Scarlet's Escape

by Katrina Cope

  “Oh, Scarlet, that’s not nice. No wonder he went white at the thought of you getting back at him.” Jayden felt sorry for Niles.

  - Chapter Twenty-One -

  The Puzzling Search

  Jayden woke up from a restless sleep in the doctor’s room, disturbed by scuffling and voices. Trying not to moan from the pain in his body, he rolled over slowly to have a look at who had entered the room. He saw Charlie holding one of the ends of a stretcher and Eva holding the other end. They were bringing in Professor Anna. Not far behind them, on a stretcher with rollers, Robert was being wheeled in with Niles directing the way and Aaron pushing from behind.

  Robert remained unconscious. Professor Anna squinted out from between her bruised and battered eyelids. She saw him and called, “Jayden!”

  He smiled at her in return, although he was sure that it appeared more like a grimace. Even after being beaten and unable to look after herself, she still welcomed him, making him feel special. She was always thinking of others. How her estranged husband could treat her that way, he would never understand. If he turned out half as thoughtful and caring as Professor Anna when he grew up, he would be very proud of himself.

  Avando entered the room and gently took Professor Anna’s hand. “My dear, how did you get in this predicament?”

  With a croaky voice, she looked up at his dark-brown eyes and concerned face. “I looked out the window and saw him trekking across the grounds. I quickly raced downstairs and approached him.” Jayden could just hear her tired words.

  “You should have taken someone with you,” Avando gently chastised.

  “I know, but I wasn’t one hundred percent certain it was him, and if it was, I didn’t want to lose him.”

  Charlie came around on the other side of her and gently started washing the wounds on her face. “How did he get you so badly? The students seemed to think he wasn’t injured, and I know you wouldn’t go down without a fight.” Avando looked distraught seeing her that way again.

  She shook her head slowly. “I don’t remember. I remember running toward the external workshop but nothing after that. He must’ve seen me coming and ambushed me from behind.” Glancing down at her damaged and bloody body, she continued, “I don’t know how I became this trashed, though. He might have gone on once he knocked me out.”

  Shocked gasps resonated throughout the room.

  Charlie let out a whistle. “To do that to someone is not only cowardly but also psychotic.”

  “That’s terrible, my dear.” Avando stroked her hand affectionately. “Now, I am going to leave lovely Doctor Rachel to look after you and Robert.” He smiled at the doctor. “Charlie and I are going to look for the body.” Professor Anna frowned at him, looking confused, and he continued, “The students said he fell over the edge of the mountain.”

  “Ow!” Professor Anna screwed up her nose at the horrifying thought.

  Doctor Rachel came charging in with swabs and equipment, ready to get to work. “Right, unless you’re here to help, out you go!” she snapped at Avando and Charlie.

  Eva and Aaron stayed. Aaron took an ice pack and placed it on Robert’s swollen head while Eva helped clean up Professor Anna.

  Doctor Rachel placed oxygen masks on all the patients. “We need to make sure the gas has left the system properly. Here, you two should wear one while you’re here.” She passed them a mask each, attached to an oxygen cylinder with enough tubing for them to move near the beds. A look of remembrance crossed her face. “Actually, Professor Anna needs a shower. If she needs assistance, can you please help her, Eva?”

  Eva nodded.

  “And then, you also need to wash thoroughly to get all the gas off your skin and hair. Make sure you dispose of the clothes you are wearing after securely tying them in a plastic bag. It is imperative no one else be affected by the gas.” The doctor helped Professor Anna get up then turned to address the wounds of the unconscious Robert.

  Feeling tiredness take over his body again, Jayden rolled over to sleep off his pain.

  His sleep was full of nightmares replaying the day’s events. Even in his dreams, his body ached from the wounds he had received. He woke up unrefreshed, but he was glad to see that Robert had awakened, looked clean in fresh clothes, and was cackling lightly at Aaron and Eva’s recollection of the day’s events and how it ended. Barney would undoubtedly be the hero of the day.

  Professor Anna slept quietly on her recovery bed.

  Seeing Jayden was awake, Eva instructed, “Take your mask off. We’ve been cleared.”

  “Even Robert and Professor Anna?” Jayden asked.

  She nodded.

  “But they didn’t have any protection at all from the gas,” he reminded her.

  “Doctor Rachel said that because they were unconscious and down low to the ground, they didn’t take much. You don’t breathe deeply when you’re unconscious,” she explained.

  A cheerful, singsongy voice sounded from the entrance of the ward. “Robert, look what I have for you.” All of the occupants of the room turned to see Niles storming in with Shelly in his hands.

  “Shelly!” Robert called out excitedly. She was limp in Niles’s arms. This didn’t dampen Robert’s enthusiasm to see her. “I can’t activate her though, as I haven’t got her chip.” He reached out, took her from Niles, and placed her on his lap.

  Niles reached into his dark-blue dress-pants pocket and pulled out a small technology chip. “Now, do I think of everything, or what?” he cheerfully challenged.

