Cloak and Dagger

She shook her head and mustered a slight laugh at herself as she knocked on the door, waiting for Cho Min to answer.

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Back in the secluded meeting room within the Langley headquarters, Henderson met with his cohorts Simmons and Cooper. While it was obvious that they had a problem, Henderson felt confident that the mission's objective had not yet been compromised. "Have we heard anything else from Agent Sinclair?" Simmons asked.

Henderson seemed to be searching for the words that would convey the confidence that he wished he felt, if only to mitigate the palpable fear that hung heavily in the room.

Cooper grew very impatient, "Henderson! We have to know what Sinclair knows and if she's been in contact with anyone else...if we don't..." Simmons cut him off.

"It's only a matter of time before Carpenter's office will find out that something is going on...if they haven't already," Simmons added.

"I understand what both of you are saying, but what we need right now are cool heads and some focus," Henderson stated, "Do we have anyone in Carpenter's office who we can trust?"

The three men thought for a few moments, but came up empty. Cooper became more and more agitated as the reality of what was happening began to sink in. Finally, he spoke up, "I think the time has come to abort this mission. I don't see how we can safely continue under the circumstances."

Simmons became livid, "Abort?! We can't possibly abort now...we have way too much invested in this little project and a huge paper trail to boot."

Henderson jumped in, "Besides that, if we don't follow through on this and get Carlisle and Dean the results they want, we won't get that promotion they promised."

"A promotion?" Cooper started, "You're worried about your precious promotion? At this point, we'll all be lucky if we're not publicly executed for this!" He shouted.

"You're being melodramatic, Cooper," Simmons interjected, "Henderson has a good point...if we can't handle this, Carlisle and Dean will never trust us with anything else."

"So we go back to being the ordinary agents that we were before we agreed to this...what's so bad about that?" Cooper asked.

Henderson stood up and slammed his fist against the table, breaking up the argument between Simmons and Cooper. "This isn't up for discussion!" he shouted. "We're seeing this mission through and we're going to make sure that no one in Carpenter's office interferes with..." Cooper interrupted him.

"And how do you propose to do that?" he asked. "We've already established that we don't have any allies in that office."

Henderson's anger was clear as he said with a clenched jaw, "Then we'll make an ally...but we will not abort this mission!"

Exasperated, Cooper stormed out of the room leaving Simmons and Henderson both fuming and anxious about Cooper's loyalty. Henderson called for his assistant.

"I want Cooper followed. I want every phone he uses tapped and I want updates on his every move," he ordered.

His assistant nodded as he noted everything Henderson wanted and left the two men.

"Should I be concerned, Henderson?" Simmons asked.

"Not yet," Henderson answered, "We'll get an ally and we'll keep a close eye on Cooper for now. If Carpenter has gotten any information, he won't know what to do with it. All of our communications with Agent Sinclair have been cryptic enough to keep him guessing for a while."

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Cho Min opened the door and stepped back, allowing Ava to enter. There was a mountain of unopened mail on her desk and she was obviously working on tackling it.

"You wanted to see me?" Ava asked.

Cho Min motioned for her to take a seat as she continued to open her mail, "Yes, Ava, I told Kyung Soon that I wanted to discuss tomorrow's schedule with you, but the truth is that I just wanted to see you," she said, glancing up to gauge Ava's response.

Ava sat almost motionless in her chair, searching for something to say. Cho Min had an undeniable hold over her, and hearing those words seemed to render her speechless. She was temporarily rescued when Cho Min continued her thought.

"I'm very interested in being with you," she stated, and Ava again felt the gravity of Cho Min's simple words. Her mind was still trying to come to grips with the situation, but she was finally able to put together a thought.

"I'm not sure that it would be a good idea for us to be involved, my being one of your employees," Ava explained, betraying all the signals her body was sending.

Cho Min went on attending to her mail, pausing to meet Ava's eyes. Not mere words, but paragraphs could be read in those eyes, and Ava felt tormented. She so wanted to explore a relationship with Cho Min, but found herself fighting a losing battle with her more rational side.

