by Cliff Ryder
He gave it to her.
She punched in the code and the door swung free.
"So was that you guys making the ruckus in the hallway?" he asked.
"Yeah, but it should be clear for a little bit," Jesse said.
"Let's not count on that," Jason replied. "If it weren't for bad luck lately, I'd have no luck at all."
They moved to the long hallway, but had only taken a few steps when the first guard stepped into their path. Jason wasn't about to get stuck in that cell again, but as he tensed for action, Jesse reached forward, placed a firm hand on his shoulder and stepped in front of him.
"Hey, Paul," he said.
"Christ, Jesse! You scared the hell out of me. I thought those guys were loose for a minute," he said.
"I've got it under control," Jesse replied. He stepped forward and placed a hand on the Mini MAC-10 the guard had pointed at them. Paul started to lower the weapon and Jesse yanked the gun out of his hand and in one quick move, smashed it against the side of Paul's head.
The man dropped, hitting the floor with a thud.
"Will that do?" Jesse asked.
"Not all that subtle, but I like it," Jason said.
They made it to the front door and Jesse stuck his head out, then signaled for the others to follow. A small group of guards was approaching the building. Jesse raised his hand to wave, but they opened fire.
"I don't think they believe that you are taking us to see Boris again," Jason said. "Find cover!"
They ran for the other side of the building as Jesse laid down a burst of covering fire while they moved. A moment later, he was crouched next to them.
In his shoulder holster, Jason saw that Jesse had his Glock.
"Hey, that's mine!" he said.
"I thought brothers were supposed to share," Jesse said.
Jason reached forward and pulled the pistol from the holster. "Mine!"
He leaped forward, moving into view and drawing the fire of the guards. Adrenaline and anger surged through his veins, and four well-placed shots later, the rain of gunfire dissipated. He took cover on the other side of a truck and waved for the others to join him. Jason and Jesse covered their movements, using any guard foolish enough to pop his head up as target practice.
He felt a tugging on the back of his shirt and glanced to see Tina behind him. "Time to go," she said. "Better to run and live to fight another day and all that."
He nodded. "All right." He fired one last burst, then turned to run and almost tripped over Tina, who he'd expected to already be moving. She was staring wide-eyed at the new group of men running at them from the Quonset building.
"Holy shit! That's it!" she exclaimed. "We've got to move."
"That's kind of what I'm trying to do," Jason said, promising himself that if they got out of this, Tina was going to be answering a lot of questions. "Get going!"
Startled into action, she ran for the SUV where everyone else was already seated. It started moving and they ran alongside and jumped in. The engines revved and the whine and ping of bullets could be heard as the guards opened up completely.
Jason was barely in his seat when Jesse tossed a grenade into his lap. He looked at his brother.
"Well," Jesse said, "you do know how to use the damn thing, don't you?"
Jason waited until the gang that was following got a little closer, then popped the pin and counted off a few seconds. Leaning out the window, he threw the grenade, which landed directly beneath the pickup that was in pursuit. It detonated, tossing the truck into the air. It landed on its tailgate, spilling out the guards in a heap on the ground.
Jason laughed and sat back down as Tina's grandfather drove into the frozen wilderness.
A few miles later, Jason said, "We've got to stop. I need to find where they're keeping my stuff. There are things I'm going to need."
"It's not a problem, little brother," Jesse said. "I've got it all here." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the SUV's cargo area.
"What the hell is going on here?" Jason asked. "I didn't see you being all helpful when the bald beauty was kicking my ass. Could have used a little support then, bro. What's with the sudden change of heart?"
"Look, Jason, I told you the first time we met that I wasn't looking for family, and I meant it. But I suddenly realized I have no choice in the matter. Like it or not, you're family and that's it."
"Bullshit," Jason said. He could tell from Jesse's body language that his brother wasn't exactly lying, but he wasn't saying everything, either. "That's not what changed your mind. I want the truth."
"What are you, some kind of fucking psychic?" Jesse asked. "Fine, you're right. That's not what changed my mind. I didn't like what they were doing, but I needed to make a living and the pay was better than good. I didn't see a whole lot of other options."
"There are always other choices," Tina said.
"Yeah, well, I didn't see one. At least not until I got to Jason's cabin in town. Sheriff Giles was dead on the floor and Chris was there, getting ready to do a little inventory on your stuff. He told me to gather it all up and bring it to base and then he kicked Giles's body and told me to be sure and take out the trash before I left. That's when I realized it wouldn't be too long before he decided I wasn't worth any more than Giles had been."
"So you're bailing out?" Jason asked.
Jesse offered him a hard stare. "Listen to me. If I'd wanted to leave you in that cell to rot and taken off, maybe left the country, I would have. But sooner or later, they'd find me. Boris and his boss have a very long reach. I'd be a dead man walking." He broke the eye contact and stared out the window. "Guess I figured that if I'm going to die, it may as well be for doing something right for once in my life."
"We're here," Tina said as the SUV rolled to a stop.
"Where is here?" Jason asked. He looked around and couldn't see anything but the brown tundra grass and a few small birds in the distance.
"Things are not always what they seem," Tina said.
