by Alex Howell
So as far as she could tell, it would be far better if she personally handled and knew what was going on with his case from the driver’s seat, than to just sit back and wonder who might be peering in at her father, and perhaps eventually even herself. So even in her state of bewilderment, she knew she only had one option.
Even so, as she mouthed the words, “I accept.” She couldn’t hardly believe that they were coming out of her mouth.
But she just couldn’t let this thing lie, and if anyone was going to figure out what was going on with her father, it would be her. So as strange as it all seemed she complied. Field Director Wayne Sikes was glad to hear it, and as he leaned back in his chair he exalted, “Good! Good!”
He then informed her, “Okay, this is what you are going to do—you are going to team up with another cadet named Danae Robinson.”
Clara didn’t quite catch the last name of the Greek girl she had befriended during training, but knowing that Danae was such a rare first name, she knew that it just about had to be her. She breathed an almost audible sigh of relief as she thought that at least a friendly face would be helping her out.
As she mulled all this over in her mind the Director continued, “You will be teaming up with Danae to follow the target’s movements.”
Clara couldn’t help but shake her head at the idea of her father being called “the target” but she knew better than to correct Field Director Sikes with the sentimentality of wanting to still refer to her current case subject as her dad.
The field director then handed her an old beat up phone, as Clara asked, “What’s this?”
As if she were a bit slow on the uptake, Sikes bluntly informed her, “That young lady, is a phone.”
To which Clara Walker clarified, “Um—yeah, I know it’s a phone but why are you giving it to me?”
Clara then stated the obvious, “I already have a phone.”
Since practically every single human being on the planet could be found with a phone on their person at all times in the 2030’s, such a statement was borderline absurd. Of course, she had a phone. Everyone has a phone!
Many would have laughed at such an innocent remark, but Sikes only allowed the most subtle of a smirk to cross his face as he explained, “Yes—I’m sure you do have your own phone Clara. But this will be the phone you will use as it pertains to this particular operation.”
Looking at the old beat up phone he then added, “It’s a burner, no one can trace you with that. You’ll find Danae’s number already programmed into it. Go ahead and look for it.”
Clara then dutifully complied, flipping the flip phone open and toggling with the old-school push buttons until she pulled up the contact list, she then scrolled down and found—just as the Field Director had mentioned—a contact saved under the heading of “Danae”.
Once she accomplished this simple task, Field Director Sikes then sighed as if he were suddenly either very tired, or extremely bored as he informed her, “Now I want you to step out of my office and give her a call. She will inform you what to do next.”
Clara was slightly taken off guard by the brusqueness with which she was being treated. But she had seen enough spy movies to also feel slightly invigorated that she was being involved in such high-level intrigue. Even—she realized with a pang of guilt—if it involved her own father.
Nevertheless, she felt a certain swagger in her step at the thought that she was on her first official assignment. Taking her cues from all those James Bond movies she’d watched as a kid; she didn’t even say bye to the Director or thank him for his time. Like a true agent on a mission, she simply walked out of his office with phone in hand, shut door, and dialed.
MEANWHILE, AT MASON’S HOME IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
Mason and Raina were relaxing on the couch watching an old movie together. Old as in about 100 years ago—they were watching “It’s a Wonderful Life.” As they watched the scene in which the distraught main character whose life is falling apart, stands at the docks, considering taking a jump into the ocean.
Holding Raina close Mason remarked, “This is the scene that always tore me up as a little kid.”
Raina asked, “Really?”
Mason nodded, “Yeah, they would play this movie every year around Christmas time—and somehow this seen would always speak to me.”
Raina asked, “How so?”
Mason related, “Well—here’s this guy, he thinks that everything is wrong in his life. But in reality, he just doesn’t realize how good he has it.”
As they continued to watch the movie, a mysterious stranger—according to the story an “angel” dropped into the water turning the suicidal man’s intentions away from harming himself, and on to helping someone else. Instead of wanting to drown himself in the ocean, he was motivated to rescue a drowning stranger instead.
Mason remarked as much, “He thinks that his life—that everything about it, is all bad, but then his natural goodness is brought out by this stranger, causing him to jump in and rescue him. His own inner, virtuous nature had surfaced just in time to change his mind.”
Raina couldn’t help but smile at what she was hearing. As much as others may have thought that Mason was just another muscle-bound tough guy, it was in moments like this that she knew that her husband was a deep thinking and profound individual. Snuggling up against his broad shoulder, Raina asked, “And what does that tell you about the human condition?”
Mason answered, “Basically, that deep down we know what our convictions are—we know the kind of person we are, and who we want to be. We just have to be around the right people and circumstances to bring it out.”
Raina asked, “And are you around the right people and circumstances?”
Mason frowned as he thought about it. Raina was a bit taken aback that he would hesitate to answer such a question. But after a pause Mason finally answered, “I like to think so.”
