Asa Renwick.
There’s no fucking way it’s the same Omega. I tap the profile, my heart beating a little faster as a photo populates. It’s a standard faculty ID—clinical lighting, a neutral background. But the man in the photo is him. The messy brown hair, the sharp, intelligent eyes, the slight, stubborn curve of a mouth I’ve spent the last several hours memorizing with my tongue. He’s wearing a sweater, looking every bit the unassuming academic, but I can practically smell the pear and vanilla through the screen.
And then reality hits me. He isn't just an Omega. He’s a professor. He’smyprofessor. The man I knotted against a wall at a rut clinic, the man Mercer desperately wants to examine, is going to be inches away from me. The universe isn't just cruel; it has a sick sense of humor.
"Is there a problem, Jorak?" Mercer asks, his voice sounding entirely too curious. He’s watching me, his eyes tracking the way my grip has tightened on the tablet until the casing starts to groan.
I force my hand to relax and my face into a mask of bored aggression. If Mercer realizes I’ve found him, if he realizes my match is right there under our noses, he’ll turn Asa into a lab rat before the sun sets. I have to play this perfectly. I have to be the weapon he expects.
"No problem," I say, sliding the tablet into my vest pocket. I give him a sharp, jagged grin that usually makes the staff back away. "I just realized I haven't been in a classroom since I was fifteen. It’s going to be a bloodbath."
Mercer studies me for a long, agonizing moment. He’s looking for the tell, the hitch in the rhythm, the scent of a lie. But my essence is my best defense. I let it flare just enough to distort the air around us, a wave of cold entropy that masks everything else.
"Try to keep the casualties to a minimum," Mercer says, though he doesn't sound like he cares. "The university is a sensitive donor. Just stabilize the nodes and maintain your cover. We’ll handle the paperwork for your 'enrollment.'"
I turn and walk out of the medical wing before I can say anything else, focusing on the name burned into the back of my eyelids. Asa has no idea that the monster is coming to his classroom. And he has no idea that I’m the only thing standing between him and the men who want to own him. I’ll play the student. I’ll play the asset. But the moment anyone tries to take that scent away from me, I’ll show them why they call me theBlack Current.
I head for the showers, knowing that Mercer will want me on that campus this morning. It’s just after six am, so I have some time, but not nearly enough, to prepare myself to see Asa again. I wonder if the lack of fear from last night will still be present this morning or if daylight will make him realize all the reasons he should have been terrified that he spent a night with an S-Class Enigma Esper.
By the time I step back into my room only wrapped in a towel, Mercer is there, his arms folded across his chest. “This is a test, Jorak. You’re to blend in. You’ll be provided with a dampener to wear on campus and you are to stay in contact at all times. If we reach out, you have three minutes to respond or we’ll pull you back.”
“Five,” I push out. I tilt my head toward him. “What if I have to shit? I’m not texting you while I’m shitting.”
Mercer shoves a phone onto the dresser by the door. “Five, then but Jorak, this isn’t a game. This isn’t just a way for you to use your essence outside this facility. You’ll be dropped off every morning and picked up to be brought back—”
“Absolutely the fuck not.” I twist toward him fully, pushing some of my anger forward. “Mercer, if you have some unidentified car picking me up like that, people will figure out pretty fucking quick who I am and what I represent. They’ll know I’m government property before the day is over. I get there how I get there and come home when the classes are over.That’show I blend in.”
I’m not sure how I get the courage to say all that, but I’m not backing down, not when Asa is just within my reach.
Mercer just sighs, pointing to the phone. “Keep that with you. There’s everything you need to know about your professors and classes. Make sure you keep your grades up.”
I grab the phone and press the small ESA icon in the corner, everything sparsed into several folders. Of course, I open the one titled ‘professors’, Asa’s picture the first one there.
Is he thinking about me? Did he wake up with the ghost of my hands on his hips, wondering if the Enigma who claimed him was just a fever dream? Or is he already back in his books, trying to pretend that the world isn't ending and that he isn't carrying the mark of a monster?
"Jorak. One more thing. If you see anything unusual regarding the staff--any irregular energetic readings--you report it immediately. The nodes aren't the only things we're monitoring in that district."
"I'm a blunt instrument, Mercer. You want a lab tech, send Rue. I'm just here to keep the lights on."
"Just do your job," Mercer snaps. “And hurry up. You need to be on campus in 45 minutes and if we aren’t driving, the bus leaves in fifteen minutes.”
A wild grin splits across my face. “I never said anything about the bus. I just said that you couldn’t be seen picking me up and dropping me off. Do you really want me on public transportation with all those people and...”
He holds up a hand. “Fine. There will be a car for you. Don’t fuck this up.”
Oh, I won’t,I tell myself. After all, I have a beautiful little Omega to see.
Mercer
With Jorak gone, I head back to my office, immediately pulling up the asset’s location. I’ve sent at least four guards to the campus as well to ensure that Jorak doesn’t try anything stupid. However, something always happens with that Enigma and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens on campus this time.
I blow out a heavy breath and look toward the door, Dr. Elian Rue standing there, vibrating a little. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought he was an Omega. He’s a man of high intellect and low courage, the kind of asset who requires constant recalibration to remain effective. I let the silence stretch between us, returning my attention back to my desk, until I hear the faint, rhythmic tap of his shoe against the carpet.
"You're early, Elian," I say, keeping my voice level. "I appreciate the dedication. Most of your colleagues are still nursing their first coffee."
"The sweep results came in at 04:00 while the asset was still out," Rue replies. His voice is thin, strained around the edges. "Ithought you'd want to see the anomalies before the shift change. There's... there's one entry that doesn't align with the tracking data from Jorak's departure."
I look up again, leaning back in my seat. "Show me."
