"First of all, I want to emphasize one thing: I'm just a scapegoat. I have nothing to do with Cynthia Wilkes. I don't even know why her people attacked Jack."
Michael Weston wisely raised his hands in surrender.
This guy was a sharp wit, which might be another reason he was assigned to coordinate, besides his familiarity with Jack.
Jack noticed something was wrong with his attitude; it was a hint of gloating. He had clearly not offended this guy, so this gloating was clearly directed at the other side.
Like the FBI, the CIA was never a monolithic entity, and the internal struggles were even more intense.
After all, their primary operations were overseas, and it was common for them to secretly sabotage or even resort to shady tactics in order to compete for more benefits.
Jack showed Dana the small note Michael had slipped him, not because he was taking advantage of the fact he had saved the guy's life and was denying him face.
It was simply a gesture to show this guy that his relationship with his female boss was one of absolute trust. Of course, it was also a way to show the CIA that this matter couldn't be easily fooled.
After so many years in North America, while Jack hadn't become a white-skinned person, he had become quite adept at dealing with Europeans and Americans.
Keeping a low profile when one's power is weak won't be looked down upon, but being hesitant and concerned about the bigger picture when one has sufficient strength will only invite unnecessary provocation and trouble.
Regardless of who else was in Jack's car, the Suburban he was driving was an official vehicle borrowed from the local FBI office, bearing official federal license plates.
Even a few minutes of research would have revealed Jack's identity.
Therefore, even if the CIA could produce evidence that Jack was suspected of a serious terrorist threat, if they didn't immediately eliminate him, the Twin Towers would collapse again. They shouldn't have acted so suddenly without warning, much less easily explained away as a misunderstanding.
After all, someone is no longer the same person he once was. If something happens, Rossi needs to be contacted immediately. Putting aside the achievements accumulated over the years, the recent Alcatraz prison incident was a major exposure.
Therefore, Jack believed that Michael's initial misunderstanding was somewhat true. It's likely that the agent who took action only knew there was a fresh-faced FBI agent in the car and simply considered him collateral damage.
Who made someone so young yet so successful? Despite receiving numerous awards and medals, he's still only a Supervisory Agent, one rank higher than Senior Agent, due to his seniority.
Jack still has a distinguished Presidential Medal of Freedom to claim. If he were to be killed by the CIA as collateral damage, or if he were to accept the medal from the President in a wheelchair, it would be a complete joke.
While the CIA isn't completely prohibited from operating domestically, they have offices in every state, just like the FBI, but they usually either work in conjunction with federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and DEA, or operate covertly.
There's a joke that goes something like this: if the FBI and the CIA were working on the same case at the same time, by the time the FBI stood at the door yelling "Open the door," the CIA might have already secretly climbed in through the window and collected evidence.
If Jack were truly just an ordinary FBI field agent who had the misfortune to be killed in a CIA assassination, the FBI wouldn't have been able to do anything to the CIA afterwards.
After all, the matter was done, and at most they would have exchanged verbal attacks, asking for compensation and pensions, and eventually the matter would have been resolved.
However, in this case, the CIA had taken action and was almost killed in return. This was a huge joke, and it was no wonder that Michael, who was at odds with them, looked so gloating.
At this point, Michael stopped beating around the bush and simply admitted that he was there to trip up Cynthia Wilkes and the people behind her.
His superiors "coincidentally" learned of this blunder, and as a result, most of the information on Jack that had been sent to Cynthia Wilkes's desk was "accidentally" lost.
In other words, in their eyes, Jack was now a mere nobody. While this incident was somewhat embarrassing, it ultimately didn't matter. They even used Michael as a scapegoat due to their old grudge with Dana.
Michael's original plan was to use a knife to kill someone, figuring that even if he couldn't bring down Cynthia Wilkes, he could leverage the FBI's investigation to discredit her within the CIA.
Then, he could do Jack a favor and perhaps even borrow him for further use. His calculations
were practically shattering. Unexpectedly, Jack defied convention and, in front of Dana, pulled out the slip of paper, shattering the supposed tacit understanding he'd been trying to create.
"You have two days. I want to know who's behind Cynthia." Dana held up two fingers before Michael left.
After sending the cunning agent away, Jack closed the office door again. Now, he and his female boss were alone in the room, ready to talk business.
"So, those were actually two separate incidents? The CIA that attacked you was purging retired agents, and had nothing to do with the murder of Detective Beckett's mother?"
Dana smiled meaningfully after hearing Jack's story. "That's interesting. Agent Weston (Michael) didn't mention retired agents just now.
Instead, he wanted to use me to clarify with the NYPD that Commissioner Montgomery's death had nothing to do with the CIA."
Jack's heart fluttered. "Is he implying that Beckett's mother's murder and the subsequent series of events are also related to the CIA, uh, Cynthia and the people behind her?"
Dana nodded in agreement. "Perhaps. Cynthia, that bitch, is always willing to do anything to get ahead. This wouldn't be the first time she's been rubbing elbows with politicians."
"Hiss!" Jack gasped, thinking, maybe it was just a coincidence.
It seems reasonable for a senator who will be running for president next year and potentially becoming Vice President to start cleaning up and erasing some of her past. It's
also understandable that some within the CIA would choose to place their bets in advance, even joining forces and actively acting as black gloves.
Dana checked the time, rubbed her brow with a slightly weary expression, and waved at Jack. "It's getting late. Go home and get some rest. I'll personally investigate Cynthia and find out what she's up to.
This matter may be complicated, and we can't completely rely on Michael Weston's cooperation, although his Central Asia operations unit does have a bad relationship with Cynthia Wilkes's side."
This was evident from the other party's initial intention to sit back and watch the fight unfold, and it also indirectly confirmed that Cynthia's backstory might be quite complicated. Fortunately, his female boss was also not to be trifled with.
As Jack left the Federal Building, two more teams of agents followed him, four in each Suburban, following behind his Audi R8.
Jack naturally didn't need any bodyguards. After returning to the base building, one group of agents took the gunman, who was imprisoned in the basement, away, while the remaining group moved into the basement to protect Cassel and Beckett.
After all, the base building's security was sufficient to handle ordinary assassins, but if it were CIA operatives, they might not be able to handle them.
(End of this chapter)