Yeah, that would sound ‘great’.
Blue is on the phone with his nephew, Sariel. From what I’ve gathered, the two of them are pretty close, but I’ve never met him myself.
Before noon, we make one more stop.
The prison.
I tense up slightly right away when we get to the limousine, because I remember my own prison time far too well. Despite Simon being with us, I ask Blue,
"Can you tell me a bit more about this visit? You mentioned yesterday that this person might be… unhappy," I mutter.
Blue sighs. "Well, he may be… seriously frustrated. His case is unusual. I told you that something unsettling happened at one of the Beta Activation facilities. The warden came up with a ‘creative’ idea to use a mutant to boost the facility’s success rates in…"
My brain stalls for a second. "Wait, did you maybe talk about him with the guy… Gomez? The one you met in the lobby, right before the spitball situation?"
"Yes."
"I kinda heard what you were talking about. I have pretty good hearing, you know."
Blue narrows his eyes. "Well, I remember I asked you to move away…"
"I would have had to leave you without security, and at the same time I heard the alpha preparing the spitball, so… good thing I stayed nearby, right?"
"Right…" Blue has a rare grimace of slight amusement on his face. "In any case, you already know who he is, am I correct?"
"Yes, he has these powerful pheromones, and the warden used him to activate fertility in betas."
Simon snorts quietly.
Blue sighs. "Unfortunately, there are new developments in the case. As you may have overheard, the warden coerced consent from those betas. He threatened to remove them from the program if they didn’t comply. Fenn Drax carried out his orders… he successfully activated fertility in those betas through intercourse with them," Blue sighs, his jaw clenching, "but… as it turns out, he wasn’t aware that the betas had only agreed undercoercion from the warden! Drax was officially given their signed consent forms. However, the situation exploded even more after the leak Gomez warned me about. The first accusations fell on Drax, including rape charges. He was expelled from the program and turned into a scapegoat. He was also attacked on facility grounds. He got seriously pissed off and came back for revenge. He didn’t succeed and instead was caught and thrown into prison."
"Sounds like a bad situation. I know a bit about being a scapegoat. But what does that have to do with you?"
"Nothing directly…" Blue hesitates. "But I have an idea of how I might give him a certain… chance."
At this moment, the limousine slows as we turn off the main road and pass the outer fence, and the building ahead rises in flat stretches of concrete and steel wrapped in coils of razor wire.
Gerard brings the car to a controlled stop near the checkpoint and keeps the engine running. Simon stays in the limousine.
Blue opens his door before anyone approaches and steps out with the authority so typical of him, composed but alert, his gaze sweeping across the entrance and the guards stationed there. I circle the front of the car and take my place at his side, close enough to intercept anyone who might come too near. One of the guards starts toward us, and I shift half a step so that I stand slightly ahead of Blue, forcing the man to address me first before he can get close to my boss.
But the guard leans slightly, trying to get a better look at Blue. Recognition flashes across his face.
"Oh. Mr. Lowen," he says, straightening a little. "We’ve been informed."
Blue flashes his ID to the second guard, who stands next to the entrance without a word. That is all they ask of him, andno one reaches for him or even tries to step into his space. The guard gestures for us to move forward with a level of care that borders on deference.
But I don’t get the same treatment.
"Arms out," another officer says once we enter the intake area, his tone firm.
I sigh. Not again, for fuck’s sake.
But sure, I comply, keeping my attention angled toward Blue as I raise my arms. The officer pats down my sides, my back, then moves lower, his hands sliding over my hips and down along my thighs. When he presses up under my waistband and is about to check my groin, I feel Blue’s gaze fixing on us. I glance at him briefly and catch a deep frown pulling at his expression.
It’s much stronger than before, back at the military base.
"That’s enough," Blue says, his voice firm, and it makes the officer hesitate.
