CHAPTER SIX
Global Justice Headqarters, Upperton, USA
Global Justice was a network of government secrets. One that had just gone awry, had all members on edge. The Director had to answer to a higher power, and when he did, he did not hesitate on asking the members of GJ's technical department on their incompetence. Nobody liked the Director, but they had to follow orders. They had to.
The Director of GJ was William Archy Du. He was of Asian decent, but was born with a U.S citizenship. He enlisted in the CIA's training course when he was only eighteen. He was the best in all challenges. Within a month, he had became a full-fledged CIA officer, but was transferred to Global Justice, and became the top ranking agent. He received fifteen awards for his service of six years in GJ's Special Mission Bureau. After the previous director, Betty Director, retired three years ago, he was appointed as the Director of GJ. An honor he would never forget. The honor of leading the most powerful organization in the world.
His subordinate, Daniel Scott Gates, would always meet with Du for unknown reasons at a certain time of the day. Some speculated they were discussing mission strategies and such, others did not notice or care. Gates would always relay Du's instructions to Ground Zero, except when Du was there himself, which was rare. Ground Zero was the main networking and project situation room. Every single high priority situation occurred on Ground Zero. Global Justice scientists even had to appear on Ground Zero in high priority cases. As they all were now.
Du was present on Ground Zero at the moment, too. However, his expression never changed. He always had a look of seriousness on his face, like he was ready for anything. Gates was reading information displayed on the screen.
"Sir, we lost communication with Echo," said a computer technician, typing on a computer.
"Last stated position?" the blonde-haired, brown eyed Gates asked. He was average size for a forty year old, but a tad bulky, too.
"En route behind target, sir," said another technician.
"That either means he's got her, or she's got him," Du said, turning his head towards Gates.
"Sir, we've got an incoming call coming from Echo!" yelled a third technician.
"Well, bring it up, and begin tracking!" Gates ordered.
Suddenly, the large screen brought up a picture of Echo, and a wavelength recorder for audio. A voice came on the line that the whole floor could hear.
"Bonjour?"
"Who are we speaking to?" asked Gates, talking into a microphone.
"You are speaking to the man that answers to one name, and one name only, The Rouge!" said the voice, clearly French.
Du and Gates glanced at each other. They were suddenly struck with fear, but proceeded to contain their looks.
"What does the Rouge want with Agent Alpha?" Du asked.
"To finish your little screw up, you American scum!"
"What has happened to Agent Echo?" asked Gates.
"I'm afraid he is dead, a message sent by The Rouge to stay out of our affairs with Dr..."
"You don't have to remind us her name, we know that name, that..."
"Then know this! The Rouge will not stop until she is found and annihilated!" said the French voice.
The line was disconnected as the voice had hung up the phone. Gates and Du sighed and walked aimlessly around the main floor of Ground Zero. Gates removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.
"What do we do, Will!? Not only do we got a rouge agent, but it involved as well! What are we going to do!?" asked Gates, beginning to lose his composure.
"Calm down, Deputy Director! Just calm down! I have a handle on this! We are Global Justice, the highest paid, highest ranking government organization in the world! This is an opportunity," said Du.
"Oppurtunity? For what?" asked the flustered Gates.
"To take two birds with one stone. Look, we already know we're going to get Alpha, because she can only survive so long, but if we can get her to lure us The Rouge as well, we could be looking at the biggest capture of the history!" Du said, with all technicians listening in total interest.
Gates pondered this for a moment, a long moment. He looked at Du, and a frown appeared. He acted as if he was reluctant to agree. A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek, but he did an excellent job of concealing it.
"Very well, sir. You are the boss," Gates said.
"Good. Now, activate Agent Delta," commanded Du with confidence.
Gates nodded towards a technician, who began typing in a command to Agent Delta. A name appeared underneath Agent Delta: Dumon, Dash.
Will Du just watched the large paltform screen and smirked. She was within his reach...and she could not escape...
--
Jen was speeding up on Mark, who had been running for a couple of minutes. She could tell he was getting weak and dragging along. Jen, however, was very fit, and was very close upon him. She finally reached him, and raised her gun. He had ran into a dead end. He turned fearfully to meet her.
