condition and the machines never built any stairs in their buildings either.

They searched for a quite some time but couldn’t find a way down.

“Wait, why don’t we use the collapsed floor at the main entrance to get down?” Jake asked.

So that’s exactly what they did Jake and Gwen headed for the hole as quickly as they could. When Jake got there, he was not too sure of his suggestion considering they were jumping down a collapsed corridor. The pieces laying down there were like jagged knives ready to slice and dice them. Luckily Gwen still had one of her arrows with rope attached to it. They used that to descend to the floor below them.

There was not much on this floor except for the deteriorating spire. The crumbling roof and the floor caving in on itself. Except for one door. One big door. It was probably twice the size of a man and twice as wide.

Jake and Gwen slowly opened the door hoping for what they were looking for on the other side. Jake unconsciously held his breath as they did so.

“As expected.” Gwen said. “They always keep the transfer device and the extractor close to each other.”

The room was as big as three rooms stacked on top of each other and didn’t have that same tasteless chrome the rest of everything had to it but seemed to have more of a traditional steel colour but the cleaner kind you would see at an important executive’s office.

The extractor device itself took up most of the centre of the room. An unknown piece of machinery taking up most of the length of the centre of the room with a single pod in its middle, roughly the size of a person. 24 pods surrounded the machine, each had a small container on its side containing some sort of black fluid. These 24 pods weren’t attached to the central machine directly but rather by cables.

Gwen walked over to the console on the outer edge of the room. Tapping a few buttons. The whole room lit up as the still functional lights turned on. More tapping.

“Seems we are in luck, there’s enough charge left in its emergency batteries for one cycle. Assuming everything else works we should be fine. Now you can tell Dan to bring my sister.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him how to get into this place too.”

Jake contacted Dan on the wrist communication device he was given. Explaining that they had found the required extractor device and they could transport Gwen’s sister over. He did perhaps ask that they make sure she would be properly secured.

Dan seemed not very focused on what Jake was saying even though it was essential for their getting off the planet. When Jake asked why Dan said.

“We have detected multiple machine carriers heading straight for the base. We’ll send the sister over, but we can’t survive an onslaught like that. Those of us who manage to survive will meet you at the slavers camp.”

Before Jake could saying anything else the transmission cut out.

Jake and Gwen waited a little over a half an hour before the sister arrived and she was secured in the pod. It was quite horrific for Jake to see someone switch between so many people and so vastly different so frequently. Akilina also decided to join them despite the imminent attack on the base. She said something about this being a key to escaping the planet and that she would not stay on this place any longer than necessary.

The first stage of the procedure was for the extractor device to analyse Gwen’s sister’s condition. If a person had more than 24 consciousness within them the device would not be able to help them. As was evident by the number of pods around it.

After a few minutes the machine spat out its results.

23 consciousness detected.

Extraction possible.

“This is good, means we can get off this place.” Akilina said.

Gwen without saying a word initialized the procedure.

Four circuit breakers would first have to activate and connect in a space below them for the transfer device to be able to use the emergency batteries. As it started connecting the first breaker the door burst open.

Several advanced hunters were staring right at them.

Akilina fired a charged shot without hesitation. The advanced hunter she aimed at dodged her shot swiftly and all the hunters charged at them.

“Keep Gwen safe.” Akilina yelled at Jake. “We need her to operate that console.”

Gwen unhooked her bow from her back, quickly notched an arrow and fired at the floor in front of the nearest hunter. Thinking she missed the hunter paid no mind to the arrow but a few seconds later an electric discharge stunned the nearby hunters.

“We are stronger if we attack together.” Gwen said.

“Right.” Jake said as he took aim at one of the stunned hunters, firing a fully charged shot from his coilgun. Scoring a direct hit on the hunter but it shrugged it off and continued trying to impale them.

“What, how is that possible? That shot should have fried it.” Jake exclaimed.

