"Any questions," Director Roy had asked.

Questions. Agent Calloway had a thousand of them, but given the polite but firm way that the Director had avoided giving a direct answer to her question about this mysterious Agent Smith, and given that the rest of the questions she wanted to ask were on that very subject, there seemed very little point. She left the office with the Director's warning still ringing in her mind. Just what was that warning meant to convey?

The file Agent Smith had handed her. Calloway had taken note of the label on it. It had been her file. If this man were truly as dangerous as the Director had seemed to suggest… As she pondered the implication of that, she had the sudden and only slightly irrational urge to call home and remind her sons to keep their eyes open and always be on guard. But, of course, she reminded herself, they knew that and they knew how to take care of themselves.

"Agent Calloway." The voice came from directly behind her. She spun around, half expecting to see Agent Smith. Instead, she found Training Director Peters walking down the hall toward her.

"Hello," she said, adjusting her voice down an octave, then stifling a laugh at her own transparency. "What are you doing here?"

Peters waved the stack of files he was carrying. "Meeting."

"Going to or coming from?"

"Coming from. You?"

"I'm on my way to see Unit Director Thacker." She nodded at the door they were standing by. "Listen, I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask you. If you have a few minutes, this meeting shouldn't take me very long." Questions about Agent Smith, she mused silently, yeah, right. Well, maybe she would come up with some legitimate excuse in the next five minutes.

Peters consulted his watch. "Yeah, I have a little time."

"Good," she said with a smile and a wink. "Be right back." Calloway turned and went into Thacker's office.

---

Back to titles