Raina became even more puzzled however, when Mason abruptly stood up to inform her, “Hey—I’m sorry honey I just remembered I needed to make a phone call. I’ll go in the kitchen to do it—I don’t want to interrupt.”
As Mason stood up with his phone in hand, Raina protested, “But Mason you can make your phone call right here. Just pause the movie. Really—don’t mind.”
Mason was insistent however, as he maintained, “That’s alright, I’ll go ahead and do it in the kitchen.”
Raina was a bit unnerved by his insistence, but nevertheless relented, “Okay…”
As soon as he disappeared into the kitchen to make the call however, Raina’s curiosity got the better of her. She stood up and walked over as close as she could get to the kitchen and still remain out of Mason’s sight.
From this vantage point, she could overhear Mason rapidly addressing someone with, “Hello Mr. Adjani! How’s your progress?”
This was then followed by a pause, and then, “Oh I see… Right… When are they leaving from Iraq? Okay… Okay…”
Mason then ended his call with, “You just be careful and watch your back buddy. Okay bye.”
Knowing he was off the phone Raina then hurried on over back to where she had just been seated on the couch, so that upon Mason’s arrival he wouldn’t even notice the difference. She felt bad for eavesdropping on him like this but Mason was so secretive at times.
A fact which often enough—served as a major source of arguments between them. He was no longer an active agent, he was retired, and yet sometimes he was more secretive than ever when it came to certain parts of his life. It made her to truly wonder about his motives at times.
But as it was, she had no reason to suspect him of anything other than what he presented himself to be—a retired patriot who loved his family and country more than anything else.
10
Getting Ready to Cross the Rubicon
A FEW MOMENTS LATER, BACK AT CIA HEADQUARTERS.
As soon as she shut the door behind her, Clara dialed up the number saved in the phone as Danae Rob
inson. And after a few rings, sure enough she heard the familiar voice of her classmate on the other end, as she greeted her in the same halting English, she had grown accustomed to, “Clara—Hello! Hello! I’m in data lab. Downstairs. Please—below! Meet me below!”
Clara questioned, “Hi Danae! The data lab? Where is that?”
At which Danae paused, before replying, “I’m sorry, I mean the archive room. You know where that is right?”
The archive room was the vast treasure trove of collected data for the CIA. Before the digital age its walls contained millions of paper files on all manner of subjects and cases. But ever since paper files were replaced with digital ones, it had more or less become a glorified computer lab.
Not wanting to waste any time, Clara answered back with a simple, “Okay…I’m heading there now.”
With that she headed to the elevator that would take her to the basement level of the building where the data lab was located. After disembarking from her elevator, she made a beeline for the data lab. After showing the armed guard at the door her CIA ID—not a badge, but the temp idea of a trainee—she stepped inside and found Danae sitting in front of a row of computers.
Sitting down next to her, Clara was amazed by the tech that was in the CIA’s lab. It seemed as if everything was being run on Quantum computing technology. She watched as Danae seamlessly scrolled through ream after ream of data until finally, she stopped on a file with the heading ABDI.
Seeing the name, Clara wondered aloud, “Abdi… what is that?”
Danae corrected her, “No—it’s more like who is that.”
Danae then began, “Mr. Abdi was a terrorist mastermind that your father--.” Clara now realized why the Director refused to refer to Mason as anything other than “the target” or “the subject” because as much as the impersonal tone had bothered her, now hearing her dad being directly referenced grated on her nerves even more.
Seeing the look of consternation on Clara’s face at the mention she then self-corrected, “I mean—the subject… was said to have been involved with on several occasions.”
Clara knew the story of how her dad was tricked into helping Abdi and his terrorists, it was because she was being held hostage and he was being forced to break the rules just to keep her alive.
But she knew better than to break into a sudden, spirited defense of her dad, it would just make her seem biased. So as much as it pained her, she kept her mouth shut and simply listened as Danae explained, “The subject, and Mr. Abdi were very close it seems.”
Still referring as Mason as “the subject”, Danae continued, “The subject helped Mr. Harnad Abdi through customs and then proceeded to take him to DC.”
Danae then frowned as she added, “But a firefight broke out and he ended up shooting and killing Mr. Abdi.”
To which an unphased Clara offered, “Well they don’t exactly sound like best buds do they?”
Danae then squinted her eyes and looked more carefully at the screen as she announced, “Oh—wait a minute! I think I’ve found something!”
Danae who seconds ago seemed as if she were about to make some monumental discovery, suddenly frowned and furrowed her brow. Clara looking over her shoulder inquired, “What is it?”
Seeing a file with the heading, “Study on Potential Leaks and Aid to International Terrorist Groups” she looked down to see her dad’s name mentioned in conjunction with the known Catholic extremist group called “The Blood”. Hearing as much Clara’s mind flashed back to all the times her father had investigated and prosecuted the terror group.
