For a mont, silence ruled the cave. She was tense, but not surprised. No, she expected that question to arrive the mont I ntioned Wisdom.
"So, you want that discussion to happen now," she asked.
"It makes sense, before we decide on exactly what you'll be responsible for here," I said. A simple statent, but a loaded one. A threat, and a promise at the sa ti. If she skirted around the issue, or I caught too many lies, I would do my best to ice her out.
And, the reverse was equally true. I had no problems giving her the full support I could afford, as long as I trusted her intentions. That, and providing the most valuable asset I required.
Information.
Was I comfortable with it moving this fast? No. Absolutely not. But one thing was clear: She had been around for the last three years, and with the power she had, she could have been far more heavy-handed to get what she wanted — assuming it was sothing she could have gotten in the first place.
As far as dubious alliances went, that was by far the best one on the board. Especially with Wisdom helping . I didn't think it was so kind of omnipotent lie detector, but it helped to contextualize a lot of smaller things and general intent, which was the best I could hope under the circumstances.
She sighed. "Before Cataclysm, I was working for Interpol," she said, which, as far as I could sense, was the truth, and not a deflection. Then, she paused. "You're not surprised."
That earned a shrug. "Not much. I guessed you were from one of the alphabet agencies, or soone would have interfered with you," I said. "Admittedly, I expected the CIA."
"Really?" she asked.
"Peripheral they might be, but my projects were technically relevant to national security, so it's not too surprising. Several of my coworkers had dealt with them, just because they talked to the wrong pretty girl who had too much interest in their subject or such. But, since you're not CIA, or Holand Security, it's not one of the projects I did for my governnt. So, I'm guessing it was my collaboration with the universities in Saudi Arabia, about their changing socio-demographic structure," I comnted.
She shook her head. "No, it was not," she said.
I shrugged. "Fair. What's the thing that triggered the spooks, then?" I asked dismissively. Ultimately, it was re curiosity. It wasn't like anything that happened before the Cataclysm had any kind of significance.
I expected her to simply answer, or dismiss it as irrelevant, so I was surprised when she was tense. "Don't tell I was in so kind of black book of assassination," I joked. It didn't feel good to watch her tense even more.
She took a deep breath before delivering one statent. "Horizon Institute."
My eyes widened as I processed the information. Horizon Institute, a toy of a spoiled rich man, or so I assud at the ti. The fact that it triggered so kind of spy alert wasn't surprising. Back then, I had detected enough weird vibes to stay away, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were so kind of dangerous cult.
Yet, she hesitated before saying their na, which didn't make sense if that had been the case, aning there was sothing greater that was in question.
My eyes widened at a very dangerous realization. So-called peace wards, a tool that had been very similar to the research they had asked to complete. "I think I understand," I managed to say in the calst tone I could manage. "But, why don't you give the full picture, just to be sure."
"Always so sharp, professor," she said with a sardonic smile. "It all started when I received an assignnt." She paused, sighing. "It was my first field assignnt, actually, more of a test than anything else. After all, the target was a weird genius professor that contained no risk."
"And, I'm guessing that Horizon Institute wasn't too big of a target either?"
Surprisingly, she shook her head. "No, they were the biggest case that we have been dealing with. A weird organization with seemingly unlimited funding, making contacts with many different people, with little rhy and reason that we could discern. They were a priority case, but they had too many politician friends to prevent us from a raid. So, Interpol decided to cast a wide net."
"Enough to assign a full-ti spy on little old ," I said, trying to process what I had just heard. I was starting to have a very bad feeling, but I didn't want to interrupt her with theories, so I nodded to her to continue.
"Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, you were squeaky clean, so it was starting to be a very boring assignnt. Even your computer had nothing weird, with your internet history being clean … well, mostly," she said.
I couldn't help but blush. Even after three years, that particular blow hurt. "Low blow. A man's internet history is sacred."
