Radioactive: Chapter Fourteen

Radioactive

Chapter Fourteen

~Two in One~

“There is no way that I am going back out there with him!” Riu shouted, “He could have ruined my cover and gotten us both killed! Does no one understand that?”

Kaiba sighed. He sat at one of the computers as he got some work done, “For the nth time, Duke is a specialist in undercover operations. That is why I brought him along. Also, what Duke said was entirely true. This Grayson character already knew that you weren’t who you said you were but trusted you anyway. That should say something shouldn’t it?”

Riu crossed her arms, “Still! What gave him any right to give me out like that!?”

“Are you sure this isn’t a pride thing?” Fang, in his human form, asked.

“I don’t recall talking to you!” Riu snapped at him.

Fang nodded, “It’s a pride thing.”

“Pride thing,” Jekyll agreed.

“I just said—arrgh!” she stormed up stairs away from the others.

Kiri stood up from her seat and followed Riu upstairs. She stopped half way and looked down at the boys below, “It’s true that men don’t really ever grow up.”

“Ouch,” Fang stated as Kiri went upstairs.

Duke looked at Fang, “I didn’t mean to out her, it’s just that in that situation it seemed best to come clean than for him to call us liars and shoot us.”

“She knows that,” Fang said, “It just hurts to admit it.”

Kaiba sighed and typed away at the computer, “Since we didn’t find anything out yesterday we’ll just have to find some today.”

“There has to be a faster way to do this,” Fang groaned.

“If you think of something, please let me know,” Kaiba said, “Until then, head out.”

“Yay!” Ing threw his arms into the air.

Fang glared at him, “Don’t get too exited now.”

Jekyll walked toward the window, “I guess I’ll be on my way then.”

“At least someone is getting stuff done,” Kaiba muttered.

Fang sighed, “Come on, kid.” He headed for the window with Ing close on his heels.

The twosome walked through the streets. They walked along a route that they didn’t go the day before. A few people talked to the boy atop the dog and they were able to make a few connections and ask a few questions in a non-threatening conversation. As they walked through the streets and alleys they saw a woman walking through the streets. Fang stopped and observed the situation. Ing looked over. He was interested only because Fang looked interested.

“Synthia!” the woman called out, “Synthia! Where are you girl!? You know how worried you’ve made me!?”

Fang walked up to her casually. Ing did the talking.

“Are you looking for someone?” Ing asked.

The woman turned to them. She looked frazzled and confused; almost shocked that someone seemed to care about her plight.  The woman came up to them and pulled out a picture.

“My daughter,” she said, “It’s her birthday today and I can’t find her. I stopped by her apartment but she wasn’t there.”

“She could be hanging out with friends, right?” Ing said.

“Her kids were still in the apartment. I know there are lots of mothers that don’t care about their kids in this neighborhood by my girl wasn’t one of them. I tried to raise her right. She wouldn’t leave her kids alone without a babysitter at least. If she had needed to be somewhere she would have called me to watch the kids. Can you help me look for her? I think something must have happened.”

Ing looked at the picture, “We’ll keep an eye out for her. I’d hate for something bad to happen to her.”

“Thank you,” the woman sobbed, “thank you so much!” The woman walked away calling out her daughter’s name and stopping anyone who would listen.

Ing looked down at Fang, “That was the same girl from yesterday. What do you think happened to her?”

“I don’t know,” Fang stated, “Let’s get moving.”

Fang walked to where they had met the girl at her apartment. It was true. The building looked empty and there was no trace of the girl. Fang sniffed at the ground near the door and followed a scent trail. He walked with his nose to the ground. Confused and interested, Ing watched Fang work.

“What are you doing?” Ing asked.

“Tracking someone,” Fang said.

“Who?”

“The boy she was with.”

“Why?”

“Something wasn’t right,” Fang stated.

“Not right?”

Fang looked over his shoulder, “Are you really of any use other than to ask questions and annoy people?”

“Hmph,” Ing crossed his arms.

Fang continued his tracking, “The way the boy smelled bothered me. He didn’t smell right.”

“How so? I mean—” Ing covered his mouth. “Sorry,” he apologized, realizing he was still asking questions.

Fang looked over his shoulder for a moment before continuing his tracking, “He smelled like two different people. Before you ask another question, every person has their own unique scent. Even you do and technically you’re an inanimate object. But with that kid he had two different scents. The best I can describe it is that his body had a scent but there was a different scent mixed in with it. Again, it was like two different scents on one person.”

