Chapter 324: Truths and fibs

Someone was checking in to see what information Elder Ellis had, and why he hadn’t come forward yet with it.

When Elder Ellis pulled Kellen and Rhys aside to tell them that, it was like the air had been sucked out of the room. The tension rose immediately in the small room.

He’d pulled them into a guiding room. Something easy and nearby, perfect for a private conversation that one didn’t think would take long. Elder Ellis sat on the bed in the room, his hands folded in his lap, his back straight, his white eyes calm.

He looked like he was discussing the weather, not the E.A.G. demanding a response from him. That was probably how he had fooled everyone until now into thinking he was fine, if Kellen was honest with himself. Kellen frowned, letting Rhys pull away from him as Rhys began to pace the floor.

Something that Kellen had noticed in the last three weeks was the fact that Rhys hadn’t seen a vision. At all. Not even a glimpse, and that seemed to be something that bothered him greatly. It had made him more jumpy around those that he thought it was okay to be like that around. It said something about who Rhys was that even though Elder Ellis had betrayed them, but then not gone through with it, that he still paced in front of him anyways.

Kellen had also not seen a vision, but Kellen wasn’t exactly looking for visions either. Kellen and Rhys had had very little time to begin Kellen’s training. They had both been busy, and after the scouting missions had come back, things had only gotten busier.

They now had their first points that they needed to target in each city and next week they were going to target them on the same day at the same time. Kellen would be back here while Rhys, his Mom and Uncle Parker went off to conduct sting operations and now they were hearing this from Elder Ellis.

It was like the fucking E.A.G. had someone with Time powers, and Kellen didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all.

"Have you said anything to them?" Kellen asked since Rhys was too emotional to ask. Elder Ellis shook his head and explained how he was contacted, who he thought it was, why he wasn’t sure, and every little thing that Kellen or Rhys might need. He was being cooperative with them.

Rhys kept pacing, but Kellen knew he was listening. It was made clear when he finally stopped pacing and asked Elder Ellis follow up questions. They knew that he had planned to tell them things, but since he hadn’t and they had reached out again, it was time to take this past just them.

They had to reveal what had been going on. Honestly, Rhys was against it. It would be a blow to the group morale that they had fostered if they found out that Elder Ellis had planned to turn against them.

That was when Kellen, a man who liked to tell the truth, suggested their next move.

Just fudge the truth. They didn’t need to lie. They could say that Elder Ellis had reached out to the E.A.G. to see how easy it was to do so. They could say that he led them on, which he did, and now that he had caught them, they had reached out to him again. It would maintain his integrity while also bringing everyone else in.

In a way that everyone else would be able to process without feeling like he was betraying them. Rhys was shocked, Elder Ellis was even surprised, and Kellen shrugged.

He might not like to lie, but he did know that sometimes lies had to be told to keep people safe. This was probably one of those times. Kellen didn’t know how the others would react if they found out Elder Ellis had been close to going to their side. The same way Kellen hadn’t known for years how others would react to Carlos being a former member of the E.A.G. who had been sent on an assassination attempt that had failed and had resulted in his teammate trying to assassinate Carlos.

Kellen knew that sometimes a lie was necessary.

Elder Ellis was the one who argued. He was the one who had made this choice, he should face the wrath of the people he had wronged since they had trusted him. Rhys argued that they should tell someone else the truth, and Kellen stared at both men.

In the end, they decided to go with Kellen’s option. It wasn’t going to be the easiest since Elder Ellis would still have to answer many questions, like how long he’d been talking to them and what he’d told him, but at least this way they would be able to come together as a collective to decide what information to feed them.

Because of course that was what they were going to do. There was a chance that the group was compromised outside of Elder Ellis. Of course there was. Rhys and Kellen had realised that as soon as Elder Ellis had told them that he’d almost gone to the E.A.G.

This opportunity that the E.A.G. had given them by reaching out to Elder Ellis again might be a test. They might already know what their plans were, where they were going to attack, all of it, but that was okay. If they fed the group information that was false and they acted on the information that Kellen and the others knew was real and not the fake stuff, they would know that they had a spy.

If they acted on the fake stuff, they knew that they didn’t currently have a spy or they had someone smart on their side. And if they acted in a confused medley of something in between? Well, that meant the group wasn’t organised, and that was exactly what they wanted. Essentially, they were acting as if the group was being spied on.

