The next day, he was discharged from the hospital carrying more baggage than he had arrived with.
It was important to note that about 70% of the farewell luggage the hospital handed him consisted of drugs.
No, not that kind.
Not the sniff kind either. and certainly not the "let's see colors" kind.
The exact opposite, actually.
Apparently, these were meant to reduce his chances of seeing things.
…He really hoped they worked.
The drive home was silent.
Seb was too tired to talk, and quite frankly, his mother looked like she needed about three consecutive days of sleep and possibly divine intervention.
He honestly didn't know how she was managing to drive.
So instead of speaking—and risking her fragile concentration along with his newly rescued life—he watched her closely, muscles tense and ready to react.
Just in case the steering wheel suddenly started looking like a comfortable pillow.
When they arrived, they parked outside the house. The gate was a bit to small to let cars in.
The two undercover police vehicles that had been following them slowed to a stop. Their occupants each giving a brief nod before driving off.
There wasn't much need for them here anyway.
Another unit was stationed a few houses down, keeping a close watch on the property and the cameras inside. On top of that, emergency response and backup teams were already on speed dial, ready to mobilize at the first sign of trouble.
Apparently, the authorities were taking the threat from the terrorist organization Guardian very seriously.
Seb yawned as he stepped out of the car moving to help his mother with her bags.
She had rushed from work early that morning to finalize his medical leave and purchase the necessary documents. Since she wasn't planning on returning to the precinct anytime soon, she had brought one of her work suitcases with her.
Who knew what was inside.
Probably highly classified cases.
Sebastian frowned slightly.
He really didn't like how hard she pushed herself.
He understood why. It was her way of saying, I'm with the government, not the terrorists, like his father.
But still…
If you break the mule, who's going to pull the cart?
The moment they entered the house, she collapsed onto the sofa, exhaustion claiming her immediately.
She gave a small smile when she noticed the worried look he was throwing her way.
"I'm just tired." she said down-playing it.
"That's what they all say," Seb muttered in response, heading toward the kitchen, "and then they end up six feet under." he added.
He sighed then started making tea.
He added an unreasonable amount of milk hoping the dairy overload might knock her out.
He feared she might start working again.
He carried the cup back then handed it to her.
"Here you go."
She took it and sipped slowly.
"I'm not going to leave you like your father did, am stronger than I look?" she said quietly.
Well your also older than you look.
Her eyes drifted around the room, focusing on different things. "All this…our freedom, it isn't free. Without the effort I put in, they might just…"
She bit her lip hard, then exhaled slowly. .
"I get it, Mom. It was just a joke." Seb answered trying to calm her down
Didn't she realize that?
She seemed more emotional than usual.
Maybe exhaustion was getting to her.
"I know," she said softly.
Then her expression shifted. Her eyes sharpening.
"Yesterday, I didn't get the chance to ask you. You said during the hallucination… the man told you he worked with someone?"
Seb blinked, the switch was a bit abrupt.
"Oh. Yeah. Special Bureau you mean." he answered hesitantly.
"Nothing else? Just Special Bureau?" she asked, worry clearly written across her face.
"Yeah, that's it. Probably all the detective and army movies I watch."
She nodded then stood up slowly.
"I need to sleep" she said "you should do the same" she added
Seb smiled then stood up to leave, he had a lot to do today, games to play, research to perform, hands to exercise and more games to play, sleep was the last choice that he might never choose.
"Actually wait!" he stopped, What now, He wondered.
"First, go to your room and bring me all your devices."
Seb froze.
"You disobeyed me at the hospital, so they're being confiscated."
"But Mom—!"
"Nope. Sebastian, don't 'Mom' me. This is important for your health. You were just discharged. And your exams are in what—one month?"
"Less," he admitted miserably.
She sighed and pulled him into a hug.
"It's for your own good. I'll give them back after your exams. I just… I want you to have a good life. And nothing to do with the army, the police, or any defensive work."
Again with this, He got that dad went missing and all but, he wasn't as careless as him.
"Why? They pay well. I don't even have to be in combat. I could be an engineer."
"You can be an engineer," she said firmly. "Just not with the military. It's dangerous." she stated firmly on seeing him argue
She hesitated, then added quietly:
"I never told you this but, it seems I have to do so to give you a clear picture. A friend of mine works in a high position with them. He says the casualty rate is almost seventy-five percent. And rising."
