If Dyna had known that she wasn’t going to be allowed to sit in on Harold’s interrogation, she would have asked him a few questions of her own while it was just her and Emerald. Though perhaps it was for the best. While she didn’t think that she would get hypnotized again, not now that she knew to watch out for it and what to watch out for, but if she did, she wasn’t sure that she would live down the embarrassment.

Assuming he didn’t just kill her this time.

In any case, Harold remained bound and gagged until the rest of the Carroll Institute dispatched people to take him away.

Mission accomplished. Harold had been captured. No one got hurt beyond some mental scarring on Dyna’s part. Thanks to Dyna’s stolen memories, they had shut down what seemed to be the main base of operations in the region. At least, Dyna couldn’t recall anywhere other than the meat packing plant being important.

The odd door did bring up some worrying implications. While simplistic, the room that the foreman hadn’t remembered being there before was not in any blueprints. A few of the doctors charged with investigating the matter speculated that it had been constructed in the noosphere and then pulled over to reality by the tulpa.

“There is no need to worry,” Administrator Gamma said as she scrolled through Dyna’s report on the incident. “My task force has people currently in the noosphere, keeping a close observation on the thoughtforms around the Carroll Institute. Rest assured, nothing unexpected will pop up around the institute.”

Dyna shifted slightly, copying Emerald’s hands-behind-back pose as they handed over their reports to the one in charge of the situation. The administrator had not read the full report, just the summary.

Maybe she should have left that bit out.

“In any case, well done,” Gamma said, standing. She left the tablet she had been reading from on her desk as she moved around. “I will ensure that Walter is made aware of the accomplishments the two of you made today.”

Dyna was fairly sure that Walter already knew. If not, he would as soon as he read the copy of the report Dyna had sent to him. Even without that, he had been among the crew who showed up at the meat packing plant to handle Harold. While more concerned with Harold than with starting a full debriefing, he still knew most of what happened.

Still, no sense being impolite. “Thank you,” Dyna said.

“Has Harold talked?” Emerald asked. “Do we know their main base of operations?”

“You will undoubtedly be informed when we have such information,” Gamma said. “For now, rest and recover. Train, prepare, whatever you need to do. Onyx, I believe Doctor West wishes to speak with you.”

Dyna tried not to groan. Her current psychiatrist was… well… irritating. She very much preferred Doctor Bellows and the way he let her just talk about whatever she wanted rather than Doctor West’s more directed approach to things.

West often made her consider things that she didn’t often want to think about.

Still, it wasn’t like he was evil. Just annoying. Dyna could put up with annoying.

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Dyna turned and followed Emerald out of the room.

Gamma’s office was a floor above Theta’s, but looked almost identical. It had spaces for a formal meeting at a table, it had a working desk, and it had a few couches for less formal meetings. The large glass windows surrounding the door looked out over a secretary’s desk where a young woman sat, looking far more attentive than Theta’s secretary had been. That could just be that Gamma was currently in her office.

“Well,” Emerald said as they walked toward the elevator. “That went well. Maybe we’ll get a bonus.”

Dyna nodded her head, considering that. She still wanted a car so that she could come and go from the Carroll Institute on her schedule rather than on a bus schedule. Technically, she had more than enough to afford one, but after having seen Walter’s Beatrice-enhanced vehicle… She really wanted to know how to go about getting Beatrice in her car.

Though, thinking about it, Dyna had to raise an eyebrow in Emerald’s direction. The woman drove an old, beat-up station wagon. Surely she had enough to get something a little more modern. “What do you do with your pay?” Dyna asked.

“Oh, a new gun here, a new cardigan there…”

“I know how much guns cost and I know what I’m being paid. I imagine you’re being paid more or, at the very least, have been doing this a lot longer than I have.”

Emerald, perpetual smile widening somewhat, shrugged. “If you really want to know, almost all the money I get goes toward information brokers, private detectives, bounty hunters, independent psychics, and the like.”

