| "Plausible Denial" | ||
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May 27, 2008, Tuesday Safara's Apartment 20.50hrs She put the phone back on the hook, and stood looking out of the window over the bay. She didn't trust Joshua, there was something he was not telling her; and she was going to ensure that before the night was up that situation was going to be resolved. 21.05hrs She heard the vehicle pull into her drive, and went to greet Jordan at the door, alert to any possibility they were also under surveillance, she greeted Jordan with a hug. Though Jordan obviously had the same idea, carrying a bunch of flowers in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. `Great minds,' she smiled. She shut the door and left it unlocked, leading the way to the lounge, she outlined what she had heard from Joshua, along with her own ideas of how to handle it. Jordan nodded, and Saf could see that it wasn't just her that thought Joshua had held something over each of them. They put together a plan of action, including wiring the television screen to monitor and record the conversation in case it would come in handy later; both of them were too wound up to settle to doing very much, just waiting on him to arrive. Saf had a camera installed in the porch, so she knew when Joshua arrived. She noted that he carried his laptop in, though he could be carrying a concealed weapon, so she was glad she had taken precautions. The doorbell ringing was loud, and in the silence almost startling, but they held their positions, letting the target find his way to the centre of the trap. 2145 hours Joshua left his weapons in his truck, only taking his laptop as he walked up the steps to Safara's front door. He took a deep breath, rang the doorbell and waited. Nothing. He tried the doorknob and found it to be unlocked. He should have expected that. He entered the foyer looking around. He had never been here before but he knew somehow that Saf and Jordan were there. "Safara," he called out, hearing in response the sound of a weapon being readied. "I'm unarmed," he said quietly. `As if I am going to believe that,' she thought, though she replied calmly, "we will see," she said pausing for a moment, "put the bag down, kick it towards me and put your arms out to the side." Joshua clenched his jaw but did as he was told. She watched as he followed the instructions, "Now kneel, keeping your hands out to each side," Once more, he did as he was bid, though she could see the tension of his body, he wanted not to have to do this, but he wanted their assistance, and they needed his information. This wasn't about winning or losing, just levelling the field. She stepped out into the foyer, indicating to Jordan to check him over, while she covered him. Jordan was thorough, and not gentle. Finally she nodded to give the all clear and stepped behind him covering his rear, just in case. `So he was telling the truth, though trust was on really short supply between them.' Saf pointed her weapon at him, gesturing him to get up, "Let's go." "Bring the laptop," he said to Jordan. Even with a weapon on him and unarmed he managed to direct his authority. He followed Saf, with Jordan behind him, into the living room. "Sit down," Safara said, and he did. "Now talk," the words unsaid were tangible, "or I will shoot you where you are." He looked to both of them for a moment before taking a breath. "Here's the deal�about a year and a half ago Michael and I started gathering intel on Madeline without anyone's knowledge�not Section and not Oversight. It was something we decided to do on our own. We had reason to believe she was planning something�" "What kind of something?" Jordan asked, though she caught herself. Saf could see the internal arguments, deferring to an authority figure, albeit one who had no right to anymore. She shook her head slightly, her meaning to Jordan clear, `He has to tell us; we don't want to ask for information'. "We didn't know�we still don't." "Why approach this covertly? Why not give the information to Operations or Oversight?" She spoke, her voice clear and calm, despite the mention of that woman's name. Joshua shook his head with a smile, "you two know as well as I do that Madeline works under the radar. It's almost impossible to catch her doing or planning something. If we had tipped off Operations or Oversight, she would have covered her tracks." Both women nodded their understanding. "Go on," Safara said covering him with her weapon. "About four months ago we intercepted a phone call made between her and a Dr. Noah Carter. He's a bio-engineer with the army located in DC. I broke into his facility to see what was there and recovered a lot of data about his research�" "Which is?" Jordan asked, despite her anger with him, her voice was also calm. "He's developing a MEMS device. A microelectromechanical system. His original use�his army work�is to develop the device for an implant into soldiers to track their movement, vital signs, all kinds of shit." "But?" Safara interjected, `there was always a but'. "But he was also using it to front another use for the MEMS." "and that would be what?" Safara asked, having a tingling sensation up her spine, a feeling of someone walking over her grave. Joshua looked to her then to Jordan for a moment, then back to Safara. It was the way he looked at her, the tangible pity clear in his eyes; he wanted her to