Watchers of the Night
Page 26
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Back on the main level, just outside the door to the lobby, Dittrich turned to Paul. As if reciting a prepared speech, he said, “You are aware that we work for the United Nations as an intelligence-gathering agency. Our job is only to watch and report what we see and hear—nothing more. We do not directly involve ourselves in any affairs, we only report on them. This may seem like a very simple task, especially for those of us who can listen and watch undetected, however there are dangers inherent in what we do.
“During the nights when we are not on assignment, we spend our time training in an attempt to minimize those dangers. Around the corner and down the hall is where you’ll find our training area.”
Dittrich paused. “Do you understand what I’ve explained so far and do you have any questions?”
Blinking, Paul asked, “How often do the Walkers who live here go on assignments?”
“Often. We could have a new assignment every single night for the foreseeable future if we chose to take all that were offered to us. As it stands, there is a backlog from the U.N. that changes almost every day. Dr. Abrams prioritizes assignments personally and issues orders to each team as he sees fit.”
“Each team? There are teams?” Paul asked.
“No Walker ever sets out on an assignment without a Buddy for a number of reasons,” Dittrich explained. “Most teams consist of just two Walkers and their Sentinels. Sentinels always go with their Walker on every assignment, no exceptions.”
“To guard them while they sleep. To make sure that nothing happens to them physically while they’re in the dream,” Paul supplied.
“Correct.”
“If we’re so invincible while we’re Walking, why the buddy system?”
“Because it cuts the possibility of failure, personal danger, and misinformation in less than half. Walkers are still regular people at the core. Just like any other people, you have some that are street smart and some that are book smart. Depending on the assignment, we try and pair Walkers to compliment each other’s strengths—this eliminates much of the possibility of failure.”
Paul nodded, seeing the sense in it.
“We’ve also found that Sentinels working as a team reduce the level of danger that can sometimes accompany an assignment, depending on the location and Target.”
“Target?” Paul asked. “You make it sound like we’re in the assassination business.”
“The Target information,” Dittrich replied. “I realize that it might sound a little cloak and dagger, but it is the language we use here. Every mission is based around acquiring the Target and bringing it back intact. Although the Target is nothing more than information, we treat it as something that is just as valuable as if it were a person or object. A mission Target could be the description of what a room looks like or the combination to a safe. It could be words spoken in a conversation or read from a top-secret text.”
“That’s a lot to remember,” Paul observed.
“Yes, and that leads to the last reason for sending two Walkers on every assignment; so that we ensure the accuracy of our intelligence. Our business is to gather and relay information. We cannot be wrong in the details that we pass along. Two Walkers, minimum, always carry out an assignment. Each Walker is debriefed separately upon their return, and the debriefings are compared. Any differences in those debriefings are combed through and rehashed until we are confident we have an accurate report.”
Paul again nodded his understanding.
“There is one team currently on assignment. Aside from them, you’ve had a chance to meet every Walker that is a member of Astralis.” Dittrich motioned down the hall to their right. “I would like you to join them in the training area just down the hall. You will not be able to miss it. I have business to attend to elsewhere.”
They shook hands and as Dittrich took his leave he said, “Paul. Keep your eyes open.”