She marched forward and walked around in an area that was covered with grass. Then she came to sudden stop and pulled on a chain that was attached to a sliding door in the ground.
Peering into the darkness inside, Jason momentarily hesitated, but Tina scampered down the ladder, and the others followed behind. They all stood in one corner while Jesse lit several oil lamps to give them light. He went to work getting the generator cranked up.
Jason looked around at the crates that were scattered throughout the room. The labels were in several different languages, most of which he knew. Munitions, guns and other items were being stored underground.
"This one of your warehouses?" Jason asked Jesse.
"Not mine," he said. "This one belongs to Tanuk."
"Grandfather!" Tina gasped. "How could you? You told me you were out of the smuggling years ago!"
"All due respect to your grandfather, but, Jesse, you're using a guy that is like nine hundred years old in your smuggling operation?" Jason asked. "It can't be that tough to get good help out here."
Tanuk chuckled quietly. "No one looks twice at me. I am a very old man and I make a good cover for the operation."
Jason looked at Tina and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess," he said. "You didn't know. Are you sure about that, Tina? Or is there some other name I should be calling you instead?"
She grabbed him firmly by the arm. "Come with me," she said. "We need to talk."
He allowed her to guide him farther back into the cavern. The crates made for crude hallways and seemed to go on almost endlessly until the space opened up into a much larger space the size of a basketball court.
"Okay," she said. "I know you have questions. And I'll answer them, but the important thing is that I know the man behind all this. Feng Li. I know who he is."
"You're kidding!" Jason exclaimed. "You mean that being here among your family and friends, who happen to be working for the man, has suddenly filled in the gaps in your memory? Color me amazed."
&nb
sp; "It's not the way it looks, Jason," she said. "And sarcasm isn't going to help us. It's not what we need right now."
"I'm sorry, Tina," he said, his tone mocking. "I'm just a little cranky after having my entire mission blow up in my face, being captured and tortured, only to find out that the one person I've been trusting has been lying her cute little ass off to me."
She lowered her head. "You're right," she admitted. "I have…lied. But they were lies of omission, not lies of fact."
"That will make a big difference when my boss has me killed," he said.
"Denny?" she asked. "I'll take care of it."
"What do you mean you'll take…" Jason's voice faltered. "Denny? How do you know that name?"
"Jason," she said quietly, "I know who you are."
"You've known that since the day we met," he said.
"Not your name," she replied, "but God only knows if that is your name. I mean I know who you work for. Room 59. Ring any bells for you?"
"How do you…" he began.
She shrugged. "I know because I work for them, too."
"What?" he asked, her words not registering as real. "You're not a…you don't act like a field agent. I don't understand."
"I'm not a field agent," she said. "I went through the basic training, but most of my work is doing intercepted-Russian-communication translations. When I worked in New York, I did some intelligence analysis, too. I used a different name, but when I came home, I started using my birth name again." She looked up at him. "I haven't kept any secrets from you that you haven't been keeping from me."
Still stunned, Jason said, "You work for Room 59?"
"Yeah," she said. "I came up here when I realized that city life just wasn't for me. They found a way to keep me on up here, and the work I do is valuable. We both had the same secret, the only difference being that I knew who you were working for and you didn't know that I work for them myself."
"But if you knew who I was…" he said, then his voice trailed off. "They told you I was coming, didn't they?"
She nodded. "Yes. I was supposed to keep an eye on you, lend you a hand if you needed one. This is your first mission, after all."
"Keep an eye on me?" he snarled. "Is that what…what all of this was? You keeping an eye on me?"
"No!" she said. "Yes." She sighed heavily. "At first, yes. You were just an assignment, but…I do care about you. I don't know what that really means yet or how you feel or even what I'll feel when all this is over. I was doing my job, damn it, the same as you."
Running his hands through his hair, Jason tried to wrap his mind around the fact that she worked for Room 59, that she'd been playing him as well or better than he'd played her. "I guess you'd make a hell of a field agent, if you ever set your mind to it," he said. "You sure had me fooled."
"I wasn't trying to trick you, Jason. You've said it yourself — the mission comes first. I decided that it was time you knew the truth. We're coming down to the end here and you're going to need all the resources you've got — including me."
"True enough," he admitted.
"Look," she said, "I've been trying to help you, but I'm not a field agent, and really…I'm better at doing translations than analysis anyway. It's been great to have a steady paycheck while doing something that came easily to me, but I'm not a big part of the Room 59 machine. I'm a little, tiny cog and other than filing my reports, I have almost no contact with them. When I was there, I just figured out that it wasn't my world. It was me trying to be someone I wasn't."
Jason sat down on a nearby crate, trying to take it all in, then he sighed. "I can't think of any reason for you to lie," he finally said. "So, you work for Room 59. That might be enough to save me, if I can get this mission salvaged."
"And that," she said, "is what I've been trying to get at. Feng Li. I know who he is."
"I don't get it," he said. "How do you know him?"
"I want to be sure," she said. "Let's get your stuff set up and get online with Denny. All my gear is back in the village. We can pull up the databases we'll need at the same time."
