Renegade

Chapter fourteen

The guards stopped them before they reached the examination room and the unpleasant one jerked a thumb towards the second-to-last door. Theo and Marcy glanced at each other then opened the door. The room was smaller than the one they had been in before, the lighting not as sharp. There was an empty table in the middle surrounded by six chairs.

Theo glanced at the glass panel on the right side of the wall, unused to being able to see through it. There were two monitors mounted on either side of it, as well as a large screen in the furthest corner of the room. Dr. Kiggins was seated in front of it, completely absorbed by whatever it was displaying. Theo supposed it had to do with him.

There were two other men inside, one garbed as an Intervention Squad member, the other in the blue coat of CS researchers.

The second doctor was the youngest person in the room, probably only a couple of years older than Theo himself. Dark-haired with a receding hairline, he had small gray eyes, a large, flat nose and thick lips. He was rounder around the waist, with limbs that were long, thin and moved awkwardly as he shuffled abound the room.

The third person - a man seemingly in his early forties - was tall, with broad shoulders and the typically muscular build of the CS's elite. The lack of the black helmet was a surprising sight for the pair. He had cropped, dark hair, thick eyebrows, an aquiline nose and a square jaw.

Piercing black eyes landed on them as they entered and their steps faltered under the weight of his gaze. The man stood straight, hands behind his back, carefully observing them.

"Doctor," he rumbled in a low voice, seemingly satisfied with his perusal.

The woman's gaze snapped over to the man, warming fractionally when it landed on the duo. She quickly stood and motioned for the two of them to sit down at the table. The other doctor shuffled backward and avoided their eyes as they passed him.

"I'm glad you're back," she said pleasantly. "Allow me to introduce you. This is Dr. Lucas Frazer, my assistant and fellow scientist. And this is Sgt Griffin Welsch from the Intervention Squad, as you may have guessed."

Dr. Frazer ignored them altogether as he took the seat his colleague had just vacated. Sgt Welsch gave them a stiff nod of acknowledgment, facing them from the other side of the table. Dr. Kiggins occupied one of the free chairs.

"I trust you have managed to process today's events?" she asked, continuing before they could answer her. "Obviously, we will have to change your wrist band. Before that, we would like to make you an offer."

Here it was. Theo swallowed down his nerves and opened his mouth to make his case, but Dr. Kiggins interrupted him with a raise of her hand. He shut his mouth with an audible click. So they weren't going to give him a choice in the matter...

"From your behavior, I suppose you've realized that we wish to recruit you and that displeases you. I would, however, like to make our case before you shut us down completely," she said, the look in her eyes earnest.

"I-, we realize how this must look from your perspective: the CS nabbing wielders and forcing them to turn on their comrades. I also understand that we must not look like the friendliest and most reliable group of people to you. I'll admit that we don't have a stellar record, far from it, but we are not thoroughly evil. Our main goal has always been the protection of the people and that includes ability-wielders."

Marcy, who had been uncharacteristically still by his side, couldn't remain silent anymore.

"The way you protected the Obsidians? Or that Jade kid last week?" she venomously asked.