Skyhigh (To be retitled later.)

Chapter 9: Welcome to the town

"This is some powerful stuff." The nurse said as she read the printouts. "It's mainly used for behavior control. And it's experimental. It's currently being tested on violent criminals. The kind with uncontrollable tempers. The kind in maximum security on death row."

Amber swallowed hard. Those pills were in Warren's house. She was sure it was for Warren.  The one time she had encountered his mother, Mrs. Peace, she appeared to be stable.

"And you say you saw this in a house where a teenager lives?" There was disbelief in the middle aged woman's face. "I'm sure of it. He's 19 but he started school late so he got left back. But he does have the making of a nasty temper."

The dark haired woman cocked her head as she regarded Amber with sympathy. "I would recommend you have a witness there whenever you tutor him. This is not a safe situation for you Amber."

"His mother is always gone when I'm there."

"You must get your boss to insist or cancel the tutoring. I don't care how much you want to help him. You are in danger."

"And it looked like it was full."

Trim brows arched in surprise. Worry flickered in her blue-gray eyes. "Nearly full?" Her voice slightly stuttered. "Do you remember what the issue date was?"

"I think it was a couple of months ago. I don't remember exactly."

"What's his name?"

"Warren Peace."

The nurse's hand halted at the keyboard. "Baron Battle's son?"

"Who?"

The nurse swiveled back to the keyboard and rapidly typed on the keys. Then she pivoted the screen for Amber to look. "Is this him?"

Yes it was. The full lips promising so much in one kiss should've had a line of girls out the door waiting for him. And in the time she spent around him, she perceived that he didn't have a girlfriend. Given his temperament and the way he looked at people like a predator sizing up his prey she wasn't surprised either.

"Yes, that's him." The nurse tapped her fingers on the keyboard for a few minutes. Then, she rose and closed her office door.

"This conversation doesn't ever leave the room." Amber looked alarmingly at her. What is it with this kid?

"When I was a little girl, I remembered my father speaking of a powerful man who tried to destroy the town. My father was part of the security detail that is stationed here and he said it was a terrible fight. Baron Battle was like those comic book villains: intelligent, military trained with a penchant for chaos and violence. It took several companies to bring him down plus the addition of an asset. My father showed me pictures of the town before I was born. It resembled the aftermath of a nuclear bomb."

Amber's mind was reeling with this information. She noticed the town had a small local law enforcement but a military sized private force. They were well armed with high tech gear while the locals were outfitted like any standard police officer in any town.

"An asset? An assassin?"

"Not really. Someone powerful, an equal to the Barron. One of the good guys."

Amber idly wondered who in town would fit that description.

"You know, I keep hearing the words power and talent and abilities tossed around a lot but I'm not sure what anyone is referring to?"

The nurses eyes widened. She scrutinized Amber the same way Warren did. "You haven't seen it then?"

"Seen what? All I know is that Warren goes to this school for the Intellectually gifted." That was partially true. She had seen something that day he was teaching her some self-defense, but she wasn't sure what she had been looking at.