Operation Defiance

He parked a block in a half from his flat near a park so as to be discrete. He was in a company car, a black Mercedes G-class SUV with diplomat plates which blended in fine in Langley or D.C., but here in Glen Echo he had misled his neighbors into believing he was in medical sales. He hurriedly walked under an amber street lamp clutching a patent leather suitcase tightly heading towards his unremarkable suburban home which also functioned as a safe house and interrogation site, unofficially and unsanctioned by the CIA. He himself had recently undergone fingerprint removal and had his identity and complete personal history erased permanently. He was officially a John Doe, though he carried a false identity with the highest diplomatic security credential’s as well as a dozen others he could use for greater discretion on assignment. Although, his assignments came from the highest places in world leadership his acceptance and methods for achievement of their goals was left to his own judgement. He was chosen for this placement not due to his unerring willingness to follow orders, but his total unwavering integrity to his personal moral code and his incredible ability to carry out absolutely any operative he deemed necessary. John was trusted and respected by all he dealt with which was an incredibly small number that new his role and authority. John was shielded from many corruptions that were still to thoroughly enmeshed in the political powers to unleash his seemingly divine will upon them without chaos. The true powers that be over the world strive to create and maintain order while gradually uprooting evil and never allow rogue agents of chaos to lose control and reign down vigilante justice without immense behind the scenes planning. They had long ago learned the level of set backs that could occur for humanity in that type of power vacuum.

He had applied to work at the CIA immediately out of high school, with every possible incentive to accept him immediately. He had taught himself 8 languages, had 4 years of self study in cryptography sourcing all his education from top tier universities, was an accomplished but yet unheard of white hat hacker anonymously tipping off the authorities in a high profile human trafficking, child molestation and pornography ring that had included 4 police officers, one judge, 3 social workers, 4 psychologist, a state run boys home and a total of 33 foster families all with undeniable photographic evidence. John wasn't being modest by remaining anonymous he was terrifyingly smart in a way, with an IQ of 146 he had aced the SAT the same day he took his 3rd Degree Black belt test and bid his master of Jeet Kun Do of 10 years a deeply respectful farewell and thank you. He also was an orphan emancipated at 14 who lived alone and was fully self financed by freelance computer work. No one on earth could have stopped John from achieving his single minded pursuit of his goal to join the CIA. His handlers saw this immediately and Johns career path was secretly formed behind the desk of the director and one secure phone call to the pentagon.

He was informed that he would be accepted as an agent, but that he was to be streamlined through the Armies best training to arrive as a member of a top secret dark operative referred to as shadow work in the middle east. They knew that John was a certified killer on the sheets but would he make a killer in the streets? His psychological evaluation identified his high emotional intelligence along with a moral divinity complex, his empathy and altruism allowed mercy to banish all guilt or doubt in the righteousness of his choices. John stepped into his position as the divine hand of God as if he had true divine authority. He became a shadow in the streets of Afghanistan and an angel of death. The joint intelligence community investigation of his actions revealed through video surveillance compilations that he had disguised himself as both women and men, ranging from soldiers to junkies, terrorists, medics, field reporters and even a goat herder complete with a fake son. His ability to blend in and compromise any area of the country and community was truly an art to behold. His administration of swift and silent justice left survivors bewildered and often lost in there tracks. His methods left no positive evidence that a hit had been carried out, except in seven cases.

In Afghanistan they claim a cultural acceptance of what is called 'boylove' and our military had been forced to allow newly appointed warlords to keep 5 and 6 year old boys chained to there beds, being raped and abused constantly. These seven warlords were all found executed with a single bullet between the eyes along with there victims and there bodies were carefully laid next to each on the bed. All seven were housed in highly fortified and guarded compounds but no alarms were ever sounded nor were any shots reported. The death tolls that blossomed out from these locations were truly prolific, the southern most compound alone claimed a total of 127 bodies were discovered, all with the complete absence of any alarm and upon further investigation no video or physical evidence was discovered that could prove even to the CIA that John was responsible. He had truly become a shadow; wherever cast death was insured.

John had been immediately flown back to the states upon his return from his unauthorized actions and only due to his powerful benefactors did he escape court marshal for being MIA. Those that were guiding his career had authorized his actions and their higher authority usurped any conventional judgements. It was time for John to be forever removed from the civilized world. He had prooved himself a powerful and dangerous weapon. His handlers were concerned that he may have been completely lost in blood lust, but after a psychological evaluation he appeared sane and rational. His reviewer remarked that it was hard to believe that he was in fact one of the most deadly people on the planet. His demeanor was relaxed and friendly. It appeared that John could shift from state to state as needed effortlessly and without emotion or losing his soul. He had the presence of a buddha; his light completely obscured the darkness that followed him.

Since, his return he had only been given light assignments and was told to rest and relax. Very soon his talents would be called upon, but in the mean time the work he was doing was incredibly important. The dark operations were financed completely illegally through the authorized sales of intelligence information as well as siezed drugs and weapons. Those that purchased them often did so unaware that they were in affect purchasing trojan horses and every transaction was a strategic move as well as a financial gain for the agency. For the last six months he had lived in relative peace and every assignment he had completed had been uneventful.

The man that handed off the briefcase he carried had looked professional, but in his eyes John saw fear and guilt. When John had taken the case from him there was a visible wave of relief that passed over the man's face and he quickly returned to his car and sped away. John had been extra cautious and doubled back several times on his drive home to ensure he was not followed. He didn't have the sense that he was being watched or hunted but since he'd collected the case there was an ominous feeling that hung over him like a dark cloud. As he neared his residence he scanned his surroundings carefully making sure he was alone and unwatched. Suddenly, an owl hooted twice and sprang into the air from his neighbors tree and landed on the eve of John's roof facing away from him. It then spun it's head around 180 degrees and stared directly at him as he made the turn up his walkway to his door. The owls eyes sparkled like obsidian jewels and his judgement of John rained down like the sun. John immediately felt a chill run up the nape of his neck and an irrational paranoia gripped him. He quickly struggled with the lock and got inside just as he began to break into a cold sweat. Inside he tried to shake himself out of the sense of apprehension he felt, shocked that he could even be spooked this bad, so easily.

He went into his living room and placed the case on the coffee table. He went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, before returning to sit down in his recliner. He stared just as intently at the case as the owl had at him. He was expressly ordered not to look at the contents of his collections, but John always acted on his own accord and when something felt wrong he felt compelled to uncover and correct it. The fear he had felt coming in the door was what really gave him pause. It was an oddly new feeling for the shadow.

The case was locked with the classic three number spin lock but he could easily pop it open if he wanted to. He pulled the case closer to him as if in a trance his hands went to the numbers and he began spinning them. When all three lined up and read six six six he pressed the release button. A strong snap pierced the silence of the empty house as the clasps sprung open.