"Now let's move on to the very troublesome stuff," said Epos, calmly shuffling through his notes. He paused and looked down ominously at the assembly.

They were all seated at a semi-oval extended table, in the clear, brightly lit Debriefing Space, a large room faintly humming with the sounds of self-computing programs and equipped with display walls. There were no windows, just a large sliding door bearing the intertwined G and C of GloCo's logo in its center. The ten people listening to Epos were used to this kind of meeting, a necessary regular requirement in the life of a member of the High Intelligence Bureau. They all wore the navy blue attire reserved to the highest officials.

"I demand a careful re-examination of the case of Jay Fleogan, ref. 2387659H," continued Epos.

"The second-born who was retrieved a month and a half ago?" asked Arende Might, staring at the image and characteristics of Jay now revolving for all above the center of the worktop.

"That's it. It's a delicate issue. We all talked about his situation before his retrieval by GloCo Regulators. Starling Kite was of great assistance and he did a good job in the beginning, but his help was far from being satisfactory. Mr Fleogan had to be re-conditioned. As you all know, this process is long and difficult. It requires an exceptional treatment, and the subject is bound to be unstable afterwards."

"We all know about the difficulties and side effects of re-conditioning, Epos. Why do you demand a re-examination ? As far as I know, Starling hasn't reported anything special since the second-born was re-conditioned ?" said Arende, knitting his large eyebrows and narrowing his clear blue eyes. He was an intimidating man, high in stature, and gifted with straightforward manners and a potent voice.

"Well, of course no, he hasn't. But we all know Starling's way of handling delicate procedures," retorted Epos, who always seemed to imply more than what he said.

"What do you mean ?" asked Alinda Melville, a shy-looking woman in her thirties, with a long brown ponytail and inquisitive little eyes.

"Well, Starling is efficient, but he cares very little about reports and regulations," replied Epos with a dismissive wave of the hand.

"Never broke a rule, though. If he didn't report anything special, then there's no need to suspect anything ?" said Arende.

"I beg to differ, Arende," answered Epos in a quiet, firm tone, "I have checked Fleogan's bio reports, they speak better than all of Starling's accounts. There's some pretty high activity that hasn't been reported by your colleague."

Jay's chemical and biological data were now spreading on the walls in large letters, numbers and translucent, multi-colored graphs. The members of the bureau started shuffling through 3D files and examining them scrupulously.

"That's right, the vitals are extremely erratic, and there's a particularly frightening amount of C9H13NO3, but I see that Jay Fleogan has been involved in intense practical training. Most of the peaks match a pretty amazing workout...or a Dream Pod session," observed Alinda in a soft appreciative voice.

"Isn't that precisely suspicious ?" chanted Epos in a slow-tempoed voice. "We all know that the best cover for a somewhat suspicious bio record is physical activity. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that some of the most significant epinephrine peaks match strangely similar and simultaneous peaks in Starling Kite's vitals."

While speaking, Epos slid his index finger on the table, and parallel vitals were shown accordingly, indicating outstanding swimming and running practices, together with feverish Dream Pod sessions. A long silence ensued.

"What are you inferring ?" finally asked a red-haired man at the far end of the table.

"Simply that something wrong is going on !" said Epos, hardly suppressing a dark smile on his thin, well-defined lips. The head of the High Intelligence Bureau slowly passed his hand in his tightly-cropped blond hair. He paused again, clearly appreciating the little effect he had created. Obviously, nobody had expected this development. Epos had always disliked Starling's carelessness, his way of handling things with arrogance and carelessness. This time, it would be hard for him to bail out.

"Are you suggesting any dubious activity on Starling's part ?" asked another member of the assembly.

"Seems to me that your allegations are mainly extrapolations," said Arende, a look of intense reflection on his face.

"Well...there is a clear display of frequent restlessness, agitation, and potential aggressiveness. And that is unacceptable," said Epos, whose eyes seemed to be getting darker and darker by the second. "And Jay Fleogan's recklessness is obviously related to Starling's increasingly unsteady vitals."

Epos let the information sink in, then added : "On Starling's vital ref 37763, I will also point out that there has been an unreported consequent loss of blood, with no apparent reason, and it time-matches Mr Fleogan's peak bpm."

