Sole Scion - 11. Chapter Eleven: Terror

Chapter Eleven: Terror

Unbeknownst Daniel and Clive their lovemaking did not go unwitnessed. “Well young Labatt… enjoy the show?”

It took all of Andrew’s force of will to look away from the screens to the man hovering over him. “You will get Daniel away from that man,” Andrew demanded in a seething tone.

“Is this jealousy I hear?” Varrus let out a snickering chuckle.

“You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all but isn’t it a little hypocritical given your long lists of lovers?”

“Daniel is mine. He will always be mine. This man will not steal him from me.”

“Then you have nothing to fear if we continue with our experiment.”

“Experiment… is that what this is? I will not have you use my boyfriend as a lab rat.”

Varrus slapped the young man across the face. Before Andrew could recover the Prelate held a knife under his chin. “You seem to have forgotten your place. As far as the rest of the world is concerned you and your whore died in the bombing… a noble sacrifice proving that no man, regardless of their station can expect to be spared in our battle against the Plague. Already your deaths have changed the public’s mood. Recruitments have jumped 120%. We have kids as young as fourteen signing up for NET examination. It is only a matter of time before the American President and the EU Parliament pass the Neo Defense Bill that will give NET and the NSP the authority to do whatever we want within their territories. Soon after the two nations will join as one and the NSP become the most powerful force to be reckoned within the Sol System.”

“Earth might fall to your madness but Mars and the outer colonies never will.”

Varrus knocked the wind out of Andrew with a hard slug. “Still defiant I see. Very well let’s debate your theory. The traitor Walker might have been able to free the colonies from direct Earth control but their resistance will be short lived. Do you know why?” When Andrew remained silent Varrus continued. “Since you seem unaware of the precarious position Mars is in I will make an effort to enlighten you. One problem we’ve had in establishing off-world colonies is the human immune system factor. Surely you’ve been taught about that at your so called Academy. Care to repeat what you were taught at school?” He pressed his knife closer to Andrew’s throat.

“The low gravity and cosmic radiation experienced by the first colonist destroyed most of their immune system. Living in relatively sterile environment of the colonies are free from most contagious diseases.”

“Continue…”

Andrew felt the serrated edge of the knife cut into his skin. “This might have been seen as advantageous except that when later generations of colonists attempted to returned to Earth their immune system were not able to cope with the viral and bacterial environment found here. The higher gravity also adds to the physical weakening of their bodies. Most died. This led to the passing of the Laws of Exile Act.”

“And what purpose do these laws serve?”

The laws prevent anyone who’s spent more than ten years off Earth from returning.”

“So you did pay attention in your space colonial history classes. Now imagine if someone got it into their head to weaponize the common flu. I wonder what would happen if that same person were to put it in a warhead and fire it at the colonies?”

“The MDF would destroy the missile before it got anywhere near one of the domed cities.” Andrew replied definitely.

“Maybe, but what if instead of sending one missile we send thousands. Imagine if each of those missiles carry multiple warheads. Do you think the Mars Defense Force will be able to destroy them all? After all only one needs to get through to cause a genocidal pandemic.”

“But why would anyone want to do that?”

“To win the grand prize… the only prize worth winning… the Awakening of God.”

“You actually believe in that shit. It’s nothing but NSP propaganda to justify the Neos right to rule over the rest of mankind.”

According to the Church of the Awakening Mars is the final resting place of their sleeping deity. Whoever awakens the Holy Emperor would themselves become gods… or so the High Priest claims.”

Andrew didn’t believe any of it. “If god was real then why would he want to make Earth’s dictators gods themselves.
“Never doubt the power of God.” Varrus said. He withdrew the knife from Andrew’s throat. On the very tip of the knife was a single drop of blood.

“I do not doubt his power just his loving his Neo children. If I was your god I would rain fire and brimstone down on each and every one of you.” Andrew rubbed the shallow cut on his throat, his hand coming back smeared with blood.

“That’s your boyfriend talking. Didn’t he plan to join the Faith? Now that is a stupid pointless religion if there ever was one. To think we should punish ourselves for the good fortune God has granted us. If not for us they would have nothing deny themselves. To think your father registered him for reproduction. Too bad… I think he would have made a good father. Don’t you.”

“Shut up!” Regardless of the knife the Prelate held Andrew couldn’t listen to more of the Prelate’s bullshit. Nothing had angered him more than his father’s plan to send Daniel to the women’s colonies for breeding and away from him. What hurt most was how tempted Daniel had been to accept the opportunity. He bit the hand holding the knife to his throat. Jumping forward he found himself free of the Prelate’s grasp.

