Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,4

be going to Gilcreek, Montana. Where he currently lives. We have a cover set up for you, and I recommend you stick to it. It’s a small town, so it won’t be hard to keep an eye on him, and as I’m sure you’ll learn, it won’t be hard to keep track of any new faces that appear either. We need you to monitor him, hopefully, to confirm his abilities, but also to make sure 2218 hasn’t truly caught wind of him.”

Jacob scrolled through the file, frowning. “There’s...a lot here.”

“We’ve had Levi in our system since he was six-years-old, and there’s bound to be a lot of information. You’ll have access to his file to give you an idea of the patterns we’ve established and for anything else you might be able to use. You’ll have carte blanche to do what needs to be done.”

Jacob looked up sharply. Carte blanche? Never had he gone into a situation with a full pass to do whatever he felt was necessary. Even the military had a list of restrictions and rules to go with every mission.

“You keep your cover, and you’ll have credit cards under your name. No spending limit, though I’d advise not drawing too much attention to yourself. Manage this, Agent Ryder, and you’ll find your opportunities in the DDI open up a great deal more than they did before.”

Jacob set the tablet down and took a deep breath. “And failing?”

“Do you plan to fail?”

It was said smoothly, almost innocently, but Jacob felt himself bridle at the unspoken challenge. He’d yet to fail when a problem had been thrown his way, even if sometimes his success was partial. Jacob had a strong feeling the director was intentionally goading him, using a psychological profile to needle him. Yet it didn’t stop him from squaring his jaw and looking at her dead on.

“No, I don’t.”

“Good. You’ll find a debriefing file in your email. I suggest you look it over on the plane.”

And just like that, he was dismissed. Working with minimal information and being thrown into the fire was nothing new to him, he’d dealt with it plenty in the military. Yet he couldn’t help but feel he was being thrown into the deep end and told to swim, all while there was the chance of a sudden whirlpool to suck him down when he wasn’t looking.

Levi

Warmth bathed his face, dragging him from his sleep as much as the piercing light that came with it. Groaning, Levi waved a hand uselessly at the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window, as though that might make it go away. Murmuring incoherently, he kicked the blankets off and rolled onto his back. From somewhere in the quiet little house, he could hear the gurgle of the coffeemaker echoing faintly down the short hallway.

The scent of the brewing beans came next, and he finally dragged himself to the side of the bed. Hanging his feet over the edge, he reached up, stretching his arms over his head, and arching his back. A pleased groan escaped him as his muscles stretched pleasantly, easing the tightness of the night’s sleep.

He blinked owlishly out the window, seeing only the stretch of grass that made up his yard until it stopped at a line of trees. Gilcreek was a very green place, for as far as the eye could see. Smiling faintly, he pushed himself up to his feet and moved over to the window, opening it to let in the spring air. Almost immediately, the smell of coffee mingled with the scent of flowers and the mossy earth he associated with the forest. It wasn’t too cold outside, and Levi left the window open to air out the room as he padded away.

Stepping out of the bedroom, he passed the bathroom on his left and walked to the small living area. The kitchen was more like a kitchenette, but it served his purposes of making coffee and the occasional frugal meal. Mostly he just grabbed something from Gilcreek’s only diner and ate it at home. He saw it as helping to stimulate the local economy. There wasn’t really dining room space unless he counted the few feet between the kitchen and where he kept his ratty couch and TV. It was a small house, but that was okay since he lived alone.

I thought you were going to sleep the morning away...again.

The soft voice only Levi could hear floated into his head, pulling him from his half-asleep reverie.

“It’s only…” Levi began,