Rohan agreed to give up everything he knew in exchange for FISA’s protection, which they provided. He later became an agent and took on his mother’s surname.
Only a handful of people know the truth about who Rohan is.
One thing it seems no one knew, apart from my aunt, probably, is that Rohan is a Liquid Onyx survivor. It doesn’t surprise me at all to learn Ian Stone would experiment on his own son. Dr Mia Solar experimented on her own daughter, after all.
Rohan’s eyes widen in shock at me for exactly two seconds, then he’s glaring at Damon again.
“Have you been selling secrets at the junior-agent slumber parties?” he accuses scornfully.
Damon just raises his eyebrows at Rohan and doesn’t comment, perfectly happy to let the other man think he betrayed the truth of his parentage to me. As if he wants to prove he couldn’t care less what Rohan thinks of him.
Prideful knobheads, the pair of them.
“He didn’t tell me anything,” I reassure him. “Director Snow is my aunt, remember. Sometimes she tells me stuff. When she feels like it.”
I’m never quite sure why Anabelle shares secrets with me. I know she doesn’t tell me everything, not by a long shot. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to her moments of truth. I can only think she wants me to know things that could potentially affect the future of FISA. She might have it in her head I’ll climb the ranks, maybe even take her place someday.
I have zero desire to do that, but Anabelle is unlikely to care if I tell her so.
Rohan laughs without humour, tilting his head up to the ceiling in obvious exasperation.
“I can’t believe you brought me here,” he bites out, clearly annoyed by the fact he’s still having this conversation, “while unconscious.” He nods his head to the side and narrows his eyes at me. “Like apsycho.”
“Who is he?” I ask, ignoring Rohan’s whinging. “The bloke who went after you?”
“Liquid Onyx survivor.” Rohan surprises me by giving a real answer. His lip curls in distaste. “One of OI’s superhuman assassins.”
I was right, then. It’s almost a relief to have that niggling theory proven correct.
“His name is Jack Roth,” Rohan says. “My dad’s people caught wind of me and sent him to bag me up for my father.”
Well, that’s shit for Rohan. No wonder he fought back so hard. There’s no telling what Ian Stone would do to a traitor son, especially one he was willing to experiment on as a child.
Rohan’s mouth twitches up into a grim smile as if reading my thoughts.
“If you’ve got Roth here, then it’s only a matter of time before OI shows up.”
This is the news I both expected and dreaded.
“You think they’ll track him here when he doesn’t come back to them?” I ask.
Rohan nods, his smile turning into a grimace.
“Yeah,” he says. “Roth’s chipped. They’ll ping it and come barging into this house, guns blazing.”
There’s a lot to unpack with that. I start on what feels like the most important thing.
“A chip?” I ask, not liking the way Rohan talked about it. Something in his tone set me off. I can’t really say why.
Rohan doesn’t look happy about having to explain any of this. He glances away from me, not meeting my eyes as he speaks.
“The chip is what keeps their Liquid Onyx agents in check. It tracks them, and it can be used to electrocute them when they get too rowdy. Or try to escape. Could kill them if they put the voltage at full charge.”
That opens up so many questions, I don’t even know how to deal with it. The implication of the chips being used to control a superpowered agent is mind-blowing.
“Can we remove it?” I ask. “The chip?”
Rohan looks at me like he doesn’t understand the question.
