Chapter Twenty-Three
Lauren
T he steam from the coffee in my hands is highly visible in the crisp morning air. The bare tree branches cast a patchwork of shadows across the lawn. My feet are cold, but watching Braxton train with the soldiers is both mesmerizing and unsettling.
Ray cured him—without consent and in a manner that nearly killed Braxton, but it’s impossible to not be happy for Braxton. He not only feels whole again, but he’s been empowered by with physical enhancements. The doctor in me can’t stop worrying, though, about possible side effects for him... as well as for me.
Over the past few weeks, simply by being intimate with Braxton, I’ve changed on the molecular level. Not only can I now camouflage myself to match my surroundings, but I’m also no longer allergic to Mercedes’s cat. Thankfully, neither of us appears at risk of becoming silverware.
Across the lawn, Braxton is sparring with one of the soldiers who can no longer send me random thoughts throughout the day. Our initial bond is broken. What we share now is the knowledge that if the government finds out about any of us, we’ll all be locked away and experimented on.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Ashley says just before hugging me. “Pretty impressive, aren’t they?”
“They truly are.” Braxton moves on to work with another partner. When they first demonstrated their violent method of sparring, I was afraid they’d accidentally kill each other. Dead doesn’t heal. Thankfully, Braxton brought Cole in to explain that very little modern battle is hand-to-hand anymore. They now mostly train to avoid surveillance, to take down drones, and have come to appreciate bulletproof materials.
The sparring is partially for entertainment purposes now, although they claim they need to remain in battle-ready shape.
When Cole learned about Braxton’s transformation, I expected him to want the same for himself. He didn’t and doesn’t. Cole says he doesn’t need to be enhanced to be lethal and has seen enough of the world that he would prefer not to extend his natural lifetime indefinitely. I understand that, and I’m still working on a cure for whatever Inkwell put in their original injections.
“Are you okay about not returning to work?” Ashley asks.
I huff out a laugh which was more of a release of stress than an expression of humor. “Okay isn’t a word I’d use to describe any of this, but I’m not upset, if that’s what you’re asking. This is my purpose now. I’m where I’m supposed to be.” Braxton stops, looks over and waves to me. The love in his expression as well as the love I feel for him in return is something I’ll never take for granted. I wave back, not even trying to hide how happy he makes me.
“You are,” she says softly. “And I love this for you.”
I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but Ashley and I have always been upfront with each other. “Does it feel too perfect? Like the calm before a storm?”
She sighs. “I don’t want to worry my way out of enjoying what we have here, but they did take the news of Inkwell’s existence better than I thought they would. Ray and I had been completely open to each other, but he’s put up a wall around something in his mind, something he feels he needs to protect me from.”
“You think they’re going after Inkwell?”
“Shouldn’t they? Or do you believe they should sit back and allow another generation of soldiers to be created and eliminated?”
“I think this would have been an easier moral decision for me if I didn’t love so many of the people impacted by what Inkwell has done. I want to believe that our government doesn’t know what Inkwell is doing and that shining a light on their activities would bring down a hammer of justice on them. ”
“All that would do is expose everyone here as well as give Inkwell a chance to go underground and continue their work elsewhere. Something like Inkwell can’t be a secret. Someone knows and finances it.”
I inhale deeply. “Braxton has also walled off something in his mind from me. Part of me wants to demand that he tell me what they’re planning, but another part of me loves him more for wanting to shield me from it. What are we supposed to do in this situation?”
Ashley hugs me again. “Trust them. Love them through being wrong if they’re wrong for the right reasons. Ray went too far when he transformed Braxton. He sees that now. He wanted Braxton to be strong enough to survive what’s coming–and you, too. Are you still angry with him?”
I hug Ashley back. “I’m not angry, but his behavior does concern me. Promise me that when the dust settles from whatever they’re planning... you’ll find him someone to talk to. Someone who can help him control the damaged side of him.”
Ashley rolls her eyes. “You mean someone who could talk him through a childhood of abuse, being experimented on and exploited during wartime, then landing in the future as part-time silverware? Does that kind of therapist exist?”
I watch the soldiers train with renewed empathy for their situation. “Not yet, but I’ll expand the focus of my work. I’ve been researching how to help them physically recover but they need more than that. We have the financial ability to seek out and employ mental health professionals who are used to dealing with post-military service trauma.”
“Sounds like you want to create a support facility for super soldiers.”
“It’s what they need.” Pete looks over my way and nods at me. “We could add a dash of matchmaking as well. The soldiers can’t stay hidden on the campground forever. We could help them create full lives for themselves.”
“Mom, you have patients. This is big for you.”
I shoot her a quick look. “Is that rare for me?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m not saying you’re impatient, I’m celebrating that you are no longer choosing to heal only those you don’t need to see again. I’m proud of you.”
I actually blush at that. “Ditto, kiddo.”
“Seriously. You’re amazing.” Ashley lays her head on my shoulder. “When I grow up I want to be just like you.”
“Ashley, you are grown up.”
She chuckles. “Okay, then when I’m old, old, old...”
I lay my head on hers briefly. “Now you’re pushing your luck.”
We both smile at that.