Away From the Sun - Part 11

“What’s so fucking urgent?” Brian asked as he walked into Lindsay’s office without so much as knocking.  He was still angry at her after their conversation from the day before and getting a call from her while he was walking out the door on his way to the airport did not do much to subdue his anger. 

“Please, sit down,” the blonde woman said politely. 

Brian glared at her, but did as instructed.  If he cooperated, this would go a lot smoother and faster.

“We think we know why Justin was in Madrid,” she proceeded.

Every muscle in Brian’s body clenched with anxiety as he listened carefully, unsure of what was coming next. 

Lindsay continued.  “A part of the building held a server farm.  The servers were rented out to third parties to use as back ups.”

“You think that Craig Taylor wanted something that was stored on those servers,” Brian concluded.

Lindsay nodded.  “More specifically, on one server.”  She stood up and walked around the desk, handing Brian a folder with yet another photograph in it.  This one was of a building Brian hadn’t seen before.  “A small French pharmaceutical company was using it to back up research data.”

Brian stared intently at the photograph in his hands.  It was all starting to make sense.  “So, Darmstadt is developing a new bio-weapon.  Craig Taylor makes contact with him, probably makes some sort of a deal.”  He made sure to leave Justin out of his small recap.  “And now he’s looking for research data from some drug company?”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Brian nodded.  “Darmstadt can’t really show his cards yet, so he partners up with Craig Taylor.”  And Justin was in the middle of it all.  He tossed the folder on the desk and leaned back in his chair.  “Got any more good news?” 

“We have a reason to believe that whatever he was looking for in Madrid, he didn’t find it.”

Brian raised his eyes to Lindsay’s face.  “What makes you say that?”

“That particular server was about to be decommissioned and replaced.  The company hadn’t backed any data on it for weeks prior to the explosion.”

Brian opened his mouth to ask another question when suddenly a chill went through his body as the realization washed over him.  “Where is that company located?”

“Paris,” Lindsay replied.

He was afraid of that.  Closing his eyes, Brian pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a long sigh. 

 

“Brian, what it is?” She asked, concerned.

He pulled both of his lips inside his mouth, pressing them tightly against each other.  Then he took another breath before turning his gaze up to her.  “Justin called me.”

“What?” She was predictably surprised.  “What did he say?”

Brian cleared his throat.  “Paris,” he said quietly.  It all made sense now.  All the pieces were falling into place and the puzzle was nearly complete.  “He said, Paris.”  He let out another loud sigh.  “I thought he wanted…to meet there.  Needed my help to get away from his father, but now…” He shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment.

“It can’t be a coincidence,” Lindsay said.

“It’s not.”  He pushed himself up in the chair and turned his eyes toward his friend once again.  “He wants me to stop him.”

Lindsay’s expression mirrored what Brian was feeling inside.  “Alright,” she said a few seconds later.  “Take as many men as you need.  This is your mission, Brian.  You do whatever you think is right.”

Brian held her gaze for a few moments before nodding.  They were finally on the same page. 

He got up and moved toward the door.

“And Brian,” Lindsay called after him.

His hand already on the doorknob, Brian turned around. 

“I don’t want this getting out.  Don’t tell anybody where you’re going until you’re on the plane.”

Simply nodding in response, Brian left her office.

~~~***~~~***~~~

Less than an hour later Brian stood at the bottom of the staircase leading to the airplane owned by the CIA and watched as the men he selected for this mission walked past him, not one of them aware of where they were going or what the mission entailed.

“Hey,” he heard behind him.  Turning around, Brian’s eyes fell on a familiar figure.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised to see Ben at the airbase. 

Ben looked around them, a needless gesture since all agents were already aboard the plane. 

“I talked to Lindsay,” Ben explained.  “Do you want to tell me exactly what do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Brian replied, annoyed at having to listen to Ben go off on yet another one of his lectures. 

“Brian, are you sure you’re the best person to lead this mission?  You’re not exactly thinking straight right now.”

Brian’s first reaction was to tell Ben to fuck off.  But he held his tongue, pressing his lips tightly together instead.  “I’m the only one who can make sure that he doesn’t end up with a hole in his head,” he finally said.  It was obvious that Ben didn’t need to be told who Brian was referring to.

Ben sighed.  “And who’s going to make sure you don’t?”

“I’ll be fine.”  He walked around Ben and began ascending the stairs.  Brian paused when he realized that he was being followed.  “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, turning around to face the other man.

“I’m going to be a part of this mission,” Ben simply responded.

Brian opened his mouth to object.  The last thing he wanted was to put Ben in danger.  But the truth was, aside from him, Ben was the only one in that group who cared about Justin’s wellbeing.  Brian needed him on his side.  So did Justin. 

Simply nodding, Brian resumed climbing the stairs.

As soon as the plane was airborne, Brian stood before ten agents who he picked out himself to explain the mission. 

“Alright, listen up,” he said, his gaze drifting from face to face.  “The mission consists of two parts.  Number one,” he shouted over the roar of the engines.  “Copy the contents of a server held on the third floor, then destroy the server.  Keep in mind that there could be severe resistance.  You are allowed to use force as needed.”

He waited for acknowledgement that the men had understood him. 

“Except,” Brian continued, “For this man.”  He held up a picture of Justin.  “As some of you may know, this is Justin Taylor.”  He raised his voice slightly.  “Now, this is important, so listen carefully.  You are not under any circumstances to shoot at him.  You understand?  If you can capture him alive, do it.  But you do not use extensive force.” 

He expected questions, none of which came.  The men simply nodded.  “Is that understood?” He asked again, more forcefully.  Whatever else happened once they got to Paris, he had to make sure he had done everything to keep Justin alive.  This time he got ‘yes’ from all ten men. 

With nothing else to do but wait, Brian made his way to the other end of the plane, away from the rest of his team.  He needed to think it all through, to work through every possible scenario.  Of course, in reality he was just trying to keep himself from losing his mind. 

