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First Mutant
By David D. Amaya
Chapter 17
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Office of the Director, U.S. Secret Service Headquarters, G St., DC 1131 EST. Day 19
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" ... But Mr. Director," Agent Ziegler implored from WHCA Ops. "All the evidence is pointing straight to Nichols. Why haven't you issued a federal arrest warrant on him?"
"Evidence you say?" Asked the Director of the Secret Service. "Just what kind of evidence did you find, Ron?"
"We recovered over eight dozen shells from Fort Washington that matched his issued Sig Sower and we also have over 20 shells that match the Spaz-15 that was recovered, it is registered to his home address in Boston..."
"That tells me he was in Maryland last night, or at least his weapons were there. What ties him to the kidnapping of Cyrus Parkman?"
"We recovered over 30 slugs from the area. They were Black Rhinos, sir, and they were Teflon-coated."
"And this is supposed to impress me? What do you have that directly links Nichols?"
"Justice found three quarters of a million dollars in cash in his apartment, obviously the payoff money. They also found a half-empty box of 12-gage shells, Shredders, and several Sig Sower clips armed with coated Rhinos in the trunk of the car which we recovered five miles from Fort Washington, just like we found at the racetrack."
"Three quarters of a million dollars? You found ONLY three quarters of a million dollars? Do you mean to tell me one of our agents kidnapped the President's only son, leaves no ransom notice, and got paid only three quarters of a million dollars?"
"Sir, he has a college loan from Boston University, plus a mortgage payment that totals more than he makes take-home, sir. Maybe he got desperate."
"Or maybe whoever is doing your homework for you thinks that cat is spelled D-O-G. Ron, I know this kid, money is the last thing that will make him betray his country. He makes more that you and I combined."
"What are you talking about, sir? He gay grade is GS-8 level now. That's hardly close to my salary."
"Yes, for this job," the Director noted. "Ron let me tell you something about Kordel Nichols..."
Then the Director told the White House agent-in-charge all about the 16-year-old kid he took under his wing when he was assigned to the Boston field office. The Nichols family, the true owner of the student loan and mortgage, and the reason he requested a transfer from his administrative position as the editor-in-chief of the office newsletter to the Treasury's Enforcement Agent Division, only an hour after graduating.
"... You see Ron, if anything, he was set up to take the fall in this game."
"Then why hide sir? He could have turned himself in at any time after the crash in the Anacostia."
"If he's still the same Kordel Nichols I remember drawing me in a jester's motley when he was 16, he went after the President's son himself."
"Sir, I surveyed the damage myself. It would have taken an army to do that."
"I would not put it past him to have hired a band of soldiers of fortune to help him. God knows he could afford one," the Director replied. "The crate that was found inside the field house, where is it now?"
"We have the lab boys sifting through the track still. I had them do a full evidence search."
"Ten to one odds that it contains fibers and DNA evidence that Kilowatt was inside!"
"Then if Kilowatt's safe, why hasn't he called in?"
"Kordel is a news junkie, he already knows that a warrant is out on him, and obviously the official prime suspect. Besides Ron, guilty or not whoever planed Kilowatt's kidnapping has someone on the inside, and he doesn't know you well enough to trust you either way."
"NO WAY SIR. NOT MY TEAM!"
"I never questioned you or your staff Ron, but someone is pulling strings and the President's son in caught in the middle. You were monitoring the interrogation of the suspect they found near Agent Nichols' Mustang, what is he saying?"
"GW Bridge said Agent's Woo and Sitwell are the best Level 9 interrogators SHIELD has, but this guy's singing like Luther Vandross, sir. He's given up how he was recruited to this plan. How they brought Kilowatt on-site, the security details of how they were guarding him, and how and when they were to transfer him off-site. He even told us where and when they were going to dead-drop the final payoff. It makes me sick to think how well orchestrated this was."
"Could he ID Nichols or anyone else that wasn't recovered at the racetrack?"
"He says there was a ground force of 35 men, but we can only account for 26. He can't seem to remember anything after 1900-hours, which matches the reports of heavy gunfire reported to the local PD. He says he doesn't know how Kilowatt was rescued or who shot his left hand, but the slug is a Rhino.
