‘She got under your skin in more ways than one,’ Claire smiled, barely able to contain a laugh.
‘Straight to the beatdown. I love meetings like this,’ he said, his voice flat and straight lipped as Claire stared at him until he couldn’t hold it any longer and cracked.
‘You came up the most compatible for her, based on the data we have and the fact that you're an excellent agent. She didn’t kill you, that says something,’ Claire answered.
‘At the time, she didn’t know who to trust and frankly I don’t blame her, the evidence supported both sides. Either TRIDENT was trying to eliminate her or that we were and just making it look like TRIDENT was. Virginia was caught in the middle, she couldn’t or didn’t want to trust us without confirming everything herself, but she also couldn’t go to TRIDENT if it was true, that would have been a death sentence. I think by now, given my appraisal of her, she knows, but even with that knowledge, still stuck in no man’s land, sure of only one thing, TRIDENT is looking for,’ Ashton explained.
‘And she’s hiding, one needle in a world of haystacks, the odds are not in our or your favour,’ she replied.
‘She did tell she only had a few thousand in cash, everything else was cut off, even her passport. She had money hidden in safety deposit boxes but even she knew TRIDENT knew of them and would be watching,’ Ashton explained, his tone suggesting this was going someplace.
‘She needs a fake passport. In that part of the world, what 15 grand would get you one, you said she had nowhere near that,’ Claire answered.
‘She did have this,’ Ash said, placing a ring on the table. Yellow diamond, nearly flawless as far as our jeweller can tell. 12.5 carats, platinum and with a unique feature,’ he explained, then pushed the gem down. From either end of the platinum at the top and bottom of the ring a needle appeared.
‘Where did you get it?’ Claire asked.
She traded it for a new passport to the only one in that area who could give her a fake good enough to never be questioned,’ Ash explained.
‘And you bought it back. You do have it bad for her,’ Claire smiled. ‘This, minus the spy function, has got to be thirty thousand easy. How much would the passport be?’
‘Fifteen thousand is what she paid. I respectfully refuse to say what it cost me, other than it was my own money, plus a little extra for intel,’ Ash offered.
Claire put her hands up, the gesture meaning for him to continue and she was fine with what he did.
‘Miss Wescott did not get any money for the ring, just the passport. I have her new name and through our IT we have where she went.
‘She didn’t kill you because if things turned out to be as you said, she needs someone she can trust to come and save her. She left you a trail of breadcrumbs. You both seem to have made a deep impression on each other. Trust is a wonderful thing Ash, don’t let her down,’ Claire explained.
They both knew the meeting was over and he had card blanche to find her.
^^^
‘I thought it best if you meet with me first, since we have some common ground on several fronts,’
Cindy said looking at Mason then at Hannah. ‘First of all how is your mobility coming along, anything
we can do to help it along, you just have to ask?’
Hannah glanced at Mason then back to Cindy. ‘We think about another week just to be safe. I have better motion and range than before, but my workouts are not where I want them to be in terms of endurance,’ she answered.
‘Do I detect a desire to continue to be an agent,’ Cindy inquired.
‘Yes.’
‘Ordinary I’d be thrilled with that, a woman with your experience and obvious talents would be a fantastic addition to FORCE,’ Cindy answered.
‘I sense a huge but coming,’ Hannah said her voice trying not to sound either too alarmed or disappointed.
‘We come to the beginning of our conversation. This is why I thought it best to talk to you first, alone, just the two of us.’
‘And away from your HQ, a nice safe neutral environment, an empty showroom condo,’ Hannah added.
‘You know as well as I do trust does not come easy in this business, we’re not sure of you at the moment just as you're not of us. So neutral ground serves both our purposes. But, to the question at hand. I need you to not only explain, but convince me why you want to continue to be an agent, because this isn’t like going from Accounts Payable to Accounts Receivable in the same company, you’re going to the competition and old habits are hard to break,’ Cindy explained.
‘I didn’t choose what happened to me. I still don’t know why. I was an excellent agent, loyal, more than willing and capable of taking on any mission. From your perspective the side I chose was wrong, fair enough, if our roles were reversed then I could say the same of you, in fact, before we go any further, why did you leave DOOM. Yes, I know, but those are just rumours as we sit here on neutral ground,’ Hannah said not backing down.
