Titanium’s form was rigid as he stood of the deck of the speed-boat. But the freezing ocean water soaking his ivory hair, dripping from the bleach-white wetsuit, may not have been the pinagmulan of the quiver in his form, his back turned to the leading squad members. Jace and Ivara had been ordered bellow deck to change and conduct injuries checks so that the “adults could have a chat”.
“What are you doing here, Ti?” Blaze asked once the elder boys were alone.
“I took a visit to headquarters,” the Russian answered without turning, an unusual tightness in his voice. “I took notice of your absence and asked Dr. Xian where you had all wondered to. He notified me of your mission and even bestowed upon me this jet pack for quick travel underwater, along with your coordinates.”
Blaze ran his eyes over the white and blue pack strapped to Ti’s shoulder. He had seen the jet pack on Dr. Xian’s mesa in his lab and been debriefed on its functioning: operational for underwater expeditions; stimulated to Titanium’s unique energy signature; required a certain amount of energy to power. It was another impressive invention that Eliot had created for Double Helix. This was its first test run. Blaze took it in with a quick glance before muttering, “So the good doctor sold us out.”
Titanium gripped the railing even tighter, the effort crushing the defibrillator in his hand. The tensity startled the fire-caster, as did the steel in the teenager’s voice as he spoke.
“Sold you out? Do you mean that you intentionally kept me unaware of this mission?”
Taken aback, Blaze took a moment to regain his bearings. Seeker, silently watching the exchange up until then, claimed the opportunity. “We thought it would be for the best.”
“The best for whom?” Titanium’s tone Nawawala none of its icy edge at the challenge.
Blaze tried to cut in. “The kids need their practice-”
“Practice?” Alek jabbed a finger toward the cabin where Jace and Ivara where. “Jace almost died. If I had not shown up in time.. we would have one less pup in our pack.”
“There is always a risk in a mission.”
“Exactly,” the Russian growled. “Aryess was already.. injured. And yet you thought to take 2 trainees, 2 children, to the same location so recently after the incident?”
“How were we to know they would return to the scene of the crime to destroy the evidence?” the Brit snapped, officially agitated sa pamamagitan ng this questioning of his command. “It isn’t as if we could trust you for this mission, so the pups were our susunod choice.”
“Couldn’t trust me?” Alek whirled around to face Nic and Declan. His expression was a mix of hurt, exasperation, and above all, burning anger. His electric-blue irises had taken on a steely hardness, backdropped sa pamamagitan ng the reds of the blood-shot sclera. His face was flushed and he seemed unbothered sa pamamagitan ng the trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He reminded Nic of a raging drunk.
“You’ve become unstable, Aleksander.” Declan added in a lower tone. “Your distracted behavior has already landed my baby sister in the infirmary.”
“She ran off on her own without telling me. How was I to now?”
“She was ALONE with a terrorist!” The two were face to face now, two Rottweilers growling at one another, ready to pounce.
“That was NOT my fault!”
“As partners, you’re supposed to protect each other,” Declan barreled on with his own wrath, “Where were you when Angel needed you?”
A snarl escaped Alek’s lips. He clenched his fist. Due to years of street-fighting and brawls, the tensed shoulder muscles, gritted teeth, set posture set alarms off in Nic’s head. “Don’t!” he ordered, grabbing at Alek’s wrist. He was flung back and his back collided with the cabin. He groaned, raising his head to see a white-haired boy, eyes blazing with rage, features contorted in a rictus of rage.
The fire-caster’s vision blurred. A high-pitched voice shouted something and two hazy figures moved to stand between the fallen caster and the other boy. There was a gap between the two bodies; through it Nic watched Alek’s expression of fury fade to that of surprise and shock, as if he had just awakened from a dream to find himself in the middle of a nightmare. The boy backed up to the railing and disappeared over the side.