Spooks
Jan And Smokey

 

Spooks
By Jan and Smokey

CHAPTER ONE: Things worth waiting for...

Mr. Black hated waiting. More than anything he could think of: going to the dentist, country music, tuna fish, and even The Blair Witch Project, he hated waiting above all. It was what Mr. Black regarded as the biggest waste of time in the universe. Waiting. Still, he continued to do so, sitting on a bench inside Baltimore Washington International airport. He rolled back the left cuff on his black Armani suit to look at his watch again. It was 12:30 p.m. Tammen was a half-an-hour late as usual. Mr. Black briefly considered scrapping the entire operation, then just as quickly, dismissed that train of thought. There would be no way he would be able to explain that to Miss Wentling. Get a grip Mr. Black, he thought to himself. He could never allow his own impatience to cloud his judgment. Besides which, Jessica Wentling was one his oldest and dearest friends from the spy biz, back when they had been partners and she had still been an agent. He knew this operation was important to her. That�s why she�d called him in the first place. This could cost her entire company, and there was no way he�d let that happen to her. She�d worked long and hard to make Heavenly Investments Inc. the Internet juggernaut that it was today. FORBES had referred to her as the �Internet Goddess of business,� in an article last year, which they both had enjoyed immensely. Mr. Black reasoned he�d do anything for her; he�d once jumped in front of a bullet for her; so he could wait however long it took for Tammen to show up.
Still he wasn�t happy about it. He�d been at the damn terminal for almost 5 hours now. Preparation was the key in any questionable situation, and Mr. Black, as a professional, always wanted to be prepared for anything. He�d arrived at the terminal bright and early at 7:00 a.m. with Stilling to scout the place out, check for any surprises, surveillance or traps. Finding none, they�d sat down to wait, Mr. Black on his bench, and Stilling in the Morning Star caf� around the corner, where they�d agreed to meet Tammen. Stilling and he were not in visual contact of each other (that could lead to mistakes), but they were not too far from each other either, less than 500 ft. But that wouldn�t be a problem, Mr. Black assured himself. Stilling was a professional too, and a good one, despite his age.
It was true. Black had only known the kid for about 3 weeks now. Jessica had recommended that the seasoned operative show the kid the ropes on this mission, the ins and outs of Industrial espionage. At 21, barely old enough to drink, the kid had already graduated college with a degree in computers, and had quit his job at the N.S.A. to pursue a career in Mr. Black�s profession of choice: Freelance Industrial Spying or espionage. Mr. Black wondered if he�d had the same amount of ambition at Stilling�s age, though it didn�t matter. Through one of Jessica�s contacts at the N.S.A., he�d reached her, inquiring about her own past as a spy, and for a job, and here they were.
Mr. Black cut his little reverie short to look at his watch again, setting down the newspaper (The Baltimore Sun) he was pretending to read to read, in his lap. Just as he did, he saw his quarry come down the hall opposite him, his familiar arrogant grin on his face. He swaggered down the hall, cool confident, and cocky. It was his leather jacket that had caught Black�s attention. It was the same thing he always wore. The worn black jacket had several holes in it, bullet holes to be exact. Most Black had put there himself in what seemed like numerous confrontations between the two men during their individual travels. The rest of his dress was semi-casual, blue dress shirt, tan cargo pants, black work boots, typical Tammen. Black himself always wore suits like James Bond�Connery that is, not the current one, Brosnan or whatever his name was. Black believed that if you wanted to play hero, you dressed the part. Which is why he always wore his signature Black suits. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and picked up the paper from his lap to cover his face. It wasn�t a hasty move; not done to look as if he were attempting to hide himself, therefore Tammen took no notice of it as he walked by on the way to the caf�.
When he was out of earshot, Black pulled his ear mic from the front pocket of his jacket and placed it inside his ear.
�He�s rolling to you Andy,� Black said into the mic.
�Ok. I�m ready for him sir.� Came Andy�s reply.
�I know you are kid, good luck, and no heroics you understand? Our job is to get the research, not to engage in gunplay.�
�Yes sir.� After a second Black added,
�Still, be very careful with Tammen, he�s an action junkie. He�d love nothing better than to start some shit with ya.�
