Author's note: all characters in this story are over 18 years old (ages are given within earlier chapters).
Chapter 6
Malcolm Brooke has been explaining for several minutes that he and the people he represented were aware of Geoff Mills' activities and what he had done to Mike Roberts and his wife. Far from being relieved, Mike has feeling a growing revulsion at what he was being told.
Perhaps realising this, Brooke leant forward and studied Mike closely. "You may be wondering why we have done nothing about Mr Mills before, given what he is doing is certainly illegal on multiple counts. I'm afraid that I cannot give you the details, as they are classified. All I can say is that he has used his abilities to assist us in various ways and that assistance has undoubtedly saved many lives, perhaps hundreds."
Mike looked sick. "So, what you are saying is that you considered Jessica and me to be a sacrifice worth making. Not to mention Ellie and the others." He stared at Brooke for a moment, then said with barely controlled fury, "You utter bastard. You are as bad as Mills. Worse in some ways, because you could have protected us."
Mike was angry. He was not a violent person, but at that moment he would happily have punched Brooke. What held him back was the thought that he almost certainly needed this man's help.
Malcolm Brooke was, in his own way, a decent enough man and he managed to look genuinely ashamed. "I can only offer my apologies, and those of Her Majesty's Government, for your ordeal and that of your wife. I am afraid that sometimes we are forced to make decisions between two evils. Perhaps we got this one wrong. All I can say is that we want to help you."
"So why now?" Mike asked, in no way satisfied with the apology. "What has made you change your mind?"
"Circumstances have changed. Partly because Mr Mills is becoming more difficult to manage, and may now present more danger than his services are worth. And partly because, for the first time, we have other options," said Brooke carefully.
"What do you mean by 'other options'?" asked Mike, puzzled more by the look Brooke was giving him than by what he had said.
"You, Mr Roberts. Yesterday you took control of one of Mills' ... um ... slaves. A Miss Langton, I believe."
"Whaa ... Becky? How do you know that?"
"I must apologise again, Mr Roberts. We placed listening devices in your house almost a year ago. Mr Mills has taken precautions against such intrusion, but it was easily done in your case."
Mike stared at Brooke in disbelief. "You've been bugging my house ..."
"Yes. We needed information on what Mills was doing and it was one way of getting it."
Brooke didn't look or sound especially apologetic, despite what he had said. Mike felt the desire to hit him return, but instead asked: "And what difference does Becky make?"
"Mike ... can I call you Mike? You have shown the potential to break Mills' control. We want to help you, and in return you can help us. I am offering you a deal of sorts. We believe that it is possible we can free you from your subservience to Mills. He would not be expecting you to move against him. You would have the advantage. You could bring him down, be rid of him, free your wife."
"And what would you want from me in return?" asked Mike, a suspicion forming in his mind. After all, if Malcolm Brooke had simply wanted to be rid of Mills, he could just have had him arrested. There had to be more.
"As I say, we no longer want Mr Mills working for us. But the skills he possesses are invaluable. You already know half of what he does, and I can tell you the rest."
"Oh... My... God. You actually want me to replace him," Mike muttered in horror, mainly to himself.
"Yes. The work is not dangerous and you need not harm anyone. All we would want you to do is use your new mind control abilities to extract information from a few targets we designate each year."
"Why me?" Mike asked, "Why not give one of your own agents these abilities?"
"Mainly because we don't want, have never wanted, state fingerprints on this mess. Our American cousins refer to it as 'plausible deniability'. That's why we used Mills. You are a better man than him, I believe, and you are perfectly placed to take over. We would of course pay you and, more than that, I can assure you that you would be doing your country a great service."
"Sorry, but my country hasn't done much for me lately," Mike said bitterly. He paused and then went on. "But I'll do it, if it means freeing Jess."
"Good man," Brooke said. "Let's get down to business ..."
***