For a brief moment Varrus looked at the teeth marks where Andrew had bit him with an expression of pure terror. “You damned wolf. You’ll pay for that.” A berserk madness took hold of the Prelate that Andrew had never seen in another human being. Varrus didn’t bother picking the knife back up he would kill the brat with his own bare hands.

Andrew took one look at the mad Prelate and knew he could either run or die. While the man continued to scream with rage he ran from the surveillance room and towards the elevators that had taken him to this level. When he got to them instead of finding the usual buttons there was in its place a magnetic card reader, something he clearly lacked. Hearing another terrifying howl he turned around and saw a creature dressed in the shredded rags of the Prelate’s robes. His body was now covered with Grey fur, his hands and his legs bearing sharp claws. His once alluring violet eye glowed a menacing yellow. With his hair no longer covering his face showed the gorged eye-socket and the shredded left side of his face was clearly visible. Andrew didn’t want to admit it but he was about to be killed by a creature out of myth and legend… a werewolf.

Andrew stepped back until he was pressed against the elevator doors. He was not that bad in a fist fight but he would be a brave fool to think he could take on that beast. The werewolf did not so much hunt with his eyes but used his sense of smell to track its prey. The Prelate sniffed the air. Picking up Andrew’s scent its upper lip curled, showing rows of razor sharp fangs.

“You won’t get away this time brat.” the creature snarled. “I’ll rip off your face, pluck out your eyes and squeeze them into jelly. I’ll then fuck you until you’re raw and bleeding. Do you hear me Jacob? DO YOU HEAR ME!”

“Duck.” A voice from behind Andrew shouted.

“What?” Andrew tried to turn to face the speaker but did not turned before being pistol whipped. He fell to the floor.

“I said duck.” Two men stood behind him just inside the elevator. The one who hit him had his pistol aimed at the Prelate right where Andrew had been standing. The man next to him had both palms held out. The air shimmered between his fingers like a heat mirage.

Andrew would bet his life that the man was armed with a pair of hand size pulse emitters. He had heard rumors of gravity based weaponry but he never thought he would see one such device in action. With the gunman covering him the other stepped forward. “Varrus, you have to calm down.”

“No… Jacob’s close. I know it. He’s come back to finish the job. I won’t let him get me.” The werewolf looked this way and that for the one who had ruined his once beautiful face.

“He’s not here. Did we not promise we would not let him near you?”

“You’re hiding him from me. I know you are. Tell me where he is!” The paranoid werewolf ran his claws across the hall’s metal plating, leaving deep gash marks along the wall. “The Old Wolf is clever. He’s fooled you. He’s fooled you all!”

“Forgive me my Lord. You’ve left me no choice.” The two charged at each other. The Creature slashed at the man with his claws. The gravity barriers emitted from both of the man’s palms deflected the werewolf’s attack before his claws could rip out the Agent’s throat.

The Agent then delivered blows of his own. At first the Prelate was able to take punches without slowing down. But when the agent got both hands on either side of his neck, the repulsing anti-gravity fields squeezed the werewolf’s throat until he began to choke.

“Damn you Greys...” The Prelate’s voice had gone from a roar to a strangled whimper. “I’ll… I’ll make you pay for this.”

“Rest my old friend.” The man pressed his open palms in closer, tightening the pressure on the werewolf’s neck. He kept them there even as the monstrous beast collapsed. He did not let go until he was sure Varrus was no longer a threat. “Bring in the medic and see he is made comfortable.”

“What about the prisoner?” one of the guards asked.

The towering blond man gave Andrew an inquisitive gaze. He grinned as if pleased by what he found. “Take him to my quarters. He’ll be safe there.”

Andrew felt a fair haired guard slap a pair cuffs on him. “Now wait a damn minute. What about Daniel?”

. The guard cuffing Andrew hissed in his ear; “The other prisoner is no concern of yours. Unless you wish to be locked up with Lord Varrus I suggest you do as the Field Marshall says.”

“God damn it.” Andrew cursed himself. He had risked his life trying to save Daniel only to become a prisoner himself. Didn’t they know who he was? Hadn’t they seen the ads on TV? He was Andrew fucking Labatt the paramount icon of the NSP. They could not imprison someone like him in a cell like a common prisoner. The people wouldn’t stand for it.

