RESTLESS
Restless-Episode 28(Agents Steve and Evelyn )
Story By
Oyin Oluwatosin Emmanuel.
The FOX Corporation, EPA Hill
Bexford, Anthanna.
All dressed in black suits and white inner shirts, eight agents stood side by side on straight line. Standing in front of them was the Chairman, he was with the grey haired Agent and Agent Elkim.
The Agents lined in front of the executives consisted of six men and two ladies. One of the two ladies was standing at the rear at the left side while the other was standing at the center. They had their attention fixed on the executives and seemed to be waiting for some sort of judgement.
“Step out Agent Evelyn, ” Paul Edwards said in a commanding tone.
The female agent standing at the center stepped forward and remained at an alert position.
“You mobilized seven of your team members and launched an operation without the getting direct permission from your leader, three innocent people lost their lives in the operation and the FOX has no credible explanation to make. What excuses to you have to give for this careless step you took?” Paul Edwards asked in an angry tone.
Agent Evelyn stared for a second into the eyes of her angry looking boss. He was some inches taller than her, his well built body was still perfectly in shape even at sixty one years of age. He had a clean shaven head and no single strand of beards but still looked handsome and so strong the for a sixty year old man.
Evelyn Alexander was a twenty seven year old female agent. She had good heights for a lady and a well formed body. She had graduated from the Anthanna Military School at the age of eighteen after distinguishing herself as a an excellent student. She joined the FOX training institute and completed the one year training mandated for all graduates of the Military School recommended to join the FOX. Seven years of being in the FOX, she excelled greatly and always found herself being preferred by senior agents.
“You’re not talking, are you deaf?” Paul Edwards slammed at her when she kept quiet and began to stare at the ground.
She raised her head and looked at his face.
“Sir, we had sixteen terrorists who died in that operation and we made two arrests. We were also able to stop two planned major explosions. The civilians who died were not killed by us but by the terrorists.” She said in defense of her actions.
“Your operation caused their deaths,” Paul Edwards slammed. “And the FOX is being held responsible for killing the innocent men.”
“Sir, while it hasn’t been proven whether those men were innocent or not. There was nothing we could have done to avert their deaths, and many more would have died if I did not lead the operation.”
Paul Edwards paused to take in a breath, he knew she was saying the truth. Her boldness in replying him was however annoying to him and the non-remorseful look on her face also made him more willing to punish her.
“What gave you the boldness to launch the operation without direct orders from your leader?”
“It was urgent, Agent Steve was in a meeting with the board and all our efforts to reach him were unsuccessful. If we had wasted more time, we would have lost the opportunity to make any arrest or stop their planned attack. This appears like the biggest success we’ve recorded since this team was assembled.”
“Shut the bleep up! What you did was an act of insubordination and it’s a proof that you can do worse.” Paul Edwards fumed. He kept quiet for a while in order to gain composure. “Listen, I’m not suspending or penalizing you because you arrested two people, but any other act of insubordination from you henceforth will attract disciplinary action.”
She heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that she would escape punishment, and bowed her head in silence. Her lips moved like she wanted to mumble a “thank you” but no words came out.
“I must however commend you for taking the audacious step and for having that confidence,” he added in a less harsh tone.
Evelyn quickly looked up on hearing his words. She watched him continue speaking but his face carried an expression totally different from what his words.
“We made the first arrest after sixty days, it’s a commendable effort. Next time, what you need to do to avoid trouble is to make sure you get permission from your leader.”
“Thank you sir,” Evelyn curtsied. Her face loosened up a bit but a smile refused to speak.
“And you all,” Paul turned his gaze to the men behind her. “You should know you are not supposed to follow orders that did not come directly from your team leader and it’s interesting that some of you are seniors to Agent Evelyn.” He paused for a second. “You won’t be punished this time around because the operation worked, you’d however get a punishment next time it repeats itself. Do you understand me?”
“Yes sir,” the men chorused.
“You can leave now,” he ordered and watched as they turned one after the other. Evelyn stepped back and waited for the rest to proceed to the door first. She then looked at Paul’s face again and saluted him before following the rest of her team members.
Agent Samuel, the grey haired man turned to Paul Edwards as soon as Evelyn closed the door.
“Don’t you think it is dangerous to leave this female Agent in the team?” Agent Samuel asked.
