Trellis: Trellis Trilogy (One) Page 2

  ‘Fourteen! Spies and Disguises 101? You are close, Agent Banks,’ She laughed on the inside, he had greatly underestimated D, and she was ok with that. She was pleased her wardrobe today fooled everyone in to thinking she was younger than she was. Dressing as if she had a chip on her shoulder, she thought would make her look young, had worked well for her in the past, and clearly was working now.

  She studied agent Banks; no wedding ring, of course she didn’t think anyone could stand his frosty impersonal demeanor for long, so that didn’t surprise her. His standard black on black CCD uniform was neatly pressed stiffly. Precisely trimmed sandy colored hair, worn and weathered boots but clean of dust and dirt, 6’2” maybe 6’3”, 220lbs. His agitation had his body temperature raised and his clean-shaven face was warming the smell of his aftershave as it drifted through the room when he moved. Even though they were in DC, he talked with a slow southern accent. He seemed to be the kind of guy that was normally unruffled, but as D had discovered, she had a knack for ruffling feathers. He was positively from the south, not sure from where yet, but she was narrowing it down. Not a heavy accent, but it did pepper his words. The more he talked the more information she attained. This was something she was not trained to do, well not really. She never really had to study people, she could get the information she needed by other means but she loved to people watch.

  As he paced the room, D studied him for scar marks on his scalp, some sort of telltale sign he had been a patient of Dr. Vincente Salvaggi at some point. These little incisions D was far too familiar with were harder to hide on a male with short hair. When he looked away she eyed his hairline and scalp for irregular hair growth and scars. She saw no visible markings, at least where she could view from her chair. There had to be something irregular about him, something hidden keeping her out of his mind.

  As D was developing her own line of questions, Agent Colin Banks was not stopping with his.

  “Miss, why the lime green flip flops? Were they supposed to be worn in a transaction of some sort? Where was your final destination going to be?” Banks asked with tension in his voice.

  Agent Hinkle rushed back into the interrogation room with jolted force pushing the door open and startling Agent Banks who was enveloped in his interrogative tactics. He seemed surprised his suspect didn’t flinch, as if she had been expecting the surprise intrusion. He was right.

  “Banks, you need to come out here!”

  “Hinkle, I’m busy right now!”

  “Now!” Hinkle commanded with urgency. D knew immediately by the agitated look on Colin Banks’ face that Hinkle never spoke so disrespectfully to his Citizen Control partner.

  Agent Banks looked down at his suspect and she raised one eyebrow slightly at him and smiled dryly, as if to say ‘checkmate’.

  Banks followed Hinkle to the hallway leaving the door ajar. “This better be good, Hinkle!”

  Hinkle could hardly get the words out of his mouth without stuttering, “I called that number and it was Secretary of Defense Peter Coughlin, HIS ACTUAL NUMBER! His people said he was already in the building. Banks, the Secretary of Defense is downstairs and his people have started the process of combing our offices of all our evidence of her. They want us to cease and surrender all gained knowledge. They won’t even acknowledge a name. I keep asking who she is and get stonewalled!”

  “How is he here already? Did someone tip him off?” Banks asked already knowing the answer, there was a mole among his CCD colleagues. This realization brought a low grunt from deep in his chest.

  “Someone had to tip him off. This is getting deeper by the moment. What do we do, Banks?” Agent Billy Hinkle asked wide-eyed, new to the inner workings of this complicated office matrix he had been thrown in months before against his will.

  About the time he finished his sentence, Secretary of Defense Peter Coughlin appeared behind them.

  “Where is your suspect?” Peter Coughlin asked in a low rumble. He was an overweight man in a heavily decorated military uniform.

  “Sir, I’m Agent Banks,” Colin Banks announced as he reached his hand out to shake Coughlin’s, only to be ignored. “Sir, I cannot hand over months of investigation to you, I think this woman, I mean, girl, holds the answers to close this case. We have been following the currency with no more leads. Until today when she was attacked by a search dog and then dropped an exceptionally large amount of cash out of her briefcase, with an exceptionally good, fake passport. We do not have a name, she has not spoken, and we know nothing- yet. Please, a little more time with her.”

