Chapter 19. The Bureau (Part 2)

Startled awake by a slamming noise, Emily jolted up on high alert, her heart racing from adrenaline. Her fists lit up red, but as she looked around, she remembered what was going on. Taking deep breaths, she calmed down and exited the Vehicle to see an old abandoned building. Nature had almost completely overtaken the structure, the barrens surrounding it having sparse trees and vegetation. It looked about ready to collapse and seemed to be a relic of the past. Its architecture was completely different from any building or structure in Reunity.

Emily walked up to John who was looking up at the building. "So, this is your grand compound? It looks like it's been crumbling away for hundreds of years."

"This is not the compound, It's the entrance to it." Jordan stated, his arms crossed in front of him.

"The entrance? So, is this 'compound' underground?" Emily asked.

"You'll see."

The survivors all filed out of the Bureau Vehicles and looked around warily. Jordan had attempted to carry Xavier but was showing signs of struggling with the boy.

"Here," Emily said, taking Xavier into her arms.

"Oh, Thank you. That kid sure is heavy, hehe." Jordan joked, but his face and attitude showed anxiety.

"Everything alright Jordan?" Emily asked, concerned.

"Uhm..yeah, I'm fine, why?" He replied.

"It's nothing, you just seem anxious, but I guess that makes sense, I am too." She said, opening up a bit to Jordan.

Jordan laughed and gave Emily a slight smile. Once everyone was accounted for John led the way inside the abandoned building.

"What kind of building did this used to be?" Emily asked to no one in particular.

"This was once a residential establishment that provided accommodations, meals, and other services for a fee," John replied casually, looking around suspiciously.

"In English?"

"It was a hotel, you'd pay and rent out a room, they were commonly used for when one traveled and needed a place to stay," John answered. He placed his hand against the wall and felt the rough surface. He guided everyone through the space, warning them to be careful.

"Yeah, I know what a hotel is, why are you acting like they aren't a thing anymore?" Emily pressed becoming more irritated at the man's antics.

"Well, in a way, but they used to be a lot different before...never mind." He trailed off,

"Before? What, the eruption and volcanic ash that almost wiped out humanity?" Emily said, becoming agitated.

"Right, that..." John muttered suspiciously, continuing to guide them into a cramped hallway.

"Why have you been acting so damn suspicious, is this some sort of trap, what is really going on you fucking bastard!" Emily blew up, her body turning toward him showing outward hostility. "I'm sick of all the secrecy and mystery and no straight answers! You dodge every question thrown at you and are suspicious as fuck! You were probably in cahoots with that hulking monster, 'helping the survivors' to give you an alibi and paint yourself in a better light!" She yelled, getting closer and closer to him. The others stood shoulder to shoulder in the hallway shocked and anxious, exhaustion and the fresh traumatic experience making them even more wary. Slamming him against the wall, the building shook slightly with debris and dust falling around them. Her fist wrapped around the collar of his neck, and she screamed in his face. "You better start talking and making sense before I knock your teeth out."

"Please calm down Emily, I promise that everything will be explained. I don't know what I could do or say to convince you." John said frantically. "I-I...I can call Special Agent Henderson up! he can explain things and give you peace of mind." John suggested.

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"We can trust him, Emily, please let go of him," Jordan assured, his touch gentle on her shoulder. She shrugged him off and let go of John aggressively, storming off trying not to break down. She slid down against one of the walls of the abandoned building and buried her head in her legs. Emily sobbed and pounded her fists into her legs.

Her emotions had been building without any way for them to be released. They were almost unleashed in the form of violence against John and she wanted to. Jordan approached and sat next to her and let her get it all out before speaking.

"I can understand your suspicion of John but trust me, he's a good guy. He put his life in danger multiple times trying to help save people. I wish we could have done more but even with his abilities, he would have been no match for that monster. Maybe things could have gone differently, maybe there was a better way. But there's nothing we can do now but worry about those who are still with us. Whenever you're ready." Jordan finished, giving Emily a firm squeeze on her shoulder.

Emily took his words to heart and admonished herself for her behavior. But instead of letting it sink her even further she'd use this as a life vest and float up to the surface. Reestablishing her grip on her emotions, she took a slow breath in through her nose and exhaled out from her mouth. Standing to a crouch she lightly slapped her cheeks and amped herself up for whatever was to come next.

Rejoing the others she was visibly embarrassed by her outburst. Even so, her resolve held strong and she vowed to use her power to protect.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior, I let my emotions get the better of me. That doesn't mean I suddenly trust you, but I trust Jordan's trust in you. So I'm sorry, but know I won't hesitate to cut you down if I need to." Emily apologized and then threatened.

