CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
March 6, 2015
Ben was sitting in Magnus' office, staring at a picture of Magnus and the President. He had been called in for a special performance review. Normally, he was very good with performance reviews, always walking away with "exceeds expectations". However, his mind had been wondering about The Program and whether he still believed in its actions or not. He hoped it hadn't affected his work. The Program wasn't something you couldn't be fired from and find another job. It was an all or nothing -work here or die - kind of job. His head was filled with way too many government secrets to just walk away.
"So, Ben, how are you doing today?" Magnus finally spoke after finishing an email.
"I'm feeling good, sir."
"That's good to hear. Now, I called for this special review as I've noticed a possible issue lately. I want to face it head on and let us move on."
"Issue? What issue is that, sir?" Ben asked curiously.
"With the Packers girls. I'm afraid there might be a boundary issue," Magnus replied seriously.
"Boundary issue? No, sir! Absolutely not!"
"Do you find her attractive? Have you found yourself wanting to spend more time with her?" Magnus asked, a frown etched on his face.
"She's a teenager! No, sir, I do not see her like that, not at all," Ben shook his head.
"There's nothing wrong with thinking she's attractive, Sergeant. She is eighteen, an adult. You can't put a stop to the calls of nature. However, there is an issue if you want to spend extra time with her. If you're thinking about her throughout the day. If you've had sexual thoughts about her, I need to know."
"I promise you, sir, that I do not see her that way! I do not wish to spend extra time with her. I worry about her mental state in all of this. She seems extremely overwhelmed."
"I see ..."
"Don't misunderstand me, sir. I documented all of our interactions and conversations. Dr. Rumsfield molested her, his own niece, and I do not think it is wise for her to be tested or studied under him. She's a victim and he is her attacker. I do not see how that could be beneficial," Ben explained quickly.
"Molested her? I've never seen this documentation!" Magnus' face grew hot.
"Yes, she confessed to me days ago. I added it my notes, sir. I only worry about her safety, and Jacob Track as well. There could be PTSD triggers that neither of them can handle."
"Possibly ... possibly. I'm afraid Dr. Rumsfield is the only one that knows exactly how 33X works and how to make those PTSD triggers disappear. If Dr. Rumsfield can prove that Zacchya, whom he sexually molested, can forget and trust him again, then 33X is what we need. Is it morally sound? Absolutely not, but there are always gray areas when making history. 33X is possibly her only hope for a normal life, well as close to normal as she could ever have."
"I suppose so," Ben sighed. "Can we at least make sure he is always in an area with surveillance when with her? I do not trust him alone with Zacchya, sir."
Magnus began to nod, but stopped. His eyes widened. "She's with him right now for medical testing. Tyrell is on standby but the lab has certain areas with no surveillance. She's alone with him right now, behind locked doors."
"Please, let me go check on her! I can forgive the morally gray areas, sir. But I won't stand by and let someone get sexually assaulted on my watch!" Ben's face grew hot with rage as he jumped out of the chair.
YOU ARE READING
The Life of Jacob Track (Book Two of the 33X Series)
Mystery / Thriller**Be sure and check out book 1!! ** Jacob Track was murdered and haunted his place of death for almost a year, when his ex-girlfriend, Zacchya, came to confess to the murder she was brainwashed to commit: his. However, the events turned out unexpect...
