CHAPTER 23

“What’s wrong? You’re not speaking with your usual spunk.” Jasmine asked, grabbing her arm.

“Not good to talk about feelings before an important meeting.”

“You said it yourself, we’ve got time. Darn, we really need a phone or a watch.” She groaned, looking around for another clock. No such luck.

“Pretty sure we got at least ten minutes.” Agnes mumbled.

“Perfect! What’s wrong?”

“I feel like we’re wasting our time here, Jasmine.” She spoke low enough not to be heard through the door.

The girl instantly thought about her mother. Revenge echoed through her mind.

“Wasting our time how?” She asked again, more guarded this time.

“I mean, I don’t have any say in this, and I don’t have a choice, so this is just like, complaining for no reason, I suppose. But surely you see the fact that we’re helping a megalomaniac completely take over the country, right? I mean, I didn’t care about the Senators, but I’ve been doing some thinking, and this whole situation doesn’t look too good.”

“Don’t you see how the MSA is making the people out there suffer? They tried to kill us literally yesterday.”

“Yeah, of course, they’re bad too, but if we somehow manage to make it through this without dying and we beat them back, then what? Hermann has full powers to do whatever he wants, and that might include… hurting us.”

“He’s the only leader in this fricking country’s history that has ever helped our kind. You’re just being unreasonable here, and sounding a lot like those pundits on T.V. you keep nagging on.”

“Think about it. When all the threats are gone, why keep us around? When the MSA is gone, we become the threat—”

She stopped abruptly. Jasmine looked away from her and noticed someone walking through the hall— one of Gessner’s employees.

“Let’s stop this, I don’t want to worry you. Forget I said anything.” Agnes continued. She pushed the office door open before Jasmine could say anything.

Gessner’s office was tidy, and everything seemed to be in order, a theme that contrasted heavily with what Jasmine had gotten used to with Biermann at the research center. The Marshal was looking at three flags attached to the wall, each of them with a somewhat similar design. Two people were with him, and both were holding a clipboard and a pen. The Marshal turned his head toward them and smiled.

“Ah, you’re early.” He gestured his aides out of the room. “Come and take a look at this.”

The two girls ambled toward him, looking at the giant flags hanging off the walls.

“What’s this supposed to be?” Agnes asked. The doubt and anguish in her voice were completely gone.

“Isn’t it obvious, my dear Agnes? I’m overseeing the design of a new flag for our country.”

“Uhuh.” She half-replied.

Jasmine looked at the flags and saw they each incorporated red in a significant way, like the current imperial flag. He seemed to have gotten rid of the imperial eagle entirely, opting for more modern options.

“Which one do you think I should pick? I am quite fond of the flag on the left.”

She looked at his choice, and it was the most simple design by far. It was almost entirely red, with a white circle in its center ringed by a thick black line. Another black thunder-like symbol rested in its center, coming down from the top of the ringed line.

“I don’t really care about flags, so I’ll leave this one to Jasmine.” Agnes said with a shrug.

“Um… I guess I’d take it over the current flag, but I think you’re giving me too much power here.” She cautioned.

“Left flag it is then! Now I have to contact every governor, although I’ll probably have to clean house and appoint better picks. Anyway, I didn’t call you here to talk about governing.” Gessner said as he sat back down on his desk. “I have a job for you.”

Agnes clicked her tongue.

Gessner continued. “As you know, we retrieved the bodies of the MSA soldiers they sent at us during the… altercation at the National Assembly. I told Oppenheimer to run some background checks, and it appears they had an Azerian in their midst— the one Veronica quite savagely killed.”

“So? What do you want us to do with that information?” Agnes asked.

“I’m sure the NIC will get you up to speed. The car is already waiting in the courtyard. I hope you’ll forgive me for the short notice?” Gessner said, clearly sarcastically.

“You’re the boss.” She replied quietly with a sigh. “Who else is going with us?”

“Oh, I thought I’d been clear. It’s a job for you. Only you two are going.” The man clarified.

Jasmine bit her lip.

Not good.

---

Walking through the futuristic tunnel under the TIA compound had left Jasmine awestruck before, although she’d been nervous. But now? All that was left was anxiety. The meeting room was dimly lit, and as always, it smelled of cigarettes. Four of the National Intelligence Council members were absent, and Jasmine recognized the old woman with the huge mole and the man with the cane. The five members turned their heads toward her and Agnes simultaneously.

Oppenheimer sat along with them on the metallic table.

“We meet again, metahumans.” He declared, spitting out the word. “Hermann believes you are ready for your second mission. Sit”

The old white-haired woman spoke up as Jasmine and Agnes took a seat. “Jasmine, Agnes, the council wishes to apologize for the attack at the National Assembly. The MSA blind-sighted us, I am afraid. But from every blunder, opportunity can arise, and that is why you are here today.”

Just as she finished speaking, the screen on the back of the room switched on, revealing an innocent-looking picture of a skinny adult man with chestnut-colored hair.

Oppenheimer spoke. “Adam Kizinger was the only one whose origins we managed to track down, and it is our belief that the people in his hometown have to know something. It is a rather small— an old coal-mining town northeast of Mount Rosharia called Halselt.” The screen swapped to a topographic map of Azeris, zooming near the mountain range.

Another man spoke for the first time. He wore thick glasses and had an incredibly crooked nose. “The town is inhabited by around one thousand three hundred people, although the most recent census was before the war—” He stopped to cough, the slight cough turning into a full fit. Once he stopped, the man exhaled deeply. “We have reasons to believe it is smaller now. Fewer opportunities and economic hardships are common around that region. People move out.”

“Correct, so you will have an easier time to figure out what went on, and who recruited Kizinger into the MSA.” The old woman declared with a wicked grin that revealed her blackened teeth. “Oppenheimer, the hair.” She barked.

The Director pulled out a transparent zip-lock bag full of hair— chestnut hair.

The old woman continued. “Agnes, Jasmine, now is the time to prove yourself to us. We have Franz’s healing powers, Veronica’s invincibility, but what do you have? Should the state waste resources on training and raising you? Some individuals believe that the answer to that question is no.” She said, shooting a glare at Oppenheimer. “But I have a knack for knowing these things. For knowing an opportunity when I see one, and if I do, I never let it escape me, otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived this long. Prove me right.”

The man with the cane nodded. “We’ve identified a few of Kizinger’s living relatives, and almost all of them live in Halselt, apart from a cousin who lives here. Agnes, you already know what you have to do. Figure out what led him to this path of treason against our country. You may use any means necessary as long as it stays quiet. The north’s state is already volatile as it is, and a leak of this magnitude would be catastrophic.”

Oppenheimer threw the bag of hair across the table. “Here, use this as your supply. We have more, so don’t worry about losing it. You’ll each be given the default apparatus for this— H1845, ammo, knife, a burner phone to contact an agent in case of an emergency, cash, first aid… and this.” He raised his hand above the table, revealing two badges with their picture on them.

“Your badges. If you want to force an interrogation or a search. Now, if there are any questions, ask them now.” He continued.

Jasmine raised her hand. “How do we get there?”

“Come with me.” He answered as he stood up.