Perilous
Chapter Four
Cammie POV
"Alright then. Well," He spoke to all of us. "We have a couple of criminals to catch. And all of you, our top agents, are going to do the catching."
Director Haspel stood and walked over to a screen on the left wall. We all turned in his direction and watched as he pointed to pictures and documents on the screen. "This, as I'm sure you all know, is Catherine Alexandria Goode- a current terrorist assassin, age 48. She used to attend Gallagher Academy. After graduating, she did work with MI6 where she had an affair with Edward Townsend, all while working as a double agent for the Circle of Cavan. The affair got her pregnant with Agent Goode and his twin brother, Zion. Soon after, she became the leader of the Circle and has held a ruthless reign over the terrorist world."
My eyes were drawn to Zach. Though his hands were still tied, you could see his obvious discomfort and shame.
Watching him avoid the eyes of everyone and slump in the seat, his hands tied behind his back as his hair shielded his face, I felt...remorseful. He was in pain. Not physically, but mentally. And I felt guilty. After all, I hadn't been the nicest person to spend two days with.
Haspel drew up another document. "Zion Marcus Goode, terrorist assassin, age 28. He's been trained since he was a child and has killed many since. He's the sole heir of the entire empire Catherine has built over the last 27 years. We don't have much knowledge of him. He knows how to hide. He covers his tracks."
I snorted, inspecting my nails.
Everyone looked at me.
"Oh, no, don't mind me. Continue." I said softly with amusement.
The Director raised his eyebrows. "Nightshade? Do you have something you want to add?"
I shrugged. "If you don't mind me saying, he doesn't cover his tracks. And about 90% of the time, they aren't his tracks to cover."
"What do you mean?" Bex asked, tilting her head.
My heart squeezed when she spoke to me. I ignored the feeling. "Catherine had three main reasons for kidnapping me. She needed someone to do the dirty work. That way, she or none of her men could get caught easily. That way, she had someone disposable. And she needed something stronger than any man. Something that could destroy, something that could tear apart a human being, piece by piece, with no remorse or feeling. Her first attempt at that was the twins. But to her, Zach was a disappointment, and Zion was a psychopath."
I glanced at Zach for a moment to see his head still down.
Liz whispered for a moment before asking, "What do you mean he's a psychopath?"
"Yeah, doesn't he kill with no remorse as she wanted?" The man with Bex, Grant, said.
"She said no remorse or feeling. Zion...Zion has feeling, all right." Zach replied, finally raising his head.
Haspel glanced between us. "Explain."
My eyes stared as I shook my head in disgust. "He enjoys it. He loves it. Watching the life go out of someone, slowly and painfully, and knowing that he's the one that's causing it...it's the best thing in the world to him. But that wasn't what Catherine wanted or needed. She simply needed a killing machine that didn't care...about anything. And that's what she made me. A disposable, emotionless killer."
It was silent for a moment until Macey asked, "What's the third reason?"
I looked up. "A gift for Zion." Before they could question it, I elaborated. "He was bored. He wanted excitement. What's not exciting about receiving a feisty 8-year-old girl that you can control?"
The Director nodded. "Makes sense. How does this relate to covering his tracks?"
"As I said, he doesn't cover his tracks and mostly they aren't his to cover. I'm disposable. I cover the tracks. Those are my tracks. I was simply Zion's pet until I turned 16. Then, they could get me to kill a man with a simple head nod. At the age of 16, I became 'Nightshade, Devil's Cherry'. Then, I was a pet, a famous murderer, the most feared person on the planet. Just like Catherine wanted." I pushed off of the wall, my arms still crossed as I stared Haspel straight in the eyes.
"I was a killing machine."
Haspel stared back for at least a minute before returning to his seat. "Well, that was riveting. It seems what we're dealing with is much worse than we thought."
"No shit," Nick whispered. I smirked.
"Your mission, ladies and gentlemen, is to kill them. Both of them. Catherine and Zion. Your case files," He slid everyone a file with "Alpha Team-Operation Endgame" printed on top. Even I got one. "Contain all the information you will need. Anything else, Nightshade will be able to tell you. Agent Goode and Nightshade are co-leading this mission considering they know the most about the subjects. You will find everything you need for this mission at Sublevel14. Please be ready to board your plane by 7am tomorrow morning. Inside the files, you will find the location and agenda of the person who has Catherine's current and short-term future locations. Your job is to somehow get that information and use it to track Catherine down, then Zion. Good luck. Agent Goode, Nightshade, stay. Everyone else, you're dismissed."
As the others walked out the door, I walked forward and sat next to Zach.
He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Can you untie me now?"
Sighing, I untied him.
Throwing his tie over his shoulder, he rubbed his wrist and thanked me somewhat sarcastically.
I shrugged.
"Nightshade," Haspel began. "You seem hellbent on keeping your identity a secret, but in hope that you inform us of who you are by the time this is over, I would like to offer you a job here at the CIA."
My eyebrows raised. There was no way in hell I'd just heard what I heard.
"I know, it seems odd, but if Catherine and Zion Goode are dead when this mission is over, I would be willing to pardon your crimes and give you the chance at a new life. You seem to be a great agent, better than any we have here, and I would love to have you working with us, saving lives instead of destroying them."
After a moment's thought, I nodded. "Okay. I'll have to think about it, but considering I trust no one, the chances are highly unlikely. But just in case, there's something I would like you to know."
Zach peered at me with curiosity.
"Proceed." The Director said.
"They're planning to kill you."
"Excuse me?" He sat up in his seat.
"What?" Zach hissed.