Cho Min came to a large manila envelope, and mumbled something about it's having no return address. She noted several stamps on the package and surmised that it must have come from North Korea. She opened the package, emptying its contents onto her desktop. Both women gasped in horror as their eyes were drawn to a single human finger lying on the desk. The finger was accompanied by a note which Cho Min snatched up immediately. Ava watched as she read the note and sank into her chair. Cho Min began crying and babbling, but Ava was able to make out what she was saying. She was repeating herself, saying, "They promised to leave my family out of this."

Ava stood up and took the note from Cho Min's hand. A single sentence in block lettering read, "Your mother suggests you speed up the operation."

Cho Min acknowledged that the finger bore a treasured family heirloom...a ring which had been in the family for at least two centuries.

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Cooper sat in his office contemplating his options. He could go along with Henderson and Simmons, but he believed that would only end up in disaster. His only other option was to get to Carpenter and somehow tip him off about the operation. He was suddenly filled with guilt over having involved Agent Sinclair, and instantly knew what choice he would have to make.

He reached for his phone and talked with his assistant, "I need you to get Carpenter's office on the phone for me," he said.

"Yes, sir." Replied his assistant, and he made the call...but not before calling Henderson's office and informing him of Cooper's move.

Cloak and Dagger – Pt. 9

After receiving Agent Sinclair's reply, Carpenter knew that he and his staff were going to be battling against Henderson's staff in the race for information. He called in his assistant for an update.

"Tell me that we know something new," Carpenter said.

"I'm afraid not, sir," his assistant replied, "But we're still working on it. We have a tap on Henderson's phone and the intelligence headquarters has been alerted, so we'll be advised of any communication immediately."

Carpenter rubbed his temples and continued, "Send a message to Agent Sinclair, telling her what we know about Kyung Soon and Lopez."

His assistant stopped writing and asked, "Are you sure that's wise, sir?"

"I have no choice. If we're going to find out what this operation is all about, we'll have to provide her with every bit of information we have," Carpenter replied.

"And how should she handle any further communication from Henderson?" the assistant asked.

"Advise her to play along with Henderson for now. I don't want to put anyone in danger, but I have to know what role Henderson is playing in all this as well as who else is involved," Carpenter answered.

His assistant took down his instructions and then remembered Cooper's call to the office earlier.

"Sir, we received a call from Agent Cooper requesting an off-campus meeting with you," he explained.

"Cooper? Did he give any clue as to what he wants to meet about or why he wants to meet off-campus?" Carpenter asked.

His assistant shook his head, but then added, "The only thing he said was that he had information that he thought you might be looking for."

Carpenter never liked these covert meetings, but felt he had no choice...especially if Cooper had information about Henderson's activities. He told his assistant to set the meeting up for later that afternoon, and to schedule a briefing with the President.

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It suddenly became clear to Ava that Cho Min was an unwilling participant in this mission. She knew that she would have to reveal the fact that she was a CIA agent; if only to give her some hope that her family would be rescued.

She walked over to Cho Min and embraced her as she continued to sob almost uncontrollably. Fearing that the room might have 'ears,' Ava whispered in Cho Min's ear, "I'm an agent with the CIA, assigned to investigate your operation."

Cho Min froze and fear began to fill her teary eyes. Ava scrambled for some paper and a pen, and she wrote a note begging Cho Min not to be afraid...that she knew she was being forced to participate. She saw Cho Min begin to relax and wrote another note asking for all the information she had and promising to do everything she could to rescue her family. Cho Min took the pen and a fresh sheet of paper and, with a shaky hand, outlined the details of Henderson's plot for Ava.

The sudden realization that she was in the middle of such a devious and destructive plot filled Ava with horror, and she felt as if she might vomit. She caught a glimpse of the concern that flashed across Cho Min's face and forced herself to pull together. She took the pen back and wrote, "I will stop this, and I will get your family back."

