"The board is very pleased with your project's performance Dr. Raines." The African woman's voice poured from her mouth like silk, speaking with profound femininity that most would perceive as impossible coming from a Triumvirate representative. Raines stood before the Triumvirate board members in one of the Centre's many conference rooms, anticipation growing slowly within him as he faced the line of assembled people. He could tell; he had these people in his pocket now. It was always that way when Raines had a working project, they exiled him whenever a pretender wasn't linked with his name, but when there was, Raines could get almost anything. He only needed to manipulate the situation correctly. "However," the woman paused, and Raines bristled. However, they would require something more from him? However, she is no comparison to Jarod? However, we would like to place Lyle in control? "It would seem that it will take time to reach fruition. That is time that I'm afraid the Triumvirate cannot afford."
Raines moved forward a step or two, outrage growing on his face. "You can't--" terminate this project. He had meant to say, but she held up an infernal hand to silence him. "The Triumvirate, can do whatever it pleases, and you would do well to remember it, Raines. This body cannot afford the time--while your project is allotted time to grow, time to hone her skills to find our missing pretender, Jarod is still out there--"
Another member of the board spoke up at that moment, his voice giving away his frustration, tinged lightly with fury. "The man is an embarrassment!"
"Embarrassment! He's a damn liability; he steals our money, leaks our information, and has the knowledge and the power to expose the entire organization." Another of the men sitting around the table interrupted. The woman in the middle cleared her throat quietly to return attention back to herself.
"You see our troubles Mr. Raines. The Triumvirate can't afford to waste any more time with the search for Jarod. We need results now." She paused, and this time, Raines had no grand dreams of overhauling the Centre, merely angry anticipation. He wouldn't allow them to scrap the project as they had so many others. He would keep it going even without their approval, and without their knowledge if needs be. The cells in SL-27 could be refurbished, and he had had plenty of practice keeping Kyle down there. If that wouldn't work, then he had plenty of little safe houses dotting the map around Blue Cove, and any of them would suffice. "This is where your project comes in Dr. Raines. We need her training accelerated. We need her working at full production level."
Raines relaxed only a fraction. They didn't want to take it away; but what they were asking would be difficult. "The project is already being pushed along faster... than many of our others by Mr. Lyle and myself." he gambled, only to be interrupted yet again by the man on the far end of the assembly.
"Well Raines, with all due respect," he stated,with an air that whatever respect Raines was entitled to be shown was beneath him, "The Triumvirate begs to differ."
"Mr. Raines, the Triumvirate was vexed at the interaction we watched of the girl with Mr. Lyle the other day. It seems, that there is a mutual attachment there: Not Acceptable." The woman frowned. "Perhaps you could explain to us how it is that the girl seemed incapable of performing the simulation while working with you, only to turn about completely and finish her assignment flawlessly while working with Mr. Lyle?"
Raines returned her stare silently, trying to find an answer most advantageous to himself; he certainly couldn't tell the truth.
"Mr. Raines?" The woman prompted. "Do you think that this girl could have, in any way, been trying to sabotage the simulation, so that it played in Mr. Lyle's favor?" She asked cooly, and Raines saw his opening. It wouldn't do to have Riley fall blame for this; not if he wanted to keep her as valuable to the Triumvirate as she was when he had entered the room.
"The girl isn't capable of such scheming... She is trained to show complete loyalty to both of us. However... I have noticed the attachment you mentioned... between Mr. Lyle and the girl as well." He paused, breathing heavily. "If he asked it of her,the project might comply out of a misdirected desire to please him."
"You feel it was Mr. Lyle, who might have sabotaged the simulation?"
"It was him." Raines answered unreservedly. "He has been trying to pull this project away from me for some time now; poisoning her mind."
The woman nodded. "Unfortunately for him, that mind is a topic of great interest for the Triumvirate. We would like the project to be transferred to Our headquarters in Africa where she will continueto work on locatingJarod." She paused, before bestowing the final gift. "With you as her sole mentor. You will be given free reign over the project-- do whatever you must tohave herperform quicker. As long as you don't feel that it will jeopardize her mind; you won't find intereference from Us."
"And what about Mr. Lyle?" He asked in a gritty rasp, thinking it was his chance to show the impertinant man who truly had the upper hand among them.
"Mr. Lyle is being informed that he is to be transferred to another branch of the Triumvirate as we speak. We feel that he was becoming too emotionally involved with the subject."
Raines' mouth widened into a greasy smile as he and the board members quit the room, still discussing, unknowingly being followed by a pair of haunted blue eyes watching from the ventilation shafts.