The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) (15 page)

Adam cut in to continue the brief. “Nolan, a problem occurred
while we were trying to protect her. Ava’s brain underwent a partial memory
wipe.”

Suddenly my breath was absent.
No…. This wasn’t happening
.
I put my head in my hands, trying to hold it together. But my momentary sorrow
for Ava quickly turned to anger as I stood up.

“You son of a—” but I bit my bottom lip, trying to control
myself. I lowered my voice but kept the intensity. “Protect her?” I stepped
closer to Adam until I was inches from his face. “You just ruined her entire
life. No, now she doesn’t have a life! She has no idea who she is, where she
lives, who she loves!” And then it hit me—they had ruined my life, too. I
slammed my fist down on the table making the tools jump, some clattering loudly
to the floor. I let out a loud emotion-filled roar.

“Calm down, Agent Hill. We didn’t wipe her entire memory. Tests
indicate she won’t remember only the months since she’s learned about herself
being the Carrier, about Ethan Myers, and unfortunately about—” he paused, not
wanting to finish his sentence— “you.” The old man looked down at the floor,
and backed up a few steps as if he was afraid what I might do next.

I began to lunge forward just as Greene came over to restrain
me. I took several heavy breaths before Adam attempted to console me. “Nolan,
we did consider Ava’s overall welfare.” He dropped the arm that was across my
chest when I relaxed a tiny bit. “She’ll be out of recovery in the next hour
and then we’ll fly her back up to university and place her back in her own bed.
When she wakes up, she may be disoriented for a short while, but we have full
confidence her flatmates will support her. She’ll be none-the-wiser.”

I didn’t know what to say. I simply stared at Agent Greene.

“Listen, once this is all over and they bring down Myers and the
CBB, it’s possible we may be able to reverse the process.”

He raised a hand to place on my shoulder, but I hit it away with
my hand. I was not in the mood to be comforted by the man who ruined my
girlfriend’s life.

“May be able to?” My thoughts shifted quickly. “Why wait until
it’s all over?”

“There’s little research on partial wiping, so naturally, we’re
unsure of the outcome. And as for the wait, we can’t be exactly sure how her
brain will react to the recent trauma it’s been under. Attempting another
surgery so quickly is a massive risk.”

“This is all crap.” I walked to the foot of Ava’s bed. “How do
you expect her friends at school to help her recover from this trauma when they
don’t even know what she’s suffering from?”

One of the other men spoke up, “Gentlemen, might I suggest we
send Agent Greene to Stevens Point to oversee Ava while she recovers? After
all, he is very familiar with Miss Gardner’s medical file.”

I shot the man a look of disgust. “What do you mean, ‘very
familiar’?”

“Nolan, I was in the operating room last summer when Ava
underwent gene therapy. I know everything about her medical history.” Then he
turned toward the old man. “Great idea. I could pose as a college student for a
while, befriend Ava, and keep an eye on her recuperation. And, of course, if
Myers tries anything, I will be within arm’s reach and pull her out of town if
needed.”

“It might just work,” the older doctor said. “I know you’re
almost twenty-nine—”

“I’m twenty-seven, sir,” Adam corrected him.

“Right. Twenty-seven. I think you could pass for a college
student, not a problem.”

“No, no,” I interrupted. “Absolutely not. I’ll do that myself. I
can watch over her.” No way was I letting some fancy-haired Brit hover over my
girlfriend for a few weeks.

“Agent Hill,” said Adam, “if Ava sees you, it may trigger
partially wiped memories and sacrifice the effects of the whole procedure. Her
brain will get confused and she may undergo prolonged blackouts. It’s too
risky.”

I came back around the bed and into Adam’s space. “Dammit, Adam!
I can’t just sit here while the woman I love is suffering and disoriented, not
to mention being hunted by one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals!”

The first old man spoke up again. “You won’t be sitting idle,
Agent Hill. I’ve been told the agency has an important mission for you. The
swifter you achieve this assignment, the faster we can take down the CBB and
the quicker you can return to Miss Gardner.”

I knew it was too late. The procedure was done, and there was
nothing I could do about it. The old man was right. I needed to focus on the
task at hand so that I could find my way back to Ava. I walked over to her
side, took her soft hand in mine, and stared at her peacefully slumbering face.

Adam quietly offered, “Nolan. I may have altered her brain, but
I cannot change her heart.”

I raised Ava’s hand and kissed it gently, taking in the scent of
her skin and placing that smell deep within my brain. I knew it could be weeks
before I’d be given the pleasure of being so close to her again. I gently
placed her hand back on the bed and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “We’ll
find our way back to each other, I promise.” Then I kissed her forehead and
slowly backed away from the table. The old man escorted me out of the room as
the vision of Adam tending to my girl was etched into my brain.

“You take care of her, Adam. Take care—” and then my voice
trailed off as I got choked up.

“You’ve got it, mate.”

