Woke Up One Morning... Part 35
Waking up smiling has become a new habit of mine these last few mornings. It's pretty hard not to thanks to all of the personal time and experiences that Heero and I have been able to enjoy together. And last night was absolutely amazing. Judging by the wide smile on my husband's face as he watched me become alert, I know there was certainly no complaining on his part.
A shared shower and breakfast later, we made the commute back to headquarters for the start of yet another grueling day. With so many of our agents out in the field, the office is particularly quiet. But Rose always gives us that warm smile when we step in and somehow it sets the right tone even with our anxiety to know what is going on out there.
On our way to the elevator, we get stopped by a familiar voice calling behind us, "Hey, guys! Hold up!" Pausing in our step, we both look back to watch as Adam runs up. After all of the hours that he and his team have been putting in for this investigation, I can't believe that it hasn't fazed his energy or wide smile in any way.
The man's a machine. I'm convinced of it now.
"Mind if I follow you both up to fill you in on some of the cool shit we've found?" Agent Link grins. My head falls back as I laugh over how convenient his arrival is. I was just about to start pulling my hair out over not really having much to go on with the details floating out there.
Happy to have him tag along, Heero and I lead the way upstairs and into our office that we quickly close behind us when we enter.
Allowing us a change to lower our briefcases and shed our Preventer jackets, Adam makes himself comfortable in one of the extra chairs in the middle of the room. 'Ro takes the seat behind his desk as I lean up against its front with my arms folded.
I open the conversation casually, "So, what's going on?" That all comes out pretty nonchalantly even though I am jumping up and down in my mind for information.
The smile on his face spreading even further, Agent Link folds his arms behind his head and leans back in his seat as he answers, "Well, as of right now, we have more than forty perps that are about to get a very unpleasant surprise visit by our agents. Quite a few of them should be arriving here as early as tonight."
At that staggering number, my widening eyes blink. Looking back at my partner, we share a surprised glance. Over forty is a much higher number than what we had been thinking. Still, it's good to know that so many dangerous people will be off the streets and working to get their boss behind bars along with them.
Running a hand through his short, black hair, Adam smirks, "And what's more, I'm starting to crack the code in the security built in Ivanov's signal whenever he calls his associates. Using the phone records for Krutza and Olle, I've been able to slowly take apart the bouncing signal that he uses to throw off his track. It'll still take time to get to the bottom of, but we should eventually be able to use a call to any one of the people that we have in holding to pinpoint exactly where he has been."
Now that is something!
Breaking out in a wide smile, I exclaim excitedly, "That's awesome, Adam!" All but jumping from Heero's desk, I slap him on the shoulder and shout, "Nice work, man!" 'Ro even grins and nods his own form of congratulations.
He beams at the acknowledgment for all of his hours and bows his head humbly. "Well, I better get back to work," he shrugs as he rises from his chair. "I just thought that you both would want to get an update since we're all running around without time to fill you in on what's happening-" his words are cut short when the pager on his hip suddenly goes off.
Eyes widening, the burly guy reaches down to read the small screen and gasps. His head snapping up to meet our gazes, he cries, "There's a call coming in from Ivanov now!" And in a blink, he sprints for the door before those words can even process in my brain.
When I do manage to take in what was just announced, I gasp, "Holy shit!" Instantly on our feet, my husband and I are charging off behind Adam all the way down the hall for the elevator as the doors open to us.
"Any idea on who he's trying to reach that we have in custody?" Heero questions when we step into the car.
Shaking his head, Agent Link replies, "No. I just have a transmitter with a general signal on Krutza and Olle's cell phones when Ivanov calls from his restricted line. We'll find out in a moment who got the call and what the conversation was." Practically bouncing in place in anticipation, he mutters, "I hope they keep the conversation going long enough for me to process the connection."
What only takes us a minute to get to the lowest floor in the building feels like an eternity. Chewing on the inside of my lip when we finally come to a stop, I rush out of the opening doors along with the others.
One of the guards standing by the holding cells near the end of the hall spots us and gestures to the gated door at his right. Slowing in our jog as we near, we look past the bars to see that Ollie is inside. Pacing back and forth in his cell, he runs a hand through his brown hair with one hand while holding his cell phone to his ear with the other.
"Yea," he speaks up after a long pause. "Nothing out of the ordinary here. To be honest, it's more than a little boring following a mom and her kid. When will I get the chance to see some real action?" It all sounds convincing enough to me on this end.
Snorting, Darin sighs, "Yea, alright. I'll get a hold of you if anything changes." After what would most likely be a salutation from the other line, he lowers the phone from his ear and closes the flip to cut the connection. Looking over at the three of us waiting at the door, he walks up to hand over the cell to a very eager Adam.
A look of unease crosses our prisoner's face and he frowns, "I don't like it. It should have been days before he called to check in on me, not now." Biting his lip, Olle looks away from us and mumbles, "Don't like it one damn bit. Take away too many of his puppets he'll know he needs to start cutting strings."
My immediate concern goes to Heather. She and Janelle been staying with her parents. Her cell phone is always close for a potential call from Ivanov and an agent is always standing by to make sure that the family safe through all of this.
