by S L Shelton
“I know you don’t trust her, but she’s checked out completely,” Burgess said, quickly shooting down Nick’s approaching lash out. “Whatever mistakes she may or may not have made, she’s a good operative, and we can trust her.”
“You’re certain enough of that to trust her on this Op?” Nick asked, on the edge of anger.
Burgess shot him a warning glare without removing the smile from his face.
How do you do that? Nick wondered.
“Yes,” Burgess said, almost apologetically. “So whatever animosity there is between you two, sort it out. She’ll be answering to you until John is back or we find a replacement.”
Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “To me?”
Burgess nodded and raised his finger at Nick in a stern warning. “That’s not an opportunity to press her out,” he said. “You need the help. I’m ordering you to take hers.”
Nick took a deep breath before responding, but he nodded in resignation. “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” he said, letting the fatherly grin slide back across his mouth. “That’s all.”
Nick rose and turned to leave, but stopped at the office door. “Sir?”
Burgess looked up.
“This isn’t the start of me being out of the field permanently…is it?” Nick asked, real worry on his face.
Burgess shook his head. “If I wasn’t so worried about keeping a tight ring around John’s section, you’d be out there with Scott right now,” he said, grinning broadly.
Nick nodded. “Thank you, sir. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Nick left the office, barely glancing at Claire on the way out. He was already in the elevator on his way back down to the analyst’s section before he remembered he was supposed to go to John’s office to work. He pressed the button for that floor just as the lift reached it.
The doors slid open, and he walked down the hall before stopping in front of John’s office. For several long seconds, he stood, staring at the door, feeling as if he were about to violate some holy commandment.
Jesus, Nick. Get to work. He thought before finally sliding his access badge through the slot and opening the door.
It had been weeks since he had been in there. On the desk of the outer office, John’s Go Navy coffee mug sat untouched, a cap of mold over the last bit of coffee that had been left behind.
Nick took a slow deep breath, feeling as if he were invading a holy shrine. He shook his head as he cleared off the desk and picked up the mug.
Walking toward the bathroom to rinse it out, he suddenly felt lost. He watched the chunky coffee remains slide down the side of the sink before turning the water on. As the flow washed away the funky goo, he willed his lingering doubt down the drain with it.
“Goddamn it, John,” he muttered as he turned off the water. “You’d better not abandon me to this admin hell… I can’t do it without you.”
five
Sunday, January 30th
4:05 a.m.—Antwerp, Belgium, Kathrin’s apartment
My phone buzzed with a notification, waking me from a sound sleep. I quietly rose from bed to answer it out of earshot, but despite my best efforts, I disturbed Kathrin’s slumber.
“Don’t get up,” she said, sleepy-eyed. “I’m awake.”
I got back into bed and looked at the notice—it was the blind CIA bulletin board. I decrypted the message: Call as soon as convenient.
I shook my head as I began setting up a proxy chain for the secure VoIP app on my iPhone. Once the collapsible string of dynamic proxies flashed green, I dialed Langley.
Ruth answered this time. “Research,” she stated simply.
“This is Alpha,” I replied. “You rang?”
“We’ve got some new information on the operation in Eupen,” she said, referring to the town in Belgium where the couriers had picked up the computer boards and the radar relay.
“Let me have it,” I said, followed by the sound of the phone being placed on speaker.
“The site was operated by an arms dealer,” Ruth said. “It took some digging because there were several shell companies between us and a name. But the INTEL checks out. The computer boards were recent acquisitions, taken from a high-security depot in Russia less than a month ago. Nothing else was stolen.”
“So they had a purpose in mind when they took them,” I filled in.
“Looks like it.”
“What about the radar repeater?” I asked.
“That was easier to find a source for,” came Penny Rhodes’s voice in reply. “It was from Afghanistan…a loaner to Afghani air defense.”
I hesitated, suddenly very uncomfortable with sharing anything over the line. Why the hell would Nick let Penny Rhodes in on this Op?
“Is Nick there?” I asked.
“He’s around,” Penny replied, clipped. “I’ll transfer you as soon as we finish.”
I hesitated again. Until I knew what was going on with Penny, I wasn’t sharing anything new.
“So the repeater was from Afghanistan,” I said.
“Yeah,” Penny replied. “Whoever took it pulled it right out of the tower. No log entry, no bill of lading, no nothin’.”
“Let me guess… It went missing about the same time as those gunships that ended up in Virginia on the seventeenth.”
“That’s what it looks like,” Penny said. “You were right…there’s no way to untangle these Ops without opening a window to outside scrutiny. Burgess wants you to follow both sets of leads if you can.”
Shit! You’ve been briefed in on everything? What the hell is going on over there?
I was happy to hear I was taking care of both issues, but I wished it were someone other than Penny Rhodes delivering the news. I suddenly felt very exposed.
“Are you still there?” Penny asked after the silence had spooled out for too long.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just sorting it all out in my head.”
That hadn’t even sounded convincing to me. I knew Penny—and the analysts—had heard the deception or even the bitterness in my voice.
