FicWad

2. Opening Info on Cyprus

Alpha was trying to sleep on one of the chairs at the terminal even though he knew he would never in a million years get to sleep without the use of his drugs. His head ticking over all the reasons why he didn’t want to do this assignment which heavily outweighing the reasons he did. As he was thinking, he felt the chair he was sitting on drop as someone sat next to him. Alpha didn’t want to open his eyes to see one of the very reasons he didn’t want to come staring at him with a stupid grin on his face. When he saw that is exactly who was there, Alpha hoped that this wasn’t his first time, “Don’t tell me this is your first time travelling?”
“Sure is, first travel, first assignment and doing it with the legendary Detective Alpha.” The words ‘Just great’ ran through Alpha’s mind. He looked around the terminal to see if there was any place he could hide out or possibly send this guy. As he was looking around, he was asked a question that angered him, “So are we going to find out each others name seeing as though we are partners?”
“No. To you I am Alpha. And I haven’t thought of a name for you yet.”
“I don’t need you to come up with a name for me.”
“Yes you do because the sooner people find out who you are, the more in danger you are of getting killed and more importantly the more in danger you are of getting annoyed.” He had sent out a message in what he had just said but this guy was too dumb to pick up on it. People like him were the most annoying to be around and on this really long flight ahead, it wasn’t going to get easier. He briefly remembered when he first started doing assignments for the police around 10 years ago; he was so young and ambitious but naive and inexperienced. This guy reminded him of what he once was, but that still didn’t help him right now. “Can I see your ticket?” Alpha asked and when presented with it saw that they were sitting next to each other for the flight. He hadn’t been done any favours on this and he started thinking of ways to get rid of him. He could try switching seats, or even have him arrested for making him look like a terrorist. He laughed in his head at this thought but decided it wouldn’t be the best option as it would only delay his flight and get him told off by whatever association had put him into this mess. After these considerations a part of Alpha told him to give the kid a chance as he may be useful and not too bad. But when 30 seconds of silence was interrupted by him trying to make stupid conversation, it shattered his hopes. “So I heard you are from Cyprus.”
“You heard did you? And you did you hear that from?”
“When I was outside the room. I am just curious…” The kid waited there patiently for an answer and Alpha knew he was genuinely interested. “Born in Australia if you must know and my dad was born in Cyprus, so most of my family is over there who I have never met before.” It seemed this guy was going to talk no matter what, but he had bought up an interesting topic. Alpha had never stopped wondering what his family were like and he wanted to meet them mostly to find out if any of them were like him, special in the way he was-at least then he might not feel so alone sometimes.
His family were already aware he was coming as he had called them to alert them on his arrival. Alpha slumped down in his chair hoping to get some sleep but knowing there was no chance of it-his partner next to him noticed his position and once again broke the silence with annoying small talk, “So why wouldn’t you go to sleep later, these guys have paid for a 1st class flight the whole way and it would make much more sense to sleep on the plane seeing as though it is over a 24 hour plane trip?” A very good point, but Alpha had considered this already. “I have stuff to do on the plane and even if I wanted to I couldn’t get to sleep anyway.”
“Are you a nervous flyer?”
“No. I…” He stopped talking, he had said too much already. They hadn’t even boarded the plane yet and he was already going out of his mind. It didn’t matter if he had a free 1st class trip, it wouldn’t help him and he would gladly swap it for the 24 hour marathon ahead. There were no direct flights to Cyprus, so they would have to go via Heathrow in London, which only made things longer. The minute possibility his new partner wouldn’t aggravate him was long gone and it was in that moment, that Alpha came up with a plan to this problem.
