Tristan
Enemy's territory, that's what Talon's HQ was for me. I was greeted by the Archivist himself in the lobby and followed him to a small meeting room with glass walls opening to a busy open space office beyond. A slim woman with dark eyes black straight hair, prominent cheek bones and features marking her as having close indigenous ancestry was sitting there, waiting for us. She pinned me with not at all friendly gaze when I entered. The Archivist sat down beside her and reached for a file laying on the table.
"This is Lieutenant St Anthony. Lieutenant, this is Stealth. According to the agreement between Talon and the Order of St George, the Order will participate in releasing any potentially dangerous dragons from Talon's service and into normal human society. This is to ensure that these ex-employees don't pose any threat to humans.
Stealth is a viper and until recently new leader of vipers. She wishes to leave her... service. On our side we shall monitor Stealth's assimilation, financial activities and communication for 50 years. You will visit Stealth with intervals you yourself decide and evaluate if you still agree with our assessment. This is the first meeting. Proceed."
It took all I had not to gape. Ever since vipers have entered this agreement, we knew that this would happen, they would have not gone to such lengths for nothing. But I had no idea how to assess if a dragon assassin is fit to dwell among humans. I was not entirely sure how I felt about dragons apart from Ember and Riley. I was a soldier not a social worker for fuck's sake.
But this was my objective and I wasn't stupid, you do not live long as a soldier without instinctive knowledge of danger and good risk assessment skills.
So I decided to fish around and feel my gut about this... viper. I turned to Stealth and was again struck by her perfect mimicking of human woman. She returned my gaze with calm and almost warmth and a chill run down my spine.
"Why do you want to leave Talon?" I asked.
"I do not wish to kill for them anymore. If we are no longer at war, if humans are no longer hunting dragons, then the intire premise of vipers is obsolete." She answered calmly.
"Then why do you want to live among humans? You could get reassigned within Talon..." I pressed.
"Same reason. It is no longer dangerous for me to be out among people, so I want to try it. I want to be free. I want to meet people in their natural environment and make up my mind about them."
I wanted to be free too. If only this was so simple.
"Where are you going to live?" I asked her.
"I own a beach house, I was thinking about going there first, get my bearings. I always wanted to travel but I understand, that I have to meet with you quite often in the start."
"Fine." I said. "I'll see you in a month."
"Well then." The Archivist pushed the file towards me. "Here are all the information you need about Stealth, her address, her human name and our agent's contact information, should you need... assistance."
I took the file and leafed through documents inside. There was not much, copy of birth certificate, address, a phone number. I closed the file and proceeded to say my goodbyes.
***
Garret listened carefully when I reported about my meeting with Stealth. He leafed through the papers I brought on her. "Her human name is Cora Harris? How old is she?" The question surprised me. "Maybe thirty?" I guessed and Garret grimaced. "So she is hundreds of years old adult dragonell and she suddenly decides to leave Talon, why?"
I asked myself the same question ever since I have met her. "Because she can?" I offered.
"But why the hurry? She wanted to leave right away, made a deal with us to make it possible for vipers to leave. Why work for Talon for centuries and leave now?" Garret was visibly frustrated with not having any good bet.
"And something is wrong with Ember. But I cannot find out what, because she will not see me." This was something else.
"Just because a girl dumps you, doesn't mean something is wrong with her Garret." Sometimes I forgot, that he was just a kid.
"Not that." He ignored my sarcasm. "Riley is her life mate and they are together now, but he looks like shit, acts deranged and he told me, that she is not herself." I had nothing to say to that.
"Think about implications of it Tristan. If Ember is not who we thought she was, and she is now CEO of Talon... It can mean all kind if things. How is rebuilding of our base going?"
He was a soldier again. Duty before heart.
"Don't worry about that. We have a fireproofed the armory and Madison said that no mouse can sneak in through our security system." I said.
"But can we trust Madison?" He countered. "She had a plan for getting me killed in her laptop, a plan that would have worked if not..." He
Trailed off. "And she had no problem with being with me at the same time."
"What? She have been with you?" I asked dumb.
"Yes after the first day of renegotiations at Talon, I needed to talk to Jade and Madison just tagged along and then followed me to my room at the hotel..." Garret answered unabashed as I felt anger boiling inside of me.
"Stop, that's enough. I don't want to hear goddamn details!" I interrupted him and he looked up at me realising... nothing! There was nothing to realise!
"I'm sorry Tristan. I had no idea you were interested in her. I am such a mess after Ember dumped me I didn't think clearly..." He really thought this can be explained?
