"Two-seven-five-four-two-one-two..." Alex began with a sigh, "... Was my designated military number." He shook his head to correct himself, "Not that I was in the military in a traditional sense... Obviously." He told her, not meaning to come across as condescending. "Back in the eighties, the government began a new program building upon theoretical stem cell research to modify genetics in Humans and make them more superior to people like yourself, Archer and even... Oliver." Alex still had his hand on Riley's wound, he looked down at the bandages and ran his fingertips along them.
"Just before the nineties, they produced they're first genetically modified human, the experiments were failures, most being left in vegetative states after their first few years of life. Mid-nineties we were made... By we, I mean people like myself and that man who had you at gunpoint." Alex sighed before explaining more, going through every excruciating detail, explaining everything that he had learnt off his own research and from Archer's specific skill set. He talked for a good half hour, just talking and explaining and apologizing. "Oliver came for me... The night I picked you up and dropped you off at your building. He found me at Archer's apartment and chased me up to the rooftop." Alex winced as he raised his leg awkwardly onto the bed and patted it above the knee. "He shot me in the leg, it was me or him Riley."
Alex stood from the bed and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, I know what I did was wrong and I'm the one that has to live with the blood of two men on my hands now." He looked down at her a thin smile that begged for her to understand parted his lips. "I wasn't going to die that day."