The Elite

Thirty-Six

Leon

"So the bioweapon was gone by the time you bothered to go look for it?" Left Mid Ezra O'Connor asked skeptically. "It was just gone?"

"Yep."

I knew it sounded unlikely, but it was the truth. The bioweapon was just gone. Considering our track record of failure, I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn't. After defeating those Offenders, I actually thought we might have finally succeeded.

I was wrong.

Nothing went right for my new squad, and probably never would. All we knew how to do was fail and fail again. Our squad seemed fated to never succeed.

My old squad, though, they were perfect. They could fix up any mistakes this one made. When Julian brought them back to life, everything would be perfect again.

"So you are a resurrector, Julian?" asked Nirmala.

Good. They were getting to the important part. Who cared if we completed the mission when Julian revealed his power to be something far more significant?

"Yes," Julian said quietly.

It sent aches through my heart to see Julian so downtrodden. He was supposed to be the bright happy one, but he wasn't anymore. Now he just seemed eternally sad ever since he'd killed Shifter. I could feel his emotions, so I knew just how much he was bothered by it.

Finally, I saw the connection between him and Tass. Before, although I supported him trying to encourage Tass, I never really saw why since he was so different from her. Now, though, they were very alike, both weighed down with their darker emotions.

"I'm curious," Vili said. "Who are your parents?"

"They're dead," Julian replied.

Tass reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. It was so unlike her, and yet it seemed normal.

"You can resurrect them," she reminded Julian.

"They'll hate me for what I've become," he replied.

Tass laughed. "No, they won't. Julian, I can't hate you, and I'm actually trying."

A smile appeared on Julian's lips — his first since killing Shifter — causing me to once again be struck by how perfect friends Julian and Tass were. They were there for each other.

Seeing them only made me want my old squad back. My old squad comprised of  the friends I could count on to support me when I was low. I needed them back, for I was feeling very low. Just like Tass was helping Julian regain his former happiness, my old squad would do that for me.

"So your parents weren't keen on rampant destruction and death?" Vili asked.

"Um... no," Julian said, the smile on his face morphing into a frown. "Why would they?"

Rather than respond, Vili sent a pointed look at Iekika, his smug superiority blazing like a star.

I stole a glance at Julian to see his melancholy seemed to have lifted, replaced by his more natural intrigued puzzlement. The mystery lurking behind Vili's words had captivated his attention, pulling him away from his melancholy.

I was quite glad Julian had found a distraction from his thoughts. He shouldn't have had to dwell on his first kill, nor should anybody.

"Why would my parents be destructive murderers?" Julian asked, his voice loud and clear.

"It's always a possibility," Ezra pointed out darkly.

"Perhaps. But why do you act like you expect them to be that way?"

That conundrum had piqued my curiosity too. Did they expect Julian's parents to be Offenders? And, if so, why? How would they know?

However, I had more pressing desires. I wanted out of this stupid meeting so I could go find and resurrect my old squad.

"Look, let's just get to the point," I said. "Then we can go save my old squad."

"Whoever said we were saving your old squad?" Vili asked.

Worry filled my belly. Surely he couldn't be serious? I needed to go save my old squad. The Council had to let me with how much my old squad was needed — not just for my emotional support, but to bring back up Squad 16's capabilities.

"You have to," I blurted out.

"No, we don't."

Vili's grin was that of a twisted, sadistic villain, shaking me to the core. No good guy would prevent me from seeing my dead friends. Yet I listened to him as if he was the good guy despite his evilness. How could I follow him? He was a bad person.

"You're going to let me see my friends," I said authoritatively.

Vili cackled. "You think you can order me around?"

My hand shot up, ready to give Vili the crippling loss I felt within me thanks to the loss of my friends. Vili was quicker, though, his hand flying up in record speed. All of a sudden, I was no longer in control of my body. All I could do was watch as Vili held complete and utter control over me.

"Vili," Khadija hissed. "Stop. It's reyovai."

Realization flickered in Vili's eyes, causing him to abruptly lose his hold on me as he sat back in his chair. I was too busy recovering from the shocking experience of being controlled to think on what Khadija said, but thankfully Julian did.

"What's 'reyovai'?" he asked. "Is it the growing anger within me?"

I turned to Julian, surprised at his words. He'd never mentioned anything to me about being angry. A few times he seemed to be struggling, but I figured it was normal teenage stuff, not anything odd.

"That's none of your business," Vili snapped.

"We should focus on something else," Nirmala said. "Perhaps on the issue of who we should resurrect."

"My squad," I argued.

No one listened to me, though. Even my own squad's emotions didn't show sympathy or understanding. No one except me cared about my old squad.

"I have already made a list of our most valuable assets," Min said. "I shall give it to Julian so he may resurrect them."

Assets? I couldn't believe Min had just referred to Talbots as "assets". Was that all we really were to her and the Elite Council? Was our inclusion as nothing more than cannon fodder in their war?

"He should resurrect Black Queen and Nefarious," Khadija announced.

"You want me to resurrect my parents?" Julian asked, shocked.

I was surprised at that too. Did that mean the Elite was planning some way to control Talbots? It was despicable, and if that was the case, I couldn't let that happen. They had to be stopped.

There were so many angry thoughts swirling around in my brain, it took me a second to realize what Julian just said — what he'd just admitted.

"Of course!" Khadija said. "That all makes sense! You are the son of Amira and Kazim!"

Vili extended his hand to Julian, freezing my young squadmate in place, fully under Vili's control. Having just experienced that, I knew it was not a pleasant thing.

Min was at Vili's side in an instant, saying, "What do you think you're doing? We need him!"

She forced Vili to let go of my young squadmate. She continued speaking, but I didn't hear the rest of it. I figured it was probably something about using Julian as a pawn. I was too busy grabbing him and running, though, to care.