Page 2 of Code Name: Reaper
“I need coalition resources for an extraction,” I announced, cutting straight through whatever meeting we’d interrupted.
“Hello, Reaper. Blackjack.”
The voice belonged to Wren Whittaker, who stood near the main display. Her unassuming appearance masked the reputation that made experienced operatives respect her opinions without question. Widely considered one of the best agents who ever lived, she handled high-level intel for the coalition, delivering news that could reshape missions and even government policies.
“Excellent timing,” she said without missing a beat. “I’ve just received critical information from the NSA director, concerning Agent Beaudoin.”
Wren had been the one who arranged for Amaryllis to join forces with the coalition during a search for another agent, Edgar Hyde, code name Jekyll. At the time, Amaryllis’ reasons for wanting to collaborate were that the circumstances of the missing agent she was looking for—Dr. Suzanne Henning—were similar to Jekyll’s.
It had been twenty-five days since she opened the door when I arrived at the safe house in Budva. In that short amount of time, I’d made decisions for reasons no one else could fathom, for reasons I didn’t understand myself.
When Wren cleared her throat, I raised my head. As our gazes met, her brow furrowed. “The director requested I inform the team that, based on their latest intel, the NSA now presumes Amaryllis to be dead.”
“What proof do they have?” asked Gunner Godet. I hadn’t noticed him when we walked in, and I should have. The man was a founding partner of K19 Security Solutions, the firm that had given me the assignment with the coalition. Until now, they’d been my official employer. However, that might change soon. No doubt his reason for flying halfway across the world was to fire me.
“Overhead surveillance identified what appears to be a shallow grave at the coordinates of her last known location,” Wren replied. “They’re sending a team for confirmation, but the initial analysis suggests the timeline matches her disappearance.”
I took a look around the room for the first time since we came inside, stunned that no one seemed surprised to see me. “When was this footage taken?”
Wren checked her tablet. “Ten hours ago.”
“The intel is wrong.” I pulled out my phone. “I received a transmission after that.” I’d read her message to myself repeatedly; this time, I read it aloud. “Aldrich is coming for me. She knows about the proof. Trust no one from Minerva. Save Mercury first.”
Mercury—aka Dr. Lyra Carrington, aka Suzanne Henning—was Amaryllis’s missing mentor. The woman had vanished almost seven months ago, resulting in Amaryllis’ request to collaborate with our team.
“Agent Beaudoin uncovered evidence that a traitor within Minerva Protocol has been passing critical information to an FSB-backed SMO called Romanov,” I continued. “Intel that could jeopardize every one of the coalition’s missions.”
“Jekyll suggested the same thing.” Kima Sakari’s, code name Delfino, search for her stepfather had brought us all to this point. “According to him, the corruption goes to the very top.”
“For anyone here who’s unaware, Romanov is the network that evolved from Argead after Irish Warrick and his team”—I paused, nodding at the man—“dismantled Nicholas Kerr’s corruption syndicate.” The former Interpol president and MI5 director, and the organization he’d founded, were responsible for decades of agents’ and operatives’ deaths. “The Russians studied how Argead worked and was taken down, then built a more sophisticated network.”
I approached Wren and handed her the drive I carried with me. She loaded it into her laptop, and moments later, the contents appeared on the main display.
Irish turned to me. “What are we looking at, Agent Black?”
“Amaryllis’ intel,” I responded.
Wren opened the first file, and a surveillance photo time-stamped three days ago appeared on the screen. It was a shot of Dr. Eleanor Aldrich—code name Prism and the founder of Minerva—standing in an abandoned warehouse, passing documents to Nikolai Vasiliev, the head of SMO Romanov.
“This took place prior to the meeting Hornet and I had with her,” said Delfino.
The second file Wren opened contained encrypted correspondence between Prism and Vasiliev. The text discussed the “elimination of Mercury” as a “necessary precaution.”
“Aldrichplanned to kill Carrington?” Devin Zak, code name Hornet and my closest friend, gasped.
“She may already have,” Irish added grimly.
“Yesterday, Aldrich assigned us to find Mercury, saying Vasiliev was demanding an exchange—her for Ilya Popov. She even showed us proof of life,” Hornet told him.
“It’s a setup,” Irish continued. “She’s sending you to find someone she’s probably already captured—or worse.”
“While I concur it’s a setup, I don’t agree that Mercury is being held captive or dead,” Wren responded. “The mostobvious reason why Aldrich engaged Hornet and Delfino is that shehasn’tfound her. It’s reasonable to take that a step further and suggest that the FSB is also on the hunt, most likely with Aldrich’s help.”
Irish nodded. “I follow your logic.”
Blackjack’s eyes met mine from across the room. “Not only is Amaryllis in danger but, as Reaper said, the intel she possesses jeopardizes the mission objectives of this coalition. We need to find her before they do.”
“Reaper and Blackjack are right,” Wren agreed. “Romanov has been our primary target for weeks. It sounds to me like Amaryllis has sufficient intel to bring them and Prism down.”