...But one can never be so sure how safe 'safe' is when dealing with a man as powerful as Ivanov.
"We better check in on her," I tell Heero quietly, knowing that his thoughts are most likely where mine are. Nodding firmly, he turns on his heels to lead the way out back down the hall for the elevator. I follow close behind and peer back over my shoulder to call, "Let us know if you get anything from that transmission, Adam."
Grinning widely, he waves, "You got it!"
As quickly as we possibly can, my partner and I return to our office and I reach for my desk phone. Dialing the general line for the active Preventer watching over Agent Storm and her family, I hold my breath for three rings before the line is picked up. "Agent Surge," the agent on the other end greets.
I release the deep breath of air in my lungs in a long sigh and reply, "Hey, Tony. Just thought that I'd check in on how things are out there."
No matter how cool and calm I try to sound, the out-of-the-blue call was enough to tip the young Preventer off. "All's quiet here," he replies. Then, a bit of concern in his voice as he asks, "Is there something wrong? Anything I should know about?"
Damn. The last thing that I want to do is scare him for no reason. Turning to face my husband who is watching from behind his desk, I respond, "It's probably nothing, Tony. Just a comment that I may be over analyzing."
...Then again, I may not be.
One of the things that the most important people in my life- from Solo on to Lady Une- had always preached was to trust my instincts. And my instincts went to that family when Ollie muttered how worried he was over Ivanov possibly thinking that something was up.
"Thinking about it, though," I begin after chewing my bottom lip over my consideration, "maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for there to be two agents on duty out there. You can never be too safe, right?"
Heero nods his head in agreement over the idea. Obviously, he's just as concerned as I am so I feel better that I may not be making a big deal out of nothing.
Tony snickers, "I wouldn't mind that. That would give me someone to talk to and keep me awake since it's so quiet on this end." He still has that nervousness even in his quiet laugh. And his words mean more that he would be grateful for backup if something caused the call for a check-in.
"Hang tight, then," I grin to sound reassuring. "Someone will be there soon." That said, I lower my receiver into its cradle and sigh in relief that all seems to be fine for the time being. Running a hand through my bangs, I look back up at my lover and shrug, "Jitters. They're going to be the death of me one of these days."
'Ro rubs the bottom of his chin and comments, "They're not exactly unfounded. I think having two agents on watch over Heather and her family is the right thing until all of this blows over. Ivanov was a threat against her and Janelle once. He wouldn't hesitate to be a coward to carry that threat out if he thought she was turning rogue on him."
What has me concerned is the fact that there are so many of Ivanov's allies that are going to suddenly be very difficult for him to track. We really don't know if his phone calls are the only means that he keeps tabs on them all.
...Jesus, that's a scary thought. What if all of the bases weren't covered when the massive take-down started? What if Ivanov really does already know something is wrong and is just acting like he's in the dark?
My hand reaches for my telephone receiver again as I announce, "I'm calling Lady Une to have that second guard assigned." Dialing her direct extension, my fingers move in almost a blur over the keypad.
As I press the receiver to my ear, I'm surprised that it is not the Commander's voice, but another that answers, "Commander Une's reception area. This is Agent Prowl. How can I help you?"
"Hey, Kathie," I frown in confusion. "I was actually trying to reach Lady Une on her direct line when it bounced over to you. Is she not in yet?"
There is a smile in her tone as she replies, "Good Morning, Agent Scythe. Actually, the Commander is in the office. However, she will be officiating several meetings for the better part of the morning. All of her direct calls will be forwarded to me for the time being."
Shit! Not the best timing right now.
Kathie comes back to ask, "Duo, if this is something urgent, I can always interrupt her."
Mentally, I snort at that. What would be better- interrupting Une in a meeting because of a hunch or just go out to the house myself and have Heero do the explaining for me when she is out? The balancing scales on those two options tip back and forth until my husband mouths, 'Go.' With that, the decision is made.
Shaking my head even if she can't see it, I smile brightly, "No, that's alright, doll. It can wait for her to finish up. Thanks." A cheerful 'goodbye' is given before I set the receiver back down. "Damn it," I hiss through clenched teeth as I lower my head. There is just no ridding this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Heero is rounding my desk before I even noticed he had left his. Resting a hand on the small of my back, he smirks, "Go and check on them. I'll deal with explaining to Une why you acted on your own without her authorization. Knowing her, she'll completely understand and have your replacement sent out there as soon as possible."
And he's right on that. Being the 'mother' that she is, she would rather that I act on my hunch than wait for her orders. She always did believe in the 'better to be safe than sorry' motto.
"Okay," I nod as I look up at my husband. Reaching for my jacket that's resting on the back of my chair, I tell him, "I'll call as soon as I'm there." 'Ro returns my nod and accepts my quick peck of a kiss to his mouth before I'm walking quickly for the door. Looking over my shoulder, I grin, "Try not to worry about me when I'm gone. I can handle myself."
Even as Heero chuckles and shakes his head, I can still see the glimmer of concern that he is holding back. I know that it's not over his doubt of my abilities, but more the fact that he can't be there. Honestly, I don't like that part of the deal any more than he does. It's always a reassurance when we're on duty together.
