The Search for Silent - Chpt 2

The Search for Silent
Chapter Two
Part 1

Hello Silent,

Listen, those around me are not pleased with your progress, but I know that you are doing your best. I believe that you are doing excellent. Those here expected you to show off and excel in all parts of the course. I know that you simply want to get through boot camp. I owe you a surfing trip.

I have been trying to lay low, but we caused too much trouble. They also know who I am. I am going to have to return. Stay where you are, Silent.

They have sent in others, but they knew the others were not you. They do not know who you are, but they are certain who you are not. It is probably best that you do not draw attention to yourself, Silent. I told you above that I felt you were doing excellent. Keep at it, Silent.

You cannot come with me, Silent. Trust me, your presence would not help. It is supposedly a peace mission to restore trust between our countries. Having you present would not calm certain parties.

Silent, I promise when you get out that we will have time together. I promised your father that I would find you a good girl. I will be looking for someone as well. Who knows whom we might meet on that surfing trip?

Oh, you will have OTS after boot, but not immediately. You will get the rank of Captain upon finishing OTS, and I expect everyone to keep their promise to quickly move you up to Major. We however earned a holiday before we call in the promises that will put us back to work. Like I keep saying, I owe you a surfing trip. While in OTS we can discuss whom we met, and would like to meet. By then our presence in certain actions should no longer be important, and we can act more like normal people.

Okay, Silent, that is enough from me. You deserve my support, so I had to send this letter. The fact that you are where you are I know that you consider just one more favor that I owe you, although I promise you that it is for your best. Stay where you are, Silent.

I love you,
Top Secret

Stacy knew that she had to destroy the file, but read it one more time. While she was now a recognized spy, Silent had been the one that kept her identity a secret until a certain theft had been performed. Those in the opposing country still did not know how their plane had been taken, although knew that Stacy had been involved. They pieced together that little fact by using the government database. Silent was not in the database at that time, although the idiocy of the government was apparent in their determination to put him in the files. Stacy felt that she had to go along with the present plan to hopefully keep Silent from being recognized. Unable to hold back a tear, she broke the USB card that held the file.

The UN official in charge of the operation saw the tear as he moved in the aisle of the plane, but read the wrong reason for it being present. "Don't worry, Stacy. We have every promise that your life and liberty are not in jeopardy. It was just a bomber. While it was pushing our technology further, it really was not that advanced. What they fear most is your ability to get in and steal the plane. They only want you to help them close the holes in their operations."

The lady did not speak in return to the official, but only nodded. That was a lesson she knew, but found that Silent perfected. Letting others trust in their false conclusions helped you to not be deceived.

She knew that the hole in the operation the country wanted closed was the identification of Silent. Only she could actually identify him. Others had tried, but the people they presented were killed when found lacking. The country no longer trusted their usual sources, but wanted the one who had allowed her to steal the plane.

After wiping her face one more time, she moved her blonde hair to fall behind her head. She really wanted to cut it, but it had taken years to get it to that length. There was also the fact that the tresses helped her deal with men. Her features were beginning to show her age, but the hair helped have men ignore certain facial details. The hair was a problem, but also an asset.

She opened up a compact to check her appearance. Her eyes were blue, but often so dark that most did not recognize their color. Modern contacts had helped bring out the natural hue, so added that asset to her potential set of natural tools. She had never been happy with her complexion, as it was too fair to tan properly. Appearing frail had helped her with certain assignments, but she presently wanted more strength to her personality than simply being a kept woman. Some natural color would have made her happy, but her face tended to burn instead of tan. She closed the compact deciding that there was nothing that she could do to improve her appearance.

She did not look down to her breasts. There was nothing she could do about them. They were beginning to sag, but the extra bounce actually helped her better catch a man's eyes. They did not feel out of place, so she trusted them to be in place. Stacy did feel the mounds on her chest bounce as the plane began to descend, but her eyes moved to the window.

The UN official loudly asked, "Are you nervous, Stacy?"

"I can handle it."

She could. She had advanced through the ranks because she could do the work. While she was often chosen for assignments because of her appearance, and willingness to use her natural gifts, her reports at the end showed nothing but professionalism. With nobody being displeased with the results of her work, she had enjoyed success in an industry filled with tedious daily chores and early deaths.

