by Strauss, Lee
“Before you make any hasty decisions,” Agent Black said, “let me fill you in on a few details.”
“But, we have a choice, right?” I felt my voice rise a pitch, sounding tense and tight. I fought to stay calm.
“Of course. We’ll never force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“Okay, fine,” I said. “What’s the deal here?”
Agent Black turned to Marlow. “Are you feeling up to this? We could return in an hour, after you’ve had a chance to rest.”
Marlow looked a little sluggish, and I felt worried for him. His eyes rested on me. “I’m fine. Let’s finish here first.”
“Okay, great,” Agent Black said. “First of all, you are now guests of CISUE.” He pronounced it “See-Sue—Central Intelligence for Special or Unusual Events.”
Marlow pushed back from the table, some of that nervous tension noted in him earlier returning. “Seriously?”
“We investigate unusual phenomena.”
“In Detroit?” I said.
Black squinted. “We’re everywhere.”
“What’s so unusual about today?” I asked. “Except for the victim being dressed as Santa?”
Black’s eyes settled on me. “Santa wasn’t the intended victim.”
“It was me?” For a while I’d let myself hope my involvement was coincidental. “Why? Why would anyone want to kill me? I’m nobody!”
Marlow said, wincing slightly as he sat up straighter, “You’re saying some psycho has it in for Sage?”
Black reached over and brushed his fingers against my shoulder, pulling something out from under my collar. He presented the object between his thumb and forefinger. “This is what makes it unusual. Despite your valiant effort to block the bullet, Marlow—by the way, you still have to explain how you spotted that—Sage was shot in the shoulder. It just never fully penetrated the coat.”
I stared at the object in Black’s fingers and at the burn hole under my lapel. “How did that … I didn’t even feel that. How did you…?”
“Agent Seaway has a good eye for detail,” Black explained. “We didn’t want to cause a scene in public. If you want to help us find the person responsible for today’s shootings, let me know. The non-disclosure requirement still stands.”
“How far back will the memories be erased?” I asked. The words sounded crazy as they left my mouth—erasing memories, could they even do that? It sounded so sci-fi. But everything that had happened to day so far was just as crazy.
“Until this morning.”
Marlow stared at Black. “I’m in.”
“Marlow?” I said. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“You realize we have no idea who these people are or what they’re going to do to us.”
Marlow shrugged. “Someone took a shot at you, Sage. I need to know why.”
“Why? Why do you need to know? You don’t even know me.”
Black watched us carefully.
“Doesn’t matter,” Marlow said. “I’m staying.”
Black slapped the table with his hands, causing Marlow and me to jump.
“It’s settled then.” He made a circular motion with his finger and Agent Seaway produced a tablet. She held out a stylus and said, “Sign this.”
As I scribbled my signature, I wondered if I’d just signed my life away. I handed the tablet and stylus back to Seaway. “Who was the Santa?” Who died because of me?
“Her name was Evangeline Sager,” Black said.
“Her name?” Marlow said with the same surprise in his voice that I was feeling. “Santa was a she?”
“Yes,” Black said. “And she was one of ours.”
I leaned forward. “You mean she was an agent?”
“Yes. The mall’s been a point of activity for our nemesis for some time. It’s amazing what can go on in plain sight. She was one of a few on surveillance there.”
I pulled nervously on strands of my hair. “Who is your nemesis?”
Black and Seaway shared a look before Black said, “We call him Firewall. For right now, all you need to know is the shooter is Nigel Weigh. Twenty-nine, served time in Iraq. Crazy as an ape on grape juice.”
I found it odd that they would disclose information like this to us. But then again, they didn’t think we’d remember anything.
“Why was he shooting at me?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“And you’re sure his target wasn’t this Evangeline person?” Marlow said.
“We believe Evangeline was a target,” Seaway said, “but not the target. More like a message to CISUE. A warning.”
“What message would that be?” Marlow asked.
Black and Seaway shared another look. “To back off. Which means that we’re getting close.”
“Close to what?”
“Close to catching Firewall,” Black said.
“Are you offering protection?” Marlow said. “Or do you want something else?”
“Both,” Seaway said.
“What do you want us to do?” I asked.
“Help us get info from Nigel Weigh.”
Marlow Henry pushed up on his glasses, ran a hand through his already-messy hair, jiggled his knees under the table. I had no idea who he was or why we were in this unbelievable situation together. A stranger to me, yet somehow I felt weirdly drawn to him. He was awkward and antsy, but my gut told me I could trust him. I just needed to get to know him a little.
“Do you think Marlow and I could have some time alone?” I said. “We need a moment to process things.”
Black and Seaway nodded and pushed their chairs away from the table.
“We’ll give you ten minutes,” Seaway said. “Then we have to get to work.”
5
Marlow
Sage stared at me, unblinking. “I remember you.”
I sat up straight. “You do?”
“You called a cab for me when some jerk was hitting on me at a DU pub.”
My shoulders slumped a little. I didn’t know what I’d expected. That she’d remember me from an adventure we had together in another realm?
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” I said.
