“Yes.Sadly, we haven’t had that much to be happy about.”
“We never do.”Sad and brutal facts.
“So, do you want to tell me about this effect you two seem to have on each other?”Griffin asked.
“I’m not sure how to explain it.The first time I felt this calm wash over me was back in the restaurant when Rocko walked in.”
“What did it feel like?”Griffin asked.
Apollo turned and headed toward his office, where they could have this conversation in private.Griffin followed.He waited until his second-in-command shut the office door before continuing.
“Initially, it confused me.I was suspicious, not sure how or why it was happening.Typically, my body and mind are wrapped tight.Spinning with thoughts and plans, ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
Apollo sat behind his desk, resting his arms on the worn wood.
“Yes, I know the feeling well.You can never relax; you can never let your guard down.Shit could hit the fan anytime.”
“Yes.That’s how we survive.Never truly feeling calm, but with the illusion, it makes us safer instead of simply exhausted.”
“Rocko stops this in you?”
“Yes, and at first, I believed it was intentional.An attack.Attempted takeover of my ability to lead and a threat to all of us.”
“Of course, hell, I would have been ready to tear him limb from limb until I had answers.”
“Upon further investigation, I suspected Rocko had no idea he was having this effect on me.Then, when we were checking out the speed boat, Rocko admitted that for some reason, he felt more at peace here at the compound.That’s when I started connecting the dots.”
“That you were having the same effect on him,” Griffin answered.His second had a keen intellect and was a master of strategy.
“Yes.That night, I spoke to him at his trailer and confirmed my suspicions.Rocko admitted that he’d been experiencing a few strange anomalies being near me.With his supercharged memory, Rocko’s mind never shuts down, and I suspect he’s using alcohol to dull the constant noise in his head.”
“Yeah, I noticed a few empty bottles left in his trailer when we went over to collect some of his belongings during his recovery.”
“As it happens, whenever I’m near him, his thoughts calm.”
“Same as he does for you.Are you sure he’s not simply playing you?”
“The fact he still had the same effect on me when he was unconscious and near death proved he wasn’t.”
“Definitely not controlling it then, but does it have any unwanted side effects?”Griffin asked.
“None.My response time, thought processes, and abilities have remained unchanged.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Griffin said, leaning against the wall.“Rocko not only saved my sister’s life, but also provided you, the leader of our team, with a type of peace, allowing you to perform better in our mission potentially.”
“Well, I guess if you had to put it some way, that about sums it up,” Apollo said, unsure if he liked that explanation fully for some reason.
“Well, then we’ll have to make sure he sticks around,” Griffin stated.
“Changed your tune, huh?You’re the one who couldn’t wait for him to leave.”
“Yeah, well, he could prove useful to us,” Griffin said.“And he saved my sister’s life.”
Apollo knew his old friend well.There was no way Griffin would ever admit to being wrong about someone, even though he clearly had been.This was as close as he’d get to saying Rocko might be a decent guy after all.
“We’ll pick this up later.Let’s get everything ready for the livestock arrival,” Apollo said as he stood and headed for the door.
His world had taken a couple of major turns of late, and he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to handle it.
