Chapter 9

Point of No Return

Penny stared at her house, frowning. Something's not right, she thought, staring at the scene.

Richard had warned her that Calico's men would be at the house, and that it would not be safe anymore. What that meant, Penny didn't know; she had expected the house to be swarming with cars and men, all looking for her, like police did at a crime scene. They'd be searching in and around the house, pulling things out that may assist them in their search. But that was not the case. Her house, and the entire street, showed no signs of anything unusual. No cars, no strange men...nothing. Just her house, the empty lots that surrounded it, and the sole other house in the street, it's two cars sitting end-to-end in the driveway.

Penny's frown deepened as the events that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours started to make less sense. She checked her phone one more time, just to be sure that she was not hallucinating. But sure enough, all the files, all of dad's final messages, were still there. She slipped the phone back into her pocket as she returned her gaze back to the house. What was going on? The day's events were contradicting each other, and it was leaving Penny terribly confused. For a moment she remembered Richard's explanation for Bolt's mark, that it had just been a prank by Larry, and for a moment, considered the possibility that this was also the case, that Larry was pulling another, extremely cruel prank on her. She discarded the idea instantly. That was crazier than the prospect of Calico trying to take over the world. Larry would not stoop this low, and besides, he could not replicate Richard's voice that well, and that conversation was definitely not a voice recording. No, there was no prank, and no joke, this was real. But it still left Penny with the confusing paradox...why was no one at the house, like Richard had expected?

Penny eventually came to the conclusion that, if Calico's men were indeed after her, that they had not arrived yet. But even as she thought this, and toyed with the idea of heading inside to grab some things for the adventure that would no doubt follow today, she started getting troubled by a constant nagging sense of premonition, like something terrible was coming, and that she was right in its way. She forced the feeling aside, and when it came back, just ignored it. Her emotions had been put under too much strain today...she could not trust them now, at least not for a while.

She finally turned to Bolt. "What do you think, boy...should we go in?"

Bolt turned to look at her, although Penny's spent emotions clouded her judgement, making it difficult for her to read Bolt's expression. She gathered a lingering sadness and worry for his person, and something else...something she could not quite place. She pressed her palms into her cheeks, trying to snap herself out of her emotional nightmare, but got nowhere. Finally she sighed. "How about we just take a quick look, eh? Grab some of our things...then we'll go see Joe, alright?"

Bolt tilted his head slightly to one side, as if thinking, before smiling slightly, seeming to agree with Penny. Penny, however, did not smile back. Memory's of her dad's phone conversation, and the fact that he was now Calico's captive, remove any ability for Penny to feel proper happiness. It had been a terrible day, and she knew it was not going to get any better.

After several moments, Penny gathered her composure and headed for the front yard, Bolt right behind her. Both of them looked around themselves as they went, keeping a constant eye out for any sign of trouble. But as they approached the front porch, nothing happened. The street was as quiet as it always was. Maybe I'm just going nuts, and this whole day is just one big mental episode. Penny's questions continued as she reached the front door, her hand hesitating over the knob. The nagging feeling was back with a vengeance, assaulting all her senses, seemingly intent on forcing her into a panic. She ignored the feeling and looked to Bolt for guidance. The Shepherd stared at her for a few moments, before nudging the door. Penny nodded, taking a deep breath, before opening the door and stepping inside.

What she had expected to see, Penny did not know. But she was a little startled to find the house was exactly as she had left it a couple of hours ago when she had left. It didn't seem right, it felt like the tumultuous events of the day should have shaken the house up as well, leaving everything a mess. It only cemented the idea in Penny's mind that this place was a haven, a realm of safety and protection from the evils of the world. She was certain that nothing could touch her here, and with that she relaxed slightly.

She was slightly startled when Bolt took off ahead of her, racing towards her room, where all of his things were also contained, but she passed it off. He had been through a lot this morning, as well, it was only natural for him to want to find a familiar place and stay there for a little while, even if it meant removing himself from Penny's side for a short time.

