Chapter One
Frank
I walked into my bosses office dropping the file on his desk.
“Oh you’re back,” He looked up at me over his glasses, “Any problems?”
“No sir,” I said shaking my head, “No problems.” None that he needed to hear about anyway, “Everything’s in the report,” well…most everything was in the report, I couldn’t include somethings...
“Thanks Frank, you’re one of the best,” my boss, Grady, stood up hitting my arm with the file, “Wish we had more like you,” I gave a weak non-heartfelt grin.
“Thank you sir,” I said, “Anything else?”
“Just did you enjoy yourself?” Grady asked me. I forced another smile and nodded.
“Best time ever,” I gave my boss a bold face lie, I wished I’d never gone on this mission. Everything had changed for me. Nothing was the same, nothing was right now.
“Good, that’s what I like to hear,” Grady said, “Another bad guy behind bars,” I felt a twang in my chest as I nodded
“Where they belong,” I grinned a little walking out of his office, I closed the door behind me walking down the hallway, but I didn’t make it far, in the deserted corridor, I stopped punching the wall with all my might, I felt the stinging in my hand, I thought I even felt a few fingers break. But I didn’t even care.
I rested my forehead against the wall closing my eyes, not even pulling my now bleeding fist from the wall.
I didn’t even get it. This was supposed to be a simple mission, short sweet, easy. I focused on the pain in my fist, it helped, lesson the pain everywhere else.
I couldn’t help it I started to think about that short time before. Three weeks? Really? Had it only been three weeks since I heard my boss say, "It's not that we don't trust your brother. It's just that you have better experience dealing with undercover operations," I couldn’t help but wonder if Joe had gone with me things would be different…
I felt like I was back in my room packing again…
I heard the grumbling behind me, the tell tail sign Joe was here.
"You know it's not personal, Joe" I said. A muttered sentence that sounded kinda like 'favorite' came back. I shook my head and went back to packing.
"Call Nancy go do...something," I said.
"She's busy." Joe muttered.
"They only needed one," I said, "I'm sorry, honestly, but I can't choose who they send to Ireland."
Joe sighed going to sit in my chair starting to spin it around using my desk to push off from.
"It's just... I'm gonna be bored," Joe said.
"Lord knows that's dangerous," I grinned at Joe.
"Ha. Ha." Joe said, rolling his eyes.
"C'mon it'll be fine, I'll be back in no time at all, then it'll go back to normal, we'll try to get ourselves killed," I grinned at Joe who grinned back a little, chuckling.
"Deal. But you're the one who dies," Joe said. I chuckled putting more in my suitcase.
"Deal," I said, grinning at my kid brother, "But now I need to pack,"
"Gotcha," Joe said, standing up, finding himself sightly wobbly reaching out to grasp my desk, "I'm getting to old for that," I laughed shaking my head.
"You wish, I hate to see you when you're forty," I smirked.
Joe rolled his eyes but stumbled out of my room, I chuckled. What was I gonna do without my dorky brother?
Probably enjoy peace and quiet, I chuckled a little to myself as I opened my dresser pulling out another pair of jeans putting them in my stuffed suitcase.
I wasn't sure I had everything but what all was needed for who knows how many weeks in Ireland. I shoved my iPod charger in my suitcase before zipping it up.
I yanked it off the bed pulling the handle up and slipping my stuffed backpack on pulling my suitcase out and down the stairs letting the suitcase bang down the steps behind me.
"You're gonna break that thing," Joe said sounding more like me than my immature little brother.
"Yeah, yeah," I said smirking and sounding like Joe.
Joe stood walking over to me. "You'd better behave," Joe kept up with sounding more like me again. I smirked.
"What fun is that?" I whined.
"Fun in you stay.....alive? Oh forget it, I can't keep up with the crazy safety freak," Joe said, chuckling.
"It's so much easier to be you," I rolled my eyes, starting for the door pausing and turning around, "Oh, and Joe?"
"Yeah?" Joe blinked.
"Don't get arrested," I said.
"That's what I was looking for!" Joe said. I laughed before opening the door and walking out.
~*~*~*~*~
I settled back in my seat on the airplane, these cross the ocean flights were nice, room to spread out. I leaned my seat back and I pulled my backpack out pulling out a folder opening it in my lap, it was thicker than our normal files.
'Your mission' my brain instantly added "should you choose to accept it" I grinned a little to myself Joe was rubbing off on me.
'Is to gain deep cover to try and gain information on the underground resistance that's been forming in Ireland. Your cover name is Frank Harsen, you're an American who's been working with gun traders and has connections. The Rich Mans Pub is a known local hang out for the resistance, so try and stay nearby.
We've included a burn cell phone in the name of Frank Harsen in case of emergencies, this is to be used as a last resort. We have also given you passports, IDs, and credit cards in your new name.
