Kyle smiled grimly at that news and the hard look that came into Katie’s clearblueeyes.
“Gladly, sir,” Katie said with adeferentialnod.
Kyle turned his attention back to the camera feed, watching the double takes that passing students gave the four agents walking purposefully through the campus. It looked like a beautiful place, with its collegiate Gothic architecture designated as a historical landmark, but Kyle didn’t pay much attention to the passing surroundings. He crossed his arms over his chest, fingers digging into his biceps as the agents followed the instructions tendered from headquarters that led them totheirgoal.
“Who are we impersonating this time around?” Trevor asked as the agents entered a classroom without knocking. “Arewe impersonatinganyone?”
“FBI. We don’t want it getting out the MDF is arresting college students,” Nazarireplied.
Madison raised her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Their arrest will be on social media in less than thirty seconds, sir. That’s gonna tip offsomeone.”
“We’llworkfast.”
“Maybe I should have gone with them,” Katie said, frowning atthefeed.
Nazari shook his head. “There’s no telling what Stanislav might be predicting right now. We can’t risk losinganyoneelse.”
The risk was real that Stanislav had seen this, predicted their movements, and the agents were walking into a trap. But that was a risk the director had deemed acceptable when he gave the order for the agents tomoveout.
On the holoscreen, the agents were in the process of arresting the two women, ignoring their loud protestations and the high-definition, camera-enabled tablets aimed their way to record the arrests. The women struggled in the agents’ grips and dug in their heels, but MDF agents were nothing if not determined. It only took ten minutes for them to haul the struggling women back across campus to their vehicles and shove the pair into the back seats ofthecars.
Kyle didn’t breathe easily until the agents made it back to base forty minutes later, their targets alive and intact, and at the mercy of Katie’spower.
“Limits, sir?” Katie asked as she stared through the polarized plas-glass window that allowed people to see into the interrogation room on Level 33, but not out. “They’ve already asked for theirlawyers.”
Telepathy Warrants always had clear, defined limits for the use of that psionic power against American citizens. Katie would follow her orders precisely, but Kyle wished, just this once, she wouldn’t hold back. After what had happened, he didn’t believe any members of the Sons of Adam deserved carefulhandling.
To Kyle’s surprise, the director seemed to think soaswell.
“Pull anything you think is vital to the mission, no matter how deep you need to go. An ongoing domestic terror threat gives us some leeway here in regard to their demand for counsel,” Nazari said after a long pause, holding Katie’s gaze. “I won’t let this be a black mark on your record in any way,Ovechkina.”
Katie slowly nodded. “Yes,sir.”
“Permission to be linked during the scan, sir?” Kyleasked.
Nazari eyed him, the expression on his face unreadable. “I need you clearheaded, Brannigan. There’s a reason why I haven’t cleared you most of all to leavethebase.”
“Dvorkin is myfamily,sir.”
“I understand, but you’re compromised. All of you are.” Nazari’s gaze raked over the gathered team before he turned his head to stare into the interrogation room. “I also understand you’d find a way to circumvent my orders to get Dvorkin and Delaney back if I removed any of you from the rescuemission.”
The awkward silence and furtive shared glances by the remaining members of Alpha Team was an acknowledgment the director definitely knew theirtendencies.
Katie cleared her throat. “It wouldn’t be a detriment in any way to link Brannigan during thescan,sir.”
Nazari was silent for a good minute before he relented. “Linkhim.”
Katie nodded and gestured for Kyle to follow her into the interrogation room. The JAG Corps-appointed attorney keeping the women company looked up at their arrival. “Ready?”
“You aren’t our lawyer,” one of the girls said snidely. She scowled at them, but Kyle was keenly aware of the way she nervously drummed the fingers of one cuffed hand against the tabletop while her friend anxiously tapped her heel against the floor overandover.
“No, we aren’t,” Katie calmlyreplied.
The attorney cleared his throat, pointing his tablet stylus at the women. “Under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 113B, you are both being charged with assisting a terrorist group in the planned kidnapping of two United States service members. Under the 2195 Psionic Amendment, you waive the right to your own thoughts in the face of conspiracy against the UnitedStates.”
The blood drained out of the women’s faces so quickly Kyle thought both of them wouldfaint.
“What?” the one on the left weaklyexclaimed.
