A TALE OF TWO CITIES - TWWW part 10

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – CHARLES DICKENS from “A TALE OF TWO CITIES”


Melanie was running late; her flight coming into the L.A. airport had to circle a few times due to air traffic. She knew this was not the way to make a good impression, she explained apologetically to the agent leading her down the hallway. Her heels kept sliding on the newly polished floor as she struggled to keep up with the agent’s long strides. “SLOW DOWN!” She screamed in her head as she tried to walk on the balls of her feet so she wouldn’t fall.

She made sure her bun was still in place and used the back of her hand to blot away the perspiration running down the side of her face while maintaining the dignity of her foundation. There was no way she could refresh her lipstick at the pace they were walking. She only hoped enough of a residue remained on her lips.

The agent stopped at a door and waved it hand in front as if to say “You chose door number 1”.

“Enter through here, take a seat and someone will be with you in a moment.”

“Thank you,” she said.

The agent didn’t even attempt to turn the door handle for her. He obviously trusted she knew how to turn the handle herself.

There was very little furniture; just a coffee table with scattered copies of government newsletters across the top. They were all dated 3+ years back. No windows, just central air which was blowing harder than it needed to. And there were 4 chairs; one of them a woman was already sitting in. “Hi,” she said extending her hand. Melanie wondered if she was being mistaken for the person she guessed they were supposed to meet.

“I’m Carla Steele.”
“Melanie Black. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”

The ladies non-discretely looked each other up and down. It was as if they were looking into a mirror, except Melanie was white with blonde hair and Carla was black with dark brown hair.

They both had on the dark navy suit, considered to be the ‘uniform’. A black suit was considered too harsh – like an undertaker. They both had on black pumps; perhaps not the best fashion choice, but when not sure, it’s always considered good practice to air on the conservative side.

Each was wearing their hair in a tight bun with no part and in their ears, studs; Melanie had on gold, while Carla wore silver. Carla noticed the insignia ring on Melanie’s right hand, index finger. She had on a similar one. It was platinum with a double headed eagle with ‘The People’s Army’ coat of arms. One of the eagle’s claws held a serpent and the other a sword. Nine stars were in an arc over its head, which meant they both were of high rank in their divisions; 13 stars being the highest offered.

They sat down at the same time, crossing their legs towards each other. Melanie asked, “How long have you been serving?”

I started with preparatory training classes during my senior year in high school. My parents were going through a divorce and I wanted to be out of the house as much as possible…”

“Are you an only child?”

Carla smiled, “Yes, I am”

“Me too; my parents were married until my father passed when I was in the 10th grade. But I’m sorry I think I cut you off.”

“No, that’s fine. I’m Sorry about your loss. I was just going to do the required time – 2 years, then they offered me a position in Egypt and after that it became a career. What about you?”

Melanie settled back, resting her arm on the back of her chair and turning towards Carla. “I also took the pre-training program during my senior year; I couldn’t wait to join. A lot of people in my family, on my father’s side, were already serving as a career and I also think it was a way of bonding with him. We were very close…” She trailed off a bit.

“How did he die?” Carla asked.

“Good old fashioned heart attack. He had made it through mortar attacks and front-line combat, but it was a military training hike that did him in. But…uh…anyway I signed up, open-ended, because I knew I was in it for the long haul. My first year in, my superiors asked me if I would be willing to go to Israel – a higher rank position with more security clearance…You know there’s always a regime change over there and Iran was always trying to invade, so I became a part of our permanent presence there.”

“How exciting. Do you speak Hebrew?” Carla asked.

“Yes, it was an integral part of my job to read, write and speak it. I also speak Arabic, Persian and I picked up a little Kurdish, and of course Spanish.”

Carla nodded, “Spanish, yes, of course. I speak Arabic, and some Hebrew – I found it quite challenging, and I was stationed in Japan for a year; I can speak a little Japanese, but to read it…there are so many characters…”

Melanie, “I agree. I turned down a transfer there for that specific reason. There are some good language programs, but I just didn’t want to invest the time necessary.”

“What is your home base?” Carla asked.

“Washington…I know, how cliché.” Melanie laughed a little to herself. “But I’m rarely there. I’m out of state working 9 months out of the year.”

“I’m gone about the same amount of time, Carla added, “My home base is Alexandria, Virginia.

“Do you have family there?”

“No. My family is in New York.”

“Funny. Mine too, Albany. In what part are yours’?”

“Brooklyn.”

Melanie smiled, looking at her watch, then at her suit to see if it needed adjusting.

“You look fine.” Carla offered. “How’d you hear about the position?”

“My lead officer suggested I apply. I’m getting stagnant in my current position. He thought it would be a good opportunity for me.”

“Same here. My boss really didn’t offer a lot of information; just that the position had a very high classification. I have no ties…no husband, no kids, so I thought why not.”

“When is there time?” Melanie said shrugging her shoulders, “But I’m only 35; women are having children in their 50’s now, however I don’t know why they’d want to.”