She offered the reassuring note to Cho Min with a smile that she hoped would provide the comfort that her so-called adversary needed so desperately. Still shocked by the circumstances in which she found herself so completely engulfed, Cho Min managed a slight nod, and began scribbling another note. Ava read that Cho Min and her family used to be involved with the North Korean militants, but had recently defected safely to South Korea. Cho Min was abducted by a group of disenchanted South Korean soldiers who were in cahoots with certain congressional leaders and, by extension, Henderson and his cohorts. She met Henderson and the others as well as Kyung Soon and Lopez at a hastily thrown together meeting where they were told of the plot. Cho Min was told that if she declined, she would be sent back to North Korea...a certain death sentence for her. Kyung Soon and Lopez were told that their double-agent status would be revealed to the North Koreans...another certain death sentence...if they refused to cooperate.

Cho Min reiterated in her note that her family had never been mentioned by any of the conspirators. Ava suddenly felt the pain that Cho Min must have been feeling. It was strange, the connection she seemed to have with this woman, but she was able to see the thought process so clearly. Cho Min had been careful not to mention her family to anyone, hoping that if she just went through with the plan (the end result of which would be favorable for South Korea), she'd be reunited with them and they'd all be just a little safer. In her wildest dreams, she never imagined that her family would ever become involved...especially not to the point of being kidnapped and tortured. Ava knew and instantly understood the panic and terror that she saw in Cho Min's eyes.

With all being clear now, Ava met Cho Min's eyes and offered a look of empathy. Cho Min held her gaze with Ava, trying to remain her usual strong self even as her eyes filled yet again with tears, and her lips began to quiver. Ava wrapped her arms around Cho Min again; whispering calming words in her ear as she gently stroked her hair, and encouraged her to let everything out. When she sensed that Cho Min was calmer, Ava whispered, "My word is solid...I will get your family back. For the time being, we both have to play along and act as if none of this has happened...just until Langley decides how we should proceed."

Still in Ava's arms with tears rolling down her face and onto Ava's shoulder, Cho Min nodded in understanding. Ava stayed and held her tenderly as wave after wave of fear, anger and grief seemed to wash over her. While she continued holding her and whispering sweet, calming words to Cho Min, Ava felt an anger...no rage...building up from the pit of her stomach. She wanted to have a part in making the conspirators suffer.

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Henderson's assistant came flying into his office waving about a piece of paper and shouted, almost breathlessly, "We've got a tip, sir!"

Henderson, somewhat taken aback at the abrupt entrance of his assistant, motioned for him to sit. "What have you got for me, son?" he asked.

"We just got a call from George, uh...I mean Agent Cooper's assistant...and it seems that he placed a call to Carpenter's office and asked for an off-campus meeting on Cooper's behalf," the assistant explained.

Henderson sat up sharply in his big leather desk chair before asking, "Do we know where and when this meeting will take place?"

His assistant gestured toward the piece of paper he'd been flailing about earlier and said, "I got a printout of Cooper's schedule for the next two days. I thought..." Henderson interrupted him.

"Let me see that please," Henderson said as he leaned forward to snatch the paper from his assistant's hand.

He surveyed the schedule before him and then slammed it down on his desktop in frustration, "This doesn't tell me anything about a meeting with Cooper...You were supposed to bring me information I could actually use."

As Henderson rested his head in his hands, his assistant tentatively began speaking again, "If you'll look again, Cooper has a one hour block scheduled for something off-campus. We're not sure yet where he's going, but we do know when."

"Have we secured an ally in Carpenter's office yet?" Henderson asked.

His assistant nodded in the affirmative and added, "We're waiting for confirmation from our link in Carpenter's office. It's possible we'll have the location identified soon."

Henderson nodded and motioned for his assistant to leave. He reached for his phone and called Simmons.

When Simmons answered, Henderson began, "I think we have a problem with Cooper."

Simmons stammered for a second but was finally able to speak, "H-H-How do you mean?" he asked.

"He's set up a meeting with Carpenter...we don't have all the details yet, but I'm working on it," Henderson replied.

After a long pause, Simmons began shouting, "You're working on it? What the hell does that mean? For all you know, he's already spilled his guts to Carpenter and some glorified desk jockey is already preparing the warrants for our arrests!"

Henderson tried to calm Simmons, but he found himself getting another earful, "Clean this up now, Henderson...or we'll all hang!" Simmons shouted and slammed the phone back on its receiver.

