Power of Love Ch. 01

"Okay, back to Police HQ or drive around the Bypass?" I asked.

"Neither." said Melina. "Drive up to my house." She began texting on her iPhone, as well.

"O-kayyy." I said. I drove up the road by the Stadium and turned left, where turning right would lead to The Cabin. I drove by the turnoff to Promontory Point, then past Seth and Joanne Warner's home.

There was a vehicle in the driveway of Melina's house, and I parked next to it. "Federal Government tags." I said.

"Not much gets by you." Melina replied sardonically. "He's around back, on the patio." I went around the house on the walkway as Melina went inside, and I heard Dorothy barking and Melina 'shushing' her.

When I went around back, I saw the man sitting in one of the chairs on the patio, enjoying the view. "Hello, Mr. Crowbar." he said.

"Hello, Deputy Director." I said to Lawrence Lance, the new Deputy Director of the FBI. His tough face looked tinged with worry, but also purpose. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"You'll have to excuse me for getting past the politenesses and moving straight to business." said Lance. "I know your time is valuable, as is mine. I have a proposal for you."

"Before you do," I replied, "what's going on with Muscone and this beeswax about his brother and my Officer's sister?"

Lance said "That's the Swamp Frogs trying to dig up some dirt. But I have no idea what that dirt could be. Commander Croyle was nowhere near Muscone's brother at the time he disappeared, we've ascertained that for sure. So why that particular video was sent in Martin Nash's name, I don't know. And if they're going to go after Muscone, there's other incidents involving his brother."

I nodded. "My theses is that it's Teresa they're going after. Which of course gets my hackles up, since she's family to me."

"And not just through her husband. We get that." said Lance. "And that's partly why I'm here today. Don, have you heard of so-called 'dark agents' within the FBI and other Federal agencies?"

"No sir." I said. "Not officially, anyway."

"Good answer." said the Deputy Director. "I'm here to tell you, unofficially, off the record, that they do exist. I'll deny it to my grave if you or anyone ever says I said that, but between us, they do exist."

I heard Melina's voice cut in as she came onto the patio. "You know how Sheriff Griswold talks about Star Trek? You've heard of their secret 'Section 31' organization?"

"Yes, of course." I said.

"Our so-called 'dark agents' are like that." said Lance. "Ms. Allgood, here, for example. She's an SSA in the FBI... officially. But she also has another status, one that gives her far more power."

"Enough to make Robin Isley back off, and keep Jocelyn Moran from arresting me." I said. (Author's note: 'Return To Point Hollow', Ch. 04; 'The Guardians of Justice', Ch. 03-04.) "But don't tell me you want me to become a part of that."

"I will, and we do." said Lance.

Melina said as she sat down in a chair facing us: "Before you just say 'no' out of hand, consider these things. First, let me tell you what the 'dark agents' are. We're the closest thing the USA has to the 'double-oh' agents of British legend. We are totally independent. We're not rogue, we don't have licenses to kill; those exist, but are separate things. We just have the authority to 'fix' problems, like Robin Isley was being a problem."

"So why are you offering me this?" I asked.

Lawrence Lance said "Because being an FBI Consultant is not enough. We need you to have the same authority at the FBI level as every Special Agent has, and there may be times we need you to have more, especially if and when you cross a State Line."

"I get that." I said. "But again, why are you offering this to me? And now?"

Melina said "For the time you're going to need it, which will be soon. Once you accept, you'll be briefed on some of the threats that are coming our way... internal threats, ginned up by politicians that want to thwart the will of the American People, but mostly the threats generated by the Mainstream Media. You, Don, are one of the few people who truly understand the depths of corruption of the Mainstream Media, and their deepest desires to destroy all the good in America."

"So what does this thing entail?" I asked. "I don't want any part of any anti-Black or anti-Jewish cabal. And after what was done to my home, my son despises the FBI and would not understand if I became more a part of it than I already am."

"It's not like that." said Lawrence Lance hastily. "There are Jews and Blacks among us. All this is, is a license that gives you a special level of authority. To the world, you'll be an FBI Consultant. But during times you're out of your home State, you'll have this to fall back on. You'll know when you need to use it."

I remained skeptical, but I also realized that something was going on... something really, really deep. I said "What if I get into this, then see that I don't want to be a part of it?"

"Then you put the special ID in your wall safe and never use it again." said Lance. "I may be explaining it badly. It's not an organization; we're not even as cohesive as the Guardians of Justice were. Congress secretly wrote in the authority for our existence decades ago. Even J. Edgar Hoover didn't know about us. I only know... because I'm one of them, like Melina here is."

I knew I needed to think of this. And then I heard something that sounded like Carole's voice in my head, telling me to walk into this 'trap' headlong.

"All right." I said. "But if this ever gets out, if my son Ross finds out and says one word... I'm out."

"Fair enough." said Melina. And so I signed the paperwork and took the oath making me a full FBI Agent, and was given both regular and 'dark' IDs.

And somehow, I felt like I'd made a deal with the Devil, and had sold my soul...

Part 8 - Serial Patterns

Tuesday, March 10th. Getting back to my office after lunch, I told Helena that I did not want to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Helena knew whose phone calls or personal appearances constituted an 'emergency'.

Sitting down at my desk, I began bringing up records of the victims of the serial killer attacks in Atlanta. Not all of the victims had been murdered; some were injured by small bombs in mailboxes, while others were killed.. Others that had died had received larger boxes on their front porches, which had exploded when opened.

It only took half an hour to find what I was looking for. I picked up my landline phone and made a call to the Atlanta Police Department: "Hello, Detective Beale, this is Commander Troy... yes, I'm fine, and you?.... good, good. Listen, the reason I called you is because I think I've found the reason for the 'Faster Than Light' serial killings..."

To be continued.