eight

Jeria paused to stare at Sana and Romero's open door.

"What's wrong, honey," Donna asked her daughter.

"Their door's ajar," answered Jeria. "They're very private. They keep the door closed."

"I'm sure it's nothing," assured Jeremy as he walked over to the door. He knocked on the door and called, "Sana? ... Romero? ... It's Jerry."

There was no answer and he could see a light was on. Concerned he said, "Its Jerry. I'm coming in."

Jeremy pushed the door open. A lamp was on, the bed was unmade, but there was no Sana or Romero.

Donna knew Sana and Romero were both very neat and tidy people and wouldn't leave the bed unmade, "I hope Sana's alright. Maybe Romero had to run her down to the Health Care Center."

"What's that about the Health Care Center," asked Kevin who was accompanied by Janice.

"Sana and Romero's door was open," Jeria informed Kevin, "But they're not here."

Kevin peeked into the empty room and saw the unmade bed. He knew Sana and Romero were both very tidy people, "Let's check the Health Care Center," suggested Kevin.

They walked down to the Health Care Center where Kevin walked right up to the admitting attendant. "We need to know if Romero had to bring in Sana Coles sometime during the night or early this morning," requested Kevin.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Masters," the attendant informed Kevin, "but neither is here. We've tried repeatedly to get Ms. Coles to come in for a physical, but she refuses."

"Where do you think they are," asked Donald.

Kevin smiled knowingly, "They came for him in the middle of the night and he took Sana with him."

"Do you really believe that's what happened," Janice asked Kevin.

Kevin nodded, "Somehow, I'm positive of it. There were no signs of a struggle in the room. They just left in a hurry." He looked up at the skylight, "I wish them the long happy lives they deserve together."

Adena kissed Libby as she ran her hands over her body. "I have something to do in my office for a minute then we'll spend some more time together," she told Libby.

Adena had slept much later than usual. It was nearly ten a.m. She was anxious to see how Sana was taking losing her precious Romero. She began checking the different cameras looking for Sana, starting with the cameras in Sana's room. All she saw was the unmade bed and the empty bathroom, but she took that as a good sign. Sana must have been too distraught to make the bed. Then Adena began to worry about who was comforting Sana. She wanted Sana to suffer for a couple of days. Then she planned on offering comfort to Sana herself.

Adena started checking the other occupied rooms. No one was in Kevin's room. He was her main concern. No one was in the Peterson's room. In Anthony's room was Anthony being intimate with Megan. Adena watched them for a minute. Then she checked Gina's room where she watched Gina being intimate with her new love interest. Then she began checking other areas of the mall. She spotted Donald doing his best to chat up a mall walker who looked very much the cheerleader type. It was obvious the teen was ready to shed his virginity. Jeria was trying on clothes, Ellen was in the salon getting a pedicure, Kevin was in the Exercise Emporium working out, and she found Donna and Jeremy getting it on in a dressing room. But there was no sign of Sana. Of course, there was the possibility she was just missing her, clicking into a room just after Sana walked out. Sana may be so distraught that she was wandering around the mall aimlessly. She may not have told the others Romero was gone yet.

Adena decided to look for Sana later and play with Libby some more. She was really enjoying Libby's enthusiasm. Of course, she still wanted Sana. Adena felt Sana was worthy of her.

Adena was in the middle of being very active with Libby when she got a call. It was General Masson and he was shouting at her furiously. Adena was having a hard time following him because he was yelling so loud and fast.

"What's wrong," Libby asked Adena.

"Who is that," General Masson demanded to know of Adena.

"No one," Adena tried to insist.

"It's a former drone, isn't it," shouted General Masson. "It's true. You've been diddling people you're not supposed to be diddling with! And that Coles woman! You weren't supposed to keep her! I'm approving for her to leave with Dr. Redmen! And as for you, Dr. Goldmen! Pack your bags! You're being removed from your post!"

Adena realized why she couldn't find Sana in the mall earlier. Sana wasn't in the mall. Sana was with Romero. The drones had botched retrieving Romero. Then she wondered if the soldiers that took orders from her knew she wasn't in charge any more. There was only one way to find out.

