Underlings (Not being updated at this time)

Underlings - 8. Upward Management

Landry stood in the corridor with a coffee cup in her hands, lost in her own thoughts as her superior was led through a set of doors by his Chinese counterpart, who bowed, shook hands, then proceeded towards the cell where the remains of an old man’s face hung artistically from the ceiling.

The coffee tasted like ash. The milk had been billed as crème on the machine, but she could see the powder of it lurking in the bottom as she tipped the cup and it was neither.

“You lost the prisoner I take it?” Ambrose was immaculately dressed as always. Landry imagined him as a boy in a waistcoat and bow tie, with shiny shoes and in impeccable side parting.

“I didn’t lose anyone sir. The prisoner is dead. I didn’t have custody of the prisoner and I certainly didn’t have a heads up from you.”

“I’m not pointing fingers.”

“You are, sir and with respect, it’s what you do well. Heads have rolled...”

“Be careful Landry...” Ambrose remained composed. It was something else that he did well.

“I’m sorry. I’m pissed off. I have a right to be pissed off, but you need to tell me what is going on. You sent me here. You must have known that this wasn’t routine, otherwise you would’ve sent someone of a far lower pay grade and security clearance than my own.”

“We sent you because you are the best woman for the job.”

“I’m the best person for the job, any day of the week. You know that. Answer my question, sir. What is going on?”

Ambrose hushed his voice as a team entered the corridor to retrieve the bodies.

“We don’t know yet. But there have been several of these situations popping up in recent days. Tokyo, Beijing, KL... all gone for six days, all coming back thirty years older thereabouts. We’ve not been too successful in keeping them.” Ambrose gestured towards Robot’s body, which was being zipped into a bag on a trolley.

“So what do you think?”

“That’s not my job Landry. That’s yours. You tell me what you need and I will get it and sign it off. Other agencies seem to have the same concerns as us, but they’re not being as forthcoming. Secretive buggers all of them. If this is as widespread as we think...global... then we could be looking at a huge problem on our hands.”

Landry thought for a moment but didn’t share. She took a sip of coffee and straightened her blood splattered blouse.

“I need a list of every person that has been reported missing in the past week in China. I want it mapped out and I especially want to look at the ones which have gone quiet... relatives not chasing the police anymore for news, patterns of interest waning. Put Miller on it, he has a knack for it. Then I want you to expand that list for Asia. Let’s focus on our own back garden first, before we start stepping into other people’s. I need to look at the cases you just mentioned and any other leads you have. I want intelligence monitoring traffic for key words in relation; disappearances, reappearances, missing, returned, ageing and so on. I want my usual team and if I need more, you will give them to me. No budget on anything if you want me to get you a result.”

“I’ve already started the ball rolling on most of that extensive list for you. You will have it all and you will run the show. Anything else...?”

“The dead man, Robot Yao; I want everything on him. I want Wang, the guy who nearly got stiffed in the control room. I don’t trust him, but I need an ally if I’m going to bust heads around here and we need to share intel. You can smooth that over with his boss I’m sure. I also want your science boffins to explore the black hole theory; why this man popped out of thin air. Give them the tapes, get them down here checking it out. See if there are any anomalies in terms of electric currents, or machines and anything else that might make the impossible possible. Then when I get all that, no more surprises. What you hear, I hear.”

“Understood. Dare I ask if there is still anything else that you need?”

“Yes. Add a keyword to the list for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Abductions”.

“As in, alien abductions?”

“Both. We woke up this morning to a new world. I’m looking at facts, but I’m also looking at fiction and fantasy. Maybe there is a Loch Ness monster after all.”

Robot Yao’s body was wheeled out of the corridor where he had shot himself through the mouth.

Ambrose patted his hand on Landry’s shoulder and walked away to the exit door to the terminal.

“You never know Landry, you never know.”

She smiled. Ambrose was crap in the field, but as a boss, he was all right, providing she made him look good; he was aiming for the sky and he wanted it all.

She threw her coffee cup into a waste bin and chased him out of the door. Landry needed a lift.