by Doug Welch
Shadow Spies
By Doug Welch
Amazon Kindle Edition
Edited by P. A. Watkins
* * * *
Copyright © 2011 Douglas R. Welch
Amazon Kindle Edition, License Notes
Thank you for purchasing this eBook. This eBook is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy at Amazon.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. The author welcomes reviews of his work. Thank you in advance for your support.
This book is a work of fiction. With the sole exception of certain historical figures: Characters, character's names and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Although some scenes in this novel occur during actual historical periods, all references to the actions of The British Embassy in Tehran or the British Intelligence Services are wholly contrived by the author and are fiction. Nothing in this novel may be construed as reflecting the actions of the Government of the United Kingdom before, during or after the Iranian Revolution and subsequent Crisis.
Caution: adult content, contains language and scenes not suitable for children.
Table of Contents:
Part One - Shadow Spies
Prologue
Chapter 1 The Test
Chapter 2 Back at the Farm
Chapter 3 Viva Las Vegas
Chapter 4 Let’s Party, with a Mission
Chapter 5 Wedding Day
Chapter 6 End of the Dream
Chapter 7 Imprisoned
Chapter 8 Shadow Hunt
Chapter 9 FBI
Chapter 10 Elizabeth
Chapter 11 Ransom
Chapter 12 Kitty
Chapter 13 Elizabeth
Chapter 14 Plans
Chapter 15 Elizabeth
Chapter 16 Tyler
Chapter 17 Elizabeth
Chapter 18 Tyler’s Mansion
Chapter 19 The Raid
Chapter 20 The Search
Chapter 21 Elizabeth
Chapter 22 All or Nothing
Chapter 23 The Channel
Chapter 24 Recovery
Part Two – Edward
Chapter 1 Tehran – Summer 1977
Chapter 2 Tehran – Summer 1977
Chapter 3 Tehran – Summer 1977
Chapter 4 Tehran – Autumn 1977
Chapter 5 Tabriz – Late Autumn 1977
Chapter 6 Tehran – Winter 1977
Chapter 7 Tehran – Winter 1978
Chapter 8 Tehran – Spring 1978
Chapter 9 Uirma – Spring 1978
Chapter 10 Tehran – Early Summer to Late Autumn 1978
Chapter 11 Tehran – Late Autumn 1978 – Winter 1979
Chapter 12 London – Spring 1979
Chapter 13 London – Summer 1980
Chapter 14 Somewhere in Iran – Fall 1980
Chapter 15 Tehran – Fall 1980
Chapter 16 Turkey – Fall 1980
Epilogue
Afterword
Part One
Shadow Spies
Prologue
Shadoe exited the United Nations Security Council building, walked down the path toward the UN Gardens and lit a cigarette, mentally cursing the ban on smoking indoors, while drawing the surge of nicotine into his lungs.
Oh well, it gives me an excuse to be here. Now, where’s my bloody contact?
Although Shadoe was not his given name, he allowed no one to know that, he’d found it accidentally and loved the sound of it. Once having savored the irony of the name, he’d found it palatable, although many of his intelligence assets hated it.
Scanning the grounds, he spotted a darkened figure standing under the shade of a tree, also smoking a cigarette, and he strolled down the path toward it.
The figure resolved itself into a short husky man who, upon spying him, hurriedly dropped the unfinished smoke and crushed it under his heel.
“It’s about time you got here. Do you know how many of these damn things I’ve been puffing on? Fucking things will kill you!”
Shadoe chuckled. “Dying is inevitable, Max. At least I’ll know my killer.”
Max looked away, gazing at the East River. “What do you want with me, Shadoe?”
Shadoe turned and followed his gaze, drawing again on his cigarette.
“I need you to assemble a team from our resources. They must all be American citizens, no foreign nationals, equipped with top of the line surveillance equipment, bugs, IR scanners, the works. I’ll provide you with a list later.”
Max nodded. “And the objective?”
“One of our retired assets began feeding us some very interesting information, I’d say critical information, about a year and a half ago, but he suddenly stopped reporting and went silent.”
Shadoe drew some photographs from his breast pocket. “It involves these two people.”
Max examined the photos and whistled. “They look remarkably alike.”
“Extraordinary, isn’t it? They’re fraternal twins, brother and sister. What’s more surprising is they may hold the key to the resolution of this entire conflict.”
Max handed the pictures back with evident distaste clouding his face. “We normally don’t involve civilians in this, Shadoe.”
He hissed his reply. “This is a war unlike any war the world’s ever seen, Max. It’s a war for the survival of the human species, and wars cause collateral damage. I know things about the informant that may limit the damage but no promises. You just obey your orders and assemble the team. I’ll take it from there.”
Max hesitated and then shrugged. “Your call. How can I contact you?”
Shadoe smiled. “Not here. I’m leaving – taking a trip. I’ll call you.”
Max raised his eyebrows. “Oh? – Where’re you going?”
“A very small town...in the middle of Kentucky.”
