FIRST  ASSIGNMENT

A   JAKE  MITCHELL  STORY

By  Beej

(comes after New Recruits)

Six months of intensive training were at an end and soon the newest recruits to A&M Risk would know if they had made the grade. They sat in the conference room of the 12th floor office complex chatting quietly together, while Mike, the ‘M‘, and CFO, of A&M, got himself yet another refill from the coffee pot at the rear of the room.

Suddenly the door flew open, crashing back on it’s hinges, and Jake stormed into the room, carrying a thick file. He slammed it down at the head of the long, oval oak conference table, turned a thunderous glare at the six trainees sitting there, and left, in much the same manner as he had entered, slamming the door behind him.

Mike put his coffee down and rushed towards the door, looking over his shoulder as he opened it.

“Talk amongst yourselves, boys and girls. I’ll go check out who’s rattled laughing boy's cage.”

The ‘boys and girls’ looked around at each other in shock. Over the past six months, they had seen Jake in many different moods, but up until now, they had never seen him quite like that, and now knew what some of the other staff had meant when they had mentioned his patent ‘look’.

They had no idea what was wrong with their boss, and could only hope it wasn’t anything to do with them. They all stared at the file on the table, not daring to take a look in case they brought the wrath of Jake down on their heads should he walk back in and catch them.

Mike steamed down the corridor towards Jake’s office like a runaway train. He burst through the door ready to rip Jake a new one, but stopped as he saw his friend.

Jake was standing by the window wall, his hands in his pockets and his forehead resting against the glass, a picture of abject misery. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his friend look so down.

“Jake?”

No reply.

“JAKE?”

Still no response.

Mike walked over to the window and gently placed his hand on Jake's shoulder. He watched as Jake slowly lifted his head away from the glass and turned to face his worried friend.

“You okay, Jake?”

Jake walked slowly over to his desk, and sat down heavily in his chair. He rubbed his hands over his face before looking up at his friend.

“Yeah, mate, I’m apples.”

“Like hell. You wanna talk about it?”

“Nothing to talk about,” Jake replied, making a visible effort to pull himself together, pushing himself up from his chair and making for the door.

He looked back at Mike with an ‘are you coming’ expression on his face, then walked down the corridor towards the conference room.

The low rumble of talking from inside stopped the minute the door handle turned, and Jake and Mike walked into a silent room, alive with tension.

“G’day, folks. How ya going?” Jake asked, as if this were the first time he'd been in the room, looking around at six worried faces. They all relaxed a little as they saw Mike give them the thumbs up behind Jake's back.

“Right then, the moment you’ve no doubt all been waiting for.  Six months down the line and it’s time to let you know which of you have made the cut,” said Jake, looking at the expectant expressions on the faces.

“We won’t beat around the bush and leave you in suspense, even though it would be fun,” laughed Mike. “We’re happy to tell you that you all got through the first part of your training, and we’re delighted to say you’re ready for stage two.”

The small group let out a joint sigh of relief and there was a short delay in the proceedings while they took the time to congratulate each other. A discrete clearing of  throats brought them back in line.

“We now get onto the difficult part of this morning's meeting,” Jake said seriously. “As you all know, when we did the initial interviews, you were told that not all the positions would be here in the Sydney office. We actually need three here, and three to continue their training in our new London office.”

“Now, of course it would be much better if you could work this out yourselves,” added Mike. “But, if you can’t, then Jake and I will make the final choice, and believe me when I say that there will be no negotiation regarding our decision!”

Darren Hill raised his hand slightly. “Can I say something please?”

“Yeah, mate, go ahead,” Jake replied.

“We’ve been chatting about this on and off since we started training, and have come up with a list, just in case you decided to keep us all on, that is.”

Saying this, Darren rose from his seat and walked to Mike and Jake, handing over a sheet of paper then returned to his place.

Jake looked at it and handed it across to Mike with a raised eyebrow. He then opened the file in front of him and took out a similar sheet.

“Alrighty, before we go any further, I’ll show you what Mike and I had decided, just in case you couldn’t.”

Jake slid his sheet across to be passed around the table.

SYDNEY

Kiri Collins

Darren Hill

David Johnson

LONDON

Jason Evans

Marie Mason

Lynn Turner

He looked down again at the list Darren had handed him.

