<center>
The Man </center>
Disclaimer: Though the characters in this story are real people, the events that take place in this work of fiction are not indicative of who they are, what I think of them, or what I want to happen to them.
Jackie?s Note: I thought about taking this beginning part out, but I kept it in order to give our characters some character before everything started. We also started in an action scene in the first chapter, so I thought it?d get a little old. Anyway, here it is.
<center>
The Man
Chapter 2: It Begins</center>
8.27.43 6.17.06
(approx. 13 hrs later)
En route to Venice Beach, California
?Aww, come on, you moron!? Jackie huffed behind the wheel, her hand hovering above the horn, ?Get off the road!?
?He?s turning; be patient,? Morrighan admonished from the passenger seat.
She pouted, ?Yeah, but he was an idiot before this.? Catching the eyes of her two friends in the backseat through the rear-view mirror, she continued, ?I miss Texas roads??
The suburban in front of their car finally finished his turn, and Jackie floored it only to put on the breaks at the mounting traffic ahead as Cali said, ?You haven?t even been here for 4 hours!?
?Yeah, well? There?s no such thing as heavy traffic on a Tuesday at 8:30 in the morning in Texas.?
?It?s summer, we?re in California, and we?re headed for the beach,? Ali enumerated in a playfully exasperated tone. ?And why exactly are you driving again? We?re the ones ??
?Because,? Jackie cut in, ?The driver gets to choose the music.?
?But there is no music,? Ali pointed out.
Jackie wiggled her eyebrows in the mirror, ?Exactly.?
Morrighan and Cali snickered as Ali gaped.
?You ? ? Ali began in an accusatory tone.
?I believe it actually came down to the car,? Morri stated over Ali.
The car in question was a black Jeep Liberty Renegade with a light tan leather interior.
?Yeah! Y?all are just moochin? off my totally sweet rent-a-ride.?
?Actually, I?m more in it to save the gas money?? Cali announced quietly.
?And I didn?t want sand in my car,? Ali confided.
?I abhor dealing with traffic,? Morri shrugged.
It was Jackie?s turn to gape, then she frowned, eyes glued to the road, ?Y?all suck.?
The three sniggered quietly as Jackie turned into a parking lot and began to search for that ever-illusive perfect parking spot.
?Speaking of the beach,? Cali said as she peered out her window hoping to aid the suckered driver in her quest, ?Why do I get the distinct impression that you won?t be coming in the water??
?Because it?s not just an impression,? Jackie answered.
?What?!? came the simultaneous cries from the three passengers.
Jackie seemed surprised, ?What???
?We?re at the beach, and you?re not going to swim?? Ali asked incredulously.
?Well, I?m not a very good swimmer,? Jackie began.
?Why?d you agree to come, then?? Morri pressed.
?Because y?all ? ?
?But Jackie!?
?As long as you don?t drag me through a mall, I?m good. Besides, we?re all on vacation, even if this is my first time to be in California. And it?s not like I hate the beach. I just don?t like all the salt. And there are jellyfish??
?You?re paranoid,? Cali deadpanned.
Jackie was alarmed, ?But if you get stung, someone has to
pee on you!?
?She?s got a point?? Morri said thoughtfully.
?Or,? Ali interjected, ?You
could go to one of the nearby clinics where they?d take care of it through more
sanitary means? Just, you know, a thought.?
?Someone has to protect our claim, anyway. Make sure nothing gets stolen.?
Well, it certainly saved them the hassle of taking turns.
For the next few minutes, everyone was actively engaged in searching for a parking spot. They were lucky enough to stake claim to one only five rows in. It was then that Jackie noticed the time.
?Hey! 8:32! The news is on!?
?Jackie??
Too late. Jackie had already turned the radio on, tuning it to the closest AM station.
? ? In a statement today, President Bu ? ?
Morri snapped the radio off, ?No.?
Jackie was crestfallen, ?Bu- But President Bush-!?
?We know what you?re trying to do,? began Cali.
?And the answer is no,? Ali finished.
?But guys, what if something - ?
?No!? they answered together.
?Jackie, we?re on
vacation,? Morri emphasized. ?No news, no looking out, no nothing.?
