Hello. Hope you are enjoying the story. Try as I might, I can't seem to write short chapters. These take effort to read, I'll admit. But I hope I'm doing a good job with this story. Just a little diversion to keep your Chuck appetites whetted as you wait for Mondays.
We get into more of Alex's past and background in this chapter. I've had a lot of compliments on how I've written her. I hope it is to everyone's satisfaction. If not, just hit that review button at the bottom and tell me what I should be doing. Or if I'm doing it right, you can still hit that review button at the bottom and let me know.
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Haverford, Pennsylvania
December 24, 2010
4:45 PM
Alex parked her car in the just-plowed driveway of her brother's almost palatial house, having correctly guessed the 3-hour drive from McLean, Virginia to his house would take at least twice as long. Such was the burden, even on a day off such as this, of trying to drive I-95 through Washington, D.C. and Baltimore up to suburban Philadelphia following a Nor'easter. She could have booked a flight, but she figured the hassle of the two airports more than offset the time savings of a plane as opposed to going on the road.
She had that nervous/excited feel that she hadn't had since graduating from Temple 11 years ago. Unfortunately, the excited part of it was 20% at best. She was eager to see her father and her nieces. She spared no expense with the Christmas presents this time around, not merely settling for sending gift cards to Ashley and Beverly. Even though the screams of "Auntie Allie" brought a smile to her face that she didn't always show, she didn't make enough visits to them to deserve such a reception. That was the nervous part she felt: the inevitable reactions of her brother, Michael III, for finally showing up for a holiday. That sort of thing didn't bother her that much in the past. Life was about the job, and family became secondary. She thought she was being a good sister by protecting them against God knows what as an agent. But like the many stories she heard before about being an agent…the lies, the anger, and the heartbreak that came with it…tended to rip families apart.
It was a much different story this particular Christmas. She cared deeply about her family now. And the more she began to care about her family, the more she hated herself for what she had to do to protect it. A small part of her wished that Agents Walker, Bartowski, Slade, and Colonel Casey never rescued her in Las Vegas. Things were different because of that. They had to be. She made a costly mistake. And in spite of the way she treated them, they still bailed her out and didn't even report her to Beckman. What all of them did inflicted many sinewy cracks in her armor, and then Slade broke them wide open in New York. Damn him, anyway. It was bad enough he had more talent than just about any agent she ever worked with and drove her wild in the bedroom like nobody had since John. But couldn't he at least be a LITTLE arrogant? She needed something to make her hate him, and he wouldn't provide it.
Did you just complain about a guy for being a great agent, giving you earth-shattering orgasms, and being nice? You're certifiable, Alex, she thought. Completely certifiable.
She had to smile a bit. She told Jimmy she needed to keep her distance from him, and he did what she wanted. Unfortunately, an entire ocean still wasn't enough real estate.
She gently placed the large bag of wrapped gifts down and rang the doorbell. She could hear running and scampering on the other side of the door. Someone answered.
"Danni, good to see you."
"Alex, hi!" Mike's wife, Danielle, answered the door with the look of any harried wife and mother on Christmas Eve trying to prepare dinner for everyone. They hugged each other.
"How are you doing, or is that a bad question to ask?" Alex's smile took Danni back for a moment, since it was something Danni wasn't used to seeing.
"Doing great. Well, ask me that question after we have the girls in bed and I've cleaned up the place."
"Need some help?"
"I'd love it. I think you better make the rounds first. Dad and the girls have been waiting for you."
"No problem."
"Auntie Allie!!!!"
Danni gave her a tired smile. "Speaking of which…"
Two blurs of excitement came flying at Alex as Ashley and Beverly ran across the wood floor to hug their favorite, and only, aunt. Alex scooped them up in her arms and hugged them tight. Ashley was already playing the big sister role to perfection, always looking out for Beverly, who naturally resented it. Named for Alex's mother, who died while Danni was 7 months pregnant with her, Beverly was a bit quieter and stayed around her mother as much as she could.
"How are you two?"
"Great! Good! Did you bring us anything?" The two girls shouted in Alex's ears enough to hurt, but she didn't care.
"Now, is that the way to greet Aunt Allie?"
Ashley and Beverly looked down for a second. "No." Each of them gave Alex a kiss on the cheek nearest them. "So what did you bring us?"
Alex laughed. It was something that gnawed at her for many years, but she had put the luxury of family on the list of items to which she was not entitled. She made her decision to be an agent and left everything behind. She thought she had done the right thing. Everything reminded her too much of John, especially when Mike and Danni were married in 2002. A still-grieving fiancé combined with an open bar did not make for a good combination. To her credit, she stayed quiet and didn't make a spectacle of herself at their wedding. But there wasn't one person there who didn't know this was killing her inside. They had kind words for her, but she didn't want to be reminded of what she had lost 9 months earlier. The mementos were surrounding her, literally. She was supposed to be getting married right now, not watching her little brother's wedding.
