tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23530004617124410742024-03-14T02:47:42.245-04:00Codename: DangerDaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-27882776137105904022015-05-19T18:11:00.003-04:002024-02-23T07:54:39.546-05:00Liebster Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was nominated for this award by <a href="http://kissofavampire-100babychallenge.blogspot.com/2011/07/intro.html">Jazen</a>...I think she enjoys burning ants with her magnifying glass. But, she is my friend and what kind of friend would she be if she didn't include me in her mise...fun? She's a talented writer of several Sims' stories as well as the published author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiendish-A-Twisted-Fairytale-Meka-James-ebook/dp/B00JZZGTWE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1398724110&sr=8-4&keywords=meka+james">Fiendish</a>. Thank you again for the nomination, Mica :)</div>
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The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to bloggers, to promote the blogging sites we love and support.<br />
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<b><u>Accepting the nomination comes with these conditions:</u></b><br />
1. Post the award on your blog.<br />
2. Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog.<br />
3. Nominate 5-11 bloggers whom you feel deserve this award and have fewer than or equal to 3,000 followers.<br />
4. Answer 11 questions posted by the nominator, and ask your nominees 11 questions.<br />
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<b><u>My Nominations:</u></b></div>
~Misty for <a href="http://simsl3gacies.com/" target="_blank">Ouroboros Legacy</a>.<br />
~Kiddo for <a href="http://kiddosims.blogspot.com/p/connors.html" target="_blank">The Connors</a>.<br />
~Gemly Teddie for <a href="http://gemlyteddie.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Mattell Random Legacy</a>.<br />
~Luckygirl1975 for <a href="http://pp.lckysim.co.uk/" target="_blank">Painswater Point</a>.<br />
~MochaSims for <a href="http://mochasims.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Kasim's Adventures</a>.<br />
~Spladoum for <a href="http://spladoum.tumblr.com/tagged/The-Frios" target="_blank">The Frios and A One Time Thing</a>.<br />
~LateKnightSimmer for <a href="http://sims3townies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Paint the Town Gorgeous</a>.<br />
~Aikea-Guinea for <a href="http://aikea-guinea.tumblr.com/tagged/Tangent-story/chrono" target="_blank">Tangent, Sine and Cosine</a>.<br />
~Andantezen for <a href="http://lutsepisodes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Last Canvas</a><br />
~Katurah for <a href="http://plumbobstories.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fashionably Late</a>.<br />
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**And my last nomination I would like to posthumously award to a dear friend and extremely talented writer Jillyson for <a href="http://jillyson-clockworkheart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Clockwork Heart</a>.**<br />
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<b>1. How would you achieve world peace? (yes I'm laughing as I type that LOL)</b></div>
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...7. Alright a better answer? I'd implant chips in the hearts of every human on the planet. The chip would be a tiny electronic device that would detonate at my discretion. If they dared step out of line, broke the law in anyway, shape or form, I'd press that little red button and watch them explode. Peace level achieved: 10.</div>
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<b>2. Vanilla game or CC user? Why?</b></div>
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CC. Because there is just WAY too much awesome stuff to pass up. At one point, I had over 6 gigs of stuff (old computer). I'm slowly building that back up but hopefully I won't get too out of control. Not making any promises.</div>
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<b>3. Do you prefer to make your own sims for your stories or use sims made by friends?</b></div>
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I make my own sims most often but I have used some from friends. For an upcoming story, however, I went with sims I found online from other generous creators. Why you ask? Well kind soul I will tell you, and thank you for asking. The story is about zombies and many of the sims may not survive (their fates are COMPLETELY in the hands of the readers). I couldn't very well let my own babies get eaten by brain craving, flesh rotting, death moaning, living dead monsters now could I?</div>
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<b>4. Do you ever think you'll stop writing sim stories, or playing the game?</b></div>
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At this point I don't see an end. But, who knows. I know a lot of Sims 3 CC creators have taken to playing Sims 4 which is rather disappointing so there will be no new content from not only EA but the Sims' community as a whole which is a deterring factor. But for now, I'll be around. I've already planned a few more stories so you're not rid of me so easily. :)</div>
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<b>5. Have you ever had your story veer off course from what you originally planned?</b></div>
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Yes. Many times. Sometimes the original plan for a story seems less um...what's the word...spectacular than something I can think of down the road. Often I will change events around to suit the new idea and since I plan my stories well in advance it's not usually too hard to edit. But there have been times I find myself writing a scene and ask myself "Now how did that happen?" or "How did we get here?" The characters can have minds of their own and She-Brain likes to work against me when she thinks something works better than my plans. The traitorous devil. You know she's broken up couples and killed people?? (By-the-by She-Brain is the nickname I give the voice(s) in my head).</div>
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<b>6. If you were a sim, what would be your traits?</b></div>
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Animal lover, genius, good sense of humor, mean-spirited, perceptive.</div>
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<b>7. What is your favorite sims EP?</b></div>
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Pets.</div>
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<b>8. What is your least favorite EP?</b></div>
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I'd say ITF as I've not really explored that one. But it <i>was</i> University because of that camera stealing mascot. But since I've modded my game, he can no longer be an attention whore. Take that Fighting Llamas!</div>
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<b>9. If you were stranded on an island, what (or who) would you want with you?</b></div>
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A boat so I can get back home. Duh! :P And not just any boat. I want a fancy, expensive yacht that can withstand anything in order to get me back to civilization. Other than that? My husband. Misery loves company and if I'm stuck without internet and my computer, so shall he be! My dog. Even though she is the biggest chicken I've ever seen in my life, she toughens up when strangers are around and that's all I need. She can protect me (because I know the husband would be running in fear). Um...an endless supply of food and water and a nice shelter to lay my head. If possible, internet and my computer. I'd make that island my private paradise!</div>
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<b>10. How long do you spend writing or rewriting a chapter before you publish it?</b></div>
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Oh wow that can really vary. If I know what I want it can take a few hours, 6-8. And even though I'd just finished it and read and reread and edited and proofread, I'll ALWAYS do it again the night before or the day of release just to be sure everything is as perfect as I can make it. If I'm a little scatterbrained it can take weeks, months even. I've been on extended hiatuses because of writer's block. </div>
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<b>11. What is the 1 store set that EA created that you can't do without?</b></div>
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Um...hmm...um...well...see the thing is I much really prefer CC. But, since I HAVE to pick one. It would probably be the magic set although I haven't used it much lately. Yes. Going with that. It'll play a role in the current story I'm writing.</div>
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<b>Questions to my nominees: (rehashed for the new selection)</b></div>
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01. When did you start writing?</div>
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02. Are any of your characters or situations based on real people or events?</div>
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03. What inspires you to write?</div>
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04. Which of your characters is your favorite?</div>
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05. Who is your favorite author?</div>
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06. What kind of books do you read?</div>
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07. If you could use the Sims Time Machine, where would you go and why?</div>
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08. You're stranded on a deserted island with 4 characters from your story(ies). Who are they and what do you think would happen? </div>
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09. If you could be any character from a book or movie, who would you be and why?</div>
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10. If you could marry the man/woman of your dreams, who would you choose and why?</div>
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11. Sims have a lot of quirky and fun inventions and objects not found in real life. If you could choose one thing (for example, spellbook, time machine, Bonehilda) what would it be and why? (Feel free to choose from any of the amazing custom creations as well e.g. Pose Player, Pregnancy controller, lighting tweaks, etc.)</div>
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Thank you again, Mica, for the nomination :)</div>
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~Daijah</div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-53568114614183289672015-04-25T18:01:00.002-04:002023-05-07T20:07:40.131-04:00Epilogue: No Regrets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Five years later<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">…</span></div>
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Yvette reorganized the bouquet as she knelt beside the cold
gray slab of marble in the center plot of Cedar’s Rest Memorial gardens. It had
been his plot since the day after her mother was interred. They’d always talked
about having a family mausoleum but never got around to it…and now it was too
late. Scott was buried beside his first love and would always be. It had been
two years since he’d taken ill and three since his passing. After the first
remission of his cancer, Yvette had hoped that she would have more time with
him but once it returned on Christmas day, they were both positive it would be
the disease that got him.</div>
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She ran her hand over the engravings and read them over and
again in her head. <i>Always on my mind,
forever in my heart</i>. Brett’s hand rested on her shoulder and she wiped away
a tear as Autumn came to sit beside her. “You think Grandpa liked roses?” Autumn asked and placed a single orchid next to the grave beside the large vase.<br />
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“He was a boy, Autumn,” Austin replied, dropping dramatically at Yvette’s side. “And boys don’t like flowers.”<br />
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“That’s not true!” Autumn asserted. “Boys <i>can </i>like flowers! Can’t they, Mommy?”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yes they can, sweetie.”<br />
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“See!” she hissed, sticking her tongue out at her brother who returned the gesture. “Grandpa always seemed like a daisy man to me.”<br />
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Yvette laughed and cleaned her face with the back of her
hand as she sat her daughter in her lap. “Daisies really, Autumn? Dad wasn’t really a
flower man so I guess anything would be nice. It’s the sentiment behind them
that matters, I suppose.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“And what does a rose say that a daisy can’t?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Well a daisy represents purity and gentleness and I believe
there are roses that mean the same thing. The real gift is in the giving.” Zachary
cried in Brett’s arms and Yvette stood and moved towards him. “He’s hungry,”
she responded and pulled their youngest child from her husband’s grip. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“And so am I,” Brett smiled as his belly rumbled and he
rubbed a hand across it.</div>
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“Then let’s get my men fed. We should be heading to Vic’s place now anyway.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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“My phone!” Mica yelled in horror as she searched through
her purse and the tray on the sideboard near the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Relax, I’m sure you probably just left it upstairs or
something,” Dustin laughed watching the pure panic on her face as she looked
around. “Just give it a call, it’ll ring and you’ll find it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea.” She responded and lifted
the receiver for the house phone. Punching in her number she waited to hear the
familiar jingle and was soon rewarded by the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ coming
from the play room. She walked towards the sound and listened as it seemed to
grow duller and duller. Glancing into the room where Matthew sat playing with
something she cried out and watched as he ripped the battery, sim card and
microchip out of the back of her phone. “Matthew, no!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dustin stepped into the room just in time to watch the small
device become little more than a paperweight and grinned. “You know you really
should keep those things out of his reach.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“That doesn’t seem to be a possibility, Dusty! That’s the
third one he’s destroyed in almost as many months! After the first one went for
a spin in the toilet and the second was hammered to death with a screwdriver I
thought for certain keeping this on the sideboard, well above his head, would
be safe. But oh no, Daddy’s little protégé always finds a way.”<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“He’s curious how things work is all, Meeks, nothing wrong
with that. Besides, he’s teething. I bet that vibration felt good on his gums.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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“That’s a $200 teething ring, Dustin!”<br />
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“He has expensive taste?”</div>
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“Funny. Why are you not as concerned about this as I am?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Because when I was a kid my parents couldn’t keep me from
ripping apart every electronic device I could find. Seeing our son doing the
same thing gets me right here,” he patted his chest and smiled proudly. “It’s
like watching the birth of a genius.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yes, well you say that because it’s never your phone he murders. And this little genius is going to start paying for
everything he destroys!”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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“How, Mica? He’s only three!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ll figure that out later. For now you should call Brett
and see if Yve left me any messages. I don’t want to be late for the barbecue.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Come on woman, move your ass,” Ryan yelled to Brandy as he
grabbed the last case of beer. “I want to get there before Victor burns the
burgers.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Brandy huffed, picking up her bag
from beside the door. “You try lugging around an extra 20 pounds and see how
fast you move.”</div>
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He smiled, watching her waddle towards him and sat the beer
down to help her. “Ah, come on, how bad can it be?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“How bad—how bad can it be?” she asked, her mouth dropping
open in shock. “I tell ya what, why don’t you bend over and let me kick you
in the balls a couple of times and you tell me how bad it is!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’m sorry,” he grinned, reaching down to take her hand.
“You’re right. You’re my beautiful wife. You’re pregnant with my beautiful baby
girl. I shouldn’t make fun. I couldn’t be luckier.” He sighed and softly kissed
her knuckles. “Is there anything I can do to make your pains easier? Massage?
Hot bath? Anything other than a kick to the balls?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Just…go get the car!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Here we are,” Sierra nearly sang as she dropped more kebobs
beside the grill. “Need anything else?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Just a smile,” he replied and leaned over as she kissed his
cheek. “Everyone should be arriving soon. I just got the burgers on the grill.
Are we good on drinks?”</div>
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“Ryan called and said he was bringing another case of beer
so I guess the guys will be taken care of. I made some lemonade for the kids
and I’m gonna blend some mixers when the girls arrive,” Sierra replied glancing
over her shoulder towards Victor. “Try not to burn those burgers this time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I don’t burn them. They are well done and beautifully
charred.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Burnt.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Hey, you’re welcomed to come and do this yourself.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Really?”</div>
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He paused a moment as he flipped the patties over the fire and frowned.
“No, not really. Touch my grill and you’ll lose a hand.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You should come out with me sometime, hit a few balls.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“That sounds great!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwYmDJu_EwE/VTuI281V6iI/AAAAAAAApvc/TkMoXhSgAUA/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwYmDJu_EwE/VTuI281V6iI/AAAAAAAApvc/TkMoXhSgAUA/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxMJSDZxvZA/VTuI-AbgV3I/AAAAAAAApvs/cMQuIWPUdY4/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxMJSDZxvZA/VTuI-AbgV3I/AAAAAAAApvs/cMQuIWPUdY4/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How’s the married life treating you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She threatened to throttle my nuts.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So…good then?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-asURtuQyGd8/VTuJF2WMNmI/AAAAAAAApv0/jwThZWZ1uw8/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-asURtuQyGd8/VTuJF2WMNmI/AAAAAAAApv0/jwThZWZ1uw8/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When are you due?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not soon enough!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25-dqqG-7vY/VTuJJ16P7bI/AAAAAAAApv8/uh8Mol0IQ8o/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25-dqqG-7vY/VTuJJ16P7bI/AAAAAAAApv8/uh8Mol0IQ8o/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One…two…three…six…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Jx2IGuUfjs/VTuJOvlGDII/AAAAAAAApwE/AjoLe8pYMFA/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Jx2IGuUfjs/VTuJOvlGDII/AAAAAAAApwE/AjoLe8pYMFA/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unAgW6JsH3I/VTuJVB4XBYI/AAAAAAAApwM/nLfg-cbqaD4/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unAgW6JsH3I/VTuJVB4XBYI/AAAAAAAApwM/nLfg-cbqaD4/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look at who’s becoming fast friends!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“They have such an amazing curiosity.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Tell me about it!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e7HlGfxB3KE/VTuHvSDWN6I/AAAAAAAAptY/gBT2DxDJNxI/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e7HlGfxB3KE/VTuHvSDWN6I/AAAAAAAAptY/gBT2DxDJNxI/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Scott’s passing, Vivica Bookhart moved back home to Charleston.
And after the events in Washington D.C., Brett and Yvette Knight’s lives became
much less complicated. Brett was nominated and voted in as Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation where he’d been serving as interim chief two
years prior. Yvette serves as the head for the Clandestine Department in conjunction with a CIA initiative. She works with field agents to help ensure national security is protected on all fronts.
Together with their three children, Austin, Autumn and Zachary, they spend
their summers traveling to different countries and exploring new cultures with
their grandparents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3LZo6LvO-E/VTuH7HmuGLI/AAAAAAAAptw/L1mrqxW2meI/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3LZo6LvO-E/VTuH7HmuGLI/AAAAAAAAptw/L1mrqxW2meI/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin & Mica Kimura bought a house in the valley where
they live with their 3-year-old son, Matthew. Dustin commutes to Bridgeport to
continue his work at the FBI. He supervises the tech department, including his
nephew. Mica owns her own practice and treats every animal like extended
family. And in speaking of family, Dustin and Mica are currently working on
baby #2.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQoC__ywQrA/VTuJoluBgeI/AAAAAAAApwk/ru0NRRUB5io/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQoC__ywQrA/VTuJoluBgeI/AAAAAAAApwk/ru0NRRUB5io/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor Murphy proposed to Sierra Davidson and after Chase
and Aisha moved away for college, they bought a smaller home for the two of
them and Victor’s youngest, Kiara. Today, Victor continues working for the FBI
helping train new recruits and preparing them for field work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C-_IE7wqZJY/VTuIGBtbNxI/AAAAAAAApuM/VcIJI9wzN60/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C-_IE7wqZJY/VTuIGBtbNxI/AAAAAAAApuM/VcIJI9wzN60/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The relationship between Ryan Sharpe and Brandy Woods
continued to grow. Brandy became the manager at the bank branch where she worked for five years while Ryan is
in charge of training new recruits for the FBI. A year ago, Ryan popped the question and he
and Brandy were wed six months later, a week after learning he was going to be a
father. They’re expecting a little girl and couldn’t be happier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwTFLROZwy8/VTuLCAvfcXI/AAAAAAAApww/bBrQtkVOp4w/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwTFLROZwy8/VTuLCAvfcXI/AAAAAAAApww/bBrQtkVOp4w/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>– </u><u><b>Sacred Heart
Medical Center </b>–<b> Bridgeport</b> – <i>Three Years Ago</i> –</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><br /></u></div>
“Hey, old man. Welcome back.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scott smiled weakly and motioned for the glass beside the
bed. “Thank you,” he replied, after taking a few sips and forcing himself to sit
up. “Where did Yvette go?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh, Zachary kept crying so she went to take him home. She
didn’t want him disturbing you or the other patients.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That kid has a great pair of lungs on him, that’s for
sure,” he laughed, much of it rumbling in his chest. “And he looks just like
his daddy.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah he does. Yvette was actually hoping for another girl
but, I guess Brett didn’t want that to happen.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How long…” he coughed and waved Ethan off as he offered him
another drink. “How long ago did she leave?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She literally just stepped out of the room. Did you want me
to see if I can stop her?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, no, I um…I wanted to talk to you actually. Could you
hand me that box over on the counter please?” Ethan grabbed the small wooden
box and handed it to Scott. “Thank you. I’d been saving this for a special
occasion but…it doesn’t look as though I’ll get another of those,” he replied,
removing two shot glasses from their container and sitting the box to the side.
“Don’t tell my nurse.” He motioned to the bottom drawer and Ethan popped the
top on a 40-year-old bottle of Scotch and the two shared a glass. “Take it. I
won’t need it where I’m going.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpFmT0DEdR8/VTuLCMVMdBI/AAAAAAAApws/bKiRoU_pI08/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpFmT0DEdR8/VTuLCMVMdBI/AAAAAAAApws/bKiRoU_pI08/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Stop talking like that. You still have a lot of life left
in you, old man.” Scott laid back down and glanced at the door. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I don’t. I’ve reached the end, Ethan,” he replied,
struggling to take a breath that escaped as a strangled wheeze. “And I’d like to
ask you a favor.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Anything.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m done,” Scott whispered, looking up into Ethan’s gray
gaze. “I can’t take living with this much pain for who knows how much longer.
But I tried,” he choked up, tears boiling at the back of his throat. “For
Yvette and for my grandkids, I tried to hang on. It gets so hard.” Ethan
reached out and stroked his arm as he listened, struggling to keep himself
composed. Scott had become a shell of the man he once knew and he could see him
fighting to express the decision he’d made. He pulled the pillow out from under
his head and sat it on top of himself. “You try because you want every second.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Scott…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Take care of our little Yvette; my precious Tumblelina. You’re
all she has now. Don’t disappoint her again.”<br />
<br />
“I won’t.”<br />
<br />
“Promise me you’ll make sure she’s always safe.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I promise, Scott. Thank you for everything.” Scott nodded
and released a breath as Ethan stood and grabbed hold of the pillow. His last thoughts wandered to his
daughter and grandchildren and a single tear escaped his eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fTPJsqVsDSQ/VTuIg2pZrAI/AAAAAAAApu4/h_StjoYJPcc/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fTPJsqVsDSQ/VTuIg2pZrAI/AAAAAAAApu4/h_StjoYJPcc/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan Evans retired from the spy life. After everything was
revealed, he was finally able to come in from the cold and live a normal
life. He visits his grandchildren often and has a better relationship with his
daughter and son-in-law. These days, he spends most of his time working on his golf
swing. Ethan has never spoken to Yvette about that day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVtxMH5Siis/VTuIv5mxCKI/AAAAAAAApvQ/j8LY-mT1Wu4/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVtxMH5Siis/VTuIv5mxCKI/AAAAAAAApvQ/j8LY-mT1Wu4/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Terrance and Regina Knight picked up and moved from
Rockville to Bridgeport to be closer to their growing family. They take every
opportunity available to spend with their three grandkids since it’s become
clear Nathan, Brett’s younger brother, has no interest in becoming a family
man. Regina is currently trying to convince Yvette to have a couple more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BS2gRjApyI/VTuI5xbjODI/AAAAAAAApvk/n0gg4_NGpgA/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BS2gRjApyI/VTuI5xbjODI/AAAAAAAApvk/n0gg4_NGpgA/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tao Choi works as a computer tech for the Federal Bureau
of Investigation. He still finds time to crush his Uncle Dustin in video games
and treats his mother to the high life. He is also dating a woman 21 years his
senior, Lana, a nightclub owner.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1hAfW1Xt0k/VTuJX3yzZ2I/AAAAAAAApwU/KavqOZc3GK4/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1hAfW1Xt0k/VTuJX3yzZ2I/AAAAAAAApwU/KavqOZc3GK4/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stefanie Brooks graduated Summa Cum Laude from Columbia
University law school and now works for the prestigious firm Mason, Tinley &
Brooks. On the weekends, she dedicates her time doing pro bono work for
children who come from broken homes or find themselves in the same situation
she did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qeksWCj_cww/VTuJZ9QFtAI/AAAAAAAApwc/0HkzSlrYsyw/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qeksWCj_cww/VTuJZ9QFtAI/AAAAAAAApwc/0HkzSlrYsyw/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>They say a spy can
never fully learn to love and trust, but they’ve never met spies like us. </i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There are good ships, and there are wood
ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may
they always be.</i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-----------------------------------------------</i><i>-----------------------------------------------</i><i>-------------------</i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Author’s note: It appears we have
reached the end of our journey together. Thank you for the countless amount of
support and loyalty. I’ve said it before but it is something very much worth
repeating. Each and every one of my readers is a welcomed and valued paragon of
motivation and inspiration. It took four years and many computer blunders and
upsets but we’ve finally made it!*</div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-21409845140175004252015-04-25T17:58:00.001-04:002019-01-29T15:05:57.643-05:00S7: Chapter 11: Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LV6fEJUUcPM/VTmq0-Oh6vI/AAAAAAAApgQ/59S4Zw69M-0/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LV6fEJUUcPM/VTmq0-Oh6vI/AAAAAAAApgQ/59S4Zw69M-0/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, start from the beginning,” Special Agent Alec Rafferty
commanded as he pressed the record button on the audio device sitting on the
table. He took a seat across from a handcuffed Yvette and rolled a thin
toothpick around his lips, briefly pursing them in slight annoyance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette moved her arm and the sound of metal on metal echoed
in the small room as she adjusted the cuff around one wrist with a groan. It
was a nice break from the annoyingly ticking clock hanging above the door that
seemed to be five minutes too slow. “I didn’t kill the President.”</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2eEE2lS-HE/VTmq00BQpsI/AAAAAAAApgU/sEn-_DiBQB0/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2eEE2lS-HE/VTmq00BQpsI/AAAAAAAApgU/sEn-_DiBQB0/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2eEE2lS-HE/VTmq00BQpsI/AAAAAAAApgU/sEn-_DiBQB0/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Bullshit! We have you on video fleeing the building shortly
after shots were heard!” The other agent in the room bellowed from behind her.
“You’d better start telling the truth or you’ll be watching your children grow
up from inside your 8 by 6!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette blinked hard with a sigh, rolling her eyes before
preparing to begin again. She’d already been sequestered against her will and then
forced to sit tethered to a metal table in the hot box of the CIA headquarters.
They’d better watch their tones if they expected full cooperation on her part.
“As I was saying, I didn’t kill the President. What you and your partner
witnessed wasn’t as it seemed. Do you want the truth?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cL4xArxaSOo/VTmqz17ebgI/AAAAAAAApgI/uZuCwINkg-8/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cL4xArxaSOo/VTmqz17ebgI/AAAAAAAApgI/uZuCwINkg-8/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r0eGtOQtopA/VTmq5ZEpbxI/AAAAAAAApgg/eJMXtE4cWiE/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r0eGtOQtopA/VTmq5ZEpbxI/AAAAAAAApgg/eJMXtE4cWiE/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I find that’s always helpful in these types of situations,”
Agent Rafferty coolly replied. Slowly, he stood and backed up against the wall,
analyzing every move Yvette made.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The truth is I didn’t kill anyone. There was someone else in the room.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Do you mind elaborating?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She thought for a moment, glancing down at the binds on her
wrists and again sighed. “Get comfortable, Agent Rafferty. We’re going to be
here for a while.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Vm6fR3-CjE/VTmq-j0AZuI/AAAAAAAApgo/0Xvefoj4QC8/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Vm6fR3-CjE/VTmq-j0AZuI/AAAAAAAApgo/0Xvefoj4QC8/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0baA_8iteA/VTmq_zo28fI/AAAAAAAApg0/1_dSFNE1jMs/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0baA_8iteA/VTmq_zo28fI/AAAAAAAApg0/1_dSFNE1jMs/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>--<b>Washington D.C.</b>
– <i>2 Days Earlier</i>--</u><br />
<br />
“Is everyone clear on their orders?” Brett asked as they
rushed through the streets of the capitol city. “Finding Yvette and stopping
her is our ONLY priority right now.”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett, we got this, she’ll be ok,” Victor reassured his
friend as he and the other members of the team prepared to storm Capitol Hill
in search of their partner.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Victor’s right, Yvette will be fine. I’d like to say she
knows what she’s doing but at this point I gotta wonder what the hell is she thinking?”
Dustin asked, straightening a hand through his hair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s thinking she’s tired of the constant back and forth
and having to look over her shoulder,” Ryan replied with a sigh as he loaded
his backup weapon. “I don’t blame her. It’s time someone put these people on notice!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whatever is going through Yvette’s mind right now is going
to get her hurt…or worse.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t worry. Washington’s not a big place, BK, we’ll find
her.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ejf7VXPL7Hc/VTmrEkPN7aI/AAAAAAAAphE/Qjh7RXB3iL4/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ejf7VXPL7Hc/VTmrEkPN7aI/AAAAAAAAphE/Qjh7RXB3iL4/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lvDFWe5BeI/VTmq__8Ee0I/AAAAAAAApgs/8iB0oPjUYz8/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lvDFWe5BeI/VTmq__8Ee0I/AAAAAAAApgs/8iB0oPjUYz8/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yvette parked her car across from Senator Jameson’s office.
The place was abuzz with action as several members of his staff went about
their day. It was an election year and a group of protestors stood outside his
door, shouting different mantras about his lack of production, lack of
leadership and even his lack of hair. No way was she sneaking into there today.
Pulling off from the block, she adjusted her rearview mirrors as she noticed a
black sedan merge into traffic behind her.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_j1Aw7VoGPM/VTmrKXixTHI/AAAAAAAAphQ/U1gVzJb89ak/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_j1Aw7VoGPM/VTmrKXixTHI/AAAAAAAAphQ/U1gVzJb89ak/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So it begins,” she grinned to herself before rounding
Dupont Circle. That didn’t take long. Fifteen minutes in the city and she
already had a tail; one she was sure was Delegate sent. And here she thought
she’d need to make a scene at the Senator’s to get their attention. Grabbing
her phone, she quickly punched in her father’s number and waited for him to
answer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Yvie? Are you in
Washington?</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep. And I’m already deeply involved in a game of cat and
mouse. I need you to run a plate for me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Alright; ready when
you are.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
“It’s coming up,” she replied and maneuvered her SUV around
the circle one more time, checking her rearview for the sedan to appear. “Kilo Romeo
Lima 8 0 1.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03Rn6_414QY/VTmrEEtSijI/AAAAAAAAphA/Jef2yzyOOrg/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03Rn6_414QY/VTmrEEtSijI/AAAAAAAAphA/Jef2yzyOOrg/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Ok, one sec,</i>”
Ethan replied as his computer went to work. “<i>Have you run into your husband yet?</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. Brett’s here, huh?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Of course he is. He
dropped the kids over to Scott’s and grabbed the team right after you got off
the phone with him.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I told him I didn’t want him here; to let me handle it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>But you knew better
than that</i>,” Ethan countered. “<i>Alright,
that car belongs to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; they’re your people,
Yvie.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? That makes no sense. Is it flagged for anything?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>As a matter of fact</i>,”
he responded, pulling up the next page. “<i>The
tag’s been reported stolen.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s more like it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Who would steal a
government issued tag?</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m sure I could name a few. Thanks, Dad. I’ll call if I
need anything else.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Alright, Yvie. Be
careful</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umVKYw8gqwc/VTmrd5qX2DI/AAAAAAAApiA/-jC_e1E44VA/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umVKYw8gqwc/VTmrd5qX2DI/AAAAAAAApiA/-jC_e1E44VA/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette merged onto Massachusetts Avenue and watched the dark
sedan do the same. Three car lengths back at a stop light at the intersection
of New York and 6<sup>th</sup> street, Yvette carefully decided her next move
before throwing a plan into action. Just as the light turned green, she swerved
into the other lane and oncoming traffic, weaving her way through the mound of
cars. Angry horns blared at her as the drivers all veered suddenly to avoid
collision, creating a massive jam just behind her. Reentering the right lane,
Yvette hit the gas gaining distance from her pursuers. Smiling as she saw the
driver of the sedan get out of his car and throw his hands up in frustration,
she turned for the on ramp to Interstate 395 and headed back to her hotel room
to wait for night and the second half of her mission. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EwArThOAtCM/VTmrgouGp9I/AAAAAAAApiM/iL7VEjyfdRk/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EwArThOAtCM/VTmrgouGp9I/AAAAAAAApiM/iL7VEjyfdRk/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette parked a block away from Senator Jameson’s office and
waited. Once she was satisfied the building was empty, she slipped from her car
and started over. The plan was simple. Get in, plant a few bugs and a tracer
and get out. Senator Jameson was the only Delegate member she could breach
directly and she was confident he would lead her to the others. Five members
had already been exposed but she needed the names of the last two and the one
pulling the strings. Bypassing the alarms on the skylight had been the work of
minutes. On her previous visit to the Senator’s office, she and Gabriel
breached through the front door but Yvette was determined to not let history
repeat itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And after what happened last time in his office, she came prepared for a fight. With a large weapons cache and a borrowed flak suit from Ethan, Yvette readied herself to enter the Senator’s office one last time. The latex body suit she wore was paper thin and she felt like she was naked. The tight material hugged her body like a second skin seemingly nothing more than a dusting of black powder. Ethan bragged that this suit was one of a kind and that light slid off of it like water off a duck. The suit felt so lightweight and flimsy that Yvette felt exposed. Yet the stretched material was not only sturdy but anti-artillery capable, although untested in the field. And in the dim glow of moonlight, the sheer, black body stocking made Yvette as invisible as a shadow.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l3HowRUvGAI/VTmrk1DHXhI/AAAAAAAApiY/-FWcmtFygjE/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l3HowRUvGAI/VTmrk1DHXhI/AAAAAAAApiY/-FWcmtFygjE/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">Carefully, she
lowered herself through the skylight into the second floor of the building,
landing as quietly as a cat. She moved through the row of cubicles, using the
darkness to her advantage. The building did not appear to be guarded, save the
lobby’s rent-a-cop who was too involved in his </span><u style="line-height: 107%;">Three Stooges</u><span style="line-height: 107%;"> reruns to
give notice. It was the office of a public official. Technically, there was
nothing to steal. But Yvette was here to leave something, not take. Standing in
front of a cluttered desk covered with papers, folders and envelopes, Yvette
retrieved the small zip case from her bag and began setting the bugs in place.
Every phone, every computer and even the fax machine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5wfZG_hFb0/VTmrm8k5AvI/AAAAAAAApig/RdUKMF6cwGs/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5wfZG_hFb0/VTmrm8k5AvI/AAAAAAAApig/RdUKMF6cwGs/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WrUHYKAsHmk/VTmrqthBuYI/AAAAAAAApio/jTIDM-G--34/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WrUHYKAsHmk/VTmrqthBuYI/AAAAAAAApio/jTIDM-G--34/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Working her way
up from the last cubicle to the main office, she placed the last device and
stepped into the Senator’s office. The last piece was placing a tracer on the
Senator’s computer that, once he enters his office, would duplicate itself onto
his other devices giving her complete access to all of his private information.
Nudging the mouse, she waited for the computer to wake from its sleep state and
quickly got to work. After the end of the thumb drive lit up green, Yvette
removed it and started out of the room, quietly shutting the door.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPp0ob7KR-Q/VTmrvgbPKMI/AAAAAAAApiw/GTuwqIeqqOU/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RPp0ob7KR-Q/VTmrvgbPKMI/AAAAAAAApiw/GTuwqIeqqOU/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Now I hope you
weren’t planning on leaving without saying goodbye,” spoke a low, masculine
voice from behind her. Her spinning heel kick connected with his jaw before she
fully registered the voice.<br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 107%;">She turned to
find a man dressed in similar stealth gear on the floor beside the last
cubicle. Tufts of his dark, black hair peeked out from beneath the beanie on his
head. The combat ready gear he wore appeared cumbersome and heavy but Yvette
knew from experience that was far from truth. In fact, the bulletproof suit was
lightweight, durable and could withstand bullets as well as close combat knife attacks.
He smirked watching her eyes scrutinize his attire. “My! You’re a spirited
one!” he sang almost amused as he got to his feet, rubbing his chin. “And my
night looks to be shaping up after all.”</span></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxMcTuGyP3M/VTmrxbc1JLI/AAAAAAAApi4/WhnVIlBlE74/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxMcTuGyP3M/VTmrxbc1JLI/AAAAAAAApi4/WhnVIlBlE74/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Who are you?”
Yvette asked, settling into a fighting stance as she watched him pace a few
steps back.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“The name is
Dax and, apparently, you’re the reason I was hired,” he grinned at her as he
removed a .44 Magnum from his side holster. Her eyes moved to the pistol and
she watched as he cocked and released the hammer several times. “I gotta tell
ya, I’m so happy you’ve stopped by. I’ve been out of my mind with boredom these
last few months.”</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Sorry to hear that
but there’s nothing I can do about it.”</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Oh, but, you
already have,” Dax replied, tapping his gun against his leg as he watched her.
He appeared to be sizing her up, deciding whether or not he could take her and
if he’d dare attempt it. He stood six inches taller and outweighed her by about
120 pounds. If things were to go to blows, which he was confident his skills surpassed
hers, he was sure to cause significant damage. Without another word, he dropped
his weapon to the desk beside him and took three steps to the left.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xiu4TccubLE/VTmrz3SBZuI/AAAAAAAApjA/4TL3SfzREqU/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xiu4TccubLE/VTmrz3SBZuI/AAAAAAAApjA/4TL3SfzREqU/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
<br />
“What are you
doing?” Yvette hissed, feeling the grip of her own sidearm. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“As I said, it gets
boring here. I figured a little light exercise could help to ease the tedium.”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Her mind raced
through her options. None of which were good. She would need to eliminate the
man who towered over her in a mass of muscles and confidence, something she had
not attempted since her shooting; she knew she was rusty. Or, if she elected,
she could find a way to escape the building. But if she left him inside and
alive, he could easily destroy the devices she’d already planted or inform his
bosses of her presence. Yvette had been inside the building far longer than she
anticipated already. She needed to leave and she needed to figure out what to
do with Dax. However, it was clear to her which option he supported.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VpzZW_wRRMU/VTmr6wyeNQI/AAAAAAAApjI/vA5KEwG3mh4/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VpzZW_wRRMU/VTmr6wyeNQI/AAAAAAAApjI/vA5KEwG3mh4/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Ladies first,”
he offered, allowing Yvette the opportunity to strike him before he likely
decimated her body beneath his. She hesitated, still a little thrown by his
suddenness to fight rather than shoot it out. “Well, you can’t say I didn’t
try,” he smirked, throwing his hands up. Just then, he charged forward.
Yvette’s eyes opened in shock as she watched him barrel towards her. Thinking
quickly she side stepped his lunge then, using his own momentum against him,
locked her hand behind his elbow and flipped him headfirst into the wall of the
cubicle behind her. Dax landed with a crash, scattering papers and office
equipment to the floor.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hU1xsbEe1Q0/VTmr9l-l_XI/AAAAAAAApjQ/Pc-xA1omom4/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hU1xsbEe1Q0/VTmr9l-l_XI/AAAAAAAApjQ/Pc-xA1omom4/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“Is that all
you got?” he chuckled, brushing himself off as if the tumble to his back was no
big deal. Yvette’s anger got the better of her. Swinging around, she caught him
with another spinning heel kick to the head. But as Dax fell back, he hooked a
foot behind her knee and jerked her leg out from under her. Yvette fell hard, a
jolt of pain ran up her spine to her skull, rattling her teeth.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Springing to
their feet simultaneously, Yvette shot a fist at Dax’s temple but he ducked. Realizing
too late it was a feint, he caught her knee under his chin and Yvette watched
as his head snapped back, exposing his throat. Her hand shot out like a spear,
jabbing his larynx. And just like riding a bike, it all came back to her. Quickly
spinning, she kicked at his midsection as he staggered back into the cubicle
wall again. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XL8HbRsrB6k/VTmr_2Kr42I/AAAAAAAApjY/I-RG8rt-lPI/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XL8HbRsrB6k/VTmr_2Kr42I/AAAAAAAApjY/I-RG8rt-lPI/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Dax bounced
forward, tossing quick punches towards her. One caught her on the right side
and Yvette flinched and fell away. Capitalizing on the blow, Dax threw another
punch, catching Yvette in the solar plexus and knocking the wind out of her.
Grabbing her by the head, he brought her down onto his knee, and she fell back,
taking an elbow to the face for good measure. Yvette fell to her back and Dax
stepped to her. Swiftly striking up and out, he twisted in time to avoid a mule
kick that narrowly missed rupturing a testicle.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BtoYSOtaJxc/VTmsF0LGhqI/AAAAAAAApjg/6dOowYHx7Zc/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BtoYSOtaJxc/VTmsF0LGhqI/AAAAAAAApjg/6dOowYHx7Zc/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Dax stumbled
back as the blow struck him on his inner thigh and Yvette flipped to her feet. With
cat-like speed, she lashed out with another kick, pounding her heel into his
sternum like a sledgehammer. Dax doubled over, releasing a grunt of air. Yvette
moved in, preparing to drop an elbow to the back of his neck but Dax caught her
foot and spun her. Grabbing her by the throat, he locked her in a chokehold,
squeezing the air from her lungs as she struggled to free herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2D4Ur9ZTHQ/VTmsGRPZi9I/AAAAAAAApjk/okd50B43_Mk/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2D4Ur9ZTHQ/VTmsGRPZi9I/AAAAAAAApjk/okd50B43_Mk/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cptac5Dqzy8/VTmsHySP_XI/AAAAAAAApjw/0n7G2XgAlPQ/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cptac5Dqzy8/VTmsHySP_XI/AAAAAAAApjw/0n7G2XgAlPQ/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Her vision went
white. Her lungs started to burn. Thinking fast, Yvette held on to his arm and reversed
quickly, slamming Dax’s back into the wall but still he held firm. Leaning
forward, she tilted his weight onto her back and dropped hard and sudden to the
floor. Dax’s chin met with the crown of her head and he fell back and away.
Noticing his gun sitting on the desk beside his head, he glanced towards Yvette
before reaching for it. Yvette jumped to her feet and threw herself over the
wall of a nearby cubicle just as Dax squeezed off a couple of rounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89T3Y8nQlGE/VTmsN15Bs_I/AAAAAAAApj4/S8PuzxyMv1g/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89T3Y8nQlGE/VTmsN15Bs_I/AAAAAAAApj4/S8PuzxyMv1g/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
She counted the
shots, 3…4…5…the gun clicked and she immediately shot towards him, unconcerned
about the speedloader he’d retrieved from his belt. She grabbed his wrist,
knocking the gun from his hand and brought him into a flying elbow. His head
cracked against bone. Taking advantage of his daze, Yvette snatched a knife
from Dax’s side pocket. And, with all of her strength, she stabbed him, making
sure to pierce the material of his suit and entered just under his ribcage. The
blade went so deep she could feel bone scrape against the edge before pulling
it out, twisting it and plunging it in again. Dax gasped, grabbing at the wound
as he fell to his knees in front of her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUk4OhpVJp4/VTmsOkjvMyI/AAAAAAAApkA/QZEoUzTBqlg/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUk4OhpVJp4/VTmsOkjvMyI/AAAAAAAApkA/QZEoUzTBqlg/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
Moving behind
him, she held the knife to his throat, jerked his head back by his hair and pulled
the blade across from one ear to the next. Dax grabbed his throat, shocked at
the realization of what was happening. He fell forward as a jet of blood
squirted from between his fingers and landed in a pool on the floor. Yvette
stared for a moment, watching the puddle spread as he drew his last breath. It
was messy. She was hoping to get in and out without leaving a trace; so much
for that.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
“It came from
in here.” She heard a voice just outside the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RbhHbPIvw7g/VTmsPhmIijI/AAAAAAAApj8/17Hl4qkSXJo/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RbhHbPIvw7g/VTmsPhmIijI/AAAAAAAApj8/17Hl4qkSXJo/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3R2l_D_yMeQ/VTmsZU7rESI/AAAAAAAApkQ/UvHwNZFUtDU/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3R2l_D_yMeQ/VTmsZU7rESI/AAAAAAAApkQ/UvHwNZFUtDU/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">
<i>Shit! </i>The scuffle must have alerted the
guard–and it sounded like he was bringing help. Grabbing her bag from beside
the desk, Yvette rushed to the back of the room towards the ventilation shaft
and hoisted herself up to the rafters. Quickly shimmying back through the
skylight, she closed the window just before a flashlight beam illuminated Dax’s
fallen corpse. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;">“Jesus! Call an
ambulance!” the man yelled to someone in the hall as Yvette jumped from the
rooftop and hurried towards her car. There was no time to check if she’d left
anything important. </span><i style="line-height: 107%;">No DNA, no
fingerprints</i><span style="line-height: 107%;">. She repeated in her head. Keeping her headlights off, she
pulled out of the parking lot and hurried back to her hotel. If they didn’t
know she was in town yet…they will by morning.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnjXi7cLsRE/VTmsdnuuDoI/AAAAAAAApkc/mt3kMFql05Q/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnjXi7cLsRE/VTmsdnuuDoI/AAAAAAAApkc/mt3kMFql05Q/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rQZliltlunQ/VTmsckTXX7I/AAAAAAAApkY/mqyhgS5K4ao/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rQZliltlunQ/VTmsckTXX7I/AAAAAAAApkY/mqyhgS5K4ao/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you hearing this?” Dustin asked, turning the volume up
on the police scanner beside his laptop. Victor, Ryan and Brett moved closer as
they listened in on the emergency call.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>1269 N. Street and 9<sup>th</sup>, all available units in the area
please respond to emergency dispatch, ambulance en route. Suspect not on scene.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are we hearing?” Ryan asked, shrugging as Dustin
lowered the volume again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s Senator Jameson’s office!” he exclaimed and watched
Brett’s eyes widened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWFuwkPlOvw/VTmsnUF4MLI/AAAAAAAApkw/hvInL1C9SUE/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWFuwkPlOvw/VTmsnUF4MLI/AAAAAAAApkw/hvInL1C9SUE/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let’s move!” Grabbing their gear, they hurried down to the
Escalade and Brett threw on his emergency lights and sped quickly to the scene.
The team arrived in time to watch the coroner pronounce. Several squad cars
barricaded the street as two uniformed officers directed traffic. Pulling the
truck to the side, Brett hopped out and flashed his badge to an officer
standing in front of the yellow stream of tape. Locating a detective,
identified by his Dick Tracy trench coat and scowl, Brett again showed his
badge and pulled down his FBI placard on his lapel. “What do we have here?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“‘We’?” the man asked, his brow raising as he brushed him
off, unimpressed by Brett’s gold shield. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SLnT91qfXSQ/VTmskpeAuxI/AAAAAAAApko/dF6qXuUVyf4/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SLnT91qfXSQ/VTmskpeAuxI/AAAAAAAApko/dF6qXuUVyf4/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look, I don’t have time for this. I am looking for someone
who is on the verge of eliminating every person they deem a threat to national
security and right now I don’t know the names on that list. I need to get to them
before they make a bigger mess of an already shitty situation. So let’s skip
the part where you puff out your chest and strut your peacock feathers like the
big dog in the yard and you just answer my fucking question.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The man took a breath and glanced at Victor, Ryan and Dustin
standing behind Brett and nodded. “The DB’s name is Dax Clayton. He was hired
on as a bodyguard for Senator Theodore Jameson’s security detail. Apparently
there was a break-in where he encountered the, as of yet, unidentified subject.
There was a struggle…a big one from the looks of the place. And Mr. Clayton’s
throat was slit,” he replied, demonstrating with his finger across his neck.
“It was pretty gruesome.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt8z2-JgBoA/VTmsn-e7jpI/AAAAAAAApk0/neMdaqoHsRY/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt8z2-JgBoA/VTmsn-e7jpI/AAAAAAAApk0/neMdaqoHsRY/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DhMl0vg8OsM/VTmsueKxFQI/AAAAAAAAplA/22etN9Jf1F4/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DhMl0vg8OsM/VTmsueKxFQI/AAAAAAAAplA/22etN9Jf1F4/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Any surveillance?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing. It was all cut before the suspect entered the
building. I don’t know who this person is you’re looking for, but from what I
got out of there…he’s one tough customer. I’d watch my back if I was you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. Thanks.” Brett turned and started back to the truck.
Pausing at the door. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s already started,” Dustin sighed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfeEospICn0/VTmsu7SixbI/AAAAAAAAplE/DcVkAHEABzI/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfeEospICn0/VTmsu7SixbI/AAAAAAAAplE/DcVkAHEABzI/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBoM7Efbbfg/VTmsvYwjduI/AAAAAAAAplI/fT_ovFY0Odo/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBoM7Efbbfg/VTmsvYwjduI/AAAAAAAAplI/fT_ovFY0Odo/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Dusty,
run that name, see what pops up on this guy. Aliases, records, any known
associates, anything you can find. One thing I know, he wasn’t hired for
security detail. What bodyguard patrols a fucking building when the man he’s
hired to protect is at home in bed?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are you thinking?” Ryan asked, reaching the same
conclusion. “That he’s a hitter?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. And I also think there’s more where he came from. We
need to find Yvette. And soon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YU_b7tmJb4k/VTms3yMXBCI/AAAAAAAAplY/yFNha_9pCDo/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YU_b7tmJb4k/VTms3yMXBCI/AAAAAAAAplY/yFNha_9pCDo/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXp1APjU-sc/VTms5iAlYVI/AAAAAAAAplg/7u0CSThEruA/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXp1APjU-sc/VTms5iAlYVI/AAAAAAAAplg/7u0CSThEruA/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“More coffee?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I’m fine, thanks.” Yvette sat at the outdoor café,
monitoring the tracer on Senator Jameson’s cell phone. Aside from the normal
errands, breakfast with his wife, dropping the kids off at school, post office,
and the library, he hadn’t gone anywhere out of the ordinary. His email showed
no unusual activity and he hadn’t received any strange phone calls. She was
just about ready to call it quits when the little red circle on the monitor
started to move again. “Ok, here we go.” According to the blip on the screen,
the Senator was entering a metro station parking garage near Howard Road. Hopping
behind the wheel of her car, she pulled up her GPS and quickly started towards
the address.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qoV-ExiDIhY/VTms65CWJPI/AAAAAAAAplo/VnEKopjcuT0/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qoV-ExiDIhY/VTms65CWJPI/AAAAAAAAplo/VnEKopjcuT0/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--t7377Hg2cc/VTmtCoUYphI/AAAAAAAAplw/EtbcEGfCQWw/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--t7377Hg2cc/VTmtCoUYphI/AAAAAAAAplw/EtbcEGfCQWw/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette cut the engine and entered the bottom floor of the
garage. Waiting, she listened for voices and heard the men on the level just
above her. Moving closer with her listening device in hand, she concentrated on
the men just ahead of her, hoping to identify them. Setting the device to
record, she poked her head around the corner and could make out three men
standing near a black sedan with government plates. Switching to her cell phone,
she took quick shots of the scene, zooming in as close as possible. “Make this
quick. I can’t be gone longer than 15 minutes or people will notice.” The voice
was recognizable but Yvette couldn’t place it. The man kept his back
towards her and she wasn’t able to see his face. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EBvsyF-ypI/VTmtFmLAFuI/AAAAAAAApl4/4H8oNz2A85M/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EBvsyF-ypI/VTmtFmLAFuI/AAAAAAAApl4/4H8oNz2A85M/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She was AT my office! You told me I’d be safe. That this…mercenary
was the best! Well she beat him like a rented mule and you expected him to
protect me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Maybe he was having an off day, these things happen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“These things happen? SHE SLIT HIS FUCKING THROAT IN MY
OFFICE! And where were you, huh? Sitting in your ivory tower, cheering her
on?!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Calm down, you’ll be alright. Everything is still on
schedule.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“FUCK YOUR SCHEDULE! This is my life we’re talking about! And
don’t tell me to calm down! You’re calm enough for the both of us!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do you want from me, Jameson? It’s obvious the girl wasn’t
after you, otherwise, we’re not having this conversation.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ysTA0ttNYl0/VTmtG8BOoDI/AAAAAAAApmA/iLDOPxCP3QU/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ysTA0ttNYl0/VTmtG8BOoDI/AAAAAAAApmA/iLDOPxCP3QU/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I want you to tell me just what the hell we’re going to
do!? That little bitch is this close to undoing everything we’ve been working
towards for the last ten years and all you can do is stand there looking smug
and telling me everything is going to be alright? I mean what drug are you on?!
She’s gunning for us, one at a time and I appear to be next! When was the last
time you heard from Pierce? She and Ames disappeared about the same time! And
Sullivan…I need assurances! I need to know that you and the rest of the
Delegate are going to watch my ass when she comes knocking again!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll take care of it,” the other unidentified man in their
company replied. He appeared governmental. From his black suit and shades down
to his disciplined stance and the vigilant way he kept checking the area. If Yvette
had to guess, she’d say he was Secret Service.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wx7JeUZVv5s/VTmtN4D9Q3I/AAAAAAAApmI/09dRV5oNxSQ/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wx7JeUZVv5s/VTmtN4D9Q3I/AAAAAAAApmI/09dRV5oNxSQ/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2CyFsvlGKc/VTmtQmgjBSI/AAAAAAAApmQ/zdDXAOnkuhc/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2CyFsvlGKc/VTmtQmgjBSI/AAAAAAAApmQ/zdDXAOnkuhc/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D9whiew7Xr8/VTmtSRW8p9I/AAAAAAAApmY/Xy0o9F0b0Pw/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D9whiew7Xr8/VTmtSRW8p9I/AAAAAAAApmY/Xy0o9F0b0Pw/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Shit!</i> She thought
and felt her heart drop into her stomach. President Bahii was right. And she
may not be out of the woods after all. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’d better! My ass isn’t the only one on the line here!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you threatening me now, Jameson? Because that would not
be wise.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. I am just reminding you what’s at stake here. If I go
down, I’m not going down alone!” Jameson turned to leave. Just then, the suit
pulled out a gun. Three shots echoed through Yvette’s headphones and she
quickly snatched them off. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell did you do that for?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He was starting to get on my nerves. Besides, he was right.
If Evans got to him once, she’d get to him again or any time she wants. He was
a weak link and on the verge of cracking.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jesus, Raymond, I can’t be found in the same place with a
body! What the hell were you thinking?” the familiar voiced yelled and slammed
the door to his car as he got in. “Take care of this!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0P9q15W8Ll4/VTmtaXGeTPI/AAAAAAAApmg/sktAH3pxqNg/s1600/Screenshot-46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0P9q15W8Ll4/VTmtaXGeTPI/AAAAAAAApmg/sktAH3pxqNg/s1600/Screenshot-46.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pwkRYIQCLjg/VTmtck_qwPI/AAAAAAAApmw/LpVPMs_MH0s/s1600/Screenshot-47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pwkRYIQCLjg/VTmtck_qwPI/AAAAAAAApmw/LpVPMs_MH0s/s1600/Screenshot-47.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ringing in her ears subsided and she listened as the
suit made a call for help to clean up the mess. His voice seemed to be getting
closer and Yvette realized he was on the move and she needed to go. But as she
worked to gather up her items, the headphones fell from her hands, landing to
the pavement with a clank. The footsteps stopped and she heard the man take a
breath just on the other side of the column. Diving over the wall, she landed
on the second floor platform and took off down the ramp. “YOU!” he yelled and
gave chase.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn5LxR3YVZE/VTmtbSqUcGI/AAAAAAAApmk/XQijTJMji48/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn5LxR3YVZE/VTmtbSqUcGI/AAAAAAAApmk/XQijTJMji48/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was too close for her to hop into her own car and get out
safely so instead she chose the road. Rushing through a chain link fence, she
noticed a group of men starting out of the building, one of them carried a
motorcycle helmet and his keys dangled from his hand. Snatching the
keys she moved cat quick towards the parked bike and started it up. “HEY!”
the man yelled as he and his friends started over. But Yvette turned the
ignition, squeezed the clutch and kicked up a cloud of dust and sped off towards
Anacostia Drive and the onramp to Capitol Street.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vB-TZGAbNHw/VTmtiCtuQcI/AAAAAAAApm4/EiDg158uaIk/s1600/Screenshot-49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vB-TZGAbNHw/VTmtiCtuQcI/AAAAAAAApm4/EiDg158uaIk/s1600/Screenshot-49.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raymond snatched another employee from behind the wheel of a
Ford F-350 and immediately started after her. Fighting through lanes of heavy
traffic trying to keep up, he swerved into the oncoming lane, speeding around slow
drivers to gain on her. Yvette raced quicker, weaving in and out of traffic and
watching her tail grow smaller in her rearview. Her heart was beating fast. She’d
lost the listening device but saved the chip in hopes of recovering the data. She
needed a new way in. Jameson was dead. And the only person she had a name for
now was the man racing behind her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hp0lBhBVPUo/VTmtlqYjHJI/AAAAAAAApnI/V4t_TxDzp74/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hp0lBhBVPUo/VTmtlqYjHJI/AAAAAAAApnI/V4t_TxDzp74/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PSEHgy4yBvU/VTmtpougDmI/AAAAAAAApnQ/8Wt0wfCOhA4/s1600/Screenshot-52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PSEHgy4yBvU/VTmtpougDmI/AAAAAAAApnQ/8Wt0wfCOhA4/s1600/Screenshot-52.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wind was blowing at great speed, whipping her hair in
her face. She was flying now. The road beneath her wheels whisked by in blurs
of gray and yellow. The Delegate had picked up her trail again and this time
they were determined not to lose her. She threw a quick look over her shoulder
and saw the truck was only two car lengths behind her now. The blazing red of
the paint grew brighter and brighter as he gained on her. She faced front again
and gunned it. At these speeds, she felt certain if she were to crash, she
would not walk away. Yvette glanced to the left and right, looking for an out.
But there was traffic to one side and water to the other. Her only chance for
survival was to lose him on the off ramp. Zooming in front of a paint van, she
intended to do just that. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-spV-UAc_bRM/VTmtuckfwTI/AAAAAAAApnY/O-hdXp5hqD0/s1600/Screenshot-53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-spV-UAc_bRM/VTmtuckfwTI/AAAAAAAApnY/O-hdXp5hqD0/s1600/Screenshot-53.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait!” Victor exclaimed, pointing towards the speeding
motorcycle. “I think that was Vette!” Brett spun the wheel fast, making an
illegal U-turn in the crowded intersection of Potomac Avenue. Throwing on his
lights, the team joined the pursuit, barreling down the streets of Washington
as the red pickup moved closer and closer to Yvette. Sirens blared behind her
and she gave pause to have a look at the train of vehicles that added on to the
chase.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Goddamn it, Yvette! What are you doing?” Brett growled and
swerved around a police cruiser until he was directly behind the Ford.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VJAeeoO70lY/VTmt16vZTBI/AAAAAAAApng/UxEPM-601R4/s1600/Screenshot-54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VJAeeoO70lY/VTmt16vZTBI/AAAAAAAApng/UxEPM-601R4/s1600/Screenshot-54.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbtugc1rKGI/VTmt3ha0P7I/AAAAAAAApno/aEnfSs4ypxQ/s1600/Screenshot-55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbtugc1rKGI/VTmt3ha0P7I/AAAAAAAApno/aEnfSs4ypxQ/s1600/Screenshot-55.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turning quickly onto N. Street, Yvette skidded onto the
sidewalk and listened as angry citizens cussed and screamed as they dove out of
the way of the speeding motorcycle. She was heading towards New Jersey Avenue
and the Capitol Riverfront Market. The bike coughed up a cloud of black smoke
and sputtered as she tried to make another turn. “NO!” she shouted as it began
to slow. “Shit!” Cutting the engine, she hopped off the dying vehicle and took
off on foot through the farmer’s market. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Behind her she could hear the truck skid to a halt and the
click of fine Italian leather shoes drawing nearer. The wailing of police
sirens weren’t far behind and Yvette narrowed her eyes momentarily distracted
by the black Escalade pulling up next. <i>Brett</i>.
A shot rang out, piercing the wooden booth beside her head and the woman behind
the counter screamed and threw herself to the ground. Raymond smirked, charging
forward, gun in hand and Yvette hurried in the other direction.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSIo4eeGerQ/VTmt8k1KJyI/AAAAAAAApnw/BMMfyUiyNtA/s1600/Screenshot-56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSIo4eeGerQ/VTmt8k1KJyI/AAAAAAAApnw/BMMfyUiyNtA/s1600/Screenshot-56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was without a weapon, having left her gear in her car
back on Howard Road. If Raymond caught her, she was dead for sure. Ducking
behind a booth filled with fresh fruit, she closed her eyes and tried to think
up a way around the suit and back to her husband. The sound of gunfire rang out
close by and Yvette realized someone else had joined the fight. Her only chance
was that her team had caught up to provide her with an out.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Raymond’s musical
voice taunted and he fired at the booth where she hid. A cloud of dirt formed
near her hand and Yvette peeked out between the wooden slats to see the man
slowly approaching her. Another shot was fired, but this time it was at
Raymond. He glanced over his shoulder before crouching behind a pastry stand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmQQ3aPUllM/VTmuGpWFhKI/AAAAAAAApoA/8o0nXpkkFtk/s1600/Screenshot-57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmQQ3aPUllM/VTmuGpWFhKI/AAAAAAAApoA/8o0nXpkkFtk/s1600/Screenshot-57.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“More hostiles on site!” She heard someone shout and cussed
under her breath. Those other sirens, she knew they couldn’t all be friendly.
And now that the suit had friends in the market, there was no telling how or if
she would get out alive. People ran screaming as bullets flew over their heads.
She watched as Raymond emptied one clip and quickly reloaded. This was becoming
an all-out war. Quietly, as the man was distracted, Yvette crawled out the back
of the display and started back towards the front of the market, hoping against
hope she would run into someone she knew. Her lungs burned as she pumped her
legs as fast as she could. Footsteps echoed behind her and she realized she was
not alone.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shooting a fleeting look over her shoulder, Yvette caught a
glimpse of a black suit chasing behind her. He raised his gun and she quickly
jumped over the wall of another fruit stand and cowered in the darkness. Her
heart hammered in her ears as she listened to a concert of gunfire, screams and
falling bodies as bullets found their marks. Kicking at the back of the booth,
she desperately tried to free herself from the enclosed space. But the wall
wouldn’t budge. Sudden terror hit her and she lashed out harder, tearing the
boards from place enough for her to squeeze through.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-idfK0YaDA7k/VTmuEwurKwI/AAAAAAAApn4/PW_Za61WQj0/s1600/Screenshot-58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-idfK0YaDA7k/VTmuEwurKwI/AAAAAAAApn4/PW_Za61WQj0/s1600/Screenshot-58.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCzwDiH4xLI/VTmuIoKVbKI/AAAAAAAApoI/ENo2r9K63zI/s1600/Screenshot-59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCzwDiH4xLI/VTmuIoKVbKI/AAAAAAAApoI/ENo2r9K63zI/s1600/Screenshot-59.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Short of looking back, Yvette zipped through the market and
across the street to the Starbucks on the corner. The patrons had all ducked
beneath their tables or behind counters when the shooting started. But as she
stood in the center of the shop, many of them stared up at her from their
positions on the floor. It took her a minute to realize it wasn’t her they were
staring at, but the man standing behind her holding her at gunpoint. She heard him
take a breath and the clicking of the hammer as it slid into place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBJGDD7ZSPA/VTmuQcP66hI/AAAAAAAApoQ/J_wxHqREgZY/s1600/Screenshot-60.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBJGDD7ZSPA/VTmuQcP66hI/AAAAAAAApoQ/J_wxHqREgZY/s1600/Screenshot-60.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette didn’t think, she reacted. Swiftly throwing her leg
back, she connected with Raymond’s temple, knocking him off balance. The gun
fell, firing off a shot. The bullet went wild, shattering the storefront window
and a few of the customers on the floor jumped up and scrambled out the door.
