by Mark Church
She takes a calming breath and manages to sound nonchalant as she responds, “I was just wondering what you were doing for lunch?”
Still unusually cool, Ken looks over her shoulder at the partly open office door, “How did you get in my office?”
“Oh, I wasn’t in your office. I saw that it was slightly ajar, so I knocked, and when you didn’t respond, I decide I better check to make sure that you were alright.”
“So this as far as you went?” Ken continues to press.
“Yes, I just opened the door, saw that you weren’t there, and was leaving when you got off the elevator.”
Ken studies Hannah’s face to try and determine if she is telling the truth.
Hannah’s mind whirls trying to find something else to say to distract him. She decides to put Ken on the defensive. “Is there a problem?”
“Well, I…” Ken tries to respond but Hannah barrels on giving the impression she is offended, “I only wanted to see if you were interested in lunch but it’s obvious you’re not!”
Ken softens, “No – wait a minute. I’d love to have lunch with you, but I can’t today. I’m tied up in meetings all afternoon. How about tomorrow?”
Hannah continues to act as if her feelings are hurt by the mistrust Ken exhibited, “If you can fit me into your busy schedule, I guess I can make time.”
‘Okay, then, tomorrow it is.” Ken tries to placate her with a conciliatory tone. “No excuses, I’ll pick you up at your office. Let’s shoot for noon. Agreed?”
Hannah throws Ken one last pouty look before smiling disarmingly and agreeing.
As Ken steps into his office, Hannah takes one last look at the folder on his desk and sees that it’s slightly askew. As she turns towards the elevators, she prays that he doesn’t notice. If he does, her spying career could be short-lived.
✽✽✽
Ken closes his office door as Hannah steps into the elevator. He begins to survey his office for signs of anything unusual, his sixth sense telling him that something isn’t right. Hannah’s explanation was believable, but she seemed uncomfortable. He wants to believe her, but something continues to nag at him.
As Ken approaches his desk his eyes light on the Top-Secret folder. It seems to be in a different position than when he left. He begins wondering if it’s his imagination or if it really has been moved. A sense of dread overcomes him. He anxiously thinks, ‘What if Hannah saw it, or someone else?’ For that matter, how could he explain his reckless handling of such sensitive information? He determines it’s better to just keep quiet and to keep an eye on little Miss Hannah. She might be a pretty piece of tail, but he is not going to lose his head over her, figuratively, or otherwise.
✽✽✽
Hannah enters her apartment and immediately retrieves the phone given to her by Eva. After dialing the number, she waits for Eva’s answer. A man answers instead.
“Hannah?” a man’s voice questions.
“Where’s Eva, and who is this?”
“This is Carl, Hannah, we have a problem.”
“What kind of a problem?” Hannah begins to feel sick thinking of all the possible ways there could be problems with her given situation.
“Eva has been arrested, they picked her up this morning.”
“For what?”
“We’re not sure.”
“Can’t we go to the authorities and demand an explanation?”
“We could but, depending on what she has told them, we may implicate ourselves. They may have connected her to the IRC.” Carl warns.
“Oh my God! What do we do now?” Panic begins to surge through her body.
“We have to assume that she was picked up for IRC collusion. And we have to assume that she is going to say things.” Carl’s matter-of-fact tone is more unnerving to Hannah than if he had expressed any sort of concern or panic.
“What do you mean – say things?”
“Eva is tough as nails, but they have ways of making you talk. We have to assume the worst. The good news is that the IRC is structured so that members only know the people that recruited them and the people they have recruited.”
“Let me guess, you recruited Eva?”
“That would be correct. This strategy helps protect the IRC should one of its arms be exposed.”
“But if they get to you, won’t they be able to force you to say who recruited you?” The terror Hannah now feels almost renders her numb.
“If I’m found – alive.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m saying that you and I need to leave DC and quickly. If we are caught before we can escape, I’ll have to terminate their connection back to other IRC members.”
“But you are their connection.” The realization that Carl is talking about suicide suddenly hits her. She finds that she is breathing very shallowly as her anxiety begins to take on a life of its own.
Hannah has to work hard to slow her breath before saying, “So what do we do?”
“I’ll come to your apartment tonight around 10:00 pm. I’ll give you more information then. Be prepared to leave and never return. One small bag is all that you will be able to bring.”
“Are you saying that I’ll never be able to return to my apartment?”
“No, I mean you’ll never be able to return to DC. I’ve got to go. I have a lot to do between now and tonight.”
“Wait a minute before you go – it’s important.” Hannah suddenly remembers the document she photographed in Ken’s office.
“What is it?”
Hannah shares what she learned about Operation Terminus. Carl is impatient at first but his interest grows as she unveils the details. When she has finished conveying the information Carl lets out an enormous sigh, “This is huge, we have to get this information to IRC leadership before we leave, and this has to get out.”
“I took pictures of the entire document,” offers Hannah. “We could leave the phone somewhere and someone could pick it up.”