"Those SHIELD boys tell me they believe everything he's saying, but because of the way he is 'grasping for an answer, and coming up empty' they think his memories were tampered with, that's why he's so corporative. Sir, you don't think..."
"No, Ron, if that was true he would have made sure our stool pigeon said in big bold print that he was involved in the rescue. Besides, if any of those Spandex-wearing morons running around New York were involved, Fury would have been told and we would have had Kilowatt recovered already."
/Buzz.\\\
"Yes Miss. Tate?"
"Sir, you asked for the preliminary report from Nichols last assignment yesterday. It was faxed in from the Xavier Institute starting at 1357 and ended at 1401; the packet is seven pages long."
"Please bring it in."
The door opened and the Director's private secretary handed him a folder that had the faxed advance survey brief.
"What about the follow-up by Bulldog, Miss. Tate?"
"Sir, Agent Steinwinter made the follow-up this morning. Dr. Xavier declined protection."
"Figures," Ziegler added. "Can't blame him really."
"Miss. Tate, find out if that call was monitored and if so I want the original copy on my desk in 30 minutes," said the Director.
"Why did you ask for the tape, sir?"
"Just a hunch Ron, but they have never failed me yet."
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War Room, Xavier Mansion, 1345 EST.
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"And if all goes well, we can have Cyrus back in time to deliver his oral report next week," said Agent Nichols.
"Yea, Lariat," said Cyrus. "Make a kid root for his kidnappers why don't ya."
"You do that kid," Logan said as he popped his claws. "They'll need all the help they can get."
"The fact remains, we still don't know why Cyrus was kidnapped in the first place," Scott reasoned. "It may not have anything to do with the hearings at all."
"Then answer this, Scott," Agent Nichols implored. "If it was not connected to the hearings, then why did they wait until I was on another assignment? The agent in the helicopter said that if I were there they would not have anyone to be the scapegoat. Why else did that phony eyewitness have to say it had to be a mutant who killed Williams? I know three types of energy weapons that can do that kind of damage. And how did they know Cyrus was a mutant?"
"That's right Scott. Other that Oz, he's the only person I've told," The President's son added. "Even First Mom and President Dad don't know yet. Besides, if we don't stop these flemnoids now, Ziegler won't let me into the bathroom without a small army of Double 0-Zeros. It's bad enough I have him. Count me in Lariat, no offense."
"None taken, Cyrus"
"I'll have ta be objecting' ta this," Sean spoke up. "It's too risky for the lad."
"It's not like we haven't done it before Sean. Take it from a pitcher, you want to throw strikes, gotta risk your balls."
"Way to go 'Watt!" Chimed in Jubilee. "I'm in too. I'm not gonna stay behind while my friends are marching into a fight."
"But Jubilee ..."
"But nothing Jean! I know you an' Cyke an' Irish still think I ain't ready," Jubilee stood to address her family. "But I didn't spend hours in that smelly Danger Room just to sit around like a dweeb when we should be goin' into action! I hate this feeling 'o being useless!"
"Ready or not," Agent Nichols told the young mutant. "This is not just someone who spent a few thousand dollars for professional muscle. These are government-trained operatives. I do not like the idea any more that Sean does, but he has to come with us Jubilee. This is much too dangerous for ..."
"DON'T SAY IT. DON'T EVEN THINK IT!" She told the Secret Service agent. "With all I've been through; with Wolvster in the Outback, Illyana diein', Emplate possessin' Ev then getting jumped in a dark alley and watchin' my best bud getting' hurt by that creep Shaw and that bitch Tessa, I ain't no kid no more. I'm an X-Man and my place is with the X-Men!"
Everyone in the room was taken aback by the young pyrotechnics' words. And stunned by her memories.
"All right Jubilee," Agent Nichols was impressed by her dedication. "But you MUST follow orders. One mistake and there will be nothing left but a stain and a yellow coat."
Then the President's son rose from his seat, turned towards Sean while pointing towards Jubilee.
"Is that what you teach at that school of yours that Lariat's been telling' me about Sean? If it is ...
"Sign me up."
End of Chapter seventeen
© David D. Amaya 2007