S7: Chapter 10: Brace Yourself

“We go live on the scene with our correspondent Amanda Elliott.”

“Thank you and good morning, Kent. For the viewers at home who are just joining us, let me repeat, Air Force One has crash landed before reaching its destination of New York City’s John F. Kennedy International airport. Firefighters encountered smoke, leaking jet fuel and the bodies of many passengers when they arrived at the scene of the crash just moments ago. The crash occurred just outside of Camden Beach shortly before six this morning.”

“As you can see behind me, several crews are working diligently to free survivors from the burning rubble as quickly as possible. There is no word yet on the President or who these survivors are exactly but we are awaiting a statement from the White House as an investigation is already underway. The flight originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a brief stop over in New York City, New York for a small meet and greet, before beginning what would have been a nearly 10-hour trip to Russia for the G8 Summit.”

“From what we understand there would have been at least 12 cabinet members and White House staff onboard including Chief of Staff Philip Hughes, Secretary of State Barbara Nicholson, cabinet members Sarah Vickers and Carl Diamond and of course President Ajei Bahii and the First Gentleman Shilah Bahii.”

“We’re being told that Air Force One was traveling ‘significantly higher’ than the target speed during its approach to JFK and the crew tried to abort the landing just before it smashed onto the runway. What officials don’t know and are not telling us is the condition of the passengers who were on board the Boeing VC-25. We will continue to report updates as they happen so stay tuned to Channel 7 First Action news. Live and on scene, I’m Amanda Elliott.” 

The scene was a massive jumble of emergency responders, red and blue lights and several officials from nearly every acronym in government. The FBI, CIA and NSA took a break from their pissing contest to share what little information had been gathered. And the Secret Service in conjunction with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had been tasked with inspecting the engines and landing equipment on both Boeing 747-200B planes of the fleet. Investigators were focusing on whether the airport or plane’s equipment could have malfunctioned. 

The weather was fair. Mild winds had been reported for the area and there were no bulletins of possible storms. It was quickly ruled out as a contributing factor for the crash. The pilots made no mention of mechanical problems as they made their descent. The tower reported all transmissions with the crew were normal and relaxed which only pointed to one obvious conclusion: sabotage.

Air traffic control heard the crash just moments after the last communication with the captain. Fire burned inside the fuselage, parts of the aircraft scattered across the open field and members of the ground crew fled for their lives. Many who escaped the falling, flaming debris doused themselves with water from the bay to cool burn injuries.

First responders worked to extinguish the many fires started by the large plane and by the time they’d succeeded, much of the fuselage had burned away. The tail section was gone as well as one engine and another was no longer on the wing. Yvette paused amid the rubble and looked around. Small fires raged on beside her.

Numerous police officers and firefighters rushed through the wreckage pulling bodies from the debris and clearing each section of the plane. The NTSB was on scene assessing the damage and preparing for a public statement. Her team had been called out as a courtesy from the President. She had suspected foul play from the start. But unfortunately, their investigation into her Secret Service didn’t uncover anything. Although recent events and today’s accident proved that President Bahii’s suspicions were not unfounded.

Brett worked with an NTSB supervisor helping assess the damage and determine the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, Dustin contributed with imaging software to recreate the plane and map its trajectory and Ryan and Victor assisted with searching the wreckage for any possible survivors. “What are you doing over here?” a deep, masculine voice barked behind Yvette, causing her to jump. “There is no unauthorized entry in this area.”

“I’m with the FBI, assisting with scene reconstruction,” she replied, quickly flashing her badge and security clearance.

“Humph,” the man scowled, examining them both with intense scrutiny. “Try and remember you’re only here as a courtesy,” he growled harshly as he slipped past her.  

“Sure thing…dick,” she retorted and continued sifting through the strewn parts in front of her. Pulling back a large panel, Yvette gasped and took a giant step back. Sitting in the midst of the smoke and mangled metal plating was a child’s empty shoe. It was pink and white and stained with a dark, red substance. 

