The Caliphate by AndrĂ© Gallo (books to read for 13 year olds .TXT) đ
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- Author: André Gallo
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He slapped his hand on the conference table with restrained anger.
âWe didnât have those messages until after the fact, unfortunately,â LaFont said, shaking her hear. âSorting and translating and then figuring out where the information should be sent took the National Security Agency a bit too long to make it actionable. Further, we didnât know who the messages were about either, until you told us what was going on Marshall.â
âWhen will the NSA understand that its information is not just for the historical record?â he asked.
LaFont nodded in sympathy and turned to Steve.
âI hope you donât mind, weâve already talked to your boss at West Gate. He said that he would reluctantly lend you to us, but he wants you back. Sounds like heâs got you on the fast track.â
Mel, who had been silenced earlier, came back to the charge.
âBefore we let you go overseas on our behalf, you need to be medically cleared. Weâll sign you up for a full physical next week. Secondly, I donât know what itâs like in the private sector, Steve, but here youâll have to keep a tight record of all the expenses you expect to get reimbursed. And weâll need receipts. Weâll buy your flight tickets, of course. Weâll get cheaper government fares.â
Steve thought he was in the presence of a frustrated accountant. âMelâit is Mel isnât it? I admit that Iâm new at this, but right now I think itâs more important that I ⊠that we ⊠focus on the actual mission.â
Marshall looked at Steve then at LaFont and said, âWelcome to the government, Steve. For the privilege of taking risks on behalf of your country, you get to spend more time filling in forms than you do on actual operations.â
Turning to LaFont, Marshall continued, âBut since Mel brings up the issue of money, keep in mind that Steve, if he agrees to do this, will continue to be paid by West Gate since youâve already made the arrangement. He wonât be paid by the Agency. In other words, youâre getting a freebie, soâŠâ
LaFont frowned at Mel.
âOf course, and we appreciate it. I agree. Weâll minimize the paperwork.â
Mel frowned back and said, âI only thought that since Steveâs new to the government he should know the rules.â
LaFont looked at her watch and got up to leave.
âSteve, thank you for your willingness to help us. I suggest that the next step is to train you on basic tradecraft, especially agent assessment, reporting, and show you what weâve got on your new best friend al Khalil.â
She left the room and they laid out a training program for Steve. As they were leaving the CIAâs Langley campus, Steve asked his father, âWhatâs with this Mel? Iâve met a lot of your CIA friends. Sheâs not like them.â
âNo, sheâs not. The Agency is so thin that itâs taking people like her with no overseas experience in order to staff the desks. I heard she comes from HR and spent some time with the Recruitment Center. Sheâs obviously big on process.â
Steve laughed.
âIf people like Mel are the face of the CIA with new applicants, the Agency has more problems than I thought.â Left unsaid were internal warning signals that he was entering a situation with more rules and oversight than he wanted.
15. CIA Safe House, Virginia
That evening, Marshall drove Steve to the safe house out in the countryside where he would live during his brief training period. They soon got off the highway and drove across familiar rolling hills. Although it was dusk, Steve could make out the large estates and forested properties.
The training safe house turned out to be a comfortable six-bedroom structure on twenty wooded acres. An unobtrusive fence surrounded the property. In the front, the white cross-buck fence was the same type used by the horse farms in the area. The front gate was a simple white wooden pole with a counterweight dropped across the entrance road to bar vehicular access. It was controlled remotely by the authorized visitor or by security from inside the grounds.
âThe periphery of the property is guarded by concealed sensors and cameras monitored from a separate building recessed just inside the tree line,â Marshall said. âThe office of security normally keeps a unit of guard dogs on the grounds. I want to remind you of a couple of things that you already know, which may come up early in the training. First, remember that the CIA is not part of law enforcement. It doesnât have the power to arrest and doesnât fall under the Department of Justice. Also, an âagentâ in CIA parlance is a foreign national recruited to steal secrets for an intelligence officer. The media still uses the FBI meaning of the word to describe the FBI staff officer who investigates and makes the arrests.â
They turned into the driveway as Steve said, âDonât worry Dad, I wonât embarrass you.â
Inside, Steve resented his fatherâs assumption that the talk was necessary.
***
After a week during which Steve had been introduced to basic tradecraft topics such as the spotting, assessing and developing of potential agents, Marshall dropped by after dinner as Steve was going through French language cards, French on one side, English on the other.
âSorry to interrupt you. I thought Iâd come over and see how youâre doing, whether you need anything since youâre not allowed to leave.â
âI guess these French irregular verbs will just have to wait,â Steve said, putting his cards aside.
Marshall moved some books off a chair and sat down.
âI have something to ask you. You know
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