Sunday, 16th

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"STAY IN THE VAN!", came the stern order from the front seat.

Before he could say anything in his defence, his handler closed the sliding divider thereby isolating him in the back of the van.

These were four words he had never heard until getting involved with them. Nevertheless, as much as it went against his nature, maybe this time it was for the best. After all, he didn't really know what would be happening on this mission.

Hopefully something would be happening soon. His watch and his phone had been taken away from him, and unlike the usual mission van, this one had a completely empty cargo area. He guessed they must not have wanted him to play with anything while he waited. It began to drive him crazy that there weren't even any windows he could peek out of.

The sliding divider abruptly slid open. The Fulcrum agent's face glared derisively at him.

"Okay Bryce, we're going on a little field trip", he jeered before once again sliding the door closed.

The travelling for this 'field trip' felt like it took an eternity. Without his watch or phone, Bryce struggled not knowing where he was or even how long they might be driving.

When the van finally stopped, Tommy reopened the divider and motioned for him to come look through the front window.

"Take a look Bryce. You're making an unannounced pick up in that building later tonight."

Bryce tried to focus his eyes on the building the best he could from where he sat. It wasn't one he recognized, and by all appearances didn't stand out as anything that held any significance.

"Fulcrum wants something in there, and you'll be stealing it for us."

Bryce's attention automatically shifted to the building's perimeter and the surrounding area for possible entry and escape routes.

"You'll need this to download the data from the computer you'll be 'visiting'."

Bryce looked at the strange multicolor wire attachment he had been given.

"When am I 'visiting' this computer?" he replied.

"Later tonight, when it will be quiet. Until then you'll be enjoying the rest of the day with us - tell your girlfriend you won't be home until later."

Tommy nodded to the driver and the van began moving. Before sliding the divider closed he issued one last warning, "This is important Bryce, don't screw it up."

---------------

Her partner had just screwed things up again. If he had just listened to her, she wouldn't be sprinting like this. Her strength had always been her endurance, not her speed. It was her strength that now kept her within sight of her target - a target she was currently pursuing in Los Angeles.
Charlene tried to catch her breath. It had been a long time since she had played soccer or had done this much running.

"Stop!" she managed to yell as she drew her gun.

The wanted man stopped in his tracks, seemingly needing the opportunity to catch his breath as well. He signalled his surrender.

"Finally," she muttered. After more than three months of his narrow escapes, he finally decided to stop running from her.

"At least someone here has some sense," she would have declared to her partner. Her partner however was nowhere to be found.

Agent Tully leisurely jogged up next to her and raised his gun as well. "I love it when a plan comes together!" he said awkwardly grinning.

It was too hard for her to hear. A week of his mistakes and he apparently considered himself the next Hannibal Smith? Charlene wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing any such compliment from her.

She briefly considered shooting him instead.

"Call it in, and make sure they bring the hazmat equipment." she ordered.

Within minutes the disguised CIA transport pulled up. A tall agent dressed in a parcel delivery uniform collected the man she had captured. The stolen case labelled "-42" was carefully placed into the secure storage unit.

"All clear!" he said, indicating that there had been no detectable leaks. He closed the doors and drove off.

She put her gun away and exhaled loudly.

Agent Tully spoke up. "Hey, uh, the next time you're in the States or I mean L.A., give me a call okay? I can help you on another mission - it'll be fun!".

"I'll keep it in mind," Charlene said with a fake smile, "Goodbye Louis."

She took pride in her craft, and this was another job well done. In some ways the sense of accomplishment was bigger on this mission. It had been more difficult, and had a lot more riding on its success.

Charlene allowed herself to continue enjoying her hard earned victory.

'Work hard, play hard' was the kind of motto she believed in. She had held up the first half of that deal, now she felt justified in rewarding herself for her efforts. She would make the most of the days before she received the inevitable next assignment.

Charlene looked up at the early evening sky. The Los Angeles climate seemed hotter and much brighter than the places her missions took place in. Compared to the locals, her pale complexion had been garnering far more looks than she had been comfortable with. She swept her reddish-brown hair out of her face. Perhaps it was her hairstyle, or during the mission - the lack thereof, that had played a part in that attention. Doing something about that would be her new mission #1.

She was feeling better already.

---------------

CIA Director Graham was not feeling well.

This evening he stood in front of a strategically important project; one that had just malfunctioned. The Intersect was just starting to produce results, but it was far too early and certainly far too costly at its current stage to be able to declare it an official success.

Looking down at the display, he saw the cartoonish outline of a computer with crossed out eyes. He cringed at the thought of having to justify adding an additional 2.5 million dollars to the budget.

"How long will it take to get this back online?" he growled to the technician.

The technician referred to his tablet. "The inventory shows one should be available again in about a week."

"That is one expensive keyboard", he growled once again.

"Replace the part and fix the system. Keep me updated on its status."

---------------

Bryce had 'enjoyed' spending the day imprisoned by Fulcrum. He hadn't been able to see any of the other Fulcrum agents apart from Tommy.

He knew that Sarah wouldn't be able to answer her phone. When it had been time, he left her an innocent sounding voicemail. Tommy certainly had the type of training to realize if Bryce had tried to provide her with any clues to his situation.

It didn't matter, Bryce couldn't think of any shared history that he could use to tip her off.

Perhaps it was better for her not to know. He had always been able to handle situations himself, with possibly having to endure waiting like this being the only exception to that rule.

Eventually Tommy returned with the bag. He put it back over Bryce's head and led him into a vehicle.

Once they began moving, Tommy removed the bag. The two of them sat in the back of a darkened ambulance. The rear windows were frosted so that no one could see in, or he figured, so that he couldn't see out.

The mission appeared like it would begin in earnest when they arrived outside the same nondescript building they had been at before.

Bryce sat in the dark for what felt like 15 minutes without a word from Tommy. He wondered what they were waiting on.

Tommy's phone was the only source of light as it dimly illuminated his face.

"When do I get to know anything else about what I'm looking for?" Bryce asked sarcastically.

"Not tonight", he said putting his phone away. "Something's come up."

Bryce observed the change in his Fulcrum handler's demeanor. Watching Tommy indicate to the driver that tonight's mission had been called off, he knew he had been given a seriously needed window of opportunity.

He couldn't let this opportunity pass him by, he would use the time he now had to discover Fulcrum's objective and complete his mission.