Citizen

Chapter twenty-four

"We'll have to wait here until you're officially summoned."

James stared down at the watch on his wrist and pressed down on its face, murmuring, "Why am I being punished for being late when I'm just the messenger?" The watch's screen was tinged with red. James pulled the bracelet up ever so slightly, wincing as the burning metal touched his skin; in its place was a circle of red flesh and blisters.

Kyra sucked in a shaky breath. "What is that?"

"An Adapter. It's how the Exempt communicate."

"That's a nasty burn," Kyra said, glancing at it from her spot against the wall. Her eyes widened. "You had a burn just like that when you had a concussion."

Hayes ambled over, arms crossed, and unclasped the watch. "Put some of that cream I gave you on it, it'll clear up in no time."

James nodded and tugged his sleeve down, clenching his jaw. "You'd think they'd just set an alarm to warn us, but I guess second-degree burns are more fun."

"It's incentive to do your job, not a punishment."

Kyra's eyes flickered between Hayes and James. Their words weren't friendly, but their faces were, their eyes light, lips upturned. They were friends, it seemed. The thought of James knowing so many people she'd never met sent strange shivers down her spine. It was more than just knowledge he'd kept from her - it was a side of his life, a side perhaps bigger than her own.

"The council are beginning to gather," Hayes reported. "We can head inside now."

"What exactly are you calling this meeting for?" James asked.

Kyra and Ethan exchanged a look. The former pursed her lips. "You'll find out soon enough."

James held Kyra back as the others descended and made their way across the factory floor. "I think I should at least get a hint, considering I'm the messenger."

"Some secrets are best left hidden. We've all got secrets James." His face was so close his breath tickled her check. She cleared her throat and smiled. "Such as what happened to you on July 18th three years ago."

James brushed dust off the staircase as he descended. He stopped halfway down to flash Kyra a smile. "I didn't know we were fighting dirty."

Kyra snorted as she crossed to the other staircase and hurried down, taking the steps two at a time. "I didn't know a lot of things James."

"You're really not going to tell me anything?" James asked.

Kyra shrugged. "In ten years. That's the duration of secret keeping in our friendship."

The pair continued walking until they reached a set of boarded up doors. There were machines either side that looked as though they hadn't been used in years. The only sign that they had been was the lack of dust, which coated the rest of the run-down factory. From the outside it looked exactly like the ones that removed bracelets.

Hayes clapped three times, paused, and then four times. A panel above the doorway slid open to expose a camera; a red spot watched them like an eye.

"Two Exempt accompanied by Controllers Kyra Jackson and Ethan Thomas."

The camera slid between the four faces below. After what felt like a lifetime, the red light flashed green, and in a blink the camera was gone.

"Blood tests - commencing." An eerie robotic voice reverberated around the space.

The Exempt crossed to the machines either side of the door and inserted an arm. Glass plates slid up to meet their elbows. A blade dropped down and etched a thin line into James' wrist. Crimson seeped out of the cut, splashing onto the glass plate at the bottom of the machine. It retreated downwards into the darkness. The metallic arm dropped down again, but instead of a blade it carried a band aid; it swiftly applied the plaster and disappeared. The whole time James' eyes didn't leave his arm - nor did Kyra's, who grimaced but couldn't pull herself away.