Agent M: Testament (The Agent M Series Book 2) (14 page)

It ends with Mabus.

“Unfortunately, we are still unclear as to why Nostradamus ended his book that way. Perhaps his visions didn’t cover that area or maybe this was the one secret the Seer wanted to keep for himself. Regardless of his choice, our goal is clear. Find the one called Mabus and make sure they do not fulfill the final prophecy.”

Davis chose his words carefully. Michael made sure to note that. Given the evidence thus far, Testament could have easily decided to end Michael’s life at any time. The reasons they chose not to are still being discussed. For the first time since Davis began, Michael finally had an opportunity to pose his first question.

“And you believe I am that Mabus?”

Davis shook his head.

“Unfortunately, we are still uncertain of the identity of the Mabus. Currently, you are the most likely candidate to fill that role. All of the previous anti-Christ’s Nostradamus named were essentially evil incarnate but they all had one thing in common.”

The Paladin paused here and tried not to look Michael in the eyes as he said.

“They were both human.”

Those words cut deeper than Michael initially thought. He knew damn well who he was, or rather,
what
he was. Nicole made sure to keep no secrets from him. Throughout his entire life, Mavryk Curtis was treated as a tool. It wasn’t until he took over the identity of Michael Madison that he finally learned what it means to be human. Throughout all of his trials, Michael never forgot what he was. At his core, he was still the ultimate human soldier. But that label did not come with the same rights in the eyes of God as it were.

Michael still had an array of questions to go through. He decided to take it slow and get to the more challenging ones as the conversation progressed. Depending on some of the answer, Michael may have to cut this line of questioning short and find himself a quick exit. One that will most likely require the use of deadly force. Without any of his equipment on hand couple with the extended workout he just came from, that may prove to be an arduous trial.

“Why now?”

The curt nature of Michael’s questions only seemed to keep Davis at ease. The FBI agent understand the gravity of the situation. Now he just needed clarity.

“That decision was made by the Father. We’d been following your existence ever since Project Mabus was first established. Initially, our target was that of one Donald Viseman.”

The scientist that created both Agent M and the chief architect of Project Mabus. Definitely a natural choice for this organization but from what Michael knew and experienced, not the one they’re looking for. He was a kind and gentle man at heart. Michael remembered spending many weekends with him and his family. When push came to shove, Dr. Viseman abhorred confrontation but that still didn’t stop him from putting his life on the line Michael the few precious moments to escape the termination order. There was no way a man with little to no hate in his heart could cause the kind of destruction they were talking about now.

“After careful examination, investigation, and study, we deemed he was not the Mabus and ceased our monitoring of his work.”

Davis stopped for a brief moment and pulled out a thick file from within the desk. There was easily three to four inches worth of paper held within that thin manila folder and on the top tab Michael could clearly see his name; his real name.

“This is a brief summary of the data we’ve collected on you. Most of your activity from birth to adolescence is tracked as well as your tenure throughout returning to America. However…”

He paused to open up the envelope to a specific page in the middle.

Two photographs stared back at Michael. One image, presumably taken from a long range satellite carrier before Michael was even a teenager playing on top of the aircraft carrier he called home for so many years. The other was taken at LAX the moment Michael stepped off of the plane after he returned from Japan where he took up residency throughout reaching adulthood.

“We’re still missing some crucial information about your time spent in Japan. Our intelligence was unable to track you during those years and the scant amount of data we were able to collect was based off old records from your now assumed identity as Michael Madison.”

Michael’s one saving grace in this entire matter was all thanks to the Yamatera clan. Much like Testament, this family was shrouded in secrecy yet greatly responsible for shaping the entire nation of Japan in the most subtle of ways.

“Without this piece of information, we lack the proper judgment to make the necessary call at this moment. The time of the prophecy draws near. It has been decreed that you will be assigned a bodyguard to chaperone your activities from here on out.”

The next words Davis would speak were sure to upset his guest. That’s why he tried to sound as sincere and calm as possible.

“Given our current level of information, your candidacy as the Mabus looks…  Promising.”

A knife cut right into Michael’s gut. He couldn’t believe the words Davis just spoke. This man had just officially signed Michael’s death sentence and they had the power, knowledge, and resources to carry it all out. Fortunately, the fact that Michael still continued to breath in the very room with his potential enemy gave him the opportunity to sway judgment back in his favor. It may be the only card left in his hand. Still, he couldn’t die here today. Nor at the hands of this man. Michael still had a mission to complete and he was going to carry it out one way or another.

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Michael snapped back. “I still have a job to do. You’ll only get in my way.”

“Unfortunately Mr. Curtis, this is not a request.”

Those words brought Michael back down to earth. Testament was not going to leave him alone and from the looks of it, he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“If I prove not to be the Mabus, what would happen then?”

“Technically you haven’t been officially christened as the Mabus at this moment,” calmly replied Davis hoping his tone would sooth the tension he could feel building in Michael. “So until we get confirmation either way, our mission is both to watch and protect. It could very well be that you’re linked to the Mabus and keeping your activities under our watchful eyes and protection is the only way we’ll know for sure.”

This turn of events does not bode well for Michael’s future. He couldn’t have a pair of eyes watching his every move. Nicole would be sure to voice her discontent but it’s not like she could do anything about it either. This was going to be an odd conversation when the time came. Michael then realized he’d have the added tow of a priest dressed in religious regalia following his every move. This would make undercover operations virtually impossible let alone routine investigations.

