DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

XXIV.

"Sir if you just review the camera footage from earlier, you'll just see this whole thing is a misunderstanding."

Despite the formality and politeness of Blyke's tone, there was an evident, bitter edge of exasperation that cut through.

"Hm," the officer said thoughtfully, oblivious to his agitated nuances, "I always knew that guy was a snake."

How were they able to mask such scandalous intentions by marketing it as a business? There were proper steps that had to be taken in order to join a general market, such as valid licensing, business registration, and even obtaining government IDs. To be able to breeze through strict regulations required strategically illegal tactics, which would've been impossible to do as a two-man job. These people....they must've had shady contacts that allowed them to worm their way around laws.

And that in itself, with their inconspicuous methods, made them all the more dangerous.

"Alright, i'll look things over." The officer said sternly. "You kids better not do anything funny before I get back!"

As soon as the officer left, Isen raised his entrapped hands, his eyes glowing in annoyance.

"Are you kidding me? Do they really think they can hold us back with these dinky cuffs? I could break out of these easily!"

"Hey, cut it out!" Blyke replied sharply. "You'll get us into more trouble."

"Isen...." Remi began quietly, catching both the boys' attentions, "these cuffs weren't designed for people like us."

"Then what's the point?"

"Alright, answer me this," she said as she formulated a new angle, "Earlier, why did you let yourself get caught by security? You're clearly stronger than him."

"Well I didn't want to get screwed over later on." Isen replied simply.

"Yeah, he's got the authorities backing him. And who wants to stand against them?" Blyke added.

"Exactly. It's the same deal with these cuffs." Remi said as she averted her eyes to her restraints. "They're perfect for restraining mid-tiers. But for us, they serve more as a reminder." Her eyes darkened. "'Don't cross the line. You may be strong but the authorities will always stop you.' "

"....That's deep." Isen stated.

"Yeah, you sure know a lot about these cuffs?" Blyke raised a brow.

"Uh...well...." Her eyes roamed around the ceiling of the room as she gathered her thoughts. "I"ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I get that the authorities are made up of some really powerful people, but what if someone like Seraphina or Arlo ever decided to challenge them?"

Three pairs of eyes instantly shifted to me as I averted my eyes down to my own restraints.

How primitive.

I skeptically shifted my eyes down to my hands, curling my hands into loose fists. The thick slab of metal gave very little leeway for my wrists to naturally rotate, with each movement earning an exasperating throb near the base of my hands. How easy would it be to break these off? If I acquired enough speed, it would be easy enough to shatter them like peanut brittle. As easy as executing an escape could be, it would only further agitate the authorities if we broke free.

But, although unsaid, the authorities knew that. Three hits and I could leave this room scot-free. However, it wasn't a matter of restraining us; like Remi said, this was to specifically stress the reign of power they could exert over us. Even though it was only a sliver of power, the authorities wasted no time seizing it and using it against us once we exposed our vulnerabilities. If there was any disadvantage, if any faint of weakness that was shown, the authorities definitely would not hesitate to go in for the kill.