Revelations of a Grey Coat Hunter

23

     Maddy had been pacing restlessly in Arthur's room when Monty opened the door. When she saw him, she immediately pounced. "Monty," she breathed, "I'm so glad you're back! Please, I need either you or Reynolds with me, at least for a few days. You cannot both go off again!"

     Monty's stomach lurched. "Maddy, what do you think will happen when we get missions? Reynolds and I are not going to be assigned with you all the time."

     "Yeah, that's something we need to discuss," she mused, drawing back. "Can we sit?"

     Monty sat down on his cot. His sister sat next to him, clearly musing over whatever she had to say. "First, I want you just to hear me out," she began. "Would you do that?"

     "Sure," he replied, puzzled.

     "Ok." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. I know that things are happening that I don't understand, things I don't know. I know that you do know some of those things. No, let me finish," she insisted when Monty opened his mouth. "It's ok, Monty. You've always been the one to try to buck the system, haven't you? You challenged our parents, got the worst of what they could dish out, and then burned them to protect us. You challenged Uncle Harvey to protect me. I think if my abilities hadn't manifested when they had? You would have burned him, too. You don't have to answer, Monty. I can see the answer written all over your face."

     Monty chewed on his lower lip, looking down. He fully believed he could have watched their uncle burn alive without flinching for what he'd done.

     "So this is what I think I figured out." She took another deep breath. "First, the Overseers. I know you talked to them again, but I'm guessing it wasn't a face-to-face meeting, right? More of the voice-in-the-head thing? Maybe I know why and why everyone trusts them so blindly. It's because the Board of Overseers is made up of old, retired Hunters, Monty. That's why they know so much and why we never see any old Hunters. You know, I have never seen a single Hunter over forty this entire time here? They can't all be immortal like Arthur or ageless like Conrad and his brother. That may be why the three of them became friends because they shared that. But anyway, that's my theory. It's the only thing that makes sense. No Hunter goes against the Overseers because they are Hunters!"

     "It does make sense," Monty agreed, speaking slowly. "But Maddy..."

     She held up a hand, silencing him. "I'm not finished."

     He sighed. "Ok."

     "Alright. Building on the theory that the Board of Overseers is made up of retired Hunters, I came up with my next theory - why so many recruits wash out. I did a little research. Monty, it's not just the recruits who are washing out. When I looked up information about recruits and trainers on my tablet. Naturally, most of it was redacted, but I was able to get stats. Seventy percent of all the recruits wash out, and I guess I can understand that, but so do about thirty percent of the trainers! Considering what they do to our trainers once we hit that second mission? That didn't make any sense." She slumped. "But then I remembered this big test we have to pass. I thought about Bannon. She gave up her baby, Monty, for the Foundation. What Arthur said about why he keeps having sex with her even though he clearly doesn't like her? He said he owes her. It's hardly his fault that she had to give up her baby. Unless, of course, her choice was between her baby and him?" She looked at him, her eyes grave. "Monty, this choice that we're going to have to make. What happens if we refuse to make it altogether? What if we decide it's too much and try to run? What's to keep that from happening?" She paused. "Could it be because if we run, they'll hold our trainers responsible for failing to bring us in properly?"

     Monty groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Maddy, I..."

     "Stop," she ordered. "Just stop. Nothing is going to happen to Arthur and Conrad because we are not going to run. But even if we knew they'd be safe, we can't run."