by L. M. Vila
“Thank you for doing this on such short notice Elijah,” called Davis.
“It’s my sincerest pleasure to aid a Paladin in their time of need,” he replied.
Davis turned his attention towards his strong but silent companion.
“Elijah has just recently received the title of Cleric in our organization. Though young, he is one of our best pilots so rest assured Michael. You are in both good and capable hands.”
Michael did not offer a response. He turned his head towards the window and stared out at the black abyss. His body was still fairly worn out from his previous battle but a good night’s rest would help alleviate that minor concern. The chances of actually catching some decent sleep seemed distant. Even after all of the kindness Testament has shown Michael up to this point he still held his reservations. Before he knew it, his eyes were shut and the thoughts of anything other than peace began to dwindle. Sleep found Michael quicker than he anticipated and hopefully by the time he woke up, they’d already be back on the ground.
March 24th, 2013 8:19AM
Washington, D.C.
Golden rays of light pierced through the shallow plastic confines of the beige window screen. The bright sun rose quickly over the horizon finding its way into the young FBI agent’s presence all too early. Meryl’s body demanded more rest. She had hoped to sleep through most of the flight but was only able to catch roughly a good hour. Sadly enough, it wasn’t all in a row. Being blessed with having a first class seat should have made it easy and yet, something had made Meryl feel restless throughout the trip. Maybe it was the adrenaline still sneaking through her system after the shootout or the sour taste left in her mouth when leaving Adrian Fischer behind. Whatever her mind was trying to justify, her eyes couldn’t help but steal occasional glances at the empty seat next to her.
The plane touched down at Dulles International Airport and not a moment too soon. Meryl popped of her seatbelt and was the first out the door. She barely waited for the announcement before grabbing her bag and heading down the tunnel. The quicker she got there, the quicker this would all be over and she could return to normal life. Well, as normal as normal gets for a rambunctious agent of the FBI anyways.
As she passed into the gate she spotted someone holding a sign high above their head with her name and Michael’s written on it. They must have had good reason too because Meryl couldn’t see much else besides the white board and a pair of small fat hands holding them up. She quickly moved through the crowd and approached the one so desperately trying to get her attention and confirmed why he had to do so.
“Good morning,” Meryl called. “I’m Special Agent Meryl Lewis.”
She extended her hand out to greet the short and stocky man. He had the look of a desk man written all over him. The poor guy was shorter than Meryl and her height was barely above average for a woman. He had soft and neatly trimmed brown hair and a pair of fairly thick glasses pressed upon his face. Not bad but not quite what Meryl was expecting from the main branch of the FBI. Though if he shaved a few pounds he might be considered mildly attractive.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Agent Lewis,” he eagerly replied while vigorously shaking her hand.
His excitement showed in spades. Perhaps he should be let out of the office a little more often.
“I’m Special Agent Tracy Rogers and I will be your liaison for the duration of your stay here in D.C. If there’s anything you need just let me know.”
“I’ll be sure to do that Agent Rodgers. And please, call me Meryl.”
His grin became wide after hearing Meryl’s words.
“And I go by Tracy, or even Trace if you’d like.”
Meryl could feel his gaze extending not just on her but through her. He looked as though he was expecting something more. Then it hit her before he even spoke.
“I thought there was another with you.”
Rogers couldn’t hide the puzzled look on his face. He tried to stare over Meryl to catch a good look at the gate.
“Special Agent Michael Madison?”
“Nope. Just me.”
Meryl glanced behind her and quickly returned with a forced smile.
“Michael, err,” she caught herself quickly before sounding too informal with someone from the head office, “Agent Madison will be arriving later.”
“Well, alright then,” replied Tracy hoping to still ignite some enthusiasm within his new guest. “If you’ll just follow me. I have a car waiting for us outside.”
Tracy quickly maneuvered through the crowd with Meryl following closely behind. They soon found their way outside and into the cool breeze of the crisp Maryland air. The sun was already blaring down and giving the clean blue sky a brilliant shine.
“Right this way,” directed Tracy. He pointed Meryl over to his parked and stereotypically colored black Lincoln LKZ. Meryl always enjoyed the subtle privileges of carrying a badge. Being able to leave a parked car in front of an airport security was highly frowned upon in today’s political climate. It’s the little perks that always made this job worthwhile because the salary certainly left more to be desired.
Meryl opened the door only to find a manila folder occupying the passenger seat. Tracy quickly picked them up and passed them over to her as she entered the vehicle. The car was well cleaned and surprisingly roomy. Either Tracy or his superiors were looking to make a good impression of how things work in the main office.
“That is the dossier going over the activities planned for this week. Feel free to take a look at during the ride.”
“Thanks,” replied Meryl as opened up the packet.
Typical papers stared back at her detailing and outlining all of the major events going on. The flight coupled with lack of sleep had gotten to her more than she was letting on. It was too much of a beautiful day to waste it buried in work this early in the morning. Meryl decided to pursue small talk instead.
