The Marked People

Are guns meant to be at peace meetings?

Phoenix

Tension hangs in the air as we drive to the meeting location. It's a warehouse that's under the name of some small trading business. I've never heard of the company before, which means it's either only a small one that deals with local trade, or it's a front. My guess is it's both.

Patrick parks and flicks his eyes up to the rear-view mirror "Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?"

I shake my head and shoot a smile at Indigo "I'm sure Indigo can take whatever they throw at us."

Indigo just stretches her arms out in front of her "I'm more interested in hearing what they have to say, though..." She smiles "If they make a move I won't mind cracking a few heads. Spending all that time around your brother is making me want to punch something."

I frown as she calls Aradonious my brother but don't say anything. Patrick turns this time in the drivers seat "We haven't been able to gather a lot of detail on the organisation but I do know it's name. They call themselves New Horizons."

I snort "Because that's not pretentious or anything."

Patrick isn't amused "It doesn't matter if they're all a bunch of snobs. The point is this, they think they're going to change the world. Be careful in there, people who truly believe something are the most dangerous."

He's right. Reformists might have good intentions but everything can be dangerous when taken to the extreme. Indigo just shrugs though "Radicals or not, I don't care. besides this place needs to change, it might not unless it's given a shove."

I just hope she's right.

Hopping out of the car we both survey the warehouse in front of us. It doesn't look any different the the dozen that lie stacked beside it. In the end we'd decided that instead of trying to convince them all that Indigo was in fact the human experiment we'd have her take on the role of my bodyguard. Until we knew exactly why they wanted her, we weren't going to take any chances. No point laying all our cards on the table until we knew if it was friends or enemies inside.

I slide a look over to Indigo. A tinge of green glide along her markings and I send her a reassuring smile. It doesn't do much though, considering the fact my own markings hold are green. She just shoots the warehouse a glare "According to the design Patrick gave me there are only the cargo doors and a smaller back door. If we walk in there we won't have many options of escaping if everything goes downhill."

It had been one of the worries that had made the car trip so quiet. Now I swallow, trying to get rid of my dry throat. "Then we better hope we're meeting friends."

In front of us the door opens and two marked people dressed to look like nothing more than dock workers spot us. They glance at Indigo but their eyes rest on me "Phoenix, sir, please step this way."

Their own markings are silver, curious, contemplating us, probably wondering why my bodyguard is a woman instead of Patrick. I give them a tightlipped smile, more out of courtesy than anything and follow them inside, Indigo close behind. Inside it's dim, and while I'm sure Indigo's eyes get use to the light almost immediately mine take a minute or so.

In front of us stand three people. Two sport markings and tails but the third is human. I flick a glance at Indigo but her face shows no recognition, whoever this human is, they don't know each other. Relief hits me, which means her identity is safe, at least at the moment. We'd decided early on that I would do the talking to help keep up her role as nothing more than a paid bodyguard.

So I take step forward and raise my hand "Nice to finally meet the ones I've been hearing so much about."

Around me stand men and women, five in total. They tense as I move but make no effort to stop me. One of the marked people, a woman taller than me and with her hair pulled back into a bun steps forward to meet me, shaking my hand as she does "Summer, and it's nice to meet you."