"What the heck was that all about?!" Jen asked angrily.
"This is too big for me! What that guy was saying! Just shoot me! Please, just end this!" Mark pleaded, dropping to his knees.
"Mark, I..."
"Please! Do what you have to do! I can't carry on with this! If you don't shoot, I will turn you in! I don't care anymore! Please!" Mark was beginning to sob. He was scared out of his mind.
Jen just stared into his eyes, and realized she had killed him when she entered his life. No bullet was going to help. She felt her hand shaking, and her breath shortening. She was really scared. Here was a guy she had met, well kidnapped, asking her to kill him.
"Mark, you know I can't do that," Jen just said, confused and shaky.
"Why not!? What service am I providing?! Chauffeur? I can't be involved in this! This is government stuff! Global Justice for God's sake, Jen! How the hell did you wind up with them after you!?" Mark stifled from his fearful crying.
"I don't know, Mark! I've been telling you this, because I honestly don't know! I don't know why men are after me, why I have several thousand euros, why I even know how to fight and use a gun! I don't know! Please, don't make me make this choice! I don't want to kill you!" Jen said, tears forming in her eyes.
"If you're going to lie, Jen, then kill me. I'd rather die now then later, when I find out actually helping you was a mistake. Just put one in me, right now! You can't use me, because I'm done," Mark said, closing his eyes.
Jen gripped the gun very hard. Her finger clenched around the trigger, waiting to be released or used. It was her choice. It was all her choice. Jen began to sob, as she looked at Mark through her tear-filled eyes. She finally came to her choice.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Mark fell to the ground, but not in death, but in fear. He opened his eyes to see Jen had pointed the gun in the air at the last second, tears strolling down her face. She sobbed hysterically as Mark watched at her with awe. She had spared his life, and for that he was grateful.
Jen fell to her knees with the gun clenched tight in her hand. Tears were streaming fast down her red cheeks. She wiped her face with her hand and looked up at Mark, who was extending a hand. Jen took it. And they walked away from the scene quietly. As if it never happened...
--
Jen and Mark sat quietly across from each other at a London bistro. Mark was rubbing his thumbs on a glass of water given to him, while Jen just sat in the booth, slouching and staring at the table with a frown, deep in thought. There had been silence between them since their little incident prior to coming to the bistro. Jen finally made a move, and pulled out several wads of cash, sliding them to Mark.
"Its nearly three thousand in euros. Its almost all I got. If its not enough, then just..." Jen stopped when Mark picked the money up and stood.
He walked away from the booth and out of her view. Jen continued to frown as she looked out the window. Mark was nowhere to be found, and probably out of her life...forever.
It was for the best.
Wait, is he coming back? He is! What does he want?
Mark came back and sat back in his booth. He threw the money at Jen, who flinched from the move. He stared spitefully at her.
"Did you really expect it to be that easy? I have to know, Jenifer, who you are, and what you are, or I'll never live with myself," Mark said, his expression changing.
Jen just stared at him with shock, but smiled when she realized he was not leaving. He smiled back at her, resting himself in the booth. Jen began to recall all that had happened in the last two weeks...
"It all started two weeks ago in Scotland..."
Jen delivered every single detail of her journey since Duff Killigan had found her to when Jen had ran into Mark. All Mark did was nod during the whole story, randomly at parts.
"...and then I ran into you..."
Jen looked at him with interested eyes, waiting for a response.
"Is that it?" he asked flatly.
"What do you mean 'is that it'? I can't make this stuff up, Mark," Jen said with a scoff.
"I know, but it just seems so odd...odd that you'd wash up on a Scotland beach with stab wounds, and a big hit on the head," Mark said with expressionless eyes.
"Yes, it is. But, these scars can prove it, plus the hit on my head would explain the amnesia I have. If I was hit hard enough, all my memories could have been concealed due to the damage, waiting to be released," Jen said, pulling her shirt up to reveal a a couple of scars in her side.
