How Much I Know - a Renegades | Marissa Meyer fan fiction

Chapter 11

Kahless watched Mara disappear around the corner before turning back to the Council, where Tsunami asked, "What did you see?"

Kahless knew that was the catch line that Mara would hear. It was a test of her goodness, to see if she would eavesdrop on the Council. Kahless had worked it out with Mirage through comm. The older woman would watch from the elevator, disguising herself in the shadows, waiting to see what the young girl would do.

She had mentally debated whether to tell the Council about her plans, wondering if their dialogue would be as genuine if they were in on her sceme, but in the end she had decided that there was no guarantee the superheroes would act the way she needed them to even if they didn't know. So she sent a comm to them just before the meeting, explaining her plan.

"I don't even think the girl is halfway toward the elevators yet, Tsunami," Captain Chromium chided. To Kahless's surprise, his voice seemed very genuine. It was exactly what Kahless had hoped for. She frowned. The voice sounded a bit too genuine.

Kahless dared not look around the corner, for fear of Umidore seeing her, and it seemed the Council agreed with her. The Dread Warden could hide, but Miss Umidore might hear him and learn the trick they were playing. Or, worse, his power wouldn't work on her, and he'd be at the girl's mercy, having lost her trust and the element of surprise.

Kahless reluctantly stayed in the Council's throne room, although her instincts were screaming at her to see what the girl was doing. She trusted Mirage to handle the situation, though. The knowledge could wait.

She waited for the comm from Mirage that it was safe to talk. It would seem fake for them to all sit there in awkward silence, so Kahless tried to start the conversation. "I really hope that Miss Umidore will be resistant to Max. It isn't fun being stuck in a glass box all the time."

"We're doing all we can -" Thunderbird started amgrily, but the Dread Warden cut her off.

"We can hope," he said firmly.

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Kahless trembled with fear in her mother's arms as the robber tore through their tiny apartment. She was a baby, barely even two years old, but she doubted the robber woman would care. She had a gun, and she didn't look afraid to use it.

Kahless whimpered, and her mother rocked her back an forth in her arms. "We can hope," she said.

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There was a chime, and Captain Chromium flipped his wrist around to read the message scrawled across it.

"The girl is with me. Continue with your meeting," he read out loud. His mouth curved into a boyish grin. It brought out his dimples, making him look like an excited child.

"So, what did you see? Who's the Sentinel?" Tsunami asked, leaning forward on her throne.

"The Sentinel is..." Kahless took a deep breath. "Adrian Everheart is the Sentinel."

Kahless swallowed. The room was silent all except for her gulp. The Renegades seemed to be taking on her words. Thunderbird's jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious," she countered.

"I am. Sketch's drawings, when on paper, come to life. When on the skin, as in a tattoo, the image becomes a power." She paused for a second for the information to set in. "No one has ever able to do this before, and the ability can become dangerous. I saw how he lost control of his fire at the parade. That could happen again if we're not careful."

"This is our son. He is capable," Captain Chromium said. "He's not going to do anything rash. I think it's fair for him to have his fun as the Sentinel and not tell him that we know."

"If that is your verdict, so it is, but the stakes are high for this. Confidence can bring a person to madness," Kahless warned. "This is not a game."