Cameron Poe - Red Agenda

The picture fizzled and dropped to static.

“That was the last in the chain to remain over that port. I can either bring ODIS back to the port, or he can stay over the water and watch the parking lot. Which will it be?”

Kenneth hesitated as he pondered the submarine. “Keep it in the water. Log in any new subs they take out there. I’ll worry about the barges later.”

“One question, Admiral. What would happen if one of those cargo ships exploded?”

“Let’s just say that the East Coast would have new beachfront property when the ice cap melted.”

George was up at the crack of dawn, finishing his three-mile jog. A few women were out with their children. That was all. He dragged himself up the last incline to his flat and snatched the morning paper off the sidewalk. First time that had been there before ten. Since Gulf War I, everyone who was not of direct Kuwaiti descent was forced to leave. This mostly meant the people who did the menial tasks—garbage men and delivery people, etc. Services never ran as smoothly thereafter.

He sat at his table sipping juice and flipping through the paper when a note dropped out; George knew the code like his first language. He gulped as he read it.

Follow him. More details needed .

He hated what he saw. He knew that little scrap of paper was going to lead to something bad. Shit. He leaves tomorrow, and I don’t even have an excuse to go. It doesn’t matter , he told himself. It will be a wash, and then it’s back to the States for good. Just hang in there for little while longer . He glanced at his retirement day on the calendar and worried.

Levi hopped through the door at Morgan’s Flowers and immediately covered his mouth with a handkerchief. He was allergic to flowers. He didn’t know which ones, exactly, so he opted to stay away from as many as possible. Needless to say, the florist was not his favorite place.

Beth Rudnick sat on a small stool arranging a basket. He slowly made his way toward her, noting where the other patrons in the shop stood. When he felt secure, he spoke.

“Nice day.”

“I heard you coming a mile away,” scoffed Beth. “You don’t realize how much attention that stupid cane of yours attracts. Very amateurish, don’t you think?”

“All right, you made your point.”

“Let me guess what you’re here for. A dozen roses, and you want to kiss and make up with your little girl,” she chided.

“I accept you. I may not understand you, but I say live and let live.”

“Sure you do, Dad. That’s why you’re here. Because you accept me . Certainly not because you want to ask me if Sharon has said anything about her boss.”

Levi scanned the store again. “You’re on the payroll. Don’t you feel that since we pay you, you should deliver?”

“You pay me, Dad. The CIA knows nothing about our little arrangement. You pay me so you can stay on top. You always need to know who your competition is.”

He tried to keep their conversation as quiet as possible. “That is none of your goddamn business. The company is not as unified as it once was. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. It’s a dangerous time. Botched operations, and a whole assortment of other things that I’m trying to prevent.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Spare me, Levi. You want to make sure you’re the one sitting on top of the totem pole. You don’t give a damn about people. Including me.”

He ground his teeth and flexed his hands, trying to control his temper. Beth always could push his buttons. When she was growing up, Levi went out of his way to try to arrange everything for her. It was simple. Basically, if she did what he said, she would be set for life. He sent her to the best schools and bought her expensive presents, several cars, etcetera…He even found her the perfect man to marry. When that didn’t work, and her true sexual identity was known, Levi arranged for her to meet the woman of her dreams, Sharon. For that, he thought Beth owed him. Being an outside force on practically all of Sharon’s opportunities, he was successful in positioning her as Dan Archer’s secretary. This, Levi knew, would be of great help to him.

It was a constant game of poker speaking with his daughter. She never gave anything up easily. There were two things he held over her head. One was money, and the other was her situation with Sharon. If he had to, he would threaten to expose everything to Sharon and make it sound like Beth was using her. Beth hated him for that. She needed the money, and she needed Sharon. They were the two things in her life that made it stable.

“I’m not going to get into this with you,” he growled. “I can always arrange to have you taken off the payroll.”

Beth turned to him, venom seething from her. She was irate. Not because of the threat, but because she knew what would be next. “That won’t be necessary, Father! She hasn’t mentioned anything. She only made some comment about the Middle East and that you had spoken with Dan.”

“Nothing else?”

“No. Other than that she thinks you’re a snake.”

“That’s her opinion.”

“I’d like to tell her how right she is.”

Levi righted himself, signaling the end to the conversation. “Don’t be such a stranger, dear. Stop by for dinner sometime. But call first.”

“Right, Dad.”

“Next time I’m not coming to this shop. You know that my allergies can’t stand the flowers.”

“Then you won’t see me. This is where I work. If you want to see me, then you have to come here.” It was the only way for Beth to strike back at her father anymore. It gave her some satisfaction, however small.

Levi decided to leave the conversation where it lay. He knew that Beth could be a valuable source if the situation in Kuwait expanded. He wanted as much information on Dan’s operations as possible, and he didn’t need Beth to clam up on him.

The summer was exasperatingly slow. The boats were always in need of repair. It mattered little, as tourism for this summer was the worst he had experienced in fifteen years. No more than two vessels of the four were operating at any one time. Andri had overheard his cousin remark to his wife that if Andri had not been a relative he would have let him go. The fact that Andri was there at all, for such a long time, perplexed his cousin. The cousin never asked, but it was always in the air between the two: Why? Why was Andri content being a simple pilot on a charter business?

Not only did Andri pilot the small crafts during the day, but at night, he stayed up and repaired most of the problems. It was therapeutic at first. Something like returning to nature. His body became strong, and he walked a little taller, but it was beginning to wear thin. He needed to be challenged.

He longed for the old Soviet shipyards and design rooms. He ached for his position on top of a submarine sail. Patience , he thought.

“Someday,” he whispered. “Soon.”

“What?” the woman yelled. “What the hell are you talking about, you fool?”

The woman had awakened Andri from his trance. He remembered her. Her thirteen-year-old brat had begun vomiting halfway through the tour, and she hadn’t stopped screaming at him since. Her son was still retching over the side as they docked.