She Will Persist

10

Axel

As soon as I closed the door behind me, Owen released James from the headlock. The redhead immediately dropped to his knees, coughing and taking in huge gasps of air.

"What the actual fuck was that?" Owen towered over him and demanded. His deep blue eyes gleamed under his spidery-thin white blond hair.

It took James a moment, but he eventually strained to his feet and violently swiped at the trickle of blood coming out his nose. His usual tranquil stature was gone, replaced with high shoulders and trembling hands balled into tight fists. The tears that Hunter provoked were long gone. His red hair was raked to his left from the fight.

He put a hand on the wall beside him and used it for balance while he rubbed his synthetic knee cap in circles. "That was me getting even," he told Owen harshly.

Owen rubbed his forehead painstakingly. "You did exactly what he wanted James..." He dropped his hand. "You let him get to you. Why couldn't you just keep it in?" His blue eyes were round and worried, not at all what they were when he patrolled the hallways day and night.

"Some people have a little more trouble than others," James said forcefully, still rubbing his bad knee. "Some people don't have the stubborn ability to take shit all the damn time."

"Believe me, I'd quit if I could," Owen said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you and I both know that we can't just walk out of here." James rolled his eyes defiantly. "You think I like being his personal assistant? Waiting on him 24/7, spying on my friends all the time?" Owen asked, knitting his blond eyebrows together.

"I don't care if you like it. Neither does Flagg, but you do it anyway," James snapped at him. "I tried to do what you asked, sit back and just accept getting bullied, let myself get physically beaten all the time." Owen's gaze softened, but James' tone got fiercer. "I get shit from morons like Martin and Patterson, I get kicked and mocked and disowned, and you obey Flagg's every word, the man who made it all happen!" James yelled, drawing in a large breath.

I still couldn't believe that Owen was the one that he had "fraternized" with. The Director said he expelled the guy, he actually did expel someone, but I guess Owen was too important to let go, James too, and he wanted it to look real. Flagg made sure they'd never see each other again, at least not in person anyway. Owen could only see James through the cameras. And Owen was so...austere. He was dedicated, serious, focused and loyal. Except for right now. Maybe this was what he was like when he was with James; he wasn't as governing or as stubborn, more like gentle and kind. But he was older and bigger than James, and even their hair clashed. James was the nerd, Owen the jock if you wanted it calculated into high school movie clichés. It was just hard to picture in my head. And I had absolutely no idea, no premonition or even suspicion whatsoever that Owen was gay. I suppose he's the real spy here in that case.

And Zach was involved too? Somehow? God, all the new information blowing up in my face made me want to squint and rub my temples. The story that nobody at the agency really knew the exact truth behind, the one that had been twisted and spun for years practically into a legend, I finally knew the truth about. But the scariest thing was that it all made sense.

Zach and Owen had been in the same training group years back. They were good friends actually. Maybe Zach figured out what Hunter had too, but just never told the Director. I desperately wanted to fill in the gaps in the fiasco, the infamous scandal that earned James bruises almost every day of his life since the final incident. But the boys involved clearly didn't want to talk about it. Well, James didn't. Not all high on adrenaline and pulsing aggression like he was now. It was a new look for the usually passive 23 year-old.