I rolled my eyes. "A few months ago, I bargained with Catherine. There was no way in hell they were letting me leave, and I wanted out. At the time they were still keeping me underground, so there was no way I could escape. The deal I struck with Catherine...50 kills. If I completed fifty kills, some of which they'd been planning for decades, they would willingly let me leave. You were next on the list. You were supposed to be my next kill."
Haspel thought for a moment. "You're not planning on killing me now or any time soon, are you?"
I snorted. "Hell no. It isn't worth my time. I have no reason anymore. It's not like I'm fighting for my life. Besides, you're not really worth it. But they still want you dead. Zion will probably be sent to kill you. So I suggest you take extra safety measures. And if he catches you, say a prayer. He'll kill you slowly, and he'll take pleasure in it."
He nodded. "Alright then. Thank you. As for you, Agent Goode."
Zach sat up in his seat. "Yes sir?"
"I'm sure it isn't a problem, but keep a straight head."
Hesitant, Zach nodded.
"That's all. You two are dismissed."
"Where are you gonna stay for the night?" Zach asked as we rode the elevator down to Sublevel14.
I shrugged. "Hotel, probably."
Zach nodded. "Alright. In the bag they give you, you'll find a CIA issued iPhone. They update the models every time a new one comes out, but it's upgraded slightly. Security is more advanced, cameras are enhanced to fit our needs, etcetera. In it, you should find the phone numbers of the team and the Director. Those are the main ones you need, but you can add any others if you like."
"Okay."
The elevator doors slid open and we saw agents everywhere receiving bags and weapons to fit the needs of each of their missions and aliases. After walking for a while we found everyone else.
"Zachary and Mystery Girl, here are your bags." We were each rolled two suitcases by a woman with curled brown hair and pink glasses.
I glared at "Mystery Girl" but said nothing.
All 8 of us headed back to the elevator and piled in.
I ended up wedged between Bex, Macey, and Zach.
"You look really familiar," Macey said. "Do I know you?"
Bex nodded, agreeing with her. "Yeah, you do. Like I've seen you somewhere."
Liz, who was between Jonas and Nick, agreed with them. So did Zach.
It was possible Zach had seen me. And the girls definitely had. But obviously, I couldn't say that.
I shrugged. "I've been underground most of my life so I really, really doubt it."
"Hmm, weird then," Liz murmured.
"Yeah, totally." Macey nodded.
Bex frowned. "Guess not then."
The elevator doors opened on the main level and we said our goodbyes, going our separate ways.
They all seemed wary about me, except Zach. I couldn't really blame them. But it was better that way. If they were still uneasy about me, it was easy to hide my emotions.
I found a hotel soon enough and after paying for one night, with a fake name, I headed up to my room.
I threw the suitcases on the bed and propped them open.
Running a hand threw my hair, I began to inspect the contents.
There was a metal case full of weapons and a file on top. After setting those aside, I looked at the clothes. There silk gowns for sleeping and cotton robes. Clothes consisted of dresses, dress shirts, dress pants, jeans, crop tops, jackets, heels, and sneakers. There was running gear, which was a plus, and swimsuits. Mainly bikinis and slutty one-pieces, but whatever. I also noticed quite a bit of expensive items.
Pulling the phone that Zach had mentioned out of the bag, I rubbed my neck, suddenly realizing how tired I was.
Calling room service, I ordered some hotel Chinese food- fried rice, egg rolls, shrimp lo mein. And I ordered ice cream with a bottle of red wine.
I decided to shower while I waited.
I had gotten the water running and was slipping out of my clothes when the phone, my phone, dinged.
It was Zach, sending a group message to the team.
Zach: Going over case files and evidence on old cases involving Catherine. I'll send some documents over if I find them useful.
Everyone replied with "okay" or "cool". I just said okay and slipped into the shower.
I was towel drying my hair when I heard a knock at the door.
Sliding on one of the robes, I opened the door to see a man in a suit with a cart of Chinese food, wine, and ice cream.
"Yes," I groaned as he wheeled it into the room. Smiling as he left, I said thank you and sat down to eat.
After putting everything but the file back in the suitcases and placing them near the door, I sat on the bed with a plate of food in my lap. I sipped my wine as I flipped through the file, memorizing my cover.
Amberlee Nadia Smith-Johnson
Age: 27
Height: 5'6
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Occupation: Model and Fashion Designer
Financial Status: Billionaire
Spouse: Micheal Alexander Johnson
Spouse Occupation: President of Johnson Weapon Corp
Association With Terrorism: Often deals weapons with her husband to illegal terrorists and organizations
I nodded after reading it. There were a few other details, but that was pretty much it. The good news is I was 5'6 with heels, I was only a year older than Amberlee, and we looked the same so wigs or contacts weren't necessary.
I viewed the file given to me by the Director and found information on the man who knew the whereabouts of Catherine. Landon Prince, a rich Brit. Apparently he owned some type of multimillion company and did terrorist work on the side. The stupidity of it made me roll my eyes.
Just as I started to take another sip of wine with my ice cream, there was a knock at the door.
"What the hell?" I whispered, standing.
The person knocked several times more as I made my way to the door.
"Okay, okay, chill. I'm coming!"
As I opened the door, I looked into the tired green eyes of Zachary Goode.
"Zach? What the hell is wrong wit-"
One of his hands reached out and brushed some stray hair out of my face. His eyes stayed locked with mine as his fingers caressed my cheek.
His hands were warm. The touches made me shiver. But why?
"Zach, why are you doing this? What's wrong?" I asked him.
And then he stepped closer and whispered the one word I had not expected to hear.
"Cammie."