Special Agent | ✓

Four

Chief Vahid paused to rub at her eyes, righting her glasses before she switched to another document.

"The servers have noted additional scans — one can describe them as digital inquiries — as to the nature of the signal from 23:28 to roughly 00:10. At ten past eleven, the home system at O'Reilly's residence was shut down by the operator."

Adina raised her hand, narrowing her eyes at Chief Havas. The Director nodded at her. Chief Tibble turned her face toward Vahid, asking:

"Chief Vahid, would you like to clarify as to why the servers were shut down?"

Vahid cleared her throat, eyeing the document once more.

"Security cameras have noted that Analyst O'Reilly, at this point, was forcibly removed from her residence and brought to the HQ. The removal was conducted by Agency-agents."

Another hand raised. The Director nodded to Special Agent Davidson.

"Under whose orders?" His voice was low, eyes dark.

"Co-chief of Operations, Chief Havas, sent the order for O'Reilly's retrieval." Vahid righted her glasses again, "O'Reilly was thereafter brought to Chief Havas' HQ office."

Adina's hand shot up again, and the Director nodded her way. The seasoned Chief inclined her head to Vahid.

"How long was O'Reilly kept in Chief Havas' office?"

"From 00:30 to roughly 4:30."

Chief Havas' jaw tensed, face growing red. His colleague and co-chief, Chief Sanders, looked worried. Quinn wondered if he, too, kept a flask of whiskey somewhere nearby in order to steel his nerves.

Presumably, dear Chief Havas didn't tell his co-chief everything, either.

Adina leaned back, studying Chief Havas as he twisted in his chair. Special Agent Davidson stared at Chief Havas, before his dark eyes shifted over to Quinn. Scott had gone into the room with zero expectations as to the course of action, but a few whispered words of choice from Sarraf had left him to reconsider. His eyes remained on the analyst beside Chief Tibble, who'd crossed her arms above her chest, actively shoving aside the fatigue in her eyes.

Chief Havas raised his arm. Kimmel inclined her head his way, and he spoke. Quinn kept her eyes firmly on face as his voice carried through the room.

"Yes, I had agents retrieve O'Reilly from her residence. Not only was she the first to call in the alert, but she is the primary analyst on Kent's case. We needed her as a witness."

"A witness you locked in your office for four hours, whose interrogation remains unrecorded?" Adina hadn't bothered with waiting for Director Kimmel to hand her the word — she was not going to give Chief Havas in inch of space in this meeting without contesting it.

"My testimony as Chief of Operations ought to be enough validation."

"Co-chief of Operations," Adina shot back quickly. Her voice remained even, " — and your word is not enough, not when said witness was under duress."

"O'Reilly was never under duress ," stated Chief Havas. Adina's eyes twitched, a barely perceptible movement. Kimmel was eyeing the exchange with a neutral expression, not bothering to correct her Chiefs.

"Is that why you had two guards posted outside your office door? Either you were scared of an analyst beating up the co-Chief of operations, or you wanted to keep said witness in your 'interrogation' longer without her bolting." Adina's air-quotes were vicious.

"I conducted a perfectly acceptable interview," started Havas once more, but his voice was considerably more strained, " — as Chief -" Adina shot Havas a glare, and he cleared his throat: " — as co-Chief of Operations, the active agents are under my jurisdiction. I was well within my rights."