he was reminded of that man from the other day, the mechanic who thought he’d make some easy money.
“Look at me. Look at me straight in the face. How long have you worked under me? How long have you known me? Come on, answer me. Tell me how long.”
“Ever since I became a Hunter.”
“That’s right. And once, in all that time, did you ever suspect me of being a traitor? Tell me truthfully.”
“No.”
“Okay. So now why are you acting like this? I thought you trusted me.”
“I do, sir.”
“Then start acting like it. I’m not going to lie to you, and neither is Albert. Albert is a brilliant man, maybe one of the most brilliant on this planet. He only has the existence of our humanity in mind. That’s all he cares about. So at least hear him out. Listen to what he has to say, think about it, and then speak. Don’t act like a jackass again. Understood?”
Albert led them down the corridor without a word. As before, they kept pace behind him, but now Conrad wanted to say something to the scientist, he wanted to apologize. But the opportunity never came, what with all the people in those long white coats walking past, until they turned another corner and a man wearing a black uniform walked past them but then stopped and said Conrad’s name.
Conrad paused, turned back around.
“No way, it really is you.”
The man was about Conrad’s age, about Conrad’s height. His hair was buzzed, he had a short goatee, and it was clear just by looking at him—simply by the way the man stood, the hardness of his face, the blackness of his eyes—that he was a Hunter. Or had once been a Hunter. Suddenly it occurred to Conrad the reason why Thomas had been able to spot him so quickly, how when you became a Hunter you entered into a brotherhood that made it almost impossible for you not to identify others of your kind.
The man was smiling, but the smile quickly faded when he realized Conrad didn’t recognize him.
“It’s Scott, man. Don’t you remember? We graduated together.”
And like that, Conrad’s years at Artemis came flooding back, and he remembered the hours he spent in class, the hours he spent training, the hours he spent with his classmates at the bars. Out of a class of three hundred only nine had graduated that summer day, and this man here had been among them, having accepted his broadsword from General Thaddeus, having watched in silence and no doubt resentment as Conrad accepted his broadsword from his father.
“Scott,” he said, and stepped forward, extended his hand, “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Scott’s smile returned at Conrad’s sincerity.
“How have you been?” Conrad asked. “Did you get assigned here right out of Artemis?”
“No, I went down south, stayed there a few years, transferred around, until I was offered this job as a Tracker.”
“A Tracker?”
Scott frowned at Albert. “Doc, you keeping my man here in the dark?”
“Actually we were just on our way to visit Gabriel.”
“Oh,” Scott said, and with that simple word something changed in his voice. He looked at Conrad, shook his hand again, and said, “It was good seeing you, man. And hopefully we’ll be working together soon.”
Conrad said he hoped so too. He wanted to ask Scott more questions, like just what exactly this place was, what was its purpose, what was so special about this Gabriel. But Scott had already turned away and was headed down the corridor, disappearing around a corner. The three men continued forward, Albert leading the way, until they came to a room and Albert pressed another button on his chair and the door slowly swung open.
“Go ahead, Conrad,” Albert said. “After you.”
The first thing he noticed after stepping inside was the set of bars running the width of the room, dividing the space in two sections. Unlike the corridor and Albert’s office, the place wasn’t brightly lit, and Conrad saw that there were no fluorescents in the ceiling.
“Look at me. Look at me straight in the face. How long have you worked under me? How long have you known me? Come on, answer me. Tell me how long.”
“Ever since I became a Hunter.”
“That’s right. And once, in all that time, did you ever suspect me of being a traitor? Tell me truthfully.”
“No.”
“Okay. So now why are you acting like this? I thought you trusted me.”
“I do, sir.”
“Then start acting like it. I’m not going to lie to you, and neither is Albert. Albert is a brilliant man, maybe one of the most brilliant on this planet. He only has the existence of our humanity in mind. That’s all he cares about. So at least hear him out. Listen to what he has to say, think about it, and then speak. Don’t act like a jackass again. Understood?”
Albert led them down the corridor without a word. As before, they kept pace behind him, but now Conrad wanted to say something to the scientist, he wanted to apologize. But the opportunity never came, what with all the people in those long white coats walking past, until they turned another corner and a man wearing a black uniform walked past them but then stopped and said Conrad’s name.
Conrad paused, turned back around.
“No way, it really is you.”
The man was about Conrad’s age, about Conrad’s height. His hair was buzzed, he had a short goatee, and it was clear just by looking at him—simply by the way the man stood, the hardness of his face, the blackness of his eyes—that he was a Hunter. Or had once been a Hunter. Suddenly it occurred to Conrad the reason why Thomas had been able to spot him so quickly, how when you became a Hunter you entered into a brotherhood that made it almost impossible for you not to identify others of your kind.
The man was smiling, but the smile quickly faded when he realized Conrad didn’t recognize him.
“It’s Scott, man. Don’t you remember? We graduated together.”
And like that, Conrad’s years at Artemis came flooding back, and he remembered the hours he spent in class, the hours he spent training, the hours he spent with his classmates at the bars. Out of a class of three hundred only nine had graduated that summer day, and this man here had been among them, having accepted his broadsword from General Thaddeus, having watched in silence and no doubt resentment as Conrad accepted his broadsword from his father.
“Scott,” he said, and stepped forward, extended his hand, “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Scott’s smile returned at Conrad’s sincerity.
“How have you been?” Conrad asked. “Did you get assigned here right out of Artemis?”
“No, I went down south, stayed there a few years, transferred around, until I was offered this job as a Tracker.”
“A Tracker?”
Scott frowned at Albert. “Doc, you keeping my man here in the dark?”
“Actually we were just on our way to visit Gabriel.”
“Oh,” Scott said, and with that simple word something changed in his voice. He looked at Conrad, shook his hand again, and said, “It was good seeing you, man. And hopefully we’ll be working together soon.”
Conrad said he hoped so too. He wanted to ask Scott more questions, like just what exactly this place was, what was its purpose, what was so special about this Gabriel. But Scott had already turned away and was headed down the corridor, disappearing around a corner. The three men continued forward, Albert leading the way, until they came to a room and Albert pressed another button on his chair and the door slowly swung open.
“Go ahead, Conrad,” Albert said. “After you.”
The first thing he noticed after stepping inside was the set of bars running the width of the room, dividing the space in two sections. Unlike the corridor and Albert’s office, the place wasn’t brightly lit, and Conrad saw that there were no fluorescents in the ceiling.
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