?If they really need us ? ?
?Very doubtful,? interjected Morri.
?They have our number,? Ali finished without pause.
?I can?t just be severed from the world! It?s like not breathing or eating!?
Morri snatched the keys from the ignition, ?Deal.?
Jackie sighed as the others stepped out of the vehicle. Her friends had her ? all of their ? best interests at heart. Their jobs required them to be caught up in the lives and times of the world on a daily basis that went far beyond even obsession. Being agents in a top-secret and otherwise non-existent intelligence agency, such scrutiny was necessary. Everything was about their jobs, including their lives as college students. It was hard to become suddenly disconnected from all of that, and Jackie knew that it was hard for all of them, not just herself, so she followed them out of the car, a genuine grin on her face as she helped her friends gather their items, and they headed for the beach.
An hour later, Jackie was resting peacefully underneath a baseball cap that read, ?
Club Gitmo,? somewhere between dreams and reality when the faint sound of a cell phone awoke her.
Frowning, Jackie sat up, reaching for her sunglasses so she could see. From behind the tinted lenses, she reached for the source of the tune: Morri?s bag. Jackie scanned the area for her friend and found her a mere 50 yards away. She called out to her.
?Pick it up!? came the faint reply as she started on the short trek back to their spot.
Jackie hesitated only a moment before reaching into the satchel and grabbing the phone. She put the receiver to her ear and began a casual greeting before the voice on the other end silenced her.
It was computerized, somewhat digital and deep. The person was scrambling the signal so that Jackie could not tell if it was a man or woman on the other end of the line.
The voice proceeded to give Jackie an exceedingly long list of passwords before asking, ?Who is speaking??
Jackie sent Morri an urgent glance as she answered in a hushed tone, ?This is Circe. Is this line secure??
?It?s a cell phone. Of course not.?
Jackie frowned, ?Then why are you using this number??
?We needed to contact you.?
?I?ll assume this is important.?
?No particulars. When can you arrive at the location??
?Not long,? Jackie answered simply as Morri came to stand beside her.
?Good. We?ll expect you within the hour. And Agent,? the voice paused.
?Yes??
?Watch your back.?
The connection was terminated.
Jackie closed the cell phone slowly and handed it to Morri.
?What??
?This vacation is over,? Jackie said quietly as she scanned the area for suspicious characters. ?We?ve been summoned to HQ.?
?For what??
?I don?t know??
?I?ll grab the others, and you get started on packing this up.?
Jackie nodded and started gathering their items, ?Keep an eye out.?
A warning from HQ to watch one?s back was never taken lightly as all agents of the Nameless Agency did so out of habit. It meant that their identities had been compromised, and more than likely, they were being watched.
It happened quickly with the others joining Jackie packing up the ?camp.? Soon, they were standing outside the Renegade, arms laden with beach towels, discarded swimsuits, an umbrella, fold up chairs, and a variety of other items.
?Our salaries are pretty comfy, don?t you think?? Jackie asked evasively.
?Yes?? Morri answered slowly as she pulled open the trunk.
?So? What say we just leave all this stuff here? We can easily buy it all over again. We?re not going to have enough room.?
?What?? ? We had plenty of room ? ?
Ali nodded, ?I?m with Jackie. We need the room.?
?For what exactly??
Jackie? looked past Morri to Ali and shrugged. ?They?re going to find out anyway??
Ali nodded and excused herself past Morri so that she was standing directly in front of the trunk. She then lifted up the carpet where no one would have expected it to be detachable. Then Cali and Morri saw it: a door that covered the vast majority of the trunk floor protected by a small keypad.
?I? uh? Took the liberty?? Ali began.
?It was my idea. I said we should be prepared,? Jackie confessed.
Morri seemed slightly irked, and Cali was neutral.
?What exactly is in there?? Morri asked in a measured voice.
?Well? A lot of weapons. New ones that we just might find useful,? Ali answered.
Morri nodded, rubbing her temples, ?What part of vacation did you two not understand??
Jackie and Ali looked sheepish, and then Cali spoke up.
?Three.?
?What??
?Three of us.?