Raymond slid for his weapon and found a fist to the face instead. Yvette was on
him hammering her knuckles into his jaw. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tpRFnaqQkk/VTmuSHGOWKI/AAAAAAAApoY/HqYZ9T_ta7A/s1600/Screenshot-61.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tpRFnaqQkk/VTmuSHGOWKI/AAAAAAAApoY/HqYZ9T_ta7A/s1600/Screenshot-61.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6rGFVWb5ZI/VTmuTu7mUKI/AAAAAAAApog/63dXuX49mvk/s1600/Screenshot-62.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6rGFVWb5ZI/VTmuTu7mUKI/AAAAAAAApog/63dXuX49mvk/s1600/Screenshot-62.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scissoring his legs around her upper body, Raymond rolled
her, pinning her beneath him, he pushed his weight into her throat, closing off
her airways. The barista behind the counter rushed towards them with a cup in
hand. Slamming the freshly brewed java against Raymond’s head, he watched as
the suit fell back, brushing his head as the liquid burned the left side of
his face. Raymond looked up, scowling at the pimple-faced teen and started
towards him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S0peMDlFaM8/VTmub8XhVCI/AAAAAAAApoo/4ShlBiee-DQ/s1600/Screenshot-63.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S0peMDlFaM8/VTmub8XhVCI/AAAAAAAApoo/4ShlBiee-DQ/s1600/Screenshot-63.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--VafTNABFPs/VTmuepo0zWI/AAAAAAAApow/NCG8vtWScBs/s1600/Screenshot-64.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--VafTNABFPs/VTmuepo0zWI/AAAAAAAApow/NCG8vtWScBs/s1600/Screenshot-64.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Yvette was back on her feet and quickly tackled the suit
into the counter. Falling away, her head bounced against the tiled floor and
she lay stunned a moment as Raymond clambered above her. “I heard you had a
penchant for knives,” he smiled, revealing a large switchblade from his boot. The
redhead from behind the counter slid a pair of butcher knives towards Yvette,
again gaining a soured look from Raymond. “Well now, let’s see if you’re as
good with those things as they say.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nng_cj1GAVM/VTmufuIL2pI/AAAAAAAApo0/b7YQLWLUeGI/s1600/Screenshot-65.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nng_cj1GAVM/VTmufuIL2pI/AAAAAAAApo0/b7YQLWLUeGI/s1600/Screenshot-65.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BxgxDOFqglQ/VTmunL6QIdI/AAAAAAAAppA/tfl3JZLjMec/s1600/Screenshot-66.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BxgxDOFqglQ/VTmunL6QIdI/AAAAAAAAppA/tfl3JZLjMec/s1600/Screenshot-66.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raymond charged her, slashing violently at her throat as she
leaned away, avoiding the assault. Yvette kicked out, tripping him up and
watching as he fought to remain on his feet. Just then, she lashed out, slicing
across his forehead before dodging his forward lunge. Rolling over a table,
Yvette swung wildly, catching Raymond in the shoulder as he plunged his dagger
downward. In a desperate attempt, he threw one of his blades. It grazed her
side, nicking her skin before landing with a clink beside the door. Yvette
grasped at the wound, pulling back with a bloodied hand and Raymond smiled. She
staggered backwards, feinting a more serious injury than she had and Raymond
seized the opportunity to end this fight and thrust at her. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQtTestfGn0/VTmuqND2QHI/AAAAAAAAppI/oLi4g5kjETo/s1600/Screenshot-67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQtTestfGn0/VTmuqND2QHI/AAAAAAAAppI/oLi4g5kjETo/s1600/Screenshot-67.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DXuDCy2qu4/VTmurjOZS0I/AAAAAAAAppQ/AS1G2CrKHRU/s1600/Screenshot-68.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DXuDCy2qu4/VTmurjOZS0I/AAAAAAAAppQ/AS1G2CrKHRU/s1600/Screenshot-68.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette spin-kicked his hand, knocking his last blade to the
floor and brought her knee up into his nose. She slid away, kicking the blade
farther from his reach as she skidded across the floor. Raymond fell, clutching
at his face and quickly scrambled for the gun he eyed near the front booth. “Well
played,” he mused, retrieving his weapon from the floor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtNVyHSye4A/VTmuzgewO9I/AAAAAAAAppY/fbas8j0bAoE/s1600/Screenshot-69.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YtNVyHSye4A/VTmuzgewO9I/AAAAAAAAppY/fbas8j0bAoE/s1600/Screenshot-69.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g4MHjfoIEOg/VTmu09tiarI/AAAAAAAAppg/iz5rcDZ8Sc8/s1600/Screenshot-70.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g4MHjfoIEOg/VTmu09tiarI/AAAAAAAAppg/iz5rcDZ8Sc8/s1600/Screenshot-70.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’ve been causing quite the commotion lately. My bosses
are in a frenzy. But I’m afraid it’s time to put an end to this little game.”
He kept his gun aimed at Yvette’s head. Panic hit her like a bucket of water.
She was standing exposed in the middle of the coffeehouse and the gunman had
her dead to rights. “You’re coming with me,” Raymond growled, dabbing a hand
over the cut on his forehead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmc-BcvGWw8/VTmu151zliI/AAAAAAAAppo/TYN2oNJnKu4/s1600/Screenshot-71.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmc-BcvGWw8/VTmu151zliI/AAAAAAAAppo/TYN2oNJnKu4/s1600/Screenshot-71.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m4Jrozst1Tg/VTmu-5n52vI/AAAAAAAAppw/ZEiNrbnKVLo/s1600/Screenshot-72.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m4Jrozst1Tg/VTmu-5n52vI/AAAAAAAAppw/ZEiNrbnKVLo/s1600/Screenshot-72.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y39ZWiw_lHU/VTmu_cHRj2I/AAAAAAAApp0/SQfc0tLxNAc/s1600/Screenshot-73.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y39ZWiw_lHU/VTmu_cHRj2I/AAAAAAAApp0/SQfc0tLxNAc/s1600/Screenshot-73.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette!” Brett shouted as he and the team advanced. He
fired, striking the suit in the arm. Raymond quickly dove for cover, placing
his back against the wall and Yvette took off through the back. More shots were
exchanged as friends of the suit joined the fray. Brett motioned for Ryan to
advance and he inched closer towards the door as he watched his six. Dustin
popped up, firing in the direction of the farmer’s market and watched as
another black suit fell face first to the dirt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raymond poked his head out from behind the wall and without
missing a beat, Victor fired, hitting him right between the eyes. The team
quickly entered the Starbucks and Brett rushed towards the back as Ryan checked
the shooter and slid his weapon to the other side of the room. “She’s gone,” he
growled, slamming his fist on top of the counter. “She looked right at me and
still ran off.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Maybe she’s not ready to come in, BK.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pQM7-tEUKgs/VTmvAiZs6hI/AAAAAAAApqA/u0bMAaLUcdM/s1600/Screenshot-74.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pQM7-tEUKgs/VTmvAiZs6hI/AAAAAAAApqA/u0bMAaLUcdM/s1600/Screenshot-74.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUL_kapuROg/VTmvLG3gBmI/AAAAAAAApqI/AURapn6YKXM/s1600/Screenshot-75.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUL_kapuROg/VTmvLG3gBmI/AAAAAAAApqI/AURapn6YKXM/s1600/Screenshot-75.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t give a damn what she wants. Yvette is blindly
marching into certain death and won’t take a moment to think!” The phone in his
pocket buzzed and Brett retrieved it, sighing with marginal relief as he heard
his wife’s voice on the other end. “Babe…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Did Ethan fill you
in?</i>” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“In brief detail before I hauled ass after you. What the
hell are you thinking waging war in the fucking Capitol?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I didn’t start this
war, I’m only ending it.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Don’t say anymore. I’ll
meet you back at your hotel.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t know where I’m staying.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Come on now, Brett.
Give me more credit than that.</i>” He smiled hearing the humor in her voice
and hung up.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sKRmAEZ2nW4/VTmvMALO9EI/AAAAAAAApqM/HQef7CLx5dY/s1600/Screenshot-76.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sKRmAEZ2nW4/VTmvMALO9EI/AAAAAAAApqM/HQef7CLx5dY/s1600/Screenshot-76.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I just need to know you won’t hold me back,” Yvette
finished going over her plan. She’d spent the last three hours explaining
everything she’d uncovered thanks to Kimberly Redding. A decade’s long
conspiracy that ran all the way to the top, as far as she could tell. And the
desperation of the Delegate to regain control of a system long thought defunct
known as the Cobalt Index.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And the Delegate thinks this Cobalt Index is somehow lodged
in your subconscious?” Ryan asked, scratching his head. “If that was the case,
wouldn’t you have triggered on something after all this time?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. The information has been buried under years of
operational data, mission details and god knows what else. The only way to
successfully retrieve the memory is by extrication which Ethan believes is why
McNeer is involved. His time at the agency had been in data extraction, albeit
through torture. They figured if they could get him to find the information,
great. Otherwise, the alternative…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Murder you and everyone you love,” Victor completed her sentence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Exactly.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And you believe that whatever this Cobalt Index is will reveal information about our government?” Dustin asked. “Information the Delegate doesn’t want to get out.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qc7D4rrAkxg/VTmvMbxu3MI/AAAAAAAApqU/wgcFxuuZWd8/s1600/Screenshot-78.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qc7D4rrAkxg/VTmvMbxu3MI/AAAAAAAApqU/wgcFxuuZWd8/s1600/Screenshot-78.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes. They’d been plotting this overthrow of the government
since I was a kid with interest in what my Daddy was doing behind the closed
doors of his office. I was never meant to see the Cobalt Index but because I
had, I became an integral part of their mission. Ethan was hunted down for this
data and ‘killed’ and that only left me. It was why I came alone,” she sighed,
turning to look at her husband. “Having you here is a distraction. I understand
now why Ethan walked out of my life all those years ago. You’re my weak link
and they know it. They will use you against me to get what they want. That’s
why I wanted…I needed you to stay with our babies. You above anyone I trusted
would keep them safe.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what about you? You really thought I’d have just left
you here without back up to rot in whatever dark hole they tossed you in? And
that’s IF they imprisoned you at all! Yvette, you were seconds away from taking
a bullet from that asshole back at the coffee shop. What would you have done
without me…without us there?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNVbNjisNAM/VTmvVX3NdEI/AAAAAAAApqg/FG9vFn11FzU/s1600/Screenshot-79.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNVbNjisNAM/VTmvVX3NdEI/AAAAAAAApqg/FG9vFn11FzU/s1600/Screenshot-79.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He wasn’t going to shoot. He was under orders to bring me
in to their headquarters. It’s what I wanted. I am still lost on who the last 2
members of the Delegate are. And whoever is at the top of this twisted ladder
is powerful enough to keep players on the board for over 10 years.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But you really think the President is involved?” Dustin
questioned the other part of the plan. “Why would she ask us directly to look
into the Secret Service if she was dirty?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. Maybe it was a diversionary tactic or she
wanted to get us under her thumb where she could watch us more closely. I’ve
stopped trying to figure that out. All I know is that these Secret Service
agents who have been terrorizing us and the city have got to be getting their
orders from somewhere. And who better to control the personal bodyguards of the
President than the woman herself?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s risky,” Brett argued, jumping to his feet. “And I don’t
like it. Let’s say you get inside. What’s to stop these 30 armed men from
taking you out right then and there?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t worry about that. I have something in place that’ll
draw their attention long enough for me to get where I need,” she grinned, strumming
her fingers against her side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2r3zw1dTWU/VTmvYK_BQTI/AAAAAAAApqo/GvC3egnbqUo/s1600/Screenshot-80.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2r3zw1dTWU/VTmvYK_BQTI/AAAAAAAApqo/GvC3egnbqUo/s1600/Screenshot-80.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Is everything in place?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Have I ever let you
down, Yvie?</i>” Ethan asked over his walkie-talkie. He was waiting in position
for Yvette to give the signal. Once she was ready, he was going to make sure
she had a direct entrance into the Oval office.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let’s do this.” Yvette slipped out of the White House tour
and into the roped off area. Giving the signal, she listened for her cue.
Moments later, three large explosions erupted in the streets in front of the
White House courtyard, shaking the building. Dozens of people screamed and
rushed away from the epicenter. Although nothing major or damaging, it did the
job she needed. In her best authoritative voice, Yvette abruptly turned to the
man behind the counter. “Call emergency services and get this area cordoned
off,” she ordered. “Well don’t just stand there gawking! Go! Do it, now!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P7mvgmByxI/VTmvY9NUC2I/AAAAAAAApqs/3MuZhGjJFwU/s1600/Screenshot-81.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P7mvgmByxI/VTmvY9NUC2I/AAAAAAAApqs/3MuZhGjJFwU/s1600/Screenshot-81.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MsiMqBOcsvM/VTmvhUlBzbI/AAAAAAAApq4/mjhu_P1AO6Y/s1600/Screenshot-82.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MsiMqBOcsvM/VTmvhUlBzbI/AAAAAAAApq4/mjhu_P1AO6Y/s1600/Screenshot-82.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette waited for their backs to turn and quietly slipped
inside. Quickly making her way up the hall towards the Oval office, she
listened for sounds coming from inside and could make out one voice; the woman
she came to see. Something was off and she wasn’t quite sure what. Reaching for
her weapon, she entered the office just as another door closed and gazed at the
woman near the desk. “President Bahii?” she called, waiting to be greeted. But
as the Leader of the Free World turned, the funny feeling in her stomach
returned and she immediately drew her gun. “Freeze!” Yvette commanded, pinning
the President in place with her .357 Gold plated Desert Eagle Magnum. “Don’t
even twitch.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My job.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LEHndtUHzCI/VTmvmVy9bPI/AAAAAAAAprE/bHgrqxjtvMo/s1600/Screenshot-84.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LEHndtUHzCI/VTmvmVy9bPI/AAAAAAAAprE/bHgrqxjtvMo/s1600/Screenshot-84.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your job? I asked you to <i>protect</i> me from assassination, not pull the trigger yourself.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette scoffed, ignoring the woman’s words as she pulled the
slide back. “I’ve had my suspicions about you. And with these Secret Service
agents running around I concluded there was only one of two people who would
have the power to order them to kill; you and Vice President Racine.” The
corners of the woman’s mouth twitched as she listened to Yvette continue.
“But…I also know President Bahii to be honorable and would never risk the lives
of so many innocents for whatever your end game is. So I have just one question
for you, who are you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I am your Commander-in-Chief and I am ordering you to stand
down.” Yvette cocked the hammer and took a single step forward. “Careful little
girl. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that guns are bad? It’s rude and very
dangerous to point a loaded weapon at someone!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Someone? I thought you were the President,” Yvette mocked,
keeping the imposter pinned in place. “Now I will ask you one more time, who
are you?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m the Pres…”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_se9EYN1ik/VTmvsNwJkEI/AAAAAAAAprQ/AudaGDaqU3E/s1600/Screenshot-85.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_se9EYN1ik/VTmvsNwJkEI/AAAAAAAAprQ/AudaGDaqU3E/s1600/Screenshot-85.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Bullshit! You’re not the President. I’ve met the President
and there is quite a bit off with you. For one, you’re not wearing your
bracelet. For a woman so in nature with her heritage, I doubt it’s something you would forget. In fact, as I remember, you were trying to hide it under a sleeve the first time you called us into your office.” The woman glanced at her right arm and back towards Yvette with a
shrug. “Wrong wrist.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The woman’s brow furrowed in a deep v before a cocky laugh
escaped her throat and her demeanor changed. “It seems I may have
underestimated you. McNeer was right after all. You should have been put down like a dog
years ago.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Careful, lady. Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to
insult someone holding a loaded weapon on you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Cute,” she chuckled again, shifting her weight on her feet as she
continued staring down the barrel of Yvette’s magnum. “Do you really want to
know the details? Or can we just skip to the good part and I tell you why your
special little brain is going to be the star of the Delegate’s mission?” Yvette
ignored her question and continued with one of her own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What did you do with the President, the <i>real </i>President?”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IfxdP8CMaGY/VTmvxaPgTCI/AAAAAAAAprg/hiJ4pu6P5Vo/s1600/Screenshot-87.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IfxdP8CMaGY/VTmvxaPgTCI/AAAAAAAAprg/hiJ4pu6P5Vo/s1600/Screenshot-87.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VXX_wlw7Yvk/VTmvvYebf-I/AAAAAAAAprY/kD1IG-7cVOo/s1600/Screenshot-86.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VXX_wlw7Yvk/VTmvvYebf-I/AAAAAAAAprY/kD1IG-7cVOo/s1600/Screenshot-86.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh, she’s around somewhere, I’m sure. I wouldn’t worry
about her. She’ll become irrelevant once we’re through getting what we want
from her,” she replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. She was waiting on
something…or someone and stalling for time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Which is?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well haven’t you figured that out yet? We’re in the middle
of reconstruction, recreating a whole new country from the bottom up. You
couldn’t possibly understand what it is we’re trying to accomplish.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Murdering millions of innocent people just so you can hit
the ‘reboot’ button on the country? Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve grasped the
concept, it’s just not happening. There’s no fucking way you’re walking out of
here alive.”</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtpk9WQXYBc/VTmv5a02LmI/AAAAAAAApro/pPUEnSwm_vQ/s1600/Screenshot-88.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtpk9WQXYBc/VTmv5a02LmI/AAAAAAAApro/pPUEnSwm_vQ/s1600/Screenshot-88.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh? And what are you going to do? Murder the President in her
Oval Office? Look around you, Yvette, dear, you’re on <i>my</i> turf. All I have to do is snap my fingers and I’d have a dozen armed
agents on you before you could even blink and you would be powerless to stop me. And
after today, you’ll be nothing more than floating gray matter in a jar!”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’d murder the one person you’ve been desperate to get
your hands on?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’d murder the entire country if it meant freeing it from
themselves!” The door opened and Yvette watched as a graying man approached the
faux President. “What are you doing here?” she growled, keeping her distance
from him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We got word that Evans was on site and I’m under orders to
bring her in.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll handle it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. I was told specifically you’re to be hands off on this
one. The girl is coming with me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fy1TUMp6rhw/VTmv65pRgGI/AAAAAAAAprw/D87wOd6bFoo/s1600/Screenshot-89.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fy1TUMp6rhw/VTmv65pRgGI/AAAAAAAAprw/D87wOd6bFoo/s1600/Screenshot-89.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I said I’ll handle it, Darrell,” the woman glared at McNeer,
finally giving Yvette a face to the name. Neither one was backing down and the
situation was quickly becoming volatile. Yvette flipped on her comm. as she watched
them both and caught it a half second before the President. Darrell was
reaching and drew on the woman just as she’d pulled her gun on him. Yvette dove
behind the couch near the door as three shots rang out. Two hit McNeer center
mass while the third whizzed past the President’s head, lodging itself in the
wall beside the flag. “Now, where were we?” she asked, waiting for Yvette to
pop her head out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, Yvette tossed a flower vase towards the corner and
as she heard the woman turn, she threw herself across the room, firing a single
shot that struck the woman in the head. The false President fell and Yvette
landed hard against the wooden floor. “Yvette? Yvette?” Brett’s panicked voice
sounded over her ear piece. “I heard shots. What’s going on in there?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m ok. It wasn’t me. It was McNeer.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“McNeer?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes.” Yvette retrieved the phones from both bodies and
began going through them, looking for any information on the President’s
location. “Jesus!” she gasped, stopping on a GPS location on McNeer’s phone.
“Brett,” she yelled into her comm. “You are not going to believe what I just
found. Shit!” She heard footsteps rushing towards her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K_7AIeIgfF0/VTv7uHswPaI/AAAAAAAApxQ/vXU1D5lRNTU/s1600/Screenshot-106.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K_7AIeIgfF0/VTv7uHswPaI/AAAAAAAApxQ/vXU1D5lRNTU/s1600/Screenshot-106.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvoTplvhFi4/VTv7uJiY02I/AAAAAAAApxM/gtHTqFGBSQo/s1600/Screenshot-108.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvoTplvhFi4/VTv7uJiY02I/AAAAAAAApxM/gtHTqFGBSQo/s1600/Screenshot-108.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette?” Quickly she spouted off the address on the GPS
before ducking out of the office. She needed to get out before she was caught
with the body of what appeared to be the President and an ex-Federal agent.
Brett led the team to the location he was given and surveilled the area for a
few minutes. Finding no resistance, they entered and was shocked at what they
found.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Holy shit…” Ryan mumbled turning around in the space. “What
the hell is this place?”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztVQVymB47E/VTv764zWDuI/AAAAAAAApxo/uR1IE0Q0yPc/s1600/Screenshot-110.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztVQVymB47E/VTv764zWDuI/AAAAAAAApxo/uR1IE0Q0yPc/s1600/Screenshot-110.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uickI_me2F0/VTv72z9QAsI/AAAAAAAApxg/gbyUacAqHPE/s1600/Screenshot-109.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uickI_me2F0/VTv72z9QAsI/AAAAAAAApxg/gbyUacAqHPE/s1600/Screenshot-109.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I couldn’t tell you,” Brett replied, staring at the large
machine in the center of the room. “But whatever it is, it was in the Delegate’s
possession. Dustin, any thoughts?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Aside from the obvious? This place has been used for some
sort of human testing. This computer against the wall here was used to monitor
the vitals of whomever they’d placed inside that thing. Other than that, I’m
just at a loss as you guys.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lghwlezxMHk/VTv792H7UcI/AAAAAAAApx4/2E1ZBiWKUAQ/s1600/Screenshot-112.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lghwlezxMHk/VTv792H7UcI/AAAAAAAApx4/2E1ZBiWKUAQ/s1600/Screenshot-112.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oBOaTt6quxc/VTv77Lns1UI/AAAAAAAApxs/3w2Z4P6T19E/s1600/Screenshot-111.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oBOaTt6quxc/VTv77Lns1UI/AAAAAAAApxs/3w2Z4P6T19E/s1600/Screenshot-111.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well whatever this place is, they spared no expense. Automatic
Missile Weapons systems, high-tech computer equipment and whatever this thing
is here,” Brett whistled again taking in the girth of the machine. “I’d hate to
see what this thing really does.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I am curious though,” Ryan started. “With all of this
equipment, why no guards?” The doors above them rumbled open and three heavily armed men entered inside. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nice, Ry, now you wanna tell me Santa isn’t real?” Dustin
remarked. “Now the only question is, did we bring enough bullets?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I guess we’ll find out,” Victor replied, cocking his
shotgun as the line of men continued flooding the room.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_XeEjHhT8FQ/VTmv71y_OSI/AAAAAAAApr0/zxOA4U4KrNk/s1600/Screenshot-90.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_XeEjHhT8FQ/VTmv71y_OSI/AAAAAAAApr0/zxOA4U4KrNk/s1600/Screenshot-90.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>--<b>CIA Headquarters
</b>–<b> Langley, VA</b> – <i>Present</i> --</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What happened next?” Agent Rafferty asked, deeply engrossed in Yvette’s story.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No clue,” Yvette shrugged. “I ditched my suit and the ear
piece and started out of the building. The next thing I know, I was being
handcuffed and hauled inside a dark van being brought here.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So, if that wasn’t the President, where did she go?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“For that answer, you’ll need to contact Brett and ask
him about their discovery at that warehouse,” Yvette sighed watching the
frustration grow on the men’s faces.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, say we believe you, say your story holds even an
ounce of truth in it. One phone call will tell us everything we need to know.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1-yZMRfmSE/VTmwCw3lZeI/AAAAAAAApsA/pFgce42SJM8/s1600/Screenshot-91.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1-yZMRfmSE/VTmwCw3lZeI/AAAAAAAApsA/pFgce42SJM8/s1600/Screenshot-91.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then why don’t you go make that phone call so that I can go?
You’re holding me here, questioning me about shit that won’t matter in a few
days. As far as I know, we stopped a national disaster before it could happen
and the President’s life is still in danger.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You mean the woman you murdered?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look, Agent Rafferty, I can give you the number to my
husband’s cell phone. Call, ask him if he’s located the President. But at the
very least, you’ll see that I’m not lying.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sure. We’ll get right on that,” Special Agent Benjamin
Taylor snarled, circling the table again as he’d done numerous times since
entering the room. He was starting to make her dizzy. “Are we supposed to just
take it on faith that you happened upon all of this information?”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Some, yes. The rest I discovered by performing this strange
concept known as investigation; wouldn’t hurt you to give it a try,” she sighed
before slamming her hand against the table and angrily glaring at the men in the
room. “While we’re wasting time in here, the last two members of the Delegate
are getting away. They’re probably half way around the globe by now.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sit tight, Princess. We need time to corroborate your
story.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“With whom exactly? The people I’ve just spent the last four
fucking hours explaining to you are bad? Go ahead, spin your wheels. See if you
can’t lob off the head of that snake.” Dropping her head to the table in
frustration, Yvette listened as the closing door and that annoying ticking
reverberated off the walls.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let’s go,” Agent Taylor instructed as he pushed through the
door of the interrogation room. He was hot. Yvette noticed the tightness in his
body language and the disapproving scowl on his face. Something had happened in
the course of the ten minutes he and the other agent had exited up until now;
something that he obviously did not endorse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where?” she asked as he slid his hand under her arm, forcibly
helping her stand. Ignoring her question, he escorted her towards the door and
a long hallway guarded by two men and one woman, all in black suits, all agents
from some government agency. “Where are you taking me?” she demanded as she was
pushed through the door at the end of the hall. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Outside.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have orders from my C.O to cut you loose. I don’t know
who the hell you are, Lady, but you have friends in high places,” he huffed,
roughly uncuffing her and dropping the key into his pocket. “Speak with the
desk clerk, they’ll get your property returned.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thanks,” Yvette replied slowly, rubbing her wrists.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t thank me. It wasn’t my call.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sign here, please.” Yvette checked the load in her gun’s
magazine before placing it on her hip and starting for the exit. The bright sun
beamed down into her eyes and she quickly cupped a hand over her face in order
to guide herself down the flight of stairs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I finally caught you,” a familiar voice erupted behind her.
Yvette turned with a smile and before he had a chance to yell, threw her arms
around her husband’s neck and hugged him close. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I knew you would. Who did you bribe to get me released?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
“Oh, just an old friend of mine. I think you call her Madam
President.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You located her?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep,” he nodded. “She was being held in a room at that address you gave us. We found all sorts of goodies; military grade weapons, AMWS and scientist’s records. They kept a pretty lengthy, well-detailed explanation of how
the switch occurred. Apparently this woman had been placed in a chemically
induced coma for nearly a year as Dr. Renard Schröder performed extensive cosmetic surgery on her to turn her into the
President’s clone. Anyway, the President was grateful for everything and wants to have us
for dinner a week from now to thank us and to celebrate the dismantling of the
Delegate.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How lovely!”</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syctqw-paDM/VTmwT2d4scI/AAAAAAAApso/b9Fl1SUgt90/s1600/Screenshot-96.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syctqw-paDM/VTmwT2d4scI/AAAAAAAApso/b9Fl1SUgt90/s1600/Screenshot-96.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Quite,” Brett smiled, leaning forward to gentle kiss her lips. “Ready to go home?”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The last two…”</div>
<br />
“Were apprehended thirty minutes ago. Well one of them; if
you weren’t in the pokey, you might have heard on the news how Vice President
Racine was questioned about his involvement. It seems he was the one who’d ordered Mercer
to take you out at Jameson’s office. And Mercer, well…turns out we weren’t too far
off with his location. He was holed up in Suez.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Was he taken alive?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s what was reported,” Brett replied with a shrug.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Damn.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P1mryhCg748/VTmwXWQkhKI/AAAAAAAApsw/aS5Pti3KQlA/s1600/Screenshot-97.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P1mryhCg748/VTmwXWQkhKI/AAAAAAAApsw/aS5Pti3KQlA/s1600/Screenshot-97.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah…a shame really. You could have maybe caught a flight
and wreaked havoc there too…no wait, you were locked up.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re never letting this go are you?” Yvette sighed.<br />
<br />
“Where’s the fun in that?” Brett shrugged as a smile tugged at his lips.<br />
<br />
“So what’s left?”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great question. I was thinking about heading home, letting
Scott keep the kids for the next day and a half and, I don’t know…sleep? Plus,
thanks to you, I haven’t had a change of clothes in two days. I’d love a nice, hot bath and the touch of my loving wife’s hands.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, it sounds like you have it all thought out. And while
your plan does sound great, there’s still one last thing I need to do.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no,” Brett frowned, watching the wheels turning in his
wife’s head. “What are you up to now?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing major, really, I just remembered where I’d heard
that other voice before. There’s one last name on the list.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Going somewhere?” Yvette asked behind him as he moved
further into the room. He jumped and turned to gaze at her, a frightened look
on his face. Boxes were stacked around the small room and it appeared he was in
a hurry to get to the airport. His luggage sat beside the door and his plane
ticket rested on top. “And you weren’t going to call and say goodbye?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette? What are you doing here?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your secretary, Jeannie, said it was ok to wait in here for
you. Well, after I explained to her how aiding and abetting a known terrorist
worked, she was immensely helpful. She keeps records; I bet you didn’t know
that. Every phone call, every meeting, every single one. It didn’t take much
for her to turn over those books along with your itinerary and it wasn’t hard
connecting the dots from there.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered,
backing away from her as she advanced closer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, see, I thought you might say that. Which is why I
asked your friends for corroboration. They were very cooperative too.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You tortured them?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I only did what you taught me to do, David,” she smirked,
watching him finally hit the wall. He was cornered and he knew it. And the
tell-tale look of horror on his face only made the smile on hers bigger. “Before
I call my friends in here to slap the cuffs on, let me ask you something, Dave,
Davey-boy. Were you always secretly plotting my fate or was there ever a real
mentor/student relationship between us?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6fH1xaiVAg/VTmrUtE8jmI/AAAAAAAApho/Dn2zd2dfzb0/s1600/Screenshot-103.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6fH1xaiVAg/VTmrUtE8jmI/AAAAAAAApho/Dn2zd2dfzb0/s1600/Screenshot-103.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You were a mission. Nothing more.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good. That makes things easier,” she sighed, stepping back
as she started for the door.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not going quietly. If you think for a second I will let
you arrest me, you’ve got another thing coming. I won’t make it in prison,
Yvette! Men like me…I’ll never let that happen,” he growled, rushing behind his
desk for the weapon hidden beneath the middle drawer. David aimed towards her
and pulled the trigger but the gun just clicked and Yvette took a seat near the
door.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, I know. I was hoping you’d say that.” Before he could
retrieve a backup clip, a single shot blasted through the window, dropping the
man where he stood. For a moment she just sat, watching his life drain out and
the blank look in his eyes as he stared up at her. David Peterson. Director of
the Special Forces Unit for the CIA and her own mentor was reduced to nothing
more than a red puddle on the floor. And on top of that, he’d shit himself on
the way out.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette stood, silently stepping towards the window and the
large hole in the center of the glass. Glancing up, she gave a wave to her
husband on the building across the street and he nodded in return. “Now, Brett,
we can go home,” she spoke into her ear piece, dropping the stolen bullets to
the floor at David’s feet. Giving one last look at the man who’d recruited her
into the CIA, she turned and quietly exited the room. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2015/04/epilogue-no-regrets.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-14543043091815600012015-04-09T09:24:00.001-04:002015-04-25T17:59:47.255-04:00S7: Chapter 10: Brace Yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qpncVy2gz4A/VSHNrBNyoNI/AAAAAAAApF0/fgJUbO6UyrQ/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qpncVy2gz4A/VSHNrBNyoNI/AAAAAAAApF0/fgJUbO6UyrQ/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We go live on the scene with our correspondent Amanda
Elliott.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LIg8jyGL2_g/VSHNroEXnEI/AAAAAAAApF4/yokw_6gUlvw/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LIg8jyGL2_g/VSHNroEXnEI/AAAAAAAApF4/yokw_6gUlvw/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rAt9YvyBFAM/VSHN8MmVjYI/AAAAAAAApGU/79cCYL9G60k/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rAt9YvyBFAM/VSHN8MmVjYI/AAAAAAAApGU/79cCYL9G60k/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.” </div>
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</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uN3TEQ6uTrM/VSZ1Di7iOUI/AAAAAAAApSI/lunFNnJnAGM/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uN3TEQ6uTrM/VSZ1Di7iOUI/AAAAAAAApSI/lunFNnJnAGM/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ye5uHf_Bako/VSZ1DoKQwoI/AAAAAAAApSE/OD0uHBRwbQQ/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ye5uHf_Bako/VSZ1DoKQwoI/AAAAAAAApSE/OD0uHBRwbQQ/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fE9TOe2RD1U/VSHN8Lfz7yI/AAAAAAAApGY/ezUXMMOO1cM/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fE9TOe2RD1U/VSHN8Lfz7yI/AAAAAAAApGY/ezUXMMOO1cM/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMmLzI8KtIo/VSHOFgXUlCI/AAAAAAAApGk/6jnNe1wBSyo/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMmLzI8KtIo/VSHOFgXUlCI/AAAAAAAApGk/6jnNe1wBSyo/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m with the FBI, assisting with scene reconstruction,” she
replied, quickly flashing her badge and security clearance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hhbihL-j3Ws/VSHOKvLCJkI/AAAAAAAApGw/boTCVb68-fo/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hhbihL-j3Ws/VSHOKvLCJkI/AAAAAAAApGw/boTCVb68-fo/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xy2jQfi47t0/VSHOKBL42aI/AAAAAAAApGs/i8TnLVmxupI/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xy2jQfi47t0/VSHOKBL42aI/AAAAAAAApGs/i8TnLVmxupI/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No,” Yvette replied without turning around. “I suspect she
was playing here and didn’t get out of the way in time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Damn.” His one word response silenced the conversation and
he watched his wife a moment. “Are you alright?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We didn’t get to finish that conversation last night.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know. We can go over everything at the meeting later
today.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XimB3bKhULA/VSHORNyfKoI/AAAAAAAApG8/vRq4Gktom3M/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XimB3bKhULA/VSHORNyfKoI/AAAAAAAApG8/vRq4Gktom3M/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWBvF_5W8eI/VSHOYiON-bI/AAAAAAAApHI/O9GsbI1q6Qs/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWBvF_5W8eI/VSHOYiON-bI/AAAAAAAApHI/O9GsbI1q6Qs/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZYjJigqxOc/VSHOYdiQsnI/AAAAAAAApHE/8eVGBVBCqes/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZYjJigqxOc/VSHOYdiQsnI/AAAAAAAApHE/8eVGBVBCqes/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rbNkCmHGuQQ/VSHObgBHomI/AAAAAAAApHU/HBTB9QhZdeo/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rbNkCmHGuQQ/VSHObgBHomI/AAAAAAAApHU/HBTB9QhZdeo/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ25Mrwa5vw/VSHOmNvAo8I/AAAAAAAApHg/JXblxCFtC4Y/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ25Mrwa5vw/VSHOmNvAo8I/AAAAAAAApHg/JXblxCFtC4Y/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked as the team regrouped near the
outside gate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3dgVOUCvKI/VSHOlLloMMI/AAAAAAAApHc/F3ZpXHnab9Q/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3dgVOUCvKI/VSHOlLloMMI/AAAAAAAApHc/F3ZpXHnab9Q/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So the President may still be alive?” Dustin asked, looking
at the footage on Victor’s phone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v7HjmBDl_Qw/VSHOmXmzumI/AAAAAAAApHk/kqs-wbzy21E/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v7HjmBDl_Qw/VSHOmXmzumI/AAAAAAAApHk/kqs-wbzy21E/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rZZZUBMES8Y/VSHOtm5lWcI/AAAAAAAApH0/MHNcMPyWL2c/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rZZZUBMES8Y/VSHOtm5lWcI/AAAAAAAApH0/MHNcMPyWL2c/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There you are!” Ethan exclaimed, meeting Brett and Yvette
at the door. “I was starting to worry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’re ok. I can’t say the same for many of the people on
that plane but…a few made it out safely.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, I saw the news; scary business. It looks like the
President came through fine.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sabotage?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Looks that way,” Brett sighed morosely. “You find anything
else on McNeer?” he added, quickly changing the subject.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbY2VA3-P_M/VSHOvfrk61I/AAAAAAAApH8/5DR4x41VxO4/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbY2VA3-P_M/VSHOvfrk61I/AAAAAAAApH8/5DR4x41VxO4/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jesus…who IS this guy?” Yvette sighed, staring at the
information on the screen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s not all. I’ve found several indicators that suggests
he is the one that ordered the attack on the Summit.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait a second. We had reason to believe that automatic
missile weapon system we found belonged to the Delegate,” Yvette replied.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Was there any proof of that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Suits? Who were they?” Ethan asked, preparing to call up
another search.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And now Air Force One’s been grounded,” Ethan added.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQbzdgEB7mo/VSHOv3i23PI/AAAAAAAApIA/_hkOUhnh_eU/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQbzdgEB7mo/VSHOv3i23PI/AAAAAAAApIA/_hkOUhnh_eU/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Exactly,” Yvette nodded. “We need to get to the bottom of
this, fast!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUaFzY00epY/VSHO1LfJSbI/AAAAAAAApIM/VCoqDiacErQ/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUaFzY00epY/VSHO1LfJSbI/AAAAAAAApIM/VCoqDiacErQ/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait. That’s…not entirely true,” Yvette responded, eyeing
Brett until he caved. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where did you find this? I had my guys comb over every inch
of his place.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sXzxHtKHuAo/VSHO5lYEuqI/AAAAAAAApIY/sFCjeCweZeM/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sXzxHtKHuAo/VSHO5lYEuqI/AAAAAAAApIY/sFCjeCweZeM/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You see something?” Ethan asked and went back to the
previous screen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tPyB5KvYPIU/VSHO5l0mW-I/AAAAAAAApIU/nTeyiPYAatU/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tPyB5KvYPIU/VSHO5l0mW-I/AAAAAAAApIU/nTeyiPYAatU/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>#0983883</i> <u>Yvette
Evans</u>:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>ORDINANCES:</b> Small
arms and automatic weapons authority, including edged and impact weapons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>PROCUREMENT:</b>
Resourceful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>EXPLOSIVES:</b>
Precision detonation, diffusion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
We will continue monitoring the subject’s progress as her
viability increases. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell is this?” she asked and continued reading the
blurb about herself. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHrOSB8k0T4/VSHO8ghJe4I/AAAAAAAApIk/XQmLxxT46j8/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHrOSB8k0T4/VSHO8ghJe4I/AAAAAAAApIk/XQmLxxT46j8/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<br />
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<br />
“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.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not sure, 3 maybe 4.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
“Were you able to get a good look at them?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, the tint was too thick. They sped around us and led us
here.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abHQUohwmL0/VSHPlASyJWI/AAAAAAAApJ8/oRbNy0qEtXs/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abHQUohwmL0/VSHPlASyJWI/AAAAAAAApJ8/oRbNy0qEtXs/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2vwuIv6NOb0/VSHPsPbBniI/AAAAAAAApKM/j_cve6ovj0M/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2vwuIv6NOb0/VSHPsPbBniI/AAAAAAAApKM/j_cve6ovj0M/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k5lRlUWTkiY/VSHPoelopQI/AAAAAAAApKE/mo1WPad_8IY/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k5lRlUWTkiY/VSHPoelopQI/AAAAAAAApKE/mo1WPad_8IY/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Yvie?” Ethan whispered as he felt the presence of someone
close.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad!” Relief shuddered through her as she moved forward and
he handed her a flashlight from his belt after checking her for injuries. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you ok?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, I’m fine. Have you seen Brett?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I came after you. Any sign of the perp?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s exactly what I wanted you to think,” she sneered and
glanced in Yvette’s direction. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I never betrayed my team. I’ve just been playing for a
different side.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <i>Excess of the
wealthy</i>, he thought as he grabbed his phone to dial Yvette. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Is it? You know why I’m here, Darrell.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I do.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“While I admit killing you would be a pleasure, it’s just not
in the cards for you…at least not yet.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Count on it,” Brett snarled and watched as his old mentor
jumped from the 2<sup>nd</sup> story window. Grabbing his weapon from the
floor, he hurried after him but Darrell McNeer was nowhere in sight. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Where’s Yvette?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She wanted me to give you this.” Ethan handed Brett his
phone and he pressed play on the video.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>“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.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
“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!”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Brett, I know what
you’re going to say and…”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Whatever I have to in
order to protect my family the same thing you would do!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yve, it doesn’t have to be like this, we can do this
together.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“No, Brett. You can’t
be involved.</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>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?</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How do you think it’ll be for them growing up without a mother
at all? How was it for you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>That’s not fair!</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come home, Yvette. Please. Don’t do this!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I’m sorry, but there’s
just no other way,</i>” she replied and disconnected the call, leaving Brett
staring at the blank screen.<br />
------------------------------------------------------<br />
*Author's note: Special thank you to Kihaad over at <a href="http://simsfans.forumfree.it/">SimFans</a> for creating the crashed plane for me! I really appreciate your help!*<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2015/04/s7-chapter-11-whiskey-tango-foxtrot.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-31444762103196894842015-03-26T10:00:00.001-04:002015-04-09T09:26:26.425-04:00S7: Chapter 09: The Price We Pay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpyiqcycHzc/VQItxWlKZFI/AAAAAAAAoAs/twR7RwzkdvM/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpyiqcycHzc/VQItxWlKZFI/AAAAAAAAoAs/twR7RwzkdvM/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad, have you seen my phone?” Yvette asked as she searched
through the living room cushions for her cell. “I thought I’d left it in here
but now I’m not so sure.” Ethan came around the corner with the device in his
hand. He had broken it into pieces and dismantled the gadgetry completely.
“What are you doing?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette, someone’s bugged you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?” Holding the pieces up for her to see, Ethan pointed
out the small listening device that had been implanted in the back of her cell.
“What the hell?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I heard interference this morning when I went to check the
radio for any news on our mission. Everything is still dark but there was a cross channel coming from the living room. After sweeping it, I found the
device inside your phone.” Yvette listened as she continued examining the small
microchip listening device; puzzled by the fact that she’d
let her guard down enough for it to have happened at all. “Do you have any idea
when this could have happened?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. It’s never really out of my possession unless I’m
home,” she replied, slowly dropping to the couch as she thought over the last
few weeks. “The only time I can remember really being away from it…” she let
her words trail off as she thought about the night of Mica’s bachelorette party
and jumped up. “Son of a bitch!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know when this happened. But if that’s the case, the bug
has been in my phone since Vegas!” Yvette slumped back to the sofa, tossing the
phone parts to the table. “I cannot even begin to imagine what these people may
have heard. Ethan, what if I’m responsible for what happened to your team?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, Yvie, you can’t think…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You said it yourself, the mission was going great,
everything had fallen into place nicely and out of nowhere that second task
force came at us! That couldn’t have been just luck! Oh my god, everything with
Sycom, with my own missions at the Bureau; and who knows what they were even
after? Everything has been compromised!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan listened for a while before silently exiting the room.
He returned a few minutes later with a bag and his personal sidearm strapped to
his side. “Come on, we gotta go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Go where?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Some place where we can get answers about your phone. Now,
grab the pieces and let’s get a move on.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Um…” Yvette replied, looking down at her borrowed t-shirt
and shorts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4HfcdgPF-CQ/VQIt-wC_FaI/AAAAAAAAoBM/XPksCCVgMYo/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4HfcdgPF-CQ/VQIt-wC_FaI/AAAAAAAAoBM/XPksCCVgMYo/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dvCMi18kIE0/VQIuCnxBzdI/AAAAAAAAoBY/AjYCjOSrHS4/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dvCMi18kIE0/VQIuCnxBzdI/AAAAAAAAoBY/AjYCjOSrHS4/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll stop by your place for a change of clothes.” Ethan
drove them through D.C. to McLean, Virginia. They stopped at a gas station a
few miles in and Ethan instructed Yvette to wait at the car. She paced the
area, going over countless moments where her phone conked out and the possible
information that was leaked. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnnHtyl4K2Q/VQIuKTS6DFI/AAAAAAAAoBg/t0UztXgDqBs/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnnHtyl4K2Q/VQIuKTS6DFI/AAAAAAAAoBg/t0UztXgDqBs/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Numerous cars filtered in and out of the station while she waited
for her father to return. Lithe waves of steam caused by the stifling summer
heat danced on the hoods of vehicles. Yvette fanned herself debating whether to
go in search of Ethan or buy herself a drink to keep cool. Just as she started
forward, her father came sprinting from the back of the building. “I bought a
car wash,” he replied with a smile, sliding back behind the wheel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wT4LtS8LzJA/VQIuLgChg6I/AAAAAAAAoBo/ZPQMc6mKMKU/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wT4LtS8LzJA/VQIuLgChg6I/AAAAAAAAoBo/ZPQMc6mKMKU/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ceBkCVWwX0E/VQIuN2cIfvI/AAAAAAAAoBw/nLwj_Sq_7xM/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ceBkCVWwX0E/VQIuN2cIfvI/AAAAAAAAoBw/nLwj_Sq_7xM/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Dad, why are we here? I thought we were getting
answers about the phone.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just watch, Yvie.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan pulled into the tunnel and water squirted out from
both sides of the truck. The windshield became covered in soap and the truck
slowly slid forward on the gears. Yvette sighed and sat back while the
computerized motors went to work, still confused about Ethan’s behavior. A red
light flashed in the top left corner of the small building and Ethan opened his
car door. “Wait, Dad, you’re not supposed to do that!” Yvette cautioned,
sitting upright as Ethan slipped from his seat. “DAD!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBMd_iLYx5Q/VQIuP8rPngI/AAAAAAAAoB4/MCQ0Yg4CY0U/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBMd_iLYx5Q/VQIuP8rPngI/AAAAAAAAoB4/MCQ0Yg4CY0U/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quickly Yvette followed behind him, narrowly avoiding the
rollers as she joined him against the wall. It took a moment before she
realized she wasn’t wet and there was a secret door opening up behind them into
an elevator. She gasped and glanced at her father whose lip turned up slightly
as he led her forward. “This is our new base of operations.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A carwash?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey, don’t knock it. I have the cleanest truck on my
block!” The elevator stopped and the doors opened into a large cement room
where a small office had been set up. Yvette recognized 2 of the 4 people in
the room, one of which rushed towards the father-daughter pair with a scowl on
his face.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rx9vzC3NxbM/VQIuYnd8QdI/AAAAAAAAoCQ/jlJW27vRW7k/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rx9vzC3NxbM/VQIuYnd8QdI/AAAAAAAAoCQ/jlJW27vRW7k/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No! No way. I’m not working with her!” Ssgt. Vanguard growled, pointing at Yvette.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me?” Yvette asked with a genuine look of hurt on her face. “What did I do?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I find it highly suspicious that we’ve operated underground for the better part of a decade without issue. And then you came along and all our troubles started. Kimberly Redding and a lot of good agents are all dead because of you!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mAmVCfaKIuM/VQIuVPswe9I/AAAAAAAAoCA/Wwk4t08PV_E/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mAmVCfaKIuM/VQIuVPswe9I/AAAAAAAAoCA/Wwk4t08PV_E/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_TvhvFX6VKc/VQIuXiBUUZI/AAAAAAAAoCI/SrKTA1eaXgw/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_TvhvFX6VKc/VQIuXiBUUZI/AAAAAAAAoCI/SrKTA1eaXgw/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“CHECK YOUR TONE!” Ethan roared and moved towards the man in
one quick stride. “That’s my daughter you’re accusing and you’d better have
some damned good evidence to back up that mouth of yours! She was nearly killed
on one of OUR reconnaissance missions or are you so quick to forget! So while
you’re busy pointing the finger at her, I’m starting to have my suspicions as
to how someone found out she would be in the Senator’s office that night at
all! Only four people knew about that operation, one of which is standing in
front of me right now. Would you care to explain that one, Sergeant?” Vanguard
backed off with a snarl, stomping furiously back to his post. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GM0kWUd0-7w/VQIud9S0GiI/AAAAAAAAoCY/_W80w2xTsGw/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GM0kWUd0-7w/VQIud9S0GiI/AAAAAAAAoCY/_W80w2xTsGw/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That wasn’t necessary,” Yvette whispered to her father’s
back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The hell it wasn’t.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But he’s right you know?” she sighed, continuing behind
Ethan as he led her to his desk. “I brought a bug in here without knowing. I
compromised everything!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We don’t know that for sure.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But…”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No buts. Yvette, I know you and there’s no way any of this
is your fault. As careful as you are, there are some things you just would
never discuss over the air. You didn’t do this and that’s what we’re here to prove.”
Ethan took a seat behind his desk. After a quick scan of the electronic pieces,
he attached a USB to the device and began an analysis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B-ccvfbhAdY/VQIui6P6pMI/AAAAAAAAoCg/KX4ZYBucUf8/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B-ccvfbhAdY/VQIui6P6pMI/AAAAAAAAoCg/KX4ZYBucUf8/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lyetAMMgzQ/VQIujInsn-I/AAAAAAAAoCk/2KfUpu8_jA4/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lyetAMMgzQ/VQIujInsn-I/AAAAAAAAoCk/2KfUpu8_jA4/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How long will this take?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It could be a few minutes it could be a few hours, I’m not
sure. Why? You have someplace you need to be?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett’s getting back today and I wanted to be home to greet
him.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah. Well, tell ya what,” he replied, standing and
retrieving the keys from his pocket. “Take my truck and go home. I’ll call you
if anything happens.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But what about you? You’ll be stranded in Virginia.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I can get a lift from one of these guys, don’t worry.”
Ethan leaned in and gave Yvette a peck on the cheek. “I’ll call you.” Yvette
smiled and started back to the surface and drove herself home to Bridgeport.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndsc7F-fj0M/VQIuoSBjSsI/AAAAAAAAoCw/1lHHPnmNEAA/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndsc7F-fj0M/VQIuoSBjSsI/AAAAAAAAoCw/1lHHPnmNEAA/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QABESjqjXk4/VQIuw66wRwI/AAAAAAAAoC4/b-whgaqm-Bo/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QABESjqjXk4/VQIuw66wRwI/AAAAAAAAoC4/b-whgaqm-Bo/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey Babe,” Yvette turned at the sound of his voice with a
huge smile on her face. Quickly she ran forward, throwing her arms around his
neck before kissing him passionately. “Mmm, with a greeting like that, I should
go away more often.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Do it and I’ll find someone else to keep me warm at night.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ouch. You really know how to hit below the belt,” he teased
and dropped the mail to the sideboard. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did you just get in?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no, the guys and I got back earlier this morning. I
wanted to surprise you but, you weren’t home.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I told you I had movie night at Dad’s.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ps_uWZ4SKc/VQIux_60-xI/AAAAAAAAoC8/XANOtwEhiTc/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ps_uWZ4SKc/VQIux_60-xI/AAAAAAAAoC8/XANOtwEhiTc/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And I called Scott’s. He said you’d left before eleven and
he assumed you were coming home. Where’d you go?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh um, Ethan’s. I just got in from his place. I kinda
didn’t want to be alone last night and with the kids gone and you on a mission,
the next logical place was…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ethan’s, right,” Brett replied, finishing her sentence. “Is
that how you got that scratch on your cheek?” Yvette absentmindedly touched the
wound and nodded her head. She had completely forgot it existed. “Anything I should know?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The run was a success,” she shrugged, leaving out the near
death experience for another time. Right now she only wanted to revel in the
comfort of her husband’s closeness and wrapped her arms around him once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Babe, is something wrong?” he asked, looking down at her as
she clung to him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wpdg9TlGifc/VQIuzSbI7CI/AAAAAAAAoDI/7F0WUGBcGNk/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wpdg9TlGifc/VQIuzSbI7CI/AAAAAAAAoDI/7F0WUGBcGNk/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do you mean?” Yvette asked, taking a deep breath
before turning away from him and heading for the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I mean,” he started, following behind her, “Why didn’t you
want to be alone last night? That’s not like you. Since the twins you can’t
wait for some quiet time. What’s going on?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh…” she stalled, moving dishes from the sink into the dish
rack to dry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Babe? Come on, talk to me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright,” she sighed, and moved away from the counter. “Last
night, I…I learned some really disturbing news about Dad.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well are you going to tell me or just keep me in suspense?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N_F9UxbdGeY/VQIu7ND4AFI/AAAAAAAAoDQ/70bT4N06fiM/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N_F9UxbdGeY/VQIu7ND4AFI/AAAAAAAAoDQ/70bT4N06fiM/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39T4F33C1jQ/VQIu-e-wT5I/AAAAAAAAoDY/hgpUYfr_G-c/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39T4F33C1jQ/VQIu-e-wT5I/AAAAAAAAoDY/hgpUYfr_G-c/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s dying,” she blurted out, closing her eyes as the news
hit her again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad has cancer,” she answered quietly, choking up on tears
she’d held back since Scott’s place. “He learned a while back and never said
anything to me until it was confirmed. That’s why he’s been so forthcoming with
all this information and why he was desperate to make up with me. He’s dying!”
she repeated and felt heavy teardrops fall from her eyes and land on her arms
as she rushed forward and wrapped herself around her husband.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh, Yvette, baby I’m so sorry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OrTzZNKzn2A/VQIu_X-zKeI/AAAAAAAAoDg/wIRD5PAfhPM/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OrTzZNKzn2A/VQIu_X-zKeI/AAAAAAAAoDg/wIRD5PAfhPM/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He said he was too far gone for chemo but I think he is just
afraid of trying. I practically begged him. Then he told me not to worry. How
can I not worry? He’s dying and I’m going to lose him! I can’t lose him,
Brett,” she continued sobbing against him as he held her tighter. “I’m not
ready to let him go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Babe, everything is going to be alright.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How can you say that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpgkCEAuGoA/VQIvFKjBb9I/AAAAAAAAoDo/u7bEsV5FtwQ/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpgkCEAuGoA/VQIvFKjBb9I/AAAAAAAAoDo/u7bEsV5FtwQ/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg0s4MNMh1o/VQIvKe9vC4I/AAAAAAAAoD0/aOjw9CnsnG8/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg0s4MNMh1o/VQIvKe9vC4I/AAAAAAAAoD0/aOjw9CnsnG8/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because. If I know Scott, he’ll do whatever it takes to
make sure of it. If he said not to worry, then, just…try.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have no idea how hard that is. Scott has been in my
life since I was 10! I can’t be ok with him not being around.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know, Babe,” he replied, listening to her cry and wishing
he knew the right things to say to make her feel better. “Hey, why don’t you wait here
and I’ll go and draw a bath and we can talk some more ok?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok,” she sniveled softly as he pulled away, gently kissing
her forehead. “Hey,” Brett started for the stairs and turned back at her
beckoning. “How was your trip?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFhMxH4Avh0/VQIvKOiEhUI/AAAAAAAAoDw/HoX_QjuJa6U/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFhMxH4Avh0/VQIvKOiEhUI/AAAAAAAAoDw/HoX_QjuJa6U/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll tell you all about it upstairs.” Brett got a bath
started for the both of them and after comforting Yvette a little more, he began
recounting his trip to Egypt for her. “We hit a few dead ends but, all-in-all,
I’d say the mission was fruitful,” Brett finished, adjusting beneath Yvette in
the tub.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But you never found Mercer?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. Whatever rock that snake crawled under, I don’t anticipate
he’s coming out from any time soon. I’m sorry, Babe. I know what it meant to
you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah…” she sighed and grabbed the sponge from his hand. “And
what about Landry?” Yvette pressed as she soaped up her arms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I…did what I had to do.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Was it slow?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“As much as allowable in the window we had. He was tortured
for information and finished off with a blade to the throat.” The couple sat
silently for a moment and Yvette imagined the horrible things that were done to
the man she once trusted with her life.
Their partnership ended in blood; it was a suitable ending for his life
as well. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Water splashed over the side of the tub as she turned in
Brett’s arms and he held her against him as she lovingly gazed into his eyes.
He knew what she was looking for, some sign of grief or remorse but there was
none. Chris Landry had been afforded all the mercy he was going to get when
Brett’s Bowie slid across his neck, severing his carotid. Gently she caressed
his lips with her thumb before placing a soft kiss on them with a sigh.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett smiled up at her and let his hands slip down the soapy
mounds of her body. Yvette moaned and her eyes closed slightly while her tongue
circled around her lips. She could feel Brett’s intention grow achingly stiff
against her belly and reached a hand into the sudsy water to stroke him. He
pulled her closer for a kiss and she moaned against his lips, continuously stroking
his cock and feeling it grow thicker in her hand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SucNIKbUdQM/VQIvZNjNPjI/AAAAAAAAoEg/vyakhF6AQr8/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SucNIKbUdQM/VQIvZNjNPjI/AAAAAAAAoEg/vyakhF6AQr8/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette moved forward a little, pushing her breasts into Brett’s
face which he eagerly kissed. Leaning forward, he drew her erect nipple into
his mouth and felt Yvette’s nails rake his scalp as she moaned with wild
abandon. The water stirred around them as she adjusted once more, placing her
warm body over his rigid shaft. The two groaned in simultaneous pleasure and she
slowly began to rock her hips on top of him. Brett’s eyes locked on hers as she
moved and he assisted her body, gripping her ass tightly he pumped her up and
down against him. But just as Brett’s head fell back in deep satisfaction, the
doorbell rang. “Fuck! You’ve got to be shitting me,” he growled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Perfect timing…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mmm maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Doubtful,” Yvette pulled back with a frown. “It’s your
Mom.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My Mom?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, she’s bringing the kids home.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Damn!” Yvette’s brow rose at Brett’s expletive and he
smiled with a shrug. “I was just hoping for a little personal time with you
before they got back. I’m telling you, Austin knows. It’s him every time!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I could have her circle the block a few times,” Yvette
joked and grabbed her robe from the back of the door. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett fixed lunch as Yvette, Austin and Autumn had play
time. He watched from the kitchen window as the kids ran from their Mom,
laughing as she growled behind them like a dinosaur. After lunch, Autumn selected
her favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, and the family settled in the
master bedroom to watch. Austin made it halfway through before passing out on
Yvette’s chest but Autumn stuck it out until nearly the end. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I want another baby,” Yvette whispered as she lay in bed
cuddled with her family. Autumn had finally fallen asleep with Austin who
rested against Brett. Earlier she had watched the two playing on the
playset outside, laughing as they took turns pushing each other down the slide. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZP617k7Zqo/VQIvfSgryKI/AAAAAAAAoE4/3MtaAixPMhE/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZP617k7Zqo/VQIvfSgryKI/AAAAAAAAoE4/3MtaAixPMhE/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett looked over at her in surprise. After all it was Yvette who said that with the birth of the twins they had reached their children quota; one boy, one girl. And now hearing she actually wanted to go through it all again made him smile wider than he ever had before. “Are you serious?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah I mean the twins are a little older now, they don’t need to be breast fed anymore and are quickly becoming pros at potty time.” Brett’s eyebrow went up and he smirked at his wife’s idea of “pro.” For the last month the twins had learned to sit on the potty when they felt the need to go, but only Autumn took advantage of that time and tinkled. Austin on the other hand felt his diaper was to be used for any and all excrement and would sit on the potty while wearing his diaper and go. “Well the girl is, she’s the thinker of the two, remember; brains and brawn.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQkKuwPQh4E/VQIvlt1XtEI/AAAAAAAAoFE/ybPlx8qGNY4/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQkKuwPQh4E/VQIvlt1XtEI/AAAAAAAAoFE/ybPlx8qGNY4/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXUKZ0qXfu0/VQIvlnNnW9I/AAAAAAAAoFA/goz-Nfg_Qsw/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXUKZ0qXfu0/VQIvlnNnW9I/AAAAAAAAoFA/goz-Nfg_Qsw/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah she takes after her Mommy.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just as Austin takes after you; I feel he’s going to leave
the seat up one of these days and laugh as Mommy drowns. But yeah, I’m serious.
I think we should do it again. I want another little girl.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And if it’s a boy?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll know my precious Autumn was a fluke and stop trying.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett laughed and reached across his babies to stroke
Yvette’s face. “I’d love to have another baby with you, Yve.” He glanced down
at the two snoring softly between them and smiled, “But I guess we will have to
wait until later to start working on that, unless…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett!” He laughed as he heard the scolding tone in his
wife’s voice and waved her off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I was only kidding!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good. We can put them down for bed in a bit and then finish what we started in the tub.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometime after the second Disney movie, The Lion King, Austin’s
selection, and the twins’ bath time, Yvette and Brett had fallen asleep. Their
babies had become more independent which, for them, meant less waking up in the
middle of the night for diaper changes or feedings. They’d finally started
sleeping through the night. Now, instead, it seemed other things were
determined to take the place of crying babies.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dVlPYnb19WY/VQIvoWHEfyI/AAAAAAAAoFY/Q9zV_lsFZ_o/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dVlPYnb19WY/VQIvoWHEfyI/AAAAAAAAoFY/Q9zV_lsFZ_o/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A dull buzzing noise clamored near Yvette’s head and was
shortly followed by loud ringing. “Phone,” Yvette grumbled shoving Brett in the
chest as the ringing continued. “Baby, get the phone.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett peeked through one eye before turning on his side to
check the cell phone beside him. “It’s not mine,” he muttered and plopped back
to his pillows.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ugh!” Yvette growled and reached for the nonstop buzzing on
the table by her. “‘Lo?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJX5gbLJLoU/VQIvtYQx3uI/AAAAAAAAoFg/qu0g0g5ytGk/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJX5gbLJLoU/VQIvtYQx3uI/AAAAAAAAoFg/qu0g0g5ytGk/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRglFXZw59E/VQIvuR48bPI/AAAAAAAAoFs/nWIqVrRHfCI/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRglFXZw59E/VQIvuR48bPI/AAAAAAAAoFs/nWIqVrRHfCI/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Yvie, sweetie, I got
what we were looking for</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ethan?” Yvette replied barely awake. Turning on her bedside
lamp, she sat up and threw her feet over the side of the bed while rubbing the
sleep from her eyes. “Ethan, it’s 4:30 in the morning! What’s so important it
couldn’t wait until morning?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>The scan stopped. I
know the name of the person where your phone’s data was sent</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Does the name Darrell
McNeer mean anything to you?</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“McNeer? No. Should it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“McNeer?” Brett repeated in a half drunken mumble as he
rolled onto his side behind her. “Darrell?”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. You know him?” Yvette placed the call on speakerphone
and had Ethan repeat everything he’d just said. Brett appeared to have sobered
up as Ethan restated the name.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Before you took over head of Intelligence, Darrell was my
boss. But more than that, he was a friend.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Well, sorry to be the
one to tell you this but, it looks like that friend of yours is trying to kill
your wife.</i>” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Chief of Staff Phil Hughes looked out the small, square
window of Air Force One, enjoying the view of the ocean below. Green blurs of
land blew past in a rush of soft colors as the jet flew along the mountainous
planes of Aurora Skies heading to the 40<sup>th</sup> Annual G8 Summit. Tara,
the flight attendant for the senior staff section of the airliner, smiled
brightly at the higher-ranking official as she retrieved his cup. “Can I get
you anything else?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I’m fine for now, thank you.” He watched as she
retreated to the galley in the section before them before returning his
attention to the agenda in his lap.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPn-2jLbCi4/VQIv60iXK6I/AAAAAAAAoGQ/Pa8VNXpY8gI/s1600/Screenshot-46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPn-2jLbCi4/VQIv60iXK6I/AAAAAAAAoGQ/Pa8VNXpY8gI/s1600/Screenshot-46.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly an unusual shake rattled the large plane. Phil Hughes
turned to the Secretary of State, Barbara Nicholson, sleeping in the seat
beside him. The small cup of juice sitting on her foldable table shook fiercely
as the plane again bucked and took a quick dip down. “Oh!” A unison shout of
concern rolled through the other passengers on board. A dull beep indicated the
broadcast system had been triggered and the urgent voice of a flight attendant
crackled over the speakers. “Attention passengers, your Captain has turned on
the seat-belt signs. Please everyone return to your seats. We have hit some
unexpected turbulence. As soon as it smoothes out, we will continue our service.