“Couldn’t it have been a trace sent that he picked up from someone else?” Ing questioned.

Fang sighed, “Don’t you think I know the difference between someone’s sent compared to a trace someone picked up?”

“Sorry,” Ing looked down.

Fang continued on as he followed the scent. He followed it to an alley way where the scent was the strongest. Fang walked around trash dumpsters and piles of garbage and cardboard boxes. He stopped suddenly when he saw what was ahead of them.

“Get off my back and turn around, kid,” Fang stated.

“But…”

“Now!” Fang snarled.

Ing got off Fang’s back and turned around like Fang told him to. Fang assumed his human appearance and walked closer to what he found. He knelt down by the body of the boy that they had seen the day before. Fang examined the body.  He also observed the surrounding scene. The body lay lifeless in the alley; to Fang it looked abandoned like someone’s coat discarded after use. There was a cardboard box that looked like it had been used by a homeless person. Where the homeless person was, Fang didn’t know. The surrounding smells and stenches coming from the garbage masked the scent of anything else.

Fang sighed. He got up and walked over to Ing. He pushed the boy out of the alley and they stood there while Fang tried to figure out what to do next.

“What now?” Ing looked up at Fang.

“Well, we should report this to Kaiba and let him figure out what we’re up against,” Fang answered.

“Okay,” Ing nodded. “Fang?”

“Yeah,” Fang looked down at Ing.

Ing looked down, “I’ve never seen a dead body before like that, I mean…”

“You’ll be fine,” Fang placed a hand on Ing’s shoulders, “You’ll be okay.”

Ing leaned against Fang’s leg, “I’m sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Fang said as he guided Ing back toward their base, “Come on, let’s get you back. You look tired. Let’s get you some rest.”

Iridescent: Chapter Fourteen

Iridescent

Chapter Fourteen

~Travelers~

After the Fall

“I still can’t believe you lost our catch!” Zathura cried, “You had him right there!”

Ren smiled, “It is kind of hard to screw that up, boss.”

“Oh, shut up!” Dante shouted, his voice echoed off the surrounding mountains.

“If it weren't for Ai protecting you with that force field you would be dead,” Yin stated. She was the most visibly irritated.

“We didn’t do that bad,” Sanya tried to steady the mood, “What do you think little princess?”

“Frankly, I could care less,” Ai stated, staring straight ahead.

“I’ll fix this!” Dante looked over his shoulder as he trekked up the mountain.

“You bloody well fix it!” Zathura stopped and placed her hands on her hips, “My feet hurt from all this bloody walking!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have worn those hooker boots,” Yin muttered.

Zathura looked over her shoulder, “Say that again! I dare you! These boots were made for kicking ass and taking names! There’s a nice place on the heel for you!”

Ren decided to step in, “Now, now, lady’s. I really think that it isn’t a good idea to be arguing in a place like this where an avalanche could bury us in dirt.”

Zathura and Yin didn’t pay any heed and only argued louder. Ren tried to be the voice of reason but sensed that he was being ignored. Sanya and Ai walked behind everyone else looking at the scene ahead of them. Dante rubbed his temples in an attempt to soothe and excruciating head ache. The Blue Gold had left him in an overall cranky state.

“Will everyone just shut up!?” he shouted and turned to face the others. When he had their attention he continued, “This could be a good thing, you see! Maybe Thunder Lad and Helpless Girl will go back to powerful mommy and daddy! We’ll rally the whole gang! I had that planned the whole time!”

Zathura blew a large bubble, “Are you freaking serious? The kid himself said that his parents were gone.”

“I believe him!” Sanya raised her hand with excitement.

Zathura looked at Sanya, “You’d believe me if I told you the sky was red.”

Ai closed her eyes and sighed, “Look, he has a point.”

Everyone looked at her.

“Are you being serious?” Zathura asked.

Sanya stuck her tongue at Zathura, “Look at that! Even princess believes him!”

“Didn’t see that coming,” Ren agreed, “Why so, P?”

Ai shrugged, “For the obvious reason that he wants to protect his sister, of course. He feels threatened knowing that there are people out there looking for him. Sure he said that his parents had left but even if they had, this alternative plan will work out fine.  He needs to find a safe place, which will be his main objective. That leaves only one option. He needs to leave the Island. If we stop him, he has nowhere to hide and will be much easier to hunt him. Isn’t that right, Dante?”

