Jacked Up Part 11

I followed Maisie to a bedroom which was huge and very well equipped. She said that she would be back in time for me to get ready for dinner but all I need to do now was have a good bath which she had already drawn, then pop into bed and have a good sleep as she was sure that I had already had a full day.

“A lot of our guests arrive tired” she said “it is up to us to revive them and send them back out to save the world, usually. From the excitement I have felt around here in the last twenty-four hours, I rather believe that this could actually be one of those times. Sweet dreams.” When she had left I did exactly as she suggested. The bath water was nicely hot and laced with softeners and a perfume and I luxuriated in it until I started to feel wrinkly. When I got out and dried I found a nightgown on the bed and put it on before lying down, dropping off to sleep like a true battle veteran.

I had not realised how strung out I had been for the last few days and slept well, only dreaming that I was looking through a telescopic sight with a certain yellow tinged head in the cross hairs. When I woke up I wondered if that would be a premonition or just wishful thinking. I was just resting when there was a knock on the door and Maisie came in, pushing a trolley set up like a beauty salon. “Good” she said “you’re awake. It’s time that we started your transformation.”

By the time that I was deemed ready for dinner I had become a rather good looking, auburn-haired and sophisticated lady in a long designer gown and impossible heels. I had to practise walking up and down for a while as I had not worn heels for too many weeks to remember. Maisie gave me a matching clutch with some basic supplies and the lipstick she had used. We left the bedroom and she took me to a dining room that had been set up for six diners. My host was there, along with the four people from earlier in the day and someone I knew quite well, my old AIC from Detroit.

He came over to me quickly and took my hand, saying “I was so worried when you disappeared from the hospital, you vanished like smoke and no-one would tell me anything until getting me on a plane today. I have been given a synopsis of what you have found out and I must say that I am astonished where it all led. Our host has grilled me about our suspicions with Homeland and it seems to be very close to the group that you have unearthed.” Our host joined us and said quietly “Those email addresses you gave us this morning included two that are used by the FBI for their less-than-overt business and two were similar ones from HS. However, we will not discuss any of this at the table; it is time for a good meal with interesting company so let’s eat.”

As we ate there was some chatter around the table that you would never hear at the usual dinner. I heard about some hilarious and horrifying happenings from different spook worlds. It sounded like a horror movie mixed with Gilbert and Sullivan misunderstandings. As we ate I realised that I had not had an elegant meal since the bombing and had to stop myself scarfing it down as if I was in the mess. I had a couple of glasses of wine with a very nicely cooked beef wellington followed by a small serve of a dessert that would kill a diabetic in seconds.

After the meal we moved to the room where I had given my briefing and my host stayed standing as we sat down. “Good lady and gentlemen: he started “tonight we have to decide if we move forward to negate the danger that our country faces or just stand back to see where it goes. I am sure that you all realise that there is someone on the loose who has plans for a dictatorship that he was denied in 2020. All we have seen so far has all the hallmarks – enemies and those who are no longer friendly have been eliminated taking hundreds of innocent folks with them. The man has neither concept of rules of engagement nor any shred of conscience. I can see no other avenue except moving to stop the rot.” We all nodded; well I did slowly as I knew that when push came to shove I was likely the one doing the shoving.

He carried on “while Anita was recovering from her busy day, we have put all of the resources we have on to the problem. We now have a location for the mercenary who is almost certainly the one who delivers the bomb to whoever puts it on the planes. We have even been able to link him to a terror group based in Pakistan that has links to the Jihadi. The mercenary has a relative who works in baggage handling at the Mumbai airport. Our biggest problem is that we have intercepted an email to him from one of the addresses that instructs him to be ‘hospitable’ to a friend on a flight that will pass through Mumbai in four days. We have checked the passenger list as it stands but there are no names that raise any flags. Of course, there may be someone being told to be on that flight as we speak, it still has several empty seats.”

“I propose that we send Anita, in her new guise to Mumbai with the right equipment and knowledge to put a stop to the plan in any way she can. We have put our people on notice to monitor the bomber and his relative. Taking out the relative will be easy and can be done after the mercenary dies.” He took a sip of his drink and asked if there were any questions. The CIA woman aske “What happens after?” He stood for a few moments and replied “We just have to see what happens when this plan is thwarted. We have all of our antennas focused on POTFUS and the various agencies where his followers are embedded. We can decide a course of action after that but we now have to move fast with the task at hand.”