He had followed the extremists all over the world from Italy to Iran, and all the way back to DC and even at his own home in Baltimore, Maryland. He had indeed kept a close watch on the group, so close in fact that at one point he himself was captured and taken prisoner by them. But to say that he was working for them? Clara knew that was a stretch—if not a complete fabrication.
Yet again the report brought up past dealings Mason had, including the time that the group had tried to frame him for murder. The findings of the report however suggested that perhaps he wasn’t framed after all and was working as a hit man for the organization. Clara unable to stomach what she was hearing, hissed under her breath, “This is ridiculous.”
Danae then pointed out a section at the bottom, and related, “It says here that Mr. Walker—um, I mean—the subject may be a double agent. Along the same lines of Tessa Rogers.”
The mention of Tessa Rogers who had recently had her name cleared, and declared a national hero with a statue and monument to her to boot, for foiling a major terrorist attack, made Clara’s blood boil.
“What?! Tessa? They already cleared her of any wrong doing! Why are they mentioning her now?”
Danae not quite as familiar with the case simply pointed at the text and repeated, “It says that she and Walker may have both been working as double agents for the terrorists. Both were in fact well documented for the aid they gave to terror kingpin Harnad Abdi and both were implicated in crimes of lesser and greater severity—even all the way up to murder…”
She paused, before continuing, “In support of the terror organization….”
Clara couldn’t help but snap, “This is a bunch of bullshit… they’re just rehashing yesterday’s news to make it sound like something relevant. Tessa wasn’t a double agent—she was a triple agent!”
Clara taking a breath, continued “She had her terrorist handlers tricked into thinking she was an American spy turned ally, when in reality she was still carrying out clandestine operations against the terrorists from within. This was proven when she used all of her amassed intel to foil a major terror plot, and gave her life to stop the terror network.”
Clara trying to calm her nerves, sighed, “I know I’m getting a little emotional here…. But it just doesn’t make sense…”
Danae for the first time showing a bit of concern for her partner, told her, “It’s alright Clara…. We will figure it out.”
Clara sighed, “We have to—we have to. I know that this isn’t right… And I’m going to prove them all wrong.”
CIA HQ, THE ARCHIVE ROOM, A FEW HOURS LATER
It’s getting late, and all the other agents and researchers have dispersed, yet one lone form was still plugging away at the one of the terminals in the Archive Room. Her name was Danae Robinson and she had an interesting history that most knew nothing about. Her father was indeed a former CIA agent but he during his stint in Greece he was also working double time as a spy for intelligence handlers in the neighboring nation of Turkey.
They were his true task masters who he fed a constant stream of information on all the latest political intrigue. Most of this information was simply stored away in Istanbul’s halls of power for future reference without any meaningful action being taken. Danae’s father meanwhile abruptly passed away from a heart attack but not before letting his daughter in on the family business. And now all of his contacts were her contacts. It was through these connections after all, that Danae was so seamlessly able to make her way to the U.S. to become a CIA agent.
Danae was a truly conflicted figure however, born into a crossroads of ideologies and allegiances. For her it only seemed natural to play one side against the other. Nevertheless, when she first joined the CIA, she initially told herself that she would keep her head down, and stay loyal to her father’s original homeland.
But in the end, the temptation to work both sides proved too much for her. So it was that even while she was helping the CIA to spy on other nations, she was still keeping her overseas connections open so that if the opportunity were to arise—she could funnel as much classified U.S. data as she could to the highest foreign bidder.
Finding herself all alone in the CIA’s archive room, she felt that the moment had indeed arrived. Unable to resist the urge any longer, she decided to act. Looking around to make sure that everyone was gone, Danae plugged a special device into the USB port of one of the main computers.
It was really too easy for her. Staring at the huge amount of data she was dumping into her flash drive she thought to herself, ‘If this is a crime—the real crime is their failure to properly guard their secrets! This is so easy a baby could do it.’ She eagerly watched the screen as the Central Intelligence Agency’s high-speed internet made sure the file of clandestine data quickly jumped from 20 percent to 60 percent, and a few moments later to 90 percent.
It was now just a matter of seconds until she would have everything, she needed for her handlers back home. But right when the file was 95 percent complete, she heard someone coming her way. Loud footsteps were methodically and purposefully pounding across the linoleum in her direction. She couldn’t believe it. She was this close and someone was going to drop in on her now?
Nevertheless, she couldn’t be caught red handed, downloading sensitive info on a flash drive. So it was that even as the download was about to reach completion, she had no choice but to abort. “Damn it…” she muttered to herself as she yanked the drive out and shoved it into her pocket.
Just moments later an older man popped his head into the cubicle space she was sitting in, and announced, “Oh—I’m sorry miss. I didn’t know anyone was here. I’m just trying to take out the last of the evening’s trash.”
It was just the janitor! Danae trying very hard not to look at the man in absolute disgust as the realization dawned on her. She most likely could have continued her work without the guy being none the wiser. Taking a breath, she tried to calm herself with the thought, ‘Oh well… this was just a practice run… Maybe next time.’
