Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw. As consciousness returned and he realized that his body was responding, he flinched in anticipation of hitting the ground. He heard, as much as he felt, the cold metal cuffs slide against a metal bar.
Squinting, he cracked his eyes open against the headache and bright white lights. As his vision returned and he could make out his surroundings, he saw the stark walls of a hospital room around him. The sterile smell of antiseptic mingled with the faint sound of beeping machines.
A large number of blue windows were in the middle of his vision, and Jonathan wanted them to go away so he could scan his surroundings. He was partly surprised when the windows immediately winked out of existence.
Disoriented and confused, he tried to piece together the events that led him to where he was. Panic threatened to claw at him as his thoughts played through the unbelievable world and slaughter that he’d been in before losing consciousness.
His heart raced as he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. Bright overhead lights shone down on him, and he saw medical equipment next to scratchy white blankets. He shifted slightly and felt the restraints around his wrist.
Handcuffs?
As he looked down at them, eyebrows coming even closer together, he noted that they were more sturdy-looking than ordinary handcuffs. They looked more like thick, medieval manacles. Instinctively, he tested them, feeling the weight of the metal strain against his newfound strength. They creaked ominously under his tug, and a sense of calm settled over him.
He realized that if he needed to, he could break free. His experience in post-combat situations kicked in, and he took stock of himself. Jonathan knew that he wasn’t in danger anymore but felt the sense of vulnerability gnawing at the edge of his awareness.
It was disconcerting to wake up and find one’s self strapped to a bed and in nothing but a thin hospital gown. He shifted again to sit up and felt that his bare bottom was on the cold sheets. Unlike the last several times, when he’d blacked out in the Rifts, he felt scabs and too-fresh injuries on his side. He’d been too preoccupied with the cuff attached to his left hand. Only then did he look to his right and notice that the hand was tightly bandaged.
That was badly broken. Shouldn’t it be in a cast?
“Nurse?” he croaked.
Jonathan was looking toward the door, but as he caught movement from the corner of his eye, he saw the curtain shift in the corner of the room. As it was pulled back, it revealed a figure sitting calmly in one of the egg-like guest chairs.
The man wore a black suit and had dark skin. His completely relaxed demeanor set off early warning bells in Jonathan's head. He tried to tense and sit up further but winced in pain as he did so.
"Stay calm, Mr. Reeves. Please."
Jonathan’s eyes narrowed a bit as he lifted his left leg and pulled the short chain of his cuff tight, ready to yank against it with his full strength at a moment’s notice. “Who are you?”
The man responded with a smile that seemed friendly. “I’m Agent Elijah Carter. I was brought into the Hunter’s Association to help with recruiting,” he explained. “My background is in negotiating- specifically, with people like you.”
Jonathan noted that his body language was relaxed and didn’t show a single sign of threatening posturing. The man’s voice was somewhat tense but reassuring.
“People like me?” Jonathan challenged, his voice still coming out more gruff than intended.
“With powerful individuals,” Agent Carter clarified. “Or people in powerful positions. It’s important for us to build understanding rather than simply relying on coercion or pers-”
“Just tell me what you want. I hate a kiss ass.”
Elijah covered his face with one hand and laughed.
“I told them... Screw it- Mr. Reeves, before I awakened, I was a hostage negotiator. My current job is different, something closer to a recruiter who focuses on potentially dangerous individuals- and it scares me shitless sometimes.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the quick change in tact before raising his left hand. He intentionally shook the chain and metal so that it clanged against the metal bar of the hospital bed. “Doesn’t a hostage negotiator normally try to get hostages free, not negotiate with the hostage?”
Elijah smiled again, this time more genuinely. “Yes, that’s really just a precaution. But I told them that it likely wouldn’t hold you anyway if you didn’t want it to.”
Jonathan grunted.
“I came here today with two goals, Mr. Reeves. The first was to make sure that you weren’t an immediate danger to those around you. If you woke up and began destroying the hospital and trying to kill innocent people, I had instructions to report your actions immediately to my supervisors and assist the teams waiting outside to try and subdue you.”
