SID agent Isman Razat was a field officer operating in JB as a Malaysian CID detective. He’d received a call from a carpet shop in Holiday Plaza informing him that the carpet he ordered was ready for collection earlier today. He then took half-day leave and left the office. In actual fact, Isman didn’t order any carpet but he knew exactly what that call meant.

Isman went into the carpet shop and told the shopkeeper that he’d received a call telling him to collect his carpet.

"I’m so sorry, Ali," the forty-something shopkeeper replied looking very sorry. "I must have called the wrong number, your carpet hasn’t been shipped over yet. Nah, here’s your receipt, I’ll call you again once it arrives. Really sorry for your wasted trip."

"It’s okay, I’ll come back again," Isman replied and took the "receipt" which contained his assigment.

Isman read the coded, of course, receipt in his car before driving off to the nearest hotel, the Hotel Grand Continental.

Isman walked into Hotel Grand Continental and asked the receptionist if any Singaporean man had checked in alone during the day. It turned out that there were two, one by the name of Kenny Lau and the other Jason Tan. Isman then showed his CID identification and told her that Jason Tan was wanted by the Malaysian police. He told her that plain-clothed policemen were all around the building so there’s no need to worry or to call the police. He got the spare key to Jason’s room and left for the lift lobby.

Isman reached room 2345 and heard noise through the door. He’s in he thought. Isman reached for his .38 Smith & Wesson as he inserted the card key. He pushed the door opened gently, now the TV sound became louder. Quietly, he moved into the room and closed the door behind him. He could see the light from the TV flickering but couldn’t see Jason. He held his revolver firmly in his hand and walked quickly toward the bed.

Jason sensed something amiss when he heard noise from the door. He armed himself with a fruit knife and rolled off the bed onto the carpeted floor. He saw a pair of legs standing near the door. How could they find out so fast? Jason crawled quietly under the bed.

With two hands on his revolver, Isman’d expected to see the shocked face on Jason on the bed, in the bathroom or anywhere in this room but he didn’t. Damn! He stood next to the bed looking around him. The TV was on, there’s a blazer on the—Argh!

Jason held his fruit knife tight and, in one quick motion, stabbed the pair of legs in front of him and withdrew. The intruder fell onto the floor and for the first time they met eye to eye. Jason crawled out from under the bed while Isman was over-whelmed with pain and shock. Jason gripped his knife tight as he plunged onto Isman before he could get up. The knife was an inch from Isman’s throat and Isman’s left arm was losing strength fast, staring hard into Jason’s eyes, Isman’s right hand moved frantically to feel for his dropped revolver. The knife inched closer, Isman was quite sure that the fruit knife would pierce through his throat as soon as he let go of his left arm. Found it! Isman held the revolver in his right hand and started towards Jason’s torso.

Jason felt something poking his left rib and looked down. Where did the gun come—Bang!—Jason could feel the projectile sped through his body and exited on the other side. Jason turned back to look at Isman. He was losing strength against Isman. Isman pushed Jason aside as he struggled to stand up. Jason managed to get up kneeing, he was bleeding profusely and breathing heavily. They stared each other in the eyes as Jason accumulated his final strength and leaped towards Isman. Isman held up his revolver and fired two more shots at Jason.

Jason lied motionlessly on the bloodied carpet as Isman search the room for the object the Singapore government needed so badly. He couldn’t see any thing in the room, no luggage, no briefcase, except for the blazer on the bed. He searched through the pockets of the blazer and found a few pieces of paper and a Mini Disc. He took a face towel and tied it tightly around his right ankle. To make it looked like a robbery, Isman took all things valuable from Jason before leaving the hotel furtively.

Isman went to a public telephone booth to make a telephone call to an optical shop in Singapore. "Tell boss I’ve got the goods and the goods will be delivered tonight."

"Okay, see you tonight then," the SID "optician" replied and hung up. He’d then used his secure mobile phone to contact SID that an agent in JB was exposed and needed evacuation tonight.

Isman could hear police siren as he walked away from the telephone booth. He’d go somewhere near his "heaven" and wait for nightfall when his "angels" would come and take him home.

[Operation ANGEL]