JJ Psychic

Chapter 18

The Package

Director Hale rarely visited the archive.

That was what made his presence there unusual.

The restricted archive was normally accessed by researchers, senior agents, and authorized personnel who needed specific files for their work. Hale had access to everything inside, of course, but he rarely bothered coming in himself.

He preferred reports.

He preferred summaries.

He preferred having people bring information to him.

So when the archive doors opened that afternoon and Hale stepped inside, nobody was there to question him.

At least, nobody was there in person.

A tiny camera had been installed high above one of the shelves.

It was almost impossible to notice.

JJ had placed it there after his break-in.

He had known that simply stealing the flash drive wouldn't be enough. If he wanted answers, he needed to know what happened inside the archive after he left.

So, after returning the flash drive, JJ had hidden the camera among the shelves.

He hadn't told anyone.

Not Marcus.

Not his coworkers.

And certainly not Director Hale.

The camera was still running.

---

Hale walked deeper into the archive.

He stopped in front of the section containing the oldest classified files.

He looked around.

Then he checked his watch.

A few minutes later, the archive doors opened again.

Marcus entered.

Hale turned toward him.

"You're late."

"Sorry, sir."

Marcus closed the door behind him.

"Is anyone watching?"

"No."

Hale looked toward the security camera in the corner.

"The archive cameras?"

"Disabled for the next few minutes."

JJ's hidden camera continued recording.

Neither man knew it was there.

Hale lowered his voice.

"Did you confirm the transfer?"

Marcus nodded.

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Hale paused.

"Then there's no reason for us to discuss it further."

Marcus hesitated.

"What about JJ?"

Hale looked at him.

"What about him?"

"He's asking questions."

Hale's expression hardened.

"How many?"

"More than before."

"Does he know anything?"

"Not yet."

Hale walked toward one of the shelves.

"He cannot know."

Marcus nodded.

"I understand."

There was a brief silence.

Then Marcus said something that caught JJ's attention when he later watched the recording.

"Package OR-05 has been received, sir."

Hale looked at him.

"Good."

The conversation continued.

But JJ didn't know that yet.

He was busy with another problem.

---

Duke sat across from him in an interrogation room.

He looked nervous.

Not guilty.

Just nervous.

JJ could tell the difference.

He had spent years interrogating criminals for Alpha Corp. He knew what fear looked like.

He knew what guilt looked like.

And he knew when someone was simply terrified of being accused of something they hadn't done.

Duke was definitely the third.

JJ placed the case file on the table.

"You know why you're here?"

Duke swallowed.

"Because you think I robbed that store."

JJ didn't answer immediately.

He studied him.

Duke shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't do it."

"I know."

Duke blinked.

"What?"

JJ leaned back.

"I said I know."

Duke stared at him.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you matched the description."

Duke looked confused.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Duke lowered his head.

JJ opened the case file.

Duke's criminal history wasn't impressive.

A few petty thefts.

Trespassing.

Minor offenses.

Nothing that suggested he had any connection to Alpha Corp, Orion Division, or the Underground.

JJ closed the file.

"You weren't involved."

Duke looked at him suspiciously.

"You're letting me go?"

"Eventually."

"Why?"

JJ looked at him.

"Because you're a petty criminal."

Duke frowned.

"That's not exactly comforting."

"It wasn't meant to be."

For the first time, Duke almost smiled.

JJ continued.

"You aren't associated with Orion."

Duke shook his head.

"I don't even know what that is."

"And you're not associated with the Underground."

"The what?"

JJ watched his reaction.

Genuine confusion.

He wasn't pretending.

JJ stood.

"Then we're finished."

Duke looked surprised.

"Just like that?"

"You're not the person we're looking for."

He opened the door.

Duke stood.

"Thank you."

JJ nodded.

Duke walked out.

JJ watched him disappear down the corridor.

He felt slightly guilty.

He had framed Duke because he needed Alpha Corp to stop looking for him.

Now he had put an innocent person in an interrogation room.

At least he could make sure Duke left without being pulled deeper into the investigation.

---

Later that evening, JJ returned to his apartment.

He removed his jacket and dropped his keys onto the table.

He barely thought about dinner.

His mind was on the camera.

He opened his laptop.

The hidden camera was connected to a private feed.

JJ entered the password.

The recording appeared.

He moved through the footage.

Empty archive.

Empty archive.

Hale entering.

JJ stopped.

He leaned closer.

Director Hale.

He watched silently as Hale walked through the shelves.

Then Marcus entered.

JJ's expression changed.

He turned up the volume.

The two men began talking.

JJ listened carefully.

Every word mattered.

Hale asked questions.

Marcus answered.

They discussed his investigation.

They discussed the archive.

They discussed information that JJ didn't fully understand.

Then Marcus said it.

"Package OR-05 has been received, sir."

JJ froze.

He replayed the sentence.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Package OR-05 has been received, sir.

JJ leaned back.

"Package?"

He looked at the screen.

His own photograph was still saved on his laptop from the previous night.

OR-05.

His designation.

His records.

His childhood.

His experiments.

Now apparently a package.

JJ replayed the conversation again.

He listened to every word surrounding the sentence.

Nothing explained what the package was.

Nothing explained where it had come from.

And nothing explained why Hale seemed satisfied.

JJ stared at the screen.

For the first time, he wondered whether the flash drive hadn't been the only thing Alpha Corp had been waiting for.

Maybe the archive wasn't simply storing his past.

Maybe something connected to his past had just arrived.

And whatever it was, Director Hale already knew about it.

JJ closed the recording.

He sat silently in the darkened room.

Then he whispered the designation to himself.

"OR-05."

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"What did you receive?"

There was no answer.

But somewhere inside Alpha Corp headquarters, something connected to JJ's past had apparently arrived.

And Director Hale had been expecting it.