"Can we hold the girl here?" asked the redheaded fat man.
"Feed her and treat her right," Sordman said. "What's your name?"
"John Dyer. My friends were about to use their belts on her."
A rifleman shuffled uneasily. "It's the only way. Mind killers use their Talent to tie their tongues and confuse us. Only pain can break their control."
"That's a fairy tale," Sordman said. "Without drugs a Talent is helpless."
"We've got the girl," John Dyer said. "She can't hurt us while we're waiting."
"He can!" the young man screamed. "Are you a plain fool? He can go outside and kill us all."
Sordman laughed. "Sure I could. And tomorrow I'd have to fight off an army. That I couldn't do if I was fool enough to try. You're frightened, boy. Use your head."
"You are excited, Leonard," said an armed man. He wore a blue morning coat with Manager's stars and the emblem of a transportation company. "We can wait a day. If we've got the killer, then we're safe. If we don't, then we've failed and the Protector should try."
"I'm not frightened. I just don't like Talent."