�Who�s there?� came the muffled reply, followed by a thud and a curse.
The wizard knew that Chris Larabee really appreciate anyone laughing at his expense, but he couldn�t help but stifle a giggled and answer, �Yawanna.�
�Huh?� the other answered, standing up. �What are you talking about, Meadows?� he asked, pressing a hand to the top of his head and wincing.
�Ya wanna put some ice on that before you get a nasty bump,� Keenan replied, grinning impishly. Turning serious, he added, �And� um, Director Blackstone wanted to talk to you.�
�Thanks, Keenan,� the blond man grumbled, still rubbing his head. �You�ve got small hands, could you see if you can get my keys out from behind my cabinet, please?�
�That why you were hiding under your desk?� he teased.
Chris rolled his eyes and nodded.
�Sure, Chris, I�ll get them for you,� the wizard answered, heading over to the desk and looking underneath. A moment later, Keenan handed the keys to him and lead the way down to the Director�s office.
�So,� Chris said, as they walked. �How�s everything with your team?�
Keenan smiled slightly. �Haven�t you heard?� he asked. �The experiment was declared a success and my team was split into two teams � each with six members,� he stated.
�That�s good news,� Chris answered softly.
Keenan nodded in agreement. �The Director says he plans to make more teams too,� he added slyly.
Chris blinked and looked hard at the smaller man for a moment. He couldn�t help but wonder Keenan knew something he didn�t and if it had something to do with why he was being called down to the Director�s office.
It didn�t take them long to reach the Director�s office and Keenan wasted no time before he knocked on the door and peered inside, saying, �Agent Larabee is here, sir. I�m going, if you don�t need anything more before I split.�
�That�s fine, Keenan,� Alister answered, waving Chris inside. �You don�t want to be late for court.� The wizard nodded and quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.
Alister pointed at a large chair facing his desk and waited while Chris sat down. Then he asked, �Did Keenan tell you why I wanted to see you?�
Chris grimaced. �He dropped a few hints, sir,� the blonde answered. �But he didn�t actually say anything specific.�
The Director nodded. �I asked you here because you�ve been chosen to lead the third investigation team,� he said softly. Grabbing a bunch of files off his desk, he said, �These are the personnel files for your new team members. Drop by their jobs, if you like and get to know them a little before you meet them formally tomorrow.� Smiling slightly as Chris took the files, he added, �Don�t tell them that they�ve been moved onto your team until tomorrow though.�
�Yes, sir,� Chris answered, by now used to how the Agency functioned. Basically, no one was ever told anything until they had a need to know. Since the team wasn�t active yet, no one on it, except Chris, had a need to know. Such strict adherence to the rules made Chris wonder how Keenan knew so much more than he was supposed to. In the end, he decided that he didn�t really care and opened the first file to see where his first stop would be.
**
Chris pulled the car up to the curb and looked up at the large stone building. �This is the place,� he mumbled, stepping out of the vehicle and heading inside.
According to his file, Vin Tanner spent his days working at the Northlake Community Center. Chris looked around for a moment before he stopped an employee and asked where he could find Tanner.
�He�s out with the kiddies,� the young lady replied, pointing to a set of double doors.
Chris nodded his thanks and headed outside. It only took a moment for him to find Vin. He was a medium sized man with long light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was supervising a group of children played a game of kickball. Not far away, a few younger children were playing a game of tag.
Larabee was about to call him when a piping young voice interrupted him.
�Mr. Vin,� a little girl called, as she bounded over to him.
Vin knelt down and looked into her eyes. �What�s wrong, Ophelia?� he asked, handing her a tissue.
�Joshua threw my kitty on the roof!� the child wailed. Chris was surprised to see that her ears were the somewhat large and gently pointed ears of an elf.
Vin sighed and glanced around, his eyes falling on Chris. �Hey,� he called, stepping over to the blond. �Ya wanna give me a boost?�
�A boost?� Chris repeated, blinking in confusion.