She disembarked with the UN officials, although did not allow the men to have her go first. She expected to be killed, so wanted the large masculine brutes to place their bodies before her. The men watched her dust her uniform and check her hair before hiding their embarrassment by moving on, which pleased Stacy. Her caution however was proven useless, as the head diplomat of the country was waiting with soldiers for her appearance.

"Colonel Stacy Terrell of the United States Air Force. This official meeting allows for my country to welcome this investigative body. Please feel comfortable during your stay. The travel might be bumpy, but we will assure a smooth relaxing rest at the end of each day."

"Ambassador Bullechsky, it is an honor to meet you formally. Secrets have been revealed a little early, but I believe both of our countries truthfully work to secure the peace. We both have been embarrassed by live bodies in our closets, but each period afterwards found the peace continuing. That is my reason for coming to you."

Stacy showed a warm smile as the ambassador looked over her form. She knew that he was attempting to remember having met her before. She had used the word 'formally' in her greeting, and the word had worked to have the man consider that she might have been present in some of his less respectable activities. The reports mentioned that he had taken advantage of a number of lovely ladies in his years, and Stacy could tell by his features that he felt able to recall each face. Her smile continued as he ended his inspection of her in what she could tell was him making it a point to listen for further clues about an earlier 'informal' meeting.

"Well, I want to welcome you and all the UN snoops that came with you. I would like to treat all of you to a grand meal, but I don't want to be seen socializing with enemies of my country. Your accommodations will the pleasant, the meals will be of our finest cuisine, and your travel will be according to schedule. Further discussions will be at the arranged meetings."

As the ambassador contingent left, the UN leader moved next to Stacy to whisper, "Told you that they would not kill you."

She whispered back, "It however seems that he considers all of us as enemies of his country."

"No country likes having to reveal its secrets. Just as your country did not want you to come. We are here to keep the world at peace. We thus need to overlook any questionable statements as we work to assure that all nations can continue to work in peace."

Stacy grimaced at the long-winded advice, but moved on through the corridor of the airport. She tried to stay in the middle of the group, although soon relaxed as she saw a number of soldiers who only looked at her with lusty glances. Seeing that the regular authorities only considered her as a lovely foreign lady let Stacy know that only certain groups were given information about her. While she still considered herself a target, she felt that escaping from threats was a possibility.

The ride to the hotel was done by an official caravan of sedans. Stacy was relieved to see that she got to ride with some of the UN officials, as she expected to be placed in a car by herself. She relaxed when she checked the door and realized that it would unlock from the inside. Stacy continued to be alert on the ride to the hotel, but found herself actually looking at the architecture of the city and not attempting to spot a coming attack.

The women and men in the UN party were paired up for their room assignments. That was how things were supposed to be arranged, although Stacy had been briefed on what actions to take should she be separated. She stopped at the door to her room in order to allow her roommate, supposedly a college graduate seeking a permanent job with the UN and glad to be selected almost immediately for a foreign assignment, to inspect the surroundings. Supposedly a random selection had placed Debra and Stacy as roommates.

The lady threw her suitcase on a bed as she said, "I am unable to detect anything, Colonel."

"It is just Stacy, Debra. We are both here to inspect this country for rules violations, and on this mission titles are only there to satisfy the bureaucrats."

"You are still wearing a uniform, however."

"It saves me from having to pack a number of dresses."

Debra was a relatively experienced agent with the Secret Service, although still in her twenties. She was brunette, although Stacy felt that she had been chosen for her looks and not simply her intelligence. When the two had first met, each had mostly tested the other on their ability with various languages. They tried other topics, but returned to a study of how they spoke certain phrases as linguistics seem to be the only interests that they had in common. The young brunette went to a mirror as she continued the conversation.

"Well, we are here for work, so I brought mostly pant suits."

"I will be in my uniform, as it is what I want to die in."

TerishD wrote:

[b]The Search for Silent

"I will be in my uniform, as it is what I want to die in."

I don't know why, but for some reason I really liked this line.

Hey, thanks for reading. Also, thank you for the compliment. Not only did it tell me that I ended the installment at the right point, but it tells me that you read all the way to the end. Thus, a double compliment -- requiring me to thank you again!

I never am sure how to respond most of the time, so I keep quiet.

But I do read almost everything that gets put up on this forum.

