Title: Inside Man
Chapter 1 – One Wrong Move

Summary: Wordy's undercover with Guns & Gangs on the night of a big deal. But as he stands before his helpless best friend with his gun poised he knows the night is going to get a lot worse for him & Ed before it gets better. Will the team arrive in time or will Wordy's cover be blown and Ed's life be over?

Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing from the awesomeness that is Flashpoint, that belongs to CTV, CBC and whoever else! Lol Any other OC's are my own and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidence as I use a random name generator for most of my OC's

NOTE: CM-x-SN-x-HP-x-roxmysox (I hope you'll review one of these and save me the trouble of reporting you) thank you kindly.

A/N: Okay so this idea was mentioned briefly on FB by me just after Wordy's last eppy but was distracted my Spike's amazing eppy (shockwave) so have finally let Alice run with the idea and hope you like it. I loved Ed and Wordy together so hope you Ed/Wordy fans like this and I do your faves some justice. I will be back to my Spike centric stories shortly in the meantime please enjoy this little action/peril ficlet (hehe yes it's what Alice loves to write most :D

"Here is where you prove your loyalty to this brotherhood and to myself. You must kill officer Ed Lane."

Wordy stands before his captive best friend and former partner and feels his anxiety skyrocket. This wasn't supposed to happen. He had been working this gang for a few weeks and tonight was the night of the big deal and he was just going to be a spectator, a hired goon; helping with the goods but nothing more. However, that was now moot when Ed had been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and was now their prisoner. But was this just by chance? Was there someone else involved? Who knew he was undercover? Who really was on the phone? He was cleared before he went in and knew of no other under cover officer working the same case. Was he betrayed?

But with Ed now bound before him and in the grasp of two ruthless gang members and the merciless leader forcing his hand to move his gun to Ed's forehead, he knows that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.

If the team doesn't arrive soon he knows his cover could stand a good chance of being blow and then both he and Ed would be casualties in a very ugly turf war.

"Kill him now," the leader looks at Wordy before his men tighten their grasp on Ed, forcing his bound arms a little further behind his back and Ed's firm expression to offer a fleeting wince of pain. "Or maybe you'd prefer a knife," the leader snarls. "How about a slow and painful death instead?"

"Wait," a voice states as it steps from the shadows forcing both Ed and Wordy to turn and look and each offer fleeting expressions of shock and surprise. They were betrayed but by…him? How was this possible? He was supposed to be in jail.

"What the hell do you want?" The leader demands in anger.

"I have a better idea for officer Lane. That is unless anyone objects," he speaks directly to Wordy.

"Oh really? And what the hell might that be?" The leader wonders.

"A slow and painful death of course but at the hands of…"

What? Both Ed and Wordy lock eyes – was this the last time they'd see each other alive? Was it really going to end like this?

XXXXXXXX

~4 hours earlier~

"You know Ed sharing texts during working hours I think is against rules or something…unless you share," spikes teases their team leader after he and Sam witness Ed reading a text and then sharing a cryptic smile with only himself.

"Yeah didn't you get in trouble for that once?" Sam jibs Spike.

"I did and I had to share. Think it's a love note?"

"Oohh Ed Lane is passing love notes," Sam teases.

Ed looks up at them with a small frown forcing both Sam and Spike's smiles to instantly fade and serious expressions appear.

"But it...no not that," Sam frowns.

"Course an exception could be made…you know if you um…right so team meeting right?" Spike stammers, drawing a small smile to Ed's lips.

"It was from Wordy."

"Really?" Sam pipes up. "How's he doin'?"

"Workin' a big case but doin' fine. He can't share any details and I respect that," Ed answers with a small huff. But before he can linger and field any further oncoming questions from Spike and Sam, Ed takes his leave and heads off to the team room first.

"Ed Lane," Greg greets him with a smile. But when he notices his friends face tense he quickly surmises that something is wrong. "Bad news?"

"No," Ed pauses. "Just things are different with Wordy now. Our families still meet but…but when he's not working undercover things are fine but…"

"But?"

"But he's undercover right now and I feel…you know it's his job and I hafta respect that."

"You know it's not a trust issue right?" Greg counters softly.

"I know…it's just not the same and that takes some getting used to. He's undercover right now so plans for a BBQ on the weekend are moot."

"How long does he stay under?"

"He told me that he's only requested short stints and this one won't be that long. He said by the weekend it should be wrapped up but then he has to keep a low profile for a week after that just until the heat dies down and he's back on the streets again as one of us," Ed finishes with a hint of sorrow in his warm blue eyes.

"Wordy will be fine. Guess you're glad it's the end of the day," Greg states as he slowly eases himself down into a chair opposite Ed.

"End of the day," Ed echoes with a small frown.

"Okay…what is it? I know that famous Lane look and I don't like it," Greg slightly frowns as well. "What's really bugging you?"

"Something about Spencer's story just doesn't add up. I'm guessing that he just told us about that one stash of weapons but he has another hidden."

"Ed, let it go. It's not our problem any more. We saved his brother and now it's out of our hands. Let's just debrief and call it a night."

