Read Operation for Free Online

from the desk and paced the room. Her clothes were still damp with sweat from working out before the phone call from Mr. Smith. She usually exercised three times a week when things at work were at a semi-normal pace and found it to be just the right amount to keep her edge under control. But now with an operation of such high consequence should she fail, Samantha worked out as much as three times a day especially during the part that she hated the most—the waiting. If she didn’t expend her nervous and frustrated energy she would probably kill someone. History had proven that to be the case.
    Every day that the two girls—the creatures—were loose jeopardized the discovery of their own creature and Operation Iron Stake. If there was even a hint that such creatures existed, the whole world would become a turmoil and even worse, the United States would lose the advantage they had enjoyed over the years. If this advantage was lost due to any fault of hers, she knew she would be quietly removed. An accident would be arranged, or worse yet, Mr. Smith would be assigned her neutralization. He would enjoy that immensely, she thought.
    The folder on Operation Iron Stake lay open on her desk. She had gone through it at least three times now looking for anything that might help the current situation. She had memorized many of the operations that had been completed, including the assignments that had fallen under her tenure as handler of the creature. She had written a summary of the major events so that she could quickly review if she thought it became necessary.
    1949: Assassinations of key personnel in order to allow CIA establishment of Radio Free Europe.
    1950: Assassinations of North Korean officials prior to invasion of South Korea.
    1952: Assassinations of Egyptian officials to secure overthrow of King Farouk.
    1954: Assassinations to ensure CIA supported coup in Guatemala in the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz.
    1956: Assassinations in Hungary in support of anti-Communist rebellion.
    1958: Assassinations in support of election of Charles de Gaulle.
    As she continued going through the list, her thoughts also focused on her own personal knowledge from her experience with the asset.
    1961: Assassinations in support of Bay of Pigs Invasion.
    1964: Assassinations in key Russian positions to ensure failure of Khrushchev’s Agricultural reform.
    1966: Assassination of Lal Bahadur Shastri in support of election of Indira Ghandi as Prime Minister.
    1969: Assassination of Somali President Abdi Rashid Ali Shermarke.
    1970: Assists CIA in Laos by assassination of key government figures.
    1971: Assassination of Chinese Defense Minister, Lin Pao.
    1972: Assists in Philippine Offensive to remove Communistic elements.
    1973: CIA directed assassination of Chile’s Marxist President, Salvador Allende Gossens.
    One of the cardinal rules maintained in the relationship with the asset was the separation of contact between the handler and asset. Samantha had met the creature in person on only two occasions. First, when she became her handler and second, before sending her on the op to kill General Stone. The importance of the General Stone op required her presence to ensure the creature understood exactly what needed to be done and the peculiarity of placing the collars on the dead bodies.
    Samantha returned to the list and began going down the page looking at names. Some she had known, some she had not. Did it matter? In the end they were just names on paper that had been obstacles to the ideals and expectations of those in charge. Those obstacles were given to the handler to deal with appropriately. The term ‘handler’ was one that she had come to admire and cherish just as one would place importance on something sentimental to them.
    Her eyes fell back to the list of names as she felt the beginnings of a laugh start to form in the back of her throat.
    1975: Assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
    1976: Assassinations in support