  Coughlin ignored his requests and marched past both the agents to the opened door behind the men where D was detained. He grabbed the passport off the corner of the table and flipped through it, growled – yes an actual audible growl which tickled D, then threw the passport down in front of her.

  “Take the handcuffs off of her,” Coughlin demanded sharply as he looked down at her with a disgusted look she got caught in the first place, then directed his attention back to agent Banks. “Look, I am not discussing this further. I am sure you like your job here in the agency, and I could get you put on at the White House if that is something you would like, son, or I could place you at some off the wall outpost on the outskirts of the Philippines guarding an empty building? Which would you prefer?” He stopped and stared coldly at agent Banks then with booming authority yelled, “Now release her!”

  Banks nodded at Hinkle who stood in the doorway. Agent Hinkle rushed to her side and fumbled to unlock her, showing how new he really was to this agency. D stood up, rubbed her wrists, grabbed the trench coat, looked at Coughlin, and then glanced at the briefcase and passport on the table.

  Coughlin answered, “Yes, take them. I have a car out front.”

  D picked up her sunglasses, placed them slowly on her face, and looked at agent Banks one last time before turning to leave. Even with the dark rainclouds hanging outside she still felt the need to fit the script of a suspicious suspect, and oversized sunglasses screamed that loudly.

  Coughlin then leaned towards agent Banks and explained extremely little but enough Banks could read through the implication, “Let this go, it sounds like you have done a good job on the case you are investigating, but she is in no way tied to it.”

  “So she is a high priced call girl for DC fat cats?” Banks retorted, defiantly, his voice dripping with ire.

  “Hardly son, but if that is what you need to believe, then believe it. This is a case of National Security, and not just our National Security. You would be messing with the pillars holding our social system up across the world if you follow this any further. This is bigger than you, me, her, or this agency. Let it go.”

  “Well, at least tell us her name.”

  “She doesn’t have a name, she doesn’t exist. Got it!” Coughlin snarled, furrowing his bushy eyebrows together. He stopped at one of his lackeys he brought with him and ordered one last search of the office for any remaining evidence or any surveillance they may have taken of their female suspect. The team Coughlin brought with him, did comb the CCD offices with a fine toothcomb while Banks seethed in the corner as his only apprehended suspect to his case was ushered away.

  Banks and Hinkle glanced out the window and down at the busy wet street in front of the CCD building, a black SUV sat waiting with the door opened. There from the building’s shadow emerged their suspect, D, easy to spot with her bright orange hair. Before proceeding into the back seat she lifted her sunglasses off her face slightly and looked up at the building to the window where Banks and Hinkle were standing, placed the sunglasses back on her face and climbed in the SUV, only to be whisked off to ‘doesn’t exist land’.

  Hinkle stood mesmerized and stuttered out, “It’s as if she knew right where we were standing. How did she know to look up to this window? No one can see into these windows. She is creepy if you ask me,” He murmured as he gulped his coffee.

  “No one asked you.” Banks gruffed back.

  Hinkle looked at
agent Banks studying the cold expression concerning the bizarre event they just witnessed. Quietly Banks watched the SUV out the window on the rain soaked street below. If lead agent Banks was thinking anything other than frustration, he wasn’t revealing it to his partner.

  A curvy blonde woman gingerly floated by behind the two agents looking out the window. She was carrying a bottle of water in one hand and an apple in the other. Her CCD badge hung from around her neck and was an obvious contrast against her fitted black shirt.

  “Did your suspect get away?” She asked in a low silky tone that made agent Banks grate his teeth harder in annoyance.

  Billy Hinkle clearly awestruck by the woman’s beauty answered, “Not exactly get away, Agent Casey. She was just taken.”

  Banks turned to leave the conversation but not before asking Agent Beth Casey one question, “Why are you on my floor?”