It was a short while longer before they began boarding the plane. They got onto the plane first as they were priority passengers and sat down in their very comfortable and spacious seats. Alpha sat himself down with the brand new laptop he had been supplied with for him to keep in touch with those in charge and to research on. Even though his seat was next to the window, he gave it to his partner as he had no need to look out of it and was going to get straight into his work. As the time to take off came nearer, his new acquaintance became more jittery and annoying. Alpha was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, hoping he wouldn’t have to carry out his plan, but it seemed that wasn’t the case as he had not stopped fidgeting and talking since he got onto the plane. There was no way Alpha was going to get any work done if this happened for the whole trip.
When they took off, the kid was looking around on his TV and Alpha got out the laptop. “Are you doing some work now?” He was asked with straight away. The kid was ready to start working as soon as possible, which although was admirable-wasn’t going to be productive just yet. “No I am just having a look at something.”
“Well when you do, let me know because I want to know what is going on and hopefully help.” As much as Alpha doubted this, he hoped that this kid could help in the future; he may have to learn a bit though along the way. It was a short time longer before the stewardess came around serving alcoholic drinks. It almost seemed like a relief and Alpha had to have some alcoholic assistance right now to relax himself a little and he got her to pour a couple of champagnes. “Are they both for you?” His partner said being smart and surprised to see one of them was for him. “Really, you got one for me?” Alpha nodded and he took it without hesitation and drank it celebrating his first trip. “You sure are happy to be on this aren’t you?” Alpha asked.
“My first assignment and definitely not the last.”
“So sure of that?”
“I am not stopping till I reach the top of law enforcement, whatever that level may be.” His ambition was quite intriguing to Alpha, but he wasn’t going to let this get in the way of what he had to do. He would use the situation to his advantage, “Well I guess we have something to celebrate then?” They had both already began drinking without any worries and Alpha called the stewardess over for refills. As she was pouring, he was surprised to hear him speak up, “No I do not want any more thankyou.”
“But you should, unless you cannot take your liquor.”
“Stop trying to get me to drink. I know what happens when drinking alcohol at altitude. I am enjoying this flight for the whole 24 hours we are on it and I am not drinking anymore.” He turned around; happy with himself he had seen through Alpha’s plan. It was a short time later before the meals were being served. Alpha got his meal and looked next to him to see his partner struggling to stay awake. “What’s wrong there? Bit tired?”
“No. I am not going to sleep.” He actually put up a good fight, but there was no point trying. He barely made it through his meal before falling asleep. It seemed he couldn’t handle it after all, but it wasn’t the alcohol he couldn’t handle; it was knowing Alpha’s tricks. He had thought he’d stopped Alpha from getting him drunk and didn’t realise that the only drink he did have had been tampered with. Alpha had slipped one of his sleeping pills in and although he had a lot of persistence to fight it, he was never going to beat it. This was his plan and he knew he had to do it, but he felt a little guilty for taking away the kinds first plane trip. He covered him up with a blanket and even thought of a good name for him when he woke up. He opened his laptop and went to an untraceable email account that had been set up for him to keep in contact with those that had sent him on this mission. It seemed they would only reveal themselves as the Agency for the time being and there was an unread mail in his inbox. The subject read ‘Opening Info on Cyprus’.