Cindy didn’t consider for a second, she told Hannah the whole story, every detail and her reasons, she held nothing back.
‘Let me add this. Claire and I have had our disagreements, you would expect that. I even think she wants it, even encourages it at times. But, always and forever, that woman, who I love dearly, has been in my corner, no matter what. Just like she’s in everyone else’s corner as well. Loyalty is everything to her. She will never send an agent on an impossible mission, she will never turn her back on you. If you don’t or can’t bring yourself to be an agent for FORCE then fine, you can walk away and nothing will be done to stop you. If you decide in the future that you want to retire, for whatever reason, you can and you stay on the payroll. When the day comes that you can no longer work as an active agent, you can choose to become a teacher, pass on what you know, leave a legacy if you will, then we can go forward, but know this Hannah! You cross Claire or any member of FORCE and we will kill you,
‘Loyalty works both ways. I almost learned that the hard way. One way streets are fine to get you from one point to another fast, but the thing is you never see the view from the other perspective,’ Hannah explained.
‘How much did Mason help you see that view?’ Cindy questioned.
Hannah was not upset or offended by the question as it came from some who had the same shared experience.
‘He showed me kindness, compassion, encouragement when he didn’t have to. I wasn’t going to die from what they did to me first go around. He saved me from certain death in my second encounter. He could have simply packed me off and I’d be questioned in these less than pleasant circumstances always wondering what my fate would be if I didn’t cooperate. But, he didn’t, he healed me, but more than that. He made love to me, not in any traditional sense or untraditional, in some of our more broadly defined encounters. He caressed me, soothed me, made me calm, assured me everything was going to be ok, even when he wasn’t sure. He spent every last ounce of his endurance and will to heal me, he never gave up. It seems silly maybe but, honestly, for the first time in my life I felt connected to someone, enough to let myself go freely and trust,’ Hannah explained.
‘I want you to meet some other people, but you need to be prepared,’ Cindy explained and Hannah looked concerned.
‘No homework and practised answers, just be you, from what I saw today, that will be more than enough. What I mean is this. You have to start feeling good about yourself and this will get you on the road.’
The Head of FORCE Curve Department slid an American Express Centurion Card across the coffee table.
‘Mason said everything was taken from you. Let them have it, you needed a new wardrobe anyway. Go out and enjoy yourself, take Mason with you, men like to watch women try on clothes and they like to take them off later,’ Cindy smiled.
^^^
‘Now this I did not expect, perhaps I should have. Secret agents, secret passages, they go together I
suppose. But I was never a fan of those formulaic high camp spy novels or movies, so I could see why
this would fly under the radar,’ Hannah remarked as they entered the tunnel, Mason leading the way.
‘Again, I did not expect this,’ Hannah said as they emerged from a pantry door into a well appointed kitchen full of wonderful smells from bubbling pots and cooking meat and Alice Hamilton.
‘Since I know you eschew the use of titles unless required. Alice Hamilton may I have the pleasure of introducing Hannah Fleming,’ Mason said. ‘You can shake her hand, she won’t bite I promise or if you prefer, you just say pleasure to meet you Countess.
‘Stop it Mason. Always the boy! The girl is nervous enough. Come follow me into the m
Library, I have tea and some wonderful sweets as well as others who would like to meet you,’ Alice
explained.
‘I didn’t know Mary Poppins worked for FORCE,’ Hannah whispered into Mason’s ear.
‘Don’t get on her bad side, this Mary Poppins won’t send you to your room for the afternoon, she’ll send you to your grave and I mean that,’ Lucas answered and Hannah wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.
‘Hannah Fleming this is Agent Lucas Bryce, Susan Janus, our number two and Tina Samuels, Head of Business Operations. Everyone please have a seat.
Hannah could tell both women had been agents at one time. Susan she was sure for a much longer period. Tina was what TRIDENT called a Fall Flower, a woman who came to the game later in life, a welcome addition, but one you always wished had bloomed a little earlier, but then the paradox of that was the Silkworms, who always bloomed later in life, but seemed to never fade. She was expecting the third degree from these women. This was her second meeting, the adversaries seemed to be getting more on the other side of the table. She wondered if she’d ever pass enough muster or maybe just be considered good enough to meet Claire Baxter.
