The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (16 page)

“You need to give it up, man,” said Karl. “She’s a good one. Much too good for your flat charms.”

“You’re just jealous ’cause you don’t remember how to talk to a woman.” William smiled, and Karl’s grin slowly faded away as he glanced through a number of files.

“Seriously, though,” William continued. “When will you get yourself back out there? She’s been gone five years, and I doubt she’d want you to keep punishing yourself.”

“When we catch him, and he gets what he deserves.” Karl’s voice was hard. “Then I can start considering a normal life.”

William shied away from any further questions or comments, continuing with his work. The clock struck eleven before another knock came. The door swung open, revealing Eve standing beside two well-dressed men. Karl immediately stood up from his seat, as both men walked in behind Eve. The first man was tall and relatively broad with short, straight, silver hair and a well-trimmed beard that looked like it had been professionally cut. Angus Walsh had always taken pride in his appearance, for as long as Karl could remember.

The second man was unknown to him. Slightly shorter than Walsh, he was young. Very young, Karl thought. His shiny, blond hair and blue eyes seemed to belong more on the beaches of Malibu than by the side of a U.S. Senator.

“Agent Hobbs,” said Angus. He dropped his briefcase on the table. “How the hell are you?”

Karl nodded his head, slightly curious as to why his boss was in such a good mood. “As good as I can be, sir. I guess.” He spoke softly.

“And Agent Montgomery,” said Angus, smiling. “How are you?”

“I’m good, sir.” William did not know where to look.

“I suppose you’re all wondering what I’m doing here,” Angus started. “Well, as I promised, I’ve found a third.” He turned around to face the blond man, stretching his hand toward him. “Meet Agent Andrew Sharpe.” Angus returned his attention to Karl and William. “He’s one of the brightest in the academy, although he didn’t actually complete his training.” He turned back to face Andrew. “When did you actually quit, son?”

Andrew let go of the door and walked toward the other people in the room. “It was eighteen weeks, sir,” he said formally.

“Aha, yes. That’s it. Eighteen weeks and he walked away from it, but somehow his file ended up on my desk, and I just had to get him. I’ll tell you something though. It would have been a shame to lose him, had he fallen through the cracks.” Angus pulled a chair out for himself and slumped into it. “They tell me that he’s one of the best sharpshooters they’ve had. Maybe even better than you were, Karl.” He laughed as he grabbed one of the files on the table, but everyone else remained quiet.

After a few moments of deliberation, Karl walked past Andrew toward a side door that led into a small office. “May I have a word, sir?” he said, looking at Angus.

“I wondered when you would ask me that.” Angus smiled and rose from his chair. “If there’s anything you need, kid, Eve will get it for you.” Andrew nodded and moved to the side, making room for Angus to follow Karl out of the room.

“Would you like anything, Agent Sharpe?” asked Eve.

“No, thanks,” he replied, fixated on the view outside the office window.

Eve shifted to walk out of the room into the reception area, her ever-present smile still planted on her face.

“Perhaps a plain coffee?” Andrew added as she approached the door. “With two sugars?”

“Coffee coming right up.” Eve approached the door. “Please make yourself at home.”

“I’ll come with you,” shouted William. He ran out of the door after Eve.

Alone in the conference room, Andrew could not help but feel that the Senator had not told him everything. Although happy with his decision to leave the academy prior to completing his training, he felt like the offer of a job by a U.S. Senator was not one he could pass up. He’d been told that he would get more information about the job the longer he remained in employment. But, judging from Karl’s reaction, he was already feeling left out and slightly unwanted.

Senator Walsh had told him a great deal about his new partners, and he immediately knew who they were upon seeing them. William was exactly as he had imagined, a lothario who used as much hair gel as a model. In Karl, he saw a man who took his job to the extreme. The rough stubble and shaggy hair hinted at a troubled soul, exactly as Angus had described. But his apparent dedication and motivation was a trait he wanted in those around him, which was one of his main reasons for accepting the senator’s proposition.