“Uh,” Dante looked around, “yeah! That’s the whole plan I thought up! See you guys! I had the whole thing planned out at the beginning!”

Yin placed a hand on her forehead, “Goodness…”

“Well, genius,” Zathura looked at Dante, “How do we find them? So far all we’ve been able to tell is that they flew into the mountains. Who knows how far they got before touching ground?”

“Over here,” Ren pointed at a nearby cave.

The others walked up to his discovery. Yin walked in and stooped down by an old fireplace. She touched the warm ashes.

“They’ve been gone for a few hours. They could still be in the area. There’s no traveling fast in these mountains. Especially with a dependent little sister,” Yin said.

“Well, I suppose we should get going then,” Dante continued through the mountains.

“Aww, but my feet hurt! Can’t we sit a while!?” Zathura complained.

“Why?” Yin smiled as she walked passed, “Were those boots not made for walking?”

<<<>>> 

Vicky looked over the platform. The water was so calm and the rush of the waterfall was calming. She packed her things. Kew was curled up in the corner fast asleep. Vicky poked at Kew and he stirred slightly and raised his head.

“Kew,” the little neuw looked around curiously.

Vicky pointed to her shoulder and Kew stretched and ran toward her. He jumped up on her shoulder and kewed. Vicky got up and walked to the edge of the platform. She jumped off and plunged into the clear waters. Kew let go of her shoulder and swam easily to the surface.

Vicky stayed underwater a while longer. She looked up and saw Kew swimming in a circle around where she lay submerged. He dove down again as swam toward her with powerful kicks from his back legs. Ker swam around her curiously before swimming back to the surface for air. Vicky smiled and rose to the surface.

“Kew!” cried Kew as he swam in circles.

Vicky swam toward the southern wall of the basin. Kew swam alongside her. At the base of the basin, Vicky brought out the ice axe. Kew climbed up onto Vicky’s shoulder. She climbed the steep wall. When she crested the steep rise she looked back at the tree. It was really a peaceful place and she considered staying while everything blew over. But she decided against it. She wanted dearly to find her friends.

The wind whistled through the mountains. Occasionally, a few rocks tumbled loose from their holds. Vicky was used to it, she lived in the mountains for a while and the different noises didn’t startle her. Kew sang a type of song of intermediate kews. Vicky smiled at Kew’s singing or excessive talkativeness. Kew continued singing for a majority of their travel.

All of a sudden, he grew quiet and Vicky grew uneasy. Kew curled closer to Vicky’s neck and his tiny body shook. His hairs stood up on end making him look twice as large and he gave off a high pitched growl. Ahead of them a head of a wolf peered from behind a large rock.

Vicky took a step back and reached for an axe attached to her belt. The shuriken on her arm returned to its ‘X’ form protecting her as a shield would do. She heard something behind her and turned, attacking with the axe in her hand. Only briefly did she see her attacker but in the moment all she cared about was defending herself.

Her first attack was unsuccessful as the person dodged. She backhanded with her axe only catching his clothing as he jumped back. As he took a step back, Kew ran down Vicky’s left arm and lunged at the attacker. He batted at the boy’s face creating a very good distraction. Vicky kicked out and knocked the boy in the stomach and pushed him over with the butt of her axe. When he fell, Vicky jumped on top of him and pressed her shuriken blade up against the right side of his neck. She raised her axe high above her head when she stopped.

“Chaud?!” Vicky exclaimed.

“Ow,” Chaud replied.

Vicky hit him in the for head with the butt of her axe.

“Even more ow!” Chaud held one hand to his head.

She got up and sighed, “That’s what you get for scaring the living day light out of me! No wonder Zara hits you all the time!”

“Yeah, but that isn’t an invitation for everyone to start hitting me,” Chaud sat up, “Nice to see you too by the way.”

Vicky waved over her shoulder, “Yeah, yeah.

Kew sat on his haunches unsure exactly what was going on. He narrowed his eyes at Chaud, his ears flat against his head. Vicky looked back at the wolf.

“Did you tame her?” Vicky asked.

Chaud shook his head, “Not exactly. She seems to like my sister for some reason. Her and I tolerate each other.”

“Your sister?” Vicky looked at Chaud, “She’s here with you?”

“Yeah,” Chaud nodded.