“It seems they have adapted.” Akilina said as she dodged a swing from one of the hunters.

“The second breaker just connected. There seems to be a problem the third one is not going far enough it can’t connect. We need all the breakers.” Gwen said.

Jake quickly ran towards what was probably the only ladder in the building. “I got it, keep them busy.”

Under the transfer machine was mostly an electrical. Room four giant breakers were in each of the corners of the room. They looked much like giant pistons but were as flat as an anvil at the end. The third one that was giving an error message seemed to be jammed. It had almost connected completely but stopped partway.

“Gwen.” Jake said over his communicator. “Override the system and bypass the third breaker connection, on my signal activate the extractor device.”

“But the third…”

“Gwen, you have to trust me here.”

“Alright just give the word.”

Jake turned around to see a red eye peering down the ladder. One of the hunters must have noticed that Jake had gone down the ladder. It was too big to fit down it normally and was trying to figure out how it would get down there.

“Crap not again.” Jake said as he ran towards the jammed breaker.

“Gwen if you can hear me. I don’t think… I’ll make it out of this one.” Jake said as he stuck his coilgun between the breakers two ends, it fit perfectly just connecting the two.

“I have to tell you Gwen. I’m sorry I lied. I didn’t forgive you. I don’t know if I ever can. I couldn’t not after the war, and I think I… I love you.” Jake said as the words croaked out of his mouth. “Take care of your sister and live.”

Gwen was still ducking and dodging the hunters trying to keep them away from the console. She was listening to Jake but only for when he would give the signal. That’s when she heard it, really heard it. ‘I love you.’ Gwen was caught off guard and the hunter in front of her sensed it. It quickly tried to pin her against the console by knocking her back.

Just as she hit the console. She heard Jake say.

“Do it. Goodbye Gwen.”

That’s when she heard the sound of the emergency batteries charging the transfer device and a loud thump below her.

In a panic Gwen knocked the hunter back and ran to the ladder. It had been cut open like a tin can, just big enough for a hunter to fit in.

Gwen jumped down and her eyes darted from side to side looking for Jake. Finally, she spotted him he was lying against a wall. She quickly ran to him as she got closer, she could see small trails of smoke coming from him. His head was slouched, and he wasn’t responding to Gwen.

Gwen thought to herself he must have been holding onto his coilgun when she turned it on, likely to prevent the hunter from stopping the transfer from activating. He used his gun as a conductor to complete the circuit, all the energy must have launched him backwards when she activated it.

Gwen dropped to her knees as she cradled Jake in her arms.

“No, no, no. Please Jake no. Not again.”

Gwen was in a panicked state. She got a flashing message on her eyes. Emotional suppression and control systems overloading. Warning.

Gwen gently put Jake down.

That’s when all the lights she had seen previously in her vision briefly appeared and then disappeared only to be replaced by one. The colour black. Gwen suddenly felt immeasurable rage.

Emotional suppression disabled: Warning.

She grasped her head as tears started rolling down her face. Then the skin on her body suddenly sunk in on itself leaving only metal. Her hair followed suit and all that was left was a metal body. Her eyes went cold, and her hands moulded into single bladed hands. Her jaw unhinged itself and split into four hemispheres. Her bladed arms split and turned into four.

She could sense it. The hunter was standing behind her. Staring at her. In a single swipe she cut its head off clean, not even the advanced hunter was fast enough to dodge.

In a blink of an eye, she was back on the floor of the transfer device. The hunters knew something was wrong. Even the cold calculating machines could sense it. Death.

They turned to face her and charged.

The first hunter struck at her. She dodged and struck at its mid-section and an uppercut with one of her other arms. Striking it in the lower jaw from below and instantly ripping its upper body from the lower.

The hunters seemed to be moving in slow motion. All of those that attacked her. She killed them with ease, until only one was left. The final hunter was locked in an intense fight with Akilina. She could easily kill them both and say Akilina was a combat casualty.

