The X Pathogen

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kyo rubbed his forehead, "this is a bigger mess than I thought."
The screen in front of him displayed a list of roughly a hundred human test subjects currently being held across three known labs.
Adar sighed, "we stage rescue missions whenever we can, but it's hard to get together the manpower. People aren't exactly lining up to go visit the source of their trauma."
"I can't say I blame them," Kyo glanced out the window, watching villagers go about their day. "I can't even imagine what they went through."
Adar stood up, "well I can," he started pacing the room, "and that's why I go back again and again. To make sure no one has to stay in that hell."
"You said someone named Jay broke you out, right?" Kyo asked.
Adar nodded.
"Why?"
"What do you mean?" Adar finally stopped pacing.
"Jay wasn't a prisoner, was he?"
"Well- no."
"So why did he help you? And who even is he?"
Adar sighed, "Jay is... well, he's a bit of a mystery. We met when he was 18, maybe 19, I'm not sure. He was fresh out of the Chairman's Academy. I don't know if it was luck, or fate, or whatever you wanna call it, but he ended up at the wrong hangar, saw me and a bunch of other prisoners about to get carted off and decided to get involved. Snuck onboard the ship and helped us get away in the middle of the night. Still don't know what drove him to do it."
"The Chairman's Academy? So he was in sanctuary?" Kyo raised an eyebrow.
"Huh, well I guess so, now that you mention it. He doesn't really talk about his life before Verdome, so I never asked. It's an unspoken rule around here."
"You know nothing about him?"
Adar's eyes narrowed, "I know Jay's a good guy, I know he's a talented artist, has a great sense of humor, a strong sense of justice, and can make a mean sandwich. What more do I need to know?"
Kyo folded his arms and bluntly asked, "where is he right now?"
"I don't know," Adar mumbled, "why does that matter?"
"You mentioned his 'side mission.' What's going on there."
"Nothing," Adar snapped.
Kyo raised an eyebrow.
"Look, it's personal to him. I don't even know the whole story. I know he's looking for someone, and whoever she is, he cares about her a lot," Adar clenched his fist, "just... don't bring it up around him, alright?"
Kyo shrugged, "we'll see. I want to meet this guy before I make any promises."
"Can't argue with that," Adar sighed. "There's a prisoner transfer coming up in the next few days, I didn't think we could pull it off, but now that you're here..."
Kyo drummed his fingers on the desk, studying the data in front of him, "okay. Let me talk to my superiors. See if we can get the go ahead to get involved."
The tension seemed to leave Adar's body for the first time since Kyo had met him, "thank you."
    "I can't promise anything."
    "You're the first non-human to give a grick about this. That means more than you can possibly know."
    Kyo's face hardened. "My student almost died because of all of this. Believe me, this is personal." He paused, "poor kid's been through enough as it is."
    Ash and Saji stood nervously outside the door, unsure whether they should knock or just walk in.
    Agent Kyo finally noticed them and sighed. "How long have you two been here?"
    "We just got here, why?" Ash shrugged.
    Saji started to correct them and tried to add that they'd overheard quite a bit of the conversation. "Well- ...ouch!"
    Ash elbowed her sharply and she fell quiet.
    Kyo eyed them skeptically, his gaze switching from one cadet to the other before his expression became a mixture of confusion and concern. "Wait a second, where's Nadil?" he demanded.
    Saji smiled, "Gemma's dad is making him a prosthetic!"
    Kyo blinked. "He's-" he turned to Adar, "is that a thing?"
    "Prosthetics?" Adar laughed, "uh, yes?"
    "No, I mean you actually have someone that can do that here? I figured, given your history..."
    "Oh," Adar's laughter faded, "we had lives before the lab, Agent Kyo." he said somewhat sadly.
    "I- yes. Of course, I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply- I apologize." Kyo stammered.
    Adar shrugged it off, "it's fine."
    Ash sidled up to Kyo and muttered, "with all due respect, relax."
    He glared at them, which only made Ash chuckle and whisper, "and he's back."
    "I'm still your commanding officer, cadet," Kyo hissed back. He forced himself to regain his composure and left the room.
    "So what's going on?" Ash asked Adar.
    "The agent said he had to ask for permission first, but if everything goes well, we're going to free more people this week."
    "That's amazing!" Ash beamed.
    Saji squeezed their hand happily, "I'm happy to go on any mission that gives people their freedom," her brow furrowed, "do you think Nadil is going to be alright though?"
    Adar smiled, "I'm sure he'll be fine, Dr. Burnick is one of the best."
    Ash forced a smile, "right. Speaking of which, we better go check on him, right, Saji?"
    Saji nodded, and the two of them rushed out of the room.