Chapter 55—Consequences
Dilbert roused his passengers with a quick shake, telling them to buckle up. Shortly afterward, they landed in the Cave, rolling smoothly down the runway. Sylvia marched the teenagers out of the plane and directly to the Center. Lydia caught sight of a clock on the wall. Only 6 P.M.? She felt like days had passed since she had escaped from the Cave.
When they reached Arthur’s office, Sylvia entered first, leaving the three outside. Nobody spoke to each other. They all glanced nervously around. Lydia’s stomach churned, wanting to spill its contents. She couldn’t focus on any topic other than the repercussions they were facing.
The BEP agent training would be out the window. Lydia was positive about that. She did find the idea of becoming an agent enticing, admiring its other aspects aside from her own gain. Without her motivation for revenge, however, she wondered whether or not it would be the best thing for her. Other than that, she couldn’t fathom what Arthur would do. Whatever he did, it wouldn’t compare to the sense of failure she continued to carry or the guilt of putting her mother through an awful experience.
Aidan was called in first. Lydia heard his knees knock as he deliberately walked into the office. Sylvia exited, shutting the door. It sounded like a dungeon door slamming shut. She turned to Lydia and Jando. “Stay here until he calls you,” she said.
As Sylvia was leaving the room, Lydia said, “Sorry.” Sylvia looked at her, studying her sorrowful expression, and nodded with a small smile. Then she headed down the hall.
Lydia didn’t know how long Aidan was in the office. Too long. She tried counting the time, but abandoned the notion when she reached a handful of minutes. What could Arthur be doing? There had been no screaming, no yelling, no sound of any kind. Her mind ran wild, thinking about the horrors that Aidan was being subjected to. Then she remembered that she was next. Jando wasn’t much for conversation. He seemed to be imagining the same terrors that she was. The dull ache in her arm wasn’t helping.
She scattered the visions from her troubled mind and concentrated on what she would say. She couldn’t lie. Sylvia had most likely told him everything. There was no point in discussing anything else. Perhaps a short plea, then a punishment. If that was the case though, what was delaying her summons? Aidan should’ve been out by now.
Lydia took a deep breath. Calm down. You’ll be fine. She had reconciled with God and with Debra. She couldn’t keep up this level of calm, however, and fell into jitters. So she prayed for strength, hoping she wouldn’t experience the worst of her imagined horrors—imprisoned in the Cave or somewhere else for life because she was too dangerous— but only be reprimanded.
Eventually, Aidan emerged from the terrifying den. Arthur was standing behind him, patting his shoulder. “Ask again in a few months,” Arthur said. “Most likely, yes. For now, focus on conquering flying, okay?” He gently shoved Aidan down the hall, not allowing him to speak to Lydia or Jando. Then he beckoned Lydia with a curled finger. “Ms. Penner. If you will.”
Like I have a choice. Lydia gave Jando a fleeting look and obeyed. She walked in, head down, and accepted a seat in front of Arthur’s desk. He shut the door and sat behind his desk. “Now,” he said, pushing some papers around, “tell me what happened. From the top, if you will.”
Lydia began her tale, starting from when she eavesdropped on Arthur about Finster and ended with the flight back to the Cave. She didn’t try to spin a sympathetic portrayal of her plight on the roof. Since it had proved ineffective on Sylvia, it was less likely to convince him. The entire time Arthur listened patiently, with the poker face of a professional card player. When she finished, he held a pen in his hands, rocking in his chair.
When he didn’t speak at first, she posed a question to him. “Is it true what Rooke said? Did someone else order Finster and the others to kidnap my parents?”
“I wondered that myself when it first happened,” he said, tapping his pen on the desk. “It was uncharacteristic of Rooke. I dug around a little, but didn’t find anything. Given that his company is a private one, it’s possible someone higher could’ve been in charge of the kidnapping. Yet there wasn’t any evidence of that. I’ll look into it again. So,” he said, laying down his pen, “you really signed up to go after Finster? That’s the only reason why you wanted to be a BEP agent?”
“That’s a big part, yes,” Lydia said, picking at her fingernails. “But I did mean the other things about joining. I do like the idea of helping others, being useful, and traveling. I do want to help out and be of some use until I’m cured.” He looked at her. The shame from her escapade bubbled back to the surface and overflowed. “And you were r-right. I didn’t feel better. I failed.” That had been difficult to say. Yet when his eyebrows rose curiously, she felt hopeful.
