Mark stood over the test subject currently strapped to the medical chair. “He’s clear?”

“Yes,” Jorge replied. “No poison packets or other suicide tools on his person.”

“Good,” Mark replied, eyeballing the field agent John had acquisitioned. The man stared back at Mark, hatred clear in his single brown eye, giving Mark a good idea what he would do were he to free himself. Luckily, that wasn’t going to happen. Not with him secured to the chair and a fresh bullet wound to the leg.

“Do you like your accommodations?” Mark asked him, knowing he would be unable to respond verbally because of the inhibitor. “I hope you enjoy your stay.” Mark chuckled at his own wit. “I look forward to our chats together. I’m sure you are a wealth of information.”

“Mr. Prescott?” Jorge interrupted. “I’m ready to hook him to the machine.”

“Go ahead.”

Mark watched as Jorge finished his preparations and administered the IV that would help relax their prisoner. It contained a mild painkiller in addition to a barbiturate to suppress his reactions. Apparently, the pain was excruciating in the minutes after the inhibitor’s removal. Mark didn’t particularly care about the agent’s well-being, but Jorge insisted they limit the pain to the test subject. He claimed the results would be negatively affected.

Mark trusted his judgment.

“He’s ready. Do you want me to take off the inhibitor?”

“Yes,” Mark replied.

Mark had to admit he was impressed. The prisoner barely flinched as Jorge removed it. And as soon as the man could speak, he growled, “I won’t tell you anything! Not a damn thing!”

“Ah, but you will,” Mark replied with a grin. “Relax, this will only take a few minutes.” Mark stood and deliberately squeezed the pinned man’s injured thigh.

Jorge walked behind the man’s head and punched in commands into the PC unit that controlled the device. It chirped in response as different systems came online.

Mark knew the moment the NOM finished powering up. A metallic-sounding voice parroted back every vitriolic thought running through their prisoner’s head. As the computer voice registered to the man’s ears, his internal dialogue stuttered to a stop.

“Ah, so now you see. You won’t be able to avoid telling me what I want to know.”

I will tell you nothing! the machine reading the captive’s thoughts said. The man then spent several minutes trying to keep his mind from recalling anything important, but his struggle eventually ceased as the machine, and the medication, eroded his resistance.

“He is ready,” Jorge announced.

Mark nodded and began, “What is your full name and rank within the Order?”

Lokhagos Mitch Hurston.

A Lokhagos?! Mark couldn’t believe his luck. Capturing the Lokhagos was more than he could have hoped for when he first tasked John with finding him an Order field agent. This man knew the whereabouts of every Hashashin in Western Europe. He might even know agents in neighboring regions since assassin reassignments were known to happen. Mark tried not to grin gleefully as his future brightened with this news. Now, all he had to do was collect the relevant data.

“So, Mitch, how many are under your command?”

Eighteen.

“List them and their deployment status for the next two weeks.”

Ella, not deployed; Gwendolyn, not deployed; Grace, not deployed; Dimitri, deployed; Nicholas, not deployed; Daniel, not deployed; Jacob, deployed; Eric, deployed; Marco, deployed; Simon, not deployed; Teo, deployed; Peter, deployed; Joseph, deployed; Durant, deployed; Karl, deployed; Marcel, deployed; Tony, deployed; Blaine, deployed.

Mark took notes furiously, but he was sure he missed a name or two, so he had the Lokhagos repeat the information. Once satisfied with his notes, he resumed his questioning. “List name and location of known agents outside of your authority.”

Vincent, Istanbul; Jason, Sydney; Adam, St. Louis; Noah—

“Stop,” Mark interrupted the litany of names. “Full name of Agent Adam?”

Adam Black.

Bloody hell! “Repeat current location of Agent Black?”

St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

“For how long, exactly?”

One year, ten months.

The answer surprised Mark. The current analyst reports showed Black to be somewhere in Mexico. The Organization had suspected for a while this was a false lead, but now he had proof.

“Is Black on active duty or retired?”

Rehabilitation. Reinstatement unknown.

Fascinating.

Mark spent the next several hours asking the Lokhagos more questions about the missions, statuses, and locations of all the names he provided. As the evening drew on, Mark wrapped up his interrogation, and refit Hurston with an inhibitor.

Mark rubbed his face. Fatigue settled into his bones. “Jorge, secure Hurston again. I’m going home to Liz.”

Jorge smiled tensely in acknowledgment and Mark left, pleased with his day’s work.

*****If you like Innocence, please add it to your library!