Agent M: Project Mabus (The Agent M Series Book 1)

by L. M. Vila

  The General slammed his fist into his desk. Shockwaves blasted forth shaking the windows surrounding his office. Yegor broke out in a slew of vulgarities that would have covered the Russian dictionary thrice over.

  Something had to be done. Taking out this agent could no longer be done discreetly. A new plan of attack instantly formulated in the General’s mind. The initial idea was to pin the murder on Seika, only authorizing minimal force. Now was the time to relinquish that constraint.

  “Call Kurtis. Tell him to forgo restraint. Eliminate the target as soon as possible.”

  “But sir.” Roman stopped himself before he fell into the trap of questioning the General. A more reasonable explanation for his rebuttal surfaced. “How will Kurtis and Seika manage with just a sniper rifle? Shouldn’t we supply them with new armaments?”

  “Alas my old friend. A good thing about those two is that they make an excellent pair. What one of them lacks the other will support. I’m sure an assassin as gifted as Seika has a surplus of solutions to remedy our problem.”

  Another great point by the General. Not only that, the less evidence to trace back to Kurtis the better.

  “Tell Seika we are doubling her payment. For the added risk. If our informant tells us of an opportunity to strike, make sure to call them immediately.”

  “I will sir.” Roman stood up and was already heading to the door. The General stopped him once more with his powerful voice.

  “Also, I wish to speak to Mr. Perry.”

  “Of course.”

  A simple task. Roman was always willing to carry those ones out. Being curious by nature, he decided to ask. For Mr. Perry’s sake of course. “What should I tell him this is concerning sir?”

  The General almost wanted to laugh. “What it always concerns. Legal matters. Making sure we cover all liabilities for our new venture.”

  “Yes General, right away.”

  Roman left without uttering a single sound. Even the door shut silently. That’s what Yegor liked about him. Roman always did as he was told. It helped mold his powerful army many years ago. More importantly, he significantly aided in the creation of the A.N.K.H. Empire. Roman was a great assistant but his primary assignment was to keep Kurtis happy, and also in place. Kurtis always responded better to Roman. It was one of the easiest ways to exploit his abilities.

  Power tools cranking at full capacity always annoyed Kurtis. Repairing weapons or vehicles on the field was one thing. Kurtis had been trained in that department. But removing all of the identification marks from a common automobile was very divergent from his upbringing.

  They had taken refuge in one of the woman’s hideouts. She had a style of decorating that Kurtis surprisingly approved. One side the walls were lined with various tools and equipment. Mostly used for automobile repair. On the other, there were a mass amount of weapons ranging from firearms to weird looking Asian-styled knives. He wanted to laugh. All of these tools at her disposal and she opted for hand-to-hand combat. Maybe once she finishes that horribly noisy work Kurtis would inquire further.

  Trained assassins always remembered the cardinal rule. Never leave a trail. Seika was somewhat irked that Kurtis decided to trash their car which didn’t have any of her identifying marks. Stealing another car was riddled with suspicion. This wasn’t a clean getaway by any means. A police officer was killed. They would use every resource at their disposal to track them down. Sadly, all of this work is purely cosmetic. Albeit temporary, it would work for the duration of their assignment.

  Replacing the license plates was easy. She stored many fakes in this hideout. Seika designed this one as a rest stop between missions to repair any damages incurred and to restock weapons if necessary. Using firearms wasn’t of particular interest to her but if the job called for it then at least they were readily available.

  The vehicle identification number was actually the trickiest part. It couldn’t be faked but changing all the ‘3’s into ‘8’s made tracking them just all the more challenging. These modifications would suffice for the next twenty-four hours. Plenty of time to complete the job.

  “How much longer woman?” Kurtis obviously didn’t share Seika’s level of patience.

  She didn’t answer him. Seika turned up the speed on the power drill and let the blaring noise respond for her. She was almost done installing the back plates. After that, they could sit and formulate a second plan of attack.

  Kurtis’ phone vibrated. Finally, something to take him away from this endless aggravation. He answered the call without checking who it was.

  “Go ahead.” Speaking Russian made him feel so much better. He hated English.

  “Kurtis.” A familiar voice he hadn’t heard in a couple of hours. “I have the information you requested.”

  “About time. Spill it old man.”

  Roman relayed the data. He could sense Kurtis building rage with every passing note. Putting up all of these barriers on what was supposed to be a simple assignment has now caused an undue headache. Just before Kurtis was about to unleash his anger, Roman uttered the words that would make him a very happy man..

  “The General says you can terminate him by any means necessary.”

  Suddenly his proper brain functions ceased. Kurtis began to smirk. “Any means necessary?”

  “Exactly. The General wants the target dead as soon as possible.”

  Kurtis would normally feel ecstatic about this proposal but was touched with a bit of uneasiness. “What if I get captured?”

  “Don’t get captured.” His tone was grave, almost morbid. “If it eases your mind then sacrifice the woman over yourself.”

  “The woman? But what if she talks to the feds?”

  “Then she will be the new target once this assignment is completed. It is easier to eliminate a bird in a cage than a rabbit running free.”

