Chapter 11 chapter Ten

There was a knock on the door, but Carly was still sitting at the table in the room, turning a deaf ear.She was still staring at the computer screen, trying to make sense of the numbers being read from the chip implanted in Jillian.There will always be some other reason for a restaurant incident.For a while, people will be screaming for answers.They would expect Carly to tell them exactly what happened and why no one saw it happening.As of now, Carly has not found any plausible explanation to appease everyone. There was another knock on the door, more urgent this time. "Open the door," Carly said, standing up without effort.

She thought she would see Handel, but it turned out that it was Jiro who called the door.He was wearing casual clothes, a blue long-sleeved button-down shirt and black slacks.He brought a bottle of wine, with a screwdriver in one hand and two long glasses in the other. "I heard you haven't had a very good time," he said, "I think you could have a drink." She wanted to tell him you'd come back later, but at the last moment she nodded.Jiro entered the room, waved the bottle in front of the control panel, and the door closed behind him.He put the glass on the table and uncorked the wine bottle with a screwdriver.

"Know what's going on?" he asked, and the stopper popped open with a slight thud.His question was just the beginning of endless inquiries. "I don't really want to talk about work right now," she replied, getting up from her chair and walking across the room as Jiro poured the wine. "Whatever my woman wants." He blinked and handed her the glass. Carly took a sip, and the delicious aroma filled her taste buds.She prefers fruit flavors, but this bottle is more earthy, not too sweet. "That's good," she said, and took another sip, which was a bit bigger.

"I bought it the last time I was in Elitham," he said with a mischievous smile. "I thought it was a good way to put my boss at ease." "It really relaxes me," she admits, gulping down the rest of her drink and holding out her glass for him to refill. Jiro refilled it obediently.When he turned to put down the glass, Carly leaned forward and kissed him lightly.Jiro wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled him closer so that their hips were pressed against each other. "I didn't know this thing came up so fast," he laughed. "If I figure it out too quickly, I can't help it," she replied, deftly unbuttoning her blouse with her free hand.

"They say you should let the wine breathe before you drink it," Jiro said softly, rubbing Carly's earlobe with his nose. "That worked for me," she replied, putting the glass down on the table and standing up, wrapping her legs around Jiro's waist as Jiro picked her up. Their lovemaking didn't last long.Kali controlled the tempo, fast and furious so as to let go of the stress and tension of the day, and Jiro happily obeyed her grasp.After the strenuous exercise, the two of them were just entangled in the sheets, naked, both of them sweating profusely, panting heavily, and the sweat reflected in the lights.

"You've really matured and know how to satisfy a woman's desire." She gasped. Jiro understood the cue, relaxed his body, and rolled out of bed.When he came back, he had wine in his hand. "Can we talk about this now?" He handed her the cup, climbed onto the bed again, and lay down next to her and asked, "Maybe this will make you feel better." "I wasn't there," Carrie reminded Jiro, reaching for the glass and snuggling closer. "All I know is what I've heard." "Have you spoken to Handel?" As he asked, his fingers slid up his shoulders, caressing her neck.The soft caress sent happy little goosebumps all over Carly's body.

"He didn't have much time. I only talked to him for a few minutes." "You know more than I do. What's the matter?" "Gillian made a scene in the restaurant," Carrie replied simply. "Handel knocked her out with a shocker." "Do you know how it started? What made her mad?" "We think Nick messed with her." Jiro shook his head. "Nick is always looking for trouble, isn't he?" "He was repaired a little too far this time. Handel reckons Gillian threw him eight or nine meters away." "Are you hurt?"

"It's swollen. It's not serious." "That's good," Jiro replied, but the sentence seemed hollow, like an answering machine answer. "Have you got Gillian's data yet?" Carly nodded. "Her alpha waves have gone up since Grayson came to see her. Those numbers are off the charts." "Do you know what the reason for the growth is?" Something in his tone made Carly uncomfortable.He seemed too concerned about it. "Not sure yet," she admitted.She hesitated again, and said, "Handel said she created a singularity."

"My God," Jiro gasped. "It's unbelievable." She stood up abruptly, shook off the gentle hand on her shoulder, and stared at Jiro lying on the bed. "What's wrong with you?" Carly said angrily. "You sound like you're quite happy!" "It's so emotional," Jiro admits, without a hint of shame or apology. "A girl with no advanced training unleashing the most powerful biological powers? Damn. I knew she had potential, but it wasn't like this." "You know what a nightmare this event is for the Academy's PR department, right?"

