The Watch – Part 231:

(Tom’s perspective)

The dream has ended. I’m lying on something soft. A bed, maybe? I was about to open my eyes when I heard a woman’s voice beside me.

‘He’s waking up!’ she said in an orderly fashion as if she was telling someone to carry out a specific procedure.

‘His vitals are fine. All of the chemicals are out of his system, bar one, but his body’s defences have grown stronger, making him immune to it once more. Actually, according to the data, he is fully awake.’ They know that I’m keeping my eyes deliberately shut.

‘It’s alright,’ she said. Her voice sounded comforting, but was packed full of experience, making it sound strong. Whoever she is, wherever I am, I am willing to bet that she is the head of it, or if not the head of the whole thing, then the head of this section that I’m in not, ‘we won’t hurt you.’ I am struggling to believe that. Then again, if she or they were planning on hurting me, they would have done so already. I feel quite fine. This mattress must be memory foam as I can feel the indent that my body has created.

‘It is understandable if you are scarred, but I can assure you that we mean you know harm,’ she said again, with less of the experience but with more of the comforting, which paradoxically, came with experience. She must have done this type of thing many times before. I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. Either way, I am here now, so I will have to go along with what she has planned for me. If I don’t, well, I don’t want to find out. But if she is telling the truth and won’t harm me in any way, then I would want to know why I was brought here in the first place.

‘My name is Doctor Amanda Bana. Or Doctor Bana if you prefer. You are currently in the main headquarters of the secret organisation Sector 14. When you are ready, we would like to ask a series of questions involving your placement,’ she said, professionally. First things first, there is only one reason why she is telling me all of this… Well, two reasons, actually: Two get me to trust her and that I won’t be leaving any time soon so that I won’t spread the word that I was ever here or this ever existed. Second of all, those series of questions she has in store for me, doesn’t sound good. I can already guess exactly what she is going to ask me from the very beginning, but I don’t know if answering truthfully will help me or hinder me in some way.

‘If you are still tired, please nod your head and we will give you some more time to recuperate,’ Doctor Bana said. There’s no point in delaying things. Whether I get some more sleep or not, I will be put in a position where I will be forced to answer some unwanted questions. Plus I just don’t need any more sleep. I am fully awake, I just don’t want to open my eyes yet as that would confirm that I am indeed awake.

I shook my head, signalling no. That means I will now have to open my eyes. I had better just do it because I doubt that someone in her position doesn’t have that much patience compared to what she is portraying. It’s all an act. And if I am right, then that allows me to do some acting of my own.

That sleep did do some good for my head. I was able to relax, figure things out, organise my thoughts, and not worry about things anymore. And by not worrying, my head hasn’t been this clear since the concert back home. I know that Sebastian is coming to take me home, I just have to wait patiently.

I’m actually curious about the secret organisation, Sector 14, to be honest. It would be nice to see how an organisation that doesn’t officially exist on any and all documents, allowing them to act outside the law, pretty much doing whatever they want, how they want, and when they want to do it, and being the person in charge of all of that must be cool. Stressful, very much so, probably pushing you to the breaking point and beyond, but cool nevertheless. Having all that power must be something of a life-time achievement or something along those lines. You are now able to call all the shots, order your people about to accomplish those tasks that the Police dare not interfere with. I may be over-exaggerating it a bit, but the core element of having all of that power remains to be cool.

I wonder what qualifications you have to have in order to be a part of a secret organisation. I guess it depends on what department you want to work it. Maybe, in exchange for my answers, they give some of theirs. They do have the right to turn me down because they won’t know what I am capable of doing with that information, but it’s certainly worth a try. I could say that the more I know about this place, the more I can start to trust it. That sounds a little extortionate, but it I am to keep my head help high, I will have to make sure it isn’t being constantly dragged along the ground first.

I can sense two pairs of eyes staring at me, watching and waiting for something to happen. I mustn’t do anything irrational, as that would lead to many further complications that neither one of us, Doctor Bana and I, want. All she wants is the information that I hold, and all I want is the same in return. That doesn’t sound too far-fetched of a compromise.

I had better open my eyes, hadn’t I? Well, here goes nothing I guess.

Wish me luck.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)