"You’re still going to use this freak, this… criminal?" I ask in disbelief.
"We are scientists, not judges. The court has already decided his fate."
Suddenly, I understand why Blue, for all his brilliance, can be viewed so negatively by the public, and why he has so many enemies who believe science should be ethical.
"Good luck with that. He’s a purple alpha, which puts him in the volatile alpha category. If something doesn’t sit right with him, he’ll just kill whoever gets in his way," I mutter.
"Thank you for that… enlightening input," Blue replies, his voice sharp as a whip once more. "Just as you gave a criminal a chance, we gave one to Mr. Drax. Time will tell whether it was the right decision." He steeples his thin fingers. "For now, you may leave. Mr. Gomez will handle the rest and inform you of my decision regarding the Follow-Up Program within one to one-and-a-half months."
"Thank you for considering our request," I say, because I want to part on civil terms.
He answers with silence.
The audience with a god is over.
I leave, still holding Salt’s hand, and Gabriel follows behind me.
When the door closes, a brief silence settles between us.
"Don’t do this, Gabriel. Don’t get involved with him," I say, because I have to. "He’ll break your heart."
Gabriel’s face is pale, his lips pressed tight.
"You don’t understand anything," he snaps through clenched teeth.
"That man is twice your age. For all his genius, I think he’s completely ruthless."
Gabriel’s nostrils flare.
"You saw him for ten minutes. You don’t know what he does, who he is, or how many people he’s helped, how many requests he’s granted to people who had no other options. He’s saved the lives and health of thousands. Don’t judge him so easily, because it’s incredibly easy to write someone off based on a first impression."
He steps closer, and we are face-to-face now.
"You walk in there and essentially throw it in his face that you resent the program that you’re not even eligible to, and that all the traumatic stuff happened to you in it, and then you demand compensation in the form of a house worth a milliondollars and free care for life. Don’t you hear how you started that conversation? With demands and accusations, not with an appeal for goodwill."
I take a deep breath.
"Okay, I can see how it looks that way. But he still wants to employ Drax. That’s the man who attacked us!"
"Employ? He’ll be a lab rat. Blue can see potential where others don’t. That’s where his brilliance and his medical genius come from. Understanding a mind like that is clearly beyond your mental capacity," he says through clenched teeth.
We lock gazes; his heart is racing.
"Wow. You’re infatuated with him."
Gabriel’s face goes pale, and he looks away.
"You fell in love with a man who killed four people. How are you any better than me?"
I stay silent for a moment.
"Because I saw more in him than just that," I say quietly.
"My point exactly."
I lift my hand and rest it on his shoulder.
"Fair. I won’t lecture you. Good luck, Gabriel. But there’s one thing I want to say: thank you for standing up for us. I truly appreciate it. I owe you."
