* * *
“Thanks for sending me into a trap.” Michiko knotted the sash on her kimono, her wet hair spilling over her shoulders. “I wound up in a cramped room with four goons who needed breath mints and killing, in that order. How the hell did Drake find out about the hit?”
“Our apologies. We did not realize his connections to the organization were still active. We are investigating to prevent future lapses in security.”
“Good idea. Last time I checked, I’m supposed to be the one with the tactical advantage. It totally defeats the purpose of working for a clandestine global organization if the bad guys can just listen in and screw everything up.”
“Point taken, Ms. Akiyama. We'll notify you soon about your next mission, so please remain in contact.”
“Will do. But for now, I’m doing a little reading and then it’s nap time. Nighty-night.” She closed the lid and SANCTUM went silent.
Michiko slid onto the bed, reached under it, and pulled out another laptop. She established a secure remote connection, opened a web browser and typed “John Barrister” into the search field.
“Here goes nothing.” Michiko pressed Enter and was underway.
* * *
With a deep exhale, Drake dropped onto a wooden bench at the far end of an unlit pier. Waves lapped against the pylons below as an ocean breeze ruffled his trench coat and wafted through his disheveled hair. A few hours had passed since the rooftop battle, and his body ached like it hadn't in a long time. He figured either he was getting too old for this shit, or he'd just barely survived a spandex-clad hurricane. Neither scenario was very appealing.
His cell phone buzzed inside his pocket. He pulled it out and pressed it to his ear.
"Drake."
"You did excellent work tonight." The scrambled voice of SANCTUM was unmistakable. "Is this a convenient time to speak?"
"As good as any." He reached back and massaged his neck. "You're lucky I'm still around to debrief. That girl is a walking Cuisinart."
"Ms. Akiyama's skills are exceptional, which is why it was imperative to put her to the test. SANCTUM cannot afford to support an agent of her caliber should she have character issues."
"I get it. You want hitters with hearts of gold. Those are in short supply these days."
"Indeed. If our organization is to continue its crusade against the cancers threatening this world, we must ensure the integrity of our operatives. As she promised, she is performing research on the name you provided."
Drake sat up straighter against the bench as a seagull shrieked overhead. "Yeah, about that. Before long, she's going to discover Barrister was a human trafficker and was partnered with some pretty bad people. You're planning to clue her into this charade, right? I mean, soon?"
"Why the rush, Mr. Drake? Not eager to make Ms. Akiyama's acquaintance again?"
"On the contrary, I'd love to spend a bit more quality time with her. But I'd rather do it after she's been set straight. Another fight could get messy, and I'd hate to put your new favorite toy at risk."
"An interesting choice of words. From what we saw on satellite surveillance, she appeared to have you at a disadvantage at the culmination of your encounter."
Drake cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, you know, electronic imaging can be a bit deceptive –"
"Our geostationary satellite systems can read the VIN number on a dashboard from orbit."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Just do it ASAP, all right? I don't –"
He froze as felt the edge of a cold steel blade pressed up against his throat. He glanced to his right and saw Lotus, her face stony with anger, katana extended.
Drake swallowed hard. Mustering a smile, he slowly passed the phone across his body. "Um...it's for you."
The End
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