Enhancement

- - 30 - -

"This is it," Stephen says for me. "Our prison cell."

Tanner nods, his lips pressed tightly together in thought. He stares at the room, glancing at me with his deep brown eyes. I blink in response to his intensity. "I'm taking you both to Liad," he says.

Tanner dismisses the guards politely before waving for us to follow him. He expertly carves his way through the halls, Stephen and I trailing him with dependency. He mumbles something more about the man named Liad, and Stephen shrugs at me when I look to him for reassurance.

I should be afraid to meet the leaders of the Enhancement Project, but I'm not. All of my fears from earlier have disappeared without explanation. Tanner doesn't seem to know anything's wrong, so maybe they've just kept him uninformed about the Project? My theory continues to fall apart as we continue through the white maze.

Is this really the Enhancement Project? Nothing seems to make sense anymore, but what else could this facility be? I can't seem to form an opinion, so my feelings have to wait in uncertainty as I try to think of answers.

Tanner takes us back into the main hub of roaming people, and I'm fully convinced nothing will ever make sense anymore. I allow myself to be led across the wide room, up a ladder, and through a doorway.

We enter a set of hallways just as radiant white as before. Tanner makes his way to the backmost part of the section of halls, right to the dead end of the place.

A set of automatic doors slide open for us, revealing a smooth lobby. A teenage girl behind a desk looks up from her work, her eyes catching onto Tanner's. Her reddish hair is looped into a complex twist on the back of her head.

We approach the desk, and Tanner slides his elbows onto the elevated surface. "How's it going, Olivette?"

"Arms off of my desk," she replies crisply.

Tanner doesn't listen and smiles to her instead. He keeps his arms on her tabletop without missing a beat. "So I've got an urgent situation, and I need to talk to Commanders Liad and Delphin."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"This is urgent," Tanner replies.

The girl sighs. "If this was anyone else, I'd have you wait a week to get a slot."

"But you owe me," Tanner winks charmingly.

"No," the girl replies with a smirk, "Your friends look like they just came out of a war or something. They obviously didn't finish their daily exercise sessions looking like that, so of course they get a meeting."

Olivette shifts her weight in her seat so she can see me around Tanner's shoulder. "Honey, your hair is a little tangled."

I laugh, imagining my hair as a huge mess of knots. The vibe I'm getting from Olivette feels nothing like the vibe from the scientists and hazmat men from earlier. "I bet it is."

"I'll page Commander Liad and Commander Delphin immediately. What's the reason for the meeting?"

"Tell the Commanders they're here. With Tanner."

Olivette nods, understanding Tanner's code. She taps on an earpiece I didn't see in her ear, switching on her communications. She delivers Tanner's message word-for-word, pausing and clicking her device off. "You can go right up. They're already waiting for you."

Olivette rises from her office chair and walks over to the blank wall before us. A holographic keypad ignites, and she types in a password. Three grids scan her face, and then the wall unlocks for us, revealing a blank white staircase.

Tanner thanks Olivette, and I smile at her politely. She smiles back.

"And Tanner, by the way," Olivette says, "I don't owe you any favors."

"Keep dreaming," Tanner laughs. I glance at the two teens, suspecting a romance between them. I keep my thoughts to myself. I could be wrong. Maybe everyone just really likes sarcasm around here.

Olivette sits back down behind her desk and continues working, grinning to herself. Stephen and I turn our focus to the private stairs again, following Tanner up the steps.

We reach a rectangular area at the top of the stairs, and we're full-body scanned. "Welcome Tanner M. Austen, Holland A. Renner, and Stephen K. Moore," a mechanical voice says.

The doors slide open, and Commanders Liad and Delphin rise from their spots behind a massive conference table. They both greet us politely, inviting us to sit. Tanner shakes the hands of Liad and Delphin, taking a seat directly across from his leaders. Stephen and I follow suit.

Commander Liad, a man of dark, friendly features, begins the small meeting. "Stephen. Holland. We've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

He continues, "So I hear you have something of urgent importance to tell us? Other than setting off my security alarms of course."

"Yes, in a way," I laugh nervously. I clear my throat, glancing at Stephen, "Stephen and I are both very... confused. Everyone in this building is so nice, and you all rescued us from Grand Rapids. But when Stephen and I first rode the elevators to the main floor, we freaked out. This facility looks just like the Enhancement Project location we were trapped in not too long ago."

I nod towards Commander Delphin, "We told you about the Project's ability to control body movements and perform horrible experiment on inmates. And somehow this is the exact place where we were imprisoned. The halls, the room, even the clothing all the people are wearing. It's all exactly like the Enhancement Project."

"And that's why we set off the alarms," Stephen says, "We were trying to find an escape route. We think we're back in the Project again."

"And do you still think you are?" Liad asks.

I surprise myself with my own response. "I don't know."

Commander Delphin taps on his table, and an array of holographic maps and documents appear in front of us. She nods at Commander Liad and says, "In that case, I think we can trust you enough to tell you what you want to know."
-- -- -- -- --

yay, i updated! this filler chapter my have been boring, but this information is necessary. the next update will be crucial to setting up the next events in Enhancement.

the winning word was tackled, and i finally used the phrase "small meeting" from a few chapters ago!

i hope you like the name "Olivette" because she will also be reappearing :)

Question: Choose a phrase: unexpected plan, unexpected surprise, or unexpected watchers.

Follow-up Question: Choose a word: attire, attend, or applaud.