by Diana Ryan
“No, no,” I interrupted. “Absolutely not. I’ll do that myself. I can watch over her.” No way was I letting some fancy-haired Brit hover over my girlfriend for a few weeks.
“Agent Hill,” said Adam, “if Ava sees you, it may trigger partially wiped memories and sacrifice the effects of the whole procedure. Her brain will get confused and she may undergo prolonged blackouts. It’s too risky.”
I came back around the bed and into Adam’s space. “Dammit, Adam! I can’t just sit here while the woman I love is suffering and disoriented, not to mention being hunted by one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals!”
The first old man spoke up again. “You won’t be sitting idle, Agent Hill. I’ve been told the agency has an important mission for you. The swifter you achieve this assignment, the faster we can take down the CBB and the quicker you can return to Miss Gardner.”
I knew it was too late. The procedure was done, and there was nothing I could do about it. The old man was right. I needed to focus on the task at hand so that I could find my way back to Ava. I walked over to her side, took her soft hand in mine, and stared at her peacefully slumbering face.
Adam quietly offered, “Nolan. I may have altered her brain, but I cannot change her heart.”
I raised Ava’s hand and kissed it gently, taking in the scent of her skin and placing that smell deep within my brain. I knew it could be weeks before I’d be given the pleasure of being so close to her again. I gently placed her hand back on the bed and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “We’ll find our way back to each other, I promise.” Then I kissed her forehead and slowly backed away from the table. The old man escorted me out of the room as the vision of Adam tending to my girl was etched into my brain.
“You take care of her, Adam. Take care—” and then my voice trailed off as I got choked up.
“You’ve got it, mate.”
Chapter Two
Late that night I was led to the housing wing of the Milwaukee FBI building. Despite my exhaustion, I barely slept a wink, agonizing over Ava’s new life without any memories of the past three months. I didn’t believe in the plan presented, but on the other hand, I lacked a better scenario to offer. My hands were tied.
In the morning I was to meet with my new handler, Agent Bowman, to be briefed on the mission I was assigned to. My plan was to complete whatever it was as quickly as possible so that I could return to Ava and hopefully reverse the surgery. One thing was for sure; I’d be going through hell, waiting and wondering what she was up to and how she was doing.
My phone rang out from the bedside table, calling for me to wake up. When I swiped the screen, I discovered a text message from Agent Bowman.
Good morning Agent Hill. Please meet me in room 596 at 8:00 am.
Next to my phone under the lamp was a black fuzzy box sitting exactly where I had left it right before I fell asleep.
Ava, my heart ached as I carefully opened the box. A beautiful princess-cut diamond ring sparkled in the ray of sunlight peeking through the curtains.
Her memory’s been wiped, my brain yelled. She doesn’t even know you!
A deep sigh accompanied the snapped shut box lid. I had to defeat Myers no matter what it took. I replaced the box back on the bedside table and climbed out of bed, head pounding from lack of sleep.
The room was small but adequate enough for my needs. I sauntered over to the closet and opened the sliding door. There were a few two-piece suits, in my size, waiting for me on the hangers—the official uniform of the FBI while we were in the office.
I quickly showered, changed into the suit, and then grabbed my wallet, cell phone, and the ring box as I headed out of the room. I found my way down the hall and over to the elevators.
Agent Bowman’s name was displayed on the nameplate next to his office door. I drew a deep breath and knocked. I wondered if Ava had woken up in her bed in her apartment at school yet or if she was still sleeping.
“Come in,” a voice called from inside the room.
I turned the handle and walked into a very cushy office. One wall had a fish tank about the size of a mattress built into a large bookshelf that covered the entire length of the wall. There were two brown leather couches to either side of an oversized mahogany desk that was placed in front of floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Ah, Agent Hill. Right on time.” Agent Bowman stood up from the desk and walked around it to shake my hand. “You probably didn’t sleep a wink last night. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Yes, thank you.” First impression, my new boss was down to earth, but I wasn’t ready to completely trust the guy yet. After I had been duped by Myers, I’ve noticed I look at people I meet for the first time with a little caution.
“Superb.” He walked over to the console behind his desk and poured two mugs of coffee. “Agent Hill, please have a seat.”
I sat down on one of the couches as Agent Bowman took his place behind the desk. Bowman had short, black hair with specks of grey here and there and looked like he was probably in his late forties. His dark-rimmed glasses rested on his sharp nose, his intense green eyes glaring through the lenses. A tidy goatee polished off his square jaw.
“Well, let’s get right down to it. I’ve been assigned this case for a specific reason, Agent Hill. For the twenty-six years I’ve worked for the agency, I have been attracted to cases involving genetics and futuristic advancements in genetic medicine. This study has led me to follow and track the activity of Ethan Myers. Mr. Myers is one the FBI’s most wanted for a multitude of reasons, most of which you are oblivious to.” He paused to take a deep drink of coffee.
“The FBI had reason to believe that Myers was relatively benign until last August when we discovered he had tracked down a specific blue meteor the Gardner family had in their possession, and was planning on using it for some unknown reason.
