Lily steered her car onto the interstate, and headed north. A few miles later, she exited the highway and made her way through a deserted strip mall parking lot.
She pulled into a gas station and parked her car outside, facing the pumps. She dashed inside, and asked the clerk if she could use their landline. He obliged, and she dialed the number she'd been given earlier.
"Hello?" came the voice on the other end. It sounded familiar.
"Hello?" she repeated.
"Who is this?" a male voice asked.
"This is Lily Thatcher," she explained. "I'm calling as a private citizen. I need help."
"Can you confirm your location?"
"I'm at a gas station just outside of Chicago." she said, “Do you need the address?”
"No. We know where you are.” he said cryptically, “We'll be there momentarily."
Lily hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she had some kind of backup plan.
Still, something didn't feel right. Why would these guys help her?
I must be letting my emotions cloud my judgment again.
She made her way back to her car and climbed inside. When she reached for the ignition, she froze. Her hands were trembling.
She took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves. She had to stay calm. There was nothing more important than her mission to clear Allan's name.
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A van pulled up alongside her car and rolled to a stop. A man wearing a blue polo shirt climbed out and approached her.
"Agent Wilson?" he asked.
Lily nodded. "That's me."
He opened the rear doors of the van and gestured for her to climb inside the windowless cargo area. Once she was seated, he closed the doors and turned to face her. The ceiling, walls and floor were covered in a metal mesh.
A Faraday Cage! Clever.
“You look surprised."
"I am." she admitted, “The Faraday Cage is a nice touch. But the instant I leave this van, the NSA will be able to find me again.”
“Don’t worry about that.” he smirked, “This is just our transport vehicle. We’ve got a better setup elsewhere.”
“So how does this work exactly?” she raised an eyebrow, “Are you going to blindfold me while you drive to your secret lair?”
“Something like that, yes.” he chuckled, “I’ll close the partition while we travel.”
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“To be honest, I’m a little surprised you’re willing to help me.”
"Don't be." he said. "We know everything about you."
"Then why are you helping me?"
His lips curled upward. "Because we want to know the truth too."
Lily's mouth hung open. "What truth?"
"Why did you leave the NSA?"
"Why does it matter to you?" she asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice. "I could tell you anything, and you wouldn't care."
The man stared at her for a moment, as if considering her words. Then he shrugged. "Fair enough. Let's talk about what happened at the NSA."
Lily leaned forward in her seat and folded her arms over her chest. "Allan is innocent. I promise you."
He arched an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
"Because my gut tells me so." she replied.
"Your gut?"
"Yes." she insisted. "It's just a feeling, but I trust my instincts."
"Can you give me one solid piece of evidence that supports your claim that Allan is innocent?"
"One?" she shook her head, "There's a lot. I mean, I've spent many years working with him. I know Allan well. He has never done anything remotely illegal or suspicious during our entire time together."
"We might not believe you just based on your word." he said, "But we can investigate his past."
"You can if you want," she said confidently, "but I assure you that your investigation won't turn up any evidence that will exonerate him. In fact, it would probably reveal that he's guilty of something terrible."
"Really?" he pressed, "Now why would that be?"
"I don't know for certain, but I have a feeling that someone is trying to frame my boyfriend."
He smiled. "Indeed. Someone is indeed trying to frame your boyfriend."
"Why?" Lily asked, "What do they gain from this?"
"It doesn't really matter why," he said, "or even who. What matters is that we need to find out who and stop them before…"
"…they kill someone else," Lily finished his sentence.
"Precisely," he nodded. "Let me ask you this, though; why do you think Allan is innocent?"
"I just know." she said. "My gut tells me it's true."
"Okay." he said, "And you know this because…?"
"I just do," she repeated.
"I see." he mused, "In other words, you have absolutely no proof whatsoever."
"Not really." she agreed.
"Then why are you so sure?"
She sighed. "I just have a hunch. That's all."
"Hunch?" he scoffed, "That's not enough."
"Is it?" she asked. "You can't blame me for doubting the NSA's integrity."
"Of course I can!" he snapped. "They framed my brother for murder. They tried to frame him again when he went missing last year. And now, they're framing Allan."
"Which means?"
"Which means," he growled, "that we need to get to the bottom of this."
"How?" she asked. "Even if you prove Allan's innocence, what makes you think the NSA will let him walk free?"
"I don't know. I just know that I want to help him, and that's why I'm here."
"But you still haven't answered my question. Why do you feel this way?"
"Because I love him! Okay?” she confessed, “I know with all my heart that he’s incapable of hurting another person, let alone killing one!”
"Very well." he said, “That’s what we suspected. You fell in love with your assignment. Good for you. But what I need to know is if you're willing to risk your life for him."
"I already have." she said defiantly, "I’m risking my life right now."
"I don't doubt that for a second." he nodded, "The question is whether you're ready to risk it to save him."
"I am." she declared. "I swear."
He smiled. "Good. Let’s go."
As they pulled out of the gas station, she saw a group of black SUVs headed in their direction. She tensed and pulled the partition shut between her and the driver.
They found me.
"They're coming! Drive!" she ordered.
The van lurched across three lanes of traffic as they sped away. She could hear sirens approaching from behind.
He swerved and darted through the city streets, weaving in and out of cars, and cutting off other drivers. One wrong move and they could lose control, and the NSA would take her down hard.
"Keep driving!" she shouted, "Drive as fast as you can!"
The man gripped the wheel and accelerated. The van screeched around corners and skidded on slick pavement. The tires squealed as the van fishtailed wildly, and she held her breath, praying that they wouldn't crash.
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