Missy's Operation Lily Pad (Missy the Werecat Book 6)

by P. G. Allison

  “Special individuals? Special powers?” Tabish was skeptical and that was obvious by the tone in his voice.

  Karimi said, “Yes. Demons, actually. While I realize that’s rather difficult to believe, it’s not impossible and explains a lot of things which otherwise cannot be explained.”

  “Such as?” Tabish shook his head from side-to-side, grimacing, and then continued, saying, “I can just see what our leaders would say if you try blaming all these recent disasters on demons!”

  “Some examples are how half that village where the Axtell girl was being held was set on fire. How several guards were all found dead but with no wounds, including Ashraf Quasim al-Hussain, who we had in charge out there. How the U.S. forces somehow located the girl in the first place. Just as they located our teams and prevented them from attacking those Thanksgiving Day Parades.”

  “Wow … you can obtain proof those are all connected?”

  “Not yet,” said Karimi. “I’ve asked my spy to obtain some actual proof before I agree to pay him anything. So far, this is merely a lot of coincidences and mysteries, but this even goes back to some earlier events. He claims one of these so-called special individuals was there when that Taliban base was destroyed in August.”

  Tabish raised his eyebrows and then nodded. “Many of our leaders were killed or captured when that happened. The U.S. was behind all that, of course. Our leaders should have left that base once those three Germans escaped. That’s when the location must have been discovered … it was only a matter of time after that. Maybe you should add that rescue to your mysteries, right?”

  Karimi stared at Tabish in surprise. “You are correct, of course! I hadn’t actually considered that particular mystery but it fits. My spy claims the U.S. succeeded because these special individuals helped during that campaign. Tell me more about those Germans and how they escaped. I remember hearing something about them but since it wasn’t anything our leaders were involved with or concerned about …”

  Tabish said, “Well, I heard this from one of our leaders who did leave the base shortly after that incident. This was early this year, in January, remember? There was a press conference in Germany showing these three men who the Taliban had kidnapped and were holding for ransom. It was claimed the U.S. Special Forces rescued them. Only, there was never any attack out there. Those men had been chained up and their prison cell was deep inside the base. Somehow, they simply vanished. By the time it was noticed they were missing, that press conference in Germany was already happening.”

  “No attack? But, surely there must have been commandos who went into that base. And, how were they picked up and flown to safety?”

  “Maybe,” said Tabish. “But no trace was ever found … that’s why I say it’s a mystery. Plus, there was one mysterious death. He wasn’t a guard but had maybe just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. His body was discovered very near the ventilation shaft through which these prisoners escaped.”

  “Why was his death mysterious?”

  “Well … he had no wounds, no obvious cause of death. Just like those guards you say died at that village, right?”

  “Ahh!” Karimi was very excited about this information. “Now you see why I want to see the files on these demons my spy can identify. Our leaders can triple check all those special shipments but that won’t help if these demons are real and can find our teams anyway.”

  “Do you know what those shipments contain?” asked Tabish. “I’ve not heard anything about the plans our leaders have for our teams over there. They’ve been keeping that a big secret.”

  “Well, I don’t know the specific targets but I do know what the training was which our teams received. Rather than parades, they will be attacking open stadiums where sporting events are being held. Those shipments contained special drones which can be fitted with highly toxic biological agents. These drones can be remotely controlled, of course. We obtained the drone technology from the U.S. and the toxins, a new strain of botulism with no antidote, are from Iraq.”

  “What about anti-drone technology? The U.S. has gotten very careful ever since someone actually landed a drone on the White House lawn a few years ago. Don’t all their airports and sports stadiums now have equipment to protect against drones?”

  Karimi smiled and said, “Oh, yes! But, thanks to all the info my Ankara spy obtained for me from that Homeland Security traitor, we should be able to fully disable those defenses right before we launch our drones. My role in our successful attacks will of course be appreciated.”

  Tabish said, “So, yes, these drones can maybe release toxins at, say, a football stadium filled with thousands of spectators, huh? Perhaps at several football stadiums, all at the same time? Excellent! I can understand why our leaders are so anxious about trusting your spy and making sure our remaining teams cannot be stopped. We will prevail and make our statement for the whole world to see! Death to these Infidels!”

  -----

  Both jets had safe flights from Ankara to Kabul and landed safely. The Army’s jet brought Candace Axtell and her entourage while with the “P” Branch jet had all those now travelling with Missy. General Blake was there waiting for them and security was at the highest level; there were no attacks. The media coverage was extensive, but it was all for the general and his niece; Missy and those in the “P” Branch jet were all ignored and managed to process through customs and immigration unnoticed.

  Once again, Candace and Oliver went over to the embassy for the full VIP tour while Missy and Mike went to the military compound where they holed up in a quiet conference room with Les, Marsha and some of the Team Twenty-Two members. Since the general was now showing his niece around, Colonel Chory stayed there with them as well.

  Marsha said, “We now have the complete file from the CIA on this Arvind Pancholi but, like everything else so far, it doesn’t really tell us much. He was supposedly only a low level operative, not really cleared for anything important, but as the years went by, he managed to gain everyone’s trust.” Looking at the colonel she asked, “Didn’t his supervisor have anything to say about this guy that might help us?”

