Soldiers in Grey

"I want to adopt a son."
"Is this a joke? You don't even like children."
"I don't dislike them. I just never saw the point before."
"And what's the point?""Six consecutive headshots with a scopeless J5-40. He's eleven. They're going to give him a life sentence for it, Arin, it's a real shame."
"Have you met this child?"
"No."
"Do you know why he did it?"
"Not yet. I heard something about child abuse at his foster home."
"So not only do you want to adopt, you want to adopt an abused and probably mentally unstable prepubescent with a talent for killing people."
"Yes. Will you help me?"
"Denez, you're insane."
"Please, Arin.""I just don't understand where you got the idea. You made such fun of me for taking an eight-year-old on as an Apprentice, calling me a babysitter, asking if I needed spare tissues to wipe his nose-"
"And it's been good. I haven't seen you this happy for a long time."
"I couldn't have asked for a better Apprentice than Alvis. He's smart, good humored, eager to learn-- This child you're talking about, on the other hand, this murderer-"
"I know he's not going to be like Alvis. I wouldn't know what to do with a kid like Alvis."
"And you think you'd know what to do with a psychopath?"
Denez laughed. "If it doesn't work out, I can always just shoot him. He's already got a life sentence, who the fuck's going to care?"
"And if he shoots you first?"
"Just because I'm not going on missions doesn't mean I'm not a soldier of the Alexandrian Guard. I'll shoot first. If it comes to that. It will all be fine, Arin, if you just help me bring him here. Help me bring Louis home."

---

Soldiers in Grey is a coming-of-age story set in a sci-fi/fantasy multiverse