The sneaker was still laced up and sat right side up. Yvette’s eyes closed briefly as she tried to rid her mind of the dark images rolling through it. “There weren’t any children on the plane,” Brett remarked behind her as he came to inspect the primary collision site.

“No,” Yvette replied without turning around. “I suspect she was playing here and didn’t get out of the way in time.”

“Damn.” His one word response silenced the conversation and he watched his wife a moment. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

“We didn’t get to finish that conversation last night.”

“I know. We can go over everything at the meeting later today.”

“Ok.” Brett sighed and glanced towards the rest of the team. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again, receiving a nod in response before he moved on to continue his inspection. Yvette remained planted on that one spot staring at the shoe.

“BACK UP! GET BACK! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!” shouting erupted from the left side of the ruined fuselage. Dozens of emergency workers, firefighters and police officers ran as quickly as they could towards the bay, away from the crash site and near where the locals sequestered the growing crowd of onlookers. Soon after, an explosion rocked the site and Yvette swiftly turned as a small mushroom cloud appeared in the sky near the end of the runway, the same direction Brett had walked. 

Quickly she rushed forward, screaming out for her husband and ducking falling debris as new fires were ignited all around her. “Brett!” she yelled, straining her voice as she tried again. Out of the smoke a figure appeared, carrying someone beneath his arms. Yvette held her breath as she watched the vapor dissipate and Brett walk towards the crowd, assisting an NTSB worker through the haze of mist and fire. A couple of firefighters hurried forward, taking the man to their truck to provide him with oxygen and check for any severe injuries. Yvette sighed in relief when he smiled and casually strolled towards her. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Alright, listen up everybody,” Ralph Hannah, Senior member of the NTSB, yelled over a speakerphone. “We are ordering this area be cleared immediately of all unauthorized persons. I don’t care which branch of government you’re from, if you don’t have a yellow badge, I need you out of here now.”  

“What’s going on?” Ryan asked as the team regrouped near the outside gate.

“I’m not sure,” Brett sighed, watching as several other teams cleared the field, leaving only members from the NTSB and a few Secret Service staff.

“I am,” Victor replied, carefully concealing his cell phone in his hands. He had been recording much of the crash site as he and Ryan made their rounds. “We thought there were no survivors on the plane when we got here. But during the search of the front cabins, I discovered that what would have been the presidential suite was still very much intact. If anyone was in that room at the time of the crash, there is a good chance they survived.”

“So the President may still be alive?” Dustin asked, looking at the footage on Victor’s phone.

“Well if that’s the case, I expect there will be an announcement about it on the news. Otherwise, Vice President Racine will remain seated,” Brett replied.

“Let’s go,” Yvette stated calmly, turning towards the parking lot. “Whatever they’re kicking us out for gives us plenty of time to check out the people here.”

“Plus we have a meeting to get to,” Brett added. The team parted ways. Yvette and Brett took to Interstate 264 while Dustin, Victor and Ryan headed back to headquarters to get to work.

“There you are!” Ethan exclaimed, meeting Brett and Yvette at the door. “I was starting to worry.”

“We’re ok. I can’t say the same for many of the people on that plane but…a few made it out safely.”

“Yeah, I saw the news; scary business. It looks like the President came through fine.”

“Caught that on the radio on the way over. The NSA cleared the scene while they secured her and a few other survivors to an undisclosed location for medical treatment.”

“Sabotage?”

“Looks that way,” Brett sighed morosely. “You find anything else on McNeer?” he added, quickly changing the subject.

“Over here.” Ethan led them to his desk and pulled up a set of documents he’d uncovered from his search. “Looks like your old friend, was into some pretty nasty stuff. And I’m talking old school firepower, secrets trading and even good old fashioned treason; he led a few US officials to their deaths. State’s Attorney Chris Myer, Senator Charles Langston and a selection of CIA agents.”

“Jesus…who IS this guy?” Yvette sighed, staring at the information on the screen.

“That’s not all. I’ve found several indicators that suggests he is the one that ordered the attack on the Summit.”

