Taken By Lambs

The abduction was very professional. Small van. Tinted windows. Two agents in matching wool who moved with the quiet efficiency of lambs who had done this before and would do it again and had strong feelings about doing it quietly.

Finn was nine years old. Finn was also a wolf. Finn was also extremely curious about everything all the time without exception including and especially this.

"Where are we going?" said Finn. The agents said nothing.

"Is this a van or a truck? It sounds like a van but it smells like a truck. Why does it smell like a truck?"

Nothing.

"Are those earpieces? How far do they transmit? Is there someone on the other end right now listening to me ask about the earpieces?"

Agent One adjusted their earpiece.

"That's a yes," said Finn.

The van stopped. A building. Grey. Windowless. The specific architecture of somewhere that did not want to be noticed.

Finn noticed it immediately.

"Why are there no windows? Is it a security thing? Or a budget thing? Could be both. Why grey? Is grey a choice or just what happens when you run out of opinions about colour?"

Agent Two opened a door.

"Ooh," said Finn. "A corridor. Why are the lights that colour? They're very yellow. Is that for ambience or is that just what happens underground? Are we underground? We're underground aren't we."

They were underground.

A room. One chair. One table. One glass of water. One large lamb behind the table with the expression of someone very senior and very tired who had not been told about Finn specifically.

"Sit," said the large lamb. Finn sat. Looked at the table. The chair. The glass of water. The large lamb. The agents at the door. The ceiling. The light. The corners of the room.

"Why is there only one chair? Is that a power thing? I read that's a power thing. You stand, I sit, you feel in control. Does it work? It doesn't feel like it's working. No offence."

The large lamb opened a folder.

"We have questions," said the large lamb. "Me too," said Finn. "I have more though. How many do you have? I have —" Finn counted mentally. "— currently forty seven and that's just about this room."

The large lamb looked at the folder. The folder did not help.

"Why did you take me? Is it because I'm a wolf? Is this a wolf thing? Are there other wolves here? Can I meet them? What did we do? Was it my dad? It was probably my dad. What did my dad do? Can you tell me? Is it classified? Why is it classified? Who classifies things? Is there a form? What does the form look like?"

Agent One left the room.

"Where is Agent One going? Are they getting someone? Are they getting MORE someone? How many lambs work here? Is it a big operation? Do you have a canteen? What do you serve in the canteen? Do wolves eat there too or is it separate? Separate seems inefficient."

Agent Two stared at the wall.

The large lamb closed the folder. Opened it again. Closed it.

"We need you to —" said the large lamb. "Why is the water in a glass and not a bottle? Is that a choice? Does it mean something? In films it always means something. Are we in a film? That would explain the yellow lights."

The large lamb stood up. Left the room.

Finn sat alone. Looked at the glass of water. Drank it.

Agent Two was still there. Staring at the wall. With the expression of someone reconsidering their career choices.

"Do you like this job?" said Finn. Agent Two looked at Finn. First time. "It's usually quieter," said Agent Two. "Do you get to travel? I'd want to travel. Have you been to the Arctic? I want to go to the Arctic. Do wolves live in the Arctic? I think some do. Different wolves though. Are there Arctic lambs? That seems cold. Do lambs mind the cold? Your wool helps probably. I don't have wool. I have fur. Is fur warmer than wool? What do you think?"

Agent Two sat down. On the floor. Against the wall. "I genuinely don't know," said Agent Two. "We could find out," said Finn. "Is there internet here? There must be internet. Government buildings always have internet. Can I use it? Just for the fur wool question. And maybe forty other things."

The large lamb came back. With three other lambs. All large. All with folders. All with the look of lambs who had been briefed and were already regretting it.

"We need —" said the largest lamb. "Are you in charge? You look most in charge. Is it the folder? Everyone has a folder but yours is bigger. Does folder size correlate to rank? Is that a rule or just what happened? Who decided? Was there a meeting? What are meetings like here? Do you serve snacks at meetings? What kind of snacks?"

The largest lamb put down the folder. Sat down. Looked at the ceiling.

"Why are we here?" said the largest lamb. Not to Finn. Just — to the ceiling. To the yellow lights. To the particular exhaustion of an organisation that had planned for wolves but not for this kind of wolf.

Finn looked at the largest lamb. "I've been wondering that too," said Finn. "Existentially I mean. Do lambs wonder that? Do you have philosophers? Lamb philosophers? What do they conclude? Is it different from wolf philosophy? I'd love to compare. Do you have a library here? Is the library classified? Can classified libraries still have good books? What's your favourite book?"

Agent Two was asleep against the wall.

The three other lambs had left at various points for reasons nobody had announced.

The largest lamb looked at Finn. For a long time. With the eyes of someone who had come in with a plan and was leaving with something entirely different and wasn't sure yet if it was better or worse.

"You're free to go," said the largest lamb.

Finn looked up. "Really? Why? Was it the questions? Did I ask too many? Is there a limit? What's the limit? Who set it? Was it always that limit or did they change it? Did someone specific change it? Was it recently? Was it because of me specifically or a general policy shift?"

The largest lamb pointed at the door.

Finn stood up. Walked to the door. Stopped.

"One more question."

The largest lamb closed their eyes.

"What did my dad do?"

A pause.

"He asked too many questions," said the largest lamb.

Finn considered this.

"Is that why you took me? To warn me? Or to recruit me? Because those are very different things and the approach seems wrong for both. Though I appreciate the commitment. The van was very professional. Did you train for that specifically? Is there an abduction module? How long is the module? Do you get a certificate?"

The door closed behind Finn.

Outside the grey building in the grey street Finn stood in the ordinary afternoon.

Forty nine questions answered. Approximately three hundred still outstanding.

Finn took out a notebook. Started writing.

Somewhere inside the largest lamb was probably lying down.

That seemed fine. Everyone needed a rest sometimes. Even secret services. Even lambs. Especially after Finn.