Chapter 2
When he’d received the news of his placement, he decided to inform his parents first. His mother picked up on the first ring.
“Mom, it’s Mike. How are you?”
“Mike, honey! I’m so happy to hear from you. I wish you would call us more often. We’ve seen so little of you over the last seven years.”
“Well, you and Dad will get to see me more often beginning next week. My company has a branch in San Francisco and I’m starting there. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Oh, honey! That’s so wonderful! Do you want us to fetch you from the airport?”
“No thanks, Mom. The company arranged everything for me, including my accommodation.”
“That’s really great. You’ve got to come home for dinner more often then. We miss you, Mike. You’re our only child and your dad misses you terribly even though he doesn’t tell you that openly. You know how he is.”
“Yeah, I know. I miss you both, too. Where’s Dad?”
“He’s not home yet. It’s Friday and you know he always meets up with his college buddies for a couple of drinks before coming home.”
“Right. Mom, listen. I’ll give you a call when I’ve settled into my new place and we can have dinner together.”
“Sounds good, honey.”
“Tell Dad I said ‘Hi,’ and I’ll see you both soon. Bye, Mom.”
“I will. You take care now. Bye.”
He wished he could tell his parents everything, but the company policy stated that “Discretion is of the utmost importance” or some similar crap like that. He hated to agree with it, but he could see the validity in that particular rule. Some of the assignments could be downright dangerous. The less they knew about the organization, the better off they would be. In this case, ignorance was definitely bliss. 1
Mike Weston breathed a loud sigh of relief as he stretched himself out on the sofa. Today had been one of the most tiring days in his life. He was feeling like an eighty-year-old grandpa even though he’d recently turned twenty-six.
His plane had landed less than ten hours ago and someone from Vigilant Warriors had driven him to a small house about twenty minutes outside San Francisco. The house would be his for the duration of his current assignment. Vigilant Warriors was an organization that dispatched secret agents. It was an extension of S.A.B.S.S. University. The public only knew it as Southern Area Bumblebee Sacred Soil University. It was a ridiculously lame and stupid name for a university, but that was not his problem.
Mike did not have much to unpack. He’d never been a hoarder even when he lived at home with his parents. When he’d attended classes in the university for the last seven years, in addition to the internship/part-time employment and the various assignments, he knew he would be expected to move around, depending on the tasks he would take care of. As a result, he only kept enough clothes and shoes to fit two large suitcases. His laptop was the only other item he owned. He’d purchased basic toiletries before the driver dropped him off at his new accommodation. He’d been informed he would be provided with a car the next morning. His weapon requests would be approved the following week.
Mike looked around the place from where he was lying down comfortably on the couch. His new place was a fully-furnished two-bedroom house. The master bedroom had an en suite bathroom while the extra bedroom had a bathroom across the hall from it. The best part was it had a decent size walk-in closet. The kitchen was equipped with the standard stove, an oven, a microwave, a few dishes, kitchen tools and utensils, a coffee maker, and a bread toaster. The organization had even stocked up the refrigerator and pantry with food, beverages, and condiments. He estimated some of those should be enough for a month.
The dining area came with a table and four chairs while the living room only had one couch and a small wooden table, complete with a forty-two inch, flat-screen television mounted onto the wall. The house also had a backyard and an electric grill on the patio a few feet away from the outdoor table and chairs. There was a huge garage next to the house. He could have parked four cars in it. He found it odd, all that space, but he figured he could always use the extra space for storage or something.
He’d spent several minutes outside after the driver left him in front of the house. He’d pretended to admire the house and the surrounding neighborhood. In reality, he was studying the area to make sure of a few escape routes in case something unexpected happened in the future. All secret agents were constantly reminded to be vigilant and to have alternative plans under all circumstances.