“Wait a second. We had reason to believe that automatic missile weapon system we found belonged to the Delegate,” Yvette replied.

“Was there any proof of that?”

“No. After we got it secured and your team cleared the building, a group of suits waltzed in and collected the device as well as the men we’d encountered,” Brett added.

“Suits? Who were they?” Ethan asked, preparing to call up another search.

“Secret Service. I had Dustin run their badges before we released control of the scene. Shortly after that, President Bahii called a meeting with us to discuss the possibility of a mole; no wonder she was so concerned.” Brett continued with a sigh.

“And now Air Force One’s been grounded,” Ethan added.

“Exactly,” Yvette nodded. “We need to get to the bottom of this, fast!”

“We should contact the CIA; see if they have any counterintelligence on McNeer. If he’s involved in the deaths of their agents, they’d have him profiled and last known locations for him,” Brett suggested.

“No. Until we know who we can and can’t trust, I think it’s best this stays between us,” Yvette replied, again looking over the information on the screen.

“Yvette’s right. We have no idea how many others may be involved or which branch of government they may represent. Is there anything else you can tell us about him, Brett?” Ethan asked, leaning back in his seat. Brett took a deep breath and closed his eyes before recounting the last moment he and his old boss, Darrell McNeer spoke.

“The last time I saw him everything was normal. He spoke to Scott about closed cases and his suggestions on how to proceed. He seemed fine. His demeanor was upbeat and pleasant; same as it had always been. When he got the boot, he never returned to the building. They had to mail him his stuff. Before he stormed out, he told Scotty that what he had in his briefcase would blow the lid off a scandal that reached to the top. Unfortunately, Scott believed it was a last ditch effort to save his job. Now, I’m not so sure.” 

“And you believe that’s who bugged my phone?” Yvette asked, turning to Ethan. “Why? What does McNeer want with me? I don’t even know this man. What did he have to do with my assassination attempt and the attack on the Summit? What would he have to gain from the attacks?”

“He’s a Delegate operative,” Ethan replied, projecting an updated list onto the screen.  “From what little information we’ve been able to gather, the Delegate has targeted you since you were a child. But unfortunately, the reason why was lost the night of your shooting.”

“Wait. That’s…not entirely true,” Yvette responded, eyeing Brett until he caved.

He sighed and reached into his pocket, retrieving a thumb drive which he dropped onto the table. “Yvette asked me to look into the possibility of Tasker’s backups. I was able to recover much, if not all, of the data they’d uncovered that night. I was hoping to get a look at it first but…there are more pressing concerns now and we need to know what the Delegate knows.”

“Where did you find this? I had my guys comb over every inch of his place.”

“Backseat of the car Yvette was driving that night. It was lodged between the cushions. I guess you just gotta know where to look.” Ethan glanced at his daughter who quickly averted her eyes. The act was not lost on Brett. “Am I missing something here?”

“It’s nothing,” Ethan responded, going back to work on his computer, “Let’s see what we got.” He attached the thumb drive to his computer and opened the first folder. Various files containing a series of numbers and coordinates had been arranged by date but nothing appeared relevant, but then they weren’t sure what they were looking for. The next folders were a system of addresses, many of which were in the DC area, but several had been designated for New York, California, Illinois, Texas and Philadelphia. “I think there’s a file for every member of congress and every building in Washington on this thing,” Ethan stated as he continued scrolling through the various folders.

“Ok, NOW I think we may need to involve the NSA; at best the CIA. Their counterintelligence department would be invaluable in locating members of the Delegate. And right now, we could have a real crisis on our hands,” Yvette replied as dozens more blueprints and profiles popped up on the screen. “Wait! What was that?”

“You see something?” Ethan asked and went back to the previous screen. 

Yvette leaned closer and scanned the document, looking for the group of words that had caught her attention. “There!” she exclaimed and clicked the link for a file that presumably belonged to her.

