Guldrin’s Gluttony: Family Bound by Speed & Food

They reached the central briefing room, a sleek, glass-walled chamber with monitors covering every surface, each displaying live feeds, encrypted data streams, or surveillance footage. 

Casey reached forward and removed the bags from Guldrin and Shiro's head as he growled in irritation, seeing Shiro having put a hole in one for her juice box straw.

General Beckman's image loomed large on the main screen, her sharp gaze cutting through the tension like a blade. "Agent Walker, Agent Casey, Bartowski report," Beckman commanded, her voice crisp and authoritative. 

Sarah, who had been trailing the group silently, stepped forward. "General, the situation has been contained. The hostiles have been neutralized." She hesitated for a fraction of a second before adding, "By Guldrin." Beckman's eyebrows lifted slightly. "I know this, explain."

Sarah straightened her posture, choosing her words carefully as she began. "The incident began when a civilian, Ned Rhyerson, crashed his vehicle into the Buy More after a long chase with the police. At first glance, it appeared to be an amateur blunder, but Guldrin quickly identified inconsistencies in Ned's behavior. He alerted us to the possibility that this was no accident but a deliberate act."

Casey, standing with arms crossed and a gruff expression, chimed in, "Turns out, the kid was right. Ned was a Fulcrum operative, staging a hostage situation to distract us while Lt. Mauser, posing as a negotiator, tried to extract intel." He glanced at the General, then grumbled, "Guldrin not only spotted the act but had a plan before we could even get our earpieces in."

Beckman's eyes narrowed as she processed the information. "And what exactly did this... plan entail?"

Sarah exchanged a quick glance with Casey, then continued, her voice tinged with a mix of amusement and incredulity. "General, Guldrin played the situation like he'd rehearsed it a hundred times. He acted calm, and collected, even cracking jokes to put the hostages at ease while staying under Ned's radar. General, I think we have underestimated him and his little girlfriend by a larger margin."

Guldrin, seated at the table with the third granola bar in his hand, rolled his eyes dramatically. 'I did? Don't remember doing that…' he muttered under his breath. Then, catching Shiro's nod of agreement out of the corner of his eye, he frowned thoughtfully. 'I guess I did… Hmm. I really need to pay more attention to what I'm doing. That's… unsettling.'

Sarah, oblivious to Guldrin's internal monologue, carried on. "At the same time, he was feeding us intel through what looked like a casual chat. He flagged that Ned's behavior was too polished, like someone trying way too hard to seem amateur. The whole thing screamed 'fake.'"

Guldrin, unable to resist, interjected with a grin, still crunching on his breakfast bar. "It wasn't even a good fake. It was like watching a bad school play where everyone forgets their lines but still keeps acting. Ned overcommitted to his 'bumbling idiot' routine. Nobody's that bad by accident."

Casey grumbled, his expression a mix of irritation and grudging admiration. "While I was busy getting my damn toe shot-" he shot Guldrin a pointed look, daring him to make a joke. 

Guldrin just shrugged innocently, gesturing for him to go on. "-the kid was dissecting Ned's moves like some kind of tactical genius. He noticed the guy's actions weren't spontaneous; they were rehearsed. Every outburst, every demand, scripted. It irks me beyond belief that a child has seen something we overlooked."

General Beckman raised an eyebrow, her skeptical gaze shifting between Casey and Sarah. "And you trusted a fourteen-year-old's assessment in the middle of a hostage crisis?"

Sarah stepped in smoothly, her tone unwavering. "It wasn't blind trust, General. Guldrin and Shiro backed up his observations with solid logic. They pointed out specific inconsistencies and explained his reasoning. Then he suggested a plan, one that made sense, a lot more than it should have; coming from teens. They proposed we push for the next hostage release and use the opportunity to regroup, arm up, and come back ready to subdue the operatives."

Beckman's sharp gaze locked onto Guldrin. "You orchestrated their release?"

Guldrin shrugged, the very image of nonchalance, despite the high-stakes situation they were discussing. "Orchestrated might be a bit of a stretch. It was more of a process of elimination. Those guys knew Casey and Sarah were spies, so it was only a matter of time before they separated them from the group. The best way to do that without raising suspicion? Let them think they were negotiating for the hostages' release. Plus…" He paused, crunching another bite of the breakfast bar, much to everyone's annoyance, "I needed them out of the way to deal with what came next."

Casey snorted but said nothing, his silence an acknowledgment that the kid had a point.

Guldrin hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued. "While Casey and Sarah were gone, things escalated. Ned and Mauser turned their attention to Chuck, and that's when things got… interesting. They threatened him directly, and Chuck… well, he panicked and admitted he was something called the Intersect."

