Chapter 27: A New Routine

Marien's POV

I examined his father's condition and went to give them the news.

"He must stay one more day. His ribs are better, but his arm is not; one more day will suffice," I explained to them.

"That's good," Sirius commented with a relieved smile.

"We'll wait, no problem," Phoenix added.

Marcus came looking for me.

"Marien, let's go to the lab. I need your help with a few things."

He tugged on my arm without giving me a chance to react. I turned to look at Sirius, and he and his father's two companions watched me walk away. I'd forgotten what it was like to work and see him at night. I was suddenly saddened; I had gotten used to being with him all day.

I was dragged into the laboratory. When I arrived, Rosy smiled, came over, and pulled me away from Marcus.

"Hey," he exclaimed.

"I'll give her back to you right away," she replied, then spoke to me in a low voice. "So, did you guys make it?"

I laughed, embarrassed.

"No. I already explained how things are."

She pouted.

"Well... but are you at least going to tell me how it was after you do it?" asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

"Okay, I conform with that."

I chuckled. She returned to what she was doing, and I went to Marcus.

"Well, what do you need?"

He smiled.

"Help me classify these cells. They are from an EH. I am comparing them with those of humans."

He gave me some samples, and I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"Where did you get these samples from? Have they brought a corpse?"

He looked at me, intrigued.

"Uh... No, they just bring them to us so we can study them."

My stomach knotted. Somewhere, there had been another fight, and they had gotten more corpses of evolved men. That was highly likely.

"They always bring you samples..." I muttered.

"Yes."

I snorted and began to examine them.

"This is definitely from the nervous system," I commented.

"Great, save it down in the tablet."

We continued in silence until he broke it again.

"So, tell me... You're married to him." I smiled. "How times change."

"It's like a youthful madness, but still... I don't regret it."

"I don't think it's youthful insanity, it just happened, and that's fine, I guess."

We continue to sort the samples. After a while, I spoke again.

"I'd like to get an appointment with the Army, the government, or whoever. They can't use that toxin."

"Yes, it's as if they have searched for a way for us to work with it to such an extent that we leave it practically ready for them to take it and use it. Of course, they didn't count on the attack that occurred. Besides, the president disagrees, so we have time. Surely, the man doesn't want to ruin his image to make sure with the next elections. This morning, he announced that there would be a meeting with all the governors to discuss this issue. It will take place in a couple of months."

Relief washed over me. We had time for now. I had forgotten that the state couldn't do something so radical without the world government's questioning.

"Oh, by the way, Sirius has decided to join Max's team. I don't like the idea, but if they accept him as an evolved man, it could be a start so they will get to know what they are like little by little."

"Oh great! Then, after lunch, we are going to see him."

I remembered that I would see Sirius in the afternoons, which made me happy. We finished doing the various investigations and tests.

I could see how an EH's cell healed in record time, a white blood cell destroying the most potent virus. I also found that the enamel on their teeth was perhaps almost twice as strong as that of humans. His eyes could capture more colors, meaning Sirius saw the world as more beautiful and different.

***

I briskly looked for Sirius. He was not in our room. He was not in the cafeteria. He was not where his father was. I started to worry about what he had said earlier about seeing his mother. I was distressed, feeling that I might lose him just like that.

I dialed a number on the communicator.

"Yes?" Marcus asked from the other end of the line.

"Do we have a garden or a library here?"

He gave me directions. I went to the garden. It was a semi-public place, full of trees and vegetation, incredibly beautiful, but Sirius couldn't be here, perhaps. He would have already come to see me by sniffing me nearby. I made my way to the library and sighed in relief when I saw him sitting down reading a book. He looked at me and smiled.

I walked over and sat next to him.

"I couldn't find you; I was worried..."

"Why? I'm not going anywhere," he replied in a sweet voice.

"I thought... maybe you were gone."

He caressed my face, noticing my concern.

"Hey, I wouldn't leave without telling you."

I leaned against his shoulder.

Sometimes, I felt like he would vanish or be taken from me. The matter of Orion seeking to kill him perhaps gnawed at me without realizing it. Without him, knowing that he would never return, that was my biggest nightmare.

"You are so special that sometimes you don't seem real to me. Perhaps this is the most beautiful dream I am having."

I felt him flinch slightly into a short, silent laugh.

"I would say the same."

I closed my eyes, sighing again in relief, breathing in his scent for a few seconds. I looked at what he was reading and smiled.

"Social etiquette?" I asked.

Fortunately, he didn't grab Anatomy... Or who knew...

"For men, it says," he replied, smiling and shrugging. "Although there are many things that I already knew and must do out of respect. Is there someone who doesn't do this?"

"Oh yeah."

"Were you looking for me for something?"

"Oh." I had forgotten. "Marcus waits for us to have lunch and then visit the obnoxious Max."

"Let's go then."

***

Max was waiting for us at the entrance of the building. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and smirked when he saw us.

"I am honored, mister EH," he said, pleased. "I've already spoken to everyone here." He spread his arms like someone who welcomes. "You will no longer have to hide. At least in this building." Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What?" Max replied. "I promised I would be nice, didn't I? Follow me."

We looked at each other and followed him. The guard approached.

"I'll register you," he said to Sirius. "Come, please."

We went to the desk to take a seat. The guard arranged some papers on the table. Two more came and stood by his side. I noticed that they were tense; it must have been because they were dealing with an evolved, and he was not trying to kill them.