"Can I go see Grandpa?" Alex asked her nieces. "Do you want to come with?" Both nodded in agreement. Alex carried them to the back of the house.
It was odd seeing the "library" part of Mike and Danni's house with a large, beat-up recliner in the middle of it and a large flat-screen TV on a shelf with law books surrounding it. A desk sat at the back of the library, complete with computer and mounds of paperwork. Clearly father and son agreed to timeshare the room.
"Hi Dad."
Michael Forrest II turned from the game he was watching. If it was sports or old detective shows, it was on his schedule to watch. "Alex, how are you, honey?"
Her father struggled to get up from the chair, and she walked to him and hugged him tightly. "Dad, come on. You don't have to get up."
"Oh quit worrying about me. It's you. Besides, I have to get my tired ass…sorry, my tired butt…out of the chair once in a while." He lowered his voice. "Mikey's got a drill sergeant for a wife. She gets on my case when I swear in front of the girls." He turned to Ashley and Beverly. "Girls, can you help Mommy in the kitchen while I talk with your auntie?"
Ashley and Beverly each gave their grandpa a kiss and ran out of the library.
"Hey, I don't blame her," Alex replied as the girls left. "I heard she went ballistic when you taught them 'pull my finger'. Uncles are supposed to do that. Grandparents are supposed to get them loaded up on sugar and dump them on the unsuspecting parents."
Her father settled back in the chair. "Oh, don't worry. I do plenty of that. She's still upset I let Ashley stay awake all the way through Game 5 of the '08 World Series. Clearly she's not a sports fan."
Alex took in the recliner her father used; the same one that was in their house for as long as she could remember. "Dad, seriously. Can I buy you a new recliner? They've got these huge leather ones now with a cooler in the side, and it massages you, too. This thing has been an eyesore since I was in grade school."
"There's nothing wrong with this chair. It's very comfortable."
"Dad, it's like an episode of Frasier in here. It's bad enough you're an ex-cop who's got two grown, successful kids. Is some little dog named Eddie about to come scampering in?"
Suddenly a dog ran into the room and leaped onto her father. His smile lit up as he petted the dog, which proceeded to lick him within an inch of his life.
Alex shook her head and smiled. "At least it's a golden retriever and not a Jack Russell."
"Sunshine is her name. The girls begged and pleaded for a dog, and Mike and Danni got tired of telling them no."
"Let me guess," Alex replied with a bit of cynicism. "They promised to take care of him, and now that's your job."
"To be fair, he's a godsend. Your mother and I couldn't get one in our house with you two because you were always fighting. But Sunshine gets me outside. I walk her twice a day. I take the girls and her down to the park when Danni needs a break. It's good exercise."
Alex petted Sunshine, who insisted on trying to jump up and get more of a greeting. A huge smile slipped from Alex's face.
"I haven't seen that in a long while," her father said.
"What?"
"You. Smiling like that. You look a lot happier than you normally do. And I don't think Sunshine and the girls are causing that all by themselves."
"Just glad to have a few days off, Dad."
"Uh-uh. Don't try that on me, Alex. I knew when people were lying to me on the job. You never got Trevor past me. Come on."
Alex rolled her eyes. He knew about Trevor. And she thought she kept him a secret back when she was a senior in high school. How he still thinks she works for the FBI was beyond her comprehension.
"Work's a little better these days. Been on a few cases, found a few agents who really know their stuff. It's a lot easier to do the job when you know you can rely on your partners."
"That's good. Any of these new partners really good-looking? Funny?"
"Dad! You know dating another agent is against Bureau policy. They'd have a fit."
"Philadelphia P.D. didn't allow it, either. But I had to cover for a lot of people dating. They can have a fit all they want, but it'll still happen."
Alex smiled. She never could fool her dad. Although she was occasionally successful in changing a detail or two. Especially which particular branch of the government she worked for. "Well, this one guy is pretty cute. Really nice, too. But they've got him groomed for stardom. He's two years out of Quantico, and they're sending him everyplace."
Her father took her hand. "I'm glad, honey. You deserve someone. If it's this guy, don't let anything stand in your way. John was…well, it wasn't right that happened to you. But after all this time, you need to move forward. You're too pretty and too good of a person to not have someone."
Gee, thanks Dad, Alex thought. I'm trying to get James out of my mind, and you keep shoving him back in.
"Dad, being an FBI agent isn't like being a cop. It's a lot more complicated than liking someone and deciding to go out with them."
"That's an excuse," her father replied with a bit of force she hadn't seen from him since before her mother died. "You want something bad enough, you make it work. If your mother and I didn't do that, you and Mike wouldn't even be here. She taught in the inner-city and I was a third-shift flatfoot in those early years. You two got to where you are because we made it work. We did what it took to make a good life for the two of you. And the best way you can pay that back is to not chicken out when you see something you want. I've seen too many people not try for what they want and then blame someone or something else for their lot in life. It better not happen with you."
