<i>"That actually went better than I thought it would."</i><br/><br/>Anjali smiled doubtfully at Dwayne and just kept following him, needing to almost jog to keep up with the long strides of this tall man. Somehow, she had the nagging feeling that this Charlie had given them a job which he didn't expect them to succeed at. He had a bit of Srinivasan in him she could have sworn.<br/><br/>A little earlier....<br/><br/>The metal door to the hallway opened and two men stepped in. It was Dwayne and a man dressed in a white uniform. Neither were smiling and the tightness in Dwayne's jaw suggested irritation and tension. His face was closed off and guarded, it was clearly not just the tension about the events and current situation but she felt a clear distrust and dislike of the man he was with. What was going on? As soon as he had affixed his pin identifying him as the captain he put his arms behind him and ordered her to 'step to' and she did just that, imitating the stance she had observed by the crew on the Rath Yatra. It was clear that Dwayne continued to protect her identity and provenance and she would do everything in her power to play along. She silently stood at attention, aware of the women behind her whispering among each other and listened toDwayne and the other man discuss what was supposed to happen with her.<br/><br/>The back and forth between the two men was a power struggle that went clearly beyond the immediate and obvious. What concerned her was Dwayne's increasing ire and the fact that the other man was clearly so oblivious of it. He knew nothing of the link that bonded them. Both bio-engineered, and enhanced, just for different purposes. In Dwayne's case both by gen-tech and training he was a killer. Short, reactive fuse with big boomcapacity meets annoying egg-head wanna be local politician. Bad combination.<br/><br/>She stepped quickly and quietly out of the cell and followed close to her captain as they were led to a room with a mirror and a table with two chairs, one on each side.<i>Just like in the movies,</i>she thought,<i>talking of which I should ask Dwayne if they are still a form of entertainment.</i>Anjali watched with concern as the two men immediately rounded on each other like dogs in a fight and she knew she had to stop it before it came to blows. Veins stood out on Dwayne neck and his shoulders were bunched in preparation for physical aggression. Against that the other man stood no chance.<br/><br/><i>By Shiva, No! If Dwayne hits egg-head we’ll be in even worse trouble! </i>If Dwayne hit him, it would go badly, very badly for both of them. She laid a gentling hand on his arm and it was as though a switch had been disengaged. Dwayne's posture changed instantly, she noticed how his jaw and fists simultaneously unclenched. Anjali was both stunned and gratified at the reaction and not quite sure how it happened, but for now she'd take it. Punch the bag in the gym, Not the egg-head in the white suit, she thought, wishing she could communicate with him telepathically.<br/><br/>She listened silently as Dwayne outlined the facts of the situation with surgical precision and it became amply clear that their arrest was both an opportunity for the man she now knew to be Charlie, and by default for her and Dwayne as well. If they did a job for the egg-head, they'd get a clean record and a residency and work permit. Well, if it was as easy as it sounded, why was she so damned worried.