So it looks like everyone here is getting sick and tried of all these handsome boys and their head games! Because the overwhelming majority of you all chose to C. Go wherever Sev tells you to, because she’s a freaking robot and is programmed to make optimal decisions.
With the sentries on their way, almost a third of you want to place your life into your robotic roommates hands. Do you really think that’s a good idea? I mean, she is a robot after all. I guess we will find out…
Chapter 15: The Doctor Will See You Now
“Shit” Cain mumbles, pulling his hand back and breaking out of Sev’s grip. He turns toward Chance and says “You are not worth me getting locked up with Rolex. Don’t think this is over.” Cain turns toward the exit and bolts out the storage room door. So much for chivalry, you think.
“10 seconds,” Sev chirps, reminding you that it’s high time for you to bail out of here as well. You bend over and pick up Cain’s knife. You’re still not sure whether you can trust him, but you know you’ll sleep better knowing he isn’t armed. Sleep. Suddenly you remember how exhausted you are.
Chance walks over and grabs your hand. “Go with Sev. You’re exhausted. She will take care of you and get you back to your dorm.” He squeezes your hand tighter and you feel your stomach flip out of excitement. He leans in toward your face, you can feel his warmth breath as he whispers in your ear “I’ll find you in the morning. Whatever you do, don’t let Cain get you alone again.”
“5 seconds now, time to go!” Sev says as she grabs your arm, breaking Chance’s grip on you. Sev drags you to the door. Chance gives you on last look and turns right, breaking into a dead sprint. Sev pulls you left and drags you half running, half stumbling behind her.
You follow Sev, sometimes running, sometimes inexplicably stopping, unable to make any sense of where you’re going. Suddenly you realize you’ve back into the main area of the school. Sev pulls you into an empty classroom, shuts the door behind you and you are finally given a chance to catch your breath. You hear the whir of a sentry moving past the now closed classroom door.
“How did you know it was coming?” you ask, sucking in air like an asthmatic. “Well” Sev begins, “it seems random, the way the sentries patrol these halls at night. But if you study them for long enough, you will notice it is actually a pattern, repeated once every 47 days. So if you memorize that pattern, it’s easy to know exactly where they’re going to be, every second. That way you can map a path to avoid them.” Right, you think. Robot. “At least, that is how it is for regular sentries. When you set off their alarms, those nearby are pulled off their regular patrol, making them totally unpredictable. Which is why you should learn to be more careful” she says, tossing her shiny blonde hair behind her shoulder.
Too shiny now that you think about it. There is some small comfort in finding out your perfectly put-together roommate has a reason for being so exceptionally put-together. “Time to go” Sev says and breaks your train of thought. You follow her back into the hallway and notice she’s leading you deeper into the classrooms, and away from the dorms.
“Hey Sev,” you say. “Our dorm is back that way.”
‘Yep,” she replies, as perky as ever. Realizing you weren’t specific enough, you say “Uhhh Sev, where are we going?”
“Don’t worry!” she says, “We’re almost there!”
That’s not the answer you were looking for. In fact, it’s not an answer at all. But before you can speak up to protest, Sev breaks to a full stop in front of a closed classroom. You realize it’s your old math room.
A memory tugs at the back of your head, but you can’t make it out. This room has significance for you but whether good or bad, you can’t tell. Certainly something more significant that leaning your trigonometric functions. You stare at the handle to the door, unsure if you should go in.
“5 seconds until the next patrol” Sev helpfully notifies you. Well, that settles it. You open the door and walk in, Sev following behind and closing the door after you. The room is pitch black and you ask “Sev, why on earth did you bring me here?”
“She brought you here because I programmed her to.” The deep voice comes from the back of the room and you let out a startled yelp. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see a shape, leaning against the teacher’s desk, in the back of the room. Slowly your eyes fill in the shape of the man and then his face comes in to focus.
“Dr. Artemus?” you mange to stutter, “but, I…I thought you were dead?” As you say this you realize you don’t remember whether or not that was even true. In fact, you had completely forgotten his name until Rolex reminded you of him.
“Clearly not” he said as a smirk crosses his shadowed faced. So it is true,” he says in his calm, deep voice. “I had heard they’d wiped your memory, but I had hoped you would have recovered it by now. Do you really not remember what happened that night?” He paused. Thought for a moment and said “Do you remember me?”
“I…err…” you manage to stammer, unsure what you should say. Dr. Artemus stands up from the desk he’s leaning against and walks directly over to you. He slides on large, rough hand behind your neck and tilts your head up toward him. He stares at you with warm brown eyes. “Maybe this will help you remember” he says and leans in, kissing you passionately before you can protest.
Do you:
A. Kiss back? Something feels right here and maybe this will jog your memory, like he says.
B. Smack him? Ask for an explanation. You barely remember this man and he’s sticking his tongue down your throat? The least you can do is tell you what’s going on.
C. Back away and tell Sev to take you back to your dorm? You’re too tired to deal with this shit!
D. Back away and ask Sev to take you to Chance? You can’t wait until tomorrow and you don’t trust this Dr. Artemus.
