Tag
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 17
Early Monday morning, Tag fixed breakfast, drank a brew, and headed to the gym. He did a full workout, Sensi and weights, dressed in black, walked to the forest. He came out one hour later at peace. Walking to the house, sensing everything on his block, he entered and went upstairs for a long, hot shower. He sat and centered and woke at 7 a.m., went to the kitchen for breakfast, ate two more helpings, and went upstairs to check email. One asked to call Mr. Lovett this morning.
So, at 8 a.m., Tag called, and Richard asked him how his first interview went. Tag said, minus the room problem, he thought it went great. He told Richard that Stephen was friendly and an excellent interviewer. Richard said he had to scrape Ginna off the walls; she was so happy to be thanked on national TV. Richard said he had a good laugh about not punching out Stephen. Then we go down to business. There is a script he wants him to read this week. It’s possible to have a reading on Friday or Monday for the lead. He asked Tag to come by as soon as possible to pick it up.
Tag said to give him an hour, and we said goodbye. He packed Switzerland, headed to CAA, picked up the script, and stopped by the patent attorney to have him patent Vol. 8 Switzerland. Then, he took a zig-zag around the Rosey route and made it home. Tag routed, got on the dark web, and ordered four more trackers and bug detectors to be delivered to a drop house by Wednesday. Then he called George, the owner of the rural property. He moved out and left all the info and keys in the garage in the left-hand rear corner under several boxes.
Tag thanked him and wished him good luck. He called the fence guy and was willing to do the job because it was slow, and he wanted to meet today. Tag said 3 p.m., read the script, called CAA, spoke to his assistant, and told her he wanted the part. And to call him when it was set up. He ate an early lunch, armed the house, and headed down the tunnel to the new garage. Tag loaded a few things in the back of the truck with an ice chest, 12 waters, and headed to the getaway hideout.
He pulled in and went directly to the garage. Tag found the box and keys he left with a bunch of hand and gardening tools. He walked around the back of the garage and saw an old mid-60s Ford pickup. It had seen better days, but it was solid. He needs to rent a car hauler. It would be the perfect truck for here. There was also an old Harley about the same age, and Tag backed his vehicle up. He used a little TK, got in the truck, tied down, and sensed the area.
Tag found several questionable areas that he needs to check out later. He went into the house, and it was in good shape. It required some cleaning and painting, and it was perfect for what I wanted it for. The fence guy arrived, and introductions were made. His name was Guy Bauer, and he measured and recommended a few changes to make it more durable in rural areas. Guy thought metal, and we drove around the area. He pointed out two areas that anyone could get in and out of, and recommended a solution. Tag said the previous owner had problems with hunters, and Guy told him that if we do it his way, the problem will be solved.
Tag asked when he could have the bid ready. Guy said he had to check metal prices, but it should be late tomorrow. Tag told him if we can agree on the price, he can start it asap. We left after locking up, and he drove by a U-Haul rental center and reserved a car carrier for 8 a.m. tomorrow. Tag went home happy to be working on a new project. He pulled in after making several loops around the area. Tag unloaded the bike, parked the truck, locked up, and headed up the tunnel to the house.
He goes upstairs with the box and views what is inside. He had land records from the 1850s with surveyor reports. Tag needs to spend some time looking at these records. It was getting late, so he had dinner and a brew while heading to the gym. He did his nightly routine, beat the poor heavy bag, cooled down on the speed bag, and headed upstairs. Tag showered and centered. Then he woke
Tag was drinking his brew in the kitchen at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, then heading to the gym. He did his off-day routine and headed to the shower and centering. Woke at six, had breakfast, and headed down the tunnel with a cooler of water, a backpack, and a few duffel bags. Load up the F250, stopped for fuel, did a few roundabouts, and reached the rental center. He picked up the car hauler, went to the ranch, loaded the truck, and tied it down.
Then Tag grabbed a few waters, walked the property, and stopped when he felt something. Just beyond the property line, on a small hill, maybe 60 feet tall, was a hidden alcove. Tag moved the brush easily, without disturbing the secret area. He walked in and felt it as soon as he entered. It had a strong pull that he almost left, but kept going and found a small stash of gold, maybe 50 lbs., but where was the pull coming from? At the back of the cave was a small pool no bigger than a good-sized tub, and the pulling was for him to reach inside. Tag reached in and felt something at the bottom and pulled it out.
It was a medallion on a gold chain. The medallion was bigger than a quarter, just as thin, and had strange markings on it, and a voice inside my head said Put it on. Tag slipped over his head, and the medallion seemed brighter when it made contact with my skin. He felt a surge through me, and the medallion disappeared, but he felt like it was there. Tag exited the small alcove and returned to his truck, feeling a spring in his step, and drove away feeling refreshed.