Morrighan narrowed her eyes at Jackie and Ali who raised their hands in a surrendering fashion, ?We didn?t know!?
?Don?t know,? Ali corrected.
?Yeah! We don?t know what she?s talking about. What did you do, Cali??
She reached into her bag and pulled out a large, heavy laptop. Her cheeks were slightly pink as she said, ?Sorry? But I had a feeling that we?d need it??
Morri sighed, ?Well? I suppose I should confess too? But I wasn?t NEARLY as bad as you three. I?ve been receiving the top headlines on my cell phone.?
There was silence for a moment before they all started laughing.
?I think we should all join an accountability group for work-o-holics when this is over?? Jackie giggled.
?All right. Let?s leave the stuff here, then.?
They made a neat pile next to the nearest trash bin.
?It?s kind of like donating, isn?t it?? Jackie pondered aloud as she opened the driver door and climbed in.
?Well? I imagine that someone will take it all? Or at least parts of what they want,? Ali said.
They backed out and started on their way towards HQ.
?How do you know where we?re going, Jackie?? Cali asked as she typed madly at her laptop in the backseat.
?I did my research?? Jackie supplied casually.
?Did your headlines give you any hint as to what this is all about, Morri?? Cali inquired.
?No? It doesn?t seem to be anything that I?ve received? Unless these are cover stories. ? You?ll probably find something more concrete on there??
?Hmm? Not yet??
?What else did you do to this thing, Ali?? Morri asked.
?You?ll see? Eventually, I hope??
A few minutes later, after they were sitting in silence, Jackie randomly asked, ?How?s traffic ahead, Cali??
There was a bit of furious typing, ?We should be okay. It?s a little slower, but moving well.?
?Good for weaving??
?Yes? Why??
Jackie kept her eyes glued to the road as she answered evenly, ?I think we have a disciple.?
No one looked to see so as to not alert ?them? to their knowledge. Instead, Jackie adjusted the passenger mirror so Morri could inconspicuously take a look. ?Third car back,? Jackie explained. ?The black SUV.?
?How long?? Morri inquired as she watched the mirror.
?The beach. They came out of the lot adjacent to ours.?
?Well, this is the freeway? They could be going this way, too,? Ali suggested.
?My thoughts, too,? Jackie conceded.
?If they are following us, we can?t take them to HQ,? Cali replied from behind satellite images of their freeway and the road ahead on her computer screen.
?Take ?em for a spin, Circe,? Athena settled herself in the seat, eyes glued to the mirror.
Circe grinned, ?Hang on tight, ladies. This might get a little bumpy.?
Once they hit the heavier traffic, Circe took it slow. She casually weaved in and out of the cars going only 3-5 miles faster than the average speed of the people surrounding them.
?Still there, but he?s backed off a bit,? Athena informed them.
?Artemis,? Circe said from behind the wheel, ?How?s the left shoulder look for the next couple miles??
?It?s open, but just 3 miles from where we are, traffic?s at a standstill. There?s an accident involving two jack-knifed semis.?
?Pull up 2 routes: A fake one away from people and an alternate for HQ starting with the last exit we can possibly take,? Circe said as she gradually increased her speed to 10 over the average commuter.
?He?s still there,? Athena said.
?Aphrodite, you?d better get ready to climb in the back and open that safe.? Circe caught her eyes in the mirror, ?I hope you fixed this thing well.?
With a sinister grin, she said, ?You know how I love my toys.?
?I?ve got ?em,? Artemis said. ?7 exits down.?
?Then here we go.?
?Wait!? Aphrodite called. She unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled herself forward to be between the front seats. She pushed in the A/C knob, and the display switched from the radio and A/C to a small lit-up blue screen with a small key panel below. The screen flashed, ?Password.?
?What is it, Circe?? Aphrodite asked.
?My default.?
She punched in the digits: W35T1R3A. There was a snap, and Aphrodite sat back as a multitude of buttons flipped over onto the dashboard and even behind and around the clutch.
Artemis let out a low whistle, ?You went all out, didn?t you??
?I?ll say?? Athena said in admiration.
?I had fun. ? Press the button with the blue hollow rectangle. It?s where the stored radio channels used to be.?
