"It can't be... can it?"
Ethan found it hard to believe.
Ethan knew what the IRS was and what they were responsible for. But...
Wasn't this mole-hunting operation a top-secret internal CIA matter?
Even he didn't know about it. How did this IRS agent know?
But then, Ethan remembered the small bug Morin had pulled out from under the table and started imagining all sorts of things.
If the person could so brazenly plant this device in their secret location without them noticing, then it wasn't so far-fetched that he knew about all their classified intelligence.
Shaking his head, Ethan only thought about it for a moment, then gave up on wasting any more time and started to look for things on the computer.
He still remembered the mole's contact, the one Eugene had mentioned. Since he now wanted to find the mole, it was only natural to start with that contact!
Morin didn't pay any attention to what Ethan was doing. He left as quickly as possible and went to his own location, where he started to contact his superior, Chris.
...
The call connected.
Chris: "..."
"Okay, what kind of trouble are you in?" After a long silence, Chris finally broke it. "Who are you planning to arrest?"
"...Why do you always assume I'm arresting someone? Can't I just be calling to say hello?" Morin was used to messing around.
"Because almost every time you call me, you've caught a big fish," Chris said, scratching his head. He used to have hair to scratch, but now it was half hair, half forehead.
"I've given up hope that you'll ever do anything without causing a scene."
"You can't think that way," Morin said, seriously defending himself. "I'm not a mission fanatic. I love enjoying the beauty of life, and finding fun in it..."
"So who are you arresting?" Chris interrupted Morin directly.
"Someone from the CIA," Morin answered.
"What?" Chris was shocked. "You're going after the CIA this time? The last time you arrested that guy from the FBI, it caused a huge mess for me!"
"So what? It's not like I haven't done it before. They're all on the same level," Morin wasn't panicking at all. He had done this kind of thing before. "I'm only arresting people who are guilty, you know that."
"That's true. I hear the CIA has developed some new equipment. We can use this to get some things back from them..." Chris became more laid-back after hearing Morin's words.
"Who are you arresting from the CIA?"
"A supervisor, a mole inside the CIA who's trading a list of agents with a Czech man for a large sum of money."
Morin looked at the time. It was almost 4 AM. He walked over to the window, pulled back the curtains a little, and looked out into the distance. His sharp eyes could see a woman sneaking into the apartment building where Ethan was staying.
"But I need more evidence. I'll have to go to CIA headquarters in Langley later. We have some dirt on the CIA, right?"
"Of course... but you also have to remember, they have dirt on us too," Chris replied. "Are you sure you can pull this off, Morin?"
"Of course. When have I ever done something I wasn't sure about?" Morin put down the curtains.
Since Claire had indeed entered the apartment, it meant everything was still on track with the original plot.
"I'm certain that this time, I can get a huge amount of money."
"Morin, can you please watch your words?" Chris's face was dark, even though he knew Morin couldn't see it.
"We're a legitimate department! The way you talk, it sounds like we're a bunch of robbers! By the way, how much is this 'huge amount of money'?"
"...There's really no difference," Morin replied. "If I'm not mistaken, ten million dollars."
"What?" Chris was stunned. "How much did you say?"
The time period was 1996, and back then, a dollar was worth a fortune!
It was no wonder that Chris was stunned and even thought he had misheard Morin.
"Ten million dollars," Morin said, one word at a time.
At this point, Morin's IRS agent experience was 200/1000. This was after he had taken down several major drug lords in the US, which included income from their criminal activities as well as bonuses and salary from the IRS.
And now, if he completed this mission as he planned, he could get 10 million dollars in gray income!
Most importantly, after completing the transaction, he could let the other party go without any worries, because he had a powerful teammate, Ethan, who could just catch the person back!
"Phew..." Chris took a deep breath and asked, "Are you going to take down CIA headquarters?"
"Not that far," Morin's mouth twitched. "I'm just going to steal their list of agents."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
Chris: "..."
How is that any different from taking down their headquarters?!
"Are you sure you can pull this off?" Chris asked again.
"Of course," Morin said. "Don't worry, the list will just go for a spin and won't be seen by anyone."
"I must be crazy..." Chris rubbed his head in frustration. "When do you need it?"
"I just need an excuse to investigate the CIA, a chance to get into their headquarters," Morin said. "But I don't need it right now. I'll ask you for it when I go to Langley... Do you want to go on vacation in Langley?"
"..." Chris took a deep breath. "You've brought me some great news."
"Good news often comes with some risks, doesn't it?" Morin chuckled. "To get a lot, you have to take some necessary risks. It's unavoidable."
"I know all that," Chris said. "But your vacation is over."
Morin: "..."
"Come on, boss, let's talk about this!"
But before Morin could fight for his legal rights, Chris hung up the phone.
It didn't matter. When Morin was on a mission, it was like a vacation anyway. He also understood what a huge risk Chris was taking by backing him up.
After all, that was CIA headquarters, and the list of all their agents!
The importance of such a thing—a list of all agents in an intelligence agency—was self-evident. And even in this situation, Chris was willing to support him, which showed a great deal of trust.
*****
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