Her fears about a stress interview were just that, fears, it never happened, they just talked, she even found herself enjoying it. She wondered how much Lucas was enjoying it, three women talking, even Mason had wandered over to the extensive collection of books, she secretly wished he hadn’t and tried not to show her anxiety, then something caught her eye. Lucas had reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out something she knew.
‘Where did you get that from!’ Hannah said in alarm. ‘Is Joanne dead!’
The thread of the entire conversation and the demeanour of the entire room changed in an instant.
Lucas looked shocked as Hannah got to her feet, but Mason was at her side, his hand flipping into hers. She closed around it, thinking nothing of it at the time, but later reflecting on how natural and reassuring it was, a friend at your side.
‘Answer me dammit! Her voice rising more than she liked when he wasn’t as forthcoming as she thought he should have been
‘No, she escaped, she left this behind. Wanted to get away as quickly as possible I suppose,’ Lucas said, not happy to relive his failure in front of others or to be yelled at.
Hannah regained her control. ‘My apologies to everyone, but especially to you Lucas. But in answer to your question. Not a chance Jo left this behind. This means the world to her. It was her mentors, she wouldn’t let anyone touch it, ever! She left this behind for a reason. What did the message say?’
Hannah looked at the confused faces. ‘She recorded a message on here. She had this compact modified to record a voice message, you need the password to activate it and you only get one chance, the message erases if you guess wrong. Basically it's a cryptex, like in the Da Vinci Code, only it's electronic. The code has to be either eight letters or numbers. She left this behind for you Lucas. My guess is that just in case what you told her was true, the message would tell you how to find her,’ Hannah explained.
‘Why, so she can trap me again!’ Lucas said, trying not to sound annoyed.
‘You probably loved it. Jo’s very seductive and sexy and the very fact that she left you alive when she easily could have finished you, tells me, you got under her skin too,’ Hannah answered. ‘She’s a special lady, always planning steps ahead. There’s a message in here for you, waiting, you may have the luxury of time, but she doesn’t and if I can help save my friend, yes even bad girls and those trying to reform, have friends,’ she retorted, seeing the look on Lucas’s face regarding her friend's comment. ‘Think, she would have given you the word, without you even being aware of it. Eight letters or a number sequence, she would have repeated it many times, more than was necessary though it wouldn’t have appeared awkward at the time.’
Lucas did secretly love it, but he kept that to himself as he thought. He had to fight through the haze of her powder, he didn’t remember or couldn’t be sure of the accuracy, but his memory pushed through, then he heard it and that work triggered a clearing and he knew he had it.
‘Lavender,’ he said.
Hannah smiled. ‘Makes perfect sense, it’s her favourite scent. She took up a pen and paper making a small grid on the page as the others watched.
She wrote the letters and the corresponding number to that then slid it across the table to Lucas.
There’s the code for the compact. Each number has to be entered correctly the first time, no do overs.
If you screw up, the message is erased and you will never find her.’
Hannah got up, walked around the table and sat next to Lucas, the compact in front of them. You push and hold the centre button down until you hear a click. Sorry I don’t know for how long, Jo said it was randomly generated so it could be seconds or minutes. Once you hear the click,
release the button and turn the top counter clockwise one segment of the design. Then starting at the top, here, you push the small yellow enamelled dot the corresponding number of times for the letter, in this case 12 for the L. Then clockwise to the next dot you repeat the process for the second letter and so on. At the end it will play the message only once so I would have the recorder on my phone active. Just my suggestion, but I would do this in a secure room by myself so that no one can interrupt you,’ Hannah explained and offered.
‘Good advice,; Lucas said and meant it.
Alice looked at him, gave a nod and he was off, up the stairs. Alice waited a moment then said to Hannah. ‘Where is he? I watched you. You were counting the foot falls, but couldn't make the exact calculatuon because he altered the number of stairs he took. Oh, I’m not insulted and suspicious of you. It's good to see sharp instincts in a young woman.
