Immortal by Kelvin Kelley Page B

to roll out from its neck joint. Jericho jumped to his feet,
control stick in hand. He reached down and kicked the chain away
from the Guardian’s body and then grabbed it and ran for the open
door. He quickly looked out into the hallway. It was clear. He
stepped outside, and paused briefly at the control panel of the
doorway. He was unsure which of the many buttons to hit, so he
began to hit several until suddenly the door slid shut and he heard
the lock engage. Now what, he thought. I’ve escaped the Guardian. I
have a control stick. But where do I go? Where is Gabrielle?
    He reasoned that if he continued down the
hallway, away from the direction that they had come, it would lead
into the control center, which was the last place he wanted to be.
That left him one option. To go back the way they had come. He
wasn’t sure if he could remember which turns the Guardian had taken
as it came in, and even if he made it back to the doorway to the
outside, he was unsure if it would open for him. But he knew he
could not stay here. He had to find Gabrielle. And if he stayed
here, it would mean punishment, or worse. Now, he had attacked a
Guardian. He had never even heard of anyone that had attacked a
Guardian. And until today, as he had witnessed the trouble in the
meal room at the factory, he had not even realized that it could be
done. His mind ran in overtime as he began to retrace the path
towards the outside. He came to where he thought the first turn had
been made, and cautiously peered around the corner. The hallway was
empty. He turned the corner and quietly made his way to the next
turn. Here, as he looked around the corner, he could go left or
right. Though he was not positive, he thought that the Guardian had
come from the right. He chose to go to the left.
    The hallway remained clear as he headed
through the gloom, which was lit occasionally by an overhead light.
When eventually the hallway ended in a dead end, he noticed the
faint outline of a doorway set into the wall, but he could see no
control panel to operate the door. Then, barely visible in the
gloom, was a single square recess. He reached out and touched the
indentation, and was startled when the door suddenly slid open. He
jumped back and shut his eyes against the blinding light. As he
squinted, he stepped forward and peered through the doorway. It was
another hallway with smooth floors and walls, with light that
beamed down from the overhead ceiling panels. It was something
Jericho had never seen. He glanced down to the left, and then to
the right. He turned left. As he still squinted at the brightness
of the light, and felt naked in the brightness of the overhead
light, he stayed close against the left side of the hallway as he
moved. He tightened his grip on the control stick in his right
hand. The chain in his left hand, tightly wrapped around his wrist,
dangled nearly to the floor. He was all too aware that he had made
a commitment when he had attacked the Guardian back in the
interrogation room. If he was stopped now, he thought, if they
caught him, he would never see Gabrielle again. He would be unable
to help her. He might not see anyone again. As this thought ran
through his mind, a panel suddenly slid open in the wall just in
front of him, and a Guardian stepped through into the hallway.
Jericho reacted instantly, and shoved the control stick into its
side. The blue sparks exploded from the contact, and as he pulled
the control stick back and readied himself for his next attack,
smoke began to billow from the Guardian. It had never raised its
control stick. Jericho realized that it had not even known he was
there. It had not yet had a chance to realize that anyone was
there. It stood immobile as it smoldered.
    Cautiously, with the control stick pointing
out, Jericho made his way around the disabled Guardian, and once
past, he ran farther down the brightly lit hallway. He glanced back
occasionally to make sure the Guardian had not moved. As he