I bit my lip hard to prevent myself from shouting out. The little girl I had pulled from the stuffing of a giant teddy bear was not with her mother anymore. I could feel my empty stomach twist and gurgle with fear.

The director continued, a serious expression on his face.

“The only similarity between these clients is this.”

He changed the slide. It showed a picture of a small white pill with an V printed on it.

“As I’m sure most of you are aware, Vehemprine is an experimental drug that is being used to prevent clients from relapsing. We have had a 95% success rate with it so far. Those eight clients were some of our most successful trial testers.”

A soft whisper broke out amongst the auditorium. One disapproving glare from the director caused all chatting to cease.

“We are starting an investigation with the Adour Police Force immediately. You may be asked a few questions in the next coming days. If you have any information that could help us with this investigation, please let me know.”

I felt a dull pain in my shoulders, and I realised that I had tensed them up over the course of the meeting. I moved my hand to massage the tense spot and winced as the bruise on my waist throbbed.

I wasn’t sure if Mateo was involved in the disappearances of these clients, but what do I know really? A few days ago, I thought he was just a protector with a slight prejudice against clients, and now I know that he’s a member of a terrorist group. I knew what I had to do.

When the meeting came to an end, I waited for the auditorium to clear out. There were a few stragglers, but it wasn’t long until it was just Sir Larmore, Dr. Pradhan and me.

I closed my eyes and took a calming breath before walking towards the stage. Sir Larmore was talking to the head scientist before turning his gaze over to me.

“Ah, you’re one of our new counsellors. Winters?”

He spoke to me in a soft almost grandfatherly voice. I nodded and the director gave me a kind smile. It was astonishing to think this was the same man who’d just fired a staff member without an inch of mercy.

“Sir Larmore, forgive me for interrupting, but I think I have some information that you need to know.”

The director’s face turned grave, and he gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“My dear, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Let’s go back to my office and we can talk more there.”

He gave Dr. Pradhan a small nod. She nodded in reply and quietly left.

The two of us made our way out of the theatre and got into an elevator, where we were joined by a large man in a dark suit. The man swiped the elevator keypad with a key card, and we began the ascent.

The director sighed and gazed at the digital number above the doorframe as it counted upward.

“I’ve been the director of the Department of Psychological Defence for 15 years, triple that if you count my time on the floor. I haven’t seen anything as worrisome as this since the institution years.”

He covered his hand with his mouth, a forlorn expression in his wrinkled face. I wanted to ask him more about it out of curiosity, but his manner told me this was most likely a distressing issue for him. Of course, I knew about the institution years, everyone who works here does. They were a dark blemish on the history of the department, something nobody liked to talk about but something that hung over everyone like a bad omen.

The director brought his hand down and fixed up the bottom of his suit.

“I’m going to make it my mission to ensure nothing like that ever happens again.” He murmured firmly.

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into a small hallway. The well-dressed man walked in the lead and opened a set of intricately carved doors, inviting us inside before shutting it behind us.

The director’s office was surprisingly antiquated. Most of the DOPD’s headquarters was abstractly designed and filled with state-of-the-art technology. The director’s office was covered head to toe in wooden furnishings. Physical books lined the shelves around the room. In the corner of the room was a glass case with dozens of antique video game consoles in it. The computer on his desk was a Macbook Pro. That model was over 50 years old.

He noticed my shock and chuckled, waving his hand in the air. “What can I say, I’m a 2010’s kid at heart. All that optical interface and hand microchip stuff unnerves me.”

Sir Larmore sat down at his computer chair and gestured for me to sit in front of him. He leant back in his chair and folded his arms, his amusing grandfather persona transforming back into the director of one of the most vital government agencies in Ardour.

“Now, what is it you needed to tell me.”

I steadied myself by placing my hands on either side of the chair.

“Sir, I think there’s a-“

Without warning, one of the doors of the office slammed open. The man in the suit, now red faced, gave the director an exasperated look as he held the door ajar. Sir Larmore glared at him.

“Ransford, I’m in a-“

Before the director could say anything else, someone stepped through the door. A man with dark eyes that I would recognise anywhere.

I felt my stomach churn and for one second, I thought I was going to throw up. Biting my tongue, I forced queasy feeling back inside of me. I snapped my head to face Sir Larmore, expecting to see that furious stare and hear him fire Mateo on the spot. To my dismay, the director simply let out an irked sigh.

“What have I told you about coming in like this? You’re not a child anymore, I can’t excuse it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know. I came to ask if I could borrow the Super Nintendo.”

Mateo darted his eyes from the director to me. Our gazes locked and I felt my face tingle. His eyes told me that his trip here was not coincidental.

The director growled under his breath.

“I will have it sent to your apartment later.”

I could already feel a sense of despair growing over me like a shadow, but it was the final words that Mateo spoke that drowned all chance of hope that I could confess what had happened to me to the director at that point in time.

“Okay, thanks Dad.”