TIO

CHAPTER 5

It was around sunset when things turned back to normal at the shack.

Daniel was still in shock. Yes, all of them defended Ariadne but what Elizabeth said started making more and more sense. It was disturbing. Yes, the NSI visited them at least every couple months but those guys where alone. The kill team they sent yesterday knew exactly what they were doing. The specialised weapons, bullet proof suits, entry from the roof, technically their weakest point.

And all this happened exactly after Ariadne popped in out of no where.

Now he had no idea whose team they were on. The NSI were killed by TIO? He had such a horrid look plastered on his face. Grotesque. He was sure it would plague him till his last death. He was almost certain that he looked like he was-

Daniel jerked up from his sleepy state in shock. He was surprised by dumbassedness. How he hadn't realised it was beyond him. He clutched the gun he was cradling and rushed downstairs.

"Guys, I wanna call you in for a quick meeting," he called out to the others. After pacifying the kids, all of them rushed up to large what was a living room.

He dryly noted that Ariadne seemed disinterested by the whole thing. She was standing idly at the back of the room checking her nails.

"Weren't you supposed to be sleeping Daniel?" Elizabeth asked concerned, "After you know your supposed night shift."

She might be rude to others but this time she was genuinely worried. He could tell. He liked her.

"Nah! That's fine! I was thinking about last night and I realised something that I should have long ago," he said.

For the first time since he called on this whole thing, Ariadne's eyes shot up to him. A brief emotion flitted through her eyes before he could identify it. Her gun metal grey eyes bored into him and he felt himself shuddering at the intensity of it.

Natalie cleared her throat.

"We always wondered which team we were on. Good or Evil. But what if there were none?" Daniel said.

Everyone shifted uneasily staring anywhere else but at him.

"What are you trying to say, Daniel? Stop being cryptic," snapped Nora.

"We always wondered if the NSI was right about us," he said, "You can deny it, but we always wondered if we were the bad guys,"

Daniel swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Now was not the time.

"Do you guys remember that day? The day in which the NSI announced our presence to the world. Do you remember what caused them to start the propaganda against Deviants?"

"Of course, everyone remembers that day Daniel," Natalie said gritting her teeth, "There was the headlines that said that a guard went mad and he had a petrified look-"

Natalie's eyes widened in shock.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Daniel said pacing back and forth, "The whole war happened because of TIO!"

The room was filled with tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Daniel was clenching his fists in anger, drawing in deep breaths to keep his anger in check.

"I don't get it," said Elizabeth, "How did you make that connection again?"

"You see, the guy we saw yesterday was as scared as shit and the last thing he said before killing himself was TIO. And remember the newspaper article? It spoke of a guy who had gone crazy in fear. So, it was because of the fact that TIO attacked the NSI that huma-the NSI decided to fight back,"