Tag pulled into the painter’s shop and around back. Todd West, the owner, came and said You find the nicest things to keep me busy. Tag asked if Todd could pull the engine and transmission and paint it as close to the original color. He would put a new power train in it, but make it look like an old farm truck. Todd said he could. Tag told him of the old Harley he had found and that he would bring it in when it was stripped. Tag pulled out and into the upholstery shop and told Brad, the owner, what was coming his way.
Brad said he would go over and look at it today. Tag told Brad he wanted to keep the bench seat but wanted the driver’s and passenger sides of the bench to feel and look like bucket seats. Brad got his photo book, and he pointed, and Tag said, “Yes, that’s it, and put in some seat belts that look like they belong.”
Tag left and felt the project coming together. He returned the car hauler, headed back to the new home via seeing the sights, pulled into the garage, locked it up, and walked up the tunnel to the house. He fixed lunch, had a brew for some reason, went upstairs, and programmed deception until dinner. The programming seems to go faster and easier. Tag comes downstairs, fixes two dinners, drinks another brew, and heads for the gym. Tag did his nighttime routine, put hurt on the heavy bag, and cooled down on the speed bag. He went upstairs, showered, sat nude in lotus, and centered. Then he woke
Early Wednesday morning, Tag was in the kitchen drinking his brew and heading to the gym. He completed his Sensei and weight routine and headed to the kill house. Tag just walked inside, attacked, and before he realized it, he had collected the knives and was walking up the tunnel to the shower. Then he took a hot shower and centered. Tag woke at 7, fixed breakfast, returned upstairs, and programmed until noon. He checked his emails and forwarded them to CAA.
Tag headed to the kitchen, fixed lunch, went down the tunnel, broke down the old Harley, and put the parts in the back of the truck. Then he headed via the mail center to the paint shop and dropped the parts. Tag selected a vanilla ice cream color with black powder coat on the frame. Then he dropped the seat off and went to the motor and trans shop. He asked if there was anything he could do to increase the horsepower. They said to change the engine and transmission. Tag asked if it would have mounting problems, and they said the frame needs altering, and he could get it done. So, back to the paint shop and back again. Then, as he was about to leave, a guy pulled in with an old Chevy truck close to what I wanted to do.
Tag asked for and got the guy’s business card. He headed home via ring around the rosy and zig and zag. He pulled inside and locked up. Heading up the tunnel, he remembered a pickup was needed in the morning and at the drop house. Tag programmed until dinner and had his brew on the way to the gym. He did his nightly workout and peppered the heavy bag, but he still looks great. He finished on the speed bag, increasing his speed and slowing it down to cool off. Tag headed upstairs, showered, and centered. He woke up
2 a.m. Thursday, Tag was in the kitchen drinking my brew, heading to the gym. He did his off-day routine, dressed in black, and ran to the drop house. He sensed the area, and no one was awake. He circled back to the alley, picked up my purchases, and went to the stop and rob. Tag opened the boxes, found three trackers, put them on a truck to Seattle, and headed home. He showered, centered, and thought he needed to leave the city on off days and practice in an urban environment. Weekends at one of the farms.
He woke at 7 a.m., headed downstairs for breakfast, back upstairs for programming, and worked to lunch. He checked his email and had a reading scheduled for Friday, 10 a.m. at Universal. They were supposed to call him. Tag returned upstairs and finished Deception. He went downstairs, had dinner, and drank his brew on the way to the gym. He did his night routine and a heavy bag smackdown. His speed bag work changed. Tag was going all out and slowed to cool down. Returning upstairs, he showered and centered. He woke up
At 2 a.m. Friday, Tag was in the kitchen drinking his brew. He went to the gym and did a full workout with Sensei and a weight training routine. Then he headed upstairs to the shower and centered. Tag woke, went downstairs, had breakfast, returned upstairs, and troubleshooted deception until 9. He dressed, walked down the tunnel, hopped on the wide glide, and rode to Universal. The reading went well, and he left with a positive feeling.
Tag rode home with interesting maneuvers and reversals, then took the scenic route. He parked in the garage, locked everything up, and headed home. Tag went upstairs and called CAA and told them he thought his reading went well. They had another script ready for him on Monday. Tag was packing western clothes for a trip to Reno. The contractor called and said it was done, and we scheduled a Saturday 10 a.m. walk-through.
He packed his BE backpack and corporate checkbook with $50k. Tag walked around thinking and added shithead’s camera and was off down the tunnel and in F250 heading to Santa Monica Airport. Tag got the plane out, the truck inside, and locked it up. He was in the air in under 30 minutes. The flight was smooth, and after he landed and took care of the plane, the rental car place had no SUVs but had a F250 and would give me the same price.
