The Agent's Peril

Chapter 5: (Part 1)

2005-07-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

"What do we do now?" Tom hissed. "Just sit here?"

Cats Paw put a hand on his shoulder.

"Not a sound...just follow."

There was more noise outside. Muffled voices echoed through the bathroom as their pursuers searched for them.

Cats Paw reached into his pocket, and pulled something out. Tom could hardly see anything as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Suddenly, Cats Paw lit a match. You could see his face, grim, yet calm. The small light flickered. Cats Paw blew it out.

Tom heard a smack.

Cats Paw mumbled to himself, "You ninkompoop...forgot about the light."

A light switched on.

Tom saw a string attached to the roof, which was made of boards and concreted. The walls were plaster, except for one, made of rock.

"Hey boss," a voice came from outside. "Someone's been in this stall recently!"

"Hurry!" Cats Paw reached for the floor, and picked up a small plastic ring off the floor.

Tom gasped.

"Wow...a secret door..."

The two agents hopped into the hole, closed the door behind them, and then began walking down a black hallway, with pipes all along the wall.

They were sure they heard the secret wall move and open. But they weren't certain.

The walk took about 30 minutes.

"Here we are," Cats Paw said as they reached a metal door. "Behind this door is my second office. But we're not staying there for long. We're just a few blocks from the White House, but it's going to be the hardest day of your life if we're going to get there alive."

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, I've got the key to a second car in my desk. You'll use that to drive to the Spy Musuem down the road."

"The Spy--?"

Cats Paw cut in, "You need to deliver an envelope at the cafe. It holds our lifeline."

"What about you?"

"I'll be heading down another chamber to a central location under the White House. They'll never suspect you."

"So you get off easy?" Tom glared at Cats Paw.

Cats Paw's face showed no feeling.

"Kid, I'll be in more danger than you'll ever know. Now let's get going!"

Chapter 4

2005-04-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

2 Hours Later: Ronald Reagan International Airport

"Not a bad flight," Tom commented as he and Cats Paw walked out of the airport to call a cab.

Cats Paw just kept walking forward, his face seemingly set in stone. A plane roared overhead.

"What's your problem?" Tom looked at Cats Paw.

"I'll tell you later."

The two agents hopped inot a cab, "6th and E street please," the cab sped off into the city of DC.

Cherry blossoms whizzed past, monuments loomed overhead, and then suddenly they passed the White House, catching just the slightest glimpse throught the trees. Tom sucked in his breath at the huge mansion, an icon of America. He'd be in there soon.

The cab stopped and dropped the agents off on the curb.

"We're two blocks from the White House," Cats Paw said, "But we're going the opposite direction."

Tom's face was a huge question mark.

"Starbucks or bust!" Cats grinned. "No kidding."

So off they walked, down the sidewalks, through the busy city, bustling with cars, pedestrians, and messengers whizzing pass on there bikes. And not to mention the homeless people Cats Paw kept nodding to.

1 block. 2 blocks. 3 blocks.

Ding! The smell of coffee filed the air.

"Here we are," Cats Paws eyes twinkled this time, "Follow me."

They walked inside, passed the counter, then went straight for the bathrooms.

"Gross!" Tom exclaimed as he looked at the grime on the floor and sniffed the air, "This place is nasty!"

Cats Paw ignored him and just kept walking to the far end of the line of stalls, opened the door, motioned for Tom to follow, then stepped in.

Tom timidly walked forward. What met his eyes will forever be imprinted in his mind. One of the walls had been a fake wall, moved out of the way to reveal a completely new room. The room was empty except for a broken door handle on the floor. That was it. Just another room with no windows and no doors.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened, and they heard a voice:

"They're in here!"

Cats Paw and Tom jumped into the room and slammed the fake wall shut.

Chapter 3

2005-03-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

The door swung open to reveal two men with black ski masks on their faces, also dressed in black, with a single belt holding one pistol. They stepped out of the way and let Cats Paw and Tom through. The room they entered was a library, somewhat like something you would read about in a Sherlock Holmes book...Walls covered in books, one or two paintings hanging on the wall, and one solitary desk, completely straight and neat, with a lamp resting on it. No one sat on the leather seat behind the huge desk that the two agents saw at the end of the large library.

"Welcome to my office," Cats Paw finally spoke, "A bit large, I must admit, but cozy enough."

