Remnants of Time

Chapter 9

Janet had waited for this opportunity. Ever since the examination team had sent her all the files and photos from that damned apartment in Cologne, the task force leader had been working on her own to find any clues. Well, together with her assistant Neesa. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing here. Four of her men had died in there, trying to understand what Romanoff and Rogers were up to, why the Russian was targeting CIA agents. Janet wasn't just curious anymore, this investigation felt like a duty that had crossed the line to becoming a personal matter. In the past, a relocation would've hindered her from digging, but now the unit's leader was clinging to these files she'd grabbed hastily before hailing a cab to the airport. Nothing would stop her from researching this case, even if her suspicions and results had to remain in her own head, to be treated with an exceptional level of confidentiality.
And bingo, she'd been rewarded for her endurance. But, against her expectations, it hadn't been the lab results that had supplied her with the answer to the mystery. The autopsy results were much more surprising and revealed very clearly that none of the four agents had died in the wake of an accident. That sounded really ridiculous now, actually. Janet jumped when she heard a sound from the door. Quickly, but not suspiciously fast, she shuffled her papers into a pile and hid them inside her jacket. She angled her arms close to her torso so everything would stay in place. If this was Colin or even Lomawu, she couldn't risk anything.

But it was Neesa who stepped into the silent room, carrying two cappuccinos and a brown manila folder. Janet released a breath. She knew the importance of keeping this little investigation secret from her task force co-leader, but Neesa had been a major help and Janet wasn't sure how to thank her for her support. Even if that was her job as an assistant.
"Thanks", she mumbled when Neesa put the cappuccino down and the assistant nodded, sending a quick look over the table. She smiled, "It took me an hour and three lies, but I copied our last mission files. Find anything new yet?"
"I'm working on it. But I noticed something strange. I've never seen this before. Look, every corpse has an almost identical wound in the upper ribcage, right between two ribs. Very small hole, but if you stick something into the wound and follow the canal, you end up straight in the victim's heart."
"That is strange", Neesa agreed. "Have they checked tissue samples?"
"They didn't find anything Here comes the strangest thing: There is no bullet. Also, this isn't your typical bullet wound."
She held up the photos, pointing out the little wounds in the pale flesh of the dead CIA agents. Neesa nodded.
"Yeah, it's smaller and there is no exit wound. But are there holes in the clothing?"
"Yes."
"And in the windows?"
"No. So we're dealing with an attack from inside the room. Plus, I'm pretty sure these wounds weren't caused by an ordinary firearm."
"Have they examined tissue samples?"
"Tearing, but nothing else. No traces of toxins or any known substances. Nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except for the hole."
Both women stood quietly for a moment, thinking about all the facts they had gathered so far. Neesa's face lit up.
"What about that attacker from the bridge in Cologne?" She shuffled through her folder, searching for the photo on her mind that she knew had to be in here.
"What do you mean?"
"Look. On the back of the military agent who attacked Steve Rogers. That Hydra operative."
"You think he's Hydra."
"Of course he's Hydra. Who else wants Captain America's head?"
"We do? As far as I can remember, his head is pretty far up Ross' list."
"Fine. Hydra or not, check the photo. On the back."
"Looks like a... dark stick."
"It's a blowpipe. I built one myself when I visited a summer camp as a teenager. There are versions issued by foreign military units, but they're not a common weapon for a reason. Shooters have to be very skilled to actually achieve precise hits. And even then, you can't create as much force as a gun can."
"Precision. How precise can a skilled user be?"
Neesa pointed at the photos of the autopsy report. "With a military blowpipe? As precise as a shot between the ribs and into the heart."
"Okay. So, if we assume, and it's only a far-fetched assumption so far, that the unknown attacker, who we think belongs to Hydra, killed our four agents, the Black Widow would be off the hook. Great. We need more than just proof to actually have anyone listen to us."
"And we need to figure out the motives of the Hydra asset. Why would he kill our agents? If he wants Rogers, we're after the same thing." Henderson nodded, walking back and forth as if that could her brain to work faster. Thankfully, no one would enter this level of the multistoried building that was only used by the owners on the first three levels. The CIA had occupied the fifth, so Neesa and her should remain unnoticed on the fourth.
Suddenly a thought struck the woman who was sure that solving the riddle could include a promotion that would mean she could finally leave Colin Whittaker behind. He was no help. And, as always, he stood opposed to listening to her, seeing how she was so much younger and quieter than him.
"What if Steve Rogers is just running for his own life? What if that fight on the bridge wasn't the first time that Hydra soldier has attacked him? What if that is the reason that he resurfaced at all?"
"That sounds legitimate. He was running in Paris."
"Exactly. Can you check if the asset was there? At the station, Gare du Nord?" Neesa checked the filed reports.
"There is not a single mention in the report or the communication transcripts, so I'm guessing no."
Henderson walked over to her assistant, examining the communications transcript. This was from before, when Colin had seized his opportunity and taken this mission from her.
"Why is there a pause in communications?"
"Where?"
"Right here, the field agent asks for Instructions for the local asset? and four minutes later, someone in the operations says We located the Falcon's phone. Four minutes is a long pause. The instructions are missing."
"That means that either there was a disturbance in communications someone is trying to cover something up. It's always one of the two, Janet, you know that."
"Okay, that means this really has to stay between us. Whoever is involved with this can't find out. The transcript states that we had intel that Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were gonna be there. Do we know anything more specific?"
"Not really. The report says that there had been an anonymous informant who... well, informed us the night before."
"Anonymous means he wasn't trying to blackmail us with that. Wow. I call that a wasted opportunity. That means the informant either wasn't interested in money or just really couldn't risk being exposed."
"But who would know that Rogers was going to be there? Even we didn't have a clue about his whereabouts." Neesa scrunched her nose. The CIA knew a lot, but every underground search for Steve Rogers in the past six months had been without results.
Janet tensed up. Steps were audible from the hallway and she stuffed all the photos, reports and transcripts into a folder as fast as she could. The door opened.