Dear Alpha

I am a representative of the country that participates in a monthly network meeting that discusses global intelligence and law enforcement. It was decided at this level that you and your partner should undertake this to stop Anarchy and the Agency would once again like to thank you for accepting it. You have proven a good resource for the Australian govt as a way of getting an edge in global affairs as because we are small and somewhat isolated are often kept out of the loop. However, there is nobody better in bringing Anarchy down than yourself and we wish you the best of luck in capturing him. I ask that you be in continued contact with me and me only as our competitors are always looking to find their own stuff and your safety rests on my shoulders as there are those who cannot be trusted. We believe Anarchy may have a contact within our meetings which would answer how he has eluded us continually, but I tell you this because if there is anything I can do to help you have only to ask. These meetings are very complicated so I am happy to discuss going about various matters to use the information to your advantage. The CIA has generously lended information for your assistance and do not be surprised if they try to make contact with you at some stage of the assignment.
Good luck and please keep in touch.
PS-you can refer to me as Beta for future communication

Alpha saw there were a few attachments, some being the crime photos from the Greek Cypriot Ambassadors murder, post mortem and the others were documents on the various circumstances surrounding Cyprus. He opened the photos, interested in the crime scene but he found it a little difficult to go from these pictures alone, he would need to be there in person and look around to really be useful. The body and a lot of the evidence would have been cleaned up by now, but he would use the pictures in conjunction with the presence of the crime scene to hopefully sort out what happened to the Ambassador. Judging by the pictures, there had been a struggle and the Ambassador had put up a fight before being taken down. The other documents had information on the historical as well as political, military, economical and social status of the country. This would definitely do the job in keeping him occupied for the flight as there was a fair bit to go through. Quickly opening up a word document, he was ready to start taking his own notes and try and piece this plan together from scratch. He began searching through everything, trying to look at the information and then interpret it in a way an international criminal activist could exploit it. He had read about Cyprus, but the level of information the CIA had given him easily topped anything he had seen before. He saw how much history and culture it had as well as many heartaches in its past. The history was long and many of the names from thousands of years ago reminded him of the mythical stories his dad told him when he was young. First he skimmed through this to the time it received its independence in 1960-after this was where it got interesting and complicated. Cyprus is the only divided country in Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall some years ago and the ongoing conflict between the Greek and Turkish communities on the Island had faults on both sides. This is what Anarchy would use to his advantage and also added a difficulty of knowing who he would ally with as both sides would be eager to sabotage the other for their own gains. In terms of geography- the city wouldn’t provide much hiding as it isn’t a major scale city with outsiders standing out. As good as this was, the most part of Cyprus was fairly mountainous and would provide a lot of places to set up a home base. He had never been there before, but he had prepared well for the climate at this time of year and was confident he would be fine.
The sections on the government, economy and infrastructure were boring, but Alpha had to go through it all, seeing a couple of things he may be able to use later on somewhere in this operation. When he got to the sections on culture, he found himself getting sidetracked on pointless information. It was much more interesting to read and he believed he could use the info to blend in better as a local. He then noticed his new partner dead asleep next to him and laughed as he was going to struggle to blend in anywhere. That would be a problem they face when they get to it though and he continued on with his research. The demographics were next to look over and then transnational issues involving the country in a global status and to his surprise he found a few things that disappointed him. Things he wouldn’t have expected from such a small country within Europe, but nevertheless were written down in front of him. He took note of them all, as these could give him an insight to any other corporations of countries that lend their favour to this Anarchy.
The flight dragged on longer than he thought, even after a first draft of what this Anarchy may be up to. He could only eat, write, research and watch a bit of television for so long, it seemed only right that he himself got a little sleep. He looked at his tablets in his bag considering taking some but got distracted by his notes on the laptop again, wondering if there was anything he could have missed. He knew for sure this Anarchy would be taking advantage of the tension to create war and somehow make a lot of money from it. Alpha knew this as Cyprus wouldn’t be the only one in war as both the Turkish and Greek communities would seek assistance from Greece and Turkey for help, with the alliance system guaranteeing assistance and therefore undeniable enemies together. In other words, even if two countries were neutral, the alliance system may force other countries to be drawn in combat against each other as favours to their allies. Alpha couldn’t help but feel a little worried about this Anarchy and how chaotic something like this could cause not only in Europe but the entire world. There were so many countries within Europe that could be used to start war and yet he was using Cyprus, one that nobody would really think to use on a wider scale. Alpha considered Cyprus possibly being a distraction for somewhere else, whether it was a part of another wider plan or to hold European authorities looking in the wrong places-what exactly it was a distraction to was what Alpha had to find. Anarchy was on a new level of mastermind and Alpha recalled how the Agency referred to him as his equal in the crime underworld. Alpha didn’t like to gloat, but this was a very worthy title and knowing this guy had outsmarted Interpol and the worlds leading intelligence agencies was no easy feat. Alpha sat back and sighed-it seemed his work was cut out for him this time and that meant a lot of effort.
Finally his partner stirred next to him, waking up after a long trip. The tablet was still making him groggy and he seemed a little disoriented, “How long have I been asleep?”
“A long time, we are a few hours under halfway.”
“I’m so hungry.”
“You missed some meals, but we are 1st class so I think they will bring you one if you ask.” Alpha felt a little guilty for taking away this kid’s first plane trip and he could make out the disappointment on his face. For the next 2 hours the kid was still drowsy and groggy from the pills Alpha had given him, he was so used to it he had forgotten what its effects were like on those that can go to sleep normally. After he recovered though he wanted to start making up time for what he had missed being asleep and asking all kinds of questions about their assignment and destination. It seemed he would have to wait though as Alpha had already dosed himself with a sleeping pill and was on his way out.