The room fell silent. Beckman's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. The Intersect was one of the government's most tightly held secrets, the entire reason for Chuck's protection detail. The revelation hung in the air like a ticking time bomb.

"Whatever this 'Intersect' is," Guldrin said, waving a hand vaguely, "it was obvious that it made Chuck the prize. Once they had him, they wouldn't need anyone else. I didn't need to know the details to figure out the math. Two bad guys, one hostage with intel they really, really wanted. Everyone else? Expendable."

Beckman's expression softened slightly, curiosity replacing her earlier skepticism. "And your response?"

Guldrin leaned back in his chair, twirling a spoon that he produced from nowhere and was used to eat apple sauce. "Well, I did what any responsible fourteen-year-old would do." He smirked. "I came up with a plan. A good one, too. At least, it turned out well?"

Everyone had the same thought, 'What responsible teen would use a knife to kill two highly trained agents?'

Guldrin gestured toward the large screen dominating the wall of the Castle. "You don't have to take my word for it. Shiro, would you do the honors?"

Everyone turned as Shiro, seated beside Guldrin, tapped a few buttons on her sleek tablet. With a mischievous giggle, she mirrored the footage from her device to the Castle's main screen. The grainy but serviceable surveillance footage from the Buy More flickered to life.

This act made everyone present shocked, it had to be said that these screens were CIA/NSA. Shiro using a basic tablet to control them, showed just how far her skills extended and how compromised Castle is at the moment.

"Here we go," Shiro said brightly. "It's all there… the whole show."

The screen lit up with scenes of the hostage situation unfolding. Ned's exaggerated movements, the hostages' anxious reactions, and Guldrin's eerily composed demeanor played out in real-time. 

The video continued, showing Guldrin subtly maneuvering himself into a position where he could monitor both Ned and Mauser without drawing attention. His casual attitude was almost unnerving, his seemingly offhand remarks masking razor-sharp observation.

Then came the moment when Chuck cracked, his voice trembling as he blurted out the truth about the Intersect. The camera caught Guldrin's reaction, a flicker of surprise, quickly replaced by steely determination.

"That's when I knew," Guldrin said, his voice quiet but firm. "If I didn't act, we were all toast."

The footage shifted, showing Guldrin whispering something to Shiro. Then, to everyone's surprise, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, it was fast but happened nonetheless. 

The sheer audacity of the moment left the room speechless. Guldrin's expression, however, changed in an instant. As if on cue, his face morphed into one of exaggerated fright, complete with quivering lips and sniffling. 

The kid was playing a role perfectly, he was delivering a performance worthy of an Oscar.

"Wait, did he just...?" Sarah blinked, struggling to process what she'd just witnessed.

"That's what you're focusing on?" Casey grumbled. "Keep watching."

Onscreen, the now-distraught Guldrin shuffled toward Lieutenant Mauser, his entire body language radiating vulnerability. He wiped his eyes and sniffled loudly, drawing Mauser's attention. 

The man visibly softened, crouching slightly to meet Guldrin at eye level. Whatever the boy said to Mauser was inaudible, but the effect was immediate. Mauser reached out to place a comforting hand on Guldrin's shoulder and then gave him a hug, his expression one of fake paternal concern.

The room collectively leaned forward, captivated by what would happen next.

Then it happened.

Guldrin's small frame pressed closer, his trembling hands hidden from view. In a flash, his demeanor shifted. His left hand clamped onto Mauser's arm while his right hand moved with lightning speed. The knife, previously concealed, slashed upward in a precise arc, embedding itself in the side of the man's neck.

"Holy…" Casey's voice was a strangled whisper. He clearly couldn't fathom how Guldrin, this kid, this fourteen-year-old, had just taken out one of the most dangerous agents Fulcrum had to offer with such ease.

The footage froze for a moment, the grainy image of Mauser seizing with wide eyes, blood blooming at his collar like a crimson flower.

"Pause it here," Beckman ordered, her voice crisp. "Explain this."

Guldrin shrugged, as if explaining how he'd aced a test at school. "He underestimated me. Adults always do. I played the scared kid card, and it worked like a charm. He dropped his guard because I didn't seem like a threat. Rookie mistake. Plus, this baby, is the knife version of the fishing sword, the electrical discharge made it impossible for him to react or contest against the inevitable."

"Rookie mistake?" Sarah repeated, incredulous. "That man was Fulcrum. Trained. Dangerous. And you-" she gestured to the screen, "you took him out with one strike."

