"Message from the Past"

-June 14th 2008
Safe house 1-

There had been uncomfortablness *was that a word? Well it was now*
and Rebecca had left the office quickly, she didn't seem happy.
Bella had smiled nervously at gray and he had merely got up and
followed Rebecca. She couldn't remember is either of them had looked
at her before leaving but she also stood and sighed. Simon looked at
her nervously and she smiled reassuringly, she didn't feel reassuring
but she was good at lying.
"Simon don't look so worried, we're all grown ups here no one will
get shot." OK so maybe it wasn't so reassuring, she was playing a
little and the pained look on his face made her smile
genuinely. "Seriously, it will work out." She turned and left heading
for the bar or more precisely the Rec room next to it. Her
sketchbook in hand, her mind wandering, trying to remember if she may
have seen her brother at that show. She couldn't remember, she had
been so busy. She sort of flopped onto a sofa and used the remote on
the coffee table to flick the TV on. She wasn't interested but she
never watched TV so she thought it might take her mind off it all.
She flipped her book opened and retrieved her pencil from behind her
ears. When she realized what it was that she was drawing it made her
laugh, it had been an image of a very bug eyed Rebecca,
incredulousness on her face. She held it up and had a look at it;
this was one she didn't want Rebecca to see, that would be a bad
idea. She flipped it closed before lowering it and as she did
something slipped out of it. A piece of paper folded up neatly
with `Belle" written on it. She knew that writing.
How had she missed this, in her sketchbook of all places? It was the
perfect place to put anything if it was meant to be found by her.
But it must have been in the back of the book. Turning to book over
she noticed that the back looked almost identical as the front, well
that would explain why someone…he, had put it in the back of the book.
She heard footsteps coming and quickly tucked the note away and
slipped the book onto the table. When the body attached to those
footsteps appeared she was starring blankly at the TV.

-After meeting with Gray-

Damn it, no she was not going to lose her hobby. Gray was right, she
was an agent all the time, and she loved it. She hadn't believed
that line of argument anyway but she had had to try something. She
loved that fashion house and she hadn't rescued it from bankruptcy
just to hand it over to some croned upstart who had no idea of what
people wanted or how to run a successful fashion business.
She stood and paced. If she had had to choose between the two she
would always choose to be an agent, the fashion world was too
superficial to keep her interest full time and her life would be too
easy if it was just the fashion house. But she would fight to keep
it all the same.
She hated the way she had acted, pouting and carrying on but whatever
gets her what she wants is what she would do. She had always been
like that, do whatever it takes to survive, and to a lesser extent
whatever it takes t get what you want. There were some things she
wouldn't do for desire.
Her sketchbook caught her eye as she paced past the coffee table and
she stopped dead. Why had she hidden it? Why hadn't she just told
gray? Because even though she was pretty sure that she knew what it
was she hadn't looked at it yet.
She sat down and carefully, almost as if it was something fragile,
pulled it out of the book, and opened it.
"Abandoned factory. Poplar Ave. 21.00"
So simple, so informative, so…deadly. That's how it felt, deadly.
This was a trap. She knew it, Gray would know it, Paige would know
it, and she didn't know about the new guy. But even though that is
what it felt like and most likely that is what it was she also knew
one other thing. She would be making this meet.
She was staring at the paper as all this went through her mind and
she looked up as another dilemma came to her. When would she tell
Gray about this? Now? In his office? Or during the briefing, a
little surprise?

-Grays Office-

She went into Gray's office after knocking and receiving and invite.
He looked up at her as she did so, not smiling, not frowning, just
looking. She moved to his desk and placed the note on it and stepped
back again choosing not to sit.
"What is this?" he asked cautiously.
"A note, found it in my sketch pad. It's Lachie's writing."
He studied it closer. "You found it this morning?" Looking up at her
his eyes interested, curious, and not seemingly suspicious.
"Yeah it was in the back of the book, didn't find it till it fell out
a little while ago."
He read the note, and then read it aloud seeming to be considering
something. He didn't speak and she was feeling anxious, something
most people didn't think she ever felt. It was rare; she was usually
laid back but this morning nothing was going right. When she felt
like she'd jump out of her skin if he didn't say something soon she
jumped in herself.
"I want to make the meet."
He looked up and considered, thinking hard, it didn't look like it
pained him too much.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. We have no idea what this meeting
is about, or what will happen."
"I think I do know what it's about and I didn't say I would go in
alone." He waited for her to continue, "Send me in, with as much
backup as you want. You said you were sending Paige and a new guy
anyway. Let me make contact. I can almost guarantee you Lachie is a
leader in his organization but not the leader, not the head honcho,
he doesn't have that in him. I don't know where he thinks I've been
all this time but I'm pretty sure he would never suspect the truth.
Give me a cover, let me go in. This is what I'm good at, information
retrieval, undercover work, for want of a better phrase."
He put the page down and looked at her leaning back in his
chair. "This is hardly your average job though. You have a great
ability to separate yourself from any emotional attachments, but this
is very different." He was doubtful but not overtly against the idea
yet. She may yet get what she wanted.
"I can do this. The man he was is dead to me; I can handle this with
the same professionalism I deal with every other mission I go on. At
least let me try."
"And what if it goes wrong? He suspects something, or…he already
knows, what happens if he turns on you?"
"He's done it once before, I dealt with it then I could do it again.
It'd be much easier this time."
"I think retrieval would be better, let someone further removed from
the situation handle the questioning."
"Do you think he'll talk to anyone else? We were trained to die with
our information, never give it up unless you knew the person you were
trusting was trustworthy."
"And what makes you think he'll think you're trustworthy?"
She had been pacing and now she turned to him, and looked him dead in
the eye.
"He's the one who betrayed me, not the other way around."
He paused and sighed looking at her closely.
"Bella I need to know that if you are allowed to continue with this
mission that you will not kill him should anything go wrong. If you
can't get it from him we need to bring him in."
She looked at him. Kill him? Could she? Would she? Whatever the
answer she knew what Gray needed to hear and decided to respond
appropriately.
"I…I don't think I could. Even if I'd wanted to. Maybe if my life
depended on it but otherwise," pause; look down, heartfelt
voice, "No."

-Later-

She had left the office shortly after that discussion and she knew
that Gray would probably be consulting with Rebecca about it all
now. Rebecca would be doubtful but give the all clear. It was the
way Bella wanting it to go, and therefore it is the way it would go,
she was sure of it.