Shadoe flipped the cigarette butt into the grass and walked back to the building.
Chapter 1
The Test
The Athens sun's glare mercifully failed to penetrate the tinted windows of the taxi as it careened down narrow streets with unreadable names. Paris Fox sat in the back seat, gripping the armrest with white fingers, as the cab sped through thick traffic toward the site of the Council meeting.
The vehicle slid to a halt in front of an ornate gateway. The entrance and the walls supporting it blended into the random Greek ruins which mushroomed at odd places throughout the city and ran the entire length of a city block.
When he opened the door and emerged from the back seat, the summer heat nearly smothered him. He paid the driver and stood alone in a cloud of dust at the gate front.
The gateway didn’t have a buzzer, bell or even a knocker, so he waited, sweating, for someone to allow him entrance. He studied the crumbling stone work that ran along the wall, looking for an intercom or something to call attention to himself, but nothing appeared visible.
Paris didn't have a clue as to where the driver had dumped him. He’d become lost in the maze of streets a short distance from his hotel and doubted he could find his way back without help. The only way now lay forward.
Okay, this could be a test. After all, the meeting isn't open to the public, only invisible people admitted, thank you.
He'd been summoned to be grilled by members of the Shadow Council and ordered, not requested, to fly half way around the world from the middle of Kentucky. Jet-lagged and disoriented, he still had a fair idea as to the purpose of the meeting.
Could he satisfy the Council member
s he deserved to be an Adept, the head of a Shadow Household?
Mustn't call them Shadows, they are the People, People. Where in the hell is someone to open the gate?
He wondered again about what he would say. The meeting supposedly included Council members, some Adepts and the Heads of some of the Shadow Houses.
Maybe they wanted to know what happened in Kentucky.
He thought about it and reran the events which had occurred over two months ago in his mind, to get the facts in some sort of order.
It’d started with their father warning them they were in danger and their mother hadn't given birth to them, then the discovery he and his twin sister weren’t exactly normal humans, but were in fact, half-Shadows. This had led to the knowledge that some faction of the Shadow world wanted to abduct them and use them as virtual slaves.
As if the situation didn't seem hopeless enough, they’d met their soul-mates, the only two people in the world they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with, and the mysterious encounter had put their future spouses in danger from the Shadows. The stand-off remained, until he’d awakened his latent Shadow Adept talents with help from his father's research, and they’d found a solution. If you can't beat them, join them.
Therefore, he’d become the head of a Shadow House.
Actually, Family, you're going to be a Family. Make it stick.
No one’s coming to let me in. It must be a test, or maybe some sort of security.
He extended the focus of his mind, searching for evidence of a mind-glow within the walls. At the boundary of the wall, he felt resistance, soft, like a marshmallow. As he tried to extend his mind through the resistance, it stiffened, becoming hard and unyielding.
Curious, he probed the wall with his mind in several directions and met the same opposition. Withdrawing his probe, he studied the wall for a moment, deep in thought.
He sharpened the focus of his mind and drilled his glow like a mind-dagger into the barrier. He sensed a pop like a bubble bursting and immediately discovered another mind. He overlaid a pattern on the mind-glow he’d sensed, and after a moment, the gate opened. A wrinkled elderly man bowed to him. “Welcome Mister Fox, Mister Anagnostopoulos is waiting. Allow me to escort you.”
Paris marveled at the ease with which the sounds of Anthony’s nearly unpronounceable Greek last name flowed from the old man’s lips, before stepping through the gate into a courtyard that exploded in an assault of color and fragrances. Flowers, shade trees and ornamental plants sprouted in profusion. Fountains dotted the space, fanning cool breezes which lowered the heat of the day.
Nice place. It looks like something Tony would own.
The gate-keeper led him along a path to the side of an impressive house. The mansion looked like an ancient Greek temple. It appeared to be modeled on the Parthenon, which stood on the nearby Acropolis that dominated the neighborhood.
The whole effect intimidated him, undoubtedly as planned by the designer. Paris wondered what living next door to over twenty-five hundred years of human history felt like. Did it become commonplace after a while?
The servant opened glass doors at the side of the building and led him into an anteroom that contained modern looking furnishings. White to match the color of the room, they sat upon a gleaming white and gold marble floor, the severity only broken by groups of colorful flower arrangements scattered at strategic locations.
“Wait here please, until Mister Anagnostopoulos can welcome you.” The old gate keeper bowed and departed.
Paris looked around, found a comfortable looking chair with an excellent view of the Acropolis and settled in to wait. In the still, quiet mansion, time seemed to move slowly. He grew nervous.
This is rude. They're playing some kind of game.
Paris had no idea as to what to expect from this meeting. The fact the future of his Family anchored upon its outcome caused his stomach to churn. What did they want? Should he try to challenge them? Could they sense his talents if he used them or would it just irritate them? He had no clue. He gritted his teeth.
Better to wait a little longer.
As a precaution, he drew his mind-glow close.
The house remained quiet. He listened for footsteps or voices. No sounds echoed.
