The Shadow's Code

by Miles Goodson

  Jim was staring at his calzone that had now cooled. The cheese was beginning to congeal. “I will speak to the freelance, this is too big for me to stop, Casper. I just hope I can live with myself afterwards.”

  Casper stared at Jim for a second, and then looked away. He nodded but didn’t answer. The success or failure of this job was for Jim to make or break and Casper didn’t want to lose Jim more than he didn’t want to lose this job.

  Chapter 13

  Lindon was shutting off all the power in his apartment when he received a message over the SecureNet network.

  He looked towards his phone whilst kneeling behind the fridge to pull out the power cord. Lindon was too busy going through the mundane tasks of securing his apartment to read messages. Additional bolts were added to the window frame, which were made from composite alloy; the mixture of toughened glass and metal meant that it was easier to go through the wall than the window. Lindon turned to the front door; he walked past his phone and noticed the unread message.

  ‘Dino Logging Brothers Co. – 1 unread message’ the phone screen read. He was curious. Lindon opened the message while leaning against the kitchen counter. The message read ‘Can you call - Cáron’ Lindon thought for a moment, maybe there was something they needed to tell him, maybe there was some work that was happening in six months or so and they wanted to get hold of him while they could. It wasn’t unusual for the agencies to book work months in advance.

  Lindon would call Cáron in an hour. He checked the locking device on the front door; the door was reinforced and had an inner layer of diagonal metal so no one could break through it without some heavy-duty power tools. It bolted on both sides with three pins and had two one inch thick bolts at the top and bottom that went into the floor and ceiling. He inspected them all then added some grease to the side pins.

  Lindon ordered Chinese food from a vendor two blocks away. After leaving his apartment to collect his order he called Cáron. No answer. The missed call sent an email alert to Jim and identified the tradesman by the phone number. It began to rain and as Lindon weaved through alleyways. Ten minutes later he was back home with his chicken and noodles.

  Lindon left his apartment a few minutes later. The sauce from his Chinese food stained the middle of his shirt. Lindon grabbed his bags and locked the door. He headed to the basement garage to load up the car. An old grey Mitsubishi Galant was parked in a corner space on its own. The vehicle was dented, dusty and looked only a few more miles away from being ready for the scrap heap. Lindon had purchased the vehicle two days earlier by responding to an advert in a free newspaper. An eighty-two year old woman had owned the car for seven years but her health meant she couldn’t drive anymore and wanted a very reasonable $400. Lindon packed his things into the car. He drove to within two miles of the airport. From there he would walk.

  The two-mile trek was a mixed trail. He headed through farmland and densely wooded areas. The ground was boggy and damp, making it difficult for him to keep his footing. The walk was made even tougher by the amount of weight he had to carry in the bags he had packed. After fifteen minutes Lindon could see the airfield and the adjacent hotel in the distance. The road leading to both the small hotel and the airfield was isolated and deserted. There were several cars in the hotel car park. The person behind reception looked up from her magazine.

  “Reservation?” she asked, looking blankly at Lindon.

  “Yeah” he replied, not giving a name.

  “OK, room number 16, up the stairs, fourth room on your left, facing the airfield, as requested.”

  Lindon was the only reservation of the night that had not arrived. The woman at reception didn’t ask questions, to limit the time spent away from the latest celebrity news. Lindon laid his bags down on the floor and looked out of the window. The private runway had a long strip of light along the middle of it. Three hangers were on the other side of the runway, and a small cabin office was located between the second and third hanger. It was now 7pm, and the darkness of night allowed the stars to shine. Lindon’s concentration on the night sky was broken by the sound of shuffling at his room door. A note appeared under the door. Lindon looked at the door and at his gun. Then heard footsteps walking away; he walked over the door to retrieve the note.

  I’m in room 9 on the

  other side of the hall.

  drop by, go over a few

  mission details,

  Rena

  Lindon had worked with Rena before, a few years ago. She was attractive with long legs and piercing eyes. Rena was half Puerto Rican from her mother and could easily be mistaken for a model. The relationship between Lindon and Rena was professional. Although the last time they were on a mission together they had nearly crossed the line from professional to intimate. Visiting Rena’s native Puerto Rico. An extraction mission. Mobsters had captured a man because he was the cousin of a businessman in New York. The mob had got greedy and asked for a high ransom. The ransom was twice the price of paying Dino Logging to extract him; Lindon was hired as a freelance. Rena worked directly for Dino at the time.

  They acted like holidaymakers at a hotel 300 feet away from where they believed the man was being held. The plan was to strike the small compound at 3am on the second night. They had eaten together and swapped stories of previous missions. Both tried their best to hide their physical attraction for one another. Late that night with enough time to spare before the mission, Lindon leaned in to kiss Rena. A second later they heard a knock at the door. A waiter returned Rena’s coat that she had left downstairs. It ruined the moment.