"Wow, it's a miracle you're alive. It must have something to do with Global Justice, but I don't know about those men in trenchcoats," Mark said, beginning to accept the truth in her statement.
"Me neither, which is what I'm trying to figure out. What is Global Justice?" Jen asked.
"What?! You don't know what..."
Jen looked at him with a 'look' that many girls give a guy when they've gone too far.
"Oh right, yeah...well, GJ is an organization that controls the safety of people all across the globe. It's like the CIA, but they take care of all the countries within their jurisdiction," Mark said.
"And the ones not in their jurisdiction?" Jen asked.
"Those countries handle their own affairs. Global Justice cannot interfere with them, or, as many countries have threatened before, those countries would declare war on all the governments and countries with Global Justice's network, and there's a lot!" Mark replied.
"How many?"
"One hundred and three."
"That's almost every country on the planet."
"Exactly. They are indeed the most powerful organization on Earth, even more than the U.S government," Mark pointed out, sipping his water.
"And they're after me. That's scary," Jen said, amazed.
"Yeah, you must have have made them pretty angry to send someone after you," said Mark.
"What happens if one country with GJ's jurisdiction becomes enemies with another country within their jurisdiction. Wouldn't that make protecting the country almost hard to do, or choose?" Jen asked.
"That doesn't happen. Because GJ always refuses to side with a certain country. And trust me, after the almost twenty years GJ's been around, people have felt safe with them. GJ gives countries equal and absolute power, and no one is even willing to give that up. That would be government suicide. That's why all war in the world has almost been abolished, because the world has almost achieved peace between nations."
"Except for the countries that aren't in their jurisdiction, right? They still fight, right?"
"Correct."
"Then why don't they ask to be protected by GJ? I mean, no one wants war, right?"
"Well, countries like Cuba and Russia don't join because they're dictatorships, and they think they can run their countries fine without help from a justice network, but then poor countries like some of those in Africa and South America, cannot afford to be part of GJ's union."
"You have to pay to be protected by GJ?" Jen asked disbelievingly.
"Oh yes. How else would they make money? Every government has to pay an equal share, or GJ will no longer keep them in their jurisdiction. It's a hefty sum, too. Nearly eight million dollars a year..."
"Wow. I just don't realize why they need them. Can't the governments defend themselves?"
"No, they couldn't. That's what the U.S realized when they founded it. It was an agreement between the U.S and its allies after the Cold War and Persian Gulf War ended. That's why GJ's Headquarters can be found in the largest city in the U.S, Upperton. The countries leaders all found that it would be easier to control crime and war within their sanctions if they had one centralized department that handled public safety and justice, hence Global Justice."
"What about the countries intelligence agencies? Wouldn't they be disbanded?" Jen asked.
"Heaven's no! They improved! They no longer sold secrets to each other, because there is no need. GJ handles that. They oversee every operation that happens within each agency, and their secrets. Besides, why sell secrets when you don't need to. Everyone has gotten along inside GJ's network. Like I said, there's been no wars, because everyone is treated equal, except for the other countries. In which, intelligence agencies are still allowed to handle espionage in the non-jurisidated countries, but still must report all information to Global Justice as part of the agreement."
"That just doesn't sound like a good idea...I mean, where is the independence? The freedom?"
"Oh, all the countries controlled by GJ are free. Another part of the agreement."
"Now, how can you say that? How can they be controlled as you say, and be free, too. It doesn't make sense." Jen said, drinking her water.
"I never really thought of it like that, hmmm," Mark reflected her point.
"And what does that do for court systems? Police? What do they do?" Jen asked.
"They still operate, but under the influence..."
"Let me guess...Global Justice?"
"I don't see what you're getting at..."
"What I'm getting at is the fact that over half the world has given power to an administration without even noticing. What if Global Justice were the ones selling secrets? What if they were giving information to countries like Cuba and Russia? Just so they could earn money and do it anonymously. I mean, who could watch Global Justice? They are the absolute power in this world," Jen said.
"I don't see how that makes sense. Global Justice moves to keep peace in the world. Peace against assassin organizations and terrorists. They protect the public. They wouldn't compromise that, would they?"