Thank you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkB0iuqS41k/VQIwDZO2c6I/AAAAAAAAoGk/3nsDOqKyf3Y/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkB0iuqS41k/VQIwDZO2c6I/AAAAAAAAoGk/3nsDOqKyf3Y/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another violent jolt sent the juice flying to the wall and
Barbara Nicholson bolted upright in her seat, tugging at the belt around her
waist. She glanced terrifyingly towards Phil Hughes and watched as members of
the security staff rushed forward through the cabin before entering the nose
and the President’s Suite. “What’s happening?” she asked, concern dripping from
her words as another intense bump followed by a powerful explosion jostled the
cabin once more. “Are we crashing?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On cue, oxygen masks fell from the ceiling compartments and
the members of the White House staff quickly reached for them. Chaos erupted within
the plane as people screamed in high-pitched voices. Sweating anxiously, Phil
Hughes shouted over the loud clamor of panicked cries and tried to calm
everyone down. “It’s okay, don’t worry. The pilot is an expert at this.
We’re going to be okay,” Hughes spoke, trying his damndest to convince himself
of his own words. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the plane continued rocking furiously, and without
warning, Hughes felt his waist belt tear and found himself falling vertically.
He tried grabbing the back of a seat as he was lunged forward but he couldn’t
get a good grip. Seconds later he was thrown upright and his body collided with
the top of the plane before he landed violently on the floor again. No sooner
had he touched down than the plane dipped in a forward nose dive and his head
bounced off the wall above him. It felt like a rollercoaster ride only in a
rollercoaster, people get off safely. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hughes felt the landing gear drop beneath him as he
struggled to his feet. Quickly, he made it to another seat just as a serving
cart plummeted down the aisle straight for him. Something exploded beside him
and he looked out his window in time to see one of the engines catch fire. The
wing was disintegrating and the plane jerked from the left and then the right. Blood
dripped down the side of his face and he ran his fingers through it, dabbing at
the drips before they reached his eyes. More screaming erupted from the
passengers as the jet began its descent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The conditions in the plane were changing rapidly. Fire
licked up the sides of the aircraft as thick, billowy smoke reduced visibility
of the trapped passengers. Someone screamed and Hughes watched as two more
Secret Service agents rushed towards the front of the jumbo jet. There was a
loud bang near the tail that sounded like a gun going off in an empty room. It
was followed by a second and a large gust of wind blew into his compartment,
sucking out anything that wasn’t nailed down. He saw the body of Agent Carl
Diamond fly past him and out through the breach in the back of the plane.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the chaotic moments during the landing, baggage was
tumbling from the overhead bins onto passengers and people all around him were
screaming, doing their best to avoid being hit. Hughes whimpered a little as
the plane drew closer to the ground and heard a deafening crash. He felt the
impact of the aircraft as they made contact with the forest below. More smoke
wafted up through the aisle and he could feel the heat of the fire just at his
neck. Trees broke against the sides of the plane as they slapped the rolling
jet liner while it touched down. Hughes turned to look out the gaping hole
behind him, hoping the brutal collision was near its end. He saw more forest, a
body of water, a steep mountainside and a broken tree branch barreling towards
him and then…nothing.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2015/04/s7-chapter-10-brace-yourself.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-85079102476300008952015-01-31T08:34:00.000-05:002015-02-06T15:58:04.902-05:00Updates soon (ish)Dear readers,<br />
<br />
Surprise! I'm still here! I know, you probably thought I fell off the face of the earth but that is simply not true. What has been happening? Well, I was doing school which I can say I've finally finished the bulk of and it was taking a huge chunk of my time. On top of that I am still, sadly, having game issues. But, do not fret, I am building a new system that will hopefully be done before the end of February and I can try and get back on track with everything.<br />
<br />
Simming for me right now? I cannot go in game for more than a few minutes before it freezes my entire system and forces me to warm boot or force reset. I hate it. I don't know what is happening with the game/computer but I am pretty sure it has something to do with my rig being 7 years old (yep you read that right.) In 2008, I built a gaming monster that could withstand anything that was thrown at it. I didn't start to see a decline in some things until just recently and, amazingly enough, if it's not the Sims game, the Widow still outshines with MMORPGs and other games (i.e. HD resolution, awesome frame rate, and absolutely zero lag).<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u>Story updates:</u></span></h3>
<div>
<b><u><a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/">Codename: Danger</a></u></b> - <i>Last update:</i> <u>07/31/14</u> - Would it surprise you to know that I am currently writing the last chapters of this story? Yeah, I know! Surprised me too. But after I found myself with time on my hands, my fingers got busy making sure Yvette, Brett, Dustin, Ryan and Victor came back to life, so to speak. I have completed chapter 9 and I am now working on the 2-part (thus far) finale and epilogue. I can't believe this story has not been updated since July...wow. So crazy how quickly time gets away from me. But, hopefully, I can crank out the last chapter and have it ready for shots before my new computer arrives! I am like a kid on Christmas morning I tell ya.</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><u><a href="http://aftermidnights3.blogspot.com/">After Midnight</a></u></b> - <i>Last update:</i> <u>01/06/15</u> - While this one had some traction this month, it stalled again. UGH! I know, I know. It's terrible. I do have a few chapters written that are awaiting shots but, as stated, my game does not allow me to play for longer than a few minutes so taking shots becomes impossible. I will be able to update this story in February once the new computer arrives. Taking the shots should (hopefully) be rather easy.<br />
<br />
<b><u><a href="http://djvcoldblooded.blogspot.com/">Cold Blooded</a></u> </b>- <i>Last update:</i> <u>11/02/14</u> - I haven't written anything for CB. *runs and hides* Is it safe? What started out on such a hot streak seemed to have fizzled in a few short months. I've been very busy with other projects (including the un-aired collaboration of <a href="http://changesofseason1.blogspot.com/">Changes of Season</a>). I will start writing for this story again. Unlike my older ones, this one is not so bad to work with. The writing comes pretty easy and shots aren't too bad either.<br />
<br />
<b><u><a href="http://djvchameleon.blogspot.com/">The Chameleon</a></u></b> -<i> Last update:</i> <u>Un-aired</u> - This story I've had the greatest success with. I have the first season completely written. I've even written 3 chapters into the second and planned the other seasons (minus the 5th). On top of that, I have the epilogue pieces done and pretty soon (when the new rig gets in) I'll be able to start shots. Although this story is not planned to air until after the last episode of <u>Codename: Danger</u>, I will have a HUGE head start on this one. I am determined to not let writer's block end me again on my work.<br />
<br />
I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and for sticking with me through the cold months. I know how inconsistent my updates have been and I hate having droughts like these. I will work harder to keep them from happening again and a new computer will go a LONG way with that.<br />
<br />
Thank you again everyone and Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
~DaijahDaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-59669005544052087942014-10-31T10:00:00.000-04:002014-11-03T21:26:22.122-05:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vanille63.v.a.pic.centerblog.net/o/991d6197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vanille63.v.a.pic.centerblog.net/o/991d6197.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday! And hopefully your journey includes lots of homes with FULL-SIZED candy bars! Happy hunting!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
~DaijahDaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-60681273977441315332014-07-31T16:31:00.000-04:002019-01-29T07:29:19.598-05:00S7: Chapter 08: The Beginning of the End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvie wake up, Yvie? Yvie wake up!” Ethan hovered over his
daughter as she lay on his couch, passed out from what he could only hope was
exertion. When finally her eyes fluttered he sighed a breath of relief and
watched as she slowly regained her faculties. “Hey there Sunshine, I thought
I’d lost you for a second there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Where…how did we get to your place?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I drove us, Baby. What’s the last thing you remember?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The explosion at the warehouse…and the smell of burning
fuel.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your mask was leaking. I didn’t realize that until you
nearly passed out after that second explosion. Something must have hit you. I
pulled you out of there as fast as I could and brought you here. Pumped some
clean O2 into your lungs but you wouldn’t wake up. How do you feel?”</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Dizzy.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. It might be that way for a little while; just until
the effects of those chemicals wear out of your system. Have some water, it
might help. And if you’d like something for the pain, I have some Tylenol in
the medicine cabinet.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have anything stronger?” Ethan nodded no and Yvette
sighed. “Yes please.” Ethan excused himself to grab the bottle from the
bathroom as Yvette took a look around the room. She remembered most of it from
her last visit but there were minor changes here and there; like Austin and
Autumn’s framed pictures over his mantle. Yvette tried to stand but felt her
knees give out from the lightheadedness and quickly fell back to the couch.
“Thank you,” she smiled up at her father as he returned with two pills for her.
“What am I wearing?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan smiled and looked over her attire with a sigh, “Uh, I
thought it was best I get you out of those clothes and into something that
didn’t smell like a forest fire and fumes. I bathed you,” Yvette’s eyes shot up
to his at the mention of a bath. “I gave you some clean clothes and brought you
to the couch so I could monitor you while I cleaned up the evidence of our
assault. I also put some Bactine on that. It should heal nicely.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette touched her face and hissed as her fingers ran over
the scratch on her cheek. “Thank you.” The two sat in silence for a moment and
Yvette noticed another picture on Ethan’s mantle. This one was of his team and
she recognized Walters and Nelson standing beside him. “Were there any other
survivors?” Ethan again shook his head no. “I’m sorry.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah me too. I should have moved to the contingency and got
us all out of there before the others came.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There was no way you could have known more troops were on
the way. We were having much success and the objective was obtained. You did
the right thing,” she replied and gently squeezed his hand. “What about
Sullivan, Pierce and Ames?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Honestly I’m not sure if they made it out or not. Local
authorities have already descended on the location. No word as to whether or
not the government has gotten involved yet but I suspect they will when the
Delegate hears; they’ll want to cover this up.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette’s phone rang, vibrating against the glass and wood
table in front of her creating a high pitched buzzing sound and she looked down
at the caller ID. “It’s Brett,” she smiled and picked it up.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll give you some privacy.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She waited for Ethan to leave the room before picking up the
phone. Doing her best to settle her anxious nerves, she calmly pushed the talk
button. “Hello?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Yvette, Babe. Damn you
have no idea how great it is to hear your voice.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Aww getting a little homesick are you? That’s so cute.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Like they say,
absence makes the heart grow fonder; although it doesn’t help with other
things.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Yeah! Like we could do ‘other things’ anyway with the twins
clamoring for our attention every few minutes, you’re funny Brett.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Hey I try. I
suggested we duct tape them to their bouncy chairs and lock them in their room
for an hour but you had concerns about that, remember?</i>” <i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not torturing my children just so you can get your
rocks off!” She could hear him laughing on the other end of the phone followed
by what sounded like a drunken burp. “Have you guys been drinking?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“<i>What? Oh no that was
a camel. They sort of have sounds like deep, throaty burps or as if they are
gargling mouthwash. Scared the shit out of me the first time I heard it; now
it’s just background noise. So how are you? More importantly how are my babies?</i>”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adjQtgdttHE/U8H3Uc-JxOI/AAAAAAAAgoQ/0X1Bcqe6yFU/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adjQtgdttHE/U8H3Uc-JxOI/AAAAAAAAgoQ/0X1Bcqe6yFU/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m gonna ignore that more importantly part for the sake of
your continued health and just respond with not bad. Your Mom came and
kidnapped them yesterday so I spent the day at Scott’s. She said she’ll return
them to me Monday but I won’t hold my breath. I’m fairly certain if I ever want
to see my children again I’ll have to pay a visit to Rockville.” Yvette bit her
lower lip in thought as she decided whether or not to tell Brett about her
activities with Ethan and Scott’s condition. Deciding to hold off until the
boys got home she sighed dismally and swallowed back the thoughts. “How’s the
hunt going? Hello? Brett? Do you hear an echo?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Nope. It must be on
your end Babe, I don’t hear anything. Listen, I was just calling to tell you we
found…</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait. Something’s not right Brett. Let me call you from the
landline, ok?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Uh…yeah…sure. You got
the number?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, it says unidentified. But it’s ok I know where you’re
staying. I’ll just call the front desk and have them ring your room ok? Two
minutes tops.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Ok. I love you.</i>”
Yvette hung up the line and stared at her phone a moment. The screen went black
again as though it had turned itself off and she tossed it to the chair and
started over to the landline. “<i>Hello?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s much better. My phone’s been acting weird I think I
need to have it looked at. So anyway, what is it you wanted to tell me?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Uh…well it’s sorta
big and I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not at this point to be honest.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Now Brett you know making the issue seem bigger is only
going to pique my interests more. Come on, stop stalling and spill! What did
you find?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Chris Landry.</i>”
The silence that followed between the two was both out of shock and concern.
Yvette shook her head as though she misheard the name her husband just spoke
and asked him to repeat it but it didn’t change.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How did you…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pghZabY4pDA/U8H3Y_TEZ0I/AAAAAAAAgos/C6KwcILKKRc/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pghZabY4pDA/U8H3Y_TEZ0I/AAAAAAAAgos/C6KwcILKKRc/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Accidentally. We were
running down a lead and saw him in one of the markets meeting with an Unsub.
Dustin was able to get a tracker on his vehicle and we’ve been monitoring his
movements since yesterday afternoon</i>.” Brett waited a moment for Yvette’s
nerves to settle. Even though he couldn’t see her, he knew she had to be
pacing, fidgeting or both. “<i>We’re gonna
keep him in our sights Yve. I haven’t decided yet what course of action we’ll
take but he’s not getting away from us; not this time.</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I want him dead.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfJ2b3WDEIo/U8H3VtS3OGI/AAAAAAAAgog/d_L4UmbVcq4/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfJ2b3WDEIo/U8H3VtS3OGI/AAAAAAAAgog/d_L4UmbVcq4/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I know you do Baby
and so do I but cooler heads must prevail here. We can’t risk an international
incident in a country where technically we’re not supposed to be. We’ll get
him; I promise. Listen Babe, I gotta run, we’re heading out to check another
lead. I just wanted to touch base and see how things were going back home.</i>”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok. Be careful out there Brett.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I will. I love you.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I love you too.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Kiss the twins for me
when you see them.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok. Bye.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How is he?” Ethan asked as Yvette entered the den. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s fine. They’re uh…working a case that sort of led into
something else.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan’s brow raised but it went unnoticed by Yvette as he
sat the remote down on the arm of the sofa and leaned back against the cushions.
“Listen, I know there are things that we don’t tell each other for whatever
reason. But I want you to know that you can trust me Baby. And if you ever need
to talk I’m here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know,” she smiled penitently and squeezed herself against
him. A smile tugged at the corner of Ethan’s mouth and he wrapped an arm around
her shoulder.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How are my grandbabies?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aDZQ_RcgZbY/U8H3ZQG7uAI/AAAAAAAAgo0/qUizom0Sbjc/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aDZQ_RcgZbY/U8H3ZQG7uAI/AAAAAAAAgo0/qUizom0Sbjc/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Growing smarter by the day. Austin has discovered what
makes me laugh and he’s always working at getting that reaction; a big goof.
He’s such a flirt too. We took them shopping for new clothes last week because
I swear they are growing a size a day. While we’re at the store Austin slips
out of the stroller, walks over to a woman with what could only be described as
a triple Z cup size and asks her to pick him up. Looking adorable, as is his
curse, she does and the moment he’s against her chest he starts pulling at her blouse
until he has the top three buttons open and rests his head on her breasts. My
face could not get any redder. Brett on the other hand took the opportunity to
snap a picture while I’m just apologizing profusely and explaining to this poor
woman who could not stop laughing about how they were breast fed and that he
must have been hungry. Truth is he’s a breast man and she was just one of five women
he’s done that to so far.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh wow, haha, that’s incredible. You’re gonna have your
hands full when he’s a teenager.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, trust me I’m not looking forward to it. He’s a
sweetheart too though; I love watching the way he naturally cares for and
protects his baby sister. Like the nights I get off early and am with them,
when Brett comes in the door they both try to rush him to say hi. Austin
learned how to walk a month before Autumn, he’s our brawny baby; so strong. So
while he’s able to run quickly on his steady legs, Autumn’s stumbling and
tumbling on wobbly wheels. Austin will stop where he is, go back to her and
pull her hand to help her walk the distance to their Dad. It’s just so precious
I can’t even begin to explain. Thick as thieves those two.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s great they have each other. I know it was something that
bothered Kat; having just the one child. She always thought you wanted a
brother or sister. Plus she hated the idea of you growing old alone. It might
have been nice if you’d had a playmate.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOsHxbFtkPU/U8H3dUv17pI/AAAAAAAAgpM/axp2oNtSFVE/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOsHxbFtkPU/U8H3dUv17pI/AAAAAAAAgpM/axp2oNtSFVE/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. I wasn’t too fond of sharing,” Yvette smiled
briefly before her thoughts dampened and she went back to her conversation with
Scott. She hadn’t fully expressed her grief hearing that the man she’d grown up
with and learned from for so long was fighting a losing battle with cancer. She
had plans to go home and cry herself to sleep but thanks to Ethan, her night
was changed dramatically. And now the idea of going back to an empty house was
more of a depressing thought than she cared to acknowledge. Leaning deeper
against Ethan’s shoulder, the scent of his cologne immersed her senses and took
her back to a moment she remembered and loved most as a child; story time. Yvette
looked up into the steely gray eyes of her biological father and smiled. “Dad,
would it be ok if I spent the night?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course, Babygirl. I’ll go and get the guest room ready
for you.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, our Informant says that Mercer does business with
a group of militia called the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis. Thanks to Dustin we know
three locations they use as meeting sites here in Cairo, this being the most
likely hiding place for our guy. We move quickly, we move quietly. Clear the
room and go. Everyone knows the objective, let’s get it done.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The team selected dawn for their raid to gain the element of
surprise and hopefully pin Gerald Mercer and his collaborators down before
anyone had the chance to escape. They were entering the premises without a
warrant or consent from the local law enforcement and needed to move quickly
before anyone alerted the authorities of their presence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hurriedly securing the area to protect their safety and that
of the surrounding community, Brett gave the signal and the team rushed through
the doors taking their positions. But their chaotic entrance promptly warned
the occupants of the intrusion and the team watched three men jump from the
fire escape out back and scamper into an awaiting Jeep. “Shit! It’s Landry! He’s
running!” Dustin yelled and was out the door first with the others right on his
heels. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett jumped behind the wheel of his Jeep with Ryan at his
right and immediately cut onto the dirt pathway behind the speeding Land Rover watching
as Chris Landry swept through the rugged terrain with ease. Victor and Dustin
hopped into their borrowed Humvee and quickly followed pursuit of the others. “Anyone
see Mercer?” Brett asked, shifting directions until he was directly behind the
zooming truck. Racing through the early morning desert sun, golden grains of
sand formed large clouds of dust around the speeding vehicles, obscuring vision
of the trail before them.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If not for the bright red brake lights of the vehicle in
front of him, Brett would have no sense of direction. “This is getting really
dangerous, really fast,” Ryan cautioned as he tested the grip of the seatbelt
around his waist. “You sure you don’t want to back off and wait to see where he
stops?” He was met with an angry glower from his boss and shrugged in response.
“It was just a question.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQZcabx41kI/U8H3qyZ3RZI/AAAAAAAAgqU/lmPZdjqK7Is/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQZcabx41kI/U8H3qyZ3RZI/AAAAAAAAgqU/lmPZdjqK7Is/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This asshole slipped away from us once before and I
promised Yvette I wouldn’t let it happen again.” Pinning the gas, the chase was
on. Brett maneuvered the Jeep with incredible self-control despite the tension
twisting his nerves in knots. Landry skirted the rocky hills and sand dunes
hoping to cause the two vehicles behind him to crash into the mounds. Picking
up speed, he interweaved between giant sand-scarred rocks kicking up swirls of
mist and creating mini sandstorms to form at Brett’s windshield. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Swerving to avoid hitting the veil of dirt, Brett
momentarily lost control of the steering when clumps of sand gathered beneath
him and spun his wheels. The barren desert they barreled through proved a
hindrance, impeding the progress of their pursuit but he was determined to keep
up with the escaping criminal. Passing an oasis enriched with tall palm trees,
lush green grass, sprouting sunflowers and flowing water, the team quickly
realized Landry was leading them to a heavily populated tourist trap. That fact
became evident when they rounded an enormous granite rock formation and found
themselves entering an Al-Simhara bazaar.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Taking a hard left, Brett narrowly missed a man rolling out
of the path of Landry’s bumper and yanked his parking brake to avoid a group
just ahead of him. Screeching, spinning and screaming rocked the tiny
marketplace as the two vehicles squealed to an abrupt stop. Landry sneered at
Ryan who stared him down from across the walkway. He’d managed to outrun them
this long and was not about to give up without a fight now.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gunning his engine, Landry aimed for a new group of tourists
and Brett watched in terror as numerous panicked people scrambled to get away
from the speeding truck. “Damn it!” he growled and launched his vehicle behind
him. Their bumpers kissed, roughly scratching off the paint on the Land Rover as
Brett tried to get himself into position for a PIT maneuver and find a tactical
end to the high-speed chase but his efforts were in vain. </div>
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HkFbtCCLUp0/U8H3wF8SbqI/AAAAAAAAgqo/NF8EUJLTZo0/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HkFbtCCLUp0/U8H3wF8SbqI/AAAAAAAAgqo/NF8EUJLTZo0/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dodging three stray civilians, Victor stepped on the gas,
advancing his position to keep pace with the lead car carrying the other half
of his team across the coastal plane. The headlights of a wayward car sped
towards him and Dustin and before there was time to react they felt the
colossal impact against the side of the truck. Dustin’s body slammed against
his seatbelt and shattering glass sliced his face and arms when their Humvee
was sent careening into a large sand dune. The small car spun out before
flipping into a trench and landing with a sickening thud on its back. “Victor
just crashed!” Ryan announced with worry in his voice.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Try and raise them on the walkie.” Tires screeched and a
blaring horn screamed through the air from a distance as Brett continued the
chase. They were closing in on another cluster of sand dunes and he was not
about to let Landry create a similar scene to the one behind them. He slammed
the gas pedal to the floor, hitting the Jeep’s top speed and rear ended the truck.
Watching as the vehicle skidded through the sand and collided with the side of
the mountain, Ryan’s jaw clenched with the horrendous crunch the vehicle made.
A passenger was thrown through the windshield and the twisted, mangled wreck
rolled over a small hill. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A gust of smoke seethed through the hood, curling over the
rocks beside them and swaying like a flag of surrender in the air. Brett and
Ryan exited the Jeep and rushed over to the scene to check the occupants of the
crashed truck. Landry kicked his door open, coughing as gas fumes filled his
lungs and Ryan wrapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and tossed him into
the back of the SUV. Checking the others for signs of life, Brett joined his
partner and the two quickly sped from the area. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
They circled back around to Dustin and Victor’s accident
scene and found them helping the civilians from their wrecked vehicle and onto level
ground. “Holy shit,” Ryan hissed watching Dustin carrying a helpless child and
Victor a lifeless woman away from the wreck. “This is bad man, this is really
fucking bad.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. We need to get out of here, quick!” Brett motioned to
the guys as they sat the mother and daughter on the ground in front of a few
looky-loos. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sirens blared and they saw the approaching red lights from
the responding emergency teams and Ryan again motioned for Dustin and Victor to book
it. They jumped inside the backseat and Brett swiftly sped the path away from
the accident, leaving the scene behind them. “Are you two ok?” Ryan
asked over his shoulder.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, we’re good considering,” Dustin responded, looking in
the rearview at the pursuing vehicle. “Just some minor abrasions on our faces
and arms; nothing a good night’s rest won’t heal.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You get Landry?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s passed out in the trunk. Listen, forget the hotel,
we’re heading to the safe house in Tanta.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, sounds like a plan. It won’t take the locals long
to find out who rented that vehicle and when they do, we’ll have a hell of a
time leaving the country.”</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCttZ_D0T7E/U8H4DBAUiUI/AAAAAAAAgsE/z58LRYQSaPY/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCttZ_D0T7E/U8H4DBAUiUI/AAAAAAAAgsE/z58LRYQSaPY/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After driving the 50 miles it took to get from Al-Simhara to
Tanta, Victor and Ryan entered the abandoned looking building set off from the
remote desert first. They checked to make sure the lights were operable as well
as running water and flagged Dustin into the garage and locked it behind him.
“We should be fine here for a little while. Brett’s upstairs arranging
transport for the five of us now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor lifted the still unconscious body of Chris Landry
from the backseat of the Humvee and carried him into a small room beside the
garage. Tossing him into a chair he heard the man groan and realized he was
faking the lifeless state. A tiny smirk cracked his lips and Victor moved to quickly
tie the man to the chair but was rewarded with a kick to his face for the
effort. Noticing the ensuing scuffle, Ryan and Dustin rushed over and tackled
Landry, pulling him off of Victor just as he took another blow to the jaw.</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Du__-bIegQ0/U8H4F9GEAEI/AAAAAAAAgsM/Nl4ln4KuP_g/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Du__-bIegQ0/U8H4F9GEAEI/AAAAAAAAgsM/Nl4ln4KuP_g/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“Son of a bitch!” Victor growled and ran at Landry as Dustin
got him tied down to the chair. Ryan held him back while he struggled to get at
the man he once partnered with as a member of a Dark operations team. Victor
pushed off from Ryan and spit a mouthful of blood at Landry’s feet before
backing off towards the door.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell is going on down here?” Brett asked,
rejoining the others downstairs. Noticing the blood on Victor’s lip he sighed
and closed the door at the top of the platform. “Well you’re not making any
friends down here are you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are we all set?” Ryan asked as Brett pulled a table towards
them. Victor took the tray and pushed it closer to Landry’s right side while
Dustin sealed up the windows and doors to ensure the place was fully
soundproofed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes. Our transport back to the States has been arranged.
But before that happens, Landry and I are gonna have a little chat wherein he’s
gonna reveal everything he knows about Gerald Mercer and his attack on Yvette
and what he’s doing here in Egypt.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You sure about that?” Landry asked as he remained slumped
over the chair. “Because to me, that sounds like a lot of wishful thinking.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Yeah, I’m sure. I have very little patience for you after
what you did. And trust me; I am more than happy to let you rot in this
basement. That is, if you don’t give me what I want.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Landry slowly lifted his gaze towards the four men standing directly
in front of him. To his beleaguered horror, a tray displaying a handful of dental
tools and various devices of torture sat beside him. A wide grin followed a
boisterous laugh and he leaned back on the rocky, wooden chair; squeaking a leg
as he moved. “What’s this?” he asked with a sinister hiss and looked at Victor.
“Are we gonna play doctor? As I recall Victor, you were never any good at the
gory stuff. In fact as I remember it, you always let Yvette handle the torture
while you stood behind her with your angry face on; ooh, scary! And where is
she anyway? Or wait, let me guess, out buying diapers for this new role she’s
taken on, hmm? Mommy is it? How is that beautiful little girl of hers doing
anyway? Still calling me Daddy?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett rushed forward and immediately slammed his fist into
Landry’s chin, splitting his lip and knocking at least two teeth loose in the
process. Landry felt his jaw rock and the metallic taste of blood fill his
mouth. “My, my,” he chuckled dryly as he spit a mouthful of blood to the side. “I
guess we are gonna play doctor after all! Go ahead and try. As my ex-partners
can attest to, I’m very good at withstanding anything you got!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll see about that.” Landry heard a harsh, clanging sound scratch against the table as Brett gathered a scalpel and rubbing alcohol from the tray. Systematically he began slicing tiny papercut incisions into Landry’s forearm and sprinkling the alcohol into them. The man screamed and the sound of his voice echoed off the four walls of the tiny basement. “What does Mercer want here? And why did he attack my wife?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Maybe he’s looking for a nice vacation spot to bring his
mistress, ever think of that?” Brett’s cut went deeper and a gush of blood
oozed out of Landry’s arm and he rumbled louder from within his chest. “Fuck!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
“Tell me what I want to know and this can end here.
Otherwise…”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I graduate to water boarding? Or how about a nice round of
electrocution with car battery? I see that dirty, little surprise on top of
your toolkit over there.” A wicked smile grew on his lips and he laughed at the
frustration on Brett’s face. “I’m not telling you a damn thing.”</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtyB5Lz6xOc/U8H4MTjBnqI/AAAAAAAAgsw/j2rTENNbzkk/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtyB5Lz6xOc/U8H4MTjBnqI/AAAAAAAAgsw/j2rTENNbzkk/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Get his shoes off,” Brett ordered and retreated to the
small workstation across from them. As Dustin and Ryan removed the man’s
footwear, Victor tested the strength of the ropes holding him in place. Looking
up, Landry could see Brett deciding over his next weapon of choice before
retrieving a hammer from the table and a handful of nails. “Why did Mercer try to
kill my wife?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What can I say? The man’s a lousy shot. Had it been me,
you’d have been attending her funeral instead.” Brett placed a nail at the top
of Landry’s foot and brutally hammered it into his flesh. He yelled and tried
to kick out but the ropes held him tightly to the chair. Brett took another
nail and did the same to the other foot. Again, Landry roared in pain, feeling
the thick pieces of metal sink beneath his skin and out through the other side.
A third nail was placed just under his big toenail and Brett looked up, his
eyes demanding an answer. “Fuck you!” was the only response he received and he
wasted no time drilling a nail through each individual toe.</div>
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<br />
Climbing to his feet, Brett violently slammed his foot onto
Landry’s with enough force to spurt a decent sized puddle of blood from out of
his toes and onto the floor. Landry jerked back, but with nowhere to go, he was
at the mercy of Brett’s unrelenting terror as again and again he smashed his
foot down, breaking the middle toe on Landry’s left foot and shattering the
bones in his pinky. “Brett…” Dustin cringed at the sound of the man choking on
blood and his strangled cries but the look in his Boss’ face quickly made him
back off.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have the power to end this before it goes any further,”
Brett stated calmly before rocketing one fist followed by another head
splitting blow to Landry’s jaw. Tears stung the corners of his eyes but he
blinked them away. Landry’s ears were ringing and he watched a smirk tug at
Brett’s lips while he rubbed his left hand over the bruising knuckles of his
right. “You had enough yet? Because I can do this all day!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah I can see that,” he laughed through a red mouth and a
throat full of blood while looking up at his would-be assassin through the one
good eye he had remaining. Brett’s fist made contact with a deafening crack.
Numbing pain shot through his hand but he knew Landry felt it twice as hard on
his battered face. Black dots spotted Landry’s vision and he rocked back with each
blow, wincing with every twitch of his muscles. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1dQjwGgSWA/U8H4VU4zeuI/AAAAAAAAgtg/YGpGtafxjpA/s1600/Screenshot-54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1dQjwGgSWA/U8H4VU4zeuI/AAAAAAAAgtg/YGpGtafxjpA/s1600/Screenshot-54.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett felt his bruised flesh under his fist and could smell
the scent of his fear as his hand connected with Landry’s stomach repeatedly.
Landry grimaced in pain, his inner voice was giving up and there was no
stopping his tongue from wagging at this point. “Wait, stop, I have something
to say,” Landry choked up another mouthful and rubbed his chin on his shoulder
to dab up the dripping blood. “It’s a juicy little bit that I know the Feds
would be interested to learn,” he teased and smiled diabolically as he leaned
back in his chair. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?” Brett growled angrily, balling his fist tightly in
front of the man’s face as he prepared to hit him again.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I ain’t saying. But I will tell you this; it involves your
precious Yvette, a whole lot of money and even the President of the United
States.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2015/03/s7-chapter-09-price-we-pay.html">Continue----></a></div>
</div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-17248955280895359352014-07-21T13:51:00.000-04:002015-03-26T09:01:58.000-04:00Happy 3rd Anniversary, Codename: Danger!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I decided to mess around and see just how the cast of <u>Codename: Danger</u> would look in The Sims 4. It's not my best work but I do rely heavily on CC which isn't (for the most part) currently available.<br />
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<br />
It's been three wonderful years and they just keep on going! As we enter the final season for the cast and characters of <a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/">Codename: Danger</a>, I wanted to express my deepest heartfelt gratitude for those of you that have stuck with us. Through the uphill battles, shootouts, car chases, bad guys and family drama, we made it out ok on the other side. Yvette, Brett, Ryan, Victor and Dustin can always count on each other to be there when they need and I feel truly blessed to say the same about all of my readers, followers, lurkers and commenters. You have made this story what it is and I would not want to do it without you.<br />
<br />
There are 2 chapters remaining until the story completes, well 3 if we count the epilogue, and it's been a lot of fun. Although it's sad to see the many wonderful characters and plots reach their end, it's about time to close the pages on this story and look towards the future.<br />
<br />
But don't fret. Something tells me many of these characters will have future endeavors and more fun to come! As for me, I have several new stories on the rise and many more in the idea stage. Look for <a href="http://djvchameleon.blogspot.com/">The Chameleon</a> soon as well as the short story <a href="http://daijahvshorts.blogspot.com/p/the-kiss.html">The Midnight Kiss</a>.<br />
<br />
Thank you again for sharing this tale with me and I hope you continue to enjoy my work!<br />
<br />
~Daijah~<br />
<br />
P.S. The Sims 4 versions are available in the Gallery!DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-63008218104437817512014-07-17T14:22:00.000-04:002019-01-28T20:49:56.827-05:00S7: Chapter 07: Bringing Down the House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The fiercely hot sun beamed down onto Brett’s neck and for
the third time within the hour he found himself in need of a dry towel as he
baked in the arid valley. “Remind me again whose idea it was to visit the
desert in the dead of summer,” he groaned into his earpiece as he kept watch of
the building across from him. It took some doing, but he had finally convinced
his boss to let him bring his team to Egypt in search of Gerald Mercer.
Although thanks to Scott, the official documents of his request has the team on
an excursion to seek an expert in missile weaponry. Besides, Scott wasn’t too
keen on letting Mercer think he got off free and clear after what he did to his
family.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“That would be you I think Boss. But look on the bright side
at least you have me here to entertain you,” Ryan responded and changed
positions at his table at the diner across the road from what they believed to
be Mercer’s hideout. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Entertainment?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Absolutely Boss! Listen up I got a joke for you. There’s
this guy who had been lost and walking in the desert for about two weeks. One
hot day, he sees the home of a missionary. Tired and weak, he crawls up to the
house and collapses on the doorstep. The missionary finds him and nurses him
back to health. Feeling better, the man asks the missionary for directions to
the nearest town. On his way out the backdoor, he sees this horse.” </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A car passed in front of him and he paused as he checked out
the driver and waited to see if it was their target. Not spotting Mercer, he
resumes speaking to the guys again. “Anyway so this guy goes back into the
house and asks the missionary, ‘Could I borrow your horse and give it back when
I reach the town?’ The missionary says, ‘Sure but there’s something special
about this horse. You have to say <i>Thank
God</i> to make it go and <i>Amen</i> to
make it stop.’ Not paying much attention, the man says, ‘Sure, ok,’ and goes to
get on the horse. He says, ‘Thank God’ and the horse starts walking. He says
‘Thank God’ again and the horse starts trotting. Feeling really brave, the man
says, ‘Thank God, Thank God, Thank God,’ and the horse just literally takes
off. Pretty soon he sees this cliff coming up and he’s doing everything he can
to make the horse stop. ‘Whoa, stop, hold on!’ Finally he remembers, ‘AMEN!’
And the horse stops four inches from the cliff. The man leans back in the
saddle, happy to be alive and goes, ‘Thank God.’” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ryan?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah Boss?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Go back to watching the door.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sure thing Boss,” he smiled to himself hearing Dustin and
Victor laughing over the communications. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad, can you pass the popcorn please?” Yvette asked, moving
the pillow deeper against her back as she adjusted beside Scott on the couch.
He looked at her and smiled as she scarfed down another handful of the fluffy
treat and sighed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know I made the bowl for the two of us.” She laughed
and handed him a kernel before filling her jaws again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh come on, Daddy! Don’t act like you’re not used to getting
maybe a handful. Remember movie night? I’d pick a fun, scary movie, you’d pop
the corn and we’d sit and watch until I made you walk me up to my room and tuck
me in.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And you never shared the popcorn then either. I got wise
though, popped an extra helping for myself,” he grinned and revealed a smaller
container of popcorn he’d made. “I put the extra butter on yours though.”</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great, that’s just what I need. More weight to run off.
Then again the twins have been a treat with that. They are always getting into
one thing or another. I feel like I’m constantly saying ‘no’, ‘stop’, ‘don’t.’
They might grow to think it’s their names.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Haha that reminds me of a rather rambunctious and shall I
say clumsy little girl I once knew. Always breaking something or tinkering with
things in the garage.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I had a natural curiosity!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know and so did my TV remote, 8-track player, antique
camera and trunk locks. Your phone’s ringing sweetheart.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette leaned over and grabbed her cell from the coffee
table. Checking the caller ID, it blinked once and turned off completely and
she found herself restarting it from the homepage. “Stupid thing. It’s been
acting up ever since we got back from Vegas. I’m about ready to trade it in for
a newer model.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where’s that little inventive child I raised? She’d be able
to fix it in no time! Or give it a random blinking part, keep it from receiving
calls or dial out ever again!” Yvette pouted as he made fun of her and he
laughed and wrapped his arm over her shoulder as she rested her head in his
lap. Scott’s eyes wandered to the little white envelope on the table beside his
door and he regretfully looked down at his daughter. “I’m dying Yvie.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The words made her choke on her last handful and she
instantly pulled up to look at him. “You’re what?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I got my test results back today and it’s been confirmed.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Daddy! I didn’t even know you were sick! I mean I
attributed the weight loss to exercise and Vivica but…why didn’t you tell me?”
She asked looking up at him as tears began to well up in her eyes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because I didn’t want you to look at me like that,” he
sighed and dropped his head into his hands. “I’ve tried to be the best father I
could for you. Teach you all of the things you needed to know and be there for
you when you needed. That’s why I told you everything finally. In case I never
got another chance to. I was afraid to tell you. I thought you would hate me
for it and I didn’t want to lose you; not when I needed you most. But you
needed to know.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Daddy…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s not a concern for right now, Tumblelina. Doctors gave
me at least two years; anything can happen from now until then.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? A—are you…is it…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Cancer. My doctor wants to start me on Chemo but honestly that scares me more than anything and I didn’t want to make a decision without talking to you first.”<br />
<br />
“Dad, if this can save your life, why are you waiting?”<br />
<br />
“Because I’m not so sure how effective it will be. Other than buying me a few more days, weeks or months it’ll dramatically reduce my independence, make me violently ill and bald.”<br />
<br />
“But it will reduce the
spreading and maybe even eradicate whats there now!” Yvette paused and turned away from Scott as she felt a pool of fresh tears. “You can’t go. I still need you. And what about the twins?
This isn’t right! It’s not fair.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know it’s not Yvie but we do what we can with the hand
we’re dealt. I’ve started video documenting a lot of things for my
grandchildren so they will have a piece of the old man when they get old enough
to understand. And Yvette I don’t want you to mourn me while I’m still here.
Let’s not waste our time on tears. You are the best thing that has ever
happened to me Princess you need to know that.”<br />
<br />
“Then do this, for me. Please?”<br />
<br />
“Alright. I’ll give it a go.” He stiffened up his lip and
wiped away the tears that had fallen from Yvette’s eyes and smiled. “Let’s not
let this ruin movie night. Gotta eat the popcorn while it’s still warm!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Daddy!” her lips trembled as she spoke the word and Scott
squeezed her tighter against his side.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, biting his
cheek as he listened to her soft moans of anguish and regretted having said
anything to her tonight about his illness. “Thank you Yvie.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“For what?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Finally forgiving me and coming home. I thought you would
stay mad at me until…and when you got hurt I was so afraid of losing you. But
as I said, we can’t waste time crying now. We have lots of things to do and very
little time for it. Please, I need you to be strong for me ok?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Does Vivica know?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I-I told her. And we both decided that it would be easier
to end things now rather than become too heavily invested.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad, you’ve been with her a little over two years now. How
much time does it take to become too heavily invested? Now is not the time to
push people away! You can’t do that to her, Daddy. Call her.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scott thought a moment realizing Yvette had a point. The
pain in her eyes was something he’d hoped to avoid, he was never good with her
when she cried and always tried to keep a smile on her face. But tonight he was
the cause of those tears for the second time in a row. Scott settled his back
against the sofa cushions and wiped Yvette’s face for the final time and kissed
her again. “I will. But tonight I just want to have a quiet evening with my
baby girl, ok?” Grabbing his tub of popcorn he smiled as his daughter snuggled
against him and they resumed their movie.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look alive, we have movement at the bottom right window,”
Victor reported and pulled back from his position to gain a better vantage of
their objective. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Is it Mercer?” Brett asked, hopping into his jeep and
scooping up his binoculars.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not sure. Ry you got a visual?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing yet. What about you Dustin?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have a visual but it’s not Mercer. It looks like Tobias Eales.
I thought he was stuck in customs? What happened with that?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He used his connections at the British Consulate to get
himself free. It hung him up for less than a day.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah. Well Eales is not alone, he’s arguing with someone; I
can’t see who.” Dustin zoomed in with his spy cam and leaned more on the volume
to try and get audio on the conversation. He saw the person arguing with Eales
shove him back through the door before connecting with a fist. Moments later a
gun was revealed and Tobias Eales fell to the ground. “Shots fired! Shots
fired! I have no visual on the shooter. Eales is down, I repeat Eales is down;
shooter’s out the back!”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ryan hurried from the diner and hopped into the passenger
seat of Brett’s jeep as he got it into gear and sped off around the corner of
the building in hot pursuit of the Mini Cooper. Meanwhile Victor jumped from
his position and rushed into the building to check for the victim with Dustin
close behind him. Moving in tight formation, they cleared the front rooms and
entered the large living quarters that opened into the main section of the two
story home. Finding Tobias Eales on the floor of the living room, Dustin knelt
down checking for a pulse while Victor continued clearing the area. Meeting
back up in the doorway he looked over at Dustin who shook his head no, Eales
was dead. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W6JcXRQRJs0/U8CaGP4px2I/AAAAAAAAggU/gUKc2z9Bujc/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W6JcXRQRJs0/U8CaGP4px2I/AAAAAAAAggU/gUKc2z9Bujc/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No suspects on site, Eales is dead,” Victor reported, “How
should we proceed?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Search the place. See if you can find any information
confirming our beliefs that Marcos Dechamps is in fact Mercer and let us know.
We’re following the vehicle that left the building but he’s taking us through a
lot of winding roads and being in unfamiliar territory, the driver’s got the
advantage,” Brett yelled at a pedestrian as he swerved quickly to avoid hitting
him and ran through a fruit stand on the outskirts of a local market. “Damn.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do you want us to do about Eales?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIKv3WrUOGE/U8CaH_uY39I/AAAAAAAAggk/IkqhKMxdsOY/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIKv3WrUOGE/U8CaH_uY39I/AAAAAAAAggk/IkqhKMxdsOY/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Once you’ve given the place a once over call the locals, I doubt anyone else has yet. I heard no shots so I’m assuming the shooter used a silencer.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s right,” Dustin confirmed, pulling away from the body. He checked the ground for a bullet casing and hit pay dirt. “Ballistics should love this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great. We’ll meet back up once we figure out where this guy is taking us. Stay alert; there’s no telling who else Mercer may be working with out here.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Honey can you get the door? I’ll grab us some more popcorn
and get the next movie started.” Scott started off into the kitchen as Yvette
entered the foyer. Taking a peek through the peephole, she hesitated at first
and checked to see where Scott was before opening the door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are you doing here? You can’t be here!” she whispered
anxiously.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know. I tried calling but you weren’t answering your
phone.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah I know there’s something wrong with it. Ethan, you
have to leave. Scott doesn’t know you’re back and I’d prefer to keep it that
way.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Sycom is under attack, Yvette.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MV9MA7JHbWM/U8CaJnUzgPI/AAAAAAAAgg0/KgWhm0Aq9O4/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MV9MA7JHbWM/U8CaJnUzgPI/AAAAAAAAgg0/KgWhm0Aq9O4/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? How is that possible? I thought no one knew about
your existence.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not sure and that’s why I tracked you down, to warn
you. The facility was breached and we lost several agents including Redding.
The ones lucky enough to get away are all going underground now and I need you
to be vigilant.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What happened Ethan? How did…?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll contact you later when I know more. Take this,” he
handed her a disposable cell phone as he checked the area around him again with
a quick look over his shoulder. “I’m sorry Yvette. I have to go but I promise
I’ll call and explain everything.” Quickly kissing her forehead, Ethan
disappeared under the cover of darkness and Yvette was left standing in
confusion on Scott’s front porch.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8USxohMbHk/U8CaLVGyHiI/AAAAAAAAgg8/mWSJTOGRkIg/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8USxohMbHk/U8CaLVGyHiI/AAAAAAAAgg8/mWSJTOGRkIg/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvie Sweetheart?” he called for her as he came up behind from
the kitchen. “Who was it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh um…no one. I think it might have been a kid pranking you
or something. A ding-dong ditch only you don’t have a doorbell,” she smiled and
took a handful of popcorn from the bowl in his hand. “So what’s the next movie
on the list?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Actually, I called Vivica. And after a short period of
begging and pleading I convinced her to come over so we could talk and try to
work this thing out. She’s at work now and said she’ll call when she leaves in
about an hour or so.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uVEUQyocf6o/U8CaL0NdOdI/AAAAAAAAghA/eLfvzf-4h7A/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uVEUQyocf6o/U8CaL0NdOdI/AAAAAAAAghA/eLfvzf-4h7A/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good. You need to let her be here for you, she wants to be.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know and I really care for her. It’s why I sent her away in the first place. But you’re right; now is not the time to push people away. But I will ask that you give us some privacy then…to talk.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait, are you pushing me away?” Yvette smiled before wrapping her arms around her father and squeezing him against her chest. “I love you Daddy and I’ll let the two of you <i>talk</i>,” she grinned repeating her dad’s implication of his need for privacy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you want we could start the next movie. It’ll take her a little while to get across town.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lead the way!” Yvette shut the door behind her and started after Scott to the living room again.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Mini Cooper came to a stop outside a small town called
Al-Simhara, an ancient rugged locale built
against a river, full of rich culture and history. Brett parked just behind a
small shop a fair distance from where the driver got out. Assured the man
believed he’d lost the agents somewhere near the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Brett and Ryan had a small window of
opportunity to catch him off guard. Ryan reported on their location to Victor
and Dustin as he watched the top floor for any sign of change. Brett, using
heat-seeking binoculars checked the number of occupants inside the place.
“Alright, there are only two people inside; the driver and whoever he was
coming out here to meet.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVoru6p6lLc/U8CaTSufp7I/AAAAAAAAghk/2JI6BQMT_2o/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oVoru6p6lLc/U8CaTSufp7I/AAAAAAAAghk/2JI6BQMT_2o/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So how are we doing
this?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll take the
front, I want you to count to thirty and enter through the back. If all goes
well we’ll get shots of Mercer and have him in custody for extradition before
the week is out.” Quickly and quietly they exited the vehicle. Brett waited for
Ryan to get around to the back of the building before turning the handle of the
door in front of him. With his gun leading him into the rooms, he cleared the
lower section and started up the stairs where he’d spotted the suspects.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Voices were heard
arguing through the wall beside him and Brett heard a door open downstairs and
pressed himself against the wall. Footsteps on the stairs turned his head
slightly and he sighed realizing it was Ryan coming into the home. The back
staircase poured out onto the one he stood upon which was an advantage to them;
there was only one way out. “Who were they?” one of the men yelled at the
other. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did they see you
take out the Ambassador?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well what do you
know?” Neither recognized the voices inside and Brett motioned to Ryan to move
forward and get a picture of the two men standing in the room across from him.
Keeping his guard up, Ryan snuck around the corner and snapped off a quick shot
before swiftly pinning himself against the wall again. He looked down at the
image and frowned. Shaking his head no towards his superior, Brett returned the
gesture with a look of confusion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brxGYEGve34/U8CaWjoITmI/AAAAAAAAgh8/tvPKK423lJo/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brxGYEGve34/U8CaWjoITmI/AAAAAAAAgh8/tvPKK423lJo/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the
picture on the camera in Ryan’s hand, neither man inside that room was Gerald
Mercer. They had spent three days tracking him to Eales’ location only to end
up with nothing. They quietly slipped out of the home and started back to the
jeep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What now?” Ryan demanded as he took another look at the
image. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Now we’re back at square one! Fuck!” Brett growled and
kicked the tire of his jeep. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This makes no sense! We had Intel Eales knew Mercer’s
location!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Get the locals to this location. Let them know where to find Eales’ killer. And then call Dustin. I want the name of that fucking informant so
he can tell me why we’re out here on a wild fucking goose chase. Fuck!” he
yelled again and slipped behind the wheel of his jeep. Ryan jumped into the
passenger seat and dialed up the other half of their team while Brett circled
around the market and started back towards them. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Call me later?” Yvette asked as Scott walked her to the
front door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Absolutely.” Yvette gave her father a quick kiss on the
cheek and started for Brett’s truck. As she pulled out of the driveway her cell
phone rang. Reaching down to retrieve it, she frowned seeing the black screen
again and listened to it beep as it seemingly went dead. “Yeah you’re
definitely getting traded!” She growled and threw it to her passenger seat but
the ringing continued. Checking her pocket again, she realized it was the phone
Ethan had handed her a few moments ago and pulled to the side of the road to
answer.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2YprGk2YqAs/U8CaYSTyDzI/AAAAAAAAgiA/C8_ROaOY_bM/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2YprGk2YqAs/U8CaYSTyDzI/AAAAAAAAgiA/C8_ROaOY_bM/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPBkLSu-tfI/U8CaY7cdRFI/AAAAAAAAgiE/-UP50kGb39g/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPBkLSu-tfI/U8CaY7cdRFI/AAAAAAAAgiE/-UP50kGb39g/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Yvie…need you…help…</i>”
His voice broke through on the other line. “<i>Come…Copeland…warehouse…</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Ethan you’re breaking up, I can’t understand you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>5<sup>th</sup> and
Copeland…warehouse…Yvie?</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s happening? Ethan?” The call ended abruptly after
what sounded like gunfire and Yvette quickly peeled away from the curb and sped
off in the direction of the address she could make out through the static.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lyi6qH6ASPw/U8Caa1eDdjI/AAAAAAAAgiQ/fCU2tdKsXbk/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lyi6qH6ASPw/U8Caa1eDdjI/AAAAAAAAgiQ/fCU2tdKsXbk/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXjpjrBHaG0/U8Cabmeyg7I/AAAAAAAAgiU/cFs9iCON3k8/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXjpjrBHaG0/U8Cabmeyg7I/AAAAAAAAgiU/cFs9iCON3k8/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ethan!” Yvette whispered as she approached behind him. He
motioned for her to get down and she snuck over to the side of the building
where he hid. “What’s going on? Your phone call, you sounded frantic.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I got a call shortly after I left you at Scott’s. One of my
lookouts spotted the van leaving Sycom and heading through D.C. I followed up
on the tip and found them here. From what I’ve been able to tell, it’s a group
of about twenty, heavily armed. The front gates are secured with a passkey and
a five digit code. So far three vehicles have entered the facility and none
have left. Two security guards on the front door, no telling how many more
inside. The van parked just behind that left port and the crew emptied into the
hangar just beside it.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bgJoyCY6cc/U8CacQw1lJI/AAAAAAAAgic/pCZJKlzsU3o/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bgJoyCY6cc/U8CacQw1lJI/AAAAAAAAgic/pCZJKlzsU3o/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1SRwWjV9ruk/U8CadH9yWII/AAAAAAAAgio/8-1XPXu6I5o/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1SRwWjV9ruk/U8CadH9yWII/AAAAAAAAgio/8-1XPXu6I5o/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slipping to the ground near him, Ethan handed Yvette a pair
of binoculars and she looked off into the direction he instructed. “Hmm, that’s
strange. There are no cameras looking towards the street but I got one on the
hangar and another just on the gate for visitors. Movement on the second floor
but none in the hangar so there must be an elevator of some kind inside those
doors. Wait a second; is that Chief Justice John Sullivan, Senator Julie Pierce
and Congressman Robert Ames?” she gasped noticing three respected members of
government inside the building.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“All members of the Delegate,” Ethan explained. “We need to
get in there and retrieve the files they confiscated from Sycom. There are
agents in the field in covert operations who are in very grave danger the
longer these people have possession of that information.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZ68Sr-8_R0/U8CafMTqHPI/AAAAAAAAgi4/pMuL4lGRFls/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZ68Sr-8_R0/U8CafMTqHPI/AAAAAAAAgi4/pMuL4lGRFls/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwNmqhkr3Aw/U8CaiQp2TKI/AAAAAAAAgjA/TAl1NVaVCA4/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwNmqhkr3Aw/U8CaiQp2TKI/AAAAAAAAgjA/TAl1NVaVCA4/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what if we can’t retrieve that data?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then destroying it is the next best thing. Yvie, we worked
on highly classified missions. There was a myriad of sensitive information on
those computers that we cannot let fall into the hands of our enemies. They’ve
already shown what they are willing to do in order to protect themselves and we
cannot allow them to murder any more agents in cold blood.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok, then what are we waiting for?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I called a few of my guys; they’ll be here shortly with
gear.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right,” she blew out a breath and closed her fingers into tight
fists as she felt them shaking. Ethan looked down at the gesture and up to her
face, focusing on her eyes which were darting in several directions as she reflected
over the situation. It had been a little over a month since she was put in a
coma and just as much time since the last operation she’d conducted. Though her
aim was getting back to where it was before the shooting, she wasn’t exactly
100% up to the first-rate status she used to be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvie, are you ok?” Yvette nodded and offered him a stiff
smile. “Are you sure you’re up to this? If not my guys and I can handle it
alone.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Earlier I thought I heard gunfire on the line,” she
responded, ignoring the obvious concern in his voice that was equally as
apparent on his face. She needed to hold up her bravado to fool herself and
prepare her mind and hope that it didn’t reveal how truly nervous and utterly
helpless she actually felt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That was the front gate opening. I think they designed it
to be loud to alert them of any and all entries. It pops like fireworks; noisy
but effective.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A large truck pulled around the corner from where the two
hid and Ethan nudged his daughter and quietly they made their way over to where
it parked. A team of combat clad men hopped out of the front and back of the
vehicle and like well trained soldiers fell in line to receive orders from
their commander. Ethan walked behind the truck, changed into something more
suited for the mission ahead and instructed Yvette to do the same.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once everyone was wearing similar garb, he handed out
specific orders that each was to carry out. Yvette watched and was impressed
with the way her father commanded his team. They were very well trained and
obviously prepared for what lied ahead. From what she could tell the squad was
perfectly structured with a professional in nearly every skill set; regardless
of what they faced inside, one or more of the twelve men was more than capable
of accomplishing the objective. The plan of attack was well thought-out and
highly feasible.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette, I know we’ve never officially worked together in
this capacity and I wanted you to know…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll be fine, Ethan. I’ve done this numerous times before.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know, but I’ll still worry. When we get in there, I want
you to stay with me, the others have their orders but I need to know you’re
safe.” Yvette sighed and turned away and Ethan grabbed her by the arm and
redirected her attention back towards him. “I mean it Yvie.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok Dad, relax. I’ll stick with you.” Ethan felt a swell of
pride expand his chest hearing that word and a smile turned his lips up at the
corners. They were few and very far between but when she referred to him as “dad”
it made everything he’s done over the past decade worth it. Giving the command,
his Alpha team took positions on either side of the door, preparing to storm
the building.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
With flash bangs in hand, the first troopers kicked in the
doors and easily took the guards stationed out front. Once they were
neutralized the second squad took point while teams one and three flanked the
corridors and swept the adjacent halls. Ethan and Yvette along with two other
men, identified as Nelson and Walters, entered the doors at the rear and
started for the stairs as one of the tech pros took out the electricity
rendering the entire building in complete darkness. Equipped with night vision
goggles and infrared, heat tracking weaponry, each team moved to their
designated zones, dispatching any and all resistance they met. Ethan motioned
for one of his men to take lead and he swooped around in front of Yvette, who
stayed true to her promise and remained at her father’s side. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the doors to the main room were breached on the second
floor, chaos erupted! A round of gunshots ripped through the silence and into
the hallway, splintering the wood paneled walls behind Ethan. He pulled Yvette
behind him and returned fire as his men each guarded the doors ensuring no one
got out alive. Making use of the grenades in their possession, a loud bang
erupted inside the tight quarters of the room and echoed throughout the
building. Screams could be heard from the men trapped inside the smoke and fire
filled room and the sound of glass shattering preceded thumps as a few of them
leapt to their deaths through broken windows.</div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The commandos entered first, followed closely by their team
leader and Yvette. Ethan quickly fired on a man standing near the wall,
preparing to draw his weapon while the other two agents in his company cleared
the room of enemies. They began sifting through the ashes of the place looking
for anything remotely familiar to the missing files from Sycom’s office but
came up empty handed. “It’s not here!” he roared and slammed his hand onto the
table. Spotting a man crawling in the direction of a door near the back of the
room, he rushed towards him and scooped him up violently. “Where did you take
the files confiscated from your heist?”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Go to hell,” the man coughed up a mouthful of blood and Ethan decisively stuck his gun to his leg and blew out his knee. The man bellowed a thunderous cry of mercy as Ethan began digging the barrel of his firearm into the fresh wound.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Please! Stop!” he begged only to find Ethan applying more and more pressure until he finally cracked. “The hangar, it’s all in the hangar out front. Now please! Stop!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“See, now that wasn’t so hard,” Ethan remarked. He pulled back, took aim and shot the man point blank in the head. Blood and brains splattered against the wall and his lifeless body slid down to the floor. “Let’s move.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What if he was lying?” Yvette asked as her father turned towards the door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll find out soon enough.” Ethan, Yvette and their team
moved swiftly from the main building towards the hangar they’d surveyed
earlier. The truck that left Sycom parked just inside the large doors and he
believed this is where they would locate stolen Intel from their database.
Entering in standard formation once again, Ethan led his daughter inside the
largest of the hangars as the rest of his men continued clearing the main
building. Nelson and Walters searched the back of the room while Yvette and
Ethan each took a side. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Eagle Eye 7412 and Aerial 35, are these yours?” Yvette
asked, coming across a stack of boxes and flash drives. Ethan smiled and rushed
over to her and began searching through the box beside hers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s all here.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you sure?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well we’ll have to get it back to HQ and check for certain
but it looks intact. Come on, let’s get this loaded on the truck and get out of
here.” He pulled up his walkie and changed frequencies to call the other men
inside the main facility, “Operatives to my location, mission objective
completed.” Ethan smiled towards Yvette and nudged her arm with his. “Good work
Sunshine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She nodded in return and moved towards the doors preparing
to leave. But the sound of footsteps caught the team off guard and Yvette
turned towards Ethan with a terrified look on her face. Upon earlier assessment
of the building they estimated about twenty armed men standing guard and
another four spread throughout the building. What they heard outside could
easily be another dozen or more. From where they stood with just the four of
them inside the hangar, they were undermanned and surrounded. The door to the
outer room exploded in gunfire and Yvette threw herself to the floor, taking
cover behind a cement block while Ethan holed up in a corner of the room
opposite of where she hid. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He could see the terror in her eyes as debris blew by her in
ripples of bullet vapor. Despite earlier declarations of her readiness, Yvette
was far removed from being prepared for this kind of action so soon. Feeling
his paternal nature take charge, Ethan braved the waves of gunfire flooding the
hangar and rushed towards his daughter. He reached for her, pulling her into
his chest and away from the walls just as they exploded around them. He could
feel her take a breath and sighed in relief as the shell shock in her nerves gave
way and the agent he’d known as a well-trained mercenary resurfaced. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette pushed away from her father and got to her feet.
