Talk

Ryder found it hard to believe that Reese would threaten her like that, but maybe he'd just used it as a tactic. Deep down, Ryder knew that Reese was just doing his job.... that Ryder wouldn't do any differently if he was in his shoes. The Elite needed to be protected, and an Agency threat was very dangerous, no matter how naive the agent might seem to be.

Filling a small basin with warm water he adds some disinfectant. Then he returns to the table and makes Thirteen sit sideways. Taking her hands gently, he places them in the water, several inches deep to cover her wrists. The blood makes the water murky, and Ryder knew that it probably stung. He keeps his hands on hers though, ensuring they stayed in the water. His fingers run over the cuts softly, cleaning them.

He didn't say much. He was trying to figure out what would happen next. He felt so badly for Thirteen... he knew that she couldn't be treated like this... it would only make things worse.

Taking her hands out of the water, he wraps a towel around them and takes the basin away, returning with some more disinfectant and some bandages. "Okay... here we go."

Ryder takes one wrist at a time, wiping it dry, applying the disinfectant, then wrapping it like a pro. Within a few minutes, the task is done.

He stands in front of thirteen and folds his arms, sighing deeply. "He didn't mean for you to get hurt." Though he was upset with Reese, it would do no good to turn Thirteen against him any more than she already was. "He's just trying to protect the people here. See... where you come from.... they hurt the people here. And Reese doesn't want that to happen. So he wants to get all the information he can to make sure no one here gets hurt."

Ryder knew that Thirteen would understand. Though she was confused and sheltered, she was not stupid in the least. Ryder saw a spark in the depths of her eyes, and something inside of him wanted to find the key to unlock that fire. Something told him that if she were just allowed to learn in a warm and friendly atmosphere, that she'd take off like a rocket and in no time would be caught up to other people.

He shakes his head a little. What was he thinking? Another sigh surfaces. He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear so he could see her face better. "There's a lot of questions that need answer, Thirteen. If I ask them, will you try to answer them?"

No one realized that Reese was standing outside the the door, around the corner where he couldn't be seen. He hadn't meant to harm the girl at all. And he was still very upset with Ryder for interfering. But if he could get Thirteen to talk, then he couldn't complain about that aspect, even if he didn't approve of the methods.