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Chapter 2: Field Agent Almeida
It was just a few minutes before one o'clock when Tony pulled into the parking lot of Tyson's Restaurant. He walked in and was greeted by Brad Hammond. Brad was a large, gray haired man, about twenty years Tony's senior. He was a bureaucrat who firmly believed in using any modicum of power given him by his position. He had been a thorn in Tony's side more than once while Tony was CTU director. It was Hammond that insisted that Tony be charged with treason when he tried to exchange Jane Saunders for Michelle. Tony had always believed that he could have talked anyone other than Hammond out of charging him. Even as unreasonable as Ryan Chappelle and George Mason could be at times, Tony felt he could have reasoned with either of them.
The men shook hands and Tony followed Brad to a table in a quiet section of the restaurant. Neither said much until they had placed their orders and the server was out of earshot. Brad opened his briefcase and handed Tony a folder. Tony opened it to find several pictures of an Asian man roughly 60-65 years old along with a dossier.
"You do business is South Korea. Have you ever seen this man?"
"No, should I know who he is?"
"The name he uses is Yuen Lim. We don't know his real name. On the surface, he's a South Korean business man. He exports cheap souvenirs, collectibles, trinkets, that sort of thing. As best we can figure, his family was killed during the Korean War. His village was caught in the crossfire between the North Koreans and a unit of US and South Korean soldiers. The story is that most of the village evacuated, but his family couldn't leave because his mother was in labor, about to give birth. Some wayward shells hit the village. His family's home was destroyed. His father was killed instantly and his mother was hit; she slowly bled to death. The baby died probably of starvation after a day or so. They couldn't get any medical help. Yuen was about nine and he was left with a little sister who was about six. They had to fend for themselves until other villagers returned and helped them. Apparently the sister never recovered emotionally. She was in an institution for most of her life and she eventually killed herself when she was twenty or so.
"Yuen believed the bombs that killed his family were fired by the US and South Korean unit. He has an unfettered hatred for both America and South Korea. He was eventually recruited by North Korea as an intelligence agent. At this point, even they disavow any connection with him." Brad paused as their server placed an iced tea in front of him. He stirred in two packets of sugar while he waited for the server to leave.
"So he's a rogue agent?" Tony asked.
"Basically," Hammond agreed and he took a drink from his glass. "He has a number of small terrorist cells in South Korea. They've been blamed for some terrorist activity throughout South Korea, a car bombing, a couple of kidnappings. They haven't claimed responsibility, but our best intelligence available says that Yuen's group is responsible. We've also arrested a couple of South Korean brothers in this country who were planning small scale terrorist strikes. They won't admit any connection to Yuen, but we're sure they're part of his network. They're both serving time in prison near Chicago. Neither one of them is exactly collecting any good behavior points either. Both have been segregated from the general prison population for inciting the other prisoners. A couple of guards were injured in the latest melee. At this point, they are both serving 30 year sentences.
"We've infiltrated his operation in South Korea. Our operative there tells us that he has sleeper cells in the US. He plans to ship shoulder fired missiles and rocket propelled grenade launchers to his people in the US to start full scale terrorist activities in this country. He'll have the ability to bring down commercial airliners with those missiles.
The server returned with their orders. The two sat in silence while he set down plates and brought drink refills. Tony was contemplating what Brad was telling him wondering where he fit in to all of this. Obviously it had something to do with his doing business in South Korea, but he wasn't sure what.
"How much do you know about the cells in the US?" Tony asked.
"Less than nothing." Brad answered between bites. "We don't have names, locations, number of operatives, nothing.
Tony looked at his watch, it was already 1:30, and he wanted to get back to his office. "So let's cut to the chase, Brad. What do you need from me?
"Yuen is going to need help shipping the RPGs and missiles to the US. You're going to help him."
"I'm not in the shipping business, Brad. I secure and track. The last thing this guy wants is satellite tracking of his illegal shipments."
"Ah, but you know plenty of shippers, Tony. You do business with them every day. Our operative will give Yuen your name. Tell him the kind of business you do. Give him a little history on you. How you and your wife served your country faithfully and how you were charged with treason for trying to save her. How the country deserted you. How you were forced to live as a fugitive."