“I was thinking adoption or getting a surrogate. I can’t imagine taking my body through something like child birth.” Carla shuddered at the thought. “And the weight gain…”

“…And to be away from work…” Melanie added. “I like having boyfriends but getting married and just being with one guy… I mean people still do it…”

“Not very many,” Carla chimed in.

“True, but the routine of cohabitating with the same man; you’re going to the same house day after day, with the rose bushes lining the front yard and cooking the same meals. How many ways can you prepare chicken?”

“I hate chicken.”

“Exactly.”

“And the traveling is over.”

“That’s for sure.”

They both laughed; then it was suddenly quiet with only the ticking of the clock on the wall and the sound of their breath. The interviewer was 20 minutes late now. The abrupt silence was getting awkward. Both were pondering the same question. It was only a matter of who would ask first.

Melanie cleared her throat, “How many kills have you had?”

“Full combat or one on one?” Carla answered.

“One on one; It’s hard to measure full combat.”

“True. Bombs go off and you don’t know how many people…how much collateral damage. I’ve had 5. You?”

Melanie tiled her head back and gazed upward. She asked the question but hadn’t given it much thought for herself. There were 2 in an ambush during the raid of a building when her and her squad were looking for insurgents. There was the one who, who along with a few others, infiltrated the embassy where she was working. She was coming out of the bathroom and saw one of them in the hallway. He was trying to get to the main conference room where there was a summit meeting to bring peace to separate religious sects in the Middle East. He probably hadn’t expected to see a woman, especially a blonde one. While he fumbled getting his weapon up, Melanie was able to get off a few shots, killing him. A few agents were injured that day, but all the infiltrators were killed and the meeting went forward. Then there was the time she was guarding former President, Andrew Mercer, at an open café. There were three agents, which wasn’t enough. The streets were crowded with passersby and merchants aggressively selling their wares. Children were running in swarms up to cars, tapping on the window, begging for money or offering whatever they could to get money. There were people hanging out of apartment windows, perhaps they were just enjoying the afternoon, but it was hard to tell. Two uniformed army personnel were positioned: one on the roof of the building housing the open café and one on the building across the street. However, to be so out in the open, they were very vulnerable. President Mercer, who was trying to show he was still relevant, insisted it be done that way. The person he was meeting with was very wary of the United States intention of bringing peace. President Mercer thought it would be an act of good faith and respect to not put a stipulation on the meeting place the leader suggested.

There was a little boy approaching. Most of the little boys they saw rarely had on shirts; maybe a tank top with their shorts and nothing more. Very few even had shoes on. Yet the little boy approaching in his bare feet, had on a long sleeved oversized shirt, like one better suited for his father to wear. His left hand was extending and he was shaking around these maps which were basically tourist traps for the naïve visitor. He was offering his tour guide expertise.

“Where you want to go? I take you? All of you.”

His right hand was hidden at his side. It was 108 degrees – dry heat. The dark suits the agents had on hid the fact they were completely drenched. Sweat was running down this boys face, his hair was completely soaked and the wetness was beginning to envelope his whole body.

“Stop…wait there.” She said it in both English and Arabic. The boy kept approaching. She looked to the other agents. They were busy trying to surveil the areas they were stationed.

As the boy was sweating, his shirt started to cling to his body, she saw an outline; a brick, maybe more, of explosive.

“STOP!” Melanie raised her gun towards the boy. He did finally; dropping the contents of his left hand onto the ground. He instinctively went to raise both his hands, but quickly put his right hand back down at his side, but he raised it just enough for her to see the wire running underneath his shirt. The other agents were alerted by this time. She saw the boys face change; his eyes shifted with a mixture of hatred and then fear. No matter how much he may have wanted to, he couldn’t turn back now; either way he was dead. It was better not to disgrace his family.

Melanie released a round; the first one went straight into the boys’ heart – in and out and into the ground behind him, with the downward tilt of her 5ft8 frame into his 4ft6 body. He dropped to his knees. His fingers released the detonator. Another agent gently lifted the boy’s shirt. He had enough explosives strapped to him to blow up a 5 mile radius. He definitely would have blown out the café as well as many of the people on the street; his own people.

“Three,” she answered.

Suddenly…finally the door opened.

“Sorry I’m late ladies. Carla…Melanie…I’m Percy Grimm.” He extended his hand first to Carla and then to Melanie. “Don’t worry, you’re both not competing for the same job; there are two positions. Given your similar backgrounds I figured you both would hit it off. Was I right?” He leaned back, rubbing his hands together as if he possessed the power to make fire with them.

“Actually, this was my attempt at multi-tasking. I wanted to give you each your orientations and get to the airport to catch a flight.

“Orientation?... But we haven’t…well I haven’t been interviewed yet” Melanie didn’t want to speak for Carla, it was just a habit of hers.”

“Well Melanie…May I call you Melanie?”

“Yes sir.”

“No, please call me Percy. I apologize if there was a misunderstanding, but you’ve already been hired. You both came highly recommended. You did well on your recent physical and psychological exams; now begins the preliminary of seeing where you fit in best. Shall we go?”