"But I thought we had been kidnapped?" Tom's face showed his total confusion of the situation. "I don't get it."

Cats Paw looked grim, "Well, actually we have been kidnapped. We're in somewhat of a house arrest situation. Our evil enemy, Big Jim, has some devious scheme up his sleeve. Let me explain," Cats Paw walked up to the desk, went around the left side and sat down. "There's a chair in the corner, Mr. Jones."

Tom went and grabbed the chair, and pulled it up to the front of the desk.

"Go on," Tom said, "Explain."

Cats Paw leaned back on his chair, "Our original destination, as you well know, was D.C., but unfortunately, it seems that Big Jim had a bug implanted on your clothing, so he knew you had somehow escaped," Cats Paw grinned at the look on Tom's face, "Of course, I'm a double agent, truly working for the CIA, but also working for Big Jim and his top secret organization."

"What's it called?"

"Like I said, it just is a nobody organization, selling secrets and smuggling things to the Black Market. Nothing extremely weird. Just your basic evil underground ring of spies. Until now."

"Until now?"

"Big Jim has gotten a hold of some secrets of the United States and the United Kingdom. If these secrets are sold to enemy countries, the plight of the US and UK are...Should I say, death by attack. Nuclear attack."

"But who has the secret? How did he get it?"

"Double agents like me. Only they were really working for Big Jim and not the CIA. And now only a few can stop him. One of them is me. The other one it you."

"How can I help?"

Cats Paw stood, and put his fists on the table, then bowed his head.

"Are you willing to take a risk?" His head remained bowed.

Tom looked away. Then he stood, and walked to a corner of the room. He plucked a book from the shelf.

"Wait Tom, don't...--"

Suddenly the entire wall swung around. It stopped halfway, revealing a long dark hallway with a door at the end. Only one lightbulb hung from the ceiling.

"Oops. Sorry Cats Paw."

"Well, let's get going. Take your shoes off first, then we'll head for that door."

"My shoes?"

"Don't worry, I have an extra pair on the other side of that door. Don't want Big Jim to track us down with you all bugged."

"Oh yeah."

***

After a short walk to the end of the hallway, Tom was surprised to find that the other door was just another long hallway. And another. And another. Finally, they stopped at the fifth door, and Cats Paw spoke.

"We'll be entering a secret elevator. Be extremely quiet and don't talk. This elevator is bugged like crazy."

They stepped in and down they went. Tom wasn't sure how many floors down they went, because the elevator only had a keypad and enter button. But finally they slowed and the doors slid open.

"A warehouse! What in the world?" Tom exclaimed.

"My car is parked right over there." Cats Paw pointed to a car under a huge dirty sheet, identical to the hundreds of others covering hundreds of boxes around the warehouse. Cats Paw walked up to the car and slid the sheet off.

"WOW!"

"Yeah, I guess these new sports cars make spying like the movies." Cats Paw flashed his famous grin.

The car was red, looking a lot like a Mustang, with all sorts of extras. The inside was all leather, and the dashboard held more buttons and gadgets than Tom had ever seen.

"The airport or bust!" Cats Paw revved up the engine, pressed a button on the dash, the door opened in the warehouse, and off they sped...

Chapter 2 (Part 2)

2005-01-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Draft:
They turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. Cats Paws arm reached across Tom's chest to stop him. Both of their faces showed no surprise at what they saw. They showed no fear. Yet what they saw should have made them want to run for their lives. Three men on their knees were pointing machine guns at their bodies. 50 ft behind them, three more machine guns were aimed at them. At the end of the hallway, about a football field away, two snipers stood ready to shoot. The hallway was glass on one side, office doors on the others, just like all the other hallways wrapping around the top floor.
Cats Paw smiled at the soldiers in black, "Hello fellows, thanks for the protection." He walked to the first door on his right and knocked twice.

Chapter 2 (Part 1)

2005-01-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

After a short flight from New York to D.C., Tom and Cats Paw arrived at Ronald Reagan International airport at about three in the afternoon. As they stepped off the plane, they were met by two officers, both looking the same. Same crew cut. Same hard face. Same muscles. The only difference was their heights.

“We’re here to deliver you to you set destination safely,” the short officer said gruffly, “Follow us.”

Tom and Cats Paw moved to follow the officers through the crowded airport, trying to follow the officers. They stopped to pick up their luggage, then headed to the exit. A limo awaited them outside.

