An FWA story by Timi Reeder and Shazia Kurmoo
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‘What were their names?’
For a moment, the silence completely enveloped the small, cluttered room around them. The shadows of the fading Sun flickered across the distant wood-panelled walls. The mood had broken with those words; the air of cordiality they had held throughout the brief meeting seemed to crash down to the dull metallic floor.
The Commander’s dark eyes shot a deep glance at her deputy. His question had come out of the blue, and for a short moment, she seemed unable to gather a response. But as the young officer began to recoil, fearing with a deep anxiety the infamous bad temper of his superior officer, her shocked expression turned almost seamlessly into an understanding smile, like that of a mother addressing a young child.
‘Does it matter?’ she shrugged the wayward question away ‘They never existed. This mistake never happened’
‘A mistake?’ he thought to himself, that word was not one he had never heard her say in all their years of working together. He doubted he would ever hear her say it again.
He opened his mouth to respond, but once again the silence around them prevailed; he was still locked in her gaze, and was left speechless against her.
Satisfied of her victory, she closed and locked the sapphire blue folder on the table. Within minutes, he knew that it would be burnt away to nothing, its contents gone forever.
‘I think that’s all, you may go now lieutenant’
Her blunt, sharp tone had never changed throughout her many years in the Agency. It had won her no allies, but had gained her the position of vast power which she now held. Despite the highly secretive nature of their profession, she was far more distant and removed from others then most around her. The most common joke in their division was that she would still feel crowded even if she was the last human left alive on Earth.
Joseph knew that his chance to challenge her decision had passed, the matter was now closed. As he turned the mahogany handle of her office door, she spoke out after him.
‘Lieutenant, I know it goes without saying, but this never happened. Don’t ever speak of it again’
Without even looking back, he strode out into the long winding corridor beyond, hoping that in a building full of buried secrets there was still one which could be broken.
‘It’s not over yet’ he whispered to himself, as the voice of a nameless colleague screamed out to him for help once again in his tortured mind.
-
The shadows of the dying day gently flashed across Joseph’s troubled face as he ran through the last of his assignments; several decrypted intercepts from a suspected terrorist cell. After filling out a command report and authorising appropriate action to be taken, he glanced back at the e-mail he had received that morning:
‘From: admin@fsa.gov.da
To: u571@fsa.gov.da
Subject: Meeting Notification
Please report to Commander Bozeman’s office at 14:30 for a D31 meeting’
He had no doubts as to what the subject would be, but despite his faint hopes, he knew in his heart that it would be a closed case by the end of the day. The vast open-plan office was empty now; his fellow agents had all signed out and left long ago, leaving their division leader all alone against the piercing light of the summer sun.
Joseph had always preferred to work alone, even as a child. This was said to be the first sign of a potential future FSA agent; the Federal Security Agency dealt with some of the country’s darkest secrets, socialising beyond your fellow officers was always a minor risk, but one that the Agency could not insure against. No emblem, no official recognition, Joseph’s life had descended into the shadows as he had quickly risen up through the ranks.
He knew that to pursue the matter further was to risk punishment and imprisonment. He knew that the Commander knew far more then she was letting on ‘Just let it go, it never happened, it never happened’. But then they came back to him, two terrified voices, two invisible faces, the fear of death in their cries.
The distant buzzing of a phone woke up Joseph from his nightmarish visions of the two agents trapped in the snows of a distant land, seeing their predators race towards them, carrying out a foreign set of orders.
‘Lieutenant Clay, C-Division’ he answered automatically picking up the receiver.
For a few moments he heard nothing but silence on the other end, but then slowly the distant sound of a drawer opening and papers being moved became apparent. ‘What the Hell?’ he thought to himself. He was still a little disorientated from his mind’s journey into the past; the call’s distant noises sent a wave of fear across him, yet his heart willed him to listen on. A loud click echoed through the receiver followed by the sound of a heavy door opening.