  Hours later they trusted each other with their lives as they approached the outer wall of the compound. The two guards were asleep, and they found the hostage. The route out was as simple as the route in. The mob may have been ruthless but they were terrible guards. Two hours later the three of them were on a helicopter at the rendezvous point on the eastern tip of the island. Lindon and Rena never did get a romantic night together. Lindon had always wondered what would have happened if they had kissed.

  Lindon walked into the small hotel bathroom with the obligatory warning signs dotted all over. He smiled at the one cautioning of hot water, just above the hot water tap. Lindon showered for two minutes, his mind wandering again to Rena as he stared at the sign warning him of the slippery floor when wet. The hallway was brightly lit, but the carpets were old and worn. The wallpaper looked out of the 1970s. The isolated hotel didn’t get much trade in the winter; it turned a profit because of the seasonal trade. The people who owned a small plane and visited in the summer to enjoy flying would stay there. Clientele that were a bit richer would have a driver take them twelve miles to the Hilton.

  Lindon arrived at room nine. Knocked twice and waited. A moment passed. He knew Rena well enough to know she was retrieving her gun and would be pointing it at him through the door as she opened it. She opened the door three inches, only showing half her face. Lindon’s pulse raced for a few seconds, then dropped back to normal. Knowing a gun is being pointed at you, even by a friend, was enough to peak most people’s heart rate. Rena looked as stunning as Lindon remembered. She wore a short grey dress and her dark features were broken by her bright red lipstick. Rena’s looks alone would stop most men in their tracks, even when she wasn’t shooting at them.

  “Hello Lindon.” Her green eyes were bright and glistened as she spoke.

  “Long time Rena, how have you been?” Lindon walked into the room. He was wearing a loose top and jeans. The jeans stuck to his muscular legs and Rena couldn’t help but glimpse at his rear.

  “Yeah I’ve been good, spent the last year traveling around the southern hemisphere. I needed a break,” Rena said. Lindon nodded. “What about you?” she asked.

  “I’ve been working, missed my month off, I’m gonna take some time off after this job. I actually spent some time in the southern hemisphere. A job that went on for far too long,” Lindon said, looking out of the window at the car park. Rena sat on the end of the be
d with her legs crossed. Lindon moved from the window and sat on a chair in the corner of the room.

  “Yeah I know, Dino sent me a SecureNet message, I was in Brazil at the time and they thought a female operative might speed things along. I turned it down. Seemed like you guys were in over your head. Plus I was going to New Zealand and I preferred the beaches of the South Island to running around South America after some guy that you couldn’t catch.” Rena flashed a wicked smile.

  “You made the right decision, but I got him in the end.” Lindon regretted that job and his voice didn’t hide it.

  “I know,” Rena said confidently, then smiled at Lindon again.

  “Well, moving on from that, are you expecting any problems with this one?” Lindon asked.

  “This mission, no it should be simple, the guy will only be going to expensive establishments. He’s staying in his own house in one of those upmarket London neighborhoods. Just another richer than rich oil baby with a place in London, piece of cake.”

  “OK, well I guess we’re gonna have a few boring days together,” Lindon said, looking at Rena’s long hair.

  “It’s never boring with you, Lindon.” Rena stood and retrieved a glass of wine she had left on the side table.

  “How did you get a minibar and I didn’t?” Lindon said, looking at all the drinks Rena had available. Rena looked at her glass then looked up at Lindon. Her green emerald eyes focused on him.

  “Perhaps they thought you would be spending most of the night in my room.” Lindon couldn’t ask for a better invitation to stay the night, he knew Rena wasn’t looking for anything more than fun. His mind flashed to the old girlfriend in Sweden, Stephanie. He had strong doubts that she would be so inviting, that’s if she spoke to him at all after so long. Stephanie was not the type to be messed around and had most likely moved on long ago. An old saying sprang to mind: ‘If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with’.

  As he opened his mouth to answer his phone rang. Of all the times, he thought to himself. It was Cáron.

  “Someone important?” Rena asked.

  “It’s Dino.” The mention of one of the agencies brought back her professional and ruthless side.

  “You’d better answer, they might have a job for you,” she said.

  “I hope not.” Lindon stood as he answered the phone and headed for the door back to the hallway. Rena sat on the end of the bed waiting.

  “What it is?” Lindon spoke with clear frustration.

  “Lindon, it’s Cáron, did you get my message?” Lindon was now back in his own room. It seemed dismal compared to Rena’s, but that was probably because it didn’t have Rena in it.

  “Yeah, I’m on my way to my job in London. Cáron, can this wait?” he said impatiently.

  “It can’t, Lindon, this big job we had, there’s another one, and it’s in London when you’re there, the pay is the same, this is retirement money for a few extra days work!”

  “Not interested.” Lindon’s mind was only half on the conversation; he wanted to get off the phone and back to Rena.

  “Hold on Lindon, this is six million dollars for a few days work.” Lindon stopped pacing up and down the room and stared out of the window. He could still see the runway lights piercing the darkness outside.

  “Same job?” he asked.