  “Thanks, Niles.” Robert reached out and took the chip. “But do you think it’s wise to reactivate her?” He hesitated, looking at Niles, concerned.

  “If Professor Showden survives that fall, then I will do the chicken dance in front of the whole school.”

  “Promise?” Robert smiled.

  “Promise! But I will also work on making sure that he, or anyone for that matter, won’t be able to hack into her again. And I will also work on securing Scarlet’s mainframe. We can’t have people like that hacking or using our system.”

  Satisfied with Niles’s response, Robert lifted Shelly’s curly blond hair at the back of her neck, put in the chip, and turned her on. Instantly, she sat up straight, and her blue eyes opened, passing from face to face around the room, smiling before falling on Robert.

  “Robbie!” she squealed, throwing her small arms around his neck.

  Robert’s smile broadened. “Hey, kiddo!”

  She leaned back, looking earnestly into his hazel eyes. “Did you fix me?”

  He shook his head. “No, not yet. But we fixed the person making you bad, and we will work on making sure no one else can do that to you.”

  A smile spread broadly across her face.

  “You’ve got that right!” A croaky voice sounded from behind them. Shelly spun around to see who had spoken. Her eyes expanded wide in surprise.

  “Mommy!” She climbed off Robert’s bed and went over to the awakened Professor Anna. She climbed onto the bed and gave her a soft hug. “What happened?”

  Professor Anna tried to smile through her split lips. “The bad man got me too.”

  Shelly’s cute little face scowled, and her mouth turned down at the edges. “If he is not dead, he better watch out for Shelly,” she hissed in a chilling voice.

  Male voices leaked into the room. Shelly spun around and jumped off Professor Anna’s bed excitedly. “Grampy!” she called and ran, throwing herself into Avando’s arms.

  “Shelly, you’re back?” He scooped her up and hugged her enthusiastically. He continued to limp his way into the room with Charlie following and sat on the end of Professor Anna’s cot.

  “How’d it go?” Aaron shot out the question on everyone’s lips.

  Avando shook his head. “We found bits of ripped clothing stuck on the side of the rock face. Once we landed the helicopter at the bottom, we found some more ripped clothes on the ground after a thorough investigation. Strangely, we didn’t find a body.”

&
nbsp; “We found a couple of weird bits of metal not far away,” Charlie said.

  “Do you know what from?” Niles asked.

  Charlie shook his head. “No. We don’t know where his body would have ended up.”

  “Could a wild animal have cleaned it up?” Professor Anna sounded concerned.

  “Predators aren’t usually that quick in cleaning up remains, from what I have seen with the sheep.” Charlie shook his head again.

  “I can’t believe he wasn’t locked up. Did you even know he wasn’t locked up anymore?” Professor Anna asked Avando.

  “I saw a few things on Scarlet’s security screen and went to investigate earlier today. I have done this a few times recently.”

  A shocked gasp sounded throughout the room.

  “So is that why we—or even Scarlet—couldn’t find you earlier?” Jayden asked.

  “Yes.” Avando nodded and then sighed dramatically. “It’s been such a long and eventful day. We could use a pick-me-up with some treats.” He spoke firmly. “Scarlet?”

  Scarlet’s new image shimmered as she formed her hologram next to him. He looked startled and was joined with Professor Anna and Charlie.

  “Who are you?” Avando questioned her.

  “I am she, who you called.” Avando was one person Scarlet did not give cheek to.

  His confusion remained.

  “This is Scarlet,” Jayden explained. “Niles has programmed her to evolve, and this is what she has decided. She has changed her look to suit her attitude.”

  “Remarkable! You did this, Niles?” Avando looked at Niles.

  Scarlet was shooting daggers at Niles with her eyes.

  “Actually, I had no idea she would choose to do this, Avando,” he said meekly. “I did give her more flexibility, though.”

  “Absolutely remarkable! You’re too modest, Niles.” Avando observed Scarlet closely.

  Niles’s voice rose in high-pitched anxiety. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat and continued, “But I think Scarlet would rather take the credit.”

  Avando raised one of his dark-brown eyebrows at Scarlet’s new form. “Really?”

  Niles nodded his head.

  Avando shook his head, scrutinized her as she remained unresponsive, and held her gaze firmly. “That reminds me why I called you,” he continued. “Can you please arrange with Ms. Helen eight champagne flutes, sparkling apple juice, and some chocolate chip cookies?”

  “Yes, Avando,” she said before she disappeared.

  “Avando?” Eva sounded hesitant.

  “Yes, my dear?”

  “We found Professor Anna in the bottom of this hidden underground storage facility. It looks set up like the rest of the Sanctum. Did you know about it?”

  “Yes, I did, my dear. I had it built as a backup pantry-slash-storage room, or for extra security like a shelter if needed.” He paused in thought. “To be honest, I had almost forgotten about it. Obviously, Professor Showden remembered it and used it as a hideaway.”

