The Shadow's Code

by Miles Goodson

  “Look, Lindon, I want you to know, we’re on the same team here. I know you must have a lot of questions... things will become clearer soon.” Bill spoke softly to try and get Lindon to relax.

  Lindon ran his hand through his hair and looked straight at Bill. “Can you tell me how you found me?” Lindon asked.

  Bill paused. “It’s not important how. What’s important is that we got to you before the psychopath that’s been hunting you.”

  Lindon looked at the table. He thought for a moment about who else would be hunting him. Then the shooter on the rooftop in London leapt to the front of his mind. He gazed at the bare walls and featureless concrete floor. Lindon decided to stop asking questions for now.

  Chris had been waiting at the bar for Lindon to show up for an hour.

  He decided to head to Lindon’s lodge to check on him. Lindon always showed up when he said he would, maybe a little late, but he always showed up. When Chris arrived at the lodge he found a battlefield. Shell casing littered the forest floor and the walls of the lodge were laden with bullet holes. Inside everything was silent. The curtains were torn and the table was on its side and shattered glass had sprayed across every room. Lindon’s car was gone and the garage doors were smashed open. Chris walked slowly to his car and reversed onto the road. He got to a pay phone and called a friend at the local police station.

  The police officer immediately recounted a story of guns and speeding cars and U.S. military. “How do you know this guy?’ he asked.

  “He’s a friend. Do you know where he is?” Chris asked.

  “Americans took him to a military base.”

  “Panther base?” Chris said as he scratched his ear.

  “I don’t think so. I really shouldn’t be talking about this, we’ve been told to keep quiet. Very strange though… it was as if there were two groups after him. The Americans were one of them but there was someone else out there. I don’t know any details. But yeah, it was pretty dramatic. Probably won’t see anything like for the rest of my career.”

  Chris thanked his friend and made another call. He spoke to an old contact in London who could search military communication channels. He told Chris he would call back in ten minutes.

  Chapter 48

  Warren had managed to stay busy whilst cooped up in his military base back home. He had delved into all the work he could find to keep his mind off Lindon and project ‘Parasite’. Although his curiosity about Kioshi had led him to do his own research. There was something about Kioshi that didn’t seem right. Bill had struggled with understanding how Kioshi stayed one step ahead of them and Warren couldn’t help but feel that something in Kioshi’s past would yield the answer.

  Warren’s investigation in Kioshi had stretched far beyond what he was authorized to do, but he didn’t care. He had sent out police officers to interview Kioshi’s school friends and to take statements. It was here that Warren struck lucky.

  He couldn’t locate all of Kioshi’s friends, but one of the police officers had obtained a school photo of Kioshi from one of his old teachers and sent it to Warren. Warren sipped lukewarm coffee from his ‘I LOVE NEW YORK’ mug as he flipped through the mail and found the one he was looking for. Warren slid the class photo out of the envelope and looked at all the faces. It was a school photo of everyone aged seven to sixteen. Warren looked at every face. On the back of the picture the woman who had given the photo to the officer had written all the names of the children that she could remember. Some names Warren recognized as they had come up in his own search. He grabbed a pen and began striking off the names of people that had been interviewed. After striking twelve names Warren froze, his coffee mug dropped to the ground and smashed.

  He reread the name again and again. “OH NO! NO. NO WAY,” Warren gasped. He grabbed his cell phone and tried to call Bill. The call wouldn’t connect. He tried again and again until one of the CIA agents walked over to him and asked “Everything OK?” Warren was panicking.

  “No,” Warren said. His lips were turning pale. The agent took off his sunglasses and looked at Warren.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I need to speak to Bill. It’s about the work he’s got me doing, I think… I know he’s in danger… it may already be too late.”

  “Uh huh,” replied the agent.

  “Do you have a contact for them, Bill’s cell phone isn’t connecting?” Warren asked. The agent was now staring at a button on Warren’s shirt and noticed that Warren was now visibly shaking. The man reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a cell phone.