Jason stood up abruptly and crossed his arms. "No way," he said. "You think I'm just going to take your word for all this? Your grandfather works for them!"
"So does your brother," she snapped back. "You're going to have to choose whether or not you trust me."
"I don't have any reason to trust you, do I?" he said. "You could have been straight with me from the beginning. You could have said you worked for the CIA, the FBI or the NSA. Why play the native guide?"
"It's my cover," she snapped. "And I happen to be a very good guide!"
"You could have said you worked for…"
"P.E.T.A.?" she interrupted.
He stopped suddenly, realizing that he was yelling and waving his arms like a madman. This woman was going to drive him completely insane before this mission was through. They both laughed, and once again the tension eased between them.
"That was a pretty good one, wasn't it?" he said.
"Considering the circumstances, I'd say it was comedic genius," she replied.
In two strides, he had her in his arms. "I thought…I thought they'd hurt you," he said, holding her tightly. "You get me all turned around, you know?"
Laying her head on his chest, she nodded. "I know. You do the same to me. There's a reason why they preach the Don't Let It Get Personal motto to every agent. It messes with your thinking."
"You weren't an agent," he said. "So how do I get you turned around?"
"I care about you," she said. "More than I wanted to admit."
"Are you two about done in there?" Jesse's voice echoed loudly through the cavern. "Or should we book you a nice room at the village motel?"
Kissing him softly on the lips, she said, "We're about done in here. Did you bring Jason's equipment in?"
"Yeah, and I hid the truck on the back side of those scrub trees and covered it up pretty well."
"They'll be looking for us," Jason said. "And when they find us, they'll bring everything they've got, including the Asp."
"I know," she said. "That's why it's time for us to report in to Denny and give him an update. Once he knows the situation on the ground and I can tell him about Feng Li, we'll have a better idea of what to do next."
"Who is Feng Li?" Jason asked as he followed her back to the other room. "You sound almost scared of him."
"There's no 'almost' to it," she said. "I'm terrified of him."
"Why?"
"Because he used to work for Room 59, too," she said. "He started out as a field agent, and worked his way up to running one of the midnight teams until he went to the other side."
Jason stopped suddenly in his tracks. "He's an ex-agent?"
"Yes," she said. "And he's supposed to be dead."
17
"You are well, granddaughter?" Tanuk asked when they entered the main room. "You told him the truth?"
"Yes, on both counts," Tina said, leaning down to kiss the old man's cheek. "Though at some point, you and I are going to have a talk about all of this. I knew of this place, but you'd promised me that you weren't involved in the smuggling anymore."
She knelt down next to him and took his hand. "I don't understand," she said. "It's not like we really needed the money."
"I am sorry," Tanuk said. "I did not do it for the money. I just wanted to feel alive again, Tina. The years have crept up on me and I wanted one more adventure. Had I known what I was getting into…" The old man shrugged. "Wisdom can come from anywhere, at any age. This turned out to be a little more adventure than I had in mind."
Jason chuckled. "That makes two of us, at any rate." He turned to Jesse. "You've got my stuff?"
"Over on the table there," he said. "And the generator is up, so we've got full power."
Jason pulled a rickety wooden chair over to the table and sat down. "The question is whether or not I can get a good linkup from belowground. That can be sketchy sometimes, but maybe today we'll be lucky."
"I thought you didn't believe in luck on this mission," Tina said.
"The tide's got to turn sooner or later," he said, booting up his computer. He quickly looked his system over, but it appeared that Chris hadn't had time to explore anything before Jesse arrived.
"All right," he said, launching the software that would connect him to Room 59 via a virtual private network, routed through a satellite. "Let's see if we can get a tune out of this trombone."
He listened as the computer clicked and whirred through its task. It took slightly longer than usual, but the log-on screen eventually came on and he went through the security protocols. Once confirmed, he sent his avatar down the hallway and into the virtual offices of Room 59.
As usual, he didn't pause to greet anyone else, but made a beeline for Denny's office. He tapped urgently on the door, and his boss's smooth voice said, "Come in, Jason."
Jason entered Denny's virtual office, while in the real world, he motioned for Tina to move closer. In the shadows under the table, he held his Glock in one hand. All he had to do was pull the trigger.
"I've been expecting a status report from you, Jason," Denny said, gesturing for him to sit down. "What's your mission status?"
"Complicated, sir," Jason said. "Before we go any further, I need you to do something for me."
Denny didn't reply, just lifted one eyebrow.
"I need you to pull up the personnel files database and confirm an identity."
"That's an unusual request," Denny said.
"I'm in an unusual situation," Jason replied. "Please."
"Very well." Denny tapped at some icons floating on his desktop and a modulated voice said, "Personnel database online."
"Tina Kanut," Jason said.
Denny chuckled quietly. "There's no need to search that name. I can confirm her identity. She's one of ours. You found her out, did you?"
"No," Jason admitted. "She told me that she worked for the agency a short time ago. She played her cover perfectly…though it does explain her uncanny ability to sneak up on me."
"I'm glad to know that all her skills haven't rusted away up there in the frozen north. She's mostly a translator."
