The Protector was waiting for me outside, leaning on the side of an inconspicuous black sedan. The cigarette in her hand was just about done by the time I walked over. Without saying anything, she opened the door and gestured for me to get into the back seat. There was one Protector already there, and another one behind the wheel. They put a black bag over my head, making me blind. I heard a door open and close, and then the car started.
A hesitant voice sounded to my left.
’Ma’am? Shouldn’t we... restrain him?’
It was nice to hear fear in a Protector’s voice for a change. Caught or not, I was still a deadly threat.
’No need.’ The Protector answered from the front seat. ’He will behave.’
Her tone was without a hint of worry. A weak pulse of anger appeared in my heart and dissipated. I was past getting angry. And she was right. She had me in the palm of her hand now. Any attempt to free myself would be suicidal. What’s worse, even if I were to somehow survive, she held Claire’s life in her hand too, and that was a risk I would never take.
She didn’t have to restrain me, because I was already inside of an invisible cage, bound tightly by indestructible chains.
I lost.
I expected to feel suffocating despair or blinding fear, but defeat was actually liberating. Giving up brought me the feeling of overwhelming, physical relief. My beaten body slowly unwound itself, released from the bone-crushing pressure of the past day. Suddenly free of it, I even experienced intense pleasure. There was no need to fight, flee, scheme or worry anymore. The worst had already happened. It was all over.
What’s more, I was also released from the fear of being discovered that had controlled and dictated every aspect of my life for so many years. The cat was already out of the bag, so why bother? My mind, too, was free from worry now. It was like a mountain was lifted from my chest. I could finally rest now.
Without doing what I would usually do in a situation like that -- counting turns and measuring the distance to understand where the car was heading, coming up with plans and contingencies, preparing convincing lies -- I sat comfortably, leaned back and peacefully fell asleep.
#
’Time to wake up, zero six eleven.’
The Protector’s voice brought me back to reality. There was no malice in it, just business-like neutrality. I opened my eyes, realizing that she had already removed the bag from my head.
We were inside a strange parking garage. It felt like it was underground, but I wasn’t sure. The ramp leading up was closed by a massive metal gate, and armed men stood guard every few meters along the walls. There were few cars, most of them black with tinted glass, a couple of expensive-looking vans and even something resembling a high-tech tank among them. I stared at it for a few seconds and then got out of the car.
The Protector looked me over.
’First things first. Do you need medical attention?’
I blinked a couple of times, still shaking off sleep.
’I think I have a couple of broken ribs.’
She sighed.
’That will have to wait then. Raise your arms.’
One of the armed men came over and patted me down. He fished out the battered Rubik’s Cube from my pocket and handed it to the Protector. She twisted it a couple of times with a look of amusement, then produced a couple of handcuffs seemingly out of thin air.
’Sorry for the inconvenience. It’s just a procedure.’
My hands were cuffed behind my back, and I was led to a highly guarded elevator. Once inside, the Protector inserted a key that she wore on a chain around her neck into a special lock, put her palm on a sensor, and then pressed a strange combination of buttons. The elevator moved.
I looked around curiously.
’I thought you were going to take me to the test chamber.’
The Protector chuckled.
’Your friend thirteen twenty made a mess of that facility. What a pity. I was just getting used to the commute.’
’Oh, right. I forgot.’
I kept silent for a moment, and then my mouth opened all by itself.
’Mickey. His name was Mickey. At least call him by his name.’
She didn’t react at all.
’Why would I?’
Before I could answer, the elevator stopped, opening into a long, sterile white corridor. Just like at the parking garage, armed guards stood along the walls, one every four meters or so. They were clad in black tactical clothes, with black helmets that hid their faces and automatic rifles in their hands. With their military posture and lack of movement, the guards looked menacing and lifeless, more like demons than humans. The Protector smiled.
’Welcome to the Agency’s Northern HQ, zero six eleven.’
So that’s where we were. What irony. Zero spent months fruitlessly trying to find this place, and yet I was brought here without lifting a finger, although against my will.
She led me forward, passing several closed doors with no numbers or identification marks. The whole place felt more like a strange mix between a hospital and a fortress rather than an office. I have yet to see a single window or a bureaucrat busy with administrative work. What exactly did they do in this HQ? Everything around me was white, clean and immaculate, with no sign of human activity.
It was sort of creepy.
Finally, the Protector stopped in front of a particular door and opened it with the same key she used to operate the elevator. Behind the door, there was a typical interrogation room one would often see in the movies: there was a metal table, three chairs and a large mirror, undoubtedly allowing someone on the other side to observe everything that was happening in the room. The Protector gestured me to sit on one of the chairs and disappeared, returning in a few seconds with a glass of water.
Unlike the ones used in the tests, this one came with a straw. With my hand still cuffed behind my back, I could only bend, grimacing in pain, and catch the straw with my mouth. The cold water satiated my thirst, making me feel a little better.
’Thank you.’
The Protector sat down and opened her mouth, trying to say something, when the door banged against the wall. Mitchel walked inside, radiating fury, and looked at me with a mean look in his eyes.
’Well, well. What do we have here. Did I not warn you about what would happen if you lie to me, wraith boy?’
I sighed.
#
’Sit down.’ The Protector said, not even sparing Mitchel a glance.
He snarled and crashed on the chair near her, acting like he owned the place. The two of them sat across the table from me, like a couple of detectives. Mitchel’s domineering physique and angry eyes were supposed to be threatening, but the Protector’s indifferent calmness was somehow much more terrifying.
Or it would be if I still gave a damn.
’You’ve been keeping secrets, boy.’
I looked at Mitchel with a slight frown, as if pondering something.
’Do you call me ’boy’ to humiliate me or did you just forget my number?’
’Shut the fuck up!’
The Protector acted as if she wasn’t interested in our conversation, playing with my Rubik’s Cube. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm.
’Please cooperate, zero six eleven.’ She said without looking up.
I shrugged.
’Sure. What do you want to know?’
Mitchel stared at me, his nostrils flaring.
’Let’s talk about you first. What is your true Ability range?’
For the second time since we’ve met, I wondered if his violent degenerate routine was sincere or just a well-performed act. In any case, there was no reason to lie.
’I have no idea.’
’What? How can you not know?’
’How would I know? You’re the ones who administer the tests and assign us Categories. I don’t know how to perform a test, and there are no powerful wraiths around to compare notes.’
Mitchel looked at me in disbelief. The Protector sighed and put the Rubik’s Cube on the table.
’How many Affects can you hold simultaneously?’
I drank more water before answering.
’Sixteen.’
It might have been a trick of the light, but I could swear that Mitchel became a little pale.
’Bullshit!’
I looked at him with irony.
’Do you want me to demonstrate?’
He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
’There’s no need for that, now.’ The Protector said, and the implications of the ’now’ made my skin crawl.
An honest curiosity appeared on her face.
’How did you falsify the test’s results?’
That was a tough question to answer. I had nothing to lose anymore, but there might have been other wraiths using the same method to fool the PA. I wasn’t comfortable sharing it.
’With the Ability.’
She looked at me with doubt, but then just shrugged.
’We’ll get to the bottom of that matter later. When did you Ability start experiencing rapid growth?’
’It was always like that.’
The answer seemingly surprised her. Mitchel turned to the Protector, an obvious gloating expression on his face.
’Gee. How long were you his Protector? Nearly four years? To think that Old Man’s golden girl was so utterly fooled by an adolescent wraith. And for so long! Ha.’
The Protector just smiled.
’Guilty as charged. Now to the serious matters...’
She leaned forward, piercing me with an intense stare.
’When did you meet Zero?’