make the connection and knew that when she did her world would never be the same. Her throat felt dry, but she managed to whisper, "the chemical, it was the drugs she used," she felt sick. He shook his head, "We don't know if that's definite, Saf. But we have reason to believe that it is and that Carter is trying to find a way to utilize the MEMS as a vehicle for that chemical." Safara lowered the weapon, stared at him and finally took a seat on the couch across from him, it was all starting to make sense, not that sense and Madeline could be considered in the same breath, but it was plausible. "I still don't understand what this has to do with Paige," Jordan commented quietly. Joshua looked to the floor then focused his gaze on Safara who looked back at him with disbelief when she read the truth in his eyes. It didn't take long to accept the truth, but she needed him to verbalise it, "Tell me you didn't Joshua." He said nothing waiting it out to see what she would come up.`You bastard. You did.' She was so angry, she considered putting a bullet between his eyes where he sat if it wasn't for the fact that he still had more information, she had to control herself. She stood up, pointing the gun at him again, "tell me you didn't do it, didn't use her." Jordan was staring at them, her doe eyes full of unanswered questions. Joshua leaned forward, "What else were we supposed to do?" he asked angrily. "How could you fucking do that? You do your little covert investigation then hide all the intel in Paige's head? How could you put her in danger like that?" She was livid with fury, he was lower that she had ever thought possible; despite his airs of concerns, he was like the rest of section, concerned only with himself and `using' the operatives to protect his position. He shrugged, "This was our one chance to get Madeline out of the picture once and for all," he said his voice starting to rise. "We couldn't chance anyone finding out." She saw red, her voice equally raised and icy with anger, "and what about Paige?" she yelled at him. "Did you ever once stop to think about her?" "Of course I did," he shook his head, "we did." "How did you make her agree to this? Or did you force her into this?" she was determined to get the truth from him. He thought quickly, how to get around this one. Time to redirect. "She doesn't know what it is. We encrypted all the data before we gave it to her." "You did what?" Jordan asked loudly. "We encrypted it. All of it." He said smoothly. Saf snorted angrily, "Well that's just great," she said, "So now Madeline will torture her to get at it or worse." Joshua said nothing. Saf was right. Madeline would torture Paige. Jordan interrupted, "Why now? Why at this point take Paige?" "I don't know," he said quietly. Saf stood back, letting Jordan take over, "Well, something must have happened that tipped Madeline off that you and Michael were up to something." She had never heard Jordan speak so coldly to him; it was as if she hated him. Joshua took a deep breath. "I think it's because we had Carter's data destroyed. After I broke into his lab last month the lab was moved somewhere, and the data was shipped up to Pennsylvania. We destroyed it." "When?" Jordan's voice was quiet. He turned to look at her, "It doesn't matter, we need to focus�" "It does matter." Saf demanded, turning his attention back to her "When?" "Saturday night." "The same night all those alarms were tripped in Washington DC," Jordan said. Safara narrowed her eyes, thinking it through. "Did you do that? Were you in DC?" Joshua was silent. She voiced her thoughts, "That was a distraction�so who did you send to destroy the data in Pennsylvania?" "You couldn't have used a Section team," Jordan said quietly, "not without giving up your position." From his body language, she knew the answers to her question, fearing his answer but need to hear his admission of guilt, "You sent Paige, didn't you?" the disgust in her voice was tangible. "With Eric," Joshua said quietly. Safara shook her head. "You're fucking sick, Joshua, do you know that. She had a broken arm and a concussion and yet you still sent her tramping around the woods? You couldn't just do it yourself, could you?" "I fucking protected her," Joshua yelled standing up. Earning a response from Jordan who raised her weapon to his chest, making him check his movement, "I protected her by going to DC and keeping the Pennsylvania shit out of the news." Saf shook her head, "Well, you didn't do a very good job because obviously Madeline found out about it. Sit down and let me think." Joshua hesitated for a moment longer, and then sat back down. He knew this was going to be difficult but he didn't expect this response from them, though he had to give them credit, they were a good team. Trying to get him off balance and he was finding it harder to stay focussed. "And Baz?" Jordan asked. "What's he have to do with all of this." "He was with Paige when she was taken," he said quietly. "Madeline would take her to Carter if�wait a second, "Safara paused, "something doesn't make sense here." Joshua studied her carefully. "Something�if you�Carter would have made copies of everything before moving. Maybe he missed some files. Or maybe you stole them and Carter finally realized it, so you destroy the data so he can't recover it. Madeline finds out, perhaps learns who the intruder was and thinks to herself�" "If I