Arthur spun in his chair, his back to her. Lydia hung her head. She knew what was coming. He would throw her off BEP training for sure. Maybe throw her out of the Cave. Would she be placed somewhere else? Another government facility where she’d be locked away forever? She would be declared uncontrollable, unfit for society at all.
“Then,” Arthur said, interrupting her thought process, “I suppose we’ll have to make doubly sure to ingrain into you that being a BEP agent is not about revenge.” Her head whipped up as he turned back to her. “Assuming you still want to be an agent, that is.”
She nodded, dumbfounded. “Yeah, but why?” She wanted to slap herself. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!
He stood and leisurely strolled around his desk. “Because everyone deserves another chance to learn from their mistakes and to do right in the future,” he said. “Also, Finster is equally at fault. Yes, you couldn’t control your anger, and he should not have goaded you. But you learned from all that. Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Sylvia’s a better judge of character than I am,” he said. “She said she was convinced that you’d learned after you fought Finster, so I’m inclined to agree with her. You also saw what almost became of you. What happened because you let your violent passion take hold. You nearly lost not just yourself, but your life.”
“I still failed to control myself,” Lydia said.
“Which is why we’re here to help,” Arthur said. He leaned against the desk. “Remember when you said BEPS were like ‘halfway heroes’? That’s not far from the truth.” He swept his arm, taking in the entire Cave and all that it held. “One could call our BEP agents heroes, the same as any other person who lays their life on the line and dedicates themselves to a greater good. But they’re human, like everyone else. They’re not above failure or falling from grace because of a flaw or a bad situation.”
He raised a finger. “Yet you know what?” She shook her head. “Even when they fall, I still believe in heroes. As I’m sure many others do, too. That’s one thing that helps so many pick themselves up again and again. They know people are counting on them and refuse to let them down. However, even if they can’t pick themselves up, we can do it for them. Our belief helps, one way or another. It helps drives them on. It’s a part of what makes them heroes.”
Arthur folded his hands and smiled at Lydia. “I believe in you, too. I believe that you can pick yourself up and overcome what has happened. It will take work, but you can become a great BEP agent, provided that you cooperate. Yes, you disobeyed us by leaving again, and you gave in to vengeance, but you helped stop a terrorist attack. You didn’t lose sight of the larger picture, even while fighting Finster. You held him off long enough for Sylvia to help shut down the SN91. Not that those negate your other actions, but you three helped tremendously. Everyone is very grateful. We don’t ask our BEP agents to be perfect. None are and none will be. We only ask that you try, while never losing sight of our purpose: to serve and protect others. This includes never misusing your abilities, your gifts, or your position. And avoiding killing except as a very last resort.”
“I’ll try my best,” she said.
He beamed. “Good,” he s
aid. “Good. That’s wonderful.” He sat back down at his desk. Lydia let loose the breath she’d been holding. This had turned out better than she could’ve ever hoped for. She was inspired to run out right then and resume her training.
She stood to leave, but Arthur raised his finger. “Ah, ah, ah. Sit,” he said. “You’re not getting away just yet. Now, although you did save many people today—very well done, by the way—and managed to impress the FBI, we can’t have you gallivanting anywhere you please. Therefore, you’re forbidden to leave your room except for school and training for the next month.”
“You mean I’m grounded?” Lydia asked.
“If you want to look at it that way,” he said. “You’ll be constantly monitored by one of our guards, who will be waiting downstairs for you.”
“Can I still go to the mail room?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m not heartless. Now,” he rose from his chair and ushered her to the door, “head downstairs. The guard will take you to Barrett to have your leg checked. Then it’s straight to your room.”
She thanked him. It felt like the right thing to do, since the repercussions were not as severe as she had imagined. When she passed Jando on his way into the office, she grinned. She wasn’t sure if he understood her message, but she continued on down the hall.
As Arthur had told her, the guard was waiting, alert and armed. She followed him to Barrett’s office. Once there, Barrett shooed him out. “Guard or not, patient confidentiality is in effect. Now move it,” she ordered. He knew better than to argue. When the guard left, she checked Lydia’s leg and braces, asking various questions. “Does it hurt to move like this? Does your brace feel tight here? What about here? Any cold feeling?”