"Let the school board have a headache," Jiro said to Carly. "We should see this as an opportunity. We've been thinking that if Gillian learns what to do with her powers, this could be The big breakthrough we've been waiting for!" Carly glared at him, then realized he was being honest, just telling the truth.And he just touched a point of view that she herself had slightly thought about.Of course, she was worried about Gillian, but the scientist nerve in her was already thinking about what this meant for their research. The scowl faded, and she drank another glass of wine as she lay back on Jiro's bare chest.She couldn't get mad at Jiro for telling the truth.He is very passionate about his work, still young and impulsive.However, the management of Grism College is more experienced and wiser.

"Don't get too excited," Carly warned him. "After this incident, the board may decide it's too dangerous to keep Gillian on the program." "You can't let them kick Gillian out, can you? Especially not when Gillian is just showing improvement!" "That's why we have to keep her," Jiro insisted. "Where else can she get the help that can be provided here? Who else can teach her how to control abilities?" "Her father can afford the tuition of a biotic personal trainer," she retorted. "We both know it's different," Jiro replied, his voice even louder. "They don't have access to the teachers and the resources that we can provide here." "You don't have to try to convince me," Carly said, raising her voice to match his. "The decision is not made by me, it is decided by the school board. And his father." "Grayson would like her to stay on the program," Jiro replied affirmatively. "Maybe he can spend some more money to convince the trustees to let her stay." "It's not just about money." "You can talk to the board of trustees." Jiro continued to bite the topic. "Tell them that the Ascension Project needs Gillian. Her stats are so far ahead of any other kid, it's like she's another race entirely. We need to study her. If we can determine the source of her powers, we can put The research on biological abilities has been pushed to a situation that we didn't even dare to imagine!" Carly didn't answer right away.On some level, everything he said was true.But Gillian is more than just a test subject, she has an identity of her own beyond her numerical grades at the academy.She was a human being, a stunted little girl, and in the long run, Carly couldn't convince herself that it was best for her to stay on the program. "I'll tell the board of trustees," she finally promises, choosing her words carefully. "But I can't guarantee the outcome of my recommendation. It's entirely possible that they won't listen to me at all." "You can always ask your dad to talk to them." Jiro smiled slyly. "I think they'll listen to him. They named the school after him, after all." "I won't let Dad get involved," she asserted coldly. For a while, they just sat in silence.But Jiro found something to talk about again, unwilling to let Gillian shut the subject down. "I heard they put Gillian in the isolation ward." "Just a few days. Handel thinks it'll be safer there until he sorts everything out." Then there was another long silence.Jiro broke the silence, "She's probably freaking out. I'm going to see her." This is another side of Jiro: a passionate young man who cares more about twelve-year-olds than about his own research.Carly rolled over and kissed his bare chest. "She'll be delighted. You come over in the morning. I promise you permission." When Carly woke up the next morning, the drink was still there and her mind was still groggy.With Jiro gone, she was taken aback to see the bedside alarm clock showing that she was almost an hour late. You know you're old when you're only half a bottle down and you can't hear the alarm clock, and you sleep an hour too late, she thought, as she rose slowly from the bed. At this time, she saw a note on the table, under the empty wine bottle.Pressing her throbbing temples, she paced over to read the note: I'm off to see Gillian.Turn off your alarm clock.You can get a good night's sleep. ——Jiro She took a shower and changed clothes, and the last bit of hangover disappeared.She wanted to talk to Gillian again, to see if she remembered anything else, but first she wanted to meet Handel.Carly looked at her watch and knew that Handel could be found in the office at this point. "How's it going, cutie?" Jiro asked, poking his head into Gillian's room. Gillian sat on the bed in her hospital striped shirt, staring at the empty wall in front of her.But when she heard someone talking, she turned to the door and smiled. When Jiro first read Gillian's data, he was worried that the atmosphere would be bad.Her condition also made her more sensitive than the other children, and he was afraid that Gillian would feel an unusual passion for Gillian outside of his interest.In fact, Gillian's reaction was just the opposite—she seemed genuinely fond of him.Jiro developed a personal theory to explain her reaction.He's obsessed with Cerberus' research into human biological abilities, and he can't wait to see what their latest serum does to Gillian.Every time he checked the readings, he