"Why couldn't they? They have all the power. They can do whatever pleases them, or keeps them on top. That's why there's been no war. Let's face it, some countries have idiots in power. Those idiots can lead their country down a sorry road, and even into war. What's stopping these countries without any jurisdiction from GJ?"
"I..."
"I'll tell you what...GJ is. But not in the way its been sold to the public, no, but in what it secretly does. Global Justice obviously has agents, I almost killed one back there. However, all they have to do is meet with the out of jurisdiction countries and then sell some secrets, like a missile code, and then places like Russia know. GJ gives them some secrets, and in return, Russia secretly submits to their control and doesn't attempt any war with places like the U.S. Face it, war is inevitable, but it can be prolonged if what you hear from your parent, Global Justice, is a lie and keeps you out of trouble. Its like telling a naive child the sky is blue because a genie does it. They believe them. Because they trust them. GJ has earned the world's trust, and in doing so, they can say whatever they want be in control. Its that simple," Jen finished.
"Simple? Hardly so. I just can't grasp why GJ would do such a conspiracy!" Mark pondered.
"It doesn't have to be GJ in general. People in its payroll can be lied to as well. It could be a group of people in GJ, or even a single person, too. Giving secrets to whoever pays the most. If GJ was working, it would've started working years ago."
"How can you even comprehend this? You're talking as if...as if..."
"Yes. As if Global Justice has achieved world domination. Its scary, but possible. Possible...possible..." Jen trailed off.
Possible? What?
"This is unbelievable. I think you've truly gone off the deep end. You're talking out of paranoia...how could you even grasp such a concept?" Mark asked.
"I don't know. It just came to me. Like I knew. After you revealed the organization, it was like thoughts entered my head...thoughts that are familiar, but never spoken of...it's weird, but confusing," Jen said.
"You're confusing. That's the simple truth. You appear as single attractive woman and inside you're really a conspiracy-thinking...butt-kicking...scary woman," Mark said, stuttering.
"Thank you, I'll take the attractive part as a compliment," Jen said with a smile.
Mark blushed, and just drank his drink. Jen watched as two police officers entered the bistro, removing their hats. She placed a couple of euros on the table for the drinks and stood.
"Come on," Jen said, watching the officers.
"Oh, I see," Mark said, seeing the policemen.
Mark and Jen exited the bistro and walked down the street. They had to get back to the hotel before dark, but they had time anyway. It was only one o' clock in the afternoon...
--
Delta was annoyed that he was placed on this assignment. Never had he felt a waste of his talents since he joined GJ. Finding Agent Alpha and detaining her was something he did not want to do, but he had to. It was his job.
Delta was aware of who Alpha was, but never saw or spoke to her. They didn't talk to each other. It wasn't their job. They just followed orders, and listened to their superiors.
Obviously, Alpha had disobeyed the rules, and Delta was being sent to punish her. He didn't know specifically what she did, but he knew he was supposed to find her, and do whatever it took to get her back to GJ, where Du or Gates would probably discharge her, or even kill her. No one would know. No one ever knew.
Delta loaded his gun and picked up some other items of importance. It was going to be a long flight from Munich to London, but he had to move. He was after one of his own. Someone who thought and acted just like him.
That's the scariest thing in the world.
--
Jen and Mark made their way down the sidewalk through the heavy crowds of the afternoon. They manuevered past the tight bands of people and into a marketplace. Jen grabbed Mark's hand in the midst of the chaos. He looked at her with surprise.
"So I don't lose you," Jen said softly.
"Oh, we wouldn't want that," Mark said, blushing.
"Well, I may have only known you for a day now, but I consider you a friend. The only one I have, really," Jen said.
Mark was touched by this. Here was a woman that had a destructive and scary past, apparently, and was trying to piece it together alone. She needed him as much as he needed her. He wanted her, too. He wanted her badly...
"So, how old do you think you are?" Mark asked.
"I don't know. I haven't really pondered that. I feel young, but I still have tension in my body from years of using it. I can tell I'm athletic, and I my strength most likely exceeds those of woman that might be my age. I think I'm probably twenty-four, twenty-five," Jen said.
