A Mission Remembered

by Tanner Froreich

  I squinted to focus my eyes down the road when the vehicle crested the hill and blinded me with its headlights. I darted further into the woods to remain unseen. The military truck continued to rumble down the road. As it passed, I raced up behind it and jumped into the back.

  I wasn’t about to celebrate because I was greeted by the barrels of two rifles. The two agents had IODINE markings on their shoulders and I knew I was in the right place. Within a moment, though, they were not. With the agents trying to find their way around in the dark without their radios or weapons, I searched the containers that were on the truck. The crates were made up of a variety of different items, some paperwork here and experimental weapons there. I opened a box and found someone’s office supplies.

  The supplies belonged to one of the chief scientists of IODINE. I was looking through some of the stuff and most of it was pointless – trinkets and awards. I almost closed the crate but something caught my eye. Even in the poor light, I saw a file labeled “Prisoner Experiments”. I picked it up but the truck lurched upward because of a bump in the road and the file flew open. I was able to use my speed to recover the documents before the wind took them away.

  That incident caused me to think about the truck full of shipping crates. If IODINE was sending this truck out, the longer I stayed on, the further I would get from the base. With the file under my arm and a radio in my pocket, I leapt out of the truck and ran back down the road.

  I zoomed past the agents who were slowly running back to their base to warn them of my approach. I considered how I was going to get in without detection. With the spark of an idea, I turned around. I ran back to the agents and tackled one. I…well… took his clothes. I compensated him with a very comfortable sweater and pants.

  I kept running, wondering how far it was. Providentially, as the mountain came within view, so did a returning Semi-truck. I raced up near the front and hopped into that space between the cab and trailer. Before the truck pulled into the tunnel leading into the garage, I jumped off of the truck and deliberately rolled down the embankment. With my uniform tattered and ripped, I stumbled into the tunnel and fumbled into the garage.

  Like I suspected, a team of four agents quickly were upon me. They looked me over, but the uniform was doing its job. I blurted out, “He… He’s coming!”

  “Who’s coming?” an agent asked.

  Trying to sound as winded as possible I said, “The Blue Blur! He raided our truck and threw me out.”

  “Are you injured, agent? Where’s your comrade? Agents are sent out in pairs along with a driver,” they questioned.

  Gesturing back and taking an unnecessary deep breath I replied, “Way back, to slow.”

  They nodded and one replied, “Get to medical, and make sure you’re not hurt. We’ll lock down the mount.”

  I gave a weak salute and jogged off with a fake limp. As soon as I was out of sight of the men, I headed straight for the prisoner block. I approached the doorway and saw two guards. I tried to duck out of view, but I had been seen.

  “Badge!” one demanded itching to pull his rifle on someone.

  I wondered what I was going to do, but the sirens that went off answered the question for me. I punched the man in the face knocking him out cold, and quickly did the same to the other. After another costume change, I slipped into the prison ward. No one else stopped the new security guard with the gun.

  As I passed by the cells, I noticed a disturbing fact. Every cell was empty. There wasn’t a prisoner in this facility. I was on the verge of panic and I almost bolted to the high security block, but I reminded myself to stay calm. I found my way back, expecting to find the door locked, but it wasn’t. I carefully stepped into the cell block. There was no traps and no prisoner. The Troll, my escape plan, had been moved.

  Chapter 33

  Conspiracy

  He was gone! The cell didn’t even show any sign of its past occupant. I could tell that the fields weren’t active, but I dared not step inside the cursed box. In fact, something about being back in here preyed upon my natural instincts. My heart beat wilder than a racehorse and I felt like a caged animal again. I was not going to be trapped here again!

  I had to fight the flight response and try to figure out where they took the prisoner. Surely there had to be a paper trail, as IODINE wouldn’t be foolish enough to not have hard-copies. I carefully left the prison block. What if IODINE didn’t have physical copies? I didn’t have a choice – I would try to get into their computer system if I had too.

  I wandered through the mountain, remaining undetected. I knew my time was dwindling when I heard a voice over the intercom say, “Intruder! Intruder has taken a Security Uniform. Level 8.5 threat. Shoot on sight.”

  I had to ditch the uniform so I sped into the next door I found. I found myself stuck in the Infirmary, but I quickly found a spare pair of scrubs and threw them on. Dumping the gun and outer uniform down a trash chute, I grabbed a loose clipboard and tried to look as busy as I could. I maintained a hurried pace through the Infirmary but was spotted by a doctor who had ‘treated’ me when my memory migraines first manifested themselves. Apparently IODINE was very thorough in making sure everyone knew the face of a high-profile target.

  The man grabbed me by the arm, but I shoved him off of me. I had to bolt out of the Infirmary. I ran deeper into the mountain avoiding high traffic areas. What I was looking for wasn’t in any of the living quarters or areas around it. I was getting nervous as I had been in the open too long. I had to find a place to rest and recover.

  I knew of the perfect spot free of cameras and bugs. I raced back to the storage closet that Derek had shown me and slid into the room and closed the door.

