I was locked up in a police interrogation room. It had been several hours; my head was pounding, and worst of all, I suffered from a terrible thirst, as no-one had acknowledged my pleas for a glass of water. The door opened, and in came the same security officer that had questioned me at the airport the day before. I stared at him in disbelief; why had the immigration officer from the airport come to question me? The man sensed my confusion and stretched out a hand to greet me. "Miss Sabina Hines, we meet again. I didn't introduce myself the last time we met. I am Special Agent Dov Dorevitch, from the Mossad Spy Agency."
Dov Dorevitch! The name gave me shivers. It was the name of the genocidal dictator on Mars, who I had defeated as a 7-year-old in 2882, eight and a half centuries into the future. Could this be the same person, or was it just a coincidence that they had the same name? I studied the man in front of me. Clearly, it wasn't the same soul, nor the same appearance, and it was just the stress that caused my mind to play tricks on me.
Dov spoke again. "So, Miss Hines, security footage shows that you are holding the hand of the suicide bomber and looking him in the eyes, just moments before the explosion went off. Do you care to elaborate?"
I realised that I would have to use my divine powers to get out of this mess. Dov was difficult enough at the airport without a terrorist attack taking place. I wanted to try talking first; however, so I responded. "Yes, he seemed to be agitated, so I tried to calm him down. Sadly, I couldn't do it."
Dov studied me in silence for a while. I didn't know if he was thinking of anything or if silence and observation were his interrogation approach. Eventually, he spoke. "The terrorist was carrying a bomb belt with a dozen bombs filled with shrapnel. Nine of these bombs went off, killing and maiming a lot of innocent people. The three that didn't go off, were the ones facing you. I want you to tell me why these three bombs didn't explode?" Dov's tone and implied accusations made me upset. I had survived a tragedy, and instead of receiving treatment and proper care, I was exposed to toxic accusations by the man in front of me.
I snapped at Dov and yelled out. "I don't know why those bombs didn't go off. Maybe Yussuf defused them."
I bit my tongue and realised my mistake. I hadn't spoken to Yussuf, and yet I knew his name. This wouldn't help to prove my innocence, and I would have to use my powers to get out of this mess. As anticipated Dov noticed this detail, and he screamed back at me. "How do you know the name of the terrorist? You arrived yesterday, and you are not seen talking to him before the explosion."
I froze. I needed to come up with something to convince Dov of my innocence, but would I make up a story about how I knew Yussuf's name, or should I address the elephant in the room: How Yussuf got past the security checkpoints? I decided to go with the latter.
I grabbed Dov's hand and focused my empath ability to influence his mind. "What you should really focus on," I paused, trying to come up with the words before continuing, "…is how Yussuf got past the security checkpoints unnoticed on his way to the Western Wall."
I studied Dov as his facial expression was changing. I had managed to influence him in the right direction, and hopefully, the input would lead him to the real villains behind this heinous crime. With a concerned expression on his face, Dov replied. "I believe you, Sabina. Our efforts need to be put towards finding the ones responsible for letting Yussuf through our security checkpoints."
After this, Dov pressed a button and leaned towards me, whispering in my ear. "I have turned off the recording. I sense that you are special. Please help me find the ones responsible for this crime."
Dov's request surprised me. I had hoped that he would believe me and let me go. But asking me, an outsider, to help with his investigation? Had he sensed my powers or was he testing me? I took a tighter grip of Dov's hand and established a telepathic connection with him. "Why do you need my help, Dov?" I asked.
"I knew it! You're an empath! I will get you out of here, just follow my lead." Dov replied, and before I knew it, he was leading me out of the room.
Dov grabbed me by the arm and was intercepted by one of his colleagues. "Where are you taking that girl? She is still a suspect." Dov's colleague remarked.
"I am taking her back to the hotel. She is innocent and had a plausible explanation on how she knew the terrorist's name!" Dov snarked. Before his colleague had the time to answer, Dov dragged me into the elevator, and we ended up in the basement of the building.
Dov led me to his car. "Get in the car!" he commanded.
"I'd rather just catch a taxi back to the hotel." I replied.
Dov opened his coat displaying the pistol he had holstered. "Get in the car now, I don't like asking twice." Dov hissed at me.
I nodded and got in the car. Dov got in the driver's seat and drove away from the garage quickly. I sat in the car and pondered what I would do. Dov drove fast, too quick for the conditions as it was heavy rain and there were thunderstorms in the sky. I realised that I had been too careless, when Dov turned off from the main road and turned onto a small gravel road with no streetlights. I was alone with an armed and unstable man. I hoped that he would be a friend and not a foe.
After driving for ten more minutes, we arrived at a small, seemingly abandoned shed. "Get out!" Dov hissed, and I exited the car. The frigid winter rain chilled through my bones, and the coldness amplified the fear I felt being at this spooky location. Suddenly, I heard gunfire, and I took cover on the ground.