When he awoke, the kid was buckled up as they were descending into London airport. Alpha’s head was a little spaced as usual but he buckled his belt and closed his eyes savouring his relaxed state until he was once again bombarded by his own mind. They soon landed and hopped off the plane to be hit straight away with the freezing cold London air only a European winter could give them. The temperature was quite unbearable for them and it also seemed his partner had left his warm clothing in his bag as he left very bare in the conditions. Heathrow airport was indeed massive, much bigger than Sydney airport and they made their way through, having some warm food and beverages before finding the terminal where they would depart to Cyprus. They both sat rather tired and quietly until the plane began boarding, which seemed a little longer to Alpha seeing as though the drowsiness bought on from his tablets had worn off with the coffee he had. Once the plane took off, it seemed Alpha would finally have to start answering his questions about the country they were going to and his thoughts about Anarchy.
It was a long and detailed explanation, but the kid wanted to know everything and he asked questions here and there in concern to what this could mean for Anarchy’s plans for the country. It began by explaining how the Republic of Cyprus is located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey. In concerns with the history, there have been people recorded living in Cyprus since 10,000BC-before that there are stories and myths-one of the most important being that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love was born on its shores. It was a small country and in quite a strategic location, which has always been of interest to foreign rulers to take over. At the worst of times, it was at the crossroads of many of the greatest empires in time, such as the Persians, Romans, Egyptians, Byzantines and many others living there, including it not too long ago being a British Colony, just like Australia. It was during the times the British controlled the country that the Greek Cypriot community and the Turkish Cypriot community who lived together in harmony undeterred by their differences would become fed up with being run by others and demand they own their own country. “So they once lived together with no troubles at all?” The kid interrupted obviously confused about how much trouble could start if they were once peaceful. Alpha nodded and reassured him that they did once live together, “They were very much together in hopes they could get rid of their common enemy, which were the British. Unfortunately they were not as independent as they would have liked as the Greek Cypriot population and the Turkish Cypriot population were often puppets of their mother countries.” It was obvious in Cyprus’ history that Greece and Turkey used Cyprus for their own competitive gains against each other rather than valuing the country itself. The Greek Cypriot population that made the majority of the people wanted to undergo enosis, which was a political union with Greece and this would also lead to one of the tensions facing the island. Alpha was also sure for these reasons that Anarchy wished to involve Greece, Turkey and other European countries in the conflict ahead. He continued on with Cyprus’ history, coming to 1960 when Cyprus finally received its independence and they became their own republic. Despite being an ancient place with much history and not a lot of time being recognised as their own-they were soon bought into conflict with each other between their two communities. Conflicts began locally and Greece and Turkey tried a few ways from outside to press their influence and control of the country. In an attempt to take control of Cyprus, Greece sponsored a Cypriot rebel group in a military takeover of the country and was met heavily by the Turkish army. Turkey claimed they were protecting their people during this Cypriot coup, but even when the coup failed and Turkey was quite successful in protecting their people, they remained in the area they had taken over, resulting in their own 3rd of the island and the displacement of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their home, many never being seen again or killed in the tragedy. Alpha noticed how he was emotional from this and how he seemed disturbed from the lack of Alpha’s emotion. “Aren’t you outraged at this?” He asked knowing Alpha was once from here.
“I am, but I am no more outraged than from anywhere else this kind of stuff happens in the world.”
“Was any of your family affected by this?”
“My Yiayia and Pa Pou moved to Australia before the invasion for work, but those they left behind were lost. The other extended family I have still here were even more affected by it and I plan on asking them about it when I see them.”
