Part 1 – Job Offer…
May 4th, 2016, Manhattan Island New York…
A one bedroom apartment on West 37th street, six-foot-three twenty-two year old Sasuke Uchiha awoke to the sound of his Sony AM/FM Dual-Alarm Clock Radio.
He pressed the snooze button, reached over, and grabbed his phone to check the time.
When he saw the time, he nearly had a heart attack: it was 8:30, he had a 9:30 final, and he had to make it about fifteen blocks.
As he was taking a quick shower he thought about how he could get there, a nervous tourist from Seattle trying to parallel park backed over the tree his bike was tied to a week ago with a 2016 Chrysler 300, and it was still in the shop.
As he quickly dried off, he ran into his bedroom to grab his clothes, he thought about the subway, but even running he couldn't catch the next train.
As he practically jumped into his jeans, zipped it up, buttoned it, and fastened his belt, he thought about the morning bus.
He pulled on a black short-sleeve button-up shirt, and opened his camera bag, inside was his USB drives, compact video camera, laptop, and various cords.
Sasuke grabbed his wallet, keys, and threw his camera bag over his shoulder, ran out the door, locked his door, and ran outside to see the bus had just left.
Sasuke ran down the street to try and catch, it but he made it to the curb before a cab ran into him.
The cab driver got out of his car, and walked up to Sasuke, "Hey," he asked as he helped Sasuke up, "You ok?"
"Yea," Sasuke said as he picked up his bag, "Think you can get me to SVA Theatre in under half an hour?"
"Get in." He said.
The driver floored it the second Sasuke got into the back, and started looking over his equipment, his camera was in good condition, his computer was a bit dented, and several of his USB drives fell off into his lap when he opened the bag, but other than that, everything was fine.
Speeding through traffic, Sasuke felt his phone ringing in his pocket, he picked it up to see his classmate David was calling, "Yes." Sasuke asked.
"Where are you," David asked, "Professor Morten is waiting for you."
"I'm on my way," Sasuke said, "I had to catch a cab."
"Well hurry up," David said, "Hopefully he will still let you in."
The cab driver made a sharp left turn which threw Sasuke against the side wall, he lost his phone, but picked it up as the cab driver told Sasuke, "We're here."
"How much?" Sasuke asked.
"$21.62." The driver said.
Sasuke pulled a twenty and two ones out of his wallet, shoved both his wallet and phone into his pocket, slid the money through the slot, and said, "Keep the change."
He ran out the door, and nearly lost his bag as he busted through the first door of the theatre, and into the main theatre where Professor Morten looked up to see Sasuke rushing in.
"Mr. Uchiha," he said as he checked his watch, "Half an hour early, well done."
Sasuke walked up, pulled out his flash drive, and handed it to Professor Morten, "Thank you sir." He said.
"Let's see what you came up with," Professor Morten said, "So you and your team selected Film-Noir as your subject. What's the title of your movie?"
"The movie is called Smoking Gun." Sasuke said.
"Alright." Professor Morten said as he plugged in the USB, and started the movie.
The screen started that traditional black and white countdown, when the countdown ended, Sasuke's voice started narrating, "This is the city, Manhattan Island, New York," he narrated, "This is the time. March 2nd, 1951. New York is a fine place to enjoy life, if you've got a job or a roommate," the screen then cut to the front of ABC Kitchen, "It's where the stars go to relax," the screen then cut to the front of Grand Central Station, "Some in the city go here to find something from history," the screen then cut to Central Park, "Some in the city go here to find something to do," the screen then cut to a backdrop of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, and a man running across, "Some in the city die," the screen cut to the view of a Webley Bulldog which subsequently fired, the man running stumbled, there was another shot, the man grabbed his back, there was one more shot, the man tumbled over the side of the wall, and into the reservoir, "When they do, that's where people like me go to work. I used to be a cop…"
The story went on, the gunned down man was revealed to be an undercover cop.
It turned out that there was a plot to kill the New York City Police Commander, a dead ex-cop who was under suspicion for murder was actually alive and was working to undermine the plot, also the NYPD Police Commissioner was accepting bribes from his officers for better patrols, that a group of berated ex-cops were behind the plot, and for a Noir movie there had to be a sad ending, so the dead ex-cop in the end was killed in a shootout with the angry ex-cops.
