H.O.M.E

Chapter 8

A few days after our victory against Alpha team Mom calls us down to the conference room to talk about our progress. As we sit and wait for Mom to meet us I can see that Sadie is nervous. For her our progress determines how well she is as a leader and also if we will be able to enter the real world. After a few more minutes Mom walks in and she has a folder full of papers in her hand. I can see Sadie perk up and she can’t hold it in anymore,” when are you going to be leaving?”

            Mom doesn’t even look at her as she speaks,” maybe it would be best if you let me speak first.”  Mom takes her seat at the head of the table an opens up the folder,” so your scores for most of the scenarios were very good and for you Sadie your leadership test scores were outstanding. But however there are some other factors that trouble me.”

            I look as the smile that was once on Sadie’s face now fades away and there is despair in her eyes. Mom pulls out another piece of paper and continues,” the first thing that I want to address has to do with both Sadie and Buddy. Despite the fact that you guys have become closer to Gizmo I am not fully convinced that you two have fully accepted him as a member of the team. That being said I do not know what will happen to the team dynamic once you are outside of these walls.” Buddy leans forward putting his hands on the table looking like he is about to speak but Mom holds her hand up to him stopping him in his tracks.

            “That brings me to my next point. Buddy you are very impulsive and ultra- protective of Sadie. Those two things combined make you nothing but a risk once you are out in the field” Mom says looking right at Buddy making him sink into his chair with his arms folded. Mom then turns her gaze to me,” Gizmo I was worried that with you being so much younger than the others and not totally in control of your powers you may actually do more harm than good. I know that everyone was very impressed when you knocked everyone back in the training room the other day but I know that you didn’t really plan for that to happen, did you?”

            With everyone’s eyes staring at me I am conflicted on whether to admit to the rest of my team that I really had no idea what happened or lie to Mom and hope she believes me. I pick a third option and just hang my head and stare down at the floor. “I will take your silence as a sign that I am correct. Now if that were to happen on a crowed street with innocent people around it will be a very bad thing, not only for you three but also for H.O.M.E.”

            Sadie finally speaks up and comes to my defense,” I know that Gizmo is fairly new but I believe that with Buddy and I there with him we will be able to help him control his powers. Even though you don’t think so we do actually care for him.” She shoots me a quick look and smile before turning back to Mom.

            “Even if you do think that you can help Gizmo with his power there is no 100% guarantee that you will be able to do it. That is too much of a risk for everyone here including myself.”

            “It isn’t fair for you to just assume that we will fail without giving us a chance to prove ourselves. I think that the only way to see if we can cut it out of the protection of H.O.M.E is to let us go out and try” Sadie says to Mom with a slight harshness in her voice.

            “Maybe Alpha team was right there might not be a need for a Beta team” Mom says closing the folder and shaking her head.

            “So you are just going to keep us here forever and not even give us a chance to prove ourselves?” Buddy says speaking up. “We beat Alpha team the other day in case you forgot and so with that fact alone I think that we should get a chance to show you what we can really do to help.”

            “I know that you all think that you are ready but it is my strong belief that you will be in way over your head. With so much riding on the success of another enhanced team I cannot take a chance on one that has so many undeniable issues.” Mom says starting to stand up.

            When she says this Buddy and Sadie erupt in angry comments but I don’t hear any of them. All I can think about is how all Mom can think about is herself and how we might make her and H.O.M.E look bad. She doesn’t care that Buddy and Sadie have been waiting for this a long time. They were right about her she only thinks of us as pets and not as actual people and I need to know why.

'           Looking up again I see that Buddy and Sadie are storming out of the room slamming the door behind them. I look over at Mom and she has her hand on her forehead looking very stressed. She rubs her head a few more seconds before she realizes that I am still sitting there. “Gizmo I really don’t want to talk about this matter anymore maybe you should go.”

            “Well actually there was something else I wanted to ask you about, what did we do for my 8th birthday?” When I say these words Mom’s eyes get wider then I have ever seen them get before and she starts to stumble over what words to say. Not giving her a chance to answer me I ask her another question,” how come the earliest memory is of the day I woke up in that room?” Mom is taken even me aback at this and stumbles more over the mess of words that I can imagine are going around in her head. Knowing that I am on the right track I ask one final question,” are you really even my mom?”

            Mom looks at me with tears in her eyes,” of course I am.”

            I stand up and look her square in the eyes,” how can I believe you after knowing all the lies you have told since the day I met you.” With that I walk out of the room and don’t look back to see her reaction. When I get back to the suite Buddy and Sadie are standing in the living room with bags slung over their shoulders. “What is going on?” I ask as I step into the room.

            They both look at me and answer at the same time,” We’re leaving.”