SILVER EYES (GXG)

Chapter 61: A Glimpse Of A Mother

After the attack that night, Ryan was locked up in the very cell he had once imprisoned us. The tables had turned, and now it was his turn to be interrogated. Michael wanted to run the questioning alone with him, he needed to understand how a person who trusted so much had turned out against him.

We waited outside for hours. The sounds of shouting and crying seeped through the walls, and when Michael finally got out, his face was contorted.

Apparently, Ryan's sympathy for the Reg Society began after a trusted Phoenix soldier killed his brother. They had tracked him using drones and they entangled him with the false promise of advanced technology that could bring his brother back. Pain and false promises, it's a powerful mix for stealing someone's will.

We also discovered that the Reg Society was completely unaware of the threat Heather was for The Orb, and in a desperate attempt to stop her, Ryan had tried to get rid of her without any real plan.

That meant that Heather's mother had been incredibly tight-lipped and we played with advantage. We were the only ones with that crucial information that could change the course of humanity. None else knew.

However, nothing of that mattered if the key piece of all wasn't on board: Heather. Once more, we all depended on her.

We waited a few days before bringing up the topic again; we all needed time to digest the recent events. Michael was hurt by Ryan's betrayal and Heather was distant, spending her time wandering, swimming in the lake, and barely speaking to me. I decided to give her space and took the time to dive into everything Michael knew about the supposed algorithm Heather had in her implant. Anika also helped me understand how we should execute the plan if we decided to go through with it.

The truth was, that Heather would bear most of the risk, and it pained me to think about what it would mean for her. The Reg Society was the only world she'd ever known, and now she was being asked to turn against it. Sure, she had her reasons, but it was still unclear how she felt about her past, the system she was raised in, and especially her mother. I felt similarly conflicted when my parents died and Michael and I crossed the border, going against their wishes.

Why did Heather have to shoulder the burden of "saving" humanity? Hadn't she done enough already working at the border for years? All I wanted was to see her happy. If it were up to me, we'd ditch this whole mess and start that swimming club with apple pie sales we used to joke about. At that moment, that seemed like the most perfect plan of all.

Late in the afternoon, I found her lying in her bed in the common house. Her beautiful wavy strands were splayed over the pillow in a cascade of silken waves.

"Already out? It's pretty early." I said sitting on the edge of her bed.

She didn't answer so, I lay next to her.

"Hey," I said softly, running my fingers gently along her back and tracing her spine. "You know, you don't have to do this. You don't owe anyone anything."

Heather slowly turned to face me. Her cheeks were flushed with a soft pink, and her eyes had that familiar, thoughtful glimmer that always showed up when she was deep in thought.

"I know. The mission isn't what's bothering me." She said.

"Then what is it?" I asked.

Heather took a deep breath, hesitated, and then, as if she were about to confess a crime, said, "I'm not sure I want to recover my memories."

I frowned. "But you've been wanting to find your relatives for so long."

Heather nodded nervously. "Yes, but what if the memories are terrible? What if I discover things I wish I hadn't? What if my mother wasn't the person I hoped she was?" She said.