| "The Dark Part Inside" | ||
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June 10, 2008 Staging Area 0700 hours Paige stared at the two men occupying the laptop in front of her, Gray and Jackson Wellington. She had been speaking with them for almost an hour. Her eventual negotiations with the Moonlighter would not be extensive...they had no leverage. Well, they had the one hostage but that was cancelled out by Bella's disappearance and they assumed she was captured, and hopefully still alive. "There will be no deviation from our mission objective, Petrenko will be taken out. You have limited money to play with, you know the figures but I suggest that only be used as a last resort. Information is still negotiable. We want an even exchange of prisoners. Understood?" "Yes sir," Paige said in response to Jackson's summary. The terms of negotiating had been laid out very clearly and she knew the boundaries within which she was able to work. Now it was just the matter of getting the Moonlighter to cooperate. "Take someone with you," Gray added. Paige shook her head. "No, I go alone, that was the agreement." "I don't care what the agreement was," Gray admonished her, "you're not going alone." "He's not volatile...he doesn't want a blood bath...besides..." Paige looked to them both, "I gave him my word." Jackson sighed softly as Gray shook his head. "Your word? Paige? Do you hear yourself? You don't even know him! You're not negotiating with a dear old friend or even anyone who's on our side. He's the enemy Paige..." "He's helped us before," she countered getting pissed off. "It doesn't happen if you go alone," Gray curtly stopped the argument. Paige clenched her jaw. They'd never met him, they didn't know the Moonlighter, that he wouldn't do anything. And the first chance she had of gaining a little trust with the stranger...Gray fucks it up for her. "Is that understood, Paige?" Gray asked evenly. She let out a small defeated breath. "Fine," she said flatly. "Take the sniper. Report back as soon as you're done," Gray glared at her. Paige clenched her jaw harder and glanced at Jackson who watched her passively before she got up. "I'll be at the meet," she said to Simon who glanced at her casually obviously trying not to piss her off anymore. Paige moved to the back of the van where the rest of what was left of the team sat watching her. "Come with me," she slapped Jaime lightly on his chest as she passed by him, "bring your rifle." She heard him moving around as she jumped down from the van and started walking towards the meeting spot. She glanced at her watch, she would get there early. Jaime caught up with her a few steps later. "What's going on?" he asked flatly. "The person I'm meeting I'm supposed to meet alone, you know the old 'come alone' with the handshake deal?" "Oh. Yeah, but you understand their position, don't you?" "To a point. Safety, yeah definitely bring someone, but not something like this. You saw them Jaime, how they set those traps, it's not some fly by night organization, they're trained. It'd be a bloodbath if we went at it straight on. And Gray and Wellington...it's like they didn't get it. It was like 'Petrenko at all costs'...like...they didn't give a shit about us...or Bella...like...it was..." "Section?" Jaime offered. Paige grimaced but said nothing. That was something she wouldn't admit to. Not yet anyhow. "Listen, Paige," Jaime said quietly, "you don't know this guy. You don't know who pulls his strings or who he has to follow orders from..." he put his hand on her shoulder stopping her and forcing her to face him. "Word given or not, it's better you're not alone." Paige studied Jaime carefully. Of course he was right but hearing it said out loud bothered her. "He won't touch me," she said. "I know that," Jaime didn't smile as he said it. "He won't get a chance to even breathe wrong while I'm watching." There was a little bit of darkness in Jaime when it came to his job. Not necessarily exactly like the darkness he probably glimpsed in her every once in awhile. And certainly not like the darkness that rested within Joshua so close to the surface you merely had to look closely to see it. There was an edge to Jaime's words, a glint of hardness, a tinge of hollowness. An emptiness. A way to cope, she figured. Each of them had their own, each of them used it, drew from it the ability to look death right in the eyes and merely shrug. It was either that or their handing out of death sentences would drive them insane. What bothered Paige was seeing it in Jaime. A creature she thought to be so gentle, so agonizingly tender and careful. Someone who was filled with emotion as betrayed by the ruthless sorrow trapped within the clearness of his blue eyes. She had seen this side of him before, this hollowness, this aggressiveness. She had seen it along a river in Germany when he had taken several lives with his rifle. She had seen it in the forests of California when he had so easily snapped the neck of a young Red Cell trainee. He had done these things with a cold calmness about him, a distinct quietness, and a touch of darkness that reminded her that no matter soft his words, or gentle his hands, he was still a killer. A ruthless trained killer...just like she was. "I know," she breathed out finally then turned and began walking again. "It's a small clearing about half mile straight east of here." "Alright, I'll keep you in my sights," he said seriously. "I'm going to give him my weapons..." "You're what?!" he grabbed her arm. He forced her to turn to him again, "are you crazy?" "I have to give him something. He'll know I'm not alone...he'll read that off me like I'm wearing a sign 'sniper over here'. I have to offer something in return for not coming alone." Jaime mulled it over. "This meeting has to happen. I don't want us and them going at it." Jaime snorted looking out over the wooded landscape. "Besides," she said softly, "you'll be watching just in case." Jaime just arched his eyebrow at her. "Ok?" He clenched his jaw but nodded his agreement. "Ok, and don't shoot him." "That's up to him," Jaime scoffed. "Be careful," he added before turning away. She watched him leave knowing he would parallel her for a little distance before finding a nice spot to watch her from. "I will," she whispered to herself before heading to the meeting point. Return |
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