JJ Psychic

Chapter 19

The New Recruit

The Underground was unusually quiet that evening.

Ricky sat at the head of the table in the organization's hidden headquarters, looking through the reports that had accumulated during the day.

Two members had recently been arrested.

One of their operations had been disrupted.

And Alpha Corp was becoming increasingly interested in them.

None of it was good news.

Ricky closed one of the folders.

"Anything on the new recruit?"

The room went quiet.

One of the senior members looked at him.

"Not yet."

Ricky frowned.

The recruit had been arrested after being mistaken for the person who robbed an Alpha Corp facility.

Ricky knew the man wasn't responsible.

He also knew that Alpha Corp couldn't afford to discover his connection to the Underground.

If they did, the organization's secrecy could be compromised.

"We need to know what they asked him," Ricky said.

"We'll find out."

Before anyone could respond, the door opened.

Everyone turned.

A young man stepped inside.

His clothes were slightly wrinkled, and he looked exhausted.

But he was standing.

One of the members immediately jumped to his feet.

"You're back!"

The newcomer nodded.

"Yeah."

Ricky watched him carefully.

This was the first time they had actually met.

Ricky had approved his recruitment several weeks earlier, but they had never been introduced personally. Ricky usually handled the organization's operations from behind the scenes, and newer members rarely met him directly.

The recruit looked around the room.

Then his eyes landed on Ricky.

"Who's he?"

Nobody answered immediately.

One of the senior members smiled.

"That's Ricky."

The recruit's expression changed.

"The Ricky?"

Ricky raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently."

The recruit stared at him.

"I thought you were older."

A few people laughed.

Ricky smiled.

"So did I."

The recruit laughed nervously.

Then his expression became serious.

"There's something you should know."

Ricky leaned forward.

"Sit down."

The recruit took a chair.

Everyone gathered around.

Ricky folded his hands.

"Start from the beginning."

---

The recruit took a breath.

"They took me into an interrogation room."

Ricky listened.

"Two Alpha Corp agents were there at first. They asked me where I'd been the night of the robbery."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth. That I wasn't anywhere near the store."

Ricky nodded.

"And then?"

"They showed me the description."

The recruit shook his head.

"Dark jacket. Dark pants. Cap. Gloves. Face covering."

Ricky exchanged a glance with one of the senior members.

The disguise matched the description perfectly.

"They asked me why I owned clothes like that."

"What did you say?"

"I told them because I like dark clothes."

Someone at the table laughed.

The recruit smiled.

"They didn't find it funny."

Ricky almost smiled.

"Continue."

"They kept asking the same questions. Where was I? Who was I with? Why was I near the area?"

"And you told them?"

"Nothing useful."

Ricky nodded approvingly.

"Good."

The recruit hesitated.

"Then JJ came in."

Ricky's expression changed.

The room became completely silent.

"JJ?" he asked.

The recruit nodded.

"Yeah."

Ricky leaned forward.

"What did he do?"

"That's the strange part."

---

The recruit explained everything.

JJ had entered the interrogation room without the aggressive attitude the recruit expected from an Alpha Corp agent.

He hadn't slammed the file onto the table.

He hadn't shouted.

He hadn't threatened him.

Instead, JJ had simply sat down and studied him.

"He barely questioned me," the recruit said.

Ricky frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He asked me a few basic questions. Then he looked through my records."

"Did he ask about the Underground?"

"Yes."

The room became tense.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I didn't know what he was talking about."

Ricky watched his expression carefully.

The recruit wasn't lying.

"And then?"

"He just stared at me for a few seconds."

The recruit leaned back.

"Then he said something strange."

"What?"

"He said, 'You're not the person we're looking for.'"

Ricky's eyes narrowed.

"What happened next?"

"He said I was just a petty criminal."

A few members exchanged confused looks.

"He actually called you a petty criminal?"

The recruit nodded.

"Then he said I wasn't associated with Orion or the Underground."

Ricky went silent.

"He said that?"

"Exactly."

Ricky looked down.

That was interesting.

Very interesting.

JJ had known.

He had somehow known the recruit wasn't involved in the robbery.

But more importantly, he had deliberately told Alpha Corp that the man wasn't connected to the Underground.

That meant JJ had protected him.

Why?

Ricky's thoughts began racing.

---

The recruit continued.

"After that, JJ opened the door and told them to let me go."

"Just like that?"

"Pretty much."

He smiled.

"I've never been interrogated by someone who seemed less interested in interrogating me."

The room laughed.

Even Ricky smiled.

But inside, he was thinking.

JJ had changed.

The JJ Ricky remembered had always been protective of him.

But this was different.

He was protecting someone he didn't even know.

And he was doing it while working for Alpha Corp.

That meant something.

"What did he look like?" Ricky asked.

The recruit frowned.

"What?"

"JJ."

The recruit thought for a moment.

"Different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. Older, obviously. More serious."

Ricky nodded.

"Did he say anything else?"

The recruit shook his head.

"No."

Ricky leaned back.

For the first time in years, he felt something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.

Hope.

JJ was alive.

He was working for Alpha Corp.

And somehow, their paths had crossed without either of them realizing who the other person was.

---

After the meeting ended, the others began leaving.

The recruit remained behind.

He approached Ricky.

"So..."

Ricky looked up.

"Yeah?"

"You really are the leader?"

Ricky smiled.

"Unfortunately."

The recruit laughed.

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Hopefully nothing terrible."

"Mostly terrible."

Ricky laughed.

"Fair enough."

The recruit hesitated.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you join the Underground?"

Ricky's smile faded slightly.

He looked toward the empty doorway.

"That's a long story."

The recruit waited.

Ricky didn't continue.

After a moment, the recruit nodded.

"Maybe another time."

"Maybe."

The recruit turned to leave.

Then Ricky called him back.

"Wait."

The recruit turned.

"What's your name?"

The young man smiled.

"Duke."

Ricky nodded.

"Duke."

It was the first time they had spoken face-to-face.

And neither of them knew that their meeting had been made possible by JJ himself.

---

Later that night, Ricky sat alone in his office.

He kept thinking about Duke's story.

JJ had had every reason to treat him like any other suspect.

Instead, he had let him go.

And more importantly, he had made sure Alpha Corp didn't connect him to the Underground.

Ricky couldn't explain why.

But he had a feeling JJ knew more than he was showing.

He opened a drawer and pulled out an old photograph.

Two boys stood beside each other.

One smiling.

One unable to speak.

Ricky looked at the photograph.

"You're still out there, aren't you?"

He placed it back in the drawer.

Then he looked at the latest Underground report.

ALPHA CORP — INCREASING ACTIVITY

Ricky's expression hardened.

Whatever JJ was involved in, it was connected to Alpha Corp.

And now the Underground had been pulled into the same situation.

Ricky wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

This time, he would find JJ.

But he wouldn't rush.

He would wait.

Watch.

And gather information.

Because if JJ was truly working for Alpha Corp, Ricky needed to know one thing before approaching him:

Was JJ still the same person who had once escaped Orion with him?

Or had Alpha Corp changed him?