Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

CH 6.3 The Past is Bad News

Rile and Cale reluctantly let Scott handcuff them, and as they were led into the room, an unsettling dissonance overwhelmed them. The walls gleamed with a sterile brightness, but in the corner they saw cages of rats and Dr. Dewey handcuffed to a chair. Meanwhile, Alex desperately banged against the sides of her glass prison.

Alex's face went pale as she saw Rile and Cale standing in the room. Swallowing hard, she mumbled an apology.

"How incredibly stupid are you coming in here with Dr. Dewey?" Rile yelled, eyes blazing.

Scott stepped forward, a smirk on his face. "Watch your tone when you speak to my princess," he said coldly. "She is sweet and innocent - no need to be so harsh."

"They know better than that," Brockner said as he entered the room. He looked around leisurely before speaking. "I gave them some background info on the young lady here," he said, nodding at Alex. "Including her early training with the CIA."

"I don't remember anything about the CIA—aaaa!" Alex cried out, her hands pressed against her forehead in anguish as the electrical currents pulsed through the cylinder she was imprisoned in.

Brockner huffed. "You will. You just need some motivation."

"She doesn't need motivation." Dr. Cohan remarked, studying the control board of the machine. "It appears that she has sustained serious damage to the cortex of her brain. Likely due to her abductor."

"So, what does that mean? What are the consequences?" Brockner asked impatiently.

"That's what we're here to discover," Dr. Cohan replied, typing something into the keyboard and bringing the electrical current to an end. "I gave you my analysis. As for the consequences, we'll see."

Alex leaned in relief against the cylinder's side, rubbing her forehead.

"We'll see? Is that your scientific opinion?" Scott sneered.

The doctor ignored him, pressed the large red key, and the door to the cylinder slid open with a hiss.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?" Scott shouted, his gaze moving between Alex and the brothers, trying to keep a bead on all of them.

"You wanted to know the consequences," Dr. Cohan replied calmly. "I say there's no time like the present, is there?" His dark eyes narrowed at Scott in challenge.

Groggy, Alex gingerly stepped out of the glass cylinder, her right toe catching on the edge and making her stumble. She steadied herself with a hand against the tube, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her stomach churned, and she felt a little faint; she rubbed at her forehead to soothe the pounding headache that had arrived with the awakening. "It's about time," she finally said into the stillness, her voice hoarse. "What the hell took you so long? I feel really crappy."

As Alex faced the group, their gazes were heavy with judgment. Some eyes held hints of suspicion, others showed shocked disbelief, and some even harbored faint glimmers of hope. "Agent Brockner, I expect an answer," Alex said. "You take forever to contact me and then blow my cover like some green moron," he said bitterly. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "At least grunt to show you're alive."

"I see you remembered your smart mouth. What else?" Brockner raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

He watched Alex with unwavering intensity as she stepped up to a barred cage and, after a moment of contemplation, reached in for something. When she pulled out a squealing rat, a red aura pulsed around her hand until the rodent fell limp. Without warning, Alex hurled the lifeless creature at Brockner's chest, and it landed with a hollow thud.