  It was dark and the only sound that could be heard was my breathing and the alarms outside the door. Where would they keep records? I asked myself. They had to have them somewhere secure. They wouldn’t leave them out in the open just for anyone to find.

  “You just couldn’t stay away could you?” came a voice from behind me as the room exploded into light.

  I spun around and my eyes adjusted to the light. Derek was standing there, and I could tell by his face he was concerned. “How’d you know I would come here?”

  “When I heard that there was an intruder, I knew that it could only be one person.” He removed his blue scarf from his neck and put it in his coat pocket. “I also knew that you wouldn’t find whatever you're looking for before you needed to collect your thoughts. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone so you’re safe here.”

  I sighed. “Good.”

  “But what are you doing here, Arf? When you broke out, I thought for sure you would never come back here willingly. It’s too dangerous.”

  I looked around the room. Nothing had changed since I was last in here. “I came back for the other prisoner that was in the cell next to mine.”

  A confused look came over his face. “Wait, you came back for him? Why?”

  “Because what IODINE was doing to him and me was beyond unethical, it was barbaric!” I blurted out. Some old scars caused my words to be riddled with bitterness. I wanted to rephrase my words, but I knew they couldn’t come out without disdain.

  “I agree, and I was doing everything I could to get you out of that situation. But why him? Do you even know who he is?”

  I wanted to pace, but there was no room in this little closet. “Not as much as I should, partially because no one here ever told me anything. But it doesn’t matter if he’s a murderer, I know him and have seen what he can do. I don’t know what IODINE was planning to do with all the blood and experiments they did to me, but I do know it’s nothing good.”

  “But Arf, IODINE’s purpose is to maintain peace in America. How is that wrong?” he argued with uncertainty in his voice.

  “But as I remember, it’s also at all cost, right? Does that mean robbing someone of their freedom or their right to due process?” When the injustice done to me came to mind, I also thought about what had happene
d in Korea. Not wanting my emotions to take hold, I took a moment before finishing. “What about our Christian brothers in other countries? Phinehas was an American citizen in a Korean prison for his faith and I was ordered to do nothing.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “You’re right. IODINE isn’t the same organization that it was when I joined. Their motives are shady and alliances questionable. I was shocked when they placed you in high security instead of reprimanding you.”

  “Don’t you see? Mr. Bordeaux is planning something – I don’t know what. You may be number two, but I think there are some things even above your clearance,” I reasoned with him.

  He nodded. I thought convincing him would take longer, but I was grateful because I didn’t have time to argue. “Ok, I don’t have the specific location, but I do know where we can get it. Meet me... here.”

  He pulled out his phone and opened a map of the complex’s layout. The building was larger than I had realized. He pointed at a door and added, “You need to act like you are trying to escape by going to the garage outlets. Punch a few guys, but you won’t get out, the doors are already closed.”

  I nodded. “Giving you time to get there and open the door. Got it.”

  I ran out of the closet and did as Derek asked. Just as he said, the exits were now swarming with armed agents. I walked into view trying to seem as menacing as one can in scrubs. The flurry of bullets that came my way was no problem to avoid. I bolted through their ranks to the door, which I looked over and then zipped off to the next one. I did this for about a minute before zooming back into the interior of the mountain. I ran straight for the door Derek had directed me to.

  As I approached, Derek had passed through the door and it was closing behind him. I slipped through the door and kept running so to not make it look like he and I were working together. This new area was comprised of mainly offices and computer rooms where agents were conducting surveillance on countless different locations and targets.

  I ducked into a corner where I was out of view of the cameras. I breathed for a minute when Derek passed by and said, “253” into a radio that wasn’t on. When he was clear, I doubled back and around to the computer room 253. I stopped in front of the dark room. The room was clear of personnel.

  The room had one big screen on one wall and probably fifteen other computers staggered through the room. Derek walked past and placed a device on the camera above the door. “That will cause the cameras to send a loop feed of the last two minutes.” We both walked in and shut the door behind us.

  “Now what,” I asked.

  “Fire up a computer. The daily passcode is Frozen Fire,” he replied as he plopped down at one and started typing.

  Fortunately, the computer I got on had a mouse. The program opened with the logon screen requesting name and password. I entered the only IODINE agent name I remembered, Jeff Bordeaux. The screen changed to an identity verification screen. I didn’t know what to do as backing out would likely alert someone.

  Derek laughed grimly. “You didn’t use Jeff did you?” I nodded and he shook his head. “You’re lucky he hasn’t changed his code in years.” He came over and typed, B1g_Do9_bΩs5. I didn’t know how he made the omega, but I didn’t really care.

  Once I was in, I went straight to the search box. I typed, Blue Blur. The screen pulled up every file that mentioned that name. I was about to click on the file Experiment Results when I saw one of the oldest files. It was labeled Plan_A. In reading it I found that my memory at the cemetery wasn’t in error. Jeff and Derek had approached me before the Mindsweeper incident warning me to stay away and attempted to offer a chance to join the agency. It mentioned, “Fredrick rejected offer due to religious bias, move to Plan_B.”