“Wow! This is great,” exclaimed Tom as they hopped in. The chauffeur closed the door.
“And attracting too much attention,” Cats Paw replied. He looked at his watch. Then reached into his suit pocket. He pulled out a small black bag.

“What’s—“ Tom was cut short.

“Well Thomas,” Cats Paw interrupted loudly, “They’re treating us in style, huh?”

Cats Paw opened the bag.

“We’ll be really looking good when we meet the President.”

He pulled out a bullet. And a gun.

Tom stared with surprise.

“This is an amazing trip, isn’t it?”

Cats Paw loaded the gun and tossed it to Tom. Then he repeated the process for himself. Next he took out a pad of paper and began to write on it:

I think we have been captured. The mini-gun is for your protection and to help us get out. We may be forced to continue our mission and help whoever we’ve been captured by. Be wise in what you say.

He handed it to Tom, who read it, then swallowed it. Cats Paw winked. Tom grinned. And the limo stopped.
The agent’s faces paled as they waited for the door to open. The wait seemed to go in slow motion. But finally, the door clicked open.

The chauffeur stood at the door.

“We’ve reached the destination, sirs.”

It seems that the agents were not at the White House. Instead, they were in a parking garage. Somewhere. In some building. But where?

They agents stepped out and the Limo sped away.

“Where to now?” Tom asked.

“Only one place to go,” Cats Paw began to walk for the elevator. When the agents hopped in, they set the elevator to go to the top floor.

Tom gave Cats Paw a questioning look.

“Trust me.” He replied.

They reached the top floor and stepped out into a carpeted hallway. In front of them was a huge window which overlooked the city. The window seemed to continue all the way down the hall, with no breaks in it. From the outside you would notice how every two floors had a continuing window wrapping around the entire building, all the way to the top. The view from the floor was beautiful—you could see all the monuments and memorials sparkling in the sun. And the buildings all around. It was really breathtaking.

The agents hardly noticed.

“Which floor are we on,” Tom asked, “And where from here?”

“Well, Thomas Jones, I have complete control over the situation. I trust that you have hidden your mini gun?’

“Yes.”

“Good, and as for your first question, we’re in the newest skyscraper in D.C. The new F.B.I. building. Floor 92. I know some friends up here.”

“Not great security here. Haven’t seen a soul.”

“I’ll explain about that later. Now follow me.”

Tom and Cats Paw moved slowly through the blue, carpeted halls of the FBI building. The hallway seemed to never end, as they passed office after office. Finally they reached the end of the hallway.

Chapter 1

2005-01-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

The sky was dark as the clouds gathered in the sky. The rain started to fall on the towering skyscrapers and sky labs. Up on the 54th floor of the XSPY building a man wandered through the maze of hallways. He was dressed in a nice black sports jacket and had an up to date haircut, just like any other citizen in the year 2042. He wore tinted glasses and, if observed very carefully, there was a small bulge in his left pocket. He rounded a turn when suddenly his name was called out.

"Cats Paw!"

The man began to run down another hallway. He swung into an office and disappeared. The man who had called out his name came running up to the small office door. He turned the knob and walked in. The room in which he was standing was dark and smelled of dust. There was a large desk located in the center of the room. A small microcomputer lay on the desk. On each of the corners of the room sat small glass tables. On each of the glass tables sat a bouquet of flowers in the latest V.A.S.E.--Tech vases. Something was very odd about those flowers. They looked different. It seemed like something was on them; something that seemed to be watching each and every move. The man approached the vase of flowers. As he got closer, something he learned in Spy Academy came to his mind. He was taught that some spies implanted small mini-cams or micro-mikes into the stigma of flowers! He quickly removed the mini-cams and mini-mikes from the flowers with his multi—tool. He began searching the room for Cats Paw. He spotted a silver ring on the floor. The ring was small and worthless. The man reached down to pick it up, but instead of picking up the ring, he picked up a small trap door! Beneath the door was a small wrap-around stairway, which seemed to lead to a door at the bottom. The man slowly descended the stairs. When he reached the bottom he heard voices through the door.
"Are you sure you lost him?" a man's voice asked.
"I'm positive. Just check the Cam-Screen " another man said.
"Its blank! He didn't lose you! Why, he could be listening to us right now! Hurry, check the door!" the man said.
The man behind the door heard footsteps coming closer and closer. His heart beat faster and faster. He had no choice but to be captured. The door opened. In front of him stood Cats Paw.
"Well, well, well. It’s my friend Mr. Thomas Johnson. I’ve been wondering where you were."
"Well, if it isn't my friend Cats Paw." Tom frowned, then winked.

