For several long moments, the only sounds were the ticking of the nearby grandfather clock and the pounding of my heart. The air held still, a pregnant pause dragging out our reaction to the guest before us.

I stood in the hallway, my fists balled. The feeling of being severely underdressed fought against confusion and anger. My breath left through my re-breather slow and measured.

The man currently darkening the doorstep was none other than Doctor Julian Green. Or as I often knew him, Boss. His appearance at Roxy's parents' house was… unexpected to say the least. I wasn't sure I even believed it was really him.

"You're looking well," he said.

Despite the growing heat radiating from Roxy standing behind me, I kept my cool. If I had a mouth, my teeth would be clenched.

[What are you doing here?]

"I am burdened with knowledge, and you have a current lack of ammunition. Sounds like the best time to me." He smiled confidently as he put his dark gray fedora back on. "I am unarmed and putting myself at your mercy."

To further his point, he raised his arms out to the side and turned around. There were no obvious bulges in his suit, or clear signs he had something concealed, but that didn't exactly convince me. The number of powers or pieces of tech that could go undetected was greater than my patience.

"Invite your friend in," Roxy's mother suggested from the back. "We have more than enough food to go around."

"Not necessary, ma'am." Boss doffed his hat to her, a confident smile back on his face. "Appreciated, but I'd just like to borrow your guest for a few minutes. A little catch-up for old time's sake while I'm in the area."

His eyes switched back to me, but mine had been burning a hole in his skull ever since I had stepped into the hall. I wasn't happy with the answer he had given, but I wasn't about to make a scene. In some ways, he had disarmed me as well. Put us on equal footing. Back in the city on our own, I'd be much quicker to see violence as a solution to his appearance.

Clara pressed a hand against my lower back, and I relaxed slightly. "Go ahead, Gunquake. I'll have eyes on you both."

I turned my head to Roxy and gave her a nod to let her know things were okay. She wasn't too happy either—that much was clear in her expression—but she accepted that I just had to do this alone. Better than getting her parents involved in this bullshit.

"Much appreciated," Boss said. "I won't keep him from you for long. That cooking smells divine." After that, he turned and stepped out away from the house.

I discreetly slid the small knife Clara had passed me from the back of my belt and into the open chamber, using my footsteps to mask the sound of my gun-arm. I continued off the porch, into the sunlight and arid land. Although I didn't glance back, I could hear Debra urge the others to get back to prepping dinner.

Boss had stopped over at the Meteor. His confident smile was slightly grimmer, but he stood with his thumbs in his slack pockets as though this was a casual chat. He didn't seem concerned that anyone might pose a threat to him. If anything, his constant smile and air of confidence were rather charismatic. It was annoying.

An image that was difficult to pair with the businesslike message from him over the years.

I stood over by him. Not quite within arm's reach. It was obvious that I wasn't pleased with him being here.

"Now I know you probably have more than half a mind to kill me where I stand, but I also know you're a little too smart for that."

[I make the occasional mistake.]

"Let's keep this brief, then." He scratched at the side of his beard. "You're a man of many names these days. What do I call you?"

I felt I'd rather reach in and pull out his tongue to save him the trouble of making the decision. My old names were no longer who I was, and he hadn't earned the right to call me by something more familiar.

[Gunquake.]

"As you wish. Certainly has more gravitas than…" He trailed off before changing tact. "Let me start by apologizing first. Something long overdue."

[For what? Mutilating me with defunct cybernetics, or forcing me to be a soulless killer for hire? Creating a tool and then discarding it when you lost your nerve?]

Boss moved his foot on the gravel back and forth slightly, creating a grinding noise. "Mostly the first part, although you can apply it to any other decision you feel has not been to your benefit."

He was being clever with his words. Nothing he had done had been for malice or greed. He has his reasons, unjust or not. The idea was...

[Everything you did was to hide me away until I was strong enough to defeat the World Government when they came to tie up loose ends. But why me?]

"You were the only one I could save. With the time I had there… most had perished."

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

[There were three others who survived.]

The doctor gave me a brief shrug. "Two of them went with the World Government, and I didn't count the corpses. It was difficult enough getting your broken body back to Goldarch without getting caught."

I exhaled through my re-breather. While I had a list of grievances to air out to him, Boss was telling me without telling me. Even without him being obvious about it, I found it easy to read beyond his grating smile.

[This… is about the other living brother, isn't it?]

"I'm glad it was you that survived, Gunquake. You were always one of the more intelligent of the squad. Of course, that's what led you to cause the rift… but that is all in the past." He echoed my sigh and looked out to the arid farmlands. "There are other benefits to Bard being the one who persisted. You have an incredible ally in your midst, you know?"

I glanced over at the house.

[Roxy?]

"Hmm? No. While Rockslide is immensely powerful, that's not the ability that will help us the most."

The fact that he was already lumping me in with his plans irritated me to no end. If he didn't have a brain full of answers for me, I'd be painting the side of the Meteor with them. We both let the answer hang in the air for a few seconds, before he continued.