This must be a game of chicken, a war of nerves. They're probably waiting for me to make the first move. Is that the wrong thing to do, or the correct response?
He decided to think like a tactician. They had asked him to come to this meeting...no, they had summoned him to the meeting, forcing him to take the fastest route possible. Therefore, they had a purpose in mind.
Could they be assessing his abilities? Anthony had already done that when he had imprinted him. He could simply have told them what he found. No one else in Paris’ Family had Adept abilities, so they didn’t pose a threat to anyone in the Shadow world.
Could it be possible they were suspicious he had not turned over all of his father's research? If so, they’d be right. The existence of his father's journals remained a secret he desperately needed to keep from the Council.
Hopefully they had no way of knowing about them. As long as members of his Family did not reveal their existence, he felt certain it wouldn’t happen. The group consisted of only four other people, his fiancée Elizabeth, twin sister Alexandra, his future brother-in-law Caesar and father-in-law Edward. He felt confident none of them would betray the Family.
Could The Council suspect his mind worked differently? That he had hidden talents? That danger always hovered, waiting to pounce. His concealed abilities were his weapon of last resort and once revealed, might bring the power of the entire Shadow world crashing down upon his Family.
This is getting me nowhere. Time to substitute action for hand wringing.
Casting his senses into the house, he started probing, but felt a suffocating resistance that blunted his efforts, as though a blanket smothered his mind.
He focused his mind's energy in an effort to throw off the confinement. It shuddered but remained intact. Paris summoned all of his reserves and with a sustained mental heave, burst through the barrier, only to encounter another powerful mind-glow.
When it immediately locked itself to his brain, he realized he'd made a mistake. Completely too vulnerable, he tried to withdraw, but his mind lay open to the probing and with a sigh, he awaited the inevitable outcome.
I suppose when you're about to be mind raped, you may as well relax and enjoy it.
* * *
Anthony Anagnostopoulos sat with his fellow Council member and Council Chairman, Bertram Chandler, two rooms away from Paris. They’d been waiting.
“Took him awhile. He has patience. Did you sense what I was talking about?”
Chandler concentrated upon the mind revealed in the distant room. “Yes, but I can't grasp it. It's there, but it seems to evade me. Still, it's like nothing I've ever tasted before. One thing I can say is, it's unique, something new. He may be a very valuable addition to the People. I wonder what his sister would be like.”
Tony spread his hands in a noncommittal gesture. “I imagine we'll find out, from what I’ve sensed she has greater potential than he does. But what talents... who knows? I do know we need her. I plan to advise him that the Council will need him to expand his House, or as he terms it, his 'Family', and therefore he’ll need more Adepts.”
“Have you yet determined his domain?”
“I plan to submit it in this Council session, but I imagine it will be in the Eastern United States. I trust no one will object. The State of Kentucky is very rural and no Houses claim it. I'm sure it would be agreeable to Paris.” Tony did not mention he had been staying there for the past three months.
“I trust your judgment in this matter, Tony. I've never been there and can barely point it out on a map.”
Chandler was from Great Britain but lived on the Continent in Belgium. He was deeply involved in European affairs and consequently had no time for the United States.
“
We do need a Council member from America, isn't that true?”
“Yes. The death of the last Council Member left an opening, but I'm sure the House of Borgia will want it. They have an American branch, you know.”
“Delay, Tony, keep putting it off. If this young Paris gets stronger, we may want him for that spot. The Borgias can wait. For now you stay in America and keep the peace. Speaking of the House of Borgia, something has to be done about those fools.”
“I agree. Have you read any of Paris' father's research? The man was a genius. We could have had him as an ally, but they killed him. Consequently, they nearly killed Paris and his sister.”
Tony heard someone knock at the door.”
“Come in,” Tony said and they both rose from their chairs.
Paris stepped into the room. It was plain from his look he wasn't very happy.
“I can't say much for your hospitality, Tony,”
Tony didn't reply immediately. Along with Chandler, he just studied him. Paris was as attractive as his twin sister but in a masculine fashion, with thick chestnut-brown hair that extended to his shoulders. A wavy lock of it tended to slip down over one eye when he became excited, as he appeared now.
His body could only be described as medium: medium build and medium height. It was his eyes that drew attention. They flashed with a startling amber color like gems.
Delayed by his scrutiny, Tony stirred. “Paris Fox, I would like you to meet Bert Chandler, Chairman of the Council. I apologize for your difficult reception, but the Chairman wanted to examine you.”
Paris glared at Chandler. Then he flopped down on one of the chairs in the room.
“And what did the Chairman decide?”
Chandler stared back. He hesitated for an uncomfortable moment. “You'll do young man – you'll do. Be at the reception tonight.”
He turned to Tony. “Make sure he comes to the Council session. I want him there as an observer.”
He turned back to Paris. “I'll see you tonight.” He opened the door and left the room.
Tony collapsed back in his chair. “Would you like some refreshments Paris? Again, I apologize for the Chairman's behavior, but it was... necessary.”