"Really? Could have fooled me," Mark said, watching Jen's reaction.
"Flattery doesn't work on me, buddy," said Jen, smiling at his line.
"Oh, well, could've fooled me," Mark repeated, as he left Jen behind, who had her jaw dropped.
"That's cheating! You can't use the same line!" she yelled playfully at him.
"I just did!" he yelled back, running from her.
She just smiled as she ran after him. He was amazed at how fast she kept up with him, and how quick she could.
"How do you keep catching me! You're a girl!" yelled Mark behind his back.
"Hey, I'm not wearing heels, okay?! If I was, then you'd probably be quicker!" Jen yelled back at him.
They both finally stopped in the middle of the marketplace. Jen was hardly out of breath as Mark was exasperated.
"You should run track!" he said between breaths.
Jen just giggled at this comment as she tackled him to the ground in the middle of the market. People would glance at them, but would pay no mind.
"Hey look, there's some dream catchers!" Mark pointed at a stand.
Suddenly, Jen's smile faded. A frown came across her lips, while the sound of Mark's voice, and the background all faded.
"You know, my mother would collect dream..."
Dreamcatcher...that name...it sounds...familiar...
"Jen, are you okay?" Mark asked.
"What?" Jen snapped back.
"You kind of...spaced out for a second there. Everything okay?" Mark asked.
Jen's head began to swell with pain, and she clutched it with her hands. Memories were flooding, ones she could not understand, but mainly images...
"Water...everywhere...a man is yelling at me...green lights...then..."
Oh my...
Jen collapsed in a faint. Mark tried to fan her and shake her awake, but it wasn't enough. In less than a minute, Mark was calling for help, but stopped when Jen placed her finger on his lips.
"Its okay. I'm fine. Just an episode," Jen said, coming eye to eye with him.
They looked at each other for a couple of seconds, and suddenly an unknown attraction began pulling their lips towards each other. They were inches apart with Jen's eyes opened in a small slit, while Mark's were wide-eyed, wondering what was causing him to do this. Their lips were centimeters apart when...
"Hey, get a room!" yelled a guy passing by.
Jen looked back up at the man, while Mark was cursing underneath his breath for the bad timing. Jen looked back at him with a smile, and she helped him back to his feet.
"Come on, let's get back to the hotel..." Jen said as she pulled him with her.
Talk about ruining the moment...
--
Gates stood on Ground Zero, analyzing every piece of data he could find on Jenifer Blitz. He in fact knew her better than any of the people at GJ, which was the reason he kept reading her file. It was all too out of the ordinary. He had known Jen since they...
"Sir, we just got voice recognition with a call made from a cellphone in London! It matches Blitz's!" a tech guy came running up to him.
"Where did the call come from?" Gates asked.
"It was pinpointed at a Smarty Mart, but it was from someone else's phone...a Mark Danes," said the tech guy.
"Well, she must have stolen it from him...who was the call made to?" asked Gates.
"To information, that was why it was so easy to find. She was asking for a Binkly Ross," said the technician.
Gates pondered that name for a minute, and suddenly remembered.
"Binkly Ross was Alpha's informant. Everything we sent to her was high profile and top secret, so we couldn't risk a direct phone call," said Gates.
"Then she's probably there now!" the tech guy said.
"No, not likely," Gates said, switching to a news report showing Ross's dead body.
"Seems like she got to him first," the tech guy explained.
"That make sense. Since she's gone AWOL, she's probably taking out every man she ever dealt with. Which means...who did we send orders to send to Binkly Ross?" pondered Gates.
"Well, maybe its Filmone," said the technician.
"No, Filmone is not part of this project, he works for the animal services part of GJ...get me a list of all known informants," Gates ordered.
"Informants of what?"
"Do I have to disclose?"
The technician just nodded and went back to his station. Gates was uninterested with anything in GJ that did not have to do with one person and one person alone...
Jenifer Anne Blitz.
Long chapter, huh? Well, anyways, next one should be here soon. See ya! Please review, I want to know how the story is so far. Thank you to those that have reviewed, I appreciate your interest.
