Shaw told him before the door was closed, leaving them completely alone.
Maria looked back the way she that she had entered when she heard Dr. Shaw nearing her. She backed away from the sound when she found another exit. She slipped down the wide tunnel into a ball pit. She waded through quickly with Snicker skimming over the surface.
“Maria stop being foolish. There is no escaping me.” he yelled as she pulled herself out of the pit then raced across a bridge of cushions. She braced herself with Snickers, pressed against the malleable walls. She found an exit down a narrow chute that lead back to the tunnel that she first entered. She slipped through the opening then rushed away from the maze as Dr. Shaw yelled somewhere inside. She ran out the door and through the food court as the employee, from before, stopped sweeping to watch her pass.
“Hey where is your father?” he asked her but she did not answer. She just sped through the mall, tearing away from the food court. She dove into a store, hiding in a clothing rack, before the owner emerged from the back room then left the store as a gate descended locking her in.
“Maria!” Dr. Shaw yelled racing pass the store she was hiding in. She sighed as his voice faded. She smiled to herself as she rested her head on Snickers. Everything is going to be alright, she thought as she closed her eyes, yawning softly.
Appealing to Logic
Maria sat up when she heard someone calling her name. She peered out of the clothing rack as she watched a beam of light drifted about within the darkness before slipping away.
“Maria your father is looking for you.” someone whispered before their footsteps receded in the distance. She knew Dr. Shaw must be the cause but they were quickly moving away and she doubted that they were going to search all of the stores for her. She was safe at least until the stores were reopened in the morning. She needed to try to rest because she could not stay in the mall much longer.
She lay back down then closed her eyes as she reassured herself that Dr. Shaw most likely would move on soon enough. All she had to do was remain hidden until the morning, then sneak pass the mall cops. It should prove to be an easy enough feat for her to accomplish.
She woke up a few hours later when the owner returned to work. The gate rose as she picked up Snickers then watched the owner vanish in the back of the store. She quickly ran out of the clothing rack into the mall then began her search of the nearest exit. She slowed when she neared the food court, enticed by the smell of the food as her stomach growled loudly. She wandered in that direction when she saw a plate of fries and half eaten chicken stripes. She grabbed a handful of fries then took a step away from the table but she was soon drawn back for more. She leaned onto the seat half convinced that she had satisfied her hunger though she could not reframe from stuffing more into her mouth.
“Maria Shaw, your father is looking for you.” someone called as she looked up curiously to see that one of the mall cops was looking at her. It was a human, beyond her control. She froze then backed away, remembering how close Dr. Shaw could be. There was a chance that he never left the mall.
She ran from the table, trying to remember where she saw those doors, hoping that the cop would not follow her out of the mall.
She rushed out of the doors, allowing them to swing back in the mall cop’s face. The cop did not hesitate to follow her outside as she froze, for there was a line of parked auto-flyers out front.
“The military last spotted her here though I am sure she is long gone by now.” one of the uniformed men stated as a woman nodded.
“Yeah I think the military has already dispersed themselves within the city and formed markers along the major streets.” she informed him.
“Yeah we are probably wasting our time.” he agreed when the mall cop yelled at Maria, drawing their attention towards her.
“Maria Shaw don’t you want to see your father again? Don’t you want to go home?” he asked her as the Homeland Security agents’ eyes light up.
“Isn’t that Maria Rivera?” someone asked as the one leading the group nodded slowly, stunned.
“Wait that girl is Maria Rivera?” the mall cop exclaimed after realizing that all these agents came to capture a single girl.
“Maria there is nowhere to hide from us.” the leader of the Homeland Security informed her as she backed away looking around desperate for an escape. Her eyes rested on the line of high performance auto-flyers.
“I know you can escape but you can’t run forever, even you must have figured that out. An emergency alert has been issued for the entire city. If you attempt to leave you will be met with the full force of the military. If you try to hide within the city we will flush you out. You can choose to fight against us but soon you will find yourself overwhelmed.” he told her as she turned back to him.