Finding it, Athena?s finger hovered over it, ?This one??
?Yes.?
She pressed it, but nothing happened.
?Okay, we?re good. Go for it, Circe,? Aphrodite buckled her seatbelt.
?But? What did that do?? Artemis asked.
?Changed our license plate. We?re now identified as a government vehicle, so the LAPD will know that we?re the good guys.?
?Sweet. ? I don?t suppose we?ve got any Naus??
?We do, but you?re not using it here. It?s too crowded.?
?Fine, then. I?ll do without it.? And with that, Circe floored it, cutting between the traffic at reckless speeds until she got to the left shoulder. As the swished past the cars to their right in the illegal lane, all traces of the SUV were gone.
?I can?t see him,? Athena informed them.
?Artemis? Is he still there??
?Yes he?s-!?
?Oh fu ? zzy!? Circe said as the black SUV suddenly re-appeared in her rearview mirror right on their tail. ?Are you SURE I can?t use the Naus??
?How fast are you going?? Aphrodite asked.
Just then, they were rear-ended from the SUV, and Circe struggled to not loose control of the vehicle.
Jackie curbed any curse words that came to her mind before answering, ?Over 70 already.?
?70?!!? Artemis asked alarmed. ?The average speed here is below 50!?
?I know. Change of plans; we?re getting off this freeway. ? Does this thing have sirens??
?Next to the headlights.?
?Good.? Circe flipped them on, and the traffic around them, more so than it already was due to their sheer velocity and dangerous chase they were involved in, dissipated. They veered off the freeway, catching a little air as they did so.
?LAPD?s been informed, and they?ve sent officers,? Artemis informed them.
?Tell them to back off,? Athena instructed.
?I need a new route! This is still way too crowded!? They flew through a red light, the Black SUV still on their tail.
?Take a right here for now,? Artemis said calmly. ?And could you try being a bit smoother? It?d make looking at this screen a lot easier.?
?Oh! Sure!? Circe replied sarcastically. ?Anything else I can do??
?Get behind them,? Aphrodite said as she climbed into the trunk and began to work on the safe. ?OH S---!?
?What?!? Circe asked looking in the mirror. ?Oh MAN!?
The two men in the SUV had pulled out automatic rifles and had leveled them at the Renegade.
?Down!? Athena commanded.
?No, we?re fine,? Circe said.
Just then, they let the bullets fly. They hit the Renegade, cracking the glass and denting the metal, but not making it through.
?We?re re-enforced ? completely safe,? Aphrodite said as she worked furiously on the safe. It was a bit difficult due to Circe?s less-than-smooth driving. ?But those people out there are not.?
?LAPD?s been informed. But they?ve also been advised of shots being fired,? Artemis said.
?Got that new route?? Circe pressed.
?No. But take a left here.?
?Here??!?
?Yes!?
?But?!? Circe ignored her judgment and followed her friend?s command. They narrowly missed being hit by an innocent civilian. They didn?t miss, however, the next rear-end the received from their ?disciples.?
?I?m getting really annoyed with that??
?Left here.?
?Got it,? came the voice of Aphrodite in the back. ?I?m going to need an ice pack when this is over??
?Where are you taking us?? Circe asked Artemis.
?Abandoned construction site. ? Well, it?s currently abandoned, anyway.?
They were pelted again with bullets, but the armor Aphrodite had fitted the Renegade with held true.
?Gotta hand it to those boy scouts?? Circe said to herself.
Aphrodite climbed back into her seat, a huge weapon in her hands.
?What is that?!? Artemis asked taking in the huge barrel.
It resembled an RPG launcher.
?No!? Athena said, ?We?re not going to kill them. And even if the place is abandoned, it?s WAY too dangerous.?
?It?s not an RPG. Here,? she handed it to Athena. ?Circe, we need to get behind them.?
?I?m trying.?
?We?re almost there.?
?What is this if not an RPG??
?You?ll see.?
?Why do you always say that??
?I like it when I surprise you.?
They swerved across tiny one-on-one streets, eventually coming to a relatively un-inhabited part of LA. Still, the men were pursuing them, occasionally shooting at them and constantly rear-ending them attempting to make the car spin out of control. Finally, they found the construction site, and Circe drove right through the wooden fence.