#0983883 Yvette Evans:

Subject responded well to training. At 16 years of age, Evans’ tolerance to chemical manipulation surpasses that of seasoned agents. She continues to improve in virtually every form of hand-to-hand combat and is working her way up to weaponry.

ORDINANCES: Small arms and automatic weapons authority, including edged and impact weapons.

PROCUREMENT: Resourceful.

EXPLOSIVES: Precision detonation, diffusion.

We will continue monitoring the subject’s progress as her viability increases.

“What the hell is this?” she asked and continued reading the blurb about herself.

“I’ve seen these before. It’s a recruitment dossier. It’s used in instances of agency hiring; FBI or CIA for example,” Ethan explained as he gave the next few pages a quick look through.

“What? That doesn’t make sense. I was never approached by either agency. And it wasn’t until after Mom’s death that I even considered joining the CIA. She and Scott had been trying to keep me from following in their footsteps.”

“Well we already suspected the Delegate had been watching when you found those pictures of yourself as a child. This just proves they had interest in possibly recruiting you before then,” Ethan surmised. They finished looking through the thumb drive, making several copies of the information before adjourning. Ethan was planning to pursue the leads as far as he could with his contacts and Yvette wanted to see what Dustin could gather from the information.

“Alright, let’s get back to HQ and get the guys.” Yvette followed Brett out of the building and towards the carport where the truck had been parked. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something. It had lasted only a matter of seconds, a flash of a figure ducking out of sight, but still it was troubling enough to notice. “I’ll drive.” Yvette tossed him the keys and silently slipped into the passenger seat.

Pulling out onto Old Dominion Drive, Brett kept watch of the rearview mirrors, waiting to get another glimpse of the shady figure. Soon after, a black SUV merged into traffic five car lengths behind them and he kept watch of their movement. With very few turn offs, Brett had to come up with a way to identify their pursuers without alarming Yvette of the possible danger lurking nearby. Finally, he slowed and pulled off onto the Duchess Drive dead end. Turning around at the cul-de-sac, he drove to the end of the street and waited. “Baby? Is everything ok?” Yvette asked, looking around at their surroundings.

“Yeah, I just wanted to check something,” he smiled, trying to put her at ease. Brett returned his attention to the flow of traffic and counted. One, two, three cars passed and he gripped the steering wheel tighter in his hands and leaned forward. The fourth car soon went by and he narrowed his gaze, peering directly at the windshield and then the driver’s window as the black SUV pulled into view. The dark tint on the window made a positive ID impossible but the point promptly became irrelevant.

Noticing Brett’s Escalade idling on the adjacent street, the SUV peeled off, burning rubber as it skirted around the car in front of them earning the driver’s angry horn in response. Brett swiftly gave chase, swinging Yvette around the cab of their truck. “Brett, what the hell is going on?” she asked, clutching the dashboard tightly.  

“We were being tailed,” he responded breathlessly, keeping his eyes on the speeding vehicle ahead of them. “I was trying to see who it was but apparently they have other plans.” They sped past Dominion Reserve Drive, reached a four-way stop that the SUV quickly tore through as it continued down Old Dominion, narrowly avoiding a collision with a family packed minivan. Yvette reached behind his seat and retrieved a small weapons cache and loaded a few side arms. 

The fact that this pursuit occurred only a block from Sycom’s new location was not lost on her and she punched in the number to Ethan’s cell to update them on their situation. He gathered a few agents and immediately joined the chase. The SUV abruptly turned onto Old Gate Court and barreled down the sleepy residential street. But the road curved and they found themselves heading down a dead end. The driver hit the brakes and, like rats on a sinking ship, they hastily abandoned their vehicle. Instantly, the fleeing suspects turned and fired shots at Brett’s approaching Escalade. “Get down!” he shouted to Yvette who sank lower in her seat and exchanged a few rounds at their attackers.

The blasts exploded at the front and right side of the truck. Glass shattered from the passenger side window and Yvette’s airbag deployed as Brett came to a sudden stop in the middle of the cul-de-sac. More bullets tore holes in the metal paneling of their vehicle and the two quickly exited through the driver’s door and sheltered themselves behind their truck. Moments ticked away slowly as they found themselves in an impromptu gunfight. They were undermatched and undergunned. Yvette’s gun clicked and she opened the backseat of the truck to grab a new clip while Brett offered her cover. 