“Sounds a bit dangerous for you,” Jonathan muttered, thinking about how small the young man looked compared to the rock trolls.
Elijah laughed nervously, “Well, I’m happy to report that isn’t the case. The second reason is to attempt to have you join the Hunter’s Association. We are a government-sponsored and funded organization focused on managing Awakened and closing Rifts. As a part of my task to recruit, I put together a full profile on people. It was a hunch, but from your background, I am guessing that you’re the kind of person who prefers straight and honest answers.”
“Everyone hates a salesman,” Jonathan repeated one of his own father’s favorite sayings.
“I did try to tell them, by my supervisor insisted I try to ‘lay it on thick’ and ‘get him on our side no matter what’.” Elijah huffed and scratched his ear. Another layer of the facade seemed to fall away and he spoke more openly, “What do they even pay me for if they’re not going to let me do what I’m good at? They pay me so much because I’m good.” He shook his head.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Jonathan couldn’t help but feel he liked this version of young Agent Carter much more than the calm and confident facade he’d had at the start of their conversation. It felt more genuine.
Yeah, he is good.
“Well, what’s the offer then?”
“If you don’t mind, now that I’m not worried about you going on a rampage, we can get those cuffs off and have the nurse check on your injuries. Then we can talk more after that.”
Jonathan nodded, finding that silence often suited him best when he was in an uncertain situation. He felt the tension ease slightly from the room as Elijah gestured for the nurse to enter.
She was a young woman dressed in scrubs, carrying a clipboard. Her eyes darted between Jonathan and the Agent as if weighing the situation.
“Morning, Mr. Reeves,” she said. He could hear a bit of hitch in her voice as she spoke, “Let’s take a look at how you’re doing.”
Jonathan realized that it must seem like he was a dangerous criminal with Military Police stationed just outside of his room and his hand currently cuffed to the side of the bed. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed as she approached, still acutely aware of his exposed rear end.
“Can we get these off?” Jonathan said to the younger man.
Agent Carter nodded, signaling next for the MPs to enter the room. “Don’t worry. The cuffs can come off. Just- let her check you first. You seem in pain.”
The nurse looked between them again, and Elijah assured her that Jonathan was not a danger to her.
As the nurse began her assessment, Jonathan winced when she peeled back the bandages on his right hand. "You've got some impressive scabbing going on here, and a ton of the bones in your fingers and knuckles are broken. Your body is recovering quite quickly for someone your age. The doctor’s recommending that we prepare you for surgery and get you in a cast as soon as possible so that your hand heals right."
Jonathan shook his head before she even finished the sentence. "No, I'll be all right. When can I leave?"
The two of them looked at each other, and Elijah simply shrugged. This caused the nurse to look back at him in bewilderment.
"Leave? I'd be surprised if you could even walk right now with your broken ribs and the lacerations that we had to glue together along your right side. You should be here for at least another week."
Jonathan shook his head again. He looked at Elijah before saying, "I'll be fine. When can I leave?" This time, he directed the question toward the government official, not quite as worried about his physical state. With how things were at the moment, he knew that if he could just make it to another Rift or if he started to get angry again, his body would heal itself without needing to go through the trouble of surgery and extended bed rest.
The nurse gave a huff before silently moving over to his side and checking beneath those bandages as well. The room was silent as she made a few marks on the clipboard.
"I will let the doctor know about your updates, and he should be in shortly. He can decide when you can leave."
"Yeah, right. Thanks," Jonathan replied, unconvinced that getting out of the hospital would be quite so easy.
As she left the room, Elijah turned to the MPs, who seemed uneasy, hovering just inside the doorway. "All right, you guys can uncuff him now."
Jonathan gave a snort as he felt that the agent was trying to keep the mood light but the wary glances exchanged between the two MPs was not lost on him. He raised his shackled hand and said, "I won't bite. I've got absolutely nothing against the two of you."