As he was led away and had a chance to think about his predicament a little more it dawned on him that no one outside NET HQ knew where he was or that he hadn’t died with the rest of the students at the Academy. He quickly understood the twisted logic of NET’s thinking. For the last year they had been raising him up as the impossible standard by which all Neos were supposed to conduct their lives. It was that high standard that was the problem. Andrew might try to fool himself into believing his own propaganda. Outside his love for Daniel however, he knew the crap the NSP was promoting was nothing but a bunch of lies. Eventually it would come out that he was a fraud and the effect on the NSP would be devastating. What better way to prevent such a disaster than killing him off while at the peak of his popularity. His death would set people highly favorable opinion of him and the NSP in stone.

That leave me with only one question. Why am I not already dead? The way the man who saved his life looked at him as if he were a piece of stake did little to suggest what his new purpose would be. Then again why should Daniel have all the fun? What he had seen in the surveillance room had both enraged and excited him. The only cure for his conflicted aliment was a good hard fuck. Given his escort’s size he didn’t know if it would be good but it certainly going to be hard.

      _________________________________________________________________

When Daniel woke to find himself surrounded by darkness he was not certain he was truly awake. The touch of hot flesh pulling Daniel tighter against Clive’s muscular body revived his memories of the ravishing he had experienced. The thought that it might happen again sent his heart racing. That was until he heard the winged man whisper a single, devastating word. “Ave.”

Daniel couldn’t believe his ears. Ave had been his father’s nickname… Avery ‘Ave’ Winters. This man knew his father. This man probably had made love to his father. This man had disturbingly just made love to Avery’s son. “What did you say?”

“Huh? I Didn’t know you were awake.”

“Clearly I am. I just heard you call me Ave.”

“Ave? Did I? Sorry, must have been dreaming.”

“Dreaming about making love to my father while you hold his son in your arms.”

Clive arched an eyebrow. “So… you’re that Winters.” He chucked softly then exploded with uncontrollable laughed

“Yes I’m that Winters…” Daniel said once Clive had calmed down. “What other one could I be? How many men named Winters have you slept with.”

“Just one… well two now. I’m sorry I should have known. When I was fucking you I probably did know. Damn it. I hope you won’t hold this against me.”

“Hold it against you?” Daniel rammed his elbow into Clive’s gut thinking it would loosen his hold. Hitting his rock hard abs only caused Daniel to hurt his elbow around his funny-bone. “You jerk! Let me go.”

“No… damn if I will. I lost your father. There’s no way I’m going to lose you as well.”

“But you fucked my father. It’s sick.”

“Less sick than fucking the son of the man who adopted you.” Clive pinned Daniel beneath him in a wrestling hold.

“That’s none of your business. Anyway Karl never seemed to mind.”

“Because of his obsession with you father. If he couldn’t have Ave then he would do the next best thing… have his son have you.”

“I don’t believe you. Karl hates me.”

“If he does it is because he hates himself for letting Ave die. At least that’s the reason why I despise the Labatts. You are the embodiment of all he has lost. He loves Andrew as he wished he could bring himself to love you. He hates you however because he knows he will never once have what his son has with you… your father’s love.”

“Andrew has had me more times than I care to count.”

Clive did his best not to laugh about that last comment. “Is that a problem?” Clive asked.

“No…”

Clive chuckled. He found catching Daniel in a lie amusing. “So you lied.”

“Lied about what?”

“That you are not jealous that Andrew cheats on you.”

“He doesn’t cheat on me and I’m not jealous.” Daniel bit down on his lip. He knew his whinny about it proved otherwise.

Clive laughed some more. “If you are jealous of the fact your boyfriend sleeps around with other men I know the perfect way to correct the problem.” Clive relaxed his hold on Daniel and positioned himself until he sat between Daniel’s pale thighs. He started stroking both their cocks. “Ready for the second course?”

“Oh fuck…” Daniel felt the rush of blood engorging his hardening cock.

“Not this time. This time we suck.”

After each was spent they lay together, their limbs wrapped around each other in a tangled mess. Suddenly the interior walls of the cell lit up with white light. After so long in pitch darkness Daniel found the sudden appearance of light to be blinding. While he was still unable to see something or someone grabbed him.

Clive tried to grab Daniel back but both were hit by narrow sonic blast beams. The sound wave vibrations caused both of their bodies to go slack. The next thing Daniel knew he was out of the cell and strapped down on a gurney. Next to him Clive was encased what looked like a barbed wire frame iron maiden.