Late that night I was led to the housing wing of the Milwaukee
FBI building. Despite my exhaustion, I barely slept a wink, agonizing over
Ava’s new life without any memories of the past three months. I didn’t believe
in the plan presented, but on the other hand, I lacked a better scenario to
offer. My hands were tied.

In the morning I was to meet with my new handler, Agent Bowman,
to be briefed on the mission I was assigned to. My plan was to complete
whatever it was as quickly as possible so that I could return to Ava and
hopefully reverse the surgery. One thing was for sure; I’d be going through
hell, waiting and wondering what she was up to and how she was doing.

My phone rang out from the bedside table, calling for me to wake
up. When I swiped the screen, I discovered a text message from Agent Bowman.

Good morning
Agent Hill. Please meet me in room 596 at 8:00 am.

Next to my phone under the lamp was a black fuzzy box sitting
exactly where I had left it right before I fell asleep.

Ava
, my heart ached as I carefully
opened the box. A beautiful princess-cut diamond ring sparkled in the ray of
sunlight peeking through the curtains.

Her memory’s been wiped
, my brain
yelled.
She doesn’t even know you!

A deep sigh accompanied the snapped shut box lid. I had to
defeat Myers no matter what it took. I replaced the box back on the bedside
table and climbed out of bed, head pounding from lack of sleep.

The room was small but adequate enough for my needs. I sauntered
over to the closet and opened the sliding door. There were a few two-piece
suits, in my size, waiting for me on the hangers—the official uniform of the
FBI while we were in the office.

I quickly showered, changed into the suit, and then grabbed my
wallet, cell phone, and the ring box as I headed out of the room. I found my
way down the hall and over to the elevators.

Agent Bowman’s name was displayed on the nameplate next to his
office door. I drew a deep breath and knocked. I wondered if Ava had woken up
in her bed in her apartment at school yet or if she was still sleeping.  

“Come in,” a voice called from inside the room.

I turned the handle and walked into a very cushy office. One
wall had a fish tank about the size of a mattress built into a large bookshelf
that covered the entire length of the wall. There were two brown leather
couches to either side of an oversized mahogany desk that was placed in front
of floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Ah, Agent Hill. Right on time.” Agent Bowman stood up from the
desk and walked around it to shake my hand. “You probably didn’t sleep a wink
last night. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.” First impression, my new boss was down to
earth, but I wasn’t ready to completely trust the guy yet. After I had been
duped by Myers, I’ve noticed I look at people I meet for the first time with a
little caution.

“Superb.” He walked over to the console behind his desk and
poured two mugs of coffee. “Agent Hill, please have a seat.”

I sat down on one of the couches as Agent Bowman took his place
behind the desk. Bowman had short, black hair with specks of grey here and
there and looked like he was probably in his late forties. His dark-rimmed
glasses rested on his sharp nose, his intense green eyes glaring through the
lenses. A tidy goatee polished off his square jaw.

“Well, let’s get right down to it. I’ve been assigned this case
for a specific reason, Agent Hill. For the twenty-six years I’ve worked for the
agency, I have been attracted to cases involving genetics and futuristic
advancements in genetic medicine. This study has led me to follow and track the
activity of Ethan Myers. Mr. Myers is one the FBI’s most wanted for a multitude
of reasons, most of which you are oblivious to.” He paused to take a deep drink
of coffee.

“The FBI had reason to believe that Myers was relatively benign
until last August when we discovered he had tracked down a specific blue meteor
the Gardner family had in their possession, and was planning on using it for
some unknown reason.

“What we are most concerned with these days is the safety of
several Americans that Myers is covertly targeting. At this point, our
researchers have their theories, but we have not entirely concluded what
exactly Myers is soliciting from these particular Americans, and we can’t be
sure who his next prospect is. The most unsettling part is that we’ve found
three young women murdered, most likely at his deliberate hand.”

I didn’t thoroughly understand everything Agent Bowman was
telling me, but I nodded in agreement anyway.

“Agent Hill, there is a reason Myers had Miss Gardner
tranquilized and not killed. We believe he needs her alive.”

“Any idea why, sir?” My mind flashed back to that horrible
medical room in the CBB.

“Not entirely, but we do have reason to believe that Myers is
acting in accordance with a certain conception he was brought up believing.
The
motivation supporting the
details behind this mysterious theory is still somewhat unknown, but we
speculate the key to defeating Myers is to study his past.”

“With all due respect, sir, I’ve seen a map of the spider web
containing all the CBB offices in the US. It’s expansive, to say the least.”
Taking down Myers was going to take a lot more than a little digging through
his past. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on taking down each office one by one?”

“Unfortunately, cutting off the limbs of this monster may not
prevent his brain from thriving.” Agent Bowman stood from his desk and took a
few steps over to the windows. He spoke to me as he stared down at the city
below us. “The FBI is not a small operation, Agent Hill. We have been following
Myers for many years and know a lot more about him than perhaps you do.” He
turned back toward me. “Ethan Myers is up to something monumental. I can feel
it.”