"Sounds good to me," Sam comments as him, Spike, Raf and Jules finally join them in the team one meeting room. Greg listens to the final input from his team but glances over at Ed every few minutes and knows that his team leader isn't going to let this one go that easily.

He knew Greg was right, he should just let it go but over the years he had learned how to read people and Spencer's comment followed by the sly wink told him that something just wasn't right and there was more to his story than he was telling them. He looks at his watch and frowns, it was late spring and the days still weren't that long and daylight had already fallen. Ed knows he's due at home for supper but still can't shake the nagging doubts inside his mind about another container of weapons waiting to be either discovered by the police and seized, or fall into the wrong hands and be sold on the streets in a burgeoning warf-turf war.

"Tell me you are going straight home," Greg warns Ed after the team had said their piece and left and it was just the two of them left it the silent room.

"I'm going straight home…one stop first."

"Ed," Greg starts in a warning tone.

"Hey can't a guy stop for some late night groceries?"

"Depends on what he's shopping for," Greg counters with a slight smirk.

"Greg…"

"Let it go Eddie, that's not a request," Greg states with a tight lipped smile.

"See you tomorrow," Ed merely mentions as he pushes himself up from the table and deftly walks toward the locker room to change and head home. He methodically changes into his dark jeans and sweater, grabs his leather jacket and then looks at his piece, his mind racing with conflict about going straight home or making a slight detour toward the waterfront. He wasn't exactly sure where the shipping container would be but knew the yard by the number Spike was able to decode from Spencer's last email to his buyer.

"It has to be there," Ed mumbles to himself as he takes the gun and then heads for the exit doors. The cool night air nips at his face as he heads for the black and silver Ford Flex in the quiet parking lot. He looks at the time and slightly curses, Sophie was expecting him and there could be hell to pay if he was late. He had promised her he wouldn't extend his working hours longer than he had to, but this just wouldn't die.

Gritting his teeth and offering a small curse mostly at himself, he heads in the opposite direction than he normally would after the day was done with the SRU. I'll just take a quick look and if there is no suspicious activity, I'll call it a night, his brain would repeat over and over – the main emphasis on calling it a night. But if there was suspicious activity he'd have to make the call and then explain why he had gone there and not just gone straight home; why he was along and if there was a gun sting why he could possibly ruin it.

Ed nears the quiet shipyard, his eyes darting around as he dims the headlights and then pulls up beside a quiet big rig and stops; his vehicle hidden from regular view. After taking a few deep breaths, he slowly gets out of the Flex and heads toward the entrance. Already his senses were on high upon seeing the thick chain cut and hanging askew to one side. But was it time to call in help? Maybe it was just a prank or kids looking for kicks as would sometimes happen.

With both his gun and phone within a seconds reach, Ed very carefully gets through the chain link gate and heads toward the area opposite where the original container was found.

'Anything else to say Spencer?' His own voice is heard as he heads further into the cool night air.

'East is west.' And with a small wink meant only for Ed, Spencer Ryan was taken away with a triumphant smile. The hostage taking of his brother had turned out to be a rouse as at the exact same moment, an arm's deal was going down. But thanks to some quick work by Spike, he was able to decode the message and send the gun squad to the deal and stop it just as the money and guns switched hands. It was a deal that Wordy wasn't involved in. But there had been a few other anomalies which led him to believe that something else was up. They of course were told to drop it and let the gun task force deal with it.

'So it's going to be treated as a viable lead?' Ed had asked one of the gun task officers after the arrest of Spencer was done.

'He's a small player. For him to have access to even one container was a surprise. I'm sure once his buyers heard he was arrested and the first deal stopped they switched their dates and times. But we'll work on it, don't worry.'

Ed had been around his brother long enough to know when they would take something seriously and when they wouldn't. Spencer Ryan's word was shaky at best and in the end they only took the arrest request seriously because Spike was able to find an email from another major underground arms supplier who 'happened' to be in town at the same time for a 'social visit' and to do some personal 'shopping'.

But Spencer was a braggart who was trying to make a name for himself with the arms buyers on the waterfront when his brother busted into his deal and ruined the whole thing. One dead body and one hostage later and then it was over; but Spencer was still trying to tell them he was the next big thing.

'Lets see how big you'll be behind bars,' was Ed's quip before he was placed into the police cruiser and taken away.

Ed's mind finally snaps back to attention as he hears a clinking sound in the distance. Why am I here alone?, was the thought that quickly races through his mind as he nears a darker part of the shipyard where he quickly notices two of the overhead lights were either broken or the bulbs taken out on purpose.

Ed's heart race quickens pace a little as he wanders further into the dark maze of thick shipping containers, each of them looking down at the lone SRU officer with smug smiles, knowing that very soon his fate would be delivered in a most unexpected way. Were they to warn him? No, it wasn't there place, they were just silent witnesses to nefarious deeds done under the cover of darkness by very bad people. Ed Lane would prove to them to be just another statistic – that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A hard lesson they had seen many learn over the years. But his wouldn't end as tragically as the rest, for that he'd be one of the lucky few.