SYDNEY

Darren

David

Kiri

LONDON

Jason

Lynn

Marie

“Well, children, we all seem to be on the same page here, don’t we,” Mike said, laughing at the stunned group.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, for the three of you who have chosen to leave the nest and join our new colleagues in London, see Jenny for your flight details. The company will be arranging apartments for you. Until then you’ll be staying in an hotel near the office, okay?”

Jason, Lynn and Marie nodded their agreement, looking forward to their new adventure. Marie and Lynn hoping that they would be able to share an apartment eventually, as they had become good friends.

“Now that’s settled, I know it’s still only Monday morning, but I think you all deserve a break. We know it’s been a tough few months for you, and it’s going to get tougher from here on in. It could be a long time before you all manage to meet up again, so we’ve decided that you should spend some down time together before the ‘London Three’ get shipped out in a couple of weeks.”

There followed a lot of cheering and back slapping, and finally the little group filed out of the door, heading off towards the reception area, where Jason, Lynn and Marie would pick up their travel documents from Jenny.

Darren held back in the conference room and motioned to Jake that he wanted a word.

“Walk with us,” Jake said, heading along the corridor with Mike to his office.

“Have you had the invite, Jake?”

“Yep.”

“Ya looking forward to it?”

“No, mate, it’s a fuckin’ pain in the arse!”

“Am I missing something?” asked Mike.

“We’ve both had an invite to the Unit shindig next Wednesday,” Darren answered.

“And the problem is?”

“Think about it, mate, what’s the bloody date next week?”

“Shit, it’s Angie’s birthday!”

“Will she be mad if you miss it just once, boss?” asked Darren.

“It’s not that, Dazza, I've had to miss them before now,” replied Jake. “There’s something kinda special I’ve got her this year for a pressie.”

With that, Jake pulled open the top drawer of his desk and  threw over a small box to Darren. He opened it up and gave a long low whistle.

“Man, oh, man, that’s a bewdy, mate. Does she know what’s coming?”

“Not unless you tell her. I thought I’d spring it on her. I promised I‘d be home for her this year, and I would have if not for that invite.”

“You could always say no, Jake,” Mike said, slapping him on the shoulder.

“You don’t turn down an invitation from the Unit, mate. It’s more like a fucking command,” Jake sighed.

“We’ll think of something. Maybe we can sneak you out early. As long as the General sees you at least once, I’m sure he won’t miss you,” said Darren.

“ I guess,” said Jake, not entirely convinced. “Anyway, if we have to go, we’ll go in style. I’ll pick you up.”

“On the Hog?” Darren asked, a huge grin on his face.

“Not this time. We go by car.”

“Ripper, I’ll see you next week then, boss.”

With that, Darren rushed off to catch up with the others, who were already on their way to the lift, and two weeks freedom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early the following Wednesday morning, Darren was suitably impressed when Jake pulled up outside his parents’ home in a brand new BMW Z4.

Now maybe his olds would agree that he’d made the right move from the army into ‘this insurance lark’ as his dad called his new profession.

His parents followed him to the parked car and watched as the driver stepped out. He was dressed smartly in a charcoal grey three piece suit. His cufflinks sparkled in the early morning sun. Were they silver, wondered Mrs. Hill,  white gold, or could they even be platinum? Her husband looked at the driver's shoes. He had long held the belief that a clean, shiny pair of shoes were a good indication of quality in a man. These gleamed to perfection.

The driver stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

“Good morning, Mr. Hill,” he said, shaking hands firmly.

He then turned to Mrs. Hill and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips and kissing her knuckle.

“Mrs. Hill, you’re everything Darren described, and more.”

Politely refusing the invitation to ‘come inside for a cuppa’, they headed off, leaving Darren’s parents standing by their front gate, waving happily.

“Cheers, Jake. That was good of ya. Now maybe they’ll get off my case for leaving the army.”

“No worries, Dazza. Anything to make you look good, mate.  You don’t mind if we make a quick stop before we head out, do ya?”

“Not at all.  Forget something?”

Jake didn’t reply, but smiled slightly as he headed back for his apartment. He pulled up outside, not bothering to use his parking spot.

“Two ticks. Mate,” he called over his shoulder as he jogged down the boardwalk and entered the building.

Five minutes later he was back, wearing a pair of faded jeans, t-shirt and trainers.

“There’s enough time tonight for stuffed shirts, at least I can drive there in comfort,” he said, winking at Darren, who was already casually dressed.

