Unpredictable

With the others scattering to go about their work, Garret's face remained with half a scowl. Why did everything he say fall on deaf ears? Reese was a fool for not listening to him.

He leaned back against the cubicle wall and folded his arms, looking over the main floor. Every day he asked himself if he'd been an idiot to come here, and every day that answer seemed to grow just a bit more vague. Now that there were several active cases, he was left to his own devices most days, and most days that meant he was either cooped up in his cell or taking it out on a punching bag. But that routine was growing pretty old. He continued to steer clear of the infirmary. Aaron had been allowed to get up and walk the room - or at least the best he could - as long as Hal was there, but Garret knew better than to show his face in there again just yet. The only thing he knew about that end of things though, was that Justin was to work with Aaron on a regular basis, at least until he calmed down. Otherwise... everyone pretty much ignored Garret's presence, making it even harder to care about anything.

"You might try to get it through Reese's thick skull that this Agency operative isn't going to do anything predictable." He tossed Nate a glance over his shoulder. "The only way to make any headway is to be just as unpredictable." His stubborn side wanted to say the heck with it. But he was so bored, and...deep down, he still wanted to prove his new allegiance.

"Whoever this is, he's going to expect the logical thing. He's going to predict that Reese will find the warehouse and locate the girl. Then he'll assume Reese will send in a team in broad daylight. That would be the safe way to go. But he'll be expecting that, and will probably take down more than one of your own agents, not to mention he'll end up killing the girl - probably in front of somebody just for shock value. If I were Reese, I'd send in the best man he's got - two at most - after dark for an extraction. Most of the guys sent in on these types of Agency missions are trained on surface methods of psychological torture, but in all reality, they lack brains to think on their feet. He's got a plan, and if he said there's a second victim, you can be sure it's true. But react differently than he expects, and you'll have a split moment to get the upper hand and hopefully save at least one of the victims."

He paused, still just looking over his shoulder. "But then...my job is to just sit down and shut up."


"Want anything to eat?" Justin gestured to the vending machine in the break room.

Jared shook his head and simply remained seated, slouched in his wheelchair.

Justin studied him a moment before sliding into a chair at the table. "You alright?"

"Really?" Jared rolled his eyes. "That's the best you can come up with?"

Justin shrugged. "Seems you're more than just worried about Grace." He cocked his head, still studying his brother's body language. "You're blaming yourself for something. What is it?"

Was it that obvious? Or was Justin just that good? Jared wasn't sure. Either way, it was too hard keeping this bottled up inside. He couldn't take it. "We had a fight," he admitted, then shook his head. "Not really. It was all me. I said some pretty mean things and...then this."

Justin pursed his lips before sighing. That was the worst feeling, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for his brother. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Jared swallowed hard and picked at a loose thread on his jeans. "I don't know. Maybe. Probably. I just...don't think she knows that after the things I said."

"She does," Justin assured. "And she's going to be alright. We're going to find her, and she's going to be alright."

Jared gave him a look of disbelief. "You think I didn't hear that guy out there? I don't know who he is, but he was awfully confident that this was not going to end well."

"Yeah, well he's got a big mouth."

Jared frowned. "What do you do here anyway? Why would someone come after you like this?"

"I'm really not sure." Justin would rather keep the focus on his brother, but he couldn't ignore his own part in all this, no matter how much it made his stomach churn. Not to mention, what Garret said did bother him - he knew the ex-Agency member knew all too well how these things worked. "I'm just contract labor - I don't even have a badge. Reese calls me to make evaluations on tough cases they bring in. I get to figure out if someone is trustworthy or not, decide if they need counseling, maybe work with the myself - that sort of thing."

"Oh."

Justin quirked an eyebrow. "What did you think I did here?"

"I dunno. I just... I guess I didn't realize you were so close to working with such dangerous people."

"Maybe I didn't realize it either. I'm sorry...about Grace. If I would have known-"

"Pete said they'd want me to blame you," Jared interrupted.

"Do you?"

Jared shrugged as his eyes lowered. "I just want her to be okay."

"Me too..." Justin stood up again to pace the room. Who else did the kidnapper have in mind? Who else was Justin supposed to think of? How could he choose who to save when he didn't even know who else would be involved? Was Garret right? Were there no rules to play by? Was the kidnapper just stringing him along for the fun of it? Was there even really a second person? And what on earth could Justin do to prevent any of this? Why him? He hadn't thought he'd ever be a target. He wasn't involved enough. Or was he?

"Yo. Justin." Jared snapped his finger. "You listening?"

"Huh?" Justin turned around, not having heard a word.

"I was asking you where the bathroom was."

"Oh. Sorry. Follow me."


