Special Agent Catherine Regan never met the Director before, and her nervousness showed. A late night summons to headquarters didn't help.

“Sit down, Regan,” he said in a friendly manner. He considered the young woman as she sat before him. Some of his closest advisors thought her too young, but her unique qualifications suited this case perfectly in the Director's opinion. At 5'4” and 115 lbs, she didn't display a fearsome physical presence, but she more than made up for it with one of the top arrest and conviction rates in the entire bureau. Most importantly, no one disputed her loyalty.

“Regan, I read your file. Your record impresses me. Your supervisor recommended you for this case because he believes you are loyal to your country and the bureau. We currently face an internal crisis in this country. As you know, the economy faces certain recession and possible depression, and the banking crisis touches all sectors of the economy. Our leaders took bold and precipitous action to forestall the crisis and return a sense of normality to the economy,” the Director elaborated. “I have a very special assignment for you, top secret. You'll report only to me. You must report to no one else. Do you understand?”

Regan sat wide-eyed, but she nodded slowly.

“Good!” said the Director as he slid a red folder marked, “Classified – For Your Eyes Only,” across the desk to Regan. She looked down at it but didn't touch it.

“Read it,” he said. “Review it carefully. You have one hour. Bring it back to my office when you're done.”

Picking up the red folder, she walked out of the office, proceeded out into the hall, and walked south toward the elevators. The empty halls echoed gently at this hour as she walked past dark offices. She took an elevator down three floors, exited it and walked 100 yards to her office. As she walked into her office, she paused and checked up and down the hall. Seeing no one, she walked inside while pulling the door closed. She sat in the chair behind her small desk, pulled open the folder, and began to read. Her agile mind digested facts as quickly as she read them. She pieced the situation together with admirable accuracy, yet she managed to do so without imposing her own bias on the analysis. A speed reader, she finished a mere 30 minutes later, despite the fact that the report contained 127 pages of information.

She closed the folder, put it on her desk, and sat back to contemplate what she read. This case required her to walk one heck of a tightrope. Clearly, she must retrieve the video. Also, just as clearly, a young girl's life (or at the very least, her freedom) hung in the balance. The government sided with the abductor. Most remarkably, the report considered none of these concerns top priority.

She needed to brush up on the economic issues involved. She didn't really care about them per se, but they mattered for understanding the psychology of the various players involved. It occurred to her that she might benefit from consulting with an independent, non-governmental economist. She doubted that the bank's economists could express unbiased judgments in the matter, given the fact that the bank's security department decided to kidnap the girl in the first place.

Clearly the Director placed top official priority on recovering the video. The girl's life held only secondary priority, officially speaking. The main task, the most secret task in the case file, intrigued her the most. She could see clearly the Director's reasoning, the importance of seeking a new equilibrium which altered the balance of power in the intelligence community.

One point disturbed her, however. The file instructed her not to discover the contents of the video, a highly unusual official instruction. If she followed that instruction to the letter, it severely interfered with her ability to identify the correct video. She had code word clearance, privy to many more important national secrets than this one. Further, the unofficial instruction following this instruction countermanded it. The curious juxtaposition of these two instructions raised a question in her mind. Why?

She still had eight minutes left, but she decided to go back to the Director's office early. Carrying the red folder carefully with her, she made her way back upstairs, again spotting no one in the halls at this late hour. Shortly, she entered the vestibule of the Director's office once again.

“Very quick,” he commended her. “So you really are a speed reader. Excellent. Anything you didn't understand? Do you have any questions?”

“Just two,” she replied. “You expect me to ignore the contents of the video officially, while unofficially you want me to discover the contents anyway. That's a highly unusual requirement.”

“Yes, I realize that, but this case presents unique challenges. The bank's president and CEO, David Knight, insisted that we make this requirement a part of the assignment.” He watched her calmly while awaiting her response.

Without hesitation, she replied, “I take it, then, that we want to be most careful to keep Mr. Knight happy.”

“You surmise correctly. You have a second question?” he inquired.

“Did my family background influence your selection of me for this assignment?” she asked.

“Of course it did. It was the determining factor,” he answered. “Well then, if you have no more questions, I have a question for you. How long before we'll have the video in our possession?”

“Unless something unforeseen or unexpected happens, I think I can have it wrapped up in a week,” she surmised.

“You have two days. Get this done, Regan.” the Director said in measured tones.

“Yes, sir,” she said without hesitation. Two days! Can I really get the job done that quickly? she wondered.

“You're dismissed.”

“Sir,” she nodded and turned to leave the office.