CHAPTER 16

The drive to the Terrorist Intelligence Agency headquarters had been agonizingly slow. The complex was on the outskirts of Adelind, it had been built far enough to not be crippled if the city was ever put in danger. As the car pulled up into the parking lot, Jasmine’s eyes widened, surprised at its sheer size. There was enough space here for hundreds, or maybe even a thousand cars, and it was already full from what she could see. They parked next to the main central building. Its bottom and top exterior were made out of gray concrete, slightly jutting out compared to the rest of the building, which was made out of clear glass. The structure was new, just like the agency. It had been built shortly after Hermann Gessner’s victory over the royalists, so Jasmine could tell the building was recent. The paint was still perfect, and it looked modern— futuristic, even. As the group walked into the main entrance, a woman spoke.

“Remember the rules. No speaking unless spoken to, no touching anything unless I permit you and do not use your powers.”

She had long wavy brown hair that flowed like waves in the ocean. Her voice was harsh but confident. Her entire demeanor exuded confidence, and her bright green eyes were almost hypnotizing. Jasmine had met Eleonore Derich— or Deputy Director Derich of the TIA back at the Presidential Palace. She was an important person, second in command to the Director of the entire agency itself, and she had been tasked with initiating the group to their headquarters, much to her chagrin.

“Do I make myself clear, metahumans?” She insisted.

They all nodded or gave their approval and entered the building soon after. The ground was white marble, along with a large circle that wrote out ‘State of Azeris’ on the outer rim. At its center was the TIA’s symbol, a red and white shield surrounded by a laurel. White pillars supported the entire first floor.

The group made its way toward the elevators. People came and went, all while glancing nervously at Eleonore and then at them. Jasmine guessed that it wasn’t every day she was accompanied by a group of teenagers. The elevator was big enough to fit at least twenty people, and still, it was packed. Jasmine made her way into a corner. The elevator first went down, which provoked some vocal frustration from the employees, and then up. They all exited on the twelfth floor— the highest one.

Jasmine looked out from the windows, feeling slight vertigo at the height. She had never been good with heights. The girl shook her head and looked onwards. She passed hundreds of offices, her head filling with ringing phones and clacking keyboards. Eventually, they reached their destination. On top of the door read ‘DIRECTOR’S OFFICE’. Jasmine gulped.

Eleonore knocked on the door. It was a firm knock, with perhaps a bit of animosity in it.

“Yes?” A deep, muffled voice answered.

The Deputy Director opened the door and ushered them inside. The first thing Jasmine noticed about the TIA’s director was his hair; he was heavily balding but usually, at this point, people gave up and razed it all off. Not him. He was slightly overweight, but not obese, just pudgy. The kind of pudgy someone got when they worked at a desk job while forgoing physical activity. He adjusted his glasses as he looked at them, and she could immediately tell there was no warmth, no happiness, or relief in that stare. Jasmine frowned slightly. Was it disappointment in them? Were they not what he had imagined? Or perhaps he had issues with her kind, but then him being put in charge by Marshall Gessner wouldn’t make much sense— and then she got it.

It was suspicion.

“Metahumans, I am the Director of the Terrorism Intelligence Agency. You may call me chief, or director Oppenheimer.” The Director said. He let it sink in for just a moment before continuing. “Now, let me be clear. I do not think you will be a magical fix to the thousands of threats that our great nation faces, and if it was up to me, none of you would be anywhere close to this building. I do not trust you, and I will not go easy on you just because you are Hermann’s pet project.”

Jasmine was taken aback by the sheer hostility in his voice. She was no longer used to being viewed with hostility after her months at the research center, so this would take some time to readjust to.

“Thank you for bringing them, Deputy Derich. You may now leave.” He stated. His tone was ice-cold, reminding Jasmine of Veronica.

“With all due respect, I believe I have a right to be here, Director.” She hissed back.

“No, you do not. Leave before I report you for insubordination.” Oppenheimer said, still calm.

“As second in command, I should stand in the meeting in case something happens to—”

He spoke over her. “You do not have clearance for this. Leave now.”

Eleonore bit her lip and left as calmly as she could manage. Jasmine noticed her trembling breath, maybe because her own power was so focused on her own breathing. She looked onward toward Oppenheimer.

He coughed a few times. “Now, let us continue. Come closer.”

They did, hesitantly.