“I don’t have a choice,” she reminded him as he continued.
“You never wanted this life for yourself. You never wanted to be fearful and alone. If you come with us we will overlook all of this. We will find you a home and an adopted family. We just want this to come to an end.” he offered extending his hand toward her as she stared at it accusingly.
“Don’t you want to go home?” he asked softly as she looked up at his eyes as he edged closer. She squeezed Snickers a little tighter, conflicted.
“You promise?” she asked as he nodded slightly as he advanced slowly. She looked at the others behind him. They stood stiffly with their hands hovering over concealed weapons. She backed away, shaking her head wildly.
“No you won’t. You want to lock me up. You don’t trust me.” she whispered as the man froze.
“That is not true.” he tried to reassure her as she looked back at the line of auto-flyers.
“Well I will find somewhere to call home by myself.” she yelled as the line of craft rose a foot or so off the ground then mowed over the agents, knocking them onto the ground as the crafts glided forward. The leader rounded on them as they broke rank or cowered on the ground. He demanded order as the large crafts levitated over them slowly.
By the time he turned back, Maria had vanished around some corner hidden from sight. All that remained was the mall cop, that watched them with vacant unblinking eyes and slacken jaw muscles.
Making a Stand
Maria gripped the rail tightly, with Snickers held in the crook of her arm as she ascended above the narrow alley by the means of a fire escape. The small automated craft stopped at the roof as she stepped out. She crept over to the edge then peered down at the commotion below. The Homeland Security agents had gathered in front of the small mall as their leader spoke with the mall cop, who pointed at the alley that she fled down a few moments ago.
“Come on we can’t let her escape.” the leader yelled as the others rushed after him, down the alley and out the other side.
Maria slinked back over to the fire escape to watch them disperse down the web of ancient streets. When they were out of sight, she backed away. She knew she was going to be caught eventually if she did not do something though with the whole city on emergency alert it already felt as if she had been captured, she thought as she looked up at the force field that was spread over the city. It shimmered like the effervescent surface of a soap bubble.
It would be a declaration of pure insanity to attempt to leave the city limits so she had to accept that her range had been significantly reduced. There was no longer anywhere to run. She needed to find a way to defend herself. She couldn’t waste any more time standing around unguarded.
She got on the fire escape then commanded it back to the ground, remembering to disable the fire alarm system. She leapt off after it touched down then walked through the alley, pausing at the edge of the shadows. She stepped into the light, looking around cautiously when she saw one of the military’s many soldiers down the street. She slowly made her way in the opposite direction then dove around a corner.
She glanced back to confirm that she had not been seen. She slowly headed up another street when someone grabbed her from be
hind, slipping their hand over her mouth silencing her muffled cry.
“Now all I have to do is deliver you to the military base.” he whispered to himself as she stabbed at his mind aggressively as he released her. She backed away pulling Snickers close as he convulsed on the ground and a frothy foam was drawn to his lips. She looked around, feeling guilty, as he thrashed about at her feet. His gurgling speech surfaced when she heard someone approaching them. She fled from the scene with Snickers swinging wildly behind her.
She hid a few blocks off when a mechanical cop found her. She forced it under her control, believing that it could be used for her defense. It could function as her personal guard. She led the robot down the maze of alleys until she found a large warehouse. She commanded the doors open then entered along with her guard. She could sense the system of wireless cameras stationed in the corners that she could use to her advantage. She sat on the top of one of the crates, stacked against the back wall, as the robot stood guard beside her. She placed Snickers in her lap as she reviewed the live feeds of the cameras, sensing for potential danger.
There was a man from the military lurking around her fortified warehouse. He must have seen her enter or had received some other indication that she was inside. He wandered near the doors which she kept shut, despite his command to open them, though the
The Paradoxical Nature of Knowledge Page 20