  “No, Arvind was quiet, kept to himself, never complained or made any demands and was always just there. His manner was very obsequious. He was simply part of the background, taking care of various things without needing to be told. People asked him how to do all the little mundane things since he always seemed to know and had been around for years. If the copy machine broke, he’d get it fixed. If they ran out of coffee, he’d take care of it. Whenever there was a problem with the heating or the air conditioning, they’d call Arvind.”

  “What about a social life? According to his file, he’s never been married. Did he have any girl friends? Or, was he gay? Missy says he’s never had anyone over at his place.”

  The colonel said, “Since we didn’t want anyone thinking he was a suspect, I really couldn’t delve too deeply into questions of that nature. Hopefully, he’ll return from his last minute vacation and we can pick him up.” Just then his cell phone rang and he answered it, saying, “Colonel Chory.” After listening for several seconds he looked over at Missy. “Oliver has identified two supernaturals. The general has them isolated in an office, under observation. He’s asking if you could visit and check them out.” He turned his speakerphone on and placed his phone on the desk.

  Missy said, “Sure! I’ll be right there. Should I come to where Oliver is or to where you are, sir?” The plan was for her to go in her spirit form and communicate through Mike, who would relay her words back to the general by phone.

  The general’s voice answered, “Come to me, Missy. Oliver and Candace are continuing with their tour but I’ve stayed behind so I can interview this couple. They’re not witches and Oliver doesn’t think they recognized him as a supernatural. I’ve asked them if I could have a private word with them and they’re in their office, waiting for me now.”

  Missy didn’t need to ask anything further and, stepping
back from the others in the room by ten feet, she paused and then disappeared. There was a shimmer of light and then her clothing dropped to the ground. Marcia went over and picked up her things.

  Missy found the general waiting just outside an office, as he’d said. Mike, tell him I’m here. I’m going into the office to determine whatever Oliver has sensed about these two. While Mike was explaining this to the general, she entered the room where two people were seated, waiting nervously.

  She noticed they were indeed supernaturals. Although she had never met any shifters other than Carlos, she had no difficulty recognizing them both as werewolves from their scent. And, they were obviously mated. Interesting! Her ability to sense they were bonded as mates was by something more than merely their scents from sleeping together; it was by their mutual energy. But, they were not witches and didn’t seem to react to her presence. That was a good thing as now it wouldn’t be necessary to explain anything to them. While the general could confront them about their being shifters, he needn’t acknowledge how he knew that about them or disclose having other supernaturals helping him.

  Missy explained all this to Mike who then repeated it over the phone and advised the general he could proceed with his interview. Mike included Missy’s assurances that he would be safe in there since she could easily handle them in the event they actually attempted doing anything, either in their human forms or as wolves.

  General Blake smiled to himself after listening to Mike. He pocketed his phone and positioned his Bluetooth headset on his right ear so he could continue communicating with Mike. Then he opened the office door and walked inside. “Thank you for agreeing to this meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Tremblay. I’m General Blake. You both are originally from Canada, right?”

  The man said, “Yes, sir! I’m Gene Tremblay and this is my wife, Amanda. We’re from a small town north of Montreal but we became U.S. citizens right after graduating from the University of Illinois.”

  The general nodded and smiled at them. “So, you’ve been together since college. And, then you joined the Foreign Service together?”

  Amanda said, “We actually were high school sweethearts, general. We liked the idea of travelling around the world together and our jobs in the various embassies we’ve been assigned to have made that possible. I understand your niece and her fiancé are interested in doing this also.”

  “Yes, that’s why I’ve arranged this tour for them.” General Blake had not yet been debriefed on their complete history, which his staff was now thoroughly researching. After Oliver had identified the couple, the general had done some quick checking with the embassy staff and had learned this couple worked as translators there in the embassy. Not only were they fluent in French and English but Amanda also knew German and Italian while Gene knew Arabic. According to the preliminary information he’d received, this was their third embassy assignment and their records during the ten years they’d been working for the U.S. government were exemplary.

  Gene Tremblay was studying the general while his wife talked. He was not comfortable with being singled out along with his wife for this private session. Now he asked, “Sir, did you have any special reason for wanting to interview my wife and I?”

  “Well, yes. Yes, I wanted to talk to you both about your secret. That’s why this is a private meeting. I’m very concerned about security.” The general looked at each of them and he could tell they were indeed somewhat alarmed by his words.

  Gene said, “What … what do you mean? What secret?” While he was trying to brazen through, Amanda had paled noticeably and was looking around with a very fearful expression.

  General Blake said, “You both are shifters. Werewolves. That’s what concerns me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dec 3, 2019

  Arvind Pancholi drove the rental car out to the estate which had formerly been owned by Manuel Diego Lefevre Rodriguez. He’d spent the previous day doing further research and getting prepared for this meeting, which he’d managed to schedule for three p.m. that afternoon. Then, he’d spent the evening with an expensive call girl named Maria at her place, as was his normal custom. He always insisted he go to them and never allowed anyone to stay with him, even when he was merely travelling and staying at hotels.

