To Forsake the Truth

Alicia traveled back to Africa, but this time she went to Luanda, Angola. The construction of Atlantic International School in Harare, Zimbabwe, was close to completion. One warm evening Alicia joined Jacob and Jamul at Gabra Jiri to celebrate the accomplishment and imminent completion of the school. The three sat in the restaurant's patio, and a young man around the same age as Alicia and Jacob soon sat down at a table a few feet away. This young man was trim and muscular with a bronze complexion, he pulled out a newspaper and began to read. While reading he caught the sounds of the conversation from the table of diners a few feet away. The distinct accents sounded familiar, and he looked up, glancing over at Alicia, Jacob, and Jamul. Not wanting to stare, the young man got up from his seat, walked over to the other table, where he would soon introduce himself as “Devon Gibson.” “Devon Gibson” --a.k.a., Brandon Howard --had a fascinating story. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in linguistics and international politics. The product of a single-parent home in the Crown Heights a section of Brooklyn, New York, Brandon had earned a scholarship after serving in the US National Guard. While serving in the National Guard and attending Penn State, Brandon had learned Portuguese, Arabic, and Mandarin. A veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, Brandon had permanently injured his right shoulder during an explosion that also took part of the calf muscle of his right leg. These battle injuries left him with three metal screws and a plate in his shoulder, as well as a slight limp. When Brandon arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa (Azania), he teamed up with Malachi and Roger. Malachi was the elder of the two agents. He and Roger had lived all over the world, stationed in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the DRC. When Brandon met them, they were working with the local population in Botswana. Other mercenary outfits operated in the surrounding nations south of Zimbabwe, trying to collect data on members of the Zimbabwean government through field research. The data collected was scant at best. The two agents were desperate to succeed in their mission, but they needed someone who would be able to gather more in-depth information --someone who would be able to remain anonymous to the Zimbabwe government but also infiltrate the population without exposing the operation. Malachi contacted Brandon to arrange an interview. When the three finally met in Durban, South Africa (Azania), Malachi agreed with Roger that Brandon was the ideal candidate. Their face-to-face meeting confirmed their research and everything that others had said about Brandon. Brandon Howard now stood before the three friends, about to initiate his mission. “Excuse me,” he said, extending his hand to Jacob, who shook it. Introducing himself as “Devon Gibson,” Brandon explained, “I overheard you all talking. I haven't been able to grasp the local languages. What part of the United States are you from?” Jacob introduced himself, adding, “We're from Cleveland, Ohio.” Smiling, “Devon” said, “I'm a native of Brooklyn, New York.” Jacob introduced “Devon” to Alicia and Jamul. “How long have you been here?” asked “Devon,” pulling over a chair from the empty table and joining the three. “I've been here the longest --fifteen years,” Jacob said. “So you're a resident now?” “Pretty much. I still visit my family in the US,” Jacob replied. “I convinced her to come.” Jacob grinned, indicating Alicia. Alicia just smiled and continued eating. Turning to Jamul, “Devon” said, “And you?” “I've been a citizen for two months now,” Jamul answered. Feeling his cell phone vibrate, “Devon” pulled the phone out of his pocket, checked the number, and excused himself from the table, walking away to take the call. He walked to a secluded area, the trees offering shade from the afternoon sun. He could still see the three friends, and his eyes focused on Alicia. Brandon studied Alicia's interaction with Jacob and Jamul. Unable to make eye contact with Alicia when he'd introduced himself as “Devon Gibson,” Brandon had immediately picked up on her standoffish behavior during his friendly conversation with Jacob and Jamul. “Devon” now rejoined the three friends at the table, his cell phone back in his pocket following the dubious phone call. He continued the conversation for another hour before leaving. Alicia returned to her hotel room, and Jacob headed for his apartment near downtown Harare. Brandon had already reached his hotel room. His hotel was just five blocks away from Alicia's. He worked quickly to process his recently obtained information. Using his cell phone's camera, Brandon had taken a picture of Alicia's hotel key card, which she'd left out on tabletop while eating in the restaurant. Using her key card's identification number, he hacked into the hotel's database, where he was able to access her home address and cell phone number. The very next day, Brandon took a flight out of Harare, bound for the US. Soon after arriving in the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, he checked into a downtown hotel and began his surveillance of Alicia's family.