“It’s a shame they’ve got you working on a Sunday.”
“That’s been the story of my life for the past month,” Tracy quipped. “With all of the preparations for this meeting going on, the Director’s had us working seven days out most weeks. Lot of stuff happening and not enough eyes to track it all. We’re being particularly careful to watch any kind of unique activities and nip them in the bud before they have a chance to grow.”
“Anything wild happen so far?” Meryl retorted hoping to hear a funny or interesting response in in return. Hopefully both.
“Fortunately things have been quiet. I mean, there’s a lot more traffic and some things that would normally get listed as low priority get kicked up to top but nothing too out of the ordinary. The Director’s been under a lot of stress thanks to all this. I think that’s why he recommended you and Agent Madison for the operation. We’ve been so busy keeping things under control here I don’t think the Director could afford to lose anyone.”
Meryl didn’t feel as relieved as she thought she would after hearing that news. The last year on the job has been anything but quiet so this should be a welcomed break.
“Did the Director pitch this OP to Secret Service?”
“No ma’am,” Tracy quickly countered. “This one came from the Commander in Chief himself. I wasn’t privileged to be on that meeting but our new President is trying to make sure all of the branches of government are playing nice together. So he proposed this joint OP to the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service. Of course, no one was going to turn down the President. Especially when he’s still fresh into his new role. So, grudges were quelled and lines of authority were blurred once they all sat down and came up with a plan that they agreed was the best course of action.”
That got the gears in Meryl’s head to spin.
“Does the President really think this meeting is a potential security threat?”
“Heck no!” Tracy joked. “This wasn’t even his idea. His security advisors said came up with the original plan. To them, anyone who steps through that door is a security threat. Even you and
me. We’re just on the lower level than most. They had so many ideas running through their heads about what could happen that the President stepped in to put the matter to rest. That’s essentially why he suggested the cross-organization team up.”
“And have all the plans been finalized?”
“Pretty much. Just waiting for the last two pieces of the puzzle,” Tracy said sending over an implied wink in Meryl’s direction.
The car began to slow down upon arrival at their intended destination. It was hard to believe Meryl was just here over a year ago right after graduating from the FBI Academy in Quantico just down the road. The massive gray structure standing at almost ten stories high wouldn’t look like much upon first glance. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the J. Edgar Hoover Building apart from the latest dot-com company. However, it is truly what’s on the inside that makes this place special.
“We’re here.”
Tracy stopped the car in what looked to be a parking spot reserved just for him in-between two marked vehicles and killed the ignition. The doors popped open seemingly simultaneously as both FBI agents took their leave. Meryl made sure to grab the files and followed Tracy along through the entrance of the building. Black trimmed glass doors slid open automatically upon their approach. They casually stepped through and approached the security kiosk. Tracy already had his badge well in hand before he spoke.
“Special Agent Rogers with Special Agent Lewis.”
Meryl handed over her badge in a similar fashion to her liaison. The security guard gave it a quick once over and logged their entry into the system. He handed back both badges promptly.
“I’ll alert the Director to your arrival.”
“Great, thanks,” nodded Tracy as he escorted Meryl to the elevators.
He tapped the button and waited patiently for its arrival. Once the doors opened, they stepped in and began their ascension to the main floor.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to have fun from here on out.”
Meryl smiled politely and nodded. She didn’t think she looked particularly nervous but perhaps he was just trying to ease any tension. This was FBI headquarters after all. Most agents don’t even get to see this place after graduation while others want nothing more but to come back. Any agent that aspires to be something more will inevitably wind up working in this building. Meryl wasn’t exactly sure it was right for her. Definitely not right at this moment but that’s where she lived. Thinking about the future wasn’t really her style.
The elevator came to a halt and opened to a scene of controlled chaos. Even though it’s been a year since she’s been in the building, Meryl never remembered it being this busy. Everyone appeared to have a place to go, phone call to make, or meeting to join. The only thing missing would be papers flying and they could classify this as the world’s first man made tornado.
Tracy led the way through the bedlam of agents and within no time at all arrived at the office of the Director of the FBI. He gave a gentle knock on the door.
“Sir, we’ve arrived.”
Throughout the commotion outside, a distinct “Come in,” could be heard through the door.
Tracy opened it up and allowed Meryl to step through first. The thing that caught Meryl’s immediate attention was just how big the Director’s office was. Sure he was responsible for the entire operation and wellbeing of the Federal Bureau of Investigation but it appeared to be as nice and eloquent as some of the top CEOs in the country. Meryl had a bit more experience with that than she cared for which would explain why a place like this felt so memorable.
Seated at the desk with a computer masking most of his features was Howard Miller, the FBI’s current Director for the past three years. He had soft gray hair but a stern face and sharp facial features. Though he was old enough to be Meryl’s father he looked tough as nails with a physique to back it up. His desk was completely buried in papers and all of the walls of his office were coated with hundreds upon hundreds of photographs. None of them looked like they were personal.
