Eight: Chi-Town Operative

Inside the helicopter, Agent Tomatilla Bygone fiddled with her talking PDA. It made a faint squawking noise then displayed an itemized list of the individuals she had been instructed to follow and, if necessary, apprehend. Rather than refer to them as suspects, SpyCo's database dubbed them "Persons of Interest", since it remained unclear whether Agent Bygone was supposed to approach them as adversaries, friends, or neither. Rapunzel Archback said to keep her informed to determine SpyCo's "disposition."

"Person of Interest One: Trudery, Nichelle Oleanda, 36 years of age, biracial; no criminal history but smarter than her own good.

Person of Interest Two: Treedweller, Elmer Cecil, 41 years of age, Caucasian; one misdemeanor conviction for unauthorized possession of cough medicine, former television personality, moderate risk for TH

Person of Interest Three: Misanthrope, James Aboveboard, 37 years of age, African-American; no criminal convictions, but was once accused of inciting a food fight

Person of Interest Four: Zizzzard, Tottchell Z (initial only), 35 years of age, predominantly Caucasian; one misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving in reverse

This represents all extant information on persons of interest at this time."

Once the laconic female voice ceased, Tomatilla Bygone's PDA beeped soothingly. The helicopter hovered briefly above Peoria as the pilot called out a question, which turned out to involve where one could land a helicopter in the vicinity of Goofy Ridge, Illinois. Agent Bygone had no idea and the two settled on the soybean field nearest the town. But what was she supposed to do then? She called Rapunzel Archback to voice precisely this inquiry.

"Well, I don't know, rent a car," she suggested.

"This hasn't been thought through all the way, has it?" Agent Bygone asked. "You wanted me here as soon as possible, which was understandable, but now I'm stuck."

"Not quite," said Rapunzel Archback, "Just walk to the road and commandeer a car. But make it a nice ride, not some bucket of bolts like the POIs are driving."

"So you're authorizing me to take a car from a random driver like in the movies. I've never done that before. Will SpyCo compensate the motorist for his loss?"

"Of course, we have plenty of money."

"We have?"

"As far as this random motorist knows, sure."

Rapunzel Archback hung up. The pilot found an open field about two miles east of Goofy Ridge and started to descend. Agent Bygone scanned the desolate, snow-leaden terrain and wondered how a land that seemed so dead at the moment could become so fecund only three months from now. Even though she knew it to be true, she would not have believed it possible if this were her first time seeing such a place.

"Are you gonna be warm enough?" shouted the pilot. "I've got an extra coat if you need it."

"No, I think being cold will motivate me to work faster," she said.

"Will it motivate cars that aren't coming to arrive on the scene faster?"

This was such a good question that Agent Bygone refused to dignify it with an answer. She thanked the pilot and waited for contact with the ground. Then she leapt from the helicopter and hit the frozen surface running, loping toward the thoroughfare about two hundred yards away.