Agent M: Testament (The Agent M Series Book 2) (15 page)

“Also,” said Michael, breaking an inevitable silence before it starts. “There’s something else I need to discuss with you.”

“About what?” Nicole pondered. She could tell from his shift in tone that this may be a major hindrance to her subordinate.

“Not here. When I get back.”

“Will it be a problem?”

Again, Michael paused. She hated it when he did that.

“No.”

At least his answer was clear and concise compared to all of the vagueness that has been swelling around this phone call.

“Fine. I’ll do my best to explain things here. Find a solution to our problem and get to D.C. as quickly as possible. Is that understood?”

“Yes commander.” Michael’s voice did not waver. He was always serious.

“You’ll have to leave soon. If anyone finds out you’ve taken a flight out of the country it’ll be two years ago all over again.”

Having another agent go AWOL was serious enough as is but to have the same one do it twice in such a short period of time would mean more than just a termination for both Michael and Nicole.

“Understood.”

Michael’s line went silent then died. Nicole pressed the phone to her forehead in a defiant act to counteract the headache she knew would soon be coming. She took a deep breath and let out a defeated sigh. There was no getting around this one. Too many unknown variables still existed. If Agent M was still floating around, why did Ryoo of all people have it? And what did this mean if they couldn’t find any traces of the substance? Much like her apprehension on the matter, Agent M appears to be evolving. If it is allowed to grow any further, it may be more than Michael’s genetically enhanced abilities can handle.

It took a few moments of thought before Nicole worked up the strength to return where her subordinates stood. Apparently they overheard who had called since Meryl remained dead silent and Adrian had silenced his phone for the last few minutes.

“Where is Agent Madison?” Fischer boldly asked.

He didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence by believing she could have been talking to anyone else.

“I…” Started Nicole.

All of the time she had left to ponder Michael’s words and she couldn’t even come up with a decent excuse. So, she decided to feign ignorance.

“I don’t know.”

“What?!” Snapped a visually angered S.A.C. “Are you telling me one of the agents under your command has gone AWOL?”

Nicole wasn’t surprised he went there so quickly. Adrian’s tone grew increasingly tense and it appeared she was only one wrong answer away from sending him into a blind fury.

“That’s not what I’ve said at all Agent Fischer,” Nicole calmly replied.

Her sudden change of tone to warned Adrian she too had a fire within her that could not be so easily quelled.

“Agent Madison just went through hell and back to complete an assignment only to jump on a plane and start another with barely any room to breathe in between. You’ve already taken Agent Lewis’ statement concern tonight’s operation. Michael should have the night off or twenty if he so desires. He constantly puts his life on the line for this department and never, and I mean
never
turns his back on us.”

Nicole took a moment to let his words since in. She had one last thing to say that would hopefully put a nail in the coffin and bury this matter for good.

“The fact that you would question on of your fellow Agent’s motives speaks very undesirably in your favor. I’d tread with caution Agent Fischer. After all, your annual evaluation is coming up.”

“You have the audacity to speak to me about loyalties after you and both of your subordinate’s blatantly disobeyed protocol?”

Adrian didn’t seem the least bit phased by any of Nicole’s words or warnings.

“It wasn’t my idea to send him into that proverbial blood bath. It was
yours
! Your constant and blatant disregard of protocol is what keeps your agent’s in the line of fire. If there is anyone to blame for state of their wellbeing, it rests solely on your shoulders…  Commander.”

That was a hell of a counter. Nicole wasn’t exactly prepared for such a quick response. The part that troubled her above all else was the fact that Adrian was right. She’d put both Michael and Meryl, under a tremendous amount stress over the last year; both mentally and physically. They had outshined all of their fellow agents in every department across the country with their string of never ending triumphs. However, victory came at a cost and yet, she never heard a single word of defiance from either one of them.

Nicole had to remain firm. Her subordinates wouldn’t expect anything less.

“Either way, it’s still my call. If Agent Madison wants to take a couple of personal days then so be it. Washington can afford to be without another babysitter.”

“You’re treading on thin ice Commander,” Adrian replied in an increasingly menacing, borderline threatening tone. “I’ll have to report this to the Director.”

“Suit yourself Agent Fischer.”

Even Adrian’s thread didn’t faze Nicole in the slightest. She knew what had to be done. The cost didn’t matter at this point or any previous. While she would normally try to reprimand Adrian for going over her head, for some reason, she no longer cared about what he thought. She had a suspicion he’d been doing it since his arrival but didn’t care to confirm any of those suspicions.

The Special Agent in Charge dismissed himself without so much as a childish huff and reattached the phone to his ear. Another deep breath exited Nicole’s lungs but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. The noose is starting to tighten around her neck. Soon all of her extracurricular activities would be put under the radar. The only choice she had left was to stop Agent M once and for all. Only then would she welcome defeat.

“Are you okay Commander?” Meryl asked offering warm words and a soft hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine Meryl,” Nicole calmly replied trying not to sound half as distraught as she felt. “Thank you.”

Every time Nicole called Meryl by her first name always made her feel a little happy on the inside. She seemed so caught up in her world with Michael that it was hard not to feel like the third wheel most of the time. Meryl had quickly gained a lot of prominence with her superior and before they knew it, she had become even something close enough to call friend.

Her calm response was enough to tell Meryl that everything was under control. There was no use trying to force the subject out here.

“Have I,” the A.D. unexpectedly began, “Have I been too rough with you Meryl?”

“What?” She replied, equally stunned that she was being too vague and that she would even think such a thing.

