BIRDIE

A manhunt.

The common room was busy in attendance. An ominous charge weighs heavy in the atmosphere as soon as I crash into the room with Simon. My gaze is held captive to the picture of myself stitched onto the pinboard ahead. Red twine connects me with another pin and another and another. Other faces that I was once familiar with dot around me in photographs. My heart begins to pelt inside its chamber in a roaring sensation of anxiety. My throat begins to constrict my airways. Faces from around the room glare at me in suspense.

"What the fuck is this?" Simon barks, storming through the sea of people.

Price bolts up from behind his desk bringing Simon to an abrupt halt. He motions for me to step into the room. Each step I take feels heavier than the last. I drag myself deeper into the pit of the room, coming face to face with Price.

"Sit down. Both of you." Price orders, motioning the two available seats at the front.

Simon's hand reaches over my lap, squeezing my hand in an attempt to breach me from the trance-like state I had surrendered to, looking at the photos. Price struts to the front of the room, plucking off a photo and distributes it around the room. One by one, everyone parcels the photo around until it comes full circle. To me. My fingers pluck the photo from the last recipient. My eyes bore into the eyes that stare back at me in a still frame. A gust of air lingers over my shoulder, as Simon pants nasally over me.

"Take a good look at this man." Price starts. "This is Daniel Forthright, also known as James McKenna. Ex soldier and ex mercenary. He was brought in for interrogation two months ago for unauthorised kills. Under interrogation Mr Forthright admitted to the allegations under the assumption he'd receive immunity. He did not receive immunity on the grounds of admitting to a further six more unauthorised kills, including Corporal Landon."

Shit.

He looks different, completely different to how I remember him. I wonder if I've ever walked past him and been none the wiser. His face has aged a decade or two. His eyes are droopy and dark. A stark contrast of the baby blue eyes he used to possess. A thick scar runs from the top of his forehead, through his eyebrow and finishes just below his cheekbone. His hair dyed jet black with a few strands of silver running through the front.

"For those of you that don't know, it was believed that Corporal Landon was KIA and the documents were contaminated at his time of death." He adds on, his eyes roaming around the sea of heads.

A few recognisable groans flicker around the room at the mention of the loss of Corporal Landon.

I didn't know Corporal Landon personally. I'm aware that my father and Price worked alongside him but that's as far as my knowledge goes on the man. No one has ever had a nice word to say about him though.

"Daniel escaped custody at 0500 this morning. It's believed he has help on the inside and outside. He has various connections with sex trafficking organisations and organised crime groups. It's possible that any one of those groups could be helping him with his escape. Be advised that he has access to heavy artillery." Price recites the sheet of paper in front of him.

Fuck, Dan, what've you gotten yourself into this time?

Something feels off, really fucking off. Dan wouldn't be involved in sex trafficking, it goes against everything he stands for. There's something going on and I'm afraid no one else will see a bigger picture. From my understanding, he's been taking down paedophile rings the past six years. Atleast, that's what Simon told me. It makes sense, Dan's sister, Julia, was a victim to trafficking years ago. Unfortunately, she didn't get to live to tell the tale.

"Intelligence is working to recover the footage from the prison this morning, since it has been erased. The whole of the prison is on lock down, some of you will be sent in for backup and interrogation." Price continues.