Where did you come from?

Before entering the observation room, Raon had already received the preliminary report from the mysterious man on the other side of the armored mirrorglass; S-1, Security Overseer Han, and doctor Jo, responsible for the prisoner's health monitoring, were all watching too, by her side. He was a Caucasian individual with swirling blonde hair, whose attitude had been quite reticent and cowardly since his capture and confinement; it had been found out he didn't possess Korean citizenship, even though he understood the language despite being an anglophone. The Division's hackers have been just put to work and find information about him in European and Central Asian; there was a lot left to check, however the director expected him to be from the southern United States or Australian at most, based on his accent.

It was too strange that this individual didn't have even a single sighting on the security cameras outside, some type of identification or other personal document; among what was confiscated from him, nothing seemed to speak of who he really was. The initial aura reading Soo Young had performed while waiting the director did not help to solve the question; she could sense fear inside the guy despite the latter not showing it openly, and his mental state indicated anxiety, as if he hoped no one else in the place would notice something, but what?

-He said nothing, did he? - Raon asked.

- No, director - Soo Young replied - He just sits there, in silence.

- You got what I asked you?

- About that...I think it's too early to prove my new skill on the prisoner.

Raon almost lost her patience hearing such disregard for her instructions, but decided not to retaliate just yet for it.

- Why? Why isn't it ready? I gave the order just after arriving to the island.

- It's because our prior tests...

- You say....

- I wouldn't apply it just yet. Not until any sequel proves temporal or reversible. You perfectly know I was against this from the get go.

- It is I who decides what needs to be done. You only follow.

S-1 thus went forward:

- Sister, let me intervene - S-1 said - maybe I can…

- That would be lethal for him; we already know he doesn't regenerate.

- Correct - she replied - But we've already wasted too much time.

Soo Young added:

- He doesn't even seem to know how he got here, from how confused he was when we found him.

- He could be feigning - said S-1 - or be a sleeper.

- You're right, ma'am; HQ defense protocols could be compromised - Han replied

- Indeed. It may even be related to...

- There is no need to rush conclusions, Mr. Han. And Soo Young, if you won't do what it takes, then I will.

- Director, you won't think about…

- I'm going in.

Raon then went directly to the entrance of the interrogation chamber to confront the subject whose life was now in her hands only; he not only had his mouth, but also his mind, closed shut. The others watched while their superior entered; After closing the door with her telekinesis, she walked towards the farthest corner of the room, where a trembling, barefoot man was huddled, dressed in a clinical gown, covering his face with his hands, sighing brokenly, sweating cold below. The director stopped less than two feet from the prisoner, and fixed her gaze on him with icy inquiry; she squatted down, and made the man lower his hands and turn towards her with the mind, a thing which made him hyperventilate to the point of trying to scream, to which her interlocutor acted against, paralyzing his vocal cords:

- Very well, Mr. John Doe, this sitting in fetal position has come to an end. You see, I am already...how can I say it? at my limit.

The director removed the subject's paralysis from speaking, but he still did not respond:

- Surely those who came before have had...misunderstandings with you, so I will propose something different - she said, gaining genuine attention from the man - How about you relax, and accompany me to my office?

- How…how…? – he responded

- What you heard - Raon responded, standing up - come with me, let's get out of here. – she added, extending her hand to him.

- Why...what do you want...?

- Help you. And I must apologize on behalf of my employees, as we've probably made a mistake with you.

The man had a hopeful gleam in his eyes for a moment, but it soon faded, and his expression was negative again, more anxious and fearful than sullen or lost, as it had been since he was locked up:

- No, no, no... it's not going to dissuade me, they can't force me, no, no... this happened before, yes, before, no, no, no...

- I think you still don't understand the magnitude of this situation, do you? – Raon said, masterfully feigning concern – You were found in our facilities, and it may have been an accident, right?

The subject stared at her with his bloodshot green eyes, and about to say something, he was lifted into the air, while the director started to leave the place, carrying him afloat:

- Damn, damn my luck, not again... - the prisoner muttered.

