The Skylar Experiment : Dead Ending (second draft)

Chapter Thirteen-Spot The Lies

LUC

I WAS PROBABLY going to regret this later, but I accepted and hopped in the damn van. I examined the interior as I sat on a cushiony leather bench facing Caldwell's. The space was large enough to the point that I could stretch my legs entirely without bothering anyone's bubble, and the matted walls of the car were an achromatic black, sucking out the little light filtering through the tinted windows. My gaze met those of two agents, and I leaned forward, making sure they kept their eyes on me.

"Try anything and you're all dead."

Mutants were at their most dangerous in tight spaces. We were quick to react, and I could zap all the people in this van within a split-second simply because they were that close. They had nowhere to run. Their trust in me was quite cocky on their part—and incredibly idiotic. Caldwell grinned like I'd just done something spectacular, her gloved fingers drumming against the plastic cupholder near her. 

"Fear not, we won't. We only want to talk."

She signaled at the man in the front to start driving. With a clear and respectful nod, he revved the engine and coolly backed out of the parking lot, jostling over the chunks of compact snow. We'd gotten freezing rain recently, and the balls of snow had crystallized like oversized pebbles above the ice. The whole town had turned into an ice rink, and people ought to take out their skates and hockey sticks soon if the weather kept this up. As expected, the vehicle slid at a veer and the driver struggled to contain it.  

"Listen, Lucas," Caldwell began, threading her fingers together. "We've gotten off to a very bad start. I won't lie to you, but we are not who you think we are."

I blinked at her for a solid ten seconds, rendering the van uncomfortably silent in the anticipation of my reaction. How incurably stupid did she think I was? We are not who you think we are? I knew for a fact that they were the worst pieces of scum this Earth had to offer and they deserved to rot in hell for murdering two teenagers then acting coy about it. Not to mention that they've probably done this often. They were behind all of our people going missing because of the hunters, and most of all, they had driven our first generation into fear and submission. Our parents had been treated like lab rats—or maybe worse than that.

I knew exactly who NIO were.

They went to great lengths to cover the truth and it was impossible to expect honesty to come out of their mouths. They didn't care about collateral damage either, seeing as they shot whoever came in sight.

"Oh, really?" But I'd play along for now. "Then, who are you?"

Her molten eyes glimmered. "We strive for continous improvement. Everything we do is dedicated towards bettering humanity in one way or another." She opened her palms toward me in pride. "You yourself are one of our works or an indirect result of them depending on how you see things."

"Then why are you terrorizing innocent people and going after us, mhm?" I asked without thinking. "You literally sent hunters to kill us, or capture us, or whatever it is you fuckers want."

She leaned back in her seat, her marble smile fading. "It's not always easy for orders to be clear. There are many people standing between my orders and the ones who execute them. It is a problem I face as a head director." She paused for a while as if she wanted me to acknowledge her high position and bow down. As if. "I am truly sorry about those boys. I meant no harm for them, and it is a pity for the younger one. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

I wanted to rip her spine out. She couldn't possibly be sincere about it, and what good did it do now? Truly sorry? Ethan was gone and he was never coming back. Tell that to Heather, and she might actually attack Caldwell for saying that. There was no heartfelt sensitivity in her words, and clearly it was nothing but a filler to build this mask of... compassion or so it seemed. I struggled to keep a straight face and reared back.

"That doesn't change the fact that you put hunters after us or that people died from this."

"Not all hunters are under the NIO's charge. Many of them are still independent and choose to practice their job under unethical rules. They are an example of what happens when humans find out about people like you and they don't understand it. They resort to fear, anger and aggression and try to exterminate you, especially if you are mistaken for those poor creatures you call Wanderers."

Words spewed from her mouth so quickly and fluidly they merged in my brain. She reminded me of a politician, but she wasn't fooling me. My mind was keeping pace just fine.

"You're telling me that Miles and his father don't work for you?"

Caldwell pinched her lips. "Yes, they do. However, others your people may have encountered in the past were most likely not under our supervision. I am aware their reputation sounds... tyrannical to your kind."

The smell of bullshit was immeasurably strong in that one. I scowled at her. Independent or not, hunters made use of dangerous weapons in order to catch us. It was unethical either way if she wanted to go down the righteous road.

"You doubt what I just said, don't you?" she asked.

"Consider me rather unconvinced." 

"We haven't killed your people, Lucas. It's the last thing we want. Hunters are simply a way for us to check in and test your reactions to see who is dangerous and who is not. You must know of unprovoked attacks in the cities just like we do. By design, none of you are pacifists." 

I hardly caught wind of attacks on humans from other localities. Not all of us wanted peace and to lay low, but their numbers were small. Our elders tend to deal with them before it gets out of control, or so I heard. 

Her eyes searched for mine, and I wasn't sure if the sheen in them was real or practiced. Those eyes. I've never seen anyone with this golden color, assuming it was natural. It was such a rarity, the type I'd only come across on internet pictures or contact lenses ads. I snapped out of my observation. 

"Like you haven't killed my sister?" Warm air blew out of my nostrils. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Nothing," Caldwell said as the car made another turn, and we were cruising along the desert playground.

My eyes widened with warning, causing the men next to her to tense up. "Don't expect me to believe that crap. I want real answers, now."

She scanned me up and down for a moment like she was second-guessing the idea of inviting me inside the van. The woman exchanged a lengthy, wordless look with the agents before turning back towards me, a resolve pulling on her features. Caldwell placed a palm on the side of her face, leaning against one of the windows.

"You will not like what I am about to say. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

She sighed and crossed a leg, holding my challenging stare. "I can disclose to you what happened to her throughout the months. In fact, the deal I'm hoping you will accept concerns her. Again, we can grant your people peace, including Riley. I was never intending to harm anyone, but nothing will happen to them and I'll order my agents to leave you all alone because it's what you want. It won't be an issue. In exchange, you will have to agree to my terms and help us."

    ❃❃❃   

Do you think you spotted the lies after all? 

How do you like Dead Ending so far? We are still early on to tell much in the book. I'd say it'll be just as lengthy as Coveting, and maybe even a little more. What do you think the deal will consist of?