Covering that unease, he requests with a small smile, "Tell Janelle that I say 'hello' for me." I return his smile and nod as I turn for the door as it slides open to me. Raising my hand, I wave back at my partner and all but run down the hallway for the elevator without looking back.
If I look back now, I may talk him into coming along with me anyway. Knowing Heero, it wouldn't take much convincing to get him to agree to that. Better to not get us both in trouble in case Une isn't exactly thrilled with my acting on my own. I can handle this on my own.
Hell, it's still likely that there is nothing to even worry about! It's all just a hunch. And I've been wrong on hunches before.
With any luck, this will one of those cases.
As I pass Wufei when I move through headquarters' front doors, I give a small wave to him while telling myself over and over again that everything is fine.
* * * * * *
A quick call to Heero and a report in with Tony, I am welcomed into the small home where I will be taking my post for the time being.
"Mista Dwo!" Janelle shouts with a splitting smile that shows her tiny teeth as she holds her arms out to me at my arrival to her grandparents' home. Running up, she lets out a squeal of a laugh as I scoop her up and spin her around.
Lightly kissing her cheek, I hug her tightly while she throws her arms around my neck. "Hey, munchkin," I grin widely. Giving her another embrace, I tell her quietly, "That one's from Heero. He couldn't stop over this time, but he wanted to give you that." Giggling as she is lowered back to the floor, the little one returns to her mother's side in the entrance way to latch onto a leg.
A warm smile on her own face, Heather gives me a hug as I near and chuckles, "Well, this is a pleasant surprise." When she pulls back, that smile falters when realization flickers in her eyes. Lowering herself to her knees so that she is on the same level as her daughter, she says, "Sweetie, why don't you go and find Gram and Pop so they can meet Mister Duo?"
"Okay, Mama," Janelle nods enthusiastically, thrilled to have a 'mission.' Turning, the child disappears from the room as Agent Storm straightens and meets my gaze.
With a frown, she asks softly, "Is there something wrong?"
Shaking my head, I put on my best smile and shrug, "Just beefing up the protection around here for a bit. It really can't hurt to have more than one agent on duty out here since your folks basically live in the sticks."
It does the trick to ease the tension in her shoulders. Were there anything wrong that we knew of for certain, she is more than aware I would be telling her. Snickering, she replies, "It is awfully quiet out here compared to my home, even if we are only a mile out of the city limits." She bites her lip and looks out in the direction where her little one disappeared.
Turning back to me, Agent Storm sighs, "I really appreciate the extra protection." The corner of her mouth curls up as she shrugs, "When it comes to my family, there can never be enough of that." I can't fault her on that sentiment.
After a brief introduction with Heather's parents, I wave and head from the house to catch back up with Tony outside. Keeping his watch within the cover of the thick trees flanking the driveway to the estate, where he has made a shelter from the nature around, he smiles at my return.
Dark-eyed and skinned to leave no question to his very Italian heritage, he shrugs, "Care for a game of Rummy or Poker?" Removing the semi-automatic that was strapped over his shoulder, he reaches into his pocket to reveal a deck of cards and states, "I'm getting tired of playing solitaire out here."
I laugh, "Sure thing." Following him into the low-roofed shelter, I make myself comfortable at the 'table' made out of the nearest tree's unearthed root and await a call that my relief will be coming soon.
Throughout the whole of the game, we make very little conversation to keep our ears strained on what is happening in the wood.
* * * * * *
"Ha!" the lucky bastard across from me exclaims as he lowers his hand of cards down for me to see the fully house that easily beats my bunch on this umpteenth round of poker. "Read 'em and weep, Maxwell!"
Snorting, I roll my eyes and smirk, "Nicely played. I thought for sure you were bluffing." Over the last couple of hours, the natural light that has been poking through the crevices in the leaves covering the mound around us has shifted as the sun has been moving across the clear atmosphere.
I can totally see how being stationed out here alone for hours at a time with little going on would make a person a little stir crazy. But, no action is better than action at times like this when the protection of a family is involved.
Any minute now, I should be getting a call from Heero or Une to fill me in on who will be heading out to take my place. We're coming to the end of the 'better part of the morning' that would be keeping the Commander busy with meetings.
Taking up the deck of cards, Tony hands them over with a smug, "Loser shuffles."
With a deep chuckle, I shake my head and warn, "Enjoy it while it lasts, pal. I have a feeling that this next hand-"
My words come to a halt at a loud clap of rolling thunder. Both look up to the 'ceiling' of our shelter, we even our air has come to a standstill. I know just a moment ago there wasn't so much as a cloud in the sky. Dropping the cards in my hands, I scramble outside with Tony right behind as we grasp our weapons.
Guns raised and ready, we talk through the wood to the front of the property where the sound originated. Surprisingly, we find nothing in our scan when we reach the end of the tree line to step out on the empty country road that lies out in the open.
That's when I see it.
Lowering my pistol, my wide eyes lock onto the skyline of the city a mile away as I breathe out, "My God..."
In the distance, amidst the other tall buildings around it...
...half of Preventer's headquarters is covered in smoke clouds that are rising high into the air.
TBC...
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