Jack spent the rest of the day in and out of meetings with Lacey and Skylar. They had finalized the team and were making preparations for transport and supplies. Sitting still for long periods of time had never been my forte and I'd chosen to leave early to fill a blank in the patrol roster. The girl who normally would fill the position was heavily pregnant and had been forced by Brodie to take it easy. This patrol weaved through the city's least eventful sectors, so I didn't expect to have a very exciting three hours wandering the streets. Quiet such as this probably wasn't the best thing, but it was something.
There were a million thoughts whizzing through my head and clouding my perception. My brain had chosen to still partially deny that Ethan was alive, despite seeing his face only recently. That man couldn't have been my brother, it was just a convincing look-alike... who recognized me... and knows about my past... and– Who am I kidding, that man was clearly Ethan Harrison Winters whether I wanted it to be or not.
The clattering din of a metal rubbish bin overturning roused me from my thoughts. Scuffling emanated from around the next corner and a dull thud dislodged large chunks of plaster. I drew my gun and turned the corner, treading lightly so as not to indicate my presence. Two men stood close together against the front window of an old clothing store, their faces reflected by the filthy surface. One of the men - the significantly smaller and younger man - was pressed firmly against the glass by his collar, held in place by the larger man. Blood ran in a thin stream down his face from a small cut across his brow.
"I'll make you pay for what you've done to my family!" The larger figure growled threateningly as he lifted the smaller man off of the ground by his shirtfront.
"Hey!" I called out, alerting the two men that they were no longer alone.
"Miss, I would recommend that you didn't get involved here," The larger man cautioned as he lowered the smaller man to the ground, his white-knuckled grip never loosening.
"Sir, I would recommend that you let me do my job," I retorted and flashed the man my license. Recognition flashed in the eyes of the smaller man, his body instantly tensing.
"I don't have time for this crap," The larger man groaned under his breath. "Look officer, let me explain the situation. You see, Griffin here has been giving my family shit for the last month or so. He insisted we have to help him with some 'master plan', but that is a load of crap–" The man was interrupted by Griffin's sudden attempt to flee the scene. Within the space of a second I had my gun raised and the larger man had once again lifted Griffin's feet from the ground. I stepped closer to the two men, my pistol glinting in the dim sunlight.
Wait... Griffin? The name struck a chord and I was presented with a mental image of the boy I had met recently. The Griffin from my memories – the scrawny boy dressed in rags – shared little similarities with the man before me upon first glance. But, when I looked a little closer I was presented with the same sharp eyes and defined cheekbones, the shy demeanor he'd first presented had disappeared.
"Wonderful to see you again Griffin," I remarked sarcastically as I angled a beam of sunlight off of the polished metal of the pistol and directly into his eyes. "How's Charlie doing? Funny how it's you in trouble this time isn't it."
"Who the hell is Char– oh," Griffin snapped, stopping short when he remembered the exact moment we had first met.
"So you look a little different to the last time I saw you, care to explain a bit?" I enquired, casually gesturing with my gun as I spoke.
"The– there's nothing to explain," Griffin stuttered, his eyes flickered away to stare at the grimy paving beneath his feet.
"He's lying," the larger man growled.
"Shut up Trevor!" Griffin spat, "your family bought into my lies weeks ago! Your wife is incredibly daft under all that beauty."
"What was that about my wife!" Trevor demanded, slamming Griffin back against the glass window. The clouded pane cracked under the impact.
"You heard me the first time," Griffin sneered, he features marred by the ugly expression. "Your entire family is unintelligent swine who can't tell when an offer is too good to be true."
I was forced to step in when a flash of purple lit up in Trevor's eyes. He was another of the Talented. "Enough Trevor! Attacking Griffin in a back alley won't benefit anyone, trust me." Trevor hesitantly stepped back, dropping Griffin back onto the ground. Griffin's knees buckled when he landed and he fell to the ground. I was immediately upon him. I trapped his hands behind his back, ultimately restricting his movement. "Do you know what the next coarse of action is Griffin? I'll have to lock you up for questioning."
"Sure you're making the right decision here April?" Griffin asked frantically. He twisted and writhed in my grasp, attempting to escape the scene.
"Trevor? Have I made the right decision?" I questioned innocently, glancing at the larger man. He relieved expression confirmed my choice even before he replied.
"Yes Miss, yes you have." Trevor nodded wildly, his eyes glassing over with gratitude. "My family will thank you a million times over if you can keep that bastard away from us."
"Such vulgar language," Griffin tutted, "you completely sure you can trust someone like that."
"Shut up Griffin, I'll trust whoever I want!" I snapped as I hauled Griffin to his feet and handcuffed him. I'd initially protested to the addition of handcuffs in our patrol kits – we aren't policemen – but they had come in handy on multiple occasions. "Start walking buddy," I commanded Griffin, "there's some people I'd like you to meet."
"April! You're back early," Freddie commented when I arrived back at the Lab, "Emma's shift doesn't finish until fi– why do you have a handcuffed male?"
"She tackled me in an alley and tied me up," Griffin accused, "I'm not usually one to make remarks such as this, but that girl is insa– ack!" His words were cut off by a sharp jab to the throat delivered by my elbow. I did not have the patience to deal with him after the seemingly endless walk home.
Throughout the journey Griffin had continuously made snide comments regarding my decision-making abilities. "Trusting that disgusting man without hearing my side of the story, one of the many reasons women are inferior," and, "you trusted me the first time, what's different now? Was it the child? She was trying to escape from me that day, did you know that?" Griffin's presence gave me the same uneasy sense of distrust that Skylar did. Something about the pair set my senses on edge – it was probably nothing, but I did not trust them one bit.