Are you serious?” She semi-jokingly followed hoping to lighten the mood on top of seeking clarification.

Nicole stood with her arms gently folded across her chest and her head tilted downward.

“What I mean is, have I been working you too hard?”

“No way!” Defended Meryl.

She passed a snide look over at Adrian’s direction. It didn’t matter that his back was turned but it certainly helped to forgo a potentially uncomfortable situation later.

“Don’t listen to him. Michael and I are fine. Adrian’s just being a dick.”

That got an honest laugh to escape Nicole’s throat. She always enjoyed Meryl’s personality. Now more than ever it seems. In her heart, Nicole knew she could always count on Michael to get the job done. He was designed that way. But Meryl was different. Genetically, there wasn’t anything special about her. She didn’t have Michael’s enhanced strength, speed, intelligence, or any of the other gifts that made him the ultimate human soldier and yet, she was always able to keep up with him not matter what kind of hell awaited them next.

“God, how did you become so strong Meryl?” Nicole asked allowing her fingers to gently holding her face before it could sink any lower.

Meryl could feel her sadness pouring through those words. Nicole wasn’t just asking her that question, she was looking for an answer within herself.

“We all have our reasons for being strong. There are some things that are worth fighting for. Worth protecting. Most people live their whole lives searching for it. Others may never find a reason.”

“And,” interjected Nicole. “Have you found yours?”

Meryl allowed her eyes to wander in the distance. A small smile formed around the corners of her lips. She couldn’t look Nicole in the eyes when she responded.

“So to speak.”

Nicole let out a small laugh. They were best friends for a reason it would seem.

“Thank you Meryl,” Nicole said warmly gazing into her subordinate’s eyes. “I needed that.”

“Anytime,” smiled Meryl just as happy and chipper as ever it would seem.

“I’d like to talk with you some more about this strength of yours when you get back,” Nicole stated sounding more and more like her former self with each passing syllable. “And perhaps some other things,” she finished with a smile.

Meryl had no idea what the Assistant Director meant by that comment but those words suddenly made her heart skip a beat for reasons her mind was too flabbergasted to come up with at this moment. She prayed it wasn’t visibly noticeable and simply replied, “I’d like that too,” hoping that it would end the matter. For now at least.

This was a special girl. Nicole could see how Michael had gotten so attached to her over the years. She was surprised he hadn’t let her in on their little secret. It wasn’t like she had explicitly told him not to but she didn’t exactly give him the go ahead either. Perhaps it was out of respect for Nicole or even something else entirely. As close as these two were to each other, Meryl deserved to know but she’ll let Michael decide when the time was right.

“So,” Meryl sighed breaking the silence and getting an opportunity to change the subject, “Michael’s really not coming?”

Speak of the devil. Nicole shook her head.

“I’m afraid not. Looks like you’ll be riding solo on this flight.”

While this assignment was prestigious in their own right, it didn’t concern Nicole or Adrian. They had plenty of work to do back at the L.A. field office. Michael and Meryl would be in capable hands in Washington.

“Not that it really matters. You’ll both be on separate assignments for the duration of your stay.”

Immediately, Nicole caught a glimpse of what she thought could only be regret filling the special void of Meryl’s eyes. If she had blinked during that second, she would have missed it completely.

“But, you’ll be in adjacent hotel rooms so I imagine you’ll run into each other more frequently than not. I know this is not a vacation per se but try to find some time to enjoy yourselves out there. Besides,” a wicked grin slowly appeared began to surface. “Who knows what kind of shit I’ll put you through as soon as you get back?”

She fought hard but Meryl was successful in keeping herself from laughing hysterically out loud. The Commander had a unique sense of humor and when she delivered, it was always on point.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Meryl glanced at her watch. “I guess I should be going now. Please give the S.A.C. my regards,” she said holding back as much sarcasm as she could muster.

“Will do,” laughed Nicole. “Have a safe trip.”

She watched Meryl wave goodbye and waited until she was out of sight well into the terminal before she sighed and said quietly to herself.

“And please, take care of Michael.”

Seeing Meryl leave like that soon made reality slam into Nicole’s thoughts harder than she was ready to bear. Adrian had appeared to finish his alleged conversation with the Director of the FBI while still carrying that angered look of smugness on his brow. He passed over the phone to Nicole not even attempting to be even passively aggressive over the situation.

“It’s the Director. He wishes to discuss some things with you Commander.”

Nicole felt her heart waver and not for any reason related to the phone call. Her hand reached out to the phone but before her fingers clasp the device her vision was engulfed in a sea of black. She began drowning into the lifeless void as her body collapsed to the ground. If she had retained consciousness for a few seconds longer, she may have heard her subordinate actually show a surprising bit of concern.

Michael placed the receiver back onto the phone. Normally he’d have a lot of apprehension using an outside line to have a private conversation with his superior but it’s not like he had much of a choice. His personal cell phone was back in Los Angeles. Without it he was essentially off of the grid which, in hindsight, was actually a good thing considering the circumstances. Adrian was sure to give him hell once Nicole relayed the message but that minor inconvenience was inconsequential at this point. The mission took precedence above all else.

Stepping through the door, Michael quietly exited the library. He found Davis pouring over yet another book. This one was small enough to fit in a pocket. He held it ever so gently in front of face using only three fingers to carry it while his other free arm was gently resting across his back. This was certainly one of the most refined men Michael has ever had the privilege of meeting and surprisingly not uncharacteristic given the circumstances.