Chapter 56: Free Fall
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We left the port as silently as we sneaked in, not daring to even breathe until we were a hundred meters away from the Protector, separated from his hiding spot by a row of shipping containers. Not knowing what else to do, we retreated back to the concrete tower, exhausted and disheartened. Now that I had retrieved the money, there was no point in climbing to the top of it, but we did it anyway, perhaps for the illusion of safety that being so high above the ground would grant us.
Back in the windowless, claustrophobic office, we sat with our backs against the wall, trying to come to terms with the circumstances. I was trying to keep a brave face, but in reality, my mind was on the verge of panic.
Mickey looked to be his last leg, though.
The physical exhaustion of everything that had happened from the moment Zero abandoned him up to now would be too much for anyone, let alone someone as frail as him. The strain on his body, the lack of sleep, hunger and dehydration made him look like a living corpse. Yet I suspected that his mental condition was even worse.
I knew I had to bolster his unraveling mind somehow, but at the moment, I just didn’t know how. I was having trouble keeping myself from plunging into despair, so anything that I could say to him would have sounded insincere.
Surprisingly, Mickey was the first one to talk. What disturbed me even more was that his voice sounded utterly calm, as though we were just having a conversation.
’Listen, Matt.’
He looked at me with a somber expression.
’Yeah?’
Mickey kept his eyes on me for several seconds, before turning slightly away.