The Boy in the Gray Hoodie

6...

6…

James stared blankly at the monitor in his office, watching as Marley entered the cell with the subject, throwing caution to the wind as she allowed him to look at her face. That was it—the trigger that they had been trying to avoid all these years.

            “Dammit Marley. What the hell.” He snarled at the flat screen mounted to the wall above his desk. Slamming his coffee down, James got up from his chair and threw open the door, charging down the hall toward the lab. Before he got there, he managed to regain a bit of his composure and started to think. Maybe this wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe, just maybe, this situation Marley had created could be useful. Probably not for her, but definitely for him.

            Slowly, James thought through his plan. He was still standing in the hall just outside the lab when Marley emerged a short time later. She was surprised to see him, and was obviously working to hide it.

            “James,” she brushed a few unruly strands of hair from her face and then crossed her arms. “I thought you had a court date today.” She said, biting her lip.

            James shook his head. “That was yesterday.”

            “Oh,” she shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll go get started on the final paperwork.” She slowly made her way around him. “I’ve already finished packing up the break room, even though the company said they would do it. I didn’t want them to break my dishes.”

            “You did buy all those dishes, didn’t you?” James responded, making small talk. He needed her relaxed so that when he divulged his plan, she would be that much more shocked.

            “Yeah,” Marley nodded. “And the silverware. I guess I’ll have two extra sets now. Maybe the new lab will need them.”

            “You know what else the new lab will need?” James inquired, pressing his shoulder against the wall. Marley turned back around, eyeing him queerly. “Trustworthy assistants. Honest staff. People that don’t lie to me about their behavior. People who stick to their contract.” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

            Marley’s back stiffened. She stood there in silence for a moment, and then shook her head with a sigh. “Damn you, James.” She laughed bitterly. “Letting that boy feel like a human being for once in his life isn’t going to hurt anyone,” she stated.

            “You put this whole project at risk!” James countered, jabbing his finger in her direction.

            “What project?” Marley snapped. “There is no project, James! It’s over. They are shutting us down.”

            James shook his head. “You think that makes a difference? There are still rules, Ms. Salvatore. And you broke them.”

            Marley’s eyes narrowed. “What are you going to do? Punish me with silence like you do with him?” She chuckled humorlessly. “You can’t do anything to me James. And after almost seventeen years, you shouldn’t want to.”

            James frowned. “Regardless of how long we have worked together Marley, I still have to do the right thing.”

            “The right thing?” her voice turned shrill and she came charging toward him in anger. “The right thing, James, is to get that boy out of here!” she shouted.