It was open and flat, apparently having just been recently cleared for the building that was beginning to be built.
?Okay. Get behind them, Circe,? Aphrodite instructed.
?Are you asking me to do a 540? Can this thing handle that??
?Yes. Do it.?
?Hang on.?
They went into a tight circle, but Circe felt the inertia threatening to flip them over, so she slammed on the brakes taking them to a complete halt. It was a good thing, too. Having already made a complete 360 degree turn, their pursuers had also come to a halt, deciding not to follow them. They were parked exactly where they would have been if Circe hadn?t stopped.
?Let?s go,? Athena said fingering the door handle.
?No. They?re not-?
And they took off again. Circe followed, and they went around in circles as the SUV tried to shake off the Renegade. The passenger hung out the window and turned around to face them. Bullets pelted the front hood and windshield, but none made it through. Giving up, he got back into the SUV.
?Okay. Now. Unroll your window, Athena,? Aphrodite instructed as she did the same.
Athena leveled the weapon at the SUV, and Aphrodite began to walk her through how to use it, her own pistol aimed and ready to cover her friend, should the need arise.
?Uh? This isn?t good?? Circe said as they were headed straight for another fence.
?We can?t let them get over that fence!? Artemis said.
?No kidding? We?d be short two agents?? Circe quipped.
?No! On the other side of that fence??
Too late; they went through the fence.
?You two had better hold on, and I mean tight.?
They went through the hole that the SUV had created, breaking off some more wood on the driver side so as to ensure that Athena and Aphrodite were okay. They emerged into a busy roadway. Ahead, the SUV was already weaving through the traffic on both sides of the double yellow lines that separated the 6 lane roadway.
?This is nuts?? Circe stated as she endeavored to catch up to them, the traffic splitting apart like the Red Sea in response to their sirens. Or maybe it was the massive weapon that Athena wielded. ?Is that thing remotely explosive?? she yelled to Aphrodite.
Aphrodite, still outside the car, couldn?t hear her.
Eventually, the roadway was cleared enough and they were a mere 20 yards away from the SUV.
Aphrodite popped her head in the car for an instant, ?Keep this distance!?
?What? Is that thing explosive? ? Ali!? But she?d already gone back outside.
?Aim between the right wheel and the car itself,? Aphrodite told Athena.
?It?s kind of difficult? Can I zoom??
She reached forward and pushed a button on the top of the weapon.
?Much better?? Athena responded.
Just then, the passenger started to get out of his window. Aphrodite fired a few cover shots, and the man got back in.
?Those were some nice shots?? Artemis said as she watched the satellite imagery play across her screen.
?Locked on,? Athena said woodenly.
?You have to hit the axel,? Aphrodite insisted.
?I?ve got it.?
?Okay. Fire when ready. ? And this thing?s got some kick,? she banged on the roof of the Renegade to alert Artemis and Circe that they were about to fire.
?Please don?t explode?? Circe chanted to herself.
Athena fired and would have fallen from the Renegade had Aphrodite not been there. A black ball the size of a small cannon ball with a what looked like white ?tentacles? shot out of the barrel and struck the right wheel exactly where Athena had aimed. The ?tentacles? wrapped around the axel, and then the entire weapon, small cannon ball and all, disappeared beneath the SUV.
Aphrodite and Athena had joined their comrades in the car.
?Be prepared to stop,? Aphrodite said.
?What was that?? Circe and Artemis asked together.
But then they didn?t wait for a response as the back wheels and entire back bottom half of the SUV, including the gas tank, detached itself from the rest of the SUV. It suddenly lost control, swerving across various lanes of traffic as its back half dragged on the ground creating a shower of sparks. Circe slammed on the brakes as the SUV struck a small convertible and then a fire hydrant. It flipped over and rolled a bit before coming to a halt in the grass on the side of the road upside down.
Circe pulled up next to it, and the four NA agents jumped out of the Renegade, pistols drawn.
?Come out with your hands up if you can,? Athena called.
?No! ? NO!? Artemis rushed forward, but it was too late.
