The Shrink Program

Chapter 103

It's not over.

Garmen gave me a confused look. "Who?"

"Jack!"

Garmen's face registered shock as he jerked his gaze up, realising that he had somehow forgotten the most dangerous person in the room.

"Garmen-Ack!"

The room spun as Garmen turned to face Havoc.

I hissed wordlessly, stiffening when I saw that Jack had Havoc pressed to the wall by his throat.

The thin Supervisor struggled, but all the super strength that had come with the nanotech seemed to be missing along with his light blue eyes.

Without the nanotech, Havoc was a slight man whose hobby was to experiment with chemicals.

And Jack....was Jack.

The insane boy pinned the smaller man, sending us a sideways smile as he spoke.

"I have to admit, I really do admire your devotion. I hear that disconnecting from the system after such a long time is quite a... Disconcerting experience."

Disconnect from the system? They had done it voluntarily...?

"Garmen... Get the kids... Out..." Havoc choked, his eyes flickering over to where Nigel's and Artemis' box sat abandoned by the doorway.

Jack tsked reproachfully, eyes speaking of betrayal as he ruthlessly slammed his knee up into the pit of Havoc stomach.

Havoc gasped at the pain, curling into himself and falling to his hands and knees as Jack let him go.

Garmen's hand went rigid beneath me but didn't make a sound as Jack took a step closer.

"I know that you've grown attached to my schoolmates here... but I am afraid that we really need to be going now. Our ride is waiting after all."

Jack reached a hand out towards Garmen, his eyes full of compassion.

"Come now, you don't want to make me separate you by force, now do you?"

... Ahh, damn it... Chickening out and relying on elderly nerds to save me would look really lame, wouldn't it...?

Being such a total badass sucks sometimes...

"Welp, when you put it that way...." I climbed to my feet to face Jack, cracking my knuckles in a show of nonchalance. "... Looks like I have no choice but to handle this bullshit solo from here on out."

I half turned towards Garmen, not quite able to look at him as I silently begged him to take the hint and surrender without a fight.

"Sorry about the trouble we caused...just send us the bill or something..."

When he didn't speak, I chanced a glance up at the Supervisor's face, my own chest tightening with guilt when I saw his frustrated expression.

I couldn't really blame Garmen, for wanting to help us, even if that meant risking his own safety. I would too if I were in his place

"Garmen." Still kneeling on the floor, Havoc looked up at us, expression grim.

His grey eyes were determined, unafraid of what he knew was going to happen next.

I stared, having a hard time reconciling this seriousness with the dorky cricket coach/scientist I had come to know over the last week.

What I saw in his eyes unnerved me...

All the Supervisors were like that, gentle and a little weird on the outside, but every one of them had a steel core.

"I'm going to reconnect." Using the wall for support, Havoc climbed to his feet. "Get the children out."

Garmen stiffened in surprise. "Havoc..."

"I know." The blue-haired Supervisor shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just get them out of here Garmen."

"Are you intending to fight me, little Supervisor?" Jack's voice wasn't where it was supposed to be, and I jerked as I realised that he had used Havoc as a distraction to slip past unnoticed.

... behind us.

The hand beneath me suddenly jerked as Garmen went rigid, letting out a stifled grunt of pain.

I looked up frantically to see Garmen's jaw clenched and his eyes wild as Jack pressed in against his back, resting his chin on the tall Supervisor's shoulder.

At this size, I couldn't tell what he had done to Garmen, but the Supervisor was shaking with pain as Jack raised a hand, running it through his short green hair.

Eyes directly on Havoc, Jack spoke, lips close to Garmen's ear.

"If so, I suggest you start paying attention."