"So, about that message I supposedly sent to the police chief."

The captain that originally inspired Michael to follow the cops to Tevatron stared at him with narrowed eyes. His face was a hard mask, all sharp angles, as if carved from stone. He was a tall man, taller than him, with a build to match. He definitely kept in shape, and Michael would have felt threatened even had he not known the man held the same abilities he did.

"Always thinking yourself the smartest," Andrei's voice sounded in his head.

This went about as wrong as it possibly could have. He got caught in his lie, walked straight into a trap, even gave up his weapons willingly. Well, it could still be much worse, if the man somehow knew what happened at Tevatron, he was probably dead. Despite these men being police officers, he doubted he would be getting a prison sentence for killing three of their comrades, maybe even friends. On the bright side, the location of the captain and his men was no longer a mystery.

He received a shove from behind that sent him stumbling into the room proper. He whipped his head back as the door guard and the dangerous one of the trio that escorted him entered the room after him, closing the doors and leaning against a wall casually. The last thing he saw before the door closed was the pitying look of the talkative sentry man.

He turned back around right as the captain took a seat on the central table, still staring at him, studying his every move. The fact that he wasn't dead yet was a good sign, all things considered. He would get a chance to run his mouth, something he was getting increasingly good at. He had to come up with a convincing story.

Michael took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "I can explain," he began, his voice steady.

The captain arched an eyebrow, his expression revealing nothing. "Please do."

Michael quickly composed himself, trying to come up with a convincing story. "Things turned worse after you have left Austin, I was just trying to follow along." When the captain didn't react, Michael continued, disturbed by his silent stare. "You can't blame me for seeking safety."

Michael looked into the captain's eyes and a silent staring contest ensued. He refused to avoid eye contact, despite how uncomfortable it felt having the man stare straight to him. It would only make him look guilty, well, more guilty.

The captain was the first to break the silence, "When did we leave?"

Michael stood still, stunned by the question. He wasn't in the city at the time, and he found no records that held any information that would help here. Michael quickly composed himself, "A couple of days ago." His outing took what, three or four days?

The only change in the captain's expression was a miniscule raise of an eyebrow. "Let's be a little more precise."

Thoughts raced through Michael's head, trying to come up with the most likely answer. When would they have left? Right after sending out the patrol he followed? Would they wait for them to come back, only for no one to return? If so, how long? Have they sent someone out to look for them as well? Their barracks looked abandoned for some time, yet no homeless have moved in when he found it, so it couldn't have been that long.

Before he could come up with an answer, captain's voice interrupted him. "I think it would be best if you started over and got your story in order first."

Michael took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the captain's gaze on him. He knew he had to come up with a convincing story, and fast.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, his voice sounding a little too desperate. "It's been a difficult couple of days for me. I've lost track of time trying to survive on my own."

The unmoving man tilted his head. "Resourceful enough to talk his way through our cordon, yet not enough to remember an event that caused him having to do so. Quite peculiar." The captain narrowed his eyes at him. "Start over. Truth this time."

If he started over it was as good as admitting he was lying. Doing so would make them distrust anything he said afterwards. It's always best to stick to the original story, unless there is a believable reason to lie at first.

Michael took a step forward, his fists clenched tightly. "I swear, sir, that's the truth. I was just trying to keep myself alive."

The captain stood up from the table, his expression growing frustrated for the first time. "I don't have time for your lies. Either you start telling the truth or my men will escort you to a holding cell until I can deal with you properly."

Michael knew he had pushed his luck too far, but he had no other options. He had to stick to his story, even if it meant being thrown into a cell. "I'm telling you the truth, sir. Please, just give me a chance to prove it to you."

The captain gestured to his men, who approached Michael with a determined look in their eyes. "Take him away. I'll deal with him later."

"I'm telling the truth," he protested as he was pulled towards the door.

The captain didn't even spare him a glance as he found himself being dragged away once again. Michael struggled against the men, but they were too strong for him. He gritted his teeth, knowing that he had lost this battle. For now, at least.

As they threw him roughly into the cell, Michael couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. He was defenseless, alone, and trapped. The riots were drawing closer, answers further and he was stuck in a police station with no weapons or allies. But he wasn't dead.