  Ms. Helen came bursting into the room with a food trolley. “Here we go, Avando. Just like you asked.” Her hair was pulled back into her traditional gray bun with wisps of hair falling out and softly framing her plump face. After pulling the trolley into the middle of the room, she wiped her hands on her apron proudly, more out of habit than necessity.

  “Wow! That was quick, Ms. Helen. Thank you so much,” Avando said. “It all looks lovely, as usual.”

  She blushed slightly over the praise. “Always my pleasure, Avando. Is there anything else you need before I race back to check on the cakes in the oven?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll let you get back to your cakes.”

  “Enjoy.” She swayed out of the room.

  Avando placed Shelly down on the bed next to him and arranged the glasses on the trolley. “Uh, Aaron?” He looked as though he had just remembered something. “I hear your surrogate has been given access to the underground at Ernest State College and that you were called back after the Prime Minister was shot.”

  Aaron nodded, and Avando continued, “That’s wonderful! So how is that going?” He opened the sparkling apple juice and began pouring it into the glasses.

  “Unfortunately, I haven’t found out anything much so far, other than seeing the cool gadgets they are creating down there. Which reminds me.” He walked over to Avando and gave his inactive arm a big pinch and twist.

  “Ow!” Avando yelped, spilling some sparkling apple juice over the side of a glass mid-pour. He squinted at Aaron, puzzled. The rest of the room burst out laughing, for they knew what he was doing. Hearing their laughing, he asked, “What was that for?”

  “Well, Dr. Ernest mentioned that they didn’t have enough surrogates free to send to investigate the attack on the Prime Minister,” he said. “So, seeing their surrogates are really lifelike, I’ve been checking everyone to see if they are real or not.”

  “Oh, I see!” Avando smiled and continued pouring the juice.

  “Avando?” Jayden frowned.

  “Yes, son?”

  “We still haven’t found anything yet to say that the school is working for the wrong side. So far, they seem legit in working for the government.” Jayden stumbled over the words, for he wasn’t sure how much to question Avando.

  “Looks can be deceiving,” Avando said, standing by his initial beliefs. “We still need to keep observing. You just never know.” He looked intensely through his deep-brown eyes at Jayden. “But we can worry about that later.”

  He started handing out champagne flutes filled with yellow-tinged sparkling apple juice.

  He handed one to Shelly also, and she giggled. “Grampy, I can’t drink, silly.”

  Avando smiled at her. “I know, silly, but we can pretend.” He winked at her, and she giggled louder.

  Turning toward everyone in the room, he announced, “The school has been rid of a nuisance today. It is time to celebrate. So here’s to a safer future!” Avando lifted his glass to the room, and they toasted.

  Acknowledgments

  I am touched by the enormous amount of support I have received from my immediate family. My husband has been a helpful first reader and at times been a wonderful motivator, with hints of ideas to help me through the blanks. The support from my three sons has also been overwhelming. My older two have devoured the books of the series and asked for more, with my middle son helping with those errors missed by spellcheck before editing. Thank you also to my youngest son, though too young to read the book by himself at the time of publishing, has been full of enthusiasm and support.

  I would also like to thank my good friend and book enthusiast, Julie Hickson for becoming a beta reader and part editor. Her enthusiasm to continue being a beta reader for the next books in the series, and watching her excitedly trying to work out the future plot, is inspiring for an author.

  A huge thank you to my editor Kate Birdsall, for his editing and writing tips and Irene S for her proofreading skills and picking up on mistakes missed prior to her edit..

  Thank you to all of my readers who have loved my work, and continue to read my stories. I would love for you to share your thoughts in a review on one or all of the following:

  Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Scarlets-Escape-Book-2-Sanctum-ebook/dp/B00L8KYSUO/

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  Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scarlets-escape-mrs-katrina-cope/1119889527?ean=9781500305185

  You can follow Katrina Cope at:

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  http://www.amazon.com/Katrina-Cope/e/B00F00JF9M/

  Book 3: Taylor’s Plight

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  Katrina is an author of several Young Adult and Preteen/Middle Grade novels. Each of her released books reaching the top 100 in certain categories on the Amazon’s Best Sellers Rank – a few even as high as number one.

  She resides in Queensland, Australia. Her three teen/preteen boys and husband for over seventeen years treat her like a princess. Unfortunately though, this princess still has to do domestic chores.

  She holds a 2nd Dan in Taekwondo, which she likes to incorporate the experience into her stories. When she has enough time away from her writing to commit to training, she will be going for her 3rd Dan.

  From birth, she has been a very creative person and has spent many years travelling the world and observing many different personalities and cultures. Her favourite personalities have been the strange ones, yet the ones under the radar also hold a place in her heart.

  During her last extensive travels, she spent 16 nights in a bomb shelter on a Kibbutz 8 kilometers off the Lebanese border. It was to avoid Katyusha bombs that the resident volunteers decided to name her after (she is still trying to work out why).