“If I were useless, Ryku never would have picked me for this unit in the first place,” Zira retorted.
“Right. You’ve done a great job proving your skills so far.”
“I have, actually. It was one little mistake. You can’t honestly tell me you’ve never made one.”
Jared glared at her but said nothing. Zira rolled her eyes. He was so quick to judge when he hardly knew her, but whether she liked it or not, she needed his approval if she wanted to keep her job as an E-2 operative. They were partners now, and if everything went well, they’d be working together for a very long time. That could be an ongoing problem if his opinion of her didn’t change. She gritted her teeth and tried to strike up a more civil conversation as they walked. “Where are we going?”
“I’m going to my apartment to look over this assignment.” His voice was still hostile. “If you want to come, fine, but I don’t need any stupid ideas. If you have something to say, make sure it’s useful.”
Zira held back a biting response and followed him up a flight of stairs to his apartment. They stepped inside and she took a few moments to look around. The residence was similar to her own, with the standard Project-issued couch and low table in the front room. A concrete half-wall divided the living area from the bedroom and bathroom in the back. Jared’s personal furnishings were minimal and unremarkable, but the place was immaculate, giving Zira the impression that he was as meticulous and attentive in all aspects of his life as he must have been in his job.
Jared sat on the couch. He opened the file and spread its contents on the table in front of him. Without looking at Zira, he said, “Are you going to stand there all day, or did you want to come and look over this with me?”
Zira guessed that was the nicest invitation she would get from him. She sat down and glanced over the papers he’d laid out, looking for the photos that were almost always enclosed with a file. Jared got to them first and went through them one by one. When he finished, he passed them to Zira.
The pudgy white man in the photos was in his fifties and dressed in a smart, gray suit. Zira looked at his reference sheet for more information. His name—Marcus Collins—was listed at the top of the page, followed by some basic physical descriptors and employment information. An attached note from unit C read that Collins appeared to have recently and illegally vacated the residence assigned to him, and it was unknown where he currently lived. He taught chemistry at a university in the South Pacific Region and, in his spare time, built and sold high-tech explosive devices to criminals in foreign countries.
Zira set the photos down and looked through the rest of the file’s contents. There were a few maps marked with places Collins was known to frequent, some blueprints of various buildings at his university, a list of his known clients, and a detailed schedule of his activities over the past few weeks. Another stack of papers contained notes the informant had written while observing him. Zira picked these up and skimmed over them.
“Is there anything in there about where Collins lives now?” Jared asked.
Zira read the last few lines. “Just this. The informant tried to follow him home one afternoon, but it seemed like Collins recognized her from the university where she’d been watching him and knew he was being followed. She had to back off after that to avoid making him more suspicious.” She flipped back to the first page and looked over the notes more thoroughly. Something else caught her eye, and she leaned over to show Jared. “He’s currently working with the Red Flag Brotherhood.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed as he took the pages from her. The Red Flag Brotherhood was a terrorist group based in the Republic of Asia. They opposed the alliance of nations that had led to the formation their country in the years just before the devastating global war of the late twenty-first century. Most of their attacks were directed at their own government, but they caused trouble in America from time to time and were considered a major threat. Still, that didn’t fully explain the taut expression on Jared’s face or the way every muscle in his body seemed to have tensed. “He’s building a bomb for them,” he said.
“Do you think they’re going to use it here?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“So we just need to eliminate Collins before he can finish it.” It was a fairly straightforward mission, which was something of a relief. Zira didn’t intend to make any mistakes, but the less opportunity there was for Jared to find fault with her tactics, the better.
“We should try to gather some intel on the Brotherhood while we’re at it,” he said. “They haven’t been active in America for two years. Why now? I think we should find out what they’re up to.”
Zira bristled at the suggestion. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? The Brotherhood isn’t our priority.”
“Collins is making a bomb for them,” Jared said. “A bomb that they’ll use to kill and injure hundreds of people.”
Zira tapped the client list from the file. “All of his sales have been to people outside the country. The bomb probably wouldn’t even be used here.”
“And that makes it okay?”
“Of course not, but it’s not our job to worry about the rest of the world.”
“At least you’ve got your priorities straight,” Jared muttered. Zira couldn’t tell whether it was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. “I still think they could be planning an attack somewhere in America. If Collins is out of the picture, they’ll just find someone else to build their bomb. We should at least look into it.”
“That sounds like something unit E-1 should handle.”
“Maybe, but we’re already assigned to this. There’s no point wasting their time opening a whole new investigation. Besides, they have a bad habit of screwing things up with all of their stupid rules and procedures.”
“Fine. What do you want to do, then?”
“There’s this diner he goes to once or twice a week to meet with someone. The informant says they talk and sometimes exchange money—cash.” He pointed to the note on Collins’ schedule so Zira could read it herself. “Sounds like some kind of illegal business dealing to me, probably something to do with the bomb he’s making for the Brotherhood.”