In near supersonic speed she dashed toward Akilina and the hunter. Gwen jumped into the air propelling herself forwards, impaling the hunter and dragging it forwards with her motion until she had impaled it onto the wall.

Finally, she had dealt with all the hunters, only Akilina was left.

“I knew you were a freak machine. You might be the best thing the machines ever built. So, what now are you going to kill me? Robo girl.” Akilina said in a mocking voice.

In a split-second Gwen and Akilina’s faces were mere centimetres from each other.

“I might have been built to be a monster, look like one and kill like one but I am not one. If I wanted you dead you would have been the first time I saw you. I’m just tired of trying to convince people like you I am not a monster.”

Suddenly the doorway burst into pieces. Out of the dust stepped a bipedal machine. Three times the height of the hunters and almost as big as the smaller tripods. It was carrying a gigantic sword in one hand. It had a single red eye. This machine seemed to be the most human like in its appearance in comparison to the other. Brandishing feet instead of stick like legs.

“Experiment 001.

You have been designated a threat.

Response: Elimination.

Prepare to be terminated deviant.”

“I fear nothing because I feel nothing.” Gwen said in a ghostly robotic voice, her arms quickly folded back into two.

The machine swung at her from above. She dodged to the side. The impact of that weapon was earth shattering as the entire room, perhaps even spire shook.

“Gwen if he does that again the transfer might get interrupted.”

Everyone on this planet knew an interrupted transfer was a sure way to die.

The machine drew back again and swung. This time Gwen stood still, meeting the machines swing. The shockwave crackled as it hit Gwen of the impact was nearly enough to send Akilina flying.

“Very impressive 001.”

“I thought you machines weren’t supposed to have a personality?”

Suddenly the machine increased pressure on Gwen, the floor started to crack. That’s when Gwen noticed it. A figure stumbling as they walked in the corner of her eye. Jake had somehow woken up, got up and climbed up.

“Gwen…don’t…d-don’t give up.” He said as he tried to get in the way of her and the towering sentinel.

With a quick flick of its hand, it sent Jake flying across the room.

“Rebellious slave do not interfere.” The machine said.

Gwen’s human eyes seemed to dissolve and were replaced by two red eyes with black pupils.

Within a split second she launched herself into the air with the machine’s sword still on her arms. Then she grasped it as best as she could between her bladed arms, pulled the machine into the air and threw it with an unimaginable force as it went flying through the wall of the spire. It kept going through more and more walls until it was outside and disappeared between dust and smoke.

Gwen turned to look where Jake had landed. He was lying on the floor, unmoving. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing from this distance.

Gwen ran to Jake as fast as she could. With each step she took, the black light in the corner of her vision dimmed. Her eyes returned to how they had been, her hair regrew now a white-silver sheen, her bladed arms reformed into hands and her skin reappeared from her metal body.

Akilina was already crouched next to Jake checking his vitals.

“He’s breathing but its shallow.” she said.

“Akilina can you please monitor the console.” Gwen said as small tear droplets started to form, she gave Akilina a look that could only be describe as a pleading look of desperation.

Akilina picked up her coilgun and walked over to the console.

Gwen knelt on both her knees next to Jake. She gently put her hand on the side of his face and put her forehead against his.

“Please hang on Jake.” She said as the tear droplets turned into streams.

“You’re not just a number to me, you never were. Please… Jake I could never have gotten back my emotions without you. I don’t want to be alone like before, I want to fight alongside you.”

“Final phase of extraction initiated… Standby.” A voice announced.

A loud whirring sound stirred from the extractor. The fluid from the containers drained into the pods. The black liquid started to resemble something human. Changing colour and shape as it morphed.

Several minutes later Gwen was checking to make sure Jake was stabilized, the extractor announced.

“Extraction completed.”

Each of the twenty pods now containing the people that were within Gwen’s sister’s mind. The pod containing Gwen’s sister unlocked and opened.

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