“Oh?” Now that sounded interesting. Definitely more interesting than a car, even one with Beatrice integration.

“I have a number of topics I like to keep tabs on, but… I guess there isn’t any harm in telling you.” Emerald stepped into the elevator and stared out the large window that looked over the institute campus. “I’ve been trying to track down Ruby’s parents for a while now.”

Ruby had spoken of her past before. Never happily, but she didn’t exactly shy away from it either. “The ones who experimented on her?”

“Turned her little more functional than an animal, violent and near-immortal, then just abandoned her for the Carroll Institute to handle.” Emerald’s lips peeled back, white teeth making her smile look far less pleasant than normal. “Her own parents,” she spat. “The tulpa, or their ringleader, I can at least understand. But…” Emerald shook her head, looking back to Dyna with a far more neutral smile. “I am not fond of people like that.”

Dyna nodded slowly, somewhat glad that the elevator doors were already opening to deposit her at Doctor West’s office. Even though Emerald’s ire was obviously directed away from Dyna, it still sent shivers down her spine. She thought she understood what Ruby meant by saying that Emerald was the worst of all the artificers because she smiled. Initially, when she had first heard that, Dyna had thought it was a ridiculous accusation to make, but ever since Emerald’s return from Korea, during which they had spent a lot more time together, Dyna was starting to see it.

Dyna did not want that smile aimed in her direction.

But, even as unnerving as it was, Dyna clenched her fists. Emerald was right, after all. “When you find them, be sure to call me.”

“Thought you would say that.”

The elevator doors closed between them.

Dyna gave a shudder, then turned and headed down a short hall to Doctor West’s office.

Normally, upon entering his office, she would find Doctor West hunched over some experiment or odd collection of items. Usually things that would, in some way, relate to whatever topic he wished to focus on for the day. Today was not one of their regularly scheduled appointments, so she wasn’t too surprised to find nothing where the security cameras or rat maze or Skinner boxes usually were.

Instead, his terminal had a projector on top of it, shining an image on a blank portion of the wall.

It was an image Dyna immediately recognized as a photograph from the hidden room of the meat packing plant. Specifically, that gate-like array of machinery.

With his door wide open already, she stepped inside, lightly tapping her knuckles on the wall to announce her presence.

“Dyna,” he said, breathing heavily with his verbal limp taking charge after only a single word. “I apologize… for the unscheduled appointment.”

“It’s fine,” Dyna said. With Harold captured and the efforts of Ignotus hampered, she didn’t have much else to do for the rest of the day. Aside from taking a long nap.

“It’ll be informal today… nothing strenuous. I merely heard of your… actions and wanted to check your mental state while events are fresh in your mind.”

That was another reason Dyna didn’t particularly like West. Doctor Bellows would have said, ‘check how you’re feeling’ rather than something so clinical as ‘check your mental state’. “If you’re talking about getting shot,” Dyna said, rubbing her chest, “it never actually happened. I’m fine.”

“Ah… But it did happen, to you.”

“A medical team already checked me out. Unnecessarily. There are no issues in my heart, chest, or lungs.”

“And your mind?”

“It was a shock at first, I admit,” Dyna said, crossing her arms underneath her chest.

“But not now?” West said, nodding to himself. He pulled a book off a nearby shelf, opened it, then handed it over to Dyna.

Dyna stared down at the page, frowned, then gave West a flat look. “Inkblots?”

“What do you see?”

“I’ve seen them all before and what they’re ‘supposed’ to be,” she said, using one hand to project air quotes. This was the Carroll Institute, after all. It was doubtful that a single student hadn’t seen them before. “That invalidates the tests. Assuming they ever had validity to begin with.”

“Humor me.”

Dyna rolled her eyes. The sooner she got out of here, the sooner she could take that nap. “A bat,” she said, barely glancing at the book.

“And the next page?”

