After raiding the armory, hiking to the nearest gas station, and stealing a car they made it to The Factory. In the dead of night, they stood in front of the massive cube limestone building placed in the middle of lush green grass. The lanterns on the sidewalk lit up the building that had no name. Only a glass door interrupted the monotony of the stone exterior.

"This was here all the time!" Oliver nodded toward the building. "I probably passed by this over a hundred times."

Keller slipped a full clip into his assault rifle, "I said hidden in plain sight." He advanced toward the building.

They followed him down the cobblestone sidewalk and up to the streak-free glass door.

"How are we going to get in?" Asia asked looking through the glass but seeing nothing but darkness even with her enhanced sight.

Keller placed his hand on the silver handle, "Push." He answered like she should've known.

"You made this place sound like a fortress." Eric snarked. He walked behind them, entering into the building. "It looks like a-a bank." Under his sneakers, the ones he stole from a Target on their way back to Rayford University, was buffed eggshell marble. Low lights embedded along the ceiling seemed to go on forever. Walls of glass bordered offices on the far end of the establishment. To his right was a staircase of onyx.

"Looks can be deceiving," Keller stated just as clicking came from afar.

Ethan tilted up his head, "What's that?"

"It sounds like..." Asia focused her golden eyes ahead. "Heels."

A wicked smile spread across Keller's face. "Matilda."

The clicking of pumps grew louder as a slender woman with a low Afro and chestnut toned skin, in a red pencil dress appeared. She slowly stopped in front of them.

"8519, welcome back," Matilda spoke in a monotone.

"Save the bull shit, Matilda." Keller rested his finger on the rifle's trigger. "Have they brought the boy, yet?"

"Boy?" Matilda took a few measured steps closer to them. "Do you mean, 3362? Denver Perkins. OXRO. Classification: Rho." She glanced at each one of them blankly.

"Is she a robot?" Oliver whispered to Eric. Eric shrugged.

"I prefer Artificial Intelligence." Matilda orated. "Or A.I." She gracefully clasped her hands together. "General Kincaid will be here shortly...approximately twenty-two minutes." She inched closer, standing a couple of feet away from Keller. "You can wait patiently in the lobby or...be made to wait patiently in the lobby."

"Made to wait," Ethan repeated.

Asia tightened her grip on the knife, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That means..." Matilda snapped twice and figures moved in the distance. "You can follow directions or forced to follow directions."

Eric held the rifle over his chest, "Who's going to force us?"

"My glitches," Matilda responded as the massive figures grew nearer.

"Glitches?" Asia asked glancing over at Keller who was still calm.

Matilda clasped her hands back, "Surely you didn't think you were the first experiment. No. You were a successful experiment." She twisted her head to the left and a hulking creature with leathery cream skin, eyes the color of rubies, and canine teeth that traveled passed his bottom lip. "Meet Edgar." She walked around the creature. Shaka snarled at the monstrous thing. "Dr. Cummings tried the DNA of a Silverback Gorilla, first. It didn't stabilize the Nylaarian DNA, unfortunately."

"I would run...if I were you." Keller retorted viewing shadows approaching.

Eric, Oliver, and Ethan scampered to the stairs.

Asia started to run then stopped. "What are you doing?" She asked Keller frantically. "You can't take them on by yourself." Asia pushed him seeing three beings almost a yard away. She pushed him harder as Shaka's growls filled the room. "Let's go!"

"No." Keller shoved her away from him. "You go! Save your brothers." He stabbed his finger at the stairs. "You have your progeny. Keep it that way!" He pulled two canisters from the pockets of his cargo pants. "Run!" He pulled the black bandana that was around his neck over his mouth.

Asia heard her name hollered in the distance. It was Ethan. 

"Don't make Oswald, Mortimer, and Luther chase you," Matilda warned. "It'll only make things worse."

Asia dashed to the stairs with Shaka at her heels. At the top of the stairs, Asia peeked back. Keller pulled the pin from the canisters, rolled them to the ground and smoke filled the air as Edgar pounced.

Will they be able to hold off Oswald, Mortimer, and Luther?