ShadowChancer
Chapter 14
by MistThing, published on March 11, 2001
-"Bruce and Sara" - Leigh's fingers tightened slightly on her fork, her face unreadable - "More discarded pawns in a never-ending chess game..."
-"I must tell ya, this riddle thing is NOT working for me, Leigh" - Gabriel stared at Leigh's fork hand, now gently creasing the vinyl tablecloth - "You'll have to be much more specific then that."
-"I'm afraid you must, Leigh" - Grace agreed with him for once. "Let's start with your name. You're not called after a comic book character, are you?"
-"Not anymore" - Leigh noticed Gabriel's look and put her fork down. "I'm through with the stupid code system. I like Leigh, and there's nothing more to it."
-"Tell us some more, Leigh" - Grace leaned forward on the table, her elbows pushing away half-empty dishes and partly-drunk cups.
-"Yeah, Leigh" - grinned Gabriel - "Tell us ... anything at all."
Leigh crossed her hands. "Like, the f*ck, what?"
-"Like your accent, for instance" - Gabriel studied her face - "I can't place it."
-"That's because I've been ... around" - answered Leigh, calculating her words - "I was a P.S.I.O.N. agent, stationed to different posts ... I picked up a bit from here and ... there."
-"And now?" - pressed Grace, her look darting from Leigh to Gabriel.
-"And now ..." - repeated Leigh, slowly - "I don't work for P.S.I.O.N. anymore."
-"I thought you can't retire from P.S.I.O.N." - Grace laughed dryly.
-"I didn't retire" - Leigh sent her a wry smile - "I defected."
-"Oh ... you are one of The Renegades, are you?" - asked Gabriel, suddenly alert - "Like Sara - Barricade, or like ... Bruce-Spark." He hesitated before saying this last name, sneaking a look at Grace first.
-"Yes, like them chess-pawns" - responded Leigh. Looking at Grace she added quickly, "Not that I consider myself to be any better ... only, I'm still here, and they are ... not."
-"Tell me about the Renegades, Leigh" - Grace's eyes stung, feeling she was closing in on what had happened to Bruce. She was aware of Gabriel's careful gaze sliding across her face and slipping away.
-"Heavy stuff for a light Seattle afternoon" - Leigh's eyes were dark, bottomless wells - "but someone's got to bring you up to date ... especially you, Grace, being their main target."
-"Yeah, I figured that much" - said Grace.
-"Gracie?" - Gabriel observed her worriedly.
Leigh shrugged and sat back, easing herself into a seeming relaxation. "It looks like there was always P.S.I.O.N." - she began quietly - "It's intricate net meticulously weaved into the everyday lives ... so you wouldn't know it's there. Delivering a slight push here, fine-tuning there ... in the beginning, P.S.I.O.N. rented its services to powerful people who needed something stronger then rifles and bombs, something sharper then your common dirty political tricks ... You see, P.S.I.O.N.'s agents weren't your regular employees. They were castaways, always isolated from the rest of humanity for their special ... gifts. Weirdos ... Rejects. They usually thought the worst of themselves, a sensation polished for years by society. I don't know when P.S.I.O.N. started, but the founder saw the potential ... what society threw up, P.S.I.O.N. welcomed warmly in. Telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis ... for P.S.I.O.N., they weren't 'Rejects' ... they were 'Talents'."
Leigh's voice trailed off.
-"Talents, like yourself" - pushed Grace. Gabriel's look sweetly told Grace to try and keep her mouth shut. Leigh shook her head slightly, and spoke again ...
-"In time, P.S.I.O.N. grew into a global corporation. Its board didn't settle anymore for serving others. They decided on becoming the puppeteers ... the leaders perched among the shadows. Absolute control, nothing less ..." - Leigh spoke bitterly. "Well, not all in P.S.I.O.N. saw it that way. That's when The Renegades split from the organization. There were once more of us ... Now, I think there are less then twenty. Less then ten, maybe? Hard to keep track ... See, we can't get caught alive, you surely understand ... not by those mind-milkers, no ..."
Leigh's eyes became lucid again.
-"I'm sorry for Bruce" - she laid a hand on Grace's arm - "I know he meant a lot to you. We sent him after you when we discovered P.S.I.O.N. was on your tail, Grace."
Grace's cheeks were streaked with tears as she wept silently. Gabriel put his arm around her, pulling her close. "I'm sorry, Grace" - he whispered in her hair.
Leigh looked at them bluntly. The glint in her dark eyes wavered and died out. "Grace, I won't use my mind-reading on you to drill this out, I do not appreciate the gentle P.S.I.O.N. methods ... I'll only tell you that much ... P.S.I.O.N. is after you because they're convinced you know some vicious secret. Something happened at Rennes-le-Château three years ago, somebody spoke to you or delivered something to you when Gabriel wasn't there. So, what is it, Grace?"
Last update: October 25, 2007
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