  “I’ve got a contact for James’s CIA cell phone on here, but it’s only for emergencies,” the agent said.

  “This is very serious and very urgent, please!” Warren pleaded.

  The agent retrieved the phone and dialed James.

  Lindon flicked his empty paper cup between his fingers while he waited for Bill to finally untangle all the paperwork he had in front of him. Roger looked as though he may fall asleep in the corner of the room at any moment. It had been an hour since they had arrived and the convoy that had met them at the police station was only a few minutes from the base.

  In the hour that Lindon had been at the base his friend Chris had been busy trying to uncover what was going on.

  Chris had taken all the shortcuts he knew and arrived at the base before the military convoy. He had been told in no uncertain terms he was to leave immediately. A choice that Chris informed them was out of the question. He walked back to his car and made a quick call to a high-ranking British Army officer who also happened to be a gambling buddy when Chris ventured back to the UK for a visit. Minutes later the commanding officer of the British part of the base walked out into the cold and arrived at the front gate with the disheveled look of man that had been woken from a deep slumber.

  “This man here is with us,” the commanding officer said gruffly.

  “His name is not on your list of pre-approved visitors,” said the Swedish guard. “I know. I’m sorry. This is our man from the SAS. As part of our exercise here we’ve been hunting for him, we asked him to come in as the emergency tracking beacon he is carrying has failed,’’ the commanding officer lied convincingly. For a man that had only been awake for a couple of minutes he was a quick thinker.

  Chris walked over to the small building that the British occupied on the base. It was small and could only keep ten men at any one time.

  “Listen mate, I don’t know why you’re here and quite frankly I’m not sure I want to know. Do you need anything from me?” the commanding officer asked.

  “No, just one question, did you hear a helicopter land at this base over the past hour or so?”

  The commander sighed. “Hold on, mate. Do not come in here and fuck anything up. We’ve got a good relationship with the Swedes and I don’t want someone coming in here and shitting all over it on my watch.” Chris stood silently waiting for an answer to his question. “Yes, a helicopter landed, looked like the men walked over to building ‘T’… I trust that whatever you have planned will be discreet. If you fuck up then you’re on your own. I don’t care who you’re friends with,” the commanding officer said, turning back to his bed.

  Chris smiled. “I understand, go back to bed commander, trust me you won’t hear the pips squeak.”

  Two minutes later Chris walked out into the cold. A light dusting of snow was settling on the ground.

  Bill nodded at James and they decided to begin.

  “Would you rather me call you Ben or Lindon from now on?” Bill asked.

  “Lindon,” he replied.

  “OK, well I’m sure you have a lot of questions and so do we,” James said.

  “We?” Lindon asked. “I’m not answering questions one at a time from each of the three of you. One of you can speak. The others can listen,” Lindon said, taking control of proceedings.

  “OK, well I will ask and you answer, OK?” Bill said. Lindon nodded. “Firstly, why are you running from us?” Bill
asked trying to warm into the Q&A with a question he thought he knew the answer to.

  Lindon groaned, “That’s a stupid question. I’ve been a mercenary ever since I left the military. I left the military after two friends were shot dead stood barely a few feet away from me. I was angry and killed every one of the assholes I could find after that. You guys talk of rules of engagement and how I should treat those bastards after they’ve shot my friend dead. No! When you’re at war, you’re at war. When I got home I heard about veterans being chased down for war crimes. So I became a ghost living in the shadows. Whenever I think about coming back I hear that you guys have been snooping around looking for me. I did nothing wrong whilst I served my country. I don’t know what you think I did and I don’t care. I did what a soldier does. If you want to lock me away for that then it’s on your conscience.”

  Lindon spoke with passion and flair, he was angry. Bill clasped his hands together on the desk; it was not the answer he was expecting.