Their suspects changed positions and more glass exploded around her. Quickly tossing an extra clip towards her husband, she moved to the back of the truck and manned the suspect firing from the side of a house while Brett continued pinning down the driver. Yvette turned in time to see her father pull up with two other agents who immediately joined the fray. “How many are there?” Ethan asked, stepping behind Brett and firing over his cover.

“I’m not sure, 3 maybe 4.”

“Were you able to get a good look at them?”

“No, the tint was too thick. They sped around us and led us here.”

The shooting stopped, for the moment, near the front of the vehicle. Brett watched as one of the suspects took off through the woods behind a home and he motioned to Ethan to cover him. Staff Sergeant Vanguard advanced positions and the shooting resumed. A bullet whizzed by Brett as he rushed impetuously after the unidentified subject and several more pierced the tires of their vehicles. 

Ethan instructed the other agent in his company to follow Brett as he, Vanguard and Yvette provided cover. Just then, another series of bullets were fired in their direction. Agent Browning took a direct hit to the chest and landed hard on the ground. Yvette moved over to the left side of the truck beside her father and guarded him as he pulled the agent to safety. The man was unconscious but still breathing. “He needs immediate medical attention.”

“There’s a first aid kit in the back of the truck,” Vanguard suggested as he called for a bus. “It should hold him over until help arrives.”

Another suspect broke away from the group and circled behind the dark SUV towards the road. “He’s getting away!” Yvette announced and pulled up from her position. 

“Yvette, wait!” Ethan shouted behind her as he watched her tail the suspect into the woods. “Yvette! Warren, cover me. If the situation changes get on the radio ASAP, backup should be here soon.” Ethan hurried after Yvette. Low hanging branches slapped him in the face as he scurried through the thick underbrush, tracking the muddy footprints through the forest. Hesitantly, he stopped in a clearing, trying to get his bearings while his heart pounded heavily in his chest. The tracks had ended suddenly near the top of the trail with no sign of the direction either one had gone. The sound of running water caught his ear and Ethan looked for the source. 

Yvette found herself in a set of storm drains that ran beneath the capital beltway. Logic dictated that they had to empty into something, and that something would be the Potomac River. If she followed the flow, she could quite possibly locate her suspect and find a way out. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness she started forward, pacing herself as she began to feel turned around. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but small, dark tunnels weren’t exactly her favorite places.

After just a few yards, the tunnel split in two. Yvette weighed her choices before starting down the passageway, moving quickly to regain some distance. She continued for several minutes, stumbling through the murky channel as she listened for sounds of her assailant. A skittering sound echoed on the cement wall beside her and she turned in a flash towards the noise. A family of rats ran by, brushing against the cuff of her pants and she held her breath until they disappeared. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and growled at the low bars. The thick concrete walls of the storm pipe were successfully blocking the signal.

The rumble of cars passing by vibrated through the manhole cover above and she contemplated signaling someone of her position but the last thing she needed was a civilian getting hurt on her watch. Silence quickly overwhelmed her. She stopped a few paces from a ladder leading through another set of tunnels and gave herself a moment to adjust. Something wasn’t right. The sound of a splashing footstep over the trickle of water drew her attention and she pressed herself against the wall, unmoving. Her heart thumped against her chest as she waited for the source to reveal itself. A dim ray of white light faintly outlined the shape of a man standing approximately ten feet away from her and she held her breath as she squeezed the grip of her weapon tighter. 

“Yvie?” Ethan whispered as he felt the presence of someone close.

“Dad!” Relief shuddered through her as she moved forward and he handed her a flashlight from his belt after checking her for injuries.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Have you seen Brett?”

“No, I came after you. Any sign of the perp?”

