The Price of Freedom Ch. 7 part 2: Recon

The Price of Freedom

Chapter 7 part 2-Recon

Meanwhile at Redburn Trauma Center, a woman in black heels, a red blouse, and black pants strode confidently down the hallway. She walked past the receptionist who nodded and gave her a smile. The woman took her badge out of her purse and clipped it to her shirt and continued at an urgent pace. As usual, doctors and nurses scurried about around her. For a Saturday, the lobby was surprisingly quiet. She walked past a boy with a nasty cut on his forehead. She smiled gently at him as she passed. To her left down a separate corridor led to the emergency helicopter pad if someone was needed by air. She moved forward past the main surgical bay, private patient recovery rooms, and a second small waiting room. She turned right and hit the elevator bank. The doors opened and a doctor in scrubs ran out with a nurse who followed him with a clipboard. She got on the vacant elevator and hit the 3rd floor. In mere minutes the doors opened and she stepped out into another patient floor. She took a left past the individual rooms and stopped in front of a door that read Medical Personnel Only.

Taking her badge off she swiped the electronic card reader and the door opened. Inside was another room full of backup medical supplies and equipment. Moving to the back of the room she slid her finger along the cracks in the wall until it caught next to a small indent. She pressed it and a small panel opened next to her hand. She quickly typed in a series of numbers, re-swiped her card, and put her hand to the wall. A thin blue line scanned her handprint. It beeped. The light turned green followed by an electronic buzz. With a click the door, embedded perfectly into the wall, unlocked and she stepped through. The doors behind her closed with a resounding whoosh resealing itself into the wall behind her.

Satisfied, she clipped her badge back on and walked into a large room full of several computer monitors. She strode over to a young man hunched over in concentration at one of the computer screens.

“What’s our status, Rory?” the woman asked.

“The men are in place as we speak. The neighborhood has been secured,” he replied typing away on the keyboard.

“Good. Where is the Director?”

“In her office, ma’am.”

The woman spun around, heels clicking, and headed towards a large office in the corner of the
complex. She rapped her knuckles on the door. A large burly man opened the door motioning to come inside. The woman entered a large but simple office.

“Mr. Locks, please wait outside,” a voice said from across the room. The man nodded and left. An elegant, but athletic woman sat in a plush black chair twirling a pen in her fingers. She stared vacantly at the far paneled wall across the room.

“Director, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Please have a seat,” she said gesturing to the couch in front of her. “Agent Coulson had to fly to Washington, DC to take care of something for me, otherwise he would be here.” The Director got out of her black chair, picked up a small clicker, and hit play. A screen behind the woman on the couch lit up.

“I was digging around some old files of mine when I came across this,” the Director pulled up a document that was stamped CLASSIFIED across the top in large red letters. “This is the mission report from the Navigator case several years ago, I believe you are familiar with it?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, I had been assigned a team to investigate a drug warlord selling drugs, guns, and government secrets. With the mission a success, it was closed quickly. Why are you bringing it up now?”

“There was an agent that served on your detail during that mission. His name was Daniel Riles, correct?” the Director asked. She pulled up a photo of him taken as a young agent.

“Yes. I remember him, but he was killed two years ago on an active assignment. He was a good man and an even better agent.”

The Director clicked to the next screen. The photo was grainy, but there was no doubt it was the same man. He was dressed in civilian clothes—jeans and a blue t-shirt, had a small beard, and a black baseball cap on. “This was captured three days ago, on our surveillance photos.”

The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you sure it’s him, not an imposter?”

“Yes, facial recognition software confirms it. We double checked and triple checked. It all came out as a positive match. One of our off-duty agents recognized him. He called in the report and had us check it out to ensure he wasn’t imagining things. Once we confirmed it was him, we told the agent to follow him at a safe distance. He successfully scanned the man’s plates, and we found his alias.”

“If this is Daniel Riles, then we have a problem. How does a dead man resurface after an autopsy confirmed his death and a crowd of friends, family, and relatives attended, let alone witnessed his funeral?”

“I don’t know, but it gets worse.”

“What? Worse?”

The Director nodded solemnly. “My department has done some digging into his phone and emails. We believe he has had contact with our latest enemy, Anarchy. This is not a confirmed positive, but I want to take every precaution necessary. If he is working with or connected to them in any way, then it means we have a rogue agent. I want you to follow him and see if he holes up anywhere even if it is temporary. This is to be strictly recon and surveillance because I don’t want to spook him into disappearing again.”

“Is this a solo mission?”

“No. My team has been observing his movements and the latest report was him entering the Wilson library. Whatever you do, do not engage with him unless absolutely necessary. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Good. Once you find the place of his residence, notify me. When the time is right, I will send in an extraction team for questioning. I want to know if it’s him, where he has been, who he has been in contact with, and why he seems to have connections with Anarchy. Any questions?”

“What other agents do I bring?”

“Take Ramirez and Stephens with you. I will set up the extraction team and they will be on stand-by.”

The woman nodded in agreement and stood to notify her team. She headed towards the door when the Director spoke.

“One last thing, Agent Simons,” said Director Maria Hill. “If this guy is in deep with Anarchy, your daughter is in more danger than ever. I highly suggest you tell her of her father. He may be out of the picture now, but in the end, we may need all the help we can get, including him.”

Agent Marilyn Simons gave a slight nod and exited the room. She notified Ramirez and Stephens to get ready for a reconnaissance mission and to meet her outside in ten minutes. She would brief them on the way out. Heading quickly into the locker bank, she grabbed some equipment, her favorite hand gun, and made her way downstairs using the back exit. Once outside, she checked her gun and ammo, before safely tucking it away. A few minutes later Ramirez and Stephens met her outside. She told them they would take two separate cars and patched them into the coms after quickly explaining the mission’s details. With no further questions, she looked at them and nodded.

“Let’s go.”