- Again? – the director questioned – It seems that we are already making progress…

Raon left with the prisoner floating behind her, completely paralyzed from the neck down:

- You see Soo Young, Dr. Jo? It wasn't that difficult; soon our guest will be able to explain himself…properly.

S-1 then prepared to go with her sister, who told her telepathically:

- "No. I can do this alone, don't worry about me. Anyway, I need you to do something else; go to the mail area, a package in my name should be there. Leave it in your office, I'll come get it soon."

- "It's about…?"

- "It is. You must prevent anyone else from seeing or following you. If someone insists, you know what to do."

The twin nodded and immediately left. The director then asked:

- Are you still here, Mr. Han? Don't worry, I'll take care of it. And pease make an update to the external surveillance protocol; dismissed.

Somewhat derisively, she gestured with a hand for him to leave before her:

- As you wish - he retorted.

The two exited through the circular hallway, both Raon and his guest going in the direction of an elevated, covered bridge, heading toward the headquarters' central facilities. They were immediately followed by the curious gaze of the personnel crossing their path as they made their way; Raon spoke to the stranger again, as if it were a guided tour:

- Even now, my people have not received you properly enough, look around you. You'd be an honored guest If just told me what's going on; surely we'd be understanding each other well.

- You...you don't understand anything. I won't tell you, you will never know, I... would rather die...

The man began to feel how, little by little, a subtle pressure began to affect him from the back of his neck, spreading little by little forward; He began to feel drowsy, and his vision became blurry while his ears began to ring:

- Don't be so rude in here; we don't encourage that type of culture, nor see such wording favorably, but could you blame us; we all have to work in a closed place like this, it's not easy.

- This...this could not be it. It doesn't seem like it... - the guy said to himself.

His eyes were moving from side to side trying to devise the route they were taking.

- I can feel it; It seems to me that you're somewhat confused. You probably don't even know where this is, right?

He felt as drunk, and his tongue felt lighter. It didn't make things easier for him to be drifting weightlessly behind that peculiar woman. He had already been injected with things during his stay here, but he was only able to tell stories that, at first glance, seemed little more than incoherent. The other woman, S-1, who made his tendons twist, took none of it into account, passing it off as mere feverish delusions; this time he wouldn't allow himself to say anything useful either:

- I'm not going to answer, no, I shouldn't...

- You were lucky to end up here, at the Dragon Division's headquarters. Others would have surely put an end to you outright.

The pressure in the man's skull eased, being gone as quickly as it came; he responded, in a more aware state:

- Dragon Division? Is that here? I see. But wait…

- Don't tell me. You're probably wondering why I don't get suspicious or play good cop and bad cop with you.

- Is that so…?

- The answer is simple; No infiltrator who tried to get in here has come out. And I notice at a glance that you don't have even a tenth of the character, or the training, of any of them.

- You don't think I'm a spy? Thank goodness... - he said, with sarcastic overtones.

- You, a spy? Don't make me laugh - she said in a mocking tone - But make no mistake, I still can't let you go...

- Huh, I already imagined that...yes...

- First you must answer my questions, and then we will talk about what happens next.

- How about...if I refuse?

Raon turned to look at him, and was genuinely surprised:

- Are you really asking it? Don't you grasp the position you're in? I'm trying to help, you should be more aware of it...

They continued advancing then, until they finally went down an elevator, and arrived at an office with double doors, which were opened by the place's bodyguards; the director and the man entered the room, her taking the time to sit down, pur herself comfortable, and rest her elbows on the heavy desk, moving the computer screen to her side with the mind. At the same time she placed her chin resting upon one hand, addressing the man again, whom she forcibly sat on the seat in front of her without moving a single finger, disconcerting him a little due to the involuntary movements again:

- It's strange.

- What are you taking about?

- Dr. Jo told me that when you appeared here you got quite violent when they put you in the other room. I saw you pretty calm when I came, too calm, I would say, and so it's clear they were wrong about you.