"Ya, except that I also got a Presidential pardon and came back to the US to live happily ever after. Remember?"
"But Yuen would understand that you might still be bitter. You were kept from your family for almost two years, missed the birth of your child, lost your job and your pension. He would have no trouble believing that you're bitter. So if you could make some money moving arms into the US, well that might just make you feel vindicated."
"This is a stretch, Brad."
"Not if you're act is convincing. Yuen has to believe that you would sell out your country for a few million dollars." Hammond paused to eat a bite. "Yuen's people will contact you later this week. Push for a face to face meeting early next week."
"I do limited business in Korea. If I travel over there every two years, that's a lot and I was there earlier this year. Everyone, especially Michelle, is going to question this trip. My secretary knows we don't have any new business in Korea. Even if Yuen contacted me this week interested in retaining my company's services, it would take me a couple of weeks of negotiation and contract development before we would sign anything. And then, I would only go to Korea for a really big contract. Otherwise, I do everything over the phone and on line and via courier service."
"Look, Tony, how you explain yourself is your business. I suggest you come up with something because if you blow your cover, you're dead. If Yuen so much as thinks he smells a US agent, he won't hesitate to kill you." Hammond stared at him, obviously quite serious.
Tony could feel his heart pound. He wasn't a field agent, although he had done some undercover work while he was at CTU; this was out of his league. "Brad, I understand that I have no right to refuse a mission, but I wasn't a field agent. I have no experience in this kind of undercover operation. I'd like you to reconsider."
"Almeida," Hammond said his anger rising, "if I had anyone else to send or could develop a quick cover for anyone else, I would do it. You weren't even on my short list of possible agents and if I had any other choice, you wouldn't be sitting here."
Tony closed his eyes for a second. "Brad, as you mentioned on the phone, Michelle is pregnant. I'm not sure how you know that since my parents don't even know it yet, but obviously you've managed to keep better track of my family than I would have thought."
"Get to the point, Almeida."
"My point is this, I have three small children and a pregnant wife. Without getting into my personal life, things are not good at home right now. I have restricted my travel to occasional overnights only. In fact, my partners in South America have picked up some of the slack for me and taken some of my overseas trips. I can't leave the country for a five or six day trip right now. I know the condition of my pardon, but even you Brad must be able to understand that this is the wrong time and the wrong mission for me. If I were a paid agent, you would consider my family situation before sending me on an overseas mission. I know full well that it was James Prescott who talked President Palmer into putting this condition on my pardon." Prescott was Palmer's Vice President who ascended to the office of the President when Palmer resigned. Prescott's hatred of Tony went back to the day the nuclear bomb was detonated in the desert. Jack and Tony and Michelle's dogged pursuit of the truth behind the Cypress audio had ultimately made Prescott look like a fool. "David Palmer never intended for me to be used this way. I've talked to him about it. He expected me to be used occasionally as a consultant."
"I don't read minds, Almeida. I have no idea what Palmer was thinking when he put that condition in your pardon. Right now, you have no choice but to accept this assignment. This isn't just your freedom at stake here. You know, for the last six years I have turned a blind eye to the fact that your wife is guilty of aiding and abetting a known fugitive when she helped you hide out at the beach house after your daughter was born. I could easily play my trump card and have her charged. The statute of limitation hasn't run out on that yet."
"You have no evidence that I was in the country at that time, Brad. If you did you would have arrested me and charged Michelle when it happened." Tony said defiantly.
"You can believe what you want. Are you willing to risk Michelle's freedom? You think things are bad at home now, it's going to be really tough if Michelle goes to prison. That's an ugly scene, Tony. She has baby number four in the hospital ward, then you take him home without a mother. So I think you better reconsider your position."
Tony looked away and swallowed hard. Brad had hit a nerve. He really didn't believe that Hammond had any evidence of his secret trip into the US while he was a fugitive but he couldn't put Michelle at risk. "Alright, give me the details."