“My arm hurts,” Lydia said, holding it out for her. “Been hurting ever since the fight.”
Barrett checked it. She lifted Lydia’s arm up and down, testing it. “Could be a stress fracture,” she said, noting Lydia’s painful response. “It wouldn’t surprise me, after all the things you put your body through today. Like the fights and lifting a truck.”
“How did you know?”
“Sylvia came by a little earlier,” Barrett said. “To be honest, I would’ve expected your bones to snap, even with your braces. Guess they’re capable of reducing more stress than I thought.” Barrett escorted her to another room for x-rays. After Lydia had an x-ray taken of her arm, Barrett looked it over. She showed it to Lydia, tracing her finger along a pair of slivers in each arm. “Yeah, two stress fractures. The one in your left is minor. Nothing to worry about. But the one in your right is pretty bad. If you had exerted yourself any further. ..” She trailed off with a sigh. “You get the idea.”
She gave Lydia a shot of the Barrett Juice mixture she had given her for her broken arm during her previous visit. “Should take a few of weeks at most with this. It’ll also help your leg.” Then she removed Lydia’s arm brace and applied a splint. “I’ll keep your brace here for now. You can come pick it up when I take off your splint.”
When Barrett finished the examination and tended to her leg wound, she told Lydia to rest. “Be careful with your leg. Thankfully, your braces are intact. Scott will be happy about that. You saw how over the top he can get about his creations.” Barrett rolled her eyes. “So, put ice packs on your fracture three to four times a day for about ten minutes each time. Try to let it rest. I don’t believe it warrants any further treatment. If you start to experience any new or increased pain, come see me. If the lug outside gives you any trouble about coming here, let me know. I’ll set him straight.” She winked. “Keep going like this and you might pass Kirk’s visit rate.” She allowed Lydia to leave as she lit a cigarette.
On the way to her room, Lydia passed by several training areas. Everyone halted momentarily to turn her way. Many nodded and smiled. Some clapped and pumped their fists in the air. Cooper, swimming about in his pool, performed a midair twist as she walked along. Lydia was quite taken aback until she passed the game room. Several people were crowded in front of a television, showing Golden Springs. The crowd spun toward Lydia and cheered for her. She waved, feeling shy from the attention.
She ran into Wren and Donny outside the Center. Wren looked ready to pounce on Lydia about what happened. Donny held her back, so she could only whistle and cheer for Lydia. The guard picked up the pace, moving Lydia along faster.
In the dormitories, she saw Aidan being marched up the stairs by his own guard. She caught his eye and she gave him a thumbs-up. He returned it with a sad smile.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, moving closer.
“Arthur roomed me with Jando,” he said. “I plan to sue for cruel and unusual punishment.” She chuckled and left him behind.
When she arrived at her room, she saw the television had been taken out. She turned to the guard for an explanation. “Arthur thought it best that you don’t enjoy yourself, lest your escapes become a habit,” he said.
Not heartless. Right, Lydia thought wryly. But she shook the thoughts away and lay on her bed. Despite all that had happened and her failure of staying in control, she found herself elated after talking with Arthur. She had been to the bottom and now everything was looking up. The guilt was ebbing away. Lydia vowed to do better in the future, using today as a lesson.
Before she nodded off to sleep, Wren bounded in, fit to burst, her eyes bright. She bounced onto Lydia’s bed. “Tell me everything!” she said.
Lydia smiled and sat up. “What are you doing here? They didn’t give me a bad roommate or something, like with Aidan?”
Wren shook her head furiously from side to side. “Nope! I think they were going to, but I told them I wasn’t budging. How’s your leg?”
“It’s fine,” Lydia said, rubbing the dressing. “You’re stuck in a pretty boring room now,” Lydia said, gesturing at the empty television space.
She shrugged. “Eh, I can entertain myself. It’s more fun having a roommate than a TV.” She scooted closer. “The news only showed about half of what happened. So I want to hear everything.”
Lydia sat against her headboard. She recounted her latest adventure, beginning with Arthur’s request for her presence in his office the day before to check the progress of her BEP agent training.
Halfway Heroes Page 101
