I stayed on the ground for over an hour, and then I raised my head up. I looked down the hallway to both directions and there was no one in sight. I got up and walked back to the door leading to the stairway. I went down and then I wondered where I should go.
I walked slowly and thought, “Should I go visit Bob and the others, or go to Boris?”
I walked a little bit and then suddenly, two women walked the same hallway. It was Vicky and another lady. I stopped and they approached me. Vicky stared at me and said, “You’re still here?”
I looked at her and didn’t know what to say. The other lady said, “I can’t believe she was at training every day and interrogated everyone for data collection.”
I said, “Umm, I was mind controlled.”
Vicky said, “Really? Is that the latest excuse you believe?”
The other lady said, “She doesn’t look tough at all. Why is she here?”
Vicky said, “Boris brought her.”
The other lady said, “No wonder.”
I said, “I didn’t come here to cause any trouble. Believe me.”
Vicky with her dark jacket, buttoned up shirt, knee high skirt and pride-like demeanour said, “I’ll be watching you.” Then she walked past me along with the other lady. I looked back towards them and felt sad. What have I done to be this untrusted and hated?
I didn’t feel like talking to Bob and the others. I headed over to Boris’s office and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door slid open and I went in. Boris looked at me and said, “Hi Lina.”
I nodded and there weren’t any empty chairs. Boris didn’t seem he liked anyone visiting him. He looked at me and didn’t say anything. I went to the edge of his desk, got up and sat on it. He looked at me and then back at his screen. He didn’t seem to care.
I said, “What do we do now?”
He said, “Intelligence is up to something.” He pointed at the screen. I saw a wide angled view of the army of machines at the front gate. They were walking out of the gate and taking position at the fences. Boris switched the view to east, west, south and north corridors of the compound. The machines were everywhere. I said, “Now they are defending?”
He said, “Against what?”
I said, “Umm, maybe they are afraid of us.”
He said, “Who? Red?”
I said, “Maybe, or afraid of something else.”
He said, “Triangle?”
I said, “No silly. I think they are afraid of what’s out there.”
He stared at me and said, “Maybe. But how long will they live like this?”
I said, “I don’t know. Maybe we are wrong.”
He said, “What’s right then?”
I thought about it for a minute and tried to think about how the minds of Intelligence administration thought. I just couldn’t picture it. I said, “Maybe we should ask John.”
He said, “Then what?”
I said, “We can’t make a decision until we know.”
He sighed and said, “Nothing makes sense. What are we doing? Why are we watching them?”
He got up off his seat and said, “I don’t want to know anymore. I don’t care.”
I said, “But you’re the head of Red.”
He brushed his hair and said, “Lina. We should leave.”
I said, “Leave? Where?”
He said, “Anywhere. I don’t care about this place or anyone. You’re back and that’s all I need.”
I said, “You will leave everything? All these people? They need you!”
He said, “No they don’t. I will give up my position. Someone else can be in charge. I had enough. I waited all these years and I am tired. Time to go.”
He looked frantic and confused, I stood up and said, “I can’t convince you not to. But I have to go into Intelligence no matter what.”
He said, “Why Lina?”
I said, “To get the metal box.”
He said, “You will risk your life that? What’s in that box?”
I said angrily, “Photos of me when I was a child!”
He stared at me and said, “What? Where did they come from? You can’t go there. I won’t allow you.”
I shook my head and said, “You can’t control me.”
He yelled at me and said, “Yes I can!”
He grabbed my arm and said, “Listen to me. I’m sick of everything. We need to go.”
I pulled his hand off my arm and walked out. He kept yelling, “Lina! Come back! It’s an order!”
I ran down the hallway. I couldn’t believe him. He wanted to control me. I still had the gun on my waist. I felt him running behind me and I ran faster to the main entrance door of the compound. The guards on each side looked at me and Boris yelled, “Stop her!”
The guards ran behind me and they were so close. I reached the gates and stopped. I took out the gun, turned around and pointed it at them. They stopped and pulled their guns out. Boris caught up and stopped. He said, “Lina stop your craziness.”
I twisted the gun and pointed it at my forehead. I said, “Open this door or I will shoot.”
He said, “Lina! Stop acting crazy!”
I said, “Now!”
He said, “If you really love me you would not act like this!”
I said, “Don’t! I had enough of you!”
He stared at me and looked at the ground. It felt like minutes and he said, “Open the door for her.” He turned around and walked back. One of the guards walked to the panel, tapped a code and the gates opened. He walked back and stared at me. I lowered the gun and stared as Boris walked back. He passed the main entrance and disappeared from my sight.
I hesitated. I couldn’t move my legs. The guards kept staring at me wondering if I will move or not. I took off the bandage from my head and threw it on the ground. I turned around and walked out of the gates. I kept walking and I heard the gates door close. I turned around to look and I saw the guards walk back. I was out for good.