Walters and Nelson were both dead and lying beside the main doors; she was
determined to not let that be her. Noticing a large barrel of fuel beside the
tanker truck, Yvette crawled towards it and kicked it to the other side of the
room. Ethan took a deep breath realizing her intentions and prepared himself
for what would be a sizeable explosion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Twisting the crates in front of him to absorb some of the
blast radius, he snatched Yvette down with him and kept her covered with his
body as rounds continued burning holes into the walls. Ethan spotted a fire
blanket and tossed it over the two just as the gunfire stopped and the doors to
the room flew open. Keeping watch through a small notch in the blanket, Yvette
waited until several of the men filtered into the room before taking aim at the
barrel and firing.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Almost instantly the entire room became engulfed in a ball of orange flame and a large explosion sent shockwaves throughout the building rocking the framework and collapsing one part of the hangar. Large panels of sheet metal came crashing down from the ceilings and rafters onto the men standing inside the room. Those that weren’t enveloped by fire were smashed by pieces of falling scaffolding as more of the structure toppled over and through the door. The sounds of their screams haunted Yvette through her closed eyes and she was too afraid to look up at the destruction eating its way through the room.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wretched stench of burning flesh filled the air,
crawling into her nostrils and seeping into her skin. And Yvette found herself
choking on the poison filtering in from the exploded barrels of chemicals. The
room shook with aftershock tremors as the flames grew higher and out of
control. The metal walls around them melted into nothing as the fire
disintegrated everything it touched. A large beam above their heads snapped and
crashed down on top of them, hitting Yvette, knocking her out and splintering
the gas mask she wore even more.</div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking up, Ethan noticed the tanker hadn’t yet exploded and
realized he had very little time before the truck became sucked in by the
flames and took them along with it. Wrapping his arm around Yvette, he kicked
out the door behind them and hastily withdrew into the bushes behind the
warehouse. A second, larger explosion shook the structure and formed a huge
mushroom cloud into the sky, quaking the ground beneath their feet. Ethan
turned back in time to watch the entire facility go up in smoke and the hangar
itself crumbled completely to the ground.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/07/s7-chapter-08-beginning-of-end.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-47038927660652523772014-07-03T18:12:00.000-04:002019-01-25T16:43:37.022-05:00S7: Chapter 06: Bald Eagle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Egypt,” Victor growled as he dropped a stack of folders
onto the desk in front of Brett with a sigh. “These are the last known
whereabouts of Gerald Mercer. He’s been reported as far as the Great Wall of
China and the Outback of Australia. This paper trail is just all over the
world. Someone’s bouncing his credit cards from every corner of the earth to
throw us off his scent and I can only assume it’s the same people responsible
for starting this entire thing with Yve in the first place.” </div>
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“And how did you get to Egypt? Out of all of this data, why
there?” Brett asked, thumbing through the top few folders as Dustin quickly went to work.</div>
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“He was last seen getting on a privately owned jet heading
for parts unknown. Four days later London CCTV picked him up entering the personal
residence of this man,” Victor slid a picture towards the group as he
continued. “Tobias Eales, Senior Trade
Policy Advisor for the British Consulate headquartered in Cairo. Three
days after that photo was taken, Eales bought two airline tickets to Egypt, his
passenger was listed as Marcos Dechamps but he’s not in any of our databases;
that’s gotta be Mercer.”</div>
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“Alright boys; sounds like we’re heading to the desert. Pack
light in case we have to get out quickly. This one will be off the books. We
get in, we look around and we get out. We have no Federal jurisdiction but the
US has an extradition treaty with Egypt. So if you spot Mercer and we can get a
few shots of him to show he’s in the country, we can have his ass transported
back to the States to stand trial in no time.”</div>
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“Excuse me, I’m looking for Agent Yvette Knight,” a
middle-aged woman entered the unit room holding a clipboard. She was dressed in
a light blue cotton business suit with a skirt and a bright yellow shirt. Her
hair was pinned up in a rigid bun and her horn-rimmed glasses sat crookedly on
her nose. “We have an appointment at two and I can’t seem to locate her
anywhere in the building. Is she in today?”</div>
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“Yes, she is. But I’m not aware of any appointment she may
have had with, I’m sorry, you are?” Brett asked taking a step towards the door
and folding his arms into his chest defensively. </div>
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“Agent Monica Bradley with the Office of Professional
Responsibility and you must be her husband, Brett Knight,” Agent Bradley
assessed from the way Brett came to Yvette’s defense automatically.<br />
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“That’s right.”</div>
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“Well the appointment was not with you, it was with her. And
if she chose not to inform you about it well, your marital issues are not my
concern. Now if you could please kindly tell me where I might find Agent
Knight; I hate being late.”</div>
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“Shooting range, artillery, basement level,” Brett answered
with a bite of aggression through clenched teeth and watched Agent Bradley
scurry off down the stairs.</div>
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“OPR? What the hell do they want with Yvette?” Ryan asked
once the door shut again.</div>
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“I don’t know. But I’m gonna find out.” Brett started out of
the room behind Agent Bradley and caught up with her just as she disappeared
into the shooting gallery. A few agents in various levels of their careers
filled the available booths testing their skills. </div>
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“Here, take these,” Bobby Duval’s gruff voice boomed causing
Agent Bradley to take a step back from the counter as he handed her a pair of
noise cancelling headphones. “We ain’t responsible for loss of hearing while on
the course if you fail to use the equipment properly. Do not point firearms in
any direction except the targets and stay behind the yellow line. Enjoy.”</div>
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Monica took the headphones and entered the door towards the middle
of the room as Brett came in behind her. “Hey Bobby,” he nodded, exchanging
pleasantries with the agent behind the bullet proof glass wall. “How’s it
going?”</div>
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“Eh can’t complain. You?”</div>
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“Not bad. Kids are plotting new adventures everyday to test
my agility and patience but it’s fun. How long has Yve been going?”</div>
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“Since lunch. She started on the six shooter,” Bobby started
and pulled a used target from behind the counter. “It didn’t go so well. She
hesitated some on the trigger and I could tell that injury was bothering her so
I gave her something with less of a kick. Her aim’s a little crooked but she’s
slowly getting back to it. Why you ask? You thinking of taking advantage of her
situation to get your name on the wall above hers?” He laughed and glanced
towards the wall of fame. “No one’s been able to best her in three years though
a few have come close.”</div>
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“You mean me?” Brett snarled and thought about the day she
took the title back from him. “You know she cheated Bobby. You saw her pull that
trigger a hair after the timer went off!”</div>
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“Hey it was the judge’s call not mine but for the record, my
lips are sealed. I know better than to get between you and Yvette when it comes
to these games. You two are just a little too competitive for my tastes!” Brett
laughed and grabbed a pair of headphones from the agent before entering into
the gallery. </div>
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Agent Bradley concluded what she was saying to Yvette just
as he stepped up to her booth and turned with an annoyed sneer on her lips.
“I’ll see you upstairs in five,” she remarked and moved past Brett and out of
the room.</div>
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“Hey Babe,” he smiled and quickly pecked her cheek.</div>
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“Brett,” Yvette growled and slammed her ammo clip to the
counter. </div>
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“What did she want?”</div>
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“Apparently I’m under suspicion. I’m being accused of
working as a double agent and a committee is gathering to discuss my future
with the Bureau pending a polygraph examination.”</div>
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“What? When were you going to tell me about this?”</div>
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“I just learned about it myself Brett, geez!” she frowned
and shook her head negatively. “Do you really think I wouldn’t have told you?
That woman, who I’ve never seen before in my life, waltzed in here, handed me
this piece of paper stating my rights before and after suspension and told me I
have a polygraph in five minutes! A polygraph, I might add, she’s confident I’m
going to fail. She’s also ordered a drug test for afterwards to be sure I don’t
down a few tranqs before heading in.”</div>
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“Damn it. They are aware you haven’t returned to active duty
just yet aren’t they? It’s only been a month since the shooting!”<br />
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“I think that’s the selling point they are making to the
committee now. According to this letter, Agent Bradley is petitioning to have
me decommissioned permanently. And if the results of the test prove deception that’ll
put more ammo in her gun.”</div>
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“Fuck me! Yve you can’t…”</div>
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“Don’t. I don’t want or need any pressure in my head right
now before going up there. If that bitch or any one of those other assholes at
the Office of Professional Responsibility thinks this is going to rattle me,
they’re about to learn firsthand just who the fuck they’re dealing with.” </div>
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<br />
“Thank you for coming,” Agent Bradley looked up from a back
table as Yvette stepped into the room. “Please, have a seat. We’ll get started
shortly.” Yvette noticed an unsealed letter sitting on the table and smirked. The letterhead stated it was direct from the White House and signed by the President. Agent Bradley was trying to bait her, and she was not about to fall for it. “Water?”<br />
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“No thank you.” </div>
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“Coffee? Fruit? Bagel? It’s free.”</div>
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<br />
“Let’s just get this over with.” Agent Bradley smirked
slightly at Yvette’s obvious frustration as she made her way over to the table
and took a seat in front of her. The technician in the room began hooking the
leads to Yvette’s hands and pulse points as Bradley slowly sipped from her
coffee mug. His finger lightly grazed over the scar on her chest and Yvette
glanced up at him with a scowl.<br />
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“I can understand your frustration Agent Knight. I mean I
wouldn’t want to be accused of being a double agent either. But I suppose this
isn’t your first time walking that line, is it? Well…one way or the other,
we’re getting to the bottom of what’s going on in this office.” The tech nodded
at Bradley and flipped on a laptop beside her as she leaned closer turning on a
recording device in the center of the table. “Polygraph #486-33C Yvette Knight.
Participants include OPR Agents Monica Bradley and Patrick Sheldon as acting
technician. Let’s get started shall we? Is your name Yvette Knight?”</div>
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“Yes it is.”</div>
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“Are you an Agent with the FBI’s Special Forces Unit?”</div>
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“Yes.”</div>
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“Have you ever stolen money?”</div>
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“No.”</div>
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“Do you live in New York City, NY?”</div>
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“No.”</div>
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“Are you married to a federal agent?”</div>
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“Yes.”</div>
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“Please answer ‘yes’ to the following question: are you
wearing a red shirt?”</div>
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“Yes.” The computer beeped and a long jagged line scrawled
across the screen indicating a deceptive answer.</div>
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“Thank you. You see, unlike normal polygraph examinations
that measure your physiological levels like blood pressure, respiration and
pulse, this one is so advanced it can determine the validity of your statements
through sensory input. Meaning you’ll find it incredibly hard to deceive it.
That was the end of the preliminary interview; now for the fun part,” Agent
Bradley grinned and flipped a page in the notepad in front of her. “Have you ever
knowingly deceived an officer of law enforcement during the commission of an
investigation?”</div>
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“No.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“After the shooting in Senator Jameson’s office, you were again
attacked by the shooter identified as Gerald Mercer in the hospital as well. Do
you know why he would want you dead?”</div>
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“No.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you aware that this ex-CIA operative is now under
suspicion for the 2002 shooting of another CIA operative by the name of Katrina
Rose Davis?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“Yes.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And just to confirm, Katrina Davis’ relationship to you was
maternal?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“According to the statement you gave when questioned after
your recovery, you mentioned your purpose for being in the Senator’s office as
a Black Ops mission which you could not disclose the details of. Yet there was
no record of such a mission covert or otherwise on the FBI’s docket.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Is there a question here? Black Ops is just what it sounds like. Why would you expect to find records?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let me rephrase,” Agent Bradley smiled and leaned forward a
bit in her seat, looking Yvette dead in the eyes. “Was this an FBI commissioned
operation?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taking a deep breath, Yvette’s eyes darted towards the
Polygraph tech as she considered her course of action. The mission was <i>not</i> a sanctioned operation for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. But admitting that here would leave her
open to a bevy of questions she was in no position to answer. Giving a smile in
Agent Bradley’s direction she bit her bottom lip and nodded lightly as she
answered. “Yes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The machine didn’t beep and Yvette did a small dance of
victory in her head. “Agent Knight you are aware that I am an agent of the
judicial system and you’ve been sworn in and are under oath. All of your answers
given today are part of a federal investigation. As such any false or incorrect
responses could be deemed as fraud and you will be charged with perjury?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Agent Knight, are you currently or have you ever worked
with an organization known as SYC?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette paused briefly, a confused look crossing her brow as
she thought over her response. “No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The machine beeped and Agent Bradley leaned back in her seat
with a smile. “Have you any knowledge of the undertakings of the organization
known as SYC?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you aware of any misappropriation of funds for agents
to run missions off book?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yet isn’t it true you’ve received payments twice a month
for this very purpose?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No it’s not.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then can you explain why over the last two years you were
receiving a $25,000 bimonthly stipend from an undisclosed benefactor into an
account in the Caymans?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Shouldn’t your questions be worded in yes or no form? But
to answer you, Agent Bradley, I’ve never received anything and if it’s your
intentions to prove that I did then good luck with that. I’m not working as a
double agent, I’ve never heard of SYC, I’ve never been bought off or bribed to
do anything illegal and I won’t sit here any longer and be a part of your witch
hunt.” Yvette growled and stood abruptly, snatching the wires from her chest. “If you have any other questions for
me, refer them to my attorney.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Before you go Agent Knight,” Agent Bradley grinned and
dangled a small plastic vile in front of her face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thirsty?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Very funny. It’s pee in a cup time. I gotta make sure your
answers were unassisted through…pharmaceutical
means. You understand. Agent Visor will accompany you to the ladies room up the hall. Also, and
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this considering you’re still in recovery
but, don’t leave the country.” She turned to leave but not before Agent Bradley
took another jab at her. “By the way, you look good in stripes.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette dropped the cup to the counter near the sink before
rushing upstairs to the unit room. She found Dustin, Victor and Ryan working on
the recent threat of terrorism that surrounded the Missiles weapon and sighed.
She hated being on the sidelines again and needed to get back into the action
so she didn’t feel so helpless. “If you’re looking for the Boss he’s downstairs
with Scotty,” Ryan spoke glancing up at her as she paced a few feet into the
room.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thanks Ry.” Yvette smiled sincerely and hurried down the
stairs in search of her husband, finding him crossing the hall leading into the
break room. “Hey! Can we talk?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course, I always have time for you, Beautiful. How did
the polygraph go?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. It beeped at me a few times.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You lied? Baby hasn’t anyone ever told you how to beat a
polygraph?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. You tell the truth.” Yvette looked up at Brett with a
scowl and he backed off with a smirk of his own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok then. We’ll just deal with that when it comes.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think I passed but I…she just made me so angry! I guess
we’ll find out soon enough anyway. But that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you
about. Brett, I have to get back into Senator Jameson’s office.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, you need to lay low for now while the team and I sort
through this mess that’s being pinned on you Yve,” Brett responded and watched
as his wife paced the room in deep contemplation. With a sigh he moved closer
towards her, trying to focus her on his face. “What’s so important you <i>have</i> to walk back into the lion’s den?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Information; the same information I was shot and nearly
killed over.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? There’s no way to recover that. You said it yourself
when you were shot, Mercer took all of the material you and Tasker had
collected. And I’m sure by now the Senator has destroyed all other evidence off
of his computer.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not everything was taken,” she remarked and again closed
her eyes as she thought over the night of the attack. “I made two copies, one
for Ethan and Sycom and the other for us. The first one was inside my bag but I
had the other thumb drive in my hand when I fell. I think it slid under the
sideboard near the wall. I have to go back and check!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No Yvette, it’s too dangerous!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Have they already seized Gabe’s condo?” she asked, ignoring
his words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The CIA has that place cordoned off like Fort Knox. There’s
no way in or out.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what about my car? Any word on when I can retrieve it
from the Federal impound?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yve?” he nearly shouted her name with a firm, controlled
voice until she took a breath and looked up at him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Gabriel was using some state-of-the-art equipment when he
came in with me. Some sort of Bluetooth recording that was setup on his laptop.
Before we made our entry he set it up and dropped it between the cushions of
the backseat, out of view. I’m wondering if…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You will find the data there or if it’s already been
discovered. So not only do you want to break into the Senator’s place again you
want to check out Gabe’s AND the Federal Impound lot. Do you hear yourself at
all Yvette? You just finished a polygraph concerning your status as a double
agent and now you want to walk back into what could be traps because the CIA
and even OPR at this point have got to be watching you without any regard
towards your personal safety? No, hell no you can forget it, you’re not going.”
Brett again vetoed her request with a negative head shake. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett you don’t understand. Since Gabe’s death I’ve been
trying to pick up the pieces and keep going. He was my friend since the Farm and I was in the hospital in a fucking coma during his funeral! I didn’t get to
say my goodbyes. And I mean he died because of me, because I failed to protect
him!” A silent tear fell from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. It wasn’t
time to cry, not yet; not when she was on the verge of discovery. “And now his
career and reputation are being ruined because we can’t prove what we saw and I
just want to keep busy to keep myself from going crazy. I need this. Gabriel
needs this.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll go. I won’t risk something else happening to you out
there; you’re still not 100% yet.” He took her by the arm and pulled her
towards the corner of the hallway. Waiting until a few stray agents passed by,
he leaned close enough to whisper. “There’s something else. Victor’s uncovered
Mercer’s possible 20.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Where?” Yvette asked eagerly, looking over her
shoulder as she lowered her voice. “Where he is?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We think Egypt. The guys and I are gonna check it out and…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m coming with.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No you’re not Yve. You’re staying here and keeping this to
yourself. I don’t know how far the corruption goes but I don’t even want you
telling Ethan, at least not yet.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett I am not staying here while you hunt down the son of
a bitch who put my mother and Gabriel in the ground and tried to do the same to
me! I’m coming with you!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“THIS IS NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION YVETTE!” Brett sighed angrily
as his wife’s debate heated his ire and his raised voice brought the stares of
a few people nearby. He waved them off and pulled Yvette closer towards him.
“It’s not safe and I’ll be damned if…please, just let me handle this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fine. But promise me when you find that asshole…”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him,” Brett smiled
reassuringly as his wife fell against his chest. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.” He
closed his arms around her and held her tightly as he thought about the near
brushes with death over the last month. He wanted Mercer dead for what he did.
But Gerald Mercer had answers they all needed. The hatred he had for the man
had to be set to the side for the bigger picture. Something major was in the
works, and they needed to get to the bottom of it before it was too late.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/07/s7-chapter-07-bringing-down-house.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-69378546528344717792014-06-19T13:34:00.000-04:002019-01-28T20:31:41.213-05:00S7: Chapter 05: Like Mother Like Daughter <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihhto4C_S0A/U4HgWQEXDQI/AAAAAAAAflU/7Ah6C91CG9I/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihhto4C_S0A/U4HgWQEXDQI/AAAAAAAAflU/7Ah6C91CG9I/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Mom? Mom it’s Brett, Yvette’s been shot.” Brett paced
frantically inside of the reception area at the ER as he waited on news about
his wife’s condition. Doctors, nurses and other medical staff flooded the large
hallway running from one patient’s room to the next. The flurry of activity did
very little to calm Brett’s frazzled nerves as he tried to keep his mind off of
the worst possible outcomes.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Oh my God Brett, is
she ok?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know, no one’s telling me anything and it’s been
hours! Look, I’m calling because I need you to take the twins. Scott’s with
them now but I know he’d much rather be here for Yvette and I don’t want him
to…”<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I understand Brett.
Your father and I will be there as soon as we can.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And Mom? Pack them a bag for a while. Yvette and I are into
this case at work and it could get even more dangerous. Until this thing is
over I just don’t want them to…I have to know they’re safe.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“<i>We’ll take care of it,</i>”
Regina replied before hanging up the call.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mr. Knight? I’m Dr. Pullman.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How’s my wife?” Brett questioned, jumping into the man’s
face as soon as he approached. The sound of a machine flat lining behind the
doctor pulled Brett’s attention and he watched as three nurses and a doctor
with a crash cart rushed down the hallway.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mrs. Knight sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest. The
second bullet pierced her left ventricle. We had to open her chest in the ER
and revive her heart. We’re bringing her into the O.R. now to try and repair
the wound but it’s a very delicate surgery.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Is she gonna be ok?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll know more in a few hours.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Please, save her.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll do everything we can.” He nodded at the doctor’s
words and took a seat on the bench near the emergency room doors again.
Dropping his head into his hands, Brett’s thoughts were on his last
communication with her before he got the call that pulled him out of bed at
three in the morning.</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do we know?” Ethan asked entering the control room at
Sycom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Agent Yvette Knight, acting on orders from Command, entered
the D.C. office of Theodore Jameson in search of information that would lead us
to the Delegate operative responsible for Katrina Evans’ death. The last audio
we have on her is when she entered the building. Teamed up with a CIA in-house
operative named Gabriel Tasker, they were to extract the hard drives of the
operating systems used by Jameson on his normal work day.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“From what we understand they were successful in retrieving
the hardware but before they could escape the building, someone, whom we’ve yet
to identify, entered the office and shot them both. Team Bravo was unable to
ascertain the whereabouts of the items the two had collected and we believe the
shooter may have fled with them,” Redding debriefed her superior as he looked
heavy in thought over the situation.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Any surveillance on the shooter?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No Sir. He exited the building, being very careful to avoid
any cameras posted in the office and on the outside traffic lights. The only
thing we were able to make out was a dark blue sedan speeding off in the
direction of Capitol Hill but the cameras lose him in the vicinity of
Independence and 7th. I’ve placed a BOLO on the vehicle.” Kimberly turned to
face Ethan who had taken a seat over the main computer, staring at pictures of
the crime scene and obviously deep in thought. “Sir, should you be here right
now?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
His head snapped up towards her, his steel gray eyes pinning
her against the wall. “Where else should I be right now Kimberly, huh? The
hospital is cordoned off by a mass of Federal agents while my little girl lies
bleeding on some gurney. I can’t get inside to see her and even if I tried
setting foot towards that building the only thing it would do is serve her up
on a silver platter and have every one of my enemies as well as every
government facet accusing her of this, that or the other. I’m supposed to be
dead you know? How would it look if I waltzed up to her bed and took a seat
beside her?” </div>
<br />
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<br />
“As much as I would love to be there, to hold her hand and
help her through this, I’m stuck on the sidelines once again waiting on news to
know whether or not I’m gonna have to put her in the ground! So yes, Kimberly,
to answer your question this is EXACTLY where I should be right now. Now how
about instead of questioning my loyalty to my daughter, you and the others get back
to work on finding out who put her there in the first place!” He shouted, his
words echoing against the plate glass windows that surrounded the office as he
stood. Ethan slammed a fist onto the desk to emphasize his point before
storming from the control center towards his office.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Director Phillips?” Scott looked up noticing two agents walking
up his driveway and motioned them forward. “I’m Special Agent Brian Harding and
this is my partner Danica Peters, we’re with the Office of Professional
Responsibility. Do you have a moment to spare? We need to discuss the actions
of a few of the agents under your command.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t have very long actually I’ve received some
distressing news and was heading to the hospital.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“For your daughter, Yvette Knight?” Scott eyed the young man
dressed in a neatly pressed navy blue pin-striped suit and flawlessly polished
wing tip shoes. “That’s actually who we’ve come to discuss. Sir it appears that
Agent Knight has been working as a double agent for an underground organization
known only to us by the letters SYC.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My daughter is not a double agent, haven’t you people
learned anything from the last time you accused her of wrongdoing? She’s one of
the most stand up agents the Bureau has!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Sir far be it from us to travel down that same road but we
have compelling evidence that tells us otherwise. From what our Intel has
gathered, it seems she was in the middle of an operation not sanctioned by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation when this incident occurred. A few hours ago
she, alongside Gabriel Tasker, the Field Operations Director for the CIA, was
found shot in the private office of one of the Hill’s most prestigious
politicians. Tasker is dead but Knight survived and is still in surgery.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taking a step forward, Agent Peters handed a manila folder
to Scott and began explaining its contents. “After Agent Knight was taken into
the ER, Harding obtained a warrant for her personal effects. Inside her pocket
we found a wallet which contained routing information for an account held at an
offshore bank in the Grand Cayman Islands. Further investigations of that
account shows that regular deposits were being made in the amount of $25,000 U.S.
twice a month over the last two years. Furthermore, we have reason to suspect
this second agency has ties to terrorist organizations and may even be
responsible for recent attacks made on national soil.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This is ridiculous,” Scott growled as he poured over the
data compiled in the pages before him. “Jesus you people. She’s in the hospital
with her life hanging in the balance while you’re here trying to decide if
she’s guilty of treason! Have a little respect for Christ’s sakes. Between
solving the cases she’s worked with doggedness others would envy, successfully
governing a five-man tactics team and raising her twin babies, when exactly do
you think she’s had the time to work for another agency? And to imply that
she’s being bought off by anyone is beyond absurd and I’m not about to stand
here and listen to you denigrate her name and reputation a moment longer.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Sir whether this is something you want to hear or not, rest
assured the OPR will pursue this case and one way or the other we will get to
the bottom of what is going on right under your nose. Agent Knight will be
lucky she retains her commission once we’ve finished with our investigation,”
Harding tossed to Scott’s retreating back.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Do what you feel is in the Bureau’s best interest but I
promise you, I will fight you with every resource I have tooth and nail to
prove her innocence. I will NOT let my daughter become the patsy to whatever
agenda the OPR is pushing to keep their record clean. Now if you’ll excuse me,
my child, my ONLY child is on the brink of death fighting for her life and I’d
like to be there for her.” Hopping behind the wheel of his car, Scott sped off
towards MedStar Washington Hospital.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett!” Scott found him sitting in the waiting room and
quickly rushed towards him. “Has there been any news? How is she doing?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. The doctor said the bullet hit her heart and
they have to go in and repair it and…I don’t know Scott. She’s…this can’t be
happening. Tell me this isn’t happening right now!” He kept repeating as he
lowered himself deeper into the bench he sat on. “I can’t do this. I can’t
think about her not making it out and having to tell our kids and…I just
can’t.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your parents came and picked up Austin and Autumn to take
back to Rockville so the twins are taken care of. As for Yvette…my little girl
is a fighter, always has been. She’ll make it through this and knowing her, the
second she gets back on her feet she’s going after whoever’s responsible.”</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mr. Knight?” Brett jumped up hearing his name and seeing
Dr. Pullman heading towards him once again. With a hopeful glimmer in his eyes
he waited for the doctor to relay the condition of his wife, holding his breath
as he went through the standard jargon of the procedures they’d performed.
“We’ve successfully removed the bullets from your wife’s chest cavity and
repaired her heart. She’s currently breathing on her own which is always a good
sign. Her pulse is normal, heart rate is steady but she’s still unconscious. She’d
lost a great deal of blood before she came in and with the surgery we did have
to transfuse her. She could wake up in a few hours or a few days but her vital
signs are all clear. Still we’ve placed her in the ICU overnight for
observation but I don’t anticipate any significant changes to her health.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
“But she’ll wake up?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Other than that, of course. But as far as the danger, I’d
say she was out of the woods.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s great! That’s, that’s great news!” He finally
exhaled and gave Scott a big hug. “Can I see her?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Absolutely Mr. Knight. She’s being moved into a private room now.
Just speak with someone at the nurses’ station and they’ll kindly get her ICU bay number for you.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you, thank you again Dr. Pullman.” Brett and Scott
rushed off in the direction of the front desk and waited for the on-duty to pull
up the information before heading upstairs to her room. Entering quietly, they
watched the nurse set up her IV drip and test her vitals before leaving and
took seats beside her. Brett leaned over and pressed a deep kiss into her lips
as he watched the machines report her status. “It still doesn’t seem real,” he
started as he took her hand into his. “The last time she was in a hospital we
were celebrating the arrival of the twins and I couldn’t remember being happier
and now this. And the only thing I can think is…had I taken the assignment
instead, she wouldn’t be here right now.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t do that Brett. The last thing Yve needs right now is
for you to blame yourself for what has happened to her. If you need to blame
someone then blame the one who put her here. Hunt down the son of a bitch and
show him that he can’t just disrupt our lives like this.” Scott sat a moment
longer with Yvette before pressing concerns drew him from her bedside. He
stepped into the hallway to make a call and ensure agents were making progress
with Yvette’s case.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You failed!” A scratchy voice announced over the phone’s
speaker, growling fiercely in the man’s ear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>What are you talking
about? I got the Intel and took out both agents before leaving.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then your shooting skills leave much to be desired! Agent
Knight survived. She’s in the hospital now, I’m looking at her father and
husband standing by her bedside!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>That’s…that’s not
possible, she wasn’t breathing and had no pulse! Fuck! What are we going to do?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“‘We’ aren’t doing anything! You’d better get your ass to
MedStar and finish what you started before they find out you couldn’t complete
a simple mission! We cannot and will not risk her waking up and fingering you
as the trigger man! Take care of her or I’ll take care of you.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mr. Knight?” a nurse entered the room with a clipboard in
hand. “We have a few papers for you to sign for your wife’s treatment if you
don’t mind.” Brett gently pecked Yvette’s forehead before starting out behind
the nurse towards her station, passing Scott in the hallway near the vending
machines.<br />
<br />
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<br />
A man dressed in a doctor’s uniform entered once their backs
were turned. Moving quickly he removed a syringe from his pocket and stepped
towards the bed preparing to inject the clear liquid into the IV. “What are you
doing?” a voice asked behind him. He turned in fear to find a scared nurse and
hurried to the door as she slowly began backing out of the room. With a hand
covering her mouth, the man hastily injected the liquid into her arm and waited
as her body slowly slipped to the floor. <i>Shit</i>,
he thought as he glanced over towards Yvette.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Thinking on his feet, he pulled the nurse’s body into a
corner, ran forward and leaned over the unconscious agent. Yvette awoke to find
icy cold fingers curled around her neck, pressing and clenching tightly. She
fought back instinctively, her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what
was happening. Short, ragged sighs escaped her throat as she tried to pry the
fingers away in vain. Blood gushed from the ripped stitches on her chest and
her heartbeat quickened as panic set in. She reached for the nurse’s call
button but the man moved quicker, pulling her away before her hand could wrap
around the control.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The ache in her upper body grew worse by the minute as she
writhed beneath his grasp and slowly the world started to spin and fade. Every
sound grew duller, her vision more blurred as hot tears stung her eyes. The man
tightened his grip as Yvette started to fumble to get a hold of anything she
could find to pry his large, meaty paws from around her throat. He could feel
her pulse strumming harder like a frightened rabbit and her fear exhilarated
him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A maniacal laugh echoed between her ears mixed with the
sounds of her choking and sputtering. Her heart, once quickly thumping in her
chest, slowed in rhythm as his fingers continued to squeeze. This man was
determined to take the life away from her and as the burning in her lungs
increased, Yvette knew there was no escape.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
But she wouldn’t give up so easily. In a last ditch effort, Yvette
reached for his face and felt her nails connect with flesh; scratching the surgical
mask from his mouth. The crazed look in his eyes terrified her as his grip
became tighter and tighter. She clawed harder; his blood splashed on her face
as she felt herself weaken. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The thudding of footsteps was a welcomed sound as she felt
her hands fall to her sides and her eyes slowly begin to close. The grip on her
neck loosened and Yvette let out a loud sigh as she took in a large breath. “Mercer!?
You son of a bitch!” The voice was familiar, the name the same but she was
unable to process what was happening as her senses slowly recovered.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She could hear the sounds of a struggle, large objects falling
to the floor with a crash as two men grunted just somewhere at her feet. Yvette
opened one eye at a time to see her husband grappling with an older man. <i>Gerald Mercer</i>. Brett took a solid right
to the face and was knocked back against Scott who had just reentered the room.
The two hit the floor hard and Mercer jumped over the fallen agents as he
quickly scurried down the hall. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hurriedly Brett jumped to his feet giving chase as several
shelves of medical supplies and other objects were thrown in his path in
Mercer’s desperate attempt to escape. “Call security, have them shut this place
down!” Brett growled a command to the nurses’ station as he rushed past. A fire
alarm was pulled and several patients flooded the halls looking for an exit
from the perceived danger. “Move!” Brett yelled, pushing panicked civilians
from his path. Entering another hallway he checked both directions for the
fleeing man before catching sight of him just through the last double doors
leading outside.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett promptly moved forward, his feet pounding the pavement
as he emerged into the emptying swarm of patients and hospital staff but it was
too late. Mercer had disappeared into the crowded parking lot. “FUCK!” He fell
forward onto his knees as he struggled to catch his breath, checking the
multitude of faces as he passed but Mercer was nowhere in sight.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/07/s7-chapter-06-bald-eagle.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-23662936069450462412014-06-05T07:35:00.000-04:002014-06-19T13:35:25.793-04:00S7: Chapter 04: Black Veil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette pulled into the underground parking garage and waited
for the light indicator in front of her to turn from red to green before
unlocking her door and heading towards the elevator. Once there she entered a
five digit pin code into the number pad and listened as the lift slowly rotated
down to meet her. A slight breeze hit her arms as a chill swirled within the
concrete structure and she checked the area around her for any signs of
movement. Moments like these reminded her of her favorite spy novel as a child,
<u>Shadowed Night</u>. <i>There’s always
someone lurking in the shadows</i>, she smiled to herself, remembering the
book’s tagline.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shaking it off, she exited the elevator into a long white
hall and started towards the main office. “Glad you could make it,” Ethan’s
smiling face greeted her once she entered the building and the control room
he’d shown her on her first trip to Sycom. “You remember Kimberly and Ssgt.
Vanguard?” Yvette nodded and silently spoke her greeting towards the other two
occupants in the room as Ethan continued forward towards a standing computer
console. “I called you here because we just got word that the Delegate is
getting ready for a big play.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Delegate? I thought they were underground; how do you
know when they are moving?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We have eyes on the members at all times.” </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“So much for a secretive group why didn’t you tell me that
before? Ethan these people had a hand in what happened to Mom; why would you
keep this from me?” Ethan turned and saw the look in his daughter’s eyes as she
asked the question. She was nearly pleading for resolution but there was none
to give that she hadn’t heard a million times before. </div>
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“You’re here now Yvie and I’m telling you now,” Ethan
responded doing his best not to let his emotions come into play. “Theodore
Jameson is part of the arms conspiracy hitting the Hill and from what I
understand you and your team are already hot on the trail of the weapons
manufacturer.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Theodore Jameson? <i>Senator</i>
Theodore Jameson?” Yvette asked and moved closer towards the center console.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One and the same; he’s a known member of the Delegate,” Kim
responded and pulled up his profile on the screen. “He is one of the first
actually. Jameson’s primary responsibilities within the Delegate concern clandestine
missions at home and abroad. He most certainly would have been the one to assign
your mother to the mission that took her life.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette breathed in deeply as she read through the profile
Sycom had on him and closed her eyes as a set of hot tears threatened to fall.
“I want him,” she growled and slowly released her breath to calm her nerves. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And I knew you would,” Ethan responded, handing her a file
folder on everything they had been able to uncover. But a large portion of the
report had been redacted. Yvette turned the page around to Ethan, questioning
the concealment of the document. “CIA; we get some information from
unauthorized locations and much of it comes with blinders but we’re usually
capable of reading between the lines.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have a friend who could get me the entire file, unedited.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not so sure that’s a great idea,” Ssgt Vanguard started
to protest. “We don’t want too many eyes and ears on this mission; it’s vital
that we get in and get out of Jameson’s office unobserved.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Like I said, he’s a friend, one I can trust completely and
one that I’ve had to depend on a time or two when things got rough. He can get
me the information I need without drawing attention. Besides I prefer it this
way. I’m not taking chances going into something blind; it’s what gets people
killed.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette’s right and I don’t want to send her into something
with half of the information. If you’re sure you can trust this friend of yours
then use him, wisely.” Yvette took one last look at the picture of Senator
Jameson before turning and heading for the garage.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you sure about this?” Vanguard asked once she’d exited
the room. “She may not be ready for what’s to come, especially if she’s
depending on others to get her information she needs.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“My daughter was born for this kind of work. She’s been
training for it her whole life and has run countless successful operations. If
anyone can get it done, it’s her. She’s ready, trust me.”<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette slid the folder onto the driver seat of her car and leaned
against it for a moment. She steadied herself on her door as a flurry of
emotions hit her all at once. Being this close to the end of everything felt
unbelievable and she found herself fighting the draw to celebrate. It wasn’t
over; not yet. But the higher she climbed to the top, the fresher the air
seemed to get. Slipping her cell phone from her back pocket she punched in the
number to her CIA contact and smiled when he answered the phone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Black Bird! And here
I thought I’d have to surgically unhinge you from your gun before I got another
call. How’ve you been?</i>” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m sorry Gabriel but you know friendship is a two-way
street you could just as easily pick up a phone to say hi. It’s been two months
but I’ve been trying my best to take it easy. You get the recent pictures of
the kids?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I did, they are
adorable! But I would expect nothing less with you as their mother. And you,
taking it easy? Who are you and what have you done with my Raven?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s still here and still working as always. And it’s about the reason I called, I need a favor.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>A favor. What kind of favor? The kind that gets me linked into some conspiracy and has me on the run for my life OR the kind where I’ll get shot at a few days out of the week until you permanently resolve the threat?</i>”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
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“The kind where you can stay behind your desk and lick an
envelope to get me what I need. It’s a file on a person of interest; Theodore
Jameson.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Uh Yve, you are aware
that Jameson is a Senator and most information about him is concealed; well
what the scandalous reporters haven’t dug up that is. And most of that is just
media fodder to keep the public entertained. Certain political figures are
seriously off limits when it comes to the news and public knowledge</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes I know Gabe that’s why I called you. I have a redacted
report on the Senator that I need to see clean. I was really hoping you could
help me out with that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a long pause over the line Gabriel finally sighed and
she could hear his fingers running over his keyboard. “<i>What do you need?</i>” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Everything you got.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I tell ya what, I’ll
dip into my cache of favors and pull every shred of information we have on
Jameson if</i>…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If what Gabe?” Yvette asked holding her breath. She already
knew what was coming next. It was the same something that she’d been avoiding
since she became a field agent and her friend was stuck behind a desk for the
life of his career. He wanted out and on a mission where he could do more than
carry a gun on his side and take notes.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>If you take me with
you</i>.” She exhaled and closed her eyes, shaking her head negatively as if he
could see her. “<i>Come on Yve, I know
there’s a huge mission involved here otherwise you wouldn’t be demanding all of
this guy’s information. I want in and I’m not taking no for an answer</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s too dangerous Gabe I can’t risk it. You have very
little field experience and one wrong move could get us both killed!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Was I or was I not a
part of this thing from the start? I proved myself with you in the field once
before Yvette and everything worked out great! I can do this, trust me</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know Gabriel. I really don’t. I can’t take
responsibility for having you out in the open like that. It’s 100% against CIA
policy and the Company would have my head if something happened to you on my
watch. No, I can’t.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Fine. Good luck
getting to Jameson without me</i>.” She could hear him smiling on the other
end. He had her over a barrel and he knew it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette growled in irritation and sighed before responding.
“Why do you want to be in the field again? After everything that’s happened one
would think you’d have seen enough action to last a lifetime.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Yeah well pushing
paperwork can become quite a chore when you’ve had the experience of bullets
whizzing past your head. I’ve been on the fast track to field work for the
Agency. I just now passed my marksman exam; I got a 98</i>.” He strummed his
fingers against the desk, listening for the sound of defeat from her end. “<i>So…is that a yes?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s an ‘I’ll think about it’.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Good. Pick me up
around 6 at Dupont Circle and we can get this thing planned out</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I said I’ll think about it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Which isn’t a no.
I’ll be waiting for you</i>.” He hung up the phone and Yvette threw her cell
into the passenger seat before finally pulling away from the building heading
back to FBI Headquarters. She entered the unit room to find only Brett and
Dustin and waited for her husband to fill her in.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sYSzlvn023w/U3pegx4bwvI/AAAAAAAAfe8/lRfiHQ6jwSY/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sYSzlvn023w/U3pegx4bwvI/AAAAAAAAfe8/lRfiHQ6jwSY/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey,” he smiled and gently pecked her cheek. “What did the
Eagle want?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett had taken to calling Ethan by animal names that
started with an E, the latest one being “Eagle”. It left Yvette guessing who he was referring
to until she realized what he was doing. It stopped him from mentioning the
name of a man supposedly dead and kept the risk of exposure to a minimum. “Uh
he needs me to run an Op for him later on; I’ll give you the details when I
know more,” she responded, not sure how much she could say within the walls of
the office. “Where are the others?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ryan is tracking down leads on one of our old gun dealing
friends to see if they’ve any knowledge about the missile and where it could
have come from. And Victor is running surveillance on a few Secret Service agents
from President Bahii’s list. Dustin’s getting bugs ready for planting in some
of their more frequented places.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wow, sounds like you boys have been busy. Anything I can do
to help?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nope, we have everything under control. I will want to talk
more about this thing with Eagle though.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ipktuee5KHQ/U3peigz4nBI/AAAAAAAAffY/PJv-dRb2ZMg/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ipktuee5KHQ/U3peigz4nBI/AAAAAAAAffY/PJv-dRb2ZMg/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I would expect nothing less,” Yvette smiled and checked the
time. It was two hours before she was scheduled to meet Gabriel and she wanted
to spend that time polishing up on her strategy for getting into the Senator’s
office and mapping out an exit route. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Brett got a moment, he found her in the library looking
over a map and took a seat at the table across from her. “Do I even want to
know?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think the question is ‘should I tell you?’” Yvette
replied and leaned back in her seat. “It’s just a reconnaissance mission; I’m
to enter the office of one Senator Theodore Jameson and collect any and all
data related to clandestine activities.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sounds easy enough,” he responded and looked over some of
the paperwork sitting in front of her. “Escape route?” She nodded as he went
through her plans before pulling away from the table. “Do you want me to tag
along?”</div>
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IlbhgUpEFj8/U3peiNDZs0I/AAAAAAAAffM/cg2xlywhcZ0/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IlbhgUpEFj8/U3peiNDZs0I/AAAAAAAAffM/cg2xlywhcZ0/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh no, there’s no need. I’ll be in and out. Besides, I promised
Gabe he could come with.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Gabe? How’s he doing?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fine. He said he’s working on becoming a field agent,”
Yvette laughed lightly at the look on her husband’s face. “Yeah that was my
reaction too. Apparently he enjoyed life on the run and being shot at. So
tonight, I’m taking him on a trial run. You know, picking a few locks, hacking
a couple of passwords and making copies of secret documents; the simple stuff.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Should be fun! I mean, it’s no shootout but it’s the
typical agent work. If you need backup, call me Yve.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Like you said, should be easy enough. But you’re on my
speed dial if not.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Be careful out there. I love you. See you when you get
home.” He kissed her forehead and left her to her work. Forty
minutes later she pulled up in front of Dupont Circle and waited for Gabriel to
hop into the car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5f74cgzKeo/U3pej5Z3E8I/AAAAAAAAffU/QOlK_nQafBs/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5f74cgzKeo/U3pej5Z3E8I/AAAAAAAAffU/QOlK_nQafBs/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOzZfFuzIiM/U3pelP2zn_I/AAAAAAAAffc/F8nKrEFwDzg/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOzZfFuzIiM/U3pelP2zn_I/AAAAAAAAffc/F8nKrEFwDzg/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey Partner!” Gabriel greeted her with a smile and tossed a bag
into the backseat. “So what’s on the agenda today?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You are WAY too happy about this, Gabe.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you kidding me? My first official UN-official mission
with you? I’m THRILLED!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s in the bag?” she asked circling around the plaza
before pulling off onto Connecticut Avenue towards 16<sup>th</sup> street.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh my ‘Go’ bag? Just my spy stuff,” Gabriel responded with
a smirk and Yvette shot him a sideways glance. “Seriously I have the latest in
technology; Poly-Thermal scanner with DNA detection, Invisible ear bud wireless
transmitter with video Bluetooth recording, 32-piece lock picking set, Fingerprinting
kit and I couldn’t forget the all important black jumpsuit and rain slicker. I
also brought my laptop so that I can keep track of the video in real time.” Yvette
laughed and shook her head towards her friend. “What? Be prepared, it’s the Boy
Scout motto!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BwanUAI05t4/U3peoxY78MI/AAAAAAAAffo/dYKBvH71zfA/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BwanUAI05t4/U3peoxY78MI/AAAAAAAAffo/dYKBvH71zfA/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P84jv1fDvqM/U3pepepvsiI/AAAAAAAAffw/JpBjluG-_iM/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P84jv1fDvqM/U3pepepvsiI/AAAAAAAAffw/JpBjluG-_iM/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette stopped in front of a brownstone on East Capitol Street
around the corner from their destination on 2<sup>nd</sup> Street. “Alright
here’s the deal Gabe, we’re going in to look around and recover sensitive
information. I need to find anything related to a group called the Delegate or
any government or non-government sanctioned missions at home and abroad.
Anything pertaining to Sycom, the Company, CIA, FBI or any one of the other 700
acronyms involved in clandestine operations.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qf0535wE1vU/U3peqEWeuVI/AAAAAAAAff4/5CRAkNRNB68/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qf0535wE1vU/U3peqEWeuVI/AAAAAAAAff4/5CRAkNRNB68/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Roger. So I guess I didn’t need to pack my gun?” He smiled
and climbed out of the car. Grabbing his bag from the backseat he tossed on the
jumpsuit he’d packed and holstered his weapon on his hip. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Yvette replied after he
finished gearing up and followed her around the corner. “Stay close once we’re
inside and keep your comm. on at all times.” Watching as Yvette skillfully
picked the lock to the office building, Gabriel slipped in behind her, keeping
the door propped opened slightly for a faster getaway.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So what is the Delegate anyway?” he asked once they’d made
their way into Senator Jameson’s office.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kJn-752-Mr4/U3perLmJ4GI/AAAAAAAAff8/rXsmEBh8kck/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kJn-752-Mr4/U3perLmJ4GI/AAAAAAAAff8/rXsmEBh8kck/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s a group of ex-operatives involved in some dark op
missions that’s costing Federal agents their lives and the U.S. government a
whole lot of money. You’ve read about the recent terrorist attacks?” Gabriel
nodded and took lead towards the frosted glass door. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pulling out his lockpicking kit he turned with a smile, “I
got this one,” and began undoing the lock.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s belief that the Delegate are behind the missile
weapon discovered recently as well as funding several overseas terrorist organizations
to attack the U.S.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why would they do that to their own government?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JWHXNQAhqfI/U3petcGfiLI/AAAAAAAAfgE/LmJHldg5AL0/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JWHXNQAhqfI/U3petcGfiLI/AAAAAAAAfgE/LmJHldg5AL0/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Power and money, what else? They seem to be trying to take
over the country while watching it burn so they can be the king of its ashes.”
The door opened with a pop and Gabriel led Yvette inside the office and shut
the door behind him. Turning on his flashlight earpiece, he began searching the
filing cabinets nearest the door while Yvette took a seat behind the desk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-MI-ikbTuc/U3pew7JH0SI/AAAAAAAAfgg/K0U1aKBRZ9s/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-MI-ikbTuc/U3pew7JH0SI/AAAAAAAAfgg/K0U1aKBRZ9s/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Tax papers, bank statements, business accounts, credit card
reports…nothing really interesting over here,” Gabriel reported and moved
towards the next set of cabinets against the wall behind Yvette who sat busily
skimming around Jameson’s personal computer. “So you think this guy has
something to do with the threats against Congress? The MGS International Summit
incident.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ITZZj8j0Sk/U3peuSoDjbI/AAAAAAAAfgU/F2MzWKM6EaM/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ITZZj8j0Sk/U3peuSoDjbI/AAAAAAAAfgU/F2MzWKM6EaM/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“All signs point to yes,” she responded as he opened the
second cabinet and pulled a large stack of folders from the middle drawer. “Oh
my God, Gabe I think I’ve found it!” Yvette remarked excitedly as she continued
clicking through the files and folders on the Senator’s desktop. Leaning
forward he glanced over her shoulder and gave a quick read of one document in
particular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Shit Yve, this…this is mission details on Black Veil! Wait
a second the Senator was involved with what happened to your Mom?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And a few other ops where agents were lost apparently! Do
you have any idea what we’ve stumbled on here?” she asked as several more
Delegate driven operations popped up on the screen. They had their hands in
nearly every facet of government and it seemed many terrorist attacks recently
attributed to parties overseas had been perpetrated by citizens living in the
U.S.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sSjnduQRI9Q/U3peul-GpbI/AAAAAAAAfgQ/SGosjdTWYiY/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sSjnduQRI9Q/U3peul-GpbI/AAAAAAAAfgQ/SGosjdTWYiY/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, a government conspiracy large enough to rip this
entire country apart! Get the copies made, I’ll check and see what other
treasures may be buried here.” Gabriel moved towards a large painting hanging
above the bar near the back of the room. Using a Poly-Thermal X-ray Scanner, he
checked the wall for a safe and smiled as the picture flickered on his monitor.
He pulled the picture from the wall and slowly ran through the slides of the
safe combination until it opened.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYqcHcfqQX4/U3q-e6Yt0QI/AAAAAAAAfhY/Xs0SxH4lbJ8/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYqcHcfqQX4/U3q-e6Yt0QI/AAAAAAAAfhY/Xs0SxH4lbJ8/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pulling a large briefcase from inside, it didn’t take him
long to come across some of the key points Yvette mentioned she was looking for
and he quickly called her attention. “Uh, Vette, I think you might want to see
this.” She took the folder from him and sat it on the sideboard between the
filing cabinets to have a look at it as Gabriel continued looking through the
paperwork in the safe. “Fake passports, fake IDs, different world currencies
and even a wax model for making false fingerprints; who is this guy? And why
did we elect him as Senator?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QYkMwP-Zhjc/U3pex6BfIhI/AAAAAAAAfgk/vnoipjvc-Yc/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QYkMwP-Zhjc/U3pex6BfIhI/AAAAAAAAfgk/vnoipjvc-Yc/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’d be surprised what’s in most politicians’ closets,”
she sighed and continued turning through the file in front of her. “Holy shit…”
she paused and pulled a stack of photographs out of the back of the folder. “It
wasn’t about my mother; it was never about my mother.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are you talking about?” Gabriel asked and moved closer
towards where Yvette stood over the file cabinet sifting through folders.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Everything that’s happened has all been because of me.”
Gabriel pulled the folder from Yvette’s hands and began sorting through it.
Hundreds upon hundreds of pictures of Yvette as a child, teen, adult; most from
when her mother and Scott was training her from the age of 13 and even more
from her time at Quantico. In addition to the photographic timeline were pages
of reports by different field agents and their observations in the
Davis/Phillips’ household and how well training was going with the 15 year old
Yvette Evans.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkPHC6lYs3U/U3pezFL-g1I/AAAAAAAAfgs/QvUSHRQDgOQ/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkPHC6lYs3U/U3pezFL-g1I/AAAAAAAAfgs/QvUSHRQDgOQ/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell does all this mean Black Bird? Whoever killed
your mother was just trying to get her out of the way? For what? Why would they
be interested in her teenage daughter? That makes no sense.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“All this time I thought they were after her because of her
work to stop the gun running for the Sinaloa drug cartel but that wasn’t it at
all. It was the mission she was on when she was killed, stopping a rogue CIA
operative from handing over a cache of weapons but it was just coincidence.” A
number marked at the bottom of the page sparked her memory and she recalled
seeing a similar annotation on one of the files she’d opened earlier.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cpjTm6rinT4/U3pe0aE9xLI/AAAAAAAAfg4/Gq-8eGM0MUA/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cpjTm6rinT4/U3pe0aE9xLI/AAAAAAAAfg4/Gq-8eGM0MUA/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t get it Vette, how does that relate to you at all?
You were just a kid,” Gabriel asked, watching as she quickly worked through the
computer files again. He leaned over, recording her keystrokes and making
copies with his Bluetooth camera.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know.” She replied slowly chewing her bottom lip.
“But someone was following us since we moved to Bridgeport. And I think I know
who might have answers as to why.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your dad?” Gabriel asked and continued filming the items
with his mini-cam.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Yvette turned towards the sound of the door opening in front of them. Standing upright, shock was written on her face as the cloaked figure
stepped into the light of the room and shut the door. “It was you?”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“Who is…?” Before either of them had a chance to react, the
figure retrieved a gun from a hip holster and aimed.</div>
<br />
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Four shots were fired. Two hit Gabriel dropping him instantly.
The other two caught Yvette dead center. She fell against the sideboard behind
the desk, hitting her head against the wall before bouncing off the hardwood
floor beneath her. The shooter took a few steps towards her, checking her for a
pulse before slipping something into her pocket. Checking Gabriel’s body for a
pulse as well, a wicked laugh echoed through the office before the door opened
once more and the shooter escaped into the night.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/06/s7-chapter-05-like-mother-like-daughter.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-12691545071093639252014-05-22T07:32:00.000-04:002019-01-28T14:04:42.091-05:00S7: Chapter 03: Paper Planes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
**<b> Author's note:</b> Well now, here we are again! (Finally) This chapter took quite a bit of doing. Besides not being able to recolor (materializing materials bug) I had the hardest time finding the words. Well! This chapter is 16pgs long in MSWord with 158 images (not counting the Bonus section) and 10,290 word count. Calling it "epic" would be putting it mildly! So. I guess suffice it to say, the writer's block is over! Enjoy :) **</div>
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“Who puts a pizza place next to a bridal shop?” Lien asked
as she, Mica and Yvette rounded the plaza towards the Heirloom Bridal Boutique.
They’d been shopping since 7:00 a.m. going from one shop to the next in search of
the perfect wedding attire for Bride, Groom and the wedding party. Heirloom
would make store number eighteen by Yvette’s count. By the time they made it to
Peacock Square at 3:00 p.m., all three women were nearly dead on their feet.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Unless the pizza place was here first and the bridal shop
came later; ruining weddings since the dawning of time,” Yvette joked as the
trio headed inside.</div>
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“This one’s nice,” Mica noted as she pulled a strapless
chiffon A-line dress from the rack in front of her. “What do you think?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think my brother has commented one too many times about
your hips. I doubt he’d want to see you in something that unflattering on his
big day.” </div>
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“His day?” Mica looked up in shock. “You’re here to help me, what do you mean his day?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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“Actually my dearest sister-in-law I volunteered to come with
you on behalf of Dustin. I’m protecting his interests in your dress choices, I
promised him so.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette laughed as Mica pretended to pout and placed the
dress back on the hanger. “I guess you’d better look for something more…form
fitting.”</div>
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“If Dustin has it his way I’ll be in a spandex minidress
attached by Velcro; easy on, easy off.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Funny, he did mention something about Velcro.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“And if you cut him off before the wedding day, I expect you’ll
likely end up with a baby after consummation. It happened to me.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yve, you were pregnant BEFORE the wedding!”</div>
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<br /></div>
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“That’s mostly beside the point,” Yvette laughed again as
Mica moved to another display of dresses near the register.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What did you do with your dress, Yve?”</div>
<br />
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“Oh you know it’s one of those things you put in a closet
and save in hopes your daughter wants to use it later. But by then I’m sure the
style will be old and I’ll be met with some resistance. I didn’t really know
what to do with it once I was done with it. It’s in the back of our closet
though; a nice reminder of a semi-tragic day.” She and Lien gathered a few
selections from varied racks and watched as Mica took a seat in the fitting
area.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This is fun. You’re sort of like a life-sized doll we get
to play dress up with.” Lien laughed at the scowl Mica directed at her and held
up the first dress for her future sister-in-law’s approval while Yvette did the
same.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hmm I’d like something floor length. It doesn’t have to
have a train though. No lace and no taffeta.”</div>
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“Try these,” Yvette responded, narrowing the pile of potentials down to just three. Mica went into the back, trying each of them on. She modeled the first two, getting furrowed brows and disapproving glances from her female companions before she too realized they weren’t what she had in mind.</div>
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On her final trip from the back room she stopped in front of
the mirror and gasped. It was a strapless, floor-length fitted gown made of satin
with a trumpet bottom and ribboned waist. The accompanying rose could be customized
to fit the bride’s wedding colors, or so the tag touted, and the dress wasn’t
as loose as the first two. “So what do you think?” Mica asked, striking a pose in
front of them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“It’s great! It has your qualifications and there are a few
matching options for Bridesmaids that won’t make me scratch my eyes out,”
Yvette responded, analyzing the gown as Mica did a spin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Plus it accentuates your ass, I mean curves so you have my vote on behalf
of Dustin.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Perfect! Now I need to decide if I’ll go with a traditional
veil or not. Alright ladies, I’m gonna go and get dressed while you two decide
where we’re having lunch.”<br />
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Yvette glanced at Lien and with a small nod the two silently
agreed. “I guess this is why this pizza place is here after all,” Mica remarked, taking a seat near the main counter of Antonio’s Pizzeria.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep! That Antonio is one smart man.”</div>
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“I see why Wedding Planners get paid top dollar!” Lien
commented, slumping into her seat, “This is an all day event!”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No kidding. I think if I see another rose bouquet or laced
pillow I’m gonna puke. I really hope you appreciate this Mica! I didn’t do half
of this for my own wedding. Thankfully Brett handled most if not all of the
arrangements.”</div>
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“Is it my fault that stores sell half a set in one place and
the other pieces are scattered among the remaining five locations? I have the
wedding of my dreams in mind and I want to make it the day to remember. Hey,
look at it this way at least I’m not a total Bridezilla. Everyone helping has
been able to retain their sanity,” Mica smiled as she looked over towards
Yvette. “Well what’s left of it. And of course I appreciate this! It’s been
fun. I’m just so excited! I cannot wait for Friday to get here. Las Vegas here
we come!”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, that’s definitely one way of saying ‘thank you’. A
bachelorette party in Sin City!”</div>
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<br />
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“Alright so invitations have been sent, RSVPs received,
guest list is all prepared and Brett was able to convince the man in charge for
extra PTO for the two nights in Vegas and two in Waikiki. Hey, where’s your sister anyway? As
Maid of Honor all of this stuff Lien and I’ve been doing this last week is on
her.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Christina was supposed to fly in from Atlanta a week before
the first shopping trip but had apparent ‘scheduling conflicts’ as she put it.
She’s gonna meet up with us in Las Vegas. She did say however that she was able
to book the rooms at Mandalay Bay so we will have a place to stay once we get
there. She got us the X3 Suites, two bedrooms, featuring a king and two
queens, private bath in each bedroom, views of the beach, dining room area with
seating for 4, wireless and hi-speed Internet, mini-bar and in-room safe.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nice! Dare I ask how much that’s going to cost? She is
aware there’s quite a few people in the wedding party right?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“$5,710.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whoa,” Yvette whistled and looked over at the worried
expression on Mica’s face. “The only thing I want to know is do we all get our
own beds?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“$5,710 for a two-night stay and you think I’m sharing a bed with
any of you? I call dibs on the king.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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“Dibs? You’re the Bride. You have to flip for it like the
rest of us,” Yvette joked before diving into her slice. “At least one thing’s
for sure, this will be a trip to remember!”<br />
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“Viva Las Vegas!” Christina yelled as she sat atop the backseat
in Mica’s rented convertible. “Ah, I love the fresh scent of money!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whatever,” Mica laughed gazing back at her baby sister with
a smile. “You’d better sit your behind down before we smell the fresh scent of
your bloody roadkill!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh come on Mica, we’re moving all of five miles per hour
with this traffic. If I fall and bust my ass then I certainly deserve it. Not
giving you any ideas, Yve,” she added looking at her behind the wheel as a
smirk played on her lips.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Would I do a thing like that? Gosh if something were to
happen to Mica’s Maid of Honor then I’d be the one forced to wear that…awesome
dress she’s chosen for you,” Yvette changed her sarcastic tone as she noticed
the Bride-to-be staring at her in displeasure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did you really pick out an ugly dress for me, Crazy? Because
I’m boycotting this ish if you did.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“What do you mean? You haven’t seen it yet?” Lien asked
laughing as Christina fell into the seat when Yvette came to a sudden stop.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. I’ve been away for work so I trusted my big sister would
do me justice and not try and get revenge for the time she found a frog in her
lunchbox.” Christina burst into laughter thinking about the pranks she
and her sister pulled on each other as kids. “It was a harmless joke Mica! I
had no idea it would have made a home in your sandwich and you’d bite into its
leg!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That was FAR from harmless Chrissy! I was puking for a week
because of that!” </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’re here!” Christina jumped from the backseat and started
into the lobby. “I’ll send someone out to grab the bags.” She hurried up to the
front desk to check the group in. “Can you tell me if the Kimura group has
arrived?” The clerk gave her a look before Christina added, “Same credit card.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One moment,” the woman behind the desk smiled as she tapped
away on her keyboard. “Yes, Mr. Kimura arrived about twenty minutes ago with a
group of gentlemen. They have checked into the other room reserved under your name.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you.” Christina followed the bellhop out of the door
and danced her way to her sister. “The boys are here!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great! Let’s get up to the rooms. I’m dying to see what
$700 per person per night looks like.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So what’s first on the agenda?” Brandy asked once the group
had selected their beds and put their bags away. “I’m dying to see the Blue Man
group and Cirque du Soleil!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation crime solver game,”
Mica proposed as she skimmed through a tour pamphlet near the minibar.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not sure someone who works around this type of thing
every day would want to spend her time looking at it on her vacation too,” Lien
reminded the group and all eyes fell on Yvette. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Oh! I hear you can race an American Muscle car down at the
Las Vegas speedway! It might be fun to climb behind the wheel of one of those bad
boys and go 120 mph without worrying about a ticket,” Christina suggested.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, hell no, absolutely not!” Mica immediately vetoed her
sister’s choice of entertainment. Christina turned with a confused look on her
face as Mica continued refusing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette stifled a laugh and Lien turned to inquire about her
in-law’s quick rejection on what seemed like a great idea. “Didn’t you hear?
Mica’s done with high speeds. It seems fast cars and bombs are a little too
much for the animal doc to handle.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“SHE NEARLY BLEW ME UP!” Mica accused.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whoa no that is not how it went down at all. Is it my fault
the day you decide to drive me to the spa is the same day some nut job strapped
a car bomb to my accelerator? Besides, you made it out without a scratch!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right! On top of the fear of being nearly decimated and
burned alive, she had me crawl out of the driver’s window of one moving car
into the passenger window of another!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s forgetting I was six months pregnant with twins at
the time! And look, she’s here to tell the tale! I’d say I did a damn good
job!”</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No car racing, not for me. I don’t even want to watch,
sorry. Think of something else.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Well we could always hit the casinos,” Yvette suggested
instead. “And maybe a bit of girl time at the spa.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kRop6DjQZVM/U3Y1FLz2nkI/AAAAAAAAfJM/VAXZPO3lX7A/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kRop6DjQZVM/U3Y1FLz2nkI/AAAAAAAAfJM/VAXZPO3lX7A/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I sort of promised my future husband I wouldn’t
gamble.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Now I am contesting that! We can’t stay away from the
slots! That’s half the fun of coming to Vegas!” Christina shrieked. “You can at
least watch that!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Seconded,” Yvette replied. “You can’t let your fiancé
dictate the rules for YOUR bachelorette party. And trust me if you gave him
any, Brett, Ryan and Victor are making sure they get broken!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Fine we can go but I have to limit what I spend; unless
someone wants to front the Bride a portion of her wedding gift?”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sas2h3xJg1Q/U3Y1FZZ77wI/AAAAAAAAfJQ/0xFEXOEx6SU/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sas2h3xJg1Q/U3Y1FZZ77wI/AAAAAAAAfJQ/0xFEXOEx6SU/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She assumes we planned on giving her money on her wedding?”
