Page 35 of Seizing Control: Part Two

Her features are peaceful.

It shocks me how young she appears.

The weight she carries every day is an obvious burden.

Suddenly, I’m almost ashamed of how easily I’ve ignored her backstory in favour of exploiting her talents to my advantage.

I am everything Gabriel has trained me to be.

Single-minded.

Unfeeling.

“Welcome.” My boss breaks the silence. “I think you’ll pleasantly surprised at the mentor I’ve assigned you.”

Turning to face the new recruit, I feel the colour drain from my face. The room tilts. Pulse pounding, mouth dry, a million reasons why this is a bad idea converge in my head. Knowing I can’t voice them, I stare with wide eyes at the last person I expected to see this morning.

“Venom,” Hunter says my old name in shocked voice.

“Fuck. No.” I stand in a hurry, whirling on Gabriel in a rush. “You can’t bring him into this world—he’s a bloody kid.” I’m scrambling for a way to extricate Slash’s younger brother from this mess, and I don’t see the taser until it’s too late. My profanity laden tirade is halfway out of my mouth before I can even think to stop myself. “Of all the stupid, motherfucking choices to make, this is dumbest goddamned one yet?—”

The probes hit me, dead centre in my chest, and the barbs pierce my skin through my shirt.

A modulated electrical current surges through me.

I grit my teeth, dropping first to my knees, then ending up face first on the floor when my boss doesn’t let off the trigger. My heart whooshes in my ears. Involuntary spasms jerk through my body. The dual puncture wounds in my chest burn. When my breath is stripped from my lungs, I gasp. Another burst of electricity makes me bite my tongue. The metallic tang fills my mouth as a low-level groan echoes in my ears.

As Gabriel finally eases off, I fight to breathe again.

Layla drops to her knees in front of me and yanks the nodes from my skin.

“Screw you!” She yells at our boss, “You set him up.”

“I did,” Gabriel replies with a shrug. “And he failed.”

“Goth girl,” I murmur when it looks like she’s about to unleash on him again. Layla peers down at me, her expression worried, her eyes gleaming wetter than normal. “Still wasn’t as bad as the coffee you made me.”

‘Oh, screw you.” She slaps me in the chest. I wince. Layla grimaces, then awkwardly pats my shoulder. “Sh-oot. Sorry.”

Once I’ve hauled myself back to my feet, I flop down in the closest chair. Head thumping, I force myself to meet Gabriel’s eyes. His disappointment is clear. I failed to maintain the façade he needs from me. As much as I’m pissed at him, I’m angrier at myself. The unruly side of my character will be my downfall as Adjudicator if I can’t control it better.

I can’t fail at this.

I must get better.

“I’ll arrange an extra session with your therapist. You have further work to do on your emotional regulation and your articulation,” Gabriel tells me. He accepts the folder Veronica hands him, then slides it onto the table. Opening to the front, he points at Hunter’s personnel sheet. “You’re going to mentor our new recruit. Mould him into your confidant. He’ll also work with the curia’s pharmacists... eventually you’ll turn him into the Adjudicator’s secret biological weapon.” Shooting a fond look at Layla, he adds. “My protégé here will assist you in any way she can, in between her duties for me.”

“Okay.”

Gabriel takes his glasses off.

Veronica hands him a small microfibre cloth.

“I’m pleased with you,” my boss tells me in a tight voice. His focus remains on cleaning his lenses as he continues. “You’re learning quickly... coming along at an unprecedented pace.” After examining his glasses, Gabriel slides his bifocals back onto his face. “And that’s why I won’t take it easy on you—in fact, I’ll be harder on you than I am on anyone other than myself.”

“Noted.”

After the door softly closes behind him, I exchange a long look with Layla.

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