“Two wizards in red hats clapping their hands together,” she said without turning the page.

West wasn’t paying attention to her actions, though he was writing down her responses onto a clipboard. “Why do you think… the red is there?”

“Because Rorschach wanted people to say ‘blood’ so that he could call them schizophrenic.”

“So blood is the first thing that pops into your mind?”

Dyna would have rolled her eyes again, but it was getting to the point where she was worried about straining an optic nerve. “I would have said that regardless of whether or not I was shot today, Doctor. In fact, it almost sounds like you’re the one projecting at this point, wanting me to see blood.”

West lowered his pen, looking up with a small frown on his unassuming face. He finally noticed that Dyna hadn’t even flipped the page. With a slight shake of his head, he pointed the end of his pen over to the projected image of the meat packing plant room. “And what does that look like to you?” he asked.

His pen was specifically over the circular ring at the rear of the room. The one covered in wires, exposed machinery components, glowing lights, and spinning motors.

“A gateway?”

West hummed, scribbling something down on his clipboard again.

“Or if you want a more scientific answer, it looks, at first glance, to be a device capable of either holding open spatial anomalies or generating them itself, allowing passage between reality and the noosphere on demand rather than at whatever whim spatial anomalies normally open and close by. When we walked in on Harold, he tried running toward the device, providing further evidence that it can be used as an escape method. In addition, no personnel at the meat packing plant witnessed Harold entering that room, that, in conjunction with my testimony that he was last seen in the noosphere, implies he entered via that gateway.”

Dyna didn’t think there was an incorrect answer to that question, so there was probably no need to go into so much detail. Still, she would rather talk about the mission than inkblots.

“Does it look… familiar to you?”

Dyna quirked an eyebrow. Staring at the machinery a moment more, wondering if West was going anywhere with this, she eventually shrugged. “Should it?”

“It is just a question.”

“I mean… The closest thing I can think of would be Doctor Livermore’s amplification chamber, without the glass dome and seal. But… not really. It looks like any large piece of equipment that can be found around Psychodynamics. Especially ones in experimental or testing phases.”

“So you think the Carroll… Institute could have created it?”

“No. Well, yes, but—” Dyna shook her head. “I’m saying any organization that deals with psionics is likely capable of making something like that. The Carroll Institute, Tartarus… those are really the only two I’m familiar with, but Psi-Corps, Maanasik, or any of those others I’ve heard about could probably have done the same. Ignotus as well.”

“Interesting.”

“Is it really?” Dyna asked, wondering what all this questioning was about. “I’m sure a dozen scientists more qualified than I am have already gone over it piece by piece and could probably tell you more accurately what it is and how it was made, if not who made it.”

“Ah, yes. Your observations… will help, I’m sure.”

“I guess.”

“I apologize for confusing you,” West said, finally finished writing down everything Dyna had said. “Administrator Theta was the one who wanted to know about this.”

“And he wanted you to ask me rather than ask any of those scientists actually working on the machine?”

“Yes.”

“Well… okay then.”

“In any case,” West said, putting his pen to his clipboard again. “Inkblot number three. How does that one make you feel?”

Dyna closed her eyes, wishing for anything to save her from this situation. She was about to say that it was someone getting shot in the chest and having their brains blown out, purely out of spite, when salvation rang.

Literally.

Dyna jumped slightly at the buzzing in her pocket.

“I know I said… this is an informal session… but I prefer phones off while we talk, Onyx.”

“Sorry, forgot.” Despite her words, she pulled the phone out anyway and glanced at the screen.

A text message from an unknown number with little more than an address and a date. No signature. Id? Or someone else? A trap? Maybe the same person who sent her that warning earlier in the day. Or would have sent her that warning, rather. Time travel was a bit confusing.

“Sorry, Doctor, I think I need to go.”

West frowned. Running the end of his pen through his blond hair, he sighed. “Are you sure you are alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Very well. We’ll continue this during our regularly scheduled session. My door is always open if you need to talk.”