"I don't know!" Travis tugged at the ropes that held his wrists tightly behind the metal chair in which he sat. A backhanded slap made his head spin, and split his bottom lip open for the third time. Licking the blood and spitting it out on the floor, he glared up at his captor. "I have told you all I know," he hissed. "My dad told me he grew up in Texas and worked at a couple ranches. That's it! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

The tall man sneered and rubbed his knuckles. "You can't tell me he never talked about the R/M ranch and how valuable the folks there are."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Travis leaned his head back and closed his eyes out of frustration. What had his dad been involved in? He'd never told Travis anything, other than he'd been raised in an orphanage, got out when he could, job-hopped, and hadn't settled down til he met Travis' mom. Travis wouldn't have guessed in a million years that his dad had crossed paths with such ruthless people. And what was this ranch they kept talking about? Nothing was making sense.

"If you don't know nothin' about it, then why are you here? Why are you so close to the ranch, huh? There's no such thing as a secret - you know more than you're saying."

Travis growled and looked at the guy again. "Seriously? You're here too and you don't have any answers. Look, I said it before, I'll say it again. I was born in Louisiana and when I was about two years old, my family moved to Texas. Don't ask why - I was too young to be in on that particular family discussion. As to why we're so close to this freakin' ranch you keep talking about, you'll have to ask my dad himself because last I knew, he didn't want to be far from where he works, just like any sane individual - of which you are obviously not." His smart remark earned him a fresh punch to the face, this time to his right eye. Swallowing hard and taking a moment to ignore the pain, his glare returned. "Must be nice. Picking on a kid. Make ya feel good, does it?" He lurched in his chair, which helped him gain all of half an inch forward. "How about you let me loose and then see who gets the upper hand?"

"Ahh, so your daddy did teach you a thing or two about fighting."

Actually, no. Travis hadn't ever seen his dad hit anything other than to kill flies, and the only time he'd seen any kind of temper at all was when his mother tried to get her own way. Travis had a friend who showed him a thing or two every so often, but for the most part, he was clueless when it came to self-defense, let alone offense. But it didn't stop him from lurching again. If he had to move that half inch at a time, he was going to make it to the door if it was the last thing he did.

Lane wasn't so sure everyone else would forgive him as readily as Angel, for having almost betrayed them all. He wanted to believe they'd save Travis, but how? What could any of them really do? Scanning the faces, he couldn't tell if they felt more sorry for him, more scared, or more upset. 

Mick caught Angel's eyes and sighed, but gave her a short nod. He wouldn't let Lane be left on his own in this. They were a family - including Lane. Feeling Rosetta's hand, he took it in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. This was hard on all of them. But they'd all accepted that this was their life - sometimes they were left alone, and sometimes they went to war. And right now, it was war. 

"She's right." He spoke to Lane. "We'll do all we can. Thank you for coming clean. It's the only way we're gonna get your boy back." 

"But how can you help?" Lane wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, finally back in control of his emotions. "We don't even know where they're holding Travis." 

"Luke?" Mick turned. "Go fire up the coffee pots. It's gonna be a long night." He pulled out his cell phone. "I'm calling Reese." 

"Wait, no." Lane stood. "If you involve the Elite, the Agency will know."

Mick's thumb hovered over his phone's screen and he cocked his head. "Funny. I don't think I mentioned the name Reese being connected to the Elite." Suspicion laced his tone. "You got anything else to tell us?"

Lane swallowed hard and glanced at his sister, then back again. "N...no. Why? I mean, I heard you guys talking about Reese before and I just assumed..."

"You didn't assume anything." Mick dialed. He'd counted at least ten instances where Lane had either not been surprised by something he should have been, or he knew something he couldn't possibly know after being gone all these years. It wasn't adding up. "We're going to find Travis. But in the meantime, you better start thinking how you're gonna explain how you know so much about us and this place." Hearing the phone ring on the other end, he left the room. 

Lane's eyes traveled the room to find a new wave of distrust. "I haven't been with the Agency," he insisted quietly. "I swear." 

Sparky's eyes narrowed. Mick had reservations - that much was clear. And he had plenty of his own. "I hope helping you out isn't going to get the rest of us in trouble. But if it does...it's on your head." He turned to stalk out and cool off. 

Lane's shoulders dropped, and he decided not to look at his sister again. It was pretty clear he hadn't yet told them everything. He didn't deserve to be helped. But he couldn't refuse. Not when Travis' life was on the line.