“You can’t follow me all day. It would compromise my work.”

“I understand your concern Mr. Curtis. We do not wish raise any suspicion as much as you do. When we are needed, we will be there. When we are not, we will be watching.”

Davis truly had a way with words. In a way, Michael respected him for that. If his fate was still undecided then having someone on his tail may not be the disadvantage he initially thought. If it weren’t for pairing up with Meryl last year, Michael wouldn’t be here to have this conversation right now. He’d be dead. Having an extra pair of eyes to watch his back would definitely ensure his longevity but will only live to cause problems down the road.

“I need to make a call,” Michael stated. Davis politely saw himself out of the library giving his guest all of the time he needed to cook up one hell of a story that will justify his upcoming request.

March 23rd, 2013 11:56PM

McCarran International Airport

Las Vegas, NV

Meryl Lewis felt a great weight being lifted off her shoulders upon arriving at the airport. After a nice long refreshing shower to wash the stink of crude attire and paint tattoos, she found solace in wearing her traditional black power suit and white shirt. While not as comfortable as her lazy Sunday LAPD sweats, this was above and beyond relaxed compared to what she had worn merely an hour ago.

Standing not too far away from her position outside of the gate, Adrian Fischer continued to yammer on the phone. That thing had been glued to his ear since their part in the operation had been completed. Meryl really had no interest in his business despite the fact that he had dropped both her and Michael’s names throughout most of his conversations. Something about Adrian rubbed Meryl the wrong way. Perhaps it was his overly authoritative presence or inherent need to derail even the best laid plans. Regardless of the reason, it hit Meryl in a way that was borderline nostalgic.

“Agent Lewis?” Called a familiar voice.

Meryl didn’t even notice her superior leave the escort vehicle let alone approach her. Her mind had wandered off into places that it rarely didn’t which also reminded her that she wished Michael was here. He always kept her grounded in reality.

“Yes Commander Wells.”

Nicole carried a small black duffel bag stamped with a yellow FBI logo. She passed it along to Meryl who accepted it graciously.

“Here are your belongings. Badge, holster, gun, plus some necessities and toiletries that should get you through the trip. Our guys in DC will take care of supplying extra uniforms for the week out there. Sorry you didn’t have any extra time to pack.”

Meryl shook her head.

“It’s okay. Duty calls, right?”

That drew a small but noticeable smile from Nicole’s lips.

“Indeed it does. Is there anything else you’ll need? Maybe a cup of coffee?”

“No thanks. I plan on catching some sleep on the flight.” Meryl let out a slight sigh signaling her depleted strength. While sneaking in a cup of coffee sounded great, she really needed to catch up on some much desired rest. “It’s been long day.”

“I understand. Let me know if you need anything.”

Nicole found a nice spot alongside her subordinate and placed her back on the glass wall separating the airport from the outside world. Adrian continued to chatter on his phone much to her chagrin. Any moment of peace where he’s not trying to jump down her throat was welcomed. Even though the operation was considered a success on paper, Nicole still had too many variables to worry about that the bureau didn’t even have enough clearance to deal with.

A light vibration tickled her left front pocket. She quickly reached for the phone and upon retrieval caught the name on the caller ID she’d been itching to hear from all night.

“Michael? Thank God.”

That name drew simultaneous looks from Meryl and Adrian. Nicole pulled herself away and created a good distance between her and her subordinates.

“Where have you been?”

“I had some business to take care of.”

His response was cold and devoid of emotion which meant the pique of seriousness in Michael’s world.

“Is it related to our discussion from earlier?”

There was a brief pause on the other end.

“So to speak.”

Nicole didn’t like it when Michael was being ambiguous. It reminded him of his brief stint of going AWOL. He shouldn’t have any secrets to hide from Nicole. Not after their history together.

“Any new intel on Ryoo Myung-Dae?” Michael followed.

“Surprisingly no. We searched the entire area with a fine-toothed come and didn’t find any traces related to that material. Not a single syringe or vial of medication was found among his belongings. I’m at a loss here.”

Something was definitely a miss alright. Michael was at least able to verify Agent M’s involvement with the A.N.K.H. Pharmaceutical operation but with no evidence to show for it in this case, they were back to where they started.

“I have a lead on a link to Ryoo Myung-Dae.”

That sparked an immediate response from his superior.

“A lead? What kind?”

“Something big. I’ll need some time to investigate further.”

“How much?”

“A few days.”

“Adrian’s already wringing my neck about this operation. I don’t think I can justify delaying another minute.”

Nicole’s apprehension nearly trumped her desire to find out the truth about Agent M’s involvement in this case. In the wrong hands, that substance could bring the world to its needs and wrong hands always seem to have their grip on this stuff as of late.

“Where did this lead come from?”

If Michael could somehow rationalize it, Nicole would give him all the time in the world.

“Japan.”

“Absolutely not!”

Nicole raised her voice. Michael never cared for it when she did despite their relationship.

“I could at least justify something local but leaving the country is out of the question.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

Michael came down with the hammer of reason this time. Despite Adrian’s pension for crawling around and getting under her skin, Nicole knew she had a responsibility to ensure Agent M would never be used as a tool of evil. Truth be told, she was going to let Michael go regardless of what she said on the phone. Nicole had to keep up appearance for any prying ears, both in person and not.