"Spare me. I wasn't that interested. And it may be for the best if she just happens to end in bed with anybody, because they have a room beside hers." Vitriol inside of me was fighting with concern for Garret and Madison, fuck it and fuck them.
"She isn't. She was a virgin." Garret said and I lunged at him. He reacted instinctively and we wrestled briefly before I managed to trip him and pin him to the floor. He was harder to keep a hold on than an eel but I have had enough. I pushed him one last time, quickly stepped away and left the command center.
I drove through the desert not minding directions. I had no right to be angry. I didn't even know, how much I was into Madison, until I heard, that Garret fucked her casually, because she happened to be there.
Hours later the storm inside my head eased down enough for me to stop and think. Garret could punish me severely for laying my hands on him, my Commander. Madison was now probably as infatuated with him, as she was with their squad leader right before. The girl apparently only liked the guys who would never be hers. The Order was destroyed, if I just continued to drive, probably nobody would do anything to pursue or retrieve me. I could just leave. Find another girl, get my own life. I recovered well from being blasted to pieces alongside that chapel tower. I could work.
I exited the car to stretch and stood there, watched the sun set. West was just as good direction as any. As the last ray of sun disappeared painting the surrounding arid landscape in blue hues I made my decision. I started the engine and drove off at speed as if fearing, that I could reconsider if I lingered.
It was late night when I arrived, but it did not deter me. I was not challenged by Joseph guarding the gate, so I guessed, that Garret have not told anybody about our wrestling match. I went to our quarters and knocked on his doors hard enough to raise a dead, in case he was asleep.
But he answered his doors quickly and was still dressed. He seemed wary.
"A word?" I said and he nodded. "Let's go to the command center." He said.
Once there neither of us sat down. We watched each other gauging the risks of saying something. At last I decided to start with something that seemed to be the least of it.
"Are you going to punish me?" I said.
Garret seemed momentarily confused as to what I was talking about.
"What? No! Don't think about it." He said.
"I'm sorry." I said and he nodded.
"I thought you would not come back." He said helplessly.
"I debated doing just that." I said truthfully.
"I would have hated to part with you like that. In anger. I am grateful you came back even if it's just to say goodbye." He said and I noticed a kind of weariness and fatalism in him that have not been there before.
"Oh stop it! This is not why I came back." I said not wanting to let him be too pathetic.
"Then why did you come back?" He asked.
"I came for you." I said. "I came because you are the closest person I have left in this world. And you are just a kid. And you have recently discovered, that the Order of St George, killed your mother and lied to you all your life. Your father died partially of your hand. The girl that was your first love broke your heart and when you turned to another, she turned out to be a traitor. And I would be a bad brother, if I left you alone now. Don't cry Garret!" But he did anyway. He sat down on one of the chairs and hid his face in both hands bracing his elbows on the edge of the table. I stood waiting for him to stop. This made me sure, that I have made the right decision. Garret never cried. Then I stepped to stand beside him and patted his shoulder. At last he wiped his face on his sleeve and cleared his throat.
"Thank you." He said. "But there is more, that I haven't told you." He seemed even more pained as he continued. "When the Patriarch shot me and you made dragon blood transfusion. It changed my body. Ember got Talon's lab to run testes and I am now aging at the same rate as a dragon. I regenerate at their speed and some of my senses are enhanced too, that I have found out by myself." He paused as if unsure if what he was going to say was a good idea.
"Madison. I wanted it to be her because she already knows about dragons..."
This was not okay. Not towards Madison and anybody but I understood him. Loneliness can feel like a deadly thing after being so close to this one person.
"Stop it Garret. You don't need an excuse to want Madison, every man in this base low key wants her, probably even Josh." I said impatiently.
"I don't get it Tristan. You always could get any girl you wanted. Why didn't you just make your move?" Garret said.
"I didn't know there was a hurry. She's just arrived here. Have I known that in your grief after losing Ember you'd stumble and land in between her legs I would have!" I was still angry about that.
"You can still do this. I have no claim on her." He said carefully.
"Shut up! This you cannot order me about. Love her or leave her, but don't make whatever you choose about me." I was fed up. Garret could have been perfect soldier and prodigy, but deep inside he was a kid and I have had enough of his childishness for now.
"How about we talk tomorrow?" I said. "I'm exhausted."
Notes:
Seventh POV, because who can tell me "no"? I don't think Tristan is going to have a baby BTW. He explicitly says he doesn't want to have kids in "Inferno" and I have a feeling, that after looking after Garret, he might want to just enjoy his life, should he ever caught a break ;)