Stratagem

by Christina Hagmann

  “We don’t have much time. I told them you’d do the original mission. I convinced them you could offer them subtlety.”

  “Them? What do you mean, them?” I asked.

  “The Agency. I work for the Agency. They took me just as they took you. I convinced them they needed you for this mission so no one had to die, and they bought it.” Shadows in the dark emphasized my mother’s sharp cheekbones, and her eyes seemed to glow as she talked. “But now you’re out, you can’t go back. They don’t trust you. We need to get you out of here. Hide you. I’ll take care of the job. You can’t try to stop the mission. This is your one chance to get out. I’m warning you.” Her voice was piercing and urgent. She wasn’t happy to see me. I hadn’t seen her since I was ten, and now here she was, threatening me. It was like I wasn’t her daughter at all.

  “Mom, you can’t do it. You can’t kill the President,” I said incredulously.

  “Honey, it’s going to happen.” She said it without a shadow of a doubt. “If I do it, your father and sisters remain safe.”

  “They’re safe.” I was surprised she didn’t know. “We got them. They’re going somewhere safe as we speak.”

  She studied me. “So, they’re not here?” I shook my head. “Whatever. They let you believe what you want to believe. Do you trust the Opposition?” I thought about what Dan had said. When I didn’t answer, she continued. “I taught you to be smarter than that. What I’m going to do is for you and them. If I do this last job, I stay in the Agency, prove my loyalty, but they let you live a normal life.” She flicked off the flashlight and put it in the back pocket of her jeans, now baggy from shrinking down from Brody’s frame.

  I stepped forward. “Do you really believe that? I’m starting to think they’ll never let us go.”

  “Meda, it is the only hope I hold onto. Anyway, what I’m doing right now is for you. Once I leave here, you will find they have Isi. When they transfer you to a new location, make sure you are in the same vehicle as her. And try to make sure there is no one else.” She took a step towards the edge of the stairs. It sounded like someone was walking up.

  I looked at my mother, confused. “But why?”

  She continued, this time in a hurried whisper. “I can’t guarantee that anyone besides you and Isi will make it out of the vehicle alive. This is our one chance to get you out of the Agency, the Opposition, everything. If you trust me, you’ll do what I say.” I wanted to speak, but my mom leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I have to go. Don’t try to stop it, Meda. Remember, I can’t help what happens to you if you do.” I watched her shift back into Brody’s form.

  She walked to the end of the landing, turned and gave me a look, and then started down the stairs. She was smart. She was going to get through the men by pretending to be Brody. Just as she disappeared down the steps, the door to the suite flew open and banged against the wall of the stairwell. Brody stood in the doorway.

  “Meda, what the hell are you doing out here?” He looked towards the steps and then back to me. “Smith said you were with them, and then he turned, and you were gone. We searched all the bedrooms because we thought you were hiding.”

  “Sorry. I panicked. The guns.” Brody knew I didn’t like guns, but I didn’t tell him about my mother. Everything was moving quickly, and I didn’t think he would understand, not after what happened to Dan.

  “It’s over. We got her.” He studied my face. “We got Isi. The mimic who killed Dan.”

  It was like my mother had said. Brody grabbed me roughly by the hand and led me into the suite. He had no way of knowing Isi wanted to be caught. I didn’t say anything and let Brody lead me back down the hallway.

  When we walked into the living room, I was surprised by how quiet everyone was. They had Isi on the wide space of carpeting between the couch and the flat screen. She was on her stomach, hands cuffed behind her back, with a baggy suit hanging off her frame. She had been someone else when she entered, but with the cuffs, she was now forced to wear her own face. She watched me as I moved across the room. Her face gave away no hint of emotion.

  The eight men who were in the room with Smith turned and watched me walk over to Isi. Smith stood near her.

  I stood directly in front of Smith and asked quietly, “Can I speak with her?” He seemed uncertain. “Please. I’ll do whatever you need me to do, but I need to speak with her.” He gave me one stiff nod.

