Evenfall (11 page)

"Why don't we just get to the point," Sin said flatly after some time had passed. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest and shoulders thrown back. He was the picture of defiance and his eyes examined the doctor like he was something unpleasant that had fallen out of the trash.

Osland's lips pursed. "Suits me fine," he returned in a clipped tone.

Sin arched a brow. "So get to it."

There was a pause as Osland flicked his thumb over the hand held panel computer that sat in front of him. It was likely Sin's file. "You have spent a significant portion of your career here locked on the Fourth. One incident spanning four years that began in 2012 and the latest that kept you there nearly a year."

The brow remained arched. "Your skills of detection are quite unparalleled, doctor."

Osland's lip curled again but he continued briskly. "The incident in 2012 which led to your first major incarceration in the Fourth Floor Detainment Center--"

For the first time there was something in Sin's expression other than disdainful animosity for the man before him. Something dark washed over his face and sharpened his stare.

"--also led to you being kept in isolation for two years. Upon completion of that term you were put into intensive psychiatric care with Dr. Lydia Connors in the hopes that you would be proven to be stable enough to return to active duty so that your... talents could once again be employed." The last part of the sentence sounded droll, nearly sarcastic.

Dr. Osland tilted his head slightly. "You then proceeded to once again act out violently--"

"Perhaps you aren't intelligent enough to have reviewed that entire case file," Sin replied stonily, his gaze black and hateful.

The doctor went on as if Sin had never spoken. "--and found yourself incarcerated for another two years. Once again, your talents were needed and you were evaluated, deemed able for active duty. But not even two years later you found yourself on the Fourth and in isolation once again for the deaths of four agents who had been assigned to be your partner."

This time Sin's full mouth turned up into a mocking smile although his eyes still promised murder for the doctor.

Osland stopped speaking briefly and shifted in his seat. There was a moment when his eyes flicked around before his fingers drifted from the panel computer and curled around a small innocuous remote that was at his side. Only then did he go on.

"Why should now be any different? You have made it clear that you won't cooperate with doctors-- you will not alter your behavior. You will continue to behave antisocially and compulsively."

Sin shrugged his broad shoulders, taut under the too-small shirt he wore. "I never said it would be different. This wasn't my brilliant plan, in case you missed that. The Marshal decided that their would-be replacement for me sucked enough for me to be drug out of my cave or some such thing."

"But you don't want to return to that cave. Am I incorrect? So you do have something invested. And I assume, to avoid the aforementioned conditions of your failure, you will now make an attempt to not fail abominably."

This time Sin didn't even bother to reply and several moments of the assessment followed in silence. They looked at each other, the doctor with an almost condescending kind of patience and Sin with ill-concealed dislike. He seemed resentful of the entire thing and his eyes flitted to the mirror on more than one occasion.

The doctor began circling the issue again, but Sin never budged. He never agreed or disagreed that he would play nice with his new "babysitter," as he called it.

Nearly ten minutes later, the doctor began tackling Sin's past incidences more directly.

"Your previous partners. I'd like to discuss what happened with them," Osland said as he ran one hand through his black and grey hair.

Sin's lip curled, giving him the scathing expression that seemed almost permanently etched into his features. "Don't you have a file somewhere with this information, doctor? Complete with snapshots of their corpses? Well-- the ones that were recovered anyway." Sin's tone was darkly amused but the smile on his face looked like more of a grimace.

"Yes," Osland replied without blinking. "But I'd like you to tell me what happened. Something other than, in all of their cases, it was '
self-defense
.'"

"Not all were killed in
self-defense
," Sin retorted, the smile relaxing into a more natural-looking half smirk. "Some died out of sheer stupidity alone."

"This amuses you?"

Sin scoffed, pale green eyes rolling. "Would it matter if it did? Stop pretending like any of this even matters."

The doctor frowned. "Meaning?"

Sin's hawk-like gaze focused on Osland yet again but it slowly slid to the two-sided mirror this time. "Meaning this whole thing is a charade. Even if I said I'd hacked them all to pieces with a dull knife before pissing on their bodies, it wouldn't change a thing. If Connors wants to use me for something, he will."

Osland's expression lighted with irritation and he appeared to be fighting a scowl.

It was unsurprising that the comment would displease him. It made the assumption that his position and job at the Agency wasn't anything more than a mere formality required by the powers that be. It implied that whether or not the doctor thought Sin should return to the field, it may not matter.

"On the contrary, Agent Vega," Osland said stiffly. "If I deem you unfit, you will return to your quarters on the Fourth Floor Detainment Center and will likely be terminated if you do not become fit for duty any time in the near future. In your current state, you are a waste of resources. A being that must be fed and looked after while not providing a use to the Agency. If I believe you will cause the failure of missions, Connors will listen to what I say."

The words got an almost immediate response from Sin. Once again there was a moment of almost violence. The man projected such an aura of danger that even Carhart shifted slightly from his place in the corner as if he were ready to rush into the next room.

Osland's fingers caressed the remote and Boyd watched Sin's eyes focus on the movement.

The tension stretched on for nearly a full minute before Sin relaxed against the back of his chair and looked bored once again.

"So. Your partners?"

"Evan and Michelin thought being my partner meant I was their pet," Sin replied coldly, not looking up from his examination of his fingers. "Not surprising considering the fact that the Marshal treats me like some kind of wild dog. A behavior that has bled down to the rank and file individuals of this organization."

Osland nodded minutely. "And they, I assume, were killed in self-defense?"