Reese sat behind his desk and gave Sapphire a grin as he was handed the papers. "I feel lucky every day to have you here, and even luckier that you actually stick around." He scanned the layout of the buildings and nodded. "You're probably right. This is great. You..." His voice trailed off as his private line rang and he held up a finger to keep her there as he answered the phone. "Yeah? Mick? What's up?" He leaned back in his chair and scrunched his eyes shut. "I hate to say this, but the timing couldn't be worse... Yes, I understand... But we're in the middle of our own crisis here. We're in the middle of a life or death situation that we just found out is Agency-related as well.... Uh-huh... Really? Do you know how much time he's got? .... I just really don't know what to do, Mick, I'm sorry. I've got an ex-Agency guy here who I can't trust, Nate's his handler and I can't let him go, Rick and Hal are both taking care of a hothead prisoner, Misty's in no shape to travel, Scott can't handle it, I need Dalton here, Pete and Jamie are both on the case, Gunner and Wyatt are my only stable operatives at the moment, and Jason's got a hit out on him, with Katie as his bodyguard and if I send them to you, it's just going to endanger you all even more." Just listing that all made his head swim. "You sure you can't go to local authorities? ... Yeah, I know. .... No, no, you're right. You can't trust anybody else when it comes to the Agency. Look, all I can do is.... What's that? .... No, everything's being disbanded. We've got the FBI looking over our shoulders on top of everything else and my hands are starting to get tied a whole lot more than I'd like, I..." He paused as an idea struck him. "Tell you what, you do whatever you need to do. As far as the law is concerned, the Elite has your back. Don't be stupid, but if you need to act, act. In the meantime, let me follow up on a lead and I may still be able to get you some help. Sit tight as long as you can. .... Okay... you too." 

Hanging up, he groaned and looked back up to Sapphire. "Sorry. This thing is getting out of control. Thank you for the blueprints. You're amazing and I owe you. I'll owe you even more if you take these out to Nate and have him think through this with Gunner and... Jason. Yeah. Thank you." He stood up and grabbed his keys. "I need to run an errand. I will be right back." Leaving without any more explanation, he hollered over his shoulder as he jogged. "Susanne, call me as soon as any other calls come in!" He didn't slow as he headed across the main floor and out the door.


Levi couldn't have been happier with Karla's response. She seemed bright, willing, polite and kind. At the very least, he was anxious to see if this worked out. If not, he didn't feel this had been a waste. But he hoped she'd be just what they needed around the office. "Then Monday it is!"

Finishing up lunch, there was just a bit more small talk, but Levi did need to get back to work. There was still a lot to do before the weekend...


"...You offered her what?" Keith stared at his son across the dining room table, his fork halfway to his mouth as the family ate supper together.

Levi inwardly cringed, but held a neutral expression. "Uh-huh." He nodded and glanced at his mother, who held up her hands. 

"This is between you two," she reminded. "You're on your own."

Keith set down his fork and folded his hands. "Son...you know our budget. Why would you do that?"

"I'll take a cut in pay. I already figured it out."

"But...why?" Keith's eyebrows couldn't get any more contorted if he'd tried. "You usually think with your head, not with a smitten heart. What's with you?"

Levi's smile finally faded and he set his fork down as well. "I'm far from smitten, so you can drop that theory. She's pretty and nice, but there's more to her and I simply felt convicted to give her a helping hand. She's had it rough and..." He shrugged lamely. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

Keith sighed and shook his head. "I don't know whether you're displaying a stroke of genius or if I ought to have you committed. But I guess if you're willing to take a cut in pay, then there's no reason not to give it a try. You really are sure?"

"I am." Levi was certain. He couldn't explain why. He didn't know why Karla had struck him like she had. But he knew without a doubt she hadn't tripped over that silly bucket for no reason.

Old Memories

Nate looked to Reese and than to Garret. If anything new the moves of the Agency it would be Garret. He himself thought it would be a good to keep him in the loop on this one. He hoped Reese would let him since he would be the best person to know every angle.

Hanging up with Reese Sapphire quickly got to work pull up some different blue prints. It wasn't an easy task since those building had been abandoned for a long time, but at the same time he'd hacked into harder places.

Finally getting in and printing them Sapphire heads to Reese office as she looks them over there were several papers, several doors, places to hide...it was going to be tricky.

   "You are lucky I am good at my job. Here are the blue prints. There is one hall way that connects all the buildings. It's kind of like a sky bridge. I think that might be a good place to start if you are going to scout something."

Karla couldn't help but laugh and she took a sip of her water. She new she was going to like working for Levi and his dad already.

   "Monday sounds great. I'll be there."

Just watching her brother Angel'e heart broke into a million pieces. There were still so many unanswered questions but all she cared about was how much pain her bother was in and it was so clear to see. She loved him so much, more than anyone would ever know and to see him like this...she hated it, and she hated the Agency.

   "I have a nephew."

Angel's words hung in the air as it sunk in. She was an Aunt...a small smile passed her lips before it was gone again, more anger and sadness replacing that small bit of joy.

   "Well help get him back Lane, I promise we will. No one is angry with you because honestly if it had been us...I bet we would have done the same thing. We know people who can help."

Looking at Mick Angel had hope in her eyes. The Elite could help, they all could help. Lane hadn't done anything wrong yet, so it wasn't to late. She only hoped the others agreed too.

Hearing everything Lane said Rosetta places her hand on Mick's arm. She was happy he had come clean, they could now try and help him and still a wave of fear washed over her. It had been a long time since they had been targeted by the Agency and it brought back a whole load of old memories.