Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1)(102)

“Hector,” said the woman, her voice like ice. “Let us have her. We’ll make sure she’s dealt with.”

“How? I’ll get in trouble if I release her.”

The big pr?torian pointed at Rhea. “You’ve got one. There’ll be enough drama over her, and then it’ll blow over.”

The man in gray obviously didn’t agree. “It’s trespassing on federal property.”

The three of them went back and forth, and all the while, Tessa tried not to hyperventilate. In the end, the pr?torians won. They started with logic and eventually resorted to intimidation. The soldier was trembling by the time they finished and gave the pr?torians a nervous salute as they led Tessa out. She shot Rhea one last desperate look, but her friend was too shocked to even notice.

The big pr?torian helped her walk again but didn’t restrain her with handcuffs or anything. Considering how quickly he’d subdued her in the garden, she probably wasn’t a big security risk. They took her to other rooms, going about some other business she couldn’t follow. When two other equally terrifying pr?torians showed up, they all saluted each other, and her escort received permission to leave.

She expected to board a military plane straight back to Panama, but instead, they rode the subway—which actually might have been worse. The stares she’d received on her first day in the RUNA were nothing compared to what she got now. The pr?torians sat on each side of her, stiff and formidable, and Tessa hunched over, wishing she could melt into the seat. Despite the gawking, the other passengers kept their distance, and Tessa didn’t blame them. She and her companions rode in silence, which was only broken once when the man said, “You are in so much trouble.”

One sentence, but it was enough to make every awful scenario play through Tessa’s mind. What would happen? Deportation? Losing her visa was probably the best thing she could hope for. Even imprisonment wouldn’t be as bad as other fates they might have in store. After all, the man at the security office had said she was a terrorist. Couldn’t something like that result in execution?

By the time they reached the March house, she no longer had to worry about hyperventilating, because she practically couldn’t breathe at all.

The pr?torians still flanked her as they marched up to the front door. Lights shone through the window, and some hysterical part of her wondered if she’d made curfew.

Justin opened the door and took in the sight before him with remarkable calm. “Oh. Wow.”

“Are you Justin March?” demanded the woman. When he nodded, she said, “We have a situation.”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “I can see that we do.”

“This girl invaded the National Gardens,” explained the male pr?torian. “That’s practically an act of terrorism.”

Justin could only stare.

The woman continued on, her voice low and cool. “Because she’s a minor, we might be able to lighten her punishment.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said the man. “Prison’s still the most likely option. But if she’s lucky, she might just serve a few years in the Miscreant Terrorist Girls’ Reform Camp.”

Justin’s eyes had been kind of dazed, but with those words, that razor-sharp focus Tessa knew so well reappeared and fixed on the pr?torian. “The Miscreant Terrorist Girls’ Reform Camp?”

“Yes,” said the woman. “I’m sure you know its reputation.”

“Some girls never make it back,” said the other pr?torian ominously.

Justin seemed slightly more relaxed, maybe because execution hadn’t been mentioned yet. “Well. Sacrifices have to be made for the sake of our country.”

The female pr?torian nodded. “Normally, we’d detain her right away, but since you work for Internal Security, our superiors decided she’d be safe to leave in your custody.”

“Especially since you have a pr?torian working with you,” added the man. “I, uh, don’t suppose she’s here right now?”

“No, she went home.”

“Ah.” The pr?torian sounded disappointed. Maybe he wanted the extra level of security for Tessa. “Well, then, it’s on you to make sure she doesn’t escape.”

Justin gave Tessa a sharp look. “Oh, I assure you, she’s not going anywhere.”

“We’ll decide her fate tomorrow.” The woman made a grand gesture toward the house. “You may go now.”

Tessa hesitated and looked to Justin.

“Go,” he said.

“And get some ice for your ankle,” added the guy. For half a second, she thought she saw his lips start to twitch into a smile, but then his face was all hard lines again.

Tessa gave hasty nods and then scurried inside, afraid that they’d change their minds if she looked back.





[page]CHAPTER 23





THE BALLAD OF MAE AND PORFIRIO





Justin listened as Tessa went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and then headed off to her room. When he heard her bedroom door close, he finally spoke to the stone-faced pr?torians.

“So,” he said. “You must be friends with Mae.”

And then the most extraordinary thing happened. The terrifying pr?torians started cracking up. The man actually burst into outright laughter and nearly had tears in his eyes. The woman buried her face in him and shook as she tried to keep her own laughter quiet.