Why wouldn’t they? They had tried to infiltrate the E.A.G. with Gunther? Kellen should expect nothing less from freaks like them.

~

When they brought the group together later that day to discuss something serious without telling Kellen’s parents and Aunt Dina what was going on, the air was tense. It was Kellen, Rhys and Elder Ellis. There were too many things that it could be.

However, the shock that rippled through the group when they heard what had been happening with Elder Ellis behind closed doors? They group had no idea what to say. The Guides were shocked, the Espers were pale and there was, once again, more understanding that the E.A.G. was reaching out to anyone and everyone they thought was a weak link.

Elder Ellis didn’t reveal that he had actually planned to go against them, doing what Kellen wanted him to. Elder Ellis didn’t look comfortable saying it, which made it somehow more believable. It made him seem even more torn by what the E.A.G. was doing when it was himself he was torn up with.

The questions came in waves, people wanting to know everything. Elder Ellis let them until Rhys stepped in and told them what they were thinking about doing with the opportunity that they had been gifted.

He didn’t look over at Kellen as he said it, but it was implied that the three of them had come up with it together. After all, no one doubted that Kellen could come up with good ideas after he had been leading the charge in so many ways thus far.

When Rhys explained in detail what he wanted to do and how they needed help, that was when the Espers grew excited. What ways could they lead on the E.A.G. in ways that would make sense to them? That would explain some of the movements that they had been taking, but that wouldn’t jeopardize their people or their actual plans?

There were a lot of murmurs around the room, people excited and full of ideas. Kellen remained silent. He felt like he’d said enough and this should be more like the people who lived here, not Kellen. Brent and Sergei remained silent as well, but he was unprepared for how he would influence the group.

They suggested that they say that they were going to raid a few gates on the front lines to gather resources. It wasn’t something out of the realm of possibility given that it was a good idea and maybe something that they wanted to do later down the line, but pushing it forward was...not bad. Plus, they could use the fact that Kellen was so impressive, as was Brent, as the reason why they wanted to do that.

They had two powerful Field Guides here. Why not take advantage of it?

Of course hearing it like that upset Sergei and Rhys, while Kellen and Brent beamed. A compliment was a compliment, even if it spoke of taking advantage of them.

Rhys eventually relented that they would use that as one of the lies they would feed, but they would need a few other ones. They kept brainstorming and while they were doing so, a package arrived for Brent.

It was from their city, and Taylor had let Kellen know that she had sent Brent’s arms but hadn’t told him that. She’d needed some time to tweak them since she wasn’t an expert in the field of prosthetics, but she felt that she’d gotten it right.

Kellen went with Brent and Sergei to pick up the package. Sergei and Brent were suspicious, while Kellen kept his expression neutral.

It was a plain box, brought to a room on the same floor of the meeting happening so that they could still hear the hum of the others. Sergei checked the box, making sure it was safe, but the added benefit was the shiver that went down Kellen’s spine.

He could tell that Brent was going to be excited.

He urged them to open the box, Sergei acting as Brent’s other hand with ease. He stepped into the role easily and without making Brent feel embarrassed or like he was less than. It was impressive that he was able to manage it.

When the box was opened it wasn’t obvious what was inside at first. It was a box inside of a box that left them both standing there confused. Kellen just watched, waiting as Sergei pulled the box out and they opened it.

Brent stood there, staring for a long, heavy moment as he stared at the three arms provided. Taylor had put a letter in the box, tucking it into the silk top of the box. Sergei grabbed it, opening up the letter as Brent stared down in shock.

"Dear Brent, I hope you find these suitable for your needs. I made three different versions. One that should be able to stand water and sweat, one that should match your skin tone, and one that looks cool. Let me know if there are any issues and you can send it back for repairs. Your new tech, Taylor Green." Sergei read, then folded the letter up.

He slid his eyes towards Kellen, catching them and then he nodded. Kellen smiled.

"I think the mixed metals one is the cool one." Kellen offered and watched as Brent swallowed thickly.

"Can I try them out?" He asked and both Sergei and Kellen smiled.

"Of course." Sergei said. He was already helping Brent undress before Brent’s trembling fingers caught up.