John nodded in understanding with a serious expression locked into his face. They continued down the dilapidated hallway until they reached two doors inset into the wall. The one on the left had half the door missing and peering inside was hollow as far as you could see up and down. The right door was at least whole but still looked worse for wear.

John pressed a button on the side of the wall and a soft sound of pressurized air being released emanated from it. As the sound continued a panel opened up with a bright screen. The juxtaposition between the old building and this futuristic panel was like night and day. The building was old and dark and this panel was new and flashy. After pressing a few buttons a slight rumbling reverberated from the elevator door. A few more moments passed before the doors opened with the similar pressurized air.

John, Emily, and the rest of the survivors stepped inside the elevator. It was spacious, sterile, and cylindrical, with a light blue glow illuminating the space. The juxtaposition of the crumbling hotel and the elevator cabin was shocking. Even compared to the high-tech and futuristic city of Reunity, this elevator was a league above it. This fact settled Emily's mind, even just by a small degree, it made John's claims seem founded in reality. This could, of course, still be a trap, but at this point, it was too late to do anything about it, and worrying was just going to be unnecessary anguish. She would still be on guard but would suppress the anxiety.

Everyone waited in anticipation for the elevator to start making noise or moving in a noticeable way, but nothing seemed to happen. The group assumed it would start descending soon but was proven wrong when John spoke.

"It should only take a minute longer."

"Are we going down?" Emily asked, noticeable confusion in her voice.

"Yes, we have been for quite some time now," John stated casually.

The rest of the journey down the elevator the survivors quietly whispered between family members and friends. Emily and Jordan just stood in silence fidgeting, attempting to keep their nerves down. Their minds raced with a deluge of thoughts and feelings, both about the future and the past,

Jordan had faith in John but was becoming more and more unsure of The Bureau and its intricate makeup. The Bureau had been there for him when no one else was, well that wasn't entirely true. While The Buruea was certainly nothing but helpful to Jordan, Brian had truly been there for him.

At first, he viewed them as one and the same, but the longer they worked together the more Jordan viewed Brian as a true friend. He tried to make sure he kept things professional with Brian, but he was his first true friend after all. He was practically the first person to ever be nice to him in fact.

His mother had left when he was too young to remember, and his father had to take up an extra job so he was barely ever home. And when he was, all he got was the occasional cold gaze. His father had never abused him, but he acted like Jordan didn't even exist. He assumed his father blamed him for his mother, or at least felt some resentment, but seeing as he barely even muttered at him, he just assumed he was the problem either way.

Whenever Jordan wasn't in school, his older brother would look after him, but it was even worse with him. Jake treated him like garbage at best and a punching bag at worst, both verbally and physically. The fact his father couldn't care less made the whole situation worse. His only escape was school and even then it wasn't exactly a safe haven. All of this to say The Bureau had been a 180 for his life. With recent events and knowledge of The Buruea's activities, Jordan was questioning everything he knew. It was a lot to reconcile for anyone but being so closely connected to the situation made everything exponentially more complicated.

For Emily, her feelings weren't as complicated, she hated The Bureau. Most people who had been in her position did. Some worshiped the world power, some viewed it as another facet of everyday life while a select few despised it. There wasn't much logic behind the irrational hatred some had other than the innate human nature to oppose authority. But for Emily, and those like her, The Bureau was malevolent. The Bureau had done a not insignificant amount of good, but weeds always slipped through the cracks.

Even in the leading city of the world, there was an underbelly. A grimy, cruel, and dangerous facet of the society The Bureau curated. It was evident that this was what The Bureau wanted as they didn't lift a finger to change it. The only action they ever enacted was to punish petty thefts, skirmishes, and misdemeanors. The truly criminal acts were ignored, with public perception being that The Bureau was constantly warring against illegal activities.

So while drug lords and gambling rings were ostensibly unaffected, the everyday struggling little girl trying to get food is punished for stealing. Emily had been this very little girl, struggling to survive and being persecuted for just existing. She had been able to gain an education in school and had the option of a homeless shelter. She had initially not wanted to take up residency in one of these homeless shelters, from various horror stories she had heard. Eventually, she did though, and it was definitely not the best experience but she was able to traverse the difficult environment and persist.

She had front-row seats to this corruption and injustice, so when an Agent of The Bureau had escorted them to a creepy old abandoned building, it would have been crazy not to have some suspicion.

With a soft woosh, the elevator came to a soft stop, but it hadn't even felt like they had moved. "Alright, we're here."

As the elevator started opening up Emily looked over to Jordan and gave him a small smile while she tightened her hold on Xavier. She took a deep breath, staring at the peaceful sleeping figure in her arms, and followed the survivors out of the elevator.