DEVIANT [H.S.]

36 - Reunited

"H-How is that even possible?" Harry asks me, his body pressing right behind me.

My lips can't form a coherent and solid sentence; I'm too stunned to even attempt to speak. My eyes don't have the strength to tear away from the computer monitor, to look away from those damn results.

Six vials. All the same. All pure Protector formula in my hands. Just pure. Perfect, even. Untouched.

Compared to Harry's blood sample, there are traces of this formula in his blood with some wild irregularities. Irregularities that could highlight the root of his symptom.

Harry takes my hands into his, kissing the top of my head, a feeling I've come to love over the past days. At this moment, I don't blossom from the inside out like I normally would. I feel sick. Sick because of what I'm looking at.

I wasn't expecting the Protector formula to be in those vials, no matter how suspicious the O2 appeared the other day.

"Serena, how?" He asks, his voice low in my ear. "How do you know that is the formula?"

"There's commonalities with your bloodwork," I respond. "This has to be it."

Harry breathes in deep, exhaling onto my skin. "Can we find an antidote? That's all we've wanted from the start."

"I don't know... I don't know," I mumble, finally able to tear my eyes away from the screen and down to the floor. I honestly have no answers, maybe an assumption or two.

Harry continues on rambling, his mind in a confused jumble out loud.

"Harry.. I don't know. Let me just, take a minute," I reply, walking off into my room without another word. I immediately sit on the edge of the bed, rubbing my temples. I have to make sense of this.

Barrels of Protector formula stored away, forgotten about. Patrols taking the regular population out of their homes. No Deviants targeted. How is all of this connected?

Is Jeriah using the Protector Core against the citizens? To subdue society even worse than it already is?

The Core is volunteer-based, just as the military. If Jeriah were to force the trials upon the everyday community, it would truly be the Hunger Games here in London.

I don't want to imagine this stretching across England completely...

Jeriah would surely have his divide of who is superior as a Protector and who is less than as a Deviant, pursuing the perfection by eliminating the imperfection.

I know I shouldn't put myself at risk any more than I have lately, but the urge to confront Jeriah surfaces yet again. I could catch a glimpse at what is happening right under own noses, if I made it to the Protector Core headquarters.

Which is not that far from where we are.

"You want to go to the Core's headquarters, don't you?" Harry asks, leaning against the doorframe.

I didn't even hear him come in; my thoughts must be too loud.

I look over to him. "It's not a bad idea."

"That place is covered with Patrols, babe," He warns, folding his arms across his chest. "They are also on the lookout for you, because you're supposed to be dead and gone."

I exhale. "That won't stop me. If they're taking people of this city, normal citizens, then we have to find out why."

Harry nods in approval. He knows that I am not budging on this decision.

He also knows that I'm not leaving his sight, so he has no choice but to come with me. I wouldn't have it any other way; we're a team now.

Harry walks over to my side, gazing down at me. "Okay then. We'll get in and find those answers. But if we do want to figure out what the fuck is going on, we're going to need some help."