Contents
Book Three: Double Feature — 3.
Overview
At Penn Station, Donna is confronted by Joe Valentine from a private contractor who knows about her mark and the entity. He coerces her cooperation by threatening Van with lobotomy and citing public risk. Outside, Donna freezes at the sight of a green van, accepts sedation, and is abducted by Valentine’s team.
Summary
Donna eats alone in Penn Station when a striking man approaches, identifying her and revealing surveillance through her boss’s line. He displays a humiliating photo of her brother restrained, establishing leverage and his knowledge of her supernatural “mark.”
The man, calling himself Joe Valentine, outlines terms: come with him and spend weeks explaining the Greenland incident and other Easter-related mass-casualties, or risk her brother’s lobotomy. He warns that summoning the entity in the crowded station would cause mass civilian deaths and claims his group will eventually capture Allie as well.
Donna tests his intentions, but Joe stresses they are a private contractor with federal ties; Mr. Francis, a mustached operative from an unnamed agency, and another slick-haired security man flank them. Despite Donna’s barbs, they guide her toward the exit while reminding her of collateral damage if she resists.
On Seventh Avenue, a battered green van arrives. Overwhelmed by trauma and dread, Donna cannot force herself to enter. Acknowledging her paralysis, she asks for sedation. With Joe’s nod, a needle to her neck incapacitates her as Joe jokes about his BlackBerry and the future.
As Donna’s limbs fail, the team lifts her into the dark van. A young man in a polo shirt secures her inside. The doors slam, and Donna is abducted, her compliance extracted through threats to Van and the danger of unleashing the entity in public.
Who Appears
- Donna McBrideJournalist targeted at Penn Station; resists but, under threats to Van and public safety, is sedated and abducted.
- Joe ValentineCharming private contractor lead; leverages surveillance and threats of lobotomy to coerce Donna’s cooperation.
- Mr. FrancisMustached operative tied to a federal agency; assists in escorting and sedating Donna, shows curt sympathy.
- Slick-haired security operativeVigilant team member scanning the concourse, providing security during the extraction.
- Young man in polo shirtAssists from the van, physically securing Donna once she’s sedated.