Outside the Mirage

#6: The Black Fortress

The next day, Vanessa came in to work as usual at exactly 8:00am. Wearing her blue shirt and white jacket combination, she greeted Platt in the hallway as she continued onto her office. Opening the door, she sat at her desk and began to look through her emails. It was not long after this, however, that a man walked through her door.

The man was older, with gaunt cheeks and thin lips, with a bald spot on his otherwise stiff black hair, and two beady blue eyes. He wore a nice white suit with a black bowtie and had several rings on his fingers.

"Excuse me?" Vanessa said, stopping the man. "What are you doing?"

The man looked at her. "Who are you?"

"Agent Trainee Vanessa Moreland," she replied. "Who are you?"

"Deputy Director Ivan Hanson," he replied. "I run the Department of Containment."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "I don't know what that is."

"If you work for Merlyn, that makes me your boss," Hanson replied. "I need to speak to Merlyn."

"Merlyn?" Vanessa asked. She grabbed her phone and pressed the number 5. It rang for a moment before Merlyn picked up.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Moreland?"

"There's a Deputy Director Hanson for you, sir."

A pause on the line. "Hanson, is it? Tell him I'm writing an email, I'll be right out."

Vanessa hung up and looked over at Hanson. "He's writing an email."

Hanson's face turned red. "An email?"

"It's like a letter, but on a computer," Vanessa explained.

"I know what an email is," Hanson growled. "Why is he doing that?"

"Seems like as Deputy Director, you'd have a better idea of that than me," Vanessa said.

Hanson growled, making fists of his hands. "I could have you suspended, Agent Trainee!" he shouted suddenly.

"I did always believe you to be a petty human," Merlyn said suddenly, standing in the doorway to his office, "but I must say, Ivan, suspension over hurt feelings is a new low."

The face Hanson made was not dissimilar to the kind of face one would make when swallowing a lemon wedge. "It's Deputy Director Hanson, Alistair."

"So it has been explained to me," Merlyn said. "Come in, both of you."

Vanessa and Hanson walked into the office, where there were two other individuals waiting. One, the mousy man from the night before, was sitting in an armchair, looking over some notes on a tablet. The second was a slim, black-haired women standing by the fireplace with a stern look on her face. Merlyn sat down at his desk.

"Who are these people?"

"The gentleman is from the Department of the Magical Office, a steward assigned to act as Special Agent Forsythe's apprentice," Merlyn explained. "He was present last night at the scene, I figured it was best to bring him in part-time for the remainder of the Cultist case.

"The young woman at the fireplace is from the Department of Runes, here to record our interaction today as I am certain you are here to reprimand me and I was also certain that you would fail to follow the proper procedures in doing so."

Hanson growled. "I requested a member of the Department of Runes."

"No, you didn't," the lady said. Hanson jerked around to look at her. "Agent-Keeper Nakamura," she introduced.