by thedoctor
The building wasn't as big as Dirk Bell had expected. He was expecting something along the size of the Pentagon. Instead, he found that the headquarters was no larger than a small-town library. But, when he thought about it, it all made sense. This was a secret organization. Its success rested on the fact that the public didn't know that it existed. A factory-sized office building would raise more flags in the minds of locals than a regular-sized building just off the interstate.
Rogers walked right along behind him as they made their way down the narrow corridor. From what he understood, it wouldn't be often that they saw this place. Operatives were stationed around the globe. They got the call when they were needed and went where they were supposed to. Once again, little traffic in and out kept suspicion down. They were just here to meet the man himself.
Jefferson Bell had told his son many stories about Beau Pierce. During the height of the Cold War, Pierce spent much of his time overseas, a few months out of the year behind the Iron Curtain, but mostly in third world nations in the Middle East and Africa. The man had seen many a scuffle and came out on top. He had become a living legend amongst his peers in the agency. The man had accomplished what every intelligence officer wished to: complete anonymity to the outside world, including those he worked against.
The problem with the Cold War secret intelligence agencies was their ability to become totally unknown to the world, even to those who created them. Legislatures and executive officers had a habit of demanding agencies to watch the other guy, forget what they had done or retain no knowledge of their predecessor's actions, and demand once more for such an organization to be created. Such was the case here. Beau Pierce's outfit was the same as a dozen or so more that were out there, another forgotten pawn in the big spy game.
The agency itself was set up as protection against the spread of Soviet Communism as many agencies of the time were. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, it had to find a new purpose. It was completely self-sufficient, like all other covert agencies, and financed itself with patents, investments, and the lot. This was a way of keeping agencies from depending on a tight-budgeted Congress for support. This independence, along with the lack of purpose, led many agencies to go rogue. Chairmen would find profit or other self-serving motivations in helping those that might go against the grain of America. This was where Pierce found his agency's new purpose. He turned it into a watchdog for those who turned their backs on the country that gave them so much.
And now Dirk and Rogers were going to be a part of it. This was what he had been training for his whole life. This was the modern equivalent to the U.S. marshals in the Old West. He was going to be the wall between the common man and all the assholes in the world. Dirk Bell was finally home.