"This indeed requires all our attention," said the red-haired man again. "Do you think they could have been involved in a fight ?"

A shudder went through the assistance.

"You got it right, Obiah. My conclusion is that Starling Kite is dissimulating some information about the case he is in charge of. And Jay Fleogan is pushing the limits of our indulgence by endangering a member of the Bureau. I believe he may have attacked Starling. This case of retrieval sadly seems unsolvable, and we all know what this means... "

"Are you suggesting a termination ?" cried Alinda in a shocked voice. "Surely this is excessive. The second-born hasn't had an Uncontrollable Fit since he's been re-conditioned. GloCo Regulators haven't been summoned again."

"They almost have. We need to take the right decision. The second-born Jay Fleogan has been challenging our community since he arrived. In spite of his efforts, he has been clearly unstable. He has shown signs of nostalgia, enjoyed loneliness and has had an excessively hard time adapting. Lately he has displayed all the characteristics of anger. It is now clear that his interaction with Starling Kite is far from productive."

"This is not to be taken lightly," said Arende. Standing up and towering everyone with his giant frame, he added : "We must summon Starling and ask him to testify about the second-born Fleogan, now."

"I do not take matters lightly, especially when we are speaking about the life of a man," snapped back Epos, his face tense with dislike. "But suit yourself, Arende, let's call Starling for a testimony."

"I'll fetch him myself," said Arende, leaving as he spoke.

A few minutes later, Starling was standing in the work space. The high officials all looked up at him, and he noticed the tension. Clearly, some matters of gravity were being discussed. He felt a pang in his heart, but he knew better than that.

"Starling, we need you to testify now. We have some questions about second-born Jay Fleogan, one of the cases you're in charge of."

"Sure, fire off," said Starling with a disarming smile.

"Starling, it seems that some of Mr Fleogan's vitals are exceptionally high. As you know, we do not take these things lightly...Is there anything you would like to report ?"

"Nope. I mean, Jay's a sensitive person for sure. He has been through heaps, but the retrieval seems to have worked. He has shifted to a very intensive sport practice, which indicates a strong desire to develop his skills and insert himself in B24's community. No doubt his vitals are going to be more and more stable now. He has a champion's heart !"

"So no sign of restlessness ? No aggressiveness ?"

"Hell, no ! Dude's a sport freak, that's all. You can check his late records. Should be in the Galaxy Games in no time !"

"So your conclusion is that the retrieval was successful ?"

"I believe it was," said Starling.

"Thank you Starling. You may go," sighed Epos.

As soon as Starling had left the room, the Bureau members started talking together in a very animated way. They were obviously distressed and having a hard time reaching an agreement.

Epos banged his fist on the table. Silence fell.

"Things will be done for the best. You all have been witnesses to Starling's dissimulation. He has developed a friendly relation with the second-born, and this is obviously turning sour. Mr Fleogan is a danger and has to be disposed of. "

"I demand a delay, for counter-examination. This is the procedure in case termination is considered. I suggest we vote now," said Arende. "Do you all agree to delay the termination of Jay Fleogan,  ref. 2387659H, and undertake counter-examination?"

Six people, together with Arende, raised their hand. Epos frowned, took a deep breath and concluded in a soft voice, stressing each syllable : "Fair enough. If the subject has not shown steady vitals by the Galaxy Games, he will then be terminated. Meanwhile his reports will be double-checked by me in person."

"I hope we can avoid this extreme measure," said Alinda.

"I agree with you. But things have to be done for the best," commented the red-haired man.

People started stirring and murmuring, but Epos cleared his throat and spoke again:

"Before we end this assembly, let me be clear : the case of Starling Kite needs to be examined too. The extent of his dissimulation has to be determined. In case he has broken his oath, standard procedure will have to be respected."

"I am sure Starling's clear. I wouldn't worry about that in the least!" growled Arende.

"Well, we all know here that Starling Kite is a particular case, and we can't ignore the implications this may have," retorted Epos. All the Bureau members lowered their eyes, and Epos couldn't suppress a look of grim satisfaction on his face.