  “Yeah the job’s the exact same, they are having another cyber security meeting with some British counterparts. Turn up, build a cyber wall, defend it, and stop intruders either with firewalls or by physical force. Then go on vacation. Six million dollars richer!” Jim was trying his best despite his own personal feelings towards the job.

  The job seemed way too easy for the money being paid and Lindon was still suspicious. “It seems like a lot of money for this job,” he said.

  “You’re complaining that your gonna get paid too much!”

  “Jobs with high pay are never as simple as they seem,” Lindon said.

  “Lindon, I shouldn’t tell you this, but this is the US government, the CIA and FBI meeting with the British government and some European secret service agencies, as well as MI5 and Scotland Yard. Of course they’re paying the big bucks. When was the last time you got offered a job with all those agencies coming together? They pay well, but these jobs are rare. You will never get this offer again, just do the job and thank me later.”

  Lindon stood with one hand on his hip and shuffled his weight from one side to the other. He was apprehensive about being so close to so many government agencies, he spent every day trying to avoid such people. “What day is the meeting?” Lindon asked.

  Jim flicked open the missions brief. “A week Monday. It will give you a few days to prepare after you’ve done your babysitting mission.”

  Lindon laughed for a second, he didn’t remember Cáron ever calling them babysitting missions when he was tendering them. “Will I have to make any direct contact with the client?” Lindon asked.

  “None at all, they don’t want to know who you are so they have deniability. They just want a job well done, the only people you will be speaking to are Seth, Anthony and Liam”.

  Lindon thought for a second. He weighed up the risk of the job with the money, trying his best to not let the money cloud his judgment. “Send me the details of the new job,” he said.

  “So you’re taking the job?” Jim replied.

  “Just send me the information, Cáron, if it’s as you describe then I’ll do it.”

  “It will be, I will tell the client you’re taking the mission,” Jim said as enthusiastically as he could manage.

  Lindon heard two knocks at the door. “Hold on,” Lindon replied. Rena was standing at the door, holding two glasses and a bottle of wine. She had let her hair down into long loose curls. “Cáron, I gotta go.” Lindon hung up. He was unable to raise his jaw. Rena held eye contact with Lindon and walked to his bed.

  Chapter 14

  Warren waited in a line of cars at a fast food drive through. Sat next to him was agent Jefferson. Warren had begun to call him Jeff for short. The other two agents were parked facing the drive through.

  “You want anything, Jeff?” Warren asked as he pulled forward to second in line.

  “Whatever you’re having and the same for the other two.” Agent Jefferson handed Warren a twenty dollar note as he spoke.

  “OK, don’t worry about it. I got this.” Warren waved his hand at the money; he had become more grateful about having the agents around him since the very real threats facing him had begun to manifest in his mind. Warren’s car crept forward. He was now next in the line and the agents in the parking lot pulled out of their space and stopped ten feet away from the drive through. One of them held up two fingers towards agent Jefferson who nodded and held a thumbs up. Warren pulled up to the counter and ordered four Burrito Supremes. He paid in cash and within a minute was pulling away. Warren then turned around 180 degrees to the parking spaces. One of the agents stepped out from their vehicle and walked over to agent Jefferson who handed him a greasy paper bag containing two burritos. Just as Warren pulled forward to rejoin the road it started to rain and Warren’s cell phone began to ring.

  “Hello,” he answered. “Yes Sir” “Yes Sir” “OK were on our way Sir,” were his hurried responses. “That was Bill, he said he wants me in his office urgently, told me to step on it.” Warren’s nerves began to make his left ankle tremor.

  “OK, let’s go then, I’ll tell the boys to give us an escort.” Agent Jefferson made a few hand signals at the other car and it lit up flashing blue and red and darted ahead of Warren. “Try to keep up,” agent Jefferson said with a smirk.

  It took five minutes to travel five miles and Warren was now sure that he needed a new car as his lurched into the military base. He had just about managed to keep up with the car ahead of him as it speared through traffic. The driver later joked with him that they were going easy because he drove like an old lady out on a Sunday morning. When they had bolted through the front gate Wa
rren was in serious fear of crashing, as only one side of the gate was open. Just enough space for a good driver in a good car to fit through. Warren had scraped through with only a hair’s width to spare.

  Warren jogged to the office from the car park and agent Jefferson went along with him. The other two stayed in their car and enjoyed their burritos. Warren reached Bill’s office and walked straight in with a bead of sweat running down his forehead. Agent Jefferson waited outside the door. Warren sat down and caught his breath. Bill stared at a document on his desk, looking concerned.

  “James and Roger will be here shortly and we may have a guest later on, depending on Roger,” Bill said to Warren without moving his eyes away from the file.

  “OK, have I got time to step out and get some coffee?” Warren asked between gasping breaths.

  “Yes, down the hall, can you get me a flat white with one sugar while you’re there.”

  Warren rose out of the seat. “Sure thing.”

  James had met with Roger earlier that day. They were now traveling together in the back of a town car with a police escort ahead of them. James had been anxiously rubbing his right palm on the seat next to his leg since they got in the car.