Contact with us and or friends and family must be severely limited because of your cover, be sure that you only use your fake name, any and all contact with ATAC must be only in extreme emergencies.
If you are in need of instant extraction call us on your burn phone."
I read over the file a couple times before flipping the page over to see a drivers license passport and a credit card I pulled them all out putting them away in my backpack. Leaning back on the seat and turning on the personal TV in the back of the seat in front of me, leaning back and slipping headphones on letting myself relax, probably the last time I'd be able to relax until I got back home. Who knows when that would be. After my third movie I switched to music.
I guess somewhere along the lines I fell asleep because the next thing I knew I was awoken by the announcement that we were landing. I blinked a little sitting up and yawning, I pulled the now dead headphones off my ears leaving them a little sore from beige under the pressure of the headphones.
I rubbed my ears as we slowly descended to the ground. When we were aloud I stood up with the rest of the people stretching my sore muscles and yawning.
"Welcome to Dublin, Ireland," The pilots voice came over the overhead speakers, "Local time is ten fifteen, so a good morning to everyone, I hope everyone was able to catch some shut eye to help with the jet lag,"
Guess I was ahead of the curve if that was the case, always a bonus jet lag could be a witch. I slowly filed offend plain with everyone else, it always amazed me how many people could fit onto a plain and it still fly across an entire ocean. I walked up the ramp and I was greeted by a welcoming airport. Of course at this moment all I really cared about was finding my hotel and getting settled in and trying to figure out how I was supposed to pass for an arms dealer.
I was on auto-pilot, I was worn out even though I hadn't done anything but sat and slept, but I was still worn out and I wanted to relax for a bit and get my feet under me. I found the luggage claim, I leaned against a pillar watching the luggage spin, it was almost medicinal watching the luggage spin. Just about when I was about to fall asleep I saw my dark blue suitcase come around, I quickly pulled it off. I didn't remember it being that heavy when I first packed it.
I managed to get outside and into a cab, I barely remembered the hotel address, I sure hoped I'd been right, I didn't need to try and dig through all my paperwork just to get a number. Luckily the cabbie seemed to understand and take me to the right place.
I thanked him and got into the hotel checking in and string my room key going inside the room, flopping down on my bed it felt good to be in a normal bed, even if I couldn't really breathe with my face in the blankets and my legs hanging awkwardly off the bed.
I don't know how long I laid there, just until I felt better and more, well, human. I got back up to my feet stretching and going to put my clothes away to make the sterile room feel more like home.
I sighed sitting down on the bed, it was strange being alone, I never really was alone, Joe was there or Nancy or well, someone, I rarely got any time alone except when Joe was out with Raylinn, which was fine, I didn't care, they could take off and enjoy themselves, but still to be in a hotel and have it be dead silent? It was almost...scary.
I clicked on the TV to some random station just for background noise, just to keep my sanity. At that time my phone rang, not my new Frank Harsen phone but my old cell phone. I picked it up.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey," Joe said, "How was the flight?"
I grinned a little, actually glad to hear Joe's voice.
"It was good, I'm kinda tired though," I said, laying back on the bed.
"See? I should've gone, you're to weak for this," Joe said, I could just hear him smirking.
"I just have to keep this whole thing straight," I sighed, licit a double life wouldn't be my idea of a fun day, that's for sure.
"Keep what straight?" Joe asked. I paused.
"Joe I don't know what I can tell," I said.
"Oh, yeah, forgot." Joe sighed.
"C'mon we'll do something fun when I get home," I said.
"Uh-huh, deal, but you need me to stop talking?" Joe asked.
"Yeah," I said, "I'm gonna take a nap then head on out."
"M'kay," Joe said
"Oh and Joe?" I said.
"Yeah?" Joe paused, I could just see him blinking on the other side of the phone.
"I dunno if you can keep calling me on this line, so just hold off unless it's an emergency," I said. I thought I heard Joe sigh but he tried to cover it with an upbeat 'Oh I see how it is,' but I knew him better than that.
"Talk to you soon, I promise." I said before hanging up. I knew Joe would never say it but he was hurt by the fact I'd gotten this mission and he hadn't.
Actually now that I thought about it, I Joe hadn't gotten a full fledge mission since the fasco where he was Accused of murder, ATAC said they trusted him, but actions always spoke loader than words and the fact that they weren't giving him missions? That was kinda huge.
I wish I'd realized this sooner, I might've been more insistent he come along this mission, but I sat aside a mental note to speak to Grady about making sure that Joe got a mission soon.
I glanced at the clock, all of this was gonna have to wait, I needed some rest before trying to focus on the mission at hand.
I left the TV on for background noise, quickly falling asleep.
Last edited by Carolyn_Keene on Fri Oct 01, 2010 12:42 am; edited 2 times in total