Brandy asked with a laugh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s tradition!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So is a bouquet full of sage but I didn’t see you requesting
herbs and spices when we were out shopping.” Yvette mocked with a smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright so what casinos are we going to?” Mica asked and
watched the others excitement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s the spirit, Crazy! Let’s leave a mark on this town.”<br />
<br />
“As long as it doesn’t leave a mark in my pocket I’m all for it,” Lien commented as she followed Christina and Brandy out the door.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AuxRvpgl7OU/U3Y1HFpaF6I/AAAAAAAAfJY/1J9M98Ju8XI/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AuxRvpgl7OU/U3Y1HFpaF6I/AAAAAAAAfJY/1J9M98Ju8XI/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This is gonna be fun.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I wonder what the boys are up to,” Mica sighed as they
waited on the elevator.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Strippers, beer and betting,” Yvette offered with a smile
as she watched the frown grow on the soon to be bride’s face. “I wouldn’t worry
about them though. We’ll have our own strippers to entertain us soon.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I like the way this one thinks,” Christina cheered and stepped
into the lift.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And maybe afterwards we can go diving with the sharks at
Shark Reef,” Yvette continued.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nope, scratch that. She’s crazy.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWOB8eYu1DE/U3Y1KmUNL9I/AAAAAAAAfJk/4WkvrQvpEr8/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWOB8eYu1DE/U3Y1KmUNL9I/AAAAAAAAfJk/4WkvrQvpEr8/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I told you,” Mica grinned and felt for the missing strap on
her shoulder. “Crap I gotta go back up, I forgot my purse. I’ll meet you guys
near the car.” She let the others climb off the elevator and started back to
the room. The chime dinged and she exited onto their floor, fishing around her
pocket for the room key. “Um excuse me?” Mica paused as she walked in on a man
rummaging through the bags in one of the rooms.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1s4lQ4jw0N8/U3Y1LIVazhI/AAAAAAAAfJs/88rFsLByJxI/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1s4lQ4jw0N8/U3Y1LIVazhI/AAAAAAAAfJs/88rFsLByJxI/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He glanced towards her and she looked at the nametag on his
uniform as he tried to smile and talk his way out of the situation. “I am…Bob,”
he replied with a heavy Russian accent after reading the name on his shirt.
“Room service. I put away bags.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re not room service,” Mica took a step back and gasped
in surprise as the man charged for her.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--mZw1ERTOoc/U3Y3VA3NAbI/AAAAAAAAfP4/-bcJTTPZE0s/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--mZw1ERTOoc/U3Y3VA3NAbI/AAAAAAAAfP4/-bcJTTPZE0s/s1600/Screenshot-02.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hwlWXwD39Bo/U3Y3VB_q1nI/AAAAAAAAfPw/AgxlOk9BldE/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hwlWXwD39Bo/U3Y3VB_q1nI/AAAAAAAAfPw/AgxlOk9BldE/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Come on, come on! Damn!” Victor grunted as he found the
phrase ‘always bet on black’ to be more myth than reality.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hell yes, Lady Luck, come to Papa!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know you jinxed me right? It’s bad luck to bet against
your best man. You screwed with my Mojo.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And you my friend should learn how to play the odds a
little better!” Dustin grinned and racked his chips into a holder.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, I’m down four months of car payments,” he sighed, following
Dustin towards the bar. “What’s next?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I was thinking about hitting up one of those ‘live nude
girls’ signs myself,” Ryan smirked behind him and drew a sip from the glass in
front of him.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECJjm_voHuU/U3Y3VFrbyqI/AAAAAAAAfP0/36gk_HCp-3E/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECJjm_voHuU/U3Y3VFrbyqI/AAAAAAAAfP0/36gk_HCp-3E/s1600/Screenshot-03.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re trying to get me killed by my future wife before we
even get to the nuptials!” Dustin groaned and dropped his glass to the counter
before ordering up another bottle. “First casinos after I specifically told her
I wasn’t going and now strippers?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s a Bachelor party Bro, this kind of thing is expected!”
Victor explained as he slid the bartender a twenty for his drink. “And it’s
Vegas. I’m sure Mica will understand.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNr16VYul7k/U3Y3YGR-8VI/AAAAAAAAfQA/UPQEhif7F3k/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNr16VYul7k/U3Y3YGR-8VI/AAAAAAAAfQA/UPQEhif7F3k/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, I say we hit the Club Crawl and go around the town
on a party bus. They’ll hit up every hot spot for about a g-note but I got the
hookup. My friend Josh works for the company, Brett you remember Josh right?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Petty car thief Josh?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s the one. He’s on the straight now and he can get us
a discount so we pay only $20. And then from there we can maybe hit up
Treasures or Spearmint or Crazy Horse.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You really seem to have a working knowledge about these
places,” Victor commented as Ryan continued rattling on about the numerous
total nude clubs and shows Las Vegas had to offer.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K9LnLlnUNcg/U3Y3aZc0fpI/AAAAAAAAfQM/dtJ_iqJcA78/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K9LnLlnUNcg/U3Y3aZc0fpI/AAAAAAAAfQM/dtJ_iqJcA78/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah well what can I say? I like to have a good time and
Vegas is one of my favorite vacation spots of choice,” he replied, leading them
out into the cool night air. The group rounded the corner of the next building towards
the large, blue, flashing sign for the next party bus depot. An ominous feeling
they were being followed kept Brett’s head on a swivel and he eyed the alleyways
they passed until reaching the parking lot situated on the corner of the
casino. “It’s just up here,” Ryan remarked. A group of drunken college students
tumbled out of the doors of a club just on the strip and nearly bumped into
them. Not stopping to apologize, the collegians stumbled against one another
and hurried across the street, falling through the doors of the scene for their
next set of debauchery.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor laughed to himself as thoughts of their night ending
the same way played through his mind and the team continued forward, smiling as
the Club Crawl sign became visible. The smell of cigar smoke and cherry blossoms
scented the air around them and Brett saw a shadowy figure dart behind a
dumpster in the extended alley; that was the last straw. “Are you guys
carrying?” he finally asked when the sense of dread became overwhelming.
Pulling out his Smith & Wesson M&P he checked that a bullet was loaded
into the chamber and the men in his company were instantly on alert.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CN9FOLUpVHE/U3Y3bQofZLI/AAAAAAAAfQU/y3BA0EYVU4w/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CN9FOLUpVHE/U3Y3bQofZLI/AAAAAAAAfQU/y3BA0EYVU4w/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OV6zTWUG2T0/U3Y3cD1cDoI/AAAAAAAAfQY/ML1lhIzlI4M/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OV6zTWUG2T0/U3Y3cD1cDoI/AAAAAAAAfQY/ML1lhIzlI4M/s1600/Screenshot-07.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s up BK?” Ryan asked, stepping away from the counter
display that held the different party packages offered. Taking his weapon in
hand, he followed Brett’s example and readied his H&K and pinned his badge
to his hip so that it was prominently displayed for whatever was about to
happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But before Brett could answer his question, a shot rang out
and they all ducked for cover behind whatever they could find. The bullet
ricocheted off the nearby counter and grazed the asphalt beside the wheel of
the car where Dustin hid. Returning fire, Victor covered Dustin and Ryan
motioned for him to move. Rushing into the alley on the opposite end of the
building, Dustin was quickly followed by Ryan and Victor who was covered by
Brett. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wr2ohBA1d4c/U3Y3eMOzzbI/AAAAAAAAfQg/olqHcfm_2wI/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wr2ohBA1d4c/U3Y3eMOzzbI/AAAAAAAAfQg/olqHcfm_2wI/s1600/Screenshot-08.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kchCrN4lY_E/U3Y3gpOI_2I/AAAAAAAAfQs/YnKeFi7sTDM/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kchCrN4lY_E/U3Y3gpOI_2I/AAAAAAAAfQs/YnKeFi7sTDM/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who the hell is shooting at us?” Ryan asked as he peered
through the murkiness towards the area the gunfire originated.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not sure. But they’ve been on us for a while. I think
they may have followed us from Luxor.” Brett changed positions and as he moved,
another series of shots rang out. Motioning to Victor, he took point and the
guys moved deeper into the alley, each taking refuge in an exploit of the
architecture. “We’ll draw them in and take the advantage. Vic, can you get on
the roof from where you are?” Looking up, he noticed the ladder beside his left
arm and nodded. “Good, we’ll cover you. Dustin, once he’s safely up there take
the back of the alley with Ryan and I’ll cover the front. Ready?” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6StUC-HC4yY/U3Y3gxcdE0I/AAAAAAAAfQw/QEy6aQfYcew/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6StUC-HC4yY/U3Y3gxcdE0I/AAAAAAAAfQw/QEy6aQfYcew/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I0TJvZuJiE/U3Y3iN8hu8I/AAAAAAAAfQ4/ZiRXKkZrZNQ/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I0TJvZuJiE/U3Y3iN8hu8I/AAAAAAAAfQ4/ZiRXKkZrZNQ/s1600/Screenshot-11.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The boys raced into
position, Brett and Ryan provided cover fire in the direction of their
attackers as Victor climbed the ladder as quickly as he could. With the cover
of darkness from the alley as an advantage, Ryan and Dustin entered the back of
the pathway. And while Dustin concealed himself behind a dumpster, Ryan rested
behind a stack of old crates and a vat of used kitchen grease. Muzzle flares
slit through the pitch black night like fireworks on the 4<sup>th</sup> of July,
illuminating the shooter’s location. Brett heard a groan and a mutter of pain
before a subdued thump hit the ground beside him and he poked his head barely
around the side of the doorway to take a look.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRBmjUjp-7A/U3Y3lp_6YeI/AAAAAAAAfRI/WgWN8Snsy1E/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zRBmjUjp-7A/U3Y3lp_6YeI/AAAAAAAAfRI/WgWN8Snsy1E/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the gunmen lay dead on the pile of trash beside him
and he looked up and noticed Victor’s nod and sighed a breath of relief. That
was too close for comfort. Another shot was fired this time from the back of
the passageway causing a chain reaction of bullets from the street. Two men
appeared from behind a parked car and fired back at Ryan and Dustin and Brett
watched as Victor changed positions and took out another shooter from their
rear. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie4crroA9Lk/U3Y3mu8kPHI/AAAAAAAAfRM/YD4yJ1lBr9s/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie4crroA9Lk/U3Y3mu8kPHI/AAAAAAAAfRM/YD4yJ1lBr9s/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Gun in hand; Brett lifted his arm and fired at the nearest bad guy, nicking his ear with his first shot and piercing his shoulder with the second. The gunman fell and one of his colleagues rushed over and pulled him behind a pile of boxes near the top of the alley before a flurry of bullets went careening into the brick wall at Brett’s head, demolishing much of his cover. It was chaos.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2Ib4gK24-o/U3Y3p1SL_fI/AAAAAAAAfRY/pUuJtkihWKA/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2Ib4gK24-o/U3Y3p1SL_fI/AAAAAAAAfRY/pUuJtkihWKA/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another duo of shooters started towards Ryan’s position and
Dustin popped up and shot the one approaching from the left. He went down hard
causing the second assailant to notice and retaliate. Glass shattered onto the cement
ground from one of the cars in the lot as he blasted his gun in Dustin’s
direction. Sharp debris exploded at him, splintering into the dumpster behind
which he hid and scattering on the ground beside him. A loose shard of glass
nicked his right cheek and he fell back against the wall, dropping his gun in
the process. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGWWmh5AFOc/U3Y3sKqCWCI/AAAAAAAAfRk/8FNeTz38x6g/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGWWmh5AFOc/U3Y3sKqCWCI/AAAAAAAAfRk/8FNeTz38x6g/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The frightened, feminine scream of a nearby civilian alerted
Brett to the immediate danger outside the corridor and Victor again
repositioned to cover him as he moved to take a look. He saw the woman and her
group of friends rush inside a nearby building and ducked just as a bullet
whizzed through the air past his ear. Another round of shots was fired and he
quickly rolled to the other side of the entryway behind a stack of tires and
old garbage cans, shelling his clip at the man beside the car. Consequently,
his gun clicked, he was out and now trapped beside the wall near three armed
men. With an unspoken accord, Victor took out the man at which Brett was firing
towards and watched as his boss reached for his backup weapon. Popping the
chamber and loading the bullet, Brett glanced over his shoulder and noticed a
shooter approaching Dustin’s position as he remained crouched behind the
dumpster. “Vic, watch Dust!” he called to him but it wasn’t in time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4gg4tOrJcw/U3Y3mw4g-yI/AAAAAAAAfRQ/fQmDEmyGRvQ/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4gg4tOrJcw/U3Y3mw4g-yI/AAAAAAAAfRQ/fQmDEmyGRvQ/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The man pulled his trigger but it didn’t fire. Luckily for
the groom, the bullet jammed in the chamber buying the team and more
importantly Ryan, the time to react. He heard his gun click and it was now or
never. Angling his weapon right at the shooter’s head, he ripped off a trio of
shots that split through the man’s skull, splattering blood and brains all over
the pavement. The last shooter dropped his weapon to surrender a second too
late as Dustin’s bullet caught him in the chest, rendering a gaping hole
through the man’s heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Silence finally engulfed the area, swallowing the men left
standing in complete calm. “Let’s not tell the girls about this,” Brett
suggested and rolled onto his back. Taking a deep breath, Ryan helped him to
his feet and he brushed the shards of glass and wood off of his shirt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Agreed. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining Mica’s
big day,” Ryan added with a sigh as he holstered his weapon. “What are we gonna
do about them?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X1Vu_OdAf_Y/U3Y3sZxSe2I/AAAAAAAAfRo/35jFpO9cimU/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X1Vu_OdAf_Y/U3Y3sZxSe2I/AAAAAAAAfRo/35jFpO9cimU/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The team looked around at the mess they’d made and the
sounds of sirens in the distance cut through the chilly air as they neared. Tires
screeched in the alleyway beside them and someone quickly jumped out of the
passenger door. Dustin turned at the echo of shoe soles scuttling across the
pavement and held his gun on a man cloaked in the darkness near the top of the
alley behind them. But before either man could react, the dark figure tossed a
phone at the team, swiftly ducked back inside the car and peeled away from the
curb. “What the hell?” Dustin snatched the phone from the pavement and the
moment he did, it rang in his hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Answer it,” Brett urged and the guys gathered closer as a
voice with a heavy Korean accent came on the line.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who is this?” Dustin asked angrily.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICmclpe7wBY/U3Y3t0vymXI/AAAAAAAAfRw/8Rc52MExhec/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICmclpe7wBY/U3Y3t0vymXI/AAAAAAAAfRw/8Rc52MExhec/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>My name is of no
importance right now. Just think of me as an interested bystander but of no threat to you or
your friends</i>.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what do you want? Huh? You’re the one responsible for
this little show tonight?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Absolutely not. I
have called to speak to Kelly Dae-Jung. Are you he?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Depends on what you want,” Dustin responded, lowering the
tone in his voice as he began to lose his patience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I call on behalf of
Mr. Kwon. He wanted me to inform you that tonight signifies the end of the
Kkangpae’s interest in you, Mr. Kelly.</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You send twenty men after me the week of my wedding to kill
me but just like that it’s over?” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOl12tWk0g/U3Y3yP9ZOII/AAAAAAAAfR8/J1lbkwtDL5o/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOl12tWk0g/U3Y3yP9ZOII/AAAAAAAAfR8/J1lbkwtDL5o/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Mr. Kwon was never
interested in harming you, Mr. Kelly. Tonight’s event is all courtesy of Mr.
Jin.</i> <i>You will find his body among the
casualties.</i> <i>Jin Bae was the former
head of the Kkangpae’s interests in Seoul. But after a lot of heavy scrutiny by
local authority he was…persuaded to step down by Mr. Kwon. Mr. Jin has always
had a grudge against the kid he claims perpetrated his quandary with the law;
you, Mr. Kelly. He asked that he be allowed one last chance for his much
deserved revenge and beseeched Mr. Kwon to grant his wish.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So this Kwon is responsible for what happened tonight? And
I’m supposed to what? Just forget that he signed off on my death contract and
let bygones?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Mr. Kwon in no way
initiated tonight’s events. He instructed Mr. Jin to give up his foolish
pursuits. But when Mr. Jin refused and left Korea against Mr. Kwon’s advice, I
was sent after him. I was told to kill him before he made good on this scheme
of his but as you can see, I was a bit too late. Still, the results are the
same. The Kkangpae are not interested in pursuing this matter any further and
hope that you’ll do the same</i>.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Erym1NkNixQ/U3Y3yX-ThYI/AAAAAAAAfSE/q6I9Mq48Fw8/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Erym1NkNixQ/U3Y3yX-ThYI/AAAAAAAAfSE/q6I9Mq48Fw8/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ElDQ-VH9O8/U3Y3zD9ESjI/AAAAAAAAfSI/-YmlxP4Ojm4/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ElDQ-VH9O8/U3Y3zD9ESjI/AAAAAAAAfSI/-YmlxP4Ojm4/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And I’m supposed to trust some anonymous voice over the
phone?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>I would come down in
person but I have no guarantee that I will not find myself among the dead in
the alleyway in which you stand or incarcerated for my involvement in organized
crime. There is a way, however, to prove what I am saying is true. A token of
Mr. Kwon’s regard, you will find the coin on Mr. Jin’s person. Keep it close.</i>”
At the man’s word, Ryan quickly searched the bodies until he came upon a double
sided coin. He tossed it in Dustin’s direction and he caught it in his opened
palm. On one side was the insignia of the Korean gang and on the other was the
word: “Chon Kyeong.” (<i>Honor.</i>)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ksTpWl-hu8/U3Y33SZ1Y2I/AAAAAAAAfSU/zzSG48T1NHY/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ksTpWl-hu8/U3Y33SZ1Y2I/AAAAAAAAfSU/zzSG48T1NHY/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yeauzTyxieU/U3Y34SlnvfI/AAAAAAAAfSc/qfNrcCaJTVY/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yeauzTyxieU/U3Y34SlnvfI/AAAAAAAAfSc/qfNrcCaJTVY/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If I see anyone or even hear
about an incident involving my family and the Kkangpae, Mr. Kwon’s getting this
back in a very uncomfortable place.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well that’s one hell of a wedding present,” Victor commented
as he holstered his weapon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah if you can believe him. But in my experience criminals
can never change their spots,” Ryan responded as Dustin turned the coin over in
his hand. “I’d stay vigilant just to be sure.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NZdtlVYIgU/U3Y34hhDpAI/AAAAAAAAfSg/zUTjHTA-HaA/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NZdtlVYIgU/U3Y34hhDpAI/AAAAAAAAfSg/zUTjHTA-HaA/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’d better get back to the street and call this in. The
locals should be able to keep this contained so word doesn’t get back to the
Bureau before the wedding.” Brett retrieved his phone from the debris near the
dumpster and led the way up the dark corridor to the thousands of neon lights
just ahead. “Hopefully the girls are having a better night than we are.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mica fell back against the bed and immediately felt the grip
of the man’s hands around her throat. Struggling to grab her purse and the 2.5 million
volt stun gun flashlight Dustin had bought her for Christmas, she felt his
fingers tighten against her. She strained for a breath and instinctively
brought her knee up into his crotch, causing her attacker to fall back. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siDBHhdB3qc/U3Y1O3dQwhI/AAAAAAAAfJ4/SaZhYw2NkA8/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siDBHhdB3qc/U3Y1O3dQwhI/AAAAAAAAfJ4/SaZhYw2NkA8/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scrambling over the floor, she again reached for her fallen
purse but felt her attacker’s hand around her ankle, tugging her back. Mica
screamed and Bob punched her, connecting to her left jaw and she went limp
beneath him momentarily. When his hands came back to her throat, Mica clawed,
scratched and poked at his face and eyes leaving thick, red scores into his
flesh and causing him to back off of her. And as Bob fell back, she kicked as
hard as she could into his stomach and watched him collapse to the floor. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kpgOOdBYBvU/U3ZCNQu7ujI/AAAAAAAAfZI/aFZuzV-vw1M/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kpgOOdBYBvU/U3ZCNQu7ujI/AAAAAAAAfZI/aFZuzV-vw1M/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flipping onto her stomach, Mica crawled on her hands and
knees to the end of the bed where her purse had landed. Out of the corner
of her eye, she saw Bob regaining his balance and starting towards her again,
this time a large hunting knife was in his hand. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsP3MRtcECQ/U3Y1RufvDdI/AAAAAAAAfKM/rXzKQW_Qmwc/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsP3MRtcECQ/U3Y1RufvDdI/AAAAAAAAfKM/rXzKQW_Qmwc/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s taking so long?” Yvette asked, checking the time on the
large billboard beneath the Mandalay. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s probably prettying herself up in the mirror too,”
Christina suggested. “That’s my sister, gotta be on her A game no matter where
she goes.” She laughed at her joke and watched Yvette drop her purse into the car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll be right back.” Walking towards the elevator, she
caught a newlywed couple stepping out and heading to the bar as she started
towards the room. Stepping off the lift, the sound of a struggle immediately
grabbed her attention and Yvette rushed down the hall and pushed her key card
into the slot.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfr9IL75WCk/U3Y1StlV2rI/AAAAAAAAfKQ/Q1AiK0XTMnM/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfr9IL75WCk/U3Y1StlV2rI/AAAAAAAAfKQ/Q1AiK0XTMnM/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mica!” she yelled in shock as she saw Bob running crazily at
her friend, a nine inch blade aimed at her chest. With a swift, spinning heel
kick to his jaw, Yvette dropped the man and watched his head bounce off the
nightstand behind him. Bob was down, but he still was not out. Quickly
recovering he got to his feet and Mica retrieved her taser from her purse and
moved forward. “Stay back!” Yvette warned her as the man aggressively charged
forward again.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-9rgB6RMjA/U3fyo_lEXZI/AAAAAAAAfaU/Qos_VQ-jtwQ/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-9rgB6RMjA/U3fyo_lEXZI/AAAAAAAAfaU/Qos_VQ-jtwQ/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-en_h_vwXDAg/U3fypa9obAI/AAAAAAAAfac/pfM0VSTdU2s/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-en_h_vwXDAg/U3fypa9obAI/AAAAAAAAfac/pfM0VSTdU2s/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mica watched in amazement as he and Yvette exchanged a rush
of blows. The attacker reached for her throat as he’d done Mica on a few
occasions and Yvette knocked his hand away. He retreated from a straight punch
but took the full force of her upper-cut. Bob swung hard, glancing her jaw and
Yvette countered with another spinning heel kick and a series of jabs to his
face and abdomen. Bob grunted with each brutal assault she inflicted on his
body before finally getting a hold of her and tackling her back into the wall.
Yvette’s head made contact with the frame of the door and she thrust her elbow brutally
into Bob’s nose and heard it crack.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLfrN3z6EFg/U3fypQifcvI/AAAAAAAAfaY/JP-Ct3J4sbc/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLfrN3z6EFg/U3fypQifcvI/AAAAAAAAfaY/JP-Ct3J4sbc/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blood immediately gushed from the new wound and the man
became dizzied. Following up with another blow to his lip and a knee to his
groin, Bob toppled over onto the floor and Yvette slipped behind him, unpinning
herself from the wall. Three precise kicks to his ribs depleted the gulp of air
he’d taken in and a heavy, loud gasp burst through his lips. Bob reached for
his ankle and what Yvette could only assume to be another weapon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Falling back and away from him, she snatched the taser from
Mica’s hand but before she could use it on him, Bob was on his feet and rushing
through the door and out into the hall. Yvette started after him and Mica
quickly called her name. “Let him go,” she begged and took in the stunned
expression on Yvette’s face.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sD0-KwCyLQ/U3Y1b9PJXHI/AAAAAAAAfKw/haYA8bG5dFc/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sD0-KwCyLQ/U3Y1b9PJXHI/AAAAAAAAfKw/haYA8bG5dFc/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h0SID20apMI/U3Y1ebXegrI/AAAAAAAAfLA/0QwYRi8y7H0/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h0SID20apMI/U3Y1ebXegrI/AAAAAAAAfLA/0QwYRi8y7H0/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you crazy? He tried to kill you! There’s no way in
hell…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m ok, Yve. Look I know it’s your job to take down bad guys
but it’s my wedding and I don’t want to have to cancel because of some crazy,
disgruntled employee stealing panties from suitcases. Please. Just let him go.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So you’d rather he try again and maybe even succeed the
next time than let me hunt him down and hang him by his short and curlies now?
And what if he goes after someone else tonight instead? You want that person’s
death on your conscience?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GKunGH-EVO8/U3Y1eGeWz4I/AAAAAAAAfK8/AHibZNvLIA4/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GKunGH-EVO8/U3Y1eGeWz4I/AAAAAAAAfK8/AHibZNvLIA4/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“You scared him off! He’s running away with his tail between
his legs thanks to you; there’s no way he’ll try again. Plus I really don’t
want Dustin to hear about this. Can you imagine what he’d do if he knew? I felt
sorry for you when Brett kept you practically in a cage when you were pregnant
I have no intentions of living that way.”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette slammed the door loud enough to scare the woman
standing near the table and slowly approached her with her arms swinging angrily
at her side. “Who was he?” she demanded and watched Mica’s head nod negatively
as she shrugged her shoulders. “Why are you trying to protect that scumbag?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then tell me honestly why is it so important I don’t chase
him down?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHl3J7l2Ee4/U3Y1gtY77GI/AAAAAAAAfLI/XmP510e26b8/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHl3J7l2Ee4/U3Y1gtY77GI/AAAAAAAAfLI/XmP510e26b8/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because I’m scared, ok?” she yelled and dropped to the bed
with her head in her hands. “I’m scared! And the last thing I want right now is
to be left alone while you go hunting that asshole down, please.” Yvette
noticed Mica’s hands shaking and her entire body trembling and realized the
woman was in shock from everything that had just taken place. Yvette kicked
herself for not recognizing it sooner. Slowly she breathed in and exhaled the
same before kneeling down in front of Mica.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I won’t leave, ok? Let’s both take a breath and try to calm
down.” Mica did as instructed and felt the oxygen gradually release a little of
her anxious feelings as Yvette gently stroked her back. “Good, that’s good. Now
can you tell me what he wanted?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. When I came in here he was rifling through
your bag. He said he was room service and helping to unpack our stuff. Next
thing I know he attacked.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did he say anything else? Is there anything you can tell me
about him?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Only that he spoke with this really thick accent, Russian I
think.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YnMcZ6Twlw/U3Y1jvVXn5I/AAAAAAAAfLc/pNKkX6xXw1I/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YnMcZ6Twlw/U3Y1jvVXn5I/AAAAAAAAfLc/pNKkX6xXw1I/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uF7Ra4BV7I/U3Y1jrDV0aI/AAAAAAAAfLY/7BQQ4tswGvU/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uF7Ra4BV7I/U3Y1jrDV0aI/AAAAAAAAfLY/7BQQ4tswGvU/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That helps. Ok. I’ll call down to the station and have an
officer come and maybe get a description of the perp…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait, if I report this will Dustin know?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There will be an official record of the incident, yes. And
the officer will most likely call with follow-up questions. And if they do find
him, you’ll be brought into the station to confirm his identity.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No I don’t want that, I don’t want to<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">—</span>do that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette thought a moment, watching as Mica appeared to settle
but noticed the slight tremor in her lip. She’d seen it countless times on
witnesses before; the fear of the unknown. <i>What
if he comes back? What if he finds out where I live? What if I testify and he
gets a friend to take me out?</i> She didn’t want to subject her friend to the
same trauma hundreds of eyewitnesses have suffered and continue suffering even
after justice had been served. “I could do it instead,” she offered and noticed
the light in Mica’s eyes. “I think I got a good enough look at him to give to a
sketch artist. I’ll just tell them it was me and as a professional courtesy to
keep this under wraps. Any information they have I can monitor myself. It’ll be
fine, Mica.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgrV7ezSaCQ/U3Y1kmFrn5I/AAAAAAAAfLg/DhN6jyC6AJY/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgrV7ezSaCQ/U3Y1kmFrn5I/AAAAAAAAfLg/DhN6jyC6AJY/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-huNSIGRpsLc/U3Y1nWX1doI/AAAAAAAAfLo/v-XGGyuVMmI/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-huNSIGRpsLc/U3Y1nWX1doI/AAAAAAAAfLo/v-XGGyuVMmI/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“And you won’t tell Dustin, at least not until we get home?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I won’t, I promise. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Yvette
stood and took stock of the room and the mess she and Bob had made during their
brief but violent battle in the suite. Picking up an overturned lamp, she began
straightening the area a little and Mica moved from the bed to help, groaning at
the slight ache in her side. “A hot bath will ease the pain,” Yvette suggested
noticing her wince as she touched her back. “And I know a little trick that’ll
keep your eye from blackening too; can’t have you looking like a battered woman
on your big day!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They continued cleaning until the room was back to its
pristine condition and all traces of a scuffle were gone. “You know something
else that’ll help,” Yvette grinned and flashed the brochure for the Men of X
nightclub. Mica smiled and nodded her head as her bottom lip slipped between
her teeth. Yvette was trying to figure out how to lighten the mood and help
take her mind off of the fight. If anything was good in that respect a night of
nudity was sure to do the trick. “Great! I was saving it for last tonight but I
think we can extend the time out there and just let the Men of X handle all of
our needs!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gMmjoi_NznA/U3Y1qapLpUI/AAAAAAAAfL8/mrgEcKv12J0/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gMmjoi_NznA/U3Y1qapLpUI/AAAAAAAAfL8/mrgEcKv12J0/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_bAZHWa6mI/U3Y1qf-BnLI/AAAAAAAAfL4/Rk4QSWjfTh8/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_bAZHWa6mI/U3Y1qf-BnLI/AAAAAAAAfL4/Rk4QSWjfTh8/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The club itself was located inside the Hooters Casino Hotel
on Tropicana Avenue off the strip. It didn’t take long for the hostess to come
around and take the group to their VIP room. Brandy, Lien, and Christina all
fought for spots near the front until the hostess kindly rearranged the seats
to allow everyone equal access. Leaving a bottle of Cristal on the table, she
dimmed the lights and shut the door behind her. Anticipation was so thick you
could cut it with a knife and the girls buzzed in their seats waiting on the
guys to appear. “Who did we get?” Christina asked as she looked through the
brochure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ADg0kTpxOqg/U3Y1rm1dtKI/AAAAAAAAfMA/BpzuzaQ5UcE/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ADg0kTpxOqg/U3Y1rm1dtKI/AAAAAAAAfMA/BpzuzaQ5UcE/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O5K_hWzMgSI/U3Y1u09p92I/AAAAAAAAfMI/eQcm7MQfa2k/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O5K_hWzMgSI/U3Y1u09p92I/AAAAAAAAfMI/eQcm7MQfa2k/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brandy shrugged and sat forward as the music started. “Oh man. I was looking this up on the internet at work before we flew out…”</div>
<br />
“At work? Really?” Lien laughed and took a sip from the
glass in her hand.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? It’s not a flagged site. I have no idea why not but.
So anyway it says that the guys in this show are TOTALLY hands on. And by hands
on I mean,” she made a crude masturbation gesture with her hand and giggled.
“They let you do it!” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lE3FD-Ne92Y/U3Y1xk6wS4I/AAAAAAAAfMg/2THwzf63eH8/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lE3FD-Ne92Y/U3Y1xk6wS4I/AAAAAAAAfMg/2THwzf63eH8/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“START THE SHOW! START THE SHOW!” Christina began chanting
as Brandy’s remarks sparked her interests even more. Moments later the dark red
curtain pulled back revealing the backs of a police officer, cowboy and
firefighter. The girls’ licked their lips in excitement and watched as each man
slowly turned and started towards the front of the stage. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dN3ZpmvFG_A/U3Y1ztWB_bI/AAAAAAAAfMo/F141-YCyMOU/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dN3ZpmvFG_A/U3Y1ztWB_bI/AAAAAAAAfMo/F141-YCyMOU/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the guys began undressing in front of them, everyone
cheered and hollered, tossing loose bills in their direction. Yvette was the
first to her feet, jumping the stage as the cop lost his shirt and threw his
hat towards Brandy. “Hands off ladies, this cop is mine!” Yvette growled and
moved closer to where he danced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Derrick,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear, rubbing
himself against her as he did. He smirked at the huge grin on her face and she
couldn’t resist throwing her hands around his neck and dancing with him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Guys in law enforcement are the hottest in the world!”
Yvette growled as she felt Derrick’s rigid shaft throb between her legs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She ought to know! She’s married to one!” Brandy yelled up
on stage earning her Yvette’s twisted scowl.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gjrn-HSN_-E/U3ZREjDhGhI/AAAAAAAAfZg/xU0-nHn1LlE/s1600/Screenshot-56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gjrn-HSN_-E/U3ZREjDhGhI/AAAAAAAAfZg/xU0-nHn1LlE/s1600/Screenshot-56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette was quickly followed by Christina, rushing the fireman
with her hands outstretched, “My god this was totally worth skipping the
casinos! What’s your name stud?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Caleb,” the man growled and closed his arm around her waist
as he swung her around the stage with him. “What’s yours?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Christina. I know this is cliché Caleb but, you’ve started
a fire in my pants, care to unleash that hose and douse me?” Mica laughed
loudly at her sister’s vulgarity and got to her feet as the cowboy’s rope hit
her lap. </div>
<br />
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Howdy Partner. A little birdie told me tonight is your
night,” he smiled sexily at her and pulled her to her feet. “What’s your name,
Beautiful?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mica.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello Mica, I’m Remy and I was thinking we should make this
a night to remember. I promise not to tie you too tightly, unless you don’t
mind the rough stuff.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s nothing wrong with a little bondage I suppose,” she
grinned and Lien shook her head and laughed at the dazed expression on the
bride’s face. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EH44mBzSsS8/U3Y16SDNMiI/AAAAAAAAfNM/HOnZRQG1RXw/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EH44mBzSsS8/U3Y16SDNMiI/AAAAAAAAfNM/HOnZRQG1RXw/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Motioning at the other guys, they each led their current
partners back to their seats and climbed the stairs to the stage again. Remy
pulled Mica up on the stage with him, turned her around and slowly ran his
hands down her sides. She could feel him thrusting against her and covered her
face in embarrassment as the women in her company all cheered her on.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zcFxPETJAo/U3Y16vffqoI/AAAAAAAAfNU/GVbeblQLybA/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zcFxPETJAo/U3Y16vffqoI/AAAAAAAAfNU/GVbeblQLybA/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIaD9WeD8X4/U3Y17tK2KzI/AAAAAAAAfNY/VcbowU7rIEo/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIaD9WeD8X4/U3Y17tK2KzI/AAAAAAAAfNY/VcbowU7rIEo/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The dancers quickly lost the little bit of clothes they were
wearing. And when each man was down to his g-string, the ladies felt their
pulses rise uncontrollably. They gathered around the bride-to-be and waited
their turns for her to remove their last shred of clothing. Timidly, she hooked
her fingers into Remy’s waistband first, smiled down at her sister as she
yelled words of encouragement at her and laughed when the dancer jiggle his
bits until she freed him. “WOO! Hurry and get to the cop!” Yvette shouted
impatiently and he glanced at her with a smile and a wink.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf77Xq8k348/U3Y19ZkHd0I/AAAAAAAAfNg/-JHzwGHhAtI/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf77Xq8k348/U3Y19ZkHd0I/AAAAAAAAfNg/-JHzwGHhAtI/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fireman was next, followed by Derrick. And once they
were all naked in front of her, they each took turns rubbing their semi hard
dicks against the bride. Caleb, the fireman, was as bold as to take her hand
and have her stroke him until he was fully erect. And when he was done sharing,
Remy took Mica’s hand and led her to the chair center stage and gave her an all
hands on deck lap dance. Pulling her to her feet, he pressed her against the
wall and continued dancing against her, grinding himself between her legs in a
sexually explicit manner that made his half mast fully rigid and ready to play.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXvNaOfSjAE/U3Y1-jV-g9I/AAAAAAAAfNo/TDTIgMzib7Q/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXvNaOfSjAE/U3Y1-jV-g9I/AAAAAAAAfNo/TDTIgMzib7Q/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remy dropped into the chair in the middle of the stage and
motioned Mica towards him. He began slowly pumping his fist in his lap while
she watched. A shout from the floor drew her attention and she watched as
Derrick carried Lien to the front of the stage and bent her over on the sofa
cushions while her sister Christina offered Caleb a blowjob. Brandy and Yvette celebrated
with another glass and cheered on their friends as they each watched the men
all benefit from the lady’s wild passions.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pKmeVNK5ltg/U3Y2FwHjwwI/AAAAAAAAfOI/Ypl5U-e5fvs/s1600/Screenshot-49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pKmeVNK5ltg/U3Y2FwHjwwI/AAAAAAAAfOI/Ypl5U-e5fvs/s1600/Screenshot-49.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qt2k54lBPo/U3Y2G1AfqII/AAAAAAAAfOU/f7Sujpjr-wA/s1600/Screenshot-50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qt2k54lBPo/U3Y2G1AfqII/AAAAAAAAfOU/f7Sujpjr-wA/s1600/Screenshot-50.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lien shouted gleefully when she felt Derrick push into her
and almost immediately she began moaning as he roughly drove himself forward. The
look on his face as he pounded into her was carnal and it became obvious both
were enjoying the exhibitionism. He pulled back and pushed in deeper each time,
tangling a hand in her hair to use as a handle. Lien’s breasts popped out of
the front of her shirt and Derrick reached around and caught one in his
calloused hand and gently squeezed her nipple. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H9WSCgpbKHE/U3Y2HNYoPoI/AAAAAAAAfOY/2p18jLLdMgA/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H9WSCgpbKHE/U3Y2HNYoPoI/AAAAAAAAfOY/2p18jLLdMgA/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sounds of Lien’s delight soon became louder than the
music and she came for the second time as Derrick thrust harder inside her. He
slapped his hand against her ass as he felt himself start to lose it, pushed
himself forward more and rammed deeper into her wet body as his semen filled
the rubber prophylactic. Breathing heavily, he pulled out and turned her around.
Gripping her firmly in his arms, Derrick yanked Lien into his chest and kissed
her hard on the lips. She nearly fainted in his arms from the heat of his body
and he laughed lightly and rested her gently in the chair.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yR-jVoBUfzM/U3ZyyZt5_RI/AAAAAAAAfZo/j0PcmF-wfgk/s1600/Screenshot-106.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yR-jVoBUfzM/U3ZyyZt5_RI/AAAAAAAAfZo/j0PcmF-wfgk/s1600/Screenshot-106.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remy’s hand stroked faster and faster and his eyes closed as
his head fell back. Mica fanned herself as she watched for the first time a man
pleasuring himself in front of her. It was raw, it was animal and the sounds he
was making made her tingle between her thighs. Very soon, his balls were
spasming beneath his fist and his mouth popped open as he let loose a visceral
scream and lurched forward. The first thick stream hit his thigh and created a
large puddle before rolling off down his leg. The second and third shot up and
each fell somewhere on the stage beside the chair. Remy continued pulling until
he’d drained his sack of every drop and flopped back against the chair with a
huge smile on his face.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCPdpSYjMMU/U3Y2BkAksLI/AAAAAAAAfN8/ELdD0is5IPY/s1600/Screenshot-47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCPdpSYjMMU/U3Y2BkAksLI/AAAAAAAAfN8/ELdD0is5IPY/s1600/Screenshot-47.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
At the same time,
Caleb moaned with uncontrolled lust as he watched Christina deep throat him. His
fingers were buried in her hair and he felt the heat of her breath cover his
balls as she worked him into a mind numbing state of madness. He thrust his
hips upwards, pumping in and out of her and encouraging her continued sucking
motions. Christina’s mouth opened wider and he felt her tongue graze his balls
as the head of his cock touched the back of her throat once more.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He trembled when
he felt the dragging sensation of her teeth ascend the full length of his dick
and back down again. Caleb grabbed Christina’s head hard and slammed her down
into his lap. He pumped in and out of her, directing the action until his seed
was squirting from his tightened balls and splattering against her worn throat.
His come shot free a second time, then a third. When he finally did ease up, he
felt her breath surrounding him as she began to lick his dick clean. “Fuck…” he
rumbled as he stared down at her cream coated lips, “You’re really good at that.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTZwYWYlkUA/U3Y2NVVZz2I/AAAAAAAAfO4/2Ur3M1S5iWE/s1600/Screenshot-55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTZwYWYlkUA/U3Y2NVVZz2I/AAAAAAAAfO4/2Ur3M1S5iWE/s1600/Screenshot-55.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Boy! That was quite a show!” Brandy commented and laughed
with Yvette who sat with her still going through the bottle of champagne. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And here I thought there was no sex in the champagne room.”
Yvette touched glasses with Brandy and the two moved from their seats as the
dancers got to the feet and began collecting their clothing. Yvette pulled a
large wad from her back pocket and handed it to Derrick. He gently kissed her
cheek before following the other men out of the room. “Well then, I think we’d
better get back to the room and rest up a bit before the plane ride and tomorrow’s
ceremony.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The smell of the ocean floated over the ladies as they stood
barefoot on the shore on the beach of Waikiki. Their toes caressed the soft
sand and half crushed seashells tickled the soles of their feet while the setting,
orange sun was shining on the glistening aqua blue waters. A small breeze offered
a slight chill across their exposed skin providing relief from the warmth of
the evening and the sound of seagulls squawked overhead.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rows of candles lit up the aisle and dazzling embers of
light flickered with the soothing embrace of the wind. In the distance, rolling
waves capped in white foam crashed against rocks like a herd of galloping white
horses creating a relaxing sound and calming the nervous bride as she fiddled
with her dress once again. Large bouquets of white and turquoise roses
decorated the archway as well as the turquoise canvas that covered the ground
leading to the beautiful hand-crafted lattice also adorned with cascades of
roses. Tiny origami swans, a long-standing symbol of eternal love, sat atop
empty chairs and each guest received one when they arrived. It was just one of
the little Korean touches the happy couple incorporated into the event. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sky above was dark pink and purple, the perfect contrast to the chosen wedding colors and the elegant ivory and turquoise dresses the
bridesmaids wore. “What was that?” Mica asked hearing a goose honking near the
sitting area. She turned in confusion towards Lien who simply shrugged and
moved into place. The bird got louder as the keyboardist began to play and
again her eyes darted towards the booth to find its source. “Did you hear that
Christina?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hear what?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A bird quacking!”</div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’re outside Mica, I’m sure there are dozens of birds
quacking. Let’s just hope none of them leave little presents on our heads as we
make our way down the aisle.” Shrugging it off, Mica watched as the door across
from them opened and the groomsmen, dressed in Ivory layered tuxedos, each
descended upon their escorts. Christina locked arms with Victor and they were
followed by Yvette with Brett and Lien with Ryan.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her bridesmaids started down the aisle one by one and she shook
with anticipation as the wedding march started. “You look absolutely gorgeous,
Dude,” Michael whispered to his daughter as she took his hand. He led her down
the aisle as everyone stood, gazing at her in amazement. The smile on her face
grew wider as she found Dustin waiting for her at the altar and squeezed her
father’s hand tighter with a squeal of joy. Michael gave her away and took his
seat beside Audrey. Across the aisle from them sat Hua and Tao who had flown in
that morning as well as Stefanie and Scott.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tendrils of hair fell into Mica’s face as she began to recite
her vows and Dustin smiled as he gently reached across to gather them behind
her ear. The look of devotion had not left his eyes since he watched her make
her approach to stand beside him. Soft music continued playing in the
background and she stumbled a little over her words, feeling a tickle at the
back of her throat. Looking up, she held Dustin’s gaze as he began to speak and
smiled at his trip down memory lane.</div>
<br />
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<br />
With complete fondness and affection he spoke words of love
to his bride as he held her hand in his.
A solitary tear of happiness trickled down Mica’s cheek as she listened
to Dustin. He talked about how they met and how enthralled he was from the
first moment he saw her. She closed her eyes to stop more tears from falling as
she thought about that day and the date that lead to his proposal. “RA 274.32534265 DEC -60.71453280,” he
smiled and instantly the tears broke free. The last words he said were the
coordinates of the star he’d named for her the day they first made love.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin took a breath, feeling the fresh air expand smoothly
within his lungs and a peaceful look enveloped his face erasing any sign of
doubt that this was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
“Please repeat after me,” the pastor spoke words of Korean that Mica insisted
have a place in their non-traditional wedding. “Yi ban ji rul jing pyo ro.” (<i>With this ring I Thee wed</i>.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uri doo sa ram eun juk em yi uri rul gal la not eul ddae
gga ji.” (<i>For better or for worse</i>.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Gi bbu guh nah sul poo guh na, jal sal guh na, mot sal guh
nah, ah poo guh na gun gang ha guh na.” (<i>For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health</i>.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Suh ro hahm ggae hup ni da. You may now kiss the bride.” (<i>Till death do we part.</i>) </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin bent Mica back and the audience gasped as he laid a
very passionate kiss on her lips. She laughed against his mouth. When he pulled
away he wiggled his eyebrows and she felt a faint blush on her face when she
turned towards her family. He held her hand and practically pulled her down the
aisle towards the forward arch and she happily rushed after him. “Hey where are
you taking me?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Are you seriously asking me that?” Dustin shook his head in
confusion and nodded towards the resort’s entrance.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What about the reception?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“They can have it without us! The only thing I want to do is
consummate my marriage with the most beautiful woman in the world. Besides I’ve
waited nearly a month for this Mica, three weeks is like a year in man math!
I’m about ready to pop!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She laughed as he yanked her again, nibbling on his bottom
lip as he contemplated tossing her over his shoulder like a caveman and running
headlong through the hallways. “Alright, ok I’m coming.” </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well not yet,” he grinned and opened the door for her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey, what happened to your face?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh uh you know, horseplay. We got a little rowdy I guess at
one of the bars is all.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“As long as you assure me those marks aren’t from the heels
of some stripper then I’m ok with it,” Mica smiled and brushed her hand gently
across Dustin’s cheek.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“They absolutely were not made by a stripper of any kind.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good! In that case, you’ll live to see the honeymoon.” </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Carrying her quickly across the threshold of their hotel
room, Dustin wasted no time fumbling with the buttons on his tuxedo and tossing
the remnants to the floor. Mica turned and allowed him to unzip her dress and
he threw himself onto the bed as he watched her shimmy out of her gown and rest
it on the arm of a nearby chair. He watched her move several steps back until
she reached the center of the room. Her fingers trailed to the clasp on her
bra, dropping it to the floor and exposing her full breasts to him. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin swallowed his lust and continued to watch her undress
for him. Her fingers slipped down to her waist and she gracefully began to move
the material down her hips and thighs. White, lace panties revealed her perfectly
trimmed mound and the groan that escaped his lips went unnoticed as he stood up
and started towards her. Turning her in his arms, he pulled her naked body
against his own and trailed his hands gently down her soft skin.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
His mouth traced over her collarbone, his tongue taking the
path of exploration. He was on a mission, but chose to cover every plane and
angle of the woman beneath him. His lips savored the soft flesh on her skin.
His tongue connected every inch of her body in invisible lines of hot moisture
and air. Dustin moved around her, lowering himself to her thighs as he
continued feathering kisses everywhere. Pushing her breasts together, he
nibbled on the twin mounds, biting one then the other, before taking both nipples
into his mouth and sucking on them simultaneously. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He heard her gasp and watched her fingers curl into fists at
her side. Increasing the torment, Dustin continued to lavish the twin globes
with the attention they deserved, fighting harder to restrain himself from
throwing her to the bed and continuing the purpose of dragging her from their
reception downstairs.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slowly he lowered her to the bed, releasing one of her
breasts while holding firmly to the other in his palm, kneading the soft flesh
and sucking vigorously on the other. “Dustin,” Mica sighed. She opened her eyes
and looked down at him, watching his teeth begin to further drive her to a
frenzied want. He knew the sounds of her passion and when she’d had enough
teasing. And although foreplay was not on his agenda tonight he couldn’t cheat
his new wife out of the full experience their first time as a married couple.</div>
<br />
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<br />
Gently and brutally slow he licked down her chest and rested
himself between her legs. Enjoying the feel of her silken skin beneath him, he
listened as Mica moaned and thrust her body upwards when he reached one of her
erogenous zones. He smiled at the expression of pure bliss on her face and
lightly peppered kisses over every inch of her chocolate flesh. Her breath
hitched as his fingers brushed over her curly hairs and she groaned when he
just as quickly retreated. “Why do you hate me?” she muttered between breaths
as he again found one of her pleasure spots. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hate?” he chuckled and lowered his head where she was dying
to feel him. “Oh no Mrs. Kimura, it’s just the opposite.” Mica moaned loudly when the
warmth of his mouth covered her clit. Dustin licked tenderly, flicking his
tongue frantically over the tiny bud as his fingers closed over her nipple. Mica
felt his tongue catapult her body to new heights and she eagerly squirmed beneath him.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And just as she was about to come, Dustin pulled away. She
sighed in frustration but it didn’t last long when she looked into his eyes.
Meticulously, he gazed down at her beautiful body, taking in her every feature
as if seeing her for the first time. His cock was raging and ready to plunge
into her. Crawling up her full figure, the warmth of her body surrounded him
and awakened the lustful beast that stormed within but Dustin concentrated on
the woman beneath him. His eyes raked over her beautiful dark hair, her chocolate
colored eyes, her high cheekbones and full lips and wondered how long it would
take to kiss every aspect of her perfect face. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VvXl82hRBGA/U3Y5-7G8mKI/AAAAAAAAfWU/E4R8DqK9XGE/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VvXl82hRBGA/U3Y5-7G8mKI/AAAAAAAAfWU/E4R8DqK9XGE/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He smiled and rested his cock along the slippery entrance of
her velvety lips as Mica ran her hands up and down his back and ground herself
against him begging for more of him with the movements her body made. Dustin reached
between them and grasped his hard shaft, lifted her hips and guided the head of
his cock between her swollen lips. She felt him push into her and gasped in
delight as he took command, sinking into her sweet folds. “Yes,” they moaned together
as a feeling of wholeness enveloped them both. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
They moved together; slowly at first with each one rocking
back and forth as the lust inside them burned hotter. Dustin captured one of
her nipples with his lips, coaxing the hard bud into his mouth and teased the
sweet flesh with his tongue. Mica dug her nails into his sides, locking onto
him as she wrapped her legs around him, anchoring herself to his ever
increasing motion. “Oh fuck! Harder, Dustin,” she cried out, her hands
slipped away from his hips and she curled them into the sheets and hoisted herself
higher.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jesus, yes that’s it!” she hissed as he drove his dick into her harder. She
felt each thrust of his cock and her body shook with desire and passion.
“Faster! Faster!” she begged over and over again as she drew in gasping breaths
of air. Mica clawed at his flesh, the nails of her fingers digging into his
back. She begged for more and he gave her what she desired, “Dustin,” she
screamed as she thrashed beneath him. She continued to slide and buck against
his body, as his mouth traveled up her chin and rested over her lips. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“God,” Dustin groaned as he increased the power of his hips
and drove harder into her welcoming sex. “Oh Baby you’re so tight.” He pumped faster. The sweat on his
brow fell into his eyes as his mouth worked her nipple into an erect pebble. She
screamed for him not to stop and he vowed not to give in until their desire consumed
them both. Dustin felt her pussy tighten around him and when she brought her
hands up to his hips again he knew she was coming. Mica shook as her climax
ripped through her; her eyes remained clenched shut, her lungs screaming for
air.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mica shouted and squealed, her words inaudible to anyone
listening. She bucked against him and screamed that she was coming and Dustin
grinned wickedly. “Oh fuck,” she gasped as little explosions of her orgasm erupted
and her entire being became suspended in time. She clung to her husband and
welcomed the little ripples of passion, moving under him to keep the tiny spasms
coming. Dustin felt his balls tighten and he plunged his cock further into her.
</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ohh, fuck Mica,” he groaned as he pumped his hips into her eager body, “this is perfect,” his seed erupted and explored her depths. He screamed her name again as he felt the
fiery hot liquid of his climax fill his wife and Mica felt his come flow into
her and slide down her lips coating his balls and her slick opening. A few more
tremors against her body he was sated and completely drained. Dustin looked down
into her dark, brown eyes and lowered his lips to hers. “I hope you enjoyed
your wedding night,” he whispered against her ear. Mica laughed, her hand
ran down his chest and she played with his damp hair. He grinned and held her
tighter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gentle fingers trailed over her ribs and Mica stared openly
into her husband’s face. She pulled him down to her mouth and lifted herself to
kiss his lips. Her tongue moved over his and she felt his caress hers and
grinned. “I love you.” Dustin could hear the passion and desire in her voice
and he welcomed it. This was eternal, his happily ever after and it was real.
The look in her eyes as she said those three little words made his heart soar
and he swore not a day would pass where he did not say the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a serious face and adoring eyes that worshipped the
gorgeous creature he could now call wife, Dustin tenderly met her lips again
and whispered against them, “I love you too.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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*<b>Author's note:</b> Special thanks to our guest stars: Remington "Remy" Cantrell (The Cowboy), Derrick Constantine (The Cop) and Caleb Savage (The Fireman) of <a href="http://theanimalts3.blogspot.com/">The Animal</a>, <a href="http://djvcoldblooded.blogspot.com/">Cold Blooded</a> and <a href="http://aftermidnights3.blogspot.com/">After Midnight</a> respectively.<br />
<br />
- Bridal Shop and Pizzeria courtesy of <a href="http://martinessimblr.tumblr.com/post/63569114537/antonios-pizzeria-and-heirloom-bridal-share-a-lot">Martine</a>.<br />
<br />
- Before the wedding, Dustin gave Audrey, Mica’s mother, a
wild goose as is tradition in his culture. Wild geese mate for life, so his
gift is a promise that he will care for her daughter for life. This is the sound Mica hears before she marches down the aisle.<br />
<br />
- Check out the <a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/p/bonus.html">Bonus</a> page for more behind the scenes shots of Mica and Dustin's wedding!<br />
<br />
P.S. If you were staring at Dustin's butt in shot #9 of the sex scene don't feel ashamed. I was too!*<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/06/s7-chapter-04-black-veil.html">Continue----></a>DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-82912758864407644152013-12-14T07:14:00.000-05:002019-01-28T12:45:23.665-05:00S7: Chapter 02: The President's Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What does this mean for the team?” Dustin asked after Brett
and Yvette finished going over everything they learned at Sycom. “If you’re
going to work for your father then…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not going anywhere Dusty don’t worry about that. The
team will continue business as usual. This thing with Ethan is a side thing and
I won’t let it interfere with our work; nothing changes.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You probably don’t want to hear me tell you how much of a
bad idea I think this is,” Victor started as he stepped closer, gauging
Yvette’s reaction, “But I’m going to anyway. How can you be sure you can trust
Ethan? I mean after everything that’s happened, how do you know this isn’t just
some new way he’s come up with to fuck with you?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because we’re not doing anything until we’ve checked it out
completely ourselves,” Brett stepped in to answer. “You know me, I’ve never
been a huge supporter of Ethan but after the other night, even I was convinced.
There are too many unanswered questions and new concerns with this super weapon
being found in our own backyard. We need answers and if having a relationship
with Sycom is the only way to get them then it’s something we all must do. With
that said, I feel it’s important we get to work right away. Dustin, Ethan mentioned that Sycom was created as part of
the Defense Intelligence Agency, there’s gotta be a way to verify that right?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You mean you want me to hack the Department of Justice’s
systems in order to find even a sliver of information about a Black Ops agency
that technically doesn’t exist? Can I tell you how incredibly dangerous that
is? Not only is there a risk of me being detected within…mere seconds of even
touching the DOJ’s firewalls but you have no idea if there is any information
on file once I’m in. And to be honest, something like this has GOT to be off
book. You’d have a better chance of finding a name mentioned in passing on a
file hidden in the DCS’ sock drawer.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not that he’s giving you the idea to break into the Director’s
home to snoop around,” Ryan added to be sure Brett didn’t begin to formulate a
plan. “But he’s right. This kind of stuff isn’t kept on a server that’s easily
accessible by some zit-faced, high school geek with a conspiracy complex and
too much time on his hands; no offense Dustin.” Dustin frowned in Ryan’s
direction and he laughed. “You know what I mean.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The only way you’re gonna get any kind of information about
Sycom is to hack into THEIR systems; see who they’re talking to and where
they’re getting their walking commands. That’s an easier hit for me and I’m
sure I can get that without being detected.” He smiled as his fingers began
moving over the keys and different screens popped up on the monitors. “And for
the record, I never had zits!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sounds good. Now again this won’t affect our ongoing
investigations especially the hunt for Chris Landry and getting to the bottom
of the threat against Dustin,” Brett announced and watched as Dustin’s
expression dropped and he sank a little behind his desk. “Where are we on the Kkangpae?”</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yoshi Yamamoto,” Ryan replied and selected a few folders
from the stand on the edge of his desk, “founder and current known ranking commander
of the Geondal in South Korea. Yamamoto was a Japanese businessman who moved to
Seoul in 1997. And as South Korea fell victim to the East Asian Financial
Crisis, Yamamoto saw an opportunity to make himself useful to the Kkangpae by
handling their income which at the time came from protection fees. The gangs
would take over certain neighborhoods and demand that every business owner pay
them a monthly fee in exchange for not damaging their businesses or scaring
customers away.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Later on it was Yamamoto who expanded the group’s activities to: arms, drugs and human trafficking,
counterfeiting, identity document forgery and illegal immigration. Most members
that are known within the gang have wrap-sheets a mile long with everything
from assault, extortion, fraud and arson to murder, prostitution, racketeering,
and bribery. Anyway Yamamoto was recently cited for a speeding ticket here in
town; a Black Cadillac Escalade is registered in his name.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what was the make and model of the car that shot at us
at the prison?” Brett asked and tossed the pages back to the table.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A Black Cadillac Escalade,” Victor responded casually
scratching his chin as he listened.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Looks like the connection we were looking for. They got an
address listed on his file?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hold on I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Yvette asked, turning to look at her husband. “Someone shot at you?” Brett’s eyes widened in
shock as he suddenly realized that was a detail he’d omitted from their visit
to the Greensville Correctional Unit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It wasn’t serious Yve, otherwise I’d have told you and…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Save it! You get shot at and it’s nothing serious? You’re
joking with me right now right? Why am I just now hearing about this?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yve, it happened quickly and was over just as fast. No one
was hurt so I didn’t see the need in bringing it up and making you worry over
nothing; that’s all. It’s the job, you know that. We get shot at all the time.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette realized there was no point in arguing over something
that happened a while ago and quietly shook her head as she started back
towards her desk. “Says here they extorted an entire nursing home of people out
of their life savings to fund a gun run from Seoul to the States; nice people,”
she joked as she went through one of the folders Ryan sat on the coffee table.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t know the half of it,” Dustin replied and pulled
away from his computer. He started towards the wall monitor and pulled up a
profile of Chin Ho Kun-Hee, a South Korean businessman with suspected ties to
the Kkangpae. “Chin Ho is the man responsible for the threat against me and my
family. He’s the reason why we went into hiding though I can’t place all blame
on him; I had a hand in the Kkangpae targeting the Kelly’s.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Kelly’s?” Victor asked curiously and leaned against his
desk.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My family’s original name,” he responded and began pacing
in front of the group. “I was just a baby when I had my first experience with
the Kkangpae in Seoul; no older than five years old. Like ninjas swirling in
the mist at night they came silently, left the town in ruins and were gone
before the sun came up. They set fires to our houses, businesses, crops; burned
everything. They wanted to expand their territory, take over property owned by
some of the families for centuries to have a deeper hold within the community;
a place to run their organization from.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“They ‘convinced’ some home and shop owners to turn over
their deeds to them, turning their properties into drug manufacturing sites,
the ones they didn’t make pay them protection fees. Those who spoke against
them were shot down in the streets like animals; their bodies hung from rafters
as a warning to others who dared try. Worst of all they’d go after your family
first; make you suffer through their deaths if you resisted them. I watched as
my oldest sister and my best friend…I can’t close my eyes without seeing them.”
Dustin responded as he dropped onto the couch near the door. He choked up as he
thought about the events that shattered his family and Yvette rubbed his
shoulders lightly, encouraging him to continue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m so sorry this happened to you Dusty. I didn’t know you
had another sister,” Yvette responded as she listened to him pour his heart
out. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What did the police do about them?” Brett asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The police protected them and many city officials were on
the payroll, there was nowhere to turn to for help. My father was one of many
who fought back against the Kkangpae. He and several others took up arms
against their foot soldiers to defend their homes, their families, their farms
but it was no use. Countless men, women and children were murdered including members
of my own family.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iab1mZ7Bav0/UnmZfsJPk6I/AAAAAAAAcYE/Ntsk3OD9KMo/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iab1mZ7Bav0/UnmZfsJPk6I/AAAAAAAAcYE/Ntsk3OD9KMo/s640/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a>“When I was ten my mother took me and Lien to our
grandmother’s house to live. She stayed just outside of Seoul and our parents
thought it would be a safer environment for us than living in the city. I
didn’t see them again until I was 15 and my grandmother was taking steps to secure
us safe passage to the states. She was afraid for me because without the
presence of my father I’d become a little harder to handle. I was staying out
late at night, running with a dangerous crowd and had gotten into trouble with
the law a few times.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I was rebellious and I didn’t mean to be. I was just so
angry. I felt like our parents just threw us away after what happened to Mi
Sun; I didn’t know any better then. I joined up with this crew who used to run
jobs for the Kkangpae. At first I did it to get back at my parents for
abandoning us when we needed them but pretty soon though it turned into me
trying to ruin the Kkangpae from the inside.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’d sabotage jobs by blowing up container ships, start
fires at their drug making facilities and call the police to warn them about
illegal activity in certain areas. I refined my hacking skills by siphoning
their money into an account overseas and then filtering the funds into
different accounts that belonged to random people. It was sort of a Robin Hood
idea but it worked to keep them constantly grasping at straws.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But after a while they figured things out; figured me out
and it was then that Grandma Hua tried to get us out of the country. They
threatened to kill me and everyone I loved so she paid the captain of a cargo ship
to transport us quietly. As a parting gift, I got to watch them murder my
mother and father at the port the day we were leaving; it’s haunted me ever since.
