Out of Sight...Out of Mind- Season Four, Episode Five

Chapter One

We're glad you're feeling better. We haven't forgotten you.

Oscar stared at the offending note, cursed softly to himself and then placed it in Jack's (evidence-gloved) hand. ''Let's go out to the van,'' he suggested to Hansen and the Security officer who'd given them the card. They would take the remote command center on a drive, out of Jaime's range of hearing.

''We checked out the delivery driver immediately, Sir,'' the officer said. ''Sixteen year old kid, first job. Clean background. He's legit. And we have a team headed over to question the florist.''

Hansen nodded. ''With Colonel Austin injured and Miss Sommers still...ah...spooked by what happened to them -''

''You can't blame her for that,'' Oscar pointed out gently.

''No, of course not. But we also can't count on her reactions in a crisis - so we'll need to send them both underground, for their own protection.''

''Absolutely,'' Oscar agreed. ''This group just proved they're larger than we thought they were, if they can keep such a close eye on Jaime without being detected - and still carry out their normal operations...whatever those may be. And they're ruthless. They need a power pack and it doesn't matter to them if they get it from a live subject...or a dead one.''

''Still, they could firebomb a safe house just as easily as they could hit Jaime's house,'' Hansen pointed out.

''Very true.'' Oscar thought for a moment, then keyed up the radio system to the frequency of OSI-Los Angeles. ''Russ? I need you to contact General Hammond at Edwards and patch him through to me immediately.''

''I'm on it, Oscar,'' Russ responded quickly.

''Let's get Steve in on this,'' Oscar told Hansen. ''He can help us figure out what - and how - to tell Jaime.'' They would just have to find a way to get him out of the house without alarming Jaime...but that didn't prove to be a problem. When the van turned the corner, they saw Steve standing at the curb. Oscar threw open the rear door. ''Get in, Pal,'' he instructed. ''Where's Jaime?'' he asked when the van had pulled away again. ''And what are you doing outside?''

''She thought she heard you swearing out on the porch,'' Steve explained, ''and I tried to convince her it was just your voice over Security's datacoms. But she tunes those out - she has to, or there'd be a constant buzzing in her head from all of their back and forth transmissions. So I told her I'd check it out. She's in the kitchen, happily cooking away - said she missed it while she was in the hospital. Stirring two pots and dragging out baking supplies when I left. Oscar...what is going on?'' Hansen held out the note (now encased in a clear plastic evidence bag) for Steve to read. ''Jaime can't see this!'' Steve proclaimed. ''I mean, she knows they're still out there - and she knows we're both targets - but this...it's just too much. What do you need me to do?''

''I'm sending you both underground,'' Oscar explained. ''Really underground. It'll be tough on both of you, but you'll be absolutely safe - from anything they might be thinking of throwing at you next. Once you're there, I'll need you to help Jaime deal with the situation calmly, for as long as it takes. She could start feeling claustrophobic pretty quickly.''

Underground...absolutely safe...claustrophobic...''You're sending us to Edwards,'' Steve deduced.

''Mark Russell is putting a call through for me right now,'' Oscar confirmed...and then he frowned. The connection should've been patched through almost immediately. He picked up the radio mic. ''Russ, what's the word on General Hammond?''

''Tried to reach him, Oscar. I couldn't get through.''

Oscar's frown lines deepened to crevices. It was not like his young (but highly capable) right-hand man to drop the ball like this. Normally, if he couldn't get through, Russ would've had every line in the building blazing until a connection was made...usually within mere minutes. Maybe he hadn't been as ready to return to the job yet as everyone had thought. But there wasn't time to address that now. Oscar made a mental note to speak with Mark Conrad about Russ when time (and the situation) permitted. For now, there was a more urgent issue demanding his full attention.

''Russ,'' Oscar instructed (trying his best to be patient with his injured subordinate), ''I need Hammond at Edwards now! Light heaven and Earth on fire if you have to, but get me Hammond on this line immediately! No; sooner than that!'' The van had returned to the curb in front of Jaime's house, and Oscar turned to Steve. ''While I'm taking care of this, Pal, I need you to find a way to explain it to Jaime so she'll understand without any more trauma than is absolutely necessary.''

Steve caught the look exchanged by the front door's Security officers but he headed straight inside...and found Jaime on the living room sofa - with tears streaming down her face. ''I...I just went out on the porch,'' she sniffled, ''only...wanted to see what was going on, since you didn't come right back. And...and they practically marched me back inside! Then...when I dared to look out the window - my own window!- they came back in and snarled at me! Steve...you told me in the hospital, right after Chris almost had me killed, that you would never lie to me. So...what's going on?''

Steve sank down next to Jaime on the sofa and enveloped her with his one good arm. He couldn't lie to her...but he certainly couldn't tell her about the note either. Her nightmares of the horrors inflicted on her by the terror group were finally beginning to recede, allowing her to smile, laugh and (occasionally) enjoy life again. Steve didn't have the heart to thrust her straight back into that hellish place in her mind all over again...but they were being sent away and she deserved a truthful explanation.

"Sweetheart, there's been another threat..." he began, holding her close in a gentle embrace.