“No…” A shot rang out in the tunnel ahead of them, silencing her as she ducked for cover. The dizzying sound resonated in their ears temporarily disorienting the pair. Ethan pulled Yvette to her feet and pushed her behind him.

“This way,” he replied, leading the way through the tunnel in pursuit of the gunman. They followed another curve in the passageway and finally caught sight of the shooter. 

“Stop!” Ethan yelled to their back. Yvette was gaining on the shooter, considering whether or not to fire off another round in the tight channel. “One more step and I’ll shoot!”

The figure stopped at the end of the pipeline with their hands above their heads. “Drop your weapon and take three steps back.” The gunman did as instructed and slowly turned around. “Kimberly?” Ethan gasped as he stood face-to-face with his ex-coworker. “I thought you were dead.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted you to think,” she sneered and glanced in Yvette’s direction.

“It was you?” Yvette asked, a little breathless as she put two and two together. “You’re the reason Sycom was compromised! You betrayed your team!”

“No, I never betrayed my team. I’ve just been playing for a different side.”

“The break-in at the office, the shooting that cost Nelson and Walters their lives, it’s all been you?” Ethan asked, listening to his daughter’s claims. A smile mused about Redding’s mouth before she addressed his accusation and with a callous voice, she replayed her moments of deception. “You’ve been working with Mercer too? You bitch! You almost took my daughter’s life!” Yvette watched as Ethan’s hand tightened around the grip of his gun. Whatever was rolling around his head didn’t appear as though it would end well for Kimberly Redding.

“Well now, I can’t take all the credit for that. There are quite a few people who would pay good money for her,” she smirked ruthlessly and slowly moved forward. “You have no idea what she’s capable of, Ethan. But I do. And before you pull that trigger, there are a few things you might want to hear first.” 

Brett snatched open the second door in the hall. After chasing his assailant into a historical townhouse, it quickly became a game of cat and mouse. The place was empty, he was fortunate for that. The family was likely out on vacation as several pieces of furniture had been covered with white cloths. However, the three-story home had about 30 rooms and it was a lot to cover for one person. Excess of the wealthy, he thought as he grabbed his phone to dial Yvette. 

Placing the phone to his ear, he listened to it ring a few times before voicemail picked up. Worry set in as he wondered about the scene he’d left a few blocks behind him and whether or not the other suspects had been apprehended. Temporarily distracted with the fleeting thoughts, Brett didn’t see the large garden shovel swinging towards him. With barely enough time to react, he moved his right arm in front of his face and took the full impact of the powerful blow. Instantly, he was thrown backwards and he heard the bone in his wrist crack. His gun landed across from him near the top of the stairs, falling to the wooden floor with a clank.

Without hesitation, he crawled forward and reached for his weapon but instantly jerked his hand away as his attacker stabbed the sharp, metal tip of the shovel downward. The man lunged forward and Brett kicked his knee out from under him and swiftly got to his feet. Reaching again for his weapon, he felt the sharp point of his attacker’s boot in his ribs and saw the glint of a blade. Narrowly escaping the hasty swipe the man made with the knife, Brett caught his attacker off guard, clenching onto his wrist and connected with a foot to his solar plexus. 

With the wind knocked out of him, Brett capitalized, slamming his fist into the man’s jaw, an act he immediately regretted. The jolt of pain stung like a thousand bee stings and Brett was momentarily dazed. Hearing a gun cocking behind him, he quickly sprinted around the corner and scrambled for his sidearm. Brett ducked a bullet as the blast ricocheted above him, splintering the molding in the doorway. 

“That was a warning. Don’t make me ask twice,” a familiar voice croaked behind Brett. Slowly he turned to face the man at the end of the hall who stood with his gold plated Walther PPK aimed towards him. A calculated smile formed on his lips and he took one step forward into the light. “Hello, Knight, nice to see you again.”

“Is it? You know why I’m here, Darrell.”

“I do.”

“Then you know this can only end one way.” McNeer nodded and Brett did a quick check of his surroundings. He needed to get to a weapon, fast! “I see you’re still clutching to that same pistol, Old Timer.”

