“Perfect.”
Find a scientist’s secret…whatever it is, with no leads as to its whereabouts. Save her from a barbaric group of terrorists. Kill said terrorists. Get the woman back to safety. And all in around sixty hours. Oh, and survival is a bonus.
Good to be back in the game, he thought cynically.
Something still bothered him. "They made that video public."
"Correct."
"But if I'm their plan B, that means they've reached out to our government with their demands aside from that encrypted message."
"Bingo."
"Which means if I find what they're looking for, we have a way to contact them?"
"Right again."
Sean shook his head. "I was kind of hoping I could ease back into things with you," he said in a weary voice.
Emily laughed. "You know it doesn't work that way."
She was right. He did know.
Might as well dive right into the fire, he thought.
5
Sean shuddered and woke abruptly as Emily guided the car out of a mountain tunnel and into the outskirts of Lucerne. He'd leaned his chair back a few hours before, with the permission of his boss, and taken a nap. The journey from Frankfurt to Lucerne was drivable in just under four hours. It seemed like a long time to be in a car, even considering the speeds the Autobahn allowed.
He rubbed his eyes and looked around. During the course of the journey from Frankfurt into Switzerland, the weather had cleared up. The sun shone brightly in a nearly cloudless blue sky. The city of Lucerne had been built at the base of the Swiss Alps and next to Lake Lucerne. It was truly one of the most spectacular locations for a city he'd ever seen. The high mountain peaks of Pilatus, and Rigi farther off, accompanied by several other majestic hills surrounding the city, provided epic views from nearly every angle.
"Whoever the original settlers of this town were sure could pick the spots," Sean commented dryly.
"Indeed," Emily agreed. "You snored a little," she jabbed changing the subject.
"Did I?" He sounded embarrassed, but she knew better.
"Yeah, but that's good. Means you were tired and needed the rest."
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm starting to remember why I got out of all this running around the world crap."
"One day back on the job and you're already complaining again?" she continued her attack.
"No. And I've been working for the last week, just so you know." He tried to add a smattering of being insulted to his defense, but it had no effect on the director.
"I'm just giving you a hard time, Agent Zero." She twisted her head toward him and winked. He didn't respond, instead shaking his head and looking out the window again.
She navigated the traffic lights and around the Reuss River that wound its way through the middle of the bustling city. People filled the cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques lining the sidewalks along the riverfront. The famous Chapel Bridge spanned the river. It was one of the largest covered wooden footbridges in the world. Next to it, founded in the rushing water, was a hexagonal stone chapel.
The bridge suffered a great deal of damage in 1993 when a fire destroyed many of the old paintings that hung from the bridge's ceiling, but the structure itself remained intact, and renovation efforts had it looking like brand new. Red and white flowers lined the bridge's railing in long, wooden flower boxes.
Emily drove the car past the bridge and into the business center of the city. Banks seemed to occupy every corner in the downtown district, a symbol of Switzerland's dominance in the world of finance. Next to them, appropriately, were several jewelry stores and high-end clothiers, along with a few fancier restaurants.
Just past the center of town, Emily found a parking spot outside a tall, gray apartment building. A flat metal awning extended out over the entryway.
"This is Dr. Ott's apartment," Emily said. "And it's where I have to drop you off."
She handed Sean a key and a Post-it Note with a number on it. "That is the key to Ott's apartment, and the apartment number. Take a look around, and see if you can find anything."
"I'm sure the local police have already done a thorough job of screwing the place up."
"Probably. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It's the first place we should look. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a lead."
He had a precarious look on his face. "And if I don't?"
She shrugged. "Then we'll have to try another angle. For now, though, we don't have another angle. Let me know if you find anything. But keep communication to a minimum. Same protocol as before. You're pretty much on your own with this."
He gave a solemn nod. "Understood."
Sean opened the door and got out, and she exited the driver's side. He stood on the sidewalk for a second and took inventory of his surroundings. A busy coffee shop across the street served a few dozen people inside and six or seven on the streetside tables. A music store, a shop that sold women's clothing, a bakery, and another bank rounded out the opposite side of the road's buildings. He scanned the faces of the passersby, but no one seemed to be paying him any mind.
Emily hit the remote lock on the keys and tossed them over to Sean. He snatched them out of the air and glanced at her questioningly.
"I've got another ride," she said. A second later, a silver BMW of the same make zipped around the corner and stopped on the street. "This one doesn't belong to us," she said, pointing at the black sedan. "So don't be too rough on it." She thought about it for a second and changed her mind. "On second thought, go nuts."
Emily opened the passenger door to the silver car and got in.
He didn't say goodbye to his friend, instead closing the door and turning around to face the apartment building. The BMW's engine revved, and the driver whipped the car back into traffic. Sean watched as the car disappeared around the corner, turning right to loop around and head back toward Germany.
At least he wouldn't have to find a ride if he needed one. Even though it was late spring and sunny, the temperature was fairly cool, for which Sean was grateful since it meant he could wear a jacket and a shoulder holster for his pistol. Despite having a license to kill, he preferred not to telegraph the fact that he was armed to the entire populace of Switzerland. He'd rather not do that anywhere he went, but certain countries had a skeptical view of carrying weapons. The irony was that Switzerland had a stellar reputation for making quality guns.
He zipped up his black jacket a little tighter and headed for the apartment complex entrance.
Inside the metal-and-glass entrance, he found a wide foyer with black and white tiles lining the floor. Two sets of elevators were at the far end. To the right, a wall full of bronze mailboxes nestled between a few fake plants in what he assumed were fake Ming-style vases resting on the floor.
He glanced back down at the piece of paper in his hand: #529. Clutching the key in the same hand, he walked steadily over to the elevator and hit the call button. A second later, the doors to his left opened, and he pressed the button for the fifth floor.
The elevator ride was short. When the doors opened again, he found himself in a hallway that extended to the left and right. A sign with two arrows directed visitors as to which way each apartment grouping was located. The one he was looking for was to the right.
He made his way down the hallway. Silver light fixtures with matted glass cast a pale glow into the hall, combined with the sunlight from windows at each end. Sean counted the numbers until he reached the one marked 529. He slid the key into the lock and turned it cautiously. There had been situations in the past where other agents had barged into a locked room only to find a hit squad waiting for them. Sometimes, it wasn't as obvious as an unlocked door or evidence of forced entry. Sometimes, villains were clever. As he eased the door open, he simultaneously drew his pistol. This version of his Springfield XD was compact, with a lengthened grip on the clip for better stabilization. With no silencer attached, he prayed silently that he wouldn't have to use it. Firing a weapon like that in close quarters could do severe long-term damage to human hearing.