"Hidden With Lies" Chapter 2

I sped down the highway, taking the quickest route to Rino's as I could possibly imagine. I check the clock, 11:53. Great, I keep going, speeding up as fast as the speedometer would allow, Safety? Who cares. This is the most important piece of information I may ever receive. I pull up to a small shack near the lake, And pull the beads aside that make up the door, Rino should at least get some kind of blanket or something to put over the doorway in winter. His decision, I walk into the main room of the shack, there's a large fire burning near the wall. Keeping the room nice and warm, I'm sweating inside my jacket. There's no one in the room. "Rino?" I call, down the dark hallway, no answer. "Rino?!" Still no answer, I begin walking down the hallway, "Damnit. Rino, Don't play games with me, I know you're here somewhere! Answer me Rino!" An old Indian man in a leather vest topping an old white undershirt, tan slack pants, and moccasins, stepped out of a room. He looked like he'd aged thirty years since the last time I saw him ten years ago. "Rino! Where the hell were you? What information do you have for me!?" I asked quickly in a loud voice, "Calm down, Jade," He said in a soft voice to me. "I will not calm down, now give me the information! Where Is she? What is she doing? Is she alright?" I asked, rambling, "She's fine, but not for long," I felt like I was about to puke 'not for long?' I thought to myself, 'not for long?' I thought again, "Not for long?" I asked out loud, "Not for long," he repeated. "Where is she?" I asked. "I'm, I'm not sure," "THEN WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL ME?!" I asked, losing my temper and fast, "There is time for all of that later, Now sit down and have some t-" Before he could finish his sentence, I knife was out of my pocket and at his throat, "Rino, I want my information, I want it now." I said impatiently. He brought his hand up and pushed the knife away from his throat. "Just like you to lose your temper, Jade, you don't want tea? Fine, We won't have tea." He said angrily, "But sit down for god's sake." I hastily sat down and stared him in the eye, "What can you tell me?!" I asked again, getting right to the point. He ignored me, "Jade, how do you feel about the war going on right now? With the Offensers?" He asked, like he had an unknown logic behind his question, "I told you Rino, I'm not doing any of this anymore, if you're trying to bribe me with the informat-''

"No, no nothing like that," He said in a tone that told me just to answer the question, "It doesn't affect me, I'm not going to bother with it," I said glaring at him, He rolled his eyes and sighed, "You're about to change your opinion." He sighed again, "Why is that?" I inquired. "On your last assignment, Before anyone knew about the offenders, they existed, forming a society, getting ready for precisely this," he continued, poring himself a glass of tea. "They were behind the resistance force, Jade. They were the ones that took your partner. They wanted to turn her, they wanted to use her for their own good, or bad. She was such a valuable asset, they'd hurt us greatly, and give them much gain," 'Partner' was such a harsh word, I'd almost forgotten she was my partner before… well before it happened. The old man continued, "She refused to turn, she could resist every piece of knowledge they had against her, and against you both," he gave me a funny look, he knew, and I knew he knew, "They're giving her another two weeks, if she doesn't turn, then… then," I rolled my eyes in a forward motion, as if to say 'hurry it up, what are you trying to say' and I knew where he was going, I just couldn't admit it until he reassured it, " Well, then, they're going to get rid of her," He said, and this full grown man, who never showed any emotion in his life, shed a tear. My hand clasped my mouth, "Oh my god," I said, shocked, even though I knew it was coming, all these years, I'd thought she was dead anyway… I hung my head low, all this time, I'd never done anything to find her…. Just assuming… My vomiting feeling came back with a vengeance. I wiped the tears from my eyes, no one has ever seen me cry, no one ever will, but I could tell, the Old man knew. "Tell me what to do," I said, having troubles finding my voice. He paused, "Tell me what to do, damnit!" I shouted, the old man was unfazed. "Jeff said something about Building 1187, I have no idea where it is, or what it means, but that's what he said." The old man said. "I don't care, I've started with less before," I said grabbing my keys. And through the beads and out the door I go. Ahhh damn. Gina gets her way. She wins. That sucks, it just does. She's gonna laugh at me, I'll live.