5
Chapter 1Let me tell you a story; get a piece of pie your going to like this. At this time I was a gangly little punk, otherwise known as 13 years old. I'm Shaun Cage and I'm in trouble.
In 1933 my mother gave birth to a baby boy but if she knew what turn the boys life would take she probably would have smothered him to save him the pain. Now I am in no way perfect in fact I am more flawed than most but even though all I ever asked for was a calm life what I got was the complete opposite. I live in Prague with my mother, an Irish woman who was brought over by my father. They were happy together until one day; I was walking home from school with my father when all of a sudden gunfire broke out behind us. I turned to see what it was but my father pounced on me. As we fell pain burst across my chest, I wanted to check but we hit the ground and the force of my head hitting the pavement made the whole world spin in front of my eyes, until life went black.
When I finally came back to the light the first thing I noticed the hulking mass of my father was gone and there were a lot more lights than there were. My eyes started to focus and the lights were all from emergency vehicles. Two EMT's were trying to lift my father up onto a gurney with no success. I went to go help them but as I twisted pain burst through my chest like a bonfire and all went black again.
This time when I awoke I made sure to remain still. This time I wasn't on the ground but on a bed. The sheets were soft but at the same time stiff. As if know one dared to put warmth into it. I slowly opened my eyes to see florescent lights above my head and I closed my eyes again. The next thing I noticed was the smell. The smell was a mix of disinfectant, fear, and loneliness. I was in a hospital. The good news was that I wasn't dead the bad news was that I was in a hospital with no idea how I got there I figured out I got shot but not where what it hit or… my dad what happened to him, was he here or in the next room, he's so big they probably kept him his own room. "Dad, are you here? Dad? Hello is anyone there, HELLO?" I heard feet step slowly into the room. A timid voice stuttered to respond.
"S s sir."
"Yes?" I'm puzzled because I don't recognize the voice.
"Sir its about your father sir, he's dead."
"No he's not he can't be he's my dad."
"I'm sorry but it's true." And she left the room.
No, no, NO, it's not true it can't be, it just can't be. I opened my eyes and rose sit up and the pain was back, but I didn't care I needed to find my dad. I swung over the side of the bed, pulled off the IV in my arm, looked around the room and headed for the door. In the hallway was a quiet little nurse who belonged to voice I just heard with my mother and when my mother ran to me pulled me into her arms and she lost herself in the embrace. She kept saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." I didn't understand what she meant and was perplexed because she was never a touchy feely person and was like stone with her emotions.
Then it hit me she was confirming what the nurse said, my father really was dead. I felt myself shaking and when I looked down blood was bleeding through my bandages and dripping down my body. The nurse helped me back into bed and I drifted of to sleep with the words, "who did this."
Chapter 2
Lately Every time I wake up something changes and now is no exception as I woke up someone was over me but it wasn't my mother it was a man. Scratch that it is a huge man, tall, lean, with the vibe that he can shake your hand or snap your neck; either way is fine with him. But as I gazed into his eyes I see a hint of kindness, it was small and neglected but it was there. "You must be Shaun. I have an interest in your future." He spoke with a French accent even though he spoke fluent Slavic. Puzzled at what that meant I asked.
"And that means what."
"That means I am going to take you to my boss who will tell you how my father died."
"You have my attention."
"Good then follow me."
Looking back I don't know why I left with him; I guess I'm either stupid or brave to follow a man I have never met and frankly scares me shitless. But I had to know, had to learn, so I had to follow him. He handed me a set of clothes and left the room so I could change. I put on the black cargo pants, the black shirt and under the shirt was a colt 45. pistol with shoulder holster. It was my father's gun with a new holster. I put it on and felt the same feeling of safety I felt when my father was around. It wasn't like nothing bad could happen but like what ever happened I could somehow handle it. Then I put on the leather jacket that was guess what, black.
When I left the room the man looked me up and down and didn't smile but I could see the tiniest curve of his mouth and he said, "I'm glad you decided to wear it your father would be proud and it helps my job a bit."
I couldn't help myself, "Yeah you look like you need a lot of help." With that he actually did laugh. While he was laughing my mind has drifted to what he just said. It was my dad's gun but he never put any consideration into it. Something felt odd.
"I said that same thing to your father when we first met. Now let's go meet the boss."
Outside we got to the curb when a black coupe pulled up to let us in. the man gestured me into the car and we sped off. We left Vysehrad hospital and traveled north to the National Museum Velakov. Once we were in we went into an empty room marked employees only. I was worried until the man pressed a section of the wall and it swung inward revealing a staircase. We went down the stairs opened the door at the bottom and walked into what felt like a whole new world.
The right side led to labs that held experiments from nuclear batteries to clone theories. To the right were the training grounds, for what I don't know. There were firing ranges, sparing mats, and work out machines all over the place. Straight ahead were desks, tack boards and people working on them. The man led me through all of the desks to the back and into an office. Instantly I knew this was the boss.
The boss was a 6 foot 5 inch Russian woman who's eyes bored holes in me when I looked at her. She looked at the man and said, "Thank you agent J you may go now." With that he turned around and walked away as if he had never been there. With agent J gone she turned her attention back to me and like agent J looked me up and down. Obviously satisfied she returned her gaze to my face. "Please sit down we have much to discuss.
First off I am Mrs. Rejorie but you may call me Boss. Now lets cut to the chase your father was not the average man he was a spy and he named his successor one year ago." Right then it hit me I knew something was up and I figured he was a spy but when she said those words the facts hit me full in the chest and it took all my will to stop from doubling over, and it was a very good thing I didn't eat at the hospital because the boss would have had a front row seat. She knew how it hit me and waited me to come back to focus then resumed, "That successor is you and I am pleased that he chose you because you are so much like him that if I put you with his old partner you should mix well. First we have to get you geared up then you get to meet your partner. Go right down the hall to meet jack your handler she is the third door down.
The office I entered was wall-to-wall closets and lockers. Jack was a springy 5 foot 9 redhead and legs that make yours go weak at the knees. There was one other aspect I didn't expect, she was 18.