May 30, 1999

After the whole encounter, May and I locked up the man in a cell and went back home to get some rest.

Word on me and May's adventure quickly spread. We woke up past noon the next day and we reported to work, where all the agents welcomed us with thunderous applause, especially May. Everyone found out about how we defended HQ from a bomb attack last night.

Forster came and personally thanked me and May of course, but most surprising was Director Berman.

Director Berman: I heard about what happened.

May: Oh it's nothing.

Director Berman approached his daughter.

Director Berman: You alright?

May smiled.

May: Never been better.

Director Berman extended his hand, and May shook it. Part of me wanted to go to the Director and call him out, but I saw in my friend's eye that she was happy, and I decided not to take it away from her. I just remembered how much her father meant to her. How badly she just wanted to impress him, and she finally did. She was happy.

And I was too.

_.-

May: You feeling alright?

I stopped eating. I was at the roof, eating my lunch while enjoying the view.

I turned to May and smiled.

Harlan: Thank you.

May smiled and sat beside me.

May: What would you do without me?

I chuckled.

May: By the way Harlan, I checked again, Chase Delvey-

Harlan: May, it's fine, you didn't have to-

May: You told me Clair was born in 1972, Chase in 1967.

Harlan: Yeah why?

May got a plastic ziploc. I opened it and saw photos of Paul and Taylor Delvey with a newborn child.

Harlan: You know, Chase doesn't look that bad considering how babies loo-

May: That's not Chase. That's Clair.

I looked at May, then in 1972. I flipped through the photos, 1972, 1973 and 1974, all photos only showing photos of Paul and Taylor with only one child, Clair.

May: Here's another thing, no birth certificate matches your Chase Delvey. I even got T.H.E.P.A. to call up and check every boarding school in the world and...

I looked at May.

May: Chase doesn't exist, Harlan.

I took one last look at May, then I got up. I ran down to the detention rooms and looked for the one person I was looking for.

Clair.

I violently opened the door and stormed in.

Clair: Harlan, this is unusual, what brings-

Harlan: Where is Chase?

Clair: I thought I said to come bac-

Clair looked at me, puzzled. I took out my gun and shot the ceiling.

Clair: WHAT THE HELL?!

Harlan: I'm done with your games, WHERE IS SHE?

Clair: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

Harlan: YOUR SISTER! WE GOT NOTHING ON HER! YOU LIED ABOUT HER!

Clair: I did not!

I shot the wall behind her and she backed away. I grabbed her by her prison jumper and pulled her to me.

Clair: HARLAN!

Harlan: STOP LYING TO ME! TELL ME THE TRUTH CLAIR! NOBODY HAS ANYTHING ON HER! NOBODY! HOW CAN SHE NOT EXIST?!

May and Forster had to pull me out of the room.

Forster: Harlan, what's-

Harlan: PUT ME BACK IN!

Forster: HARLAN, WHAT IS-

May: FORSTER SHUT UP!

May gave Forster a look to shut up, and he did. May turned to me.

May: Harlan, what's wrong?

I took a few more breaths.

Harlan: She's hiding something, something about Chase.

Forster: Chase? Who's Cha-

May: Clair's supposed sister, but she doesn't appear in any data-

Harlan: She is important to this, I know it and- you need to interrogate her now!

Forster: I'm afraid I can't do that.

Harlan: What do you mean? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU-

Forster: Director Berman has ordered Clair Delvey to be moved to The Bunker immediately and permanently.

I couldn't believe it, they were taking Clair away, forever.

Harlan: No. No no no no NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT SIR!

Director Berman: Oh yeah, why not?

I turned and saw Director Berman.

Harlan: Director please, I'm begging you, we need-

Director Berman: We had Clair Delvey here for months, and she hasn't given us anything. We even gave you a chance Harlan. Do tell me, do you have any important information aside from her useless family tree?

I looked at Berman. I couldn't answer because we all knew what the answer was. No.

Director Berman: Clair Delvey is no longer needed, she is to leave in an hour. Good day.

I yelled at the Director as he walked away not to let her go, but he didn't mind me. May pulled me away and dragged me out of HQ to the outside world.

Harlan: -HE CAN'T DO THIS! May, you gotta go to your father and tell him- tell him that-

May: OH SHUT UP! DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF? WHINING OVER SOME PRISONER YOU FANCY JUST CUZ YOU WON'T SEE HER AG-

Harlan: Whoa whoa whoa, fancy? What do you mean fancy?

May laughed.

May: Harlan, you can stop pretending, and I'm not stupid. I know you like her.

I looked at May. I opened my mouth to protest, but I couldn't. Part of me couldn't.

Harlan: I- I- What makes you think I-

May: C'mon, you've been so different ever since you talked to her. Everything's about her, you always talk about her, you're obsessed with her!

Harlan: Professionally obsessed, I was just doing my job.

May: Really? Because last time you talked to her, you seemed like you really liked her, not to mention when you held hands I-

Harlan: What?

May sighed.

May: You think I didn't watch the recording? You were supposed to report to me.

Harlan: That was confidential!

May: This was MY case!

Harlan: YOU SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED ME, MAY!

May: LIKE HOW I TRUSTED YOU TO REPORT BACK TO ME LAST NIGHT? LIKE HOW YOU TRUSTED HER WITH HANNAH AND NOT ME?

I froze at the mention of Hannah. May looked at me, angry. Angry and hurt, but mostly hurt.

May: Look, take some time off, I'll call you if ever we need you.

May turned around and started walking back to HQ.

Harlan: May, I-

May: And yes I know what's in your coat pocket. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.

I speechlessly watched as May walked her way back to HQ. I felt bad about it. I knew I should have told her about Hannah, and I was kicking myself for not.

I considered walking back to HQ, but I decided for once to listen to May, and headed back to her flat.

_.-

I locked myself in my room and sat on the floor and leaned on the bed. The files on Clair's parents were on my table, but I didn't reach for them.

I looked around, and made sure that no one was around, before I reached in my inner coat pocket, and brought out a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it and looked at a photograph of Clair.

I looked at her. Her dark-blond hair and brown eyes and her pretty face. A pretty face I would never see again.

I knew that her being sent to the Bunker shouldn't bother me, after all she was a terrorist, one of the most dangerous ones in the world. But yet I was bothered. I wasn't bothered that she was going to be locked in a place where T.H.E.P.A. kept the worst of the worst. I was bothered that I was never going to see her again, that I was gonna miss her.

I tried not to think about it, but all I could think about was Clair. Her face, her voice. How her hand felt when she held my hand. Part of me wished that I was still in that room, holding her soft and tender hands.

A few hours later when the sun set, I got a call from May, asking me to go in.

Clair Delvey has escaped.