The Agency
1533 Words
The sedan moved through D.C. traffic. Kane drove with one hand on the wheel. Calm. Unhurried. Cole sat in the passenger seat. His hand rested on the pistol in his jacket pocket.
“You can put that away,” Kane said. “If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
Cole didn't move his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe. Somewhere your father's people can't find you.”
“My father is dead.”
“His people aren't. Aegis has a board of directors. Twelve men and women who control billions of dollars and thousands of operatives. Your father was just the face. The hand. Not the brain.”
Cole watched the buildings pass. Government offices. Security gates. Men with guns.
“You're CIA.”
“I was. Now I'm something else.”
“What?”
“Someone who wants to clean house. Your father's network extends into every branch of government. The FBI. The NSA. The Pentagon. Even my old agency. We need to cut out the cancer.”
“And you want my help.”
“I want your evidence. Your testimony. Your mother's testimony. Everything you have.”
“And in return?”
“Immunity. Protection. A new life. You and your mother. Your brother, if he wants it.”
Cole turned in his seat. “Clark turned himself in. He's in police custody.”
“I know. I can get him out. But I need something first.”
“What?”
“The recording. The one your father made. The confession.”
“It's in Canada. With Frankie.”
Kane nodded. “Then we go to Canada.”
“I can't cross the border. I'm a fugitive.”
“You're in a car with a former CIA officer. Crossing the border is the least of your problems.”
They drove for another hour. The city faded. Suburbs. Farmland. Then a small airfield.
A private plane waited on the tarmac. Propeller spinning.
Kane parked. Got out. Cole followed.
A man in a pilot's uniform walked over. “Mr. Kane. We're ready when you are.”
“Thank you.” Kane turned to Cole. “The plane will take us to Toronto. From there, we drive to the farmhouse.”
“And if your people betray me?”
“Then you shoot me and take the plane yourself.” Kane climbed the steps. “But I wouldn't recommend it. I'm the only one who can keep you alive.”
Cole followed.
The plane was small. Leather seats. A table with coffee. Kane sat across from Cole.
The plane took off. The ground fell away.
Cole watched D.C. shrink. The monuments. The buildings. The city where his mother was hiding.
“She'll be safe,” Kane said, reading his mind. “I have agents watching the bookstore. If anyone tries to hurt her, they won't succeed.”
“Your agents could be on Aegis's payroll.”
“They could be. But they're not. I vetted them myself.”
The flight was two hours. Cole slept for most of it. His body couldn't stay awake any longer.
When he woke, they were landing. Toronto. Gray sky. Cold wind.
A car waited on the tarmac. Black. Unmarked. Kane drove.
They crossed into farmland. The same roads Cole had driven two days ago. But now he was coming back.
The farmhouse appeared. Hidden behind trees. The barn. The long driveway.
Kane parked behind the barn. They walked to the back door.
Cole knocked. Three times. Pause. Two times.
The door opened. Frankie stood there. His arm was in a real cast now. His face was still bruised.
“You brought company,” Frankie said.
“This is Kane. He's CIA. He wants to help.”
Frankie looked at Kane. His eyes narrowed. “I know you. You were in Afghanistan. Same time as me.”
“I was.”
“You worked with Charles Mathers.”
“I worked against him. Secretly. For years.”
Frankie stepped aside. “We'll see.”
Inside, the farmhouse was warm. A fire burned in the wood stove. Petra sat at the table. Ava was on the couch, asleep.
Petra stood when she saw Cole. “You're back.”
“Where's Clark?”
“He left. He said he was going to turn himself in. He said it was the only way.”
“Kane can get him out. But we need to move fast.”
Petra looked at Kane. “Who is he?”
“Someone who wants the same thing we do. To destroy Aegis.”
Kane sat at the table. He pulled out a folder. Photographs. Documents.
“This is the board of directors. Twelve people. They meet once a month. At a location that changes each time.”
“How do you know this?” Frankie asked.
“Because I've been inside. Undercover. For three years.”
“And they didn't find you?”
“They found me. Six months ago. I barely escaped with my life.” Kane pointed to a photograph. A man in his sixties. Gray hair. Cold eyes. “This is Victor Cross. He's the chairman. He's been running Aegis since your father faked his death.”
“Cross,” Cole said. “Any relation to Dean?”
“His uncle. Dean doesn't know. He's been fighting his own family for years without realizing it.”
Cole looked at the photograph. The face was hard. Cruel.
“Where do we find him?”
“He has a estate in Virginia. Outside Richmond. Fortified. Guards. Cameras. Dogs.”
“Then we need help.”
Kane nodded. “I have a team. Former special forces. Loyal to me, not the agency. They're waiting for orders.”
“How many?”
“Eight. Enough to get in and out. But we need a reason. A distraction.”
Frankie leaned forward. “I can be the distraction. I know Victor Cross. He owes me money. From the old days. I can get a meeting.”
“He'll kill you.”
“Probably. But it'll buy you time.”
Cole shook his head. “No. We find another way.”
“There is no other way. Cross is paranoid. He doesn't meet with anyone he doesn't trust. But he trusts money. And he trusts fear.” Frankie stood. “I'm not afraid to die. I've been dead since Afghanistan. This is just the funeral.”
Cole looked at Petra. At Ava. At Kane.
“We do this together. No one goes alone.”
Kane nodded. “Then we plan. Tonight. We move tomorrow.”
The hours passed. They studied maps. Memorized guard rotations. Planned escape routes.
At midnight, Cole called Dean.
“Cole. Where are you?”
“Canada. With Frankie. Kane is here. CIA.”
“Kane? I know that name. He's dangerous.”
“He's on our side.”
“No one is on your side, Cole. Everyone has an agenda.”
“Then I'll use their agenda to get what I need.”
Dean was quiet for a moment. “Your mother is safe. Mira is protecting her. Clark is in custody. They haven't charged him yet.”
“Keep him safe. Kane says he can get him out.”
“Kane says a lot of things.”
The line went dead.
Cole looked at his phone. The screen glowed.
Petra walked over. Sat beside him.
“You should sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hard.”
“I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Lauren.”
“I see her too. Every day.”
Cole turned to her. “Why did you help me? After everything?”
“Because you're the only one who believed me. The only one who didn't think I was crazy.”
“I thought you were crazy.”
“But you listened.”
Cole looked at the fire. The flames danced.
“I'm scared,” he said.
“So am I.”
“If I die tomorrow...”
“You won't die.”
“If I die, tell my mother I love her. Tell Clark I forgive him.”
Petra grabbed his hand. “You're not going to die. We're not going to die. We're going to win.”
Cole wanted to believe her. He tried.
But the fear was still there.
He lay down on the floor. Closed his eyes.
Sleep came slow. But it came.
He dreamed of Lauren. Alive. Smiling. In their kitchen, making coffee.
“You're late,” she said.
“I'm sorry.”
“You're always sorry.”
“I'm trying to be better.”
“I know.” She touched his face. “That's why I love you.”
He woke with tears on his cheeks.
The farmhouse was dark. The fire had burned low.
Petra was asleep in the chair. Her hand was still on his.
Cole didn't move. He stayed there. Watching the embers glow.
Outside, the wind blew. The trees swayed.
Somewhere in Virginia, Victor Cross was sleeping.
Tomorrow, they would meet.
And one of them would die.
- Writer
