Mad Powers (Tapped In) (16 page)

“
I know you must be uncomfortable and would like the opportunity to get freshened up. Please allow me to explain things first.
”

He gestured toward the two empty chairs facing him and smiled. We both sat and said nothing. Calloway
’
s eyes lingered on Pippa
’
s bloodstained jeans and his smile faded for a brief moment.

He turned to me.
“
Miraculously, you survived a momentous automobile accident. One Mr. Harland had planned and executed down to the smallest detail. Your death needed to look like an accident. A fluke. The converging of events no one would question
—
most notably myself, and the organization I work for. His hatred for you was all encompassing. That was my mistake; I misjudged Harland in that regard. I apologize.
”
His eyes moved over to Pippa.
“
And I apologize to you as well, Agent Rosette. Again, Mr. Harland acted inappropriately.
”

“
Inappropriately? That
’
s what you call it?
”
Pippa was leaning forward in her chair. She looked as if she was on the verge of springing onto Calloway. Rifle muzzles came up from Calloway
’
s assault team.

He waved them down and sat forward in his own chair, meeting her stare head on.
“
This is a messy business. Espionage. You
’
ve chosen a career path that by its sheer nature is at odds with itself. Layers of lies and deceit, motivated by greed for personal advancement, from virtually all parties involved, has put this country in jeopardy. What you think you know, what you have based your ideals on, is incorrect. The flag of patriotism being waved before your eyes is often nothing more than a deceptive lie.
”

“
Let me guess. You
’
re going to be the one to enlighten us,
”
I said. I
’
d already infiltrated his mind, while taking extra care this time to remain unobtrusive.

Calloway smiled. His tan, handsome face, with those penetrating blue eyes, regarded me for a moment before he spoke.
“
I assure you, Mr. Chandler, when presented with an unbiased accounting of the workings of the world order, including that of the United States, you
’
ll be far less skeptical of what we
’
re trying to accomplish.
”

Calloway certainly believed in what he was saying. Righteous and arrogant in his rhetoric, he had a mind like a machine. Nothing was going to get in his way. But there was only so much I was able to decipher from the streams of thought in his focused, uncluttered mind. Without all the typical errant images or emotional sidetracks most of us produce, I wasn
’
t getting much out of him.

Calloway sat back in his chair.
“
I would like for both of you to work for me.
”
He held up one palm as he saw Pippa poised to rebuff his overture.
“
Let me continue for one moment, Agent Rosette. The simple fact that you both survived and were in the process of escaping Mr. Harland
’
s prison cell below speaks to your ingenuity and resourcefulness. Your deaths as well as that of Agent Giles was never our intention. Harland
’
s mind had lost balance. Be it the snakebites, vengeance, whatever
…
he
’
d gone completely mad. With that said, and I
’
m somewhat afraid to admit this: this has been an excellent test. In the realm of things, only the very best, the most proficient and resourceful
—
those who are true survivors, are of any interest to me.
”

“
Well, isn
’
t that nice for you. But there
’
s simply no fucking way I
’
d ever work for you,
”
Pippa said, returning his smile.

“
On the contrary, Agent Rosette, you already do. You both do.
”

“
What are you talking about?
”
I chimed in.
“
I
’
ve been underground for over a year. Who even knows I
’
m still alive? And most importantly, I
’
m retired. Done.
”

Calloway looked amused.
“
There was never a moment when we didn
’
t know where you were hiding out. You may be interested to learn that Mr. Skykora has worked for my organization for more than six years.
”

I observed his mind and he was telling the truth.

“
There are very few people who are privy to the existence of this organization. The president of the United States is one of them. I do not work for him
…
nor does he for me. But he supports what we are doing emphatically. As do select leaders throughout the world. Again, our directives go beyond the borders of any one nation.
”

“
And are they ever at odds with the U.S.?
”
I asked.

“
Not if one knows the reality of the situation. That
’
s not always apparent to the general populace or even their political constituency. I provide full disclosure
—
transparency of our motivations. You may not always agree, but you
’
ll have far more access to decision-making than you
’
ve had in the past.
”

Calloway turned his attention to Pippa.
“
Agent Rosette, you will contact your previous supervisor, Assistant Director Hayes at DHS. He will verbally confirm your reassignment. There will be no paperwork. Nothing that can be tracked or later used to tie you to SIFTR. Mr. Chandler, your situation was somewhat more complicated. Suffice it to say you have a choice to make. Right here and now. Work for me, for SIFTR, and be one hundred percent cleared of all charges.”

“Or?” I asked.

Calloway looked bemused. “Continue to be sought, by multiple agencies, in multiple countries—living a life on the run.”

He was, it seemed from what I could determine, telling me the truth. “That seems like a tall order,” I said.

He casually shrugged, “With the exception of one foreign state, namely Russia, no one will be looking for you.
”
Calloway stood and looked down at us.
“
Over time you will be brought up to speed on your long-term operational directives.
”

“
And short term?
”
I asked.

