Defeating Áglǽca

Chapter Two

Fifteen hours later, the ODS were stepping out of the main airport in Mumbai, India. Each member of the team did their best to sleep while flying across the Atlantic. However, Rick Martinez was the only one of the teammates who managed to successfully. Both Michael and Billy ended up reading a book they had each brought with them, while Casey worked on his meditation exercises he did in order to be the human weapon that he was.

As they each stepped out of the airport and got into their rental car, Billy spoke up saying, "I have to say that that was one of the worst flights I have ever taken here to India. The food was awful and I didn't get an ounce of sleep."

Casey responded, "What made this trip different than any other trip we have taken here in the past? The food is always awful and we never get any sleep while flying across the ocean."

"Very true, but at least in the past there has always been at least one stewardess I have been able to have a stimulating conversation with to make the trip worthwhile," Billy answered. "This time, there were none."

"I am sure you could have had a great conversation with one of the male stewards up there," Michael replied.

Billy shook his head and answered, "It just isn't the same."

Michael, Casey, and Rick chuckled as Michael responded, "We know. Now, let's find Ronnie as soon as possible and get this mission over and done with."

"Do you have something against Mumbai or India?" Rick asked the team's leader. "I think India's beautiful."

"I think so too, but that has nothing to do with why I want to get back home as soon as we can," Michael answered. "There is something about this meeting that isn't sitting right with me. It sounds way too simple and these fact gathering missions never end up the way they should. Something is going to go wrong."

Billy nodded his head in agreement as he replied, "Normally, I would blame that on his own paranoia, but I have a feeling Michael's right. I've got the same feeling in the pit of my empty stomach as well. Wait until you meet Ronnie yourself, Martinez and you will understand what we mean."

Casey added, "Ronnie isn't one of our favorite assets. Whenever we meet with him, something always ends up going wrong. I warned Michael in the beginning not to make him an asset, but he didn't listen to me and now we're stuck with him."

"I am sure he's given you valuable information, otherwise you would have cut ties with him a long time ago," Rick said.

"Yeah, but we always end up getting shot at because of him," Casey answered.

"It's like he gives us seven years of bad luck all in one short visit here in India," Billy added.

Before Rick could say anything more, Michael stopped their car and stepped out. The other teammates followed behind him as each of them walked into a bar in the middle of town and took a seat at a table in the corner of the room. After a few minutes, one of the waiters took a seat at the table with them as he handed out a round of beers. Rick saw that Ronnie was definitely Indian as he expected him to be, but he didn't expect the bushy beard and mustache covering most of his face. He supposed that it had something to do with his paranoia.

The waiter spoke up first as he said, "I thought I was only going to speak with you three, Michael. Who is this guy?"

Michael responded, "Hello to you too, Ronnie. It's been a long time. I see your paranoia's only gotten worse. This here is Rick Martinez. He's one of us now. He's good, don't you worry."

Casey cut in as he asked, "What is it that you dragged us all the way down here for, Ronnie?"

"You wanted to know if I ever found out any kind of information that would lead to the take down of some of the more notorious drug and weapons dealers that come through here, am I right?" Ronnie replied.

"Aye, that would be right, My Friend," Billy answered. "So, what news do you have for us today, that you couldn't have told us over the phone and by the way, didn't we give you a number so that you could contact us directly?"

Ronnie responded quickly, "I accidentally lost it one of the many times I've thrown out my wallets. Anyway, you know how you have brought down several weapons dealers over the last six years, who you know were working for the ghost you've been chasing and that they have all refused to tell you or that they can't tell you who your ghost is?"

Casey replied, "I would be very surprised if you actually have useful information about him for us this time. You usually don't. He's a ghost because he kills everyone who has seen who he is or can identify anything that will lead the CIA, or anyone else for that matter, to him. He doesn't leave loose ends."

"Everyone we've arrested that's worked for him, have never made any physical contact with him," Michael continued. "They've never even spoken with him over the phone. What could you possibly have for us?"

"I overheard a couple of the patrons taking about their boss coming here to Mumbai in person to oversee a big deal," Ronnie answered. "They were bragging about how they were excited to be working with one of the most well known weapons dealers from all across Asia, Britain, and Europe. It has to be our ghost, right?"

Michael slowly nodded and said, "It's possible that it could be him and if it is, then whatever deal is going down is obviously extremely important to him, in order to get him to come out to oversee the operation himself."

Rick replied, "And even if it isn't the ghost, we can still at least bring down a dangerous arms dealer. Do you know when this deal is supposed to go down and where?"

"No, but the thugs who were talking about this deal come in everyday around noon," Ronnie responded. "I am sure they'll be here talking about it again tomorrow. Maybe you can set something up for them?"

"And what if the deal is going down tonight?" Casey asked.

"Trust me," Ronnie said. "It will be a few days. The way they were talking, they had a few things to take care of first before the ghost arrives."

Billy spoke up saying, "I must say, Ronnie. I am impressed with the information you have come up with for us this time. Much better than the last time we met. We ended up getting shot at for absolutely nothing."

Ronnie stood and began to clear the table as he answered, "I told your lady back at the office that my information would be worth your while."

As the ODS stood up themselves, Ronnie called out to them as they began walking away, "I almost forgot. I did get one more piece of information that will be helpful to you guys; an alias, or a code name. It's Ag-, Aglac-, I am not sure how to pronounce it. It's some fancy Shakespearean sounding name. They said the guy was British."

"Do you mean Áglǽca?" Billy asked as a terrified look replaced his usual cocky grin across his face.

"Yes," Ronnie replied surprised. "That's it!"

As he walked away from them, Casey asked, "Now how on earth did you guess a name like that? Do you actually know every name Shakespeare ever used?"

Without looking at his friends, Billy clearly was upset as he slowly answered, "It isn't a name from Shakespeare at all. It is from one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon poems ever written called, Beowulf."

"Beowulf?" Rick asked as he was confused as to why this name seemed to upset Billy so much. "I read that poem back in high school. It was one of the required books we had to read. I hated it."

"Most people do," Billy said, still without looking up.

Both Michael and Casey could also see how upset their Scottish friend had become, as Michael asked, "Does this name mean something to you Billy?"

As he finally looked at his friends, Billy somberly answered, "Áglǽca is an Old English term the author used as another name for three of the characters from this poem; Beowulf, the hero himself, Grendel, and Grendel's mother, who are two of the monsters Beowulf fought. The name Áglǽca means, wretch, miscreant, monster, demon, fierce enemy, fierce combatant, and miserable being. Although, in this case, I believe our ghost is referring to himself as fierce enemy. You might think of him as all these other things I've listed as well if it turns out that he is indeed our ghost. I know who our ghost is, but it's impossible. I mean, I don't know how it can be him. The man I knew was not this kind of man and he died seven years ago. I watched it happen."

Michael, Casey, and Rick all looked at each other and then back at Billy as Rick asked, "Who do you think he is, Billy?"

"Dalton Sloane," Billy answered as he slowly sank into the chair closest to him. "My last partner from when I worked in the British Secret Service, before I was decommissioned and deported from my homeland."