Shock of Death

It was all Garret could do, not to allow his heart rate to pick up, or emotions show in his eyes. It felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over him and Victoria, and no one else could see it. But he could. And it was a sign of the future that he couldn't shake.

Giving a slight bow, he whispered his response. "If at all possible, I'll be there." He slowly backed away to allow her another dance partner. As he stepped beside her to leave, his final words were left in her ear. "Don't worry. You're prettier when you smile." And he was gone.

Their eyes would meet few times during the rest of the evening, as he stood guard and performed his duties as commanded. And when the festivities came to a close, Garret would not appear in their secret place under the tree. Too much was happening with too many eyes, making a meeting impossible, lest they give themselves away. While Garret knew Victoria would assume the facts and understand, he still longed to assure her that he had wanted to see her. Wanted to hold her. Wanted to kiss her. But his longing seemed only to ever be in vain.

The next couple weeks, Garret would blame fate for keeping them apart. Extra duties, long nights and short missions cluttered the days to the point of no free time, except for those few short moments when he could catch a glimpse of the woman who owned his heart. Could she read his eyes? Could she know for sure he loved her? Could she find reason in her mind for what he was about to do? And as he left on the mission Medridge had given him, he wondered in that final moment their eyes met if it would be the last. Hope was all he had. Hope for a future beyond the hiding.

Sitting in the back of the darkened van as he was driven to the airstrip, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He needed focus. The opening had not yet presented itself, but surely it must before he returned. If it didn't, he might indeed go mad.


Hearing Rosetta chide him, Mick spun around before pulling his hat down low to cover his face...and his grin. Sidling up close to her, he peeked out from under the brim and gave her a sheepish look. "You love me too much to be too mad...right?" He finally revealed his smile, and his eyes that twinkled with a mischief that didn't often surface anymore. It was a look that closely resembled one he might have given her in their youth. "Besides...admit it...this ol' cowboy is irresistible." Still smiling, he leaned in and gave her lips a long kiss. He knew he was hot, sweaty, and smelled of horses, but that didn't stop him. As he pulled back just a little, humor danced in his gaze. "You won't tell Angel, will you?"

Walking the horse into the barn, Eric waved off the amused glances from some of the other guys. Yes, he'd been out there fooling around. Yes, it had been a little stupid. And yes, he'd probably pay for it tomorrow in soreness - especially his bad leg. But...it had been worth it.

He tied the horse in the aisle and started to unsaddle, talking quietly to her the entire time as his hands moved without much thought. However many years he'd been on the road had not robbed those hands of  what they knew best, nor had they removed his gentle touch when it came to horses. Once all he tack was off, he took the mare back outside to wash her off. After tying her to the pole, he used the water hose to wash away all the sweat and grime from their short but exerting ride.

As Eric continued to work, he spotted Ashlee nearby. Had she seen them riding? He wondered what she might think now. Maybe it lessened her opinion of him even more, for doing something crazy like that. But at this point, he didn't have a whole lot to lose. Daring to see if he could at least get a smile out of her, he aimed the hose in her direction. It was a quick blast of water, but enough to make her wet before he turned back to the horse as if he'd never even stopped.


Scott had to smirk at Dalton, and a little grin emerged before he passed him a cold Mountain Dew. “Yeah. Withering. You’ve only got hours left, tops.” 

Though his eyes returned to his computer screen, his mind was hard at work over his friend’s words. Could he really let things go? He didn’t like feeling this way. Angry. Bitter. He knew it was a natural byproduct of what had been done to him, but regardless, he knew it wasn’t healthy, nor was it right. But letting go almost seemed more frightening than hanging on. For if he were to let go, he would be vulnerable. Was he really strong enough to make that step? 

A message on his screen brought his attention back to work, and he rolled his eyes. “Susanne is summoning me. Her printer isn’t working again. I shall return.”


Sector Seven. Alec’s doodle was now a bold scribble as he’d written over and over and over those two words on his notepad. The day was gone, others were leaving work for the night, and he was still in Sapphire’s cubicle. He’d skipped all meals today, but didn’t feel hungry. All he felt was an emptiness in his heart. 

He sighed and finally set his pen aside. He could go ask Reese permission to follow this lead. But either he would say no, or he’d send a squad, which would only get them in trouble. It was a one-man job at this point, and Alec was convinced it could bring results. Maybe it wouldn’t be the final answer they needed, but at least it would help. 

It wasn’t until a few more people had cleared off the floor that he finally rose. It was easy to make it downstairs without being seen. He knew all the security cameras and their movements by heart. It wasn’t hard to pick the lock into the lower level garage, or to find the hidden set of keys to one of the vehicles. Leaving was easy. It was getting back that would be hard. But he’d do it. This was what needed to happen. This was the right choice. Justice would be served eventually, and he would do his part.