Alex hung her head. Dad did have a point. But the memories of John still gave her a cold shiver. And the job she actually did, the one she couldn't tell anybody about, had no sympathy to what someone wanted for themselves. And all of the looks into those sweet blue eyes and all of those marvelous times in the bedroom would never make up for it. Jimmy had to be just another agent because she didn't know how else to live her life.
"Danni wanted me to help her in the kitchen. I'll see you in a few." Alex walked slowly out of the library, leaving her father to watch SportsCenter.
"What can I help you with, Danni?" Alex appeared in the kitchen, a bit humbled from her talk with her father.
Danni pointed to a cutting board full of vegetables. "Can you handle those?"
Alex smiled. Her skills with a knife would make Wolfgang Puck beam with pride. "I'll try my best." She started cutting the vegetables that were needed for the pot roast Danni was making.
"Are you OK, Alex?" Danni noticed Alex's downcast look.
"I'm OK. Where's Mike?"
"He should be on his way home by now. He had to pick up a few things at the office. He probably should have driven into downtown, but he thought SEPTA would be easier. I think that train is on a holiday schedule, though. How many people are in their offices today?"
Alex shrugged. Until this year, she was one of them. "The house looks beautiful. This is much nicer than what Mike and I grew up in."
"We got as lucky as you could get. Mike was made a partner in February, and they're just hip-deep in work. On the good side, being a partner means you're on the clock for $725 an hour. The house was sitting on the market for a year. I don't think Mike could have made a better offer on it. We crunched the numbers and got the 15-year mortgage. We'll have it paid off before the girls make it to college at the pace he's going." Danni laughed. "Of course, that doesn't mean we're not going to push the girls to get scholarships somewhere. Ashley does great in mathematics. She takes after you."
Alex laughed. She was the only good numbers person in the family, but that wasn't much of a compliment. "Well, that's the way to go. If you're female and you like science and engineering, colleges will trip over themselves to get you into the fold."
"Now if we can only get Bev to like numbers. But there's still time. She's only four. At least she likes to read. That's a battle we get to avoid."
"Lucky you." Alex looks toward the door, where Michael III would enter any moment. "I gather he's still not happy with me."
This time, it was Danni who hung her head. "I knew I married into a stubborn family, but even this is a bit much. He was tempted to not let you come over, but your father and I vetoed that in a heartbeat."
"I'm sorry, Danni. I certainly didn't want you dragged into this. The FBI even called him and told him what I was doing during my mother's funeral, and I offered to hire someone to look after Dad. I don't know why he insisted on taking him in. Maybe he just wants to justify carrying a grudge around when it comes to me."
"It's not all about you, Alex. I love that your dad is here. Although he insists on earning his keep, and it gets a little annoying sometimes trying to convince him we have a housecleaning service come in every week. But Mike is…well, you know how he is. You grew up with him."
"Yeah," Alex replied, more than a little weary of that particular subject. "We're just too bullheaded for our own good. I'm going to try and be nice tonight. For you, I promise."
The door opened, and Michael Forrest III walked through the door, shaking off the snow on his jacket as he entered. He went straight to the kitchen, and the look in his eyes told the story.
"Al." Mike let all of the derision he had towards seeing his older sister come out.
Alex glared at him and at his use of the one name she didn't like being called. "Junior," she replied with the name he didn't like being called, especially since it was their dad who would have that moniker.
She felt Danni's icy gaze bore through the back of her head. Alex turned her head to the side. "I said I would promise. I didn't say anything about being successful."
"Decided to show up this year? The FBI finally unchained you from the dungeon?"
"Mike! Enough." Danni replied in a none-too-friendly voice before Alex had a chance to escalate the situation. "Not a lot of people get to have family over, even at Christmas. We're going to enjoy ourselves tonight."
Mike exhaled, conceding he'd rather have no fights than two of them. "Where's Dad?"
Danni checked the time. "I would guess right now he's watching one of those sports talk shows on TV…"
"Where those morons don't know their ass from a hole in the wall," all three of them replied together, clearly repeating the same phrase their father used ad infinitum.
"Alex, I beg of you, no sports gifts for him this year," Danni pleaded.
"Oops," Alex replied. It was already too late. She thought this one would be epic.
"What?" Mike asked her with a wary gaze.
"I have a friend at the Bureau who knows someone in the NFL office. The Eagles have the London game next year against the Dolphins, so he contacted Jeffrey Lurie, and Lurie wants Dad in the skybox with him. Your gift was that, the hotel, and the airfare for all five of you."
"Great. Just what I need. The partners in the firm will love for me to take a week off when I just got promoted, and then we pull the girls out of school on top of it."
Alex's anger was rising. "Mike, get over it. Ashley can almost do calculus equations. One week off isn't going to hurt her. And people go on vacations from work all the time."
"Except you," he replied with a sneer. "God forbid you should ever do something besides work. Like, I don't know, drop in on your family once every 5 years, or attend an important event, like someone's funeral!"