“Yes. I prefer style and accuracy over power. Let me guess, you’re still carrying a .357? You always did underestimate the strength of a full metal jacket.”

“Actually, I just never understood your obsession to emulate James Bond so I ask you, which bullet has my name on it. The first or the last?”

“While I admit killing you would be a pleasure, it’s just not in the cards for you…at least not yet.”

“Let me guess, this is the part where you gloat about how far you’ve come and I’m forced to listen to your reasoning behind betraying your country and your team? Please, spare me the monotony and let’s get down to the real reason you’re doing this.”

“Money. Is that what you want me to say? No. Unfortunately, Brett, there is no simple answer and certainly nothing I can offer that will give you solace. Let’s just say this country has become a cesspool of corruption and filth. I’m just doing my part to…” McNeer was interrupted by the rapid beeping of his alarm. “Damn. Well it looks like our time is up. And while I would love to catch up, it seems I already got what I came for.”

“It’s over for you, Darrell, you must know that. My team is already aware of your involvement and as we speak a task force is being formed to hunt you down like the dog that you are. You’ll never get away with this,” Brett stated through clenched teeth.

“That remains to be seen. Now, hands where I can see them,” he replied and waited for Brett to assume the position. “It really has been fun, Knight. Perhaps we can do this again some time.”

“Count on it,” Brett snarled and watched as his old mentor jumped from the 2^nd story window. Grabbing his weapon from the floor, he hurried after him but Darrell McNeer was nowhere in sight. 

“Brett, where have you been?” Ethan asked, watching his son-in-law running back towards him. Two ambulances and several patrol cars blocked the cul-de-sac as uniformed officers checked the scene and the CSU cordoned off areas for evidence collection. 

“I was tracking down one of the shooters. It was McNeer. I caught up to him two blocks away in a townhouse; family’s on vacation. You might want to have CSU run through there as well.”

“I’ll let them know. In the meantime, I had a run-in with an old ghost myself; Redding. She’s been playing both sides.”

“What? Where’s Yvette?”

“She…”

“You will be hearing from my lawyer!” an angry homeowner stormed towards the agents, frantically waving his arms. “You and your gun toting, trigger happy band of thugs! My taxes pay for your salary, buddy. You are supposed to be serving and protecting, not destroying my property!” Ethan motioned to one of the officers standing beside his squad car to remove the resident from the scene. “What’s your badge number? I’m gonna have your job, all of you!” he continued yelling as he was escorted behind the yellow tape.

“She wanted me to give you this.” Ethan handed Brett his phone and he pressed play on the video.

“Brett, by the time you watch this, I will be gone. Ethan can fill you in on the details but, I finally know why they wanted me. I know why my life was turned so upside down. There are some things that I need to take care of now and I need you to stay away and let me handle it. I know that it’s not in your nature but I am asking you, don’t come for me. I don’t want you to come for me. Take care of our babies and I’ll see you soon. I love you, Brett, and I always will.”

“What is this?” Brett snatched his phone from his back pocket and immediately dialed his wife’s number. “Pick up! Pick up!” It rang several times before he finally heard her voice on the other end. “Yvette!”

“Brett, I know what you’re going to say and…”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Whatever I have to in order to protect my family the same thing you would do!”

“Yve, it doesn’t have to be like this, we can do this together.”

“No, Brett. You can’t be involved.”

“What gives you the right to decide that for me? Come home. You have a family, Yvette, two beautiful children who love you very much and me. Think about that!”

“I have thought about that, Brett. That’s all I think about. But how do you think our kids will survive growing up with a mother who is a potential risk to them?”

“How do you think it’ll be for them growing up without a mother at all? How was it for you?”

“That’s not fair!”

“Come home, Yvette. Please. Don’t do this!”

“I’m sorry, but there’s just no other way,” she replied and disconnected the call, leaving Brett staring at the blank screen.
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*Author's note: Special thank you to Kihaad over at SimFans for creating the crashed plane for me! I really appreciate your help!*

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