Sana was napping on Romero's lap when the back wall of the waiting room slid open a second time. But it wasn't the Major and the lieutenant they met earlier. It was two different soldiers pointing guns at them.

Romero put himself in front of Sana. "The weapons are not necessary," he told the two soldiers, "Neither of us is armed. When the major gets back..."

"Dr. Goldmen gave us our orders," said a soldier," and that woman needs to be returned to the mall above."

"Dr. Goldmen is mentally ill," Sana told the soldiers, "I never should have been kept in the mall."

"Ma'am, we have our orders. Come with us."

"She's not going with you," Romero told the soldiers, "She's going with me."

The soldiers stepped forward. Romero and Sana stepped back, and back again. The door was directly behind Sana. Romero didn't take his eyes off the two soldiers encroaching upon them as he slowly reached back and found the door's sensor pad. The door slid open. Then he and Sana were running down the perfectly white hall past drones in their perfectly white uniforms. The soldiers pursued them.

Shots were fired at them. Blood blossomed bright red on the chest of a drone and sprayed the pristine white wall. Sana screamed. Romero picked her up and poured on the speed. Soon the soldiers were nowhere in sight.

"Did we lose them," Sana asked Romero as he sat her back on her feet.

"As least temporarily," he answered, "but I don't know how good the surveillance is down here. Dr. Goldmen could be watching us right now and telling them where we are."

"Where are we," Sana asked Romero.

"I don't know," answered Romero looking around. "I've never been in this area before." It wasn't nice and pristine like the area they had previously been in. Then he noticed a mark on Sana's arm. "A bullet grazed you. Were you hit anywhere?"

Sana looked herself over, "No, I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine too," he hugged her. "Let's keep moving. I'll hear them if they start to get close. Good thing they weren't like me and were just ordinary humans. Someone like me would have kept up with me as I ran." He left out that someone like him wouldn't have missed a shot.

They walked along the long corridor. As they walked, the corridor got dirtier and darker. There was no one else in sight, not even a no-face drone.

They began to hear the hum of machines, and began to see robots of different kinds, designed for different tasks. They had been walking for hours.

Romero stopped a robot walking past and asked it, "Is there some place where we can rest, maybe get something to eat?"

The robot nodded and motioned for them to follow it. It led them to a door that actually had a doorknob. It opened the door and led them inside. The place was thick with dust.

"There haven't been people in this area of the basement for a very long time, has there," Romero asked the robot.

The robot nodded that he was correct.

"Are there surveillance cameras around here," Romero asked it.

It shook its head no.

"Is there any food," asked Romero.

The robot opened some cabinet doors revealing some canned goods, microwave bowls and bottled water. Everything was thick with dust.

"Thank you," Romero told the robot. It responded with a simple nod and shuffled out of the room.

"I wonder how long this area has gone unattended," said Sana as she opened cabinet drawers.

"My guess is years," answered Romero opening a door and finding an old twin bed. He opened another door, "There's a bathroom here." He tried the sink, "The water's still running." He urinated and washed his hands.

Sana found dish soap and silverware and an old sponge. She wiped off the dusty counter, washed some spoons and bowls and used the bathroom herself. Romero turned over the mattress of the twin bed. Then he carefully checked the cans of food and bottled water. He didn't want Sana to possibly eat anything bad. The light in the old microwave flickered as it warmed up two bowls of soup. Sana found sheets and blankets and made the bed.

"After we're finished eating, I want you to lie down," Romero told her, "We've been walking for hours. I'm going to look around here a little more before I join you. I don't require as much sleep as you. I don't know how long it'll take us to find our way out of here. Hopefully, the robots can help."

Romero sat with Sana until she was sleeping. He had exceptionally sharp hearing. He would hear soldiers coming. The soldiers just weren't capable of moving as silently as drones or someone who had been a drone. He nosed around the small apartment silently so he didn't wake Sana. He found some old clothes, towels, a large back pack and a duffle bag. He packed the backpack full of canned goods and bottled water. He didn't know how long they would wander around down here. He just felt it was better to try to be over prepared if possible. Then he joined Sana in the twin bed.