Unkindness of Ravens

Chapter 4

After their long car ride home, Theo decided he'd rather not discuss anything with his folks, so he ran off to bed before they could say anything. A few minutes later, he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said. To Theo's surprise, it was his father with a non-threatening look on his face.

"We need to talk," he said, "What happened tonight, Theo? This isn't like you. Did that girl put you up to this?"

Theo refrained from letting his anger get the best of him as he reached for something on his desk. "That girl has a name, it's Kate," Theo said, "And no, she didn't put me up to this. She suggested a brilliant idea and I agreed that we go through with the plan." Silence fell between them as his father walked over to a wall of memorabilia.

Theo glanced over his shoulder, not making direct eye contact with his father's movements. "I was just like you," he said, "Back in my days at Trixon. I had a friend who reminds me of Kate. He and I acted upon our instincts, but it nearly cost us our slots at Trixon. My father, your grandfather, wasn't too pleased with my actions. The man nearly lost his temper in front of the board when he showed up to collect me. Luckily your grandmother still had the magical touch to calm him down."

Theo paused what he was doing and listened to his father's story. "My father punished me how he saw fit," he said, "I have nightmares to prove it. He was awful at times, but there were moments when I could tolerate him." He continued to listen, not saying much until his father fell silent. He said something, giving him a 'did you hear what I said?'

"Apologies, father," Theo said, "There won't be any more "acting upon instincts" moments. I'll complete my task with flying colors and keep my head down for a while just until things clear up. I'm sure Major Linken will separate Kate and me from now on." His father looked satisfied with his son's response, but what he said next threw Theo off guard.

"That won't be necessary," he said, "You will tend to your punishment. As for Kate? I asked the Colonel in front of Major Linken to extend your arrangement with Lieutenant Kate." At first Theo was relieved to hear what his father did for him, but shortly found it strange how he addressed her as a Lieutenant not a General. One can only assume it was because of her uniform matching his and not resembling the colors of a General, black and silver. Doesn't matter, he's excited not to be separated from his new teammate.

The following morning Theo got up early, feeling the urge to go for a run despite the pouring conditions outside.

Theo prefers to run around the city whenever he needs to think, after all he is planning to put in for a transfer and team application. However, he needed to ensure that Elena then will be alright with the sudden change in teams. He knew Elena and Lana were together with a few other girls while Jameson and Ares joined a bigger task force filled with engineers and programers. It would be a lot to ask of them, since the whole incident last night but it's worth trying.

Theo recalled Elena having a bakery shop nearby runned by her folks, so he figured stopping by would be a good idea. "Morning, Elena," Theo said. At first it caught her off guard to see him in her place of work, but she kept her emotions pressed as she plastered a fake smile.

"Morning," she said, "What can I get started for you?" He figured playing as a customer was his only way to talk to her. "I have kind of a big order," he said, lying through his teeth, "Can I get one of every pastry and a cortata to go?" As she rang up and completed his order, he saw his opportunity to speak. "Listen," he said, "I want to apologize for what happened yesterday, truly. It wasn't an easy task for any of us." Elena remained silent as he continued speaking.

"My judgment call got all of us in trouble and I should've asked the Colonal to punish me rather than you guys," he said, "I wanted to formally ask you if you'd like to join a team I'm putting together officially. Since I don't know what your current standing is with your team, I figured throwing you a life raff will be subvice?" He took notice of her change in posture as she became more stiff after hearing his idea, that is when she said the most haunting news. "We've been disarmed, Theo. Effective this morning."