Zira couldn’t disagree with his logic, though she still didn’t like the idea of shifting focus from Collins to the Brotherhood. As long as they still got their primary target, though, she supposed there wasn’t any harm in at least trying to find out what the terrorist group was up to. “So you want to just show up at this diner and find out who Collins is meeting with and why.”
“Yes. We should also figure out where he lives, and this is as good a place to start as any. We’ll stake out the diner and wait for both of them to show up. When they do, we’ll slip him a tracking and recording device so we can find out what they’re talking about and where he goes afterwards.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
Jared raised an eyebrow and gave her a sidelong glance. “How good are you at playing a sweet, innocent little girl?”
Zira smirked. With her round blue eyes, white-blonde hair, and tiny frame, she was the picture of harmlessness. She’d learned to use that to her advantage, whether it was to get information, gain access to a target, or just get her way. “Better than you,” she said.
Jared laughed. He had a nice smile, she noted. If he didn’t go around scowling all the time, he might not intimidate people so much. “Good,” he said. “You might be more useful than I thought.”
This time Zira knew he meant it as a compliment, and they managed to plan the rest of the mission without so much as a snide remark between them. Zira had expected him to allow her only minimal involvement, so she was pleasantly surprised when his ideas developed to fully include her. She looked forward to the opportunity to prove herself to him, and not just because her career hinged on this assignment or because they would be working together for the foreseeable future. She could learn a lot from him, and she wanted his approval just for the sake of it. There were few peopl
e she respected enough to care what they thought of her, but Jared, apparently, was one of them.
An hour later, his apartment door snapped shut behind her. Zira hurried to the cafeteria to get some food before the kitchen shut down for the night. Aubreigh sat down across from her as she was finishing a rather disappointing bowl of vegetable soup. “What happened?” she asked.
“Ryku just wanted to talk to me about my assignment.”
She’d meant for it to sound casual, but Aubreigh seemed to sense her frustration. “You all right?”
Zira sighed. “Yeah. I just made a stupid mistake. He wasn’t too happy about it.”
“Is Chairman Ryku ever really happy about anything?”
“Good point.” Zira licked the back of her spoon and set it in the empty bowl in front of her. “He finally gave me a partner.”
“That’s exciting. Who is it?”
“Jared.”
“The big guy?”
She nodded and stood up from the table to return her bowl to the kitchen. Aubreigh followed. “We didn’t get off to a great start,” Zira said. “He called me a useless amateur.”
“I can think of at least ten things you’ve been called that were a lot worse than that.”
Zira’s mouth quirked up in a wry smile. “That’s true.”
Aubreigh pushed the door open and they walked out into the fading evening light. “Try not to let it bother you. I know you don’t like working with other people, but you knew this was coming sooner or later, right?”
“Yeah. I just didn’t expect it to be him. He’s the best in our unit, and he clearly wasn’t happy about being paired with me.”
“He’ll get over it,” Aubreigh reassured her. “Once you two get to know each other better, I’m sure it will work out. Maybe just try not to be so confrontational.”
Zira frowned. “I’m not confrontational.”
“Yeah, right. You realize who you’re talking to? I know you too well.” Zira couldn’t dispute that.
There was a soft beep and the screen of the CyberLink around Aubreigh’s wrist lit up. The devices had replaced cell phones and other past technology and, as mandated by law, everyone old enough to attend school wore one. They served as a means of communication and connection to the Net and allowed the Project to monitor the whereabouts of all citizens. Aubreigh raised her arm to read the message and sighed. “I wish I could be around for moral support,” she said, “but it looks like my team is scheduled to leave on a new assignment tomorrow morning. We won’t be back for a couple weeks.”
“Where are you going?” Zira asked.
“Just to inspect the distribution office in the South Atlantic Region. We’ve been getting a few complaints.” She launched into one of her speeches about the importance of making sure every citizen had the resources they needed, which was one of unit C’s main responsibilities.
Sometimes, like now, Zira envied Aubreigh for being able to talk so freely about her unit’s work. Unit C was one of the more prominent units of the PEACE Project, and everyone in America had at least a basic understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They had no secrets to hide. Zira still remembered their mission statement from her elementary training, where she and her peers had been taught the fundamentals of the Project before being separated into different units. Unit C—Control. We uphold peace by controlling the distribution of limited resources in order to discourage conflict and provide greater equality and stability for all.
In the promotional videos for the Project that sometimes played over the Net, people wearing the red armbands of unit C were always shown offering a helping hand or providing someone with food, medicine, or shelter. Project members with the blue, green, and yellow armbands of units P, E-1, and A—Protect, Enforce, and Advance, respectively—also appeared prominently in such advertisements. Once or twice, she even remembered seeing someone with the white band of a compound auxiliary staff member in the background. These other units and support staff were the heroes of the PEACE Project, the men and women who provided stability, unity, and harmony to a nation nearly destroyed by war.
