After a few minutes, she looked up over the rim of her glasses and regarded me. “Good. Now sit.”

I did as I was told, though the smug note in her voice made me wince. “My name is Agent Mellin. I will be your direct command for the duration of your time in the Program. As the in-house Agent with the most experience, and someone who has contributed significantly to the development of the Program, I should be able to move you quickly and successfully through the stages.”

I didn’t know how to answer, so I stayed quiet. She was impressed enough with herself that my words were meaningless.

She waited a moment, then looked at the screen and continued. “I understand that you are related to Agent Dusome, is that correct?”

“Yes.” I held back my laughter over the Agent business, like Mitch was part of some cool secret service and not just a loser kid pretending to be something he wasn’t.

“Ma’am. Yes, ma’am.” She said each word slow, like I was somehow impaired.

“Yes…ma’am,” I choked out.

“And you have been separated for”—she looked down again—“seven years now?”

“Yes. Ma’am.”

“And just what were you doing for those seven years, then?” She placed her fingers on the keys, awaiting my answer.

Maybe they didn’t know about the others—about my family. Was that possible? That would mean they weren’t here, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give this Agent any information that could endanger them.

“I was wandering on my own out in the wild. I mean, every now and then I’d come across another person and we’d team up for a bit, but I always left. It’s better to be alone when you’re trying to survive.” I kept my eyes on my folded hands as I spoke. When I did look up, I saw that she wasn’t typing. Instead, she was staring at me. I kept talking. “I found a gun at some point, so I could hunt. That kept me alive. And I got good at making shelters.”

Her glasses clattered on the desk as she put them down. She closed her eyes and pinched the red marks at the top of her nose. “Mr. Dusome, you know, you did so well this morning.”

“Thanks.” I meant it. Why did I mean it? “Thanks a lot.”

“But now you are wasting both our time.” She stood, grabbed her laptop, and made her way toward the door.

“No, wait…” I tried to stand, but before I could make a move, two different Watchmen were on me. “Wait!”

But she didn’t wait. She moved quick down the hall, the sound of her heels on the floor like gunshots. The Watchmen dragged me behind her. I kept trying to reason with her.

“I…I’m just confused. A bit confused, that’s all.”

She stopped just past a set of steel double doors. “One hour in the Correction Room to start.” Then she walked away.

The Watchmen opened the doors and tossed me in. I landed on the floor in a heap and scrambled to my feet. The doors closed, and then there was the familiar sound of an electric lock clicking.