  The men stood back, and Brody stayed back as well. I moved to kneel in front of her, and Brody gently called my name, but I motioned that I was okay.

  “Hello, Isi.” She didn’t respond to me. She continued to stare, so I tried to reason with her. “Isi, you know your life doesn’t have to be like this.”

  Isi spoke stiffly. “Anyone who doesn’t do what is best for our country is a traitor.”

  I let out a forced laugh. “Wait, you think what the Agency does is what’s best for our country? You think it’s best for our country to kill people?”

  Once again, Isi didn’t show any emotion on her face. “Well, I learned from the best. Your mother.” I heard Brody swallow hard.

  I moved in closer and spoke quietly. “My mother is not a killer.”

  The mimic shook her head. “Your mother taught me everything I know. In fact, I’ve exceeded your mother at many skills, and I can tell you that she’s proud of me.” She stuck her chin out at me. It seemed an odd gesture, given the circumstances. I started to sense there was a reason for her animosity towards me.

  “How old are you?” I asked.

  “Shut up,” she said. “I know what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work on me. I don’t have feelings. I never have.” I looked at her hands clasped behind her back, the shackles burning her skin, but she did not falter for a moment. Her face remained calm. I stepped away from her so I was standing by Brody once again.

  “We need to move out,” Smith said to Brody. He nodded. I thought about what my mother said as Smith talked to the agents about what was going to happen. I needed to be in the vehicle with Isi. My mother was planning an escape. She said that people could get hurt. I should tell Brody. I should tell Smith. I couldn’t speak. I thought again about what Dan had said about trust, and when Brody placed his hand on my lower back, I flinched.

  chapter 21

  We still needed to evacuate the hotel. The men grabbed Isi. I finally saw Aaron again as he entered the suite. We had all moved closer to the door, so Aaron took a few steps to be by Brody’s side. He didn’t even look at me as he leaned and said something in Brody’s ear. Even though I was close by, I couldn’t make out what he said. The words my mother said replayed in my head. She told me I couldn’t trust the Opposition, but I knew, or at least I thought, I could trust Brody. I didn’t know how he would react after losing one of his best friends, someone he knew much longer than me.

  We were able to exit the way we came in. They seemed to think there was no more danger after the mimic was captured, but I wasn’t so sure. We entered the elevator: Smith, two men carrying Isi, Aaron, Brody, and me. It was a quiet ride down, with only the empty static on the agents’ radios.

  We exited the elevator as a group and moved to the service door. When they opened the door, I could see other agents outside loading up two vans. Smith motioned to the first van for the agents holding Isi, and Aaron motioned for Brody to walk with him towards the second van. I took a couple of steps behind Brody and then stopped.

  I looked at the first van and then back to Brody and Aaron talking by the back doors of the second van. I watched as Brody put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder and grasped it. I watched as Aaron brought his hand up to his eyes and shielded them. Then I stopped watching. This was their moment. Not mine. Dan was their friend. Not mine.

  I turned and walked back to the first van. Isi was in the back, and Smith was still talking to one of the men. I approached Smith. I was nervous, and I tried to hide it, hoping that he would mistake my sudden inability to look him in the eyes as anxiety left over from the gu
n fight. “I want to ride with Isi.” I looked at her, shackled in the back of the van. She had a hood over her head so she wouldn’t be able to see where they were taking her. I was glad. I didn’t want to see her judgmental eyes.

  Smith cleared his throat, so I looked up at him. “That’s not possible, Meda. You’re going to a different location.”

  I maintained eye contact. “After,” I said. “I need to talk to her now.” Smith stared at me. “I have to find out the plan. Something isn’t right about this. I think I can get information out of her.” I needed to talk to her. I wanted to know the plan. But I also knew I was lying and that I was putting people in danger.

  Smith motioned Brody and Aaron over. They looked confused. Brody looked at me and then back at Smith. “Change of plans,” Smith said. “Meda will ride with Van 1 until Checkpoint A, then switch vehicles to continue to Checkpoint F.”

  Brody stepped forward, looking at me. “Why?”

