Kearney looked up into the dark eyes of the American and slowly shook his head. A calming sensation immediately began to ripple outward from his neck across his body, erasing all pain in its wake. His skin tingled, his thoughts began to evaporate. As the American looked at his watch, Kearney dimly realized the sensation he was experiencing was not unlike being drunk and floating in a warm, still lake.
He looked up at the friendly-looking American man and smiled.
∞
He glanced again at his watch. “Two minutes.”
“How does he look?” Tall Tommy asked half-heartedly.
“Clinically speaking, he looks highly chemically induced.”
Tall Tommy leaned over and glanced at the serene face of the drugged sergeant sprawled across the floor. “Nice work. I think you may have just discovered the cure for the common assassin.”
“You might be right,” he replied, looking down at the sergeant.
“Okay, are we ready to play?”
The sergeant gazed up at him with glassy, dilated eyes.
“What are we playing?” he asked slowly.
“Twenty questions,” he replied, “starting with your name.”
“Okay.”
“No, that was the first question. What is your name?”
“Oh,” the sergeant responded, blinking slowly. “My name is Sergeant Andrew Kearney. United States Army, 2nd Division.”
“And why are you here, Sergeant Kearney?”
“My assignment was to… to neutralize two terrorists believed to be operating in this location.”
“Did you kill that man?” he asked, pointing towards the body slumped against
the wall.
“Yes,” the sergeant replied.
“So he was one of your targets?”
“I thought he was, but… but now I’m not so sure. I think... I think you might be the intended target. You both look somewhat alike, and I didn’t have any… any pictures, you know?” The sergeant turned his head towards the couch and pointed his finger at Tall Tommy. “That man is definitely the second target. I was looking for him when I entered the apartment.”
The American suddenly grabbed the sergeant’s face and twisted it roughly towards the body on the floor. Kearney winced in pain.
“Did you know that man was an agent for the US Department of Homeland Security?”
“No… of course not,” the sergeant replied slowly, his face contorting into a strange grimace. “I didn’t have any idea.”
From his seat on the couch, Tall Tommy leaned forward and let out a low whistle. “Now it’s getting interesting.”
The American nodded his head. “Sergeant, I want to know who–”
The ring of a cell phone suddenly interrupted him. He looked inquiringly at the sergeant before realizing the sound was coming from somewhere else. Both he and Tall Tommy glanced over at the wall by the entry.
The cell phone rang again.
He immediately rushed over to the body of the slain agent and began feeling along his chest and legs. He found the phone inside the man’s heavy jacket and pulled it free as it rang again. The small screen illuminated a single word as the caller’s identity.
DIRECTOR
“Who is it?” Tall Tommy asked.
He turned and looked at his blonde-haired colleague, a slight grin on his face.
“What?” Tall Tommy asked.
“I have an idea.”
“Alright, let’s hear it.”
He held a finger to his lips for silence before clicking the answer button on the phone.
51.
Jack Preston was about to hang up when a sudden click on the line made him stop and bring the cellphone back to his ear. Annoyed, he didn’t wait for a response before speaking.
“In case I didn’t make myself clear before, Agent Martin, I expect a goddamn progress report every fifteen minutes here forward. Now give me the status on the situation – starting with your exact location.”
“I’m afraid the situation isn’t as expected,” an unfamiliar male voice replied coolly into the phone. “Agent Martin is dead.”
“Who the hell is this?” Preston demanded.
“Agent Martin has just suffered two shots from a high-powered rifle,” the man continued. “From what I can tell, the first shot collapsed his left lung but was non-lethal. Unfortunately, the second shot shattered his fourth thoracic vertebrae and severed his spinal cord before destroying his heart. I’m quite certain the second shot killed him instantly. Please give his family my sincere condolences.”
Preston sat speechless in his chair as the unknown man paused and waited for his response.
“Are you still there?” the man asked.
“I’m… yes, I’m still here,” Preston stammered. “And who am I speaking to?” he asked as he rose from his desk and rushed towards the door.