“Congrats Clive… your father knew he could count on you.” A Grey NET Agent laughed at both of them as he signed off on the prisoner transfer paperwork.

Daniel’s eyes went wide. “What is he talking about Clive?” He had a deepening suspicion he had been snookered.

“Don’t listen to him he’s lying. I don’t know the hell what they’re talking about.”

“Of course you do… your father knew you would fuck him and you did. From the footage you were quite eager to please your good old dad. If only I could get my hands of the tape… I could make a fortune selling the clips on the holo-net.”

“Don’t listen to them. They’re lying.” Clive struggled to free himself but all he was doing was letting the barbs dig deeper into his flesh.

“Lying about this?” The guard Ed removed one of the vials attached to Daniel’s collar and held it up for both to see. It glowed with a purple light. “Looks like anima. Do you recognize this stuff, Randall?”

“The anima of a Disciple? I wish I could have a taste of that.”

“I don’t know about the anima but I sure would like a taste of that ass.” Ed shoved a stun baton between the bars hitting Clive between the curves of his perfect ass. A lesser man would have thrown himself into the barbs. While Clive screamed he didn’t move an inch.

Daniel struggled to free himself. “Leave him alone!”

“Here that?”

“Here what?”

“The little one. He wants us to leave the whore alone.”

“Maybe he’s a whore too. Want to find out?” Ed reached for his zipper.

“Are you mad?” Randall sucker punch his idiotic coworker in the stomach “The Chief Examiner wants this one for himself.”

“If he wanted him for himself why did he put him in the same cell as this whore?” Ed struck Clive in the ribs with his baton.

Daniel could see tears running down Clive’s face. “Leave him alone!”

Randall knelt next to Daniel so he could whisper in his ear. “Listen brat. I have a piece of advice for you. You should be more worried about your own ass than this whore’s. Isn’t that right whore?”

Ed hit Clive with the stun baton until Clive couldn’t endure the pain anymore and finally broke. “Yes! Yes!”

“What whore?”

“Do whatever they say. Do it.”

Daniel glared at the pair even as tears ran down his check. “I’ll get you for this.”

“No kid… it is you who’s getting it… get it over and over again until you are bleeding and raw.” Ed raised the baton over Daniel, readying to strike him but Randall grabbed him by the wrist and kneed him in the groin. “Idiot! Not this one. The orders are that he not be marked.”

“Fucker… you didn’t have to do that? Look at him. He’s already black and blue from entering the cell.”

“Which is why the Chief Examiner doesn’t want him further damaged. You think he might not notice another bruise but he is a fucking Grey. He’ll know. His kind always know.”

Two Albino Prefects arrived, pads in hand. “We’ve come for the specimens. Have you prepared them for the transfer?”

Both Ed and Randall looked at each other and sighed. “We haven’t finished attaching the new vials on the prisoners.”

“You were given proper warning. Your failure to have the specimens prepped for transfer will be noted during your next evaluation.” One of the albinos started tapping on his data pad.

Ed grew nervous “Is that really necessary? If you give us another two minutes we’ll…”

“You were already given the proper allotment of time. Further delay will also be noted in your next evaluation.”

“Damn Bionoids…” Ed cursed. Go get the vials Randall while I take care of the rest of the paperwork… fucking red-tape bureaucracy.” It took more than five minutes to replace the vials on the collar attached to Daniel’s neck. Unlike the well trained medics from before, the guards were less apt for the task.

“You are 7 minutes 37.4 seconds over the allotted time. This will be noted during your next evaluation.” Daniel wasn’t sure by he though he saw the Prefects smile. One took Daniel away on the gurney while the other used a remote to guide Clive and the iron maiden down a different corridor.

After several twists and turns Daniel lost his bearings. “Where are you taking me?”

“Speicmen 1-D will not speak without permission.”

“Jeeze… sorry for asking.”

“Speicmen 1-D will not speak or he will be gaged.”

Daniel snapped his mouth shut. The brief period of gratitude he had felt toward the Prelates for stopping Clive from being beaten was gone. These Prefects seemed to be sticklers for following regulations. Daniel would have to find some way of using that to his advantage. Unless someone gave him the manual however, it would take a lot of guess work and experimentation to figure things out. He just hope he didn’t end up in front of a firing squad before he found the loophole that would allow him to escape.