It’s the reason I got into law enforcement, to stop people like the gangsters
who think they can step over anyone they want without consequence.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We entered the country illegally and once here, obtained
documents to hide our identities and make a new start for ourselves. I tried
everything to leave my past behind me, including changing my name. I was born Kelly
Dae-Jung; I became Kimura Dustin when I touched down here in Bridgeport. Kimura
was the last name of Grandma Hua’s first husband.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wow Dustin, that’s some history. But how do you think these
guys found you after all this time?” Yvette asked once Dustin finished his
story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s the thing,” he replied popping up from the couch and
starting his routine pacing again, “I’ve been wracking my brain trying to
figure that out myself. I have no idea! I was very careful to keep past
affiliations as far away from our new lives as possible. When we left Korea we
cut ties with everyone. Lien even left Tao’s father behind. He refused to come
with us and…” he paused and suddenly his face lit up with confusion and
recognition as a thought crossed his mind.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? What’s that face for?” Brett pressed.</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Shin…Tao’s father. He had just gotten a promotion at work
and he said that was the reason he couldn’t up and leave his life to follow us.
Grandma thought he was doing the honorable thing; continuing to work to ensure
his family would be provided for but…he was told he couldn’t contact us because
of the risk involved. Working to provide for his family doesn’t really work.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What did he do for a living?” Ryan asked and hopped behind
his computer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t really know. It was something to do with
construction I think. I never really liked the guy so I avoided him whenever
possible. He never seemed all that honest to me and I hated the way he
abandoned my sister when she needed him most.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Shin Choi, Civil Engineer at AMCO Construction; he also
sits on the Board of Directors for the company. It says that he was part of the
planning commission for the Namyang Design Center construction, the Jeju
Haevichi Resort condominium construction and the Namyang Rolling Hills
construction; that’s some resume,” Ryan read after bringing up the company’s
employee records.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You think it was Shin who told the Kkangpae where they
could find you? Why would he do that? That places his own son at risk,” Yvette
remarked as more information about Shin popped up on the screen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know. But he was the only one who knew about our
plans to leave and he’s the only one who would have been able to tell the
Kkangpae which pier we were leaving from; it makes sense.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me we’re looking for Agents B. and Y. Knight, Agent R.
Sharpe, Agent D. Kimura and Agent V. Murphy. We were told they’d be here.” The
team turned to find two men dressed in black suits, ties and matching shoes
standing beside the door. The darker haired of the two had green eyes that
shimmered with a serious expression and a mouth that pressed into a thin line,
nearly hiding his lips completely. The blonde hid his eyes behind the
sunglasses he wore indoors and Yvette shook her head at the absurdity. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both had clean cut hairstyles and toned physiques. And both
were wearing guns beneath their coats that caused a slight bulging near their
shoulders. The taller of the two, the one speaking, clutched his hands in front
of him, flicking a small electronic object in his fingers. The other rested in
a military stance and remained near the door as the taller one moved. “What do
you want with us?” Brett asked, mimicking the man’s movements and stepping
closer towards the door.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of answering, the man pressed the electronic
earpiece he wore and spoke something in a whisper and the door burst open with
three more men stepping inside. “Could you please be so kind as to come with
us?” Raven haired asked but the tone in his voice denoted that the question was
obviously not a request. The team looked at each other before complying with
the man’s request, following him out to the motor pool and each slipping into
designated sitting. Yvette noticed that the SUVs had government plates and
quickly ascertained that these men worked for either the CIA or Secret Service.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t long before she got her answer and the four
vehicles were pulling into the gates of the White House. “This way please,”
raven-haired guided the group into a small waiting room and shut the door. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are we doing here?” Ryan asked nervously looking
around. It wasn’t often they were called to the White House; in fact it was the
first time he could remember. Immediately he began thinking over their recent
interactions with other agencies and past cases to try and discover a reason
for being called into the presence of the President.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t know but whatever it is, it ain’t good,” Victor
surmised and did a quick inventory of the room.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How can you be so sure about that?” Yvette asked, amused by
Victor’s caution and doing her best to contain a laugh. “I don’t think the
President is in the business of calling on people when they’ve done wrong;
that’s what the DOJ is for.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You mean like the men in black who didn’t bother to tell us
their names or the reason we were being sequestered.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Relax Vic, We’ll find out soon enough what’s going on.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And sure enough the doors opened again and raven-haired
motioned towards the team. “We’re ready for you,” he remarked and took them
down the hallway and into a door that lead to the Oval office. “Madame
President, may I introduce Agents Knight, Sharpe, Murphy and Kimura.” He bowed
once and took position near the door in a military stance before President Ajei
Bahii excused him from the room.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She stood beside her desk, dressed in a lime green cotton
suit. Her Native American Heritage was proudly displayed in several pictures
and artifacts throughout the room and Yvette took note of the way the President
carried herself. Since being elected to office, the first female in history as
well as the first Navajo Indian, President Bahii made it clear she was out to
make right the many injustices done not only to her people but those that had
been overlooked by many of her predecessors. President Bahii seemed socially
awkward standing before the team yet in all of her interviews she appeared bold
and outspoken. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Yvette also noted the way she favored her left hand and the
personal touch of Native American ancestry she tried tucking beneath her sleeve,
a piece of finely woven string. Finally she focused on the way she stood as she
began speaking to the team. “I understand you’re the Agents responsible for
uncovering the super weapon being housed just off Capitol Hill, is that
correct?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Their eyes opened wide and the team searched one another’s
faces before Brett cleared his throat to answer. “Yes Madame President, that’s
correct.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Please, there’s no need for the formalities, relax Agents.
I asked you here to extend my gratitude for discovering the threat against the
government and to ask for your help.” Slowly she paced in front of her desk
before moving towards the team and offering them seats on the sofas. “It has
come to my attention that there’s a leak within my administration and I’ve
become unsure of who I can and cannot trust.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
There was a long pause and moment of silence before Yvette
leaned forward and in hushed tones began to speak. “Are you asking us to
investigate your administration?”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
President Bahii nodded and languidly rubbed her hands
together. “That weapon was found no more than ten miles outside of Congress
where some of the biggest and brightest minds work around the clock to prevent
such incidences from occurring. And yet, someone was able to walk right into
our backyard, set a nuclear weapon down and no one here took notice. I find
that highly questionable. It’s been no secret that I have enemies who would
rather see me in the ground than in office. A woman and a Navajo as President
of the United States; it’s been a tough road to say the least.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I need someone I can trust to handle this investigation and
not a team I inherited once I was sworn in. Now I’ve been watching you since
the first nuclear threat against this country and I’ve seen how you handle
yourselves in tight situations. I have no doubt that you’ll get the job done.
You’re a group of highly motivated, loyal and determined Federal agents who
just saved the lives of everyone in D.C. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that
this is completely confidential and your investigation needs to be handled
quickly and quietly.” </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She handed Brett a folder with a compiled list of names,
dates, pictures and other documentation that confirmed her suspicions of
terrorist activity. Brett nodded towards the President as she stood and shook
each of their hands, her left palm slipping against theirs. “Thank you for your
dedication. I’m looking forward to working with you.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2014/05/s7-chapter-03-paper-planes.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-8105873190997858202013-11-30T07:37:00.002-05:002019-01-28T09:46:49.977-05:00S7: Chapter 01: The Company Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Author's note: Pretty informational chapter but I hope it's not too much to understand :)</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette, it’s great to finally meet you. Your father has
told us so much about you I feel as though I know you already.” Yvette glanced
at Ethan who smiled proudly as Kimberly Redding took her hand as well for a
firm greeting. “Well I’m sure you both are very curious as to what goes on here
and why you were brought to our facilities under the cover of night. I will do
my best to answer any questions you may have but first, how about a tour?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sycom is a multinational corporation that deals with
establishing goodwill and global equality through partnerships with ambassadors
from around the world. Now on paper that sounds great but what it all really
means is…”</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re spies,” Brett filled in the blank as they started
down the hallway passing a multitude of doors guarded by armed men and even a
room where new agents were being trained for combat.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not so much spies as liaisons for hire.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So you’re mercenaries,” Brett continued as they entered the
room Kimberly described as central control.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t see the gray so much do you Agent Knight?” she
asked turning to face him with a bit of a frustrated look about her that Yvette
couldn’t help but grin at. Ethan squeezed her shoulder and she turned to
look at him with a smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sycom is much like the Dark Ops team you worked with before
Yvie only we don’t answer to any one government body. We work as free agents
for a multitude of networks going places where a badge can’t always go. And
Brett, I was just as skeptical about things as you are now so I get it. It’s
hard trusting something that normal agencies would frown upon. But we’re as
deep cover as you can get without being buried; many of the operatives and
agents for the FBI and CIA don’t even know we exist. Without the proper
clearance level, which is fairly difficult to achieve, no one could even
imagine the information we see on a daily basis.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So what exactly do you do here?” Yvette asked as she took
in the number of men and women training in a few of the lower level facilities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We deal mainly in counterintelligence, domestic protection,
homeland security threats and clandestine services. The major difference
between us and say the CIA or FBI is we don’t worry about the political aspect
of things. All the schmoozing and hand holding and ‘diplomatic talks’ we leave
for the other guys. Sycom was created as a no holds barred arm of the Defense
Intelligence Agency,” Ethan began as Yvette and Brett looked around the main
office.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“We execute espionage activities around the world to resolve national-level defense objectives for the President and the Secretary of Defense. Staffed by civilian and military personnel, Sycom boasts the most unsurpassed assembly of highly trained agents this nation has ever seen. As a consolidation of the former Defense Human Intelligence Service, Sycom works in conjunction with the CIA’s National Clandestine Service and the U.S military’s Joint Special Operations Command to ensure the security of the country against all domestic and foreign attacks.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And what do you want with us?” Brett asked cutting through
all the bull and getting straight to the point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your brains,” Kimberly responded quickly and handed him a
folder to sift through. “We’re hoping that you can see something we’ve missed.
Having been a part of the operation that ended at the warehouse the Automatic Missile
Weapons System was located led us to believe you are tapped into some of the
most sensitive information within the Bureau. With that knowledge and the fact
that you are a commanding officer within the agency, we’re confident that you
can lead our agents into the field on equally as successful missions.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So in other words you’re hoping I’ll become a Handler for
your in-field agents?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not just a Handler, Agent Knight. We understand your huge
contribution being a field agent as well as the benefit of having you as a CO
off the field. We’d never completely remove you from either aspect of agent
work. We would like you to maintain the position you currently hold only
working for Sycom,” Kimberly continued to explain.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7vTDbHNx0s/Ui-E6y4ugvI/AAAAAAAAbJY/82cHGMRyxEc/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7vTDbHNx0s/Ui-E6y4ugvI/AAAAAAAAbJY/82cHGMRyxEc/s640/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And who’s he?” Brett motioned towards another man standing
statuesque against the back panel. Since entering the room he neither flinched
nor spoke but he maintained sight of both Yvette and Brett at all times.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That is Staff Sergeant Warren Vanguard. He’s in charge of
training our agents for combat as well as preparing their departure for ops,”
Ethan responded as Ssgt. Vanguard moved towards them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I can understand Agent Knight’s reason for being here. His
family has a strict military background, he’s primed to become the next
Director for the Bureau and has several commendations under his belt from his
career in the Police Force as well as his time with the FBI. But other than the
fact that this one is your daughter, do you really think she has what it takes
to become a part of Sycom, Sir?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9F9zVUC3qw/Ui-E6IAi8gI/AAAAAAAAbJU/_83twHUhuB4/s1600/Screenshot-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9F9zVUC3qw/Ui-E6IAi8gI/AAAAAAAAbJU/_83twHUhuB4/s640/Screenshot-10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ethan smirked noticing the look of agitation that worked its
way into Yvette’s expression and pulled her closer. “My daughter has an IQ of
178. She’s shattered dozens of records held by some of the military’s most
elite marksmen and is proficient in every form of hand-to-hand combat known to
man. At the age of 21 she was already successfully overseeing her own tactical
and strategic team on countless missions. I’d advise you to be careful how you
speak about her whether in my presence or not, lest you’d like her to make you
eat your words.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Understood Sir,” Ssgt. Vanguard nodded in deference towards
Yvette before resuming his position against the back wall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I’m sure we’ve given you plenty to think about. And if
you have no other questions, I’d say we’re pretty much done here for now.”
Ethan watched as Yvette and Brett exchanged looks before escorting them towards
the door. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“How long have you worked for Sycom?” Brett asked once they
reached the main hall again.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Over the course of the last years here, I’d say about five
years give or take. But it wasn’t until recently I took command and began
overseeing operations. That’s been the past three years now.” He paused and
turned to take in Brett’s face. “If you’re still with your concerns, which I’m
sure you are, there are ways you can authenticate everything we’ve told you.
I’d just advise you to use caution while exploring the Bureau’s database. We
wouldn’t want the wrong people learning about your curiosity.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He leaned forward and pulled Yvette into his arms. With a
quick peck to her cheek, he wrapped himself around her snugly. “I’m so glad you
came,” he whispered against her ear as he pulled away. “It’s always nice seeing
you. Brett,” he nodded at his son-in-law with a smile. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you’re not busy for lunch tomorrow, I was kind of hoping
maybe you and I could meet?” Yvette asked as he motioned towards the door and
the two awaiting agents who had drove them here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Absolutely! But how about dinner instead? You can come by
my place, I’ll cook for you.” He jotted his address on a slip of paper from his
pocket and gave her another hug. “You’re welcomed by as well Brett, any time.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s ok, someone has to watch the twins. I’d hate to
think what they’d get up to without supervision.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Of course.” Brett and Yvette started towards the exit. “If
you have any other questions or concerns, just use the number that I gave you
and I’ll be happy to assist however I can.” He shouted to their backs and
waited for them to exit to the motor pool before starting towards his office.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How are you feeling?” Brett asked once they’d retrieved
Austin and Autumn from Scott’s place and were on the way home. His hand gently
rubbed Yvette’s until she opened her palm to take it and glanced over towards
him with a smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do you mean? About Sycom?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well that but I was mainly interested about where your head
is as far as Scott is concerned.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Scott. I don’t know. He’s my Dad. He’s always been the man
I looked to for answers so it really bothers me that now when I need him, I
can’t talk to him. And you want to know something funny? We’re spies so we’re
used to people not being truthful with us. Hell we tell lies for a living that
you’d think it would just be something you’d grow used to. And yet when someone
close to you, someone you love and have trusted with your life lies to you,
it’s the most painful feeling in the world.” They pulled up to their home and
Brett took Austin into his arms to carry to bed with Yvette following with
their daughter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you ok with me going to see Ethan tomorrow?” she asked
once the two had crawled beneath the covers of their own bed, finally ready to
get some sleep.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We talked about this Yvette. I promised I wouldn’t stand in
the way any longer as long as the twins remain safe. I don’t want you to feel
as though you have to choose between me and your father. Just, be careful going
out there tomorrow.” He leisurely kissed her forehead as she rested herself
against his chest. “Who knows? The man might have an arsenal in his basement as
well as a torture room for unsuspecting Girl Scouts.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m kidding; well about the Girl Scouts. Sweet dreams Baby,
I love you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I love you too.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next night Yvette got to Ethan’s place a little after
six. She knocked once and waited for her father to answer the door all the
while examining the neighborhood where he resided. It seemed like a quiet area. Typical suburb with neighbors who would have no idea they were living right next to a government agent who gets shot at on a daily basis. It was the perfect cover home and Yvette began to wonder how long Ethan had been living here. “Sweetheart,” he smiled,
pulling her into his arms for a quick hug before ushering her into his living
room. “Dinner will be ready shortly I kinda got a late start; work ran a little
longer than normal.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I imagine so; the Boss’ daughter coming to see where her
old man works. It must have been the talk of the building.” Yvette showed
herself around his home, looking at old photographs of her and Katrina when she
was younger; some that she didn’t even remember. On the table nearest the stairs
was a shot of Yvette as a newborn. She was being held by Ethan who had a look
of enchantment about seeing his baby girl for the first time. Katrina lay
behind him in the hospital bed watching as the two became acquainted.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Kat was pretty jealous that day,” his voice startled her
from behind as he came to hand her a glass of wine. She replaced the frame to
the table and slid the glass from his hands. “She said you were all about
loving on me while she only got the mean stares and whines. When I got to hold
you, you were so quiet except a few giggles. When I handed you back to Kat the
waterworks started. I had no idea a child your size could make so much noise.
You wouldn’t stop until I took you back into my arms and rocked you. Man. You
were so full of life though just taking everything in. Your Mom couldn’t get
you to sleep so I took a few days off work to stay by your side, sing to you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“‘You are my sunshine’.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep, yep; it was your favorite. Anyway your Mom thought
she’d done something wrong; pinched you when she was holding you or scared you
in some way because those first three days you were my baby and mine alone.
After a while though you started looking for her and the two of you became
inseparable. It’s almost as if you knew.” His voice trailed off and he turned
back for the kitchen as Yvette continued exploring his home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a while she heard him moving dishes to the dining room
and joined him soon after. He looked up at her with a smile as he set the food
in the center of the table. “I hope you still like spaghetti and meatballs,
extra oregano. As I recall when you were younger it was your favorite meal.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Still is. Scott had to get used to me requesting it nearly
every night for dinner. I don’t think he minded so much though; noodles are
cheap and he grew his own tomatoes.” Ethan pulled her chair out for her and
took a seat beside her at the head of the table.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I’m not so much a green thumb but I do hope I’ve done
it justice.” After saying grace, he waited for her to take the first bite,
watching her face to ensure she enjoyed it before diving in himself. “So how’s
work going for you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not bad. We just solved an eleven year old serial killer
case. Then the team and I got word Landry was hiding out here in town and went
to check it out; turned out to be that AMWS instead.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So moving on to another case already? No downtime at all
huh?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s no rest for the wicked,” she grinned and took
another bite of her dinner. “Besides I decided to save my vacation time for
next month anyway. A friend of mine is getting married in Vegas.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“That should be fun!” They ate the rest of their meal making
small talk. Ethan offered her dessert which she decided to take with her
instead. And after her offer to clean up was rejected by her father, she pulled
away from the table and took a seat in the living room as he began
straightening up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The images sitting around the living room brought another
wave of nostalgia but this time Yvette couldn’t contain her emotions. She
started crying as Ethan began clearing the table and he placed the dishes into
the sink, ignoring the chores for now to go to her. “Yvie?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m sorry,” she started and wiped her face on the back of
her hand. He took a box of tissues from beside his bar and sat them in front of
her. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s no need to apologize Sweetheart, do you want to
talk about it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh, is it ok if I use your bathroom?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah of course, um, down the hall second door on the
right.” He watched her head up the hall and headed back to his kitchen to nuke some hot water. A few moments later he heard the door open up and his daughter re-enter the living room. “Are you ok now?” Ethan asked handing Yvette a cup of cocoa as he took a seat beside her. She nodded her head yes and quietly sipped from the warm liquid before sitting it on the table in front of her. “Is it anything I can help with?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-hJ2GlS8NI/Ui-FT197_3I/AAAAAAAAbLw/J9WrSFC54WQ/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-hJ2GlS8NI/Ui-FT197_3I/AAAAAAAAbLw/J9WrSFC54WQ/s640/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s Scott. Last week he finally revealed to me that he
wasn’t being completely honest about what he knew. About Mom’s death, about you
and who you really were; he said he purposely led me to believe you were a bad
man just so he could keep me safe. I mean how does that keep me safe? Not knowing
that my father wasn’t a monster?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Aww Yvie,” Ethan started as he placed his arm around her
shoulders, gently caressing her arm. “Parents often paint the most horrible of
pictures about things they want their kids to stay away from. Swallowing gum will
make your insides stick together, your face staying ugly if you stick out your
tongue, rolling your eyes making you cross eyed or my personal favorite
swallowing seeds will make your belly sprout fruit. It’s only meant to keep you
from harm. I know things look bad right now but believe me when I say you’ll
forgive him. He’s your father and you love him. I mean just look at us.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He lied to me; all this time. He kept us apart and for the longest time never corrected me when I accused you of such horrible things knowing full well none of it was true. Had Scott not done what he did…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You wouldn’t have had a father,” Ethan responded before she could finish her sentence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes I would! I would have had you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No Baby, that’s just not right. Yvette, before your mother and I divorced I wasn’t winning any Father-of-the-year awards.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s not true. I remember very clearly how much fun we
had together.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Do you also remember how I started pulling away from you,
from your mother? I had to leave. And more and more I knew I had to cut ties. I
tried to keep you at arm’s length when we were together so that when I did
leave things wouldn’t hurt as much. Stupid idea I know but I said and did some
things that I really regret to this day Yvie. Scott raised you. He did the job
that I failed to do and I couldn’t be more proud of the woman you are because
of him. Don’t speak ill of him. He did what he needed to in order to protect
you and I appreciate that. He did what a real, loving father would and that’s to
work hard and sacrifice to provide a comfortable life for his child.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I saw the stuff in your storage, Ethan. Why didn’t you send
it, any of it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I did Yvie. But after the first few year’s cards and gifts
were returned I got the hint. I could look but not interact and that was fine,
it was what I’d chosen. But I couldn’t let your birthday or holiday pass
without celebrating with you in some way so I wrote. Letters, postcards, gift
cards, presents; I guess my hope was that Katrina would tell you about them one
day and I would be able to officially celebrate with my daughter.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If Scott, if he hadn’t threatened you would there have been
more?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You needed a father Yvie and Scott was that man.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You didn’t answer the question.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course. I wanted to be a part of your life. And after
Katrina, I wanted you back. I felt at that point nothing else mattered. I came
home to take you but Scott wasn’t having that.” Ethan sighed and glanced at his
daughter. For years he’d kept quiet about what went on between him and Scott
because Yvette already believed that one father betrayed her, he didn’t want
that to happen to another. He knew his daughter needed someone in her life;
even more once her mother passed. So he played the bad guy because that was
what was needed. Never once had he considered throwing Scott under the bus and
telling her the truth. He had made his bed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why didn’t you say anything to me, at the funeral?” Yvette
asked placing the cup down onto the coffee table as she looked solemnly at her
father, her eyes moist and red from hard crying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I told Scott I wouldn’t. The night I got to town I called
him to ask if I could see you and he said he didn’t think it was a good idea.
To put it frankly he threatened me. Told me I’d better stay away from you if I
wanted to keep breathing free air. He said he would take great care of you and
I knew he was being truthful, look at what he’d done since you were ten. It
took EVERYTHING in me to run away before you came over to that gravestone
Yvette. I wanted so badly to see you up close; to hug you and tell you how
sorry I was but. I knew if I had I was risking the possibility of ever seeing
you again.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette went into her purse and pulled out a small envelope.
Handing it to Ethan he looked at her with a smile as he opened the flap to
reveal the pictures of Austin and Autumn inside. “The twins?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mmhmm,” she nodded and wiped away a tear. “They are a
handful. I’m working with certified geniuses here.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I wonder who they get that from,” Ethan laughed as he went
through the envelope. “You can’t imagine the things your Mother and I would
catch you doing at such an early age it was why she suggested we have your IQ
tested. Everything made sense after that.”</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
“Wow then I should look forward to more devious
twinscapades. The other day I caught them trying to escape the playpen. Austin
let his baby sister crawl over his back and she was using the little plastic
key ring to undo the latch. I yelled for Brett to bring the camera and that’s
the picture he snapped but unfortunately it was just as they fell back onto the
mat and were pretending as if nothing happened. I fear what they’ll do when
they’re older.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Haha that’s so great! I love that. And Austin has your
eyes. They are both incredibly adorable. I bet they have their parents wrapped
around their little fingers.” </div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And then some.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look at that,” he pointed towards another shot where the
two were trying to pull the cookie jar from the shelf. “Now that’s a great
shot. Either Austin is letting his sister take lead because she’s smaller or…”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Autumn is the brains behind the operations and Austin is
the muscle. Either way they make a remarkable team.” Ethan continued looking
through the pile of shots, his smile growing larger at each one. Yvette felt a
sense of calm that quickly dissipated as she thought about the reason she’d
come to his home. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where do we go from here?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“We can go as slow or as fast as you want Yvie. I’m willing
to do this however you want. I’m just happy having you back in my life again.” Yvette
got back home, entering as quietly as she could.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was already after nine and she knew the twins would be
down for the night. Heading into the living room she stopped suddenly at the
door and smiled at the sight she saw. Passed out on the couch was Brett and in
his arms lay both Austin and Autumn. Quickly she went and grabbed her camera to
snap a few shots as her husband snored louder. Both of their children were
using Daddy as a pillow though Autumn seemed the most protected within Brett’s
grip. His eyes fluttered open as another camera noise resounded
beside him and he smiled up at Yvette. “They tired you out huh?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah well when one wants to play hide and seek and the
other wants to use me as a jungle gym, things can get pretty interesting really
fast.” </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why aren’t they in bed?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I was waiting up for you, see how well that went, and
the twins didn’t want to be upstairs alone so here we are,” he groaned looking
for a way to sit up without disturbing his babies. “How was dinner?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It was…normal. I really enjoyed it Brett. And next time I
think you should come with me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mmm, then it’s a date. Now if you would be so kind…” Yvette
placed the camera onto the coffee table and pulled Austin from off of Brett’s
chest. He moaned against her neck as he cuddled deeper into her arms and she
walked him upstairs to bed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/12/s7-chapter-02-presidents-men.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-58049052597393785532013-09-06T18:31:00.001-04:002013-09-06T18:54:38.579-04:00Season 7: Coming Soon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello readers! I am currently at work getting the season in order. I'm trying to get shots but the save keeps crashing which means I'll have to scrap it and start fresh. But just wanted to give everyone a heads up about where the story was presently. So what’s in store for Season 7? <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
A long awaited wedding, a surprise visit
from an old friend, the revelation of a lifetime and a decision that will be
the ultimate turning point for everyone forever. Don’t miss the final and most
explosive season yet of Codename: Danger, coming soon!</div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-6479114258959729432013-08-10T19:32:00.002-04:002021-10-10T14:46:16.127-04:00S6: Chapter 10: Dead-End Drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“I want two teams to enter the building from opposite sides.
Vic and I will take the back entrance and check for the databanks Ops says is
on the premises. Ryan, I want you and Yvette to take the side entrance,
upstairs and the docking bay are your points of execution. Vic and I will take
the bottom level and exterior loading points. Dustin has advised there are
possible contaminants and other toxins on site so keep your masks on at all
times. We have Intel that Landry is on site and from experience we know he’s going to be armed. Watch your backs in there. If you encounter a problem get on the comm. immediately. Divide and
conquer people. You know your objectives so let’s get it done.” Brett checked
his weapon one last time before moving into position at the back gates. Ryan
hurried off towards the right side with Yvette taking care to watch his six for
any signs of movement.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once they were in position, Brett gave the signal and all
four members entered the building prepared for their extraction. “If Landry is
somewhere inside this place, we’ll find him Viper,” Victor spoke in low tones
as he maneuvered himself against the wall and waited for Brett to flank. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s what I’m worried about,” he responded and moved a
few feet ahead of his partner. “If he is here, I don’t know if Yvette will be
able to control herself or just shoot him without prejudice.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette knows what’s at stake here, she wouldn’t fire her
weapon unless it was necessary and you know that. After everything’s that’s
happened it would be understandable that she’s emotional about her ex-partner
and even this mission but she has a level head and won’t put the rest of us in
jeopardy. I know things have seemed a little off with her game lately but she
has never failed to get the work done. She’s a good agent and you should give
her more credit than that.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You say that as a friend Vic and I understand that. But you
haven’t been the one up with her late at night listening to her stress and
worry about things that are beyond her control. There’s been a lot to deal with from both of her fathers and work and the twins. She’s been very fragile lately
and I know the not knowing what to expect from Landry or
whatever schemes he may be cooking up is only adding to her stress. She needs this to end and one way or the
other she’ll find a way.” He stopped beside a door and motioned Vic forward. Pulling
his service weapon over his shoulder, he fixed his aim at the door and waited
for it to open. Counting down from three, Victor kicked open the door and his eyes opened wide in shock as he immediately took in the number of rigged canisters of fuel wired to explode.</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Get down!” he shouted and dove for cover
just as a large explosion rocked the building setting off other explosives
placed strategically throughout the facility. Ryan ran beneath the staircase
and Yvette jumped behind a stack of crates as the fire rained upon them and
smaller explosions set off the sprinklers and kicked off the power.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Emergency lights came on as the team slowly began collecting
themselves but it wasn’t long before the doors to the front were kicked open
and the bullets started to fly. “It’s a set up!” Ryan growled as he returned
fire and threw himself into a corner to avoid the near miss of projectiles
soaring in his direction. “Diamond where are you?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m behind the half wall near the break room. I see you
Cobra. There are three shooters heading towards you. I can take out the center
guy and draw their fire.” Without hesitation, Yvette was on her feet firing
towards the men descending on where Ryan was holed up. With three shots to the
chest the man fell with a grunt, his body plummeting over the guard rail and
landing with a thud on the ground floor. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noticing their comrade taking a hit, the other two fired
upon Yvette’s location and she quickly ducked behind another pile of crates to
avoid being shot. Ryan took aim at the men as they moved towards her, hitting
one in the head and the other in the leg. The first died before he hit the
ground while the other, dragged himself into the safety of the office and hid
behind the desk. “Cobra are you hit?” Yve asked over the comm. as she
repositioned herself to find where he’d moved to.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m fine. Another one is down but I lost track of the third
man.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The office. But it’s surrounded by security glass no way
we’d get the drop on him.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great. And I can only guess that’s where we’d also find the
databanks we were sent here for.” Ryan made a point and Yvette gasped as she
realized the third gunman could be in there destroying the evidence. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gABdWI4BcdI/UfrV0wytmQI/AAAAAAAAZZg/5QzvUppLuIA/s1600/Screenshot-13.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gABdWI4BcdI/UfrV0wytmQI/AAAAAAAAZZg/5QzvUppLuIA/s640/Screenshot-13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uZc3M7On7IQ/UfsNlOSebII/AAAAAAAAZgo/mRjhoxdqjcM/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uZc3M7On7IQ/UfsNlOSebII/AAAAAAAAZgo/mRjhoxdqjcM/s640/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
“Cobra, I’m going in, get around the other side and cover
me!” The two moved quickly with Yvette bursting down the door and jumping
behind an office chair as the man crawled to his knees and fired at her. Ryan
was able to crack through the glass in the small room and immediately took aim
at the man, striking him in the hand, arm and neck. He fell, clutching at his
throat as blood spurted from his numerous wounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qw0xcqk8eLM/UfsNknEBo_I/AAAAAAAAZgk/rJcb1OZ0464/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qw0xcqk8eLM/UfsNknEBo_I/AAAAAAAAZgk/rJcb1OZ0464/s640/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Climbing through the window, Ryan glanced in Yvette’s
direction before checking for the hardware on the multiple devices in the room.
“Are you ok?” he asked as she joined him pulling out the hard drives of the
computers and stuffing them in her bag. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m fine. You’re always a great cover guy,” she smiled and
he high fived her as they retrieved a series of computer discs and placed them
in cases to take back to HQ. “Come on, we need to rendezvous with the others,
there’s no telling what other surprises are waiting in this place.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqYPUHh-4hg/UfrV6MHVq9I/AAAAAAAAZZ4/xrIgCtFb_-4/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqYPUHh-4hg/UfrV6MHVq9I/AAAAAAAAZZ4/xrIgCtFb_-4/s640/Screenshot-16.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor groaned as he pulled himself up from beneath the
crumpled wall and plaster that crashed on him with the explosion. Checking his
weapon he moved to the last position he saw Brett and helped pull him from the
rubble. “Are you hurt?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing I can’t live with.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good, because I think I heard gunshots not too far from
here.” He got to his feet and ensured his weapon was in firing condition and
charged forward through the double doors near the side entrance. After trying
to raise Yvette and Ryan a few times on the comm. he gave up and motioned for
Victor to take point as they entered the main floor of the building. More shots
rang out and burrowed into the wall beside them as they exited the hallway and
Victor took cover beside the door as Brett held up behind a column near the
middle of the room.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5l9aLkrFv0/UfrV7UV31II/AAAAAAAAZaE/TZuixPJJNnw/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5l9aLkrFv0/UfrV7UV31II/AAAAAAAAZaE/TZuixPJJNnw/s640/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Sidewinder, we are taking fire, can you access the
building’s security system and check the cameras in here?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not a possibility Boss. The explosions took out the main
system and right now it’s all running on generator juice which means it’s only
the necessary amount of energy to continue functioning. All nonessential
equipment has been shutdown; door locks, security cameras and lobby lights are
on that list.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>So what is still running?</i>”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Besides the computer’s mainframe I couldn’t tell you
exactly. But from the scans I’m getting off the EMP, it’s huge whatever it is!
It’s located on the lower level in a room near the back. Using infrared heat
signals I can see about nine bodies in the building. Four on the top level the
rest on the ground floor. I couldn’t tell you which is Cobra and Diamond or
which is you and Cottonmouth. All I can say is stay on your guard. That back
room is generating a LOT of heat.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kPlpNzWUfs/UfrV7-79FBI/AAAAAAAAZaI/6_1Yok4ZGa4/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kPlpNzWUfs/UfrV7-79FBI/AAAAAAAAZaI/6_1Yok4ZGa4/s640/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kXdUXL5f5A/UfrWAGCot_I/AAAAAAAAZag/xiSQz1PIRQ4/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kXdUXL5f5A/UfrWAGCot_I/AAAAAAAAZag/xiSQz1PIRQ4/s640/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor ducked as a shot rocketed towards him and returned
fire on one gunman he saw standing beside the lift doors. “That’s eight now,”
he reported with a grin to Brett and pulled up from his position to find more.
Brett covered him, moving crate by crate to keep himself guarded as they went
on the offensive. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjVAwF-izlw/UfrV-QTT0fI/AAAAAAAAZaU/n8YbU0TiAjU/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjVAwF-izlw/UfrV-QTT0fI/AAAAAAAAZaU/n8YbU0TiAjU/s640/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4rvVRoJir0/UfrV_JyU28I/AAAAAAAAZaY/2IoKh-XHiLs/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4rvVRoJir0/UfrV_JyU28I/AAAAAAAAZaY/2IoKh-XHiLs/s640/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shooting blindly towards an area where a shot rang out, he
heard someone grunt and advanced in that direction to check on the status of
the shooter. The closer they moved up the hallway, they could feel the heat
from the room that Dustin had mentioned and both men tapped on the covers of
their gas masks to ensure they were in place. Brett entered first and ducked as
a gunshot round blasted through the top cover of the door, splitting the wood
from the frame. Victor came in with the same type of weapon and with one shot,
the gunman bounced back against the wall as the shell tore through his abdomen.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2wxqP8itP5A/UfrWDe1EyZI/AAAAAAAAZas/3G3FrXP_haE/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2wxqP8itP5A/UfrWDe1EyZI/AAAAAAAAZas/3G3FrXP_haE/s640/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett nodded in his direction and Victor moved deeper into
the room. Gripping an end of the cloth he and Brett pulled it back to reveal a
large military grade missile equipped with some heavy chemical that bubbled
within the locked cylinder on the front cover. Victor and Brett both took quick
steps back from the weapon ensuring the clock on the front display wasn’t
moving before contacting Dustin back in the van to inform him of the situation.
“We have to find Ryan and Yve and get them out of this building,” Brett remarked
and rushed out of the room heading towards the other end of the facility.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-YHGVy7aAo/UfrWD7wgm1I/AAAAAAAAZaw/rx6b4y3Nkzw/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-YHGVy7aAo/UfrWD7wgm1I/AAAAAAAAZaw/rx6b4y3Nkzw/s640/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uLMhw3-4w-g/UfrWFM2rssI/AAAAAAAAZa4/peOUXVV7Rh4/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uLMhw3-4w-g/UfrWFM2rssI/AAAAAAAAZa4/peOUXVV7Rh4/s640/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A shot rang out and Yvette ducked as it ricocheted off the
back panel beside her before landing into the wooden crate near the door. She
hopped up from her position and joined Ryan near the large crane in the center
of the room as a man grunted somewhere near the stairwell. “I think that was
the last one,” he announced and checked his clip for the amount of ammo
remaining.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, he’s down but not out.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9nSwK6yfOlA/UfrWHBZUoRI/AAAAAAAAZbA/oqQ3gG-A8aY/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9nSwK6yfOlA/UfrWHBZUoRI/AAAAAAAAZbA/oqQ3gG-A8aY/s640/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Cover me?” Ryan asked and pulled up to his feet. Rushing
forward he threw his body against the left wall gaining a better vantage point
of where the last man stood. “Psst,” he motioned towards Yvette and she
crouched behind a stack of boxes and nodded for him to move.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The moment he started forward, the loud cranking of the main
dock doors sounded and he jumped back behind the wall taking cover once more.
Bright light filled the room and Yvette lifted a hand to her forehead as she
struggled to peer through the sun’s luminosity at whom or what was joining her
and Ryan in the large stock bay. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-91BSPevoxRE/UfrWI7bwsCI/AAAAAAAAZbM/f6vxAwunrWI/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-91BSPevoxRE/UfrWI7bwsCI/AAAAAAAAZbM/f6vxAwunrWI/s640/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A team of heavily geared and armed men entered and she
quickly ducked behind the barrel beside her and reached for her comm. to
contact her partner. “Five guys to your left; strapped and ready to play.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s my move?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll distract them with a flashbang if you can get out from
where you are and hit the one nearest you.” Yvette pulled a grenade from her
vest pocket and prepared to throw it when the radio of the man in the center
beeped.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Evans team one is a
go,</i>” she heard someone say over the static and paused as her breath caught
in her throat. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDFpnhfohco/UfrWJHdRbKI/AAAAAAAAZbQ/7fTInC6J4Ac/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDFpnhfohco/UfrWJHdRbKI/AAAAAAAAZbQ/7fTInC6J4Ac/s640/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Evans?</i> She
questioned in her mind and peeked over the crate again to analyze the man
standing in the center. He had a certain look about him; his posture gave her
the indication he was a man in his mid to late 50s. He held his gun in his left
hand and favored a Saiga-12 with an Ace Folding stock, internal block in the G2
trigger group. There was an Ar Bayonet Lug soldered to the barrel and a smile
crossed her lips as she remembered peeking into the garage door as a child and
watching her father polish and customize the same type of weapon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Diamond, what’s happening?” Ryan asked over his comm. and
waited for her to get back. The silence in the room since the men entered was
deafening and unusual considering she mentioned they were armed to the teeth.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XTuspfNTRTQ/UfrWK1FqPYI/AAAAAAAAZbY/o7moVPbmUSc/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XTuspfNTRTQ/UfrWK1FqPYI/AAAAAAAAZbY/o7moVPbmUSc/s640/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Stand down, I don’t think we’re in imminent danger,” she
replied and started whistling ‘You Are My Sunshine’. When the song got louder
as one of the men joined in, she slowly stood but kept her weapon at the ready.
“Ethan?” Yvette asked in question as she stared at the man in the center of the
five masked men. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello Yvie. So I guess this means we’re late to the party huh?”
he asked with a grin, removed his cover and holstered his weapon on his side.
“Search the area, clean sweep. If you find one with the ability to talk, keep
it that way. We might be able to get answers out of him later.” The four men
left his side heading in different directions and Ethan moved forward getting
closer to his daughter and Ryan.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RkBd_OazTs/UfrWNGzRZHI/AAAAAAAAZbo/jkMJtepCHCA/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RkBd_OazTs/UfrWNGzRZHI/AAAAAAAAZbo/jkMJtepCHCA/s640/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello?” she sighed in annoyance as his attention finally
fell on her. “What the hell are you doing here?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Working, same as you. We got a lead that an ex-government
operative was hiding out here and we kind of needed to talk to him.” He eyed
the number of bodies on the top level and the ones laid out near the docking
bay with a frown. “Hopefully the Intel was wrong because otherwise…,” he sighed
and glanced at her again. “This all you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And me,” Ryan added as he removed his cover with his weapon
still ready for action.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah. I should have known you’d have the whole team with you.
Excuse me, we haven’t been properly introduced, Ethan Evans,” he grinned and
extended his hand towards Ryan. “And you’re Special Agent Ryan Sharpe correct?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qT9IF58JAZ4/UfrWMxyLdyI/AAAAAAAAZbk/4EMfOLs3z-Q/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qT9IF58JAZ4/UfrWMxyLdyI/AAAAAAAAZbk/4EMfOLs3z-Q/s640/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ryan looked at Yvette before redirecting his gaze towards
her father again. With a growl he nodded affirmation but didn’t bother with the
civility of a formal handshake. Instead he circled around the man and moved
towards the last guy downed by Yvette’s bullet and kicked him to make sure he
was still breathing. Sliding the gun away from the man, he pulled up his comm.
and quickly contacted Brett about the situation and new development. “<i>I’m on the way,</i>” he received in response
and Yvette released a breath that let him know she wasn’t looking forward to
what was about to happen next.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D7s_b2Gg7w/UfrWQ772L4I/AAAAAAAAZb0/96Rf62koaI8/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D7s_b2Gg7w/UfrWQ772L4I/AAAAAAAAZb0/96Rf62koaI8/s640/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The back dock gates opened and Brett, followed closely by
Victor, entered the warehouse making a beeline straight towards Yvette and
Ethan. “You’re in the middle of a federal operation. I advise you and your men
to leave the premises otherwise my team and I will arrest you and take you in
for questioning.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“It’s nice to see you again too, Brett.” Ethan sighed and
pulled out his comm., calling off his team, he waited until the four men exited
the area and turned back towards his son-in-law. “We don’t have to butt heads
on this, you and I are after the same things. The only difference is I have no
intentions of turning it in to the federal government. They are after all the
reason behind the recent attacks on the U.S.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CBIig1_eRTE/UfrWR-EftyI/AAAAAAAAZcA/P88KOPgCJtg/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CBIig1_eRTE/UfrWR-EftyI/AAAAAAAAZcA/P88KOPgCJtg/s640/Screenshot-32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s ridiculous! And as far as I’m concerned you’re the
terrorist here. You’ve been officially declared dead and if it wasn’t for
Yvette I’d have already cuffed your ass and thrown you in the back of the van.
I’m only extending this one time courtesy Ethan, back off now. I don’t need you
or your team of miscreants coming in here with your conspiracy theories.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Conspiracy theories? Is that what you call bombings and
shootouts on the Capitol? I am telling you something that you don’t want to
hear, there’s no theory about it. It’s factual.” He offered a card to his
daughter but never took his eyes off her husband. “When you’re ready to hear
the truth, give me a call. We could use the extra man power.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Don’t count on it Evans. You should have stayed dead.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OfXF5BHK6Tc/UfrWRu4qeII/AAAAAAAAZb8/jN6ysSTgSuI/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OfXF5BHK6Tc/UfrWRu4qeII/AAAAAAAAZb8/jN6ysSTgSuI/s640/Screenshot-33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hearing those words, Yvette turned towards Brett and he
immediately cussed beneath his breath and avoided her gaze. Snatching the card
from Ethan’s hands, she holstered her weapon and moved up the staircase nearest
Ryan to retrieve the bag she’d dropped in her rush to exit the shooting area.
“We’ll see each other again,” Ethan responded and turned to follow his team out
the door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Victor, Ryan, get him to the ER and I want you both to stay
with him. Make sure when he comes to he’s only talking to us.” Brett ordered
and waited for the others to exit with the injured gunman before rushing up the
stairs to find his wife. She was shaking glass off her bag beneath the security
window near the office when he came up behind her. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4dG1bhLRmlA/UfrWT4W7G8I/AAAAAAAAZcI/yGArrJWXE54/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4dG1bhLRmlA/UfrWT4W7G8I/AAAAAAAAZcI/yGArrJWXE54/s640/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yve?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t. I don’t need your false apologies or sympathies
Brett. I’ve always known how you felt about Ethan and admittedly I felt that
way at one point too. But he’s not the same man we thought he was. The only
difference between us is at least I was willing to give him the chance to prove
that. You’re still blinded by hate and whatever you thought it was he did that
you don’t want to see who he really is and that’s fine. You’re entitled to your
opinions. But don’t lie to me anymore about it because I just don’t want to
hear it.” She turned and brushed past him quickly exiting the back doors and
joined Dustin in the van.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0Z3C7wrpHs/UfsRBYclalI/AAAAAAAAZg0/RAuZ4Qcj-oc/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0Z3C7wrpHs/UfsRBYclalI/AAAAAAAAZg0/RAuZ4Qcj-oc/s640/Screenshot-35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You get the discs?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Half. The rest were blown up when that assassins’ team crashed
the mission. Hopefully they have what you need,” she sighed and tossed him the
bag. Brett hopped into the back and Dustin climbed behind the wheel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where are Vic and Ry?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ll meet up with them at HQ. You get Scott to send Demo
out?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A team is on the
way.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Good. For now let’s get these discs back and see what we
have,” Brett responded and glanced at his wife whose eyes were on everything
except his. He sighed sorrowfully and looked down at the band wrapped around
his finger in longing. The words he spoke to Ethan echoed in his mind and he
shook the thoughts free. He didn’t mean them as they sounded but the man
brought nothing but trouble into their lives and it was his job as Yvette’s
husband and the father of their twins to keep his family safe. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox7i7hKWseQ/UfrWZCFpK-I/AAAAAAAAZcc/Mrz7JbXR6g4/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox7i7hKWseQ/UfrWZCFpK-I/AAAAAAAAZcc/Mrz7JbXR6g4/s640/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett was bound to do that no matter what it took and if it
meant keeping their maternal grandfather away from them, that’s what he would
do. Dustin grabbed the bag and started up to the unit room as Brett and Yvette
entered the locker rooms to change. Brett watched from a distance as his wife
removed her riot gear, grabbed her civilian clothes from her locker and started
towards the shower. Grabbing a towel, he headed in behind her and dropped the
cloth to the bench just outside the wall and stepped into the water with her. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XE77Xhy9IiI/UfrWZrFizsI/AAAAAAAAZcg/RGaWXw8cESA/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XE77Xhy9IiI/UfrWZrFizsI/AAAAAAAAZcg/RGaWXw8cESA/s640/Screenshot-37.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slowly his hands moved over her skin, soothing and massaging
the soap over her body as her eyes remained closed. Yvette leaned against him,
resting her head on his chest as he gently turned her to face him. “Mmm these
aren’t unisex showers Brett.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah well who’s gonna know?” he asked glancing over his
shoulder towards the locker room door. “You have to know I didn’t mean it the
way it sounded Yve. I didn’t mean for it to hurt you. But that man has brought
on so much shit that I can’t imagine what else might come from being in contact
with him. I have you and Austin and Autumn to think about. I can’t let him put
them in danger and I know you don’t want that either.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oyuAK6oYvZ4/UfrWcpR4hDI/AAAAAAAAZco/1lC74ewiens/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oyuAK6oYvZ4/UfrWcpR4hDI/AAAAAAAAZco/1lC74ewiens/s640/Screenshot-38.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know Brett and I’m not mad at you. It’s just this
situation. I mean I’ve heard of in-laws hating each other but this is something
on the level of the Hatfields and McCoys.” Brett laughed and brushed her hair
back as the water splashed over her face. “I love you and I trust your
judgment. But you have to allow me the freedom to get to know him as well. He’s
my father after all and all I want is the chance to see what he’s about without
having to feel guilty for sneaking around behind your back.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fine. But you have to promise me you’ll keep the twins away
from him until we know for sure what is going on.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_A0do25uhSw/UfrWh2AAw3I/AAAAAAAAZdA/I_D3SkG0eKg/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_A0do25uhSw/UfrWh2AAw3I/AAAAAAAAZdA/I_D3SkG0eKg/s640/Screenshot-39.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I promise.” Leaning forward, he brought his lips to hers
and held her in a kiss for a moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck and
felt the makings of his arousal push against her thigh and giggled against his
mouth as he tucked her deeper into his chest. “Brett?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? We can take a moment. Austin has been a total cock
block lately and I’m growing tired of my own hand. Besides Dustin needs time to
analyze the data on those discs you and Ryan recovered and you know he likes to
work without me hovering over his shoulder.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bwmuiaWp1U/UfrWhaa3HTI/AAAAAAAAZc4/EyggrjbqIMc/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bwmuiaWp1U/UfrWhaa3HTI/AAAAAAAAZc4/EyggrjbqIMc/s640/Screenshot-40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh huh, clever excuse.” He growled and picked her up as he
moved against the wall of the shower. Yvette wrapped her legs around his hips
as he thrust forward entering her with enough force to push a loud grunt from
her mouth. Her lip instantly went between her teeth as his hands closed around
her ass pulling her up and down on his aching hard on. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gJBrCR3fz4/UfrWhgUZDWI/AAAAAAAAZc8/cn7_uRl6szs/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--gJBrCR3fz4/UfrWhgUZDWI/AAAAAAAAZc8/cn7_uRl6szs/s640/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He ran one hand down her glistening back, gripping the back
of her neck as he again pushed her lips to his kissing her hard as he pumped
himself deeper inside of his wife’s slick body. Dropping his grip and letting
it come to rest on her ass, the hot water bubbled like a spring against his
palm and he smacked his hand flat against her backside causing her to chirp in
pleasure. With a quick squeeze of her hip, he lowered her slightly to one foot
and gripped his cock in his hand as he pulled back a moment. Yvette groaned in
frustration when he moved her back a little more. “Turn around,” he ordered to
which she immediately responded. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-stY-rClqEZc/UfrWotvDpdI/AAAAAAAAZdU/lIIH1F0NjIk/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-stY-rClqEZc/UfrWotvDpdI/AAAAAAAAZdU/lIIH1F0NjIk/s640/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bending over, she looked back at him with an expression of
pure desire and he grinned at the sight of her awaiting pussy, sopping wet
because of him. Brett pushed his head against her folds, then deeper and deeper,
watching as his length disappeared inside of her and groaning aloud as he sank
into her depths. Yve moaned with him, pushing her hips back against his body to
take even more of his cock into her.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JlE8tbVkwyg/UfrWng6htXI/AAAAAAAAZdI/flFgoMkBUOA/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JlE8tbVkwyg/UfrWng6htXI/AAAAAAAAZdI/flFgoMkBUOA/s640/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-27jG3V_Nc1g/UfrWo8tii3I/AAAAAAAAZdY/XucpoC9hA08/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-27jG3V_Nc1g/UfrWo8tii3I/AAAAAAAAZdY/XucpoC9hA08/s640/Screenshot-44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh God,” Yvette slammed her hands against the walls before
another moan was thrust from her lungs as Brett began to slowly move his hips.
He held her tighter; his hand snagged a good grip in her hair as his shaft slid
easily into her silken tunnel while her walls hugged him snugly. The feeling
was incredible, and added with the thumping water Brett had thoughts of starting
every morning this way.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KORlB-BmaLs/UfrWx4tZIgI/AAAAAAAAZdw/KL8J-i4rf2Q/s1600/Screenshot-45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KORlB-BmaLs/UfrWx4tZIgI/AAAAAAAAZdw/KL8J-i4rf2Q/s640/Screenshot-45.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
His motions were no longer gentle as he was now pounding his
wife against the wall, holding her hips within his soaked palms as he moved
harder. Yvette reached for the shower rack with one hand to use for support as
she nearly hit her head against the tiled wall thanks to her husband’s anxious
thrusting. She moaned long and her eyes flickered close at the amazing pleasure
that coursed through her. Brett gave up trying to be quiet as the gorgeous
woman in front of him began moving her hips back in time with his thrusts
matching his sexual appetite.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88QyNlWfo48/UfrWtGwz--I/AAAAAAAAZdg/6ojzLqQuO0c/s1600/Screenshot-46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88QyNlWfo48/UfrWtGwz--I/AAAAAAAAZdg/6ojzLqQuO0c/s640/Screenshot-46.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her ample breasts hung down invitingly, swaying with the
growing speed of his thrusts and water poured from them in streams making him
lick his lips in delight. Slowly, Brett’s hands slid up her body and before
long came to rest on her sides. From there it was only a short reach towards Yvette’s
breasts and he squeezed them firmly, feeling the magnificent mounds shaking
against his palms from the force of their sex.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cc8WQ9L-HzA/UfrWuyCDh4I/AAAAAAAAZdo/NS-s3V89QcU/s1600/Screenshot-47.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cc8WQ9L-HzA/UfrWuyCDh4I/AAAAAAAAZdo/NS-s3V89QcU/s640/Screenshot-47.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYI_qXLo648/UfrW0NJg6tI/AAAAAAAAZd8/lTcI5BTQIVE/s1600/Screenshot-48.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYI_qXLo648/UfrW0NJg6tI/AAAAAAAAZd8/lTcI5BTQIVE/s640/Screenshot-48.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He could no longer consciously maintain a steady pace and as
he clutched Yvette’s breasts he let himself go, his hips slamming wildly into her.
