The Enhanced

Chapter Thirty Five

The news station was surprisingly easy to convince not to show my face or my name as part of the news story especially after I claimed it was a joke. They were not happy but also quickly stopped broadcasting my identity.

Despite this, I felt it was possibly too late. I wasn't sure how powerful the Toulon facility was in the real world, but I knew that if they were looking for me hard enough, they would eventually come across the story and trace it back to me.

They had given me the name Sophia Halverson and so would probably be looking for people with the same name as my aliases as well. And I knew that that certain news station broadcasted in the majority of the United States and was the most popular News Channel in Washington and Oregon.

They would find me.

But I was injured, I couldn't run anywhere. If I left, they'd find me eventually, and I was in no shape to dive out of a plane again, my body was already putting me through hell after what I did just days ago.

Aiden was also an important point in this dilemma. I couldn't just get up, barely able to walk, and declare that I was leaving. I could slip out if I tried, but I couldn't do that to Aiden. He and I had become close after these last weeks, I could not simply disappear.

But, of course, I could not go back to the facility. I'd rather die.

Sitting there, I decide the only thing I can do is wait, and hope against hope that for whatever reason, no one realised that it was me in the story, or traced it back here, to my friends and the people I had become close with.

I realise how stupid I am for doing what I had been doing the last few weeks. I had made friends, built relationships, I had begun to make a home here. Now I was not only vulnerable as the amount of people I cared about increased, I was also putting every single one of them in danger by even interacting with them.

The next few days were difficult, I was irritable and anxious, waiting for some sign that they had found me. Aiden seemed to notice too, all his attempts at kindness and aid, I often threw back in his face. He didn't mention it to me though, he seemed to think it was because of the pain from my injuries.

I found it hard to admit to him that all my bruises were gone and the only indication that I was ever hurt was a dull pain in my chest when I moved my torso, and even that was more than manageable.

My body had healed quicker than I could imagine, I didn't question it or think about why, I was just thankful that it was nearly back to normal. Mostly due to the fact that I could leave if I had to, I could protect the people around me better and I would have more control over what was going on around me.

By the end of the week, I was becoming all the more anxious sitting in the house and decided I was fine to go to work. Aiden objected severely when I woke up on Friday and announced that I would be going out to work.

He did not budge on letting me go to work a six hour shift. Eventually, the only way I could convince him to let me go was to allow him to sit in the café next to the gym and ensure I was okay. Even then, he was doubtful of my choice.

I called my boss and told him I planned to come in and he was happy enough to give me my shift, though also expressed doubts about my personal wellbeing. I assure him I completely fine and agree to stay away from the weights and any CrossFit training for the next week at least.

Aiden didn't talk much on the way to work as we waited for the bus, he seemed deep in thought, possibly even worried about me. I found it hard to assure him I was not in pain without also telling him that my body had miraculously healed all my horrible injuries within a few days.