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The private jet was several hours out of Chicago
, and its passengers were getting restless.
“How long until we get to Las Vegas, Zach?” asked twelve year-old Annie Johnson. She was leaning back in the
padded leather seat, with her feet up on the seatback in front of her. “Even
Moose is getting bored.”
“No I’m not,” responded the big kid who sat across
the aisle. Moose Jacobs was occupied playing videogames on the unit built into
the next seatback. The game controller in his hands was wired into his seat’s
armrest.
“You’d be bored if you didn’t have any videogames to
play,” Annie retorted. “What about it, Zach? When do we get there — and
why are going to Las Vegas, anyway?”
Zach Taylor turned in his seat and looked back at his two
best friends. Zach was a typical twelve year-old, with an unruly mop of
reddish-blonde hair atop his lanky frame.
Where other kids his age were spending their summers
swimming and taking vacations, Zach spent his summer working—as a special
operative for a top-secret department of the U.S.
government called the Agency. This trip wasn’t a vacation. The three of them
were on their way to
Las Vegas
on a secret mission, at the request of Zach’s boss, the mysterious Director.
“I don’t know, Annie,” Zach replied to the
brown-haired girl behind him. “Uncle Mike didn’t tell me what the mission
was about. He said the Director would be briefing us.”
Zach’s Uncle Mike McManus was a lead operative for the
Agency. When he was on assignment, his code name was Agent M2. Zach’s code
name was Agent Z.
“Well, I just wish I knew what we’re in for,” Annie
complained. “The last time the Agency asked us to help out on a mission we had
to fight that Chinese gang. And deal with that mad scientist guy who
wanted to blow up
Chicago
with his death ray thingie.”
Zach thought back to his last mission. He and his friends
had prevented the evil Mr. Falcon and his operative, Dr. Brookston Fowler, from
firing the death ray on the city of
Chicago
. They’d also made a new friend on that case, Mai Ling. Her father was being
blackmailed by a gang of Chinese smugglers.
What was strange about that assignment was that they got
help from the Finisher. The Finisher was a notorious international arms dealer
who was high on the Agency’s most-wanted list. Zach wasn’t sure about the
Finisher. Was he really a bad guy, or did he have a good streak? Uncle Mike said
the Finisher was one of the world’s most dangerous criminals, and not to be
trusted.
Still, Zach thought to himself, he did help out
on that last case…
Just then, the video monitor in the seatback in front of
him came to life. From Moose’s sounds of annoyance, Zach guessed that all the
monitors on the plane were turned on and tuned into the coming broadcast. After
a few seconds of static, a face appeared onscreen.
“Good afternoon, Agent Zed,” came a voice from the
speaker. The voice was clipped and British, and matched perfectly with the thin,
angular, slightly lined face onscreen. This was the Director, the head of the
Agency. He was the one who gave Zach his secret agent assignments.
“I trust you and your friends have had a pleasant flight,
hmm?” the Director began. He was speaking directly into the camera. “As you
are aware, you are flying via private jet to the city of
Las Vegas
,
Nevada
. You are assigned to
Las Vega
for the duration of this mission, which I shall relay to you shortly. First,
some background.”
He paused for just a moment.
“On Tuesday, week last, at approximately two minutes past
midnight
, there was a daring escape at the Federal maximum security prison in
Georgia
. The escape was effected by an airship equipped with sleeping gas and bazookas.
The airship — what you Americans call a blimp — landed inside the
prison yard and made away with three prisoners. When the blimp was fired upon by
guards, the gondola was converted into a helicopter. The helicopter then made a
high-velocity escape from the prison compound. Quite interesting, hmm?”
Onscreen, the Director raised one gray eyebrow. Then he
continued talking.
“One of the escaped prisoners has been identified as
Bulldog Brown, aged thirty five. Mr. Brown had been arrested, tried, and
convicted for his part in the aborted terrorist attack on Disney World several
months ago. You remember Mr. Brown from that assignment, I’m sure. Hmm?”
Zach looked back at Annie and Moose. They both nodded in
recognition.
“The other two escapees,” the Director continued,
“were associates of Mr. Brown, and members of the White Dove Liberation Front.
As you recall, the leader of that terrorist group was a Mr. Russell Bensonhearst.
Mr. Bensonhearst is still missing, by the way. Presumed dead, actually,
subsequent to his fall from a hijacked blimp. That happened during a
confrontation with you, Agent Zed, hmm?”
“Yes, sir,” Zach replied. “He fell through a hole
I’d cut in the blimp’s gondola. While Annie and I were questioning him about
the space shuttle.”
“Yes, the space shuttle,” the Director recalled.
“Nasty business, that. It turned out that the terrorist attack was merely a
diversion. The larger plan was to shoot down the space shuttle while it was
landing at
Cape Canaveral.
That shuttle scheme was planned by Bensonhearst’s superior, the criminal
mastermind we know only as Mr. Falcon. I wonder if Bensonhearst knew that he was
being used by Falcon, hmm?”
The Director paused for a moment. He briefly referred to
some papers in front of him, then continued.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been tracking
Mr. Brown since his escape. They believe he is currently located somewhere in
the
Las Vegas
area. Your assignment, Agent Zed, is to work with the local FBI office to track
down Mr. Brown and his fellow escapees, then return them to custody. You three
were chosen for this mission because of your prior experience with the escapees.
You have first-hand information about Mr. Brown that should prove useful in his
pursuit and subsequent capture, hmm? Any questions?”
Before Zach could reply, Moose spoke up.
“Mr. Director, sir? I have a question.”
“Mr. Jacobs, is it?” the Director responded, then
nodded to himself. “What is your question, my boy?”
“Um, I was just wondering. You see, my uncle and my
cousin both live in
Las Vegas
. I was wondering if I’d be able to see them while we’re there. That’s my
question, Mr. Director, sir.”
The Director’s lips turned up in a slight smile.
“Yes, Mr. Jacobs, I am sure that can be arranged. This
should be a fairly easy assignment for the three of you, I would think. It’s
likely that you will have some free time in which to meet with your relatives.
I’ll mention this to Agent M2, and he can work out the details when he meets
you at the airport in
Las Vegas
. Any other questions, hmm?”
“I have a question, sir,” Annie interjected. “This is
Annie Johnson, and I want to know what kind of equipment we’ll have for this
mission.”
Zach rolled his eyes as the Director suppressed a
chuckle.
“The equipment assignment will be made by Miss April, as
per standard operating procedure. She will be contacting you shortly. Is that
satisfactory, Miss Johnson?”
“Yes, sir,” Annie replied, slinking back in her seat.
“Agent Zed, any questions from you?”
“No, sir,” Zach answered. “No questions.”
“Good,” the Director said. “Miss April and Agent M2
will provide more details on this mission when you land in
Las Vegas
. As always, good luck and God speed.”
With that, the briefing was finished, and the video
monitors went to black. |