Magical Mystery Tour

Chapter Sixty-Five: Dhani's POV

Dhani's POV
I watched as they all filed into the rather large office that belonged to the head of the AAL. Half of them looked nervous, while the other half were curious. Hawk sat still in his chair at the head of the table. I stood at his left and Midge took her place as an agent at his right. Ollie closed the door and stood as the guard, watching over the meeting. I was surprised he'd managed to make himself look more official, albeit his shirt was still untucked and his tie hung around his neck untied.
Hawk didn't speak until everyone was seated around the table. George and John sat together, two of the curious ones of the group. Neal sat on John's opposite side. Serena and Lilly sat across the table from them; the worried ones.
"You are better put together than I thought you would be." Hawk said in his authoritative tone. "Tell me your situation." He was looking at George. A part of me felt he wasn't the best to answer the question, but I didn't say anything against the matter.
"John and Lilly's daughter, Valeri has been taken." He said calmly. Hawk looked at him closely and George started to fidget.
"Please, sir," Lilly said quickly, and surprisingly calmly, "we have to get her back."
Hawk looked at her, surprised she was brave enough to speak, "Without a doubt, my dear." He said nodding. Lilly let out a small breath of relief. "But first we have to establish your place in this institution." I let out a small breath. I didn't think he would admit them so soon.
"Meaning what?" John asked firmly. Hawk stood and picked up a thick leather bound book from the table behind him.
"The Alive Again Lookout is not only a place for those people who wake up from a long slumber." Hawk said setting the book down on the large table, "It is also a place of work in addition to a safe haven. This book has the signatures of every agent in this institute dating as far back 1802. Every name in this book has lived in this building by his or her preference and they were given help and aid in any form that was needed. This place is for those not only very much like you, but those who believe that every life is important. They believe that anyone who needs help should get it, and most importantly they believe that they can be the one to help. Those who have signed their name in this book learned to use and control the powers they possess. They then take a job in the institute if they so wish, but also knowing they may always be called on dangerous missions at any time, never go too far away. You have the option today to join us. If you so choose to sign your name, you will be given further training with your powers and learning to defend yourself both physically and mentally. If you decline, you will have other chances to change your mind. This isn't your only chance. If you choose not to sign today, we can give you protection. We can help in any way you would like. But there is doubt set in you. You will not be fully trusted and you will not be permitted to enter certain parts of this establishment. The choice is completely yours. Just be aware that if you sign this book, you are in forever. If cannot be erased." Hawk opened the book and slid it in front of George with a pen. He signed without hesitation.
I didn't expect that at all
I glanced at Midge and nodded in agreement. John sat looking at the page, holding the pen. He was thinking hard about this. I needed him to sign that paper however. He looked up at me. I couldn't persuade him one way or the other, it was simply not allowed. He signed his name and passed the book to Neal. He signed quickly and then it was up to Lilly. She looked at John and I knew they were talking about it. The look on her face told me she didn't want to sign. I glanced at Serena and saw her looking panicked. She didn't strike me as one to make decisions like this easily. She was staring at her hands and I saw George watching her.
The book was moved in front of her and she stared at the page. Not a lot of people joined the AAL. It wasn't a very broadly known group. I was sure my name was on that page, and I knew she was reading the names. I knew she'd get to my name and read, not only my name, but the date I signed and the information I had kept hidden from them.
I think you've been found out.
I just hope she doesn't tell George.
Believe it or not, I did really care about what George thought of me. I was his son once. Serena picked up the pen and wrote her name down under Neal's. She let out a deep breath and Hawk closed the book. She looked shaken, and I saw her looking at me with a completely different expression. I brushed it off and looked across the room at Ollie. He winked at me and I shook my head in amusement.
"Now that that's out of the way," Hawk said taking his seat again, "We get down to business. Agent, please pull up the plan you have created." I nodded and picked up a tablet from the table behind me. The glass screen came out of the wall as I turned it on and opened my plan.
"We can't do much at this point." I said glancing at John apologetically, "We won't be able to do anything until we know Bellamy's location. But until then, I can train those of you who joined."
"But Dhani, we can't just-" I held up my hand to cut off John.
"I suggest we send out four teams to follow the leads I have from Stryker." I said looking at Hawk only, "We'll be able to find him faster and if not, then he'll get bored with us taking so long to find him and he'll contact us." As if on cue, the glass screen with my plan on it blurred and became too distorted to view. I looked down at my tablet as Bellamy appeared.
"Clear the tablet Dhani." Midge said seriously. I shook my head and she moved toward me, "He'll get into the server."
"He's not here for that." I said quickly, moving away from her. Hawk turned and faced the screen.
"Well, well, well," Bellamy sneered, "I see you've managed to recruit some more allies."
"What do you want Bellamy?" Hawk asked bluntly. I was monitoring the server. He wasn't going to get into it if he tried. I wasn't going to let him in.
"You know very well what I want. They're all sitting at that table." Bellamy said calmly, "But I also know what you want, and more importantly, what they want." He looked at John and then to Lilly. The screen changed to a little girl, looking to be around two or three, playing with a baby doll. Lilly gasped and stood up quickly. Serena grabbed her hand quickly and pulled her to sit back down.
"Valeri." She said looking at me frantically. I had an idea suddenly. Bellamy went on with his bantering with us, but I was too busy to hear it. I was attempting to reverse the feed and find his server. It was proving to be more difficult that in anticipated.
"She's grown like a weed." Bellamy said, the screen going back to him, "Of course I owe her capture all to Daniel. He did it all." John's fists clenched on the table and I looked up at Bellamy.
"You better not have touched her." John growled.
"See the thing about children of you sort," Bellamy began, ignoring John, "is that they're stronger than you without even trying to be. Valeri is more powerful than any of you will ever be and she's brand new." Lilly was crying, but she wasn't letting anyone see. I only saw because she was facing me. She was watching me. She could see I was doing something important.
Finally, I got an address. I looked a it carefully so I'd remember it and then suddenly the feed died and my plan was back on the screen.
"What happened?" George asked suddenly. He looked at Midge and then to me. "Where'd he go?"
"Agent, who cut the feed?" Hawk asked. I shook my head and put my tablet down.
"They cut it, but-"
"Can we get it back?" Neal asked suddenly. I looked at him and started to answer, but Lilly beat me to it.
"Dhani got something." She said confidently. I was glad I had gotten information. I nodded and pulled the address on the screen.
"I found his location." I said seriously. John and Lilly shared a gaze that I knew helped their nerves about the entire ordeal. "I still think we should send out more than one team to scout however." Hawk nodded and write out an order.
"Agent Oliver," he barked. Ollie came over and he waited, "take this to Agents Aurora and Molter. Effective immediately." Ollie nodded and left quickly. Hawk looked at me. "As for you, take Harrison and Lennon to get suited up. Midge you take the other two to the front offices to get credentials. After that take Miss Preston to the cafeteria for some food." Midge nodded and then we were all off on our way, John and George with me and Neal, Serena, and Lilly with Midge.