Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)

THIRTY-SEVEN: BACK ON THE BASE

37: Back on the Base

Warner and I jog at a steady pace towards Sector 21's military base. We haven't exchanged a single word for the past fifteen minutes, and at first, I thought I'd make small talk to clear some of the awkwardness away. But then I realize I'm no good with making small talk and Warner, on the other hand, doesn't seem like the person who'd enjoy it.

Besides, he looks too deep in thought right now. I mean, he always does. But lately, he's been more pensive and distracted than usual. I recall the day after Gupta was found out to be the traitor, and we were having breakfast in the mess hall. Warner had glared at me from across the table before stalking out. Then during the wedding, he had given me the same look as I walked down the aisle.

What exactly is his problem? Does he have some sort of issue with me? If he does, he might as well say it now. But how do I broach the topic without coming off as being odd?

"You know, I had an ulterior motive for volunteering to be your partner for this." Warner suddenly says, and the thoughts I'd had earlier abruptly flee my mind. "I've wanted to talk to you for the past few days."

"Then why didn't you?" I counter.

"It wasn't safe."

I give him a sidelong glance. "What do you mean by that? Souseiki Dousa's probably the safest place in this entire sector."

"We were being watched."

"What? And who do you think was watching us?"

"The Reestablishment."

I wish his responses weren't so clipped and cryptic. "After Gupta had been caught, you could've talked to me then."

"It still wasn't safe." He shakes his head as he slows down to a saunter. "Listen, I don't think Gupta's the double agent. He's being used as a scapegoat. There's someone else."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What? And who do you think it is?"

But then he holds up a finger to his lips and glances around. "Shh."

"What are you—"

"Don't look now but someone's following us."

When I instinctively look over my shoulder, Warner immediately slings an arm over my shoulder to stop me. But even then, I was able to catch sight of a moving figure lurking in the distance.

"Didn't I tell you not to look?" Warner chides before letting go. "That guy's been shadowing us since we left the abandoned warehouse. At first, I thought I might be seeing things. But you saw him, didn't you?"

I nod.

"Here's what we're going to do." He instructs. "We're going to transform into Kishimoto, and on my signal, we go invisible. After that, we wait here until he comes closer. Then I grab him from behind and you take him from the front."

"Copy that." I say.

"Okay." Then he pauses a beat. "Now."

In that instant, Warner and I metamorphose into Kenji before blending ourselves into the background. Then we turn around and wait. At first, we see nothing, and then a movement at the corner of my eyes catches my attention. And there he is, cloaked in a dark hood, hiding behind a pile of rubble. Our sudden disappearance seems to throw him off-guard because he then cautiously starts moving towards us at a faster pace.

Once he's close enough, Warner suddenly coils his arms around him, the impact of his weight knocking them both to the ground. It seems like he didn't need my help after all.