The door to the restroom hissed open.
General A-01 stepped out, adjusting his cuff. "Thirty seconds, Nikki. As promised."
The hallway was empty. The plush carpet stretched out in both directions, undisturbed. There was no sign of the silver-clad woman who had been clinging to his arm like a second skin just moments ago.
A-01 froze.
He didn't call out her name. He didn't panic. He stood perfectly still, his internal processor cycling through possibilities in a microsecond.
Then, a red warning light flashed before him eyes. His HUD.
He then realized something was wrong.
[WARNING: ASSET BIO-SIGNAL UNSTABLE.]
[HEART RATE: 180 BPM.]
[CORTISOL: CRITICAL.] [LOCATION: DISPLACED - 40 METERS WEST.]
She wasn't hiding. She was terrified.
A-01's blue eyes darkened, the pupils dilating until the iris was almost gone. He started his quest to find Nikki. He moved down the corridor, following the distress signal screaming in his head.
****
Nikki gasped, her eyes flying open.
