Power Play

Chapter 20: Veronica

Chapter 20: Veronica

    Veronica sat in a security room in an underground complex, an array of monitors laid out before her, most of them currently displaying different angles of the same room. There in the middle of the room sat Talen in a metal chair, his arms and legs bound to it by multiple thick steel cuffs. Yet still he wore that same confident smile, like it was all going according to some plan he had.

    It had been all Veronica could do to convince a couple of the agents not to throw Talen out of the plane after what he'd done to Jason. Not because they thought it would kill him, there was no question the True Mind would survive the fall, but just because they were afraid of him, they didn't want him anywhere near them. They clearly suspected that he'd been telling the truth, that he still had access to all his powers. But that wasn't entirely clear, not yet. Just because he was still capable of pulling some kind of weird Jedi Mind Trick didn't mean he still had access to the rest of his powers, the ones he'd need to escape. Besides, she'd had her orders. She'd carefully reminded the others that the True Mind had seen their faces, had perhaps seen even more about them, and that if they let him get away, there was a very good chance he would come for them later. It had been enough to silence the two unruly agents, but they were clearly scared, as were the other agents, and Veronica couldn't really blame them. She warned them all not to listen to anything the True Mind said, but she needn't have bothered, because Talen didn't say another word for the rest of this trip, and this time no one else said anything with even a remote chance of goading him into talking.

    The moment the plane had landed at a military compound she'd been met by two other agents with an armored car. Jason had been supposed to accompany her, but after what had happened he was still shaky, so another agent agreed to take his place and join her and the two who'd been waiting. Together they guided Talen into the car, after a fresh injection of the chemical, and drove a few minutes to the other end of the compound, arriving at the building that sat above the underground complex she was in now. As Talen was led down to a holding cell, she'd made her way to the security room, where she'd been given a direct line to the Director. She'd explained what had happened on the plane, but he'd seemed unconcerned. He'd congratulated her on the success of her mission, said the researchers that would be studying the True Mind were already en route. He said that until they arrived, Talen would be questioned by one of the two agents he'd sent there ahead of them. The cameras set to observe the holding cell apparently broadcast their signals not only to the security room, but to a secure server on the net where the Director himself and a number of scientists would be watching. The Director seemed confident that despite the incident on the plane, the chemical would keep Talen under control.

    There were plenty of military personnel guarding the complex, but only four agents, and on one of the few monitors not covering the holding cell she could see the other three, standing next to a vending machine in the hallway outside the cell. She had to assume that for a vending machine to be in the hall the holding cell wasn't used that often, but she guessed hungry soldiers occasionally needed a snack while on duty.

    And it wasn't just video, she was getting an audio feed from the cell, the hallway, and from the still intact line to the Director, if he cared to use it. The three agents were discussing sports, of all things. There was a faint beep from the console in front of her and the Director's voice came through. "Agent Laver, send him in."

    Veronica reached out and pressed the button that would activate the intercom to the hallway. "The Director has given the order. Proceed with the interrogation," Veronica relayed.