Chapter 47

The woman had not expected that from the girl. No backstabbing just upfront attack. She laughed looking at the girl sprawled on the floor. She had let her anger get the best of her, stabbing her with a needle but of course they couldn't feel pain or so they thought. She couldn't be bothered by the other idiots running around. You'ld think with all their modifications, they'd have common sense.

She looked at the girl again, she looked very pale. She stared at her face with unconcealed hatred. She had always loved her own face but seeing a better version of it on someone else…Well she was about to get paler. She walked to the table and turned on a switch. It lit up the entire room. She smiled. The girl blinked and cracked her eyes open. She could tell they were heavy from the way she opened them a little and shut them back but she was conscious or more accurately hovering at the edge.

"stabbing me with your blood. At Least you are not a total flop. Congratulations on that 0.001%. You successfully transferred the chemicals so I'll have to get the antidote" the woman said, injecting herself with something and then turned to face the girl. "so impatient. The lack of antidote was supposed to be your cross today but thanks to you I have to make changes" the woman said, injecting her with the antidote. GMN-1 took a deep breath. She no longer felt the havoc of the toxins but she was still very weak and still not able to move.

There was an explosion sound which had the woman raising one brow as she listened. Soon enough it was followed by another explosion. The woman scoffed. Clicking something on one of the screens in the room and sure enough the other GMNs popped up on the screen. They were free. GMN-1 sighed in relief when she caught a glimpse of the screen. The woman turned to her.

"don't get all happy, they still have to find you" the woman said

"no" GMN-1 said weakly. The woman raised both brows this time

"no? you don't want them to find you? Foolish girl! You risked your life to save them every time; what were you expecting in return, a decent burial!? Pathetic!"

The woman walked to the other end and began to do something. GMN-1 couldn't tell exactly what she was doing. She was so tired but seemed to be slowly regain a bit of strength. She really wanted to sleep, a long deep sleep. She heard something open but it sounded so far away, like not in the room far away. Then the woman spoke.

"I see you've managed to escape" the woman said, sounding more amused than impressed. "I can honestly say I'm a teeny tiny bit impressed but then again you'll have to find us and who knows how long it would take?" the woman said, sounding bored.

"let go of my bestfriend you witch!" she heard 6 yell. The woman scoffed and turned to face her. How low can she stoop. Look at the things she had as friends.

"I will as soon as you find us. In the mean time, I'm going to make a few adjustments but don't worry I saved you tickets" the woman said as she walked toward GMN-1 and lifted her up. GMN-1 couldn't protest. The woman may have given her the antidote to the first but what about the second? The woman carried her to the opposite end of where she had been standing and strapped her to a chair. GMN-1 opened her eyes to look around and wished she hadn't. For the first time in a long while she felt something akin to fear and it stirred up uneasy feelings. The room looked like a giant crystal block but this part looked like a very scary lab. There were lot's of weird equipments and a helmet directly above her head. She swallowed

"if you touch her…!" GMN-2 began

"you'll what? Kill me? You don't even stand a chance against my clones. Do you know that you've never felt pain not because you can't but because you have a higher threshold. I would explain but it would be a waste of time but know this once you feel the first, you feel everything!" the woman said with a smile. The GMNs didn't like where this was going, especially the person on the hot seat.

"another thing, I can isolate a particular trait and amplify it be it a characteristics or emotion." The woman said, turning a knob. She had made sure to leave the live broadcast on.

The pain that hit GMN-1 was brutal but she made up her mind not to scream. The woman wanted her reaction, craved it but she wasn't going to give it.

Rather than the piercing scream she was expecting, she was rewarded with a groan. The woman turned the knob for good measure but didn't go too far because of what she intended still no scream just a deeper groan and bounts of sweats and teeth gnashing sound. She slapped the girl hard across the face. She shouldn't touch that knob again or it would defeat her greater purpose but the others didn't know neither did the girl but she was very angry. She slapped the girl again and again. Then stopped, grabbing her by the hair, hair quite similar to hers.

How dare she. She had anticipated that scream, lived for it. How dare she withhold it!? Deprive her of her satisfaction! Her bliss!

