The Soul Keeper

"Why am I not even allowed to speak with him?" I asked in shock as the nameless agents stood at my door.

"Sir," The one who had just explained to me that I was not allowed to be in contact with Erik spoke with a firm voice. "As it has been explained to you before, Erik Gallagher currently under investigation. No recovered players are allowed to be in contact with him." 

I clenched my fists. "He suffered from the same things as us!" I protested. "He's my friend, at least let me talk to him for a short while!"

"And that is precisely why you cannot be in contact with him." The Agent spoke in a flat tone. "Please do not insist any further." 

I gritted my teeth. It made no sense! "Fine," I hissed. "Then at least let me contact my other friends."

The agent's expression didn't change one bit. "I'm afraid you will have to wait until they have been cleared of any suspicion as well."

"Suspicion? What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did the authorities genuinely suspect people like Mona, Laura, or Theresa? I'd understand if they wanted to question Asher a bit more, given his previous employment and his expertise on Dive systems, but thinking a florist had anything to do with the incident was beyond ridiculous.

I was ready to defend them when the door suddenly swung open, interrupting my thought process and startling the agents.

"Alright boys," Veronica Mueller spoke as she shooed them away. "Go back to your work, you're done here."

"Yes, ma'am." One of the agents spoke. Without even glancing at me, they left. 

"You look like you're about to explode with anger." Miss Mueller said as she pulled a chair. "Were you about to shout at them?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Probably." I admitted. "I was planning on telling them how ridiculous they were being, but then you came." I glanced at her empty hands. There were no documents to sign. Why was she here? "How can I be of assistance?" I asked after a moment.

She chuckled. "Oh, no. You've helped plenty enough. I'm here to let you know that we've completed the arrangements." A genuine smile appeared on her lips. "You're going home tomorrow on a private flight. Naturally, we will ask you to be available if we require your assistance, but at least you won't be stuck in a hospital room for much longer."

My eyes widened. "I can go home?" I asked, my voice brimming with hope. "Really?" She nodded, and I lay down on my back and covered my eyes with my hands. "Finally." I whispered with a lump in my throat.

"Try to get some sleep tonight." Miss Mueller spoke. "I know it's not easy with all those nightmares, but it would be best if you were well rested. The journey will be exhausting enough for you."

I nodded. I could still not walk for more than a couple of minutes before my knees and legs wanted to give out. I hadn't even tried running yet – that would be a fast way to hurt myself. "I'll do just that."

"We will return your phone, clothes and everything else that was on you or belonged to you at the time you activated PORTAL tomorrow, after we land in Ireland." She tapped on the nightstand with her fingers as she continued. "Do expect regular visits from our division though."

I shrugged. "That's fine." Unlike what most would think when they saw the settlement we lived in, we usually welcomed visitors. In fact, our training hall was considered one of the tourist attractions. I knew that Mother or the others wouldn't mind too much. 

"Is it?" Miss Mueller seemed somewhat surprised. 

"We're not some ancient sect with many secrets to hide, Miss Mueller." I chuckled. "We even have a café, so you are also always welcome."

"Ah. Um, I'll… take you up on that offer… Sometime." She hesitantly replied. "Anyways," She quickly changed the subject. "We'll leave first thing in the morning tomorrow, so try to sleep early."

"I will." I said, a faint smile still lingering on my lips. "Thank you."

With her work done, she left the room. As the door closed behind her, I couldn't help but feel excited. I was looking forward to going home. To see the green lands and the clear skies. To breathe the cool ocean air and taste the salt in the wind.

I waited till the next day, impatience growing in my heart.

Inspector John shouted something, but I couldn't hear him over the rattle and noise of the chopper. He shouted something again, but I just shrugged and shook my head. It was too loud. His shoulders dropped after a moment, and I directed my attention outside. 

The cliffy silhouette of my home was slowly entering our view. It didn't take us long to arrive at the helipad. 

As the noise of the chopper died down, Inspector John opened the door and gestured me to climb down.

I motioned to jump, but my weak legs quickly reminded me of how weakened I still was. Instead, I accepted help from one of the agents who came with us.

"So," Inspector John said as he jumped down and breathed in the cool ocean air. "I haven't breathed such clean air in a while." He mumbled.

I laughed as I took slow steps towards the edge of the helipad. Standing under the unmoving rotor still felt like a horrible idea. "We're not too far from town," I mumbled as I looked around. I knew this place, though I had never come this close to this particular building. "I didn't know the United Nations owned this building."

Inspector john chuckled. "Most people don't. It's usually empty – just the guard at the door and the couple of people who come in for work once in a blue moon." He helped me down the steep stairs of the helipad as we walked inside. "And we never really use the place since this is such a calm place." He glanced at me. "Seriously, when was the last time anything happened here?"

I shrugged. "There was a theft a couple years ago. And the earthquake before that caused some disorder." I hesitated, then laughed. Compared to London, this place was heaven.

Inspector John just shook his head. It was clear that he was having trouble believing me.

"Let's get you home."