�Yup,� Vin replied. He took off the short cape he was wearing and tossed it to a boy who was nearby. On his back were two perfectly formed wings, covered with cream-colored feathers. �I need to get up to the roof to get her doll down, but I can�t launch from the ground.�
�Oh,� Chris replied softly. He�d seen only one other person with wings � a member of Keenan�s team named Michael. Now that he thought about it, they seemed to be smaller than Michael�s wings. �Sure,� he said, answering Vin�s request. �What do I do?�
�Easy,� Vin replied. �Just hold out your hands palms up and give me a shove when I step on them.�
Chris smirked. �Guess you�ve done this before?� he asked, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers.
�Couple times,� Vin answered, shrugging. Bounding forward, he jumped onto Chris� hands and, as Larabee raised them, he was launched heavenward.
Tanner flew gracefully over to the top of the building, grabbed the stuffed animal and then jumped back off. He flapped his small wings and was just able to slow his fall as he came to the ground.
�That must be annoying,� Chris said, as Vin handed the cat to Ophelia.
Vin shrugged and sent the chestnut-haired elf off to play. �My wings work well enough once I get up in the air, it�s just a matter of gettin� there,� he answered. �Course, once I�m up in the air, I have to be careful of high winds. They aren�t big enough for me to fight a strong wind. Then I tend to get blown into things.�
Chris nodded silently; then locked eyes with Vin, as the younger man�s face pulled into a frown. �Was there something I could help you with?� he asked.
�Nope,� Chris answered, shaking his head. �I think I�ve seen all I needed to. Thank you.�
After waving goodbye to the little girl, Chris headed around the building to the sidewalk in the front and got back into his car. Checking his files, he saw that his next stop was the Northlake Clinic.
**
The Northlake Clinic was on the other side of town and Chris found himself wishing he�d thought to check through the other files that Blackstone had given him. He dearly hoped that he wouldn�t be running back and forth through the city all day long, but he knew the Director well enough not to hold his breath.
A short while later, Chris stepped into the clinic and glanced around. It didn�t take him very long to find Nathan Jackson. The healer was examining a small dark-haired boy, while a tall man watched from nearby.
As Chris looked more closely at the man, he realized that it was someone he knew. �Hey, Buck,� he called, stepping closer. �What happened?�
The normally cheerful man shrugged and forced a smile. �Hey, Chris,� he answered. �The little guy was chasin� a butterfly and tried to follow it down a hill,� he explained. �He overbalanced and fell.�
�He�ll be fine,� Nathan assured him gently. �He�s got a bump and few scraps, that�s all.�
�Thank you,� Buck said, relief washing over his face.
Chris smiled at the boy and said, �I�ll an old friend of Buck�s.�
�He�s my uncle,� the boy exclaimed. In spite of his injuries, he seemed to be in good spirits. �I�m J.D. Dunne.�
�Nice to meet you,� Chris replied softly. Turning to Buck, he whispered, �He�s your sister�s little boy?�
Buck nodded slightly. �What are you doing here,� he asked, lifting J.D. into his arms.
Chris shrugged. �Just� checking things out,� he answered cryptically. �I�ll see you around, Buck.�
�Yeah,� the younger man replied. �Don�t be a stranger.�
Larabee smiled warmly and nodded. To Nathan, he said, �It was nice meeting you, Dr. Jackson.�
Nathan nodded. �Likewise,� he answered softly. As Larabee turned and left, he looked at Buck and said, �What was that about?�
Buck shrugged. �I don�t know,� he said, shaking his head.
**
Chris glanced through his files once more and smiled at the name of the next person he was supposed to visit. Since Buck Wilmington was still at the clinic, it didn�t make any sense to stop at the Northlake Tavern to visit him.
Chuckling softly, he turned to the next file. According to his file, Ezra Standish worked as the head writer for the television show, Quentin Masters� Mysteries. Tucking the remaining files away, he put the car in gear and headed for Northlake Studios, where the show was filmed.
When he arrived, he stopped at the main gate and showed his Agency pass to the guard. �I�m here to see Ezra Standish,� he explained.
The guard nodded. �Yes, sir,� he said. �Mr. Standish is on the set right now.�
Chris listened carefully as the man explained how to get to the soundstage, then nodded his thanks and headed off to meet the fifth member of his team.
As he entered the soundstage, he could hear someone speaking in a firm, carrying voice. �That�s not what I said,� came the distinct southern accent.
