The Case of the Mad Scientist

Chapter 5: Why is Blaze so Good?

“I just don’t understand it.”

“What don’t you understand?”

The speakers were Dr. Justin Hancock, Deputy Administrator for Technological Analysis, and Calvin Grudge, Section Chief for Eastern European Affairs. Both men held positions in the Central Intelligence Agency, often simply called “the Company”. They were in Dr. Hancock’s office in the Langley, Virginia headquarters. With them was Agent Mark Paulson, recently promoted to “Third Assistant Chief of Field Operations”.

“This agent, Blaze,” the doctor told Calvin. “She has been on three assignments and come back from all three with objectives totally accomplished. Yet, from these reports, she did not, repeat NOT, follow agency guidelines in any of the assignments. She’s barely passed most of the courses you’ve given her, gotten very bad comments from her instructors, and doesn’t really understand the spy game at all. James Bond is her shining example of what a spy should be. Worst of all, her IQ is only slightly higher than my dog’s! How do you account for this?”

“Dumb luck?” Calvin grimaced as he said it. “But you can’t deny that she’s getting the job done. And she did score the highest score ever in handgun marksmanship. Boy, can she shoot!”

“Dumb luck?” the doctor repeated in a disbelieving tone. “Dumb luck! Our agents are the most highly trained agents in the world. They all have college degrees before we hire them, then we train them constantly until there is very little they do not know, from hand to hand combat to space technology. And even with all this, we still lose too many in the field. How does she do it?”

“Maybe there is a God who protects fools and little children,” muttered Mark Paulson. He wanted to defend Blaze, but the truth was that he agreed with the doctor. He had been with her on those missions, and even he still did not understand how she always landed on her feet and defeated the bad guys. Maybe “dumb luck” was the real answer.

It did not help matters that he was passionately in love with that not-too-bright but sexy-as-hell agent.

did not want the agency to drop Blaze from the ranks of its agents. She was so in love with being a secret agent that it would break her heart to be kicked out. “Let’s give her a

agents for a relatively minor matter, and we’re a little short

if he got this old college

civilians to assist in this assignment,” he continued, ignoring Mark’s question. “And you know how much I hate to

have to depend upon civilians. But sometimes they had to. That was how Blaze had become an agent in the first place. She was a civilian who just

then tapped his finger on a folder on his

material; apparently he erased everything before he disappeared. We need to find out what has happened to Dr. Sorren. And get that research material back.

get right on it,” Calvin said. He held out his hand for

can assist us

up the folder and

back to Calvin’s office, Mark breathed a sigh

a good idea. Don’t

on his

picked up the folder and began reading the first sheet of paper. It was the list of personnel Dr. Hancock had picked for the assignment. As he read, his eyes widened. “Wow! Blaze

escape artist?” Calvin said as he sat

to. A man matching his description boarded a plane for Tokyo three days ago. Dr. Hancock