Both men were badly injured but neither was dead. They were both also conscious, and in their conscious state, had taken cyanide capsules thus killing themselves.
Circe went over to the SUV and kicked in the remaining glass, then grabbed the driver and dragged him out. ?We should have expected that?? She searched his person but came up empty handed. The passenger was the same.
The police arrived momentarily, no longer willing to stay away from the chase. After a few brief statements given by the four and giving out their contact numbers, they were off to HQ once again.
They were silent for a few minutes, each reliving some part of the chase in their heads.
?What do you think that was about?? Cali finally asked.
?No idea, but I think it had to do with whatever we?ve been called to HQ for,? Morri said.
They felt like congratulating each other on their individual outstanding performances, but no one spoke up. It wasn?t the right time to celebrate, so they rode the rest of the way in silence save Jackie asking Cali for directions on their scenic route to HQ.
A little less than an hour later, they had arrived at the NA. Jackie turned into a parking garage. It had two entrances: one for the public and one that said, ?Authorized Only: Permit Required.? Jackie drove into the latter one.
It was just big enough for one car to fit in; directly in front of them was a blank cement wall. A small pillar with a keypad on top sat next to the driver door. Jackie swiped her key card over it, then proceeded to input three separate passwords.
The wall receded in front of them, and they drove through to what looked like to an average passer-by, a different part of the car garage. In actuality, the winding road came to another dead end after a few yards. Jackie placed the battered Renegade in park, and waited.
There was a pause, and then an annoying beeping before they started moving downward on what resembled a large elevator.
?This is almost exactly like the Texas Chapter?? Jackie said quietly.
They were sinking for a good three minutes before they started to slow. Another thirty seconds passed, and they came to a halt in an underground garage. Jackie drove them past the parking lot to another section of the garage that read, ?Repairs.?
Ali got out first and went to talk to the head technician about what was wrong with it. The other three filed out, Jackie handing the keys to the technician.
?How long do you think it will take??
?Well, it?s just the outer armor? If you really need it, I think we can have it ready in a few hours.?
?I don?t know if we?ll need it,? Ali said. ?We don?t know what we?re here for.?
?Well? I?ll assume that you will. You just call me and tell me if you don?t. I?ve got some others in front of you??
?What are you talking about?? Ali teased, ?You love working on ?my? cars. You?ll work on it anyway.?
The technician grinned, ?Your cars are what a humble mechanic?s dreams are made of, Ms. Aphrodite. I simply can?t resist your charm.?
?You just like my toys,? she laughed.
?We?d better hurry,? Morri said checking her watch. ?We?re already a good half hour late.?
The technician, hearing this, shooed them off towards the elevator at the end of the garage. ?I?ll take care of it. You ladies just get where you?re supposed to be before the boss hears of it. We?ve already got one agent missing??
?What?? Jackie questioned.
?Let?s go,? Morri insisted.
They hurried to the elevator.
They went down a few levels and arrived at the front office. The floors were a shiny polished navy blue, and behind the front desk was the insignia of the NA: the black shadow of a hawk. They were directed to a room at the end of the level.
Taking a deep breath as they all steeled themselves against any possibility that they might be in trouble for being so late, they entered the room. Might be because the NA no doubt knew of the chase; hopefully, they?d figured out that it was said agents standing in the room who?d been involved.
The room was empty of persons save for two men, also agents. They raised their brows at the entrance of the four and straightened up, abruptly ending their conversation.
?You?re late,? said the one on the left.
?We know,? Athena replied dryly. ?We were a bit??
?Preoccupied?? Artemis supplied.
?Quite,? Aphrodite input.
?We know,? said the other man stepping forward slightly. ?My partner here just likes to give everyone a hard time. I?m Agent Epyon, and this is my partner.?
?Agent Paladin,? the other man said. ?And my partner is just a tight wad. He doesn?t like to joke.?
Epyon rolled his eyes.
?Right?? she pointed to each person as she said their code name, ?Aphrodite, Circe, Artemis, and I?m Athena. ? Are you the one that called this meeting??
?No. The others should arrive shortly now that they know you?re here,? Epyon answered.
