Project HALO

Chapter 41

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."

- Daniel Patrick Moynihan

My vision blurs as my breath quickens, sending dots of black and white into my eyes. With a loud groan I roll over, and the hard asphalt is cold against my aching back. I turn my head in the direction Mikey was driving, but he's already out of sight.

Thank God.

The sound of a door slamming shut makes me jerk my head to the other side. Three Detectors are coming closer with quick and controlled steps. I can feel the vibration of their footsteps in the ground. When they stop next to me, one of them mumbles something under his breath. The other two bend down and grab a hold around my arms, lifting me to my feet. I think they try to let me stand on my own, but my head is too dizzy and my legs too wobbly for me to maintain the balance, so they tighten their grips instead.

"What do you want?" I ask, not even bothering to scream for answers this time. They seem calmer than the last time I saw them. They haven't even handcuffed me.

"Mrs. Bielli wants to see you," the one to my left says.

They answered? On my first try?

This newfound politeness makes me skeptical, but I'd rather have it this way. My wrists aren't ready for a new round of handcuffs.

They hold me up and guide me to the van. The one in front opens the backdoors, and the other two help me inside. I crawl over to one of the benches and climb onto it, securing myself with a seatbelt.

"You okay?" one of them asks. He holds a hand on the doors, ready to close them. "You want some water?"

At first I'm too shocked to answer. Maybe I was knocked into another reality after crashing into the ground. The Detectors can be nice?

"I'm—I'm fine," I croak. He gives me a quick nod in return before leaving me in darkness. A minute later, the engine starts, and the van accelerates.

My head hurts, but I try to focus on what I should do next. Should I run away from them? Or should I meet Regina? I rub my eyes and groan. I hate Regina for doing this to me again. Showing me that no matter where I go, she'll find me. I have to see her. There are a lot of things she never mentioned to me and Mikey, and I want answers.

When the car stops, my eyes widen, focusing. I'm ready for whatever this is. Even if she wants to lock me away again, I won't go without a fight. Adrenaline rushes to my veins at the thought, my muscles tighten, and I shake my head as if that will get rid of the lightheadedness.

The doors open and I stand up to jump out, but my vision darkens at the edges, and I have to close my eyes to stop the dizziness. I take a deep breath of fresh air and sit down on my butt, then slide over the edge and plant my feet firmly on the ground.

We're parked inside the same underground parking lot as last time, and I already know we're headed toward the red door with the NIC-logo on it before the Detectors nudge me along. They let me walk on my own. They even keep an arm's length distance from me and maintain it all the way up to Regina's office.

This time, she doesn't bother coming to the door when one Detector knocks on it.

"Send them in," she orders from inside.

The same Detector opens the door and I enter.

When she sees me, Regina rises, but doesn't walk over to me, only waves for me to come closer. The usual fake smile arrives on her orange face.