�He�s stressin� it wrong,� someone whispered softly, his own accent coming through.
�Cut,� Chris heard as he rounded the corner. The director was a large muscular man with short cropped dark hair. Beside him was a lightly framed man with chestnut hair. Chris recognized him as Ezra Standish.
There were several people in the scene, who Chris was sure he�d recognize if he ever watched the show. As it was, he only recognized Trenton Lark, who played Quentin Masters. The small man was glaring at the director.
�What�s wrong now?� he asked, with no trace of an accent.
�The line is supposed to be said, �That�s not what I said�,� Ezra corrected gently. �Emphasis belongs on the second word, not the first.�
Trenton sighed and ran a hand through his bright red hair. �I need a break,� he moaned.
The director nodded in agreement and said, �Everyone take five.�
�Sorry,� the actor mumbled to his co-stars, as they all stepped away for a few moments.
Chris nodded to himself and decided to take this moment to speak with Standish. �Hello,� he said, stepping over to the writer.
�Hello,� Ezra answered softly. �You must be Mr. Larabee. Trenton said you might be stopping by.�
Larabee blinked in surprise. �How�d he know?� he asked.
�Keenan told him,� the southerner answered, shrugging nonchalantly. �They work together at the Agency.�
Chris rolled his eyes. �Keenan knows far more than he�s supposed to and talks way too much,� he grumbled.
Ezra chuckled and then said softly, �Don�t take what I do here as the entire scope of my skills, Mr. Larabee. I assure you, I have this job because I love the story we tell and I�m quite skilled at transforming books into television scripts.�
Chris nodded. �Fair enough,� he said quietly. �Your file says you do both undercover work and forensic sorcerery.�
Standish smiled. �I learned my undercover skills from my mother and was trained in forensic sorcerery by the magicians at the Central Academy,� he explained.
�Your mother taught you undercover work?� he asked in surprise.
�Yes, well,� Ezra said, grinning impishly. �My mother is skilled at causing people to be parted from their hard-earned cash. Doing that requires the use of multiple characters. I learned at a very young age how to be anyone she needed me to be at any given moment.�
Chris frowned. �That must have been hard on you,� he stated.
Ezra shrugged. �We didn�t have very much choice,� he replied softly. �After my father was lost at sea, Mother had to make a living somehow.�
Chris nodded and then was cut off by the director calling everyone�s attention back to filming the scene. �It was nice meeting with you,� he said, as the southerner turned away.
Standish smiled at him briefly; then turned to Trenton and said, �Do you think you�ve got it now?�
�I should hope so,� the redhead answered, green eyes flashing angrily.
As Chris headed out of the soundstage, he heard Lark�s clear firm voice say, �Now, that�s not what I said.� He chuckled softly to himself and wondered if Ezra was as much of a perfectionist at everything he did.
**
Chris� next stop was at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, to see the sixth and final member of his team. He parked in front of the old church building and looked up at its edifice. In doing so, he could see a lone figure sitting on the roof with building materials scattered around him.
�Hello,� he called up.
The man waved and turned back to his work. �What can I do for you, Brother,� he called back, without turning away from the job at hand.
�What are you doing up there?� Chris asked.
�Patching some holes,� the man replied. �Not many people come to this church anymore, but the ones that do, deserve to be dry when they visit.�
Chris smiled. �Do you need a hand?� he asked.
�Nope,� came the reply. �I�m just about done.� He nailed the last shingle in place and then climbed back down the ladder he had leaned against the building.
Now that the man was on the ground, Chris could see that he was just who Chris had thought he was: Josiah Sanchez.
�What can I do for you?� Josiah asked.
Chris smiled and said, �You like this church?�
Josiah shrugged. �It�s a nice enough building and the congregation is small, but friendly,� he answered. �You thinking of joining us?�
�Maybe,� Chris answered cryptically. �Either way, I�ll see you around.�
Josiah frowned and nodded as Chris turned and walked away. Having met all the members of the team, Chris had to say that he thought they�d make an excellent team. Humming softly to himself, Larabee hopped in his car and headed for his ranch. He knew he�d have an early day tomorrow and he wanted to be ready to tell his team about their first official mission.
End