The Search for Silent
Chapter Two
Part 2

No threat to the life of anyone in the UN party occurred as they journeyed through the country. There were some rooms where Debra did not throw her suitcase on the bed, the signal that the room was actually clear of snooping devices, but no conversation about Silent ever occurred. The listening devices were thus left in the room, although in those rooms the ladies either watched television or spoke about what they would like to watch if there had been a television. There were a couple of rooms that had cameras, and those were disabled, but otherwise the two ladies acted as if each room was truly a sanctuary where they could rest in peace.

Stacy worked to not show any reluctance towards Ambassador Bullechsky as he noticed her taking the notes during each installation that the UN team visited. She however would retreat to a private section of her room each evening when she noticed that Debra paid attention to her as she redid her notes. The dignitary of the host nation would often work to position himself where he could read what the Air Force colonel was writing, although only found the details of what was being shown. He could not claim that she was a spy, since she had been invited and was only viewing what she was allowed to view, although he did grunt as if he did not appreciate her attention to details. It was Debra that Stacy worried about however, as the brunette watched as maps were studied as each fact of the day was entered into her journal.

The younger lady finally had to ask the question that was bothering her, although double-checked the privacy of the room before whispering, "I am with you during each of our inspections. What are you noticing that I and the other inspectors are not, and Ambassador Bullechsky does not consider condemning?"

"These installations are not independent units. They each demand parts from other plants, which in turn demand supplies from elsewhere as well. I am just figuring out how the various installations interact."

"I suspect that better minds than ours will work on those problems once we return."

"One, the UN does not have a reputation for digging too deeply. Two, we are here and will be considered at fault by our own superiors if we do not take advantage of our surroundings."

"My assignment is to keep you safe. If you take off, I will need to go with you."

"You will have to be as good as Silent to manage that."

Stacy had said that as a test of the younger lady. Considering how little the two had actually discussed business, no opportunity to test the limits of just how much Debra knew had occurred. Stacy thus watched as the eyes of the lady went around the room before softly asking a question.

"Is he here?"

"He better not be. I am just saying that he was not invited on our first couple of outings, but did follow me and performed well enough to have me trust him on our third mission. He managed to follow me in spite of not being invited, and you will have to do the same as well."

"What are you expecting to find?"

Stacy went quiet and did not answer that question. Debra got the hint to shut up, and went to reread a book that she had in her possession. Stacy was quiet around Ambassador Bullechsky the next day, although he did not take the hint.

"Colonel Terrell, surely you cannot believe that you are seeing anything out of the ordinary."

"I might be here due to your insistence, Ambassador, but that does not mean that I will not be an integral part of this team. The United Nations had to leave behind one of their own members to gain my presence on this mission. I will not have their reports lacking in details."

"But I allowed cameras. Surely a picture is worth a thousand words."

"Do you think that I am writing so much, Ambassador?"

Stacy moved her head as she said that line, and saw the eyes of the dignitary bounce with her long tresses. Having her hair loose was not exactly uniform dress code, but Stacy would challenge convention on those occasions when she felt her appearance would benefit her country more than her obedience to certain rules. She added a smile to her countenance feeling that she picked a good day to have her locks free.

The native dignitary continued to smile due to the enchantment of the lady's appearance as he said, "I believe that you are writing more than what the cameras are recording."

"In my country one is free to write what they will. What they make public is open to cross-examination and ridicule however. If I am writing my own opinions and bias, surely those that look at the pictures can see that my words are in error."

"All I can say, is that I am glad that you are not in possession of a camera."

Stacy saw that Debra noted that night that she did have a camera. It was small, something that could be easily hid on a person, and a brush normally used for combing eyelashes was being used to clean it. Stacy felt that she needed to say something in acknowledgement of what was being observed.

"The ambassador should have studied the reports of the inspection of our luggage a little more carefully."

"I do have a camera, and have been taking pictures. I haven't seen you taking any."

"No, but that does not mean that I don't have a camera to take pictures with."

Debra moved to grab her camera and check the status of its memory card as she asked, "What do you think the Ambassador will show us that is worth taking pictures of?"

"Something that actually requires supplies from another installation that we are not being given access to, although probably need to visit."

"I don't understand."

"Listen, Silent and I stole a plane, a bomber." Assuring that the brunette understood the important part of what she said, Stacy added the phrase, "Which carries bombs. I might not work around planes, but I am in the Air Force. Being in intelligence, I often have to deal in matters relating to aircraft, their movement, and other particulars. Basically, what I don't know about planes I study to learn about planes, because somewhere somehow my job is going to involve planes. That bomber had attachments for no bomb that I know. I want to find those bombs."

