The Making of a Spy
Copyright© 2026 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 4
Kane woke up after midnight, dressed in dark clothes, grabbed his ski mask, gloves, and lockpick set. He rode his e-bike to the house of Jay Watkins, the CIA Assistant Director in Charge of Congressional Affairs. Parking in the alley behind his house, Kane put on his ski mask and gloves, entered the backyard, and picked the sliding glass door. He quietly entered and went to Jay’s bedroom. Kane put Jay into a deep sleep by pressure point.
He noticed sleeping pills on the nightstand with a glass of water. That made it easier, and he rolled Jay over until his face was in the pillow. Then he gently pushed his face down into the pillow and held it for five minutes. Kane left, removing any signs of his entry. He locked the sliding glass door inside and exited the kitchen door, locking it as he left. Kane rode home wearing his ski mask and parked in the garage. He plugged in the e-bike, went to his bedroom, stripped, and fell asleep.
The Guardians met by teleconference once a month and in person quarterly. The communications during the teleconferences were encrypted, and the meeting locations were always different. There were six to nine members, but currently there were only six. Filling the vacancies was a lengthy process that required extensive charter and background checks. All members were leaders in their fields and had to be wealthy to afford the membership fee. But the rewards and benefits greatly exceeded the membership fee.
The current members were Investment Banker Howard Lippman and Manufacturing Conglomerate CEO and majority owner Owen Harp. Then there was North Dakota Senator Don Stanton, who chaired the Senate Defense Committee and was listed on Forbes’ top 20 richest men. Real estate mogul Scott Hughes, who was the top landowner in the US. Next was venture capitalist Morgan Glans, and the final member was federal appeals Judge Adam Stevenson, who made his fortune in shipping and trucking.
The meeting started, and Judge Stevenson asked if anyone knew what was going on in the CIA. We’ve lost three of our contacts and a dozen worker bees. There was a resounding no, and Adam asked Don if he had anything to add. Don said,” Alright, I gave the order to target William Armstrong Jr. in the internal mole hunt. Things got out of control, and the target ended up hospitalized. Adam asked about the assassination attempts on the Armstrong family, and Don said yes to clean up the mess.
Howard told Don we make decisions by committee for this very reason. Do you know who William Armstrong Jr.’s parents are? Well, his father is Admiral William Armstrong, retired from Intelligence but still active. His mother is a famous defense attorney, also retired but still taking cases. Then there’s Junior’s wife, a NOC and one of the CIA’s best. She killed eighteen men you sent to capture and kill her. Then there’s the son Kane, who’s been trained by all of them. Rumor has it he took out a six-man termination team by himself.
Don said he didn’t give a shit about who the Armstrongs were. Junior killed a profitable deal I had with Russia, so he had to pay. It was the cost of doing business; now let’s move on. His connection to the group was terminated, and Don tried to reconnect several times, then gave up, saying screw them. What Don didn’t know was the remaining group was discussing his termination.
After breakfast, Kane helped Grandmother on her cases. First, they reviewed each one, making notes of issues, problems, and inconsistencies. Then Kane went online to the legal library and looked up similar cases and their rulings. He found several successful challenges to evidence and noted them. One case was dismissed for police witness coaching, which Kane suspected in one of the cases he reviewed. Four hours later, Grandmother said That’s it for today and they went to the kitchen.
During lunch, Grandfather told Kane that his mother requested he visit next week. Kane asked if it was wise with everything going on here. Grandfather said it will be good for you to get away for a week or two. We’ll be fine, and so will your Dad. Kane said Dad was still not right and he’s making decisions with the little head instead of the big one. His grandparents roared with laughter, and when they recovered, Grandmother said they will make sure nothing happens while you’re gone.
Kane said I trust you but not Dad yet. Maybe I’ll get a box of XXL condoms and leave a note. If they fit, have fun; if not, keep it tucked away. That ended lunch. Kane left his grandparents laughing at the table. He went to his room, thought about leaving, and he wasn’t comfortable with it. There were things happening that his grandparents and Dad weren’t aware of. Kane knew he had to go and thought about his computer and stash. He had to find a safe place to hide it in case something happened to the house.
He couldn’t let anyone know about what he was doing, or it would raise questions he didn’t want to answer. Kane searched online for rooms to rent and found nothing suitable. So, he rode his e-bike to the market and bought the local newspaper. He found two ideal ones that were over the detached garage. Now the problem was renting without a driver’s license, and he only had a passport in his name. Kane kept the classifieds, threw the rest of the newspaper away, and returned home.
During dinner, he asked his grandparents how he could travel without every three-letter agency’s swing dick knowing. They laughed, and Grandfather said he had it covered. I called some friends, and we’re going tomorrow to get you an alias ID, passport, and credit cards. It will say you’re eighteen and will require you to wear a disguise. The airport cameras are now linked to facial recognition software, with Homeland Security monitoring them. So, your appearance has to change to fool them.
Kane said Don’t even think of me dressing up as a girl and that caused another round of laughter. Grandfather said, “No, we’re not doing that.” But you have your Mom’s skin color and facial features, so changing your appearance shouldn’t be hard. Grandmother said you’ll need a new wardrobe to fit your alias. So, we’ll go shopping after you get it, and Kane groaned, causing more laughter. He was silently glad to get the alias ID so he could rent an apartment. After dinner, they said goodnight and went to bed.
