“Does he have any sort of electronic device? Anything we can track him with?”

“Have you locked down the communications in the area? We can’t have any more police involvement. Period.”

“Just received a call to the local Sheriff. You want us to divert them to one of our operatives?”

“Do it.”

“I want a sit-rep on the wet team.”

The words rattled in Williams skull, directionless and without tone. Who was speaking? Was Yelich monologing again? How long was this going to take?

“I don’t know how long this will take, Boy. I’d appreciate it if you stopped asking so many damn questions,” rasped the scientist as he looked at him over the brim of his glasses. “The adults are working. Go get yourself a coffee. You need it.”

William shook his head. When did he speak? How many pills had he taken? Could they read his thoughts now?

Those in the room that weren’t furiously tapping away at keyboards or relaying orders over the radio gave him a look that was part pity and part anger. William nodded his head and ducked backwards, looking for something to sate his thirst. Water would be good right now. Beer or whisky would be better but that wouldn’t be a good image. Especially with him still on moral parole.

“Jesus… I need to get my shit together.”

He wandered away from the ‘adults’ in search of liquid refreshment.

Fuck them. He should have gone with the wet team in the first place. This whole fucking mess would be over in a flash. He could have incapacitated the clone with the briefest of mental flexes. Instead the Pros had lost him in a warehouse. Now there would be more casualties. More coverups. And the cops…

William kneaded a sweaty palm into his eyes.

“Fuck Connor and fuck his clones. I can’t take any more of this shit.”

This was all Connor’s fault to begin with. He hadn’t killed anyone. Connor had by extension. He shouldn’t have tried to escape. It was Connor’s fault. Not his

His nose led him to the coffee station. He turned his back to the operation. The voices wormed into his head, taking over his thoughts.

“An outgoing call to emergency services has been intercepted, Sir. They say there is an armed man inside.”

“Good to know. Let our team know to proceed with caution,” replied Yelich. “Do they have any other information?”

“…Just that he’s bleeding. The caller says it looks like he was hit by a bomb.”

Yelich chuckled. “This kid is a fucking cockroach… That’s fine. String him along and let them know that somebody will be there soon to help them.”

“Team has entered the building, Sir,” said the officer in charge.

William ripped open the tab on an instant coffee can and dumped in a stream of sweetener. He waited for it to heat for twenty seconds before taking a cursory sip. He added another dash of sweetener and walked back to the periphery of the situation room, staying out of Yelich’s eyeline.

He still felt jittery. More caffeine probably wouldn’t help. Perhaps he should have another pill? That was the answer to everything once the oxy-hooks were at the wheel of his decision making.

Feeling angry? Take a pill.

Happy? Have a pill.

Confused? Pill.

Sick of work? Two pills.

His hand slipped back into his coat pocket to play with the last oxy in its plastic bag, rubbing the oval shape between his fingers. He’d have to go home soon and get more. There was no way he could last the whole night with this amount of stress. He could only pray that the wet team didn’t execute any other innocent bystanders. That was a two-pill job…

William shook his head, removing the sticky thoughts. “Get back in the game, asshole.”

Yelich gave him a stern look from the other side of the room before turning back to the lead operative. “Any sign of the boy?”

“None yet. It’s a big building. Kid could be anywhere.”

“And the caller?”

“He will be dealt with, Sir.”

William snapped, throwing the coffee can in a fit of rage at the wall. “God dammit! We can’t execute every damn person we come across, Yelich!”

Yelich stormed across the room. “I want you out of here, now. You’re coming apart at the seams. Go home and get some rest.”

William leaned into the older man’s face. “You’re out of your mind. We can’t kill every witness or cop who crosses us. What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like some kind of Khalist general, sacrificing whole villages for the common good.”

“The list of companies with access to Pro-Human mercenaries and military hardware is quite small, William. Our influence can only buy so many people, so much silence. If word got out about this, our enemies would leap for the jugular. We do what we must.”

“Does that include blowing the shit out of cars with a gunship? How many ‘low rent gangs’ could pull that?”

“Get the fuck out of here, boy. You don’t know what you’re saying, you’re so strung out. Is it better to let this clone run free, doing god-knows-what and blabbing to god-knows-who? What’s going to do more damage to us? A blown up car or a whistle blowing snitch? Get sober and get your priorities straight, you’re a fucking mess. I can’t wait for your replacement to arrive so we can edge back a modicum of professionalism into this place.”

He wanted to rip the man in half. To spray his blood and viscera all over the goggling staff that stood behind Yelich and said nothing. He could do it easily with his mind. In some ways, it was his strongest muscle, the one he exercised the most. “I should have been there. I could have prevented all of this.”

“You’re slurring your words, boy. You’ve become a fucking liability. It is no wonder David doesn’t trust you anymore. You’re a disgrace,” sneered the scientist.

“I could end you. Right here and now,” rasped William.

Yelich chuckled back at him. “Can you stop bullets with your mind? Are you that fast? Look around you. I have half a dozen elite soldiers waiting to drop you should I give them the order. Do you think you could kill all of us?”

William felt a pricking behind his back. He cast a wary look to his left. Two Pro-Human’s had their weapons drawn and pointing at him. He looked back at Yelich who sneered at him triumphantly. “Test me, boy, and you won’t live long enough to regret it.”

William eased himself backwards. He’d had enough of bloodshed and violence. It was time to bow out.

“Come back when you’re sober,” said Yelich with finality. “You’re useless when high.” He turned his back and returned to the myriad of video feeds.

William let the hate and tension deflate from his fragile mind. It was time to rest. He motioned to the soldiers that he was cool and walked away. As he mounted the stairs to the upper level he heard panicked screams and a flurry of raised voices. “Not my circus anymore,” he told himself.