~~~***~~~***~~~

The moment they set foot in the building, they knew that the security guards would not be a problem.  They were all dead. 

“They’re already inside,” Ben said quietly as he looked over in Brian’s direction, the two leading the rest of the team toward the staircase. 

Brian looked around, taking in the lifeless bodies sprawled on the floor. 

“I don’t like this,” Ben spoke up once again.  “With all the cameras, they might know we’re here.  We could be sitting ducks.”

Brian knew the other man was right, of course, but he was not going to back down now.  “Even if they don’t, they will soon enough.  Goldman,” he motioned for one of the agents.  “Take three men to the service elevators.” 

Watching their numbers diminish by four, Brian led the rest of the team up the stairs to the third floor where they believed the server was located. 

Before they even got to the third floor, though, they were met by heavy fire.  Forced to defend themselves as they tried to get up the stairs, the team’s advances were nearly halted.  Their only advantage was the fact that they all wore bullet-proof vests and the little cover the stairwell provided.

When they finally got to their target, they were met by more resistance. 

“Christ, how many of them are there?” Brian exclaimed in frustration as he was forced to duck behind a column as the bullets whizzed past his head. 

“I think that’s where the lab is,” Ben pointed toward the guard at the end of the hall. 

Brian nodded to show his agreement.  That was the way for them to go.  And the guard was in their way. 

Stepping out of his hiding place, Brian fired four shots.  One got the guard in the chest and the other one straight in his forehead.  Brian was at the door to the lab before the guard’s body even hit the floor. 

Brian turned the doorknob, but the door was locked.  Raising his head, Brian glanced inside and…froze.  There was Justin, taking a disk out of a CD drive of one of the terminals - Brian could only assume that it was the one they were both after. 

Justin turned and for a moment their eyes met.  The two men stared at each other.

Brian was snapped out of it by the shots fired behind him.  Raising his hand, Brian stepped back and fired at the lock on the door three times.  He, then, pushed the door with his leg.  As they burst into the room, they caught only a glimpse of Justin as he ran out of the door on the other side of the lab. 

The last thought on his mind was the assignment to get the data from the server.  He could only think of one thing right now, or rather one person.  Without another thought, Brian followed Justin out. 

He stood in the middle of the hall, unsure which way to go.  Then he heard shots being fired to his right.  Without anything else to go on, Brian headed toward the noise. 

“How many?” he asked as soon as he reached the other two agents.  They were huddled on both sides of the yet another hall. 

“Two, maybe three,” one of the men answered.  

Without another word, Brian pushed past them and stuck his head out just far enough to see how many men they were up against when he caught a glimpse of a blond head of hair at the other end of the hall.

Justin.

He didn’t think twice.  “Cover me,” he told Ben, already standing up. 

“Brian, what are…”  Ben didn’t get a chance to finish because Brian was already running after Justin.  He could hear the shots being fired behind him, but he didn’t care. 

Turning the corner, Brian found himself running down another set of stairs.  He leaned over the handle bar to catch a glimpse of Justin three or four landings below, heading into the underground parking lot. 

Brian ran down the stairs as fast as he could.  Reaching the big, heavy doors leading into the parking lot, Brian swung them wide open. 

“Justin!” He called as he held the gun firmly with both hands in front of him. 

The blond stopped immediately. 

Breathing heavily, Brian cautiously moved toward the other man.   While he didn’t believe for a second that Justin would cause him harm, Brian’s training and years of experience prevented him from lowering his gun.  After all, just moments before Justin had fired at the CIA agents. 

“Drop the gun,” Brian ordered as he neared his lover. 

Justin did as instructed.  The gun fell on the floor with a loud thud. 

“Turn around,” Brian continued.  “And push it toward me.”

He gripped the gun tighter as Justin slowly turned to face him.  Brian wanted nothing more than to cross whatever distance there was between them and take Justin into his arms, but knew he couldn’t.  Not yet.

With Justin’s gun lying between the two of them now, Brian took a few careful steps toward his lover. 

“The disk,” he said, his left hand letting go of the gun.