Hammond told him that they wanted him to meet with Yuen as soon as reasonably possible, but Tony shouldn't look overly anxious. In the first meeting, Yuen would be expected to tell Tony he needed to get illegal cargo into the US and they would negotiate Tony's price. Again, Tony needed to be reasonable, but not look too accommodating by accepting a low offer.
Hammond went on to explain to Tony that Yuen would want to get a shipment into Los Angeles. Tony was to tell Yuen that he had a shipper in mind to help them. Hammond had already gotten Bob Warner, CEO of Warner Enterprises to agree to help him. Tony was surprised to hear of Bob Warner's involvement. He had been a casual agent for the CIA, in other words, he had helped them pass information between departments or agencies. This ended when his daughter Marie's involvement with terrorists was revealed. Bob had no connection with the terrorists, but the CIA could take no chances with him; they reluctantly cut him lose. He had been a valuable asset and they hated to lose him, but the publicity of having the father of a traitor and terrorist sympathizer working for the CIA was something the agency didn't need. Later when Marie was trying to make a plea agreement to avoid execution, Bob had agreed to terms similar to Tony's. He would be available to help the C IA any time they asked. It seemed the least he could do to save his beloved daughter. He already felt that he had somehow let her down; that something he had done while raising her had caused her to end up siding with the terrorists.
At that point the meeting should end. Tony would tell Yuen that he would work out the details and get back to him. Once back in the US, Tony would meet with Brad to finalize the plans and put them in motion.
"You do business with Asia Technology Limited, right?" Brad asked
"Obviously you've checked out my tax returns." Tony said bluntly. How else would Hammond know who he did business with?
"Yes, and you are making more money than I would have expected, Almeida. Congratulations. Playing fugitive in Argentina worked out well for you in the end. "
Tony ignored the snide remark. "ATL is my biggest contract. Why? What do they have to do with Yuen?" ATL handled sales for many of the large computer components manufacturers across Asia. They were a multibillion dollar corporation and Tony's company secured and tracked their shipping worldwide. Rarely did a day go by that he wasn't tracking one or another of ATLs shipments.
"They aren't involved, but we may have to involve them in the plan. Make sure you meet with someone from ATL while you are in Korea. If Yuen decides to follow you, which he most likely will, it will help if you are seen with a representative of ATL."
"Look, Brad," Tony said, his anger rising. "It's bad enough I have to go along with this plan, please don't involve my clients. I can't afford to piss off ATL right now. If they take their business elsewhere, I not only lose that contract, but I get a black eye all over Asia and I lose my other contracts as well. Private industry isn't like working for the government, Brad. I only bring home a paycheck if I can produce. You bring home a paycheck as long as you show up every day."
"We won't actually involve ATL in any of this. They will not stand to get hurt and they will never know that you were in any way involved. For what it's worth, you have my word on that, not that I think that provides you any comfort."
Tony rolled his eyes. "You know what irritates me the most about you. Brad? You can't stand that I have moved on and have made a good life for myself. It isn't enough that I lost twenty months of my life living in Argentina because you insisted on pressing charges against me and going for the maximum penalty. You have to show up five years later and send me off on a mission that could cost me my livelihood assuming, of course, that I even survive. Jesus, Brad, I was almost killed working for CTU. I still have the scar to prove it. How much more do you guys need from me?"
Brad looked at him silently then bowed his head. "You're all we've got right now, Tony. I don't have anyone else that can come up with a decent cover story quick enough to get close to Yuen. We just found out about this shipment last week. We've been burning the midnight oil all week to figure out how to stop Yuen. We don't have any other viable plan. Yuen is an imminent threat to US security. We have to stop him and I have no where else to turn." Brad paused and looked up to meet Tony's gaze. "Once this is over, you are off the hook. I'll write a letter to your personnel file recommending that you are never called in on a mission again."
Hammond paid the check and the two stood and left the restaurant in silence.
"Tony," Brad said as they walked toward their cars. "I don't need to tell you that no one can know about this operation. Michelle, your secretary, your family, they all have to believe you are going to Korea on business. The success of this mission and your safety depend on secrecy." Tony nodded silently, he was well aware of what was at stake.
