Kill Order

Part 2, Chapter 5: Pulse and Proof

Tristan's fingers felt cold against the electrodes. "Yes."

The needle leapt.

The examiner kept his tone neutral. "Do you hold feelings for Agent Shaw that extend beyond professional trust?"

Tristan opened his mouth, found words tangled. "I respect her. She is... valuable."

"Answer yes or no."

He inhaled slowly, square breathing, four counts, but the rhythm faltered. "No."

The pen jerked hard across the page, a ridge of sharp ink.

Renwick's eyes narrowed. "Are you lying to protect her?"

"I am not lying," Tristan insisted, voice a fraction too sharp.

The chart answered with another violent spike.

Renwick lifted a hand to the examiner. "That will do." She detached the chest strap herself, not gently. "Twenty minutes. Briefing room. Both of you will present your defence together."

Tristan stood, rubbing the adhesive from his wrist. "Director, the mission record speaks-"

"Save it for the table," she said, steering him into the corridor. "You have one third of an hour to decide how you explain that chart."

She turned and strode away. Tristan exhaled, shoulders tight, the echo of his own uneven heartbeat still thudding in his ears.

Evelyn waited further down the hall, leaning against the wall. Her expression asked the question for her.

He shook his head. "We have been summoned. Twenty minutes to build a case."

She pushed off the wall. "So the machine liked me and hated you?"

"Needles had opinions." He tried a rueful smile. "Come on. Strategy over bad coffee."

They moved together toward the small interview prep office, footsteps fast, the corridor clock ticking far too loudly. A quarter of an hour now to line up facts and feelings before the Director returned with scalpel questions. And this time, the chart would not be their only judge.

The briefing room felt more like a courtroom than a conference space. A single long table ran down the centre, bright lights overhead washing every crease and bruise into high relief. Brad Hawkins and Joel Carter occupied chairs at one end, for once sitting straight. Kerr stood near the display screen, arms folded, face unreadable. Tristan and Evelyn took the last two seats. Director Sophia Renwick paced behind her chair for several seconds before she finally sat.

"Let us address the facts," Renwick began, voice clipped. "A train ambush that should have been impossible. Thirty militia members in one carriage and two of our most senior field operatives in the perfect kill box. Explain how that happens without internal assistance."

Tristan met her stare. "The attacker exploited a one day delay in our transport clearance. That gap is in the reports you received this morning. Our enemy has resources. No mole required."

Renwick leaned forward. "An enemy who sacrifices a brother yet fails to all bodies before you escape. Convenient. Perhaps a staged failure to maintain your cover."

Evelyn kept her tone level. "We searched the body as documented. The absence of data does not imply collusion. Galen trusts very few people. He would not give his courier evidence that leads back to him, blood relation or not."

Renwick's eyes narrowed. "Speaking of trust. The polygraph suggests unresolved feelings between you two. That compromises judgement. Did those feelings influence your decision making on that train?"

Tristan answered first. "Our only concern was neutralising threats and protecting civilians. The result speaks for itself. Zero civilian casualties."

Renwick glanced at the chart displayed on a tablet. "The line spikes at every mention of Agent Shaw. You hesitated when asked whether you prioritised mission over partner. That hesitation cost us Mikhail Borodin once. Why should I believe it does not endanger future operations?"

Before Tristan could speak Brad lifted a hand. "If I may. Field conditions create bonds stronger than a monthly performance review. That does not equal betrayal."

Joel nodded for once without a grin. "I ran their financials yesterday. No shared accounts. No sudden transfers. Whatever emotion you think is there, it does not translate into secret pay offs or hidden agendas."

Renwick turned her gaze on Brad. "You find this situation amusing."

"Can we focus on what matters," Brad replied, surprising everyone with his measured tone. "Galen targeted them because they are the sharp end of the spear. If you pull them off the board because of a few ink spikes, you hand Galen an advantage."

Renwick looked back to Tristan and Evelyn. "Your defenders make interesting points. Yet you spend nights in the same office, same bed. You train together. Where does the line blur?"

Evelyn kept her voice even. "We share an office because the agency assigned one unit. As for blurred lines, our kill ratio and recovery time speak louder than feelings."

Renwick opened a folder. "Phone records show nineteen calls after midnight between your numbers over the past six weeks."

Tristan smiled thinly. "Nightmares do not keep office hours."

Brad snorted. "They saved each other from bullets, knives, bleed-outs. Conversations about the past operations are mandatory to debrief correctly. Wouldn't you agree?"

For a moment even Renwick looked exasperated. She shifted focus to Kerr. "You have been silent. Do you have anything to add?"

Kerr pushed away from the wall, voice calm but firm. "I recruited them. I trained them. I have watched them make split second choices that saved lives. If they wanted to betray us, we would be ashes by now. They bleed for the mission. That is what I know."

Renwick studied Kerr's face, weighing the conviction behind his words. Finally she closed the folder. "Very well. I will set aside the suggestion of collaboration with Galen for now, but the question of emotional compromise remains." She looked around the table. "Can anyone present evidence that definitively disproves a personal attachment that may cloud judgement?"

Silence met the question. Brad opened his mouth, then closed it. Joel frowned at the table. Even Kerr seemed at a loss.

Renwick rose. "As I suspected. Dismissed. Tasking will resume once I decide how to mitigate this variable." She walked to the door, turning just once. "Remember. The enemy is watching. Give him nothing else to exploit."

The door shut behind her with a decisive click. The room exhaled.

Brad was first to speak, leaning back in his chair. "That woman could freeze lava."

Joel whistled. "I thought I was done sweating for the day."

Tristan rubbed a hand over his face. "Thank you, both of you. That was unexpected."

Brad gave a lazy salute. "One team, remember. We're still here for both of you."

Evelyn gathered the stray printouts. "We should prepare contingency plans. If she sidelines us, Galen gains momentum."

Kerr nodded, the earlier tension still in his shoulders. "Gather your notes. Evelyn, I need you to stay up late tonight. Listen for any hint of Galen, his whereabouts. Report in the morning. I'll piece together the little evidence we have."

The Americans ambled out, Brad tossing Tristan a two finger wave, Joel offering Evelyn a polite nod for once without a wink. Kerr followed, leaving Tristan and Evelyn alone beside the long table.

Evelyn let out a quiet breath. "We are not traitors, but she will not drop this."

Tristan offered a weary half smile. "Then we will just have to save the country again. Hard to argue with results."

They left the room together, footsteps echoing down the corridor. Whatever suspicion clung to them, they carried it side by side. Outside, the corridor lights flickered to life as evening descended, and somewhere beyond thick walls Galen planned his next move. For now, they walked on, a quiet united front against the storm still gathering.