The Initiative (A Sleeping Beauty Remix)

Three

"...sometimes our dreams turn to nightmares/ our wishes to regrets/ easy to look in the mirror/ and spend our cold, aching nights/ wondering where it turned a mess."

—Derik Young, Musetune Artist, I Miss You Album

They need her? As if. Unless they needed someone to be pounded into a pancake, they definitely didn't need Aria's... skills.

Leonger must've seen the doubt on her face because he spoke up. "Look, I can only imagine what you're thinking right now. But the rest of this conversation can take place another time. Dr. Rozano, if you would...?"

The lady doctor moved to grab Aria's wrist.

Aria was faster. Her fingers shot out, locking around the doctor's forearm. The doctor let out a surprised gasp.

Her slim arm felt like a twig in Aria's grip. She was so skinny. So breakable. Aria had a good feeling the doctor didn't know any type of self-defense either. With her size and lack of knowledge, someone could easily best her. Did she know how quickly she could be taken out?

"It's alright, Agent Lewis," Leonger spoke, "She's giving you something our lab technicians have been working on for years. It's a device to keep you stable."

To keep her stable? That sounded like Aria was a wild horse. Not a contracted government agent.

"What if I don't want it?"

Leonger clicked his tongue. "You're going to want it. Otherwise, I have to send you back under." He grabbed a sleek silver bracelet from Dr. Rozano and snapped it on Aria's wrist. She swallowed her growl as it made a tiny beep and then a strong click.

The device looked like one of the slim wedding bands couples wore—only stretched to fit her wrist. It was blank, nothing but a clean surface, though when she peeked underneath, a steady red light flashed.

"Does this mean I'm your lackey now? Is there a contract you want me to sign in blood too?"

Leonger's lips twitched. "I don't make deals with the devil."

Aria blinked. Did he just refer to her as Satan?

"This device will constantly monitor your heart rate, blood sugar, and adrenaline levels. If any of them begin skyrocketing in an alarming way, it will run an electric current down your skin."

"So you'll taser me into submission." Kinky.

He continued like her mouth hadn't moved. "If you begin to show signs like those in the past, it will shock to incapacitate."

"Lovely," Aria said sarcastically.

Shock to incapacitate. It should have been scary. Foreboding. Instead, cool, soft relief spread through Aria's insides. She stroked a thumb carefully over the top. "How is it going to—ah!"

A corner of Leonger's mouth came up. "The bracelet will take a sample every once in a while to send data back to our technicians. Think of it as a backup."

A curse word danced along her lips.

"Is she ready to be cleared?" Leonger directed the question to the good old doctor on her left.

Doc frowned but nodded. "I suppose so. Despite the amount of time under, her muscle mass doesn't seem to have gone down too much. Still, I'd like to put her in physical therapy for a week or so."

"Done and done."

"Can I do the honors?" Aria piped in, her hand already hovering over the needle in her arm.