She let the words settle.
"That means most people probably either die or come back unable to live normally. And even if they survive physically…" she rubbed his head gently, "…they don't always come back the same."
Her voice trembled.
"The government isn't telling the public everything. Canada, the sea incidents, the barren zones… your father's disappearance. None of it makes sense."
She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Go get the devices." she finished her tone suggesting no further discussions, The CASE was CLOSED.
Seb knew he'd lost this one.
This was the ultimate move.
The guilt card.
He sighed and headed upstairs.
Should've ran up earlier.
Idiot.
He wasn't addicted.
…Okay, maybe a little.
But he did have important things to research.
A lot of things.
Well. Not anymore.
Might as well focus on exams.
He unplugged everything and carried it downstairs, making sure she didn't try lifting his PC alone.
That would be catastrophic.
During the confiscation process, he casually asked if he could visit Alex and James to "study."
His mother agreed, albeit absent-mindedly.
Seb nearly sighed in relief, thankfully he stopped himself
The next two weeks passed quietly, the days between them and the accursed exam shorten with speeds bordering insanity
Study sessions with Alex and James.
Training mind, body, and soul.
And occasional strategic visits to parks frequented by girls.
Strictly observational purposes, of course.
Until Tuesday.
Seb opened his book, ready to breeze through the assigned reading they had decided to do everyday.
His memory was still excellent—slightly weaker than before, but more than enough. So he figured he would memorize as much as possible and by doing this he was set for the exams
He began reading.
And..... he understood nothing.
Not a word.
His stomach dropped.
Had his god-tier brain disappeared?
Should he go back to the forest?
Or the hospital?
Maybe find that white guy again?
The more he stared, the less sense it made.
At one point, he flipped the book upside down.
Just to be sure.
He was thoroughly screwed.
All that bragging.
Gone.
He went downstairs, made hot chocolate, and rushed back up.
He threw himself onto the bed and stared at the book, sipping slowly.
Staring.
Thinking.
Sipping.
At some point, he forgot about the drink.
Then—
Drip.
A drop of blood landed on the page.
Seb blinked.
Confused, he touched it.
Wet.
Definitely blood.
He looked up.
The ceiling wasn't white anymore.
It was red.
A sharp sting hit his eyes.
He rubbed them.
Still red.
He glanced at his finger and got shocked. It was covered with the stuff.
Panic hit.
He ran to the bathroom and looked at the mirror which showed a horrifying sight.
His eyes were bleeding.
The whites flooded with red.
His vision swam.
He grabbed the sink.
Was this normal?
Did eyes… bleed like the nose, He didn't think so.
He rushed to grab his phone—
—and remembered.
Confiscated.
"Shit."
He stumbled downstairs, dizziness increasing.
He barely reached a chair before collapsing, the world going dark.
.....
Three hours later.
Seb woke with a headache of mythical proportions.
Reading should be banned, wasn't this to fatal.
He stood carefully.
Not dizzy anymore.
This was a good sign, well he hoped it was.
Maybe he should call a doctor. He turned and walked toward the phone—
—and froze.
A rolled parchment sat in the paper bin.
It looked familiar.
Important.
He picked it up.
Opened it and his mind went blank.
The contract.
How was it here?
For a moment, he assumed it was a hallucination so he left it on the table and went upstairs then came back, peeking first.
Still there.
"…It's real."
His confusion deepened.
He remembered searching for it.
Finding nothing.
Yet now it was in his trash.
Then the memory surfaced.
He had found it.
Several times.
He'd looked at it five or six times.
But never picked it up.
Like he couldn't see it.
On the way home, he had even stuffed it into his pocket.
He'd almost thrown it away outside.
But his mother had given him a stern look.
She hated littering.
So he'd brought it inside.
And thrown it in the bin instead.
His expression twisted.
"What the actual hell…"
At that moment, another line of blood slid from his eye.
And suddenly—
Everything clicked.
He had been looking for the contract.
While holding it.
Multiple times.
Like his brain had refused to acknowledge its existence.
Seb stared at the parchment.
A mix of horror and confusion creeping in.
"Yeah… something is very, very wrong."