Skip to main content

Chapter V

The Chief entered the briefing room in a deliberate, almost lyrical saunter. He gave the appearance of having measured out his entrance into the room, his progress past the line of red leather chairs and the exact foot he would use pivot on to sit in his chair across from Marcus and Spaceman. The Chief didn’t walk, he danced.

Tall and pale, with a pinched expression, like he had just bit his tongue, the Chief dressed in black: black slacks, black turtle neck and a black beret. He took a few papers out of his black portfolio and dealt them out like a deck of cards.
“Unacceptable,” he said in a high, musical tenor. “Marcus Dillacross, baby, how did you make it this far in the service?”


Shield flinched. He knew he was taking risk in reporting a 20-year veteran like Spaceman but the facts were clear and collaborated. Spaceman had deserted a fellow agent in the middle of an operation.


“It’s pronounced Dellacroix, sir, Marcus Dellacroix.”


“I couldn’t care less what your mamma calls you, I want to know why I have to deal with your dumb ass.”


“What I wrote in that report may be difficult to hear, sir, but I…”


“Oh can it baby, what’s difficult to hear is you offering excuses for pure shameless failure.”


Shield sat bolt upright in his chair. He couldn’t help glancing to his left where Spaceman was sitting slumped in his chair, clearly on the nod. With the Chief’s raised voice, Spaceman blinked once but offered no change of expression. For the first time Shield wondered how he might procure some of what Spaceman was on.


Slowly Shield recovered, “Sir, I’m sorry I but I don’t understand what part of the mission you are referring to. Within the constraints I’ve detailed in my report, I think the objectives of the mission were met. We saved the lives of over 200 dignitaries from around the world.”


“’200 dignitaries’,” the Chief mocked him, turning to Spaceman, he said, “Can you believe this square’s BS?”


If Spaceman was surprised at the question he gave no hint, “No sir, I cannot believe it. But take it easy on him, he’s new.”


“Goddamn it man, I don’t know how you can be so forgiving knowing what he wrote about you! This goddamn cube said you’re a junkie! Can you believe that?”


“Things happened,” he replied, his head listing to one side.


The Chief turned back to Shield, “Listen twerp and listen good. You may be used to half-assed mediocrity back in the CIA or the PRD or what-ever nadaville we found you, but that bag does not fly here.”


Shield was beginning to lose his cool, “What bag are you referring to, I mean, we succeeded, the mission succeeded. What do you want me to say?”


“What I want you to say is why the hell you let the number two man in the AC hierarchy just stroll out of Hungarian Embassy when you had the bastard right in your goddamn sights, daddy! Right in your sights!”


“Number two? Who?”


“Look familiar?” The Chief threw over a photo. It was the man he had seen briefly on the embassy dance floor, the same droopy face and bad comb-over. “You’re looking at Hugo Simplex kiddo, a man responsible for the deaths of 11 Section Starfire Agents and God knows what mayhem around the world. The best chance to neutralize him and you let him slip right out of your goddamn hands.”


“I’m sure he tried his best,” said Spaceman.


The Chief shook his head. “I just don’t know why you’re defending him, Spaceman. I should deactivate his security rating right the now.”


“We were all him once,” Spaceman’s eyes were focused on a point somewhere between Neptune and Pluto. “Give him a second chance.”


The Chief shuffled Shield’s report on the table, clearly thinking over Spaceman’s request. “Fine, Shield,” he said finally, “But you’re on notice. I better see improvement and see improvement fast or you’re out. And—” he held up Shield’s report, “No more of this shit!”


Link to Next Chapter

Link to First Chapter

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter I

When the light came back on, the room was empty save for a corpse and two baffled agents of Section Starfire, the premier Anarchist Spy Agency employed by the United States government. Two trained pairs of eyes quickly scanned the room and found it devoid of anything worth mentioning besides an old battle-scarred table along one wall and a book shelf against the other and, of course, the body of the man Spaceman had just shot. For his part, Marcus Delacroix, Agent Shield, stood across the room from him, blinking in the sudden light, unable to focus. On the table by his right hand was a squat metal object about the same color and shape as a wheel of cheddar cheese. Instantly recognizing this object, Spaceman allowed himself a rare moment of panic. Pushing past Marcus, Space dashed to the door and tried the handle. Inevitably, it was locked. “Do you know what this is?” said Marcus, slowly regaining his faculties. “Yes,” said Spaceman as he darted

Chapter XLVIII

Spaceman found it very easy to leave the station. His coterie of friends kept growing with each attempt at intervention until a kind of critical mass arrived. Whether or not he was a prisoner, or a Section Starfire agent, or a notorious addict became immaterial. Spaceman lead, and those looking to follow did so. Heading up from the bowels of the engineering deck, they passed by the cryptozoological section. It occurred to Spaceman that his escape would be that much easier if the personnel in the station had something distracting them. A command to Mr. Doubtful cut off the emergency power to the pens, cages, and corrals keeping the cryptids at bay. He figured the result would be a few sasquatch and sea serpents making a break for it. He hoped there were enough penguins in Antarctica to feed a new population of Big Feet. Big Foots? Spaceman chuckled to himself, bummed a cigarette from another engineer and directed his followers upwards. By the time they reached the main exit, the station

Chapter LIX

“Do not worry,” said Necropolis. He was sitting at one of the pews, his legs kicked up on the headrest in front of him. There was a hymn book flopped over one knee and Nikolas was smiling. “What we need to do is not complicated.” “Are we talking about the ten-hour long ceremony with an entire freight car of exotic compounds and rare animal parts, and enough priests for a baseball game? That ceremony? The Gemini program seems somewhat less complicated.” “Reasonably complicated, is how I’d describe it.” “Then what are you talking about?” “The ceremony is window-dressing. I need the priests and their descendants to keep this place sacred and unmolested, and they need something to believe in. We both get something. “No, Spaceman, what I was referring to was your part in all of this. All you have to do is survive. After that your life will become as complicated or as simple as your will dictates.” “I don’t buy that either.” It was late in the day, and the change had begun for Necropolis. Hi