IMPENDING DOOM

15

✥
FIFTEEN
Devil
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៚ COMMANDER WALTERS PACED HIS OFFICE, SURROUNDED BY AGENTS. He was sweating but chills swam up and down his spine. The last time he felt this ill was when he pulled the trigger and took the life of a girl, who gave it to him in protecting a boy. He heard the gunshot in his ears, her body hit the floor, the boy screaming.

"Sir?"

He had forgotten he had company. "Repeat, Agent. Apologies, but I wasn't listening."

She gave a single nod, tapping a Ziplock bag full of broken metal on his desk. "We tracked the energy source that you asked of us, but all we found was this."

Commander Walters sat down quickly, before his legs could abandon him. "Very good."

"That was days ago, sir."

"Yes, I know." He had postponed the meeting as long as possible, fearing what they might bring in. He wasn't certain what was worse: his agents finding the boy or the broken restraints. Both wreaked havoc on his soul.

"What were we looking for, sir?" she boldly asked of him. "What is Project Shadow?"

She then narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "Or should I say, who is Shadow?"

The old man shuddered and sputtered. He gripped the arms of his chair like a lifeline. "Know your place!"

"I know my place very well, sir," she said plainly. "But when it comes to children, I'm afraid you and I aren't on the same page."

"That beast is no child!" he roared before he remembered himself. "And what do you know?"

"I read the files. Remember when I said I found something when wiping Robotnik off our database? Did you think I just glanced at a name, sir?"

"You are not authorized to that information!"

"Your grandfather authorized two children to be experimented on—one of those children being the granddaughter of Gerald. What sick man experiments on his own flesh and blood, let alone on children period? And you! You followed in his footsteps. You allowed this to happen—continue to happen. You let that child suffer on purpose."

"I followed orders. I still follow orders."

"You're a monster. That child did nothing to you."

"It is not a child."

"I believe fifteen years old makes him just so."

Ice climbed up the commander's ribs. He had no idea the boy was that young.

"And that young boy's only crime is existing. His heart beats no different than yours but you put him in a cell. How would you like if your grandson was taken from you and treated like that?"

He ground his teeth. "You're dismissed."

She held her ground. "I know you tried to lock up the Wachowski's son. And that poor woman, conned into a wedding. That was so low of you and Agent Handel to use her like that. All to get your greedy hands on a harmless child. All. Your. Orders. You're terrible."

"Out," he hissed.

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. The other agents were silent, looking to their commander, who said repeated himself in a roar. Quickly they all scrambled out.

⋆ ═══ ★ ═══ ⋆

Shadow kept his rage in check, but his fists were alright with red sparks and the lights overhead flickered. He walked in through the heavy doors, deeply breathing and humming a quiet mantra. The scattered agents, clad in black, armed with top-of-the-line weapons, noticed the flickering lights and all stopped when their gaze fell upon him.