Chapter Twenty-Four

Melissa curled up and pulled a blanket over herself, reveling in the warmth. Sullivan had put her into a room that looked more like a hotel suite than a hospital bed. She was sure he would return to take her to the basement soon enough. Until then, she was going to enjoy every bit of it.

She couldn’t resist relaxing in the large bed. After taking a hot shower that had washed away a week’s worth of filth and getting a hot meal in her stomach, Melissa thought she might go to sleep and never wake up again. She felt good, but something was still missing. Even if the director decided to let her return home, there would always be a cold spot in her heart where Thunder used to be.

The door opened, and she closed her eyes. They had come to retrieve her. Melissa knew Sullivan was waiting for confirmation of what she had told him before he allowed any more concessions. The problem was that she had lied to him. The cyborgs were not going to the Mexican border. It was the first thing she thought of, and she didn’t know what was going to happen to her when Purity Force discovered her deception.

Melissa was surprised by the squeak of a wheelchair being pushed up against the bed. She had imagined they would make her walk back down the prison, taking steps toward her doom using her own feet. Melissa would take any comfort available. She sat up, turned over the covers, and slid into the wheelchair, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

The orderly spoke quickly. “What did you tell them?”

She laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me. Has something changed?”

“Yes, something has changed. The director is dead.”

Tipping her head back, Melissa realized the orderly looked different today. He was taller, bulkier, and seemed like more than a man.

“Thunder? I thought you were dead!” Despite being overcome by exhaustion only a moment before, Melissa launched herself out of the wheelchair and wrapped her arms around the cyborg. She clung tightly and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to open them in case she learned Thunder was only a hallucination from her time in the prison. When his warm, strong hands closed over her back, she knew he was real.

“I would have come earlier, but I thought you were dead, too. I saw you on the news. I wanted to rescue you. I don’t know how much time we have. I had to take out the director and a few guards to get to you. By now they have to know a cyborg is in the building. This is for you.” He withdrew a gun from the back of his pants and handed it to Melissa. “Do you know how to use it?”

Melissa looked it over. Unlike the heavy plasma guns Purity Force had used in the holding facility, this weapon was a regular pistol. She checked the magazine and saw that it was fully loaded. “Of course. Growing up in the country has its advantages.”

“Good. I can’t imagine us getting out of here without people noticing, especially if we are moving as a pair. Stay behind me and watch my back.” Thunder moved to the door, pressing his ear against it.

Melissa was finding it hard to move again. She was in shock and felt a tingling sensation through her entire body. Seeing Thunder had filled her with energy and she felt like she could do anything. Getting out of the Center would be a challenge, but if they were together, they could make it happen.

The blonde cyborg opened the door. He saw a guard and immediately punched him in the mouth. Melissa followed Thunder as he made his way down the hall, walking sideways to keep an eye out for anyone coming up behind them. She cringed when he flung the next guard down a flight of stairs, but she focused on being a competent lookout. When a nurse peeked out from behind a door, Melissa shot the ceiling above her. The woman shrieked and disappeared back into the room.

She started to recognize the location. They were in the front section of the hospital where she had sat like a doll on display for the television crews. The front doors were not far away, but there would be plenty of guards in that area. Thunder had avoided using his plasma gun so people wouldn’t pay attention. It was going to become necessary soon. Melissa held her breath as she waited for the firefight to start.

A noise brought her attention to a side hallway. The orderly who had brought her down to the prison stood inside with an unreadable look on his face. Melissa’s heart jumped. She didn’t want to shoot him, and she knew that he would die if Thunder spotted him. To her surprise, the orderly made a motion for her to come his way. She tapped Thunder with her free hand. “Let’s go in here.” The cyborg looked uncertain and stayed poised to fight, but he followed her.

The orderly swiped a key card over an electronic lock. A door at the end of the hall clicked open. He led them down a short ramp into a large indoor garage and pointed to a white van. “The keys are inside.”

Melissa eagerly headed down into the room, but Thunder paused, staring at the orderly so fiercely that he backed against the wall. “Who are you? Why would you do this for us?”

The orderly glanced at Melissa and back at the cyborg. “I came here to gather information for the Liberators. We were planning to free Melissa tomorrow, but we don’t need to do anything now. You should take this.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket and handed it to Thunder. “Call the number at the top of the contacts list. Tell them who you are, and use the code word flower. They’ll get you to a temporary safe house and out of the country.”

Melissa couldn’t believe her luck. “Thank you so much.” She grabbed Thunder by the wrist and headed for the van.