Disclaimer:
I do not own either of the Mission: Impossible series or any of the characters therein. I receive no compensation or other tangible benefit from this story. I am just a fan who enjoys taking the team out for an adventure every now and then. :)
Prologue
It was nearing dusk as the man approached the front door of his condo. His gait was quick, tight, almost marching; his mind a thousand miles away, wrapped up in the conversation on the other end of the cell phone attached to his left ear.
"We'll discuss our strategy first thing in the morning," he told the caller succinctly. "Tonight, Chelle and I have that gala to attend. We're expecting three hundred women there - at least three hundred more votes in our corner by the end of the night." As the voice on the other end continued to speak, the man reached to turn the doorknob, found it locked, frowned, and then fumbled in his right pocket for the key.
"I told you, we'll talk about this in the morning - Chelle? Chelle, I'm home!" he said absently to his caller, his mind now shifting to making sure his wife was ready for the big event that would be starting in less than two hours.
Finding nobody downstairs, and still holding the phone to his ear, he took the stairs two at a time. "Chelle?" he inquired casually. "Are you ready for your big night? I can't wait to see what you're wearing," he added, teasingly, as he opened the door to the master bedroom, fully expecting to see his wife standing on the other side.
The room was empty.
"Chelle?!" he cried out, an edge of panic seeping into his voice.
"Labon?" the caller was asking. "What's going on there? Labon?"
Labon did not answer at first. Instead, he yelled his wife's name over and over again, as he ran frantically from room to room, thrusting open doors and peering inside. Terror rose up like a lump in his throat. Finally, he was forced to come to the obvious conclusion.
"She's gone!" he screamed to the caller, who was still on the other end of the phone."
"What?!" came the incredulous response.
"She's not here! She's gone! They've taken her!
tbc...