Sin shrugged again, tilting his head to the side briefly. "Laurel was too stupid to be saved. She tried to negotiate by pointing her gun. I wouldn't have attempted to involve myself in that colossal failure even if I'd been planning to initially. She was killed on a mission, not by me. I simply didn't save her. Coral wasn't any better. For all of his level nine training, he was a complete failure in a storm. He put together a ridiculous plan and, unsurprisingly, it failed."

"You didn't attempt to rectify his mistakes," the doctor observed.

The green-eyed agent smirked coldly once again. "No. Why should I?"

"Because you are meant to work as a team."

"If the team is doomed to fail, why bother? I'll die eventually but it won't be by someone else's stupidity. If they aren't capable of respecting me or my experience as a senior agent, then obviously the partnership would fail. I don't give enough of a shit to try to salvage it."

The comment was the end of Sin's cooperation but the brief exchange was the most important one of the entire interview. Cold and callous, maybe. Antisocial, definitely. But it seemed that Sin nearly always had some kind of reason for the things he did. And he appeared to wait for someone else to give the reason to actually act.

His temper had been showcased more than once in his exchanges with Osland but it was also obvious that he was more than capable of reining it in. It made Boyd wonder what had happened to cause Sin's previous two incarcerations and what had caused him to exhibit, in Osland's words, "psychotic" behavior.

The evaluation ended and Carhart flicked on the lights. "Comments?"

Boyd shifted so he could look over his shoulder at the general. Since he didn't have anything in particular to say, he simply shrugged and shifted his gaze to Adam.

"Is he actually mentally disturbed?" Adam asked with a hint of doubt in his low voice as his dark eyes remained on the vacated room on the other side of the mirror. "He appears normal to me. Extreme and quick tempered, but not as out of control as everyone says."

Carhart nodded. "For the most part he is. However there are times when he snaps and does behave psychotically and violently," the General said vaguely, obviously not planning to go into detail about either event with the two candidates.

"Are there commonalities in what causes his psychotic breaks?" Boyd asked, watching General Carhart. "Something in particular that we should look for?"

"Not that I am aware. In one case it was a threat that wasn't even directed at him and in another, it was in response to commentary that I would have thought would have normally rolled off his back."

Adam's eyebrows rose. "Interesting that missions would be entrusted with such an unstable individual. If his triggers aren't even known, how can he be trusted at all?"

Carhart shrugged although it did not appear that he disagreed. "He can't. That's why the two of you are here. To ensure that he does not act rashly and in the case that he does, that the situation is controlled and rectified. His skills as a fighter are too valuable to be lost completely. You two are expected to make up for where he fails."

The idea of being adept at aspects of the position that Sin was not adept at did not particularly bother Boyd. By the time he was done with all the training, he assumed he would be versed in the basics of any skills needed. However, what he didn't understand was the other part.

"How are we to control or rectify his behavior when we clearly would be outmatched in strength and skills?"

Adam gave him a dull look. The man likely did not appreciate being associated with the extent of Boyd's lack of strength and skills. Boyd wasn't bothered by this. As far as he understood, Sin was superior to everyone. He suspected that no matter the amount of additional training, Adam would lose in any altercation against his possible partner.

Carhart's eyes moved away from them briefly. There was a pause before he spoke again but when his gaze returned, his expression gave nothing away of what he was thinking. "Implements have been put into place to ensure that the two of you have a mote of
self-defense
against so skilled a killer. There is the collar, for one."

Another brief pause. "It serves as a highly modified
Taser
and tracking device. One that can only be removed from his neck surgically. If activated by the remote control, it has the ability to completely incapacitate Agent Vega. However whether or not you are able to use it before he takes it from you, is entirely in your own hands. No method is completely fail proof," he said without compassion.

There was a brief silence.

"Am I correct in assuming that for some reason he is more invested... in making this round of trial partnerships work?" Adam asked finally.

"You are correct. He claims that he will make the effort this time to avoid a return to the Fourth if his partner is acceptable. The circumstances upon his incarceration have been made considerably harsher the last time he was put in."

"How so?" Boyd wondered exactly how motivated the man would be.

Carhart looked at them with carefully constructed detachment. It wouldn't have seemed out of place if it weren't for the fact that he hadn't appeared so impassive and emotionless up until the point where torture devices had entered the conversation.

"I will not go into specifics except to say that Sin has a weakness and they have now decided to exploit that weakness when he is incarcerated. He now has reason to fear the Fourth. It is in his best interest to not return there."

Boyd inclined his head in a slight nod and looked away, his gaze drawn toward the empty room. The question briefly crossed his mind of what Sin's weakness could be. Since he had nothing to say in response to the information General Carhart provided, he remained silent.

"If I may ask a question, General?" Adam asked. His voice was low pitched and nearly always sounded glum although his expression didn't necessarily seem overtly unhappy about anything.

"That's why I'm here."

"You know him fairly well. What do you anticipate being the most challenging aspect of this aside from possibly being killed during one of his... fits?"

"Not reacting to him the way he wants you to," Carhart replied bluntly and without hesitation. "Sin will bait you and he won't do it in the same way every time. He will try sarcasm, cruelty, intimidation-- whatever he thinks will get a rise out of you. He expects the worst from people and he trusts no one. If you don't show overt hostility towards him, he will only expect that it's something that will come later. He is used to both physical and verbal abuse from the people here. He is used to being condescended to and treated as though he has lesser intelligence. He is used to not having an ounce of respect from anyone. He will be waiting for you to prove yourselves to be like everyone else and if he sees that, he will react to you exactly as he reacted to the others. It is your job to not let that happen."