Christian’s lab was actually in the same building as Jamie’s—right across the hallway—so Cadence had to be particularly careful that Aaron didn’t see her coming or going. He’d definitely think it was odd that she was carrying a backpack.
She sent Christian a message on the IAC to let him know she was coming as she walked out of her apartment, so he was expecting her when she arrived just a few minutes later. Jamie’s office was the first one on the left, and before she even opened the glass door to enter, she could see that his office door was open. Luckily, she was quick and sneaky, and she managed to squeeze her way through the door without being detected. She knew there were security cameras on her, but she couldn’t imagine Aaron would suspect enough to actually go review the footage.
Christian was sitting behind one of the largest desktop computers she’d ever seen when she carefully opened the door and slid inside. They were across the hall, but not too far away, and there was no reason for either of the other two to decide to stop by and say hello.
Before Christian could say anything, she put her finger over her mouth, making a “shh!” gesture, and taking off the backpack, she set it on the floor beneath his desk and took a seat across from him.
“Why are we being quiet?” Christian asked in a whisper.
“I just didn’t want them to know I’d come in until I ditched the backpack,” she explained.
“Who?” Christian asked, looking around the room. “Are you hearing voices in your head?’
“No, just in my eye. What are you working on?” Cadence asked, being polite. She really didn’t care and probably wouldn’t understand anyway.
Christian’s eyes lit up with the question. As he began to explain something about the gene research he was doing with Dr. Morrow—a scientist who lived in the Caribbean and was conducting research on how to return Guardians to their human state—Cadence attempted to listen but found her mind wandering very quickly. She had thought Christian was handsome when she first met him, but he came on way too strong, and for a long time, she didn’t want to be around him at all. In fact, it was partially his fault that she and Aaron had temporarily broken up right before she’d gone on her quest to find herself. Since that time, she’d found out that Christian’s strange accent was due to the fact that he had been around since the Revolutionary War. So he wasn’t British, but he had been at one point in time until he and his cohorts won the war. He should be able to tell her plenty about Alexander Hamilton. If he ever stopped talking about this project.
“I really feel like this is the breakthrough we’ve needed,” he was saying. “Of course, we don’t know for sure yet.”
“Well no, not yet,” Cadence chimed in to make it seem like she was paying attention.
“You’re bored out of your mind, aren’t you?” he asked with a playful laugh.
“No,” Cadence said, shaking her head. “I’m not bored. I’m just distracted, Christian, that’s all.”
He nodded. “I see. So what did you want to talk to me about? And since when do you carry around a backpack?”
“I’ll answer the backpack question after I get some information from you, if you prove I can trust you.”
“Trust me?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “We’ve been on dozens of hunts together. Of course you can trust me.”
“This is different,” Cadence replied, “and I do remember a time in the past when I should not have trusted you.” She was sure he’d know she was referring to the time he videotaped the two of them kissing and Aaron eventually saw it.
“All right…”
“And a time when Aaron definitely should not have trusted you,” she added. He’d lied to Aaron and told him the serum was ready to use, and a Guardian could be injected to turn back into a human. Though no one new Aaron intended to use it on himself at the time, it had temporarily killed him. If Cadence hadn’t shown up with an antidote, he would’ve never recovered.
“Okay,” Christian said, shaking his head. “Fine. Maybe you can’t trust me. Why don’t you try me, and we’ll see?”
Cadence took a deep breath, and after peeking over her shoulder at the door for a second, she asked, “What do you know about the blue moon portal?”
Christian raised his eyebrows for a moment and then his face froze. Cadence could imagine little hamsters running around in wheels in his head, trying to decide what to say. Finally, he stuttered, “The… w—w—what?”
Leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms across her chest, Cadence slowly shook her head, her mouth twisted into a sideways snarl. “Come on, man. You just said I could trust you.”
“You can,” he insisted, his eyes shooting to the door. “But… I’m not sure I am at liberty to discuss that particular topic with you.”
“I know there are cameras in here, but do they record sound?”
“No.”
“Okay, then, unless he’s listening on via your IAC, he’s not going to have any idea what we talk about. But he sent me to you, so I think it’s fine if you discuss it with me. Of course, you can always check with him if you want, but I personally don’t think it’s necessary to ask his permission before every single conversation I carry on with my friends.”
Christian took a few deep breaths and straightened the papers on his desk. She was sure he was asking permission. A moment later, he said, “Fine. I’ll tell you what I know.”
“Maybe later, if you’re good, he’ll let you go to the bathroom.”
His only response to that comment was a smirk. “What do you know already?”
“Nothing,” she replied, wanting to get as much information out of him as possible.
