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From: Director NSOC, National Security

To: DIR ED/RD

Classification: Top Secret, No Foreign

0210 GMT

Message Follows:

This couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Meet me in my office in the morning for full briefing. Negotiations are proceeding. Avenger is promising more information on terrorists and has given us relevant leads that are panning out in exchange for his demands. I’m still seeking clarity on what kind of immunity he wants, and talking to the Justice Department. Think they will agree to some kind of deal. More tomorrow.

End of Message

Deal? Isaac slammed his phone on the kitchen counter. Stalking across the room, he yanked open a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of gin. He poured some into a glass, adding tonic and ice. He shook the glass a couple of times before taking a large swallow and picking up a burner phone. He tapped in a number and waited.

After four rings, it was picked up by a man with a curt voice. “Who’s this?”

“Update me,” Isaac said. “And it’d better be good.”

There was a slight pause. “You’re in luck. We think he might have contacted the daughter.”

Isaac sat straight up and almost spilled his drink. “What? When?”

“A couple of weeks ago. We noticed a significant drop in what she was saying on her cell and home phone, as well as what she was doing on her computer. Right about the same time, we intercepted a heavily encrypted message going in. After that message went in, we were getting so little information, we switched tactics. We rented a house on the same street as her apartment complex to keep the family under twenty-four-hour surveillance.”

“You think Sinclair contacted her?”

“I think that’s the most likely scenario. We traced the message, but it went nowhere. We’re still trying to break the encryption, but it isn’t looking good. The daughter seems to have taken whatever message she received to heart. Given her subsequent actions, it was probably a warning. She’s been crazy careful with all outgoing information, including phone calls. She’s still using her computer but has been tunneling out using encrypted VPNs that she changes daily. We don’t know what to make of it the fact that if it were Sinclair, why he feels threatened enough to reach out to her. Is he worried about her or himself? We have no indication that he’s tried to contact his wife or the older daughter.”

That was interesting. What was Sinclair thinking, and why the focus on the younger daughter? Maybe she was getting closer to him than they thought? “So, he’s watching the daughter closely. Good. That’s our conduit, then. What are we doing to manipulate this to our advantage?”

“Well, we were able to plant a few bugs in the common areas of the house last week when no one was home. That’s why we’re pretty sure Sinclair’s wife has not been contacted. Unfortunately, most of what’s being said in the house is inconsequential, other than the daughter has been nominated to go through the UTOP trials. I bet he knows that, too.”

Isaac’s annoyance rose at the news. “Let me guess. Slash nominated her. He’s already called me asking about the Hidden Avenger investigation. I’ve held him off for now. I want Slash and his department shut out of this investigation entirely.”

“Why are you so worried about Slash? He wasn’t around when Sinclair left fourteen years ago, and he knows nothing about Lando. IAD has no bone to pick in this fight. I would think Candace Kim would be more of a threat to us.”

Isaac let out a grunt of disgust. “Candace Kim is a bureaucrat who thinks she has things under control when, in fact, she doesn’t have a clue.” He tried to temper his irritation that he had to explain himself. “She’s walking blindfolded, swinging wildly with a stick and hoping she somehow hits the piñata, when she isn’t even in the right part of the room. She’s not being obvious about it, but I’m certain she’s having fantasies about becoming the first woman director at the NSA. She is annoying but predictable. I can manage her.”

He paused, considering his next words. “Slash, however, is another story. He’s a bit of a mystery and appears to be too good to be true. His meteoric rise in the NSA is concerning. Always seems to be in the right place at the right time to save the day. He’s either really lucky or really dangerous, because no one isthatgood. But he’s definitely by the book and has successfully cultivated a close relationship with the director. I don’t want to put our years of planning for this opportunity at risk to Slash’s good luck or unwillingness to do what is necessary to keep our nation safe. Let’s not give him a reason to get involved.”

“Agreed. Yet, he nominated Sinclair’s daughter and two of her friends, which is odd. Is this a coincidence, or does he have some connection we don’t know about to the Hidden Avenger? We really have no idea where his loyalties lie, but approaching him to try and find out might either raise his suspicions or have unfortunate consequences if we’re wrong.”

Isaac set his glass down, the condensation creating a small wet ring on the counter. “It has to be a coincidence. It’s just unfortunate that Slash and his fiancée have a personal connection to the girl. It only adds another layer of complication to a delicate operation.”

“Yes, it does, sir.”

While it was a disturbing development and merited continued observation, it was not crisis-level. Isaac took another drink and mentally went through his options. “How do you think UTOP plays into this?”

“Honestly, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. The daughter may have mad skills at the keyboard, but she’s not UTOP material. If she accepts the nomination, she’ll be the first to wash out.”

“Good. Because I need her focus on finding her father, not on the UTOP trials. She’ll be nearly impossible to monitor ensconced at the UTOP campus. We’re running out of time to get the Avenger before Candace Kim does.” That, thought Isaac, was the crux of their problem.

“You’re right about that, sir. She has a lot invested in bringing him in. Think about it. People like success stories, and giving them a woman would be icing on the cake. Not saying she’d be a lock for the directorship, but it sure wouldn’t hurt.”

“The directorship ismine.” Isaac tightened his hand on his glass. “We’ve worked too long and invested too much in it, which makes it imperative that we bring in the Avenger first. I want you to step up our efforts. Do what you need to do to find the Avenger and make it fast. Are you clear on that?”

“Crystal, sir.”