Agent M: Testament (The Agent M Series Book 2) (44 page)

He couldn’t remember the last time he spoke that sharply with anyone let alone one of his best subordinates.

“You’ve got to find something… anything!” He pleaded over the receiver.

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” The analyst snapped back.

Even if he had four hands he still couldn’t work at a pace that the S.A.C. demanded. The revelation they had uncovered was momentous and yet, they couldn’t seem to get a hold of any more information nor anyone of importance to relay it back to.

“All I’ve got is nothing but withdrawals and transfers. The account is registered to a P.O. Box to a John Doe and I’ve called the local post office but I’ve been on hold for the last ten minutes.”

“Did you explain to them that you were a Federal-fucking-Agent?!” Cursed the increasingly agitated S.A.C. “Christ Mark, we’re not dealing with drug dealers or tax scammers here. Use your head!”

“I’m not typing with my dick here!” Mark fired back. “This isn’t shooting fish in a barrel. You’re trying to find a needle in a haystack the size of a continent.”

“No jokes Mark,” Adrian hissed. “Not today and certainly not now.”

The other end went silent of course. All the S.A.C. could hear was the rapid beating of keys and mouse clicks. Mark was working hard. Adrian knew that. The situation that they have both found themselves in was just too scary and neither one of them wanted to admit that to the other.

A few moments passed and suddenly the receiver popped with a loud bang that nearly knocked Adrian clear off his train of thought.

“Got it!” Cheered the analyst. “One of the employees has found a record of the owner signing a certified letter from Vladivostok, a small coast city in Russia.”

“Any details on the message?”

“Negative,” Mark replied. “But I do have a name.”

“Who?”

“Dr. Shin Jung-ho”

“Please tell me you’re already pulling up his file.”

“Two steps ahead of you boss,” replied the analyst.

With his boss’ decreased agitation, Mark was able to perform his duties up to the high standards he had set for himself. Adrian was starting to feel a bit elated. That is, until Mark continued.

“That’s odd. Looks like Dr. Shin fell off the grid just last year.”

“What?”

“I’m not seeing any activity after February of two-thousand-twelve. No mortgage, cell phone, or even credit card purchases. He’s either dead or missing.”

“What was he doing before he disappeared?”

“Just a sec. Pulling up W2 information,” Mark paused briefly before finally answering. “Bingo. Says here he was employed for… Whoa.”

“Oh for the love of…”

Adrian’s patience was being tested again just as he was starting to feel a little better about things.

“A.N.K.H. Pharmaceuticals.”

Adrian stopped his pace dead in the middle of all of the gates. Barely two hundred feet separated him from his boarding door and he couldn’t send the signals to his brain to move. That was no ordinary company to be a part of. The events that transpired made national news. It was all most people were talking about even months after it had ended. Everyone that was involved with the company was indicted and questioned. Adrian knew that for a fact because before he was transferred to Los Angeles, he did most of the interrogations of their staff on the east coast. Out of the hundreds questions, the S.A.C. was sure that Dr. Shin Jung-ho was not on that list.

“When did Dr. Shin leave that company?”

The analyst had already prepared his answer.

“February 17th, 2012. About three weeks before Agent Madison, err well
former
Agent Madison, did his…  Well, you know.”

The S.A.C. knew only what he read in the reports. Operating under direct orders of the former S.A.C., Special Agent Michael Madison tracked down his would be assassins and proceeded to dispense justice in its most raw form. That’s what the official report said anyways. Given Agent Madison’s track record, the events that transpired that evening would be anything but by the book.

“And why wasn’t Dr. Sing on our call list for questioning?”

“He was,” Mark retorted. “But our agents weren’t able to find him. According to these records in the report, he was scheduled for questioning in August of 2012. By then, the case was practically over and we had more than enough to wrap things up.”

“Please tell me he was the only one we weren’t able to question.”

“Affirmative.”

The good news just keeps rolling in. Now Adrian was left with only one problem; finding a link to where Dr. Shin was hiding and more importantly, uncovering his true agenda. All of this new information was starting to take its toll on the S.A.C.’s sense. Comprehending it all at this very moment would be out of the question. The only thing he could do at this point is stay on top of it and follow this lead to the ends of the earth if need be. If anyone could track the doctor down, it would be the most legendary field agent ever to wear the badge. However, that brought along its own problem. One after another is par for the course in this agent's book.

“Has Madison been in contact?”

“Negative,” Mark replied. “He left all of his communication devices back in Vegas. No reports of him traveling on an airplane or any other mode of transportation. He's off the grid.”

Adrian swore loudly while pulling the phone away from his face. The sound was so loud that all the analyst heard was a static violent shout.

“No need to get violent boss,” Mark said in a vain attempt to calm down his superior. “Why don't you get in touch with the Commander?”

“The what?” Asked Adrian while still attempting to regain his senses.

Before Mark could answer, it hit the S.A.C. harder than a runaway train. He quickly ended the call and began dialing his superior’s number. All of this time he was so wrapped around with finding the hacker and taking down the bad guys he completely forgot about his superior who continued to fight for her life minute after minute in a hospital bed.

The S.A.C. paced around the gate for several seconds. What felt like an hour later, Adrian reached Nicole's voicemail. Either she was screening his calls or something dire must have happened. Perhaps the news of Michael’s termination hit her hard and she’s attempting to seclude herself from the world. Either way, the S.A.C. didn't have time to waste. He hoped for the former but prayed it wasn't the latter. Thumbs smacked against the phone with a furious serious of taps. His message was bold, serious, and straight to the point.