"ENOUGH!" Danni's admonishment stopped the two siblings in their tracks. "I refuse to get in the middle of however many decades you two have been fighting. But this is my house and you won't fight here! We are going to have a pleasant family dinner tonight, and that means with you as well, Alex. And I don't want to hear another raised voice from either of you tonight!"
Alex and Mike let their respective anger dwindle down. Mike slowly left the kitchen with his shoulders slumped to check on his father. Alex went back to chopping vegetables.
The rest of the evening was one long, uncomfortable silence, broken only by the girls' excitement in opening the one gift they were allowed to open before Christmas morning. As she drove back to suburban D.C. later that night, Alex couldn't help but think how apropos it was for the streets to be empty at such a late hour on Christmas Eve. She felt the same way inside. Being alone at Christmas never bothered her before. She used to write it off as one of the sacrifices she made for this job. Being an agent meant giving up so much. The Christmas mornings she used to spend at home as a child were wonderful times, but she had since written them off as a piece of the past; a time when she was someone else. But this year came about and she tried to correct certain things about her past. She wanted to reconnect; to be at least partially-human again. She did a little of that in New York 6 weeks ago and was successful. Reconnecting with her family, however, was a failure. Keeping her distance from Jimmy Slade would be easy, given that he agreed to do that for her. The schism between her brother and her was a much different story.
Loews Hotel, Coronado
January 7, 2011
6:45 AM
Alex slowly stirred in the bed. She didn't want to get up, but obviously work would intervene whether she wanted it to or not. It was as relaxed as she had been in almost two months. She conveniently chose to ignore the fact that the reason she was relaxed now was the same reason she was relaxed then. The good news was Jimmy wasn't underneath the sheets trying to get her off again. The bad news was, he was spooned against her and had his arms wrapped around her.
The worse news was, she was holding his arms and keeping him in place while trying to press as much of her body against his as she could.
Her agent side wanted to plunge a knife into her heart for being this way with someone else. She could only be an effective agent by using the cold detachment that she developed over the years which served her well. She couldn't be this close to someone and be successful.
Her human side wanted to jump on top of him and ride him for all he was worth.
She couldn't get enough of him. Every lovemaking session …sex, not lovemaking, she reminded herself…was better than the last. He was becoming more and more adept at knowing what gave her the greatest pleasure. Whatever she wanted, she got. It was driving her crazy. Guys like this don't exist, and they sure as hell aren't attracted to women like her.
Jimmy was starting to awaken. He opened his eyes to see the position the two of them were in. He noticed he was holding her in his arms.
"Oh, sorry. That's probably way outside of acceptable boundaries in the bedroom with you."
Alex smiled. "I'm holding your arms in place. I think I'm just as much to blame here."
"Well, if you like this, I certainly won't object to it. It's very pleasant on my end."
Alex reached back to feel what was poking her. "Gee, you think? James, you got the sex drive of a frat boy on a panty raid."
Jimmy's eyes darted back and forth. "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."
She laughed. "Most definitely a compliment. Guys are supposed to be at their sexual peak then, aren't they?"
"So I've heard. But I cannot take any responsibility for whatever that does during the night. And since you haven't let go yet, I'm not taking responsibility for anything that happens now."
"Mmmm, maybe I want something to happen," Alex purred. "I can't have all the fun. I gotta give you a little something for your generous contributions to improving my sex life last night. I'm supposed to be at my sexual peak as well, and you've been more than kind in relieving me of my tension."
"That is a very tempting thought, but I think they're expecting me on board the Stockton soon."
Alex pushed him gently onto his back and slid her naked form on top of his. She kept a tight grip on him as she grinded her body against his.
"I need to shower and I have to find the right uniform to wear today," Jimmy said as Alex started kissing and licking his chest.
"I have a database set up on my laptop to categorize the different departments and who is in charge of what."
"Mm-hmmm," was Alex's muffled response as she glided her breasts against his chest while licking and nibbling his neck.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "You're not even listening to me."
"Not one bit."
Jimmy sat up in the bed. "You're going to make me take you in the shower?"
Alex slid her legs across Jimmy's waist and locked them tightly around him. Her tongue played inside of his mouth. "Does that answer your question?"
He smirked. "Is that all I am to you? Some big toy you can play with?"
She looked into his eyes, flicked her tongue at the tip of his nose, and grinned. "Of course."
"OK, just want to know where I stand." Jimmy walked to the shower with Alex wrapped firmly around him.
Loews Hotel, Coronado
January 7, 2011
8:00 AM
Jimmy was fixing the uniform shirt the CIA provided him for his disguise that would get him wherever he needed on the Stockton. He checked himself a million times in the mirror, making sure there wasn't one wrinkle. Everything appeared in place. He looked down at his shoes and made sure his reflection was looking back at him. He didn't want a single thing to be amiss.
Alex emerged from the bathroom in a business suit with her hair held up by several bobby pins in the back. She watched Jimmy fuss with his attire.