Hannah looked at little chaste for being caught but confused by the comment of a young woman from a peer, but let it pass.
Lucas was back in no time. He had the information, but was not about to share it with anyone as Hannah was present. Instead he made his goodbyes and left.
‘Now,’ Alice said. ‘What do we do with you two?’
^^^
‘What are you thinking?’ Cindy inquired, breaking the ice around the table.
‘That this next batch presents an interesting dilemma for us,’ Claire answered, scrolling through the latest intel Jacob and his team had verified as valid targets. ‘I know what I think but I’m more interested in what you think we should do?’
‘We always pick the agent that best matches the parameters of the mission. I don’t think we need to change that criteria, they are trained in the basics and some a little more than that, depending on who you pick,’ Cindy answered.
‘I’m not picking anyone. I’ll leave that up to her, she knows them best,’ Claire answered, as her fingers flew on her laptop. ‘Appointment booked to see her.’
^^^
Tina Samuels simultaneously motioned Claire into her office while putting a finger in the air as she listened to a call on her mobile.
‘That would be acceptable. Send me the documents as requested and we can proceed. Thank you,’ she said, concluding the call. ‘Sorry for that, just the usual ironing out of details,’ she added, while looking at her laptop. ‘You didn’t say what you wanted to talk about?’ Tina added, looking at the meeting scheduler.
‘You know I like surprises,’ Claire smiled and handed over a series of file folders that Tina took and opened. A brief glance through brought the response. ‘I don’t understand?’
‘I need your department's assistance on these missions. All these targets are part of TRIDENT’s business network. They may have some very minimal training but I doubt it, from past experience TRIDENT doesn’t train them.’
‘Whereas, we do,’ Tina answered. ‘Why not just send regular agents?’
‘They don’t have the connection, perhaps the better word is background, that your ladies will have. The shared business experience, the thinking mindset, Claire answered. ‘You can say no if you want to or if you’re stretched at the moment.’
‘That’s not an issue. Who do you want to use? Tina asked.
‘Oh, not me. This is your operation, you pick the woman based on the details in those dossiers,’ Claire responded.
‘Me!’ Tina answered, the surprise registering on her face and in her voice.
‘You’ve been on several missions with great success. You know your staff best, who better?’ Claire answered and Tina did not counter.
Tina flipped through the dossiers. ‘I will need a couple of days, how about Friday at two?’
^^^
Tina pulled the files from her safe and placed them on the coffee table in her office between the two chairs in the lounge part of her well appointed office. She’d done a few missions for FORCE in her time. Claire’s insistence that every person who worked for the organisation be trained had seemed excessive at first to her, but she came around to it after discovering she possessed a certain aptitude for aspects of it and to be honest she secretly craved more assignments.
Claire arrived promptly at the appointed time and after a light hug and faux kisses they sat down to business. Tina picked up the first dossier of the target in question and a matching dossier of her choice for the woman.
‘All these women jumped at the opportunity. You could have given me three times as many dossiers and I would have had to disappoint some. My criteria for my selections was attraction to the target. These are not field agents, that instinct of role playing would not be easy for them to master in a short time, so finding the target attractive is a definite help. I thanked David and his team for the bonus pictures, they helped a great deal. Next was compatibility of profession, lawyers to lawyers, analysts to analyst that combination, having something in common helps. Finally, given the data available I had the candidates write a detailed explanation of how they would handle the mission. So to start off:
Corrine Legault - Legal Affairs - International Licensing
Ky Duyen - Internal Control
Marika Numova - Asset Management
Nokthai Ranida - Trade Agreements
Stacy Turner - Internal Accounting Control
Julie Low - International Tax Compliance
Tina Samuels - Head of Business Operations
'Couldn’t stay away, I see,’ Claire smiled.
‘The office can get a little dull at times, a change of scenery is always welcomed and he is very attractive,’ Tina slyly smiled.
XXXX
So a plethora of woman and choices for how they:
Accomplish their mission
What perils if any they face if any
Any other suggestions you wish to make
You can post suggestion in the comments or you can email me directly at
Thanks in advance.
Cheers, Steve
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