Scene 3

Security Suite, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

“How is that possible?” Jamie asked. “I thought that Ivana had been captured by the I.C.E. and rehabilitated.”

“That was my understanding as well,” I said. “Is that being verified?” I asked Ms. Swan.

“Ms. Starling is contacting Ms. Partridge at the I.C.E. as we speak.”

At that moment, Ms. Starling walked into the office.

“I just finished speaking with Ms. Partridge,” she said. “According to her, Ivana Rulital has been rehabilitated and is living a normal life in England. The I.C.E. has agents monitoring Ivana regularly and she has shown no signs of reverting to her previous behavior. Ms. Partridge told me they would bring Ivana back in for tests.”

“If Ivana is being watched, how is it that she was at that business meeting yesterday?” Jamie asked.

“Unknown,” said Ms. Starling. “According to Ms. Partridge, Ivana was tending her shop all day yesterday.”

“We need to get to the bottom of this,” said Jamie. “If Ivana is loose we need to do something about it.”

“Indeed we do Jamie,” I said. “Let my team get to work on this and we’ll try to come up with some answers. In the meantime, you had better alert the rest of the Moderators. When we have something, we will call a briefing.”

“Very well, get to work and see what you can find. I’ll go talk with the others.”

Jamie walked from the room; I turned to Ms. Starling.

“Where’s the rest of the team?” I asked her.

“Hawk and Raven are outside,” she answered. “They’re cataloguing all possible entrances into the Great Hall. Falcon took Thrush and Stork into town to do some shopping. Crane and Pombo are still in South America doing work for the Foundation.”

“Okay, I’ll get in touch with the ones that went to town to call them back.”

I turned to Dee, who had stayed with us.

“Dee, would you help us round up my associates outside?”

“Sure,” he responded. “I believe I saw them trying to climb up the back wall, looking for a way in. I’ll go get them.”

“Thanks,” I said to him as he left the room.