Chapter 3
Kahn sat in the chair behind his desk with his chin resting on the intertwined fingers of his hands, waiting for the three agents. His eyes drifted to the thick yellow envelope that rested on the surface of the desk. He looked up as the door into his office opened and the lead agents entered. Kahn gestured for the three to take a seat in the chairs in front of his desk. Chieftain sat in the chair on the right, J sat on the left, which left Spin, who was getting more and more annoyed, in the center. "You're here earlier than I expected, agents."
"They were both in the RRC." Chieftain explained.
The commander nodded in acknowledgment. "BA-1, BA-2, I expect you know why you are here." The two senior agents nodded. "BA-5 ..." Kahn allowed himself to crack a small grin at the rookie's impatient expression. "I expect you're dying to know." Spin opened his mouth, but thought better of speaking up and simply nodded. "Good. Now, you three know that we keep a close eye on the people who purchase and play the game that we put into circulation. After reviewing the data gathered in the RRC, I have decided that it is in the best interest of the agency to recruit a new agent. You all, as of now, are a team for this mission, in which you will do just that. "
"I'm guessing you have someone particular in mind?" J prompted with a grin.
"Yes, I do have a particular young woman in mind." Kahn pressed a button on his desk. The huge screen behind him lit up to show a zoomed-in map of Denver, Colorado. The map zoomed in farther to show specific streets and houses, badge with a question mark symbol appeared near one house. Next to the picture of the house, the basic information for a mission target popped up.
Target: Lisa Arthur
Age: 18
Sex: Female
Other: Prospective Agent
Spin's gaped like a fish out of water, J nodded silently with a smile, Chieftain didn't show any response.
"Your mission is to recruit Lisa Arthur. Any and all information you should need is in this envelope. Speak to Foxx if you think you will need any special gear, otherwise, everything should be well arranged. I would like you to leave as soon as possible, agents, but I do want you to look over the information I've given you first. Agent J, you will be in charge for the obvious reason. However, should things get out of hand, Agent Chieftain, you will have the authority to take over the mission. Failure is not an option. Any questions?" There were none, so Khan handed the envelope to J. "Good luck, agents. Let me know when you'll be ready to leave." The three agents nodded and exited the room quickly.
Once a decent distance from the commander's office, Spin let out a whoop. "I think this is going to be the greatest mission ever! Hey, J, what was the 'obvious reason' the K-man put you in charge?"
J shook his head. "I'll tell you later. Right now, we should go find somewhere quiet to look over this stuff." J bopped Spin on his head with the envelope.
Chieftain pointed to a door at the far end of the hall. "The library is probably the quietest place, aside anyone's from private quarters."
"Whoa ... since when do we have a library?!" Spin laughed while J and Chieftain shook their heads.
"And that's the reason it's always so quiet." J quipped.
Lisa turned off her DS and stretched. It was nearly four o'clock, so Erica would be returning from school soon. Lisa grimaced as her stomach rumbled and decided to go fix a snack. The silence in the house was disrupted as jars clanked in the refrigerator while Lisa searched for food. Eventually, she dragged out the fixings for a sandwich. As she was spreading mayo on the bread, the front door banged open.
"I can't believe you left early and didn't take me with you!" Erica whined as she made her way into the kitchen, holding the day's mail under one arm.
Lisa frowned. "I wasn't feeling well, that's why I came home. I couldn't have brought you. Did anything interesting come?"
"Hmm ... well, there's something from Aunt Carol."
"What is it?" Lisa asked as she began laying cheese on the mayo-slathered bread.
"Ooh ... there's going to be a family reunion in two weeks!" Erica grinned.
Lisa's face fell as she looked at the invitation. "The last reunion ... Keith was still here. Remember? I wonder if Keith will hear about it and show up?"
"Probably not." Erica, ever the voice of reason, stated as she shook her head. "You know that no one has heard from him for four years. I doubt he'd just just show up out of nowhere."
Keith was the girls' cousin, their Aunt Beth and Uncle John's only child. When they were younger, Keith and Lisa were always together, just like macaroni and cheese, even though Keith was several years older. Out of nowhere, about four years ago, Keith left. There was no warning, he just disappeared. A week after he left, Beth got a letter from him. It had no return address, but in the letter, Keith wished everyone good luck and said good bye. No other sign of Keith had been seen or heard since.
Shortly after Keith's disappearance, Lisa sank into a minor case of depression. She hardly ate or slept, let alone talked. It was during this time that Lisa started playing video-games and watching anime. Her parents never did find out about her new hobbies, and even now, Keith was still a sore spot for the eldest Arthur sister.
Lisa took one last look at the letter with a bitter glare. "I'm going outside. Please don't bother me." With that, she slipped through the back door into the backyard, her half-made sandwich forgotten.
Lisa lay on a lounge chair, staring up into the branches of the oak tree in the center of the yard. She could pick out the spot where the "tree house" she, Erica, and Keith had built when they were younger. They used to eat meals of sandwiches, chips, and juice boxes up in the lopsided structure. However, over time, the boards rotted, and the house had to be taken down. That was the summer before my Freshman year ... wasn't it? Yah, it was just before Keith ...
A tear began it's path down Lisa's cheek. She wiped it away angrily. "It's no fair ... Keith ... you jerk ... wherever you are, whatever you're doing ... I hate you."
The three lead agents entered the library and Spin whistled. All around them were hundreds of shelves containing books, magazines, and film reels. "Dang ... I didn't even know that we had a library ... and this place is huge! What's with the film, though?"
J laughed. "They're recordings of every assistance mission an EBA agent has ever gone on. There are some of the commander from when he was a rookie. It's all stored in here." The trio continued toward the far wall until they came to several large, wooden tables. The men sat down and got comfortable.
Chieftain cleared his throat. "We should get started."
J nodded, becoming serious. "Okay, the target is Lisa Arthur. Location: Denver, Colorado. Date of birth: August 10th, 1988. Family composed of her father, mother, and one younger sister ..."
"Yo, how do you know that? You haven't even opened the dang envelope yet." Spin pulled off his green-tinted shades to get a clear look at J. "Did you know her before you came here?"
J sighed and nodded. "Yah, I did. She's actually my younger cousin."