"I'm locking him up in the back room," I informed Freddie as I dragged Griffin through the Lab, "please interview him when you get the chance, but be careful – he's a compulsive liar."
"Will do," Freddie saluted jokingly before rotating his chair back to face the computer screens.
"Well, well, someone has some authority here," Griffin prodded, smirking profusely. "Why would that be dear April? Care to explain?"
"That information is very much classified," A deep voice sounded from behind me. It was powerful and commanding, both warm and icy at the same time, and a voice I recognized instantly – Jack. "Lock him up April, we've got work to do."
"With pleasure," I complied, leading Griffin into the small room at the back of the Lab. The small chamber was basically an empty cell, just a few square metres of concrete fitted with a worn mattress and a couple of security cameras. "Enjoy your stay." I roughly dumped Griffin in the room, purposely neglecting to unlock his handcuffs.
"What, not going to unlock me?" Griffin asked, his tone filled with irritating condescension.
"I was," I sighed, "but the desire to release you abandoned me somewhere along our stroll back here."
"Bitch," Griffin snarled. Even as I closed and locked the heavy steel door I could feel Griffin's glare slicing into my soul. The dejected boy I'd met not too long ago had just been an expertly crafted cover, and one Griffin seemed rather proud of at that. He was a confusing person, Griffin, and after his betrayal I had no idea if anything he'd said could be regarded as trustworthy, and the way he had used that child sickened me. There was no way I could have known that my decision put her in more danger, why did I always manage to get people hurt?
"The prisoner secure?" asked Jack, his form appearing suddenly beside me. It was both strange and oddly convenient that he always appeared just when I needed someone to bale me out. No matter the situation, Jack was always there beside me.
"Hopefully, but someone should probably monitor the cell – he's crafty."
"Don't worry about it, Skylar volunteered as soon as she saw you two walk in," Jack informed. "We also finalized the team while you were gone, so if you'd like to come see," Jack trailed off, leaving me to finish his sentence within my own mind.
"I'd love to," I agreed, smiling slightly and adjusting my posture unconsciously into a more domineering form. Jack led me through the winding Lab passages to a small, round chamber.
"We moved in here after you left to keep away from prying eyes – it was Skylar's suggestion," Jack explained the sudden shift in location.
"Of course it was Skylar's suggestion," I bitterly remarked under my breath.
"Did you say something?" Jack queried. His warm eyes filled with suspicion. He knew of my distaste for Skylar and in no way approved of it.
"No, nothing," I waved off his questions, "Carry on explaining the plan."
"Okay... Well, this is our team. We will be in charge of thirteen other soldiers. Currently there is a pilot, two mechanics, a sniper, hacker, some foot soldiers, a navigator and a few of our most skilled gunmen." Jack shuffled through a pile of papers and handed me the crew list. Thumbnail images accompanied the names and assisted with identification.
Hardly any of the names or faces seemed familiar – it really had been a long time since I'd been involved in team missions such as this. When I'd first started patrols aged twelve there were only a few people working at the Lab and I knew each of them personally. Anxiety steadily bubbled to the surface and my shoulders ached with tension.
"Relax April," Jack murmured, noticing my elevated stress levels. "You'll be great in this position, and even if you don't know these people, they already know about you and your potential. It'll all work out okay, alright?"
"Alright," I sighed, letting go of some of the built up tension. My muscles visibly relaxing and the death-grip I'd held on the crew list loosening.
"So how'd the patrol go? I take that it wasn't as boring as you expected?" Jack asked, his words hinting at the man we currently held captive in the back room.
"The first hour or so was pretty boring, nothing but a few stray cats and some kids playing in the streets," I recounted, "Basically your normal patrol through that sector, apart from the heated argument in an abandoned street."
"I'll take it that's where our friend back there comes into this?"
"Unfortunately," I grimaced. "I found Griffin pinned to the wall by a much larger man – Trevor his name was. Apparently Griffin's been terrorizing Trevor's family for a while now, something about a 'master plan', but I dunno what exactly."
"Did you notice anything strange about Trevor? Something that would spark the interest of an outside party?" Jack had flipped over one of the many printed documents that littered the table in the centre of the room and was furiously scribbling down notes.
"Yes, in fact, Trevor appeared to have Talents – nothing super significant, but there was definitely something there."
"So what prompted you to bring Griffin back here?" Jack had slipped into full investigator mode, intense stare and all.
"Trevor was obviously distressed and the safety of his family was being threatened. I know what it's like to be forced into decisions to protect your loved ones – so I helped him out a little by doing some of the protecting for him. Seems like I made the right choice too, on the way back here Griffin took great pleasure in telling about some of the things he planned to do Trevor's wife and young daughter." I shuddered as Griffin's horrible words returned to me. "I don't trust him Jack," I whispered, "he gives me the same uneasy feeling Skylar does."
"What do you have against Skylar?" Jack snapped, slamming his pen down upon the table. "Every time you see her you make some kind of bitchy comment of sarcastic remark!"
"Sorry I don't trust every person I meet!" I snapped back, facing off with the much larger man. "Sorry my trust has been betrayed by some of the people that mean the most to me!"
"Oh, you mean Ethan don't you? We all get it April! Stop acting like a kicked puppy!" Jack roared, the tips of his ears reddening with anger.
Tears of frustration pricked the back of my eyes. Jack's words had hit a soft spot and left me stunned and gasping for air. With a sudden burst of anger I lifted a clenched fist and struck Jack square in the side of the face before turning on a heel and running from the room. Burning tears of anger and hurt dampened my flushed face.
If I'd stayed for a moment longer I would have seen the anger fade from Jack as he lifted a hand to the reddening mark on his cheek. He'd made a mistake, and he knew it.