Dyna didn’t say so, but she thought she would talk with just about anyone except for West before she came back here outside her scheduled appointments. Politely, she waved goodbye as she rushed out of the room. As she moved, she brought her phone to her ear.

“This is Beatrice.”

“You see the message I just got?”

“The address is a locally owned restaurant, Brown Bear’s Bar and Grill.”

“Do you know who sent it?”

“Unknown number. This system is operating in a limited capacity and is unable to delve further.”

“Can you tell if it is the same source as Id’s message the other week ago?”

“Negative. I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Not your fault,” Dyna said, stepping into the elevator. “Take me to… wherever is closest to Walter.”

“Understood.”

The elevator doors closed and the lift started moving at a rapid pace, dropping straight into the ground as it headed deeper into Psychodynamics. Dyna tapped her foot in impatience. With the number being blocked, Dyna couldn’t even try to message it back asking who or why. “I don’t suppose you have the ability to spy on this restaurant?”

“This system submitted a request to the Administrative Council for elevated operational status 87.38 seconds ago. There has been no response as of yet.”

“I’m going to find a way to turn you on all the time,” Dyna said with a small frown. “Maybe not now, maybe not even this year, but one of these days…”

“That would be appreciated.”

Dyna raised an eyebrow at that comment, but didn’t think about it any further once the elevator doors opened. She immediately recognized where she was.

The Carroll Institute Psychic Containment and Detention Cells. She had visited once before, wanting to see those men Id had mind controlled to follow her around town. The rows of psionically-shielded glass didn’t bring back many good memories given that Id had invaded her mind here in this place, but she walked on by the thick doors without stopping. One guard raised a hand to stop her, but almost immediately put a finger to his ear. After a brief moment, he waved her through the checkpoint.

Beatrice directed her through the area to a more secure section of the holding cells where she found an interrogation chamber.

There were a number of people standing around in the observation side of the chamber. Not any that Dyna knew; she didn’t often interact with the Carroll Institute’s security teams outside training exercises. On the other side of psionically shielded glass, Walter leaned against one wall with a contemplative look on his face. Standing a few steps away, an older woman with light, almost graying blond hair had her lips pressed into a firm line. She wore a black uniform, similar to the security teams around the institute, but one that lacked any insignia or identifying marks. The closest thing were violet-colored stripes over her shoulders and horizontally over her left breast.

There was no sign of Harold. Presumably, his interrogation was on break for the moment.

As soon as Dyna entered the interrogation chamber’s observation room, both Walter and the woman glanced up toward the ceiling, then, after a moment, they both looked over to the window. Walter had mild surprise on his face. The woman narrowed her eyes, deep scowl forming on her face.

She turned away from Walter and marched out of the room, looking like the very thought of remaining filled her with disgust.

“Who was that?” Dyna whispered into her phone.

“Administrator Alpha.”

“Ah… aren’t they not supposed to all be here at the same time or something like that?”

“There are currently [REDACTED] administrators in the building. I apologize. You do not have privileges to know this information.”

“Huh,” Dyna started, then fell silent as Walter started to move.

Walter motioned toward the door after letting the woman leave. He looked vaguely toward Dyna, but didn’t quite aim perfectly. Presumably the glass on the other side was mirrored. Regardless, Dyna got the message and quickly went to meet him in the hallway.

“I got another message from someone mysterious,” Dyna said, holding out her phone. “A time and place to meet, presumably.”

Mirrored sunglasses looked over the brief text for far longer than it would take to actually read the words. He didn’t frown, but he didn’t look altogether happy either. “You want to go?”

“If it is someone who tried to help me earlier—or… would have tried to help me? Whatever—then yes, I want to. If it is Id, then I guess I should. If they’re the same person, I’ll be conflicted, but I think I’d rather know.”

Pulling out his own phone, he said, “You aren’t going alone.”