"Would you relax? I don't even think you have a split end in your hair."
Jimmy rolled his eyes. He hated how she bugged him, no matter how correct she was. "I want to make sure I don't do anything that tips off I'm not a naval officer."
Alex turned him to her. "You look fine. You look very military." She gave him a kiss.
He smiled. "What are your plans for Seo Chang-Hee today?" Alex was kissing along his neck and not paying attention. "Do you have plans for him, or should I just take off my clothes again?"
That finally stopped her. She laughed. "Sorry. It's out of my system now. I promise. It's been a bit stressful the last two months, and my only outlet has been, well, you. As for Chang-Hee, the local office hasn't picked up any new chatter."
"Will you be able to intercept his phone? Figure out where he is online on his computer?"
"The office is working on that. But it's always a chess game with the North Koreans when it comes to technology. They get their stuff through China and Russia, so they can usually keep up pretty well."
"Sounds like I should be helping you. I'm reasonably good at technology."
"Not necessary, James. There are plenty of people in the CIA who can handle technology, and there are a lot of people who can kick ass. What they really need are more people like you: someone who can do both. Half the reason I wanted you in New York was to do the techno stuff without me having to protect you at the same time. The other half…will be continued once this mission is over."
"Fair enough. Keep me updated on anything you find. Hopefully, the bowels of the ship won't mess with the signal on my mobile phone. I'm meeting with Admiral Carter in twenty minutes."
"See you tonight. We'll have dinner and discuss what we found."
"See you then." Jimmy grabbed her and gave her a heated kiss. "And now I have it out of my system, too."
He walked out of the suite, leaving a surprised and grinning Alex Forrest in his wake.
USS Stockton
January 7, 2011
8:30 AM
Jimmy walked crisply to the quarters of Admiral Carter. He returned the salute the guard standing outside the door gave him and waited until Admiral Carter granted him permission to enter. He walked inside and saluted the admiral.
"Have a seat, son. What's your plan for today?"
Jimmy sat down on the couch opposite the chair in which Carter was sitting. "My first order of business, sir, is to check through the logs in the computers and analyze the databases where information from the sonar array is recorded. See if anything looks out of the ordinary. I'll also leaf through the paper files on the duty logs for the CIC for the last three weeks. You said the problems began about that time, is that correct sir?"
"Right on target, Murdock."
"I'll also ask a few off-the-record questions of some of the people in there."
"Do you have any candidates in mind? Anybody stick their neck out last night?"
"I didn't find anything of consequence, sir."
"Son, you sound like you're giving me a lot of D.C. bullshit. I can already smell the stench across the country from those bureaucratic bitches. Don't add to it. Give it to me straight-up. It won't leave this room."
Jimmy hesitated for a moment. Perhaps he needed to follow what the admiral said. Anybody who could call General Beckman "Little D" and get away with it could probably be trusted. "Your fears were likely correct, sir. Another agent tracked a North Korean operative to San Diego. She's got eyes on him right now. This is only speculation, but it would seem we have a buyer and a product. We just need to find the seller."
"Son of a bitch. Truthfully, Murdock, I had hoped I was just being paranoid. But I guess I'm only paranoid 'cause everyone's out to get me. Any ideas on which of my crew might be doing this?"
"The only person who stood out last night was a Lieutenant Hansen. I'm not sure who he was with. I figured it was his girlfriend. But they were having a bit of an argument. Seems a bit odd to be fighting with your girlfriend while on liberty. I would think you'd put your arguments aside and get busy instead, if you'll pardon my French, sir."
Carter exhaled deeply. "Ah, I think I know what that's about. Hansen's been under a lot of stress lately. His folks had their house foreclosed. His old man got laid off, fuckin' economy, and Hansen tried to keep making the mortgage as long as he could. You know how that goes. They're living in his tiny apartment now. He's been dating someone for about six months, but obviously that hasn't reduced his stress much."
Jimmy sat back for a moment. "Forgive me for making an unfounded accusation, sir, but money is a pretty good motivating factor. He might be desperate enough to do this."
"Maybe. But I can't believe he'd commit treason just to save his folks' house. He's a good kid."
"Unless he doesn't think he's committing treason."
"What do you mean?"
"You certainly wouldn't go up to someone and introduce yourself as a spy for an unfriendly government. If I was working for the North Koreans, I would sell myself as someone who worked here in the States, maybe for a big computer company. I'd pretend I was having trouble with some software product and ask if I could get a peek at the way someone else does something. Kind of like copying off of someone else's paper for only one or two questions. He figures that he's not giving all of our secrets away, so that wouldn't be a big deal."
"But how would he even communicate? All of the ship's calls and outgoing emails are tracked and everybody knows it."
"There could be someone else involved, like a girlfriend. Maybe she does the face-to-face work. The CIA is monitoring calls right now, so we hope to have some answers as the day progresses. I'll get information on his girlfriend and have the San Diego office set up a tap. Meanwhile, maybe I can find something on the computers here."