Suddenly the man began to sweat profusely, becoming defensive, partly motivated by having a handhold to hold on to, and deep down, overwhelmed by a reason that Raon did not know; he was hyperventilating again, and his heart rate skyrocketed:

- No, I don't know what you're talking about, I...they don't know anything, I didn't tell them anything, they don't deserve to know... -he said, emphatically shaking her head.

Ignoring the guy's sudden babbling, Raon continued speaking:

- I saw the footage; you screamed and screamed like a madman when they found you in one of the abandoned labs inside the South Annex, and tried to escape through the hallways after taking several of my people. You said you…saw things.

- Enough, this... this is enough... I won't tell... no one should know, not here... - he said.

The man felt his heart sink as he said the last two words, calling himself to silence:

- Ah... I see. And so, who should know? I don't quite understand... What don't you want me to know, John Doe? Surely we can help you… – she responded, playing dumb.

The man avoided Raon's gaze, and at that, he looked down at his desk. He noticed the golden plaque on it, next to her hostess; He did read the Korean characters, as well as the Latin characters beneath them. It was the director's full name; "Kim Ra-on"

His following reaction was disturbing to her. The prisoner's eyes widened, and he recoiled violently, shrugging his shoulders as he stood stunned on the back of his chair.

- It's you, it's you, it's you! Damn monster! You're not going to take me! I will never go back there...!

It was with that last, crazed scream that the guy stood up impulsively before Raon's passive gaze, and taking his own chair, he lifted it with all his strength and threw it directly at her face. At this, she stood up and stopped it with the mind:

-Hey, what do you think you're doing? I thought you understood what I tried to say. – she responded calmly, placing the chair down.

The subject uttered a muffled scream, falling on his back, and retreated frantically still staring at her, overwhelmed by terror. Next he leaned back against the office's double doors unable to stand on his feet; he was immediatly yanked forward. While Raon approached him calmly, the man, retreating on all fours, drew a forced rictus followed by a laughter, to which the two bodyguards responded storming in the room and lifting him by the arms; in response the man writhed, grunting, in a vain attempt to break free of their grasp.

The director put two fingers behind her right ear and said:

- "This is S-2, calling S-6689… Soo Young, can you hear me?"

- "Director?" – A voice in her mind responded – "Yes, I hear you."

- Tell Dr. Jo to prepare a force jacket and a bed. You'll do it now!

- "Please, director, we cannot still measure all the long-term effects to a human brain."

- "It will have to be enough. Come to my office right now; take this...shell of a human with you.

- "As you order." - Soo Young replied.

Raon lowered her am, and looked at the prisoner closely, smiling with grim optimism; the man's gaze was already completely distorted by fear and madness:

- Kindness is over. You're going to see how those who spit at my hand suffer.

The guy was just limply struggling between those who had grabbed him, trying to get away from their touch, growling and gritting his teeth, desperate, with the expression on a face pale as a sheet of paper, twisted by the predicaments within and without. There was no more time to waste, Raon had to know the answer for the sake of keeping things running as before, and for everything that had motivated her to get where she was, unwilling to leave anything to chance, she couldn't afford to ignore what was right in front of her eyes just because of appearances.

She removed her hand from the guy, and with a gesture signaled her men to sit him back on the chair, this time further away from her, as she pressed the communicator button in her ear to order some tensile steel ropes and a muzzle, which arrived within a few minutes. One of the bodyguards, slant-eyed, leaner and shorter than the other, who was instead wide-backed and very tall, almost lost his grip, but managed to paralyze the prisoner in time tying him to the chair with the silvery rope:

-Hey, Chae Gun, next time make sure you have it right...

- I don't need advice from a dunce like you, Seo Jin, shut up.

The first to speak placed the muzzle, while the other tightened the wires between the guy's ankles and wrists with his telekinesis. These were very tight indeed, and the poor man felt as if they were going to burst at any moment.