“I’ll give that some thought. One last thing before I go, wear warm, comfortable cloths, and shoes suitable for hiking.”
“I will.”
Before hanging up the phone, Carl adds, “And be ready on time.”
After the phone goes dead, Hannah collapses on her couch and stares blankly ahead. The surreal predicament she finds herself in would have been unimaginable a few weeks back. She begins fantasizing that she’s just having a bad dream and that her alarm clock will soon wake her for work. She indulges that thought just briefly before reasserting her conscious self and getting to work.
The rest of the evening is spent prioritizing and packing items for her departure. Hannah knows that anything she chooses to leave behind will be lost forever. Given that her bag has very limited capacity, she is faced with some pretty tough choices. In the end, she settles on a few very personal items and some extra clothes.
A picture album of herself with her parents makes the cut, as well as a few letters written by her parents when they were traveling abroad on government business. Before putting them in her bag, she takes a moment to reread the letters. The keepsakes produce fond memories that invoke both joy and melancholy. Oh, how she wishes she could turn back the clock – if only for a moment.
Hannah eventually comes to a family picture that includes her parent’s best friends – the couple who sponsored her for DC residency after her parents disappeared overseas. They put their reputation on the line when they sponsored her, and they could now be in jeopardy. At this point, all she can do is hope and pray they aren’t punished because of her. She wishes there was a way to warn them.
Hannah reluctantly departs memory lane and continues her work. She has much to do and little time to do it. It’s getting late. Carl will arrive in less than an hour.
✽✽✽
A gentle knock on the front door grabs Hannah’s attention. . She looks at the clock. It’s a little before 10:00 pm. Assuming that it’s Carl, she grabs her travel bag and opens th
e door. An unfamiliar man and a woman are standing in her hallway.
Hannah tries to stifle her look of surprise, “May I help you?”
“We think you can.” The woman has a smug air about her.
“Who are you?”
“More importantly,” the woman responds, “who are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to come with us.”
“But I…” starts Hannah just before multiple shots ring out. Both the man and the woman fall where they stand.
Hannah looks down at the lifeless bodies in horror as Carl comes running to her from just down the hall. He’s clutching a military style rifle.
“I saw them enter the building as I was arriving,” Carl explains. “It looks like they were able to extract the information from Eva more quickly than I had anticipated.”
Hannah is clearly shaken. Carl takes her by the arm and pulls her towards the stairwell. As Hannah is stepping over the two seemingly deceased bodies, the stricken man grabs her by the ankle. She lets out a squeal and tries to free her leg before Carl raises his foot and brings it crashing down on the man’s wrist. The sound of the breaking bones is so loud that it nearly blocks out the man’s pain induced grunt. Carl raises his foot yet again, but this time, stomps on the man’s throat, crushing his windpipe. The wide-eyed man emits a few final gurgles before succumbing once and for all.
Carl tries to resume guiding Hannah towards the staircase, but she doesn’t budge. She’s frozen in terror by what she just witnessed.
“Hannah…Hannah. We have to go – now!”
Carl’s terse command snaps her out of her trance, which causes her to act and allow him to guide her down the stairs and out of the building.
Carl opens the car door and snaps, “Get in.”
Hannah obeys his command without hesitation, at this point she is on autopilot.
Carl opens his door, throws the rifle inside, and slides into the driver’s seat. Without hesitation he starts the motor and slams the car into gear before speeding away. He checks his review mirror to make sure that they aren’t being followed.
While no one is pursuing them at the moment, emergency vehicle sirens can be heard off in the distance. They continue to get louder as the military vehicles close in.
Carl turns into an alley way and shuts off the car’s headlights just before the military vehicles turn onto the road on which they were just traveling. They speed by one after another. One can only assume enroute to Hannah’s building.
Carl idles the car to the end of the alleyway before switching on the headlights and turning onto another street. In spite of his need to get away from the area he maintains a reasonable speed to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
“Are you okay?” Carl glances over at Hannah to see how she is holding up.
“I guess so, I’ve never seen anyone – die before.”
“It was them or us. The quicker that you understand that, the better off you’ll be.” Carl’s pragmatic statement of this chilling fact does little to reassure Hannah.
A still shaken Hannah lets that sink in for a moment before saying, “Where are we going?”
“To the Underground.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a network of old transportation tunnels that were used for underground mass transit trains before the war. But today, it’s our way out of the city.”
“Will they look for us there?”
“Not likely, it’s been abandoned since the war. The government has pretty much forgotten about it. Fortunately for us, the IRC didn’t.” Carl continues to guide the car sedately through the darkness.
Hannah turns to look out the back window, worried that they are being followed.
“There’s no one behind us. I’ve been watching.”
Hannah sits back and tries to relax as Carl navigates the vehicle through the labyrinth of city streets.
“How much longer until we’re there?”
“About fifteen more minutes. When we get there we’ll have to move quickly. Just grab your bag, follow me, and stay close. We don’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Got it?”
Hannah nods while continuing to stare out the front windshield. She remains quiet for the remainder of the drive.