When they finally stopped Daniel found himself in a room he recognized all too well. It was a NET examination room. The walls were white and radiated with a light of their own. What little furniture in the room consisted of a narrow wire T-shaped desk with a metal chair at the bottom of the “T”. The Prefects took Daniel from the gurney to the chair and strapped him to it around his chest and calves.

Before they left, one of them kneeled next to Daniel and whispered. “You have our sympathy.”

Daniel felt the man slip something into his ass. He was about to protest but the man placed a finger over his lips and shook his head. Whatever the man had done Daniel had to hope it was for his benefit.

Still naked Daniel felt the cold air hissing from the pores in the floor. He’d gone through this part of the test before. They would plunge the room to freezing and let him shiver for several hours. Randomly humid 100° hot air would blast into the room causing him to sweat for a while only for the room to be plunged back down below freezing. The sweat would freeze to his skin in a matter of second. Supposedly the steep fluctuations in temperature would weaken the tester’s resistance to mental probing. Daniel didn’t know if that was true but he did know it would result in dehydration and severe nausea.

By the time the NET examiner entered the room he had been heaving for what seemed like forever. The man carried a bucket of water which he dumped over Daniel’s head to wash away the white crust of salt and dried sweat. He had brown hair and tanned skin. One eye was green, the other blue.

Two Prefects then entered the room, one carrying a tray with a glass and a pitcher of what looked to be water. The other placed a folded chair at the top of the T opposite from Daniel. The two left as soon as they were done. Neither had said a single word.

The examiner began to fill the glass with water. “You look worse for wear.” He placed the edge of the glass the tip of his lower lip. He waited long enough to make sure he had Daniel’s full attention before drinking. He tilted his head back giving Daniel view of his neck and drank slowly. With each swallow his Adam’s apple moved up and down. He didn’t lower the glass until every drop was gone. Placing the glass back on the table he made sure to lick his lips. “Now that was quite refreshing.”

Daniel knew he was supposed to respond by either begging for even just a sip of something to drink or threatening to kill the bastard. Any response would be recorded and analyzed. Daniel however would not give the examiner the satisfaction of giving them the data they wanted to gain from this portion of the exam. He therefore showed no reaction to the man’s attempt to taunt him into responding.

“Not going to say anything?” The agent repeated the process with the water. Still he got no response. Instead of getting angry he chuckled as if amused. He took out a data pad and began taking notes. “Specimen shows unusual control of his emotions.”

Daniel felt the straps around his chest tighten making it difficult to breathe.

The agent continued taking notes. “Height 5’11”… weight 152 pounds… body fat at 2%... temperature 100.8 F, O₂ at 99%... pulse 55… blood pressure at 180/90. Daniel was ready for what came next. With a push of a button, three needles shot into each calf. They would collect blood samples. “Blood sugar 41, A_1c 4.3, electrolytes: 21 sodium 27 potassium, cholesterol 82…”

Daniel knew the procedure. He had undergone it five times before, once when Karl first asked for Daniel to be tested when he was eight and except for when he turned eighteen he had been tested every two years around his birthday. Much to Karl’s disappointment the testes showed Daniel was a Norm. After the blood tests he underwent electrical shocks to measure his muscular response. Daniel really didn’t see the point of it. The only tests that really matter were the DNA and protein analysis that were already being performed in a nearby lab. Like in the previous tests he was certain they would find nothing. The results of the previous tests were accessible to any NET agent. So why were they going to this much effort when they already knew the results?

After the physical examination Daniel knew he would have to endure the worst part of the test; those measuring his mental faculties. That was what he expected to happen at least.

Instead the agent began giving medical orders. “CEMS I want you to set up a saline and potassium drip… standard glucose protein solution... and 100cc’s of White to deal with the bruising. Also have six doses of 50cc’s of Blue prepped.

“Yes Investigator.” The female voice of the complex’s AI replied in a calm yet efficient tone.

Daniel gritted his teeth as he felt the burning potassium solution being pumped into his calves. He didn’t understand why the agent was doing this. Past Examiners saw the inducing temporary physical stress on their victim’s body as one of the foundation stones of obtaining accurate results. So what was the NET Examiner expecting to achieve this time? The Examiner would not be taking advance steps to make sure every precaution was taken to make sure Daniel didn’t suffer sort medical emergency like had occurred during past exams solely out of the kindness of his heart. His kind were hardly human, let alone have anything close to a heart. This diverting from the script caused Daniel’s heart to jump, not with relief but out of fear of the unknown. “Why are you doing this?”