“
Keep your promise to Mr. Skykora.
”

Chapter 26

Escorted by several of his armed team, Calloway left in a hurry. Another man, also wearing a well-tailored suit, this one in dark gray, entered the hotel
’
s former dining room. About forty, he had olive skin, was of medium height, and his black hair was trimmed short. He moved with confidence and efficiency. Like myself, he was an agent
—
a trained killer
—
I had little doubt of that. He had been waiting in the wings for Calloway to finish. He sat in Calloway
’
s chair and laid a briefcase on his lap.

“
My name is Curtis Baltimore. You can call me Curt, if you wish. I am your point of contact from this point on. All communications will transpire through me. You will not deal with Mr. Calloway directly, unless otherwise directed to do so.
”
Baltimore opened the briefcase and brought out a thick manila envelope; closing the briefcase, he placed it on top.
“
There are several points that need to be discussed before we move forward.
”

“
There
’
s no way I
’
m working for you,
”
Pippa said.

Baltimore looked over to me.
“
Same for you?
”

I shrugged.
“
Speaking for myself, as I told Mr. Calloway, I
’
m out of the business. Retired.
”

Pippa looked at me without expression.

Baltimore looked relaxed, as if he
’
d had this same conversation many times. He turned to the soldier closest to him, who passed over what looked to be the latest generation satellite phone. Baltimore took the phone and entered a series of numbers. He held the phone to his ear and listened for several moments, then entered another, longer set of numbers. I was in his head, hearing the key tones. A voice broke into the line and said:
“
Please hold for the president.
”

There was silence and then another voice broke in.
“
Baltimore, I need to make this quick. I have the Secretary of State waiting outside my office.
”

“
Yes, sir,
”
Baltimore said.
“
They are both here. I
’
ll put you on with Mr. Chandler first, then Ms. Rosette.
”

“
Fine, let
’
s move it along. Hand over the phone to him.
”

Listening through Baltimore
’
s mind, I immediately recognized the voice of James C. Morrison, the president of the United States. There was no mistaking that it was him. I took the phone from Baltimore and put it up to my ear.
“
This is Chandler,
”
I said.

“
Hello, Mr. Chandler. May I call you Rob?
”

“
Yes, sir.
”

“
Do you know who I am?
”

“
Yes, Mr. President. I do.
”

Pippa, who had been watching me, sat up straighter in her seat, looking surprised.

The president continued:
“
Do you trust me, Rob?
”

“
I do, sir.
”

“
Then please take Mr. Calloway and Mr. Baltimore
’
s request for continued service seriously. I want you to know that you will be working toward our country
’
s best interests. I would not compromise the welfare of our country, Rob. There may come times when you
’
ll doubt what you
’
re doing is right. Trust me, it will be. I
’
m putting my faith in you and Ms. Rosette. Do you understand?
”

“
Yes, sir. I believe I do.
”

“
Good. Both you and Ms. Rosette have a highly unique skill set. I
’
ve been told you are the best of the best at what you do. Perhaps most importantly, you
’
ve both been operating well beneath the radar for over a year. That alone is an advantage. There
’
s a new mission in the works
—
one that
’
s of the utmost importance. Within the week you
’
ll both be deployed back to Europe. Understand, national security has never been in more jeopardy than it is right now. Foreign infiltration into our covert agencies is at an unprecedented high level. Double agents have become the issue at hand. So you will be joining the most covert of all black-ops organizations. I
’
m counting on you, Rob. If you don
’
t have any quick questions, please put Ms. Rosette on the line,
”
the president asked.

So much for my decision of getting out of the business
, I thought.

Pippa took the phone and held it to her ear. Her brow furrowed; she looked nervous. While she was having what was probably a similar conversation with the president, I used the time to peer into Baltimore
’
s mind.

There was nothing unsettling going on that I could read; no red flares, indicating he was being anything but truthful. What I did detect was fear. Whatever was happening in Europe, the reason for this new mission, he was not optimistic about it. Bringing Pippa and myself into the mix might very well be a last-ditch effort before something cataclysmic took place.

Pippa handed the phone back to Baltimore. Her expression was one of concern; she looked to be carrying the world
’
s weight on her shoulders.

Baltimore leveled his eyes on me first, and then on Pippa.
“
Ms. Rosette, you will be leaving Arizona within two hours. You are booked on a direct flight to Dulles. You have a meeting in Washington, where you
’
ll be debriefed.
”

“
Mr. Chandler, please think about what resources you
’
ll require to complete your assignment in Kingman. In a few days, as soon as you
’
re done here, you
’
ll meet Ms. Rosette at a still-undetermined location somewhere in Europe. I have some reading material for both of you to get up to speed on. You
’
ll also find a burner phone, flight itineraries, your new identities, passports, and credit cards.
”
Baltimore handed a packet to each of us.
“
I
’
ll give you a few moments to say goodbye.
”

Baltimore was off his chair and heading out of the room before we knew it. The security team followed on his heels.

“
What the hell was all that about?
”
Pippa asked me.

I shrugged.
“
All I can tell you is that both Calloway and Baltimore believe what they are doing is the right call. There
’
s no apparent deception going on here,
”
I replied.

“
What
’
s this mission we
’
re being deployed into?
”

“
Baltimore has less faith in our abilities to succeed than Calloway. It
’
s a dire situation, whatever it is. Neither of us is expected to survive, in any case.
”