Penny dawdled slightly, trying to put her confused thoughts and emotions back together. Something just did not add up. She felt like she was in terrible danger, and yet the house seemed to be the absolute symbol of safety and protection. Penny knew she was overlooking something, that there had been something out of place today...but what? But her fear did not seem to be focusing on the house, and as such, she kept wandering.

Penny stopped as she passed Richard's room, which also served as his study. Penny had never been through her father's desk, knowing that she would be in a heap of trouble of dad caught her. But now...now she just needed some more answers. She stood indecisively in front of the door, weighing her options. Stuff it, she finally decided, and opened the door, heading straight for the desk against the far wall, beside the bed.

And it was here that Penny realised something was definitely amiss.

The desk was a mess. Drawers were open, and paper, pens and other items were strewn all over the desk, and across a large portion of the room. The place was a mess. Penny's first thought as she looked upon the mess was that her father had made a mess of things gathering his notes and other items for work. But when she saw the computer, she froze. The computer was on, and the screensaver running, which meant that someone had been on that computer within the last fifteen minutes! And then Penny saw the horrible truth, and realised what she had missed earlier.

The other person living on the street was single, and only had one car! And the other car, a bulky black sedan, was exactly like the one Richard's message told her to watch out for!

Penny had walked right into Calico's trap!

As soon as thought crossed her mind, she spun around, planning to run from the house there and then, but stopped when she saw a man standing in the doorway, wearing a high-tech, black suit that strangely reminded Penny of some sort of ornate, full-body wet-suit. Penny instantly remembered the message on her phone. Like the car, one of files had outlined a black full-body suit that many of Calico's men wore, although this man was without the large, bug-like helmet the photo in the file had. This man also held a bulky pistol, which held at the hip, and was aiming straight at Penny's nose.

"So," the man said thoughtfully, grinning. "Your the professor's daughter, huh?" The man's face was the only thing Penny could see from under the suit, but that didn't stop from seeing that the man was a serious threat. He had huge, built almost entirely of muscle and was well over six feet tall. The man probably didn't even need the gun, he could probably kill Penny with two fingers. His heavy-set face was grinning with a triumphant malice, his icy eyes cold and uncompromising. He was a man you definitely did not want to cross.

"What's it to you?" Penny replied defiantly, although her anger was aimed back at herself. She was inwardly cursing herself for being so stupid. Of course they would set a trap! They wouldn't just park outside and start a massive search of the house!

"Oh, it means everything to me, little girl. You see, your father has done some bad things, and my boss wants to help correct that, but to do that, we need your help." The man was obviously trying a kind approach, trying to use Penny's recent fight with her father to manipulate her. "Now, if you would just - "

"Exactly what things is my dad supposed to have done?" Penny said, more loudly than was necessary under the circumstances. She was trying to alert someone, anyone, to her predicament.

"Work things. I'm sure you understand that we can't tell you right now. Now please, come with me, quietly. I'd hate it if we had a little...accident." The man waved his gun, making sure Penny was fully aware of its presence.

And she was. The weapon was ruining her ability to think straight. but she desperately tried to remain calm as she fought to stall for more time. "What's in this for me?"

The man laughed. "Teenagers! Always thinking of their own interests, even when there a gun pointing at them!" He continued to laugh, and Penny decided to seize the opportunity. She sprang into action, adrenaline pumping through her body as she bolted for a doorway that lead to the bathroom. The man regained his composure and pulled his gun up, firing wildly at Penny as she leapt through the doorway. But he was caught off guard, and the shot went high, slamming into the wall as Penny crashed onto her face against the cold bathroom tiles, knowing she had not made her situation any better. The bathroom was a dead end, it had no other exit. She had just pushed herself into a corner. She cursed her own stupidity once more as the man laughed triumphantly.

"Clever girl! Distracting me like that! But I've already been through this entire house, and I know you're trapped, now come out! I won't hurt you, but I will have to if you insist on hiding like this now come out!" As he finished, the gun went off again. Penny felt the wall she was leaning against shake as the bullet buried itself in the plaster somewhere behind and above her. Terror and panic settled into her stomach as only one word came to her mind, screaming from her lips an instant later.

"BOLT!"