“Your electrolytes and blood sugar are below where they should be. If your sodium levels drop below 20 your brain would start to swell. That would prevent completion of this exam.”

“I would think my death would end it.” Daniel replied with bitter sarcasm.

“That is what I said.” There was no sarcasm in the Agent’s tone, only cold emotionless expression of pure logic.

As Daniel thought… barely human. “Since we are diverting from the script what’s next.” What would be the point of giving an exam if the tester already knows all the answers? That has to be it. They know I’ve taken the test several times before and know the pattern. They must think using a different exam will give them better results.”

“We do.” The man had read Daniel’s mind.

Daniel blinked his eyes making sure he saw what he thought he saw. But yes, the man’s hair was brown. Only redhead Grey’s were supposed to be telepathic. “How?”

“The Greys are not the only one who can penetrate the thoughts of another’s mind. Some Segundos have the ability as well.”

“Segundos?”

“Second generation Bionoids.”

“Bionoids?”

“Synthetic yet biologically active androids… Bionoids.”

“If you are the second generation where’s the first.”

“You’ve met them.”

“You mean the clones that look like albinos?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a clone?”

“Segundo come in several varieties. The Primes come only in one.”

“And your model can read minds.”

The Agent chuckled as if amused by Daniel’s comment. “Model? You make me sound like a car.”

“What tern would you prefer I use.”

“You can call me by my name.”

When the man didn’t fill in the blank Daniel had to ask. “Which is?”

“Trey, Trey B.T. Segundo.”

“What does B.T. stand for?”

“B-Level telepath.”

He shrugged. “So you are like a car.”

Trey waved a warning finger. “Be careful Daniel… annoying me would not be wise.”

If he could Daniel would have slouched in the chair. “Only fair… I don’t see this test as being wise.”

“Why do you say that?” The agent leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest to make himself comfortable. He’ll humor Daniel’s desperate attempt to reason with him. It wouldn’t stop the continuation of the exam.

“Because it won’t show anything. I’m a Norm. Your tests have proven that five times.”

“The only thing those tests results showed is we need to come up with a better test.”

“If you want to beat this old horse to death go at it. Just leave me out of it”

“Horse?”

“It’s an old saying I learned from my father.”

“Tell me about him.”

Daniel frowned. He realized he had made a mistake by bringing up sensitive issue of his father but he knew he had no hope of avoiding the topic now that he brought it up himself. “Dad would always tell mom that whenever she accused him of sleeping with Uncle Karl.”

“Did your father ever sleep with him?”

“Dad always claimed he didn’t and I never heard Uncle Karl claim otherwise.”

“So your father was straight.”

“I think I just said that.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Why ask when you can grab the answers from my mind.”

“Unfortunately my talent does not rank so high that I can force answers out of you.”

“Are there Segundos or Greys that strong?”

“I’m not here to answer questions that have nothing to do with this exam.”

“I do not see how my father does either.” The Segundo might be getting annoyed by his attitude but Daniel was angry. The fastest was to get him to lose his temper was to badmouth his father.

“You must love him very much… even though he died when you were quite young.”

“Shut up!”

“I will not!” The Agent shouted as he rose from his desk. “If you want to blame someone for you being here you should blame your father. He is THE reason why you are being examined for an unprecedented sixth time.” The agent shook an accusing finger at Daniel. “He is the reason why we will keep on testing you until we find out who and what you are.”

“But I am not a Neo!” Daniel shouted.

“Yes you are!” The Agent said passionately as sat back down behind his desk. “Every son of every Neo is always a Neo! Your father was a Neo which means you have to be. We do not know how you’ve managed to hide the truth from us but one way or another we will get to the bottom of this. You can make things easier for yourself by admitting truth and telling us how you’ve managed to evade each and every portion of the exam. Believe me when I tell you that this time the only way this exam will end is when we learn the truth!” The Segundo suddenly noticed he lost control and was shouting. He took a deep breath to calm himself. When he spoke again his cold demeanor had returned. “Understand that this time there is no set time limit to the exam. The exam will only end when we have the results we want. You are your father’s son and therefore a Neo. We want to know is how you’ve managed to beat our tests. If there are more like you such information would be quite valuable in redesigning the exam.”

“What if the truth is I’m not a Neo?”

“The exam will not end until we prove otherwise. The only way to fail this exam is for you to die before its completion. Now… shall we continue?”

Daniel had always taken pride in his Norm status but he knew it was only a matter of time before the Investigator had him wishing otherwise.