Chapter 6 #2
My hands curled into fists as a spike of rage shot through me. He didn’t get to silence her when she was going to speak to me.
I inhaled deeply, forcing the rage down into a cold, hard knot in my gut. I projected boredom, but my eyes never left her face.
“The rogue presents a unique threat,” an Aegis representative stated. “We need both League and Alliance resources.”
“And my particular talents?” I asked.
“That’s where your punishment comes in,” the Syndicate shadow said.
“Your public rescue of Keeper Bishop has created a unique opportunity. We’re going to capitalize on that chemistry.
The Alliance and Syndicate are drafting a contract in which you and Keeper Bishop will begin a relationship. For the cameras, of course.”
Annie’s sharp intake of breath was audible through the feed. “No. I’m not a civilian or an actor. Protocol—”
“Protocol is what we say it is,” the Syndicate member cut in. “This arrangement serves multiple purposes. It provides cover for you so you can investigate the identity of the rogue and satisfy the public’s obsession with Cipher’s rescue of you.”
They thought this was a punishment? They were handing me the key to the henhouse. They were mandating that I touch her and drag her into my world.
“And what exactly,” I drawled, “do you expect Keeper Bishop to do to find your rogue? Does she have some special trick I should know about?”
Annie’s eyes narrowed. “It doesn’t matter, because I refuse to take part in this publicity stunt.”
A Syndicate member leaned forward. “Keeper Bishop, if you were League, such a refusal would result in severe punishment. We don’t tolerate insubordination.”
An Aegis member started to speak. “As representatives of the Alliance, we insist—”
“That’s enough. Annie is my Keeper.” Havoc’s tone left no room for argument.
My. The word grated against my nerves.
“And while she serves the Alliance, she is under my protection,” he continued. “I will not have her coerced.”
“That may be,” one of the Aegis members said. “But Annie knows what’s at stake if a rogue Trueborn is left to roam free.”
Annie’s face paled, the blood draining from her lips.
I stopped smiling. I wanted to find the Aegis asshole who’d spoken and break his neck for causing her distress.
“Sparrow,” Havoc said, with more than a hint of warning. “Do not push me.”
Sparrow. The fucker’s name was noted.
Annie’s head turned and she started to speak to Havoc. He cut her off with a curt “no” before the audio from their feed went mute.
My fingers twitched.
Secrecy. Exclusion. I hated it. I hated watching them exist in a private world where I couldn’t reach. I tapped the translation button, hungry for the data, but the software errored out. Havoc was using something that interfered with my program and I was absolutely shit at reading lips myself.
I watched Havoc argue with the Aegis in silence. He looked protective and righteous while Annie looked pale. Annie’s lips moved and Havoc and the Aegis stopped talking.
Annie directed something at Havoc. He scowled, but nodded at her words. Finally, she reached forward and unmuted herself. “Fine, I understand. I’ll find the rogue.”
Havoc looked like he wanted to argue, but he stayed silent.
I leaned forward, unable to resist. “So you want me to date the very Keeper who has tanked my ratings with you? How romantic.”
“I didn’t tank your ratings, and it isn’t dating,” she snapped, her eyes flashing. “It’s fake. Completely scripted. And I’ll still have my cuff. I’m sure you remember what it can do.”
“Keeper Bishop,” I purred, “please don’t threaten me with a good time.”
The flush that spread across Annie’s cheeks was immediate and devastating. It started at her neck and bloomed upward, a map of her blood heating under her skin.
“I’m sure we can generate similar sparks for the cameras,” I continued. “Though perhaps with less property damage next time.”
“Stop wasting our time,” one of the Aegis members snapped. “Every moment spent on this theatrical display is another moment our rogue has with the Hammer.”
“There are a few things I don’t understand.” I crossed my arms, keeping my posture relaxed, though every muscle was coiled. “First, I would still like to know how Keeper Bishop is supposed to find this rogue? And second, how does playing boyfriend to a Keeper make me more villainous?”
“The first question is none of your concern,” the distorted Syndicate voice said sharply. “And we strongly suggest you do not pursue that line of inquiry further. Any investigation into Keeper Bishop’s methods will result in immediate sanctions.”
I caught the slight narrowing of Annie’s eyes, the way her fingers twitched against the desk.