“Special Agent Lewis,” the Director spoke pulling himself from his chair.
He approached Meryl swiftly and extended his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
His voice was deep and gruff as if sleep was a suggestion rather than a necessity. Meryl made sure to silently clear her throat in a vain attempt to sound less tired than she actually was.
“And you as well sir,” Meryl replied hoping to sound with equal amounts of professionalism and glee.
This man was his boss after all. Though not directly, he could control the future of Meryl’s career with a single email.
“I trust you had good flight given the accommodations,” he said while walking back to his desk.
The director offered chair nearby for his newly arrived guest.
“Why don’t you go ahead and take a seat.”
Meryl took his offer graciously.
“Thank you sir.”
“Agent Rogers,” The Director called. “Give us a few moments. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
“Yes sir,” replied the portly FBI agent.
The door shut behind him and left Meryl alone with the most powerful man in her organization. Though meeting him only once and briefly at that during graduation, she didn’t feel nervous in the slightest. They were the ones that called her here. She felt honored above all else.
“Sorry to bring you in on a Sunday but I’ve got the President breathing down my neck about getting this thing off the ground. The sooner we get you up to speed, the sooner we can get through this mess and go home.”
“I’m looking forward to working with you sir and I welcome the opportunity to offer my assistance.”
That sounded a bit more robotic that Meryl had hoped but she couldn’t help it. She had nothing but the utmost amount of respect for this man. If not for him, Meryl wouldn’t have been allowed to work in the L.A. office. She would have probably been stuck here.
“How are things treating you over in Los Angeles? Not driving you nuts there already I hope.”
“Not at all,” defended Meryl. “Things have been going really well. I enjoy coming into work every day and the people I work with. I couldn’t ask for much more than that.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Speaking of such.”
Howard began while pulling up a file from on top of his desk. He tossed it across and it slid gently over towards Meryl before coming to a complete stop. She opened it up to see a page full of accounting data filled with some very large numbers.
“I just heard back from the Vegas field office. Looks like there’s close to a couple hundred million dollars’ worth of untaxed cash under Mr. Logan’s account. Once we get a solid conviction, that money will be going straight back to the taxpayers.”
Meryl tried her best to hold back a smile. She barely succeeded.
“Another great job from you two as always,” praised Howard. “If you’re looking for a change in scenery, I’d be happy to take you out of L.A.’s hands.”
Meryl politely laughed at the comment.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
With the pleasantries out of the way, the Director thought it best to get right down to business.
“Let’s get to it then. With the Koreans arriving in six days, we’ve been hard at work here coming up with a plan that works best for everyone. Our joint efforts with the Secret Service and CIA notwithstanding, everything you do will be under my jurisdiction. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir,” she wholeheartedly replied.
“Good. If any one of them gives you so much of an ugly stare you let me know.”
Meryl nodded. His levity about the situation was reassuring. The Director may have been humble but still carried an aura of distrust. It’s a shame to see government agencies at each other’s throats like this but it’s been business as usual for the most part.
“I trust Agent Fischer has briefly gone over the details.”
“Briefly, yes.”
“Good,” the Director smiled.
He was an easy man to please in some respects.
“These peace talks are on the President’s highest priority. He wants to ensure everything goes well. Though we’ve liberated a nation of people there are still some that don’t consider our actions noble. That’s why the President wants to bring together both nations to work out a plan that works for everyone. Hell, if he can get us to play nice with the CIA, I’d say he’s more than up to the task at hand.”
Without giving Meryl a moment to enjoy his last comment, the Director continued.
“Safety is the number one priority here. He wants both nations to feel like they are on equal ground and free from any potential threats. Of course, if you ask three different agencies how safe our nation’s headquarters is you’re going to get three different answers. The President wants to change the image of our nation in the eyes of those who thought so negatively about us only a few months back so he’s doing whatever it takes to make us appear humble and forthcoming with their needs.”
“Where is this meeting being held?”
The Director scoffed.
“The Oval Office.”
“What?”
This revelation sent tons of alarm bells ringing in Meryl’s head. According to the expression on her superior’s face, he at least shared similar sentiments.
“The President has affirmed and reaffirmed that opening up his doors to these two nations would bring about the quickest resolution. Naturally it’s a security nightmare having so many foreigners and diplomats within the walls of the most sacred building in the country but the President insisted.”
“And all the departments agreed?”
“Technically it’s the safest building in the country. We’ve got cameras and audio surveillance covering every inch of that place twice over. Guided tours have been shut down for the past month to clean up and ensure no foreign affects have been left over or planted. We’ve got everything on lock down to make the most impenetrable fortress in our nature even more secure. All of our ducks are in a row. Now we just need to make sure it stays that way.”