Tony left Tyson's and headed for his 3 o'clock appointment. Fortunately, the appointment was scheduled at his client's office and not his own, or he never would have made it on time. As he drove, he thought over the plan. Other than having to be out of the country for a few days, it all seemed pretty innocuous. He shouldn't have a lot of trouble pulling it off. If Brad thought Tony would have to 'act' about being bitter, he was only partially right. Not that he spent a lot of time dwelling on it any more, but he did still harbor some bitterness toward Hammond and the government for pressing treason charges. He knew it was his own decision to leave the country, but he was also bitter about the 20 months he spent without his family and especially about missing Sophie's birth and the first year of her life. And although he would be eternally grateful to David Palmer for pardoning him, he remained somewhat angry that it had taken Palmer so long to do it and for putting in this clause that made him a pawn for the CIA.
He finally arrived at home at 9:30 that evening. Tony sighed as he put the key into the lock and opened the side door. The house was quiet. He knew the kids would all be in bed by now but Michelle wasn't usually in bed this early. He found her curled up on the sofa in the family room. She had a book opened on her lap, but she was staring off into the distance.
"Hi, Sweetheart," Tony said as he smiled at her. He hoped she would smile back, but she didn't.
"Hi," she replied as Tony leaned over and kissed her. She turned her head to offer him her cheek, but he touched her chin and turned her face so that he could kiss her lips.
"Guess what. I got the contract with Southwest Regional Oil." He sat down beside her. "This is a big contract, Honey. What do you think? Maybe we could start looking for a new house. We've talked about it."
"If you want to, that's fine with me." She answered quietly.
"How was your evening? Did the kids give you a hard time?" Tony was tired and didn't feel like playing this game. He just wanted the old Michelle back.
"Well, Joe and Sophie were unhappy that you weren't home. As usual, they wanted you to give them a bath and play with them. You're spoiling them, Tony. Then when you aren't here, I can't give them all of that attention and they get mad."
"Come on, Michelle." Tony was exasperated and it came through in his voice. He stood up and started pacing around the room. "I don't spoil them! I pay attention to them. You used to do that, too. Michelle, we can't continue this way. You won't even kiss me. I know you aren't happy about being pregnant again, but there simply is nothing I can do to change that. You need to stop taking it out on the kids. They should not have to suffer because of something they had no control over. I've told you to get someone to help you around the house or to watch the kids a few hours a day so you can get some rest or have some time to yourself. But you won't do it." He paused for a moment and looked at her. He didn't realize until then that she was crying. "Oh, Honey," he whispered. He sat down next to her and tried to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to get so angry." Michelle got up from the sofa and walked away from him. Tony stood up and followed. "Honey, I'm sorry." He shook his head. "Michelle, I'm worried about you. Honey, talk to me. Maybe we need to get some counseling." He reached out and grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward him.
He decided to broach the subject of his upcoming overseas trip with her. "Look, Babe, I'm going to have to go to Korea for a few days probably late next week..."
"What! Tony you can not do this to me. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't travel overseas for a while."
"This is unavoidable. I'm having some contract issues with one of my big clients." He hated lying to her. "But when I get back, how about if I arrange for my parents to take the kids for a few days and we can go away, just the two of us. Maybe we'll go to the beach house." Tony was referring to the house where they had hidden out while he was a fugitive. It was a secluded cottage well off the main road that backed up to about 100 years of private beach. Some of their happiest moments were at that house. They had been back to the house three times since Tony returned from Argentina and each time had been special.
"Really?" Michelle asked. She smiled slightly. It wasn't the big smile that lit up her face that Tony had fallen in love with, but it was the closest to a real smile that he had seen in months. "Oh, Tony, that would be wonderful. We haven't gone away together since John was born."
Tony watched Michelle sleep that night. She was so peaceful. She didn't look angry or unhappy; she looked like the Michelle he loved. The one who rolled in the grass with the kids and the one who laughed about her inability to cook; the one who kissed him and made love with him and made him wonder what he did to deserve her. His suggestion that they go to the beach alone had gotten her attention. He hoped that it was a start toward getting the old Michelle back, but first, he was going to have to concentrate on this mission in Korea.