Vicky looked at Chaud’s appearance. He had defiantly seen better days. His eyes looked tired and he looked skinnier than the last time they meet, “You look like you’ve had better days.”

Chaud smiled, “I’ve had a rough few days.” Chaud changed the subject, “Where are you headed to?”

Vicky shrugged, “I didn’t really have a plan. I was thinking of wandering around in the mountains. There aren’t a lot of people up here. It’s relatively safe.”

“Not so sure about that anymore,” Chaud muttered.

“Why’s that?” Vicky asked.

Chaud sighed, “We’re being followed by some bounty hunters that the New Order hired or something. My sister and I need to get off the Island. You coming with?”

Vicky looked around, “Don’t see why not. I was enjoying not having to fight anyone though.”

“Yeah,” Chaud smiled, “Sorry about that. It seems everywhere I go trouble isn’t so far behind.”

Vicky nodded, “All I wanted was peace.”

“You got into the wrong occupation girl,” Chaud shook his head.

“Actually, I got into school to be a medical assistant for the Tower,” Vicky explained, “But then I kind of got dragged into something else.”

“That was my fault wasn’t it,” Chaud apologized, “I’m sorry if I pulled you away from your dreams.”

Vicky waved her hands reassuringly, “Oh no! It’s fine! This is much more fun!”

The Turn: Chapter Fourteen

The Turn

Chapter Fourteen

~And So It Begins~

Three Years before the Turn

Sirius walked into work nearly a week after the assessments. He walked into the glass building casually, his son Kaiba not too far behind. Lori, the front desk secretary, handed him his daily cup of coffee. She gave him a smile while he nodded his thanks in return. Kaiba was always more of a tea personality and was very specific with what type of tea so he would just get his own.

The interior of the Tower was glamorous to the first timer. For Sirius, it was just another busy day at work. He walked over to the elevator, greeting people as he passed them by. He made an effort to learn as many names as possible as to have a more personal relationship with his employees.

In the elevator, Sirius pulled a card from his pocket, scanned it in a scanner, and typed a pass key on a nearby screen. Only after that did the elevator move to the uppermost floor. When it opened, there was a single hallway. Two large desks lay in its own inlet on either side of the hallway. One belonged to Kaiba, the other to a woman.

She looked up at Sirius and Kaiba. Her hair was short and black. She had purple eyes that had the slight slant of Asian descent. She wore a sleeveless kimono top colored purple with black hems tied at the waist with a black cloth. Her black pants were form fitting and her heels were the same color purple as her shirt. Her face was emotionless as she waited for Sirius to say something.

“Hello, Kiri,” Sirius smiled.

She looked down at her computer and typed away at the key board, “Voice sample confirmed. Hello, Sirius.”

“Hello, Kiri,” Kaiba said as he settled into the desk across from Kiri.

Sirius looked back at Kaiba, “It still astounds me that you were able to create her. She looks so real for a robot.”

“Humanoid, father, she’s supposed to look human,” he said as he turned on his system.

“I am right here,” Kiri said, still typing away at the computer.

Sirius dipped his head in an apology, “Where are my manners? I’m sorry about that, Kiri.”

“Apology accepted,” Kiri nodded.

Sirius looked over at Kaiba, “You know, he’s practically a genius but he can’t get a girl friend.”

Kiri smiled at the comment. It looked like her cheeks had reddened a little.

Kaiba sighed, “I don’t have time for a girl friend.”

Sirius shook his head as he walked to his office at the end of the hallway, he swiped another card different from the first one and the electronic sliding door opened, “If I had said that when I was your age, I wouldn’t have meet your mother.”

The door closed before Sirius could hear his son’s response. The room was large with a small lounging room to one side next to his desk area. The whole room was the shape of half a circle. Widows lined the outer wall except a small section to the left where the private bathroom lay. The floor was covered in white carpet.

Sirius walked to his desk. Already there were papers stacked on it. He sat in his chair and readied himself before diving into the paperwork.

“A lot happens in a week,” he muttered to himself.

He looked though the first stack of papers. Apparently there was a robbery in a U.S. plant where all that was taken was a type of metal. He skimmed though the file quickly but other that it was a rare metal that was taken, it didn’t require much action. He pressed a button on his desk phone.

“Kaiba,” he said.

“Yes,” came the response.

“Put a watch on kirilium sales on the black market, please.”

“Sure thing.”

