Agent M: Testament (The Agent M Series Book 2)

by L. M. Vila

  The soldiers were getting a bit more adamant. This didn’t surprise their superior. According to their instructions, the fate of their beloved country rested in their well trained and willing hands. They should have been privileged to receive that information but the current state of political affairs did not allow for such luxuries.

  “The word of the Generals is unquestionable. They believe in this mission and entrusted us to carry it out. We should feel honored to be a part of it.”

  Nods of approval and grunts can be heard among the ranks. The Colonel definitely has a way with words than his men agree with.

  “So,” the soldier asked meeker than his previous two, “What are we going to do?”

  Colonel Lee had a sound response to give. One that would hopefully quell any more questions and inspire confidence.

  “We follow orders. That is what we do.”

  All of soldiers simultaneous gave their superior a salute. Although it couldn’t be seen in the darkness to which they sat, Lee felt honored to be a part of this fine group of men.

  A large honking noise shook the confines of the container. The time to ship out had finally arrived. All of Lee’s men blew a visible sigh of relief. The added noise during the flight would allow them to breathe a little easier while moving around and eating. Colonel Lee welcomed it and anticipated a good journey towards their destination. The hour of their vengeance drew near with every passing moment and the honor of carrying it out was given to Lee and his men. He never felt prouder to be a part of the People’s Army.

  March 24th, 2013 9:45AM

  Washington, D.C.

  Meryl left the Director’s office with mixed feelings. She felt great about the assignment knowing the head of the Bureau not only had her best interests in mind but also called her one of his finest. That should have been enough to keep her going for months. However, Nicole’s sudden incident still weighed heavy in her mind.

  A familiar face greeted her not too long after she left. Tracy looked eager and hungry to please. He approached Meryl with a heavy smile.

  “How’d things go in there?”

  “Fine,” she replied with a measure of politeness added in. “So, where to next?”

  “We’ve got a general inquiry meeting to attend to go over the basics of the operation. From there, it’ll be a series of training classes for the next few days. We’re going to get you all up to speed on policies, politics, and Korean culture to make sure your presence doesn’t arouse suspicion. Pretty much for the next week, we’re going to train you to become an official member of the President’s cabinet.”

  All of that sounded like standard operating procedures. So far so good. Meryl was looking forward to this challenge. Most Americans don’t ever get a chance to even meet the President of their country let alone work for him.

  Tracy led the way through the ensuing chaos of the office and quickly came to a halt in front of a long conference room. The windows were large but heavily tinted. Not a single trace of light could escape from within. Like a proper gentleman, Tracy opened the door for Meryl and escorted her inside.

  Half a dozen agents stood and sat around a large conference room table. Each of them had a laptop not too far from their seats. Three projectors displayed various data and images pertaining to the upcoming operation. The sole standing agent maneuvered around the table and quickly greeted Meryl with a strong but welcoming handshake.

  “Special Agent Conner Williams,” he spoke.

  This agent was fairly average in height and weight nor was he physically imposing in the slightest. His salt and pepper colored hair was short and thick. Agent Williams definitely had a few more years on most of the people in the room but what he lacked in youthful exuberance he sure made up in intelligence and experience, according to his dossier anyways.

  “You must be Special Agent Meryl Lewis, correct?”

  “Yes sir,” she replied. “It’s a pleasure to be working with you.”

  “Pleasure’s all mine Lewis,” he walked her in and pulled out a chair for her. “The Director’s had nothing but good things to say about you and your partner for a while now. I’ve been looking forward to meet the agents that our boss holds in such high regard.”

  Looks like all of the extra effort Meryl has put in around the office has paid off lately. She had done a good job of impressing the Bureau in her short time here. It took the L.A.P.D. two years before they recognized her in such a manner. Granted that may be on account of all of her previous write ups holding her back.

  “I’ll keep it brief but let me introduce you to the team you’ll be working with over the next week,” said Williams.

  He started to around the room, clockwise from where Meryl was seated and began the formal introductions.

  “Next to you we have Agent Marshall Hayes. He’s our political expert and will training you on all of the specific White House SOPs you’ll need to follow. Then we have Agent Shelly Yuan, our translator and lead in the field of Asian history and culture. She’s going to teach you some basic greetings as well as mannerisms on how to act and what to expect in their presence. Agents Robert Murphy and Paul Langdon they’re our field leaders and responsible for handling all of the behind the scenes work in our operation. And finally there’s Sergeant Bill Bower with the Secret Service. He’s here to help coordinate our operation and to make sure everything is following protocol.”

  With the exception of Agent Yuan being the only female of the group, none of them had any real distinguishing features worth noticing. Maybe the lack of sleep had finally gotten to her and started to wear on her senses but most of their faces just blurred into one standard mess. Meryl did her best to remain focused and attentive, even if it meant feigning interest at the highest degree.

  “It’s nice to meet all of you,” Meryl chipped in. “I’m looking forward to working with you all.”

  Everyone smiled and gave a standard greeting. They all looked very pleased to be working here, or at the very least, were pretty good at pretending like it anyways.

