A Thousand Ways To Run

Chapter 24

It was impossible to sleep, let alone doze off on the ride back to the White House, but I tried. The ride, other than being horribly loud despite ear muffs, was also about as smooth as chunky peanut butter. I restricted myself to looking out the window every five minutes because the longer I watched for the city to grow before my eyes, the longer it would take to get there. I ended up cheating, though, and staring aimlessly into the distance with nothing but the peak of the Washington Monument in my sights.

We landed on a helicopter pad near the White House put in place for the president’s official use. It wasn’t two seconds after we touched the ground that I could already see the black suits emerging like cockroaches from their hiding places. The blades began to slow down above me as I unbuckled myself and tossed aside the headset. I’d just managed to gather my small bag of things when the pilot’s assistant pried open the door, small gusts of wind flowing through. An agent waited for me fifteen feet from the door, looking anxious and apprehensive about coming much closer. I climbed through to the door and tucked a few strands of loose hair behind my ears, giving both pilots a curt nod and a quiet “Thanks,” before jumping out the door and almost stumbling over my own two feet.

The agent I saw then was Penny and she was quick to come to my rescue, steadying me with a light hand on both my shoulders like an awkward side hug. We walked farther away from the helicopter and closer to the White House. I walked more slowly than she would have liked, feeling utterly defeated. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up to see Warren so soon, but my imagination and wishful thinking had gotten the best of me.

The closer we neared to the main building, the more suffocated I felt. There were agents and unfamiliar faces everywhere, slowly closing in around me and mumbling things into earpieces and asking hundreds of questions. The fact that none of them were directed at me was worse.

“The Bird is in the cage, I repeat the Bird is in the cage.”

“What are her injuries?”

“Is a debrief required, Agent Morgan?”

“Shall we return to her to her formal living quarters?”

“The boy is still in custody, Agent Morgan. He has stopped being compliant. I’m not sure how much longer we can hold him.”

“President Edley has grown even more suspicious. Any further actions?”

I was shocked for a moment as I tried to gather all of their inquiries toward Penny. After they mentioned Warren I’d been slightly stunned. In custody. I knew I shouldn’t of left him alone. I felt all kinds of horrible and none of them had anything to do with my still black and blue bruises or even the cut on my face that looked strangely like a trail of tears. Everything was always my fault. I messed everything up.

“Excuse me?” I shouted, completely ludicrous in that moment. I whirled around and ripped Penny’s grip off my shoulders. The wide hallway we were in was slowly growing smaller as my breathing became more labored.

I looked to Penny and begged her to understand the words I couldn't say as my breath caught in my throat and I thought I might swallow my own tongue.

“Hey!” she bellowed, shocking all of the black suited men around her. “Give her some space, right now!”

Thank you, Penny.

She turned to one who had a pen tucked behind his ear, scared eyes hiding behind wide-frame glasses. “Debriefing is first, and we can handle it just fine, thank you.” She then voiced louder, speaking to the flock of people, “No more questions, please. It has been a long few days for everyone. Agent Porter and I will take control from here. Consider the operation finished. Thank you for all your hard work.”