  Her eyes widened and then she let out a smile revealing her perfect features that would make any woman feel inadequate, “Your floor? We are assigned floors now? I must have missed the briefing.”

  “You did miss the briefing, you miss all the briefings. Do you even work here anymore?” He belted back tersely.

  She lifted her water and apple into the air as in a signal of defeat and backed away, “Clearly you have misplaced anger. I am going back to my floor.” Then narrowing her eyes at Agent Hinkle. “On the other hand Billy if you ever get tired of working for this jerk you can come be my partner.”

  Billy was clearly enamored by her beauty and she knew it. He stumbled out the words, “Agent Casey, you already have a partner.”

  “Yes, but I would definitely make the trade.” She answered as she winked at him, walking away.

  Banks lightly shook his head back and forth in disgust, “Stay away from that woman, Hinkle. She wants what is only good for her. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”

  Billy Hinkle watched the woman maneuver effortlessly around the corner hallway, and he watched the men in the office observe her as she walked by them. It was like staring at the sun. They knew they shouldn’t look but they just couldn’t help themselves. Agent Casey was certainly a force of her own and Colin Banks knew that fact far too well.

  Chapter Two~

  D settled into the black leather seats of the SUV, while adjusting her trench coat she noticed a female and male sitting in the front seat, neither acknowledged D. The backdoor opened again and Coughlin climbed in next to her.

  Coughlin was anxious and D couldn’t tell if it was sweat on his forehead or raindrops. The female agent in the front seat handed Peter Coughlin a sheet of paper and Coughlin glanced over it, his thoughts told D it was a report on Agent Banks and Agent Hinkle.

  He immediately began to scold her while looking over the paperwork he was holding, “You really got caught? I don’t believe you got caught on accident, and the orange and purple hair, nice touch. What are you up to, D? This isn’t what we hired you for. We both know you could have walked out of that building long before you got me involved!”

  D briefly glared at him then focused her gaze out the window wet with rain, she regretted ever letting it get this far.

  “Look D, I’m the one who said you could do this job. I put my career on the line! I’m the one who could bring all this to a close real quick. Banks is one of our most decorated agents,” Coughing shook the paper he was holding at her, “He isn’t stupid, he may let this go, but he will file this away in that brain of his and it will come back up. He could be a liability now. Not to mention the rookie Hinkle he had in there with him, he is attached to the Who of Who’s here in Washington DC and you walked in to their hands. Almost… on purpose I think! You could have changed their minds at any point and you chose to stay silent? Not to mention this is a complete violation of your release! You are not supposed to be in Washington period!”

  D had enough and her silence ended, “Violation? Release?” She smirked. “You can’t control me, and you know it. Don’t make me laugh. My release? I walked out on my own. You are lucky I even communicate with you.”

  He knew D was right. The Trellis Project that created D could no longer contain her. They had surgically created a monster and now she had a mind of her own along with control of anyone else’s minds within a forty-plus foot range. D had successfully completed enough jobs for the US Coughlin knew her ability should have allowed her to get out of any problem that occurred, and definitely, before the CCD agents got involved.

  D didn’t want to place Banks and Hinkle in harm’s way, and essentially that was what she did. The impulse to find out why she couldn’t read Banks’ mind was strong. Could Banks get her close to the island and close enough to Dr. Salvaggi again? She shuddered at those thoughts, she didn’t want to allow her daydreams to pander over that possibility because it would undoubtedly turn into a hellish nightmare. The thought of getting Dr. Salvaggi in her grip consumed her thoughts and horrified her at the same time; she tried hard though to keep the thoughts grounded and not full of obsessive hope.

  She needed to come up with an excuse quickly so Coughlin wouldn’t suspect Banks’ mind was unreachable by her. Coughlin would love nothing better than to find her weakness, and Colin Banks certainly was her weakness with his isolated thoughts.

