The Making of a Spy
Copyright© 2026 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 2
Kane woke up after midnight, dressed in dark clothes, grabbed his ski mask, gloves, and lockpick set. He rode an e-bike to Jay Watkin’s, an assistant director in charge of congressional affairs for the CIA. He parked and entered the property from the alleyway. After checking for an alarm system, Kane picked the sliding glass door lock and entered quietly. He went to Jay’s bedroom, and Jay was sound asleep. To be sure he’d stay that way, Kane used a pressure point to put him into a deep sleep.
He read Jay’s mind and got the safe and laptop codes. Then he went to Jay’s home office and logged onto his laptop computer. Kane installed his worm and shut it down, leaving it in the same spot. After perfectly resetting the chair, he opened the safe in the closet. Kane was shocked by how much cash there was and wondered why he had it. Seeing a journal, he opened it and discovered Jay was a delivery man for bribes to the members of Congress.
Kane was going to leave it alone and started to close the safe. But he stopped and read the journal, and the next payments weren’t due for another month. So, Kane got trash bags from the kitchen, emptied the safe of the cash and journal, then reset the code on the digital keypad. Carrying two trash bags home on the e-bike wasn’t fun, but he made it. Kane plugged the e-bike, carried the trash bags to his room, put them in the closet, and crashed.
After breakfast the next morning, Kane helped Grandmother find and cite the federal and state laws the CIA violated by detaining and torturing Dad. They found over forty, and Grandmother said we’ll use them all. Some will be thrown out, but we will have plenty to use should it come to trial. Listing the laws violated and how they affected Dad’s case took almost fifty pages.
During lunch, Grandmother said tomorrow we’ll work on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Kane asked what else, and Grandmother said that the next day we would find and list the powers and restrictions afforded to the CIA by Congress, its Charter of Operation and Oversight. Once we have all the information, I’ll write a summary, and that will be it. It will bury them in so much bullshit they will beg us to settle it. Kane asked if she was going to file it, and Grandmother said not right away. I’ll have it delivered to the Director of the CIA and give 24 hours before I file it in Federal and State Court.
Kane spent the afternoon finding and building a stash place in his closet. There was a cabinet shelf for pants, sweaters, and miscellaneous items. It backed up to a linen cabinet in the hallway. There was a hollow spot two feet deep, and it worked perfectly for his stash. Kane rode the e-bike to the hardware store and bought hinges, a latch, a quart of paint, and painting supplies. When it was done, no one could tell the cabinet shelf could move. He put the cash and journal from the safe and the backpack from the thieves inside the cabin, then closed it. He cleaned up and took it to the trash.
His grandparents’ house was large, with six bedrooms, and each had a home office. He had the second floor to himself, and there were two stairways so he could enter and exit unobserved. They had a basement gym that they used three days a week. Both of his grandparents exercised regularly, and he had his heavy bags on one side, unused. So, he could practice his martial arts, and he exercised early in the morning. They preferred to do it at midday, eliminating any conflict.
Their home was on two acres and had a four-car garage. Kane did the lawns as a courtesy for all that they had done for him. Grandfather had a riding lawn mower, so it wasn’t bad. The bitch was trimming the bushes and edging with the weed eater. But every two weeks wasn’t too bad. Grandmother called that dinner was ready, so Kane cleaned up and went to the kitchen.
Grandfather said Will woke up, and they are moving him to a private room tomorrow. We’ll visit late tomorrow afternoon so he’ll have a chance to settle in. Kane said he went by the house yesterday afternoon to check the condition. Don’t worry; I entered and exited from the alleyway. They trashed Dad’s office and bedroom and made a mess of the living room. As I was leaving, I saw a suspicious-looking plumbing van, so I peeked into the front window. Two men were inside with electronic gear.
Grandfather said dammit they were supposed to stand down. He said we’ll drive by tomorrow on the way to the hospital. If it isn’t there, then it’s a weekly thing to download data. I’ll get some toys so we can make their lives miserable. Grandmother asked if it was wise, and Grandfather said yes. They have to know we won’t tolerate their shit anymore. They finished dinner and went to bed. Kane crashed after a long day.
CIA Director Dale Wright was working late when the Director of Operations, Matt Richman, knocked on the door. Dale told him to come in and asked what the reason for the visit was. Matt said I have bad news about Will Armstrong. He’s in intensive care and looks close to death. He should recover, but it will take months of rehab. Only after the rehab will we know if there’s any long-term damage. Dale said shit this situation keeps getting worse.
Dale asked if he knew Admiral Armstrong’s wife, Ellie, is a top-tier retired defense attorney. Matt said no, and I’ll bet she’s preparing to screw us good. Dale said You’ve got that right, and we need to put a lid on this before it blows up in our faces. Admiral Armstrong is also a problem with his connections. Matt asked if he wanted to send a man to plan for action if needed. Dale said that’s a good idea and to check the hospital situation as well. We’ve got to have a fallback plan, and Matt left the director’s office.
The next morning, after breakfast, Kane was searching public records, websites, and the Library of Congress for information. The Library of Congress required a membership for online access, so Grandmother gave him her credit card to sign up. Kane got most of the information she needed before lunch, and they reviewed and organized it. She said we got all the information we needed today. Tomorrow, I’ll organize it, you’ll do the data entry, and we’ll be done. After a review, it will be ready for printing and delivery.
