Spying Over You

Fifteen: Emma

Sam shows me around the rest of the building. Most of it is simple work rooms where they assemble the products the Mars company sells. Eventually Sam takes us back to the main floor.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" she asks, stretching her hands above her head.

I shake my head.

"Well I do. Wait here for me?"

"Sure."

She grins before taking off towards the day care where we dropped Jax off at. I turn and look down the hall that Mr. and Mrs. Mars disappeared down. Then, I look over my shoulder. It can't hurt to take a look, right? I don't even have to tell Sam. I can just walk down a little bit and be back before she's even done in the bathroom.

Before I can think any longer about it I turn and walk down the hall. It's like all the other ones with the sleek walls and bright lighting. My foot steps echo. Part of me worries that it'll give me away, but just walking down the hall can do that.

"I can't believe it," a voice complains.

My eyes widen. That came from in front of me. I look around, but there's nothing to hide behind. My only option is to turn and head back to the lobby. I take a deep breath and turn around. But... what if the voice could give me some information? My bottom lip finds its way between my teeth. If I walk slow enough I could listen in on what the voice is saying, but I'll also have to keep my pace just fast enough that they won't see me.

"It's alright," another voice says. This one sounds like Mr. Mars, but I can't be sure. "It's only a little setback."

A scoff. "A little setback. That missing code will cost us months! And how does someone just delete it?"

Missing code? Is there someone already working to get rid of this robot? Someone from my team? Or someone completely different?

"There's no point in stressing about it now. The person has been fired and we have the team working overtime to recover the code."

A sigh. "At least the designers aren't running into problems."

"Emma! There you are." My hand is pulled as Sam comes into my vision. "Why were you down there?" She shots a look over my shoulder before narrowing her gaze on me.

"I- um..." How do I explain this?

"There you two are. How was the tour?"

Sam drops my hand, allowing me to turn around and find her parents behind us.

"It was great," Sam says.

"I really enjoyed seeing the company and learning about it," I add on. Though I wish I could have gathered more information on the robot. All I know is that the timeline has been pushed back. Which means I might have more time for my mission.

"Yeah?" Mr. Mars smiles proudly, he puffs out his chest slightly. "Are you ready for your new chip then?"

"I sure am." The swishing in my stomach might disagree though.

He claps his hands, before pushing past me and Sam. "Lovely. Let's head up to my workshop and we can start the upgrade."

I gulp. "Sounds great."

"I have some paperwork I need to do," Mrs. Mars says. I look back at her to see her looking over her shoulder. When she spots me watching her she gives me a smile. "I hope the new chip fits you well." Then she turns and heads back down the hall she just came from.

I open my mouth to ask why she needs to go back. Paperwork is such a sorry excuse but Sam steps into my vision and shakes her head, causing me to snap my mouth shut. "Let's go get you that new chip." She grabs my arm and digs her nails in before pulling me after her and her father.