I looked back and Boris was laying on the floor. I yelled, “No!” I ran towards him and the machines got closer. I grabbed my guns and shot at them. One fell down and then another. Then they suddenly looked back and multiple ones were falling on the ground. There were loud gun shots and I saw Red soldiers firing. I stopped and crawled over to Boris.
I yelled and said, “No! No!”
I looked at his body but there weren’t any blood stains. I looked at his head and lifted it up to examine it, but there was nothing. I said, “Boris?” I looked at his vest and there were bullets stuck on it. I thought that the bullets may have gone through the vest but I couldn’t tell. I didn’t have time to unfasten it and just inserted my hand under his vest and through his shirt to touch his chest. I felt that nothing has gone through. Suddenly, Boris gripped my other hand and whispered, “Are you trying to be romantic?”
I took my hand out and hugged him tightly. He grabbed my body and said, “The impact from the bullets were too strong and I fell backwards and hit my head. I guess I was knocked out for a minute.” He looked at the soldiers and the massive fight down the hall and said, “Lina let’s go.”
We ran to my door again and tapped a code on the panel. Then I placed my hand in a small hole and the door opened. He grabbed my hand and went through. I closed the door, breathed heavily and said, “My God! All that for photos!”
Boris stared at me dumbfounded and said, “It’s your idea!”
I said, “Why you never stopped me!”
He brushed his head furiously and yelled, “Lina!”
I looked around the room and said, “Welcome to my home!”
He looked around and said, “Charming.”
I said, “Well it’s better than yours! I have a couch, table, chairs, and window blinds.” I walked to the window and grabbed the blinds and said, “Look! They block sunlight!”
He stared at me and said, “You are the most insane person I have ever met in my life. It could have been a short one too!”
I walked over to him and kissed him. He grabbed me closer and slowly laid me on the bed and continued kissing me. He stopped and said, “They are under here?”
I looked at him and said, “Oh yeah!”
He got off the bed and I kneeled down on the floor. I squeezed my arms under the cushion and felt the metal box. I pulled it out and placed it on the bed. I opened it and took out the photos. I said, “Boris look!” He grabbed the photos and looked at me and said, “You really haven’t changed one bit. And that little girl you saw while hallucinating was exactly like those pictures. Clothes too!”
I giggled and said, “See … I wasn’t imagining things!”
He stared at me and said, “Do you remember anything else? The last hallucination was not caused by Sara or any type of mind control. You are remembering.”
I stared at him and then back at the photos and said, “I’m not sure what else to remember. I guess I figured out most of what I needed.”
He frowned and said, “Sure you did.”
I was puzzled and said, “What do we do now?”
He said, “We got to wait until John contacts us that his part of the mission is complete.”
I said, “What did he plan to do?”
He smirked and said, “An overthrow of your plan.”
I was confused and said, “Can you explain?”
He sat on the bed and motioned for me to do the same. He said, “If mind control was unsuccessful for any reason, then he had to capture a few people involved in this turmoil and force them to end it. Obviously that was the case since the machines in Project Merge turned to life!”
With wide eyes I said, “John and you never trusted my plan to work?”
He said, “Well, he really didn’t and wasn’t going to risk it.”
I squinted my eyes and said, “At least someone is still on my side. Why did you destroy the computers and especially Sara?”
He said, “Years of built up anger. Also, I didn’t want to see you ever again being a drone.”
I said, “I don’t know how to work with you from now on Boris. You’re unpredictable and never follow a plan.”
He gasped and said, “Excuse me?”
I looked at him and said, “I guess that makes you more human like, and not so serious all the time.”
He stared at me and said, “Whatever you think. I need to stop trying to understand what you mean. You give me headaches.”
I sighed and then I touched my head bandage. He looked at it and said, “You need to go back and rest.”
I said, “What about leaving the compounds for good?”
He said, “Yes we will, but when you get better.”
I said, “Oh.”
He nodded, laid down and closed his eyes. I said, “Is it time to sleep?”
He said, “I have never been so tired in my life. Maybe I’m getting old.”
I said, “Hello! I’m your age! That makes me old too!”
He said, “I’m almost eleven and a half months older than you.”
I sighed and laid down next to him. I held the photos up and kept staring at them. Boris opened his eyes and looked at them too. He said, “It was worth it.”
I looked at him and smiled. I secured the photos in my shirt’s pocket. I looked at the ceiling and he said, “Well, we need to kill time.”
I looked at him and said, “Aha?”
He looked at me and came closer to kiss me. After a few seconds, his wrist panel beeped. He said, “Damn it! Can they wait a few minutes?”