Tag took it and drove over to the Sands, and they comped him with a mini suite. He stashed his illegal bag, unpacked his clothes, and hung his shirts and coat. Tag made it look lived in. Looking at the clock, it was lunch, so he went to the restaurant, had a good lunch, returned, took a shower, and centered. Tag woke up at 9 pm, and the phone rang with an invite to a game. Tag dressed and went to the room. There were several Japanese men and Hispanics at the table. He sat down and requested a $10k marker.
The game went to 2 a.m., and he returned to his room and centered. Tag woke at 8 a.m. and hopped in the F250, stopping for breakfast and the Golden Arches. Tag was about halfway there when he saw a young woman hammering a yard sale sign on the highway. Tag stopped and followed her to the house. The house sat on a few acres, and she had a gun safe, two bows with a box of arrows, a John Deere mule, and miscellaneous items for sale.
Tag asked what she wanted for the safe, the bows and arrows, she said 10k. He was about to leave, but she said the safe held a large gun collection of her husband’s. Tag asked about the trailer and mule, and she said $15k, and it’s all yours. He paid the lady, and she went into the house to get the paperwork. Tag used TK to get the safe loaded and was loading bows and arrows in the truck when she came out with pink slips signed.
As he was loading the mule, Tag asked why she was selling everything and responded that her husband was fishing with his girlfriend in Reno. He said goodbye and drove to the ranch, parked the trailer in the garage, disconnected the trailer, relocked the barn, and waited. The contractor showed up, we walked the work, he paid the man, sent a command to lose the plans, and knew he had done a job. An older man was the customer with white hair, overweight, and short, but he could remember where it was, just in a remote spot.
He left, and Tag looked at the completed room, which was what he wanted. The underground room was 100x150 and had a separate big room 50x50ft. The rest was set up like an apartment. There was a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. It had three entrances, one from the house and garage, and a discreet one from the hillside 200ft away. Power was from wind and water, propane was piped in, and the sewer was a separate septic system.
He could live down here for a long time if needed. Tag came out of the bunker and used TK to move the safe into the bunker and move it to the bedroom walk-in closet. He sensed the combo and opened it, and he got a deal. The young lady had better disappear for a while. It was a double-wide safe, with one side filled with cash and the other with many Western firearms. It’s good that his wife thinks she sold to an old man.
Tag locked everything up and looked at the hanger and landing strip, which looked great. He left, put in a new titanium cable and lock guaranteed that couldn’t be cut on the gate, and headed to the Sands. Tag ate lunch in the restaurant, went to his suite, showered and centered, and woke up at 9 p.m. The phone rang for another card game. He entered and saw 3 Russians and 2 Caucasian men. Tag played till 1 a.m., cashed out, tipped the dealer a grand, went to his room, and centered. He woke at 3 a.m. and heard men speaking Russian in his living room.
He sent them the sleep command, dressed, went down the hall to the service closet, got the laundry cart, and returned. Tag read them, put them in the cart, and wheeled them to their room. He programmed them to remember losing at the tables and wanting to get drunk. Tag left them with a memory of an old man, overweight with white hair, winning big last night. He returned the cart at 5 a.m., packed up, had breakfast, checked out, slipped the manager a $100, and headed to the airport.
He returned the truck and had the plane fueled with a flight plan filed, called the tower, and was off and back in Santa Monica by 9 a.m. Sunday. Tag parked the plane, locked it, drove by the warehouse, and all was well. Then he took the roundabout way to the new house. Tag parked, locked up, and headed through the tunnel home. He unpacked, started washing a load, and checked his email. CAA said they were in negotiations and would let him know what happened. The fence guy was side-tracked, apologized, and his bid was attached.
Tag saw it was high, but the site was remote, so he gave the ok. Then a new game idea came to him, and he started to draw it out. He continued working and thinking, and it came to him opposite of someone or something else, then he decided on, “Brooks, Robert Brooks,” spy extraordinaire. He was the antithesis of the typical spy. Kind of dumpy looking, who would disappear in a crowd. Someone you wouldn’t remember. He lost track of time working on this, took a break, and had a late lunch.
He had an urge, so he locked up and went to the market. Tag shopped for 45 minutes and came home with 10 bags of groceries, and he put them away, thinking, What did he do? He started cleaning the potato, wrapping it in foil, placing it in the oven, cutting green beans, and putting them on the stove, and chopping the lettuce. He cooked a large steak on the grill, and when all was complete, steak and potatoes with green beans and water. It filled him up. Tag cleaned up while drinking his brew. Then he headed to the gym to do his nightly routine. Tag finished with beating the heavy bag and the speed bag. He headed to the shower, sat in lotus, nude and centered. He woke