Stephen and I bolt down the hall, the lights overhead now flashing red. The alarms continue to scream into our ears, both deafening and frightening. Unable to speak over the sirens, I yank on Stephen's arm to steer him to the right. We skid past endless white walls without any doors or passages. For all we know, those white walls could have Project prisoners blockaded behind them.

Pounding down the hall, Stephen and I make another turn and storm down a long hallway. Yards away from an intersection of white passages, a trio of hazmat men reveal themselves. My heart jumps into my throat.

Stephen grabs my hand and turns us to the right again as the men begin to yell. We race down the hall, our boots stomping as three other pairs of shoes trail us. I clutch Stephen's hand tighter as we run, not caring if it slows us down.

Making a left turn, Stephen and I run about ten steps before another group of gasmask-wearing men pop out from an unseen corridor. Stephen and I scramble away from them as they shout. We hardly make it to a new part of the hall before the original three guards slam into us.

Stephen is grabbed out of my peripheral vision, but I'm somehow able to slip through the hands that want to stop me. Somewhere in the confusion I manage to scream and step on someone's toes. Either way, I make it through an extra three unbalanced strides before a body tackles me from behind.

The attack occurs both slower and faster than I thought it would. I fly through the air for a small eternity, and then I hit the ground in fast-forward. The unbearable weight of the guards threatens to collapse my lungs, but he scoots himself off me within a handful of seconds. I use to opportunity to claw away from him, but he shoves his knee into my spine to stop me.

I growl in response. The man rips my arms behind my back, locking them together with EletriWrist cuffs. I have no say in the matter as I'm dragged to my feet. The masked man pushes me next to Stephen as a lanky figure speaks.

Tanner turns around to face us, clearly distraught. His facial expression practically shouts angered and annoyed, but I still can't force myself to be afraid of him. His personality vibe is too good-natured.

"Great job, you two," Tanner says. "The last thing I wanted to do was start a wild goose chase."

Stephen and I don't say anything, mostly because Tanner isn't fitting the "bad villain" role. I can't wrap my mind around him; he's not acting overly rude or cocky at all.

"Well?" Tanner asks.

"You're kidding, right?" I deadpan, sticking to my hunch. "Do you realize what this place resembles?"

"No, not really," Tanner says, "and I'm not in a position to explain either."

"Tanner, this place is the Enhancement Project. You should have already killed us by now."

"What?" Tanner gapes. I repeat myself for him while he paces around. He lets out a exclaim when an idea clicks in his mind, specifically when I say the word "Enhancement" again.

"I was going to take you to Liad as soon as we got here, but obviously this got in the way." He motions to Stephen and I with his right hand. "Liad and Delphin need to hear about this. You said this is what the halls of the Project look like?"

We nod.

"Then can one of you kind men open this room?" Tanner suddenly asks the gas-mask people. One of the men agrees. He approaches a blank wall and knocks two times. A blue holographic keyboard lights up in front of him, and he types in a password of fast-paced numbers. A doorway opens up, identical in style to the ones from the Project.

Tanner leads Stephen and I into the room, but I don't step pass the doorway. The room itself has the exact same dimensions, color, and lighting as the one from my chilling memory. Ignoring the dull blankets sprawled across the floor, I recognize every inch of the room with déjà vu.

"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.