"That might get you into trouble."

"Yeah, well if you let a snake into your house, you probably will get bit. This country invited me here to ferret out information from me, then put me with a fact-finding detail of the United Nations. Sounds to me like they want to get bit."

"Sounds like a trap to me."

Stacy secured the tiny camera back in its place on her uniform as she said, "I was not a guest when I visited last time, and did all right."

"Okay, but I want to go with you."

"If you come, you come. I will move when I get my opening."

Stacy began to notice that Debra also started studying maps of the country. The elder lady fully supported the activity, but faulted her for considering the data to pertain to a destination. Stacy gave no concern to leaving the UN delegation at a point close to her objective. She had traveled the country before with Silent, and was not afraid of doing it alone. When she left would thus have nothing to do with her destination, but simply her ability to exit with the least amount of concern or trouble.

It was the companionship of Ambassador Bullechsky that gave Stacy her hope of being able to successfully leave on her own. He had truthfully not been an obstacle to the work of the UN team, but he was ever present. Stacy saw him as a fellow snake who was coiled and waiting to strike. He had his secrets that he felt would not be revealed even as he hoped to gain the secrets of others. She however had studied the man, and came to the same conclusion of those that had felt a need to provide the presence of Debra. Ambassador Bullechsky did not have much patience. He would eventually strike.

The moment came with a jolt as a rocket impacted in the road ahead of the convoy. No vehicle flipped, but a number skidded in the ditch in order to avoid the crater if not the cloud of dirt and rock sent up by the exploding missile. If the impact of falling death had not caused most to scream, the mass of vehicles suddenly coming over the terrain towards the convoy pulled excited exclamations out of throats.

Stacy would have preferred a different setting, but started shedding her clothes. While they had searched her luggage and padded her down at every opportunity, they had considered her thick apparel nothing more than a very lovely mature lady attempting to use undergarments to keep her youthful appearance. In a short time she no longer had the apparel of an officer of the United States Air Force, but had shed it to show a rather well tailored uniform of an enlisted soldier of the native country.

The cosmetics had been searched, but never checked to determine if they were anything more than they appeared. Honestly, they were what they appeared to be, just not the colors or textures one would suspect. A quick application of one put a darker hue to her skin. Another was simply a hardened layer of some powder over a black oily substance that quickly saturated her hair. Truthfully, adding that dye to her blond tresses without having it show on her hands or clothes was the most problematic part of her disguise, but one she had practiced and performed numerous times in the past. With only a few seconds more, the contacts to bring out the blue in her eyes were exchanged for a pair that worked at having them appear black.

Debra had a frightened look on her face as Stacy suddenly moved to pull a gun from the body of a supposedly protective soldier that had been knocked to the ground unconscious from either the blast or the sudden movement of a vehicle. Stacy pointed the rifle at her supposed guardian in a clear statement that she would no longer be a companion. The Secret Service operative had seen the transformation, but showed shock in the circumstance. By the time she could react, Stacy had already become a cog in the machinery causing the disruption.

She felt certain that Ambassador Bullechsky had set up the scene merely as an attempt to force a reaction from certain members of the UN team. Stacy definitely felt that one item on his agenda was to perform an intense interrogation of a certain special visitor to his country. She felt her suspicion to be very correct when the man became extremely irate to learn that she could not be found among the delegation.

Stacy noticed that Debra tried not to focus her eyes upon her, even though she stayed to oversee the confiscation of her own belongings. Stacy had trouble keeping her expression showing anger even as she watched Ambassador Bullechsky storm in a zig-zag circle around the scared UN delegates. Certain that her disguise was working, she faded from the front line of soldiers. When the ambassador screamed out orders to search the territory, Stacy quickly responded to volunteer. She fled away from the convoy hoping no eyes could pick her out.

Due to previous visits to the country and recent study of the maps, she had no trouble moving over the terrain. She also had worked to become very fluent in the language. None thus became suspicious due to her moving in a strange direction or being unable to understand what was said to her. She also now wore a uniform that gave her a rank commanding a little respect. At the request from those with power for the soldiers to move out in order to set a wide perimeter, a few troops were given to her to close off a certain section of the surrounding territory. Stacy properly led her charges a good distance from the central activity, and set them up with instructions to report should they find the foreign spy. Once the troops were focused on their job, Stacy moved on to put as much distance as possible between herself and trouble.