The Intelligence Director

Chapter Two

Agent Vas didn’t want to lose his job. He liked it here. The hours were long but the pay was good. Plus, it came with free housing for his family, and free medical care for his eight-month-old daughter. If anyone was going to come up with a cure to the disease that warped her tiny bones, it was Diotech. And Vas would be right there when it happened.

Sure, the abundance of secrets around the compound was unnerving—and oftentimes insulting—but he knew if he just kept his head down and his nose clean, he’d have C9 clearance in no time. And then all of this confidentiality flux would be a thing of the past. He’d have full access to all the data. Including what went on in the Restricted Sector.

Vas knew it had to be something good if they went through so much trouble to keep it under wraps. Ninety-five percent of the employees here didn’t even know it existed. And the ones who did probably thought it was just unused space. But Vas knew better.

You don’t hire someone like Director Raze to protect unused space.

Vas had his guesses as to what they were hiding back there. Biological weapons for the government. A teleportation portal. Unicorns.

He admitted that some guesses were more likely than others.

There were very few C9 projects at Diotech. Which is why when the breach alarm came through his comm, he was fairly certain that it had something to do with the Restricted Sector.

And he knew that this was his big chance to prove himself worthy of a higher security clearance. If he could just stay quiet and follow orders, maybe Raze would throw him a bone. Maybe he’d need help resolving whatever the breach was. And maybe he’d ask Vas for assistance.

And Vas would be ready. He’d stay calm. He’d do as he was told. And whatever was revealed to him behind that security clearance, he would not react.

And he certainly wouldn’t utter a word about what he’d just seen. What Raze did on his own time was his own business. An agent didn’t get promoted around here by being a snitch.

He was deathly silent as he led Raze to the awaiting cart. The Director hopped in and gave the cart the order to bring him back to the ICC. Vas had to run and leap into the already-moving vehicle to avoid being left behind.

“Reactivate,” Raze ordered his comms. “Sign on.”

Vas stole glances of his director out of the corner of his eye, waiting for his reaction. As soon as he connected back to the network and received the download, he’d know what was happening. And his reaction would dictate how severe the breach was.

Vas could remember the last C9 breach they’d dealt with. A lone delivery boy had somehow managed to access the Restricted Sector. How? Vas hadn’t a clue. Raze had taken the news uncharacteristically in stride. Calmly apprehending the harmless trespasser and transporting him directly to the memory labs.

The boy’s memory was altered and it was as though the breach never happened.

The only evidence of the infringement was the two-hour lecture Raze got from the president of the company, and an increase in the amount of security surrounding the Restricted Sector.

It was never mentioned again.

“That mother glitching son of a bitch!” Raze bellowed beside him and Vas worried that the director’s rage would fling him right out of the cart. He almost had the instinct to reach out and secure his arm around his boss. But he knew that would only irritate him further.

The cart glided to a stop in front of the Intelligence Command Center (known to its employees as simply the ICC), the base for all Diotech security, and Raze jumped out. “I’m going to kill that kid.”

As Vas followed him into the building, he suddenly understood who Raze was talking about.

Lyzender Luman.

He’d been a thorn in Raze’s side for months. The boy was only seventeen but somehow he’d managed to wreak more havoc on this compound than any other potential threat. He wasn’t like the other “compound brats,” as Raze liked to call them—sons and daughters of Diotech employees who had nothing better to do after school than run around the place causing trouble. Lyzender was the worst of them. So far he’d managed to break into seven different labs and destroy millions of dollars in research.

Raze had petitioned numerous times for a memory modification on the boy. Something that might help control him. But his requests were always denied. The boy’s mother was just too far up the ladder. And had too much influence over the powers that be. 

But what connection Lyzender Luman could possibly have to a C9 breach was beyond Vas. The boy had a history of breaking into C3 labs, or C5s at most. There was no way he’d ever be able to get access to a C9.

Vas was so caught up in his thoughts, he nearly slammed right into Raze’s back. The director had halted mid-step. And when Vas glanced through the transparent walls of Raze’s office, he understood why.

The president of Diotech was waiting for him. The tall, blonde man was sitting in one of the guest chairs, drumming his fingertips casually across the armrest. As though he were simply waiting for a regularly scheduled appointment.

Vas could feel Raze’s body tense in front of him.

Raze ran a hand through his tousled hair and stood up a bit straighter before walking briskly toward the office.

“I assure you, everything is under control, Dr. Alixter,” Vas could hear Raze say as he walked in.

“I’m afraid you’ve lost the ability to make such assurances,” the cool-tempered man replied.

“We have measures built in for just this purpose,” Raze argued. “We’ll find her.”

Vas’s mind spun as he sat down at his desk alongside the dozens of other agents. He struggled to make sense of the snippet of conversation he’d had the unique privilege of overhearing.

Her?

He’d been certain Raze was talking about Lyzender Luman just a minute ago. Now he wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t until his gaze was met by the cold stare of Dr. Alixter’s icy blue eyes that Vas realized he’d been gawking at the two men through the synthetic glass wall. He blinked and looked to the floor.

Dr. Alixter turned his flat gaze to the director, who understood.

“Sorry,” Raze mumbled, and swiped a fingertip along the surface of his desk. The door to the office sealed shut and the transparent dividers were no longer transparent.

When Vas looked up again, he found himself staring at the digital projection of a lifeless brick wall.  

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This story continues in Chapter Three