At the end, the class clapped, "Well," Professor Morten said, "That was enjoyable. You and your friends can go now."
As Sasuke, his friends David, David's girlfriend Maria Green, and their mutual friend, British Exchange Student Jake Davidson.
The friends went down to Stardust where after having some food, and a few drinks they walked back to Sasuke's apartment.
"So you guys are heading back to Chicago," Sasuke asked putting on his best Chicago accent.
"Yea," David said, "Brother's getting married. Maria and I have a one-way ticket on the train back to Chicago. What about you?"
"I'm staying here," Sasuke said, "Look for a job, and pay my rent for the summer."
"Well here you are," David said as he grabbed Sasuke's hand as it came in, brought him against his chest, and slapped him on the back, "See you next semester bro."
"You too." Sasuke said.
Sasuke walked up to his mail box, unlocked it, inside were a bunch of trash letters, but one thing that caught Sasuke's eye was a letter that had the CIA's seal pressed into the face of the letter.
Sasuke opened the letter, and it read:
"Mr. Sasuke Jensen Uchiha," the next line said, "It has come to our attention that you have information that we require in reference to a case an agent of ours was working in Singapore. While we are aware you've never been in Singapore we would like for you to come out to Langley, Virginia tomorrow to speak with our boss."
The next line went, "While we understand this letter is the last thing you'd understand we sincerely hope you'll be able to join us tomorrow. There's an airline ticket waiting for you at the JFK Ticket Counter for a one-way trip all the way to D.C. You don't have to worry about finding him, he'll find you. He'll be wearing a black suit with a red tie, gold-rimmed mirrored aviator glasses with an American flag pinned to his right lapel. I know this might be a little hard to take in, but we do need your help."
The final line read, "Kakashi Hatake, Director of Domestic Affairs: CIA."
Sasuke wasn't sure about this, but he decided to see what was going on, the next morning he packed a bag full of clothes, and set off for JFK.
When he arrived, he walked up to the ticket counter, "Can I help you?" She asked.
"I believe there's a ticket waiting for me to DC," Sasuke said, "Sasuke Jensen Uchiha."
The clerk typed in Sasuke's name, "Can I see some I.D.?" She asked.
Sasuke pulled out his wallet, and flashed his driver's license, "There you go." He said.
The clerk checked the I.D., and pulled out the ticket, "Here you go," she said, "Gate 14."
As Sasuke passed through security, he walked up to the gate, and took a seat.
His mind was filled with questions, what kind of information did they need?
What 'case' were they talking about?
What does Singapore have to do with this? I've never been to Singapore.
He was still thinking about it when he got on the plane.
His father was Ex-Special Forces, serving as an Army Ranger Lieutenant during Desert Storm, but he had been out of the Military Game for about twenty years.
His mother was a nurse in the U.S. Military which led to them getting engaged, and having Sasuke and his older brother, Itachi.
His father however was a Lieutenant with the Chicago PD, Homicide Division.
His mother worked full-time at Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a Cardiac Surgeon.
His older brother, Itachi was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed in Afghanistan as a sniper.
He stopped by the Army Base his father was stationed at for a time, but he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to see.
Arriving in D.C. was interesting, he had never been in the capital before, but he was surprised by how clean the airport was.
As he walked into the main terminal, a man dressed in a three piece black tuxedo with a red tie, and an American-flag pin on his right lapel, "Sasuke Uchiha?"
"Yes." Sasuke said.
"This way please." The Agent said.
Sasuke followed the Agent to a waiting Lincoln Town Car.
The Agent drove the car away from D.C. to Langley where C.I.A. Headquarters was located.
When they pulled up to the gate, the Agent held out his pass, the Marine, carrying his M4 rifle gave the Agent a nod, and ushered him through the gate.
Passing through the gate, Sasuke saw the front of C.I.A. Headquarters, just like in the movies.
"Alright," the Agent said, "Here's the deal, half the people in there is carrying at least a 9mm. Keep your hands out of your pockets, don't take pictures, don't speak unless spoken to, try not to touch anything, and don't ask questions. Because you're a civilian, people are going to be a little suspicious at first, but when you walk out, I think they'll trust you a little more."