"You know, this is the first time I've physically hit you. I have always wanted to preserve your beautiful shell. I imagined looking at you and seeing a beautiful soulless creature. You never did shout or scream or cry no matter what I did. It was really frustrating" the woman said, yanking harder on GMN-1's hair. GMN-1 wasn't paying attention. She was teetering towards unconsciousness. The pain was unbearable and still vibrated through her body. She coughed and the blood nearly choked her. The woman let her hair go and the blood splashed on her clothes. The woman tsked, looking at GMN-1's soiled clothes. The woman then sighed and then began to prop her up on the machines.

"I wanted to break you so badly and for a long time. Watching you each day was torture. What right do you have to live a peaceful and cared for life. You ruined my perfect life, stealing everything from me so I decided to steal everything from you including your childhood. You see I couldn't let you live in peace but I couldn't let you die either. You were never supposed to happen, we took precautions but you just had to pop in" the woman said, stopping in her tirade to hit 1 across the face again.

The GMNs had never been this fast before but then again they had never been this desperate. They had searched four floors just dead end tunnels and useless rooms that didn't have who they were looking for. They had concluded the woman was beyond crazy but hearing this they paused.

"what is she talking about?"GMN-7 asked no one in particular

The woman laughed as she secured GMN-1 on her apparition. The girl was barely conscious but she didn't care.

"Let me introduce myself then. I am Doctor Annabelle Reene Stone, your creator. I made you all, you're welcome"

The shock was brain shattering. They all stood numb. The woman still continued tapping things as the machine came to life. GMN-1 could fully describe hell at that minute.

"That's not the most interesting part. You see, I also happen to be her mother. You may have noticed the resemblance, I just saved you the stress. Again, you're welcome. In a way this is our mother daughter reunion and we are having the perfect bonding experience"

Silence.

"this wasn't the pledge of loyalty I was expecting, I even doubt my daughter heard me but I'll make sure. I'll make sure she remembers I'll make sure she remembers every tiny detail and every minute detail she overlooked" the woman said with a sadistic laugh

GMN-5 threw up right there on the floor. It was her retching sound that seem to knock everyone out of their daze. They all seemed disoriented. There has never been a perfect scrambled brain before.

"angry!? Well at least you can make her pay because every darn thing is all her fault! You all just happen to be caught up in something that had nothing to do with you. Save her or not, it's up to you but I've got something more important to do. I have a world to bring to its knees" She looked at the girl and shook her head in disappointment "that day, you swore you'd kill me but yet, you didn't recognize me. Apparently you are not strong enough but don't worry mom made you better so she can enjoy killing you or watch you die whichever comes first." She paused and turned to look at her face. "From today you will look at the mirror and you will see the face you made me hate and you will hate it too because just as mine reminds me of yours, yours will remind you of me. You will see not only the monster you are but the monster I made you. That my daughter is my reuniting gift to you." She left.

The GMNs could hear the echo of heels. It was more precise than the voice. GMN-4 tried to suppress whatever he was feeling and move forward but a hand grabbed him

"you still want to save her!? Didn't you hear her, her mom! This…" GMN-5 said, gesturing around "This is all her fault!!!"

They felt overwhelmed right now. He couldn't think straight. A groan of pain made the decision for him. He yanked off 5's hand and took off. This was the last floor. He came back suddenly. She wasn't there. At the questioning look 3 gave him, he shook his head in negative.

"no, no" they could faintly hear.

GMN-1 felt like her skull was being split open and she was bleeding from every possible outlet. There were thousands of things happening to her at the same time. She felt something pierce her head and keep going. Why was she even still a little bit conscious. The woman couldn't let her suffer in oblivion. As soon as she was about to cross that line into blissful unconsciousness she was thrown back to the edge. She promised herself she wouldn't scream, she wouldn't cry but for how long could she not. How long could she take this.

"we need to find her! Where have we not checked?" GMN-2 asked

"you want to find her?" it was GMN-9 that asked. He had been too quiet lately which was very unusual for him. They turned to look at him. The muscles in his face looked strained like he was trying to hold himself back. "she's the reason we are in this mess. Look at us? What are we!? What have we not lost!? The stupid games they play!" He said with a faraway look in his eyes like his brain was preoccupied.

GMN-4 stopped listening at 'She is the reason'. Reason or not they needed to find her and fast. He tried to walk past them but 7 grabbed him.