was more optimistic.He guessed that Gillian was nourished by this energy and excitement, and that it made her more responsive to herself than to the other teachers. "You're fine here," he said, coming and standing by her bed. "I want to go back to my room." She still had the familiar hollow tone. While Gillian spoke, Jiro pored over the numbers, checking for signs that she might be a little different.He secretly noticed that there was no visible change. "You won't be going back to your room for a while," he said aloud to her. "Everyone wants to know what happened to you in the restaurant." Me included. The last time Grayson gave him a vial of unknown liquid, he had the feeling that something big was about to happen.He couldn't explain it yet, but he kind of knew they'd made a breakthrough.They wanted to test it on Gillian right away.But he didn't expect this thing to happen so quickly...and so big. In his mind, Gillian's shocking performance must have something to do with the mysterious Cerberus potion.Unfortunately, the incredible success of the treatment has stalled the trial.He was supposed to give Gillian another injection today, but Gillian must not be drugged here.There are too many people here, not to mention so many security cameras. "I hate this room," Gillian told him. "Would you like to go for a walk?" he suggested.He wanted to seize this opportunity to take her out of the isolation ward wing and take her to a place where he could do business in private. "We can go to the central garden." She took a moment to consider the suggestion, then nodded resolutely. "You get dressed," he told her, "I'm going to tell the nurse where we're going." When leaving the ward, Jiro walked straight to the reception desk.He had recognized the nurse on duty outside the ward, but didn't know her name.However, it didn't matter that he flirted with her when he came to check in earlier. "Going away so soon?" she asked, smiling brightly.She is not tall, with dark skin and a lovely round face. "I'll take Gillian down to the central gardens. It will do her good to get out of the ward for a while." The nurse frowned and sniffed. "I don't think we can let her go," she said apologetically. "I'll bring her back when I'm done taking her around," he joked, flashing his most charming smile. The frown eased, but she still looked unsure. "Handel won't be happy." "Handel is like an overprotective mother." He smiled and comforted her again. "And, I'll be back before everyone knows we're gone." "I don't want to get involved in any trouble." She still hesitated, but she was not particularly determined to stop it. He reached across the front desk and took her arm, as if reassuring her. "Don't worry, Handel and I are buddies, I'll cover you in front of him." Jiro blinked slyly. She hesitated again, relented, and handed over the patient registration form. "Don't take too long," Jillian warned again as Jiro signed the registration form to take him out. Jiro returned the registration form to the nurse, smiled again, turned around, and saw Gilly standing quietly at the door of the room watching them. "Time to go," Jiro said to Gillian.She stepped forward obediently, following in Jiro's footsteps. When Carrie went to the door of Handel's office, it was not surprising that the door was closed.She could imagine how busy Handel had been during the past twenty-four hours. "Open the door," Carly heard Handel respond to her knock on the door. He saw her standing there, motioned for her to come in, and said, "Close the door." Handel's office is a mess, but that's nothing special.He didn't like paperwork, so the paperwork piled up quickly.He always has piles of typed reports on the table, and there are many waiting for him on the ground next to him. Sign it, or it needs to be filed in a suitable folder. The head of security sat right behind the desk, staring straight at the computer screen.She crossed the room and pulled one of the two chairs beside him.When Carly sat down, Handel turned off the screen, sighed wearily, and leaned back in his chair. He had changed out of his food- and milk-stained clothes, and Carly had seen him outside Gillian's ward yesterday, but he didn't seem to have time for a shower.She could still see the fine crumbs clinging to her hair and the short reddish-brown beard above her lips.His cheeks hadn't been shaved for a day, and his eyes were bloodshot and baggy. "Have you been busy all night?" she asked. "Damage control," he replied, "some jerk on staff has leaked it, and I've had calls from the media, school administration, government officials, and angry parents. Parents react the worst .” "They're just worried about their kids." "Yeah, I know," he nodded. "But if I find out who leaked this matter, I will definitely let this bastard go." Handel sat upright from the chair and thumped the table hard to show his determination. "Have you contacted Grayson yet?" Handel shook his head in denial. "I left him a message, but he hasn't called back yet." "Maybe he's not here." "Emergency numbers don't fucking work in an emergency, you can't find anyone," Handel retorted Carly, then immediately apologized. "Sorry, I have too many things on my mind." "Do you want to say