He finds him in the training room, sparring.
Excellent choice, exactly what Kade would recommend.
Burn it out.
‘Hey, can I join?’
Seth shrugs.
Kade picks up the pads.
?
Coffee in hand, Kade goes to the Watch to speak with Finn and Cole.
Unsurprisingly, the boys have compiled individual theories about Tanner, as well as a more rounded file on him that Kade takes and scans.
He knows that fucker will be back today.
‘OK.’Kade looks at Finn.‘Give me your best.’
‘I think he’s a Brightling,’ Finn says while Cole rolls his eyes.‘I think what he can do represents a major evolutionary leap within the Brightling phenotype, and we need to study it.’
‘He’s nothing like the government profile of a Brightling.’
‘Oh well,if the government says it,we should obviously trust that completely,’ Finn says flatly, sarcasm dripping from every word while Cole bristles beside him.‘That profile is intentionally vague so when the panic finally peaks, they decide who burns.’
‘Stay on topic,’ Kade bids.‘So you think magic?’
‘He’s a Brightling.I’m sure of it.’
‘Why have we never heard about anything like this then?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Cole?What’s your working theory?’
‘I think,’ Cole says, ‘that he’s utilising some kind of highly advanced body armour we can’t detect.I think it shielded him from heat seekers and camouflaged him in the tunnels, and I also think it’s capable of producing something similar to an EMP on a smaller, localised scale.’
‘Body armour?’
‘Like a second skin.We’ve seen prototypes close to it already, and the best engineers are always years ahead of what they release publicly.’
Finn shakes his head.‘Armour doesn’t explain the double hole in his boot.That was through and through penetration.’
‘We would need to run tests, but that is my working theory.’
‘I agree we should test him,’ Finn says.
They both look at Kade.‘What?’
‘Maybe you could ask?’Cole suggests lightly.
‘Why me?’
Between the two, they have enough tact not to answer, but it rankles anyway.‘I want to know who hisfriendis.’
‘We’re trying to compile a list of associates, but he covered his tracks well.’