“What we are most concerned with these days is the safety of several Americans that Myers is covertly targeting. At this point, our researchers have their theories, but we have not entirely concluded what exactly Myers is soliciting from these particular Americans, and we can’t be sure who his next prospect is. The most unsettling part is that we’ve found three young women murdered, most likely at his deliberate hand.”
I didn’t thoroughly understand everything Agent Bowman was telling me, but I nodded in agreement anyway.
“Agent Hill, there is a reason Myers had Miss Gardner tranquilized and not killed. We believe he needs her alive.”
“Any idea why, sir?” My mind flashed back to that horrible medical room in the CBB.
“Not entirely, but we do have reason to believe that Myers is acting in accordance with a certain conception he was brought up believing. The motivation supporting the details behind this mysterious theory is still somewhat unknown, but we speculate the key to defeating Myers is to study his past.”
“With all due respect, sir, I’ve seen a map of the spider web containing all the CBB offices in the US. It’s expansive, to say the least.” Taking down Myers was going to take a lot more than a little digging through his past. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on taking down each office one by one?”
“Unfortunately, cutting off the limbs of this monster may not prevent his brain from thriving.” Agent Bowman stood from his desk and took a few steps over to the windows. He spoke to me as he stared down at the city below us. “The FBI is not a small operation, Agent Hill. We have been following Myers for many years and know a lot more about him than perhaps you do.” He turned back toward me. “Ethan Myers is up to something monumental. I can feel it.”
“Sir, I don’t know if you read my report, but when I discovered the whiteboard in Ethan’s lab, there was a date written at the bottom—November first. Do you think this is a deadline or sorts?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it. We have twenty-one days to determine what Myers is planning and cut him off before he can accomplish his agenda.” He stared at the ground, thinking. “So soon,” he muttered to himself.
Agent Bowman returned to his seat at the desk. “I better get you started on your mission. Sorting through Myers’s past is a necessary piece to our advancing forward. If we don’t stay one step ahead of Myers, we’re going to uncover more innocent Americans dead, and that is unacceptable.” He turned over a piece of paper on his desk. “I’m sending you overseas to Dublin.”
“Dublin? You’re sending me to Ireland?” I always wanted to see Ireland, and a little flutter of excitement filled my heart.
“Yes.” The corners of Bowman’s mouth turned up for a second as if he was happy to bring me joy, but knew he needed to fulfill the role of a serious FBI handler. “Ethan Myers’s bloodline runs through Ireland. There is valuable information over there. You’ll have two days to prepare for your mission overseas.”
I knew deep down in my heart I needed to see Ava one more time before I headed out of the country. Since I was dealing with Myers there was, of course, a slight chance I wouldn’t be returning alive, and I needed to see for myself that Ava was going to be alright.
“Sir, I was wondering if I would be lucky enough to be granted one personal favor.” Bowman said nothing so I continued. “I’d like to see Ava before I leave.”
For a few moments Agent Bowman looked down at the ring encircling the finger on his left hand. “Many years ago I lost the only woman I have ever loved. That morning I was running late for work and didn’t take the time to say goodbye to my wife.” He took another moment to pause. “If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t waste one single second I had with her.” He looked up into my eyes. “You are in a precarious situation, Agent Hill. I can’t pretend to imagine what you are feeling, but you should consider the fact that you are still deep within her heart.”
“Thank you, sir.” The sentiment meant a lot, especially from a boss I just met.
“I will allow you to go as long as you don’t interact at all with Miss Gardner.”
“Yes, sir. I will look from afar.”
“Good. Oh, and you should know I’m not sending you to Ireland alone. I’d like you to work as a team with Agent Smith. I’ll contract the express chopper to transport you and Agent Smith up to the Central Wisconsin airport in Wausau later today. There you will find an agency vehicle you may use to take down to Stevens Point Monday morning. This short excursion will not only have a personal objective for you, Mr. Hill. You and Agent Smith will spend your time discussing the overseas task, reading the research documents, and you will be advised by tactics through email and video chat. It is imperative you spend your time preparing, or you could risk failing this mission.“
“I understand, sir. I will stay focused.” I stood up from my chair and headed toward the door. I knew I couldn’t truly focus until I saw Ava’s sweet face—until I knew she was recovering alright from the trauma of the surgery.
When I pushed open the door, Agent Smith was waiting for me in the hallway, leaning up against the wall, one foot crossed over the other.
“What’s up, Nolan? I just heard the good news about our overseas adventure together! This is going to be epic!”
I was happy Bowman was sending me with Drew, an agent whom I became friends with during training and had enjoyed working with. Although he was twenty-eight, Drew had been with the agency for several years and was already training new agents. He was somewhat of a mentor figure to me. I trusted him and knew we got along nicely.
“Yeah. We need to get this psycho quickly so I can get back to Ava.”
“I heard what Greene did to her. I’m sorry, my man.” He and I began to walk down the hallway together. “But don’t worry, I have no doubt we shall be successful.” Drew had a lot of energy and had a way of making everything he said sound like a line from a movie.