  “Alright then, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

  Agent Williams began his spiel. Meryl locked her eyes and sharpened her mind on all of the information being presented. For an operation of this size, it’s not uncommon to see this many people in the room all working towards the same goal. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Meryl was just used to more intimate meetings usually between her, Michael, and Nicole. With both of them out of the picture, it would be a bit heartbreaking but instead of feeling down about it, Meryl looked at this as an opportunity to shine. This would be her operation to make or break. She wanted to live up to the legendary reputation that was building up all around her. If she didn’t keep up, it would slip right by her.

  The meeting continued on wearing on Meryl’s resilience to stay awake. Everything about it felt standard. If things stayed at this pace, the next couple of days were going to be a piece of cake.

  March 24th, 2013 12:48PM

  Los Angeles, CA

  A half hour of sleep was all that Adrian afforded himself on the flight back to headquarters. With his superior in the hospital and two best agents out of the office, it was up to the Special Agent in Charge to carry the load from here on out. He walked through the empty office with a powerful aura swelling around him. Not that anyone would notice since it the place was mostly deserted on this and every other Sunday since. He would like to attribute it to the sense of pride he felt for being the temporary boss but it was mostly thanks for the four cups of coffee he pounded between Vegas and L.A.

  A series of sharp buzzed came from within the S.A.C.'s coat pocket. Adrian quickly grabbed his phone and answered.

  “Go for Fischer.”

  “Adrian, Tom Prince.”

  Adrian was a bit surprised to hear back from the Vegas S.A.C. seeing as their business was concluded last night but grew increasingly more curious as to why he called.

  “How can I help you Tom?”


  “It's about the bust last night. I was having my guys go through Logan's files but they hit a crossroad. Normally I'd send this off to D.C. and have their analysts take a look at it given the severity of situation but I thought I'd give you guys a call first and see if you wanted a crack at it. Nicole was very invested in the operation last night so that's why I'm calling.”

  “Did you speak with Commander Wells first?”

  “I did. Just got off the phone with her,” Prince happily replied. “She sounds like she's doing better. Hear anything new from the doctors?”

  Adrian shook his head as if Tom was standing in the room right next to him.

  “Nothing yet. But I'll touch base with you as soon as I hear something different.”

  “Please do.”

  Thinking about his superior’s condition seemed to create a giant pit in his stomach. Nevertheless, duty calls.

  “What did the Commander have to say regarding the matter at hand?”

  “Not much. She told me to defer to your judgment.”

  Adrian was taken aback by that statement. He always thought Nicole, for the lack of a better and more professional word, despised him. Their constant conflicts over the past year have almost become something of a spectator sport. Those words proved that underneath that hard shell of hers, Nicole Wells knew what was best for this organization. Perhaps this subordinate has gotten to her.

  “I'd be glad to help Tom. Send over what you can via email to our lead analyst Mark Wilson.”

  “Will do. I'll have his personal laptop and about thirty pounds worth of servers sent overnight to your office.”

  “Thanks Tom,” Adrian replied.

  Normally that would be unlike him. He rarely offered thanks to someone for just doing their job. Even if it was a sign of courtesy, the S.A.C. held those words in the highest regards and reserved them for the times he is completely at a loss. Perhaps his superior has gotten to him as well.

  “How's Logan holding up?”

  “Acting like a whiny bitch,” teased Prince. “His lawyer's been yammering on about due process for the past twelve hours or so. Still hasn't gotten him out of his cell though. Their hourly rate must be impressive.”

  “You act boldly in front of the face of defiance Tom,” he replied.

  Someone like Charles Logan shouldn't have even seen the interior of a jail cell let alone sit in one for half a day.

  “I told him and his crummy lawyer that the judge wouldn't see anyone until Monday so he's going to have to sit tight until then.”

  “Good work,” Adrian replied. “We may need him to talk depending on what we find. Make sure he's comfortable.”

  “Way ahead of you Adrian. My boys have been waiting for months to see him behind bars. They're going to make sure to savor this moment for as long as they can.”

  “Alright then,” said Adrian holding back a laugh. “Good luck out there.”

  “You too.”

  Prince's line went silent. Adrian closed the call and immediately started another to their lead analyst. Even though it's a Sunday, salaried employees never truly have a day off. Especially in this field of work. Adrian didn't pay it much mind. After all, he was just following protocol.

  The phone answered after too short rings. “Hey boss,” came from the other end of the line sounding more focused than anything else.

  “Mark, have you got a minute?”

  “Sure, just a - son of a bitch!” The analyst shouted.

  Adrian's brow tightened. He had no idea someone as delicate and reserved as Mark could say such words and so boldly at that.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing,” defended Mark. “What can I help you with?”

  The silence afforded Adrian an opportunity to catch some of the background noise being filtered through the call. Sounds of heavy combat and gunfire poured through the speaker. Now it all made sense. Adrian had forgotten how attached his best analyst was to the virtual lands of simulated combat. Or rather, he wished he didn’t know.