They reached the Unit in plenty of time, and were soon changed into their dress uniforms, and feeling very uncomfortable. Jake constantly checked his watch.

“How long to drive to the farm from here?” asked Darren.

“Too bloody long, but if I can leave early enough, I can make it while it’s still actually her birthday.”

“We’ll get you there, no worries.”

“Hope so, mate. Hope so.”

The luncheon dragged on, but eventually was over and the guests congregated in the main hall for drinks. Col. Fisher caught Jakes’ eye and called him over.

“Mitch, you’ve been looking about as happy as a bastard on Fathers’ Day ever since you arrived. What’s going on.”

“It’s Angie’s’ birthday, Tom, and I promised her faithfully I’d be there this time.”

“Sorry to hear that. I’m sure she’ll understand. You’ll be there tomorrow.”

“It’s more important than ever that I keep my promise,” replied Jake, showing Tom the small satin box.

“Oh shit, why didn’t you say something earlier. Listen, just make yourself known to the General, then slip off. He won’t notice.”

“Thanks, Tom. I owe you big time.”

Fifteen minutes later, Darren saw Jake slip out of the hall and make his way towards the car pool. He turned and saw Col. Fisher standing beside him, smiling.

“Love’s young dream, eh? It’s about time. A better match I’ve never seen.”

Darren nodded in agreement and walked with the colonel towards the bar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How could he? He promised he’d be here!”

Angie threw herself onto the sofa in fits of tears. The party had broken up hours before, and she had finally given up hope of Jake turning up.

Emily sat down beside her and gave her a sympathetic hug. She wondered what had kept her grandson away. He never broke a promise unless it was humanly impossible for him to keep it.

Sam was pacing the lounge room, swearing under his breath. He stopped and pulled out his cell phone.

“I’ll give him a call, see what he’s playing at.”

He tried the Sydney apartment, the office, Jakes’ cell phone, but got no reply from any of them. In desperation, he tried Mike. After about six rings, he picked up.

“Talk to me!”

“Mike? It’s Sam. Is Jake with you?”

“No, my friend. He’s meant to be with you!”

“Angie’s in tears up here. He never showed.”

“Shit! Listen, Sam, give me five, I’ll get back to you.”

Without another word, Mike hung up and began dialing Darren’s number.

“Where’s Jake?” he demanded when Darren picked up.

“What ya mean, where’s Jake? He left here  hours ago. He should be at the farm by now.”

“He never got there, my friend. I don’t like this.”

“I’ll get some wheels and head over there, Mike. I’ll meet you there, yeah?”

“I’m on my way even as we speak. Keep in touch.”

Just as Mike got off the phone to Sam, letting him know he was on his way up, his cell rang again. It was Darren.

“Mike, something’s so not right. Jakes’ car is still up here, it looks like he didn’t drive anywhere himself.”

“Maybe he got a lift and left the car for you.”

“Yeah, right. As if he'd let me loose with this beauty. Even if he did, I think he would have let me know before he went, don’t you?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just clutching at straws. Are the keys anywhere?”

“That’s the biggest worry. They’re in the ignition!”

“Fuck! Okay, you’d better take his car and get to the farm as quick as you can. You’ll get there before me so try to keep it calm.  We don’t want them falling apart before we know what’s going on.”

 

By the time Mike arrived and they explained that Jake had just vanished, Angie had gone from being upset, then distraught, to pissed off and furious. She'd got it into her head that Jake was playing some stupid game with her. She stormed off screaming at the top of her voice:

“When you see that no good prick, you can tell him I never want to see him again as long as I live!”

“That went well,” remarked Mike, looking at the door that had just slammed shut. He turned to Emily and took her hand in his.

“Don’t worry, Emily. We’re going to find out what’s going on. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for all this.”

“I hope so, dear. You do what you do best, and I’ll see if I can calm Angie down. I don’t want Aaron walking in while she’s still spitting like Ngauruhoe!”

“What’s Ngauruhoe?” asked Darren.

“It’s a Northland volcano, mate,” replied Sam.

“Ah, right,” grinned Darren in reply.

Enquiries back at the Unit revealed a sighting of Jake leaving the base in a taxi, but the car and driver couldn’t be traced. Having exhausted all avenues, they decided to return to the office in Sydney and see what their contacts could turn up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jake was pissed off. Tired, hungry, sore, aching and most definitely pissed off! He was losing track of how long he’d been there, wherever ‘there’ was. He slowly lifted up his head and looked around. Why did it look familiar, why did he feel he should know where he was? His arms and shoulders ached unmercifully and he glanced up at the wire that bound his wrists together and the chain that held him suspended beneath a metal beam. It looked like he was in some kind of warehouse, but where…and why?

