Paragon

Chapter 1:

"How many people have you killed?" I asked Delta.

He looked out the window of the office, and I knew that I'd taken him by surprise. I resisted the urge to smile at his confusion. It's not often that I got to surprise my mentor.

Delta was a tall man, athletic but not especially muscular. He was Hispanic, with narrow, brown eyes and short, dark hair gelled back in a flawless fashion. Though nearly forty, he still moved with the speed of a young man. With his polo, khakis, oxford shoes, and white lab coat, he looked like your average college science professor, perhaps the one that the female students all had a secret crush on.

He paused before answering, fixing his sleeves and checking his watch as he considered my question.

"Sixteen." He replied abruptly, going over to the coffee pot in the corner of the office. "Sixteen assassinations. Two men tried to attack me in prison, I suppose I'd better count them too, as both died from their injuries. Eighteen test subjects. Then there's the people in Blestemat, but then again, those were accidental. Let's say thirty-six."

I nodded in response.

"How do you feel about that?" Delta asked, looking up from his new cup of coffee.

"It's...interesting." I replied.

"Does that scare you?"

"No."

"Liar." He sat back down at his desk.

I stared at him.

"Your fingers." He said. "You're scared."

I realized that for the last several seconds I'd been drumming my fingers on the top of the desk. He knew me too well.

"You're going to be an assassin someday too, Katana." Delta said gently. "Death shouldn't scare you."

"I'm not scared."

"Of course you are. You're twelve years old, still a child, no matter how much the people here try to pretend otherwise."

A buzzer on his desk sounded and he sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"She's here." He said.

A moment later the door opened and his wife, Jinx, entered. She was undeniably beautiful, slightly heavyset, but it only served to accentuate her beauty. Her heels were of nearly ankle breaking height and matched perfectly with her dark blue dress. With her fair skin, bleached blonde curls, and wide gray eyes, she looked like a middle aged actress on a break from Hollywood.

I knew better. Mrs. Cross made Delta seem downright warm and friendly in comparison.

"Must you spend all your time with this child?" She asked in her heavily accented voice.

"She's going to be their leader, you know." Delta replied, standing. "She needs to be as prepared as possible for what lies ahead. Did you find any?"

"Always so impatient." She batted her long lashes at him. "I've been gone nearly a month, and I barely get a hello."

"I'm sure you found some better company than I while you were away, Sasha."

She moved to slap him, but he caught her hand.

"Don't." He said, letting her go. He looked at me apologetically. "I was just about to tell Katana about Project Paragon."

Her pretty face twisted in a frown. "Why should she know?"

"She is going to be part of it."

"And? She's a test subject. Or have you forgotten?"

"Of course not." Delta replied.