In the blue room, Jax hurled darts at the board, a toothpick clamped between his teeth, when the door flew open.
"Reese sure is taking his time today." Alina said as she sat down with a thud. Jax didn't pay her any attention, ignoring her as he walked past her and to the desk resting against the floor to ceiling window.
Alina watched him as he walked by, "are you deaf or are you just being an ass?"
Jax picked up the box of darts and set it on the stool in front of Alina, making her scoff. "Yeah, an ass." She muttered under her breath. Curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "what are you doing?"
Silence.
She got up to see for herself as the curtain was blocking the view of the dart board. It was an image of Kent. Alina turned to look at him, "are we still on this?" Jax didn't respond.
"He's dead, Jax. Dead. You will never get a rematch."
"Bull." Jax finally said a word and Alina sighed. "Get over yourself. It's been eleven years, you've fought way more monstrous and formidable foes. No way you're this hung up over a dead teenager who I'm sure you can remember… was a failure. He flopped in every attempt to make him a homonculus."
Jax smiled through gritted teeth, "that's why you're the weakest of us all. He wasn't weak."
Alina sighed. She ignored the jab about her strength. In terms of the homonculus' raw strength, she was nothing compared to jax and the other front fighters. They would all be dead if it weren't for her powers not that she expected the muscle heads to understand. She was indispensible to the president's forces and that was enough.
She got up to leave, turning towards the door. "I'm not sure what has got your panties in a twist Jax." She sighed, "it's a beautiful day. Let's not ruin it by having the president walk in on you turning his favorite project into a pinata."
She walked out of the office and into the corridor, heading for the underground lab where the other sins were.
"Jax has lost his damn mind." She said as she opened the door, slouching down on yet another couch.
"Living up to his model, of course." Rodri who was glued to his game said. "It has nothing to do with being pride. He's obsessing over Kent. Again."
"Kent? Isn't that the hundreth time this week?" Rachel chipped in. Her head was still buried in her endless pile of paperwork. She was the president's press secretary.
"His obsession is getting a bit wild don't you think? We wouldn't want him spiralling." Alina voiced her concern.
"Nah. Jax is all bark and no bite without orders."
"We all know better than acting without an order from the commander. Look where it got Kent, With all his potential, he was disposed of like he meant nothing." Rodri said, "I know that it's kind of your place to look after all of us but I think you're worried for nothing." He added with a small smile.
Maybe he was right. Alina thought to herself.
"Do you think so too, Rach?" Alina asked and Rachel shrugged, "how should I know?" She got up from her seat, "some of us have real jobs asides being a sin you know. Like being the president's press secretary for example. I know the country has relatively been at peace for a while but I cannot and will not worry about a grown ass man." She started piling up the numerous sheets of paper.
"I wish Richmond would just computerize everything already. But that puts everything and everyone at risk." She grumbled to herself.
"If he is so obsessed with the possibility that Kent could be alive, I'd be happy to put in a word to the president and have him lead the Kent recovery team but we all know that would be a sorry waste of our time and resources." Rachel added. Alina stared at her as she tried to make something of the mess of documents.
Maybe she was worried for nothing.
"All this to say, Alina, Jax is fine." Jon chipped in. He had been wearing his headphones leading everyone to think he had not been listening."
"It's not necessaringly Jax I care about." Alina toned down her voice, "can you imagine what would happen if the president found out?"
Rachel rolled her eyes, "you're doing it again, Alina!"
"What?!" Alina yelled back at her. "Okay now, ladies, Order in the lab please." Jon was standing up now.
"You both have valid complaints. Both would be solved if you two just stay quiet and do nothing."
"But-" Alina tried to say.
"Let me handle Jax. He's my twin." He placed a hand on her shoulder. Rachel scoffed and exited the lab. Kent was gone and that was her prayers answered. She refused to be kicked to the curb again.
