Page 53 of The Pansy Paradox
“Agent Little, please?—”
“Recording?” My voice cracks.
“Yes. Protocol. Also, I’d like you to review it. I hope none of my actions make you uncomfortable.”
I nod, although the last thing I want to see is myself supine on the floor.
“You mean now?” he asks.
The sooner, the better. I nod again.
“I can send it to your phone.”
“No!” I’ve made it up to my elbows under my own power. His eyes widen as if he’s shocked by both this and my outburst. “I mean, let’s watch it on your phone.”
He helps me sit up and then starts the video from the beginning.
It’s been about forty-five seconds since the Sight incapacitated Field Agent Pansy Little…
Is there a time when this man is not precise and correct? He speeds up the playback, since three hours of watching me sprawled out on the floor would be mind-numbing. During that time, he barely left my side. He barely moved except to shuck off the suit coat jacket, loosen his tie, and roll his cuffs.
Most people don’t have the stamina or patience for this sort of vigil. Jack does, but only because he’s one of my best friends. Then again, Mort doesn’t, so maybe it’s a personality thing.
We keep watching, and even I’m getting bored. I’m tempted to speed up the video, but then Henry brings my umbrella into the frame, and I slow it down instead.
I’m setting Agent Little’s umbrella to deliver a shock…
She is still at my side, so I pick her up and examine the handle.
“Agent Darnelle, you set her to tase!” I never have a reason to shock anyone in King’s End, never mind tase them. I return the setting to zero, and I swear she sighs in relief. “She would never tase you.”
“I”—he shuts his eyes, a pained expression on his face—“didn’t have your consent. I wanted to be extra cautious. The Sight is not something to trifle with.”
Okay, this I understand. “Will you do me a favor?”
“Send you the video for your records? Certainly.”
“Delete it.”
His hand hovers over the screen. “I believe this interaction should be maintained.”
“I don’t want it on my phone,” I say. “My Enclave-issued phone. I don’t want it on your Enclave-issued phone, either.”
Will he do this for me? Mort’s warning rings in my ears, how Henry Darnelle never met a rule he didn’t want to follow. I can’t help but wonder what he’s planning to say in my final report. Will he out me to the Enclave? He sprang into action so quickly that he must have known about the Sight, even before today.
His expression is shrouded, and I have no idea what’s going on behind those dark eyes. He’s turning something over in his mind, that much I can tell.
“I’ll delete this, but if we ever find ourselves in this situation again, I’d like your consent to help you through it.”
My consent for the most blissful head massage known the world over? Hell, yes, sign me up for more of that. I don’t say this, of course. Instead, I give him the answer he needs.
“Yes, Agent Darnelle, you have my consent.”
His lips purse, and a frown clouds his brow, but I don’t think he’s upset with me. A strange mix of concern and regret flits across his face. But he keeps his promise, and, with the tap of a finger, deletes the video.
“Feel ready for the couch?”
“I think so.”
