I barely had time to think before I was whisked out of the police station, placed in the back of the Agent’s sedan, and swiftly taken to the nearest Bureau of Empowered Investigations building and subjected to a battery of tests.

  For three days I was subjected to a non-stop series of medical scans, and check ups. The only breaks I got were during meals and sleep, which alternated between terrible cafeteria food and local takeout, and when they took me to one of the offices to sleep.

  Of course I would have preferred to go home, or at least a hotel, but I understood why they didn’t. They couldn’t risk letting an Empowered person run around in public, even if there were agents monitoring me twenty-four seven. It could have been worse, they could have placed me in the prisoner lockup instead.

  Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, I was escorted up to the top floor instead of the labs.

  “Where are we?” I asked my escort suspiciously. “This doesn’t look like the lab area.”

  “Tests are done for now,” the gruff agent replied. “Chief wants to see you. This way.”

  I tentatively stepped off the elevator and followed the man, who somehow looked more unkempt than I did, despite not getting to have a proper shower for three days.

  Even though this appeared to be another office level, it was a lot nicer than the one I’d been staying on. The walls had fake wood paneling, instead of fading wallpaper, the floor was carpeted instead of linoleum, and there didn’t appear to be any cubicles, just offices and meeting rooms.

  I tried my best to ignore the people staring at me as I went past, just put my head down and followed as close to the agent as possible, but I could still feel their eyes on me.

  Hairy apparently liked them staring even less than I did, because he ran back and forth between the different people, trying to punch the gawkers, or force them to turn away. Of course he didn’t accomplish anything, but it did make me feel a little better.

  “Just ignore them, we’ll find out what’s going on once we get to this ‘Chief’s office,” Angelica cooed softly. “I’ll even float next to you and block their gazes. Just concentrate on the job at hand.”

  I nodded slightly, and kept my eyes down.

  When we reached the far side of the floor the agent knocked on a frosted glass door. “Yes?,” a deep raspy voice called from inside.

  “It’s Muller, I brought the girl.”

  “Send her in,” came the response.

  Muller, as I’d just learned, opened the door and beckoned me inside. “I’ll wait here until you’re done,” he mumbled.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped into the room, it turned out to be a pretty regular office. It was a little larger than the others I’d passed on the way up here, and the furniture looked a little nicer, but it wasn’t anything extravagant.

  The man behind the desk was massive, he looked like a former body-builder, but with spectacles and a receding hairline. The plaque on his desk said ‘Chief Hackett’, and looking at him I didn’t know if I should feel anxious, or relieved.

  Sitting across from him, in one of the plush guest chairs was my mom. I hadn’t seen her in a couple days, and she looked ragged. Like she hadn’t slept, and just stayed up crying the entire time.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Ms Monroe, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Edward Hackett, head of this branch of the BEI. Sit down, we have a lot to discuss,” the chief said calmly.

  I slowly slunk forward, and slipped into the empty chair next to my mom, and immediately reached out to grab her hand. She smiled, ever so slightly, before turning back towards the chief.

  As soon as I was seated Hairy sprinted across the room, and stuck his face just six inches away from the chief, inspecting him. While I did my best to ignore the bull I did catch the faint sound of metallic clicking from above me. Although it didn’t improve the situation, just knowing that everyone was in the room with me was reassuring.

  Chief Hackett sighed, removed his tiny glasses and looked at me with tired eyes. “I apologize for your accommodations over the last few days, but we had to check, and recheck your results over the last few days. Because of your… unique condition… The entire Bureau has been scrambling, trying to figure out what to do with you.”

  “What exactly is my condition,” I asked quietly. “The doctors have been remarkably tight lipped while they’ve been poking, and prodding me the last few days.”

  “In simplest terms? You have more than enough Prosch particles in your brain to be an Empowered person, but for some reason you don’t show any of the major signs. Your mother tells me you’ve had trouble making friends since you were, what? Five?”

  “Six,” I corrected him quietly.