After lunch, Kane returned to his room and checked his cloud account. Jay Watkin’s computer files were there. As an assistant director in charge of congressional affairs for the CIA, Jay had clearance to view most of the CIA’s database. Kane checked the backdoor access the worm had granted him, and Jay wasn’t using his laptop. So, he logged into the CIA database through it.
He first checked Bob Naham in the Human Resources files. Bob was listed as a troubleshooter and investigator. His current assignment was the mole hunt, and he had a team of four assistants. Bob reported to Jay Watkins, and that shocked Kane. Why would a mole hunter report to an assistant director in charge of congressional affairs? There was more to this than meets the eye, and he had to find out who Jay Watkins reports to.
Grandfather called that they were ready to go to the hospital. Kane logged off Jay Watkins’ computer and went to the den. Grandfather, Grandmother, and Kane got into their GMC Yukon. He said Wait a minute and grabbed the clock nanny cam. They drove past his house, and the plumbing van wasn’t there. On the way to the hospital, Grandfather said That means they visit once a week. We’ll plan to be there a week from yesterday and say hello.
They arrived at the hospital and went to Dad’s private room. He looked better but still like he was near death. He was awake and tried to speak but couldn’t. Grandfather said not to try, and he updated Will on what happened during his long nap. He told Will that Air Force General John Beck had visited CIA Director Dale Wright and suspended all support to the CIA until you were released or charged. They sent teams after Sofia and Kane, suffering heavy losses.
The situation is better now, but we’re still having some issues. They have surveillance on your house, and you could be in danger. So, I’ve arranged for nurses with service experience to watch over you. But if you see a strange person enter, press the call button. Kane bought a nanny cam clock so we can monitor any activity. Mom is drafting a lawsuit that will make the CIA lose bowel control. Kane and I will pay a visit to the surveillance team and say hello.
We don’t know about Sofia, but she has put down eighteen so far. The last six were in Spain, so as far as we know, she’s doing fine. Director Wright assured us it was over, but other players are involved. He claimed not to know about your torture and probably doesn’t know about the current situation. So, there’s a rogue group within the CIA, and we need to be careful. Kane mounted the clock and hugged his dad goodbye, telling him not to trust anyone.
Grandmother hugged Will and kissed him on the cheek, saying We’ll visit again soon. Grandfather embraced Will and slipped him a switchblade knife. He whispered to hide it well and put down those who attempt to kill you. Grandfather told Will to remember the call button was his best friend, and they left. Grandfather stopped by the nurse station and slipped a few envelopes to a nurse. He said to call me immediately if there’s a suspicious visitor. Please pass the message on to the other shifts, and they left.
On the way home, Grandfather stopped for Italian takeout. During dinner, Grandmother said I’m worried about Will. He’s a shell of his former self, and there’s no way he can return to the CIA. Kane said Dad always talked about writing about his experiences there. Grandfather said he’d have to have everything vetted by them before publishing. Grandmother said maybe if they settle, I can slip something into the agreement. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed.
Kane woke up sensing danger, quickly dressed in dark clothes, and grabbed his combat knife. He exited the kitchen, rounded the corner of the house, and confronted a man putting something on the gas meter. He saw Kane pull his gun, but Kane drove the combat knife into his chest, killing him instantly. Kane pulled the man behind the garage, removed the device from the gas meter, returned to bed, and fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Kane was in the gym practicing martial arts on the heavy bags. He envisioned those responsible for his Dad’s condition and killed them several times over. After cleaning up, Kane went to breakfast and reported the intruder he confronted last night. Grandmother asked what happened, and Kane said he won’t be joining us for breakfast. Grandfather laughed, then asked where it happened. Kane said he was putting a device on the gas meter.
Both grandparents simultaneously said,” Son of a bitch.” Grandfather said this ups the game considerably. We’re going shopping this afternoon, and they will pay dearly for it. Grandmother said Let’s hurry and finish the lawsuit this morning. I want it on the director’s desk before the end of business today. After breakfast, Grandfather asked Kane where the body was, and he said it was behind the garage, with the device. He said, “Good, I’ll put him in his vehicle and dispose of him properly.”
Kane helped Grandmother input the data for the lawsuit, then they reviewed it. By the time they printed it, it was over 150 pages. While they ate lunch, Grandmother said While you’re shopping, I’ll get the lawsuit bound and couriered to the CIA director. I will include a note that he has 24 hours to respond before it is filed and copies are released to the press.
After lunch, Grandmother went to the FedEx center, and Grandfather and Kane went to the Army Surplus Store. Joe, the owner, welcomed William, and he introduced his grandson, Kane. William told Joe what happened to Will, and they needed some toys for playtime. They went into the back room, and Grandfather got C-4 with timers, a case each of smoke, concussion, teargas, and regular grenades. He also got a tranquilizer gun, rifle, 100 darts, and 4 point-to-point beams.
When they checked out, Joe told William, “Happy hunting,” and they laughed. On the way home, Kane asked Grandfather how he disposed of the intruder. He said I drove his car behind an abandoned warehouse, put a gas can between his legs, and set the device. There will be no way to determine how or when he died except from the explosion.
Arriving home, they set up the point-to-point beam to cover the property. Grandmother arrived home when they finished with a dozen bound copies of the lawsuit. She said I stopped by to see Will on the way home, and he’s ok. But I informed the nurse of our trouble last night, so they are on alert. Grandmother headed to the kitchen to start dinner, and Grandfather asked Kane to find out where the director lives. Tomorrow night we need to visit his house and give him a wake-up call.