"Yes, it's me." Cats Paw said.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but I need to tie Mr. Jones up for awhile," A man behind Cats Paw spoke in a deep voice. As he stood, Tom could see how the man looked. He was a very large man, dressed in a tuxedo. He had a mustache that looked like he waxed each day, and his black hair was slicked back. The standard Bad Agent. With a gun. And rope. There was nothing for Tom to do. The man grabbed Thomas Jones and began tying him up.

***

"Why are you tying me up?" Thomas Jones demanded.

"I'm tying you up so you won't follow me to my MAIN headquarters," the man replied. " But you get to stay here and sit awhile until somebody finds you. But by then, it might just be to late."

"No!" Tom Jones yelled at the man.

No!" the man mimicked in a whiny voice, “You don’t want to starve? Well, okay. I’ll just get it over with quickly. Cats Paw, the bomb.”

“Yes, sir.” Cats Paw walked to the back of the dark room and disappeared.

“Mr. Jones, for your sake, I’ll tell your friends where you are, but when they find you and open this door. You and your friends will be dead.
O, yes, by the way, my name is Big Jim. Audios, amigo!”

He laughed an evil laugh as he slammed the door shut.

***

“What am I gonna’ do?” Tom thought. “I’m a top spy in the world and I get caught on my first assignment.” He sighed. Then grinned.

Tom Jones was a man of great intelligence. That’s one of the reasons he was recruited to the CIA. His first mission had been to bust a ring of jewelry smugglers. He had had great success on that mission, and had been assigned a bigger and harder mission. The one he was on now. The XSPY building was known as a place of deep secrets, hidden doors, and counter-spies. You couldn’t trust anyone in the building. The CIA needed information on a certain man on floor 54, office 234. The office he was in now. And the man he was investigating had caught him. And was threatening to kill him—and his friends.
Tom looked around for a way to escape. The room was bare on all sides, with a staircase in the middle. He was underneath the metal stairs. Facing forward he saw a black wall—which was probably really blue. Behind him there were stairs. To his left were more walls. But to his right he thought he could see the door Cats Paw had gone through.

“Cats paw!” he thought. “Why did I forget him?”

Tom decided to wait.

***
After three hours Cats Paw had still not come back. And why should he? He was a counter-spy, supposedly hired by the CIA, but maybe this “Big Jim” fella really hired him? Could it be that—no…Tom wouldn’t think about it anymore. He stretched his neck to look at his watch. 6:46 PM. The wait continued. Then suddenly, the door on the right clicked open and a man walked toward Tom. Cats Paw!

“Man I though you’d never come!” Tom exclaimed. “What took you so long.”

“The usual.” Was Cats Paw’s short reply. He leaned over to untie Tom.

“I was doubting if you were really for us,” Tom admitted as he stood up.

Cats Paw frowned, “No need to worry Jones. The CIA can count on their top spy. No matter what happens, trust me.”

“Alright—so what’s the situation?”

Cats Paw frowned again, “Big Jim is an international “secrets seller”, gaining information from all his double-agents. He then uses the info he receives and sells them to world nations. For a huge price. He’s got lots of people working for him—somewhere around 40 agents all spread our within different agencies. I’ve already uncovered the double agents within the CIA, but we’ve left them alone, so as not to raise suspicion with Big Jim. He’s moved to his main location—which even I’m not aware of. So basically, our mission is to track him down and get the info about his other agents that we need.”

“But what about the bomb in here?”

Cats Paw grinned, “It was just a sleeping gas bomb. It would have just knocked you out for a couple hours. No real bomb.”

Tom grinned for the first time that day, “Whew! I’m glad he was just trying to scare me!”

Cats Paw’s grin faded, “We have to watch out though—he does have real bombs and can do real damage if we’re not careful.”

“Gotcha! No where to?”

“We get out of here, hop on a plane, and head for D.C.,” Cats Paw turned to the door, “We have a meeting with the president.”

Tom’s grin reappeared as he walked out behind Cats Paw. This was gonna’ be awesome!

CCM

2005-01-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

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