Karl had been in the back office for a few minutes but still had not managed to discuss the issue troubling him. Rather, he had been subjected to yet more tales of Angus’s trip to Paris and the lovely time he’d spent with his wife. As always, the Senator reminded him that there was nothing wrong with going on dates. As Angus continued talking, the story bordered on irritation for Karl. He eventually interrupted: “So are we going to talk about this?”

“Karl, Karl,” said Angus. “Always down to business, aren’t you?”

“You came to me, remember?” Karl’s expression was serious. “I signed up to this because you promised me revenge. It’s been nearly five years, and so far, I’ve had no resources except William, who has been great. But you promised me much more. You promised me at least ten guys, sir, and now you give me a rookie who didn’t even graduate from the academy.”

The Senator slowly walked around the small desk. “I’m afraid I had no choice there,” he said. “I was practically ordered to get him in by the big man himself.”

Karl gasped. “Simmons requested him?”

Angus nodded.

“But why? Why would he put a rookie on our team? Does he even appreciate what we do?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Karl,” said Angus as he edged closer. “It’s just the way it is.”

Karl leaned against the door, flicking his hair.

“He’s good though, Karl,” said Angus. “I promise you, he’s far from a rookie. He has the same hunger I saw in you. And besides, we need people like him. People who haven’t been corrupted by the system. Who are willing to accept the inconceivable. I heard he would have finished top of his group, had he finished at the academy.”

“But does he even know what he’s hunting?”

The Senator did not reply.

“I’m effective because he took everything from me,” Karl went on. “At least William was with the Bureau for many years before he came on board. This kid is just that—a kid.”

Angus sighed and ran his fingers across his beard. “Give him time,” he said. “You’ll be surprised at what sheer determination can do for people. He might have been a few weeks away from making it into the Bureau, but he most certainly knows how to hunt felons.”

Karl turned his back to the Senator, raising his hands in frustration before facing him once more, breathing quickly. “But this is no normal felon,” he shouted. “Even if we were hunting an ex SEAL, I would still be worried for the kid. But this is much more, and you know it. We are virtually hunting Satan.”

“Keep your voice down,” snapped Angus. He slammed his right hand on the desk. “This is a unique situation. Not many people know about him, and the fewer the better. Involving a large portion of the Bureau will just broaden the problem. What will start happening? Conspiracy theorists everywhere will have a field day, and soon there will be all sorts of stories on the Internet, and he will simply blend into them. There will be hundreds of people who will suddenly fit the profile of the Anointed One, and we will lose him forever. Spreading the word of his existence is exactly what he wants. We have to keep the circle small, and I believe we are the right people to do it.”

Karl sighed again and slowed his breathing. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll go with this, but what do I tell him when he asks who we’re after? He has a right to know what he’s hunting.”

“Tell him whatever you like.” Angus also started to relax. “By itself, the name Siroco means nothing, but once we start speaking of him as the Anointed One, or the one that could awaken gods that want to see Earth destroyed… then we have a problem. He will have to know more in time, of course. But for now, try to keep it as vague as possible. Just give him enough for him to do his job, and we’ll see how he gets on.”

Angus edged toward the door before Karl called out to him. “Is he married?”

With a deep breath, the Senator turned around. “No,” he said, “but he has a fiancé. She’s Simmons’ daughter.”

Karl nodded. “Oh. I see, then.” He looked down at the floor and shook his head. “This is a terrible idea, boss.” He looked up and met Angus’s eyes. “Are you sure about this? What are we getting him into?
Her
into? I mean…Simmons’s daughter?”

Angus stopped and gave Karl a firm look. “Sharpe knows the risk,” he said. “He might not know the full details, but Siroco is just like any other felon on the run. He’s in a human body. He will make mistakes. And when he does, we’ll be there to get him.”

“You’re forgetting one thing,” interrupted Karl. “We don’t have the Bureau to help us here. There are only the three of us, and if we don’t make it, we never existed anyway.”

“Exactly!” Angus smiled. “But you’re forgetting something, too. You’re the best of the best, and so is your team.”

The Senator left, passing through the conference room to the reception area to talk with Agent Montgomery. Karl stopped at the conference table, where Agent Sharpe sat in his seat, sipping coffee.

