Part 7

Washington, D.C., The Agency

October 25, 1998

Jamie was led to the Agency conference room after he finished his debriefing. He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and his mom and step-dad walked in and sat down across from him. The room was silent for a few minutes while Jamie stared at the two of them as if trying to figure them out.

Finally, Jamie spoke, "OK mom, why don't you explain to me now what all this was about. Or maybe I should just call you Sovereign."

Amanda looked at Lee for support and at his nod answered her son, "I think you've probably figured out by now that Lee and I are not film-makers. As a matter of fact, your step-dad and I work for the government as intelligence agents. The building we're in right now is the Agency, where Lee is assistant director and I'm chief of field operations. And you're right, my code name is Sovereign and Lee's is Scarecrow."

Jamie nodded his head as if it were an every day occurrence to hear his mom say she was a spy. And not only was she a spy, his step dad was one, too. Jamie asked the first question that popped into his head, "How long?"

Lee answered this one, "Well son, your mom first started working for the Agency in an unofficial capacity fifteen years ago. Soon after that she began agent training and quickly became one of our best agents. Then, just this past year she was promoted to field chief."

"And you kept it a secret for what reason?"

"To keep you and Philip safe at first, and now we have Jenny to think about as

well. Your mom and I wanted to keep our family out of any dangerous situations that

might arise because of our jobs."

"OK. So why was I kidnaped then?"

"Oh Jamie, I'm so sorry. Remember that photo essay you did for your class assignment? When you showed us the pictures, Lee recognized three members of a terrorist group. We used that information to trace them and arrest them."

"But mom, how did they find out I took the picture?'

"We kept your name out of the official record Jamie, but other people in the Agency knew about it, and one of them was a mole, I mean a spy, for the terrorists. We figured out who the mole was, and then got him to reveal where you were being held." Amanda looked at her son and said, "I guess you understand that everything you've just learned has to remain absolutely secret. You can't tell anyone, not even Philip."

He nodded and then looked at Lee and asked, "Lee, would it be all right if I talked to my mom alone?"

Lee looked at his wife and at her slight nod replied, "Sure, I'll be right outside."

He got up, kissed Amanda on the cheek and left the room.

"What do you want to talk about sweetheart?"

"Mom, why do you do this?"

By this, you mean my job?"

"Yeah."

Amanda looked at her son lovingly and replied, "Jamie, I do it because I'm good at it. I make a difference and that gives me a lot of satisfaction."

"Don't you ever get scared?"

"Not much anymore. Although I have to admit, this case nearly scared me to death. When I saw the photo of you and saw how you had been beaten, I almost lost it. But, Lee was there to calm me and give me hope that you were still alive. And thankfully, he was right. My training gave me the confidence I needed to get through this ordeal and plan your rescue."

"Lee said you started working for the Agency fifteen years ago. How did you ever decide to become a spy?"

Amanda smiled, "Well, the whole story will have to wait til later, so let's just say it was all about being in the right place at the right time."

"So this wasn't something you were looking for?"

"Looking for? Oh no, being a spy was the furthest thing from my mind. But now, I can't imagine my life any other way."

"You've never regretted your decision?"

Amanda looked out the conference room window and looked for Lee. Seeing him standing there talking to several agents in the bullpen, she smiled and turned to her son, "Not for a single moment."

Jamie looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before he asked, "Mom, if somebody wanted to do this kind of work, how would they go about getting trained?"

Amanda looked at Jamie in surprise, "Jamie, are you saying you want to work for the Agency?"

"Maybe. I never thought about it before, but when you rescued me, and I knocked out the terrorist to save you and Lee, it just seemed that all the pieces of my life fell into place. I think this might be what I was meant to do."

"You're serious about this aren't you? I'll tell you what sweetheart. Let's go find Lee and tell him about this and we'll see what we can do." Amanda extended her hand to her son and they walked out of the conference room together.