The longer they drive the less populated the streets become. They eventually find themselves in a warehouse district that is unfamiliar to Hannah.
Carl abruptly stops the vehicle announcing, “We’re here!”
The pair quickly exits the vehicle and gathers their belongings.
Carl takes off towards an alleyway between two seemingly abandoned warehouses. Hannah follows close behind.
The area between the buildings is dark. Soon after entering the alleyway Carl sets down the duffle bag and rifle he’s carrying and squats next to a manhole. Using only his fingers, he pries open the manhole cover exposing what appears to be a tunnel entrance. He sets the cover to the side. Extracting a flashlight from his bag, he points it below ground level and switches it on. The now illuminated tunnel reveals a ladder that extends from street level to the tunnel floor below.
“You first.” Carl takes Hannah’s bag and motions for her to climb in.
Hannah sits on the ground before swinging her legs into the tunnel opening. Putting her feet on the first step, she begins descending the ladder rungs. When she is halfway down Carl hands down her bag, takes one last look around to make sure they haven’t been followed and, slinging his duffle bag and rifle over his shoulder, enters the opening. He begins his descent, pausing only briefly to slide the manhole cover back into place.
When Carl joins Hannah on the tunnel floor, he points the flashlight down each corridor. Zipper like train tracks extend as far as the eye can see.
“Come on – this way.” Carl chooses his direction and begins walking.
Darkness instantly begins replacing the light around Hannah as Carl increases the distance between them. Any second thoughts she may have had about not following him are abandoned. Not wanting to be left alone in the dark, she hurries to catch up.
As the pair wind through the tunnel, they encounter numerous ladders similar to the one they used to enter the tunnel system as well as a few large open areas that Hannah can only surmise were used to load and off-load passengers when the subway was still operational.
Rats scuttle out of the light as the pair advances forward. Hannah can hear them moving around in the shadows to her left and right but what disturbs her most, are the ones scurrying around in the pitch black behind her. Real and superstitious fears prompt her to keep up with Carl.
They’ve been walking for nearly an hour when finally, Carl says, “We’re almost there.”
Hannah strains to see ahead but sees nothing to indicate that they are ‘almost there’, all she sees is more tunnel followed by more blackness.
After another hundred yards or so they come upon another ladder heading up to a tunnel entrance. Carl stops and switches off his flashlight. “Sshhh….” He points up the ladder to indicate where they are headed.
Carl listens for sounds that would betray someone’s presence above them.
As Hannah’s eyes adjust to the dark, she begins to make out a very faint glow coming from above and whispers, “What’s that light?”
“It’s moonlight shining through holes in the manhole cover.”
They continue conversing in hushed tones.
“Why are we stopping?” Hannah is so disoriented that it’s hard to judge up from down.
“This is where we leave the tunnel.”
“Where are we?”
“Well outside of the cities perimeter wall. Stay here. I’m going to see if the coast is clear.”
Carl begins climbing the ladder leaving Hannah alone in the dark tunnel. She is convinced she can hear the rats scurrying closer. The skin on her arms and neck prickle in fear.
When Carl reaches the manhole cover, he slowly and quietly moves it to the side before pok
ing his head through the opening. He turns every direction as he surveys the area around the opening. The half-moon provides enough light for him to make out trees and underbrush but not much else. He listens intently for the sounds of patrolling soldiers.
Carl doesn’t see or hear anything to alarm him, so he beckons for Hannah to follow before climbing out into the open. When Hannah reaches the surface, he reaches down to help her climb out. Afterwards, he slides the manhole cover back in place and replaces the brush that was on it.
Carl puts his finger on her lips to indicate that she is not to talk. He whispers in her ear, “We have a little more way to go. Move as quietly as possible and stay close.”
Using only the moonlight they continue their trek, only this time through the woods instead of a dark, dank tunnel. They move stealthily, careful not to make any more noise than absolutely necessary.
They’ve traveled a fairly good distance when they begin hearing voices and see flashlights sweeping across the landscape off to their right. The unidentified individuals are about a hundred yards away and moving in their general direction.
“Come on. We have to hurry.” Carl urges Hannah along.
Instead of moving away from the approaching voices, Carl continues on a path that will put them on a collision course.
Hannah grabs him by the arm and hisses, “Why that way? They might see us.”
“We have no choice. We have to go this way.”
Seeing the confusion on Hannah’s face, Carl pats her hand, “Trust me, it’s the only way.”
Another hundred feet of crouched running brings them to some brush growing just off a two-lane asphalt road. The group to their right is closing fast.
Carl turns to Hannah and whispers, “There’s a vehicle parked just inside the tree line on the other side of the road. It’s has been filled with fuel, provisions and weapons. I want you to get to that vehicle and wait for the fireworks. When they begin, start the vehicle and, as fast as you can, head southwest towards Missouri…there are ‘friendlies’ there and we need to warn them about the government’s plans. Other than to refuel, don’t stop until you get there.”