Second Circle

Chapter One: The Magician

‘Fuck!’ John let his head drop onto the steering wheel of his car and closed his eyes as he sat parked outside Agency headquarters. ‘Rule number one, do not engage. Do not engage!’ He repeated to himself as he remembered how his instructor’s voice started each lesson.

He couldn’t afford lose this job; it was the most money he had ever made. He was sitting in a beautiful old black Jaguar XK8. Second hand of course, the money was not that good. But it was a car he had only dreamed of owning previously and it was powerful enough to get where he needed to be, without being so flashy as to raise suspicion or be overly noticed by the public or regular police. The agency did not like to be noticed. ‘Fuck.’ He remembered the gunshots. ‘So much for stealth.’

He opened his eyes and sat up. Pulling the short wooden branch out from his jacket pocket he unravelled the gold chain and, kissing it once, fastened it around his neck. He snapped the branch in half and threw it to the ground as he opened the door and stepped into the shadow cast by the Agency entrance. Agency HQ was situated in Stormont Castle, a mansion on the Stormont Estate in East Belfast. The castle originally named Storm Mount due to its high position in the forested hills had been gifted to the Agency by MI5. The exterior and had been reworked in the nineteenth century in the Scottish baronial style with decorative but unnecessary turrets, battlements, iron cresting and weather vanes. The picturesque castle facade above ground give no indication however of the labyrinth of offices, cells and corridors used by the Agency beneath the surface.

Reality shifted in its familiar way as he crossed through the heavy doors. His senses heightened as the guards scanned him for any entities or links that might have attached to him unknowingly. He was clean.

The receptionist on the front desk looked at him and without emotion pointed towards the holding cells and interrogation chambers. ‘She is waiting for you.’

John looked down the seemingly infinite corridor. His boss, Natalie Fera had a reputation as one of the Agency’s most persuasive interrogators. He had only partially witnessed a few of her performances and had no wish to add to the day’s already nightmarish memories. He reached the office beside Holding Cell One and a voice ordered him in before he had a chance to knock the door.

Natalie’s stare nailed him to the wall. ‘I have asked for you to be removed, but unfortunately someone in command believes you are still useful so you will remain active. I am however assigning you a partner, meet Molly Li Morgan.’

A young woman in jeans, trainers and a dark hoodie was sitting at the desk in front of Natalie, on her lap a heavy-duty assault crossbow. She turned in her chair and winked at John. ‘Looks like I will be babysitting for a while.’

 ‘Molly has been transferred from our New York branch. She will take the lead in all future field work in your area, she will continue your training personally and you will report directly to her, do I make myself clear, Agent Crow?

‘Yes.’ John felt relieved to be getting a second chance, but angry that he was losing his independence after just a few months. However this was not the time to be arguing. He had been over confident in his ability and after today's experience perhaps a new trainer could be useful, he could not afford to miss another target or lose another suspect.

 ‘Good. The girl is ready for questioning. Molly, take John to the viewing room and get comfortable, this could be a long night.’