A door opened noisily behind him, and he struggled to turn and see who had walked in. His captor had made no attempt to hide his identity from Jake, and when he walked round to the front of him, Jakes’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Good sleep, Mitchell?”

Jake lashed out at his captor, who stood just out of range of his feet.

“That won’t get you anywhere, and you know it. I think it’s time we contacted your friends, isn’t it. Now, what shall I send them for their ‘proof of life’? Some hair? A finger, perhaps? I know.”

He stepped towards Jake, a blade in his hands, and quickly cut the leather cord from around his neck.

“This will do nicely. Let the games begin.”

With that, he turned on his heel, laughing as he left Jake alone once again.

“I’m fucked!” muttered Jake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike, Darren, David and Jenny sat around Jake’s desk wondering what to do next. It had been almost a week now and no sign of Jake anywhere. All their contacts had come up empty handed, and there had been no demands from anyone. The military had come up empty handed, too. The silence was broken by Mike's cell phone. He checked the caller ID and frowned as he showed it to the others before answering.

“Talk to me!”

“Special delivery!”

The phone went dead. Mike sat there staring at it.

“What’s going on?” asked Jenny.

“Go check the mail, honey,” Mike replied.

Jenny ran out to the reception desk just in time to see a messenger heading back towards the lifts. She picked up the packet he had left and returned to the others. She handed it across to Mike, and sat down, waiting for him to open it.

Everyone held their breath as Mike tore the end of the package open. He reached inside and pulled out…a black leather cord. Attached to the cord was a pewter Maori symbol representing the spirit of freedom. Jenny and Mike recognised it at once, it was one of three Jake owned, the others representing ‘fearless’ and ‘strength’. Jenny put her head in her hands and quietly wept.

David picked up the discarded envelope as Mike slowly turned the pendant over in  his hand.

“There’s a note in here,” he exclaimed.

He handed it over to Mike, who opened it and read *We’ll be in touch*.

As Darren and David continued to examine the packet, Mike picked up the phone and dialed.

“Sam? I need to speak with Emily, please…Emily, someone’s taken him… we got the proof this morning. Can you let Angie know?”

“She won’t speak to any of us, Mike. It’s as if she thinks we’re all in on whatever she believes Jake is up to.”

“Damn! Well, there’s nothing we can do about that for the time being. Right now, our main objective is to get him back as soon as possible. We’ll sort Angie out after. I’ll keep in touch.”

As he replaced the handset, he looked up at three pairs of eyes, watching his every move.

“Angie has cut herself off from everyone up there. She thinks it’s some giant joke that Jake and the family are playing on her. Still, we can’t worry about that now, can we. There’s more important stuff to take care of.”

No-one dared leave the office as they had no idea how they would be contacted. So they called out for food, and settled down to wait. Later that evening, Jake's direct line rang. Mike answered. It was the call they had been waiting for. The first thing Mike did was to demand proof that Jake was still alive. The kidnapper seemed very helpful, and told him that was no problem. Mike set the tape running.

“Jake?”

“Mike, I don’t know WHERE I am, or why I’m being held. All I know is that I’m in a HOUSE somewhere….”

Mike heard a grunt, and guessed that Jake had been silenced before he said too much.

“There, you see, he’s still alive and kicking…or trying to kick anyway.”

“What is it you want for his safe return?”

“Return? Did I say I was going to return him? Oh, no, Mr. Taylor, I never said you would get him back. I just wanted you to know he’s still okay…for now…I’ll be in touch soon, and you can talk to him again…if you’re lucky. You’ll definitely be able to listen to him though.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Shit! This is no K&R, whoever this bastard is, he has no intention of letting Jake go. This is personal!” said David, looking worried.

“Play the tape back,” snapped Mike.

They played the tape again and again. It didn’t take long as Jake hadn’t been able to speak much.

“What am I missing here?” asked Mike. “There has to be a clue.”

“Listen to the way he’s stressed a couple of words, boss. I think he’s in a warehouse!”

They played the tape one more time, and a small smile slowly appeared on Mikes’ face.

“Shit, Davey. When the fuck did you get so damned smart?”

"Must be the training," David replied with a grin.