Special Talents Read Online Free Page B
Author: J. B. Tilton
with a special talent who isn't on your list?"
"Then by all means let me know who they are," said Porter. "I can run a background check and see if they're suitable. Do you have someone specific in mind, doctor?"
"I might," said Jeremy. "I also want to make it perfectly clear that I have no intentions of training any assassins for you. I'm not going to locate these individuals for you so you can send them out to murder people."
"I can assure you, doctor," said Napolitano, "the office of Homeland Security is not in the assassination business. Our job is to identify and deal with threats to the United States. We don't train assassins."
"In all fairness," said Scarborough, "there may be instances where it will be necessary to kill a suspected terrorist. Sometimes it can't be avoided. It's just the nature of the job. But as the Secretary said, that's not our intention."
"Our intention?" questioned Jeremy. "I thought you were an Assistant Director for the F.B.I.?"
"Assistant Director Scarborough is being reassigned to my office," said Napolitano. "After your visit the other day I thought you might be more comfortable working with him than with someone you didn't know. Effective this morning Mr. Scarborough now works for the Office of Homeland Security as an Assistant Secretary. You will be working directly with him and he will report directly to me."
"I see," said Jeremy. "Well I must say that does put my mind a little at ease."
"Technically I'll be in charge," said Scarborough. "That's a tenuous position at best. I don't have any special talents. But it will be my job to make sure that any operations we perform comply with any applicable laws. And as the Secretary has said, I'll answer directly to her."
"Okay," said Jeremy. "Anything else?"
"We will, of course, have to be made aware of whatever special talents the people you find have," said Secretary Napolitano. "They will also be the standard oath of loyalty, polygraphs every six months, that sort of thing."
"Absolutely not," said Jeremy. "No polygraphs. Gaining these peoples' trust is going to be difficult enough without subjecting them to a polygraph every six months. There are a lot of people, myself included, that don't trust polygraphs. They aren't admissible in court and mistakes can be made with them. And as I said earlier, many of these people have something they don't want made public. As a psychiatrist I can't in good faith expect my people to be subjected to something that could force them to reveal things that could be detrimental to them."
"It's standard practice, Jeremy," said Scarborough. "All federal agents go through routine polygraphs. It helps weed out any who might be disloyal or who might be on the verge of suffering a nervous breakdown or something like that."
"I understand that and that's fine for normal agents. These are hardly going to be normal agents. Some people are just naturally nervous taking a polygraph and that can give false readings. These people will be doubly so. They're trying to stay out of the limelight. And you're asking them to do something that might force them to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. Without any guarantees that they'll be kept confidential."
"You'll be learning those secrets," said Napolitano.
"And I'm covered by doctor-patient privilege. They'll know I can't reveal what they tell me no matter what. A polygraph examiner isn't under the same restrictions. If you're going to ask these people to risk their lives for their country – something they haven't chosen voluntarily up to now – you're going to have to make some concessions to them. If there is a problem with any of them, I can let you know. You won't need the polygraphs."
"Under the circumstances," said Napolitano, "I suppose routine polygraphs can be dispensed with. But if there is sufficient reason to suspect one of them of something they'll still have to submit to a polygraph.
"Then by all means let me know who they are," said Porter. "I can run a background check and see if they're suitable. Do you have someone specific in mind, doctor?"
"I might," said Jeremy. "I also want to make it perfectly clear that I have no intentions of training any assassins for you. I'm not going to locate these individuals for you so you can send them out to murder people."
"I can assure you, doctor," said Napolitano, "the office of Homeland Security is not in the assassination business. Our job is to identify and deal with threats to the United States. We don't train assassins."
"In all fairness," said Scarborough, "there may be instances where it will be necessary to kill a suspected terrorist. Sometimes it can't be avoided. It's just the nature of the job. But as the Secretary said, that's not our intention."
"Our intention?" questioned Jeremy. "I thought you were an Assistant Director for the F.B.I.?"
"Assistant Director Scarborough is being reassigned to my office," said Napolitano. "After your visit the other day I thought you might be more comfortable working with him than with someone you didn't know. Effective this morning Mr. Scarborough now works for the Office of Homeland Security as an Assistant Secretary. You will be working directly with him and he will report directly to me."
"I see," said Jeremy. "Well I must say that does put my mind a little at ease."
"Technically I'll be in charge," said Scarborough. "That's a tenuous position at best. I don't have any special talents. But it will be my job to make sure that any operations we perform comply with any applicable laws. And as the Secretary has said, I'll answer directly to her."
"Okay," said Jeremy. "Anything else?"
"We will, of course, have to be made aware of whatever special talents the people you find have," said Secretary Napolitano. "They will also be the standard oath of loyalty, polygraphs every six months, that sort of thing."
"Absolutely not," said Jeremy. "No polygraphs. Gaining these peoples' trust is going to be difficult enough without subjecting them to a polygraph every six months. There are a lot of people, myself included, that don't trust polygraphs. They aren't admissible in court and mistakes can be made with them. And as I said earlier, many of these people have something they don't want made public. As a psychiatrist I can't in good faith expect my people to be subjected to something that could force them to reveal things that could be detrimental to them."
"It's standard practice, Jeremy," said Scarborough. "All federal agents go through routine polygraphs. It helps weed out any who might be disloyal or who might be on the verge of suffering a nervous breakdown or something like that."
"I understand that and that's fine for normal agents. These are hardly going to be normal agents. Some people are just naturally nervous taking a polygraph and that can give false readings. These people will be doubly so. They're trying to stay out of the limelight. And you're asking them to do something that might force them to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. Without any guarantees that they'll be kept confidential."
"You'll be learning those secrets," said Napolitano.
"And I'm covered by doctor-patient privilege. They'll know I can't reveal what they tell me no matter what. A polygraph examiner isn't under the same restrictions. If you're going to ask these people to risk their lives for their country – something they haven't chosen voluntarily up to now – you're going to have to make some concessions to them. If there is a problem with any of them, I can let you know. You won't need the polygraphs."
"Under the circumstances," said Napolitano, "I suppose routine polygraphs can be dispensed with. But if there is sufficient reason to suspect one of them of something they'll still have to submit to a polygraph.
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