Nemesis Chapter 3

Nemesis Chapter 3

"Much of the world's rice crop is grown here in this remote area of Italy." Jim began the briefing by showing the four team members stock video footage of a busy rice farm, then abruptly the picture changed as he continued.

"About two weeks ago, construction began on this shell building right in the middle of this farmland."

"To dry and store the rice once it's harvested?" questioned Max.

"Presumably, that's its purpose," answered Nicholas, "but it's odd that there aren't any other buildings like that on any of the other farms in the country."

"So it's a front for some other operation," deduced Shannon.

"Yes, Shannon, that's what we believe, especially given what we know about the man who's overseeing the project."  Jim pushed a button on the keyboard and the image changed yet again.

"Kyle Garcia," explained Grant.  "One of the tasks of IMF surveillance is to keep tabs on the activities of known or suspected terrorists.  This guy's name keeps popping up as an associate of some of the most notorious in the business."

Grant looked at Jim as he continued.  "But based on what we know about him, he usually acts as someone else's yes man rather than running any sort of operation on his own."

Jim's face looked grim.  "Yeah, and that's what we think is happening now, too.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to uncover any information about who or what Garcia is involved with. His known associates run the gamut from drugs to guns to chemical weapons."

"So that's what we have to find out," said Shannon.  "What's our cover?"

"We have information that Garcia is recruiting his construction crew from a local maximum security prison full of violent felons," answered Jim with a wry smile.  "We've arranged for Max and Grant to be transferred there."

The two young agents, sharing a couch, exchanged excited grins at the violent backstories they knew that Jim had invented for them.  This might be a fun assignment, after all.  But then Grant caught Jim's eye and his expression sobered.

"Two days ago, a lone IMF agent was killed after infiltrating the construction crew," Jim advised.  "It was passed off as an accident, but we're not convinced he wasn't murdered.  You two will be in together, but it won't be any less dangerous."

"We'll be careful, Jim," Grant promised softly, his voice not much louder than a whisper. Jim nodded.

"How will we stay in touch?"  Max inquired.  "If we're going in as inmates, we won't have access to our communicators."

The three team members looked at Grant, who smiled and produced a small black box.  He opened it to reveal a single diamond post earring.  Max grinned.  His friend's ingenuity impressed him every single time.

"This earring contains both a tracking device and a tiny transmitter," Grant explained, "both patched in to a program on the IMF computer.  You will be able to hear the voice of whoever is wearing it, as well as keep track of their whereabouts."

Grant looked up at Max and winked. "I figured only one of us needed one.  You get first dibs.  Interested?"  he asked teasingly.

Max held up his hand.  "Hey, I'm all about making sacrifices for the team," he quipped, "but that's so not my style."

Grant shrugged.  "I figured as much," he replied.

"You had your ear pierced for a mission once, Grant, remember?" Nicholas reminded him, a small grin crossing his lips.

For a moment, the team recalled the mission nearly five years prior, in which the team shut down a human trafficking operation in the Louisiana bayou.

"Yeah, but I don' t normally wear an earring," Grant countered.  "That hole closed back up a long time ago."

Suddenly, Shannon realized that all four men were looking at her.  "Well, I did do some ear piercing when I worked in a jewelry shop a few years back," she smiled.

Grant nodded slightly, and she rose from the couch and went to find some supplies.  For a few moments, everyone was silent as they watched Shannon work her magic.  Finally, Grant yelped in pain - probably a bit exaggerated - then Shannon spoke as she finished up her task.

"So, what about Nicholas and me?"  she asked Jim.  "Do we have a job to do?"

"You mean besides turning Grant into a pincushion?"  Max quipped.  Grant tried to give him a hateful look but couldn't completely hold back a grin.

Jim chuckled briefly at his teammates' banter before answering. "Shannon, yesterday someone contacted the local newspaper claiming to have information about Garcia's operation," he advised. "You will be taking the reporter's place. It could be a red herring, but we have to check it out. Nicholas will go with you."

At Shannon's nod, Jim addressed the entire team. "Hopefully, between you, we will gain enough information to flush out Garcia and figure out who his boss is and what they're up to," he stated. "Then we can formulate the rest of our plan to shut them down."

*****

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Next Chapter:  Nemesis Chapter 4

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