| "Moonlighting" | ||
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New York City Library, Central Park West 1100 hours Paige took the steps to the library two at a time. Her 'car' she grinned would be waiting for her around the corner to take her back to SH2 when she was done. She walked in and suppressed a shiver at the huge vastness of intelligence that surrounded her. She hadn't been in a real library for years, ages it seemed, and she vowed to make a day out of exploring this particular one at some point. She climbed the steps slowly to the second floor and made her way to the back counting stacks of books as she went. Her hand trailed along the books as she came to the Hawkings section. She pulled one out randomly and flipped through it catching bits and phrases of Hawkings musing over his physics and theories on the world in general. "The time has come, for me to open my eyes, blind before, when I left you before..." She looked up, catching those startling hazel eyes she had photographed in her mind the night before. "I played your song last night," he said quietly. She smiled, "Mr. DJ," she said, "moonlighting?" He shrugged with a grin and looked over the plethora of books before choosing one. "Hawkins," he said opening one. "Great mind," she commented still watching him, this FBI man moonlighting as a DJ. "Yes," he said as his face twisted in confusion, "but what's with these pictures?" Paige leaned over to look, "that my record spinning friend, is quantum physics, see?" she pointed to the graph, "can have one of these guys two places at once. Simply mind boggling, really." "Simply mind 'numbing'," he said with an amusing grin. "Unfortunately, I did not come here to discuss physics with you, though I fear I wouldn't be able to hold up my side of the conversation anyway." He pulled a small envelope out and handed it to her. "Schematics of the fourth floor, guards, schedules, and cameras." "Anything on the fifth?" she asked the hazel eyed moonlighter. "No," he said, "there is nothing about the fifth floor. He does spend a lot of his time there though, apparently with his latest mistress, though that is just what I've heard from a few of the guards." Latest mistress? She suppressed a shiver even as more questions rose in her mind, took the envelope and exchanged it with hers. "Sniffer, needs to be put on the main feed coming into the fourth floor, should be towards the back of the building..." "I know the one," he said absently studying the envelope. "What else?" he looked to her expectantly. She blanked her face, "what else?" "Yes, when does the party start and who's invited?" "Once the intel is in place I'm sure your people will be contacted with all the details." He nodded, "fair enough." He looked at her for a moment before shifting his weight. She wasn't sure what, if any, questions he might be preparing to ask her but she didn't think waiting around to find out would be such a good idea. She had wanted to ask her own, 114 questions to be exact, what part he played in this, where the FBI stood, why weren't they willing to deal with this themselves, but she squelched the feeling. "Well," she said finally, tucking the book in her arm, "thanks for the intel." He nodded as she moved past him and down the row of books. She took the stairs to the main lobby and lingered by the help desk. She watched as he came out behind her after a few minutes. They made eye contact for one brief moment before he exited the building. She sighed moving to another row of books. She thought briefly of going back and taking his prints from the book he handled. If anything to satiate her own curiosity as to who he was. But she had neither the equipment nor the time, so, she dusted the book off that she had handled and placed it on the 'to be racked' table. She made her way then to the back of the library and passed out the back entrance. She walked the half a block back towards the park and got into her car. "Take a few corners before heading back," she mumbled to the driver. He shrugged as he pulled out and made for the park. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with that meet. Something seemed off, hell the whole day so far seemed off. She chalked it up to everything under the sun, lack of sleep, paranoia, stress, anxiety, performing her first meet as an Agent, anything else except what she felt�that she wasn't being told the whole story. Safehouse 1, Tactical Room Not being told the whole story, she thought, could possibly be better than knowing it. They, Rebecca and Gray, had clearly been disappointed in the meet. They were relying on information about the fifth floor though none had been obtained, or given. FBI man turned DJ seemed capable enough to handle something as simple as taking Konstantin out, he looked the part, moved the right way, shifted his eyes to take in details around him enough...but would he get his hands bloody? She didn't know quite honestly, she just didn't read into people that easily. So it had been set, the hit, and she was not particularly fond of the role she would play, and she moved about brooding silently as they readied themselves. Black, pure and simple, covered all of them from head to foot, weapons a plenty, and the special darts were handed over silently to Jordan. Simon was excited, regardless of anything he tried to do to conceal it, he was. Of course, he wouldn't be the one pulling the trigger or possibly be getting shot at. No, he had it pretty easy sitting in the nice comfy safe van watching computer monitors and playing with alarm systems. Club Samovar 0230 hours Simon went over the details of the hit one last time as the three SIA agents sat passively in front of him. He double checked the sniffer was working properly as FBI man turned DJ had placed it late in the afternoon. He had come through with that at least, and once getting a glimpse of the fourth floor through the hacked into cameras, he had come through with accurate details of the fourth floor as well. It was working properly and Simon now had control of fire alarms, cameras, and security. They were parked in an alley, not far from where Baz and Paige had been the previous night, and behind the west building that flanked Samovar. It was almost time. Paige hoped, for the FBI man turned DJ's sake, that the guards movements were just as accurate. Alpha 1, Baz, would stay behind at the fire door that entered on to the fourth floor of Samovar. He was their first contingent plan should something go wrong. Alpha 2, Paige, was the point and the trigger person. Alpha 3, Jordan, was her back up. If Paige couldn't do it, couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger, Jordan was there to make sure it got done. Paige wasn't sure why they had selected her to be trigger man. Perhaps, in some sick sadistic way, Rebecca was getting her ya-yas off whilst placing cash bets if Paige would do it or not. It was, after all, Paige's best friend, but murder? Cold blooded premeditated murder? Clearly that would be stretching the thin line and clearly Rebecca had formed a smile on her face when she read it in Paige's profile. Paige, upon being informed of her role in the game took it in stride, blanking her face as she had done a gazillion times before, and would probably do a gazillion times again, just as she was taught, just as the Section had taught her. Not as good as Mai though. Where had that random thought come in? Mai would be good for this sort of thing, she had bounce, she had lots of bounce. She had so much bounce she could have passed it out like candy and still had some left over. Bounce. Would Paige have enough bounce? When push came to shove and the bullet had its name...would she pull the trigger? Have to find the bounce again, she demanded of herself. "You're clear to go," Simon said breaking each of their reveries. "Keep us safe," Paige said to him. He nodded after a brief pause then returned to his laptop. Baz was out first followed quickly by Paige and Jordan. They moved easily to the third floor and halted. Paige studied the view out of the window that was in dire need of a washing. She took a deep breath letting it out slowly trying to clear her mind of the invading thoughts and worries. Her heart beat picked up speed in response to the chemicals, the adrenaline, pumping into her veins. No bounce, no play, she thought to herself. Got to have bounce... Return |
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