“Anyway,” Penny said, tension in her tone reflecting the doubt in mine. “We asked Storc about the progress on the couriers, and he said he’d have to check with you first. He seems to be under the impression that you’re still the boss.”
“I am still his boss,” I replied after tensing over the subject matter.
“And you work for us,” Penny said. “He needs to learn the chain of command.”
“Storc works for TravTech…not the Agency,” I said with far more edge than I had intended. “That’s my cover. The company is private, and its employees are civilians. It’s also my cover and my origin. You don’t get ipso facto control over them just because I got sworn in.”
There was a long silence as I imagined Penny Rhodes turning bright red to match her flaming red hair. Yes, I had been harsh, but I was also on my own on an Op where I had no external support or backup, and there was no way in hell I was going to free Storc up to turn over data while a possible traitor was sitting in with the analysts. I had no reason to trust Penny Rhodes.
The phone came off speaker.
“Is there a problem you’re not telling us about?” Penny asked in a whisper.
“Can you transfer me to Nick?” I asked, ignoring her question.
There was a long pause, during which I heard only her breathing into the phone. Finally, the line clicked and then rang again.
“Horiatis,” Nick answered.
“It’s Alpha,” I said.
“I thought I’d hear from you after Red popped up,” he said. It almost sounded as if he were smiling.
“What’s up with that?” I asked.
“She’s on the Op,” Nick said. “It’s cool. Trust me.”
I couldn’t speak. I suddenly felt like all encryption had crumbled, my phone was sending out GPS signals in the clear, and I was wearing a suit made of tracking beacons.
“Nick,” I started, but I couldn’t form the words.
/> “Really,” Nick said. “It’s cool.”
No, it’s not! She’s been lying to us since the night she took me off base and may have been responsible for blowing up one of the buildings at the Farm.
“Okay,” I replied, sounding as sincere as possible.
“Hey,” Nick said as if another thought had suddenly popped into his head. “Don’t get cocky, but we’ve got tactical set up for an assist if you need it.”
“Who?” I asked.
“DevGru,” he replied.
I let that sink in for a moment, wondering why I had gone from a micromanaged resource to being able to call in SEALs if I needed them. Apparently, it took longer to sink in than Nick had expected.
“You still there?” he asked.
“Yeah. Sorry. Just got a little wood… I had to get it under control.”
Nick chuckled. “This isn’t a solo operation, despite the appearance,” Nick said in a quieter voice. “So don’t start acting like Custer at Little Big Horn just because you have cavalry support.”
“I know. I was just cutting the tension. It’s my first time. Be gentle.”
A short bark of laughter jumped through the phone. “The director wanted to make sure you understood that tactical operations on allied soil are harder to cover up than they are on enemy soil,” he whispered. “But with that said, if you see an opening on that equipment or the weapons, do not hesitate to bring the full wrath of SEAL Team 9 down on those bastards.”
“Understood,” I replied sincerely.
“Do me a favor,” Nick said after a few beats. “Get with Storc and find out if he has anything new that would be helpful to us… You’ve got him trained too well, and he isn’t coming off of anything without clearance from you.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I replied, clipped.
There was a longer pause that time. I imagined Nick turning red with anger.
“That’s all I’m asking,” Nick said calmly.
What?! That’s it? No yelling? Weird.
“Thanks,” I replied, cautious of a trap. “There are some things I have him working on that I’d rather not expose…for safety reasons.”
“I get it,” Nick said, even more humbly than before. “Just promise me there’s a backup in place to pass on the info if anything happens to you.”
I thought about that for a moment. Jo would be the perfect safety valve and intermediary on something like that, but I couldn’t just drop it on her cold. I’d have to set the ground rules up for her to follow.
“Understood,” I replied simply. “Give me a few hours, and I’ll have your data dump in place with a short fuse.”
“Great, man. That’s all I’m asking for,” he said with genuine relief. “Stay safe, and don’t hesitate to call for backup when and if you need it.”
I was about to end the call when it struck me that I needed to relay something else to Nick that was a matter of national security.
“Not that it relates to anything that we’ve been working on…” I said, looking into the beautiful blue eyes lying next to me. “But I’ve recently discovered that a certain golden-haired beauty we know works for Uncle Abraham.”
Kathrin’s face turned sour before she abruptly rolled over, showing me her back.
There was silence at the other end of the phone. When Nick finally spoke, there was tension in his voice. “Acknowledged.” There was another long pause and then he spoke more softly. “Maybe if she’s not busy, she’d be a good asset on this.”
You slick bastard, I thought. You just cleared me to withhold information from you and Penny Rhodes but then gave me permission to bring in a Mossad agent in for assistance. You don’t have any more faith in Penny than I do.
That told me more than anything else in this conversation—he trusted Mossad more than he trusted Penny.
“Good idea,” I replied as if I hadn’t already considered it.
“But don’t get too cozy,” he said with warning in his tone.
I hesitated for a couple of heartbeats and then revealed my situation. “It’s too late for that. I’m about as cozy as I can get.”