“Our nation is on the brink of collapse, metahumans. The further someone gets away from Adelind, the more lawless it becomes.” He said firmly as he laid a map flat on his desk— a map of their country and its surroundings. Azeris was a large island twenty miles or so from the mainland. The four dynasties that shared it stood to their north, Morius, Roria, Bareon, and Gicaibis. They were among the oldest countries in the world— relics of the past still ran by absolute monarchs. A string of cities taken after the Great Patriotic War ran by the League of Nations to the south. To the east, a smaller chain of islands called Anthian.

He continued. “Looking for MSA leaders is akin to looking for needles in a haystack. When they strike, they strike fast and efficiently. Case in point, the fires in Preusal are still going, and we estimate that—” He looked at his notes. “At least twelve thousand people have died so far, and the fire shows no sign of stopping. The perpetrator— Firestarter— has already disappeared.”

Jasmine inhaled sharply. The casualties were higher than she had expected.

“Protests up north calling for action have exploded and turned into riots calling for the lynching of all remaining metahumans in the country. Paranoia is at an all-time high, and people are murdering each other out of suspicion of secretly being metahumans. Again, this is largely up north, where national authority is weaker. With our current timeline, we are looking at a complete collapse of governmental authority in three to five months.”

More gasps. More looks of disbelief. Even Veronica seemed slightly taken aback.

“We also know that they are getting inside help from short-sighted fools, like the idiots running Müller Tech. We’ve largely stopped them, of course, but that’s not all. It appears the MSA is getting its ammunition from other sources now. Take a look at this.” Oppenheimer said while presenting a picture.

It was an aerial view of a beach with small towboats on its shore. Dozens of men were carrying crates toward an unknown location. Jasmine couldn’t make out anything else.

“It seems like our friends in Escann are smuggling arms, ammunition, and other supplies into the Anthian islands. From there, these make their way into the hands of the MSA.” He said.

“The Anthian islands declared their independence during the civil war. Why would they want Azeris to fail?” Agnes asked. She was the first one to speak after they entered the room.

“Good question, metahuman. Because smuggling sells, and we have virtually no way to stop it— not unless we want to draw the ire of the Escannians and the Coalition. That would bring another war, and that one would end much faster than the first one, I can assure you. We are in no position to wage conflict. We are rebuilding and acting too slowly. Which brings me to my final point.”

Director Oppenheimer paused and looked at each of them individually.

“Metahumans, I will reiterate that nothing I have said so far or will say will leave this room unless you want to get charged with treason. Am I clear?”

They all nodded, Veronica included.

“The Senate has overstayed its welcome. Hermann can no longer govern, as the constitution states that the chamber cannot pass any legislation without at least two-thirds of the senators present. As it stands, we only have twenty-three left willing to govern. Elections will take too long. You will accompany Hermann tomorrow to the National Assembly— along with a few other agents— to force a declaration of emergency. This will be your first task. Your first mission, if you will.”

“By a declaration of emergency, you mean…” Jasmine started.

“Yes, metahuman. I mean unlimited executive power to save our nation. It is an order, and you cannot back out. Now, let us discuss the terms of your employment.”

The rest of the meeting had gone by with much less tension and without a hitch. Jasmine, Franz, Agnes, and Veronica had become full TIA junior officers. They would be paid a salary, eighteen marks per hour, to be precise. Franz had been ecstatic. It was the first time he had gotten a job with such high pay, and he was over the moon. Agnes didn’t care for the money, in fact, she’d almost tried to give her entire salary over to Jasmine. Veronica hadn’t said anything, and Jasmine was content, but something else was on her mind.

She was angry at herself for not asking about the camp administrators that had escaped. The tension in the meeting had been too high, the things said were too important, and it had slipped her mind. She resolved herself not to let it happen again. Perhaps Gessner would be able to help.

She was in the car now, on the drive back. Eleonore was clearly bitter, muttering under her breath.

“I’m a fucking glorified babysitter. Fuck you, Oppenheimer. Making me take care of freaks.”

It was just loud enough so they could hear, but Jasmine wasn’t about to take the bait. Agnes on the other hand?

“The fuck did you just say?” She hissed.

“Excuse me?” Eleonore replied.

“What did you call me? Us?” Agnes said, the hostility in her voice clear.