He looked at me and I raised an eyebrow. He laughed and said “President of the Fake United States, my dear, in the spook world we have called him that since 2016.” With that we all retired to our rooms, some, I expect, making a series of phone calls. As I was leaving my host came close to me and said quietly “Anita, this is the last time I will use that name. We have a set of credentials for you to take in the morning. There will be an information pack on the dressing table in your room with your new ID. Read it and memorise it as I expect that it will be yours for a while, depending on how successful we are over the next few weeks. Get as much sleep as you can as we will fly you to the west coast tomorrow to get a flight to Mumbai. One of our operatives will meet you there and show you where you will be staying. Good luck and good hunting.”

When I went to my room I found Maisie waiting for me. “I will help you undress madam, and then you can watch and comment while I pack you a case for your travels. She helped me disrobe and I then put on the nightdress and she pulled a case from the wardrobe. Firstly, she showed me the secret pockets for my credentials. Then she went to the drawers and started packing for me. There was a good selection of underwear and hose, then some nightwear, followed by a couple of skirts, a range of tops and a cardigan. She said that Mumbai is hot and steamy but can be cool in the evenings and if there was anything else I needed it would be supplied in the field.

After she shut the case I went into the toilet, washed my face, creamed and then dived into bed. I woke suddenly in the early hours with the target in my cross hairs. I found it difficult to sleep after that so put the light on and studied my new history. In terms of dates and places it was close enough to my old history to be easy to talk about, with the added bits of Jack Ryan history that would be easy to remember. I was now to be Augustina Juliette Hamilton-Baker of the Hamptons Hamilton-Bakers which allowed me to be naturally aloof and haughty, while intelligent and endearing. Ha! An easy role to play for a spook in training. I noticed that I was called Tina by my friends.

Obviously Maisie considered herself as friend as she breezed into my room with a tray at six am greeting me as Tina and talked about my history. This, I realised, was a test and I chatted as if it was indeed my life. After breakfast I was dressed in a very good skirt suit with a silk blouse and medium heels, made up and looking a million dollars. My host gave me my tickets through to Mumbai and my new passport. It had quite a good picture of me as I looked now and the photo-shop work was worthy of the government department that issues passports. It showed that I had travelled widely and the places matched my history. I was driven to the airport at Atlanta and my host carried my case to the first class check-in where he gave me a peck on the cheek and wished me bon voyage.

I flew to Los Angeles where I had a short wait before boarding a flight to Mumbai. It was early morning when I arrived and the heat was already stifling. After I had collected my case and cleared customs I found a uniformed chauffer with a sign that read ‘Lady Augustina” who carried my case to a nice Bentley waiting at the kerb outside. So much for flying under the radar! He drove me to an outer suburb where we pulled up at a smart spa resort. A pleasant looking man opened the door for me and, as I got out of the car he said “Welcome to the Mumbai Wellness Clinic, my Lady. I am Alfonse and I will show you to your room.” He picked up my case and we then proceeded through reception and up in a lift to the top floor.

Opening the door of a suite he beckoned me in and, putting my case on the rack and the door card on the dresser, he went to the window. I joined him and he said “Tina, I will be your contact while you are here. If you look out to the opposite slope of this valley you will see a house with a red roof. That is where the mercenary lives. We have used a laser range finder and the front door is three thousand one hundred and fifty metres from this window. I have operatives who will monitor his movements twenty four hours a day so you do not have to sit here and watch for him. There are lightweight jeans and a suitable top in the wardrobe, as well as runners and a hat. If you freshen up from your flight and have some breakfast, your driver will convey you to a private estate a little way from here where you will be able to acquaint yourself with the weapon we will provide. If you look to the right you will see a house with a flag. That will be your wind gauge. I leave you now and will see you later.”

I stood at the window and took in the scene. The distance was not a record one but not too much short. I hoped that the weapon they provide would be up to the task. I stripped off and took a shower and then dressed in the jeans and top. They had also provided a casual bag and a water bottle so I would be comfortable in the heat. I went downstairs and had a light breakfast before going to the door of the complex where I saw the car and driver waiting in the shade. I walked over and he opened the door for me. He had obviously been sitting there with the engine ticking over as it was beautifully cool in the car. I admired the scenery as we went on our way; India had its beautiful places but so much poverty,

Marianne G 2021