Yvette cried out in pleasure, her sex clenching more and more on his probing
shaft and their eyes shut. Her body tensed as her orgasm exploded inside of her
and he grunted out a glorious cry of his own as his cum spurted from his cock. “Oh
fuck!” he roared and hammered her harder, slamming her fiercely into the tiles
as he felt his release pour into her.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aYy7M6gv1lc/UfrW03T1exI/AAAAAAAAZeA/hzGhI1Fp-h8/s1600/Screenshot-49.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aYy7M6gv1lc/UfrW03T1exI/AAAAAAAAZeA/hzGhI1Fp-h8/s640/Screenshot-49.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BU1C6mjCvYA/UfrW42ika8I/AAAAAAAAZeM/dL98Xx8GR7o/s1600/Screenshot-50.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BU1C6mjCvYA/UfrW42ika8I/AAAAAAAAZeM/dL98Xx8GR7o/s640/Screenshot-50.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It took a short while before he finally caught his breath
and with a long, delighted sigh he released Yvette, smiling with satisfaction
as she pulled herself from his arms. A large grin was on her lips as well as
she turned to face him again. “It’s a good thing the showers are away from the
main lobby,” she laughed playfully and he pulled her against him for another
kiss.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, otherwise you’d get us both fired.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Me? I wasn’t the one yelling obscenities when I came.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He chuckled and gave her ass another firm squeeze as he
turned off the water and scooped up his towel. “Come on, we’d better get back
to work.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9MiBLq8PWA/UfrW5UopEuI/AAAAAAAAZeQ/wUDDJslJdCQ/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9MiBLq8PWA/UfrW5UopEuI/AAAAAAAAZeQ/wUDDJslJdCQ/s640/Screenshot-51.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin waited for Victor to close the door after Yvette and
Brett finally joined them to start. Yvette took a seat beside Ryan on the couch
and he hid a smile behind his hand as he looked at her. “What?” she asked and
leaned back against the cushions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing. Enjoy your shower?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Shit, you could hear us?” she whispered and watched him
bite his lip to keep himself from laughing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just a little. I blocked the door after I walked in and
heard the slapping bodies. There were a few others waiting to shower; I told
them the water was backing up so they went to the other locker room. Word of
advice though, next time, try not to be so loud.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I was not!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh yeah you were. I kind of got the impression it’s a
normal thing though and now I know how Stefanie felt when she said I kept her
up with Brandy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wow. Well thanks for that Ryan.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s what partners are for.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YGiIKBVT5gU/UfrW6sLEf6I/AAAAAAAAZeY/ILKBkhE8uA8/s1600/Screenshot-52.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YGiIKBVT5gU/UfrW6sLEf6I/AAAAAAAAZeY/ILKBkhE8uA8/s640/Screenshot-52.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ryan pulled away from the sofa and Yvette finished lotioning
her arms and legs as she tuned back in to the conversation. “So after I got
through all the encryption I found four pages of data with a series of
coordinates mostly for small countries in Europe and Asia. There was one that
had a national location, Washington D.C. and I’m still going through the others;
who knows what else I’ll find.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“What were the coordinates for?”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5_4-9D4_hk/UfrW-0paE-I/AAAAAAAAZeo/w1mMIPJUo5E/s1600/Screenshot-53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5_4-9D4_hk/UfrW-0paE-I/AAAAAAAAZeo/w1mMIPJUo5E/s640/Screenshot-53.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mss4bkKzTN4/UfrXEnuWrtI/AAAAAAAAZfE/nh682OIFcNM/s1600/Screenshot-56.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mss4bkKzTN4/UfrXEnuWrtI/AAAAAAAAZfE/nh682OIFcNM/s640/Screenshot-56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The AMWS, that large biochemical weapon you located inside
the back room. AMWS stands for Automatic Missile Weapons System. Inside the
cylinder locked on the face of the missile are smaller beads that contain a
deadly neurotoxin with the strength to eradicate an entire country with just
one vial. From what I’m gathering there was enough in there to take out the
entire continent of Europe or even Asia. Added to the fact that one of the
coordinates so far was on American soil I’m beginning to wonder if the Turk
that threatened the MGS Summit wasn’t a homegrown terrorist.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait a second, are you saying you believe these attacks are
courtesy of a U.S. citizen?” Victor asked growing more and more concerned as he
thought about his family.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1uqpqwfG9o/UfrW-cJHbmI/AAAAAAAAZek/oq5_1cUwl_c/s1600/Screenshot-54.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1uqpqwfG9o/UfrW-cJHbmI/AAAAAAAAZek/oq5_1cUwl_c/s640/Screenshot-54.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-88cKWjyDre0/UfrXAcjJaAI/AAAAAAAAZew/7OVak2T1SvQ/s1600/Screenshot-55.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-88cKWjyDre0/UfrXAcjJaAI/AAAAAAAAZew/7OVak2T1SvQ/s640/Screenshot-55.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“I’m saying that someone out there has access to weapons of
nuclear proportions and the ability to cloak his actions behind lots and lots
of red tape and encryptions. I’m saying someone out there, possibly born as a
U.S. citizen has an axe to grind and nothing but time. His or her anonymity is
cloaked behind these international organizations claiming responsibility for
the bombings while they are executing acts of terrorism on U.S. soil.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett turned to Yvette who had stepped closer to the group and
she sighed. Visibly shaken as the rest of the team appeared, thoughts of
Ethan’s seemingly absurd rant began to replay in her mind and from the look on Brett’s
face, he was beginning to believe it as well.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zui9gI8yJKI/UfrXEofz_1I/AAAAAAAAZfI/yE11pClWFXs/s1600/Screenshot-57.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zui9gI8yJKI/UfrXEofz_1I/AAAAAAAAZfI/yE11pClWFXs/s640/Screenshot-57.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her pacing was beginning to burn a hole in the floor but
Yvette couldn’t sleep. All night long she could think of nothing other than the
information Dustin recovered off the few discs they got from the warehouse. If
Chris Landry had been in there like their initial Intel suggested, did that
mean he was a terrorist? Considering his behavior the night he came after her,
it wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnde2Y8FSnY/UfrXEARahJI/AAAAAAAAZe8/qTLyejcYBaQ/s1600/Screenshot-58.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wnde2Y8FSnY/UfrXEARahJI/AAAAAAAAZe8/qTLyejcYBaQ/s640/Screenshot-58.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
But why now? And what was his end game? Surely he couldn’t
expect to liquefy a continent he was still very much residing on. Were the
bombings all a warning of this new threat, this missile system that had the
demolitions team back at HQ all up in a tizzy? </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpDJZPwv6Bo/UfrXISV4LXI/AAAAAAAAZfU/aeZeNRXMbew/s1600/Screenshot-59.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpDJZPwv6Bo/UfrXISV4LXI/AAAAAAAAZfU/aeZeNRXMbew/s640/Screenshot-59.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She grabbed the burner phone from out of the box on the
shelf in the office and retrieved the card from her satchel. Dialing the number
she listened to it ring once and hung up with a sigh. It was a big decision
calling on Ethan to see what he really knew about the stuff they found at the
warehouse, but it was a move that needed to be made. Hitting the redial button,
she called again and waited. He picked up after the third ring but neither one
spoke a word.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNsp6E2FN5s/UfrXJ6qUSQI/AAAAAAAAZfg/wqSKz9EjRRE/s1600/Screenshot-60.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNsp6E2FN5s/UfrXJ6qUSQI/AAAAAAAAZfg/wqSKz9EjRRE/s640/Screenshot-60.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette pushed the speaker button and let the phone hang
beside her ear, not speaking, and trying not to make a sound as she listened to
her father’s breathing on the other end. “Brett doesn’t know you’re calling me
does he? Look Yvie as much as I appreciate you trying to give me a chance, I
told you before I won’t be the reason for hostilities in your marriage. Brett
is a good man and he only wants what’s best for you.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-zZ4aCZrDk/UfrXI2Vus1I/AAAAAAAAZfY/fBwSl8un2J4/s1600/Screenshot-61.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-zZ4aCZrDk/UfrXI2Vus1I/AAAAAAAAZfY/fBwSl8un2J4/s640/Screenshot-61.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett leaned forward, moving closer under the light. He
looked up at his wife and then down at the phone she sat on the desk in front
of him. With a discontented sigh and one filled heavy with frustrations over
evidence that convinced him his beliefs were wrong he spoke to the man on the
other end. “I’m here Ethan, what did you want to tell us?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Skipping the latest unpleasantness between them Ethan got
right to it. “Everything you know and everything you think you know about the
missions your government sends you on is wrong. The FBI has no idea what is
happening right under their very noses and neither does several other
government bodies. There is a group working to promote an antigovernment
campaign and destroy the U.S. using our own weapons against us.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-97tGgFOtZgo/UfrXM0RNncI/AAAAAAAAZfw/ef2JSkNE9dg/s1600/Screenshot-62.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-97tGgFOtZgo/UfrXM0RNncI/AAAAAAAAZfw/ef2JSkNE9dg/s640/Screenshot-62.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know. Recent events have opened my eyes to something and
sadly I just…yeah. You were right about the bombing in Washington and the
attack on the MGS International Summit. So the only question I have right now
is what do you need us to do?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because of your position with the FBI, your insight into
missions as well as other government agencies would be very beneficial to the
cause. What this also means though is that you will be working in concert with
an underground organization that your agency most likely has targeted for
eradication. I know this goes against everything you believe in as an agent and
as a man who has lived his entire life believing in your country. But you will
need to set aside those feelings if you want to protect this nation and the
people you love. I’ve dispatched a team to meet you at a neutral location to
bring you in to our facilities. Once you’re here we will discuss what happens
next.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQcrh_AocYY/UfrXMLdVlwI/AAAAAAAAZfo/E8bfm-6Z_JQ/s1600/Screenshot-63.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQcrh_AocYY/UfrXMLdVlwI/AAAAAAAAZfo/E8bfm-6Z_JQ/s640/Screenshot-63.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette and Brett gathered up their children and drove them
to Scott’s place. After briefly explaining the situation he agreed to watch
them for as long as necessary until they returned. With Brett behind the wheel
and Yvette watching the GPS every three seconds, the two drove 12.5 miles
outside of the city to a desolate ranch that once housed a large dinosaur
exhibit. Yvette hopped out first and walked the short distance to the door as
Brett drove his truck around back to conceal it from passing vehicles. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moments later a nondescript black SUV pulled up to their
location and two men dressed in dark suits exited the vehicle. As one remained
near the driver’s door, the other walked towards the couple and nodded his
salutation. Brett and Yvette followed him towards the truck and slid into the
backseat. They drove for a while, passing road signs that indicated they were
leaving Virginia and entering Pennsylvania. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPwV12uXc8I/UfrXPm0PYjI/AAAAAAAAZgA/5Q7Cee0KMTE/s1600/Screenshot-65.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPwV12uXc8I/UfrXPm0PYjI/AAAAAAAAZgA/5Q7Cee0KMTE/s640/Screenshot-65.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The truck drove into a tunnel and through a secured door
obscured from normal traffic patterns. After coming to a stop, another group of
men met the truck in the garage and ran the four occupants through a series of
security measures before Yvette and Brett were led into a white room and asked
to wait. “Geez, now I know how goldfish feel,” Yvette sighed as yet another
person walked by the door after giving a glance through the window situated on
the far wall.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah and I bet they’re all wondering the same thing I am;
what the hell are we doing here?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kwndHX_UgoI/UfrXRMkcU-I/AAAAAAAAZgM/D5i-mBU71Ek/s1600/Screenshot-66.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kwndHX_UgoI/UfrXRMkcU-I/AAAAAAAAZgM/D5i-mBU71Ek/s640/Screenshot-66.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IA7t3rc6K4/UfrXRSQRaFI/AAAAAAAAZgQ/ztOl3actrfw/s1600/Screenshot-67.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IA7t3rc6K4/UfrXRSQRaFI/AAAAAAAAZgQ/ztOl3actrfw/s640/Screenshot-67.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Minutes passed before the door opened again and Ethan,
accompanied by one of the men from the warehouse earlier and a woman neither one had seen before, entered the
room. With a smile in the couple’s direction, she approached with her hand
extended and shook Brett’s with enthusiasm. “Hello Agents Knight, I’m Kimberly Redding; welcome to Sycom.”<br />
<br />
*Author's note: That concludes season six and I'd like to say thank you for sticking it out with me. I am currently getting the writing and chapters organized for Codename's 7th and final season. Hopefully the hiatus won't be too long! But I will keep you updated as it all comes together.*<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/11/s7-chapter-01-company-man.html">Continue----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-91999883753050195012013-07-21T21:17:00.004-04:002013-07-21T21:17:59.500-04:00Happy 2nd Anniversary Codename: Danger!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kTFUXtUixII/UeyE9qaGoXI/AAAAAAAAZJM/Yj7WT6ErSwU/s1600/vaca.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kTFUXtUixII/UeyE9qaGoXI/AAAAAAAAZJM/Yj7WT6ErSwU/s640/vaca.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
From pounding the pavement hunting down bad guys to busting down doors in some of the year's biggest raids, the team from Codename: Danger have done it all! And it's high time they take a vacation from all the crazy shootouts and car chases to unwind after a pretty hectic job! Join them as they celebrate another year and finally take a break to relax!</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Brett Knight is teaching his son Austin a thing or two about building sandcastles (or perhaps Austin is showing Daddy how it's really done?)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yvette Knight and her daughter Autumn going for their first swim. Careful, she just may be a fast learner and float out to sea!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ryan Sharpe and Dustin Kimura going head-to-head in a jetski race. It doesn't matter who wins, hitting that water at those speeds makes them both losers, ouch!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scott Philips and Victor Murphy taking their new speed boat for a spin (off the government's dime of course!)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJcivsT2AUM/UeyFIGtFqWI/AAAAAAAAZKA/S4LYSh0Blw8/s1600/vacaban1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJcivsT2AUM/UeyFIGtFqWI/AAAAAAAAZKA/S4LYSh0Blw8/s640/vacaban1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just a note to wish Codename: Danger it's <b>two-year anniversary</b>; it's been a fun and crazy ride. And whether you've been here from the start or are just getting into the adventures of Yvette, Brett, Ryan, Dustin, Victor and all the rest, thank you to every one of my readers and supporters! Codename: Danger is heading into its 7th and final season but I've had a great time getting there!</div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-22023041076204045452013-07-13T10:53:00.000-04:002019-01-28T07:44:22.665-05:00S6: Chapter 09: Dial ‘M’ for Murder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qkgn8rYYcgg/UbU0WS7Ux3I/AAAAAAAAYgs/SnpAJ9hz7B4/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qkgn8rYYcgg/UbU0WS7Ux3I/AAAAAAAAYgs/SnpAJ9hz7B4/s640/Screenshot-01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“An urgent call to 9-1-1 last night has alerted us to the
latest victim. Rick Masters, night security guard for the Channel 7 Action news
station says he heard a scream. He exited the backdoor of the building in time
to see a man shove weathergirl Leona Stone into an early model pick-up truck
and peel off the lot. Her keys were found on the ground beside her car
indicating a struggle. Cigarette butts left in the area show that whoever
grabbed her had been waiting a while. The lab is running the DNA through the
system now to see if we get a hit,” Brett announced as everyone gathered in the
conference room.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“In addition to her keys, purse and the cigarette butts, a
single red rose was left on the driver’s seat of her car. No note was recovered
as we’ve come to find is the Slasher’s standard M.O.,” Victor added as he read
over the case notes.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I thought the rose was usually left on the body?” D.A. Jack
McEnroe asked as he lifted the page to which Victor was referencing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2Bu2UchMbI/UbU0r1BeqQI/AAAAAAAAYhE/u0WNDGo8HGU/s1600/Screenshot-06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2Bu2UchMbI/UbU0r1BeqQI/AAAAAAAAYhE/u0WNDGo8HGU/s640/Screenshot-06.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Normally it is,” Yvette fielded the inquiry. “But the change
in his M.O. may indicate he doesn’t intend to leave Stone’s body some place we
will be able to recover it. As we’ve discovered, the Slasher is linked to an
old cold case from Boston where only the victim’s torso was recovered. Her
arms, legs and head were never found. If he’s ending his murder spree with
Leona, he may be reverting to his original M.O. and keeping parts of her.”</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Have we recovered the baby cut from victim #5 Toni Laird’s
womb?” Brett shook his head no and Jack sat up in his seat. “Was Leona Stone
one of the women on the watch list?” McEnroe asked as he sat beside Scott
listening to the debriefing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes. And as of 7:30 a.m. this morning, details were
recalled from the other five women.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“If we had a team in place to keep them safe, why wasn’t the
one watching Stone aware of her imminent danger?” Scott asked as he read over
the case notes for Leona.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTZ7pePJSQI/UbU0o-3_P8I/AAAAAAAAYg8/ZRsOJpdR3xk/s1600/Screenshot-05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTZ7pePJSQI/UbU0o-3_P8I/AAAAAAAAYg8/ZRsOJpdR3xk/s640/Screenshot-05.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Protective details were ordered on the six women from the
list of editors for Trinity’s paper but Leona was grabbed before the teams were
put into place. My request for federal teams was denied as agents are already
stretched thin so I coordinated with Lieutenant Campbell and asked that he setup
teams of local P.D. to watch these women; he complied.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Basically what you’re telling me is that you dropped the
ball,” McEnroe stated mildly but with a rising accusatory tone filling his
voice. “I told you I wanted results and you couldn’t even handle securing these
women so that no one else was taken?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTOIglsRaj8/UbU0kaJfoeI/AAAAAAAAYg0/gZIFsp4H_iU/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTOIglsRaj8/UbU0kaJfoeI/AAAAAAAAYg0/gZIFsp4H_iU/s640/Screenshot-04.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“With all due respect, Jack, you have no idea what it takes
to run a mission that has your entire team scattered across the map. We were in
constant communication and there was no way for us to predict which of the six
the Slasher had in mind to grab. Had we the Intel, we would have prevented
this. This is the closest anyone has been to this guy in months! He is smart,
calculating and…” Brett paused a moment as an idea struck him suddenly. Looking
over the faces of those in the room he grabbed his phone from his back pocket
and began texting his team.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me? Agent Knight? Hello?” McEnroe cried as the
speaking federal agent seemed to ignore everyone and everything else in the
room as his fingers continued moving across the keys. Simultaneously four beeps
resounded in the room and Yvette, Ryan, Victor and Dustin checked their
messages, pulled up from the table and exited the room. “Agent Knight?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My apologies. Something urgent has just come up. We can
finish the debriefing later. Scott, I’ll forward you any information we gather
as the investigation continues.” Brett rushed after the others, joining them in
the unit room. He glanced at Ryan who pulled out a small electronic gadget from
the locker beside the desk and began sweeping the room for bugs.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUd2_u0c7gE/UbU1ATiuFxI/AAAAAAAAYhU/KsrBWAq-kf0/s1600/Screenshot-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUd2_u0c7gE/UbU1ATiuFxI/AAAAAAAAYhU/KsrBWAq-kf0/s640/Screenshot-09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once he got the all clear Brett stepped into the center of
the room to address them. “We have a mole. Someone from the inside is either
working with the Slasher or just against the investigation in general. This guy
has been one step ahead of us every time. He gives us clues, we figure them out
and as we’re gathering the team and resources to take him down, it’s already
too late.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There were only a few people who knew about the protective
details aside from the officers working them and those in this room. Why would
you think someone would be working against us though?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“I’m not a hundred percent sure it was just a feeling after
what Jack said in the meeting. Let’s get to work though and see if we can
figure this thing out before Leona ends up like the others. Victor, you and
Ryan work on the husband and interviewing everyone at the station; see if she
received any threatening correspondences or noticed suspicious behavior
recently. Dustin and Yvette I want you two to take the video feeds. Go through
everything bit by bit and put the timeline on the board. I’m gonna run down
everyone that was on detail and see if they saw something that might be of
use.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett, Victor and Ryan exited the room and Yvette pulled up
her laptop and the surveillance footage from the local precinct as Dustin went
over the video from the news station. An hour passed and there was nothing
popping out at them that struck a chord; the entire situation was
overwhelmingly frustrating. “Something’s not right,” Dustin growled and slammed
his fist into the desk. “I’ve been going over it again and again and I still
cannot find the information Campbell brought us about that mystery caller. I
have no record whatsoever of a call coming in on that date at the time he
said.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well maybe it wasn’t recorded or someone forgot to hit the
play button.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Not possible. I designed the system myself and I made sure
that any incoming call to the tip line would trigger the recorder so we would
have a record for when this thing went to trial. I don’t think that call was
made into the station. It couldn’t have been.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So what does that mean?” Yvette asked as the door to the
unit room opened and Victor and Ryan rushed through excitedly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett not back yet?” Victor asked and pulled out his phone,
dialing their team leader. “Hey, where are you?” he asked as he picked up on
the other end. “Well Ryan and I have something from the husband. How quickly
can you get here?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
It took just another ten minutes before Brett hurried into
the room, eager to hear what the two had uncovered on their canvas. “Thomas Keaton,”
Ryan spoke as he leaned against the table and produced a postcard they’d bagged
at Leona Stone’s home. “Recently she received this postcard addressing days
past and her husband said it put her on edge.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zjM8pxitvUs/UbU1m19N2OI/AAAAAAAAYiM/qFsR2i3ZvFI/s1600/Screenshot-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zjM8pxitvUs/UbU1m19N2OI/AAAAAAAAYiM/qFsR2i3ZvFI/s640/Screenshot-14.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1eyvtugTC8w/UbU1xvC4cSI/AAAAAAAAYiU/RcM4x9-trEI/s1600/Screenshot-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1eyvtugTC8w/UbU1xvC4cSI/AAAAAAAAYiU/RcM4x9-trEI/s640/Screenshot-16.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thomas Keaton is an old college friend of Leona, someone
she dated he believes during her junior year. They lost touch, or so he
thought, until that postcard appeared in their mailbox three days before she
went missing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Why didn’t either of them mention this when we talked
to them about possible threats?” Brett asked as he read over the postcard. It
was dated for the day Leona disappeared with one line of text in the center of
the body block:</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>See you soon!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He turned the card over a few times in his hands and noticed
the fingerprint dust on the backside of it. “Lab get any hits on the prints?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing yet but they’re working on it. One thing that was
interesting, this guy attended the same schools as our vics.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq2twMy9VTk/UbU1li4cCqI/AAAAAAAAYiE/Nl_I3UkwiZQ/s1600/Screenshot-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq2twMy9VTk/UbU1li4cCqI/AAAAAAAAYiE/Nl_I3UkwiZQ/s640/Screenshot-15.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Great so there would be a record of him in the yearbook,
Dustin…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s not going to be possible. Victor and I had the same
hunch but turns out Keaton conveniently skipped out on picture day. There’s not
a single shot of him in those books anywhere.” Ryan responded before Victor
took point again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thomas Keaton never graduated from Trinity College, it
shows he was only a student there for two years but hung around the place even
after he’d dropped out. His college record shows a guy who was great at
chemistry, math and politics; he was in school to become a doctor. Get this,
Keaton dropped out of Trinity right around the time Shannon Gentry went
missing. It was also reported that he drove a dark blue Honda Civic.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Son of a bitch! Where is he now?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SvbgD3u1i7o/UbU12vV9e8I/AAAAAAAAYic/Tfl3cy6jTXc/s1600/Screenshot-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SvbgD3u1i7o/UbU12vV9e8I/AAAAAAAAYic/Tfl3cy6jTXc/s640/Screenshot-17.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No idea. After college the man all about vanished into thin
air. There’s no credit history, rental history or tax information for Thomas
Keaton anywhere. I ran the name through some of the international databases
too, still nothing,” Ryan remarked as he tossed his hands in the air. “The guy
is a ghost. Either he changed his name, which I’m betting is a huge possibility
considering the use of Vargas’ ID or he is seriously living like a bum.”<br />
<br />
“Didn’t Vargas mention a drug bust the night he was taken into custody?” Dustin asked as his fingers roamed quickly over the keys.<br />
<br />
“Yeah he said something about the cops took everything he had on him so he couldn’t explain how his ID showed up on our recent case,” Ryan replied running over the same thought process.<br />
<br />
“When inmates are taken into custody, their belongings goes into storage until the date of their release, IDs included which means anyone working at the P.D. would have access to his things,” Victor noted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah and I have reason to believe our perp has ties to law enforcement in some way. There are too many unanswered questions and coincidences with our evidence. Hmm, Dustin pull up any information you can find on Lieutenant
Bryan Campbell,” Brett ordered and folded his arms into his chest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Lieutenant at the local P.D.?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Yeah, I have a hunch about something. I want to know if anyone under his command has been suspected of evidence tampering; run his background as well.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZR8fUcbEDxw/UbU1U6pBZqI/AAAAAAAAYh0/JzlEAsMKtrs/s1600/Screenshot-12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZR8fUcbEDxw/UbU1U6pBZqI/AAAAAAAAYh0/JzlEAsMKtrs/s640/Screenshot-12.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Guys I think I’ve found something,” Yvette started as she
continued browsing through the images they pulled off the video from the local
P.D. “The 26<sup>th</sup> precinct is a virtual graveyard about 12:30-1:00 in
the morning. Only the janitor, a few on duty officers and a man in cuffs roamed
the halls during those hours. But around 3:30 there’s some activity in the main
lobby that draws the officers to the front here,” she pointed to her screen as
several men responded to an alarm and rushed into the front of the building.
“Now keep your eye on camera four up at the top left corner.” </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhW5rIZI1sI/UbU2KASKy4I/AAAAAAAAYi0/vKbOVHhp71o/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhW5rIZI1sI/UbU2KASKy4I/AAAAAAAAYi0/vKbOVHhp71o/s640/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A man dressed in casual wear and a baseball cap lowered just
enough to cover his eyes stepped into the frame. And as the entire building was
distracted by the fire alarm, he took the opportunity to place something on the
desk of one of the officers. “There. That’s our guy. He set off the fire alarms
so he could get in and out of the building without being spotted and deliver
his note. I’ve enhanced the video as much as I could but he was smart, avoided
the cameras as best he could. But, he forgot about the back door. It has a
reflective metal surface that protects against fire. The suspect got a little
too close to it as he was leaving and you’re not gonna believe who got caught
on camera.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huq0p_gdSpA/UbU2Pjc8o9I/AAAAAAAAYi8/zy7xHSAE1QQ/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huq0p_gdSpA/UbU2Pjc8o9I/AAAAAAAAYi8/zy7xHSAE1QQ/s640/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh fuck, Victor get everyone geared and ready to move.
Dustin, I need financial information on this son of a bitch. Anything he may
have purchased in the last week and any real estate in his name and we need it
now!” Brett ordered and rushed from the room towards Scott’s office. If the
video was correct they were going to need warrants and had no time to deal with
the political red tape. D.A. McEnroe had better be ready to get the team what
they needed. With a viable suspect on the line, there was no way they were
going to let him slip away.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-XnR1aJOS8/UbU2bn7phUI/AAAAAAAAYjE/7BMmc79O3BQ/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-XnR1aJOS8/UbU2bn7phUI/AAAAAAAAYjE/7BMmc79O3BQ/s640/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Less than twenty minutes later the team was mobilized and
sitting in front of an abandoned shoe factory preparing to breach it and locate
their suspect and hopefully find his victim alive. “Ok, we all know what’s at
stake here so I don’t need to say it, but I will. This man is responsible for
six murders that we know of and possibly have a living victim on the premises.
Be quick, be thorough and if he resists, you know what to do. Keep your comms
on and be ready for anything.” Brett signaled for S.W.A.T to take the rear
entrance as he and Yvette moved towards the right. Victor and Ryan went left
and on his mark, everyone entered the three story building to execute the
search.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
They swept through the rooms as quickly as possible, moving
as quietly as they could. There was no telling if the suspect was still on the
premises but they couldn’t take the chance that he wasn’t and skip over a
locked door. Coming to the end of the hall, Victor motioned to Ryan to take the
southern end and he would approach through the front. Once he made it into
position, he kicked the door in and moved inside.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23Q_JwE15nY/UbU2uETGOEI/AAAAAAAAYjk/xXtSZckuVwg/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23Q_JwE15nY/UbU2uETGOEI/AAAAAAAAYjk/xXtSZckuVwg/s640/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3H-6l4GBoU/UbU29QPLORI/AAAAAAAAYj0/RIwglL3VwXc/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3H-6l4GBoU/UbU29QPLORI/AAAAAAAAYj0/RIwglL3VwXc/s640/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hearing a tinkering sound coming through the divider in front of him, he rounded the wall, with his weapon ready. “Freeze!” Victor shouted from his position in the room. “Hands where I can see them.” Ryan approached from the other end of the room through a door that lead to the backyard. His double H&Ks aimed towards the man whose back remained at the both of them and he waited for him to comply with Victor’s commands. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1vcXRsqn1M/UbU3CAJf0SI/AAAAAAAAYj8/-yO-BSYYBXE/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1vcXRsqn1M/UbU3CAJf0SI/AAAAAAAAYj8/-yO-BSYYBXE/s640/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Victor’s voice again bounced off the walls as he urged the
man to face them and drop to his knees. By now Yvette and Brett had heard the
shouting and joined the other two inside the small workshop in back after
clearing the rest of the building. Ryan circled around towards the other side to
get a better shot which finally broke the man’s silence. “I wouldn’t come any
closer if I were you Agent Sharpe. This room is laced with 30 pounds of C4,
more than enough to level this place and blow us all sky high and I am holding
the detonator.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCq2r1jOB_A/UbU3P3HbWTI/AAAAAAAAYkI/AtGLfkBajj8/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KCq2r1jOB_A/UbU3P3HbWTI/AAAAAAAAYkI/AtGLfkBajj8/s640/Screenshot-32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
He turned to face them, a wicked smile on his lips as he
took in the panic on their faces. Instantly the team eyed every open space in
the room trying to locate the wiring that ran from the man’s hand towards the
table behind him. “Why don’t you drop that then and come quietly,” Brett spoke
calmly, motioning to the device in his hand with the barrel of his gun still
aimed at the man’s head.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t think that’s going to happen but, nice try. Call
off your team or I won’t hesitate to show I mean business.” Brett pressed the
button on his shoulder comm. and the others quickly evacuated the premises,
calling the bomb squad in their retreat. “By the way, this has a hair trigger
in case I failed to mention that and guns make me VERY nervous. You might want
to consider putting <i>your </i>weapons
down.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAnVeEPO8H8/UbU3Tfd97QI/AAAAAAAAYkU/Scn9SHd7OfM/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAnVeEPO8H8/UbU3Tfd97QI/AAAAAAAAYkU/Scn9SHd7OfM/s640/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fat chance, where’s Leona Stone?” Brett continued, inching
a little closer to shadow Yvette who had his left and was closest to the door.
If anything were to happen, he wanted to make sure he could at least protect
her from the blast.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know to whom you’re
referring.” His eyes turned to Ryan who had snuck up a foot towards him and he
wiggled his finger in a scolding fashion. “Now, now Agent Happy Trigger Finger,
you don’t want to get too close to me. The second I sense danger I WILL apply
the five pounds of pressure necessary to activate this device. Stay where you
are unless you want to see the faces melt off of everyone in this room.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ryan don’t move,” Brett ordered as he focused on the wires
around the man’s hand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you for your cooperation. Now then, I’m going to take
my leave through this door. I trust no one will be fool enough to follow me
out.” Lieutenant Campbell stated matter-of-factly and backed up towards the
door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Freeze!” Yvette shouted and instantly Campbell stopped in
his tracks. “If you think for one second we’re letting you waltz out of here,
you’re crazier than I thought. You took a woman from her job last night leaving her husband and four month old baby in a state of panic. You will tell us what’s become of her or else there is no reason to
allow you to continue breathing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My, my Officer…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s Agent Knight to you,” she growled and steadied her
aim.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ymNzczalgU/UbU3lExfuOI/AAAAAAAAYkk/j6Sj4mjqJvg/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ymNzczalgU/UbU3lExfuOI/AAAAAAAAYkk/j6Sj4mjqJvg/s640/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah, is it? How important am I to have a team of agents after me? But, Agent Knight, where’s your sense of
self-preservation? Do you not have a family of your own you fear leaving in the
remnants of your death? I see a ring on your finger, which tells me you’re at
least married. It’s very selfish of you to ignore how your husband would feel
about your passing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That is none of your concern. Put down the detonator and
get your hands over your head!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Marital discourse!” Campbell shouted as if he’d made some
shocking discovery that he believed to be fact. “That would surely explain your
eagerness to end yourself. It’s sad to think your husband dislikes you though;
you seem like such a peach.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Yvette grunted heavily and Brett nudged her lightly with his
elbow. Once he’d gained her attention he gave her the signal to take a step
back and she hesitantly obeyed. “Look no one wants you to push that button any
more than you actually want to do it. We’re here on a recovery mission. If you
give us Leona Stone, we’ll gladly let you leave. As a man who seems to value
family life, surely you can understand Leona has a daughter who needs her and a
husband grieving her disappearance,” he reasoned but the man was not moved by
his cry for sympathy.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ON5SbhZQukA/UbU3r3qAl9I/AAAAAAAAYks/aJL1zUbyY6I/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ON5SbhZQukA/UbU3r3qAl9I/AAAAAAAAYks/aJL1zUbyY6I/s640/Screenshot-35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know for the entirety of our senior year in college I catered to Leona’s every whim. I helped her with her homework and projects dropping whatever I was doing to see to her needs. We would study for upcoming exams at the library or the student union until all hours of the night. She was failing; miserably. But I helped her turn her grades around through extra credit and selfless hours of tutoring. It was because of ME that she graduated. It was because of ME she made ANYTHING out of her life! She would have just been another worthless dropout with a pretty face hoping to get by on her looks alone.” Lieutenant Campbell muttered as he began pacing aimlessly in front of the large workbench behind him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She used those same looks on me to manipulate me into doing her bidding but still I loved her. I was foolish to think she’d ever return those feelings. Foolish to think ANY of them would! They were all cunts! Whores who used their charms to con men like me. Men like me who actually believed we had a chance with someone smart, funny, beautiful. All of those little bitches got what they deserved!”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Campbell’s attention fell away from the team and Brett
signaled Victor to ready his beanbag. If all went as planned, they could end
this right here and now. “I was the one that deserved to be on the receiving
end of their kisses, their looks, their touch. But was it ever me? Oh no. It
was always ‘thanks for the help’ or ‘couldn’t have done it without ya’ but they
were never sincere. I could tell it in their eyes. It’s their eyes. Their eyes
ALWAYS gave it away.” He looked up at Yvette with a sinister smirk and tilted
his head slightly to the right as he lifted his trigger finger. “It’s sort of like
you Agent Knight. See I know how you whores think. I know you better than you
know yourself. And what I know is that your husband…had better lower his weapon
unless he wants to see you blown to hell!”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s good but, not better than me. I noticed his constant
glances in your direction; the way he moved himself in front of you to protect
you from ‘the psycho’. Men are idiots in that way; always willing to take a
bullet for a skirt. And it can’t be coincidence you share the same last name.” Yvette
did her best to hold her poker face but it was Brett’s glance back at her that
gave it away. He knew! Campbell knew the two were husband and wife, probably
had the entire time and was waiting on this moment to use it against them; to shake
their confidence. But what he didn’t count on were the other two agents in the
room ready and willing to get the job done. Not waiting on the signal, Victor
squeezed the trigger of his shotgun and a large bag fired out of the barrel
towards the man and instantly he was thrown back hard against the table and hit
the floor with a bang. Various tools bounced off the workbench and clattered to
the ground around him. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stunned but not out, Campbell scrambled on the floor towards
the fallen detonator and Ryan was quickly on him battling to scoop him up
before he could recover the item. Victor rushed for and kicked the trigger
towards Brett just as Ryan tugged the man’s arm behind his back to prevent him
from getting away. “Bryan Campbell, a.k.a. Thomas Keaton you are under arrest
for the murders of Shannon Gentry, Marguerite Coleman, Janet Davidson, Cassandra
Miller, Patricia Warner and Toni Laird. You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have
the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to
you by the Bridgeport judicial system.” Yanking him roughly, Ryan got the man
to his feet and threw him into the chair beside the workbench.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Placing the trigger in Yvette’s hand, Brett moved forward
and knelt down in front of Campbell as Ryan and Victor stood by on guard. “Tell
us where you’re holding Leona Stone and we can be done with this thing!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have the right to remain silent, Agent Knight,” he
smirked as he used Brett’s last name and stared up at Yvette. “I evoke that
right.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You screwed up with Toni Laird; letting her escape into the
subway was a mistake on your part.” Yvette remarked as she looked closely at
the trigger in her hand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Was it?” Campbell smirked and leaned back releasing a
chuckle from his throat. “Women really have no place in this line of work. If
you think for a second her escape wasn’t planned or of my doing then you are
sorely mistaken! With her injuries there’s no way she would have made it ten
feet before passing out!”<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What was it then?” Ryan asked moving closer as Yvette again
balled her fist preparing to ream the man’s cocky face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I took her there. What I did to Toni was a masterpiece that
needed to be shared with the world! I knew had she been discovered by one
person the media would never have known the depth of her injuries. So I took
her some place a lot of people could witness for themselves the living art she
had become. Toni was always going on about her looks. It’s just a shame when
she finally had the whole world’s attention it was because of her death and not
her beauty.” </div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMlvU-4dSdM/UbU4le1kraI/AAAAAAAAYl0/hO4wkF9ngqQ/s1600/Screenshot-44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMlvU-4dSdM/UbU4le1kraI/AAAAAAAAYl0/hO4wkF9ngqQ/s640/Screenshot-44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ryan rummaged through the items on the table behind him
looking for an address or some clue that hinted to where he was keeping Leona.
Stopping as a list of names was uncovered from one of the books, his eyes
widened and he turned to look at Brett. “What is it?” he asked and watched as
Ryan held the page up for him to see.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It seems Leona wasn’t going to be his last victim.” Brett
took a closer look at the list in Ryan’s hand and stepped back from Campbell as
he read his wife’s name as #8 on his list of victims.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He looked at Yvette and tried to back her away but she’d too
already read her name on the page. With a growl she moved towards him, angry
eyes pinned the man in the chair and he simply smiled at her agitated state.
“You got me here now, you sadistic piece of shit. Why don’t we have a little
fun then? Where is Leona Stone?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fuck you!” The words only served to anger her more and she
didn’t hesitate to show him just how much. Slamming a right fist into his face
as hard as she could, Campbell’s head bounced hard against the top of the chair
and he spit out a mouthful of blood. “Really? Is that all you got?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Relax Lieutenant, I’m just getting started!” she sneered
and hit him again, this time harder. Campbell groaned in pain as he felt his
nose snap beneath her fist. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNjQDJTrUj8/UbU5Rk4tckI/AAAAAAAAYms/zEcNHFFxX3w/s1600/Screenshot-51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNjQDJTrUj8/UbU5Rk4tckI/AAAAAAAAYms/zEcNHFFxX3w/s640/Screenshot-51.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This only proves my point. Women have no place in this
business; you’re way too emotional to handle it,” he laughed and sat upright in
his seat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Where is Leona Stone?” The question came out as her hand
rammed his jaw, making it pop as more blood spewed from his lips. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette that’s enough!” Brett yelled watching her slowly
beat Campbell to a bloody pulp. “He’s never going to talk.” One fist after
another she rocked him with until the smile had faded from the man’s face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s…” he started causing Yvette to pull her punch as she
waited on his reply. “She’s getting ready for her close up,” he laughed and
slumped over in his seat, passed out from the last blow she delivered.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What the hell does that mean?” Victor asked holstering his
weapon as did the others. Campbell was escorted outside to an awaiting armored
car for transport and the Bomb Squad quickly moved in to defuse the C4 he had
planted within the building. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Leona’s the weathergirl at the news station correct?
Campbell’s note said that it wouldn’t rain on his parade, he was going to be a
star,” Ryan started as he paced around the van. Looking up he noticed the old star
sitting on top of the media building near downtown and it hit him. “Guys. I
think I know where he took Leona.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Following his gaze the team turned towards Channel 7 Action
News’ building and jumped into the van. “Dustin, get the security on the line
and let them know that we’re going to need complete access into that building.
Also they should immediately evacuate. Seeing Campbell’s proclivity for C4
there’s no telling how he’d planned to kill Leona.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to go out with a bang. The
attention the Slasher received because of Toni’s death was his highlight. ‘<i>Toni was a masterpiece that needed to be
shared with the world</i>’,” Yvette repeated his words as Brett sped through
the streets of downtown. “I think he has this set up to show her on prime time
for everyone to see.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They pulled up to the station and before Brett could come to
a complete stop, the team rushed inside the news studio moving in strategic,
precise sequence looking through the closed rooms. Staff members and visitors were
outside the doors being held back by local authorities, the bomb squad and
fellow agents. The sound of chatter flooded through the crowd and the personnel
and reporters who called this place home were tossing numerous questions at the
men in charge. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Over here,” Victor yelled as he met with a locked door and
the sound of heavy equipment running just on the other side. “The lock is
jammed we need to get this opened.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait a second!” Yvette cautioned as the three men in her
company prepared to ram their shoulders into the barricade. “He could have that
rigged. We need to find another way inside. The producer or manager should be
able to tell us if there is another way into that room or not.” She rushed back
towards the front doors and the growing crowd outside. Calling for the person
in charge of the studios until a stout man dressed in a business suit flagged
her down. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moving quickly in his direction, Yvette had him give her the
layout of the area and his master key. Unfortunately the only way inside that
particular room was through the ventilation system. After relaying the
information Brett, Victor and Ryan stared at Yvette and she shook her head.
“It’ll be just my luck to get stuck inside that vent since thanks to Austin and
Autumn my thighs aren’t quite what they used to be.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stripping out of her gear, she got a wolf whistle from Ryan
and Brett nudged him in the shoulder. “Watch it.” Yvette laughed and handed her
weapon to Victor. Brett gave her a boost and she crawled into the vent;
shimmying as quickly as she could. She landed on the other side and saw the
obstacle blocking the door. Her eyes opened in shock and she immediately backed
away, yelling at the rest of her team. “What do you see?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I see that you, Vic and Ry need to get the hell out of here
now!” A moan turned her attention and she walked towards the back of the room. “Leona’s
here!” she yelled checking her for a pulse after moving closer. “And she’s
wired to the stuff on the door. It’s all set to blow in six minutes you need to
get out of here before then because I don’t think you or anyone else is getting
through that door in time!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m not leaving you Yvette! Not an option!” Brett yelled in
return, pacing frantically as he tried to think up a solution. The vent was too
small for any one of them to fit through and without really knowing what was on
the door, there was no way for the Bomb Squad to defuse it.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i>Boss, we need to get
eyes on that room. I have a cam in the van with me. One of you needs to grab it
and try to snake it through the vent to Yve. We can get one of the guys from
the Bomb unit to deactivate the stuff and hopefully get everyone out safely,</i>”
Dustin reported over the comms. Ryan explained what he said to Yvette and
Victor rushed out to grab the equipment and a senior agent from the squad.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette grabbed the camera out of the vent and moved towards
the door once she got word they set up the cameras to see what she could. The
timer now read 4:10 and was ticking quickly. “Agent Knight, I’m Sergeant
Tanning, Bomb Disposal Technician I understand we’re dealing with C4 explosives
is that correct?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“From what I can tell it’s the same stuff as the earlier
crime scene, your men handled that clean-up?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes Sir, I personally oversaw it’s disposal. I need to
assess the situation so that I may properly establish the threat.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well we have two live persons inside that room, one is the
Slasher’s latest victim, the other is my wife. We don’t have time to assess the
situation, get this thing deactivated!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Guys we’ve got three minutes! Do you think you can move
this thing along before Leona and I get closer than I’d like?” Yvette yelled
through the panel. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Agent Knight, I need you to remain calm, this is Sergeant
Tanning and I will assist you through deactivating the devices in the room.
What I see on the monitor is you are currently surrounded by 50 gallon steel
drums full of highly explosive chemicals, and facing a timer that reads three
minutes until detonation. I’m having one of your guys snake through my toolkit,
inside you’ll find a pair of wire cutters and mini screw drivers. When you get
the kit, I need you to get the screw driver and remove the casing off of the
timer face.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moments went by before Yvette reported the case had been
removed. “Ok, there are three unlabeled wires that must be cut in the correct
sequence in order to interrupt the timer and deactivate the detonation. The green wire is your grounding wire; you do
not want to mess with that. The white is neutral; it carries the load for the
hot wires. The yellow, blue and red wires are what we are concentrating on. First,
we want to cut the wire that leads to the Primer, very carefully I want you to take the cutters and snip the
yellow wire.”</div>
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<br />
Brett paced quicker behind the Sergeant as he saw his wife’s
hands slip inside the casing. Holding his breath he watched as she cautiously
severed the yellow wire from the bed and slowly released his breath. “Good job,
how are we doing on time?”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Honestly I don’t want to look, can we please keep moving?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s important to know, Agent Knight.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Two minutes, three seconds.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you,” Sergeant Tanning turned towards the group,
worry mussing his stony features as he addressed Brett again. “I need you to
move your agents out of here and tell the officers out front we need another
twenty yards between this building and those people outside.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett relayed the orders to Victor and Ryan who rushed from
the room to ensure the safety of the men and women who were huddled in the
parking lot. “That’s my wife in there, I’m not going anywhere.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sergeant Tanning nodded and took his seat again. “Alright
Agent Knight we’re going to shut off the Reactor wire, that’s going to be the blue wire. But this one can be
tricky. It’s connected not only to the ground but to the bed box. If you don’t
get it cut perfectly through on the first go, the neutral wire will send a
surge to the red wire. Try and make your cut accurate and close to the base of
the box. Be sure and avoid that white wire, we don’t want to accidentally slice
it or else the timer will accelerate.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I guess this would
be a real practice for patience for our twins huh Brett. If I can defuse a 50
gallon bomb then those twin powers of theirs will be useless against me!”
Yvette joked trying to relax her nerves and trick her body into calming itself
but her shaky palms were working against her. She swallowed hard and moved
carefully and sure towards the blue wire. Closing the cutters around the wire,
she shut her eyes tight and inhaled deeply.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally the blue
wire came apart from the box without issue and she slowly released her breath.
“Nice job, one to go. The last wire feeds the Ignition Timer. I see we’re at forty-five
seconds now, don’t lose your nerve. Remain calm and snip the red wire, close to
the base, same as before. You can do this Agent Knight.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette carefully clipped the last wire and the timer stopped
on thirty seconds. She smiled into the camera and breathed a sigh of relief.
But just moments later she heard the ticking again and saw the numbers moving
faster. “Fuck we have a problem; the timer is moving quicker, what did I do?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You said three wires; she clipped them, why is the timer
speeding up?” Brett panicked as he looked towards Sergeant Tanning for answers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fifteen…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes three wires, three wires deactivate the bomb, same as
the trigger from earlier. There are five different colors in the box, green,
white, red, yellow and blue.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And black!” Yvette shouted. “There’s a black wire inside
the box beside the red one!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ten…</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fuck, fail safe, your guy was counting on that. Black wires
are hot wires, trip wires; they can also detonate like the red wires. You have
to cut the black wire, cut the black wire and deactivate the timer.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are you sure?” Yvette asked, nervously placing the cutters
against the wire as the clock counted down the seconds to detonation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Five…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, cut the wire, the bomb won’t go off. The white and
green will keep the bomb grounded. Cut the black wire, deactivate the bomb.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette?” Brett called nervously as the silence droned
inside his ears.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three…</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Licking her lips nervously, she closed her eyes and thought
about her babies. She did not want to leave them without a mother knowing all
too well how painful it could be. Placing an ample amount of pressure on the
clippers she breathed in and…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“YVETTE!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One…</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The silence was filled by the pounding of Brett’s heart and
he watched the monitors waiting for the inevitable explosion. The comms had
fallen deaf and Dustin, Victor and Ryan waited on the other end for the conclusion. </div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few moments later, the door opened and Yvette had Leona
hoisted over her shoulder as she carried her from inside the room. Overcome
with emotion, Brett ran to her and pulled her into his arms as Sergeant Tanning
took charge of Leona and carried her outside to awaiting paramedics. “That
was…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Too close. Now can we please get the hell out of here? I
have a pint of Rocky Road calling my name.” He laughed and crushed her lips
with his as he squeezed her tighter against his body.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The team returned to HQ, high off of their recent bust. A
second team had raided Campbell’s place and found a mountain of evidence
directly connecting him to each individual crime. Apparently he was into
keeping trophies of each murder he committed and placed the gruesome items in boxes
in his basement along with four 19.7in deep freezers full of body parts; some of which belonged to Shannon Gentry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet the worst discovery of them all had to have been the
jar with Toni Laird’s unborn baby tucked inside like a fetal pig at a museum.
The coroner put a rush on the discovery and found that contrary to earlier
conclusions the child had taken a breath; she was another murder committed by
his hands. Yvette checked the messages waiting on the bulletin when they
returned. Plucking a sticky note from the board she read it once to herself
before turning with a gasp. “Yve what is it?” Brett asked noticing the
expression on her face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Motioning with the note in hand she turned it around so that
everyone could read it and with an exasperated sigh responded, “They’ve found
Landry.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/08/s6-chapter-10-dead-end-drive.html">Continue ----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-28452336282828682692013-06-29T17:42:00.001-04:002013-07-13T10:55:31.652-04:00S6: Chapter 08: Crossword<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A cupcake and balloon was waiting on Dustin when he got in
the next morning and everyone congratulated him on his recent nuptial news. “I
didn’t get balloons on my birthday, geez. A guy’s gotta propose before he
receives the royal treatment around here?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh this again?” Victor rolled his eyes as Dustin went into
his ‘no cake, no banner’ rant about his birthday once more. He refused to let
it go even though it happened over three years ago and he had the day off.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Our sincerest condolences, Dusty,” Brett smiled and shook
his hand.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey!” Yvette yelled and immediately punched his arm.
“Condolences?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? My Dad said it to me when I told him about our
engagement.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh is that right? Well then I’ll have some colorful words
for Daddy dearest next time I see him!”</div>
<br />
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<br />
The team gathered in the unit room, everyone working on
various tasks to further the investigation of the Romeo Slasher. Victor had
just come up from the crime lab while Yvette finished working over a list of
names she had been researching in conjunction with Dustin. Ryan was busy
plotting more evidence on the timeline on the bulletin and Brett was emailing
the overall progress of the investigation to Scott with the D.A. and Mayor
copied.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The paper the note was written on had indents in the bindings.
In other words it wasn’t the first page of the pad he used. The lab ran it
through the Electrostatic Detection Device and was able to make out three
words: news, college, daily.” Dustin started and turned the page so the team
could get a better view of it. “Using our digital imagery software I was able
to enhance it a little more and a full sentence emerged: ‘<i>Trinity Daily newspaper editor in college’</i>. Pulling up the paper, I
found that their logo was a navigational star which may be what the note was
referencing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette pulled a page out of the notebook in her hand and
moved it towards the group. “Looking back to 2000-2006, I’ve collected the
names of the school newspaper editors during that time and came up with the six
editors and assistant editors of the paper, seven of them were female. Of that
seven, six of them are still residents within the city. The seventh, Veronica
Barton now resides in Pomona, California. I’ve alerted local authorities in her
area but I don’t think she’s in much danger.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
Brett, Ryan and Victor looked over the names of the other six women Dustin and Yvette had uncovered and Brett sighed as he decided how best to handle the list. “Alright we won’t be able to watch each of these women ourselves so I’ll call the Lieutenant and see if we can position a surveillance detail on all of them. In the meantime we need to figure out which of these women may have a connection with our killer. What did you get back on the print, Murph?”<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“I had the lab run DNA on the blood itself and found it was
from our last victim Toni Laird. It had already coagulated so the tech remarked
it was placed on the note before Toni found her way to the subway station. Now
here’s where things get weird, the thumbprint wasn’t hers. After four hours of
running it through IAFIS it got a hit. The print belonged to a cold case of a
missing collegian from 2002, Shannon Gentry. On the morning of Saturday, August
10<sup>th</sup>, Shannon was last seen running through the park on her daily
jog near the edge of campus. A witness says a man in a dark blue Honda Civic
pulled alongside her but the tint was too dim to make out any of his features.
After a brief conversation Shannon willingly got into the man’s car and he
drove off.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Three months later, the nude, headless torso of a woman was
found floating in the bay behind the college. DNA was extracted and compared
with that of Shannon’s mother for a confirmed match. Her head, arms and legs
were never recovered. It should also be noted she attended Trinity,” Victor
finished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright so that is confirmed as the Slasher’s second known
hunting grounds. Dustin, run a check on every student who graduated from
Bloomingdale AND attended Trinity,” Brett ordered as he stood more erect to
look over the faces of the team. “We’re also going to need the current
addresses and vocations for each of the women from Yve’s list.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait so if this guy was killing even back then what made
him stop? I mean we didn’t begin to see his signature until just recently so
why the break?” Ryan asked as he thought over the information presented.</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Well breaks in serial killings usually indicate the person
was either dead or arrested. Since we know he’s still out there murdering women
we can assume it’s the latter. We should also check the Bloomingdale graduates
for criminal records and see who may have been incarcerated between the years
of 2002-2013,” Yvette suggested.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Plus the way Shannon’s body was found it was not noted that
he even had a signature back then. She may very well have been his very first
kill and he hadn’t thought out the whole ‘X’ on the chest, rose on the corpse
thing,” Victor added. “The two killings would not have appeared connected.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right. But he’s shown his hand now. The only way he would
have been able to leave Shannon Gentry’s thumbprint on that note is if he was
responsible for her disappearance and murder. And now we have to figure out who
his next victim is before she too ends up like the others. Vic you contact
Boston P.D. to inform them about the cold case connection?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
“On it now,” he responded removing his cell phone from his
back pocket as he took a step out of the room. “Maybe they have a suspect’s
list they could share.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvie?” Scott knocked as he entered the room. She stood and
moved towards him curiously watching the concerned look on his face. “Are you
busy for lunch? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sure Dad, is everything ok?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s nothing to be concerned about really, just something I
think we need to discuss.” Handing the files she had to her husband, he gave
her a quiet peck goodbye and watched as the two exited the room.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What was that all about?” Dustin asked and slumped back
behind his desk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t want to take a guess. Let’s keep working this
case,” Brett insisted and took a seat on the couch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
Scott drove an hour away to Hagerstown, a small city in
Maryland, and came to rest at a diner a few blocks from the waterfront. The
district housed many Bavarian natives and had a nice German atmosphere for the
most part. It was also one of the best places to get decent Weißwurst and the
purest beer. Mostly a tourist trap because of the beer gardens and annual folk
festivals, little Bavaria was a gorgeous and often eventful place to visit.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How’s Vivica?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s doing well. She’s been doing a lot of business for her
company recently and is hoping for a promotion, one that will allow her to
travel more often.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And how are you handling that?” Yvette smiled as she saw a
slight blush appear on her father’s face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s going to take some getting used to as I’ve enjoyed
finding her waiting for me when I get home. She makes me feel young again,”
Scott declared proudly with a swollen chest and full fledged smile on his face.
Yvette stepped back a foot and looked at the cheesy expression on her father’s
face. It had been a while since she’d seen him so happy and even longer to know
it came from a place of true love. She couldn't help but return the look as his
arm wrapped around her shoulder and hug him back. “It’s like a natural high.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad?” Yvette paused and looked up in his eyes as she pulled
away slightly from his grip. “You’re not referring to what I think you are, are
you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scott’s mouth opened in a boisterous laugh and Yvette freed
herself completely of his embrace. “Of course I am Sweetheart. But it’s not as
if I’m going to give you a new brother or sister at any rate. My Vivica is well
past that point so there’s no chance of that happening; barring a miracle.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come on Dad? Really? Don’t you think having to hear that
from Brett’s parents was enough to scar me for life? I’m glad you’re happy but
can’t you be happy in a quieter, less expressive way?” Scott laughed again at
Yvette’s request and took her hand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come on let’s grab a table inside.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pulling out the chair for his daughter, he waited for her to
take a seat and beckoned for a server standing beside the kitchen door. “Good
afternoon, welcome to Schmankerl Stube, can I start you off with drinks or an
appetizer?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The young man smiled as he placed a plate of Kaese Brot in
front of them and pulled a small notepad out of his pocket to take down their
order. “We’ll have the Aufschnitt
please,” Scott responded without waiting on Yvette to look over the menu. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excellent choice,
and to drink?”<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh we’re still on the clock so better just make it a
pitcher of lemonade.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll go put these orders in for you and your drinks will be
out shortly.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
“Dad?” Yvette started as the waiter excused himself from the
table. “We could have gotten a sandwich anywhere. Was there a particular reason
you drove 60 miles to come here and order cold cuts and lemonade?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I really like the atmosphere here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scott blew out a breath and did his best to smile but he
knew she wasn’t buying it. Leaning forward he took her hand in his and sighed
mournfully. “Yvette, I haven’t been completely honest with you about your
father. And before you say anything please just hear me out.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Your drinks,” Tim smiled again as he interrupted Scott to place a pitcher on the table beside their individual glasses. “Your meal will be out shortly.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you,” he nodded at the server and Yvette took the
opportunity to retrieve her hand from the table under Scott’s regretful
observation. “Over the years Yvie I’ve asked that you trust me and the
decisions I make on your behalf and that you listen to my opinion and take my
judgment into consideration. Truthfully I never deserved any of that. So much
of our relationship has been based on the comfort you took in me after your
mother passed. A lot of that was because you believed your father betrayed you
and abandoned you as a child when in reality he never left your side.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette inhaled visibly and Scott cleared his throat as he
continued. “Katrina and I both agreed that once you were old enough we would
tell you about him and his reasons for disappearing but all that changed for me
when she died. Your mother and I knew each other long before she came to
Virginia with you. We had worked together on several cases and I had convinced
her once Ethan left to move closer to HQ and reassign. She agreed because I’d
promised to use every resource I had to help her find him and get the answers
she was looking for. It didn’t take long to track him down. At the time he was
living in a cottage in the south of France working one of his first missions
for the Company.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Katrina got the bright idea to go after him and confront
him about what was going on. I helped her get into the country below the radar
so the Feds didn’t accuse her of going rogue or working as a double agent. She
spoke to Ethan about his mission and what he was doing with the Company and
learned some heavy details about some government conspiracy and became
convinced that he was working to bring the Company down from the inside. She
realized he left because there were threats on his life and he didn’t want that
to come down on the two of you.” The waiter dropped in, placing a tray of fresh
cut meats, bread and vegetables in front of the two and was prepared to ask if
they needed anything else until he saw the look on Yvette’s face. He quickly
excused himself again and Scott continued.</div>
<br />
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<br />
“When she returned home, she begged me to help him; to use
my position with the Bureau and gain access to some of the vital information
that housed these ‘secrets’ proving Ethan’s insane theory. I did but only
because I loved her dearly and didn’t want to see her take another route that
would have gotten her hurt. I immediately went to work on tracking down information about the Company and what I uncovered made me realize what we were dealing with went far beyond an international arms smuggling scandal. It was something that could bring the very country to its knees. I knew at that point how dangerous it was and I begged Katrina to let me take the mission. I told her she needed to take a back seat because of her relationship to Ethan; people would be looking to exact revenge on him through her. What I didn’t realize was that she had already
started an investigation of her own which led to her assignment on Black Veil
and her assassination. She was always so damn
stubborn. It should have been me.”<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ethan came back for the funeral. He stayed a few weeks in a
hotel and called me up the night he got in asking to see you. I told him to
stay the hell away from you. He’d already taken Katrina; I wasn’t going to let
him have you as well. But he kept calling. The calls wouldn’t stop until I
threatened to have him arrested for terrorism and thrown behind bars for the
rest of his natural life. I was just so damn mad at him for bringing this shit to our front door and causing Katrina’s death I just didn’t want him around you ever again. It was then he made me promise to keep you safe; keep
you out of the life. And try as I might you still became an agent; convinced
you could hunt down those responsible for your mother’s death and get justice.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Yvette the reason I am telling you this is because recent
events have shown me how big of a fool I’ve been. I kept you from your real
father, I’ve lied to you about the facts concerning your mother’s death and I
did it all convinced that it was for the best. And all the while I watched you
nearly self-destruct.” Tears began streaming down his face as he looked at the
confused and hurt expression on the woman he raised sitting across from him.
“No amount of apologies could ever be said to make up for what I’ve done. But I
want you to know the reason I did it was to try and keep you away from the mess
that put your mother in an early grave. Ethan was right. And I fear keeping you
from the truth for so long may have caused more harm than good. I am sorry
Yvette. And I love you very much.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A single tear rolled down Yvette’s cheek and she slowly
stood from the table and made her way outside. Without looking back she flagged
down a taxi on the street and climbed into the backseat. Scott made it out of
the restaurant in time to watch her pull off from the parking lot heading to
destinations unknown. Rushing through the door to the unit room, Scott quickly
looked around and didn’t find Yvette anywhere in sight. With a sigh he motioned
for Brett who joined him beside the door. “Have you heard from Yvie?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
“No, was I supposed to?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She hasn’t come back yet?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Scott the last time I saw Yvette she was heading out to
lunch with you. Are you telling me you came back here without my wife?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We had a conversation about Ethan and Katrina that upset
her and she left; took off without me. I’ve called several times but it goes
straight to voicemail. I was hoping she’d made it back here or at the very
least called you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yvette was out with you Scott, she would have only called
if she felt she were in danger because she knows I wouldn’t worry otherwise.
What exactly did you say to her?” he demanded, growing more and more frustrated
at the thought of his wife alone and upset.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t think we really have the time to get into that
right now. My immediate concern is finding my daughter and making sure she’s
alright.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, it sounds like you’ve already done enough. I’ll find
her.” Brett growled and stormed off down the stairs heading towards his truck. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whatever conversation went on between his wife and
father-in-law must have been severe if it caused Yvette to up and run away from
him. Those two had one of the best father-daughter relationships he’d ever seen
and he could only imagine what she must be going through right now if she
didn’t even want to be around him. Brett pulled away from the federal building
driving hurriedly towards one of the places he knew Yvette frequented when she
wanted alone time, hoping he’d find her soon. Peach colored clouds loomed
overhead as the setting sun lowered more and more in the sky as he headed
towards the beach. It was going to be a long night.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Have a good night Lee.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You too, see you in the morning Rick.” Leona smiled and exited
the backdoor of the building heading towards her car. The wind blew eerily
around her and she took a look back over her shoulder when the door took a
moment to slam shut. “Hello?” she asked stopping in her tracks and brushing her
hair back as she looked around her. With her key ready to unlock the driver’s
door, Leona started again for the last car in the lot, moving quicker this time
as an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.</div>
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<br />
It was a chilly night but she knew the cause of the hairs to
stand on the back of her neck was not due to the weather. The smell of cheap
beer and tobacco lingered as a puff of cigarette smoke drifted towards her
causing her to fumble with the key in her hand as she tried desperately to
unlock her door. Just as the lock lifted and her hand reached for the handle, a
deep voice rumbled behind her.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello Leona, remember me?” Her scream rattled in the air
and quickly the man reached forward with a right hook, knocking her
unconscious. With a sinister smirk, he leaned forward and scooped the woman
into his arms before rushing towards his hidden truck and disappearing into the
night.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/07/s6-chapter-09-dial-m-for-murder.html">Continue ----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-27228510839863997292013-06-15T06:13:00.000-04:002019-01-27T22:07:58.400-05:00S6: Chapter 07: Soap on a Rope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MafQdDZHozk/UbEOxOW8RnI/AAAAAAAAYUo/3G4Wi1cmrQI/s1600/Screenshot-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MafQdDZHozk/UbEOxOW8RnI/AAAAAAAAYUo/3G4Wi1cmrQI/s640/Screenshot-01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Inmate V136482 at front,” the corrections officer yelled
towards the back. The team stood in the receiving room of the Greensville
Correctional Unit near Jarratt, Virginia awaiting the arrival of Juan Vargas.
They were lead into an interrogation room surrounded by seven inches of concrete
and steel bars as the inmate was placed into a seat in front of Brett and
cuffed to chains screwed into the floor.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who da hell are you?” Vargas growled as he took in the
faces of Brett, Victor and Dustin.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’re the ones asking the questions,” Brett replied and
slid his badge on the table for Vargas to see. “Juan Vargas, my name is Agent
Brett Knight; these are my partners Vic and Dustin. We’re here investigating
the recent kidnappings and murders of the Romeo Slasher and expect your full
cooperation.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I ain’t heard nuthin’ ‘bout no Slasha vato, straight up.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s going to be a little hard to sell considering you
purchased Poppyvine for him before you got pinched.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yo whoever tellin’ you dat shit is straight up lyin’. I
ain’t sell no shit to no Slasha. I only heard ‘bout ese since he been on da
news.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who’d you sell your identity to then?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-738Tk4ijOL0/UbEPExeFuqI/AAAAAAAAYUw/jocF2TVPwT0/s1600/Screenshot-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-738Tk4ijOL0/UbEPExeFuqI/AAAAAAAAYUw/jocF2TVPwT0/s640/Screenshot-04.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Hold up alright Imma keep it real wit’ you because I don’t
need no Po’po’ poppin’ in my face tryin’ set my ass up for another dime for
some bullshit charges aight? Yo dis ese tells my carnale, some busters from
another block were talkin’ shit, sayin’ we ain’t down to rep the 7-0-3 and
shit. So my homies went ‘round to show ‘em what’s up yo on da real. I don’t give a shit if there’s 30 of them
and only 10 of us, fuck it ey, somos pocos pero locos! They had dis crazy ass
vato scoutin’ on us that’s how I got popped. My place got raided and you Pigs
took my shit. Whatever happened to it after that man I can’t help you.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“You’re telling me you didn’t try to make a quick buck by
selling your I.D. knowing you were getting pinned?” Victor asked, folding his
arms in front of his chest as he eyed the young tatted thug in front of him.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yo you can ask my homie Chuey que pasa. What I look like
takin’ a knife to a girl man? That’s some punk shit. I got nuthin’ but love for
the mamacitas,” Vargas grinned and leaned back in his seat. “Now if we’re done,
it’s almost chow time and I ain’t about to miss it.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett motioned for the guard who immediately came in to take
the inmate back to the general population. Walking out, he showed his badge one
last time to the guard on the gate and sighed as the electronic door slammed
behind him. “Well that was a waste of time.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It was a lead that needed to be followed,” Victor corrected
as he slid his shades from his jeans pocket and covered his eyes. “Sometimes
they pan out, this one didn’t. It only means one of the other names on the list
may have what we need.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noticing his shoelace flopping over his foot, Dustin stopped
to tie it, kneeling over with an exasperated sigh. His eyes moved up as Victor
and Brett continued walking and he noticed a dark SUV lurking in the general
vicinity of their vehicle. His gaze narrowed and he realized he’d seen that
truck somewhere before. Doing a quick mental check, he gasped and focused his
attention to the driver door. The engine of the vehicle started with a roar as
Brett and Victor neared the curb and the back window on the driver’s side
slowly went down. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
All too quickly Dustin noticed the barrel of the gun and he
jumped up rushing towards the two, arms flailing as he screamed, “GET DOWN!”
The moments passed like cold molasses in the middle of winter as shots rang out
around them. The alarm at the prison was on full blast as the passengers in the
truck emptied clip after clip towards the federal agents. Armed guards rushed
out preparing to take aim at the perpetrators as Victor, Dustin and Brett
crouched behind what little cover they could find..</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally the shots ended and the truck peeled out of the lot, burning rubber as it tore through the streets of Jarratt. “Is everyone ok?” Dustin asked once the smoke cleared. Looking around he found Brett tucked behind the prison’s sign while Victor took cover behind a column near the gate</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jesus did anyone get a plate?” Brett asked taking a look at
the number of casings lining the pavement. “One of you get inside and try to
get the locals to set up a road block. You’re looking for a late model black
Cadillac Escalade with dark tint.” The guards rushed back to the building to
call it in and Victor knelt down to collect a few of the shell casings as
evidence.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well one thing we can be grateful for, they’re not hollow
points. In fact, this looks like the standard, garden variety caliber; glock.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah they had us pinned down, it’s lucky none of us took a
hit. Come on, let’s get back to HQ and see what we can find on that truck. We
can petition the Warden to send us the footage so we can get a better look at
the perps.” Victor tucked the shells into his pocket and started after Brett
and Dustin, taking the passenger seat. “Hey, don’t tell Yve about this,” Brett
whispered as the three got into their truck. “She already has enough on her
plate. The last thing I want to do is worry her about this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know who it was,” Dustin remarked and Brett stopped the
truck instantly as he turned to face him. “They were after me.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?” Victor asked as he too took in the face of the man
in the backseat.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“They’re known as Kkangpae, it’s a South Korean street gang
who pride themselves for their proficient martial arts skills, ruthless
extortion, and loan sharking tactics. They’re merciless thugs who make a living
out of taking advantage of honest citizens in Seoul as well as other cities
throughout the country.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How do you know that’s who this was?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because I’ve seen them before, at Mica’s office.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”</div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlKgwtaKzMk/UbEQPCB-l1I/AAAAAAAAYWY/WN7BwzIhI68/s1600/Screenshot-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlKgwtaKzMk/UbEQPCB-l1I/AAAAAAAAYWY/WN7BwzIhI68/s640/Screenshot-18.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because I thought I could handle it but I’m in too deep.
The last thing I want is for someone I love to get hurt. When I saw their
insignia in the rearview I immediately got on the horn with some of my old
friends and associates back home trying to work this thing out. When it became
apparent that they only wanted revenge I sent my Sister, nephew and Grandma
away for their protection. I was going to tell you guys honest; I was just
looking for the right time,” he replied solemnly and glanced at his feet. “I’m
sorry.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What are they doing here?”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I used to be in the gang and like every organization, it’s
blood in blood out. My grandma wanted to get me out of the life before it
ruined our family and that’s why she brought me and my sister to the states. I
thought it was over, that we were safe. I hadn’t heard about them in forever
but it turns out that all this time they were tracking me down. I gotta get
home and check on Mica. I haven’t told her anything about this because I didn’t
want her to worry. I just hope they haven’t gone after her.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-33kaEOVzsek/UbEQaMz9Q9I/AAAAAAAAYWo/eCyzWN56Xtg/s1600/Screenshot-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-33kaEOVzsek/UbEQaMz9Q9I/AAAAAAAAYWo/eCyzWN56Xtg/s640/Screenshot-19.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UE5usYkdxx4/UbEQXplH3nI/AAAAAAAAYWg/Lu6QK3Z0sfE/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UE5usYkdxx4/UbEQXplH3nI/AAAAAAAAYWg/Lu6QK3Z0sfE/s640/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin called Mica and found that she was ok. Nothing
exciting had happened, she explained and it gave him a sense of relief. These
people didn’t appear to be after her, at least for now, which meant he had a
little room to maneuver. After speaking with Brett about the situation he got
the team ready and Dustin felt confident that together, they could end the
threat of the Kkangpae and keep those he loved safe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
He finished lighting the candles and dimming the lights in
the house. Turning the stove to “warm”, Dustin headed to the bathroom and made
sure everything was set up perfectly and heard Mica’s key in the door. He had
much to tell her and tonight he was getting it all off his chest. Rose petals
directed her through the foyer and towards the dining room where Dustin stood
with a rose in his hand and a smile on his face. “What’s all this?” she asked,
sitting her bags down near the door.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OH3t0fFI8I4/UbEQcvICFbI/AAAAAAAAYWw/7_Ccz7Vya2o/s1600/Screenshot-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OH3t0fFI8I4/UbEQcvICFbI/AAAAAAAAYWw/7_Ccz7Vya2o/s640/Screenshot-21.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwtTZM2LVt0/UbEQrl4HdGI/AAAAAAAAYXI/QVqRt7zu4to/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwtTZM2LVt0/UbEQrl4HdGI/AAAAAAAAYXI/QVqRt7zu4to/s640/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I made dinner. I figured it would be nice after a long,
hard day’s work.” He approached her and jerked her into his chest as he laid a
very passionate kiss on her lips. Mica moaned and wrapped herself around him as
his hands skirted down her sides before coming to rest at the small of her
back.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DbLS2TPR7I/UbEQqmzplXI/AAAAAAAAYXA/JleaR2DOdFw/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DbLS2TPR7I/UbEQqmzplXI/AAAAAAAAYXA/JleaR2DOdFw/s640/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpWk4dUp9qs/UbEQwkAGe0I/AAAAAAAAYXQ/JNg-lcCTwS0/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpWk4dUp9qs/UbEQwkAGe0I/AAAAAAAAYXQ/JNg-lcCTwS0/s640/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re right, this is nice after a long hard day.” Dustin
pulled out her seat, placed the rose on the table in front of her and headed to
the kitchen to grab dinner. Sitting a covered dish down in front of her, he
waited for her to remove the top and once she did he instantly fell to one knee.