‘I’m sure I don’t have to tell you why you are here today’ a stern female voice said, leaving Joseph’s heart racing wildly. The voices were distant and muffled, but there was no denying their identities. As the recording progressed, Joseph scanned quickly around the office again, completely abandoned, the last rays of the Sun setting behind the distant hills.
Every instinct told him to put the phone down and run away, ‘run away from what?’ . He had to listen on, and identify the source of the call. Their conversation had seemed to last forever that afternoon, though listening to it again, it seemed to run through in just a few moments.
‘What were their names?’
The silence felt even more uncomfortable in eerie retrospect. Within a few moments, he was dismissed again and the sounds of his dull footsteps as he walked across the metal floor grew fainter and fainter ‘the microphone must be near her desk’ . Questions were starting to flood into his mind, all communications inside of the FSA were filtered and verified before their delivery, whoever was on the other side must have found a way around them. He braced himself mentally for the next part of the message; he half expected to hear a dark computerised voice read out a ransom note as the Commander’s office door clicked shut once again. He needed to find her and warn her about the infiltration.
Silence once again descended over the line as Joseph left the room behind. After a few seconds, he wondered whether he should speak out to his mystery caller, but he held his silence as the recording continued with eight small distant beeps. After a brief pause, a voice spoke out, its sharp tone still recognisable, undeniable.
‘Kim Bozeman here’
‘Yes, it’s over now, he’s just heading back to C-Division’
‘No it hasn’t I’m afraid, he’s still not...’
‘Oh come on, you and I both know that that is a lie, I’m surprised that you would even dare to suggest it!’
‘I could ask you the same thing; I’m not the only one at fault here!’
‘...I’m sorry sir’
‘Are you sure that there is no other way? He could be of use to us’
‘They were nothing more then recruits; something had to be done...’
‘Very well, it will be soon I promise.’
‘I know, I know. It will all be over soon’
Joseph felt a wave of pure fear pass over him as listened to his Commander’s words, he had never heard her speak like that before, no-one was superior to her; he had no clue as to the mysterious person on the other end of her telephone was. As the Commander’s phone was returned to its cradle, the distant humming of the recording stopped only to be replaced by a quiet and softly spoken male voice.
‘Lieutenant Clay, you are in danger. You need to escape and you need to escape now’
The line clicked and went dead. He felt as if a thousand eyes were watching him, and a thousand enemies were lying in the shadows, waiting to strike. With pure anxiety gripping his body, he stood up and looked around in pure fear; the walls seemed to close in around him. He thought he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
“I have to get away from here,” a voice urged in his mind.
His senses were on alert, the panic-induced adrenaline rushed to his limbs as he tried to make out any enemies lurking in the gloom. He made way for the elevator, all the while looking around for any possible signs of danger.
As he entered the cab, punched his destination and saw the door close on him, Joseph let out a sigh of pure relief. He was safe, at least for now. The warning by the strange mystery caller played over in his mind,
‘Lieutenant Clay, you are in danger. You need to escape and you need to escape now’
Escape, but from what or whom? Who was the man? How did he know him? What did he want with him?
Joseph felt the blood rush to his temple; his heart was beating erratically against his chest. In all his years as an Agent, he had never felt such fear overcome him. He was against up unnamed and shapeless adversaries. Who they were? Where they were? What did they want of him? Were all questions he wished he had answers to.
He had no logical explanation for this turn of events and that left him as helpless as an amateur. Joseph took a deep breath and tried to calm the storm raging through his mind. The only clue he had as to why this was happening, was the nightmare he just came out of, just a few days ago. Again, he felt the tormenting visions of his agonising colleagues rise up to the surface. He needed to know what happened there in that frozen hell. He needed to know who they were.
As the elevator beeped open, he carefully exited the confined space, looking around for any sign of danger. The long winding corridor was deserted, bathed in a sea of menacing shadows.
