More Than Words
Chapter 1
"Ah, I knew you'd be one of the few who understand the true nature of the world's ills," Julian flashed a grateful smile as he leaned back in his seat. "Such a rare quality among men of your generation." The driver pulled away from the pub as Julian eyed the potential recruit.
The lad's eyes lit up at the word "man", and Julian could see the initial apprehension finally dissolve from his face. As he predicted the moment he saw the lad- just barely 18 and wearing a new tweed blazer and trousers- the mere acknowledgement of adulthood would be a powerful tool in Julian's recruitment strategy.
It was a gift he had cultivated since childhood, knowing just what to say, when to say it, and how to say it to turn even the most stubborn opponents into allies. From his parents, schoolmates, teachers, supervisors, former colleagues, and ideological opponents, he could always read far more deeply into others than they ever realized. This unnerved them, and so he kept even the most devoted followers at a certain distance. Such isolation provided a vantage point to truly see the ills in the world in a way others could not, and thus Julian devoted most of his nearly 70 years on Earth searching for a cure for a sick world. Just as he had begun to lose hope, he found it. And so he lived for moments like these, an opportunity to inspire yet another to follow his lead.
Julian leaned in closer to the lad, his voice becoming conspiratorial. "And if you ask me, a fellow with such untapped potential as yourself should be put to much better use than university can provide."
The lad's eyes widened. "Really?"
Julian nodded. "Oh yes, I see it in you, the ability to help my organization and I clean up the world. It's a rare quality to affect great change. You have it."
He watched as the seeds he'd carefully planted in the lad's mind began to take root and sprout. It was a bit of a shame, really, that the young, naïve ones who sincerely believed in Julian's cause tended not to last very long, generally sacrificial lambs. Most of Julian's strongest followers were the thugs, those kicked one time too many by an uncaring world and hardened against it. He suspected they weren't totally sold on Julian's vision for a new society, and just looking for permission to take out their anger. But Julian chose not to dwell on it. Results were results at this stage, especially after the regrettable loss of Grey.
"And I must note," he added, "Our methods to heal the world are not what many would consider…conventional. But these are desperate times, as you're aware. And so they call for desperate measures."
The lad sat up straighter. "Okay, so, what happens now?" The driver had pulled up to the university.
"Now, you get a solid's night's rest, pack your bags, and join us as we head north. I can't tell you the details, as yet. And no one must see you. We depart at 8am."
The lad nodded enthusiastically and jumped out of the car as it pulled to a stop. Julian smiled. This one wouldn't last long, he knew. But he was confident the lad would be of some use to him.
"Brandt."
"Brandt."
"Brandt."
Brandt bit back a smile as he kept his eyes focused on the dossier in front of him. He knew all the details of their target, of course. Julian Pendergast. 200 IQ. PHD from Cambridge University. Provided humanitarian aid for decades before suddenly disappearing in the late 1990's. Resurfaced in Scotland two years ago. Caught the attention of IMF when several of his "followers" were linked to a series of grisly crimes throughout the UK.
"Brandt." He could feel Benji's eyes peering at him from across the jet, and it was becoming difficult not to look up. It wasn't that he was still mad that Benji said American football wasn't real football. But his stubborn streak had been in full effect since he told Benji he wouldn't talk to him for the rest of the trip. Besides, he was beginning to enjoy the game.
"Bra-andt." Brandt smoothed the corners of his mouth down with his hand as Benji tried a new inflection.
"Okay, you have got to answer him," Jane cut in, turning around to face Brandt. "Because I am not listening to that for the next five hours."
"Brandt!"
"Enough." Ethan abruptly looked up at the team for the first time since takeoff. All three immediately turned to him. "Mission update." Once he was certain he had everyone's attention, he continued. "New intel indicates Pendergast has departed Edinburgh and is heading towards the northern coast, staying rural. Crimes committed by his followers have increased in number and viciousness over the past few weeks and the IMF suspects Pendergast has something big planned."
Ethan paused, motioning for Benji to pull up an MP3 file on his laptop. "Three days ago, Scotland Yard arrested Stan Grey, believed to be one of Pendergast's most loyal followers, and recorded this interview at the time of his arrest." With that he nodded towards Benji, who then played the file.
At first, nothing could be hard aside from heavy breathing, punctuated here and there by a humorless laugh. Finally, the breathing settled somewhat as the interview proceeded.
"And Mr. Grey, can you tell me why you believe you and your cohorts were justified in attacking the residents in that apartment building?" It was the calm and controlled voice of a psychologist.
"Clean up," Stan Grey replied, his voice deep and guttural. "We're cleaning up."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Clean. Up." Stan Grey repeated. "This world is too sick."
"How so?"
At this, Stan began to lose his patience. "Look at it!" The sound of a hand slamming hard against a table caused all but Ethan to jump. "Are you blind? There's suffering everywhere you look. Depravity! Violence!" Grey paused to catch his breath. "When you have too much dirt on you, you clean it up. Clear off the germs. That is where we come in. We're cleaning off the germs in our world for our leader. He's going to make it all better."
"We?"
"Yes, we," Grey began to chuckle. "More of us every day. Taking out the bad things. Bad people."
"Bad people? Like who?"
At this, Grey's chuckle slowly gained intensity. After about 30 seconds, he paused. "Like…You!" Suddenly, there was a yell of pain and sounds of a struggle, and then the audio stopped.
The team was silent. Brandt glanced at the disturbed expressions of the others, particularly Benji's wide eyes. It wasn't Grey's words that unsettled them; it was the absolute devotion in his tone. Pendergast's followers were small in number, but his power over them was undeniable. The prospect of taking down a target who inspired this kind of fanaticism was daunting.
Brandt's throat had gone dry, and he felt an instinctive pull to move closer to Benji, but suppressed it.
"Now," Ethan continued. "Our mission is to infiltrate Pendergast's headquarters and retrieve any info we can find about his plans. Once we're in, Benji will search the office while Brandt provides cover. Jane and I will be posted outside. Now, get some sleep. We need to be sharp tomorrow."
With that, the debriefing ended. Brandt took a deep breath.
"Brandt?" Benji's voice was little more than a whisper.
"Yeah?" Brandt glanced over. Benji's face had gone completely pale. This time, he gave into the instinctive pull and walked over to Benji, sitting beside him and putting an arm over his shoulder. He gave the younger agent a reassuring smile. "We can do this."
Benji relaxed a bit under Brandt's arm and offered a grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Of course."