?Might as well get comfortable,? Paladin said flopping into a chair at the long, ebony black table that stretched nearly the length of the room. ?You girls have any ideas on what this is about??
?None whatsoever,? Circe answered as she took a seat.
The others sat as well.
?Actually, we were going to ask you two the same thing,? Aphrodite supplied.
?Sorry to disappoint,? Epyon remarked. ?But I do think that we?ll be working together.?
?Really? Why?s that?? Artemis questioned.
?Well, we?re two teams, aren?t we?? said Paladin. ?Why bother briefing both if only one will be working on it. ? Not that I mind in the least??
?Oh, will you shut up?? Epyon turned to the girls, ?Sorry, but my partner hasn?t quite reached the end of puberty yet.?
?Don?t listen to him.? Paladin leaned in towards the girls conspiratorially, ?See, Epyon hasn?t
reached puberty yet period.?
They snickered quietly as Epyon stood up and made a move towards his partner.
?Simmer down, children,? came a new voice as the door at the front opened. A familiar -looking woman to whom the voice belonged walked in followed by another man and another woman with a stack of folders in her arms. The door shut, and the familiar woman and the other man took their seats at the table, the woman at the front, and the other man next to Paladin.
?Right?? said the other woman, taking the folders and passing them out. Everyone started flipping through them briefly. ?Well, I?m glad that everyone made it here in one piece?? She typed some things into the key panel that was embedded into the ebony table. ?You four will be debriefed at a later time. This matter is urgent.?
Straightening, she looked over her small audience, ?I?m Agent Steele, and I will be briefing you on your next mission, or,? and she turned to the other woman, ?On what?s happening here.?
Circe suddenly realized why the woman looked familiar.
?I think introductions are in order first,? said Steele and she pointed to the new man.
?Agent Nosoul, Black Ops division of the NA.?
?Agent Paladin, just another agent in the NA.?
?Agent Epyon, his partner.?
?Agent Artemis, computer analyst for the NA and our team.?
?Agent Athena, leader of our team.?
?Agent Aphrodite, technical scientist for the NA and our team.?
?Agent Circe, close combat specialist for the NA and our team.?
?And I?m Ennis Tremellyn, Director of the CIA.?
?Moving ahead,? said Steele, ?There was a disturbance yesterday evening at approximately 2100 hours. There was a world wide black out in terms of technology.?
The lights dimmed and the plasma screen behind Steele came to life, showing a view of the world from a satellite.
?We?ve been unable to trace from where the signal came, but the entire world, everything, went black in terms of surveillance. Even the internet was affected, which you probably all heard on the news this morning. ? Or maybe you were personally affected last night.?
Artemis, Circe, and Aphrodite turned to look at Athena, but she ignored them, eyes glued to the plasma screen. They tuned back into the briefing.
?It lasted only 16.7 seconds. We didn?t know what had happened at the time, and we assumed that it possibly had something to do with the Sun. Perhaps there had been an unexpected flare. There were traces, after all, of increased UV light and heat in various places across the globe. That was, until, our satellites got wind of this in Africa.?
The image on the plasma screen changed to show a big, black, shiny dent in otherwise barren, dry land.
Paladin shifted in his seat, sitting more upright, ?What the??
?That?s what our analysts said, and our first thought was to look back at what happened last night at 2100. Our analysts were able to put this together.?
She again tapped the key panel, and the plasma screen split into 4 smaller boxes. A light red cylinder was super-imposed on the different views of the black space. All of them were at a slant, leading into what could only be space.
?What is that?? Nosoul spoke for the first time.
?A trail of heat,? Steele answered simply. ?Our technology read that cylinder and the air around it as being superheated at 2114 last evening.?
?So that?s glass, then?? Circe asked.
?Yes. Glass that trapped any and all smoke thus the explanation as to why no one knew about it.?
?So? Someone scorched this empty lot to make a bunch of black glass?? Aphrodite asked.
?It wasn?t barren.? Steele again clicked on the keyboard, and a picture of a village appeared superimposed over the split screen. ?Gaachiinyen, a small village, used to be where that black dot is.?