Zira had never seen anyone with a black armband in the videos.
No one wanted or needed to know about the secret, bloody things that happened in the night behind closed doors. Zira preferred it that way; she’d never thought of herself as much of a hero. Probably more the opposite, actually. Still, she thought it might be nice, sometimes, to be able to confide in someone about the true nature of her work. Perhaps that would be an additional benefit to having a partner; at least she wouldn’t have to keep any secrets from Jared.
CHAPTER TWO
After Zira left, Jared sat back down on the couch and began gathering the pages strewn across his table. Not for the first time, he wondered why Chairman Ryku had chosen to give him a partner now after two highly productive years of solo work. Had it always been his plan to pair them together, or had Zira forced the issue with her carelessness the night before? The Red Flag Brotherhood’s involvement in this assignment could have prompted the chairman’s decision as well; Ryku might have given Jared a partner with the intention that Zira keep him in line just as he was expected to do with her. She simply didn’t know it yet, and Jared had no intention of telling her unless it became necessary. He hadn’t had time to decide how much he could trust her in their few hours of conversation, and he certainly wasn’t about to tell her anything that personal—not yet, anyway.
He closed the file, set it on the table, and let out a long sigh. Zira seemed smart, at least. A bit impulsive, but that could be corrected with a little guidance. On the other hand, she was green—very green. He’d heard about her early promotion from training a few months ago but never expected it to affect him directly. While he trusted Ryku’s judgment, he wasn’t thrilled about working with someone so new and untested. His last partner, Rowan, had been older than him and more experienced. He hadn’t ever worried about whether or not Rowan had his back or if he’d perform competently when they got in a jam. He just knew.
Zira was an unknown, and that made her a potential liability. He was being judgmental and maybe that was unfair, but both of their lives were on the line here. They did dangerous work, especially when the likes of the Red Flag Brotherhood might be involved. He couldn’t afford to take chances on unfamiliar variables. Luckily, they still had two weeks to prepare for the assignment before their scheduled flight. They could both use that time to get used to working together, which would give Jared a chance to learn as much as possible about his new partner’s strengths and vulnerabilities.
He knew that Zira frequented the E-2 training facility and the shooting range in her spare time. He’d seen her in both places on multiple occasions, even when she was still a recruit. In fact, she had probably spent more time practicing her skills than any other recruit from her age group, which helped explain why she’d been promoted from training early. She was a hard worker then, and dedicated. Good. That was one of the most important parts of this job, and if she at least had that, he could work with the rest.
He found Zira the next morning sitting alone at the end of one of the long, concrete tables in the cafeteria. “Mind if I sit here?” he asked, motioning to the empty place across from her. Her eyes widened in mild surprise at the request, but she nodded. “I was thinking we could go to the training facility after this,” he suggested. “Maybe spar a little bit or run some simulations, then go to the shooting range after.”
Zira glanced at him over her bowl of oatmeal with a flat expression. “You want to make sure I’m not just some useless amateur.”
He sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry.”
She shook her head and went back to stirring her breakfast. “Don’t be. I think it’s a great idea. I need to make sure you’re not completely useless, too.”
Her head was bowed at an angle where her bangs shielded most of her face, but Jared thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. He suppressed a grin of his own. Most p
eople in the compound who didn’t know him well treated him with a sort of careful deference due to his size and reputation; Zira’s unabashed teasing was a refreshing change.
They finished their meal in silence and walked to the training facility together, which stood in the northwest corner of the compound next to Chairman Ryku’s office. The ground floor was a wide, open space with foam mats on one side and various exercise machines, weights, and additional training equipment on the other. The second floor housed an armory and four simulation rooms that could be programmed to run an endless variety of scenarios in a virtual environment. Zira and Jared went to one of the mats at the edge of the room and began sparring.
Considering their size difference, Zira performed better than Jared had expected. She’d clearly learned to use her agility to make up for what she lacked in size and brute strength, though the strikes she did manage to land proved that she was stronger than she looked as well. She never came even respectably close to beating him, but she managed to hold her own. She wasn’t too proud to ask for advice and tried to implement whatever suggestions he made, which Jared took as a promising sign for their new partnership.
After a particularly long and brutal round of sparring, he pulled Zira to her feet for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. Strands of hair clung to her flushed, damp face, and both of them were breathing hard. She hadn’t said anything to him these last few rounds, and now her lips were pressed together in a firm line. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m just sick of being knocked down today. Can we go shoot something now, please?”
“Sure.”
They went upstairs to the armory and checked out a few weapons and ammunition, then drove one of E-2’s cars out to the Project’s shooting range, which was really just a few square miles of empty land to the west of the compound. An impressive system of holographic targets that could be connected to any CyberLink had been set up at various distances, heights, and angles. They could read all kinds of information from the bullets fired through them and would then send that data back to the CL, allowing the user to see where they were making mistakes and how they might adjust.
Secrets of PEACE Page 2