“Dustin!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know we haven’t really talked about this or what the
future holds for us but I have been thinking about it for a long time and I’m
ready; I just hope I’m not being too pushy.” She only shook her head and smiled
down at him as he continued. “Alright here goes, Mica I love you and I want to
marry you.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-veV5rkiEKVo/UbEQ60GnjFI/AAAAAAAAYXY/19F2rGxTI2I/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-veV5rkiEKVo/UbEQ60GnjFI/AAAAAAAAYXY/19F2rGxTI2I/s640/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1NdknzWqzg/UbEQ8vUz-qI/AAAAAAAAYXg/RgROHJbUPkM/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1NdknzWqzg/UbEQ8vUz-qI/AAAAAAAAYXg/RgROHJbUPkM/s640/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He paused as he took her hands in his and she could see the
wheels turning in his head and giggled a bit as he began stuttering and their
hands shook as he held hers. “Are you ok?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nervous, just really, really nervous. I had this whole
speech thought out and I can’t remember any of it now. Screw it, I’m adlibbing.
Mica, you are like the perfect drivers to my motherboard and I can’t function
without you. You’ve successfully hacked into my heart and I can’t imagine
growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. I promise you, no one will work
harder to make you happy or cherish you more than me. Dr. Mica Valentine, will
you…”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlpIPd-ZxJk/UbEQ9lwYmZI/AAAAAAAAYXo/XPn0Png_dWo/s1600/Screenshot-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlpIPd-ZxJk/UbEQ9lwYmZI/AAAAAAAAYXo/XPn0Png_dWo/s640/Screenshot-28.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kw9Tv7EgAvk/UbERGFVP7yI/AAAAAAAAYXw/45T9tw_njiE/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kw9Tv7EgAvk/UbERGFVP7yI/AAAAAAAAYXw/45T9tw_njiE/s640/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ehWKC-a9ri4/UbERJfx0GUI/AAAAAAAAYX4/X2FqRwSZQ1I/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ehWKC-a9ri4/UbERJfx0GUI/AAAAAAAAYX4/X2FqRwSZQ1I/s640/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes!” She jumped up from the chair and into his arms,
hugging him tightly and Dustin did the same. “It’s beautiful,” she sighed
looking at the ring again as he let her down to the floor. Their lips connected
and Mica kissed him hard, her hands rubbing through his hair as he gripped her
firmly against him. When finally she released him, he gave her a huge smile and
pulled her chair out once more as he went to collect the food. They ate, all
the while making plans and Dustin enjoyed the squeal she produced every now and
again as she thought about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2lj_jEpniRM/UbERjorujuI/AAAAAAAAYYY/wbQ1I_f53MU/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2lj_jEpniRM/UbERjorujuI/AAAAAAAAYYY/wbQ1I_f53MU/s640/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VPtSujMMTfo/UbERp1Tpy2I/AAAAAAAAYYg/2Tc99ur8U1o/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VPtSujMMTfo/UbERp1Tpy2I/AAAAAAAAYYg/2Tc99ur8U1o/s640/Screenshot-35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dinner he took her to the next event he had planned: a sensuous bubble bath. Dustin turned on the water in the tub, adding a generous amount of suds as Mica joined him in the bathroom. As the tub filled, he gave his attention to the beaming woman in front of him and slowly began undressing her. Kisses covered her nude body and every place he touched as he liberated her of clothes and himself. Dustin took her hand and stepped into the water first before helping his new fiancée in as well. She quickly snuggled against him, laughing as she felt his fingers slip over her belly and kissing him thoroughly as the bubbles popped and fizzled around them. She looked happy and he loved seeing her like this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1BAdD-3dTE/UbERQI6sHNI/AAAAAAAAYYA/7lWWwhGK9GY/s1600/Screenshot-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1BAdD-3dTE/UbERQI6sHNI/AAAAAAAAYYA/7lWWwhGK9GY/s640/Screenshot-31.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Once she settled in his arms, Dustin began sponging warm
water over her skin and watching as it cascading down her chocolate body
creating tiny bubbles before disappearing into the tub. With a sigh he squeezed
her against him and closed his partially closed his eyes. Mica’s laughter shook
the water around him and his eyes popped open to look at the woman leaning
against him. “What’s so funny?”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your proposal.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me? Hey I was nervous ok?”<br />
<br />
“My Dusty got nervous? No, that can’t be right. He’s the one always teasing me about my shyness! And what was that you said about being a motherboard and driver? Classic.”<br />
<br />
“That was awesome! You understood it right? Plus that was a very special moment I didn’t want to screw it up!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No that’s not what I meant. Can you imagine what our kids would be like having a geek as a father?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqnzQfnWhSY/UbERawK-VFI/AAAAAAAAYYQ/a72ztNap6-c/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqnzQfnWhSY/UbERawK-VFI/AAAAAAAAYYQ/a72ztNap6-c/s640/Screenshot-33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh you mean besides being incredibly handsome and smart?
Our kids are going to rule the world.” She turned into him and gave him a long
passionate kiss. Dustin adjusted beneath her as her hands slowly moved in his
hair, stirring his senses. Trying his best to ignore the sensation, he pulled
his lips back slightly and looked up into her eyes. “Mica, there’s something we
need to talk about.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zCExgyPym4Y/UbERrd-dbRI/AAAAAAAAYYo/98-by_KbkrU/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zCExgyPym4Y/UbERrd-dbRI/AAAAAAAAYYo/98-by_KbkrU/s640/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mica climbed off of his lap and rested her head again on his
chest. Turning slightly in the water so she could see his face a little, she
inhaled at the grave expression he held and nodded her head. “Is it about your
family?” The shocked look he gave her prompted her to explain and she slid her
teeth over her bottom lip as she started. “You never really talked about your
parents and how they died. I didn’t push the issue because I saw how guarded
you were on the subject.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin released his breath and gently pecked her cheek as he
adjusted in the water beneath her. “Yes. It’s about my parents and my life in
Korea before I came here. If you want to be my wife, I think it’s time I told
you everything there is to know about Dustin Kimura.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ulQ0WBG0DMA/UbER289BkkI/AAAAAAAAYYw/R797UGm2_oo/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ulQ0WBG0DMA/UbER289BkkI/AAAAAAAAYYw/R797UGm2_oo/s640/Screenshot-37.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Son of a bitch!” Brett yelled and slammed the phone to its
base in anger. Yvette turned the corner with wide eyes as she took in her
husband leaning forward on the kitchen table fuming over the latest hang up
call. “I just had one of our techs run a trace on the last call and guess who
it is?” Yvette shrugged and Brett continued, his ire rising the more he thought
about it. “Your old partner Chris Landry. Apparently the asshole purchased a
traceable cell phone from T-Mobile just to hound us. He turned it off right
after the tech narrowed in on him. That son of a bitch is taunting us.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Calm down Brett, there’s no use letting him get to you like
this; that’s exactly what he wants. He’s trying to throw us off our game. He’s
playing some demented cat and mouse ‘catch me if you can’ that he knows we’ll
go into overemotional. Don’t let him sucker you.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AwJZVVGL44/UbER64PQdVI/AAAAAAAAYY4/VFaZQvE_6zs/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AwJZVVGL44/UbER64PQdVI/AAAAAAAAYY4/VFaZQvE_6zs/s640/Screenshot-38.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He stopped pacing as he let her words sink in and turned to
face her just as she started for the bedroom. Finding her pulling back the
covers preparing for bed, he slipped behind her and tugged her against his
chest with one arm around her waist. Gradually his hands moved up her body
until they came to rest behind her neck and she leaned forward as he began to
massage her. “Mmm,” Yvette moaned as Brett’s hands rubbed her shoulders
tenderly. “That feels good.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re so tense. Are you worried about something?” he asked
as he focused on the knot just between her shoulder blades. He made sure to
keep quiet about the incident earlier and was hoping the news about Landry
hadn’t put her on edge again. Yvette leaned forward and murred deeply as his
hands worked out the tension in her strained muscles.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tlnIycJTC4/UbER762PZaI/AAAAAAAAYZA/fQIzHzIltoQ/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tlnIycJTC4/UbER762PZaI/AAAAAAAAYZA/fQIzHzIltoQ/s640/Screenshot-39.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just thinking; a lot.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“About?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Work, the babies, the Romeo Slasher; everything really.
With all that we have going on I’m completely amazed we have any downtime to be
with the twins.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We make time Yve, that’s how family life is. The kids are
so young it’s easier to manage and our parents have been a great help with
that,” he smiled as she huffed thinking about his hands-on Mom. “Have you been
reconsidering the situation? You know taking time off or leaving the Bureau?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6OXtSS7UAo0/UbESF4cy1jI/AAAAAAAAYZI/PFd6d4m6SP4/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6OXtSS7UAo0/UbESF4cy1jI/AAAAAAAAYZI/PFd6d4m6SP4/s640/Screenshot-40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No and before you go on about how beneficial it would be
let me stop you now. I love my job and I have no intentions of quitting. I
won’t leave the Bureau until they either force me out or I reach my
retirement.” She felt his hands move further south and paused as he worked some
voodoo on her that immediately caused her body to respond. “Brett what are you
doing?” Yvette mumbled as his lips moved from her face down her neck and towards
her chest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I figured it’s never too early to think about
playmates for Austin and Autumn. Not to mention we have a bakery list of a
dozen to create.” Yvette laughed and ran her hand through her husband’s hair as
he undid her top and let it fall to the floor. </div>
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QizdWmwQBMo/UbESJsCGFNI/AAAAAAAAYZQ/ryn3It_K8HA/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QizdWmwQBMo/UbESJsCGFNI/AAAAAAAAYZQ/ryn3It_K8HA/s640/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5wBRrwfYIHI/UbESO61GKdI/AAAAAAAAYZY/nUrzxYl8v0Q/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5wBRrwfYIHI/UbESO61GKdI/AAAAAAAAYZY/nUrzxYl8v0Q/s640/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re crazy if you think I’m <i>baking</i> a dozen biscuits for your Mom. And as far as more kids right
now; we already have our hands full literally with the twins. Maybe once
they’re out of diapers we can have one more; maybe.” She placed her fingers
beneath his shirt and slowly slid her hands up his chest towards his shoulders
to help push it off. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett captured her lips as she did, sucking on her tongue as
it darted out of her mouth to play with his. “In that case, plan B.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Plan B?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mmhmm,” he growled and undid the button to her jeans. “I
thought up another reason in case the bakery excuse didn’t work.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh this I’ve gotta hear.”</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett chuckled as Yvette’s lips moved to his chest, kissing
and sucking on him as she lowered herself to her knees. “They say that after
you’re married, sex becomes an issue. I figured, in order to keep the passion
in our relationship, we should keep ourselves familiarized with one another’s
bodies,” Brett’s mouth twisted into a grin as he felt her fingers tugging at
his belt and undoing the button.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well now that’s a much better argument Mr. Knight.” He
groaned deeply as his head slipped between her lips and reached out to place
his hands on the back of her head; resting it there a moment as his beautiful wife
bobbed her head against him, gently engorging his member. Her mouth sucked an incredible
vacuum around his length, and she pressed her left hand against his thigh as
she took more of him into her mouth.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette looked up at her husband with a glint in her eye and pulled
her head from his cock, her warm hand steadily stroking over his throbbing
member. “I’m not catching you if you fall,” she teased pumping her fist faster on
his shaft.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett murmured a leisured laugh and pressed himself against
the wall smiling down at her as she crawled forward to resume her previous
ministrations. He closed his eyes with pleasure as she again took his cock into
her mouth. Using her tongue, she licked him from the base up towards the head. Focusing
on the largest vein on the underside of his dick she sucked the head continually
into her mouth, letting her lips caress his sensitive tip. Brett groaned, his
hand guiding his wife’s mouth over his cock and he looked down at her with wide
eyes, watching as his shaft vanished between her pursed lips and coming back
slick with her saliva. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette smiled up at him, licked his cock from base to head again
in long, languorous sweeps of her tongue. “Mmm that feels so good,” he
whispered, moaning deeper as her mouth covered him completely again, her lips
touching the base. Her hand moved so that she held his shaft and she pumped it
in time with her sucking, twirling her tongue over his slit when she came back
down his length. The sucking coupled with the feeling of being jerked drew yet
another groan of delight from his throat and he felt Yvette giggle onto his
cock. “This isn’t fair. You have me completely spellbound Yve,” he groaned and
held her shoulders for support.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mmm well you know you could always return the favor,” she
purred back and leaned forward again, his cock slipping between her swollen lips.
She left it there a moment, doing amazing things with her tongue until Brett
could take no more. She grinned as he leaned down, gripping her upper arms and
gently pulling her to her feet.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She moaned again, deeply, and moved backwards towards the
bed as he guided her with his hands. Yvette fell onto the mattress with Brett
quickly behind her. His knee slipped between her thighs, helping to part them
as he rested his weight against her. Slowly his hands worked down her stomach,
his mouth trailing kisses down her body as he worked his way towards her
thighs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Just as he reached the creamy heaven between his wife’s legs
Austin started to cry. His moans of discomfort echoed from the baby monitor
beside the bed and Brett groaned in frustration as he looked up at it. “And you
want more!” Yvette laughed as he rolled to his back.<br />
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Throwing on a robe, she hurried towards the babies’ room and pulled her eldest from his crib. “It’s ok Austin, Mommy’s here.” Brett came up behind her as she took a seat in the rocking chair and uncovered her breast to feed him.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey that’s mine!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not tonight it’s not,” she giggled and looked down at his
boxers; the thin material doing very little to hide his erection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah I’m going to take a shower. But just so you know
Austin, the first time I catch you with a girl, I’m gonna show you how it feels
to be cock blocked.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Revenge is a bitch,” he laughed and started down the
hallway to the bathroom.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/06/s6-chapter-08-crossword.html">Continue ----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-44667039807532294152013-06-01T08:31:00.002-04:002019-01-27T22:46:46.260-05:00S6: Chapter 06: Sorry Wrong Number<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin paced back and forth in his living room constantly
eyeing the phone sitting on his desk as he debated whether or not to give his
friend a call back in Korea. Since seeing that fated emblem hanging on the
rearview mirror of that dark SUV he had lost plenty of sleep; awashed with
worry over the “what if”. Slowly he approached his desk and leaned over the
phone for a moment before finally clutching the receiver in his hand and
punching in the thirteen digit number including international calling code.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Waiting a moment, Dustin held his breath as the caller on
the other end seemingly answered quickly. The voice sounded panicked and
breathless as if they rushed to answer the call. What was to follow was a
conversation held in Korean. Dustin thought nothing of it as the mood of the
person on the other end seemed light and cheery as they greeted him. But as
Dustin realized he didn’t recognize the voice and asked who he was speaking
with, the caller’s tone took on a very ominous and deeper tone. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Immediately Dustin went on edge as the next words out of the
person’s mouth confirmed the terrible feeling he had in the pit of his stomach.
“You and your family are next.” The call ended without another word and Dustin
stood in his living room in shock still clutching the phone within his palm.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“Say Mama,” Yvette smiled and rubbed Austin’s belly as he
tossed a wooden block in the air practically ignoring her. “Austin, say Mama.
Baba? Dada? Tell Mommy she’s being a pain and you just want to go play with Sissy?”
she sighed in frustration as he laughed and crawled over towards Autumn who sat
near Brett’s leg chewing on her teddy bear’s head. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I guess that answers that.” She watched as the two
seemed to communicate wordlessly and crawl off into the direction of the
playpen.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t worry Yve. I’m sure they’ll be talking in no time.
And then you’ll be trying to figure out how to get them to stop.” Brett laughed
as they rolled into the padded corner and began slamming bricks together
noisily.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And it’ll be just my luck that their first words will be
gun or spy.” She stood and approached the couch and listlessly dropped in her
husband’s lap with a frown. “I don’t know if I’d want them following into this
line of work Brett but from my family’s background and yours it kind of seems
inevitable doesn’t it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well my father and both of yours and your mom were agents;
it is seemingly ingrained in their DNA. But I think ultimately it’ll be how we
raise them and how they see us react to our jobs. If they see us stressing
about it or complaining a lot maybe it might discourage them. I can’t say I’d
stop either Austin or Autumn from doing what they feel they want to though. And
honestly I don’t think you would either.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I suppose I wouldn’t,” she thought for a moment and
caught his eyes locked on hers. Rolling herself, she straddled his lap and
peppered tender kisses along his face until he guided her lips towards his. She
thought back to a few nights earlier and sighed. “Brett there’s something I
need to tell you. But you have to promise me you won’t flip out and go
completely mental once I do.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You know when you say a thing like that it only means that
it’s something so bad that my only reaction would be to freak out Yvette. I
can’t make you that promise because without knowing what you’re going to say or
how bad it is, there’s just no judging how I’ll react.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s about Ethan.” She watched him as he visibly held his
breath and nodded his head. She knew that look all too well. It was the same
one he had the day he told her to stay away from him and the same look he had
when he found him at his home the night he was killed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s not dead is he?” Brett asked without waiting on Yvette
to tell him herself. He stood from the couch and paced a little in front of
her, eyeing the twins before dropping back beside her. “I
had my suspicions but I just didn’t know if there was a way to prove it.”</div>
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“The night he was shot, he gave me a cell phone and told me
to call when I was ready. The night I went through those boxes, I called.”
Brett shot his gaze towards his wife and waited for her to continue. “He’s been
living underground. He used that night as a means to escape the Company and the
assassins they sent after him. Those men that were chasing us were shooting
specially designed blanks that without deeper investigation appeared real;
ballsy considering the team was there with loaded weapons. But when I thought
back to that night I realized Ethan had everyone go do what they needed and he
met them in the hall and returned fire alone.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“He needed witnesses and who better than a team of Federal
agents who had launched a battle to kill him and a building highly secured with
cameras everywhere; smart. So you talked to him?” Yvette nodded her head and
kept watch of Brett’s face for a reaction. “How did that go?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Quickly. He basically told me he had to go into hiding
again because of the Company. They found out that he was accessing information
from their private databases and making copies of the confidential case work in
order to have ‘proof’ if ever anything were to happen. He said for a long time
he had known about their antigovernment work and was trying to figure out the
best way to approach the situation; he found a way but it placed him in the
line of fire. I also told him about the twins. He was excited and sad. He knows
he can’t be a part of their lives until he gets clear of everything.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The ringing phone drew the couples’ attention and Brett
groaned as he withdrew from the living room heading to the kitchen to answer.
Yvette took the opportunity to play with the kids again and Austin happily
greeted her with his key toy that she jiggled for him to make the both of them
laugh. From the adjacent hallway she could hear Brett growing more and more
agitated by the person on the other end of the line. “Don’t call here again,”
he barked and hung up abruptly.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette eyed him curiously as he joined her on the floor with
the twins. “It was just someone playing on the phone,” he spoke gently as
Autumn leaned up and sucked on his bottom lip. “Daddy gets kisses!” he grinned
and kissed her back. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s the fifth time tonight Brett. I don’t think it’s
just some random teen prank. Maybe we can have Dustin figure it out tomorrow,”
Yvette suggested. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
An early morning meeting with the District Attorney and the
Mayor put Scott in a pretty foul mood for the day. When the team assembled in
the unit room, messages that they’d better come up with something soon greeted
them and they knew the pressure was on. “Just what we need,” Victor growled and
tossed a pushpin towards the bulletin board. “If Mayor Robinson or D.A. McEnroe
thinks it’s that easy to produce witnesses, suspects or evidence, I’d like to
see either one of them crawl from behind their desks in their cozy air
conditioned offices and give it a shot!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ignore it,” Brett advised. “We aren’t rushing this thing to
appease the public or either of those dickheads. This guy needs to be stopped
and I’ll be damned if we go running head first into this case and miss
something that ends up letting him off. Keep working the leads we have and at
the pace we’ve set. We can’t risk overlooking evidence!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wss9PrcJv7o/UagAXQN4gKI/AAAAAAAAYP8/r7nlij1iwLs/s1600/Screenshot-20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wss9PrcJv7o/UagAXQN4gKI/AAAAAAAAYP8/r7nlij1iwLs/s640/Screenshot-20.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“In speaking of,” Dustin started and waited for Brett to
come and have a look at his screen. “The lab came back on the toxicology on our
last vics. The drug found in their system is known as Poppyvine, street name ‘Lightning’
when mixed with cocaine. It’s a legal opiate close to one of the purest forms
used in China in the late 1400s. It’s used in many clinics like Methadone, a
reverse for treating those addicted to heroin. I did a search and came up with
12 possible retailers this particular drug could be purchased at home and
abroad.” The printer sounded behind him and Brett pulled the results off the
machine and studied them closely. </div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o_9scV6ihFk/UagAmLC8LZI/AAAAAAAAYQU/8RUHkCox0gQ/s1600/Screenshot-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o_9scV6ihFk/UagAmLC8LZI/AAAAAAAAYQU/8RUHkCox0gQ/s640/Screenshot-22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“‘<u>How To Catch A Killer</u>’,” Yvette read the title of the book
clutched in Ryan’s hand as she joined him on the couch. “Looking for a few pointers?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Funny,” he grinned and nudged her lightly with his elbow.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Handing the list to Ryan, Brett looked at Yvette and nodded.
“You two take this one. There are four within the city, check those out. Victor
and I will hit the phones and follow up on the ones outside of the state and in
the other countries. Call if you come across anything.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGzYWbQEI4s/UagAleYlQ8I/AAAAAAAAYQM/utCgaL_RNYc/s1600/Screenshot-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGzYWbQEI4s/UagAleYlQ8I/AAAAAAAAYQM/utCgaL_RNYc/s640/Screenshot-23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You got it BK,” Ryan saluted with two fingers, opened the
door for Yvette and followed her out. Sliding behind the steering wheel he
waited for her to buckle herself in before pulling out of the garage and
heading towards the first drug store on the list. “So is it weird taking orders
from Brett now? I mean I expected that once you got back from the maternity
leave you’d resume command of the team but when you didn’t it kind of made me
wonder. Why didn’t you?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2f9xsat906Y/UagAtDl02jI/AAAAAAAAYQc/NR3CpXFfvEQ/s1600/Screenshot-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2f9xsat906Y/UagAtDl02jI/AAAAAAAAYQc/NR3CpXFfvEQ/s640/Screenshot-24.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Brett and I talked it over before I was to come back and I
told him that my favorite part about being with the Bureau and the CIA before
that was being an agent and going on missions. But Brett on the other hand has
a goal to be director someday. It just made more sense for him to retain
control of the team as it’s more of a stepping stone for him to get to where he
wants. And it’s not weird taking orders from him because he knows better than
to force his will on me. We’re married Ry, and as every man knows, the woman is
the one who ALWAYS wears the pants in the relationship.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah right.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQWDOOPXYq8/UagAyVVssUI/AAAAAAAAYQk/0zEnur96UbQ/s1600/Screenshot-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQWDOOPXYq8/UagAyVVssUI/AAAAAAAAYQk/0zEnur96UbQ/s640/Screenshot-25.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz9AN39NX2M/UagA8Iysk_I/AAAAAAAAYQs/eJpp5wJ0w3U/s1600/Screenshot-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz9AN39NX2M/UagA8Iysk_I/AAAAAAAAYQs/eJpp5wJ0w3U/s640/Screenshot-26.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s that you say? Stefanie wants new shoes? A new car?
New wardrobe. How’s your bank account looking these days Ryan.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright, alright, point taken geez!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Besides, there’s something about being with a man in power
that just gets the juices flowing you know?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you’re about to tell me Brett makes you dress up as a
naughty secretary while he chases you around the room, give me a sec so I can
get comfy.” Yvette laughed as Ryan pretended to readjust his jeans. He pulled
into the parking lot of the Fuller Rx pharmacy and hopped out. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egLbgu1vZ3M/UagBAr5GSmI/AAAAAAAAYQ0/axV9DnCaS0w/s1600/Screenshot-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egLbgu1vZ3M/UagBAr5GSmI/AAAAAAAAYQ0/axV9DnCaS0w/s640/Screenshot-27.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nY1NK1CzZYw/UagBKbUXW7I/AAAAAAAAYRE/4wqOFmG6nX4/s1600/Screenshot-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nY1NK1CzZYw/UagBKbUXW7I/AAAAAAAAYRE/4wqOFmG6nX4/s640/Screenshot-29.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noticing the time they hurried to the pharmacy before the
woman behind the counter could clock out for lunch. She turned when she saw
them and hung her coat on the wall. Pointing towards her wrist Yvette flashed
her badge and the pharmacist smiled a greeting towards them. “Hi, I’m Agent
Sharpe, this is my partner Agent Knight.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re a federal agent?” the woman asked suspiciously as
she eyed Ryan’s clothing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He simply smiled and nodded his head and leaned forward on
the counter. “It’s ok Darling I get that all the time. I’m a Special Agent and
unlike the uptight G-men you see on T.V., I’m not trapped within a strict clothing
regime. Anyway, my partner and I are in the middle of an investigation and
wondering if you could be of assistance to us.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9lvW3nBfFQQ/UagBSb2YXdI/AAAAAAAAYRM/GVTp-4LjiFU/s1600/Screenshot-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9lvW3nBfFQQ/UagBSb2YXdI/AAAAAAAAYRM/GVTp-4LjiFU/s640/Screenshot-30.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well I’m not sure, Agent Sharpe. What is it that you think
I can do for you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well we’re interested in the sale of a particular
prescription drug that, from my understanding, this is one of the only places
in town you can buy it. We’d like to see your sales records and patient list
for those who may have purchased the drug within the last year.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh…um well, I don’t think I can give you that without a
warrant.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Aww come on Liz,” Ryan leaned forward with a wink as he
eyed the name badge on the coat behind her. “It’ll be our little secret.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I really shouldn’t. I could get into a lot of trouble. I’m
just the assistant here and if the Pharmacist found out he could fire me!”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y56OMCJ0l4M/UagBbDXt-3I/AAAAAAAAYRc/ZlW2o45N1XU/s1600/Screenshot-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y56OMCJ0l4M/UagBbDXt-3I/AAAAAAAAYRc/ZlW2o45N1XU/s640/Screenshot-32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdQoK89__IQ/UagBjJ8rtWI/AAAAAAAAYRk/M6JsG0pMX3E/s1600/Screenshot-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdQoK89__IQ/UagBjJ8rtWI/AAAAAAAAYRk/M6JsG0pMX3E/s640/Screenshot-33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well now that’s a tough call. See you wouldn’t want us to have
to go get that warrant and come back. It’ll open up every dark secret that goes
on behind that counter. Every missed prescription, illegal bribes resulting in
reduced payments, freebies to friends or even self medication. I’d hate to have
to see you or your boss with your faces on the news over a drugstore scandal.
This is easier; a quick in and out and we’ll be out of your hair. Whaddya say
Liz huh? Help a guy out?” Ryan turned on his charm and Yvette smiled inwardly
watching the woman blush behind the counter as he persuaded her to get what he
needed.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok but you have to make it quick.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJ_LxKxPQtM/UagBou1pvII/AAAAAAAAYRs/lLSBwFTf3T0/s1600/Screenshot-34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJ_LxKxPQtM/UagBou1pvII/AAAAAAAAYRs/lLSBwFTf3T0/s640/Screenshot-34.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well now that’s something I don’t hear often.” Liz’s
face went beet red as Ryan slipped behind the counter, purposely brushing his
arm against hers as she led him to the computer. Within seconds he had a
printout of all of the names of the drug sales for Poppyvine and was heading
back towards Yvette with a grin. “That was easy.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcbaEuHhrfg/UagBwsk1LsI/AAAAAAAAYR0/6KWXZlsVTd4/s1600/Screenshot-35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcbaEuHhrfg/UagBwsk1LsI/AAAAAAAAYR0/6KWXZlsVTd4/s640/Screenshot-35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah I wonder how Brandy would take the news.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Vette!”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? Aww Ry,” Yvette smirked as she mimicked his earlier
actions. “It’ll be our little secret.” She pulled open her car door laughing at
him as he slid behind the wheel again and started towards the next store on the list.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGhmwTCr82M/UagCIO_BobI/AAAAAAAAYSU/ZxOdoQceQO4/s1600/Screenshot-39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGhmwTCr82M/UagCIO_BobI/AAAAAAAAYSU/ZxOdoQceQO4/s640/Screenshot-39.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brett’s attention fell on the door as Ryan and Yvette
re-entered the unit room with printouts in hand. Dropping the papers to the desk
beside Dustin, Ryan motioned towards one name in particular. “Juan Vargas,” he
spoke hurriedly and leaned forward. “This dude sounds awfully familiar to me
but I can’t place the name, start with him?” Dustin nodded and his fingers
quickly got to work pulling up the Nexus to find information for his teammate.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yGX5Yh_-Eh0/UagB3dFBRzI/AAAAAAAAYR8/Z3tg1KGM9Qk/s1600/Screenshot-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yGX5Yh_-Eh0/UagB3dFBRzI/AAAAAAAAYR8/Z3tg1KGM9Qk/s640/Screenshot-36.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x594-AOJw4U/UagB7Znf8uI/AAAAAAAAYSE/fvYs24O0u1Q/s1600/Screenshot-37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x594-AOJw4U/UagB7Znf8uI/AAAAAAAAYSE/fvYs24O0u1Q/s640/Screenshot-37.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moments later, he had the projector going and everyone
gathered around as they read the information on the screen. “Juan Vargas
convicted on possession of drugs and paraphernalia and sent up about four years
ago. He was caught with seven kilos of crack cocaine, as well as a few needles,
scales, bags and was on his way to a sale when the DEA caught up to him and
brought him down hard.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Here’s why he might sound familiar to you Ryan, it says
that two years before that you and Brett caught up to Vargas and arrested him while
undercover at Birch. He was caught trying to sell to a minor at an elementary
school; he was peddling the hard stuff. He claimed you and Brett planted the
stuff on him and made this big stink about crooked FBI agents.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mW91py5APGY/UagCEwLMK6I/AAAAAAAAYSM/SkBx1yiKW1k/s1600/Screenshot-38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mW91py5APGY/UagCEwLMK6I/AAAAAAAAYSM/SkBx1yiKW1k/s640/Screenshot-38.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait a second. Bottom right corner, says he is still
serving at Riker’s for the DEA bust; he can’t be our guy if that’s the case.
We’re looking for people who have recently purchased this drug. How is his name
on that list?” Yvette asked as she looked over his record.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Identity theft?” Victor shrugged.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ew2YuETSZg/UagCO6xpH3I/AAAAAAAAYSc/xKgiJcaWr-I/s1600/Screenshot-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ew2YuETSZg/UagCO6xpH3I/AAAAAAAAYSc/xKgiJcaWr-I/s640/Screenshot-40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dsg7545Bo0g/UagCZagiPpI/AAAAAAAAYSk/ED23Wuv-1gs/s1600/Screenshot-41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dsg7545Bo0g/UagCZagiPpI/AAAAAAAAYSk/ED23Wuv-1gs/s640/Screenshot-41.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who’d want to steal a convicted felon’s identity?” Ryan
asked and dropped onto the sofa. “That’s like trying to paint the walls in a
burned down house; no matter how many coats you apply you’ll never cover up the
bad spots. There’s no way they can get anywhere with that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Unless that’s the whole point,” Yvette started.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right. We’re looking for names on a list of drug pushers,”
Brett added. “So while we’re chasing ghosts and cons our unsub is committing
these murders with the help of their stolen identities.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Kinda makes you wonder if Vargas had anything to do with
this,” Ryan sighed and looked up just in time to see the rest of the team’s
eyes were staring in his direction. “What? Do I have something on my face?”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivFojGxElHo/UagCcXNv4GI/AAAAAAAAYSs/Q_SG8rCWQtc/s1600/Screenshot-42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivFojGxElHo/UagCcXNv4GI/AAAAAAAAYSs/Q_SG8rCWQtc/s640/Screenshot-42.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me, I’m looking for Agent Knight,” Lieutenant
Campbell knocked as he entered, offered a nod as he saw Brett standing across
the room from him and shut the door behind him. “I don’t mean to intrude but
the lady down at reception said I would find you in here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s no trouble at all, Lieutenant,” Brett greeted the man
with a handshake and smile. “Was there another body?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no, nothing like that. This is about that tip line you
set up at the 26<sup>th</sup>. We got a call from an unidentified eyewitness
who says he knows something about the latest murder. Obviously we anticipated
receiving these kinds of calls, you know women who just wanted to harm an
ex-boyfriend and use the police to do it. But there was something off about
this caller in particular. The number came up as unknown and the person on the
other end was using some sort of voice changing device to distort the way they
sound.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eo-QKF-Bg7M/UagChW-o86I/AAAAAAAAYS0/znG2T2SzTVY/s1600/Screenshot-43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eo-QKF-Bg7M/UagChW-o86I/AAAAAAAAYS0/znG2T2SzTVY/s640/Screenshot-43.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“At first we wrote it off as a prank call and just threw it
to the side with the other couple hundred or so. But he said something that
hasn’t been made public knowledge and that really got our attention.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What was it?” Yvette asked moving towards Brett’s side as she
listened intently to the Lieutenant’s story and reaching out to receive the
manila folder he’d brought with him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keeping his gaze on Brett, he continued on with his recount
and handed him the folder in his hand. “He mentioned that there was no note
found on Toni Laird. Again at first I thought nothing of it but then I reviewed
the case notes for her and found out that he was right. Unlike the previous
victims, Mrs. Laird was not found with a note hinting towards a new victim.
That right there was found on Deputy Wade’s desk when the morning crew arrived
today.”</div>
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<i>I had my fun but the party’s over<br />
graduation’s done and life has begun<br />
it’s time to choose my career and I’ll be a star<br />
no matter what, it won’t rain on my parade<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Brett read the note before closing up the folder and
glancing up at the Lieutenant again. “Our boy finally called in,” Victor
assessed and dropped onto the desk behind Campbell. “Did he say anything else?
A clue towards the next victim maybe?”</div>
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“No I didn’t give him the chance to over the phone and I’m
kicking myself for it now guys. I thought he was another loon and I guess he
sensed that and disconnected the call.”</div>
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“You can’t blame yourself for that, it was a simple
mistake,” Yvette smiled comfortingly to which Campbell simply nodded. She noted
that was the third time he directly avoided eye contact with her and it caused
an uneasy feeling to rouse the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. <i>Had she done something to upset him?</i> She
wondered and moved her attention to the board behind her to pencil in the new
information.</div>
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“Well I guess I’m gonna get back then. I’d like to be there
in case he decides to call back, I sorta doubt he will but you never know.”</div>
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“And whether he does or not, we’ll get him. It’s with
everyone’s hard work that people like this are caught. You and your men are
invaluable to the investigation and I want to thank you again.” Brett handed
the folder over to Dustin who immediately began comparing the records with
those he had recorded from the date listed at the top of the page. He checked
through the tip line database of calls unsure of how he’d missed this one. But
with everything he had been dealing with lately it’s a wonder he made it in to
work some days.</div>
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“So why do you think he failed to leave the note on the vic this time?”
Ryan asked as he leaned forward on the couch. “I mean it was pretty much part
of his signature. Does this mean he didn’t grab another victim?”</div>
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“Or he doesn’t expect us to come for her. Wants more time
with this one?” Dustin suggested as he continued combing through the database
still unable to reconcile the same data as Campbell had just brought it. </div>
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“I don’t think he was able to. We still
have no idea how she even got to the subway in the first place. If she got up
and walked out on her own then he wouldn’t have been able to place the note on
her without being seen by someone,” Yvette suggested. “And with all the media coverage the ‘<i>murder on the subway</i>’ received, he may have been too distracted. The question now
becomes, when did he scoop up the next one? That is <i>if</i> he has
yet.”</div>
<br /></div>
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“I think it’s safe to assume he has in fact pulled another
victim. Everything about this guy screams obsessive compulsive I mean just look
what he did to victim five and the doll. He feels a sense of control over these
women, he’s punishing them for something and that kind of appetite for chaos
and destruction doesn’t just end. He won’t stop until he’s either behind bars
or seven feet under. We need to review the crime scene, the audio, anything
that may point us towards his next victim. I won’t let him take another life,” Brett replied.</div>
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“Victor, get that note down to forensics, I want a full scan
on everything. Whose blood and thumb print is that? Where was the paper
manufactured? What kind of pen did he use? Once they’re done with it get a
handwriting expert on it so we can dig a little more into his psyche. Dustin
you can get into the local’s video database right? I want all the feeds from
the cameras on the date that letter came in. We need to go over it with a fine
toothed comb. This bastard is playing games now which can only mean he’s
letting the attention go to his head. He’ll make his first mistake real soon.
Probably already has.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/06/s6-chapter-07-soap-on-rope.html">Continue ----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-62543736748770025422013-05-18T09:16:00.001-04:002021-10-10T14:03:22.300-04:00S6: Chapter 05: Tongue Tied<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Scott is that you?” Vivica asked from the kitchen as she
checked on dinner. Wordlessly he walked towards her, pecked her cheek and
reached into the fridge for a beer. “How was work Dear?” she asked, stirring
the pot of spaghetti sauce.<br />
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“Uneventful, quiet as I like but that always means trouble’s
brewing.” Scott replied and took a sip from the bottle in his hand. </div>
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“Oh you should have a little more optimism Scott! Things
could be settling down a bit for now. Think of it as you doing your job
successfully; the crime rate is dropping.”</div>
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“If only that were true,” he sighed and watched her dance
about the cabinets collecting plates, glasses and silverware for their meal. He
smiled as a feeling of warmth bathed him in her presence. It had been a very
long time since he felt so whole and the longer the two were together, the more
happiness he felt. He never imagined being able to find love again after
Katrina; never thought it was possible. But here he was, standing in his
kitchen with the woman he’d been seeing for a little over a year now; glad that
she’d finally accepted his invitation to share households. “How was your day
Viv?”</div>
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“Quiet and relaxing. I met with Shelly, my distributor, and discussed branching our product to a few of the international markets. I’ll know in a few days if the President accepts my proposal on that.” Vivica had been enjoying her work as the Chief Financial Officer for Maclean Cosmetics but she felt that her job was the same repetitive motions; review product sheet, create new inventory line, sign check, speak with clients. She wanted more from her position and suggested the international trade with her bosses in hopes of getting back into travel as she once did.<br />
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“That sounds great Vivica! If your President sees you as the
smart and resourceful woman that I do, they’ll jump on that proposal quickly.
Although, that means I might see you less,” Scott pouted slightly and swilled
his drink. “I don’t think I like that idea much.”</div>
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Vivica giggled, pecked his cheek and placed their plates on
the dinner table. “It’ll be fine Scott. It’s not like I’ll be gone for weeks at
a time. Trips are usually just two or three days to ensure the locations are
selected and the product is correct and on time. Really, I think you can manage
to find something to do with yourself in that time.”</div>
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“It’ll be tough, but I’ll figure it out,” he grinned and
bowed his head as she said grace. Almost instantly his thoughts turned to Yvette.
He had gone by the house to see his grandbabies and played with them for a few
hours after work. But he was actually hoping to confess something to her while
there that he stopped himself from doing. </div>
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Sighing as he took a bite of the spaghetti, Vivica eyed him
curiously and dabbed her napkin to her mouth. “What’s the matter Dear?”<br />
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<br /></div>
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“I’m just struggling with a decision I made,” he replied
sorrowfully and continued taking tiny nibbles of his dinner. Vivica nodded and
smiled to encourage him to continue and he again sighed. “I lied to Yvette;
first time I’ve ever had to do that. I told her that her father, her real
father, was a crazy, paranoid triple agent and shouldn’t be trusted. But in
fact what he wrote to her in that letter was all true.”</div>
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“Oh? And was there a reason behind your lie, Scott?”</div>
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“Of course. I did it for her. I don’t want her to continue
pursuing this investigation into her mother’s death. I know where it leads and
I don’t want to see the same thing that happened to Katrina happen to her. She
has no idea what doors she’s knocking on going through those old case files and
reports. It’ll only make her orphan her babies and I won’t sit by and watch her
wreck their lives. I told her to just let it all go and concentrate on her
family.”</div>
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“Now this is just my opinion Scott so I hope you’re not
offended. But from what I know about your daughter, she’s a very capable and
strong-willed woman. She is able to handle being out in the field and
motherhood and from the stories you tell me she is intelligent, skillful and
crafty. You raised her to be an amazing young woman and I can see how hard it
is for you to let go of her hand and let her walk on her own. But you have to
believe that you gave her all the tools she needs to make the right decisions
for herself.” </div>
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“Keeping information that you know she’s been seeking since
losing her mother is only going to make things harder for her. She’ll have to
look deeper into these past missions and case files to find even the smallest
of hints of the things you know and it’ll continue to stress her out and drive
her crazy. Let her in on it Scott, on all of it. And help her put this painful
memory behind her!”</div>
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Scott rolled Vivica’s words around his head and chewed on
the same bite of spaghetti for a moment. She was right. All this time he
thought he was protecting Yvette he was really only compounding the mystery
until the point she was going crazy trying to find anything out. Maybe it was
time he came clean, about it all. He would just have to trust the fact that Yvette
would know danger when she saw it and back away before it ripped her from this
world. “You’re right and I know you’re right it’s just<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">…</span>the closer she gets to the end, the more dangerous it’ll become.”</div>
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<br />
Brett awoke to the sound of a door closing and swiped his
hand over Yvette’s side of the bed. Feeling the coolness of the sheets he
sighed to himself and pulled up to throw his legs over the edge. She was gone
and from the feel of the covers it had been for a while. He rubbed his hand
through his hair and eyed the door to the bedroom. A tiny beam of light crept
beneath the crack under the door and he knew right then where she had gone. He
groaned as he noticed the time on the clock as 3:40 am. Drawing himself from
the bed, Brett started forward and entered the twin’s bedroom behind his wife.<br />
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<br />
Yvette was on the floor of the kid’s room frantically
searching through the boxes they’d retrieved from Ethan’s storage unit. Letters
upon letters and cards with various holiday stickers scattered the floor amid
piles of small gift boxes and stuffed animals. She was reading a letter
addressed to her on February 6, 1999; her 13<sup>th</sup> birthday. “Yve what
are you doing? It’s almost 4 o’clock in the morning, why aren’t you in bed?”<br />
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“Can’t sleep. Autumn was crying so I came and fed her and
put her back to bed. After that I watched them for a little bit. I can’t keep
my eyes closed so I decided to look through some of that stuff from the
storage. It’s here Brett, it’s all here. Everything! I mean it’s like a
timeline of events; a map,” she giggled maniacally as she rummaged through the
papers. “A map into his life!”</div>
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<br />
“What? What are you talking about Yvette?”<br />
<br />
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“Ethan! This…stuff, this is all stuff he collected and held
on to since he left that summer when I was 7 years old. Birthday cards,
Christmas cards, letters about what he was doing and where he was. Travel
information about the countries he visited and details about what it would be
like to show me how beautiful some of these places were; it’s all here!
Every-single-birthday.” She dropped back a little on her knees and Brett knelt
down beside her as he scanned the various papers and gift tags laid out before
him.</div>
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<br />
She was right. From 1993 on up to 2002, the year her mother
died, there were letters addressed from Ethan to Yvette and also postcards and
trinkets from every country he’d visited since leaving her. “He told you that
he was there every day until your 16<sup>th</sup> birthday; I guess he wasn’t
lying.” Brett watched Yvette’s expression and how her gaze dramatically went
from the letters on the floor to their children sleeping in their cribs. She
was trying to make sense of her life and the man she knew as her father and
coming up short. “What’s wrong Yvette?”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing. He really did love me Brett. And even after
everything he tried to be there for me until things got too bad for him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah.” He sighed and rubbed his hand over her shoulders and
watched his son stir a little in his sleep. He appeared to be having a vivid
dream, as his arms continuously came up to his face in a playful manner. Austin’s
leg came out from under his blanket and Brett pulled away from Yvette to go and
wrap him back up.</div>
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“When I was 12,” Yvette started and pulled her legs into her
chest as Brett dropped to the floor beside her. “Every day after school I would
go to the little toy store near our house. There was this little dollhouse and
matching miniatures in the window hand-carved of wood that I just…loved! It was
a whole family, a mother, a father, two children, a dog and a cat. They had
this cute little pink house with a blue convertible in the driveway. White
curtains in the window, a flower garden in the front yard and each of their
faces had huge smiles. I’d imagined life growing up in their little wooden
world and how fun it must have been to live as a cohesive unit.”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One day I passed by the store and I noticed it was gone.
Almost immediately I felt a sense of loss; sadness. As crazy as it sounds it
felt like someone had come in and taken my family. I remembered thinking
whatever kid got that was the luckiest kid alive; their parents really loved
them to get them something like that.” Yvette slid the box near her hip towards
Brett and nodded to it. “It was Ethan,” she began crying as Brett pulled the
lid off the box and peered inside. “It’s dated for my 13<sup>th</sup> birthday
Brett. All this time! All this time he was there, watching me and trying to be
a part of my life but never there! That pretty white box with the glittery pink
bow sat in some storage unit until the day you and I rescued it. That tiny
little family would have never seen the light of day again!”</div>
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<br />
Brett rubbed his arm over her neck and she tucked herself
against him as she continued crying. He waited until he felt the last of her
tears before pulling back to look at her. She was desperate for answers and had
been ever since her family was broken apart. Reduced to tears and no longer
appearing the tough, willful woman he met, he finally realized how deeply her
scars actually cut and how much she needed closure.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pulling her up from the floor Brett dragged her to the
office and shut the door behind her. Yvette leaned against the door as he
fumbled through the locked bottom drawer and watched as he retrieved a case
file folder which he dropped open onto the desk for her to view. “Yvette, I
made a promise to Scott that me and the guys would handle this mission without
letting you in on what we were doing. So far we’ve gotten through the first
three or four layers of red tape and classified information to find the source
of everything but…I can’t keep going, watching you crack more and more from the
lack of answers to your millions of questions.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She stepped forward and eyed the material on the desk.
Immediately she recognized it as the Black Veil operational data; her mother’s
final mission. “You’ve been working on her last case and never said anything?”
She glanced at Brett and he nodded and watched her read through the documents.
“How long?”</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Since you were seven months pregnant.” Yvette turned with a
scowl and Brett quickly tried to explain. “Scott didn’t want you to stress out
and place yourself in the line of fire while you were pregnant Yvette and I
agreed. We both know how you are and that you’d have done whatever was
necessary to get into this mission. We didn’t want to risk your life or that of
the babies.”</div>
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<br />
“I love you Brett, but you and Scott are both colossal fucking assholes. You say you did this to ‘protect’ me. What the hell do you think the stress over not knowing was doing to me? If anything Brett, what you and Scott did made things immeasurably worse! I can handle sitting and watching you take down the bad guys! As much as I complained about being stuck in the house and not being able to do my job I did it Brett! For the last 4 months of my pregnancy I barely left the house because opposed to what you and my Dad think about me, I’d NEVER risk my children’s lives over a mission!”<br />
<br />
“You’ve had a miscarriage before, Yve.”<br />
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<br />
Yvette shook visibly from the tears she fought to hold back behind her closed lids and spoke silently to keep her voice from cracking. “That was different Brett. I was on the run for my life and trying to stay one step ahead of the people who wanted me dead while keeping everyone else I loved from having to risk their lives for me. What was I supposed to do? Crawl into a hole and pray no one found me until I gave birth? I had to prove my innocence for me and my child otherwise he would have lived the life of a fugitive and what kind of life is that? If you want to blame someone, blame Alexander Harrison who set me down that path in the first place!”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She turned to leave and Brett caught her by the wrist. “Yve wait, I didn’t mean it like that. I just want you to understand why this decision was made without you.”</div>
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<br />
She shrunk away from his roaming eyes but never turned to
face him. “I understand Brett. And I hope you understand how much it hurts
knowing you’ve kept this from me all this time. I get how you think you were
doing me a favor, but that is far from how it feels! Now please let go of my
arm, Austin is crying and I’d like to go check on him.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’ll go Yve your nerves are too frazzled right now.” She
nodded her head and felt his lips lightly tickle her damp cheek as he silently
pecked her and headed back up towards the babies’ room. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette turned her attention towards the desk again and the
opened folder sitting on top of it. While on one hand she could understand the
reason they kept her out of the loop, he made her question what else they could
be hiding. She knew Scott was not being completely honest with her when last
they spoke; she knew him too well. Yvette rubbed her hand through her hair and
slowly wiped away the remaining tears and as she did, her eyes fell on the
small wooden box she’d placed on the bookshelf the day after Ethan was killed.</div>
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<br />
Inside was the cellphone he slipped into her pocket and a
key to the storage they’d visited earlier. <i>When
you’re ready, call the number on the top speed dial and enter your date of
birth</i>, Ethan’s last words replayed in her mind as she moved towards the box
and retrieved the sleek little device. Powering on the cell, she watched as a
picture of his smiling face came over the screen. It was an image of them together
and the day he taught her how to ride a bike. Yvette skimmed through the
contacts list to get to the speed dial commands.<br />
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<br />
On the ID the number was listed as *REC. Pressing the button to place the call, she waited for the operator on the other end to ask for the pin code and punched in her date of birth. After a short wait and a lengthy beep and static, Yvette found herself listening to the sound of someone breathing heavily against the mic but never saying a word.<br />
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<br />
She hung the phone up and stared at it. “What the hell are
you doing Yvette?” She scolded herself. She had no idea where the line led to
or who would even pick up. As she prepared to power the phone down again and
shove it back inside of its box, the tiny device vibrated in her palm causing
her to jump. <i>Shit</i>, the breather was
calling her back. She closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath as she
regained her nerve.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pressing the talk button, Yvette brought the phone to her
ear again and just listened. It was the same heavy breathing and no words as
before only this time the faint humming of an engine could be heard in the
background. Yvette swallowed hard and waited for what felt like an eternity for
the other person to speak but when it became apparent they wouldn’t she sighed
and prepared to hang up.</div>
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<br />
But in a desperate attempt to get the caller on the other
end to speak, Yvette found herself asking a question she was not fully ready to
know the answer to. “Is it you Ethan?”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The breathing grew heavier and she closed her eyes waiting to
hear the click like before. Moments before she was about to give up she sighed
in disbelief and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Hello Yvie, I’m glad you
called.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/06/s6-chapter-06-sorry-wrong-number.html">Continue ----></a></div>
DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2353000461712441074.post-40924470836486030662013-05-04T10:09:00.000-04:002019-01-27T22:10:09.048-05:00S6: Chapter 04: Text for Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re going to get a hand cramp if you don’t put that
thing down soon,” Ryan growled watching his sister frantically typing away on
her cell phone. Stefanie had been at it all morning, texting friends, video
messaging and blogging about her big day coming soon. She had to tell everyone
about her brother buying her a car and then show them her day out searching for
the perfect ride. She’d already promised half the senior class that she’d drive
them to and from school. After Ryan made it a point to tell her that she was
going to have to deal with the gas all on her own, she cut back a little.</div>
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<br />
“I’m almost done,” she replied half listening to him as she
completed another text to her best friend Alexis. Since moving Ryan had
witnessed a remarkable change in her behavior. She was happier than she’d been
in a long time. Her behavior improved dramatically at the new school and she
was making friends. She was even on the honor roll the entire first term.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So is Brandy coming over,” she asked wiggling her brows at
her brother and placing the phone on the counter finally. “Not to be gross or
anything but I’d really like to know in advance so I can spend the night at
Alex’s place. I’d like to avoid a repeat of ‘yes, yes, harder Ryan like that,’
all night while I’m trying to sleep.” She reenacted for him while rolling her
eyes and making barf motions with her finger down her throat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Stef…”</div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? I mean I like her and all but I don’t need to know
EVERYTHING about her. But it’s good she’s religious,” Stefanie smirked and
tapped the screen on her phone. “It’s just others might think using God’s name
so much is blasphemous.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right. So who’s Kel?” Ryan asked turning the tables on his
baby sister and watching her face get red with embarrassment. “I mean this guy
seems to be high on the phone bill every month. Endless texting, endless phone
calls, all the way up until 3am sometimes. Are you sure it’s me keeping you
up?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ryan! You’re reading the phone bills?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
“Well I pay them of course I read them. I’d like to know why
I’m being charged $30 service fees for after hour minutes being used. And you
still haven’t answered my question.”<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s just a friend.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Uh huh. Is he the type of friend I need to put the fear of
God in with my boot and gun?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s not like that! Well…not really.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“‘Not really’? Stef what does that mean?” she lowered her
eyes and he continued questioning her growing more concerned by her silence.
“Stef? So it was you that took a few of the condoms out of my bedside table?
Stef?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes!” she nearly shouted and dropped her head onto the
countertop. “Are you mad at me?”</div>
<br />
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<br />
Ryan sighed and took a step back and looked at her. In a way
he wasn’t surprised to find that she was sexually active. After everything
she’d been through he expected it to be an issue for her later. But he was
hoping she’d at least wait until she was out of his house before exploring it. “No
Pin Cushion, of course I’m not mad. I like that you’re protecting yourself
but…I was kind of hoping that…”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I would wait until I was 30?” she giggled and chewed on her
lower lip as she watched him shake his head enthusiastically. “Well I’m sorry
to disappoint you Ryguy. But I’m 17, that’s technically an adult.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re not an adult yet Stefanie; not until you’re out of
my house and paying your own bills. And I’m not disappointed. But now I’m gonna
go and set a doctor’s appointment for you. If you’re sexually active I’m
getting that thing sewn up!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“RYAN!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He laughed at the scared expression on her face and shook
his head to calm her panic. “I’m kidding Stef. But you do need birth control.
No way can I handle two of you!”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dustin sat fidgeting with the envelope in his pocket as he
clicked through the endless emails he’d received from the agents setup at the
precinct. They were to give hourly reports on any suspicious call with details
of the conversation, time they called, specifics discussed if any and state of
mind of the caller. If he didn’t know any better he’d think the agents sent to
handle the call center weren’t very clear on what constituted “suspicious
call”. Many of the emails he ended up discarded as none pertained to the
specifics of the case or seemed unusual enough to give a second glance.
“Anything new?” Brett asked as he began sorting through the messages left on
the bulletin.</div>
<br />
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<br />
“Same old. Forensics came back with no prints or fibers or
other trace evidence on any of the notes. They are all written on the same type
of paper that comes standard at any office supply store; nothing special there.
One thing they did find was that the handwriting on the note left on Patricia’s
body and victim #1 were written by the same person who we believe is the
killer. The other notes were done by the victims at some point during their
torture. I’m thinking it’s about the time he’s preparing their final act,”
Victor answered and continued reading over the case notes.<br />
<br />
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<br />
“Hey, sorry I’m late. I got sidetracked by a little
conversation with Stefanie.”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh yeah? How’s she doing?” Brett asked without glancing in
Ryan’s direction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s good. She’s happy. We had ‘the talk’ sorta. She’s
dating some kid named Kel.” He sighed and dropped onto the sofa with a pack of
cookies and a soda in hand. “Don’t even get me started on that. I haven’t even
met him and I dislike him already.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That bad?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“To my phone bill, yes. But he seems to make her happy and
that’s really all I care about. Wait until you get there with Autumn, Brett. I
can see that going real well. ‘Daddy this is Tommy and we’re having a baby’.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Never gonna happen. Any guy that even THINKS of sticking
his dick anywhere near my little girl is getting an up close and personal one-on-one with the barrel of my gun. Autumn will be a virgin until she’s at least 45
years old and married.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah right! With Vette’s genes? She’s a guaranteed hottie.
She’ll be knocking them off with a stick!” Dustin laughed at the soured
expression on Brett’s face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“More like a baseball bat; metal. In fact I think I’m
teaching her how to shoot when she’s five. God, that’s a scary thought. I
actually think I can feel the grey hair starting on my head.” He frowned more
and looked at his hair in the reflection of the gun case. “Can we change the
subject now?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sure thing BK,” Ryan laughed and chomped down on a cookie.
“Where’s Yve anyway?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“She’s running late too. My Mom came over to take the kids
but she hadn’t pumped any bottles for them. So she’s feeding the twins and
making sure they have enough milk for the day. Knowing my Mom we won’t get them
back until midnight at best. Sometimes I think we were just surrogates for her.
They’re her grandkids but you’d never know it by the way she treats them like
her own.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Yvette groaned as she
slammed the door behind her. “I just spent an hour listening to her lecture me
about how I wash their clothes, bathe them in their tub, steam clean the
bottles and sterilize the nipples. ‘No dear, you don’t want to use too much
soap on the sponge, in fact you should just boil them. Here, back away let me
do it’. I told her she was welcomed to stay for the weekend but I’m already regretting
that. And you’d think our babies would be on my side? Oh no! Austin sat there
laughing at Mommy’s frustration. I think he was enjoying it!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dropping her bags into her locker, she removed her badge and
locked it in the top drawer before joining Brett beside the bulletin board. “So
what’d I miss?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just those two teasing your husband about Autumn’s love
life.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Love life? She doesn’t even have teeth yet and she’s
already started dating?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nope. And that was the point Brett was making. Trust me
though I know how it is. Aisha’s right at dating age now and I’m already
panicked I’m gonna end up behind bars over the first boy she walks in my front
door.”</div>
<br />
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<br />
Yvette laughed and glanced over at Dustin tucked behind his
monitor. He hadn’t spoken since she walked into the room. Instead his eyes
seemed fixated on something on his computer screen. Unblinking he stared and
clicked through page after page of searches; he was looking for something. And
while the rest of the team seemed preoccupied he took the opportunity to search
for anything related to the Kkangpae in the U.S. His search warranted no
results but he didn’t give up. Just because no one had reported the Korean
Mafia being in the country, didn’t mean they weren’t there.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lot of the members operated below the radar. And with
their skills reflecting that of even the most fabled of Ninjas, he was assured
that any business they had in the country would never catch the attention of
local authorities. “Dustin?” Yvette called as she strolled towards him and he
immediately turned to look at her, closing out his search as he did. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
“Yeah?”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re just so quiet. Just wanted to make sure everything
was ok with you, Nerd. How’s Mica and the family?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh they’re great yeah. Mica just hired a new tech to work
weekends and ER hours. Says she needs a lot of training still but is finally
getting the hang of being flexible within the office. And Tao is Tao,” he
grinned. “I used to think his hormones were at their peak as a 14 year old just
learning about that stuff but just here recently he’s about as horny as 8
teenagers at a Playboy party. Grandma caught him with his hands in his pants
the other day and called yelling at me in Korean about being a bad influence or
something. Like I’d ever let someone catch me doing that! I told him to save
that stuff for his girlfriend when I talked to him yesterday.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“From what you’re saying Dusty, he’d probably impregnate
whoever he’s dating.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no, Uncle Dustin advocates safe sex!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yvette’s phone rang and she walked towards her cell to
answer. Taking a seat on the couch, she strummed her fingers over the arm as
she listened to the report on the other end. “And we’re sure it was Landry?”
Hearing that name everyone turned their attention to her side of the room and
listened in. “Right. Phoenix? But what…? Ok I see. And we’re bringing him in
for questioning when? No tomorrow’s good. I’ll have my team notified, we’ll be
waiting. Thank you for your work on this Baker I owe you!” </div>
<br />
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<br />
“They find Suicide?” Victor asked the moment the phone hung
up.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, they found someone who worked with him since he
disappeared from us that night. They believe he may be heading to Phoenix on
some type of business and they want to try and intercept him. Supposedly this
guy knows about a deal he’s making in Arizona concerning a cache of weapons.
The Feds picked him up as he crossed the border back from Mexico with a trunk
load of coke and he’s trying to make a deal. He saw Landry’s wanted poster in
their office and believes he has a bargaining chip out of hefty Federal time.”</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How can we trust his information? He could say anything
just to get out of those charges!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well he’ll be here tomorrow. The Nevada boys are flying him
up so we can have first crack at him.” She sighed and cracked her knuckles as
she thought about his hands on her infant baby. Watching him use her as a meat
shield and then jump out of that window made her heart jump out of her chest.
The indescribable moment of having her daughter in her arms again was felt by
everyone there that night.</div>
<br />
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<br />
And although Brett wanted to sue the hospital for negligence
and the fact that their newborn daughter could have been killed because of
their lax security checks, Yvette calmed him down and made him realize what was
most important. They’d gotten Autumn back alive and unharmed. The manhunt for
her ex partner Chris “Suicide” Landry started immediately across three
agencies. The FBI, CIA and DEA were on the hunt for this ex-government
operative and international criminal and hopefully from the sound of the phone
call, they were just one step away.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://codenamedanger.blogspot.com/2013/05/s6-chapter-05-tongue-tied.html">Continue ----></a>DaijahVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685128767947355934noreply@blogger.com6