  “Lindon. You’ve got this all wrong. We’re not here because we want to throw some bullshit court case against you. You think I would personally hunt down a veteran and drag their name through the dirt? Let’s start again,” Bill said calmly. He wondered whether Lindon was doing a very good act to pretend he knew nothing about project ‘Parasite’.

  “OK, here’s what we’re gonna do. Answer me a few questions and then I will answer your questions. Deal?” Lindon said.

  “Sure,” Bill answered.

  “Who were the people in the other cars?” Lindon asked, staring straight at Bill.

  “They were a team of mercenaries working for a man name Kioshi Kamitoze, they were going to kill you,” Bill said.

  Lindon raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Because Kioshi managed to find out about a program that the United States are running called ’Parasite’. You are at the center of the program,” Bill said, sliding a file across the desk.

  Roger’s phone made a loud beep. He jerked forward in his seat. Everyone looked at him. “Excuse me,” he said.

  Lindon looked back at Bill. “Why don’t I know anything about this program?” he asked.

  “From what I understand that is how it works. The codes have been stored in your brain, but they are stored behind organic firewalls. To get through one door you have to be told how to get through. You alone can’t recall the codes. It was an experimental project that was a success,” Bill said. He knew trying to explain something so complex would take time.

  Lindon was confused. “So I’m the centre of a program that I know nothing about. What’s the program for?” Lindon asked.

  “I will explain that all in good time,” Bill said.

  Lindon looked at Bill’s hands. “Are you planning to kill me?” he asked in razor sharp voice.

  “Certainly not!” Bill replied. “Lindon, there is a reason you’ve been running for so long. Do you remember meeting a man called Professor David Ebton?”

  Lindon thought for a moment. “Umm, yeah. That was years ago. He talked to me about career progression, we talked for a few hours.”

  “Well, he masterminded the program with a man called Lt Donald Felix. It is a security program that has embedded codes in your mind. It was considered the safest way to hold onto the codes as the mind cannot be hacked like a computer system, plus a human has no unique ID unlike the storage systems the military use. A human can be destroyed just like a machine but it cannot be hacked, not if the carrier doesn’t know how to retrieve the information in their own head. No one was ever meant to know it was you and one other soldier that held the codes. When the other soldier was lost we needed to get you back for debriefing. The codes are only accessible when you hear a succession of noises and phrases at particular frequencies. These codes, Lindon… these codes are very important. Unfortunately we suspect that Lt Felix has gone rogue and been tipping off the man that has been trying to kill you. David Ebton was found dead months ago. Lindon, the reason we need you, the reason we have been trying to find you is to retrieve these codes. If Kioshi killed you and we didn’t have them, America would be in a very precarious position.”

  Lindon smiled for a second. “Lt Donald Felix, huh…” Lindon said, staring at the file. He was biting his index finger as he concentrated.

  James’s phone chimed in his pocket. Bill looked at James as he answered. “Yes… Err, yeah put him on… Hi Warr- Bill… yeah he’s sat next to me - he’s in the middle of - how important… Hold on.” James turned to Bill.

  “Says he needs to speak to you urgently.” Bill took the phone.

  “Lindon, I will be two minutes. You guys want a coffee?” James and Lindon shook their heads. “OK, I will be back in a minute.”

  Bill walked out and glued the phone to his ear. “What is it, Warren I’m in the middle of-“ Warren cut him off and spoke quickly. Bill walked toward the break room as Warren rushed his words. He could see Roger in the side of his vision walking back from the coffee machine.

  “What? Slow down, Warren. Say that again.” Roger stopped and listened. “What? Did you verify that, hold on… wait a minute.” Warren continued to talk, and as he did Bill froze and suddenly felt cold. The name on the back of the photograph that Warren had received was Roger Eghard. Kioshi and Roger had gone to school together.

  Bill turned, before he could say anything Roger pistol-whipped him in the middle of the forehead. Bill hit the floor hard and passed out; it had been Roger all along. Roger was the mole.

