<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/gPDAn.jpg)</div>For the second time that day, Karina found herself unable to move. Everything was happening too fast to process. On top of that, she still didn't know what the deal was with those strange images she saw earlier.<br/><br/><em><strong>"Come on, we don't have much more time."</strong></em>He told her. His sudden English surprised her. Karina's mouth felt bone dry and her voice caught in her throat. His tense determination felt overwhelming; like a man on a mission.<br/><br/>James' attention snapped towards the door of the restroom, and Karina followed. Two guards stopped short as they registered the scene in front of them. Karina couldn't tell if she was still feeling her own fear, or theirs. Which lead her to wonder what the hell kind of terrible security the company was hiring if they were scared of doing their job.<br/><br/>The frenzied soldier stepped in between her and the two guards, like a human shield. They drew their weapons, and Karina felt a hand clasp around her wrist. A sudden jolt seemed to shoot through her body, and her head began to pound. It felt like she had just gotten shocked by something. She winced in pain, and brought her gaze up as one of the men shouted at them not to move.<br/><br/>James held up his metal arm just before one of the guns went off. Karina cried out in fear before she suddenly felt herself jerked forward. James engaged the two guards, making quick work of them. One man fell to the floor while the other was propelled backwards by his metal arm. The young woman felt her heart pounding in her chest and her adrenaline pumped through her veins.<br/><br/>James rushed out of the bathroom, dragging Karina along behind him. She didn't have too much trouble keeping up with him, but he still ran quicker than she thought. Perhaps it was the adrenaline pumping through her that gave her a speed boost. The pair rounded a corner, and Karina found herself suddenly smacking into the back of James. He stopped suddenly, and she peered out from behind him to see a group of men blocking the path. Her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath.<br/><br/><strong><em>"SPUTNIK!"</em></strong>A tall man with pale skin yelled. Karina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. No sooner than the man had spoken the word, James' hand slipped from her wrist and he stood motionless in front of her. Karina brought her hand up and gently rubbed her wrist. It didn't hurt, but it hadn't been entirely comfortable either. She scanned the area, trying to get her bearings, before her boss' voice registered in her ears.<br/><br/>"What on Earth happened, Karina?" Vincent Tyrell asked, standing in front of her with his hands gently resting on her shoulders. Karina blinked several times as she stared at him. She looked over at the, now, docile soldier as he was taken away by a group of men.<br/><br/>"I... He..." Karina stumbled over her words. The whole situation seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. It felt so surreal. As everything seemed to calm down, the adrenaline that kept her going seemed to immediately drain out of her body. She suddenly felt so tired and drained. "His eyes..."<br/><br/>"Karina. Take a breath. Sit down." Vincent told her. Karina nodded and he lead her to a nearby chair. She sat down and took a deep breath, slowly composing herself.<br/><br/>"There...must have been a malfunction in the freezing chamber. His eyes snapped open, and I typed in the override code. Then..." Karina gestured to the two unconscious guards that were being taken away; most likely to the infirmary.<br/><br/>"What were you doing in there by yourself?" Vincent asked her, his tone more serious now.<br/><br/><em>Shit! Lie quick, lie well!</em>"I wanted to check and make sure everything was functioning properly. Ever since we had that massive rainstorm, sometimes things go on the fritz." Karina replied, hoping she was convincing enough. Vincent seemed to be studying her, and she did her best to look innocent and truthful.<br/><br/>"Why don't you take some time off, Karina?" He suggested. "This was...quite a shocking incident. You're lucky you weren't hurt." Karina looked at him in surprise.<br/><br/>"Sir..! I-I couldn't possibly...!" She stammered. Vincent shook his head.<br/><br/>"Paid leave time. Take some time to rest and recover, OK?" He explained. "Don't worry about anything here. We'll get it covered." He assured her. Karina looked down after a moment, then nodded silently. "Good. Why don't you head home now and relax." Karina looked at him and nodded again.<br/><br/>"I...Thank you, Sir." Karina said softly. Vincent nodded wordlessly and called over a security guard to escort her to her car.<br/><div align="center">*****</div>Three days later, Karina was home and still couldn't process what had happened at work. It seemed like an ongoing bad dream that she couldn't wake up from. She had so many questions; why did it happen, what was going to happen to James, why did he take her with him, was she going to be in trouble when she got back to work...<br/><br/>She spent the rest of the evening trying to distract herself with trashy reality shows, movies, and political news. But nothing seemed to be working. Karina couldn't stop thinking about James. He was a person, and the company was treating him like he wasn't. Like he was just some weapon. Didn't he have friends? A family that was worried about him? Karina wondered why these thoughts were only occurring to her now. She felt like a horrible person.<br/><br/>A glance at the clock told her it was just after midnight. With a heavy sigh, she stood up from the couch and stretched. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed her parents. It rang several times before it picked up.<br/><br/>"Здравствуйте?" The voice on the other end said.<br/><br/>"Привет папаша." Karina smiled.<br/><br/>"Карина!" He said enthusiastically. "Мед! Иди сюда!"<br/><br/>Karina felt her worries fade away for the few minutes that she talked to her parents. They asked about work, and she avoided telling them about the incident that happened. It was a short, but sweet conversation that gave Karina some much needed comfort. Karina told her parents she loved them, and they told her the same before she told them goodnight and hung up the phone.<br/><br/>Laying in bed, Karina couldn't shut off her brain. Her mind was racing, still wondering about the incident at work. She had a growing uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, and she couldn't figure out why. She wondered if there was something her employers weren't telling her. Something really hideous or depraved...<br/><br/>With a frustrated groan, she threw the blankets off and headed to the kitchen. She ran her hands through her hair to get out a few of the tangles. The kitchen was very dimly lit by the small light over the stove. It provided just enough illumination for her to see where she was going. She opened the door to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. After opening it, she took several large gulps. She pulled the bottle away and took a few breaths.<br/><br/>Karina put the cap back on the bottle and headed back upstairs with it. She walked past the doorway to the living room, noticing something out of the corner of her eye. She froze just past the doorway, then took a step backwards and took another look. Her blood ran cold and  the hair on the back of her neck stood up. There was the clear silhouette of a person standing in the darkness. Out of pure survival instinct, Karina threw the bottle at the figure and immediately began racing back up the stairs.<br/><br/><em>Phone! Police!</em><br/><hr/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Translation</div><div class="spoiler_body">Здравствуйте? - Hello?<br/>Привет папаша. - Hi papa.<br/>Карина! - Karina!<br/>Мед! Иди сюда! - Honey! Come here!</div></div>