The TALONS Files: the chronicles of telepathic agent Ryan Dart

Is Ryan Up For the Job?

11

Thursday morning seemed to take forever to arrive. When it did, his mom woke Ryan at 6:30 and made him breakfast. The spread was huge. She prepared bacon, eggs, a toasted bagel and set out some fruit in a bowl. Ryan tore through the meal like it was his last.

His mother and father exchanged some small talk with him, bidding him luck and sharing their anxious hope.

Per instructions on his card, he was to drive to his new job on his own. Before he hopped in his car, and as he hugged his parents good-bye, the episode in front of Caleb and his cronies flashed in his mind.

That would never happen again. Maybe, just maybe, he could get on with his life like a normal kid. It seemed God had chosen a cruel, unfair and twisted path for Ryan. Declan Scott was going to wipe away that struggle. There was a cure to his mental disability, or whatever it was. Or, at least that's what Ryan believed now.

* * *

Ryan arrived at the Main Street parking ramp, using a permit which had been included with Declan's note. He checked the car's clock, it was 7:45, as he pulled into a spot on the 2nd level. The appointment was set for 8:00.

. His parents often reminisced about this place. From what Ryan understood, this garage was attached to a hip shopping mall in the '80s and '90's. However, the city began to charge too much for parking and people decided that the Bay Park Square Mall, which was on the west side of town, was a better bet because there was no charge to park.

Ryan climbed the stairwell to the top floor, and, after a short little jaunt through the eerily quiet halls, found a suite where all the windows were covered with paper from the inside. When he reached the door, he did as he was instructed, as his mother gave him an envelope that he was absolutely not to open until he reached the door.

He opened the envelope to find curious instructions typed on a regular piece of notebook paper. He looked at them, confused, and shook his head. It read:

'Think the word 'Cowbell''

Ryan contemplated the instructions. He had to think the word? It made no sense. He shrugged his shoulders and thought, 'Cowbell'.

Immediately, a thought danced through his brain, like a foreign voice in his head, somehow he recognized it.

'Good, you're a few minutes early.'

Declan Scott opened the door. His face glowed with a welcoming smile and warm eyes, "So, you decided to give us a chance."

"After Tuesday night, yeah I'll try anything."

Declan looked concerned as he waved Ryan into the room. "Come in."

Ryan did so, and found a small reception area. It appeared as any. An elderly woman sat behind a small desk, a lone desktop computer sitting on it. The white walls of the hexagonal room were occasionally interrupted by framed paintings of rustic scenery.

Declan ushered Ryan past the receptionist, who had her head buried in a magazine. The bearded man, who ensured the woman wasn't looking, brought a small glass object inches from his eye. Words danced into Ryan's head. 'Retinal Scanner'

The wall slid open and unveiled a long hallway, painted red and lined with tinted black glass windows and doors. The porcelain floor and ceiling matched the glass, as Ryan followed Declan into the hall.

An occasional large, tall LED screen, mounted on the walls, flashed a rotating emblem of a red shield, among a black background. Emblazoned on the shield, an Eagle with spread wings clenched a vicious snake in its claws. Across the top of the shield read the word 'TALONS'.

As the door slid shut behind them, Declan halted and asked, "What happened last night?"

Ryan told Declan about the confrontation with Caleb and his little episode.

The bearded man fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Who was with Caleb, this intelligent bully?"

"Two boys and a girl."

Declan nodded his head, stroking his beard. It was obvious to Ryan, that Declan was withholding something for the time being, "As I thought."

"What did you think?"

"I'll explain it in just a bit. First I'll take you for a tour of our facilities. I want you to see what you'll be doing for the next five months."

"The job lasts for only five months?"

"No, the Job lasts for as long as you want it to last, as long as you follow our creeds and procedures. Given your moral make up, creeds and procedures should not be a problem, at least I hope."

"Okay," Ryan murmured. In a weird way, Ryan saw where this was leading. Heck, he suspected the impossible all of his life. Somehow, for some unseen reason, it scared him. He didn't want to believe it was possible. He forced himself to ask the next questions. "What is this job? What was that weird little moment at the door?"

Declan smirked in delight, "Patience, we'll get to that in a moment. First," He said, as he led Ryan down a hall. "I'll show you our training rooms. This is the first."

He pressed his finger on a black pad, and a black panel door whispered open. It revealed a white walled room, with paneled mirrors on all sides. A couple of teenagers were engaged in hand to hand combat, as a very small and frail Asian man watched on with fiery eyes. Declan waved his arm, "This is our martial arts training facility. I understand you were a brown belt yourself, so this should not be difficult."

Ryan appraised the room with curiosity. Hadn't they reprimanded him for engaging in hand to hand combat? And here, with a black gym mat floor and a climbing rope at it's center, not to mention a few other physically demanding obstacles scattered about, was a training room for just that purpose. Instead of speaking his thoughts, he remembered his younger days as a martial arts student, "I really didn't really care for the classes that much."

"Well in emergency situations, like the night you encountered those two thugs," Declan locked eyes with Ryan, "You might need it."

Music played in the room, cool hip music, not what you'd expect from a place ran by a middle aged man. "Did you pick the music?"

Declan laughed "This junk? Heck no. If I had my way, you'd all get an education in Nirvana and Pearl Jam."

"My dad likes them."

"What do you think?"

"It sounds like they recorded some of the songs in their garage or something."

"And that's what makes it great."

Declan pointed at the rope ascending towards the ceiling and then the ceiling itself. "In order to pass this portion, you must be signed off as a black belt and grip those bars near the ceiling and swing yourself across, of course, you'll reach them by climbing the rope."

"I don't get it. Seems like a lot of training when Chloe practically wrote me off because I engaged in hand to hand combat."

"Point is, we teach our agents to be stealthy and smart, as to avoid confrontation. However, we're dealing with dangerous and intelligent minds in this business, so it's not always going to go according to plan."

Ryan's mind keyed on the word agents. He was going to be some kind of agent, like the FBI or CIA "Agents?" I'm going to be.... I mean you're going to train me..."

"Yes, Yes, but I want to know how you feel about going after tough adversaries."

Ryan shrugged "Feels like I've done that all my life. I don't know if I've ever really won, but I'm not afraid of them."

A pleased smile emanated on Declan's face. "That answer is absolutely perfect."

Declan pressed his finger on the pad once more, and the room disappeared behind the black glass.