Chapter 23: An Unwelcome Discovery
It was a typical morning at the Gund Intelligence Network. Tammy Gund sat in her expansive office, a plethora of screens displaying a steady stream of reports and updates from her staff. As the head of the network, Tammy was responsible for overseeing all operations and ensuring the safety and effectiveness of her agents.
An assistant rushed into her office, his face pale, his eyes wide with distress.
“Ms. Gund, one of our agents, CX3, missed his weekly check-in,” he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Tammy looked up sharply, her mind instantly alert. Although CX3 wasn’t one of her better agents, he was always punctual and professional. It was unlike him, let alone anyone in her network of spies, to miss a check-in without giving prior notice.
“Did he give any indication of a delay?” she asked, keeping calm.
The assistant shook his head.
“No, ma’am. We tried contacting him, but we can’t track his phone.”
A wave of unease swept over Tammy. A missing agent and an untraceable phone was a dangerous combination, one that hinted at trouble. She immediately ordered her team to initiate a search, using every resource they had to locate CX3.
She had specifically placed CX3 in charge of monitoring guests and travel patterns at high-profile vacation and luxury resorts because he scored so poorly in his evaluation. His role was the furthest removed from any danger, so what could have happened?
Just as Tammy was starting to feel the weight of the situation, another assistant rushed into her office, his face a mix of anxiety and excitement.
“Ms. Gund,” he gasped, slightly out of breath, “we were able to recover some data from CX3’s online files.”
Tammy’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing to process this new piece of information.
“What did you find?” she asked, her voice steady despite the growing sense of unease.
The assistant held up a few printouts.
“Photos of a young man, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. They were in a folder labeled ‘David.’ We ran the photos and the name, but couldn’t find any matches, so we don’t have any information on him yet. All we know is that the photos were taken outside of a pub in a city called Dalton.”
Tammy took the photos and studied them. Their database and search program couldn’t pinpoint this young man’s identity? Such a thing had never occurred before. Without wasting any time, she picked up her phone and dialed a number.
“Agent MX5, we have a situation. Agent CX3 has disappeared, and we have recovered photos of a suspect from his files. I want you to investigate CX3’s disappearance and find this young man.”
“Understood,” came the curt reply from the other end of the line.
Tammy knew she could count on Agent MX5 to get the job done.
As Tammy paced around her office, she found herself wishing that she could ask her grandfather for advice. His years of experience and wisdom were invaluable in times like these. Unfortunately, his deteriorating health made it impossible for her to involve him in the agency’s matters. She was going to have to figure this out herself.
Tammy had dealt with numerous crises in the past, but this was an unprecedented situation for the Gund Intelligence Network. She could only hope that this wouldn’t jeopardize their reputation and that they would get to the bottom of this mystery before rumors got out.
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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