As they pulled into the parking lot, the Agent led Sasuke over to the primary elevator.
They entered a large hallway where most of the Agents started staring at Sasuke, "Friendly bunch aren't they?" Sasuke asked.
"Just skeptical of a new face," The Agent said, "Comes with the job."
"Have to be cautious of everyone in the Intelligence game." Sasuke said.
"Exactly." The Agent said.
The Agent led Sasuke up to a door with the name: Tsunade on the name-plate, below it was: Head of the C.I.A., he opened the door, and ushered him inside.
Madame Tsunade could be described in one word: Cougar, a good-looking thirty-to-forty something year old Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, dangerous curves, and a very foxy face.
"Sasuke Uchiha," she said as she looked up at Sasuke, "Please, sit down."
Sasuke took a seat in front of Tsunade's desk, and spoke, "To be honest ma'am," he said, "I have no idea as to what I'm doing here."
"I knew you'd say that," Tsunade said as she held out a picture off Sasuke's Facebook page showing Sasuke and his best-friend Naruto Uzumaki filming a video they did for their High School Multi-Media Class, "You remember him?"
"Yea," Sasuke said as he chuckled when he took the picture, "Naruto. My best-friend," he handed Tsunade the picture back, "But I haven't seen him for three years. I was back in Chicago my first year of college, he wanted to catch up, and we did. We talk on Facebook from time to time, but we haven't seen each other since then."
"I was hoping you two would be good friends," Tsunade said as she turned a laptop around to face Sasuke, "Just hit play."
Sasuke hit the spacebar, and it showed video of the, "Getaway Crew," a group of Singapore-based bank robbers who'd stream their getaways from the Singapore Police Force an underground Street Racing website.
"Alright boys," a voice Sasuke recognized, "To the left."
Sasuke hit the spacebar, and stopped the video, "He's involved?" He asked.
"Yes," Tsunade said, "Usually we'd hand this matter over to the Singapore Police Force, but until recently, the "Getaway Crew have graduated into weapons trafficking. The Police don't have any reason to believe that your friend is involved."
"What does this have to do with me?" Sasuke asked.
"You're his best friend," Tsunade said, "Recently we've linked the weapons he delivered with an attack on a U.S. pipeline. If so, and the police find out, it's a death sentence for him. We want to make sure these attacks stop."
"Why me," Sasuke asked, "I'm a civilian, and a simple college multi-media major. I'm nobody."
"You're nobody now," Tsunade said, "However, we can change that."
"Meaning?" Sasuke asked.
"If you want to, we'd like to train you," Tsunade said, "We can't make you the C.I.A.'s 'Captain America'. But we can make you a decent operative."
"How long?" Sasuke asked.
"A month and a half," Tsunade said, "Train you in language, driving, weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and various other techniques."
"What's the catch?" Sasuke asked.
"The catch," Tsunade asked, "We can't guarantee your safety when you go in, and since Singapore has very strict gun laws, we can't send you in with a firearm at first."
"And I take it no car?" Sasuke asked.
"Negative." Tsunade said.
"And if I do this," Sasuke asked, "What do I get?'
"How about a six-figure paying job as a camera man or producer on a San Francisco public access TV show?" Tsunade asked.
"You make it hard for a guy to say no." Sasuke said.
"Can we get started?" Tsunade asked.
"How am I getting there?" Sasuke asked.
The next day, Sasuke arrived at Camp Peary dressed like a Military Cadet, the thick-sole military boots, camo pants, and army green short-sleeve shirt.
"Welcome to The Farm," six-foot-four Caucasian-Japanese Asuma Sarutobi said as he threw his cigarette at his feet, and squished it with his foot, "Put your things in Bunk Five, and report to the obstacle course."
Sasuke walked into Bunk Five, he knew he was walking into an empty bunk, and when he opened the door, he was proven right.
He threw his pillow down on top of the first bunk he saw, and walked outside to see Asuma, an attractive five-foot-five woman with long black hair and cherry-red eyes with no pupils, a six-foot-four Caucasian male with white hair, a single red eye that had a scar running down that very side of his face, and a six-foot Native-American male with a scar running across his nose.