Though Kathrin’s head was turned mostly away from me, I could see a smile spread on her face.
“You’re a big boy,” Nick said. “I trust your judgment.”
Holy shit! I like this new Nick.
“Thanks. I’ll make my calls. See ya,” I replied.
“Bye.”
I hung up and reached over the side of the bed before pulling a fresh SIM card from my bag. As I slid the old card out of my phone, Kathrin rolled over, her smile gone. “I know we are allies, but I’ll still have a bit to answer for when ‘Uncle Abraham’ finds out that the CIA knows who I am.”
I laughed. “Did you expect me to keep it a secret?”
She squinted at me as if debating the question in her head.
“Okay, let me ask you this…” I said as I pushed the new SIM into the phone. “Did you keep it a secret from your guys when I was in Germany last year doing contract work for the CIA?”
She rolled her eyes up and pressed her lips tight, playfully acknowledging the minor betrayal.
“That’s what I thought,” I muttered with a grin as I began scrolling through my secure contacts list for Jo’s number.
“Getting ‘cozy’, huh? Is that what you call it?” she asked before I dialed.
“Well, now, I couldn’t very well have told him I was living in paradise, could I?” I replied, drawing her closer to me. “He’d think I’d changed sides.”
She kissed me on my lips. “Would it be so terrible?” she asked, coy.
“I could think of less pleasant ways to betray my country,” I replied with a wink. “But they invested a lot of time and money getting me where I am. I should try to stay on the job for at least a month before putting in my notice.”
She laughed and pulled the covers back over her head.
I dialed Jo’s number. I was certain I could rely on her Asperger’s-dominated analytic mind to manage the flow of data from Storc into a safe holding container. If anything happened to me, she would be the best person to decide to release it to the CIA. I considered giving the job to Storc, but I was worried he’d hold onto it long after I was dead, hoping there was an off-chance I might pop up again.
“Hello?” Jo answered sleepily.
“No names. No references to location,” I said urgently, and then softened my tone. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you? We were worried. We haven’t heard from you in weeks,” Jo replied.
“I’m working,” I said, not mentioning that Storc and I had been in constant communication. “I have a job for you…just as insurance.”
“Insurance against what?” she asked.
“Me vanishing,” I replied, grimacing at the direct language. “This is off the books. No records, no logging, no invoicing, and no contact with anyone regarding these matters other than me and the tall bird.”
“I understand,” she replied. “Are you safe?” she asked with real concern in her voice.
“I am. I’m in good hands,” I said. Kathrin took that as her cue to slide her hand to my chest and give it a gentle squeeze.
“The head office sent someone over to inspect and upgrade the section’s servers on Friday. I don’t know if that affects you or not.” She was being cryptic, but it sounded as if she suspected someone tampering with the systems. That was bad news for me. I was using those servers as the jump off point for my secure VoIP app.
“Understood,” I replied. “I know it’s late there, but I need you to get with the tall bird and have him set up a secure dump that you control the trigger for. If the insurance policy requires a claim, you will use his connection to transfer the policy to the head office.”
I hoped she understood that I needed Storc to set up a controlled collection point for all the data we were harvesting and that she would be responsible for releasing it to the CIA if something happened to me.
“Und
erstood.”
I knew she did. She was too good at what she did to say she understood if she didn’t.
“The bird first. In person is better than over the phone,” I said. “It’s good to hear your voice. Is everyone else doing well?”
“Aside from worrying about you, all are well,” she replied, back to her formal tone.
I lingered silently for a few beats, tempted to ask about everyone else, but aside from the fact that I couldn’t trust saying anyone’s name over the connection, I was worried the already-nagging feelings of nostalgia for the old gang would distract me from my task.
“Are you still there?” Jo asked.
“Yeah. I’ll make contact again as soon as I can. My best to everyone.”
“Okay…be safe,” she replied.
“I will,” I said and ended the call.
Kathrin draped her arm across me as her eyes fluttered closed again. I breathed out, feeling sleep start to reclaim me, but then had a sudden flash that I should tell Storc about data backup insurance and ask about the upgrades Jo had mentioned.
I punched in a quick message to Storc before setting my phone back on the nightstand. It was only moments before I slipped back to sleep in the comfort of Kathrin’s body heat.
**
I knew I was asleep when I opened my eyes and was sitting in my favorite green chair in my Fairfax, Virginia condominium. As soon as my eyes popped open, a blaring, high-pitched squeal assaulted me, and a piercing pain surged behind my right eye.
I looked around with that eye pressed closed tightly and saw Wolf, my doppelgänger and the manifestation of my schizophrenia, walking in from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee in hand. His lips were moving as if he were speaking, but I couldn’t understand a word over the blare of the alarm tone that filled the space.
“What?” I yelled.
He set my favorite mug on the table in front of me and said something else.
“I can’t hear you!” I yelled.
He shook his head before dropping down on the couch in front of me.
“Can’t you do something—” I began, but the piercing siren ended abruptly. “About that?”