On the Run

8 - Italy's Most Wanted

Mia pulled up into Daniela's drive before shutting off the car and hurrying over to the door, still keeping her head down while remaining alert at all times. Mia quickly turned the knob and fell inside, slamming it shut after her.

Once inside, she saw Lorenzo pacing the room, clearly in complete distress. Daniela stood at the corner of the room, her face scrunched up in deep thought.

They both stopped what they were doing when they heard the slam of the door, their heads looking over to Mia. Lorenzo seemed to ease up by a small fraction however the panic was still clear across his face.

"Have you seen the news?" Lorenzo asked with a shaky voice as he rushed over to Mia. "They've declared all three of us enemies of the country! The Guardia di Finanza and the Polizia di Stato are on high alert for us, not to mention the other agencies that are hunting us down!"

Mia expected all of this to happen although she thought they'd have more time; the Guardia di Finanza normally handled financial and public safety but Mia knew that they were also under control by the DIS and CII so whenever they needed a manhunt, they'd be on the case. The Polizia di Stato were the Italian police state force. Mia had always thought they were weak, but now she was about to find out first hand just how they work. It was a shell-shocking thought that unnerved Mia, but she refused to let it show.

"What in the holy hell happened at the DIS?" Daniela demanded. As she moved forward, Mia caught sight of the three bags that had been packed. At least this meant they could make a move very soon.

"It's true – Caterina was killed by the DIS," Mia said, "after I found that out, I went to leave but I was stopped by Orabella. She had a team from the Special Defence Unit. I barely escaped to the elevator."

Daniela sighed, rubbing her head, but Mia couldn't tell if it was due to frustration or relief that she had made it out at all.

"Mia what about my famiglia?" Lorenzo panicked. His eyes were filled with dread and it read across his face with each glistening drip of sweat that rolled down his forehead.

"They won't touch your family, Enzo," Mia said matter-of-factly, "that's not how Orabella operates. Trust me, amico, your family will be fine."

Lorenzo nodded in doubt and Mia could feel the intense worry emanating from his body. She threw her arms around her friend and pulled him in for a hug, whispering to him that everything would be alright. She never intended for him to get caught in the crossfire like this. And she'd be damned if she'd let anything happen to him.

Lorenzo basked in the moment, taking every inch of comfort in. As of right now, the only person he had close to him was Mia.

"I hate to break this up," Daniela started, clearing her throat, "but it's not going to be long until the entire law enforcement of the country finds out where we are."

Mia pulled away from Lorenzo; she knew Daniela was right. They probably had a day's max before they worked out where they were hiding. And now with the confirmation that there is something dark at work within the DIS, they didn't have time to just sit around and wait.

"You're right," Mia said in agreement, "I see you've packed your things. We're going to leave for Craco now. The quicker we get there and out Montalbano Jonico, the quicker we can fall of the radar and find out what Project Vindicta is."

Mia brushed past Daniela and went for their bags but before she could even reach down to get them, she felt a hand slither around her arm tightly, stopping her.

"Mia, are you sure we should jump into this right away?" Daniela asked. She eased her grip up, letting her hand fall back.

"Yes, Daniela. We're fugitives and there is going to be a bunch of relentless officers and agents out looking for us. We can't just take our time with this," Mia said. She noticed that Daniela rarely ever showed any signs of emotion, but when she did, Mia found herself growing to like her slowly.

Daniela didn't speak; she just stood and take in what Mia said. This was the furthest she had come to what she had been searching, but the closer she came, the higher the stakes became. She knew she couldn't afford to skip out on an opportunity at uncovering this deep lying conspiracy. After a few more moments, she nodded, deciding to side with Mia.

"Ok," Mia said, a breath of relief escaping out the small crack between her lips, "then let's move it."

Mia grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder before tossing Lorenzo his own, leading the way out of the elderly designed home. Daniela took one last look around, realising that she may indeed never see the place she had called home for some time ever again. Picking her own bag up, she followed the other two out of her home and locked the door before throwing away the key.

*

Orabella twisted the key in the lock, sliding the door that led into her apartment open. She stepped inside, minding the small aches that were rattling around in her head. Closing the door behind her, she stepped into the living room, but froze on an instant.

There was a dark figure sitting in one of her chairs, their face hidden away by the lack of light. Orabella gulped, watching the figure intently and closely. She made no movements, remaining still and silent.

"Who are you?" Orabella asked.

The figure cleared their throat, shifting slightly in the chair. "Your subjects are progressing rapidly, ma'am. Dangerously rapidly."

Orabella felt the tension vanish as she realised that the figure was someone working for her. However, she still didn't bother to move closer to them, her feet remaining planted on the floor, so she wouldn't budge.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" the figure then asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Although Orabella couldn't determine if the concern was for her or something else.

"Yes," she said firmly, "yes I do."

The figure breathed heavily, once again shifting in the chair. "Then it shouldn't be long until we've fully unlocked and harnessed them. Then they'll be unstoppable."

"Good," Orabella nodded.

"Why are you doing this exactly, ma'am?" the figure probed.

Before Orabella could answer, she felt her mind being violently pulled somewhere else, pulled to another nightmarish memory that she had tried, and failed, to supress.

She was still younger, but not as young as she had been before. She was in the back of some sort of vehicle. A cloth was wrapped around her head, covering her sight completely, leaving her visually alone. And the whimpering from the other children didn't comfort at all. Her stomach churned at the thought of the next repulsive, gut-wrenching monster they were about to meet.

The vehicle came to a violent stop, lurching her and the other children forward. She heard heads hitting against metal and Orabella cruelly thought to herself that she's glad it wasn't her.

A metal door screeched open and the grunt of men barking at each other filled the enclosed space they were in. Orabella felt burly hands grasp her upper arms and yank her out of the vehicle before dropping her on the floor.

As she struggled to catch her breath and acknowledge the new stinging that ran up her legs, the cloth was pulled off her face and she saw a sight of horrors around her. There were other vans, each of them had a group of children in front of, each of them as equally terrified.

Orabella's eyes then landed on a group of older, creepy men that huddled together in the middle, talking to each other as hands flew in different directions. Her stomach dropped again and she felt her throat closing up. Letting out a cry, she sat and sobbed along with the other children, begging for someone or something to come and free her.

"Orabella," the voice of the figure yanked her from the frightening memory.

She could feel her cheeks were wet with stray tears that had dribbled from her glassy eyes. She was quick to wipe her face, not wanting to look in any case vulnerable, in front of anyone.

"For the greater good," was all Orabella said, her voice cracking. She then walked out of the room, heading straight for her bedroom, desperate to be alone.