Kirilium was a special metal made from titanium. It was only used for the new spacecraft’s that could now be used for flying people places and was only used in space programs. It was a strong metal and dealt with heat very well. Most importantly it was light but unfortunately, it had to be created scientifically so there wasn’t a lot of it. The only reason that someone would want to steel kirilium was to sell it to someone else. It depended on whom that someone else was and what they would use it for that bothered Sirius.

“Should I put a notice on private sales too?” Kaiba asked.

“That would be great,” Sirius placed the stack of papers to one side, “You named our dear humanoid after a metal? Have you no taste?”

“Try being an intruder some time,” he muttered, “You’ll get a taste of her metal.”

IOIOIOIOI

Zara had made sure that her best outfit had been laid out the night before but somehow there were wrinkles in it that were not there before. She wore it now but that odd wrinkle seemed to ruin the whole outfit: a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and high heels with minimal but noticeable heel. With a sigh, she packed a gym bag with her weapons inside. She grabbed her keys and left.

Zara walked out of her complex to a surprise. Puppetmaster stood there leaned against a black convertible. He stood there in his coat, hatless, and barefoot. The smile on his face was inviting.

“What’s that?” Zara asked.

Puppetmaster shrugged, “A car.”

“I know it’s a car, but what are you doing with one?” she asked, “I haven’t seen you in anything other than those sandals you wear.”

Puppetmaster nodded in agreement, “That’s true. It’s how I stay fit, you know. You on the other hand, are commuting. How many commuters ride bikes all the way down town?”

Zara’s mouth dropped open, “That’s not—”

Puppetmaster tilted his head slightly, “It’s yours. I figured black would be a nice color. Did I guess wrong?”

She ran up to Puppetmaster and threw her arms around him. He laughed joyfully as she thanked him repeatedly for the unexpected gift. His arms wrapped around her lovingly. Zara was the one who broke the embrace, remembering that she was now a professional and had to maintain appearance. She whipped the tears from her eyes.

“Where did you get the money for this? I doubt thousands of people ran to your store in the past week.”

Puppetmaster opened the passenger door and motioned her to get in, “Let’s just say I ran into some easy money.”

“Easy money?” Zara smiled, “You mean gambling. I didn’t take you for the type.”

He closed the door and walked around the car to the driver’s side, “I only partake when I know I can win.”

“How often do you win?”

“All the time.”

Zara looked skeptical, “Really?”

“I don’t gamble all that much; only when I need the money,” he started the car, “For some strange reason, luck favors me. I feel bad for the gentlemen I win from. That’s why I don’t partake often. I made sure that the fellows I played against to get the money were well to do.”

“You cheat,” Zara laughed.

Puppetmaster looked at her from the corner of his eye, “It isn’t cheating if you don’t get caught.”

Zara scowled a moment as the car left the curb, “Your dolls wouldn’t have anything to do with your ‘luck’ now, would they?”

“My innocent little dolls? I’m appalled by what you’re suggesting!” he tried not to but that signature smile spread across his face, “They can hide it rather obvious places, now that you mention it.”

“You’re terrible,” Zara rested her arms on the edge window and laid her head down.

Puppetmaster raised a finger, “Insane. There is a difference.”

IOIOIOIOI

Puppetmaster dropped her off in front of the large building. Zara suddenly felt weak-kneed. She had come so far from where she had started in her aunt’s home. Nervously, she leaned forward and backward on her feet. But then she felt that familiar feeling that she was being watched.

“Chaud, stop sneaking up on me,” she said.

“I wasn’t,” Chaud walked up alongside her.

“Oh, so you just happen to be everywhere I am?”

Chaud nodded, “Coincidences happen.”

“They seem to be happening a lot more often than coincidences should,” Zara eyed him from the corner of her eye.

“Hey, y'all,” Deontay walked up from crossing the street.

“Hey, Deontay,” they said in unison.

Deontay looked up at the tall building and whistled, “Seems a whole lot taller today.”

“Actually, it’s true. During the summer things expand slightly,” Chaud stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

Both Zara and Deontay looked at him. Sometimes Chaud could be a real nuance. Zara raised a hand and hit him in the back of the head.

Chaud flinched and sighed. The three other members in their group walked up just then. Vicky looked as nervous as ever while Hina wore a smile on her face.

“I would have loved to known what that was all about,” she stated.

“He probably said something stupid…or smart…either way the result is the same,” Naru put in his view.