Both Melanie and Carla nodded. Percy picked up his overnight bag and walked ahead, looking over his shoulder to be sure they knew they were to follow him. Percy walked just as fast as the agent Melanie followed when she first arrived. She knew now, walking on the balls of her feet offered the most stability.

There was a town car parked outside. The driver opened the door. Percy motioned for Melanie and Carla to get in first, with their backs to the rear of the car and Percy sat opposite them. The car was a standard security issue; blacked out windows, probably bullet proof Carla guessed. Soft leather seating; flipdown tv monitors attached to the ceiling of the car. Percy closed the separation glass between them and the driver. There were two folders on the seat, several inches away from him. He picked up both folders, holding one in each hand.

“Who arrived first?’

Carla raised her hand.

“First choice,” he said. Carla’s eyes roamed over each folder. Both were identical in color and thickness. “I’ll take the one on the right,” she said. Then he handed Melanie the remaining folder.

“These are your first assignments. These are not reflections of what we think or don’t think of you. We at the agency want to find out each individual’s particular gifts. We like…need all of our agents to shine.” They looked at each other, then at the folders.

“Go ahead, open them.”

Carla’s first assignment was in Louisiana; an agency called ANSR (American National Security Response) – a new government camp. The file gave limited information; a contact person, dates, time. A sentence at the bottom stated more would be explained at the first meeting. Louisiana was her new home base.

Interesting choice, Louisiana, Carla thought to herself. There was a flood there several years earlier when the levees broke. Many people never returned from the evacuation. The government was able to purchase the land for pennies on the dollar, in most cases over the phone. People just wanted to get on with their lives. They didn’t want to rebuild; it was easier to take the money. The poorer areas were the hardest hit and taking advantage of the former residents required zero effort.

It was thought the government was taking on the responsibility to fix what was broken.
For reasons of getting revenue, they rebuilt the tourist areas which also placated the general public, who had moved on and was no longer asking questions. They left the properties on the outskirts dilapidated. People usually didn’t want to venture past the pretty. No one wanted to be reminded of the disaster. There were rumors the government was building something out there past the bayou. What ‘it’ was exactly was never clear.

Melanie’s first assignment was to local churches in the Los Angeles area, which would also serve as her home base. Her adviser would contact her. The paperwork said “Assignment detail is on a need to know basis. You are not to discuss or share the location of your assignment with civilians or with people of a lesser rank than yourself…unless otherwise instructed.”

The women went through the folders quickly; there were only a couple of pages in each. Sensing their questions Percy said, “Don’t worry about the smallness of how the jobs initially appear…I assure you they are not small. You both have traveled extensively and lived overseas a few years. We need you to get your land legs again and get acquainted with your home base and familiar with how we work. Both of you have very specific talents and we plan on putting them all to use.

We like our agents, specifically the high-ranking ones, to be well rounded. It’s important you know a little bit of everything. We found the old “Don’t let the right hand know what the left hand is doing’ way of thinking wasn’t going to work in the new world. We are all one part of a whole; like bees in a hive, we all have the same goal.

I will be monitoring you closely from a distance. We’ll meet for talks periodically.” Percy sat back and smiled at his new prodigies. He once had a similar talk with Romulus. He trained Romulus personally and he has been his best student so far. Percy wondered how the ladies would fare in their new positions. “This time next year you won’t recognize yourselves. You’ll be surprised by what you are capable of.

The last page only had a few short paragraphs discussing their benefits and wages. Both sets of eyebrows rose.

“I believe the pay is a bit more than what you were originally quoted. You’re making well over what your previous superiors make, and we don’t want any hard feelings so we huh…lie to them. And you both make the same now, but where you go from here is entirely up to you.”

Percy looked at his watch and glanced out of the blackened glass. The driver was pulling in next to the drop area for his flight. “This is my stop; Ms. Black, Ms. Steele. Welcome to the agency.” Percy extended his hand again to each woman, giving a firm up-down-up motion to each.

The driver came round to open the door. Percy grabbed his overnight bag and ran his fingers through his perfectly salt and peppered hair. He straightened his tie and adjusted his watch as if he had already forgotten they were in the car. At least that was how it appeared until, as he was getting out, he looked over, smiled and motioned a good-bye.

The automatic doors opened. They both watched as Percy disappeared into the crowd of travelers and baggage carriers. The automatic doors closed.

The driver rolled down the separation glass, “Ms. Black, I’m to take you to your hotel check out, get your belongings and then to your new apartment; Welcome to Los Angeles. Ms. Steel,” the driver reached into his pocket and pulled out a ticket and handed it to her. “Your flight leaves in 30 minutes. Both of your apartments back home will be packed up and your things sent to your new respective homes.”

Carla was flustered; all she had on her was her purse, a small briefcases and a manila folder.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be taken care of. A driver will pick you up at the airport and your home is completely furnished with a few changes of clothing to hold you over until your personal things arrive.”

“It’s just that it’s happening so fast”

“Welcome to the agency.”