were hiding data and files and I didn't want anyone to know about it�where would I hide them?" Jordan finished Saf's thought. "That's what the Sunfalls and Watershine comment that Paige made was about on the chopper, wasn't it? They were the stolen files. The may have been encrypted but with her head injury, some of the intel was leaking into her thoughts. Isn't that right? That's why you asked me about her previous head injuries and if she was alright after them? Isn't it?" Joshua slowly nodded his head. This was way too much information they were getting. He had underestimated them putting two and two together, this was not going the way he had hoped. "You manipulative bastard," Safara seethed at him, her voice dripping with ice. "Don't go getting self-righteous on me, you're no angel yourself," Joshua snapped at her. "I don't deliberately put other people's lives in danger," Safara snapped back. "Oh you don't," Joshua said getting up and moving towards her. He ignored the weapons on him to get nearer to Safara. "You think you're any different than me? You think you're above any of this? That you wouldn't do the same?" "I am not like you or Michael," she hissed at him, how dare he infer that she was like him. "Who asked Paige for the chemical information?" he taunted her. She paled, "that's not fair. How was I supposed to know she would go to you." "Oh, wake the fuck up Saf," he growled at her. "You knew damn fucking well that she would have to come to me for that intel. You knew and you fucking asked her anyway." She shook her head, "She did that on her own, I never asked her to risk her life for it." He offered a smug grin, "is that how you sleep at night?" Jordan sat down on the couch, " I thought I left Section behind, but I guess I was wrong. Bastard, you did this to Paige, to all of us. Next time I suggest you think before you go play God. You're just as bad as Madeline." Saf's response was simpler, "Fuck you Joshua." He snorted at them and turned back to the couch. "Let me tell you something," he said turning back to Saf. "Don't ever think that you�or you," he turned to Jordan, "are ever above us at Section. You were bred to be like me. That's who you are," he lowered his voice, "that's who you'll always be." He looked to the two women who stared at him. "Now, if you want to sit around and dredge up shit from the past so I can point out some more of your flaws, that's fine. However, I don't think that's very productive right now being Madeline has Paige and it won't take her long to disable the tracker in Paige's neck. And if that happens�Paige and Baz are both as good as dead." Safara lowered her weapon, she hated to admit it, but he was right and Paige and Baz were more important that their `feud'. "Fine," she said evenly taking her sat on the couch. Joshua looked to Jordan who simply nodded her head. Joshua took the laptop and loading up the tracker information on Paige. "This is what we've got." The three of them studied the laptop with the small red dot signifying Paige's location moving steadily across a map of the eastern seaboard. "The signal isn't that steady�she must be airborne," Saf commented, "and probably over the water." "I'm sure they're trying to jam anything transmitting but it will have to do. It's good enough we can extrapolate any data in between," he let out a slow breath studying the screen. "It's just the three of us until Michael arrives with his team." "Michael's coming?" Safara asked startled, though she hid her surprise quickly. "Yeah," he said to her, "he's in this just as deep as I am." For a response, she clenched her jaw; nothing could surprise her less in this world. She returned her gaze to the laptop, looking at the display as though seeking answers from it. Joshua spoke slowly, "I've got comms, kevlar, and weapons in the truck." "How resourceful," Safara quipped sarcastically, so he had already decided they were going as a team, but she had alternative plans. Joshua grinned, "naturally." "Can you hook us up with a chopper or something?" Jordan asked. He shook his head. "Nope, we're driving. They won't go far, there's plenty of army bases along the coast to hide the research and the two of them." "I'll get some supplies ready," Safara said moving away from towards the kitchen. "Jordan, you've got the laptop, we'll take my truck." She nodded and packed up the laptop and he followed Safara into the kitchen. Saf was busy pulling water bottles out of the fridge and packing them in a bag along with ration bars. "Saf," he said quietly. "I know you two are close�but Paige and Baz mean a lot to me, too. I want to see them safe." Safara stopped and stared hard at Joshua, hatred for him clear in her eyes. "That's nice of you Joshua, but somehow�I just don't believe you." He took a step back involuntarily away from that raw anger and nodded his head, "fair enough. I just thought you should know�even if you don't believe me." "We should go," Jordan interrupted them. Seeing how close to exploding Saf was by the look on her face. They packed Joshua's truck and headed out on the Jersey Turnpike�south bound. Saf took the window seat, leaving Jordan the centre between her and Joshua, each of them caught up in their own world; her own full of thoughts of revenge on the man driving, for putting Paige in so much danger and with so little protection. Return |
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