2
Belle
The small but beautifully equipped private jet landed in Houston as the sun was dropping low in the sky. Flights were so fast these days, Belle had barely finished her drink when the jet came to rest. She'd been relieved to find the CIA was providing the transportation. A commercial flight, though almost as fast once it was in the sky, would've taken too much of her patience in order to board and exit. The chatter and closeness would've rubbed her already prickling nerves. She couldn't have concentrated on her assignment. Instead, she would most likely have been eyeing every passenger, worried they were the culprits who spread the biological weapon. Too many unknowns made everyone a suspect.
Belle was shocked and dismayed to see her name on a placard held by a man dressed as a chauffeur. She didn't like attention drawn to her in public places. Anonymity was important as an agent, so she had fully intended to lease a vehicle using an assumed name. Now, people were staring, expecting to see someone rich and famous. Standing straight, trying not to blush, and pretending the crowd didn't matter, she reluctantly made her way to the driver.
"You're here for me," she stated. "Why? I could've easily driven myself."
"The director will explain once you're in the car. I wasn't informed of the details. I was only told to make sure you didn't refuse the ride. Please, don't make me force you," the driver replied.
"Even if I wanted to argue or run, I wouldn't. It would cause a scene I'd rather avoid. Something tells me you've had others who did, though."
"More often than I care to mention. My face is well known here. Look around and you'll see that security is watching closely."
"No, thanks. Let's just go," Belle answered.
The vehicle wasn't a typical car in any way. It hovered over the ground, no wheels required. It was sleek, silver, and bulletproof. The windows darkened to hide the identity of the occupant, a ridiculous notion since she had been seen by the entire population of the airport.
She settled into the seat, and it molded around her body perfectly, easing the ache in her back. Instantly, the monitor in front of her activated. The CIA director appeared. "Glad to see you made it and the driver found you. I'm sorry for the display, but it couldn't be helped. Your destination has changed, and it was simply more prudent to send transportation than to get you here on your own."
"Why aren't I going to headquarters for a briefing? Has my assignment changed so quickly?" she inquired.
"The assignment is the same. However, the case has escalated and turned into an interplanetary issue. Among the dead, we found the body of a Talonian weredragon. He was identified, but this state isn't listed as his home. He resided in New York and worked as a bodyguard for an ex-senator. We have no clue as to why he was here. The senator and his family are in their home. They swear they had no knowledge that he was gone. They have several guards and are of the type who don't look at servants faces, just expect to be cared for," the director explained.
"It's a tragedy, but not so unusual. The weredragons travel the same as humans. He took time off and found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. King Maxxus will be saddened, yet he'll understand," Belle declared.
"There's more, I'm afraid. A military unit aiding civilians in Korea didn't answer their COM links for twenty-four hours. A second unit was sent to investigate, assuming the links were damaged. All the soldiers and civilians were dead, just like in Texas. The ones who investigated are ill now. They're in quarantine in the last building standing in that area. Supplies are dropped from planes. The CDC will arrive there tonight. The information they provided leads us to believe another weredragon was there, still in dragon form when he succumbed. We don't know his identity. However, none lived or worked within hundreds of miles."
"Coincidences can happen. I don't feel like that's the case here. You think they're the targets and the rest are collateral damage?" Belle asked. "I mean, they don't die of most diseases and shooting them would be too obvious. Perhaps this is someone's sick way of removing them from Earth without seeming suspicious."
"Biological weapons can kill millions and aren't easy to formulate. The creator would need to be a genius or a thief since we have those kinds of weapons stored. He would also need to be crazy. Killing hundreds of innocents to get rid of one weredragon is the mark of insanity," the director replied.
"Insane people who are also geniuses are not as uncommon as you'd imagine. History tells us that much. This person may have the idea that King Maxxus will retrieve the other weredragons once he knows they're in danger, then he would win. The Talonians would be gone."
"We'll consider that theory, but I have one as well. Only one weredragon was found in each incidence. In both cases, they weren't assigned there, and the one in Korea was still in dragon form. Both places were burning. Could the weredragons be involved?"
"Why? What motive would they have? Besides, they died too. Killing themselves while trying to destroy others would prove pointless," Belle argued.
"What if there were more and one was accidentally killed?"
"I think a group of dragons would've caught someone's notice. We keep track of the whereabouts of the Talonians anyway, though I find that to be against the alliance promises. More than one or two out of place at a time would raise suspicions. And again, what would be their motive?"
"I don't know. Like your idea, it's only a theory. We have to start somewhere, and it hurts to think humans are doing this. Anyway, I'm sending you to the weredragon liaison building in Houston. The weredragon assigned to the area will be there. He's slated to receive his first dose of the formula that Josie, King Maxxus's mate, made to keep the dragons healthier while away from their planet. He's listed as a close friend of the king. I'm hoping he'll be able to guide you in talking to the king, lessening the blow about the deaths and suspicions."
"You expect me to tell him we're suspicious of his weredragons! That's not fair! That's not my theory. It should be you, since you're the one who believes they would do such a thing." Belle was outraged.
"It's your assignment, so take your orders and deal with it. There are plenty of other agents that would love to have your ranking and cushy assignments. I could send you to the worst places on Earth if you defy me."
Belle knew it wasn't an idle threat. The director had a huge ego and when he was pushed, agents wound up in terrible places, soon to be forgotten. "Fine, sir. I'll give your condolences to King Maxxus."
"Question the weredragon too. I want to know if he's heard anything about the plot or who is in on it." Without waiting for a reply, the director disappeared.
Belle was greeted politely at the front desk until she flashed her badge. The woman at the desk frowned, and her eyes hardened. "What do you need from us, Special Agent Simons?"
"My name is Belle, and I'd appreciate it if you used it. I was sent by the CIA director here in Texas to speak with a weredragon who should be here for his infusion. I wasn't provided with a name. I'm also supposed to reach out to King Maxxus. We have a situation he deserves to be in on. Your cooperation would be advised for all our sakes."
The woman didn't reply at first. She was busy reading something on her computer. Belle was running out of patience when the receptionist begrudgingly stated, "I may not like it, but it appears you have authority to do whatever you please. I've been told to bring you to an office in the back. Once Blayze is finished, he'll be brought to you."