  Roman was starting to sound like the General. Maybe that’s why they were such good friends. Kurtis had exhausted his list of questions.

  “Tell the General not to worry. Madison dies tonight.”

  “Excellent. Good luck Kurtis.”

  Kurtis hung up the phone. He didn’t need luck. Not with his strength. Now that the crutch has been removed, Kurtis could finally cut loose and really test this warrior the General so feared. His fate is already sealed. No one has survived a live encounter with Kurtis. This man was not going to be any exception.

  “Hey woman,” Kurtis called. “I’ve got some good news.”

  Seika stood up only after having completed her work. The stolen Mercedes was now indistinguishable from any other of its kind. Especially the perverted man who used to own it. She saw Kurtis walk up and pull out a Milkor-MLG Mark 14 grenade launcher from the wall. Seika spent more than a few pennies acquiring it. It was useful when she hand to take care of a handful of jobs at once. Kurtis swung the weapon over his shoulder. The weight of the beastly weapon felt nonexistent.

  “Time to take off the kid gloves. No more holding back.”

  For the first time since they met, Kurtis saw her sweet pink lips from a little smile.

  At his desk, Michael was going over the newly delivered information with Meryl. They sat there for five minutes in silence, each going over their respective copy. It was hard to describe this level of disappointment.

  “So the sniper is an actual ghost?”

  Michael shook his head. The database for fingerprints was vast. Every citizen, and even some noncitizens, had their fingerprints logged. Whenever they applied for a driver's license or some other form of identification, a fingerprint is taken. After waiting for almost three hours the results were displeasing to say the least.

  They couldn’t have gotten a better sample either. All ten fingers left their mark on the weapon, yet the database couldn’t find a single match. Normally, this just doesn’t happen. Holding a smoking gun and no one to associate it with was damn near unheard of. They could only draw two inferences now. Whoever the shooter was either an illegal alien or never actually exi
sted in the first place.

  Going back to that encounter, Michael remembered something Meryl had said. The thing the sniper shouted as he ran off.

  “We need to get a list of Russians that immigrated to this country in the last twelve months.”

  That was a broad list and would take some time. Better to cover the bases then having to repeat the process.

  Meryl retorted. “But what if he’s an illegal? There wouldn’t be any record of him.”

  Very true. Michael needed to broaden his theory.

  “Someone hired a Russian. Every clan sticks to their kind.” Michael was referring to the fact that race affiliated gangs always used their own people to deliver messages or fix problems. Having that word of mouth on the street was a good warning for their rivals. They were also the only ones they would trust.

  “We know two things. The assassin's boss is Russian. And their pockets are deep. Assassinating a government agent isn’t cheap.”

  Going off a hunch was risky. At the very least it would narrow down the search criteria. Michael may be grasping at straws but this is their only lead.

  “What about the other one? The woman named Kunimoto.”

  “Kaze Kunimoto,” corrected Michel. His Japanese was naturally perfect.

  “Yea her. What do we know?”

  The background check on Kaze proved to be fruitless. On paper, she was a model citizen. Kaze made her money on the stock market. Every dollar she legally spends has been traced over. Even her income tax statements come back flawless. The sign of a good businesswoman.

  “Kaze is nothing like her brother and everything like him at the same time. Hiromasa was the only one we could connect to the murders. He always left his mark. Some kind of twisted art using victim’s blood. That’s how I tracked him.”

  Deep in thought, Michael remembered the battle they had. Hiromasa’s skills were practically flawless. Calling their fight gruesome would be an understatement. It was the hardest one Michael had up until that point. Looking back, the only was he could stop Hiromasa was by killing him. Fate may push him in a similar direction once more.

  “What makes Kaze different?”

  “Kaze idolizes perfection. Every kill is quick, clean, flawless.”

  “And now she’s trying to kill you?”

  Michael slumped. This didn’t feel right. Once the hunter is now the hunted, though not surprising. Seimon didn't exactly die a warrior's death. After the gruesome way Michael took him out, he was amazed Kaze waited this long. Aside from that, he couldn’t drag Meryl his mess. But knowing her, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Attention employees.” The intercom called in a delicate woman’s voice. Everyone lost focus on their current duties and turned towards the sound. “Commander McCrae has just issued an order. All employees are required to stay within the building for mandatory overtime. Please be advised that this is department wide. Employees will be notified via announcement when the overtime has ceased.”

  Strange, very strange. And also brilliant. Michael picked up his phone and dialed McCrae’s number while the remaining staff began simultaneous groans. The Commander's phone was soon to be ringing off the hook with angry employees. Luckily Michael got in first.

  “Hey Mikey.” McCrae couldn’t have sounded happier.

  “Sir, about the overtime.”

  “Way ahead of you. I figure our best bet is to control the flow of information. If we can watch everyone’s actions here, we’ll have a better shot at ousting the mole.”

  For McCrae, this wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t ascend to the rank of Assistant Director without good reason. Having this level of power had its share of responsibility but reaped so many benefits.

  Thinking ahead, Michael asked the obvious question. “What if I needed to leave the building sir? Concerning this case.”