"Knife work's all about precision, I got in close," Guldrin said matter-of-factly, as if discussing a cooking technique. "The neck's vulnerable. Even a kid can handle it if they know what they're doing. Let alone a kid like me,"

The footage resumed, and Guldrin's performance continued. He stumbled backward as if shaken by his own actions, wiping the bloodied knife on Mauser's shirt before turning the man's body in a way that concealed the fatal wound. The scene set, he waved his arms and yelled, as if in shock from what he'd just seen. His high-pitched cries drew Ned's attention immediately.

Ned sprinted over to where Mauser had collapsed, his weapon raised. Guldrin continued his frantic display, his hands shaking as he pointed to Mauser's body. Ned crouched to check on his partner, his focus entirely on the fallen man.

Then, just as Ned's hand touched Mauser's shoulder, Guldrin struck again. The knife, still slick with Mauser's blood, arced downward, burying itself in the jugular of Ned's neck.

The room erupted into stunned silence.

Onscreen, Ned twitched and seized a bit before he crumpled forward, and Guldrin didn't hesitate. He yanked the knife free, his small hands slick in blood but steady, and checked for any further threats. His face was a mask of grim determination, a stark contrast to the earlier frightened act.

"Pause it again," Beckman said, her tone sharper now. "Guldrin, what exactly were you thinking?"

The boy leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Simple math, General," he said, his voice now steely. "Two threats, two eliminations. I couldn't afford hesitation. Chuck was the priority. If they took him, I'd lose any leverage I had to get a meeting with you. I had to make sure that didn't happen."

Casey let out a low whistle. "Kid's got ice in his veins."

"It's not ice," Guldrin corrected, meeting Casey's gaze. "It's survival. I've lived in situations where hesitation gets you killed. This wasn't any different. Oops… Shouldn't have said that." He mumbled the last part, his over-excitement led him to say something he shouldn't have.

The footage resumed, showing Guldrin cleaning the knife on Ned's jacket before holstering it. He moved to Chuck, who was visibly shaking, and whispered something into his ear. Chuck nodded weakly, his hands still trembling as Guldrin pulled him to his feet.

"What did you say to him?" Sarah asked, her voice softer now.

"I told him to get his shit together," Guldrin said nonchalantly. "This wasn't over. Oh yeah, I also told him I'd be waiting for you and Casey in the break room. When you came with backup, I knew you'd be able to handle the rest." He paused for a moment before adding, "I still needed to have a meeting with you, General. Find out A, why you bugged my house, B, why you're keeping the fact that you know my family and my lost history to yourself, and C, why you think you can steal my designs for the fishing sword or knife and hand them out to all your spies."

His last sentence hung in the air, the audacity of it settling heavily in the room. For the first time, Guldrin had laid his cards on the table, he was far more to his involvement in all of this than anyone had realized. And it was clear that he wasn't done yet.

The room fell into a stunned silence. For a brief moment, everyone's attention seemed to gravitate around Guldrin, the young boy who had just laid bare his knowledge of the operation, his involvement in the larger scheme, and the weight of his own cunning. The image of the boy on the screen, still calm and composed after taking down two highly trained agents, only made his words that much more chilling.

Sarah and Casey exchanged glances, but neither could immediately find the right words. Beckman, however, looked as though she had been waiting for something like this to happen, her poker face never faltering, but the intensity in her eyes was unmistakable. "Damn Goldbloods, always so unreasonable," Beckman muttered to herself,

"Is that how you see this?" Beckman asked, her voice measured but sharp, like a blade being drawn slowly from its sheath. "You're playing us, Guldrin?"

Guldrin's gaze remained unwavering as he met Beckman's piercing stare. "I'm not playing anyone," he said flatly, a slight edge to his tone. "But I've been here long enough to know that everyone has their own agenda. And if I want to get the answers I need, I have to protect my own interests first." He paused, as if weighing his next words. "You think I, we, don't know the game? That we don't understand the stakes? I might be young, but I'm not stupid. I've been through enough to know how people operate. I know how the government says it is for the greater good, but follows someone else agenda."

A small but satisfied smile tugged at the corner of Beckman's lips, her steely demeanor cracking just the slightest. "You're a perceptive one, I'll give you that. But don't think for a second that I'm going to let you manipulate the situation, Guldrin. This operation is bigger than any one person, even you."

Guldrin and Shiro grinned, "So, let's bargain lady General, I want to know everything you have on my past, no matter how small. For that, I will trade the sale of my fishing knife design, as long as you offer a royalty for each made and sold." His words hung in the air, and they locked eyes through the screen, Guldrin clearly showing he wasn't going to back down.

If there are mistakes, please let me know, I used my phone to write it today. My area got hit with a tornado, I am fine, and so is my home, but the power is out and I had no access to my desktop. Hopefully tomorrow, or later tonight, my power will be back and I can resume as usual. 

(Give me your POWER, Please, and Thank You! Leave reviews and comments, they motivate me to continue.)