The next morning, we got another call from the CIA. This ti, it was from the agent whose cover identity was Pablo Rodriguez, Assistant to the US Ambassador to Guatemala. I told Joe to switch my awareness to my adult body and put the call through to , it was audio only, but I wanted people to start getting used to my adult form and voice as the person making decisions.
"Hello, Mr. Vargas. What can I do for you today?" I began pleasantly.
"May I ask to whom I’m speaking?"
"Sure, my na is Tim," I said.
"I presu that you are in a position to make decisions for your organization, Tim?"
"Yes. I am actually in charge of the entire thing," I replied, knowing that they would be filling in a proxy org chart, with the na Tim at the top.
"We’d like to talk, Tim. Can we arrange an in-person eting?"
"I’d like to have so reassurance that the conversation will be more productive than our last call. I am a busy man."
"We have so new developnts to discuss. I think you will find it worth your ti."
"With whom would I be eting?"
"Myself, Angel Diaz, and we would conference in a senior associate of ours from the main office."
I shrugged and smiled, maybe we would be able to make so progress, I thought to myself. "OK, why don’t I et you at the embassy. I presu you trust your communication lines there?"
"That would be ideal, when can you be there?"
"Let’s see, it’s 9:02 AM right now. How does 9:04 sound?" I asked.
"9:04? You can be here in two minutes?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes. Does that work for you?"
There was a pause. Undoubtedly he was trying to verify that the ’senior associate could be available that quickly. After a mont, he replied, "We can be ready in ten minutes, but it’ll take a few to get you through the gates and settled into a conference room, so 9:04 works for us."
Great, I’ll see you in two minutes." I sent a ntal order for Joe to cut the connection.
"Joe, can you put down close to the embassy, but out of sight of any potential surveillance?"
"Yes, there is an apartnt building just around the corner. I can put you down inside a first-floor apartnt. The owner is not at ho."
I raised an eyebrow, "inside soone’s apartnt?"
"Yes, they have satellite surveillance of the area with very high resolution optics. They are certainly looking to trace your path to the embassy to find your base of operations."
"I see. OK, then, transport there."
Suddenly, I was in the living room of a small apartnt facing a door. I turned the deadbolt to unlock the door, opened it, and stepped into a hallway. You can lock it back up? I asked Joe ntally.
Yes, I’ll send an android to lock it then retrieve him.
Ok.
I looked up and down the hallway and saw sunlight streaming in through a doorway. I headed toward it and left the building. I was tempted to look up to the sky and wave to the satellite cara, but I held myself back to maintain an air of dignity. A minute later, I was at the embassy gate, where a guard stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a khaki colored, short sleeve uniform shirt and blue pants with a red stripe down the outside or each leg. A white hat with a black visor completed his uniform. He did not appear to be ard.
"Tim," I said.
"Can I see so identification?" He asked. "And what is your business at the embassy this morning?"
I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
He unlocked the gate and opened it with a barely perceptible shrug. "This way, please." He gestured toward the main entrance of the embassy building.
"Thank you." I started walking toward the door. As I approached with the guard at my side, the door opened. Raul Vargas, AKA Pablo Rodriguez, held it open for with a smile. "Tim, you made right on ti. You must have been very close by?" He asked, extending his hand to shake.
"Yes," I nodded, as I shook hands. The guard who had accompanied from the gate remained with us.
He waited a beat to see if I would offer any more information, then continued. "The conference room is this way," he indicated a hallway to the left. "We have coffee there if you’d like. Grown right here in Guatemala. We like to support the local economy as much as we can."
I looked at him quizzically. "The price of a pound of coffee is as much as you can? Hmmm..."
He chuckled uncomfortably, pretending to take my comnt as a joke to avoid any potential antagonism.
We entered a small, elegant conference room. An oval conference table big enough for six chairs sat in the middle of the room with a black speakerphone centered on the table. Jorge Maldonado was seated there when we entered. He stood to shake my hand. The Marine guard closed the door after us, remaining outside the room.
"Tim, welco to the US Embassy," he said cordially.
I noticed that he was cleaned up and wearing new clothes. Overall, he looked much better that the last ti I saw him, just out of a Colombian prison. "Thank you," I said.
"I’d like to thank you again," Maldonado continued, "for getting out of that prison. Things were starting to get a little dicey in there."
"Yes, could it be because you were betrayed by fellow agents on the cartel payroll?" I asked.
His friendly smile faded, "Why don’t you have a seat? That’s one of the topics we’d like to discuss." anwhile, Raul was dialing a number on the speaker phone, mi-way through the first ring, a voice answered. "This is Smith."
"Mr. Smith," Raul answered, "We have Tim here at the embassy. We’re ready to begin whenever you are."
"Let’s get to it," the voice on the phone said. "Tim, I need you to hand over the two associates of ours that you took from Colombia. That’s non-negotiable. I also need to know how you got the information about the communications between our Colombian colleagues and the ho offices."
I sent a ntal query to Joe who I knew had an invisible drone monitoring this eting. He could also listen in through the equipnt buried inside the android body I was using. Joe, have they moved against the division head who ordered the raid on Maldonado’s location in Colombia?
No. Agent ’Smith’ who is really Martin Lewis, has, however, pulled all the files we referenced as evidence of the cover-up of Maldonado’s original report and the orders for the strike. He seems to have done due diligence in verifying the validity of our evidence, while keeping those inquiries secret from the identified guilty parties.
"When I return them, what will you do with them?" I asked.
"They will be debriefed."
"And..."
"That depends upon what they have to say."
"Does it? I think the evidence I presented is pretty clear."
"I can’t talk about internal matters."
I paused considering. "OK," I said, "I’ll deliver them into your custody, here at the embassy within 24 hours. After that, I’ll give you another 24 hours. If there division head remains in his position after that ti, I’ll take them back, along with the rest of their faction."
"Are you threatening to kidnap our... colleagues?" Smith/ Lewis asked with a harsher tone creeping into his voice.
"Yes. If you can’t deal with criminals and corruption within your organization, I will. It affects the future security and the aid workers we have working in Colombia and elsewhere. I will not leave them at risk."
"How will you know what actions we take?"
"Trust , Martin, I’ll know."
I noticed Maldonado’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise at my ntion of ’Smith’s’ real na.
"Do you have inside sources?"
"No, I’m not working with any of your people. There’s no need for a witch hunt."
"How did you get access to the files you sent to us?"
"I hope you don’t expect an answer to that question. Listen, I’ll call you ten minutes before a van pulls up to your front gate with your two traitors. We’ll deliver them safe and unhard. I’ll be watching what happens next. I expect you to clean up your house. I also expect you not to interfere in my charitable work in Colombia, Guatemala, or anywhere else around the world. Actions have consequences, Mr. Lewis." I stood up, "That’s all we have to discuss for now. Mr. Vargas, if you will escort past the guards, I’ll be on my way."
Vargas and Maldonado sat motionless, their eyes glancing between and the black speakerphone.
"Do it. Escort him out," Lewis said curtly.
Vargas stood and gestured to the door. He opened it and we walked together, with the Marine guard, to the front gate. "Can I offer you a ride, Tim?"
I smiled, "No thanks, it’s a nice day for a walk, and, as we discussed when I arrived, I’m not going far."
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