"These are your instructors," Asuma said, he pointed at the girl, "This is Kurenai Yūhi, she'll teach you driving the cadets that come through here, and camera operation," he pointed at the white-haired male, "This is Kakashi Hatake, he'll teach you shooting and hand-to-hand combat," he then pointed to the Native-American male, "This is Iruka Umino, he'll go through your psychological training. And I'm Asuma Sarutobi, I'll oversee your physical training. We start today, five miles run."
The five mile run took about forty minutes, and ended at the mess hall.
Simple meat and potatoes was all they served, and Sasuke dined alone, save for when Kakashi walked up with his tray.
"Mr. Hatake." Sasuke said.
"Just call me Kakashi," He said, "So how well do you know Naruto Uzumaki?"
"He's my best friend," Sasuke said, "We were like brothers for most of our lives. Our parents were tighter than sisters together during their days in the Military. Our fathers were also good friends. We grew up one block away from each other. I can't believe he's involved in anything illegal."
"Believe it," Kakashi said, "But I believe you can help him. With our training, I bet you can take care of them no problem. Tomorrow, early you're going to begin weapon's training. I think you'll like this."
The next morning, Sasuke walked to the range to see Kakashi waiting with several weapons, "Some of the weapons I'll encounter in Singapore?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Kakashi said as he pointed to a snub-nose revolver, "Taurus Model 85, five shot .38 caliber revolver, standard issue for the Singapore Police Force," he pointed to the HK USP, "HK USP .45, the highest caliber handgun used by several Singapore Special Police Uniforms," he pointed to a pistol SMG, "ST Kinetics CPW."
"A G36C," Sasuke said as he pointed toward the first assault rifle on the table, "M4S1, an SAR-21, and an M16S1."
"Son of a former Special Forces soldier," Kakashi said, "Let's see what you can do."
Sasuke hadn't fired a gun in a while so his aim was a little off, but not that far off.
After the shooting, and a quick bite to eat, Sasuke began training with Kurenai, she had somehow managed to get an Audi Q5, and a professional camera.
"Alright," Kurenai said as she pointed to Kakashi, Iruka, and Asuma on dirt bikes, "The objective of this exercise is simple, those three are going to be driving around, your job is to keep them in focus."
Sasuke took a seat in the front, and picked up the camera.
As Kurenai, Kakashi, Asuma, and Iruka set off.
Kakashi managed to launch into a massive jump which Sasuke managed to catch a shot of him doing a handstand on the bike.
Asuma managed to do a helicopter-spin on his bike, in the review of the tape, Sasuke caught it perfectly.
Iruka was just moving fast on his bike, it was obvious he hadn't done much ridding.
Later that night, while Sasuke was in the shower, after he had gone through the first round of combat with Kakashi, Kurenai was reviewing the tape with Asuma.
"It's as if he was born to do this," Asuma said, "I think we have just the job for him."
Asuma was on the phone with Tsunade half an hour later, "We do have stakes in several companies in Singapore," he said, "Do we have any that do work in documentaries or action sports?"
"We do have several agents in companies like that," Tsunade said, "Have Iruka run him through some basic tests so he can determine where our new recruit can go."
The next morning, after about thirty chin-ups, Sasuke walked into a large room where Iruka was sitting with a ten-page document.
"We just need to know some things about you," Iruka said as Sasuke took his seat, and pulled out a pencil, "You have two hours, a pencil sharpener, and you have the room to yourself."
As Iruka walked out of the room, Sasuke began the test.
Two hours later, Iruka came back into the room to see Sasuke had fallen asleep, the test itself was face down on the desk, and the pencil was on the floor.
Iruka picked up the test, he had finished the entire test.
In how long, he had to check the tape, but he thought he must have just finished.
When he reviewed the tape, he discovered he was wrong, he had finished about one hour and five minutes after starting, while it takes most of the trainees at least an hour and a half to take the test.
"Only an hour and five minutes," Iruka said, "And his answers are amazing across the board, however he did better in the field of the test that deals with documentaries. I think we have the perfect place to put him."
"Indeed," Tsunade said, "Indeed."
What do you think…