Henderson sat back in his chair, attempting to hatch some foolproof way of getting out of the obvious mess that he and his associates were in. This wasn't the way he'd planned for the operation to proceed...in fact; it had seemed so simple, so perfect. Still, he was in a jam and needed to find some way out...and soon.

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After spending several minutes calming Cho Min, Ava whispered that she needed to make a report immediately so Carpenter would know the full extent of the plot. Cho Min pulled away and nodded in understanding as she watched Ava jot down another note. She read Ava's instructions to continue with the day's plans and looked back up at Ava with a tentative nod.

That incredible empathetic feeling Ava experienced moments earlier flooded over her again, and she reached up a hand to caress Cho Min's cheek. She moved in closer and kissed Cho Min...initiating the contact for the first time. It was a gentle kiss that she hoped conveyed at least a modicum of the feelings she had for Cho Min. She broke the kiss and wiped the tears from Cho Min's eyes before going to her room to make her report.

Since Carpenter had already sent some information to Ava, she found her Blackberry device blinking wildly at her as she entered her room. She logged in and read what she already knew about Kyung Soon and Lopez, and she was relieved that her reflex advice to Cho Min about going along with the plan was exactly what Carpenter had in mind. She settled at her desk with the notes she'd exchanged with Cho Min and put together an elaborate map of the plot and most of the players involved. As she reflected on the gravity of the message she'd just constructed, Ava felt consumed with anger and fury. She only hoped that the information she provided was going to be good enough to help Carpenter and the others diffuse the situation.

Cloak and Dagger Pt. 10

Henderson was still reeling from his explosive conversation with Simmons when his assistant buzzed him, saying that Congressman Dean was on the line. Panic immediately filled his mind as he tried to compose himself. He reached for the phone and answered, saying, "Yes, sir...uh, what can I do for you?"

No amount of effort could cover the obvious trepidation in Henderson's voice, and Dean was quick to notice it, "What's the problem, Henderson? You sound as though you're about to jump out of your skin over there," he commented.

Henderson cleared his throat and began, "A problem? Oh, no sir...uh, well we have sort of run into..." Dean interrupted him.

"Glad to hear it, because you will be meeting with us in an hour for a status update," he explained, "The usual meeting place...see you there."

With that, the conversation ended...leaving Henderson in an even bigger panic. He frantically called for his assistant and instructed him to employ the use of a 'sweeper'...in his mind, the only thing he could do to save the operation was to wipe out Cooper. Sweepers were agents trained for one reason...to take out any threats and 'clean up' any messes.

Henderson's assistant was dumbfounded, "A sweeper, but sir...they're only used in the most dire of situations," he explained.

Henderson sat wordlessly for a moment, seemingly digesting what his assistant had just said...but then responded in an almost nonsensical manner, "Cooper has to be stopped or the operation will fail. Then, what would I tell Dean and Carlisle?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I really don't think that Dean and Carlisle are who we need to be worrying about right now," his assistant replied, still completely befuddled by the train of thought (or lack thereof) of his boss.

Almost sarcastically, Henderson replied, "You're not paid to think unless I tell you to...Just get a sweeper assigned now!"

"But sir...Carpenter's office will..." his assistant tried to warn him, but was cut off by a wave of Henderson's hand.

He walked out of the office and completed his thought under his breath, "Carpenter's office will be the first to be alerted when a sweeper is activated."

He shook his head and made his way back to his desk to carry out Henderson's order.

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Carpenter's office was hectic with activity as Ava's report, including all the details she had gleaned from Cho Min, was being thoroughly evaluated. Ava had provided them with enough information, including a diagram of the facility she was in and a weapon's breakdown, that a counter-offensive mission was rapidly being pieced together.

It was while Carpenter was assembling the personnel and protocol for this mission that he received the 'sweeper alert.' Given the information he had, Carpenter knew that Cooper had to be the target. Their meeting wasn't for another hour, so Carpenter immediately dispatched agents to collect Cooper and place him in protective custody. If Cooper was going to die, Carpenter wanted the honor of killing him...after he got the information he needed, that is.