Page 17 of Viking
“Your boy was officially assigned to the Military Intelligence Brigade,” Wire explained, pointing to a personnel file Atlas had somehow accessed.“But his paychecks tell a different story.Look here.”
Atlas had pulled up a series of financial records showing deposits to an account under a name I didn’t recognize.
“Sean Mitchell?”I read.
“Alias,” Atlas said, his tone matter-of-fact.“Standard practice for operatives working under deep cover.”
I stared at the kid, sometimes forgetting how much he knew about the shadowy world of government operations.Growing up with Wire as a father meant absorbing information most teenagers couldn’t imagine.Then again, his mom was just as lethal with a keyboard.
“The deposits come from a shell corporation,” Atlas continued, clicking through several screens.“Traced it back to a defense contractor that doesn’t officially exist.”
Wire had returned to his own terminal, following a different lead.“Got his service record.Well, the official one anyway.Communications specialist with a background in cryptography.Fluent in three languages, specialized training in counterintelligence.”He looked up at me.“Your friend was a spook, Viking.High-level intelligence work.”
My gut tightened.I’d known Kris was involved in something classified, but this was beyond what I’d imagined.He’d shared a lot with me or so I’d thought, but now I wondered if he hadn’t shared nearly enough.The Kris I remembered was a straight-shooter, always honest to a fault.The thought of him living a double life, operating under aliases, didn’t feel right.It was different from the Kris I’d known when we were younger.Then again, I’d changed a lot too.
“Last known assignment?”I asked.
Wire and Atlas exchanged a glance, some unspoken communication passing between them.
“That’s where it gets interesting,” Wire said.“There’s a gap.His official record shows him stationed at Fort Meade for the past two years, but the financial trail tells a different story.”
Atlas pointed to his screen.“Multiple flights to Eastern Europe.Secure accommodations in cities known for intelligence activity.Equipment purchases consistent with field operations, not base assignment.”
“He was running an op.Something off the books.”
“Not just off the books,” Wire said, his expression grim.“The kind of operation that doesn’t exist until it goes wrong.Then suddenly everyone’s looking for someone to blame.”
I hadn’t realized just how deep Kris had dug the hole he’d found himself in.While he’d talked to me a little about his situation, it hadn’t prepared me for this.Sure, he’d said things might end up bad, but I’d thought maybe he was being overly paranoid.If Kris had been involved in an unsanctioned operation that went sideways, the people hunting for him -- and now potentially Karoline and Athena -- wouldn’t be following any rules.Was that why he’d asked me to take care of Karoline if anything ever happened to him?Had he known he was on borrowed time?
“Atlas,” Wire said, “check for any unusual activity around the time of Kringle’s death.News reports, intelligence chatter, anything that might give us context.”
Atlas nodded, already typing with renewed focus.I’d never seen a kid with such intense concentration, able to tune out everything around him when he was working.
“You think someone took him out?”I asked Wire.
He removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.“I think your friend was playing a very dangerous game.And I think whoever he was playing against didn’t want to lose.”
Atlas made a soft sound, drawing our attention again.On his screen was a news article from a small Eastern European publication, dated three days before Kris’s death.The headline, translated to English, read: “American Tourist Dies in Suspicious Hotel Fire.”
“That’s not Kris,” I said, noting the name in the article.
“No,” Atlas agreed.“But the deceased was reportedly staying in the room next to one registered to Sean Mitchell.”
The alias Kris had been using.
“Collateral damage,” Wire said quietly.“Or a warning.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process what we were learning.“So Kris was there, witnessed this, and then what?Ran?Gathered evidence?”
“Probably both,” Wire said.“And then they caught up to him.”
My fists clenched at my side.Kris had been dealing with this alone for the most part, keeping these secrets, carrying this burden without being completely honest with me.Had our friendship deteriorated so much that he couldn’t trust me with this?If he was going to tell me even a little of what he was doing, why hadn’t he just confessed everything?
“We need to figure out what he found,” I said.“What made him dangerous enough to kill.”
I had a feeling he’d stumbled across more info since the last time I’d seen him, something that put him on the radar of some really bad people.
Wire nodded.“It’ll take time.These people know how to cover their tracks.”