"Am I nobody?" asked Andrei.

"I take it back, I would rather be dead," huffed Michael.

"I always knew we would end up in a cell together," snickered his prisoner.

He sat down on the cold stone floor, his back against the wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and think of what he was going to say when the captain had him questioned.

"Did you notice it?"

Michael opened his eyes in irritation. "What?"

"How strong his men were."

"I did, so what?" snapped Michael.

Andrei voice sounded once again, bewildered. "And you don't find it curious?"

"They..." Michael stopped himself. He had no way to tell if they weren't listening in on him. If they were they would think him crazy, talking to himself like this. But if they heard him talk about the obelisk, he would be the dangerous sort of crazy.

Yet being considered harmless kind of crazy could have its advantages. "... must have eaten their veggies as kids."

"What?!" exclaimed Andrei.

"My mom always told me to finish my veggies, should have listened to her." A plan was starting to form in Michael's mind.

"Are you stupid?"

His voice was the loudest 'whisper' he could make it. "Quiet! Government agents are always listening, they must not know that we know."

"What? Did you hit your head or something?" There was a note of concern in Andrei's voice, not for him, only for the body they shared.

Michael shook his head, "You don't understand. They're after us, after the truth. We need to act fast, before they catch us."

Andrei's voice was full of disbelief, "Idiot, they already caught us, we need to find a way out of here."

Michael's voice grew louder, "Exactly! They're hiding, lurking in the shadows. We need to be careful." Then it lowered nearly to a conspirational whisper. "The men in black are always watching, always listening."

Andrei figuratively stared at him, incredulous. "What are you talking about? You're making no sense."

"No, No. We must not trust them. Men in black pull their strings, they must not know that we know." He stood up and started pacing around the small cell, swaying back and forth as he gesticulated wildly.

"Oh no, something broke because of all those points in Volition," came the sound of Andrei's voice. He had never heard the man so worried.

Michael laughed suddenly, maniacal sound ringing of the walls of the holding cells. "They lead the government, they are behind this all, they will silence anyone who knows the truth."

As quickly as his laughter began, it turned into frustrated howling. "You don't understand, we can't remain here! They will find us, they will find us!"

His breathing quickened and he leaned against a wall, sinking to the ground with his hands in his hair. "They will kill us and take our body, to wear as they see fit."

He started to sob quietly to himself, rocking back and forth on the cold stone floor. His sobbing was interrupted only by an occasional snicker at words unheard by any other than him. To anyone watching, he appeared to be just a madman locked up in a holding cell.

He knew he was playing a dangerous game. He had to make the captain and his men believe that he was crazy, that he posed no threat to them. It was his only chance of getting out of the cell and continuing his search for answers. He knew he was pushing the boundaries of believability, but he had to keep at it until they finally decided to release him.

Hours passed, and Michael lost track of time as he continued to pretend to be insane. He was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, but he refused to let up his act. He had to keep it up until the captain decided to question him again. Even Andrei quieted down eventually, either catching up to his plan or in despair.

Finally, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor outside the cell. Michael stopped rocking and sat up, his breathing quickening with anticipation.

As the captain entered the cell, Michael dropped his act of insanity and instead adopted a guarded expression. He eyed the man warily as he approached.

"He is alone," Andrei's voice returned.

"Are you ready to tell me the truth now?" he asked, his voice cold and authoritative.

"Let me deal with him," his inner enemy offered.

Michael didn't respond immediately, instead studying the captain. He couldn't tell whether his theatrics reached him, after all, he was only betting on being observed. The crazy story he had concocted required him to only act so out of sight.

"I just wanted to reach safety," he finally insisted.

The captain raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this response. "Still sticking to your nonsense?"

Michael huffed in fake indignation. "But it's the truth!"

The captain crossed his arms. "Right. Enjoy your stay."

"Let me in control, I can get us out!" Andrei insisted.

The captain gave him one last chance to talk before turning around and walking out of the cell, all the while Andrei screamed in Michael's mind about him being an idiot.

The bars closed behind the man, and Michael didn't see him again that day.