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Freddy’s eyes darted around the warehouse, struggling to formulate an escape plan. The musty air and dim lighting made it difficult to focus, but he knew he had to find a way out. Just as he was wracking his brain for ideas, a flicker of movement caught his attention.
Freddy blinked hard, unsure if his eyes were deceiving him. A tiny speck moved across the concrete floor; its path too deliberate to be random. He squinted, trying to focus in the dim light. As the speck drew closer, recognition dawned. It wasn’t an ant—it was one of TI’s bots.
His heart beat double time as more appeared, their metallic bodies glinting faintly. What were they doing here? How had they found him?
The bots spread out, some heading toward Josh and Ellie. Freddy held his breath, not daring to alert his captors. He watched, fascinated, as the tiny machines swarmed around their feet.
Josh noticed first, his face contorting in confusion. “What the hell?” He stomped, trying to crush one underfoot.
Ellie’s head snapped up. “What is it?”
“I don’t know, some kind of—“ Josh’s words cut off as he yelped, shaking his leg. “They’re climbing up me!”
Freddy’s eyes widened as he watched the bots scale Josh and Ellie’s legs with surprising speed. His captors flailed, slapping at their clothes in a frantic attempt to dislodge the tiny invaders.
Freddy couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The bots he’d spent countless hours testing were here, seemingly coming to his rescue. But how? And who was controlling them?
Tiny specks scurried across the concrete floor, their metallic bodies glinting in the faint light. A surge of hope coursed through him as he watched the swarm grow larger, pouring in through cracks and crevices.
Ellie’s eyes widened in horror as they went after her, too. “Stop them!” she shrieked, her composure crumbling as she began frantically swatting at the tiny machines.
But their efforts were futile. The bots swarmed up their legs with incredible speed, covering them in a writhing mass of metal. Freddy watched in amazement as his captors fell to the ground, clawing desperately at their skin and screaming in panic.
Just then, the warehouse door burst open. Freddy’s heart leapt as Sabrina rushed in, her eyes wild with determination. She sprinted towards him, navigating around the thrashing forms of Ellie and Josh.
“Freddy!” she called out, reaching his side and immediately working to unbuckle the straps holding him to the chair.
Freddy’s heart lurched as Sabrina’s nimble fingers worked to free him from the chair. Her face was flushed, eyes brimming with tears as she fumbled with the last strap. The moment it fell away, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Freddy,” she sobbed, her words muffled against his shirt. “I had to use the bots. It was the only way to save you.”
Freddy wrapped his arms around her, still dazed from the whirlwind of events. His mind struggled to catch up as Sabrina’s words tumbled out between hiccupping sobs.
“I’m going to miss working with you so much,” she cried. “But I couldn’t let them hurt you. I love you too much.”
Time seemed to stand still as her words sank in. Freddy’s breath caught in his throat. Had she really said what he thought she said? He pulled back slightly, cupping her face in his hands.
“Sabrina,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. “What do you mean, you’re going to miss working with me?”
She sniffled, avoiding his gaze. “I had to steal the bots to save you. They’ll have to fire me now. But it’s worth it because I love you, Freddy. I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
Freddy’s mind reeled as he processed her words. She loved him. She’d sacrificed her job—the thing she’d worked so hard for—to save him. Overwhelmed with emotion, he pulled her close again.
“I love you too, Sabrina,” he murmured into her hair. “God, I love you so much.”
They clung to each other, both laughing and crying as the tension of the past few days melted away. Freddy’s heart swelled with joy and gratitude. He’d never felt so loved, so seen in his entire life.
The sound of sirens pierced the air, growing louder as they approached. Freddy barely registered the police bursting through the door, too lost in Sabrina’s embrace to care about anything else.
Chapter 28: Sabrina
Sabrina clung to Freddy as the warehouse erupted into chaos. Police swarmed the area, their voices echoing off the metal walls. She watched, heart pounding, as officers handcuffed Ellie and led her away. The sight of Josh Jr.’s motionless body on the concrete floor made her stomach churn.
Sabrina kept her arms wrapped tightly around Freddy, drawing comfort from his solid presence as an officer approached Josh Jr.’s still form on the cold concrete floor. Sabrina held her breath as he knelt down, pressing fingers against Josh’s neck. The seconds stretched into an eternity.When the officer looked up at his colleagues and shook his head, Sabrina’s stomach dropped.
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder until an ambulance screeched to a halt outside. Paramedics rushed in, their gear clanking as they moved. One of them repeated the officer’s check, his movements efficient and practiced. Sabrina watched, her throat tight, as he too shook his head.
“We need to preserve the scene for forensics,” an officer told the paramedic. “The ME will want to see this. Maybe she can tell the cause of death.”
