R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“Hello?” she asked excitedly.

“Alex,” said a woman in a smooth voice, “oh, thank goodness you answered. I know how much you hate those ‘unknown number’ messages, but that’s just how it is over here at the NSA now.”

“Hey, Mallory,” Alex said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Mallory Kauffman was a longtime friend of Alex’s who’d worked her way up the chain of command at the National Security Agency, ascending to the position of technology and systems directorate. She oversaw the development of new technology for intercepting messages by foreign and bad actors. And every once in a while, she leaned on her good friend for help.

“What’s wrong, Alex?” Mallory asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Don’t try to brush me off, Alex. I know we haven’t seen each other in a while since you moved away, but don’t act like we’re not friends. I can tell when something is bothering you.”

“I’m not really supposed to say.”

Mallory sighed. “I have a higher security clearance than you, and I’m calling from a secure line. I doubt it’s not something I don’t know about.”

“I can’t really divulge any details, but Hawk is on a mission and I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

“Oh,” Mallory said, sounding surprised. “I didn’t realize he was operational again.”

“He’s going to help a—” Alex caught herself, pausing before continuing. “He’s in a remote area and I’m supposed to help him when I can. But at the moment, I don’t even know if he’s alive.”

“I know that can’t be easy for you. I’m sure he’ll get in touch soon. Isn’t that how he always works?”

“I guess so, but that was before we had John Daniel. And I don’t want to be raising this kid alone. He needs my full attention right now, but my nerves are shot as I’m worried sick.”

“Okay, just relax. Are you sure I can’t help you?”

“Yeah, there’s nothing anybody can do right now, unless you want to re-task some satellites for me.”

Mallory chuckled. “Just like the good ole days, eh?”

“Well, now that you mention it, I always hesitated to get you to help because I didn’t want you to get in trouble. But now that you’re in director’s position—”

“I’ll do it,” Mallory said. “Just tell me where to point it.”

“I can’t,” Alex said with a sigh.

“Unless you’re working with Magnum, you can tell me anything.”

Alex remained silent.

“Okay, that explains it,” Mallory said. “I won’t press any more, but I can’t redirect any satellites unless you tell me where.”

Alex hesitated, unsure if she should reveal the name. “He’s in the center of a large cold country. Not sure if that gives you any idea, but that’s where those satellites need to be aimed.”

“Consider it done,” Mallory said.

“Thank you,” Alex said. “Now, what was it you wanted? I’m sure you didn’t just call to see if you could help me out.”

“Actually, I was calling to see if you could help me. But I can tell you’ve got a lot on your plate right now and I don’t want to trouble you.”

“No, no. It’s fine. In fact, maybe it’ll help me get my mind off of things.”

“Are you sure?” Mallory asked.

“Yes, of course. I need something to distract me, and I’m sure whatever you’re about to give me will do just that.”

“Great,” Mallory said. “We’ve got a mystery going on over here and we could use your analyst skills.”

Alex glanced over at John Daniel, who was dragging a couple of blankets across the living room floor in an attempt to build his third fort of the day. She sighed and shook her head, yielding the battle for the time being.

“I’ll be happy to dive in and help,” Alex said. “It’ll beat cleaning up five messes an hour while worrying about Hawk. Now, is there anything else I need to know before you send me the files?”

“Right now, we don’t have a whole lot to go on. But it’s quite obvious that someone has access to these cables and is sharing them openly with certain people in the international community. President Norris is—”

“Oh, the president knows about this?”

“Yeah, and he’s irate about it. That’s why there’s so much pressure to figure this out. And so far, all of our analysts have struck out in determining the source of this leak. But you’re the best, so I thought I’d at least ask you to help me. Well, beg really. I’m not above that. We need your help in the worst way.”

“I said yes already,” Alex said. “You don’t have to grovel.”

“But I will. This is a big deal and we need the best and brightest in the country working on it, even if those people don’t happen to live in Washington anymore.”

Alex laughed. “I do miss getting together for coffee.”

“Me too. But if you figure this out, maybe I’ll fly you back to the big city so we can grab a cup together and catch up on the past few years.”

“I’d like that,” Alex said. “But even if I don’t figure this out, you can still invite me. I’d love to visit you in Washington again.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Mallory said. “And I’m sending the files as we speak.”

The two women ended the call, and Alex turned to look at what mischief John Daniel was getting into. At first when she scanned the room, she didn’t see him as she was searching along the floor. That’s why she didn’t notice him standing on top of the counter preparing to dive headlong into a pile of pillows he’d amassed. He wore a cape and goggles and held his hands out in front of him.

“John Daniel, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked as soon as she noticed him.

She jumped out of her chair and ran toward him, but he’d already jumped. He looked at her with a devious smile before his soft landing gave way to a giggling fit. Alex stopped and joined him, laughing at his dangerous game. He was too much like his father, Alex thought, and she decided that letting John Daniel spread his wings—both figuratively and literally—was a better way to keep her sane than worrying over his every move.

She sat down at her computer and opened up the file Mallory had sent.

At first, Alex wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but as the hours ticked by, she noticed something.

Her eyes widened as she made the connection.

They’re never going to believe this.

Washington, D.C.

PRESIDENT NORRIS ENTERED the situation room at the White House and took a deep breath. While he’d been inside this room a handful of times before, the stakes had never been this high. During his tenure, the world at large had been at peace. There had been a few clashes between tribes in Africa, a few separatist groups stirring up trouble with Russia, a terrorist bombing in Paris. But that was it. Given all that had transpired during the previous two administrations, none of those conflicts were hardly worth mentioning.

However, today was different. A sense of angst and uncertainty marked the mood in the room. Huddled in a nearby corner were the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while other cabinet members stood clustered against the far wall.

Once everyone recognized the president, their conversations stopped.

“Let’s have a seat, everyone, and see if we can figure this thing out,” Norris said, taking his seat at the head of the table.

He scanned everyone seated at the table. With a slew of advisors sitting alongside military personnel, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to get them to reach a consensus about anything. Fortunately, he wasn’t trying to get everyone to agree. He simply wanted to hear what was happening so he could make an informed decision. After all, he was the one with the most to gain or lose by the fallout of his ultimate order.