“Thanks.” Sage’s gaze dropped to her lap. “I’m not myself lately. My friend…”
“I know,” I said quickly. I didn’t want her to have to revisit her grief with me. Not right now.
“You know?”
“Well,” I explained quickly, “news gets around campus.”
“Right.” She fiddled with her hair, running the ends over her lips, a move that made it suddenly difficult for me to focus.
“So, besides being my knight in shining armor, what else should I know about you?”
I grinned a little at the image of me being Sage Farrell’s knight. “I’m a freshman at Detroit University, like you, on the science track. I’m home with my mother for the holidays. I was doing some Christmas shopping.” I made a show of my empty hands. “No idea where my mom’s sweater ended up.”
Sage chuckled. “Well, there’s still time to get another.”
“But in her size? It was a really great ugly Christmas sweater.” I clucked my tongue and pushed up on my glasses. “I’m really torn up about losing it.”
Now Sage laughed, a wonderful melodic sound, and something ignited in me. I thought I might be in love.
“Are you farsighted?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“Your glasses. I like them, by the way. They’re cool. But you jumped in front of me. Did you see the sniper? How did you know?”
I did see the sniper. He was on the opposite side of the highway on the roof of an office building. He watched us through his scope. I saw him with my bare eyes. I wasn’t going to tell Sage this because I already felt like a huge nerd, but then I remembered that our memories of this conversation would be wiped. I could say whatever I wanted.
“I did see him. Despite these specs, my vision is excellen
t. Beyond excellent.”
“Then why the glasses?”
I shrugged. “I like them.” I liked to hide behind them.
Sage took off her magic red jacket and laid it on the table between us. I stood to take a better look, but had to grip the edge when my head started spinning.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just stood too quickly.” The room steadied and I stared at Sage’s jacket. She lifted the lapel and rubbed a slender finger around the hole.
“I don’t understand this,” she said. “It’s just a wool blend. The bullet should’ve gone through, should’ve penetrated my shoulder.”
“Have you looked at your shoulder? Did it make a mark?”
Sage tugged on the collar of her fine-knit sweater, pulling it down over a smooth, velvety shoulder, exposing a black bra strap. I swallowed hard. She gave me a strange look, like she heard me. I cleared my throat and put on my professional scientist face.
“There seems to be a bit of bruising, at least it looks like it in this light.”
Sage touched the spot. “It’s tender. So it’s not me. I’m not super human. It has to be the coat.”
“Where did you get it?” I asked.
“My mom …” Sage frowned.
“What?”
“It was sitting on my bed this morning. I assumed it was a gift from my mom. I didn’t get a chance to ask her, since she’d already left for work. I texted her to say thanks and she texted me back, For what? I thought she was kidding around.”
“So you have no idea where it came from?”
“No. The bright color certainly made me an easier target today, though.”
“True. But it was also the thing that kept you from being a target.”
“Maybe the person who gave me the jacket didn’t know it had been modified.” Sage blanched. “Whoever it was, he or she was in my house. In my room.”
The door opened without warning and Agents Black and Seaway walked in.
“Ten minutes already?” I said.
Black half-grinned. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“What do you know about this jacket?” Sage asked. “Did someone from CISUE give it to me?”
“We’re just as curious about it as you are. If you don’t mind, I’d like to send it to the lab.”
Black wasn’t asking Sage’s permission. He picked up the jacket with gloved hands before she could protest and handed it to Seaway. I also noted that he hadn’t answered Sage’s question.
“So, now what?” I said.
Black stared at us with expressionless eyes. “Now we go after Nigel Weigh.” He opened the door and motioned for us to follow him.
“How’s your arm?” Sage asked as I stepped in behind her.
“It hurts, but not too bad. Whatever Dr. Drey gave me seems to be working.”
Black led us down the corridor to an elevator. Inside he pushed the top button. We rode it silently, the upward movement matching my growing apprehension. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The elevator stopped and the doors opened silently.
The fifth floor had a lot going on, with people sitting at computer terminals and talking on phones. Black walked us to another elevator. Our presence raised the curiosity of the other workers and the buzz of activity quieted as they noticed us. I couldn’t help feeling like every eye was on Sage and me.
“The sixth floor isn’t accessible to everyone,” Black explained. He placed a thumb on a security pad, and then the elevator door opened. I was relieved when the doors closed again, shutting us away.
The sixth floor was a special ops station—NCIS type. Big screen monitors, 3D animation, personnel with headphones and computer keyboards. There was a wall of monitors flashing satellite images from all corners of the world.
I couldn’t hold in my admiration. “Cool!”
“Headquarters is in New York,” Black said, “but there are stations across the globe. Some in major cities, some in out of the way places.”
“Depending on ….” I began.
“The frequency of unusual and unexplainable activity.” He shot me a look. “Detroit is a particular hotspot.”
I believed him.
6
Sage
Black led us to a small room at the back. Inside were Agent Seaway, Dr. Drey, and two people we hadn’t met before, an older brown-skinned man with greying hair buzzed super short, and an Asian girl not much older than Marlow and me. She wore funky yellow-rimmed cat-eye glasses and under different circumstance I would’ve told her how much I loved them and asked where she got them.