The admiral rose and Jimmy quickly rose with him. "Then get to it, son. Find me some answers. I want a status report at 1300 hours."
"Yes, sir." Jimmy gave the admiral a sharp salute.
"Don't have to do that in here, son. You ain't in the Navy."
"I'd say you've earned it, sir, from any person." Jimmy quickly left the room and headed for the CIC.
San Diego, CA
January 7, 2011
9:00 AM
Alex Forrest walked quickly into the CIA's satellite office. The San Diego office was one of the smaller branch offices the CIA had, but they had a reputation as an office that did a lot with a little. The office director greeted her at the door. She knew Roxanne Whelan by reputation only. Roxie was a tough character and could get anybody to give up any information she wanted. Unfortunately, her career as a field agent was cut short by an attack by a group of Basque separatists who didn't appreciate the information she and 4 other agents were feeding to the Spanish government. For her troubles, she was paralyzed from the waist down by a hail of gunfire. But her four partners were still alive and kicking because of her. The CIA wanted her to run the much larger office in Los Angeles again and again, but as she constantly told them, she was a Chargers fan.
"Agent Forrest, a pleasure," Roxie greeted her in her wheelchair.
"Director Whelan, thank you for your help with this case."
"Roxie's fine with me. It's hard to make you call me Director Whelan after what you did for us in New York."
"Thanks. It was a team effort. And it's Alex."
"This way, Alex."
Alex followed behind Director Whelan to several computers set up in a room next to her office. The office was quite sparse, with only four computers and a small server set up. There was only one chair in the room and a twenty something man sitting at one of the computers who needed some immediate lessons in acceptable office attire.
"Wyatt, this is Agent Alex Forrest. She's the lady you're working for right now. Alex, this is Wyatt Edison, I.T. extraordinaire and perpetual virgin."
Alex's eyes widened slightly. She wasn't sure what was more disconcerting: a young, horny geek working for the Agency or a female boss with no mental filter of any kind.
"Wyatt, give Agent Forrest your report," Whelan said with a bit of authority.
"There's not much to tell thus far. We don't think he's been online at his hotel. Even if he put a block on his computer to scramble what he was looking for or typing, we'd be able to detect if he got online at the very least. So far, he hasn't. His mobile phone, unfortunately, is the bad part. He's got some new technology on it I haven't been able to hack so far. We can go old school and pick up the list of phone numbers that bounce off any cell tower he's near, but that would take time, and we could only get you phone numbers at best."
"Correction," Forrest replied. "You can get numbers and the person on the other end of the line. That's better than nothing. If he uses his mobile, anything you can give me would be helpful."
"Wyatt, get on the phone to the local cell phone companies," Whelan ordered. "I want to talk to them myself. I'll get you the authorization. Meanwhile, stay on him."
"Will do, boss."
"This way, Alex," the director gestured towards her office. Alex stayed one step behind Roxie's wheelchair as she went further down the hall and entered her small but very organized office.
"Wyatt's OK for the most part," Whelan said in a quiet voice so it wouldn't carry down the hallway. "He knows his way around a computer, but he's got the maturity level of a four-year-old. Actually, that's an insult to four-year-olds. I swear to God, the next time I find porn on one of the hard drives here, I'll cut off his hands and end his career and sex life at the same time."
Alex gave a slight laugh. Clearly the separatists didn't have enough bullets to kill someone this tough. "Beckman thinks Seo Chang-Hee might be in the mood to buy some technology and bring it over to North Korea, and I would theorize coming here means something from the U.S. Navy."
"A valid theory, I would say. If that's the case, we have to be dealing with at least two sellers: one who has the access to the technology and someone to be a go-between."
Alex nodded. "We have another agent undercover on board the Stockton right now. We think it may have to do with their new sonar array. I'm sure North Korea would be more than happy to get their hands on that."
"Indeed. Although compared to New York, this should be a cakewalk for you."
Alex looked up at the ceiling. "It's pretty ironic we work for the CIA and yet everybody seems to know about that mission."
"You and your partner had to jump on a subway train to retrieve the bomb. That's a movie script right there. It's hard to keep that secret. I'll bet you wish that guy was working with your now. You'd have this case completed in a day."
"It's funny you should mention that…"
"Is he?"
"He's checking the computers on the Stockton even as we speak. It turns out we were working the same case from different sides."
"You just have to love this business sometimes. What's his name? Roger Murtaugh?"
"Murdock."
"Murdock?" Whelan did a search on her computer. "Oh, right. Got my Airplane and Lethal Weapon movies mixed up."
Jimmy's file and photograph appeared on the director's computer. "Wow, nice. He's hot. I'd like to tap that."
Alex's mouth dropped open. Her roommate at Quantico, Tamara, was the last woman she remembered who talked so brash about men. She was afraid to tell Roxie that she was already 'tapping that'.
