Endgame (Book 3)

Chapter 15

The decision was made. Despite my misgivings, I had to deal with Jeremiah in order to handle Zero.

"I see you have finally seen my point," Jeremiah said with a smile. "So you'll join me, then?"

I looked out the glass window into the empty void. "Yes."

"Good. Next, I need to show you what MARAD really is. It's not some evil group like you believe."

"If you know I think that, then you also know why."

"Yes, Metagor is a little ruthless, but he is our sole remaining asset after-"

"Project Ares," I finished.

He moved on. "Such thinking won't help you here. I think it's necessary for you to be familiarized with the facilities again and reintroduced to our purpose."

"You know about my amnesia," I realized.

"We're part of the government. We know everything," he said in a bored tone. "You don't think we knew about the breakout?"

"You didn't stop me."

"There was no reason to. Would you put a raisin back in the bag with grapes?"

"Are you saying I was useless?"

"I'm saying you are useless as far as Project Ares is concerned."

I reared my hand back for a punch. "Why, you little-"

Zap!

I curled up in a ball on the ground, shuddering. That one was stronger. It must have been the third setting.

"You know, after I get these bracelets off, I'm gonna fry you," I said.

"Would you like another zap?" he asked seriously. "I'm going to electrocute the resistance out of you one way or another."

"No."

"Well, then. Let's get started."

He swept out of the room, his trench coat blowing up air in my direction. I turned my head to the side as I stood up to follow him.

Outside the room, the floor scheme was the same as the complex I emerged into from the pod. Long white hallways, blah blah blah.

I looked back and figured out that the void scene I could see through the windows of my cell were fake. They were probably just holograms. What a dirty trick. Literally.

I tried to start a conversation as we walked. "So, Jeremiah, what did you do while everyone else was fighting?"

"I was fighting your friend Sage. Sierra joined in, too," he said.

My jaw dropped to the ground and I almost stopped in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"Kid, I have more tricks up my sleeves than any metahuman that just popped up. Don't ask me how. Ask me why."

I took this into consideration. Was that his way of telling me he was one of us?

"Alright," he said without slowing down. "Let's get you situated."

He took me to a small, vacant room a long ways from my cell. This one had many of the things I liked from my room, and my clothes were in a cupboard next to my bed. They even changed the walls to the same color as the ones at home.