Marlow and I took a seat and the door clicked shut with a dead thud. No outside sounds at all, and Black’s voice barely carried when he spoke. “This is Marlow Henry and Sage Farrell, temporary recruits.” Motioning to the girl and the man he added, “Agent Kato and Agent Dr. Abe Tucker, founder.”
Marlow’s gaze caught mine with an indiscernible raise of one eyebrow. I could guess what he was thinking—whatever was going on must be big if it brought the head of the secret organization to this round table.
Agent Seaway began, “Kato, please lay out the plan.”
“Nigel Weigh lives alone in a condominium across the river. He has no family and no friends from what we can tell.” Kato’s dark, almond-shaped eyes settled on me. “Ms. Farrell, you’re going to knock on his door. Entice him to open.”
“Nope,” Marlow cut in. “No way. Too dangerous. Use someone else.”
Agent Black broke in. “He wants Sage.”
“Why?” Marlow demanded. I tensed at his tone. He was taking this knight-in-shining-armor thing too far.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Black said
Marlow pushed up his glasses and stared hard at Black. “He tried to kill her.”
“If he’d wanted to kill her, she’d be dead. Nigel Weigh is a superb shot.”
I swallowed dryly. “Then why did he shoot at me if he didn’t want me dead? Why did he kill the Santa if he’s such a great shot?
Dr. Drey rubbed his scalp. “It’s all part of the game.”
“Weigh is sending us a message,” Agent Seaway said. “He’s telling us he knows we are interested in Ms. Farrell and that he wants her.”
“So you’re just going to hand her over then?” Marlow said incredulously. “You’re crazy. She’s not doing it.”
“Marlow!” I snapped. “I think I can speak for myself.”
He leaned back, and I could see him jiggling his knees under the table. “Fine. Tell them no.”
I decided to ignore Marlow and said to the room, “What is so important about Nigel Weigh? Why do you see him as such a big threat?”
Everyone turned to Dr. Turner. He’d been so still and quiet, I almost forgot he was there.
Dr. Drey spoke for him. “There have been a number of attempts on Dr. Turner’s life. We believe Nigel Weigh has been behind them.”
“I’m going to put my vote with Mr. Henry,” Dr. Turner said. “The assignment’s too dangerous for a novice.”
“Finally,” Marlow said. “A voice of reason.”
Dr. Drey scowled back at Dr. Turner. “We’ve talked about this Abe…”
“I don’t care. Let Seaway or Kato do it.”
“Firewall wants Sage.”
Marlow interrupted “Why? Why does he want Sage?”
I was eager to know the answer to this as well.
Silence fell, thick and ominous, before Dr. Drey spoke. “Sage is of special interest to Firewall. That’s all I can say for now. It’s a trade. One of ours for one of his.”
I blinked. “Me for Nigel?”
“Yes,” Dr. Drey said. “Of course, they won’t actually get you.”
“You can protect her from Firewall?” Marlow spat. “Forgive me if I don’t believe it.”
“I agree with Mr. Henry,” Dr. Turner said again. “We have to figure out another way.”
“There is no other way,” Dr. Drey said. “We give him Sage for Nigel. It’s the only way to save the c
ity.”
“Whaaat?” Marlow hollered. “Save the city? What the hell is going on here?”
The blanket of silence descended again, absorbing all the oxygen. I felt short of breath.
“There are things we aren’t at liberty to explain to you,” Dr. Drey said. “But, you have to trust us. We wouldn’t put either of you in danger needlessly.
“We need Nigel to lead us to Firewall. He’s our ultimate target. All Sage has to do is get close enough to Nigel to put this into his drink.” Dr. Drey held up a small baggie with a capsule in it.
“This will get him to tell us the truth. Sage, you’ll have one minute to get him to talk before he falls asleep.” He ran a hand over his bald head again, apparently a habit for him. “The beauty is that he won’t remember anything in the morning. He won’t remember that he compromised his allegiance to Firewall.”
“We’ll finally learn his identity,” Black added, “plus Nigel will be tagged without knowing it. It’ll be a huge advantage to CISUE if we can accomplish this.”
“What do you mean, tagged?” Marlow said.
“We’ll insert a small chip in his ear.” Black smirked. “Kind of like a dog.”
“So what will Nigel do?” I asked. “When I just… show up at his place. I mean, he’s watched me through a scope, he must know what I look like.”
“It’s all part of the game,” Dr. Drey said. He tucked the pill package back into his shirt pocket. “All part of the game.”
“How can you secure her safety?” Marlow’s protectiveness was both sweet and annoying.
Black crossed his arms and smirked across the table. “That’s where you come in, Marlow.”
His eyebrows jumped. “I’m not exactly bouncer material.”
“No. You’re perfect boyfriend material.”
“What?” Marlow and I said together.
Then I added, “Sorry, but Marlow’s not my type.” I faced Marlow, feeling contrite. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
“That’s why he’s perfect for the task,” Dr, Drey said. “Nigel won’t be threatened.”
Marlow huffed. “Okay, now I am offended.”