"Well, I'm sure he has a girlfriend somewhere. Guys like that are almost never on the open market."
Roxie raised a devilish eyebrow and grinned. "Well, if he's working in my sector, I should probably meet with him and make sure he's up to standard. Check if all the parts are working."
The two women share a laugh. "OK, Alex. Take my card and we'll keep you apprised of what your man is doing. I'll keep on Wyatt's ass to make sure you have up to date information."
"Thank you, Roxie." The two women shook hands, and Alex left the office. She drove to the hotel where Seo Hang-Chee was staying. As far as she knew, he had not left his room. At the very least, he had not left the hotel. The San Diego office had the hotel's phone system tapped, so he couldn't call anybody that way without them knowing about it. The problem still remained his mobile phone. If Wyatt couldn't hack into his phone, going off of phone company records could slow the search down considerably. She had to hope they would get lucky.
USS Stockton
January 7, 2011
11:30 AM
Jimmy finished checking the computer logs in the CIC and was cataloging several discrepancies he found with the data. He wasn't certain, but it did look like there were several brief interruptions in the program as it recorded data that should not have occurred. A look through the online duty logs indicated a similar pattern. It wouldn't have been obvious to someone unless they were looking for such anomalies in the tables of information. It appeared someone altered the log records in a pattern that followed the interruptions in the sonar array program. Finally, all of those years learning computers to try and eke out a living have paid off.
He made several notes on his laptop and looked through the personnel records. His search yielded ten people on the crew who could have altered the personnel records and nine who worked on the array over the three shifts. 6 of those people could have done both. He wasn't certain if he was looking for one person, two people, or perhaps more. However, on a ship with over 600 crewmembers, this significantly narrowed the search.
"Find everything you need, sir?"
Jimmy looked up to see Lieutenant Andre Hansen standing in front of him. Now that's a helluva coincidence, Jimmy thought. He had to take advantage of the opportunity.
"I'm good, Lieutenant, thanks. I appreciate you checking up on me." Jimmy paused for a moment. "Everything OK? You look a little upset."
"I'm fine, sir."
"I'm pretty sure I saw you last night at the social in the NEX. I think you were dancing with…ah, it was a brunette, right? Short, looked a bit like Zooey Deschanel? I don't really remember."
"Yes, sir. That was my girlfriend, Dana Mackey."
"Oh, OK. Forgive me for overstepping my bounds, but you didn't appear in much of a good mood last night, either. Not a good thing when you have some time off."
"It's was nothing, sir," was the clipped response. "Just a few 'couple' issues."
Jimmy put his hands up. "I apologize. I don't mean to pry."
"Not a problem, sir." Hansen left. Jimmy sat there for a moment. He wasn't sure if this was a good lead, but certainly Hansen would not meet with Seo Chang-Hee directly; someone else would meet with him. Perhaps Dana was in on this.
Jimmy started to make his way out of the CIC and off the ship. He had a meeting with Admiral Carter in just over an hour. If this was a good lead, he wanted to make sure Carter knew about it.
San Diego, CA
January 7, 2011
12:00 PM
Alex stayed in her car outside of Chang-Hee's hotel, waiting for something to happen. Her ringing mobile phone might turn out to be that something. She checked the Caller ID and took note of the number with a 619 area code.
"Alex Forrest."
"It's Wyatt Edison. We have a hit on that phone. We're tracking the number right now. We should have a name for you in a few minutes."
"Excellent. Forward that information to Agent Murdock as soon as you get it, and call me back."
"You got it."
Alex hung up her phone and sat up in the driver's seat of her rental. The heavy foot traffic coming in and out of the hotel made it impossible to determine if someone was trying to meet with him now. Without a name to go with the number, getting the correct person would be impossible.
After 15 minutes, Alex's phone rang again. It was a slightly different number than before, but it was still from the 619 area code.
"Alex Forrest."
"This is Whelan. We have a name to go with the number. A Dana Mackey talked to Seo Chang-Hee from 11:50 to 11:55."
"That's quick work on the name, Roxie. You guys are good."
"Actually, Agent Murdock gave us the name, and we confirmed it was her mobile phone."
"You talked to him?"
"He provided the name to Wyatt when we were updating him, and he asked Wyatt to check mobile phone records for her calls over the last 3 weeks. It saved us a lot of grief when the phone call popped up."
"Can you get me a full file on her?"
"Already doing that. I've got undercover units from the San Diego P.D. on the way to stake out her house and workplace."
"OK, we don't want to burn this lead. They should observe and report, but not intervene. Forward the file on her to the Loews hotel under the name Commander Paul Purcell. We'll be back there later to check it out. I'll stay on Seo Chang-Hee. Can you let Agent Murdock know?"
"As soon as I get off the phone with you, Alex."
"Thanks for all of your help, Roxie."
"Glad to do it."
The phone hung up, and Alex breathed a sigh of relief. They now had a working lead, thanks to Jimmy and the San Diego office. Perhaps working with Jimmy again wouldn't be as bad as she thought. Finish this case and move on. A little fun afterward wouldn't hurt, either.
