The Bearing

13. The Reveal

"Gray?" I go to hug him, but he puts a hand up to stop me.

"Leah, stop." Instead of smiling because of our reunion, he squints his eyes, now an icy light blue, and frowns.

"Gray, what has he done to you?" I ask, worried out of my mind.

I turn to address Richards. "What did you do to Gray?"

"Oh." Richards chuckles wickedly. "You mean Jonathan Bear?"

"What?" I am completely bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

"Take a seat," Richards commands me. Gray silently walks over to stand behind him, arms behind his back. With no other choice, I sit. I need to know what's going on in order to save the man I love.

"You actually thought there was a person out there named Grayson Bear?" Richards laughs, exposing his yellowing teeth. I remain silent.

He shakes his head and folds his hands together, leaning back into his chair. "You stupid girl. Of course, there is someone with the last name Bear, but his name isn't Grayson. His name is Jonathan, and here he stands before you." Richards gestures to him with his head full of graying hair. I open my mouth to protest, to argue that he's lying, but Richards holds up a single finger to silence me.

"Haven't you noticed that none of his technological devices - his house, his car - never called him Grayson? They only called him Mr. Bear. That's because it's troublesome to reprogram everything to call you a new name. So, we only had them call him by his last name."

I shake my head, unable to believe his words. There's no way Gray would betray me.

"Leah, you think you're smarter than the URA, but you simply are not." He gives me a depraved smile, twisting his face into a dark and wrinkled snarl. "The note that told you to call the abortion doctor was set up by me. The doctor himself was one of our employees that you didn't know. Your sister who tried to find you was found and annihilated by one of my best employees. And..." he pulls out a small piece of paper from his suit pocket. "Ever wonder what happened to your precious coordinates? Surely, you noticed that they were missing."

I slowly nod my head, biting my lip with apprehension.

"Well, they didn't just blow away in the wind. Jonathan here took them out of your hand after you fainted. He sent the paper straight to me, and I called you that day anonymously. We planned your entire escape. I told him that the explosion would rip a hole in the force field, which would allow our military to enter seamlessly."

"No," I whisper. "Gray's parents..."

"Jonathan's parents," Richards corrects me. "They weren't mere fans of old technology. They worked for the old relics department at the URA, which is how he learned how to operate the car and everything. When you gave us the last name Bear, we recognized it instantly. They were legends back in the day here. They've since been relocated to the Russian sector of the URA. We knew they had a son, but his name wasn't Grayson, so we knew that you were bluffing. Still, I like to toy with my prey before eating it." He leans towards me and rests his chin on his interlocked hands.

"I figured that you'd be able to lead us to the resistance. Jonathan here was an accountant down on his luck and trying to work for the URA. He was a family disgrace for not working for us."

I remember the letter I found under his bed. Call me if you are still interested in the position and for further steps. These were the further steps.

"We made a deal." Richards looks at Gray (Jonathan), who nods at him in confirmation. "If he helped us with you, then we'd hire him. I've known who you were since I took you in from the orphanage. I'd know Joan's face anywhere. I wanted to control you and keep an eye on you at all times, in case she tried to contact you one day. My hope was that you'd report the contact to me but of course..." He tilts his head down toward my stomach. "Plans change."