Project HALO

8

I dive to the floor, my hands outreached for the gun.

Regina yells something, but I'm too focused to listen.

My fingers close around the weapon, and I bump into Malcolm's lifeless body. His blood seeps into my pants, clutching onto me like it wants to drown me. Cold rushes down my back.

I tear my eyes away from Malcolm and scramble to my feet, almost slipping in the pool of blood. With my free hand, I grab the railing around the bed. With the other, I aim at Regina.

The mouth of her gun stares back at me, but I don't care.

I know she won't shoot. She can't.

"I'm sorry, Charles," she says. Her shoulders shake slightly, her fingers wrapped so hard around the handle of the gun that her knuckles turn white. "I had to shoot him. If I didn't, he would have killed you. I've sacrificed too much for that to happen."

"Shut up." I suck in a ragged breath, but the fire inside has already flared up. No amount of cool air can calm it. "You haven't sacrificed anything compared to all those families and lives you've ruined! Don't you dare play the victim here. You're nothing but a fucking coward."

She's the kind of coward that makes other people fight her battles. The kind that lies to make herself look better. The kind who abuses her power.

But no amount of money or lies can save her from this.

I will make sure the world knows the truth, even if it's the last thing I do.

"Charles, we have to leave," she whispers and glances at the phone.

"Yes, I do," I say, and with that, I shoot the gun out of her hands.

She screams and jerks her hand to her chest, clutching it. I move my gun to the Detector, who immediately backs into the wall.

"You have a choice. Either you run or you stay with her."

None of them deserves a choice after what the NIC has done to people, to me, but I'm not Regina.

The Detector's eyes are widened and dart from me to Regina to me again. Then he whispers "sorry" and runs. Regina screams after him, but is cut off by the door slamming shut behind him. What did she expect? A coward will only be able to lead other cowards.

I cock the gun again, and Regina snaps her head toward me, her intense gaze begging me to stop. "Give me the flash drive and your keycard."

"I'll give it to you when we're outside, I promise," she says. Her gaze keeps dashing to the door.

"Don't even think about it," I say. "Give me what I ask. Now."

She shakes her head. I don't have time for this. I put another bullet through the roof, and this time a large flake hits Regina in the head.

She screams and falls to the floor. I run over to her. A tiny trickle of blood barely makes its way through her helmet of hair. Her eyes glaze over a little, but she tries to blink hard to stay conscious. Good. I want her to see this.

I pull her closer to the wall so she's sitting upright, then I put my hand into her pocket. She tries to push me away, but she's too weak. When I have the flash drive, I yank her keycard from around her neck. I pull back to my full height, looking down at her.

"Please, Charles," she coughs and lifts a shaky hand toward me. "Help me. I'll give you anything you want. Anything!"

"You've already taken everything I needed away from me," I snap.

She tilts her head back against the wall and meets my eyes. "You won't get away with this."

"I haven't done anything," I say. "You did this to yourself. It's your bombs and your building, and now it's your turn to be the victim of your choices."