  “If that happens I’ve already got three L.A.P.D. squad cars set to escort you anywhere you need to go. Hopefully we’ll have enough time and find the mole before that happens. Nicole will help sort things out when she arrives. Keep everyone happy.”

  “And if we don’t find the mole within that time?”

  “I’ve arranged for you to stay at my house for the night. At least that will throw them off the scent of checking your place.”

  McCrae was good at planning. There was no denying that. The idea of running scared didn’t please Michael in the slightest but there was no other choice. If they got the drop on them once, it could very well happen again. This would have to suffice, for the time being.

  “Understood.”

  Michael hung up the phone. He looked over at Meryl and said, “Start with the Russian immigration. I need to make a call.”

  “No problem.”

  Meryl sped off in the direction of the information department. When she was out of sight, Michael pulled up database on his computer, one created especially for him. It took all of the information he gathered during his hunt for the Ten Most Wanted. In the search field he typed in the name that hoped to answer every question he couldn’t in front of Meryl.

  Seika

  Walking into the General’s office always had a funny air about it. Like you were stepping into the house of a Godfather and he was going to ask you to do something so sinister, with such a soothing voice that you would question if he was really a bad person. Mr. Perry moved through the office doors with that thought massaging his brain.

  “You wanted to see me sir?”

  “Yes. Sit down. We need to chat.”

  There was already enough trouble on Mr. Perry’s plate as is. When dealing with a man who is changing the pharmaceutical world with every passing day it makes for a busy work schedule. As Mr. Perry sat the General willingly began the conversation.

  “It looks like we are going to have to send the entire staff at Laesare Biotech for a permanent vacation.”

  “Sir?”

  “They are no longer useful to our operation. Their research is imaginative but does not produce results. I gave them one last chance but their so called miracle drug turned out to be a farce.”

  “Which one would that be?”

  “That is unimportant. What I need from you is to make sure all of their assets are sold off and destroy any information connecting that company to ours. Tread carefully. I am hearing rumors that the FBI may be interested in our operations.”

  Not an extremely simple request but definitely manageable. “Not a problem sir,” Mr. Perry replied eagerly.

  “Excellent.” One less thing to worry about. Now the General needed to tie up one loose end before he could satisfy his conscious. “Another request Mr. Perry, how is our transition going?”

  “I called the New York facility about an hour ago. They said they’ll have the entire complex packed up and ready for shipment in the morning.”

  “That is what I like to hear.”

  The General couldn’t wait to get out of New York. The stuffy environment was too much for the aging man to bear. Being out in a new city like this gave the General a sense of freedom like no other. He could turn this ragged and barren land into something beautiful but more importantly, controllable. Only one last thing to take care of and the dream would begin.

  “That is all I have for you Mr. Perry.”

  Getting up from his chair, Mr. Perry bid farewell to his boss. Outside of the office, he felt like he could breathe easier. Something about the General’s presence made him feel nervous for no reason whatsoever. He was thankful to be out of there.

  Reaching his desk provided a sense of not only comfort but security. Ms. Ross was nearby plugging away at her desk. She was working hard calculating all of Yegor’s recent financial gain and making sure none of them would lead to any dangerous legal matters later. As Mr. Perry sat she took notice of his eerie mood.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “Fine. For now.” Somehow neither of them was convinced. “We’ve got a bit of a situation.”

  Danielle immediately stopped typing.
“What kind?”

  “Feds snooping around,” Mr. Perry said while searching through documents related to Laesare Biotech. The total list of employees, funds, financial reports were all right in front of him. “A fool’s errand either way. The address they found will turn out to be an accidental filing of a P.O. Box. The actual company's base of operations is in London. By the time they find that information, Laesare will already have been sold to one of our competitors.”

  “You are good Mr. Perry. A little too good.”

  “Just doing my part in this well oiled machine,” he looked over at Ross’ work area. “How’s it going on your end?”

  “Mr. Semyon can’t spend his money fast enough. He even authorized six more subcontractors to work on the final touches of this building so that it will be finished in the next ten days.”

  “Nice to know we’ll have job security for a while.”

  “At least until we take care of everything we were assigned to.”

  “Speaking of which, I’m going to make a call. Have any special requests?”

  “Just send my love.”

  Mr. Perry smirked as he picked up his cellular phone. This one call was going to save them a lot of trouble. And maybe a few lives as well.

  Colima Road was blocked off for miles. Not too long before, it was practically deserted. Now ten L.A.P.D. vehicles filled the area. About twenty minutes ago a squad car was sent to check the status of another officer that wasn’t reporting in. What he saw was beyond words. The proceeding radio transmission began with something along the lines of a sacred pile of feces.

  The scene was a mess in only the simplest of terms. Two bodies were found, appeared dead for hours. Not a trace of blood either. Emergency Medical Technicians were called and the closest thing they could estimate as the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The wounds on the police officer had an indentation over his heart made by an immensely powerful object. Calling this death odd wouldn’t do it justice.

  Officers on the scene were sharing their anger. The calmest of the group put a search out for any potential witnesses related to this crime. Murdering an innocent victim is one thing. When the innocent is actually a cop, it changes the playing field. Police officers looked after each other and would seek the culprits with an added sense of retribution.