"May I have your identification?" asked the guard.

Sirius reached into his pocket and gave it to him. The man watched it for a few seconds.

"Jonathan Anthony Ramos," he murmured, arching an eyebrow. Sirius grinned; the guard continued. "Well, it's obviously fake. What is your real name?"

"Sirius," he replied without hesitation.

The guard typed it on the tablet.

"Last name?"

"We do not use it."

The man stopped typing and looked at him strangely.

"Well, we will assign you one. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty years old."

"Let's go this way. Let's measure your height."

He approached a machine, which began to take his body measurements while the principal reviewed the information.

The evolved used to weigh slightly more than average. They were pure fiber; from what I had observed, their bones were another masterpiece. I didn't stop watching him. He attracted me a lot. Sirius had the grace of an elegant predator. He was much taller than me and some others that were present. I realized he was looking at me, and I smiled at him.

The machine continued with its scans, this time for possible illnesses he might have, but he was completely healthy. Marcus was close to them and was listening very carefully. I laughed slightly.

Max came up to me and stood by my side.

"What about that ring, beautiful?" he asked.

I snorted impatiently.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" I replied.

"Well, where is him?" he said mockingly. "If he doesn't take care of you, he'll lose you."

"That wouldn't happen."

He glanced briefly at the group of men, then looked back at me.

"I can give you more excitement than any of those boring doctors in the hospital," he suggested seductively.

The laughter overcame me. If he knew. The guard returned, and Max withdrew.

"The EH insists that we give him your last name since he doesn't have one."

I looked at him, uncomfortable because he referred to my Sirius as the EH. I took a deep breath to contain myself.

"Sure, write it as he wishes."

The guard nodded and continued to type.

"Let's take his picture, and that would be it," said another guard to Sirius.

Max and Marcus came up to me.

"After this, I want to see some of his skills. I could show you one of our facilities next to the city limit," said Max.

"Oh no," exclaimed Marcus. "I didn't bring anything to write down. Oh, my phone...!" He started looking for it in his pockets.

"Sirius won't be the subject of your investigation," I replied.

Marcus shot me a pleading look and insisted, "He agrees!"

"I see that you are in charge of keeping an eye on that being, right?" Max commented, putting one of his hands on the desk. "A wild EH next to a human..." he mused, somewhat surprised. "Isn't it dangerous for you?"

"They are more than you think," I clarified.

Max looked at Sirius, who was still busy with the guards. The man lowered the light's intensity slightly because his eyes reflected it all and shone in the photo like a cat. I smiled.

Max commented, "It's weird. The government has never told us anything different about them, and I never really stopped to think about it. You know, I've only seen them attack and growl like savages. And those movies in which they show them like that..."

"It's true. Sometimes, they go overboard. It's in their nature..." I looked at Sirius, "But mostly those trained for that. From their childhood, they have instilled in them that humans are the worst. So, once they attack, they can be carried away by instinct. Sirius was always curious about us, and I met others like him. They are completely civilized, but they have their extras. They know how to hunt, for example."

"You should have taken pictures," Marcus lamented.

I laughed. Sirius looked at me and smiled. The guards released him. Max crossed his arms when he saw him approach us.

"Good, wild cat. Let's see what you can do," he said.

We got out to the camp. Max faced Sirius and trotted in place to warm up, Sirius frowning strangely.

"Well," the guy said as he got into a fighting stance. "I want to see if my training is sufficient for close combat."

I was surprised.

"Wait," I interjected. "I won't let you hurt him."

Sirius arched an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," he said calmly, and I could see that the situation amused him.

"It won't do anything to him," Marcus added. "Have you ever thought about what would happen if you hit a lion? You know it, Marien. You know how solid they are. He won't be able to move him an inch."

I sighed, frustrated. Yes, I knew, but it bothered me anyway.

"Oh, sure I will!" exclaimed Max. "I've trained. He'll take a hit, and he'll be sorry."

He made it as if to hit him with his left fist, but he surprised even me when he launched his blow with his right fist. Cheater.

Sirius dodged. Max gritted his teeth and attacked again. His new blow was also avoided, so he spun around to kick. Sirius jumped back slightly and skidded to the ground, dodging again.

"Crap!" exclaimed Max. "Let me hit you!" And he launched himself to try to hit him again.

I had to admit that he knew how to fight and used techniques. The men of the Security Guard were taught all that, the hand-to-hand fights of ancient Asian cultures, which didn't exist today either, only their descendants. But all that was useless if he tried to fight a being that was twice as fast.

Max punched twice, moving forward as fast as he could, and jumped up with a double kick, but Sirius ducked and swung around, hitting his leg and knocking him onto his back. The young man stayed there.

"Shit. I'd be already dead, right?" he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Yes," Sirius replied. "After you fell, I would have launched to your neck, and that would be it."

"Good!" he exclaimed, frustrated. "That is why we use firearms!" he reneged and stood up. "Let's go to the other facility."

We left the place. Max was with his pride on the floor. Apparently, he really thought he would have a chance.

It was clear that if an evolved person wanted to escape from combat, he could do so without a problem, and there was no choice but to let him go, but if he intended to face you and kill you, you didn't have an option either. Except for Sirius' little secret: if you were lucky and hit him with something on the head, you could save yourself—a powerful blow to the head.