  “I knew the CCD was getting close to me, so let’s say what I did today was needed. The bank numbers they have will only lead them to someone else my path has crossed. Someone that needs brought down, someone that is choreographing kidnappings and arranging riots. Also, a vast money laundering scheme is going to fund attacks against the USA. As far as Agent Banks goes, he will back off now that you threatened him. He isn’t one to question orders, he lives for them. They may be intrigued, but they will no doubt stop,” in an attempt to change the subject D leaned forward and asked the woman in the front seat, “Now, who are you?”

  Coughlin quickly leaned forward blocking D’s view of the front passengers and exploded at the woman D had focused her attention on, “Don’t answer her! Don’t even think an answer in that head of yours!” Then he angrily yapped at D, “She is assigned to you. She will be your handler for the Fort Knox project.”

  “No, she won’t. You are my handler, that is what we agreed on- I do not get passed off to anyone. I only deal with the person that hired me.” Reading fear on the two newbie agents in the front seat was effortless, which meant they knew who she was, or at least what she could do.

  ‘Brave of them,’ D thought. ‘Or, Coughlin figures these agents are dispensable…’ Coughlin obviously didn’t think through the fact they would all be in a car together and the information D could grab, ‘Sloppy of him,’ D sneered.

  Coughlin took a deep breath and growled more unnecessary ranting’s at her only to be stopped by some invisible force—D’s mind. No doubt screaming at her was a tactic he thought could keep D out of his mind, he was wrong. He sat back in his seat and cleared his throat.

  “Well, this Nation hired you and she is representing us,” Coughlin continued in a calmer voice.

  “This Nation as a whole doesn’t even know I exist. You wanted the best, Coughlin? You are about to lose the best. I am not some second rate prop gate for your gold bullion fabrication. Fort Knox is off the table. I’m a seventeen-year-old girl, I should be doing other things than helping you deceive the country! I didn’t ask you for a job, you can go back to the President and tell him I bailed… or does the President of The United States even know I exist? Maybe I could talk with the President?” D asked slyly, narrowing her eyes at him. She knew this request would be met with silence. Surprisingly, Coughlin didn’t believe the President knew about D or most of the missions she had done. This revelation amazed D. No way would they let her get close to anyone in a high power of authority. How she was allowed this close to the Secretary of Defense was a probing question that pricked at her. Nevertheless, Coughlin was an arrogant man who thought he could control D.

  “I either deal with you, or I deal with no one. In fact, I want
double my normal pay for this conversation. You annoy me Coughlin, but you pay well. There is no one else you could get on this planet with as much power or manipulation control for that matter, this game I played today was needed. Fun as it was, I’m tired now, and I want to be taken to the airport so I can fly home.”

  “Home? Where is home, D?” His voice solid and determined.

  D ignored his question. Coughlin knew she was worth every penny, he knew he was backed against a wall and he hated her for it. “Take her to the airport.”

  Coughlin shook his head mumbling, “You know after today you proved you are a liability.”

  D chuckled, “I proved that years ago but you know after today, I realized how important I am to the government or else you would have sent someone less important to retrieve me. Nice to feel the love. One more question, who is the mole at the CCD headquarters that tipped you off I was there?”

  Coughlin withdrew his thoughts from her, but the female agent in the front seat thought the answer and it was easy to grab, Agent Casey. She didn’t know why sometimes Coughlin’s mind seemed to hide answers from her. Maybe years of training in the service to keep secrets? He could not keep D out of his thoughts; she for the most part could read them easily it just seemed some of the info was off limits, hidden in a locked drawer. However, if she could catch him off guard, all the information she wanted was hers. One thought was easy to read, he wanted her dead. Coughlin’s thoughts about having to answer to a young teenage girl dressed the way D was with the orange and purple hair, and with black painted lips made him seethe. He reviled D.

  Coughlin’s baggy eyes stabbed at her as his nostrils sneered resentment. He detested the fact she was not under his thumb and hated the government’s whole charade planned next week hinged on D’s cooperation with the government, and his cooperation with D.

  The SUV pulled to a halt in front of an entrance at the airport.

  “Fine, you will go through me and me only,” He grumbled as he looked out the rain-covered window.