Stealthily, he headed for the office with the heavy mahogany door, at the far end of this labyrinthine hallway. He wasn’t sure to find answers there, for it was more than certain all evidence had already been wiped clean by Commander Bozeman, but he just knew he had to give it a try at least.
Joseph had finally reached Kim Bozeman’s office. He stood on the side of the door, unmoving, listening for any presence inside the office. All he could hear was the ponderous silence of this dead late evening. He felt his nerves tense once again,
“Something is wrong,” he thought to himself, “This unnatural silence gives me the shivers...”
Counting mentally to three, Joseph slowly turned the knob and pushed open the door. He glanced inside, left and right and over his shoulders, making sure he was truly alone. He almost heaved a sigh of relief on discovering the deserted premises. Almost was the right word, for he could not shake off the feeling of being observed.
Without losing any more time, he rushed to the imposing desk at the other side of the room. The drawers were locked; not that he’d expected it to be otherwise. ‘Where to look? ‘he wondered, standing to his full height and surveying his surroundings. It was only then he remembered thinking the recording device was somewhere near the Commander’s desk. If he could find it, maybe he would get a clue as to the identity and purpose of the anonymous caller.
Joseph crouched and felt his way under the desk. Nothing. He moved along, trying to discern any abnormality in the otherwise smooth surface. Suddenly, his fingers trailed upon a small round object. He carefully detached it from the wood. There in the palm of his hand, was a small microphone, one of the latest models.
Turning the device in this hand, Joseph was even more intrigued about the caller now.
The dull sound of soles against floor reached him. Someone was coming this way. He felt his blood run cold. He needed to find somewhere to hide and fast. The footsteps were closing in. The filing cabinet. He rushed to the side of the metal piece of furniture, and sunk down. He couldn’t be seen from the door, he was sure; but if one entered further in the room than the threshold, he’ll be found out.
Joseph lay still, waiting for the footsteps. They stopped, just outside the office. Would they come in? For some seconds, everything was once again all silent. Joseph dared not breathe, for fear of disturbing this hushed atmosphere. The footsteps started once more, passing by the office. He waited for them to grow fainter before letting out a relieved sigh.
He quickly scrambled to his feet and made a beeline for the door. He entered the elevator, pushing the button for the underground parking. But nothing happened. The cage stayed open. He tried again, punching the button multiple times, but to no avail.
Joseph felt the blood drain from his veins; cold sweat drops were now beading his forehead. His unknown assailants seemed to have found him. He rushed out of the elevator, heading for the emergency exit. As he banged open the door to the set of stairs, he was sure he heard running steps pursuing him. Not dwelling on it, he focused on his escape.
He had barely run down a few steps that a bullet whizzed past him, colliding with the wall ahead. Joseph looked up trying to make out the source of the projectile. He could see nothing in the gloom; save for the menacing shadows that appeared to be closing in on him. He quickened his pace, jumping down some steps. Another bullet passed him, this time just a hair’s breadth away from his ear. He felt the blood trickle down his neck, but did not stop in his momentum.
He was finally reaching the end of the stairs. The door to the parking lot was just a few steps down now. He tried to dodge the bullets that now rained down on him. Suddenly, Joseph felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He clasped his right hand over the left arm, to feel a liquid ooze out between his fingers. ‘Blood’, he mentally registered.
The attackers were closing in on him, he knew. The footsteps were frenetically climbing down the stairs behind him. He jumped down the last few steps and pushed open the door to the parking lot. Joseph winced at the sharp pain that ran down his arm with the impact. Surprisingly, the steps had stopped. It didn’t seem the pursuers were following.
Not losing a second, he rushed forward to where he knew his car waited. As he reached the inconspicuous black sedan, he fumbled in his pocket for his car keys. His fingers finally closed around the metal object and he quickly unlocked his vehicle and slid in. Just as he put the ignition on, a bullet shattered one of the back windows. His predators had resumed the man-hunt.
