Caught Unaware

CHAPTER 9

HOME OF COL. JOHN CASEY

ECHO PARK, LOS ANGELES CA

"Colonel, I trust everything is going well on your assignment," began the General as the TV lit up showing her sitting in her office.

"Everything is going smoothly, General," answered Casey, his arms folded as he stood patiently, waiting to be given the reason for the conference. The screen split into two and Casey was suddenly looking at live footage from a small town in Eastern Canada.

"Again, Dan, what we are looking at here is a single man hanging in the middle of town square. The sign around his neck appears to be in both Spanish and English. It reads: '3 down, 1 to go. The flor de Mayo will rise..."

The TV went back to a single screen and the General held up a picture of a middle-aged man. Casey sat on the couch in front of the screen and observed the picture before looking at the General once more.

"Sources in Canada tell me the name of the unfortunate man was renowned physicist Jameson R. Jimerez. How he had connections with the same revolutionaries that the Cershaws were involved with are still being--"

A flurry of white passed before Casey's eyes and before either he or the General knew what was going on, Amelia, who had walked in on the conversation from the bathroom, threw herself down onto her knees with a hand resting on the upraised picture the General was still holding up. She looked up into the picture but hung her head quickly and began sobbing loudly.

Casey rose to his feet as the General looked taken aback and genuinely confused. Casey knelt behind Amelia and gently took her by her shoulders away from the television. He stood stoic as she melted against him, her blow-dried hair flowing over his arm. The General and Casey were quiet as she cried, and they looked at each other, both wondering what had gotten into the young woman.

Finally Casey held her away from him and brushed her hair away from her face, seeking out her eyes.

"What is it, Amelia?" he asked gingerly.

"My...my uncle. That man is my--"

"Young lady, how do we have no knowledge of this man being your family?" asked the General, setting down the picture and folding her hands together on her desk.

"On my mother's side," answered Amelia. She sniffed and wiped her nose and face with a tissue offered by Casey. "Mama's maiden name was--"

"Jimerez," finished Casey, looking up sharply at the General, who looked surprised. 

"And we didn't want anyone to know he was related while we were in Venezuela. Mama did everything to make sure he was safe, even when he left." Amelia stifled another sob, feeling the wave of emotion almost pull her into another crying jag and doing her best to swallow it down.

"Let me connect with Washington about this," the General said. "We will decide what to do. Until then, let me give you further insight on what you're dealing with, Colonel. Our sources believe he was disposed of not because of his DNA, but because we believe he helped the Cershaws escape the revolutionary's lab. In their eyes, three of the four people that have thus far stopped the revolution from happening have been dealt with."

"I'm number four?" asked Amelia, turning and looking up at the General, who nodded her agreement.

"Without your DNA, they can't begin their major attacks," the General pointedly stated.

"Bartowski and Walker know about the assassination?" asked Casey. The General sighed.

"We have a team headed down to their location as we speak. They're so undercover I cannot get to them directly. Rest assured, they will be brought up to current as soon as possible. Be safe, Colonel. Ms. Cershaw, my sympathies on your loss." The screen went blank, except for the government emblem shining bright before turning off completely.