  Smith answered for me. “She’s going to try to get intel.” Brody gave him a look of concern. “It can’t hurt,” Smith reassured Brody. My face flushed with shame.

  Brody spoke while moving towards the van. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No,” I cut him off quickly. Brody froze in surprise. He looked at me, first confused, and then a little hurt, but I remembered my mother’s words, and I couldn’t let him get hurt.

  I stepped towards him, willing myself not to reach up and twist my earring. “I’m going to talk to the mimic. It’s better if we’re alone. We’re…the same,” I added.

  “No, you’re not.” Brody shook his head, but Smith put up his hand towards Brody, signaling him to stop.

  Smith looked at me. “Meda, are you sure that’s a good idea? She is a master of manipulation.”

  I stood my ground. “Look, I get you have your doubts with me, but there is something I need to know. I will fill you in on everything as soon as it’s done.” I could tell Smith didn’t like deviating from the plan and that Brody didn’t want me to be alone with Isi.

  Brody sucked in a deep breath as he studied me. For a moment, I thought he could see through everything and that he knew something was up, but then he let out the breath he had been holding. “Let her do it,” he said. “If Meda thinks there’s something up, there probably is.” I couldn’t look Brody in the eye. What I was doing felt like betrayal, but wasn’t he the one who told me that I had to make my own decisions about what was right? I was surprised when Aaron nodded in agreement. He still didn’t make eye contact with me, and I was glad for it.

  Smith talked into his phone. “Okay. We’ll take separate routes out of the city. We should be able to converge again once we get out of the area. If you see anything suspicious, I mean anything, signal us.” He waved me on.

  I climbed into the back of the van and moved past the empty middle row to sit in the back next to Isi. “Isi, it’s Meda.” She didn’t respond to me. “What’s the plan?” I whispered. “What’s going to happen?” As the vehicle took off down the street, I heard Isi let out a huff of breath that sounded like a laugh, but I couldn’t see her face, so I took the hood off.

  “Ma’am, you can’t do that,” the man in the passenger seat said as he looked back at me.

  “I’ll put it back on when we get out of the city.” The man studied me, trying to decide if he should go along with it. He nodded and then turned his back on me, facing the road. I shifted my attention back to Isi. She was smiling.

  “What is going on, Isi?” I asked, my body facing hers.

  “What’s going on is that you are in way over your head.” She didn’t look at me.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  She shook her head in disbelief. “You know, they told me that you were the most observant of all of us. That I could learn something from you in that field.” She finally made eye contact with me. “But what they didn’t realize is that you, Meda, can’t see things that are too close to you. You can’t see the things that you think you already know. Your emotion blinds you.”

  She was taking pleasure in knowing something I didn’t. I stopped speaking, not giving her the satisfaction of asking any more questions. She leaned in, whispering quickly. “You think you know your mother? Your mother is a heartless bitch. Even I know that.” Her words came out even faster. “The mother you knew was just an act. That is what she is best at. The only thing that gives her pride is seeing someone practice what she preaches, which is why she took me in. I’m almost as heartless as her, though I don’t think even I am heartless enough to pretend to love a child who I didn’t even want.” She raised her eyebrows.

  I clenched my jaw tightly. I knew what she was trying to do, but I couldn’t give her the satisfaction. “Go on,” I said, calmly.

  “She told me about your stupid father, George. About how he tainted you with his softness. About how, when she decided to leave, she originally thought about taking you with, but she knew you were more like George...” she spit the next word at me “…weak. He made you weak.”

  I couldn’t stop myself, and I slapped her across the face. She knew which button to push. She leaned back and straightened up, looking at me, the smile not leaving her face.

  The man in the passenger seat turned and looked at us. “Is everything okay back there?” he asked.

  “It’s fine. We’re fine.” I watched as he faced the road again.

  “Anyway,” she chuckled, “she knew your real father, your biological father, would not accept you that way. Personally, I think he would. It’s your mother who doesn’t accept you.” She stopped looking at me and gazed out the windshield, probably trying to track our route out of the city.