something?" "No," said Handel, resting his elbows on the desk and burying his head in his hands. Carly didn't say anything, just waited quietly.Handel looked up at Carly after a while and said softly, "I think we should ask Gillian out of this project." "I've thought about that myself." She nodded sympathetically. Handel leaned back in the chair again, put his feet on the table, tilted his head back, and looked at the ceiling. "I'm considering resigning from the board of trustees," he said, in a relaxed tone, completely different from the bombshell he just dropped. "What?" Callie yelled, "You can't just walk away! The kids need you!" "Do they really need it?" Handel also exclaimed. "Yesterday, when they needed me most, I let them down." "What are you talking about? Only Nick and Gillian are hurt, and they'll be fine in a few days. You're doing everything right!" Handel put his feet off the table, stood up straight, and leaned forward firmly. "No, I haven't," he told her, his voice very serious. "When I realized Gillian couldn't stop, I should've just hit her with the shocker and didn't even think about it for a second! But I hesitated." "I think that's a good thing," Carly protested. "I'd be worried if you didn't think twice." "Everyone in the restaurant is at risk," he explained slowly. "I let her continue for a second, and the risk of injury to others is increased by one point, and possibly worse." "But it didn't happen. You needlessly beat yourself up." "You don't understand," he said, shaking his head in despair. "I put Gillian's safety above all other students in the College. My position does not allow me to act like this. I have received instructions on how to act in an emergency." Training, I can't let personal feelings get in the way." Carly didn't say anything immediately, she was wondering what the sentence meant.She felt that Handel was overreacting.But Handel is not a person who breaks his promise, she is sure that Handel is seriously considering leaving. "Then what are you going to do?" "I'm going to ask Grayson if he'd like to hire me as Gillian's personal trainer." Suddenly everything became clear.Carly realizes that it's not because Handel feels guilty about what happened.really not.Handel cares about all the children in the program.But Gillian is different. She needs help more than other children. She needs more time and attention. Handel therefore cared more and more for her than for the other children.It's not fair, but who's to say life is fair? Gillian was very special to him, Handel cared especially about her, and he loved her.And as long as Gillian was in his life, he would do anything, even put his career aside for it. "Put the letter of resignation first." Carly said, reaching out and patting Handel's hand lightly. "At least we'll have to wait until we're sure whether the board will let Gillian stay." "They won't keep Gillian. You and I both know that." "Probably not," she admitted, "but there's always a chance." Her mind went back to her conversation with Jiro last night. "If necessary, I'll let my dad come." "Your father?" Handel asked suspiciously. "Major General Jon Grism." Handel opened his mouth wide. "Grism is your father? I...I really don't know." "I don't want to talk about him," she said. "Jiro is probably the only one who knows." "What did he say when you told him?" Handel asked, still stunned. "I... I don't remember." Carly didn't know what was going on at that time, and tried hard to recall.so fun.I should remember telling him about it. "I don't really remember telling him about it. But he did. We talked about it last night." But if I didn't tell him, how would he know?Handel's expression changed from disbelief to concern. "Carly? What's going on? What's wrong?" "Nobody knows who my father is," she said slowly, still wondering what it meant to her. "I don't have this in my federal personal file. There is only one file that mentions my father, and that is Anderson's report, which is already twenty years old. It requires the highest level of confidentiality clearance to access." "Are you sure you never told him? Hell, why does a technician in your lab have a top-secret clearance?" Handel asked anxiously. "These things don't fit." Carly could only nod her head. The man who slept with her might have been lying to her, which made her scalp tingle.To what extent did Jiro lie?Why lie? "I need to talk to Jiro. Now!" Handel said to her, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a pistol. "Where is he?" demanded Handel, tucking the pistol behind his hip. "He went to see Gillian." Handel quickly pressed the intercom call button on the table, but remained calm and focused.Carly was also anxious, but even so, Handel's anxiety surprised her.Maybe it was him trying to regain control of the situation, anxious to take his mind off yesterday's events and focus on other things. "Isolation ward," the nurse's voice answered. "I'm Security Director Mitra, has Dr. Liwa come to see Gillian?" "Yes, sir, he's taking Gillian to Central Gardens, you need me—" Handel switched off the phone, shouted, "Open the door!" and rushed out of the room.Handel ran so fast that Carly hesitated for a full second before reacting and gave chase.