She was hiding something. They all were.
And the Syndicate had just made a fatal error.
They had told me not to look. Which meant I was going to tear her life apart until I found exactly what they were trying to hide.
“As for your second question,” another Syndicate member drawled, “you’re a Villain. Be creative. I’m sure you can make this arrangement work to your advantage.”
“So you’re giving me carte blanche to corrupt a Keeper? To take the Alliance’s pristine little symbol and drag her down into the mud with me?”
“Like hell—” Annie started.
“None of that will be happening,” an Aegis member cut her off, sighing heavily.
“The arrangement is for cooperation, not corruption. None of the camera angles captured Bishop’s face clearly.
We’ve agreed that her identity will remain confidential.
She’ll be masked during all public appearances with you.
This protects both her and the integrity of the Alliance. ”
A Syndicate member chimed in with a dismissive wave. “A masked lover fits your branding better anyway. Much better than being seen with an uptight, frigid Keeper.”
Annie’s face changed and her eyes dropped momentarily, her shoulders tensing, shrinking in on herself. She looked small.
I hated it. Their insult grated, not because it was cruel, the Syndicate didn’t deal in kindness. It grated because he was looking at her. Assessing her. Wondering what lay beneath her exterior.
A surge of anger flooded through me.
Get your eyes off her.
No one else got to map her edges. No one else got to speculate on her heat. She wasn’t theirs to judge. She was mine to consume.
Havoc leaned over Annie’s shoulder, placing a protective hand near her arm. “I think we’ve established the parameters of this arrangement. I assume we’ll be contacted with the details of her first public appearance with Cipher.”
“Looking forward to it,” I drawled.
“Just remember,” Annie said, her voice tight, “this is strictly for show. Don’t get any ideas about—“
“About what? Worried you might actually enjoy playing pretend with me?”
“Never,” she hissed.
“Careful, Bishop. I love a challenge.”
“Enough.” An Aegis member’s voice cracked like a whip. “We will send a contract outlining the terms of this arrangement to both parties within the hour. We expect full compliance.”
“If there’s nothing else?” I kept my voice casual, though my blood was singing with adrenaline.
“Dismissed,” came the chorus of voices before the feeds cut out.
I ran a hand through my hair.
What was this special ability they were hiding? Something that made her uniquely qualified to hunt a rogue. Something worth protecting with threats from both the Syndicate and the Aegis.
I had pulled her file the day Havoc named her his Head Keeper. Standard operating procedure.
But the data had been frustratingly, artificially thin. Basic employment history with the Alliance. Standard Keeper qualifications. A suspiciously rapid ascent through the administrative ranks culminating in an exclusive, permanent assignment to the Tower.
There were no family connections. No childhood medical records. No teenage indiscretions. It was as if Annie Bishop had simply materialized out of thin air the day she put on her uniform.
I hadn’t pushed for more information at the time because I had been actively trying to ignore the infuriating little Keeper and the way my pulse ticked whenever I saw her. I hadn’t wanted to feed the obsession.
But now? Now the Aegis and the Syndicate were practically holding hands to protect whatever secret method she used to track a rogue Trueborn. The governing bodies of Heroes and Villains alike, united to keep me from looking too closely.
I exhaled, trying to reign myself in, before turning on my heel. “I’ll be in the lab. No interruptions unless the building is literally on fire, and even then, assess whether it’s worth disturbing me.”
Alone in my lab, I set up a full background search on Annie to tear her digital life apart.
Once that was running, I pressed my forearm against the scanner embedded in my workstation.
A thin red light traced the outline of my arm, detecting the implant nestled between muscle and bone.
It was my greatest creation, a technological marvel that masked my Trueborn signature, making me appear as just another serum-enhanced Super.
The scan showed the suppression system was functioning at optimal levels. No anomalies detected.
Fucking good. The last thing I needed was a malfunction while spending time with someone who might be able to detect Trueborn Supers. If Annie had some method of tracking rogues, I couldn’t risk her seeing what I really was.
The “treatments” they administered to Trueborns would result in a chemical lobotomy for me. The suppression shot would cut out the parts of my mind that made me a genius and leave a hollow, compliant shell. They would destroy what made me me and call it mercy.
I’d rather die than let them take my mind.