"Belle's teleportation. That sort of power is rare and limited on the continent, even counting the available tech. You were created to be something of a force multiplier, Gunquake. Help her nurture that ability, and you'd do a lot better for yourself than being a League pawn."

[What does this have to do with the brother the World Government has?]

I already had a few guesses of my own. He had been stationary for years according to the old man in the city. Either on life support, or something more nefarious. Naturally, the latter seemed to be correct.

"The biotechnology I used to create you all was lost to time, only surviving within this old head. That is why the Gov are so keen on finding me, and part of the reason I set you free into the world." He grinned, but the smile faded in seeing I didn't catch the humor of the situation. "Not content to let sleeping dogs lie, they intend to use what remains of your brother to create a second generation."

[Clones?]

"Similar enough, but not quite. Imperfect copies that should be more loyal, if slightly less powerful. They don't want a second Bard-rift." Boss' smile returned. "They've run into plenty of issues so far, but if they hit a breakthrough…"

[It will be more than a squad we'd need to deal with.]

He nodded, but didn't add anything else. A little space for me to contemplate what was being said.

I wasn't sure why this was my problem. As far as I knew, the place he was being kept was days of travel away. Even if the Gov put together a small army, there was no way they would come down here to Goldarch to kill me or Silhouette. Perhaps I was being a little self-absorbed.

[They want to use these duplicates to oust the League from the city?]

"A fair assumption. You were designed to kill those with superpowers. All of you were. If the squad hadn't met its untimely end, it was likely you'd be used to destabilize Goldarch, rather than always run around the continent hunting witches." Boss waved a hand in apology. "Of course, I have my own stake in this. To make amends for my past. Avoid the chopping block."

[If they capture you, they'll make you the figurehead. A scapegoat.]

"Naturally. They wouldn't put their own stamp on it and risk civil war. They'll be licking their wounds after their failed meddling, but next time they'll put more competent brains in charge. Leave less to chance."

Chevalier had been too much of a loose cannon. A little less bravado and showmanship, and he probably could have killed me before Roxy intervened. There were more important targets in the city, but I was a very personal one. Knew too much. I raised an eyebrow at Boss.

[What of myself and Silhouette? Are we mistakes that you need to bury once our use has worn out?]

"Eh. Is any answer I give you going to be convincing?" He tilted his head to the side. "Both of you are… functional within the confines of Goldarch. Have shirked the purpose you had been created for. Neither of you is perfect, but you've stopped killing innocents."

[Something you were keen to drill into me from day one.]

"Thank the hells you actually listened." Boss gave me a dry smile before looking over to a part of the driveway. With the click of his fingers, the air wavered. An invisible cloak flickered away, revealing a single-seat vehicle. "I have taken up enough of your time. It is risky for me to be out here, but… I felt you deserved to hear me out face-to-face."

[Even at the risk of me caving your head in.]

"You'd be well within your rights to." His smile softened. "I don't expect your forgiveness, but you understand why I have come to you. What I am asking. Think about it, and I'll contact you in three days."

With a nod, he went to move away from me.

[Before you go, allow me one question.]

Boss paused and turned. "A reasonable request."

[Director Kingston. How close are the two of you? He allowed me to work as a contract killer understanding that I'd eventually be drawn into the League.]

"Not as… close a partnership as it may seem." Boss pulled a face. "You and I stayed under the radar for the first year, but we were eventually caught. Some hero they never told me the name of picked up our communications. This was before we changed to a more secure system."

[Rather than break my neck, they passed on that information to the Director?]

"Something like that. I received some rather strongly worded messages. Do as I was told and forward some specific requests to you on occasion. He never explicitly said he intended to recruit you, but I had a gut feeling. Never actually met the man myself, and he kept things vague."

I was a seed that had been planted. Not dutifully watched, or deliberately managed. Nature would do the hard work, and when it was the right time, I had been harvested. Kingston might have had an inkling that I had potential, but he didn't truly know what he had on his plate until I had turned up for the job interview.

[Understood.]

Boss stepped away before turning his head to the side. "Getting you up to speed on your past was a little rushed. I'm not a psychologist, so... I apologize again."

I said nothing in return, but watched him walk away and get into his vehicle. The engine thrummed up, and he drove back onto the dirt road, vanishing a few seconds into his journey to… wherever.

The knife slid out of the barrel and into my waiting hand as I relaxed the V-Force drive keeping it in place. Then, I just stood and watched the empty road. As if something might happen. Not really processing what had just happened, or what it really meant for me.

I had met Boss face-to-face. It hadn't been as dramatic or traumatizing as imagined. He was even charismatic enough that I could imagine getting on well with him, if the past weren't such a burden. Now, I didn't know how to feel. Stunlocked.

After a minute of silence, I turned my gaze to the side as Roxy came from the house to stand beside me. Brow furrowed and arms crossed, she gave me a once-over to check I was doing fine. Eventually, she shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"Things are about to get all fucky again, aren't they?"

I sighed and looked back at the house.

[Worse than that. I'm afraid I've lost my appetite.]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.