"leave her." He said without looking at any of them. His words were heavy. They didn't know. "she'd be just like her mom" he said with sadness. GMN-4 hit off his hands but 7 grabbed his clothes yelling "I said leave her!!! Leave her. Her mom will come after us. Don't you get it!?" he was beginning to get it. The broken pieces of conversations. They all seemed to make sense. They really didn't matter just her. Soon she'd be one of them.

GMN-6 ignored the drama and ascended the stairs in lightening speed.

"6 get back here!!" 7 yelled and made to go after her but 3 blocked him.

"back off" 3 said his eyes rapidly changing colour to red and back. GMN-4 pushed past him. His head seemed to clear a little with that cry for help. If the woman thought like 1 then she would be in an obvious not so obvious place with an easy and accessible exit. There was a place he could think of.

GMN-3 followed behind 4 leaving 5, 7, 9 and 2.

"leave her?" 2 said more than asked, like he was repeating what 7 said. He scoffed. "What crime do you think 1 committed against her mother because she was very clear on that, hmmm?" he said in a sad voice but got no reply. He continued. "Then I'll let you find out. Is it right to leave her? Why don't you find her first and answer your question" with that he left them there.

GMN-4 raced to the underground hanger and sure enough, one of the jets was missing. There has to be a room close. He searched no secret door or button. He ran his hand through his hair. The other GMNs met them there.

GMN-4 sighed in fustruation. Where would that woman put her? He asked himself pacing. Then seem to remember something. The woman had continuously pointed to the fact that the two of them were alike, maybe he had been asking the wrong questions. He didn't know the woman until today but he knew 1. If she was asked to put a secret room here, where would she put it?

His eyes landed on a jet. It had the a symbol on it 'X+'. it didn't look used. It looked new. He made his way up the steps and into the jet heading for the cockpit. He looked around and saw a button that seemed to be recently pushed. He pushed it and the jet began to rock but he stayed still and pushed it all the way in. the rocking stopped and the floor parted revealing stairs, short stairs. At this new development the GMNs rushed in and down after 4.

They came to a dark space with a crystal block in the middle. The light in there was the only source of light but that wasn't what made them stop. They witnessed the most horrifying scene ever.

GMN-1 was strapped to a chair shaking and convulsing violently. She was bloodied from head to toe and looked to be barely alive. The worse part was that she looked to be mutating, like changing. To what? They didn't even know. GMN-5 fainted on the spot while 7 and 4 where the first people to rush inside. 9 and 2 went white and it was 6's turn to throw up. 3 just stood there motionless. He head noise all around him like someone was calling him but they were too far away, he couldn't look away. Someone punched him in the guts and he doubled over and lunged up to attack the person but the person grabbed him tightly around the neck.

GMN-3 came back to the crazed eyes infront of him. It belonged to someone he would least expect giving the situation.

"you better help us save her!" It was GMN-7. The 180 turn was the least of his problems. 3 removed his hands from his neck and raced into the room. He looked around. First they needed to stop whatever was going on and release her. He looked around, there were so many knobs and buttons. How do you stop this thing? He touched something and this time GMN-1 really did scream before crossing that finish line and suddenly everything stopped. He saw that 4 had pulled everything pullable. He looked around and noticed the timer. It hadn't finished yet but had gone more than half way through.

4 yanked the metals away with so much force that they hit the opposite walls. 7 got rid of the helmet while 3 gathered whatever he could find.

"we need to get her back! Fast!" GMN-4 said as he carried her out of the chair. She wasn't responding but she was very very hot and her color right now was weird.

"the jet!" they heard 9 say from outside. GMN-4 lifted her up and was out before anybody knew it. The rest followed too shocked to do otherwise.

"that one! I hope you can drive!" GMN-4 said to none in particular but he was already up the jet. He lay her on a cushion. She was very pale. GMN-6 pushed forward took one look at her and gasped covering her mouth.

"get this thing out of here!!!" 4 roared like he was about to bite people's head off.

"we can't drive this" someone said he didn't know who. He just swore and muttered a long string of curses he wasn't aware he knew.

"go. I'll keep her stable" 3 volunteered

4 looked from 3 to 1. He didn't want to leave her but he needed to get her out of here and get her help. He stood up with a determined look.

"you better!"

It was 3's turn to swallow. His fate might be tied to that of GMN-1.

The jet reved up and soon they were taxing at an incredible speed. He just had one prayer.