T.O.R.N.: There's Only Right Now

Chapter 11 The Sephiren

Brennan stepped out of his black nineteen fifty-eight Chevy Impala. He loved driving her down the coast to LA. He and Asante had taken the trip many times to catch a concert or spend time in Malibu. This time he was still here for Asante though she was still off-grid. Dr. Schmidt would assist in locating her with her quantum computer. The mirrored glass building on Sunset Boulevard said Quanta in silver outlined in teal as he walked through the entrance's sliding doors. He nodded to security and headed straight for the elevator. Once inside he took out a keycard that accessed a retina scan. After he was scanned, a green light illuminated indicating he was to go to the top floor. However, when the elevator began to move it descended. After waiting ten to fifteen seconds, he had reached his desired floor, some fifty feet below sea level, the Southern California Sub-Faction of The Sephiren, Quanta.

The large room had rows and rows of desks with people and computers all working to maintain the veil on their section of the grid. Beyond the open workspace was a staircase to a conference room that overlooked the bullpen of workers. He headed for the stairs, as he did, Ethan Vanderneiss approached after he came out of the men's room.

"Valdis," he muttered.

"Vanderneiss" Brennan retorted.

"Lost your girlfriend, huh?" Brennan ignored him. Ethan continued. "Ya know, if she is The Aurora, The Sephiren will never allow you to be together, so you might as well get that pitiful look out of your eyes now before you're removed from the Council." He started to laugh as Brennan left him at the bottom of the stairs and began to ascend to the office above.

Brennan was upset because he knew that Vanderneiss spoke the truth. His plan was to find Asante and persuade her to become a part of The Sephiren but if she is The Aurora their relationship was over. The Sephiren would never allow it. His sense of duty and his heart were at war. But first things first; get her back.

He knocked on the door. Adele Vanderneiss answered.

"Hello, Darling," she stretched out the words in her fabricated accent.

"Hello, Adele," he mustered dryly.

He walked passed her directly to Dr. Schmidt.

Adele, excusing herself, said, "Well, I'll leave you to it." She left the room and closed the door behind her.

Elouise Schmidt looked over her spectacles up at Brennan as she sat typing on her computer at her oversized mahogany desk. Her vintage garb and desk were such an odd contrast to the modern and almost futuristic setting of Quanta.

"I suspect, by your presence here, that your level three priority yielded no results?" She asked more rhetorically than anything else.

"That's correct. The APB produced nothing. The Vanderneiss' satellites produced nothing, traffic and security cameras nothing. Farraday and Fairchild have sent me to avoid making this a national security measure," Brennan lied. He hadn't reported back to Farraday and Fairchild yet, he was attempting to locate Asante before they did.

Brennan continued, "Although we both know that even if we do, Sephiren doesn't have a device that will locate her as efficiently as your quantum computer."

"No, they don't." Schmidt's thin lips barely moved in response. "By the time they pull their heads out of their asses, my computer will have disregarded all moot possibilities and delivered the true location of your love. Isn't that why you are really here, Brennan? To save your love?"

"Yes," he gave up, not knowing if she was onto his lie or just reading his emotions.

"I will help you, but what are you willing to give me in return?"