“So, what do you think?” asked Karl. He remained standing with his arms folded. “Quite a view, huh?”

“Yeah, very nice, although not what I expected for a unit like this.” Andrew put his coffee down and folded his arms. “What kind of outfit is this anyway? CIA, FBI, what?”

“I’m afraid there is no real name for us. We represent not just the American people, but the world. I wouldn’t call us special ops as such, although we’re similar. Only a few know we exist, but most governments around the world work with our unit.”

“How does that work then?” Andrew said, intrigued. “Is it some worldwide task force?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“What, stationed out of the Windy City?”

“Why, you got something against Chicago?” Karl did not allow Andrew to answer. “There is no base, really.” He pulled up a seat and pushed it right next to Andrew. “We sort of move around, trying to anticipate the target’s next move. If we get a call that he’s in Russia, we go to Russia.”

“But how does the intelligence work? You must be hooked up to CIA, Interpol, all of them.”

“Exactly.” Karl stood up once more and approached the window. “Our central switchboards have direct access to the databases of all the major intelligence communities. They monitor lots of their communication, with their consent, of course. Once our target is spotted, a call comes through to us here, and we do our thing.”

“Is that even legal?” Andrew asked, scratching the bridge of his nose.

Karl crossed his fingers. “It depends,” he said. “We’ve got the backing from senior people in Washington, and around the world. But officially, we don’t exist.”

Andrew took a few more sips of his coffee. “What about local law enforcement? What role do they play in all of this?”

“Well, they take the call, just as they normally would, no matter where in the world our target is. And once we arrive, we take charge.”

“Just like that?”

Karl smiled. “Yes, rookie, just like that. Of course, hardly any of the boys on the ground know who we really are, so we become whoever they would prefer to take orders from. Interpol, FBI—whatever it takes to get their cooperation.”

At that moment, Angus and William walked back into the room. “Ah,” said Angus. “I see you’re getting up to speed. I’ve got another meeting now, and then I’ll be off to Washington. Be good, Sharpe. You can learn a great deal from these boys. Just keep your ears open and stay out of trouble.”

He glanced at William, and a broad smile appeared on his face. “And don’t let this one be a bad influence on you. I don’t think your pretty fiancé will like it. I got Eve to set you up with a desk right outside.” He slowly packed his briefcase as he spoke. “You take care now, boys,” he said as he opened the door. “You need anything, Sharpe, anything at all, you call me. Day or night. You got that?”

“I will, sir.” Andrew rose to his feet.

“Not that you will need to though,” Angus continued. “Especially with Hobbs around.” With a nod of his head, he left the room.

With his hands on his chin, William looked at the latest addition to their team, analyzing him, trying to see if he gave anything away with his body language. “So, is this what you expected?” he asked finally.

“It is quite a lot to take in. You guys have quite a bit—“

“No,” interrupted Karl. “Not
you
guys—
we
.
We
have quite a bit of responsibility. You’re part of the team now. It would be good if you remembered it.”

“Yes, sir,” Andrew said.

“So what’s the deal with this fiancé of yours?” asked William.

“Nothing to tell, really. I fell in love and left the academy for her. But Senator Walsh contacted me and said that I was exactly the person he wanted for a secret task force he was working on. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“So what makes you so special that the Senator contacted you?” asked Karl. He wondered if Andrew knew exactly why he had been chosen.

Andrew scratched his head, with a frown coming over his face.

“I get it,” said Karl softly. “Your past is your past. All that matters to me is my unit, and it seems to me that you left the academy because of love.” Karl paused to clear his throat. “What I do want to know, though, is why you want to get back into this now? If you ask me, you got lucky, finding love so young.”

“I’m not actually that young, sir.” Andrew remained expressionless.

“Oh, come on kid. What are you? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?”

“Try twenty-nine, sir.”

“Wow, it must be your fiancé, then. And all the skin care products you’ve been borrowing off her.” William tried to form a smile but quickly retracted it when he noticed the serious look still on Andrew’s face.