Senator Don Stanton was still upset as he flew home to North Dakota to set up his hunting cabin for the winter. The way he was treated during the teleconference by his fellow Guardian members was outrageous. Don was determined to make them pay by taking over the group at the next physical meeting. They would find out how important and influential he was then. The group wasn’t going to stop his vendetta against William Armstrong Jr. and his family. He already planned repeated attacks until the deed was done.
After breakfast the next morning, Grandfather and Kane drove to a shady part of town and parked behind a beaten-down building. Grandfather knocked on the door, and a voice asked the password. He said Matty can’t find his ass with two hands and a flashlight. The door opened, and the man said to tell Major Williams I was banging his wife while he was deployed. Everyone laughed, and introductions were made using first names only.
He was Andrew, and he asked what they needed. William said a setup for Kane, and it should be a European name, preferably tied to Spain’s royal heritage. Andrew asked what about the name Antonio Miguel Argon, and they agreed. Pictures were taken with a short beard and glasses; then they watched Andrew do his magic. He had complete histories prepared that would pass any background check.
Kane read Andrew’s mind while he worked, and Andrew knew there was a reward out for information on the Armstrongs. Pictures were included in the notice, so he planned on collecting the 50k reward when they left. When the work was done, Andrew gave Kane the makeup kit, including two of everything, including the beard adhesive. Grandfather paid Andrew 25k in cash, and they headed to the door. Kane told Grandfather to go ahead, and he needed to use the restroom.
When Grandfather left, Kane put Andrew into a deep sleep by pressure point, then applied pressure to the point of short-term memory loss. He got on the computer, planted his worm, then erased his alias and cleared the camera memory card. Kane exited the forger’s shop, taking the 25k he wouldn’t miss, and they headed home. On the way, Kane said that was an expensive alias, and Grandfather said it was cheap. Andrew normally charges twice that, but we got a discount because of his friend.
Arriving home, Grandmother asked to see his alias and said, “Oh, we’ve got one of Spain’s royal family in our house.” Everyone laughed, and she said we were going to have fun shopping tomorrow. Kane groaned and asked if they could skip it, as they had spent too much already. Grandfather said Don’t worry about the cost. Your mother has been sending us money yearly since you were born.
Grandmother told Kane that your father refused it, so Sonia sent it to us, and we set up a trust fund. It was a sizeable amount, and we used very little of it. Mostly on your educational expenses, and your Dad paid for the rest. So, stop worrying; we’re spending your money, and everyone laughed. While they ate lunch, Grandfather told Kane he needed to practice his Spanish accent. Spanish in Spain is different from the Mexican version.
So go online and watch programs produced in Spain. News broadcasts, celebrity interviews, and focus on the upper class, as it will be different. Like, here there’s a difference between the working man and an Ivy League college graduate. Kane asked if, while sipping tea, he had to extend his pinky finger. That caused more laughter, and they finished lunch.
His grandparents went to their home offices to work, and he went to his room. He called the apartments for rent and set up the closest one for 4 p.m. today. The other was an open appointment for tomorrow after 1 p.m. Then Kane went online, watched programs produced in Spain, and practiced their accent. Grandfather was right; it was different than the Mexican version. At 3:30, he shut off the computer, put on his disguise, grabbed 10k in cash, and rode his e-bike to the first apartment.
It was four miles away, and the owner, Renee Palmer, was a widow and author. She traveled extensively for book research and to promote her books. Introductions were made, and Renee showed Antonio the apartment. It was perfect for what he needed and had a garage with an alleyway entrance. They agreed on the monthly rent, and she dropped the deposit when Antonio offered to pay six months in advance. While signing the lease, he read her mind, and Renee wrote adult novels for women.
Renee was happy receiving cash, and Antonio received the keys. They shook hands goodbye, and Kane stopped a block away from home and removed his disguise in a restaurant bathroom. Warm water helped release the adhesive, which made him think about going online to find more disguise accessories, like an extended adhesive. Arriving home, he put the lease paperwork in the stash, then went online searching for movie makeup supplies.
Kane found a site that catered to the movie makeup artist and ordered more than he needed. But it would give him different looks, and his alias Antonio ID would still work with them. Kane paid for express shipping to a nearby FedEx Office location for pickup. He didn’t want it delivered here and have to answer questions about it. Then he began planning to make the apartment look occupied, and Grandmother’s call that dinner was ready broke his train of thought.
He kept his grandparents laughing as Kane practiced his Spanish accent. Antonio asked why they let the servants have a day off. Now he has to fill his own drink and hopes no one was around to video it. Antonio asked if they were going to a proper establishment tomorrow where they would present the clothes for them to choose from. It would be an embarrassment to shop like commoners. You know, back home they bring refreshments while we’re waiting.
America is so uncivilized, with fast-food establishments instead of proper restaurants where they serve you. Did you know they line up at a drive-thru like cattle and take their food home in a bag? Grandfather said you’re getting the right mentality of the upper crust of society. Grandmother said we’ve unleashed a monster, causing more laughter. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed.
Grandfather wished Kane good luck, laughing as he left to shop with Grandmother after breakfast. Grandmother told Kane not to pay attention to him; it wouldn’t be bad giggling. Kane knew he was in trouble with her comment. They went to a men’s store he had never seen before. They got slacks, dress shirts, ties, and three sport coats. Jonathan fitted Kane for two suits, and he thought it suspicious that he gave the measurements to Grandmother.