| "Scattered Intentions" | ||
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Paige's Place May 8, 2008 1130 hours Paige showered quickly then tossed her hair up in a sloppy yet fashionable mess. She sported navy blue dress pants with a black low front (dangerously low) sweater and unhappily had to apply a more than usual amount of makeup in an attempt to conceal the dark circles beneath her eyes. As she left her apartment, she felt like someone had their hand inside her chest slowly squeezing her heart making it just that more difficult to breath. She fixed her eyes on the concrete, never lifting her head as she made her way to the car. She did not feel safe, she felt exposed in the open, and did not feel better until she was safely locked in her car. Why hadn't she just asked him to come along? As she made her way to SH2 she found her breathing a little easier. Maybe it was just that damn apartment that freaked her out. Yeah right, her mind said scornfully, it has nothing to do with the fact you talk to imaginary tigers, right? She mentally shook herself as she entered SH2. Baz was already there, him living a mere 2 minutes from the place. She smiled at both him and Gray who had only looked up briefly at her, and sat down next to Baz. Baz leaned into her and whispered, "god damn you look good tonight." She smiled shaking her head, "down boy." "I like the hair, all kind of..." he looked up at her hair for a moment, "wild." "This," she arched an eyebrow at him, "coming from a man that dyes his hair a different color every week." "Ah," he said nodding his head deeply, "it adds to the mystery." "Alright, you've got an important job," Gray said quickly. "Jordy coming in?" Paige interrupted him. Gray paused a moment not prepared for her interruption, "No...it's just you two." "Oh," Paige responded lightly. Why not Jordy? Gray cleared his throat. "Three weeks ago a Russian green carder entered the country believed to be involved with several levels of the Russian mafia. We believe he's looking to set up shop here." "Get his own piece of the American Pie," Baz murmured quietly. "Something like that except this piece of pie includes drugs, weapons, prostitution, racketeering, protection, and money laundering." "What, no kiddie porn?" Paige said disgusted. "We've neither confirmed nor denied that allegation yet," Gray said flatly. Paige grimaced. How could someone be involved in so many illegal activities and not get caught? "We need to first get intel before we plan...ah Rebecca," Gray smiled slightly. Baz and Paige turned in their seats to catch Rebecca just coming in the door. She smiled slightly and nodded her head towards Baz and Paige. "We were just going over the details..." Rebecca brushed him off with her refined British attitude, as she looked at Baz and Paige. "You need to understand that this is an information only sortie. Understood?" Baz and Paige nodded their heads slightly, unsure of what exactly Rebecca expected of them. "You will be going in as a couple and simply finding out what you can about the establishment," she began to pace easily, "EEI includes security, guards, entrances, exits, key area locations, etc. Although you've been there once, this time I expect accurate Humint..." Baz leaned forward on the table, "whoa, whoa, what do you mean we've been there once?" Rebecca looked calmly at Gray before opening her leather case. She held up the large black and white pic, "I believe you've met the target as well." Both Paige and Baz's mouth dropped open slightly. "Tell me Sara's working undercover already," Paige asked. Rebecca looked at Paige evenly, "I'm afraid not." Paige shook her head trying to clear it, "I don't understand..." "Sara meeting Kostantin was completely coincidental. However, since she's already 'together' with him, it offered an inside source of intel so we decided to leave her in play..." "But she's not in play," Paige felt her heart rate speed up, "she's not anything...not willingly anyway." Rebecca fixed and icy gaze on Paige that dared her to continue. Not one to disappoint, Paige did, "she doesn't know she's being used." "That's right and it's a matter of national security that it stays that way," Rebecca fired back. Paige closed her mouth and sat back in her chair. So, instead of their lives being held over their head it was going to be national security. Great, she thought, just fucking great. "What exactly do you expect from us?" Baz asked carefully. "What I just said, accurate Humint. This is not just ghost surveillance, get Sara to invite you to the more secluded parts of the club. It's a five story structure and Konstantin spends a lot of time there. There's more to that building than just the club and offices." "Offices?" Paige asked. Rebecca hesitated for a second. How do you know that, Paige wondered. "We have reason to believe the basement, first, and second floor are for the actual club. Third floor is for private meetings and parties, fourth floor we believe is for offices. We need confirmation on all this." "He's probably got the penthouse apartment," Baz said sarcastically. Rebecca nodded, "most likely." "You want us to lie to Sara then?" Paige asked. Rebecca looked at her challengingly, "You need to do what you have to in order to obtain that information. Is that clear?" Paige just gazed at Rebecca as Baz gave a very unenthusiastic 'yeah'. "Good," Rebecca said flatly, "report into SH1 when you're done. We need it to outline an Elint operation." With that the Director of the SIA was off leaving Gray alone with the two Agents that glared at him. Baz finally got up, "I'll get some light arms for us," he said leaving her alone with Gray. "So, Paige, how are you?" Gray said sitting down across from her. Paige was immediately suspicious. "Fine," she said flatly. As if she hadn't answered Gray continued. "Because I know you've been a little...off...lately. Not that anyone in your situation..." "Situation?" Paige interrupted him. Gray looked at her evenly. She had thought he was over that night, apparently he was having second thoughts on the matter. He folded his hands in front of him on the table, "I know that night with Michael and Joshua must have been bothersome." Paige stared blankly at him. Bothersome? That would be the term he would use for it? "Did you talk to someone? About it? Maybe?" he asked tentatively. Paige narrowed her eyes slightly, "so you sent him." "No, I didn't send him, I merely asked him to intervene on your behalf. I figured your mutual history..." "Intervene?" she hissed at him. "On my behalf? Just what exactly do you think is going on?" Gray balked for a moment clearly considering what he had