Ten minutes later, her phone rang once again. This time, no number popped up on the ID. She answered it.
"Hello?"
As she listened to the other end of the line, a cold shiver made its way down her body and she was suddenly in a fog. She was trembling.
"OK," was the quiet reply after a minute. She was shaking all over and tears were coming to her face. If her mind was focused, she would have made some phone calls first.
But the news she found out sent her mind reeling. She started the car and exited the hotel's parking lot.
Loews Hotel, Coronado
January 7, 2011
6:00 PM
Jimmy exited the elevator on the 16th floor and walked down to his suite. He opened the door.
"Alex, are you here?"
He took a look around the room. A large envelope sat on the desk with his cover name on it. No doubt that was the file on Dana Mackey that the San Diego office compiled for Alex and him.
"Alex?"
Jimmy dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. He hung up the phone.
He looked around nervously. She had dressed in the suite this morning. However, neither her clothes nor her suitcase was in the room. He booted his computer and did some checking. Her rental car had been returned to the airport
What the hell?
Jimmy got on his phone again. "Alex, it's Jimmy. Call me the second you get this. I don't care if it's 4 in the morning. I'm wondering where you are."
He sat there for several minutes. It was completely unlike Alex to do this. Hell, it was completely unlike any agent to do this. It didn't appear she was kidnapped; otherwise her suitcase and rental car would still be here. She left of her own accord. But where? And why?
She also picked a bad time to do it. They now had three people to observe, and he could only be in so many places at once. He thought of calling the San Diego office, but they were stretched thin as it was, and they would ask questions. He didn't want to get Alex in trouble until there was reason to do so.
He needed help. And there were only a few people he could call for help.
He dialed a number on his phone.
"Hello?" a very familiar female voice on the other end of the line said.
"Sarah, it's Jimmy."
"Jimmy! How are you? We haven't heard from you in four months! And I want to have a few words with you about that Christmas present!"
"Sarah, come on. That was nothing. I had a few connections."
"Trust me, Chuck and I made complete and total use of it. It was a wonderful gift."
"I'm sorry I haven't called sooner, but they're running me ragged at Langley."
"So I've heard. First New York, then London. Where are you now?"
"San Diego."
There was a pause on the end of the phone. "You mean you and Alex…"
"We're working on the same case."
"I'll be she was surprised to see you."
"You could say that. But she got over it rather quickly."
"I'll bet. She got over it and under you."
Jimmy had to laugh. "It's been a crazy four months. I can't lie."
"Can I talk to her?"
"Actually, that's why I'm calling. She's gone."
"What? Did someone capture her?"
"I don't think so. I checked a few things, and it looks like she left on her own."
"Did she tell you?"
"No, and I don't understand why. It must have been a spur of the moment decision."
"I can check on a few things for you."
"Actually, I need a lot more than that. She left at a bad time. We have several people to observe on this case, and I need an extra set of eyes. I don't want to alert the office until I know why she left. I don't want to get her in trouble. I know this is asking a lot, but are you Chuck, and Casey available to give me a hand? San Diego is only a couple of hours away, right?"
"Jimmy, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but Chuck and Casey are coming back from Stanford and should be here in 30 minutes. Beckman has a new assignment for us already."
"That's OK. I can figure something else out."
"Let me make a few calls. I might be able to find you an extra set of eyes. I can call in a few favors. I probably know a lot more people in the Agency than you."
Jimmy gave a slight laugh. "That wouldn't take much. I only know you three. I'm at the Loews Hotel in Coronado under the name Commander Paul Purcell."
"OK, I'll get right on it."
"Thanks, Sarah. I owe you big time."
"Oh, you do not. Be safe, Jimmy."
"You, too."
Jimmy hung up the phone. He ordered room service from the hotel. He studied the file on Dana Mackey while trying Alex's number every few minutes. Unfortunately, it kept going directly to voicemail. The alarm was starting to rise within him. He thought he would be concerned about any partner. But he knew his worry was for more than just a partner. A lot more.
Loews Hotel, Coronado
January 7, 2011
10:30 PM
Jimmy completed his tenth reading of the file on Dana Mackey when there was a knock on his door. He approached the door carefully with his gun out. He opened the door, hiding the gun behind it as he saw the person standing there.
"Hello, Jimmy. Sarah sent me to give you a hand."
Jimmy put his gun away. There was no way someone could know his real name without talking to Sarah. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
He extended his hand. "I'm Jimmy Slade."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Carina Miller," she replied, shaking his hand. "Sarah nailed your description just about right. Actually, she usually exaggerates a bit on what guys look like. Not this time. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Jimmy smiled. "I'm glad you're here. You are definitely a sight for sore eyes."
Jimmy walked back to the desk to grab the folder on Dana Mackey. Carina looked him up and down very slowly.
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," she said quietly to herself.