…The next few days were filled with a strange haze of waiting, confusion and hunting. Misty was still in the hospital. Carson was still miserable, though finally clear-headed enough to help with the case. Everyone was still trying to find the perpetrators. There were still no hard leads. And Alec…he was still missing. 

It hadn’t been long after his departure that his absence had been discovered, along with the Elite vehicle. But he was good at covering his tracks. They’d hunted for a full day before Reese had decided to leave only Nate and Chance to search, while everyone else would return their focus to Misty’s case. The Elite vehicle had been found abandoned on a northern route, but that was their last lead. Had Alec gone off by himself to help, or had he run off to the Agency? No one knew for sure. But until they did, no one was to breathe a word to Misty. She would only be told he was busy on the case – which they hoped was true, but all were concerned. And as time went on, the haze of tiredness and anxiousness worsened. Everyone, it seemed, was on edge. All anyone wanted were answers. Hope was growing thin…


"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Scott took his hands off the keyboard and scooted his chair back, staring at his computer screen in surprise. As data came up out of nowhere, he finally dared to hit a few keys, squinting at the information. Another window popped open and his eyes widened before he gave Dalton a quick glance and picked up the phone. This was the first breakthrough – involving two mysteries at once. "Reese, get in here. Now. And bring the others.”

Within minutes, Reese was in the office, staring over Scott's shoulder, as were Carson, Katie and Jason.

"What's going on?" Reese stared at the computer, not understanding the data that was being displayed.

"We're receiving intel..." Scott shook his head. "Agency intel."

"What?" Reese frowned. "But... how? Who?"

Scott reached for the mouse and clicked open the one window he'd minimized. It was a live feed, showing Alec at the other end. He was sitting in some kind of room at a computer and typing vigorously. He glanced up at the camera on his monitor and winked. "Scott, I hope you're getting all this, 'cause I busted my butt to get in here."

"What on earth..." Reese blinked. "Where is he? Can you talk to him?"

Scott shook his head again. "I don't know his location, and the communication is one-way. We can see and hear him, but that's it. He said he wasn’t going to tell us where he was because you’d send agents, and he didn’t want anyone getting hurt. All I know is that he’s at some Agency facility.

Jason leaned forward and squinted at the incoming data. "What is all that?"

"Enough Agency intel to keep us busy for months. We'll know enough about near-future actions to give us the upper hand for at least a little while. There’s a good chance there are leads in here to whoever hurt Misty."

Jason’s eyes met Katie's for a moment. Who would have thought that Alec would be helping the Elite after all that had happened? It was also a great relief to know he hadn’t been kidnapped or chosen to run to the Agency.

Reese continued to look at the computer screen. "I wish we knew where he was - it's stupid that he's out there alone."

Carson scoffed. "He's always had a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock. He prolly stumbled onto the location of an outpost and went for it."

"Here's the last of 'em." Alec's eyes focused just below the camera as he continued to work on his end. "If I get back and find out none of this went through, I'm gonna scream. Like a girl. I swear."

A bar started scrolling across Scott's screen as they received more data. "This is the biggest file yet. Looks like it'll take a few minutes."

Reese sighed deeply. "I hate just watching. It's..." His words trailed off as there was suddenly more movement on the screen.

From their viewpoint through the computer camera, they could see just past Alec to a door behind him that flew open, and several figures appeared. Without warning, there was chaos. Men were shouting and Alec was rising from his chair, turning his back on the camera and blocking the view, while his own shouts mixed in with the indistinguishable argument.

Then a shot is fired.

Alec's body slammed back into the computer, then slowly slid to the floor, giving a clear view of the gunman, who fired off another shot down at Alec before pointing his pistol at the blood-smeared monitor. And the next thing viewed by the Elite team is a blank camera window and an error message that the file transfer had been interrupted.

A stunned silence fell over the office. No one dared speak as the shock saturates the atmosphere. All was deathly quiet for what seemed an eternity.

Carson was the first to move. Backing up a step, he spun around and exited the office without a word. Once out into the hall, it was his fist that slammed into the wall before he leaned against it with his eyes closed. How could this be happening? First his child. Now Alec? All for what? His anguished scream echoed through the Elite halls. 

Jason and Reese exchanged glances neither knowing what to do, and both in shock. Carson’s yell was enough to send chills through anyone. Jason looked to Katie, his eyes full of fear. They never spoke of it, but he knew she was the only one who might be able to calm Carson and keep him from doing something stupid. 

Scott swallowed hard as he trembled with a fear brought on by the Agency's cruel actions. His eyes remained glued to the blank computer screen, and he tried desperately not to let his irrational fears take over. But he could feel the wave of panic starting to rise within him.