  Paying for sex had not only been best from the standpoint of maintaining his secret life as a spy and double agent, but he considered himself far better off for having avoided any emotional entanglements and involvements. He was quite certain his monetary costs, in spite of always paying very high prices, had been far less than what he’d have needed to pay otherwise. And, of course, while he did have his favorites whom he would go back to again and again, he also really enjoyed finding fresh, new girls. The girl last night had not disappointed him and, depending on how his meeting today went, he might make arrangements to see her yet again.

  He would be meeting with Carlos Mancini, the man now in charge of Rodriguez’s organization, but he’d been assured Pablo Estaban would also be there. He had mentioned Felipe Benedict’s former name, Philip Arnold, from back when Arnold had been with Homeland Security, explaining there were some open matters for which Estaban’s presence might be needed. He had not revealed anything further, stating his business was very confidential and he would only explain things when actually meeting with Mancini in person.

  When he pulled up in front of the large estate, after being cleared through the gate and driving along the lengthy driveway, he was told to leave the keys in his car for the valet. Then, he was escorted inside where the security check was similar to what he typically went through at the airport. After exiting the high-tech full body scanner he was brought to an office where three men were waiting for him. His escort closed the door after he entered but remained right outside along with one other man; the two were obviously standing guard.

  Carlos Mancini introduced himself along with Pablo Estaban and another man named Rafe Santiago. From his research, Arvind knew Rafe was Carlos’s second in command and that Pablo was merely assisting with the transition from the Rodriguez organization. What he was not prepared for, however, was finding Carlos to be a shifter, a supernatural. Wow! He wasn’t sure how that changed things but he realized he really needed to be careful.

  He didn’t know what kind of Shifter Carlos might be. Fortunately, unlike how witches could recognize other supernaturals by their energy, the opposite was not true; shifters only had enhanced senses and those wouldn’t necessarily reveal his being a witch. He felt safe enough, provided his words didn’t stray too far from the truth and he didn’t betray himself by showing any fear. Just as he could always tell when someone wasn’t truthful, he suspected a shifter’s senses might enable Carlos to determine quite a bit. Hence, the need to proceed with extra care.

  Arvind said, “Let me show you my credentials before we go any further. I’m with the U.S. government.” He produced his CIA identification card which he gave to Carlos for examination. He was glad he’d decided to use his CIA identity for this meeting. “I’m travelling under a different name, of course, but I wanted you to know who I really am.”

  Carlos looked at the card and gave it back. “Okay, Mr. Pancholi … why would someone from the CIA want to see me and why would I want to meet with you? You told us this was about Philip Arnold and his relationship with Manuel Rodriguez. You claimed there were some matters which you believed I might be very interested in. Pablo confirms there was a relationship and he is here, as you requested.” He glanced over at Pablo and then back at Arvind. Then he gestured towards the chairs and they all sat down.

  “Well, as I’m sure Pablo has probably told you, this Philip Arnold was actually working for Rodriguez,” explained Arvind. “He received a great deal of money to protect the Rodriguez organization from not only Homeland Security but from other U.S. agencies as well. All that ended when Manuel Rodriguez mysteriously disappeared.”

  “Ah, I see,” said Carlos. “And, since it’s no secret I am now heading what was the Rodriguez orga
nization, you are maybe here to serve me with some sort of notice, perhaps? Is that why you’re here?”

  “No, no! Not at all, Mr. Mancini, not at all. While it may be true the U.S. government is now watching you and the former Rodriguez organization very closely, that’s not why I’m here.” Arvind looked at each of the three men, letting his words sink in. “I’m interested in finding Philip Arnold. He’s mysteriously disappeared also and he has apparently been selling many secrets to foreign enemies. He is a traitor to the U.S. and the CIA has been tasked with finding him, rather than Homeland Security. I’m sure you can appreciate why this job has fallen to our agency, right?”

  Rafe Santiago said, “Why do you come to us? And, even if we knew anything, which we don’t … why should we help you with that?”

  “I wanted to see whether Mr. Estaban might know anything helpful,” said Arvind, looking directly at Pablo. “He was the go-between and had many dealings with Philip Arnold during the past few years. That’s why I have come here.” Now he looked back at Carlos and Rafe and said, “Your assistance in finding this traitor might go a long way towards how the former Rodriguez organization … which of course is now your organization … might be looked at in the future. By all those U.S. agencies. Or, shall we say … how some activities might be overlooked, rather than pursued.”

  Now it was out there. Without being specific, the olive branch had been extended. If Carlos was willing to cooperate with finding Arnold, things might be easier for him. Without stating how or why Homeland Security, the DEA, the Border Patrol, the FBI and all the other U.S. agencies which were all actively waging war against drugs might be interested in what activities Carlos and his organization might be doing, there was an offer on the table. From the CIA. A deal, not unlike all those other deals which it was well known the CIA had made in the past. The end always justified the means when such deals were made. Right?