  “I got a call from the Vegas field office. They're looking for our assistance with yesterday's operation.”

  “Oh yea?” Questioned Mark. “How'd that go? Is Mike and Meryl alright?”

  “They're both fine. No worse for wear.”

  Adrian was confident in speech but not in mind. Given that one of his Agents had taken off without so much as a single word he couldn't really speak for him.

  “We were able to pull the important data concerning their illegal activities. Mostly tax evasion data but there's a whole mess of info coming in that the guys in Vegas pulled from the target's house.”

  “What kind of data - oh for the love of God!”

  Adrian sighed to himself.

  “Thomas Prince, the S.A.C. in Vegas should be sending you an email any moment now.”

  “Just got it,” Mark chimed minimizing his video game window.

  He peered over the information. It was a checklist of data with their current findings on an attached spreadsheet.

  “Whoa, this looks like fun! Looks like our boy has been shifting his money around hundreds of thousands of accounts. Definitely a M.O. for laundering. Going to take me a good couple of days to crack this boss.”

  Logan's evidence of paranoia dwarfed the myth.

  “Get as much as you can done. All of the hardware will be arriving tomorrow.”

  “Will do. But,” Mark stopped.

  Adrian could feel the apprehension growing within the analyst.

  “What is it Mark?”

  “Don't we need a warrant first from the judge before we go prying into his private files?”

  Adrian stopped himself before saying another word. More bad from his superior were looming in. Something nagged away at Adrian's conscious telling him that these files were important. He'd love to crack into these things right this second if only to quell his curiosity. The argument could be made that a personal computer could be used for business matters. No doubt Logan's lawyer was arguing the opposite at this moment. But above all else. Mark was right. They were going to need a warrant.

  March 25th, 2013 7:47AM (local time)

  Iwate Prefecture, Japan

  The black Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG coupe burned north through National Highway 340 with the morning sun blaring down at them. Thankfully the added pair of sunglasses were included in his gift bag from earlier. Michael would have been more impressed that Testament not only owned one of these vehicles but to have another waiting for them when they touched down in Haneda International Airport but given their short history together, he quickly learned to keep an open mind about these matters. Davis defended yet again that it was another gift. Given how convenient everything seemed to be around these guys, Michael assumed that the one who owed them favors was CEO of Daimler AG.

  They arrived the day before but Michael suggested they drive through the night and stay at a hotel in Morioka. Again, Davis offered to pick up the tab before Michael could suggest otherwise. The FBI agent didn’t have much of a choice this time around. His wallet and most of his possessions were back in the L.A. field office. Everything he carried on him now were just duplicates of his most essential gear.

  Their stay in Morkioka was short. Michael was able to get a few more hours of sleep given that Davis chose to stay in a separate room. He may have sensed the growing tension between them and had hoped to quell it with a kind gesture. It definitely didn’t work against him. That much Michael could assure.

  As much as he would have loved to drive straight to the Yamatera household, time was not on their side. The people Michael needed to speak with were probably already sound asleep and if he wanted to get their full cooperation, he needed to be courteous and arrive at a normal time. At least the drive had relaxed him a bit. He knew these roads well. It was hard to forget anything with an eidetic memory but that goes with the territory of being programmed for perfection.

  The drive was quiet and free from traffic. Davis had remained silent
almost with a certain glint of happiness in his eye. He was going to receive some firsthand information to piece together the missing pieces of Mavryk Curtis’ life. It was hard not to be excited. They had been waiting for this moment for quite some time now. Davis enjoyed history over any other subject so he always looked forward to the opportunity to gain new knowledge and insight wherever it may be.

  They were quickly approaching the Kunizakai Pass. This is where they were going to go a little off route. Michael veered the car west towards a path off the main road and headed straight for the dense forest that surrounded this path. He didn’t get a good look but Michael could have sworn he saw a bit of surprise in Davis’ eyes as they quickly approached what appeared to be a tree whose age was nearing nine centuries. The Paladin braced his resolve but felt confident that his companion wouldn’t put either of them in direct danger. That would seriously go against what data he’s collected so far on this potential antichrist.

  The car drove straight through the tree as if it weren’t even there. It flickered wildly as the car passed with chucks of brown and green colored light bouncing off the exterior of the vehicle without leaving so much as a scratch.

  “A hologram? Fascinating.” Smiled Davis looking back.

  They passed through hundreds of similarly shaped look-alikes for the next two miles before the path opened up to a traditional asphalt road.

  They reside in a hidden village? The Paladin thought to himself.

  It all started to make sense. Testament’s resources were very extensive; however, even they had some areas to which they could not exactly reach. That number has slowly dwindled throughout the years but still wasn’t perfect. Another scant location would be crossed off today as this one was definitely for the record books.

  Michael drove for another few minutes at a reasonable speed up a winding path. The Yamatera home was buried deep within the mountains. The air here was extraordinarily clean and fresh. The majesty of God’s creation could be seen in all directions. Davis was unsure about the Yamatera’s given the lack of data available but they made a very good first impression.