Commander, I need to get in contact with Michael Madison. Millions at risk. Matter of life and death.

Pressing send made him feel a shred of guilt. If something did happen to her, he wouldn't want his last words to her to be so brash. Another few seconds had drifted away and he just couldn't take it anymore. Adrian sprinted back down towards the gate and hoped to God his ride was still nearby to take him to the hospital.

March 27th, 2013 2:29PM

Washington, D.C.

The air outside of the White House became cold and thin. It was an unusually odd shift from a couple hours earlier. Meryl stood vigilantly as she did prior awaiting the arrival of their next guests. The crowd had appeared to nearly double in size and all of the extra security measures they have taken would be put to their full test.

“Feeling nervous?” Shelly chimed in.

Meryl turned away and tapped her earpiece. She wanted to try and have a decent conversation but she couldn't do that with thousands of prying eyes watching her lips move.

“Is it too late to call in sick?” Meryl quipped.

The laughter on the other end told her even humor could be appreciated in the most serious of times.

“You better steel yourself Agent Lewis,” a somber more authoritative voice called.

The Director seemed less than pleased.

“The targets are entering through the gates.”

Meryl thought she was in for a royal ass chewing but though he was stern, Director Miller seemed more supportive with his words than dismissive. That doesn't mean she won't hear about it later but at least, for the time being, everything will be okay.

The gates opened. A police cruiser and two motorcycle escorted entered first. They stayed in formation and followed the path smoothly to the very end. Trailing right behind them were two black Cadillac Escalades and right behind those, another squad of policemen ended the line.

Just as quickly as they opened, the gates slammed shut. Meryl imagined hundreds of different scenarios for how this would all play out. Some included the crowd booing and chucking garbage at the North Korean delegates. Others involved a fiery shootout at the steps of the White House as General Suh Jae-Won came out of the vehicle with guns blazing. With so many different outcomes battling out of her attention. The most obvious became the most unlikely.

Silence filled the air as the doors to the Escalade opened. Five men exited the first. They were all similar in both age, looks, and clothing. It was almost as if North Korean policy makers were selected by their outward appearance over their intelligence. Something about them just struck Meryl as odd. It could have just been a coincidence. In her line of work, you need to treat everything as suspect until fully verified. Unfortunately for this undercover agent, her orders were clear; observe and report. It may have been odd, but it wasn’t worth calling it in.

Meryl took a deep breath and headed down the steps just as the second group exited their vehicle. The first was easily recognizable from Meryl’s dossiers. He was the youngest of the bunch but moved around with the aid of steel crutches operated with his hands and securely wrapped around his forearms. Bahn Dae-Hyun hobbled towards the entrance with his legs dragging across the pavement. He was the messiest and most unkempt of the group but given his disability, no one really paid it any second thought.

General Suh was the last to exit. Grey locks of hair started to form near his ears but he was still relatively young to be honored in such a way. He continued to bear the proud military uniform of the former People’s Country. Dozens of golden and silver speck of metal reflected light of the golden yellow sun above. Even though the war was over, he refused to part with the trinkets and medals he felt he so rightly deserved.

The General walked behind his subordinate Bahn and kept a close distance. If he was trying to give off the impression that they were close, the cameras and camcorders behind them wouldn’t be able to see anything else but a cripple that did not look pleased in the slightest. There was a tinge of anger underneath his brow. Maybe he didn’t fully agree with the General’s policies or his overall surrender but something about him didn’t look right. Nevertheless, she still had a job to do.

“Good afternoon. My name is April Winters. Welcome to the White House General,” she finished with the same bow she gave President Park and her party.

“You honor us with your hospitality,” replied the General.

Agent Yuan instantly translated without hesitation. For a guy who just one year wished nothing but death upon this country, he was ridiculously polite.

Meryl turned around and followed behind the delegates from North Korea. The President offered his standard greeting. They shook hands and exchanged brief pleasantries before quickly being escorted inside. Though still learning, General Suh's English was very impressive. He was able to hold his own in a conversation so the discussions should pose no translation issues.

“Shelly,” Meryl whispered. “Get a good look at Bahn as he enters.”

“Why?” Asked the receiving agent. “Is there something wrong?”

“Just covering our bases.”

She didn’t want to fully admit her impulses were working overtime but at the very least, she could hint at it.

The first five men entered. Meryl heard her support team give them the ‘all clear’ as they each passed through the door. Banh was the next one to go through. He took his time and hobbled up the steps. It appeared as if he was having some difficulty scaling the miniscule mountain but he was able to get one crutch to the top and restore one semblance of balance. However, the second one proved a bit trickier.

A loud clacking sound vibrated throughout the entrance. Banh underestimated the step and nearly lost his balance. Thankfully General Suh was nearby and caught him just before he toppled over. The former soldier regained his composure quickly but was still missing one tiny thing that he thought was carefully stored away.

Tumbling down the stairs and rattling like a can full of teeth was a small clear bottle. Meryl swooped down and caught it just before it could get past her. She lifted it up and gave it a quick inspection. It looked like a regular prescription bottle but there were no tags, warning label, or markings of any kind.

“Shelly?” Meryl whispered. Something was not right about this. It couldn’t be ignored. “Could you –”

“Meryl!” Her receiver cried out. “They’re just painkillers.”

“What?”

She was so wrapped up in what she found, her mind tuned out Bahn desperately calling out to retrieve what he had lost. He kept saying the same thing over and over again. Meryl had no idea. Her impulses had gotten the better of her once again only this time, it could have nearly sparked an international incident right on the White House steps.