Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel

Chapter 55

I walked into the hospital room giddy with excitement.

"Phillip?"

He put down a magazine. "Well, well, well. So she finally comes to check on me."

I ran up to him and gave him an awkward hug, trying to work my arms around the breathing tubes and IV. He pulled the tube out of his nose. I sobbed.

"Hey, hey. None of that now. Glad to see you, too," said Phillip. I could feel him nodding toward Heath.

"Phillip," I said, with tears in my eyes. "I am so, so sorry. You can never under—"

"Hey, stop that. You have absolutely nothing be sorry about."

"If I'd kept a closer eye on things—"

"No."

"But this wouldn't—"

"I'm alive, aren't I? And in no small part thanks to you."

Phillip pointed toward a screen with his vital signs. I hadn't noticed it until now. I'd forgotten that this was our pilot hospital. Ancien was watching over Phillip.

Wait. Ancien was watching Phillip. Which meant Gaia was watching Phillip. I ran over to the wall and unplugged the machine.

"Hey," said Phillip.

The machine interrupted. It didn't turn off as I had expected it to. Rather, it started sounding an alarm. Moments later, the male nurse ran in.

"What's going on here?"

He saw me standing there with the cords still in my hands.

"We need to turn these machines off. How do you turn them off?"

"Okay, that's it. Out. Now."

I kept pulling at the cables, but it wasn't working. There must have been a backup battery in the machine somewhere. New alarms started going off. The cops flanking the door ran in and tore me away.

"Those machines—Phillip, you're not safe here. Ancien is running on those machines."

"Hey, guys, you don't need to grab her like that. I'm her lawyer. We were just about to leave."

Heath put his hand on the shoulder of one of the cops. Immediately, he let go of me and grabbed Heath's arm instead, putting him in an arm lock.

"Assaulting an officer, are we?"

They were dragging us out of the room when I glanced back at the bed. Phillip's eyes were wide. He'd figured it out. I looked back at Heath, who was staring at me. This couldn't happen. There was a warrant for my arrest. I'd be thrown in jail immediately. They started handcuffing us.

"Is this really necessary?" Heath asked. "Are we under arrest?"

"You have the right to remain silent," one of the officers began.

"Aw, shit," yelled Heath. He threw himself against the officer, and they both fell to the ground. The officer behind me ran to help his partner.

"Run, Luna. Go."

I couldn't process what was going on. But somehow my feet were moving. I was going somewhere and fast. Where? I had no idea. Why? Not sure either. When I finally hit the exit, my brain kicked in. Should I stop? Turn around? Maybe it wasn't too late. If I cooperated, maybe they'd understand. Maybe they'd even help.

Wait. Help? Why the hell would they believe me? I had no proof. Everything that had happened transpired over code. Groups of ones and zeroes flying over optic cables, leading countless people to their untimely, untraceable deaths. There was no smoking gun. There was no body with DNA evidence. It was hard even for me to believe.

I had to run. I had to nail Thor to the bloody wall, or nobody would ever find out. I'd be thrown in jail where I wouldn't be able to do anything to help anyone. Phillip. Alex. Even Heath. Just like Taye. They'd all die in ways I couldn't even imagine. All by my hand. By my company. By my invention. I couldn't let that happen.

"Stop. Stop that woman."

I ran.