Elijah cleared his throat as Jonathan rolled his wrist a few times once the cuff was removed. "Now that you're a bit more comfortable, I want to talk to you about the Hunter's Association." He slid the small chair he had been sitting in before closer to the side of Jonathan's bed. "You've proven yourself already by closing Rift on your own. I know I shouldn't say this, but you've got some people upstairs in a panic. We've only closed a handful of Rifts with teams that were working with that specific purpose." Elijah smiled and shook his head in disbelief while raising his hand to gesture at Jonathan, "Then, here you are, an old special operations vet, closing one all by yourself."
Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his side while touching the bandages gingerly with his good hand. "No need to butter me up, son. Don't dance around it. What's the offer?"
"I'm going to be straight with you," Elijah replied, the sincerity in his tone returning. "We need experienced individuals like you to help manage awakened and to close Rifts. We're not looking to force your hand, but instead, we want to work together. If you agree to join, we can absolve you of any charges related to your recent activity."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow and looked up from his side, "So, if I accept your offer, I can leave without consequences?"
"Yes," Elijah confirmed. Jonathan could see a hint of hesitation in his tone and waited silently until the younger man continued. "But, I won't lie; we need to assign someone to keep an eye on you for safety-"
"Am I under arrest or being detained?" Jonathan interrupted. He had a suspicion that the government was doing the best to keep most of this out of the public eye and while they would certainly have means to detain him and keep him somewhere out of public sight, he didn't think that this negotiator would be willing to make a scene here in the hospital.
"No, not at all," Elijah hurriedly clarified. "You're free to go, but I do need to ensure that you have supervision. I mean, for everyone's sake." He gestured at the walls around them. "My supervisors really aren't taking any chances with you until they're more sure of your motivations. They seriously cleared out this entire block of the hospital, worried that you might wake up and go on a rampage."
How ridiculous.
Jonathan found himself considering as he stared at the ceiling.
"I don't want to join your organization. I served my country and just lost my son doing the same. My only goal right now is to kill as many of these bastards in the blue portals as possible. If you can make sure that I get into more of them, then I'll accept your supervision. I don't plan to do anything other than fight."
Elijah let out a breath. "I think that will be acceptable. But if I were you, I would be prepared for them to try to entice you into the Hunter's Association while you're under its supervision. You are really too powerful for them to want to let go."
Jonathan shrugged, "They can try." Jonathan winced as he sat all the way up and used his good hand to pull the metal bar down next to the bed. He dragged his legs to hang over the side and gave a grunt as he stood with his shoulders semi-hunched. "Right, so you're saying I'm getting someone to babysit me? I'll accept as long as it's you," Jonathan said firmly. "I like people who are honest and smart enough to read a room."
"Uh, of course. I can- I can talk to my boss about that," Elijah replied, surprised. Judging by his features, it was clear he was caught off guard by the demand. “I’m just not sure-”
“Great,” Jonathan said with a smirk as he moved to the clothes that rested in a chair in the corner of the room. He had to limp to prevent the cuts on his side from stretching open, but as he reached his clothes, he knew that his bare ass was facing the already off-kilter agent.
“Uh, I’ll give you some privacy. I need to call my supervisor.”
Jonathan nodded as he untied his robe and began to dress with one hand.
When Elijah returned, he looked slightly more composed, though the nerves were still present. “Good news, Mr. Reeves. My supervisors agreed. I’ll be your temporary liaison. They feel better knowing someone is here who can manage the... unique circumstances surrounding you.”
Jonathan chuckled lightly, surprised at the lightness of the moment. “They really threw you under the bus, huh? Well then,” he said while moving toward the door. “let’s go.”
“You want to go find a Rift already?” Elijah moved deeper into the room to grab his coat before hurriedly following Jonathan.
“No. Food first, and you can tell me some more about these damned portals.”
“Rifts.”
“Yeah, sure. Ugh, and I need to look at these damned blue screens.”
The MPs stared at the interaction and change in dynamic between the two with mouths slightly open. Their surprise was evident as Jonathan walked past them, and a nurse came jogging down the hallway, calling for the pair to wait.