“Could I get you gentlemen a beverage his morning?” the comely stewardess asked agents Woodrow Cade and Dr. JJ, now winging their way to Hong Kong.
“Maybe this won’t be such a bad flight after all,” Cade remarked, as he looked up at the flight attendant. “Just black coffee for me, thanks.”
“I’ll have the same,” Dr. JJ added.
As Woodrow watched the attendant make her way to the galley, JJ interrupted his thoughts.
“Did you get a chance to look over that material, Dr. Brown?” the agent questioned while reaching for a magazine protruding from a pouch located on the back of the seat in front of him.
“I gave it the once over, Dr. K… , K … Kitty, is it?” KC responded.
“Katiri, and I suggest you learn to pronounce it correctly,” JJ quietly muttered.
“I’ll trade you names. Brown is easier to remember,” Agent Red responded, half in jest.
“To make it easy, you work on memorizing ‘Dr. Katiri’ and I’ll handle the technical stuff,” JJ remarked, with a look that combined worry with annoyance.
“But what if I get asked a technical question point blank?” Cade quizzed, looking at his companion.
“You just say, ‘that’s Dr. Katiri’s area of expertise,’” Agent Gray answered, as the flight attendant returned with two cups of coffee. “I’ll do the heavy lifting.”
“Gotcha,” Woodrow replied, pulling down the tray in front of him while flashing a smile at the attendant. Much to his delight, she leaned over to place JJ’s coffee on his tray, and then moved on to the seat behind them.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” JJ said, speaking into his cup of coffee.
“Hey, you’re the new guy on the block,” the agent now known as Dr. Brown responded. “I was doing this long before you walked off the stage with your diplomas. It’s my job to look after you.”
“That’s what scares me,” JJ breathed out, as he reclined his seat to get some rest.
The rest of the flight was uneventful and, before long, the captain was announcing their descent into Hong Kong. Once off the plane, they boarded an airport shuttle displaying the Sheraton Hotel as a destination.
They entered the hotel lobby and dropped their luggage in front of the check-in counter.
“Doctors Brown and Kat, Kat … ,” Woodrow began.
“Katari, Dr. Katari,” JJ cut in. “You’ll have to excuse my friend,” Agent Gray said, directing his response to the hotel clerk. “It was a long flight.”
“I understand,” said the clerk, as he produced two room keys and signaled the porter to pick up their bags. “By the way, gentlemen, there is a note here for you,” he said, handing JJ the envelope.
Once the two agents were safe in their rooms and the bellhop had gone, Cade knocked on the doctor’s door.
“OK, what’s the note say?” Woodrow inquired.
“We are to meet a Dr. Wang Tran at the Science Park, tomorrow. We are expected to be there by 10 a.m., think you can make it?” JJ answered, with a mocking chuckle.
Agent Red pressed the knob on his watch and “10 a.m. at the Science Park” flashed across its face. “This thing won’t let me forget,” Woodrow remarked, “What time do we need to leave?”
The agent’s watch buzzed and displayed “9:30 a.m., limousine Hotel front.”
“OK, that does it,” Cade said, exasperated. “I’m leaving this thing behind.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” JJ advised. “A hotel employee is liable to pick it up and try it on. Just so you know, that info is included in your notes.”
“You don’t really think Atoz has this thing wired to blow up, do you?” Woodrow remarked, with a slight look of disbelief on his face.
“I do,” JJ retorted. “You should know that better than I do.”
“Ten years of loyal service and what do I get,” Cade remarked, “an exploding watch.”
Both men could not help but laugh over that one.
To be continued …