Read Online In this Night We Own (The Commander Book 6) by Randall Farmer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Randall Farmer
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on it.
Tonya looked at the round wind-up clock on the file cabinet, which said 10:07 P.M. She wished she remembered whether eastern Michigan was on Central Time or Eastern Time. After all the years dealing with Wini Adkins of Detroit, she ought to know.
A Focus wouldn’t be in bed at this hour, in any case.
The people on the other end of the phone took over fifteen minutes to track down their Focus. Tonya wished she had one of those modern expensive phone systems, where some secretary like Delia could make the initial call from another room and then transfer it to Tonya when she got through. However, her household didn’t have the money, and so here she was with a phone on her ear, trying to update records while she waited.
“Hello?” a female voice said from the other end of the line. An unfriendly voice.
Tonya wasn’t surprised. Focuses got a fair number of crank phone calls, and Focuses often answered the phone with a certain lack of warmth. The fool who answered the phone must not have told the Focus who was calling.
“I’m Focus Tonya Biggioni,” Tonya said. “I’m the new Director of the Focus Mentoring Program.”
“Yeah?” An openly hostile voice. “Betha told me. Rickenbach here. What do you want?”
Ah, now this was something new. Tonya mentally noted number three and wondered if this disaster would turn out to be as bad as the last two (one young Focus who killed off any Transform she didn’t like and had attracted police attention, and the other presumably enslaved, as Tonya hadn’t been able to talk to her).
“We’ve just recently transferred responsibility for the Mentoring Program, and so I’m calling all the young Focuses to find out how you’re doing,” Tonya said in a friendly tone, ignoring the other Focus’s hostility. “In your file, you’re listed as…”
“You have a file on me?” If the Focus’s tone had been cold before, it was frigid now.
Almost, Tonya responded with some reassuring platitude. Her mouth was open to say the words. It was the end of a long day and she came within an instant.
Just as the words were about to come out, though, she realized who she talked to. Some young kid, twenty-two years old, with little or bad mentoring, and no trust in the Focus Council. Perhaps no knowledge at all of the Focus Council, the Network or even the existence of the first Focuses. A Focus with the younger generation’s distrust of authority, and files, and information collected in secret, and too old to have her parents running her household for her. She hoped.
Tonya decided to spin a different tune. “Would you like me to read it to you?”
“What?” the other Focus said, startled. “Okay. Sure.”
Tonya read her the first page of the file. It didn’t take long. Tonya didn’t tell Gail about pages two through five.
“There’s nothing there.”
“I know,” Tonya said, feigning sadness. “We’re just a group of several hundred Focuses trying to support each other. We do the best we can.”
“Mmm.”
“So tell me, I get the impression Wini Adkins wasn’t 100% helpful,” Tonya said.
“I guess you might say that,” Gail said, followed by a minute laugh. “She showed up at seven in the morning the day after I woke up as a Focus, called me a stupid young fool and wanted to teach me how to torture my people. Then she disappeared and I haven’t seen her since, for which I’m eternally grateful.”
Tonya winced. This sounded like a bit much even for Wini, although Wini could be a cast-iron bitch when she wanted. Strange, though. Even Wini’s pathetic charisma should be able to make a baby Focus hop.
“Gail, I’m really, really sorry about that. Every young Focus is supposed to have some older Focus helping her out. Our mentoring system doesn’t always work well, but things shouldn’t ever be this bad.” Given what Tonya had seen of Corrigan’s former organization, far too
Tonya looked at the round wind-up clock on the file cabinet, which said 10:07 P.M. She wished she remembered whether eastern Michigan was on Central Time or Eastern Time. After all the years dealing with Wini Adkins of Detroit, she ought to know.
A Focus wouldn’t be in bed at this hour, in any case.
The people on the other end of the phone took over fifteen minutes to track down their Focus. Tonya wished she had one of those modern expensive phone systems, where some secretary like Delia could make the initial call from another room and then transfer it to Tonya when she got through. However, her household didn’t have the money, and so here she was with a phone on her ear, trying to update records while she waited.
“Hello?” a female voice said from the other end of the line. An unfriendly voice.
Tonya wasn’t surprised. Focuses got a fair number of crank phone calls, and Focuses often answered the phone with a certain lack of warmth. The fool who answered the phone must not have told the Focus who was calling.
“I’m Focus Tonya Biggioni,” Tonya said. “I’m the new Director of the Focus Mentoring Program.”
“Yeah?” An openly hostile voice. “Betha told me. Rickenbach here. What do you want?”
Ah, now this was something new. Tonya mentally noted number three and wondered if this disaster would turn out to be as bad as the last two (one young Focus who killed off any Transform she didn’t like and had attracted police attention, and the other presumably enslaved, as Tonya hadn’t been able to talk to her).
“We’ve just recently transferred responsibility for the Mentoring Program, and so I’m calling all the young Focuses to find out how you’re doing,” Tonya said in a friendly tone, ignoring the other Focus’s hostility. “In your file, you’re listed as…”
“You have a file on me?” If the Focus’s tone had been cold before, it was frigid now.
Almost, Tonya responded with some reassuring platitude. Her mouth was open to say the words. It was the end of a long day and she came within an instant.
Just as the words were about to come out, though, she realized who she talked to. Some young kid, twenty-two years old, with little or bad mentoring, and no trust in the Focus Council. Perhaps no knowledge at all of the Focus Council, the Network or even the existence of the first Focuses. A Focus with the younger generation’s distrust of authority, and files, and information collected in secret, and too old to have her parents running her household for her. She hoped.
Tonya decided to spin a different tune. “Would you like me to read it to you?”
“What?” the other Focus said, startled. “Okay. Sure.”
Tonya read her the first page of the file. It didn’t take long. Tonya didn’t tell Gail about pages two through five.
“There’s nothing there.”
“I know,” Tonya said, feigning sadness. “We’re just a group of several hundred Focuses trying to support each other. We do the best we can.”
“Mmm.”
“So tell me, I get the impression Wini Adkins wasn’t 100% helpful,” Tonya said.
“I guess you might say that,” Gail said, followed by a minute laugh. “She showed up at seven in the morning the day after I woke up as a Focus, called me a stupid young fool and wanted to teach me how to torture my people. Then she disappeared and I haven’t seen her since, for which I’m eternally grateful.”
Tonya winced. This sounded like a bit much even for Wini, although Wini could be a cast-iron bitch when she wanted. Strange, though. Even Wini’s pathetic charisma should be able to make a baby Focus hop.
“Gail, I’m really, really sorry about that. Every young Focus is supposed to have some older Focus helping her out. Our mentoring system doesn’t always work well, but things shouldn’t ever be this bad.” Given what Tonya had seen of Corrigan’s former organization, far too
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