His body instinctively tensed up as Justin reached into the pocket of his jacket.  Seconds later he showed Brian a small plastic case with the disk inside it.  He tossed it to Brian who caught it easily.  Placing the disk in the pocket of his pants, Brian took another few steps toward Justin, letting his body relax slightly.  After all, Justin was cooperating fully. 

Brian lowered the gun, only a couple of feet separating them now, and looked Justin over, surveying the condition of his lover. 

“Are you ok?”  He realized that it was probably one of the stupidest things he could have asked right now, but it was the only thing he really cared about at this moment – Justin being ok, Justin not being hurt. 

Justin stared back at him silently for a moment.  “You figured it out,” he finally said, his voice quiet and heavy.

“I had help,” Brian replied, letting the corners of his mouth curve up. 

Justin didn’t respond.

Taking another step forward, Brian let out a loud sigh.  “It’s over,” he said.

Justin stared into his eyes for what seemed like forever before snorting a laugh.  “It’s never over, Brian,” he said sadly.  “Not for me.”

“It’s gonna be ok,” Brian tried again, this time not sure who he was trying to convince more.

“You remember what you promised?” Justin asked, catching Brian off guard.  “That day at the pier?”

Of course, he remembered.  He didn’t think he would ever forget that day.  But it was behind them now.  “Justin,” he started to say…

“Keep your promise, Brian,” Justin said, his voice almost forceful.

Brian reached out to touch Justin’s shoulder, but in the next moment he felt a sharp pain in his left upper arm.  More from the shock than the pain, Brian dropped to his knees, crying out, as he raised his right hand, still holding the gun, and pointed it at the now retreating form of his lover. 

Fighting the instinct to fire at his attacker, Brian lowered his shaking hand as he watched Justin move farther and farther away from him. 

Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him and in the next moment, to his horror, he heard gunshots.  He watched in horror, frozen as Justin slowly, as if in slow motion, fell to the ground. 

“NO!”  Moving incredibly fast, Brian grabbed the man behind him and slammed him against the hood of a nearby car, pulling the gun out of his hand.  “You son of a bitch,” he roared.  He couldn’t control himself any longer, letting all the rage and pain out as he nearly suffocated the agent. 

“Brian!”  Four strong hands finally pulled him off the other man.  “What the fuck are you doing?” Ben demanded as he tried to restrain him from attacking the other agent again. 

“You better have a fucking good excuse for disobeying a direct order!” Brian shouted at the man, ignoring Ben’s question. 

“Brian, calm down,” Ben said again, pulling Brian away from the other agents. 

Brian struggled against the larger man.  Finally, Ben seemingly satisfied that Brian wouldn’t attack anybody else, let him go. 

His breathing ragged, heart threatening to burst out of his chest, Brian slowly turned around, letting his eyes wander over to where he saw Justin fall down.  His breath caught in his throat when his eyes found nothing but concrete. 

He moved slowly to that spot, Ben and a couple of other agents following him.  Brian had to force himself not to react outwardly when he saw a red stain on the ground where Justin had collapsed. 

“We should follow,” one of the agents suggested.

“No,” Brian quickly replied.  The last thing he needed was to have Justin hunted like some animal. 

“He’s hurt.  He couldn’t have gotten far.”

“I said, no,” Brian ground out, barely containing his anxiety and anger.  “Return to the base.”

The other man opened his mouth to object, but at the last moment thought the better of it.  Instead, he chose to walk away.

Brian reached into the pocket of his pants and took out the small disk he retrieved from Justin.  “What about the rest of Taylor’s men?” he asked, turning to Ben.

“We got two.  The rest got away.”

Brian nodded.  “And the server?”

“Destroyed,” Ben responded.

“Here,” Brian handed Ben the disk.  “Give this to Lindsay.”  As the other man took the disk in his hand, Brian covered the wound just below his left shoulder with his right palm.  Now that the adrenaline rush began to fade, he started to feel the pain from the cut.

“What are you gonna do?” Ben asked, the concern evident in his voice. 

Brian gave Ben the ‘what do you think I’m gonna do’ look. 

“Brian,” Ben stepped closer so that no one else would hear them.  “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“He’s hurt,” Brian said, trying to keep his voice calm.  In reality, he was anything but.  He had no idea how serious Justin’s injury was or where he was going.  But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to do his best to make sure that his lover survived this.

“He could have killed you,” Ben argued, pointing at Brian’s left arm, which was now covered in blood. 

“Come on.  You know that’s bullshit.”  Ben should have known better than to say something like that. 

Ben looked away then back at Brian.  “What should I tell Lindsay?”

Brian shrugged.  “Tell her…I don’t know.  Tell her the truth, for all I care.”  He began to walk away, but Ben grabbed his shoulder to stop him. 

“Here,” Ben handed him a set of keys.  “The jeep has a first aid kit in the back.”

Brian held the other agent’s gaze for a few seconds, unable to utter a thank you.  Taking the keys from Ben, Brian walked out of the parking lot. 

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