Everyone shifted in their seats, save Director Tremellyn. It was possible that she already knew all this, or she was just hiding her surprise very well.
?Okay,
what?? Circe blurted. ?You?re telling us that that used to be a
village, and in ? 16.7 seconds, it was just o
bliterated? And the entire world isn?t finding out until
now???
?Actually,? Steele said, ?The entire world does not know yet.?
?Does the President know?? Director Tremellyn asked.
?He was briefed earlier this morning as soon as we had the information.?
?And what has he done in response?? she pressed.
?Approved of this mission with you working closely with our Head.?
Tremellyn nodded and said nothing more.
?There were, as you can see, no survivors. It was amplified sunlight, as far as we can tell, that did this.?
?Amplified by
what?? Epyon asked impatiently.
?Intelligence points to a satellite. We?ve been working on this for a couple years, actually.?
The silence was suddenly thicker as everyone held their tongues against their impulsive reactions.
?We tried to follow the heat trail back to where the satellite should have been, but there?s nothing there at all. There are no extra satellites hovering over Earth.?
Another picture popped up on screen, this one of a woman with short hair. ?Agent Wicked ? ?
?The Wicked?? Paladin interrupted.
?Yes. The very same. ? This was her assignment. She was instructed to follow this man,? another picture popped up, this one of a man with dull brown hair obscuring sunken glittering grey eyes, ?Who goes by the alias Region Wolfe. She has missed her last 3 check-ins, so we must assume that she is either dead or captured.
?Part of her assignment was to locate *Anrui Shino,? and another picture popped up on screen. ?A top nuclear engineer and rocket scientist,-?
Paladin gave a low whistle.
?Yes, quite a combination? She went missing 13 months ago.?
?And you think she?s involved?? Athena asked.
?Yes.?
?By force or free will?? Artemis pressed.
?We?re assuming force, but we can?t rule out free will.
?So what?s the mission?? Nosoul asked.
?You are to take over Wicked?s assignment.?
?The seven of us?? Epyon asked incredulously. ?This was a solo mission just three checkpoints ago- ?
?Yes, but they had not used the weapon at that time. We don?t have any ideas as to what they want, where they are, where they?ll strike next, or even when. The death toll could be more than a couple hundred; we still don?t know what this thing can do. And forgive me for saying so as I?m quite positive that you?re a
very good agent, but Agent Wicked is in a league of her own.?
Epyon silently bristled at the last statement, but successfully held his tongue.
?As we have no leads on where Agent Wicked, Region Wolfe, or *Anrui Shino are, we have to start from scratch. You seven are to head for Africa and see what you can find out from there.?
?I work alone,? Nosoul replied, leaning back in his chair.
?You follow orders, or you lose your job,? Director Tremellyn intervened. ?We don?t have time for childish games.?
He frowned, but said nothing.
?Are there any questions??
?Yeah? What do we do when we get there?? Circe asked.
?You?ll be contacted upon arrival. Your basic objective is to follow the trail and see where it leads. That?s all we can do.?
?Who will contact us?? Athena asked.
?All the information has been downloaded in your profile folders. You can look over them on the flight over.?
?Commercial?? Epyon asked.
?No. Private.?
Epyon nodded.
There was silence for a few moments, and then the lights flicked on.
?If that?s all, then this meeting is concluded. As usual, operate with as much secrecy as you can. I wish you all the best of luck; you can start by getting prepared to leave. Your flight leaves at 1400.? Steele motioned to Director Tremellyn, ?We can go see the Head now.?
Tremellyn stood up gracefully, and followed Steele to the door. She paused and looked over the seven occupants of the room, ?Good luck.?
And with that, the door shut with a quiet click as the seven agents simply stared at each other and the profile folders in their hands.
------------
* An!! You never told me your name again!
And I decided to make you a totally awesome scientist, (who we know got tortured by Wolfe... :-? ) so it will just be your full name that I need.
Okay... So it's longer than I anticipated, which is good or bad depending on your perspective. 
I decided to add a few things as I typed it up, thus the longer wait to post it. <s>(I was also chatting with some friends...)</s> 
50 days til <s>I leave for Florida</s> FREEDOM! 
Looooveeee this.