  Chapter 49

  Chris slid between the shadows of the buildings until he reached the edge of building ‘T’. There were two soldiers standing by the front door silently. The frigid air made their breath visible. Chris stayed hidden in the darkness and assessed his options. Before Chris had walked out of the British camp he had taken a jacket that belonged to one of the British soldiers. Chris decided to be brazen. Rather than sneak around he decided to walk straight up to the two soldiers, posing as the British commanding officer.

  “Evening, gentlemen,” he said, startling the soldiers as he appeared from the darkness. Chris didn’t give them a chance to answer. “I have just received instructions to meet your General. British intelligence have an interest in the man you have detained.” Chris spoke with authority and strength in his sturdy Scottish accent. The two soldiers looked at one another.

  “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the smaller soldier said as he stepped forward.

  “You’ve got a high value asset, he was detained as part of a joint mission. Your General just called me. I’m Sergeant Major Smith, British Army. C’mon lads, don’t play games with me,” Chris said.

  “He must mean Bill,” said the tall thin soldier who was still stood by the door.

  The smaller soldier shrugged. “We’re not allowed to let anyone in without prior clearance,” he said. Chris creased every wrinkle he had.

  “Listen, I’ve been woken up by my superior in London. He told me get down here as quickly as I can. Take me to your superior now! Or do we need to do this the hard way?” Chris spoke with real menace.

  The tall soldier leaned forward. “OK, I will take you upstairs but I’m not leaving your side until we find Bill so he can confirm everything.” Chris looked at the two men.

  “Right you are then,” he replied with a smirk.

  The metal staircase clanged as Chris and the soldier walked up to the first floor. In SAS training Chris had been taught how to incapacitate someone in a way that wouldn’t kill or injure them, but it had been a long time since he had even practiced the maneuver. The pair reached the top of the staircase.

  “Left,” the soldier instructed.

  Chris knew this was his opportunity. He leaned down a few inches and moved his right arm upward. As he did so he heard a loud thud ahead, it sounded like a person collapsing. Chris quickly dropped his arm and both men ran forward together.

  Roger had knocked Bill unconscious and now needed to deal with James.

  “JAMES,
BILL HAS COLLAPSED!” he shouted. James rushed out of the door to find Bill laying face first in the concrete floor. As he leaned down Roger shot James in the back. He flopped forward and landed beside Bill.

  Lindon heard the gunshot immediately sensed the danger he was in. He flipped the table and jumped behind it to take cover. Bullets rang out from Roger’s gun as walked into the interrogation room. Chris ran into a scene of carnage. Two men were on the floor and another was standing firing his a gun into a room.

  “GUN!” Chris shouted, startling Roger.

  Roger turned and fired wildly at Chris and the soldier. Chris dived back into the hallway; the soldier was not so lucky and took two bullets in the leg. Roger was now panicking. He fired into the room again. It was now or never; Lindon pushed the table and dived over the top. Roger fired aimlessly, missing his target. Lindon knocked him to the ground and the two men grappled on the floor. Lindon desperately tried to knock the gun away. Roger was running on adrenaline and fear, his strength was that of two men. He fought hard and continued to fire in all directions. Lindon slipped and lost grip. Roger swung the gun towards Lindon’s head and squeezed the trigger but as he did Lindon rolled. The bullet missed Lindon’s ear by a hair and blood began running from his eardrum. Lindon rolled and rolled again, this time isolating Roger’s elbow. He squeezed and torqued it backward. Roger twisted his body and his hand flung backwards, three bullets fired off. One hit Lindon’s shoulder and the other two went straight into Roger’s chest. He desperately clutched for air as blood seeped into his lungs. Roger turned onto his back and began to choke.

  Chris crept out from behind the door and ran to Lindon. “Barely bloody needed me, did you?” Chris said.

  Lindon grimaced; the bullet in his shoulder was lodged.