She shrugged. "I was a spy on my first assignnt, dealing with the world's most boring target. Which is why I decided to get creative." Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire
"How so?"
"Since I had already hacked your personal computer, I could easily block and intercept your emails. So, I intercepted your communication for the conference, to make sure you would leave two days early."
"You knew that I would drive there…"
"Not a difficult prediction. I followed you with my own car."
"What was the plan?"
"I was going to sabotage your car in the middle of nowhere, and try to get you to talk," she said.
I was tempted to ask her whether she was prepared to use 'enhanced interrogation' or if she had sothing softer in mind, but I decided against it. At this point, it wouldn't have made any difference. "But, sothing else sabotaged my car first."
"Yes, Cataclysm," she said.
The silence stretched for a while. I was glad that my ditation gave sothing to busy myself with.
"But, before everything went crazy, I had received one last ssage from my work phone. An ergency ssage."
"What did it say?"
She chuckled. "Nothing. Or, it might as well be nothing. It only said that Horizon had succeeded, and asked us to go deep undercover, and wait for orders."
"And, since I was a person of interest, you decided to stick around," I said.
"Yes. It was why I stuck around that little town in the middle of nowhere, observing you," she said. "That way, once Horizon inevitably ca to collect you, I would be there. But, they never ca. I still don't understand why. Anyone else that had been marked has been collected. Just not you."
"Marked how?" I said, then rembered the gaudy present that I was forced to wear. "That stupid watch."
"Yes," she said, then looked at suspiciously. "When they were first distributed, we stole so and analyzed them. They had nothing extraordinary."
"Other than being enchanted, I'm guessing."
"Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, we learned that too late. I only pieced it together three months after the Cataclysm, based on testimonies. Once Cataclysm hit, it acted like a beacon, and the agents of Horizon arrived to kidnap them."
"And, were they only targeting scientists?" I asked.
"No. Their targeting, at least on the upper crust, had a certain pattern that we were able to decipher, one that only makes sense in hindsight."
"How so?"
"They almost exclusively targeted the people with exceptional achievents, in a way that didn't make sense. Athletes from sports of lesser renown, researchers who didn't fit the mold, self-made businessn, maverick generals and politicians. It only makes sense in hindsight. They were hunting for signs of exceptional strength of soul…"
"The people that can push back against the System's brainwashing," I said, connecting it with my own observations.
She nodded. "Exactly. Once the System was activated, anyone with both the will and the authority to put so kind of order was hoisted away … and any that had been missed, they hunted and kidnapped later, leaving the world to suffer."
"Why?" I asked.
"I have no idea," she replied, sounding exhausted. "I have received so ssages since then, but only as a part of so larger piece of missive that had been spread across the region, and it only carried extrely important, but very limited information, like keeping our head down. Or, just three months ago, telling us that their thods to reach our region were temporarily blocked, so we can act as we saw fit."
"Hence, my employnt with Maria."
"Yes. I had thought that it was a good way to start small. Finally, establish a guild, and use it to expand my reach systematically… but, you didn't behave in the way I had expected. After three years of doing nothing, you ca here … and the next thing I learned was that you sohow angered the heretics enough that they moved a dungeon to deal with you."
I closed my eyes, realizing that things had been even more chaotic than I had expected. In my defense, in all my theories, I hadn't expected humanity to be stabbed in the back.
"How did you avoid it?"
Surprisingly, her tone was more curious than suspicious. But then, she had spent three years observing , so it made sense for her to trust to a certain point. And, despite so questions of my own, I trusted her as well. "Simple," I said with a dark chuckle. "It was ugly, so I tossed it into the garbage the mont I received it."
"But, you were wearing it," she argued.
"No, I was wearing a copy, because the dean had annoyed about the fragile egos of big donors to make order a copy."
"That's … absurd," she said, with a bitter chuckle.
"Yes," I said, unable to disagree with her. "It is."
Silence lingered once more. I had many more questions, but not before I cald down.
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