Excerpt: WT: In Two Minds

“C’m in.”

Mitch’s voice brought a slight curl of annoyance to Alex’s lips, and she pushed the door open, smearing motor oil across the clean metal.

“You wanted to see me.” She stated, not bothering to hold eye-contact with the balding man in front of her. Who wanted to look at Mitch? His eyes were grey, so was his hair – what was left of it – and he was just a little overweight.

“You’re done for today.”

That made Alex look at Mitch. She could not read his expression – she had never been that good with reading people anyway – but it seemed somewhat pleased.

“What? Am I being fired?” The blonde prayed she was not; she had bills and rent to pay on her small apartment. The last thing she needed was to be out of work.

“No. You’re bein’ transferred.” It did not take a genius to hear the irritation in Mitch’s voice, and Alex’s eyes narrowed.

“Transferred where Mitch? And why?”

“You oughta be pleased.” Was the reply, more irritation in his voice. “’s a good thing to get transferred yanno.”

“I don’t care if it’s good or not. I want to know why.”

“You’ve been picked for some programme.”

“Programme?” Alex drew her eyebrows together, trying to think of what sort of programme might have chosen her. She was a mechanic, not some sort of scientific genius. Those guys got transferred off to programmes all the time; she had had a few of them in her apartment building. Before they were transferred off to some programme or other.

“Yeah, programme.” Mitch drawled. He didn’t sound like he came from New Britain; he sounded like he came from one of the Corporia Quarter states. Alex hated his accent.

“What. Programme. Mitch?”

“The Deimos Initiative.” He sighed. Alex knew she could not be imagining the jealousy in his voice. She understood it, too.

“The Deimos Initiative?” she echoed, hating how stupid she sounded. It could not be true, though. Why would the rather mysterious figure of The Administrator have chosen her? It made no sense.

“Yeah, the Deimos Initiative. Now stop makin’ my office look disgustin’ and get packin’. They’re sendin’ a ‘plane for you tonight.”

“Tonight?!” They expected her to have all her affairs in order in the grand sum of one evening?

“You deaf, Farraday? Tonight. Get outta here, get packin’. The ‘plane’ll be at Heathrow T-Thirteen.”

Well, that’s ominous.

“Fine.” Alex did not have any more energy to argue; she was still reeling. “Fine.” She repeated, pressing her lips together in irritation, before she span on her heel and stalked out of the room.

What the hell was going on? One second she was fixing a busted-up jeep, the next she was having to hurry home and pack her belongings to get to Heathrow to go to she-had-no-idea-where. No-one knew where The Deimos Initiative was; that was just another part of the mystery surrounding it. All she knew about it was that it was run by The Administrator, that he had once been a scientist in one of the Military’s top units, and that only the best of the best were chosen to be a part of it.

Did that mean she was one of the best of the best? No way.

This has got to be some sort of joke…