“Sir, I don’t know if you read my report, but when I discovered
the whiteboard in Ethan’s lab, there was a date written at the bottom—November
first. Do you think this is a deadline or sorts?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. We have twenty-one days to determine what
Myers is planning and cut him off before he can accomplish his agenda.” He
stared at the ground, thinking. “So soon,” he muttered to himself. Agent Bowman
returned to his seat at the desk. “I better get you started on your mission.
Sorting through Myers’s past is a necessary piece to our advancing forward. If
we don’t stay one step ahead of Myers, we’re going to uncover more innocent
Americans dead, and that is unacceptable.” He turned over a piece of paper on
his desk. “I’m sending you overseas to Dublin.”

“Dublin? You’re sending me to Ireland?” I always wanted to see
Ireland, and a little flutter of excitement filled my heart.

“Yes.” The corners of Bowman’s mouth turned up for a second as
if he was happy to bring me joy, but knew he needed to fulfill the role of a
serious FBI handler. “Ethan Myers’s bloodline runs through Ireland. There is
valuable information over there. You’ll have two days to prepare for your
mission overseas.”

I knew deep down in my heart I needed to see Ava one more time
before I headed out of the country. Since I was dealing with Myers there was,
of course, a slight chance I wouldn’t be returning alive, and I needed to see
for myself that Ava was going to be alright.

“Sir, I was wondering if I would be lucky enough to be granted
one personal favor.” Bowman said nothing so I continued. “I’d like to see Ava
before I leave.”

For a few moments Agent Bowman looked down at the ring
encircling the finger on his left hand. “Many years ago I lost the only woman I
have ever loved. That morning I was running late for work and didn’t take the
time to say goodbye to my wife.” He took another moment to pause. “If I could
do it all over again, I wouldn’t waste one single second I had with her.” He
looked up into my eyes. “You are in a precarious situation, Agent Hill. I can’t
pretend to imagine what you are feeling, but you should consider the fact that
you are still deep within her heart.”

“Thank you, sir.” The sentiment meant a lot, especially from a
boss I just met.

“I will allow you to go as long as you don’t interact at all
with Miss Gardner.”

“Yes, sir. I will look from afar.”

“Good. Oh, and you should know I’m not sending you to Ireland
alone. I’d like you to work as a team with Agent Smith. I’ll contract the
express chopper to transport you and Agent Smith up to the Central Wisconsin
airport in Wausau later today. There you will find an agency vehicle you may use
to take down to Stevens Point Monday morning. This short excursion will not
only have a personal objective for you, Mr. Hill. You and Agent Smith will
spend your time discussing the overseas task, reading the research documents,
and you will be advised by tactics through email and video chat. It is
imperative you spend your time preparing, or you could risk failing this
mission.“

“I understand, sir. I will stay focused.” I stood up from my
chair and headed toward the door. I knew I couldn’t truly focus until I saw
Ava’s sweet face—until I knew she was recovering alright from the trauma of the
surgery.

When I pushed open the door, Agent Smith was waiting for me in
the hallway, leaning up against the wall, one foot crossed over the other.

“What’s up, Nolan? I just heard the good news about our overseas
adventure together! This is going to be epic!”

I was happy Bowman was sending me with Drew, an agent whom I
became friends with during training and had enjoyed working with. Although he
was twenty-eight, Drew had been with the agency for several years and was already
training new agents. He was somewhat of a mentor figure to me. I trusted him
and knew we got along nicely.  

“Yeah. We need to get this psycho quickly so I can get back to
Ava.”

“I heard what Greene did to her. I’m sorry, my man.” He and I
began to walk down the hallway together. “But don’t worry, I have no doubt we
shall be successful.” Drew had a lot of energy and had a way of making
everything he said sound like a line from a movie.

We were briefed by Mission Tech all afternoon and then spent
some time studying the mission manual. There was a lot to know before we went
on our first overseas operation, and I found myself having trouble focusing
when all I could think about was Ava’s safety.

By late evening we boarded the agency’s express helicopter and
buzzed up to Wausau Airport where a black Tahoe waited for us outside the
terminal. Drew took the driver’s seat and we followed the GPS south to Stevens
Point.

Agent Smith’s specialty was all things computers, so at the
hotel that night he hacked into UWSP’s computer network and found Ava’s address
and class schedule. Then he engineered a program to piggyback off the system so
he could check if anyone was seeking her information.

Genius.

We planned to search out Ava after her morning biology lecture
and observe her for a while until I was satisfied she’d be fine. I called Adam
to tell him we were in town and to see how Ava was doing, but he didn’t answer
my call. I’d try again tomorrow.

Later that night I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t
fair. I had just gotten Ava back in my arms when Myers separated us again. A
small fire started to burn deep within me. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be put
out for quite some time.