“Agnes, chill out. I’m sorry, Deputy Derich, my friend has been on edge recently.” Franz said, staring daggers at Agnes to signal her to stop.

“No, Franz. I won’t stand for this shit. Either she apologizes or I complain to her boss.” Agnes said.

“Director Oppenheimer won’t do anything. He despises your kind as much as I do, especially in these times.”

“I meant Hermann Gessner.” She clarified.

That name made her freeze for just a second. Enough time to make Jasmine notice it had an effect.

“I apologize for my behavior, Ms. Zimmermann. I will do better in the future.”

“Yeah, you better do. Otherwise, you can say bye to your career.”

The rest of the ride was silent. They passed by a small protest demanding action against the MSA. People were scared, and it was starting to show. Jasmine wasn’t too worried though, Adelind was pretty safe for the time being.

When they made it back to the Presidential Palace, the car sped off. The group entered the building to report back to Hermann, but Franz was on edge. Jasmine had learned to know him these past months, and she knew what to expect. Foot tapping in the car, loud breathing, and darting eyes trying to distract himself from what was worrying him.

“Is there a problem, Franz?” She asked worriedly.

“Obviously, there’s a problem.” He replied, glaring at Agnes. “Agnes is ruining this for us.”

“If ruining by ruining this, you mean not standing for bigotry and racism, then I’ll keep ruining it as long as I live. That woman was a bitch, and you know it.” She fumed.

“Yeah, she is a bitch, but I don’t think making her our enemy is smart. We have enough as it is. My parents used to say ‘just nod and smile’, and I think that applies here. We can change her.”

“We can’t. Derich will always hate us, and you know it. Do you know what you’re doing by nodding and smiling like an idiot? You’re perpetuating the issue. We need to be aggressive, get in their faces, and let them know that we deserve to be treated normally. Nodding and smiling got us to where we are today!” Agnes said, raising her voice with each word and turning red from anger.

“We need friends on the inside. Let’s show them we can be normal, and they’ll help. I want this to be as safe as possible for my sister.”

“Whatever, dude. You’re the reason why we’re all going to die one day. Keep sucking on their balls while they punch and hit you.” She said as she stormed off. “You can do the report without me!”

“Oppenheimer said we all had to be there!” Franz screamed to reach her.

She replied by giving him the finger.

“Fuck me…” Franz muttered.

“You both raise some valid points.” Veronica said. “But I doubt you will ever see eye to eye. Such is the nature of debate.”

“Oh yeah? Where do you stand then?” He said, looking at her.

“Personally?” She started as she opened the door to Hermann’s office. “I take solace in the fact that I could cripple the offenders for life. Death is a mercy, remember that.”

“Okay…?”

“Ah, my friends! How did you find the TIA complex? No incidents, I presume? I told them to be on their best behaviors.”

Hermann stood still where they had found him the first time at his desk.

“No, Marshal. We were treated well.” Franz said with a fake smile. “We were told to report to you? Agnes was busy— she has a stomachache.”

“A simple formality. Oppenheimer’s always been one to follow them by the letter. Don’t worry, I already know about our operation tomorrow. I trust that you know not to share this with anyone?”

“Of course.” He replied.

“Good. You’ll need to stick close to me, especially you, Franz. If there are no questions, you are free to leave.”

“I have a question, Marshal Gessner.” Jasmine said, stepping forward.

“Hermann, please. But go ahead.”

She took a deep breath. “Many concentration camp administrators and leaders have been able to walk free. Why is this?”

Hermann paused. “They fled beyond our grasp before we could arrest them, and I’m afraid I can see where you are going with this. It would be impossible.”

“Could you not contact other state leaders? Expose the reality of their crimes?” Jasmine said, feeling her frustration build.

“Like I said, impossible. The world has shut us out for the war crimes of our past king. Diplomatic channels have been closed, and ambassadors have been recalled. We’re completely isolated.”

“So they get to live with no consequences? Nothing happens to them for killing two million people?”

“Reopening Azeris to the outside world is on my to-do list after we deal with the MSA. Luckily for us, we’ve completed the move toward autarky.” He said.

“Autarky?” Franz asked.

“Self-sufficiency. For the most part. Some things are still beyond our reach. Did that satisfy your question?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Jasmine said, her fists clenched.

It appeared her goal would take longer than she had anticipated. Now, however, she was fully committed. The MSA would be destroyed for her revenge no matter what.