  I tried to comprehend what she was saying. My biological father. What did she mean? My father was not my real father? I didn’t want to betray my thoughts by showing emotion, but I couldn’t figure out how these lies would help her in any way. If she was trying to get in my head, why would she use this?

  I tried to remain calm and rational. “What do you mean, my biological father?” Suddenly, I heard an engine rev and looked out the back window to see a black Mustang with heavily tinted windows tailgating the van. I immediately knew who was driving the car.

  We were out of the city and now hit the freeway where it was easier to navigate. There wasn’t a lot of traffic on the road, which also made it easier for the Mustang to maneuver around the other van in our convoy behind us. They probably thought she was just another crazy driver on the road. And now, she was there, and something was about to happen. I saw the driver look in the rearview mirror.

  Isi turned and smiled at me, leaning towards me. “You might want to brace yourself, Meda.” I heard the Mustang come up alongside us and tried to peer out the window, which left me unprepared when the deafening hammer crash of metal on metal pushed against the side of the van.

  I had my seat belt on, but I was still smashed against the side of the vehicle. Isi’s body pushed up next to me. She tried to grab the headrest of the seat in front of her, but her grip was unsteadied because of the shackles on her wrists. The driver and the man in the passenger seat were yelling.

  The car collided with us again, and once again, Isi was jostled up against me. “Damn it would be nice if you could get these things off me.” She looked at me. I didn’t respond, so she shrugged. “Hey, third time’s the charm.” She bent her head down to her knees.

  I saw the Mustang veering at us again, and I knew that this was going to be the worst hit. I braced myself between the seats and held on.

  The van was rocked again with another collision, but this time I could feel the tires hit the rough gravel on the shoulder of the road. The driver tried righting the turn but struggled with the wheel, forcing the van to veer back and forth. The man in the passenger seat had a gun out. He turned and looked back at us. Then, in a move that wasn’t the most intelligent, he unbuckled himself to try to move to the back of the van.

  I’m not sure what his plan was, maybe to get closer t
o the prisoner. Either way, he only made it a few steps before the final impact sent the van toppling off the shoulder and down the embankment.

  There was an eerie sense of weightlessness as we tumbled sideways. I could hear the crush of the metal, but the most immediate object was the man, his head bashing on the side of the van and his arms and legs tangling during the van’s roll. It felt like we were in a washing machine. His gun clattered around in the vehicle, and I squinted my eyes, imagining the gun going off.

  We rolled for what seemed like minutes, but in actuality was only seconds. When the vehicle finally came to a rest at the bottom of the embankment, it felt like my ears were stuffed with cotton. Everything seemed quieter after the blaring noise of the crash. I reached to unfasten my seat belt. Surprisingly, we landed somewhat upright. In movies, people were always dangling upside down in overturned vehicles.

  Isi was already unbuckled and moving. “Wait,” I called out. Before I could get my seat belt unlatched, there was an earsplitting boom. I flinched and tried to cover my ears. When I looked to the front of the van, I saw the driver’s head flop over to the side. My mother was standing in front of the vehicle, gun pointed, glaring through the window she had fired through to kill the driver.

  Isi managed to get the keys for her cuffs from the man who was in the passenger seat but was now in a crumpled ball on the floor. I didn’t know if he was breathing, and I thought it better that I not check. If he was alive, there was no telling what my mother and Isi would do to him. If he was dead, well, I would have to think about that later.

  Once uncuffed, Isi grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me to the front of the van. I let myself be led as we crawled through the passenger-side door. When we got out, I was surprised to see the Mustang in the ditch as well. I assumed it would be our getaway. Instead my mother grabbed me by the arm. “Come on, Meda. We have to hurry.” Once again, I went along with everything.

  Beyond the embankment, we jogged through the trees, scrambling our way through the patch of wooded area until we were stopped by a fence. I looked back, the highway barely visible. We vaulted over the fence and just over the rise, I saw an old abandoned barn. My mother led the way, I followed, and Isi held up the rear.