JACE
WhenIwalk onto the floor at theCSA, there are already maps and profiles and pages of text up on the screens in the front, and the director andLedgerare looking up at it, talking through things as they wait for me.
Assoon as my mom sees me, she says, “Thetracker is just arriving at the airport inCincinnati.”
Thattracker is on my asset,Shanna.Weknow that her boss,Merkley, had put feelers out for data brokers— the shady kind— who were willing to sell some very specific, very personal information on very specific people.Namely, some very powerful people in government positions.Wehaven’t uncovered their plan completely, but we have enough to know that it will be very dangerous for them to get it.
Weevaluated the people close toMerkleyin his organization and decided that we wanted to developShannaas an asset.Sinceshe has a brother who recently racked up a lot of medical bills, we guessed that her motivation for helping us might be money, and we were right.Ittook a little work, butIwas able to turn her.She’sbeen feeding us information over the past few weeks, but it hasn’t been a lot to go on.
Thismorning, though, she called me in a panic and said she had info but wasn’t willing to say it over the phone.SoIhopped on a plane, met her in a literal dark alley, and she told me that they set up a buy with a data broker.Herboss insisted they not transfer the information to him digitally because he doesn’t want it to be traced back to him.Sothey are meeting inTelAviv, tonight, for the handoff.
Shannais going with him, so she knows the when and the general plans, but she doesn’t have the specifics.That’swhyIgave her the tracker— so she can put it in her purse or her shoe and we can get the info even if she can’t contact us.Havingthe tracker didn’t calm her as much asIthought it would— she was still so afraid.Iassured her thatIwas going to keep her safe.ThenIhopped on a plane back here.
“I’vecontactedMossad,” my mom says. “They’veassignedAgentPeretzto work with you.”
Inod. “That’sgood.”I’veworked withPeretzand theMossad—Israel’sInstituteforIntelligenceandSpecialOperations— before.Peretzis a skilled operative and our agencies work well together.
Wehash out the details, withEmersonand his team giving me all the information they’ve been able to dig up, including which airportMerkley’splane is scheduled to land in and how extensive they believe the list of personal information is that they plan to buy from the broker.Exceptfor the exact location, which we won’t know until we are on the ground inTelAviv, there is a clear path for this mission.
Mymom steps up to me asIlook up at all the information on the screens, memorizing it. “Youdon’t have to go.”
Myeyes fly to her.
“Iknow you have plans to meetMackenzie’sfamily tonight.Ican sendLedgerorMilesorGianna.”
“Youonly knowIhave plans because you’re my mother, not because you’re my director.”
“Iknow.Andas your mother,I’msaying we can send someone else.”
Ishake my head. “Shannais my asset.Ideveloped her.Andshe is very freaked out right now.Ifsomeone else shows up instead of me, it’s going to make things worse.Itneeds to be me.”
“Areyou sure?”
Igive a single nod.
I’vereplenished my stash of spare clothes thatIkeep in my locker, andIuse them to quickly pack a bag, along with the equipmentIthinkI’llneed.Then, just beforeIhead up to the roof and the helicopter that’s waiting to take me to the airport,IgiveMackenziea call.
Sheanswers with, “Hello, my international man of mystery.”
Ichuckle, even thoughIdon’t feel it.ThenItell her that an important mission came up and apologize profusely thatIcan’t go with her to her dad’s fifty-fifth birthday party.
“You’regoing on a missionnow?Butit’s the end of the workday, heading into a weekend.”
“Andyet the bad guys don’t care at all.”
“They’reso inconsiderate.”
“Yes, they are.”
Ican hear the sadness and disappointment in her voice, and it’s killing me.Iapologize again thatI’mcanceling plans at the last minute.
“Wherewill you be going?”
“Ican’t tell you that.”
“Classified?”
“Yeah.”