�Here he comes now.� Andy watched Tammen saunter into the caf�. He noticed right away that they were similarly dressed. Whereas Stilling�s jacket was brown and his shirt was white. Still, Andy wasn�t too casual, as he wanted to impress Mr. Black without dressing like him. He wore khakis instead of cargo pants and a rather expensive tie that was actually quite horrible.
Andy raised his arm and gestured over at Tammen who was at the counter ordering breakfast and flirting with the girl behind the counter. A pretty Indian girl who�s nametag read �Amanda,� she took his order and slipped him her number over the counter. Spotting Andy, he practically strutted over to the little booth at the back of the caf� and sat down. His perpetual bright sadistic grin plastered on his face. Andy swallowed. He didn�t like the look one bit.
Outside, Mr. Black was pissing himself. What ifs and uncertainty were driving him nuts. Andy was young, inexperienced, Tammen was a sadistic sociopath; an efficient terrorist. The match-up made him more than a little nervous. He waited for Andy to engage in conversation with the cyber-thief and tried to think of something to say that would make the kid feel more at ease.
�Don�t look directly at his smile.� Mr. Black advised his prot�g�. �It�ll unnerve the hell outta you.� Andy immediately took the advice, staring into Tammen�s eyes instead. Almost instantly, he felt 10 times less nervous. He hadn�t felt this way since he�d asked Sarah Gosnell to junior prom in high school.
�This your first exchange kid?� Tammen�s grin was a mile wide, like he was trying to psyche Andy out.
Say no. Mr. Black thought to Andy.
�Yeah it is actually.� Andy answered truthfully in a matter-of-fact tone.
�Then let me tell you how things are done around here.� The cocky bastard folded his arms over his chest. �We exchange goods. You, my money, and I let you examine the info so you can make sure it�s actually what you�re payin for. I assume you have a laptop or something to examine the disk.�
�Of course.� Andy studied Tammen carefully.
�And my money?�
�In a briefcase under the table.�
�And the amount?�
�2 million dollars as we agreed to over the phone.� Tammen�s grin turned to a full-blown ear to ear smile. �Is that all?� Stilling asked but it was more of a challenge than a question. The German couldn�t wait to bust the kid�s bubble as he himself leaned back, and crossed his arms over his chest. Both men were physically muscular and semi-imposing figures, but Tammen had a full two inches on Andy at 6�2�. But he took the kid�s own cockiness in stride.
�I�m impressed junior. Not bad for your first exchange.� He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled from it a small disk, a G2, about the size of a half-dollar. �Information.� He stated, the looked at Andy and raised a questioning eyebrow.
�Money.� Andy answered using his foot to slide the expensive black briefcase across the floor under the table. Tammen reached down with his right hand and pulled the case from the floor. At the same time, Andy picked up the laptop lying on the seat next to him. As they moved, neither took their eyes off the other.
The silence was quickly eating away at the calm Mr. Black had developed during the brief conversation between Andy and Tammen. He took it to mean they were examining the other�s offering. Still, still all he could hear was the background noises of the little caf� and that was unsettling. Things never went this smoothly with Tammen, which was the reason why he had so many bullet holes in his jacket. Something was very wrong here�
�Something�s wrong here.� Andy said. Confusion played across his handsome young features. Tammen smiled on the other side of the briefcase. His money was all here, now it was time to get more.
�What�s wrong?� he asked, closing the briefcase and setting it back on the floor.
�The disk�s encrypted. I�I need a password.� Stilling stammered.
Keep your composure. Mr. Black thought to Stilling.
�Oh yes, well I did put that on there as an extra precaution in case you tried to double-cross me.�
�Did you count your money?�
�Yes.�
�It was all there right?�
�Every dollar.�
�Then give me the password.� Confusion began to turn to bewilderment on Andy�s face as he studied Tammen�s eyes over the top of the LCD screen of the laptop.
Here it comes, Mr. Black thought, balling his hands into fists.
�Y�know, I don�t think so Any, may I call you Andy? I was a rhetorical question so Tammen continued. �Andy,� he started, �I�m getting old.�
�I�m�.sorry?� Tammen went on as if Stilling hadn�t spoken.
�And with that said, I must tell you that I can�t keep going out on these �exchanges� (making air quotes) and risking my life for such small sums of money.�
�Small?!� Stilling was incredulous.
�Well sort of. I have a very expensive lifestyle. You understand?�
�Right.�
�Well my point is I�m leaving the world of espionage. But if I do, that will mean I will have to give up my extravagant lifestyle. Which to me is unthinkable.�
�Uh-huh.� Andy was catching on, So was Mr. Black.
�I set the encryption as a precaution. Then I thought �What a great bargaining chip this would make as well.��
�So you want me to go back to my boss and ask her for more money for the code to the disk?� Stilling was still incredulous. Tammen�s smile was back.
�It�s just that Heavenly Investments is such a profitable company. And Miss Wentling--�
�Will not authorize giving you anymore money for this information that you stole from her.� Stilling interrupted.
��is a very rich woman who herself was once an �information gatherer� like myself. I believe she will understand.�
�I don�t.� Stilling was firm.
�I wouldn�t expect you to, you�re very young yet. I�d advise you to leave this business as soon as possible.�
You know what? You�re right. I�ll do just that, as soon as you give me the password so we can conclude our business.�
Good for you Andy. Mr. Black thought.
�Certainly�As soon as you call your boss and ask her to wire 10 million dollars to this account.� He had taken a piece of paper, the back of a gum wrapper, and written an account number on it. He then pulled a Nokia 9210 cell phone from his pocket. Flipping open the phone, he revealed it�s color LCD screen which could access the Internet, E-mail, and if necessary his bank account in the Cayman Islands. It also used Microsoft Word and Excel. �Great phone.� Tammen boasted. �But it should be for the 700 smackers I paid for it.�
Again, Mr. Black felt the familiar stirrings in his bladder as Tammen laid down his new demands. This is the point where he�d pull his gun and demand the disk�s code from the German terrorist, but he�d specifically told Andy to avoid gunplay. Fortunately, Andy began to handle it his own way.
Closing the laptop, Andy put on a poker face. �My employer will not authorize the transferring of anymore of her or the company�s funds for your blackmail. We have the disk; it is only a matter of time before we break the code. We at Heavenly Investments employ the best computer technicians in the world�.hackers.� He got up to leave. �You have your money, enjoy it while it lasts.� He placed the laptop in its carrying case and put the disk in an inside jacket pocket.
�Is that how you�re gonna play kid?� Tammen asked, the shit-eating grin back again.
�That�s how things are.� Andy moved to leave.
�Get outta there Andy.� Mr. Black warned, putting down his newspaper.
Amanda, the cute caf� waitress, chose this moment to show up with the order that the cyber-terrorist had placed earlier. Her hair now neatly done up in a stylish bun, she showed the unmistakable look and glow that women get upon getting a large boost in their ego from a compliment. The extra swivel in her hips was a dead giveaway as well. With a knowing smile she approached Tammen armed with a plate of food.
�One onion bagel with butter, two eggs over easy and a side of bacon.� She sing-songed. Tammen pretended like she like she wasn�t there, staring at Stilling as he walked away.
�Are you trying to bait me kid?� he asked Andy�s back. Turning around, Stilling answered.
�I don�t want to deal with you anymore. But if you want to start some macho bullshit�well I�m game.�
Bad idea Andy. Mr. Black threw down his paper.
�Let�s do this.� Andy put the laptop down, just as Tammen stood up. Spinning away from it, Andy allowed no moment�s hesitation pulling his Glock 32 from the holster at the small of his back as he saw Tammen pulling his own gun from a shoulder holster. The caf� stood perfectly still as two men with loaded guns made the tiny coffee bar seem that much smaller.
It was Amanda�s plate of food dropping that caused Mr. Black outside, and everyone inside to jump and cry out.
�Let�s take this outside German boy.� Andy taunted.
�Right here�s just fine.� Tammen stared him down. Andy�s eyes quickly darted around; he counted 10�.no 12 people in the Morning Star minus he and his opponent. This was not going to be pretty. Tammen saw the movement and smiled.
�The innocent bystander factor bothering you?� he taunted now.
�A bit.�
�Well,� he said, grabbing Amanda roughly and putting his gun, a Beretta Elite 92, up to her skull, causing her to scream and burst into tears. �Let�s up the ante.�
A button pushed. Security swung their posteriors into action and made track for the caf�. Mr. Black stayed where he was. As much as he wanted to help the kid, he couldn�t involve himself until he had no other option but to do so. Otherwise B.W.I. would quickly turn into a shooting gallery. But, Mr. Black thought, it seemed to be heading in that direction anyway. Six cops ran past him en route to the Morning Star caf�.

 

 

Copyright © 2001 Jan And Smokey
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"