Cogs Of Fate

Child Of The Machine

An hour of searching later, Wyatt and Lucy rushed down the hall with Rufus and Jiya close behind. The moment they reached the T intersection, they split off, going in opposite directions to continue searching for the boy. Agent Christopher and Mason had gone together to search through the living quarters again.

"Where the hell is this kid?" Wyatt complained. "There's only so many places he could be - "

"It's a big bunker," she reminded him. "We might have just missed him - "

"For an hour?" Wyatt retorted in disbelief. They rounded the corner to the adjacent hallway and Wyatt muttered, "I can't believe we've been so - "

Lucy grabbed his hand to calm his rising anger. "We've figured it out...that's all that matters now."

"We haven't figured it all out though," he complained.

"It's a start," she reassured him as they rounded the corner into the main living area. Her eyes scanned the room and immediately landed on the familiar frame of the young boy in the reading nook.

Wren sat alone on the couch, a thick book splayed open on his lap. He was so immersed in the story he was reading, he didn't hear or see their approach until Lucy knelt beside him. His eyes fluttered over to meet hers and a wide smile erupted on his face. "Lucy! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Wren?" Lucy started. "I need you to come with me..."

His brows drew together slightly at her request. "It's time, isn't it?"

"Time for what?" she asked, tilting her head at him in confusion.

"You've discovered the truth, haven't you?" he asked, glancing past her shoulder to take in Wyatt's rigid form. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he asked, "He's not going to hurt me, is he?"

She shook her head. "Of course not...we just want to talk to you."

Wren set his book down on the coffee table with a gentle thud, giving Lucy a chance to sneak a peek at the title. The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe. After slipping off the couch, Wren grabbed Lucy's hand, walking beside her to the infirmary, where the others would have gathered.

Wyatt's blue eyes never left the boy as he followed them down the hall. He didn't trust this kid - despite his cute innocent appearance - he simply worried this could be another one of Reynolds's traps or even a weapon they hadn't considered before.

One thing was certain as Wyatt trailed behind - he refused to be taken off guard again. In his mind, everyone was a suspect and everything was a potential motive in Reynolds's endgame. Until it was over and Reynolds was dead, he wouldn't rest.

In the infirmary, Agent Christopher, Connor Mason, Rufus, and Jiya had returned with no success. It wasn't a long wait until the door opened and Wyatt, Lucy, and Wren entered.

Lucy escorted the boy to the examination table, lifting him with relative ease to help him up. She smiled warmly at him as he sat there, wide eyes darting about those gathered.

Agent Christopher smiled warmly at him. "Hello again, Wren."

He smiled back. "Hello."

Agent Christopher looked around the room. "Where are the others?"

Those present shrugged, glancing at each other, expecting someone to know. Wyatt finally waved the comment aside. "Let's just get this over with. We can fill them in later." Agent Christopher nodded before turning back to Wren.

"We need your help," she told him. He nodded and his unruly curls bobbed against his face as he waited for her to continue. She inhaled deeply before asking, "Do you know why we want to talk to you?"