Chapter Two
Charlie Epps drove his car towards his house slowly. He knew it had been three weeks since he had simply vanished from earth after explaining that he was going to do a consulting work for some one important. He had, since then, lost contact with his family and knew that his father would become a mother hen the second he stepped through the door.
He wouldn't blame him either. He was considerably more thin then the last time they had seen him and then you added that to his now short hair, he looked very different. Unfortunately, it was a necessary thing to do. Though, he did miss his hair. He was about to exit the interstate when his phone rang. He knew who it was since few people knew that he was back in town.
"Yes?"-
"Doctor Epps?"-
"He is talking. Who is this?"-
"This is Agent McDowell. Sir, we have a direct order from Assistant Director Tompkins. You have to meet us on the same place from last time. It is an emergency."- Charlie frowned. The only thing that he wanted was to get to his house and have dinner with his father and hopefully with his brother. He missed them but he couldn't ignore this.
"Give me ten"- he said before clicking the phone off. He turned his car around towards his new destination.
He drove slowly careful to keep his nervousness in control and when he finally parked in front of the L.A. FBI agency, thousands of case scenarios had sped through his mind. He had always found it amusing the fact that the NSA 's top would meet in front of a fellow agency and they had never been discovered. Many of those who went there wanted to keep their jobs a secret and Charlie Eppes was no exception. He walked to the cafeteria in front. He wasn't surprised when he saw the close sign. He knock slowly and soon enough a serious looking man opened the door. He showed the man his ID and he was soon led to a table at the back of the establishment. There he expected to find Assistant Director Robert Tompkins waiting for him and was shocked to see seven familiar faces.
"Charles!"- came a friendly voice from somewhere on his left. He turned to find Dr. John Montgomery, an old friend of his. They hadn't seen each other since they had consulted for the NSA a year before. He was a brilliant Doctor and he was the one that took care of him when he burned himself out.
"John! What are you doing here?"- He questioned happily.
"Well, I got a call from Bob a while ago, he told me to come. Do you know what is going on?"- he said choosing not to comment on the state he found his old friend.
"No, I just arrived from a job and I got a call a couple of minutes ago. Hey Lucy! " - he said seeing a young redhead a couple of meters away from him.
"Hiya Boss!" - she called happily. – " how are you? Anything good? It doesn't seem like it, you look like crap." - she said laughing. She was a brilliant Chemist with a hidden talent for the mathematics. He had enjoyed a lot talking to her, seeing how she smiled when she understood some of his work.
" Hey boss!" - said a rather booming voice from behind him.
"Christopher Ross, haven't seen you since you predicted I would die on a landslide here at home."- said Charlie choosing to ignore Lucy's comment about his state. If anyone saw him now, they wouldn't recognize him from the shy mathematician they had known.
"Oh boss, I haven't said it is not true. You just have all those numbers of yours that tell you that it isn't. You know, numbers aren't everything."- he said jokingly while he shook Charlie's hand firmly.
"You realize what you just said"- said a female voice behind them – "Charlie's life revolves around numbers, its like if you told him that oxygen wasn't important. Though right now, it looks as if you need a good meal and a good shower. You look like you went to hell and back" - Sarah Reynolds said behind them. Charlie smiled at her. She was one person on the whole room that could actually keep him away from his beloved numbers, like she called them.
"My lady!"- he said bowing and placing a gentle kiss on her hand.
"Hey you kiss her and ignore me!"- he laughed. He knew that voice anywhere. A man and a women stood behind Sarah. Carl Robertson and Karina Langdon a well known couple. The most brilliant Cryptologist on the world and his two year boyfriend a even more known sociologist. He hid a smile when he remembered Sarah saying that they were perfect for each other. (´Two boring people.´) Off course, for her, everyone was boring…
"My lady!"- he repeated the same with her and Sarah huffed saying
"And here I thought I was special"- they all laughed. –" Seriously though, Charles love the new look. What inspired you?"- she said and before Charlie could answer, Lucy answered for him
"Some homeless?"-
"Hey!" – he said in protest –" I just got carried away on a job." – he said huffing.
"Don't you always?"- said Carl and everyone laughed while Charlie blushed and muttered something about insubordination .
They moved away from the door to take a seat at the circular table at the back.
"A circular table? What are we, Arthur and his knights?"- said Christopher.
"Chris, you argue about everything."- commented Karina. – "guess some things never change."-
"So anyone care to fill me on why are we here. It is pretty clear why we were chosen specifically though I didn't know the NSA was aware of us."- said Charlie watching as every face around the table turned sombre.
"Charlie, we have no idea we all got a call and were asked to come here. We are as clueless as you and last time I checked, NSA didn't know." - said Sarah.
"You swept the place?" – he asked.
"Yes sir." - said Christopher.
"So if we all are here, where is Frank?"- said Carl.
"He wouldn't decline coming. I know him and if this is a new job he would be as eager as anyone to come."- said Karina.
"I don't know,"- said John – "I have a bad feeling about this. We weren't supposed to be called back. We were all off duty and we weren't to be reunited unless it was absolutely necessary."-
"It was absolutely necessary to call you."- came A. D. Tompkin's voice from behind them. He carried a stack of folders in one hand and he proceeded to hand them one each.
"Frank Radcliff was found dead today in front of his house. He was stabbed to death and the FBI have a note in their possession that is signed by you. Sigma- Tau- Chi. They are going to look into it and it has yet to be established if we will let them know about the existence of this particular organization."- he said walking around the agents.
He had wondered what made this agents so special and as he stood there waiting for a reaction from them he was amazed that none of them said a thing as if expecting someone to talk. He had been shocked to say the least when he had been called early in the morning by the Interpol and told about the existence of this particular organization. He had been told much just to meet with them and give them a disk. Hell, he had been shocked to hear that his dear friend Charles was an agent. It seemed, he kept more secret than he was aware of.
"Sir, what happened, Frank was prepared to handle any situation. We all are".- said Lucy
"We haven't established that. It comes as a surprise to many people. I would like an explanation if it was possible and I have an encrypted message from an Agent Ashley Craig."- he said taking a small disk from his pocket.
"I will take that"- said Sarah motioning to the disk and moving toward her personal computer. They saw her click some things and after a while she stopped.
"What does it say?"- said Charlie assuming his role as leader.
"We have been ordered to explain our existence to the NSA and to the FBI"- she said slowly. – "they have been granted clearance"-
"Thank God, I was wondering if you would explain."- said Tompkins.
"Sir, there is something more isn't there?"- said Karina who had been gazing at the Diretor for a while.
"The person who killed Dr. Radcliff left something else."- he said slowly
"What exactly?"- asked Charlie wondering if it was him or his brother.
"A wall full of your pictures. One of you is next."- he said and saw them all nod with out any emotion on their faces.