We were briefed by Mission Tech all afternoon and then spent some time studying the mission manual. There was a lot to know before we went on our first overseas operation, and I found myself having trouble focusing when all I could think about was Ava’s safety.
By late evening we boarded the agency’s express helicopter and buzzed up to Wausau Airport where a black Tahoe waited for us outside the terminal. Drew took the driver’s seat and we followed the GPS south to Stevens Point.
Agent Smith’s specialty was all things computers, so at the hotel that night he hacked into UWSP’s computer network and found Ava’s address and class schedule. Then he engineered a program to piggyback off the system so he could check if anyone was seeking her information.
Genius.
We planned to search out Ava after her morning biology lecture and observe her for a while until I was satisfied she’d be fine. I called Adam to tell him we were in town and to see how Ava was doing, but he didn’t answer my call. I’d try again tomorrow.
Later that night I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t fair. I had just gotten Ava back in my arms when Myers separated us again. A small fire started to burn deep within me. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be put out for quite some time.
Chapter Three
A knock at the door woke me up and I opened my eyes quickly. Where was I?
“Hill, you up?” Drew was knocking at the hotel room door. “We’ve gotta get going!” he sang loudly in a girly opera voice.
Right—hotel room in Stevens Point. I crawled out of bed and peered through the peephole. Drew was standing in the hallway dressed in his work suit, checking out a painting in the hallway and holding two disposable cups of coffee. He was a little over six feet tall with a ruggedly handsome face. A goatee and sideburns stood proudly beneath his stylish light brown hair. Drew’s slim, yet muscular figure, white smile, and tanned skin had to be a magnet for women everywhere.
Drew turned around and saw me standing in the doorway in my pajamas. “Cripes, kid! You’re not up yet? You better drop trou and hop in that shower if we’re going to go find your girl.” He plowed through the door and walked right into the bathroom, turning on the water in the shower. He stood by the door holding out a towel for me. “Hustle up, buddy. I’ll watch Sports Center while you scrub down.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I took the towel, walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and quickly undressed. Drew was right: I needed to hurry if I wanted to see Ava after her biology lecture.
I let my mind wander as I showered. There were so many sweet memories of this summer with Ava I couldn’t bear to forget anytime soon. My heart ached when I thought about the fact that the agency had wiped those same memories right out of Ava’s mind, possibly never to be restored. What would my life be like if I had never met Ava? I didn’t even want to consider it.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Drew stood up from the bed and turned the TV off with the remote. He took one look at me and said, “You ready for this, buddy?”
I let out a deep breath. “Let’s go.” The truth was I was extremely nervous about seeing Ava again. It was hard for me to consider a version of Ava without a thought of me in her memory. We left the hotel room and headed down to the car waiting for us at the front door. I called Adam again on the way to campus.
“Good morning, Agent Hill, how are you?” His voice was annoyingly light and bubbly. What was he so happy about?
“Fine,” I said, disgruntled. “Be advised Agent Smith and I are on campus this morning.”
His tone changed suddenly. “Which campus? UWSP? Why are you in Steven’s Point?”
“Bowman is sending us to Ireland and I need to see Ava once before I leave. I just need to know she’s okay.”
There were a few seconds of silence before he answered. “Agent Hill, you are not to let her see you.” He was bothered. “Seeing a vision of you even from across a room could seriously undermine her brain’s prospects of healing correctly!”
“Cut the psychobabble. I just need to see her once.”
“It’s out of the question. You’ve got to trust me, Agent Hill. I will take good care of her without her ever knowing my true intentions.”
What did that mean?
“That may
be, but I’m not changing my plans. I need to see her once more.” I inhaled loudly. “But I’ll try my best to stay out of her view.” I hit end and shoved my phone back into my pocket.
Drew had me calmed down by the time he parked the car in the lot adjacent to the student center. We got out and walked around to some benches outside of the library. This spot was directly on the path from the science building to Ava’s house on College Avenue, and we were sure she’d have to cross through any minute.
“She really must be special.” Drew tapped his fingernails on the top of his coffee cup while staring out over the sidewalk.
I looked at him, “You have no idea.” I scanned the sidewalks as several twenty-somethings strolled by wearing backpacks. “She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I think the phrase “head over heels” would cover it.”
“You’re a lucky man, Nolan. We don’t all get to meet the woman of our dreams.”
“What? No lovely lady in your life?”
Drew half-smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “No, I couldn’t say there was. Not today anyway.” He drummed on his cup again and started singing, “You shift my heart into four-wheel drive.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry, song lyrics. They just roll around my noggin all day long.”
“You write songs?” A trait I completely didn’t see coming.
“Absolutely, and not just any songs, country songs. Oh, and I write the music, too. I’ll play my guitar for you sometime. I’m waiting for the right words to spin together and I’ll have a number one hit. You’ll see.”
Confidence was not something Drew lacked.
I looked over the scene before me as Drew hummed a melody and then I saw her. I sat up from my slouched position and watched Ava walk toward the student center. “There she is,” I whispered to Drew. My heart stopped for several seconds as I observed her beautiful brown hair bounce with each step she took.
Drew let out a down falling whistle. “That’s her?” he asked, hushed.