“Thanks, Naru, for the vote of confidence...” Chaud’s voice was thick with sarcasm.

“Anytime,” Naru responded.

It got quiet as they looked up at their future. They stood there on the sidewalk for several minutes. Vicky was brave enough to say something.

“Won’t we be late?” she said quietly.

At that, Zara took the first step up the stairs. She felt the others following her lead. The handles to the door felt cold under her touch. A rush of cold air hissed out as Zara pushed the door open. On the inside, people were rushing to and fro, always having a place to be. In the center of the lobby, a secretary sat answering calls. Zara approached.

“Hello, this is the Tower, hold please; hello, this is the Tower, hold please; hello, this is the Tower, hold please; hello…” the secretary chimed in rhythm. She was surrounded by phones that were ringing off the hook. Piles of folders were stacked up on her circular desk. Computers also were spaced evenly apart. Some looked like they were being used.

“Hello, there!” she said as Zara stood awkwardly in front of her, “One moment. Hello, this is the Tower, hold please. Now how may I help you!?”

“We’re—”

“Oh, you the new recruits aren’t you! One moment!” she picked up a nearby phone and pressed a button. She kept her smile on her face as she waited patiently, “Hello! Sorry to bother you sir, but the recruits are here. Where shall I send them? Uh huh, uh huh, yeah, oh I know where that is! Yeah, yep, mhmm, I see. Totally. Yeah, alright, bye. Wait here,” she told Zara and the others before getting straight to work again.

“Shouldn’t you have some help?” Hina asked the girl.

“Oh, I know! But they all got in trouble when they used the computers to update their social status,” she smiled widely.

“When was that?” Zara asked.

The girl shrugged uncertainly, “Well, I think Sirius fired them about an hour ago. Hello, this is the Tower, hold please.”

“Wow…” Deontay muttered.

“We’re leading a global operation over here. If you’re distracted a lot tends to happen,” the secretary nodded, “One of the girls was even texting. Can you believe that? I mean can’t you wait at home? Hello, this is the Tower, hold please. Hello, this is the Tower, hold please…”

The door opened behind then and a group of girls walked in. They were awestruck by the building’s interior. As a group they walked up to the secretary’s desk. The secretary clicked something on her computer.

“Oh, you’re the replacements! Have you each read and signed the contract?”

The girls nodded.

“Then get to work ladies! The Tower doesn’t stop for anyone! There are hundreds of people who would love to take your place! Chop, chop! Hello, this is the Tower, hold please. You! Take calls 1-36. You! Take 37-49. 50-78 belong to you! Do I have to tell you all everything!? Get it done! We have almost 600 calls to answer! Hello, this is the Tower, hold please.”

Zara quickly looked around. There were people walking toward the exits with a box of their things in their arms and a sad look on their faces but at the very same time, there were people with new suits and shoes walking in with the biggest smiles on their faces. If you were too slow or hindered the well-oiled machine of the Tower in any way, you were replaced. There was no funny business in the Tower.

“Are you the six we’re expecting?” a woman with black hair and purple eyes said. Zara nodded, “Then please follow me.”

They walked through a labyrinth of hallways and doors. Eventually they made their way to a type of medical wing. The woman sat them down in a room and waited with them. A small boy in a science lab coat; no older than 15 years of age, walked into the room with a tray of tiny chips. He set the tray down then pushed up his glasses.

Not too far behind him was the doctor that had seen to Naru. Dr. Jekyll walked in to the room. His clothing was similar to what he had worn almost a week ago. When he came in, Naru seemed to fade into the wall. He walked over to the tray and pulled out a long cylinder device. He inserted one of the chips into the device and walked over to where Zara sat.

A sharp pain shot up her arm as he set one end of the device on her shoulder and pressed a button.

“Ouch!” Zara glared at him, “What was that?”

Jekyll didn’t answer. Instead he pulled out another device. It was the size of a small camera. It beeped approvingly when he hovered it over the painful area.

“ZU3492 activated,” he muttered loud enough for the woman to hear.

She nodded.

After that, he went down the line; loading the chips into the cylinder device, giving the kids a nasty surprise somewhere on their bodies, activating the chips and then moving on to the next. When he was done, he simply walked out with the boy close behind him. By the speed he was going, it was safe to guess that he had somewhere else to be.

The woman stood up and walked in front of them.

“My name is Kiri. Welcome to the Tower. If you will follow me, we have a contract to sign upstairs.”