John and I meet Nine in the admin building at 12:14 p.m. Most, if not all, of the students are in classes, so the halls are empty. But it's only when he knocks on Nine's door that I begin to grow the slightest bit nervous. John forgave me for what I did. What about Nine? Last time I saw him... he had lost an arm and almost died—because of me...
"Come in," we hear, and we do; John takes me into the room.
He's sitting behind a desk like the professor that John said he is. There's a man sitting across from him. It's more awkward than I made it out to be; Nine is almost hardly recognizable. His hair's grown out into messy black strands and the whole of his right arm—from the curve of his shoulder to the tips of his fingers—have been replaced by glistening silver steel.
"Hey, Em," he says. "Good to see you up and about." And he's rewarding me with simple conversation?! "Johnny wouldn't stop bugging me about you. He was a pain in my ass."
"Enough, Nine," John grunts, then looks towards the old man in the chair. "Morning, Colonel. What brings you in today?" Colonel?
"Nine has informed me that Emily was admitted into the HGA infirmary," he says, squaring his shoulders. "I came as soon as I could. After what happened with Karlsson, we want to prevent something like that from happening again. Don't you agree, Nine?"
"Completely."
"What are you saying?" alien boy asks. "Emily didn't do anything."
"No," the red bearded man goes on. "But technically what Karlsson said was true."
"What?" John's tone is sharper now, in warning. I think he's mad. "About her being a liability? It's not. You can't arrest her. She didn't do anything wrong."
"Technically," the man continues, sounding clearly annoyed now, "she did violate the Garde Accord, but you're right. Karlsson nor Earth Garde have the rights to detain her. Frankly, I'm not sure what the protocol is, but I know the only way to potentially solve the matter is to have Emily sign the Accord like you all did. It would give everyone a great deal of comfort."
"John?" I murmur, squeezing his hand a little. "Who is he?"
"This is Colonel Archibald, Emily," Nine explains, a certain bite in his tone. "He's our head of security at the Human Garde Academy. He's responsible for keeping the students safe."
"Among other duties," the old man adds. "Is it ok if I ask you to sign this deal, Emily?"
"I..."
"She doesn't even know what this Accord is," John jumps in.
"You'll be able to read it once I retrieve a copy," the man explains. "But to put it simply, it's a legal document stating that all individuals with unearthly abilities must refrain from using their abilities against any other human life, except in cases of self-defence, and all Human Garde must attend the HGA so they learn to control their skills, but I'm sure I can make an exception for you."
"You'll most definitely make an exception for her," Nine states. "Em doesn't need to be in any of my classes, and she doesn't need the HGA altogether."
"Yes, well, I promised I would do everything in my power to convince Earth Garde to let Emily skip the HGA, Nine," Archibald replies. "This isn't up for discussion."
"Are you mad at me?" I ask, directing the question at Nine but keeping my gaze down.
"Why would I be mad at you?" he asks after a brief silence—I can't decide if it's one of surprise or guilt or something else. "I'm standing up for you, Em. I don't think you need to be in any of my classes, or anyone else's, so why not ask Earth Garde if you can skip training?"
YOU ARE READING
A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition
FanfictionTHE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE REAL. NAMES AND PLACES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE LORIEN. WHO REMAIN IN HIDING UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT. - SHE HAS DEVELOPED POWERS. SHE CAN FIGHT BACK. SHE CAN HELP YOU SAVE THE WORLD, BUT SHE MUST CHOOSE A SI...
