"About a dozen hours ago, one of my CIA agents reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested the organizer of the Central American revolution and is about to extradite him back to Washington for questioning,"
"Initially, I thought it could be a red herring they put out there, the situation was unclear, so I didn't act rashly. However, information later came in that the agent escorting the target had vanished and now, the FBI suspects that the CIA might be involved,"
A helpless voice came from Kira over the phone: "Their suspicion is not unfounded, the FBI believes that the KGB would not act so hastily. After all, the CIA has set similar traps for them before. Even if they got wind of the operation, they would have held out, just like I did, observing the situation,"
"Moreover, given the KGB's modus operandi, they are more likely to take action in Washington, particularly related to the questioning, which could serve to set up a trap for the CIA in retaliation,"
"The FBI believes that it must be the CIA who wanted to whisk away the prisoner, daring to take such a ruthless approach. After all, it's a win-win situation for the CIA regardless of success or failure,"
Alfred narrowed his eyes, "You control the information from both the CIA and the KGB. If you're calling me, it means that you couldn't find any information about the mysterious organizer in either of these sources, am I correct?"
"Exactly, that's the problem. I'm responsible for coordinating the Metropolis-based intelligence work of the CIA and the KGB encompassing the East Coast line. This operation was definitely not carried out by either the CIA or the KGB,"
"So, Alfred, do you think this could be a trap? Is it a self-directed performance by the FBI or could it be..."
"I believe you already have the answer," Alfred replied, "The FBI wouldn't dare stretch this issue in such a critical moment. They understand how adverse the consequences would be if something were to go wrong, and that it would spell disaster for everyone involved,"
"Which means they really took..."
"Schiller," Alfred began, "Schiller Rodriguez. His butler told me that just now, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation stormed into Rodriguez Manor and Schiller himself admitted to them that he is the organizer and leader of the Central American revolution."
"What?!!!" Kira exclaimed in disbelief.
"His butler came to me, hoping that I could help rescue him. But it seems that the situation is more complicated than we expected. Are you saying that Schiller has disappeared along with the agents who were escorting him?"
Kira on the other end of the phone remained silent for a while but finally spoke, "Yes, the FBI officials who were supposed to meet the party never did. All the escorting agents have been lost. The FBI is desperately searching for them now, but there has been no progress."
"I heard that there's chaos in Gotham, the situation in the city is complex. Agents who went in for a search have all disappeared. Alfred, I also called to make sure you're alright. Be careful…"
"There's no need for concern," Alfred responded calmly, "I have become accustomed to all sorts of anomalies here. As for Schiller, I will investigate. Just wait for my message."
"Thank you, Alfred," Kira sighed with relief, but then continued in a serious tone, "If Schiller truly is one of us, and has made such significant contributions to our cause, we have to ensure his safety at all costs,"
"Don't worry, Kira. Schiller is also Bruce's university professor, a genuinely good teacher. No matter where he is now, I will bring him back,"
Alfred hung up the phone and turned to Merkel, "The good news is that Schiller has not been extradited back to Washington for interrogation, so there is still a large room for maneuver. But the bad news is that he has disappeared along with the escorting agents. We only know he's still somewhere in Gotham, but as to where exactly, we have to search for him,"
"I'll go now," Merkel said immediately, but Alfred restrained him, "And how do you plan to find him? By walking haphazardly in Gotham? You have to protect your own life first before you can locate your employer,"
Having said that, Alfred turned and gave a sign to Merkel who, after a brief pause, followed him.
Arriving at the entrance to the basement, Alfred ventured down. Upon reaching the door to the Bat Laboratory, Alfred did not enter; instead, he took a detour to a room on the north side of the basement.
Wayne Manor has a large basement, 70% of which is occupied by Batman's laboratory while the remaining 30% is used by Alfred as a storage room.
The two sections are unrelated and do not interfere with each other. Alfred seldom enters Batman's laboratory, and Batman doesn't enter Alfred's storage, nor does he show interest in what Alfred stores there.
Therefore, when Merkel saw the piles of heavy weaponry with questionable origins, his jaw dropped.
Pointing at the pile of objects in the warehouse, he stammered, "What is this? …Could this be the rumored 'Last Resort'??"