Chapter 12
If there was one thing being a spy had taught Joan Campbell, it was to expect the unexpected. It was a philosophy that she was now applying to motherhood as well, although diplomacy with her infant son was far less cut-throat and political than it was with the tight sphincters of the powers-that-be within the CIA. In fact, it was simple, and surprisingly so. She preferred the rocking chair rendezvous with Mackenzie by moonlight. Emergency meetings to asses the latest terror threats in the Middle East, scheduling the mundane though necessary annual psych evaluations for her operatives, and other various whip-cracking duties as the CIA's notorious head-bitch-in-charge, all seemed so distant and irrelevant in comparison.
Years ago, riding with Megan in the back of a military armored vehicle in Nairobi, she would have laughed and shook her head in disbelief at the discussion of family and children; normalcy. Yet here she was. Those times seemed like another world entirely. So many things had changed, but then again, some things never would.
For several days following the occurrences in Hong Kong, Arthur had been in a series of debriefing meetings and discussions with the DCI. Henry Wilcox's Lexington Corporation regime had been effectively obliterated by Annie's actions, but now they had to focus on damage control. The chances of her husband being reinstated within the agency were slim, but having both his and Annie's slate cleaned of black marks would be a victory none the less. Joan had been convinced that things were on track to returning to a state of recognizable existence, with Annie safely at home, and Henry's demons finally put to rest. Looking back now, she supposed she should have known better than to think it would be that easy.
Joan loathed to admit it - because she understood better than anyone the suffering, the struggle of coming home - but Annie Walker would be labeled as damaged goods.
There was nothing easy about what she had done by going off grid, severing all ties, being completely in the dark - a dead woman walking. Despite Joan's sometimes cold and less than accommodating nature, she had been fond of Annie ever since she walked into her department with her bleeding heart and overachieving tendencies. Annie's resourcefulness and ability to take risks had been appealing and promising. She had been driven by the same determination and love of country Joan had once seen in herself. She had been relieved to speak with Annie on the phone at the hospital, to hear her voice even if briefly, but Joan had not been so naive as to miss the subtle, underlying shadow when Annie spoke. Distant. Reserved. Altered.
So while it had not surprised Joan when Auggie and Calder had approached her with the news that Annie had not met with her water egress in the South China Sea, it did worry her. A person could only bend so much before they broke permanently.
The weather was uncharacteristically warm for December, and though Joan hesitated to leave the comfort of the haven she had created inside her home, she bundled MacKenzie up and placed him in his stroller with the utmost care. She was constantly aware of how fragile he was, how helpless. His grip said otherwise though, and he held tight to his mother's index finger as she peered down at him. He looked back up at her, soft, baby-blue eyes staring expectantly.
"Just a quick walk." She promised him. "Annie needs our help."
Mack yawned lazily in response, seemingly satisfied, and gave a soft sigh, which Joan took as his infantile assent.
Stroller fully equipped with the necessary supplies for the priceless package it carried, Joan journeyed outside and headed toward Rock Creek Park, one of DC's more scenic areas just a few blocks away from her front door. The sun was a welcome change after spending the past few days holed up inside, the exception being for the brief excursion with Calder to the safe house to speak with Oliver. It was that excursion specifically that now prompted her current outing. After receiving intelligence that an MSS agent was targeting Annie, though why exactly remained unknown, Joan had agreed that Calder should take Oliver and meet up with Auggie and Eyal Lavin in Amsterdam as quickly as they could get the necessary clearance. With Annie still in the wind, and out of the loop, she was vulnerable. They had to get to her before someone else did.
Joan had taken it upon herself to further investigate the possibilities behind the MSS's motivation for putting a hit on Annie Walker, outside of her connections to Henry Wilcox. His Lexington Corp scandal had most likely left the ranks of the MSS in a chaotic tumult of politics and pointed fingers upon his untimely demise. Joan was content to let them lay in the bed they had made, but her intuition told her that there was more to the story. So she had made a phone call, to an old friend, who had graciously agreed to meet her today despite the lack of notice.
Jennifer Lee had been a contact for the CIA for as long as Joan had been an agent, and she had also helped Joan during an operation in Brussels that would have gone haywire if it had not been for the petite, but fiery, Chinese native's quick thinking. Several years older than Joan, now long retired from the more precarious games of espionage, Jennifer had settled into a comfortable life of semi-retirement. So needless to say when she received the phone call from Joan asking for information on an MSS agent that had, at one point, worked beneath her during her time with Chinese intelligence, she was surprised. Instinct told the older woman to be wary, but Joan Campbell had saved her life more than once, and so she had agreed to find out what she could as a final favor to a former fellow operative.
"Hello, Joanie." Jennifer beamed from her perch on a polished stone bench, dark eyes and smile obscured by the shadows cast by the tree branches overhead. Her hair, once black as night, was now salt and peppered with age, though she was just as stunning as Joan remembered. She stood, and the two women embraced briefly, Jennifer's attention immediately falling on the tiny child in the stroller.
"Handsome, like his father. Observant, like his mother." Jennifer hummed, bending over and inspecting the boy with happy, squinting eyes. Mack blinked back, unbothered by the stranger. Joan glowed proudly as she watched her son. She would like to imagine he received his fortitude from her, if nothing else.
"Very." Joan agreed, taking a seat on the bench and adjusting the stroller so that it faced the both of them while they sat. Jennifer sat and retrieved a folder from the large handbag sitting next to her on the bench, handing it to Joan, who immediately opened it to study the contents within. Old habits died hard, and business was still business; there was no time to be wasted.
"Marcus Shin," Jennifer waved at the case file now in Joan's hands. "Mai Shin's younger brother; as your people would call it, a technology operative for the MSS."
Joan's face fell as she read over the papers in her hands, matching the name to the face in the photograph there.
"He's dead." Joan continued to read the file, her expression grim. Mack, sensing his mother's distress, wriggled as restlessly as a newborn could manage in the confines of his stroller.
"Unfortunately, yes." Jennifer replied. "He was a bright young man. Another life lost to soon. But as you see, it is not that he is dead, but why, that is the crux of your problem."
As Jennifer spoke, Joan had just begun to read the details in the dossier that explained the young man's death. Her frown deepened, and she shut the folder, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Just when she thought the last skeleton had been found…
"Henry Wilcox." The name was a curse Joan had to force herself to say. "Henry killed him."
Against the backdrop of the otherwise beautiful day, Mackenzie began to wail.
A/N: So Mai's motivation is driven by personal investment; emotions. Who does that remind you of? ;)
Henry: Even dead, that bastard still manages to cause trouble, is that so surprising? Hmmm, what does this mean for Annie and the rest of the covert crew? You'll have to read to find out! Also, Jennifer Lee is named after a girl I went to HS with, ha! Fun fact. :)
Thanks everyone for your support, you keep me writing! Love you all! xxx