"Thank you." Alina said before adding, "why can't she see where I'm coming from?" Her and Rachel were the only women in the group and as much as she tried to act indifferent, Alina hated the fact that Rachel couldn't seem to stand her from the moment hey first met.
Jon pinched her cheek, "you know her feelings towards Kent." Alina went as red as a tomato, "Kent has been dead for nearly twelve years now." She stated the obvious.
"I guess." Jon said, making Alina raise a brow.
"You guess?"
Jon shrugged, "nothing."
"Speak." Alina said, voice flat.
"He doesn't think Kent is dead!" Rodri yelled from his station, "what?!" Alina yelled before placing both hands over her mouth.
"Why would you think that?" She asked, her voice now a whisper.
"The lab isn't bugged, Alina. You can speak freely." Jon said, "I just…I don't think Kent would just die."
Alina looked at Jon and then Rodri, "what?!" Rodri asked with his arms apart defensively.
"Don't tell me you're all thinking this. How long was I out of the loop? Are you guys looking for him?"
"Oh my God! Don't tell me-" She freaked out.
"Of course not. If we were looking for him, that would mean we're gearing up for war." Rodri sighed, "I love a good spill of blood but I don't wanna fight no demon." He said, referring to Kent.
"Kent isn't a demon." She heard herself say in response and both men smiled. Her mind flashed to the boy who took more bullets for her than she could count, literally and figuratively. Not a monster, not to her.
"Don't you mean wasn't?" Rodri asked and Alina blushed.
"That is the exact reason why Rachel wants to spill your guts." Jon chipped in.
"What?!" Rachel was puzzled.
Jon sighed, "nobody is looking for Kent. Alive or dead, we witnessed his body being burnt to ashes. The president doesn't let his urn out of his sight."
"That just sounds like you convincing yourself." She said.
"Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong." Jon said, heading towards the door.
"I'll handle Jax." He reassured her before exiting the lab, leaving just her and Rodri.
"What?" He asked, "nothing." She said in response before leaving as well.
~
In the main laboratory, Professor Reese had returned and was working on his new project, installing new software on the homonculus' weapons.
"Yo, prof!" The sound of the very familar voice made Reese roll his eyes internally. It was Leed, gluttony, who was his self acclaimed assistant since the fighting seized. Reese appreciated working alone but Leed appreciated working with him.
"I told you not to come in without permission." The professor said without taking his eyes of the burrette. He carefully poured the oxide into the empty test tube. Crack.
"Was it supposed to do that?" Leed asked.
"Only if there is more than one person staring at the tube, goddamit Leed, what do you want?"
"Is Kent alive?" He asked the question that Reese never wished to hear within the walls of the presidential villa. He was determined to keep his cool and so he flashed a small smile, "are you using again?" He asked, referring to Leed's past addiction to painkillers.
"You know I've been clean. You take my blood for random testing."
"Then I fail to understand why you're asking such a ridiculous question. You of all people know better than to say that name loosely." He said in response, referring to his plastic eye. Kent did away with the original.
"I have proof." He said.
"Bury it." Reese said in response. He dropped the forceps he was holding and pushed his glassware towards the wall before taking off his work gloves. Leed watched as he rolled back the sleeves of his lab coat and walked towards him, closing the distance between their faces until they were barely inches apart.
"I heard word on my return that Jax has gotten increasinly obsessed with throwing darts at images of Kent." Chills went down Leed's spine.
"I had hoped it was a rumor or at least baseles. Is this your doing, Leed?"
"Of…of course not, professsor." The man whose forehead was almost touching his was no longer the easy going man he came to know after the fighting stopped. This was the man who kept him and the other sins under cruel conditiosn for years, evolving seven of them from once normal humans to biological weapons.
Reese smiled, "I knew you wouldn't be that stupid." Leed gulped, "now can I trust you to find the source of this rumor?"
"Today and without anyone else finding out." He added.
"Yes." Leed heard himself say.