For some reason it's only just occurred to me to come here when I have thoughts on the chapter...
There's definitely a few directions this development could go with Donovan, but I am partial to the mindset that what Anya glimpsed of Donovan was, intentional or not, a deceptive lens of him. I'm currently leaning less towards the notion that he detected Anya and pretended to not be psychic; rather, I think it's possible that he, being an earlier test subject than Anya (perhaps one of the numbers preceding Anya's 7), is capable of either infrequent bursts of telepathy or some weaker manifestation of it. I'm more keen on the idea that he has it, but it goes on and off at unpredictable times. This would explain his frustration with not being able to understand other people's thoughts; he's used to being able to do it SOMETIMES, so not having access to it when he really wants to know something is especially nerve wracking.
That's just a toss-up of a possibility though; there's something to be said about his wording choice of "understanding" the thoughts of others, which could mean he can hear their thoughts but doesn't get why they think the way they do. (That is hinging on the english translation, admittedly, I can't speak for how the original Japanese reads.)
Either way I am a fan of the idea that whatever procedure was done on Donovan is closely tied to whatever was done with Anya, and that she is the complete version of what he was trying to become. This could lead to some intense developments if Anya begins to become discovered; we saw how Authen was panicking when he had his moment of clarity regarding Anya and was thinking of letting Donovan know (we have been spared by his clouded mind, perhaps).
I very much look forward to how this thread continues to progress, as at this point Anya directly confronting Donovan feels a comparable level of climax to Yor and Loid uncovering each other's identities.
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