  “It’s a widely known fact that children are far more sensitive to Empowered people, but we assumed that was due to the I-Waves they emitted. However, based upon the high concentration of Prosch particles in your head we assume you’ve been accumulating particles for years, and since you don’t seem to emit any I-Waves, we can only assume that hypothesis is false. It’s something about the particles themselves that make children uncomfortable,” the chief grumbled. “In addition to that your mother has informed us that you’ve never shown any sign of manifesting powers, like most Empowered people. Unless there’s something you’d like to tell us.”

  I tried my best to ignore the giant red bull who was standing to the side, rummaging through the bookcases like a maniac and smiled softly. “Nothing comes to mind.”

  “I figured,” the chief grumbled before wiping his tired eyes. When he was done he put his glasses back on and stared at me square in the eyes. “I’m not going to lie, you’ve put us in an awkward position. Technically, as it stands, we can’t hold you here. The law states anyone that has a high enough concentration of Prosch particles in their systems to emit I-Waves needs to undergo mandatory Empowered training, and then be moved to an enclave. The risk of a rupture happening in an unsecure, public area, is just too high. As you know.”

  “Since you don’t emit the waves, we can’t hold you. However, there is a small, but vocal minority in the bureau who are advocating for keeping you under lock and key, and constantly monitored, for an extended period to ensure you don’t suddenly emit I-waves later. Another group wants to throw you directly into the education program, despite your lack of powers.”

  My mother trembled at the mention of locking me up. “But they can’t force her, right?”

  “Not yet, but if you two just walk away today, they may attempt something drastic, like forcing new laws through and declaring you a Renegade, it’s happened before,” Chief Hackett replied quietly.

  I knew my mother was on the brink of tears, so I held her hand a little tighter. “So what do you suggest?” I whispered.

  “You can volunteer to enter the Empowered training program, under protected status. That means you’ll be evacuated, instead of being forced to engage any Ruptures that form within the school. If you agree to regular I-Wave readings while you’re there, at the end of the year you can walk away free and clear. The bureau will use those readings to prove you’re not a threat if anyone attempts to go after you in the future.”

  “Assuming the bureau doesn’t change their mind later,” I hissed.

  “Don’t do this Tammy, something smells rotten about the whole deal,” Angelica murmured.

  “But if she doesn’t, they may just come for her later, and the situation will be much worse. At least now she knows what she’s getting into,” Tyberius rattled.

  “Whatever you choose, I’ll protect you!” Hairy declared before going back to his rummaging.

  “Tammy, honey? Please don’t tell me you’re considering this,” my mother whispered.

  “We both know the consequences of just walking away,” I replied quietly.

  My mother shuddered, and a tear came to her eye, but she still nodded.

  “I’ll agree, under three conditions,” I announced. “First, my mother is removed from the blacklist. You must have read her file, and know that she doesn’t deserve to be on it.”

  Chief Hackett nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “Second, my mother gets regular visiting rights, or better yet can stay with me while I’m at school.”

  “That’s difficult, but we can give her protected status, and access to the dorms, if she signs a waiver. The last thing?”

  “Find her a decent job nearby, one she doesn’t have to work over eighty hours a week on, just so we can get by. I doubt her asshole slavedriver boss will ever give her a recommendation, so she’ll need help finding something decent.”

  “Tammy, you don’t have to do this,” my mother whispered quietly, gripping my hand tighter.

  “Maybe… but deep down you know this is probably my best option. If the government comes after me later, things will go much worse, for the both of us.”

  She swallowed, and nodded, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have protected you better.”

  “You have nothing to feel sorry about. This is something you had no control over,” I whispered as I stood up and wrapped my arms around her. “We’ll get through this, I promise.”

  To his credit, the chief waited silently until we were done. When I finally sat back in my chair he raised an eyebrow. “So, what is it going to be?”

  I let out a long, slow breath. “As long as you agree to my conditions, sign me up.”

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