“Why do you show no care?”
“My mind doesn’t need any more clouding that emotion brings.” He had no idea what Alpha meant and saw that there was going to be no more said on this topic. Alpha continued on to the people on Cyprus and how there were 792,604 people living in Cyprus, with the Greeks making up 77% of the residents as compared with the Turkish 18%, which meant Greek orthodox was the leading religion against Muslim. Alpha explained that this makes the Greeks sound like a dominant force of the island, but this was not so, the Turks ran things very tightly and in a manner that often puts themselves above the others. Alpha would also explain some of the issues being faced in Cyprus as a country, which included human trafficking and sex exploitation of mostly Asian migrants. Heroin and hashish were also bought into the country as an easier way of smuggling them through to Lebanon and Turkey. It seemed there were no parts of the world that were not corrupt anymore, even a country as small as Cyprus.
Alpha showed him the crime scene photos to see if he could pick up anything he missed even though it he didn’t think he would. He looked at them carefully as and went through them all numerous times. “It looks like multiple people may have been there.” Alpha had also thought this from what he had seen in the pictures, the Cypriot police had taken a lot of photos as they were also convinced of multiple suspects like a gang had intruded the house killing the Ambassador and his security guard. “The question is what does the Ambassador’s death has to do with this possible attack on Cyprus?” Alpha considered. “Is this part of a plan? Or is this a mistake? Maybe the Ambassador found out something he shouldn’t have?”
“Who would want to ally with Anarchy anyway to bring down Cyprus?”
“It could be for political gains, monetary gains or even a personal agenda. Politically and economically wither side could want to sabotage the other for future gains of the island. ” There was a short pause his partner wanted to lighten the mood they had both created talking about the assignment. “So are we going to hit the beach if we get time?”
“Not at this time of year.”
“I asked around and heard that Cyprus has really hot summers.”
“Yeah when it is summer it is extremely hot. But when it is summer in Australia, it is winter in Europe. You did bring winter clothing didn’t you?”
“You are lying?” He said to Alpha trying to read his facial expression and Alpha couldn’t help but start laughing, “I am afraid not.” After all that, he did feel a bit lighter. He hadn’t realised when they were in Heathrow that this guy had bought no winter clothing at all rather than just leaving it in his bag. For a person acclimatised to an Australian summer to come to a Europe winter without winter clothing, it wouldn’t be very pleasant. He may not be too bad to hang around with after all. After all of this Alpha remembered he had thought of an alias for his partner to go by. “I thought of your codename by the way.” He noticed he had caught his interest, “I decided on Boreas or agent Boreas whatever suits you.”
“What the hell is Boreas, you make me sound like a fat animal.” He was very confused at the name and Alpha didn’t expect him to have heard it before. “It is the Greek God of the cold north wind.”
“You named me after a God; you must think I am something special then?” Alpha laughed in his head but didn’t show it. They made small talk until they finally landed in Cyprus at Larnaca Airport.

Dear Beta,

It seems we will be talking to each other quite often over the next couple of weeks in terms of this assignment. These network meetings that take place seem to be not all that they seem and will take quite a bit of explaining over the next few emails for me to really use them to my advantage. You will only have to explain it once, but I will need all the information I can get off your part too otherwise it will not work. You have my word that I will not talk to anybody else but you, and I would ask your word to guarantee my safety-but I assume that you would not be able to promise me the safe return to my country. What I do ask is that you keep my personal matters private as I assume you are one of the few people that know my true identity. If Anarchy does indeed have contacts within your meetings that is also going to prove troublesome, but there is always a way to solve these problems with a little strategy.
The information the CIA lent was very useful and thus far I am pretty sure that a ceremony taking place within Cyprus may be a good venue for something to happen, terrorist attack? Not sure. But I will keep you updated as I am sure you will keep me posted on any developments.

Alpha.