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The bell buzzed as Grant Ward was escorted into the visiting room of Plymouth's Juveline Detention Center. The guard clutched his arm, opening the door, and pushed him towards a table.
At the table sat a woman in a suit, her brown hair had red streaks in it, and she smiled at Ward.
"Grant Ward, my name is Victoria Hand." She began, extending her hand towards him. Ward looked at her, apprehensively reaching out to shake her hand. "The quartermaster at your old military school is an acquaintance of mine, and he told me of a young cadet with more potential than he had ever seen before, albeit with authority issues who stole a car, and drove thousands of miles home to burn down his parents' house."
Ward gave her a blank expression.
"I have to say, Ward, that someone like you sounds very intriguing. Tell me, were you aware that your brother was in your house when it burnt down? Did you do it explicitly with that knowledge?"
"No, ma'am. I didn't know he was there." Ward deadpanned.
"I'm inclined not to believe you, after all, you remind me of myself at a young age." Hand told the boy sitting across from her.
"The only difference is that I wasn't caught," She told him. "I was taken in, trained, made useful, and now, I help people, by hurting those who want to hurt them. When I wasn't in a great place, someone stepped in, put me on the straight and narrow, and I turned out so much better for it. Well, maybe not that straight." She smiled.
"Okay?" Ward replied.
"The thing is, Grant, I'm here to make you an offer. Your family's lawyers will be here soon, and they'll put you away, as an adult. You can stick around and spend the rest of your life in prision, or alternatively, you could come with me, and I'll teach you how to be useful."
"Useful?"
"I work for a secret organization that's always looking to recruit young talent like you, you could make something out of yourself."
"And why should I do that?"
Victoria Hand stood up, tucking her chair in, and pointed to the door. "Because no one else is going to walk through that door and offer you a chance to do some good. Going with me will be the hardest thing you've ever done, but it'll be worth it, because the things that you will do, will make up for everything that you've done."
Ward made eye contact with her.
"The real question is, Grant Ward, do you want to help people, or rot in here for years because you hurt them as a mistake?" She held out her hand to him.
Ward looked down, then at the clock, then the door, and finally back at Victoria Hand. She looked at her watch, "Ten seconds and I walk out that door."
He heard the ticking of the watch, looked up, and then he took her hand.