He changed gears and dexterously drove out of his parking space. As he swerved his vehicle towards the exit, his headlights shone on a dark silhouette. Or rather, numerous dark silhouettes that seemed to be surrounding him. ‘The Agency’s special squad!’ Joseph exclaimed mentally.
He had never thought to be up against the FSA, the Agency he had devoted himself to for all these years. Why did they want him dead now? Who was pulling the strings? The Commander? No, it couldn’t be her. He remembered the deferent tone of Commander Bozeman during the recorded phone call. Who could be behind all this?
Joseph felt the fear overwhelm him completely. He was one man against an organisation with the most well-trained soldiers. How would he get out of this situation? ‘For now, answers would have to wait,’ he decided, as he made a u-turn and accelerated towards the opposite end of the parking lot. The bullets rained on his car. After a couple of sharp turns, he had lured all his enemies behind him and headed straight for the exit. He stepped on the accelerator and at last reached the road leading out of the premises.
-
The blood from his bullet wound had soaked his shirt and the driver’s seat. Joseph ignored the pain that was coursing through his arm and drove as fast as the car’s engine would allow. He needed to put some distance between him and the Agency. He was sure they would not dare attack him here, where any member of the public could witness them. Joseph silently thanked the Heavens for the secrecy the FSA lived under.
He was grateful for the minimum traffic, since it meant he could cover more grounds in less time. But his energy was draining out of him. The pain, coupled with the fear was sapping his energy. He needed to find a place to rest. His flat was out of question; it would be the first place the Agency would look for. As he passed by a non-descript motel, the idea struck him. He drove into the decrepit establishment’s parking lot and got down of his car.
He pushed open the door to the reception, where a drunk-looking fat man lazily looked up from what looked like a porn mag.
“Whatcha want?” the man demanded, taking in the blood soaked appearance of Joseph.
“A room please,” Joseph could finally voice out, through the veil of pain.
“Here ya go. We pay in cash here, no credit cards,” the man told Joseph as he handed him a key from his greasy fingers.
Joseph fished out some notes from his wallet and handed them to the man, who pointed down the hallway.
Room 32. Room 32. Joseph mentally called as he scanned the door plates.
“Room 32, there it is,” he said to himself as he inserted his key and opened the door.
What greeted him was a dismal room which seemed to be covered with more than a layer of grime. Sinking down on the bed, he pulled up his sleeves to see the wound’s state. It was looking as bad as could be and needed urgent treatment. For now, he could only stop the blood by a make-shift tourniquet.
Just as he was done, he felt his phone vibrate. He fished it out of his pocket.
Unlisted Number.
Apprehensive, he took the call, and listened,
“I see you’re safe, Lieutenant Clay,” said the familiar male voice.
“Who are you?” asked Joseph.
“Who I am is of no importance. You’ll know that in due time. I’m sure there are far more important things you want to ask me...”
“Who were they? Why is FSA hunting me? What happened there?” Joseph demanded in a breath.
“Barbara Toller and Adam Mallery. They were new recruits at the FSA. The Antartica Mission was their first. They had been sent there under the pretence of possible terrorist activity.”
“But, there should have been nothing there. I was just told to check on the relay base here. There shouldn’t have been anyone there!”
“It was all in the Agency’s plans. The recruits were in fact guinea pigs for the FSA to test their new weapon: unmanned fighting automatons. The experience proved a success, it would seem. But one thing was preventing it from being a perfect success and that was you! You had witnessed something that compromised the FSA’s interests. They could not let you live, for fear of having their dark designs revealed.”
Joseph could not believe his ears. It was a scenario straight from a sci-fi spy movie.
“Lieutenant Clay, you’re up against enemies far more powerful than you can imagine. Are you sure you want to uncover the whole truth?” and the line went dead.
Joseph slowly put down the phone. He knew what he was deciding was pure suicide; but he needed to dispel the shadows and discover the whole truth. He was the hunter turned hunted, and his death never seemed so imminent...
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