done to have possibly been a mistake. "Is Joshua pressuring you into something? I just want to make sure that he's not..." "Not what?" she snapped at him. "You didn't seem to care when he was drugging me up, tying me down, and forcing shit into my head!" Gray cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. "I thought you needed to at least talk to someone." Paige stood up, "you thought - was your first mistake." She leaned on the table and lowered her voice. "Let me tell you something...your cute little agency thing you got going on here? That doesn't mean shit when it comes to me and my past. And if you think for one moment that you can meddle with my former teammates you are sadly mistaken. Do yourself a favor and do not get involved in things you can't possibly understand." She leaned further on to the table. "You made a huge mistake having him come see me." "Is that so?" he said challengingly. "Yes, that is so. If Kihn knew what happened that night? What YOU allowed to happen that night? He would slice your throat from ear to ear and pull your tongue out without hesitation." "Is that a threat?" he said flatly. An empty threat maybe, she thought to herself. "You shouldn't underestimate his protectiveness over me because now he knows something is up and he won't stop until he figures it out." Gray sat contemplating her for a moment. "What did you tell him?" She smiled, "you're still alive, aren't you?" "Tell me something," he said standing up and gaining her eye level, "what exactly is 'up'? What was in that code that's so important?" "Stay out of it. Just leave it alone and walk away. I'm dealing with it." It was his turn to smile. "You're not dealing with it so well now." "Don't push me Gray," she hissed at him. "You are very close to being reprimanded," he said angrily. "Oh yeah?" she said evenly, "I'll bet you one Oversight liaison that your wrong." Gray clenched his jaw and stared at her evenly. "Oh, I see." She waited for a moment for a response but got none. "Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought you were. You don't like being Joshua's lapdog so you send Kihn in, get him involved, maybe them two have a go at each other? Maybe pick each other off so you don't have to deal with either of them anymore?" She laughed and shook her head. "It's just not that flattering, they would never do that, they're not capable of it." She looked at him steadily, "neither of them care that much." He nodded his head and folded his arms across his chest. "You've got it all figured out don't you?" Paige gazed back at him. "You've been around those people too long. I don't have an agenda. I just wanted to help." Paige raised her eyebrows, "I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that." She turned to walk away. "Paige." She turned back around. "Paige, there are good people in this world�" She held her hand up, "Stop Gray. Your display of piety is more pathetic than your attempt at deceit." With that she grabbed her bag and walked away. She took only a few steps before she turned around. "You started this...now be a man and deal with it." She grabbed the door and went down the stairs. She hesitated before going out as her mind whispered words of warning. She sighed and decided to sit on the stairs instead. Baz finally came out and stood in front of her. "Everything ok between you two?" Paige nodded, "yeah, just some differences of opinion." "With the whole Sara thing?" Baz said and lightly grabbed Paige's hand. "No, some other stupid shit." He led her outside and stopped by his truck. Paige leaned against it her arms folded across her chest. If Gray had sent Kihn then what exactly had Kihn's intentions been? She had thought it was to ask her forgiveness, to work things out between them. Was she wrong? Was she setting herself up again for betrayal? Was Gray after the information in the code? Was Kihn being used as a pawn again? Or was Kihn seizing the opportunity to gain favor with TPTB for his own purposes? No, she furrowed her brow, Kihn was a simple man, not into climbing ladders and being a lapdog. But he's done it before, she reminded herself. But that was different. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts...was it different? She pushed Gray and Kihn into the background, let her Tigers work on that for awhile. She focused back to the next problem at hand: Alexei and Sara. 'Katrin' her mind reminded her sarcastically. Baz stood in front of her, "and then?" "Kiddie porn?" she shivered at the thought of that mans hands on her best friend. "This is gonna suck," Baz said quietly looking around. What are you looking for? She glanced around the area herself. "Did you see the way she was so...into him?" He looked back to her, "are you referring to the way her chin hit the ground or the way her tongue rolled out on the floor?" Paige groaned, "Baz, what are we gonna do?" "We're gonna help her," he said putting his hand on Paige's shoulder and catching her eyes. "We'll find out what we can and we'll get her out of there." "She's gonna hate us," Paige whispered. "Maybe, at first, but this guy has got to come down...and we've got to do it." He was right, she knew he was right. Alexei had to be taken out. "Ok," Paige said, "you buy the first round? I could use one." Baz grinned leaning in to kiss her forehead lightly, "you got it kiddo." He grinned, "you gals are weird." Paige smiled, Baz was good for the team. A good constant, a good center. If he only knew what he had been forced to hook up with, what they were, three former Section One operatives, he might not be so receptive to their weirdness. They both got into his truck a he started the engine. "We'll scout the place first, back alleys and what not, see if there are other entrances..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the steering wheel. The truck was parked head on and the only view offered out of the windshield was a small wall that edged the parking lot of the safehouse. Paige scanned the small area anyway. He looked to her as she caught his eyes, the same eyes that looked back at her from the mirror constantly nowadays. She could feel it now, no longer on the fringes of her emotions but not as bad as those nights she had to spend in the hallway clutching her gun. "You feel that?" he asked quietly. She nodded her head, yeah, she felt it...being watched. Was paranoia contagious? After a moment, he shook himself. "This is weirding me out," he said as he slammed the truck into reverse. "Let's just get this done with." "Agreed," Paige said, her eyes straying to the outside again. "Let's get this done." Return |
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