“It could be,” Agent Elkim joined in. “But we have to watch her carefully and see if she doesn’t break ranks anymore.”
“There has to be a better reason to take her off,” Paul Edwards said with a chuckle as he turned back and headed towards the exit door behind. “No one removes an Agent from the team after achieving a major milestone in the case.”
“So, are we still going to have Agent Steve lead the team?” Sam asked as they got closer to the door.
“Yea, he had no hand in what happened.”
Agent Elkim stepped forward and opened the door for Paul to step out first, he followed after and Sam followed.
Location: Interrogation Room, FOX Corporation.
The interrogation table stood at the center of the room with two chairs each at the opposite sides. Recording cameras were hung at the corners of the room except the one where the front door was, the other door was at the center of the wall at the right wing wall.
Agent Steve and Evelyn sat at one side of the table while a man dressed in the prison uniform sat at the other side, two unformed police warders stood on both sides of the criminal, giving him a space of about one metre. The other chair beside the prisoner seat was empty.
“Judas, why don’t you let’s make things easy for you? Tell us where to find who created the device we saw with you,” Agent Steve said in a calm voice to him.
“I told you all I know already, I don’t know where to find him. He reaches out to us and gives us instructions when he wants to,” Judas replied.
“And you really want us to believe that?”
“I’ve been saying this since yesterday, you have to believe it because it’s true.” he insisted.
“I would not like to torture you again tonight, so I’d advise you say the truth.”
“You can torture me hard but it won’t change the truth.”
“Judas,” Evelyn joined in, staring into the interogatee’s eyes with calmness and with a reassuring look, to make him feel more comfortable with her. “That dude gave you an explosive device and he asked you to install it in the company where you work, he wanted to explode the place and kill several people. And you know, that’s what the invisible terrorists have been doing.” She paused and leaned forward before she continued. “If we don’t stop him, he’d do the same to several other organizations but if you allow us stop him by telling us all we need to know, we can end this terrorism ravaging the nation once and for all.”
Judas sighed. He knew absolutely nothing and the Agents were expecting to get tangible information from him. There was no way he wasn’t going to be tortured again like he was tortured the day before.
“I don’t know any other thing about him apart from the ones I told you already.”
The two Agents rested back and watched him silently for a while. Then Agent Steve leaned forward again. “The Multi Marketing Network, how did you come across it?”
“It was introduced to me by a friend, he told me it only involved recruiting more professionals online.”
“Which of your friends are you talking about?”
“Salmon Ali,” he replied.
“Where does Salmon Ali live and where does he work?” Agent Steve continued with the interrogation while Agent Evelyn did the writing of important points.
“He lives in Bexford and works in Century Networks.”
“Century networks?” Steve and Evelyn muttered under their breaths simultaneously.
“Yes, Century networks.”
They exchanged glances. Century networks was one of the companies that had been affected by explosion in the past weeks.
__________________________
Paul Edwards’ Residence.
Ruthernard, Bexford.
Time: 21:19PM
“But honey, the poor boy cannot continue hiding all his life,” Mrs Edwards replied back in a loud voice, following behind Paul who was walking angrily through the hallway.
Paul stopped at the entrance of the hallway and turned.
He raised his brows at the woman. “Has anyone said he should hide all his life?” he asked and waited for a response from her. She couldn’t answer. “He is only supposed to stay away until everything is solved, he shouldn’t be coming to Bexford like nothing is happening.”
“His father said he had to see his Doctor,” the woman replied.
“Doctor my foot! Aren’t there doctors everywhere else? There are doctors where he can not be recognized, he should not be here in Bexford at all.”
“I’m sorry honey, but he’s here already. We only have to make sure he isn’t seen by anyone else.”
“He’s leaving Bexford tonight,” Paul said and continued into the living room.
“What are you going to do Paul? Force his father to take him out of Bexford? Remember he’s only our grandson and only the father has the right to what his son would do.”
He turned again to her. “If I have to force his father I would. You are yet to understand this,” Paul complained bitterly. “The whole world thinks the boy is dead but the men that carried out the bomb attack must not find out that he was not in the hostel that night. Once he is seen again, he would become a target for them.”
“God forbid!”
“Oh yeah, you see why he has to leave Bexford tonight?”
To be continued
EPISODE 29
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