He hears gruff voices talking in the distance and instantly draws his gun. Again the question Why am I here alone darts through his mind. However, he was no stranger to tense one man situations and tells himself that it could also be just a bunch of guys breaking some minor laws.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and instantly he stops and listens as his fingers fumble for the device. He looks at the bright LCD screen with a frown.

'Can you also pick up some milk for breakfast. See you soon love S.'

Milk…that would be next on his stop but for right now it would have to wait.

Turning his phone to completely silent and shoving it back into his pocket, Ed dares to move from place and head back toward the voices. There were two new ones that had joined the original two but he still wasn't able to make out much more than them talking about a deal and then laughing over something stupid one of the original ones mentioned.

Ed takes a deep breath as he nears the first dark container and pauses, his gun ready as he rounds the corner – looking at the empty passageway before him and exhaling a small sigh of relief before moving onto the next. He nears the voices and then pauses as the conversation gets a little more heated.

"You said he'd be here by now!"

"Give him about ten more minutes."

"He'll be here."

"What if he doesn't show? What the hell do we do with all this stuff?" The first one asks again.

"Just sit tight. We were told to come here and wait and that's just what we're gonna do!"

As Ed nears the container over from the one with the men near it, he stops again to listen. The voice…the third man…sounds…

Wordy? His mind tries to register from the one short sentence that was uttered. A small feeling of uneasiness starts to cover him. What if Wordy's case was the one that Spencer had been bragging about? If that was the case then he had to leave, if this was the undercover op he'd regret being the one to bust Wordy's cover or worse force the deal to go south because he couldn't keep his curiosity at bay.

But he wasn't sure as the voice wasn't heard again amidst the trio that were now speaking in frustrated tones. What if this wasn't a sting? What if that wasn't Wordy? Doubt was now starting to settle in and he hated doubt.

"What is Lyle's number?"

Lyle Bedford, he was the number one suspected arms smuggler suspected to own the waterfront but never sticking around long enough to be actually fingered or arrested on anything more than circumstantial; always paying someone else to do his dirty work when it came to the physical body count. If Lyle was supposed to be here tonight for this drop then this could be a lot more serious than he or even Spencer Ryan had suspected.

Something wasn't adding up. Lyle Bedford would never do business with the likes of Spencer Ryan much less know the two bit criminal even existed. But unable to just turn around and walk away, Ed takes a few more steps and then stops to listen, his head turning to the direction he came and wondering for a few panicked seconds if he had hidden his vehicle well enough. If the plate was run and his name came up then it could be game over.

A few more steps takes him closer to his intended target. Come on Wordy, his mind begs, say something buddy…let me know it's you before I do something…stupid.

But his friend doesn't speak again and so Ed tells himself that maybe he was just imagining things and it was time to call in help. So instead of moving closer, he takes a few steps back the way he came and pulls out his phone. He wasn't about to take the chance of his voice being heard, so opts to text a message instead. It wasn't a call to the team as it wasn't their area of expertise and he couldn't call Wordy in case he would get his friend in trouble by knowing something he shouldn't, which in reality he stumbled upon it by accident.

'Hold position. Do not approach. We'll be there shortly.' Was the only reply he got back and so had to choice but to wait and hope he wasn't found out before the good guys arrived. With the GPS on his phone still on active, Ed pushes himself into the shadows a bit more.

But then something happens that Ed doesn't quite expect. He sees a boy…about ten years old appear from the shadows and head for the group of gathering men. He didn't have time to ponder why a boy his age was out here alone, whether he was homeless, curious or merely lost? A decoy never entered into his mind, who would do that to their kid? And why? He had to get the boy and get him before either of them were seen.

Not seeing the set of narrowed eyes watching him from the shadows, Ed stuffs his gun into his jacket and carefully makes his way toward the boy. The boy turns just as he approaches and freezes in place.

"I won't hurt you," Ed whispers as he stops before him. "But you are not safe here, come with me."

"Actually it's you that's not safe here," the boy looks at him with wide dark eyes. "Right father?"

"What?"

Ed's face turns into a frown just as he hears a sound behind him but it's to no avail. Time slows for him as his body turns at the same time his right hand goes for his gun. But it was too late. Something heavy connects with the right side of his face just atop his right eyebrow, forcing his world to explode with pain and his body to falter backwards, his hand dropping from its intended target. The heavy object next strikes his back, sending him to his knees and then to the cold, harsh ground before darkness quickly engulfs his now unmoving frame.

"Right son…not safe at all," the man looks down at Ed with a small sneer. He looks up just as three men appear from the shadows, two with angry expressions and one trying to conceal his shock and panic.

"Bring him."

Ed? Oh damn what have you done?

A/N: Okay so what did you think? I tried to make this a bit eppy like with the timing and stuff and really hope it works and it's not lame. It's also my first real 'Ed' piece so am hoping I have him at least a little correct in here. So what happens when Ed wakes up and realizes what's going on? Will he blow anyone's cover? I would love your thoughts on this so please review and thanks in advance.