  I did a search for that file and finally found the answer to my question. The file was for Level 10 clearance, so Derek didn’t know about this. The file was a mission report. It made many references to other files and reports, but from what I could gather, IODINE had gotten ahold of Dr. Benedict’s mind-sweeping research, probably by stealing it and killing him. They had developed it and nearly perfected it. They equipped an unnamed agent with the tech and assigned him to rob different locations to build a reputation. He was supposed to be my introductory assignment. When I rejected the offer to join IODINE, plans changed. They set him up to rob B.D.I. knowing I would respond.

  IODINE had created Mindsweeper! I had suspected it for a long time but didn’t have any proof. They had been trying to get me to join, but for what reason? It all made sense, but it also made me wonder what Mr. Bordeaux was planning.

  I was about to search for Mindsweeper’s identity or the location of the original tech when Derek exclaimed, “I found it!” He typed some more and a printer spat out the information. “What did you find on Jeff’s account?”

  “Something much more sinister,” I replied grimly. I took the paper from him, stuffed it in the pocket of my pants, under the scrubs, while he read over the report.

  As he read, I could see his face change expression. “They did this to you! Mindsweeper is an agent?” he stated in shock. “Arf, I’m so sorry. If I would’ve known, this wouldn’t have happened. I can’t…”

  “That’s why Jeff did this without involving you.”

  He thought and then said, “If I remember correctly, if your friend Abigail gets ahold of this tech, she may be able to reverse it, right?”

  “Yes, but how do you know about that?”

  He looked at me with a sorrowful and irritated look. “You know how.”

  I nodded. IODINE had been watching me. I shouldn’t be surprised.

  “We need to get you out of here. We’ve been in one area too long. You take the information, and I’ll cover our tracks. Don’t worry, I’ll dig deeper and get you the information you need about Mindsweeper.”

  I looked around. “How am I going to get out?”

  He smiled and went back to his computer and pulled a camera up on the big screen. The recording was a live feed of the garage. The crowd by the door was growing restless. “I’m going to briefly override the lockdown protocol and open the doors. You will have to be fast, as I will only be able to get them open a few feet for a few moments before the control room closes them manually.”

  “I get it. Run fast.”

  “As fast as you can.”

  I nodded and walked to the door. “Thanks Derek, I owe you one.”

  “I’ll remember that,” he said with a weak smile. “Now go!”

  “God’s Speed,” I finished as I rocketed out of the room.

  Chapter 34

  Better Late Than Never

  Just as Derek had said, the door wasn’t opened long. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get out with my limited time. I was pushing myself faster than I’d ever gone, but this mountain was a giant maze. The friction of my body against the air burned my face and the scrubs I was wearing caught fire, but I pushed harder. It wasn’t until now that I had considered the physics behind my powers. Each hypersonic step felt as if I was moving through water. Behind me, the energy that radiated from my body caused the walls to burst into flames. I was going to burn this place down! I approached the doors to the garage and was moving so fast that I didn’t have time to open them. I threw my arms up to protect myself, but as I was travelling so fast, the same compressed air that had burned my jacket off acted as a cushion against the doors.

  Blasting into the hanger, I headed straight to the door which was frozen in place. By the way the agents looked against the door, I deduced that it was closing. I only had about nine inches to squeeze through. The mob of suspended agents between me and the door was no threat. My fear was that at the speeds I was travelling, passing by would kill them or at least seriously wound them. I didn’t have much choice, as my brain couldn’t register fast enough. I slipped past the guards, and halfway across the divide, I jumped and dove sideways through the gap.

  Somersaulting, I regained my stance and pace. The tunnel ended in an ever-shrinkin
g opening near the floor as the secondary steel hanger door was closing. I threw my feet out first and slid for the next mile before getting back up. Even then, it took time for my mind to slow down from that speed.

  I looked behind me. The mountain was not visible, but I was sure that a smoke stack would start to form as the interior of the mountain burned. I reached into my pocket and thankfully, the paper was still there, a bit burnt, but there. Speaking of burnt, as soon as I stopped, the back what was left of the scrubs fell off. My shirt wasn’t far from ash and the back of my pants were tattered and torn from my epic slide. I winced as my legs burned from the severe road rash.

  I wasn’t about to wait around for IODINE to come after me. I turned my back to the mountain and ran home at a rather ‘normal’ speed.

  I stopped running as I got closer to my parent’s home and quickly walked the rest of the way. I stepped into the house. It was dark; everyone was probably asleep as it was nearly midnight. I wandered into various rooms looking for signs of someone, but I didn’t find a soul.

  I called, but the only response was my own echo. I heard the sound of a car pull up abruptly. I came outside to find Simon running up to the porch. A look of urgency covered his face like a mask. “Arf! I came this way as soon as the GPS showed that you left that mountain.” He looked at my clothes, but whatever was on his mind over rode what he wanted to ask.

  “What is it Simon?”

  “Your mom – her condition dived-bombed. You…”

  He didn’t need to say anything else. I shot off in an instant and ran to the hospital. I had to remind myself not to run at full speed in the building. I forgot, however, to check in. I ran through the front door and right past the check-in area. An attendant tried to call me back but I didn’t stop.