BROKEN PROMISES
CHAPTER SIX

Thursday evening – 8:45 pm – Agency Bullpen

Lee exited the closet elevator and headed for the Bullpen. Tying up those "loose ends" had taken longer than expected and the activities of the morning's operation had begun to take their toll on him. He was looking forward to going home, taking a shower and calling Amanda.

He approached the double doors leading to the Bullpen and casually pulled them open. He abruptly came to a stop as a bewildered look appeared on his face.

What he expected to see was a slightly subdued office, staffed with a few agents mulling around searching for things to occupy their evening. What he saw instead was a flurry of activity – phones ringing, printers chiming and agents walking briskly back and forth around the room, voices raised in conversation. He was taken aback as he stood there and took in the scene.

When he finally entered the room, he could see Agent Anderson's animated form in the large conference room to the right. It appeared that he was briefing a group of agents. 'Wonder what's up,' he muttered as he headed for Billy's office.

Lee marched up to the Section Chief's office and knocked on the door briefly before entering. "Hey Billy," he announced as he came through the door, "what's up w-" but his question was cut short by Billy's stern look as he talked into the phone receiver held to his ear.

"Sorry," Lee mouthed as he sat down on the couch next to the door to wait for him to finish.

"Uh huh … … uh huh … … okay, fine … … just get me what you can and we'll handle it from here ... … thanks," Billy hung up the phone. "You wanted something Scarecrow," Billy said sarcastically as he glared at his senior agent.

"Sorry Billy, didn't realize you were on the phone."

"That's why people usually wait for me to say 'enter' before they, well … enter," he quipped.

"Message received," Lee stated. "Here's my report on this morning's operation," Lee continued as he rose from the couch and headed towards Billy's desk; his arm outstretched with the report in hand.

"Thanks." Billy took it and placed it on his desk. "Now, shouldn't you be heading home?" His question seemed more like an order than an inquiry, but its pointed reference was lost on Lee.

"Yeah I am, but hey … what's going on out there?" Lee inquired, gesturing his head towards the large window that looked out into the Bullpen. "What's Anderson going on about?"

"We finally caught a break with that guy Carter and Cooper brought in … it's not good news – there's another bomb out there and it's set to go off tomorrow morning!"

"What?!" Lee exclaimed. At this news, whatever fatigue he felt earlier instantly melted away and he immediately sprung into agent mode. "When? Where?" he pushed.

Billy was not surprised by his reaction. "We don't know much; this guy is a hard nut to crack – cocky and extremely uncooperative. Heck, we don't even know his name!"

Lee was confused. "Then how do we know he's even telling us the truth," he impatiently asked.

"After several hours of him reciting some gibberish about the American Revolution, the boys mixed together a pretty decent 'cocktail' for him. And, good thing they did. After awhile, he started talking about this." Billy stood up behind his desk and continued, "We can't afford to second guess this information, Scarecrow. He says the destruction and loss of lives will be substantial!"

Lee stood there straight as an arrow and the muscle in his jaw began to dance. "And just where is all this loss of life suppose to take place?" he stated with obvious contempt.

Billy sighed dejectedly, "In a metro tunnel somewhere near Union Station, but he's refused to give us an exact location."

"Somewhere near Union Station," Lee asked, "that's not a lot to go on Billy."

"I know. The boys are still working on him, but so far nothing."

Lee paused as if contemplating a thought. "Didn't Agent Brown mention seeing some specs on Union Station in the living room of the brownstone?" Lee had read the Delta team member's briefing transcript earlier that afternoon.

"Yeah," Billy responded, "at least it will give us a starting point. But, we don't have much time. That goon says the detonator is on a timer and it's set to go off in," Billy looked at his watch, "eight hours, during the early morning commute! I'm assembling a team to …"

"Okay, so whose ready to go …," Lee impatiently interrupted.

"Hold it Stetson," Billy countered. "You're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean I'm not going anywhere?" Lee retorted.

"Exactly what I said, you're … not … going," Billy firmly reiterated.

"And why not?" Lee asked incredulously. "This is my case Billy. I'm the Team commander!" he said irrefutably.

"No Scarecrow and that's final!" Billy rounded his desk and confronted Lee face-to-face on the other side. "I want you to meet with Agent Anderson, bring him up to speed, and then go home," he ordered.

Lee opened his mouth to protest but Billy continued, "Lee, you are in no shape to go out again! Look at you … you're a mess!" Lee self-consciously looked down at himself then shot an offended look back at Billy.

"You're not mentally or physically up for this type of assignment right now!" Billy continued in frustration. He knew how Lee felt about this case; how he felt personally responsible for stopping these guys ever since the incident at the Hart Building. But he also hoped Lee would see the wisdom of his words and let Anderson take it from here.

"Besides," he continued in calmer tones, "most of the agents from this morning have already gone home and it would take too long to call them back," Billy pleaded in an effort to defuse the situation. "We need to move now."

"Which is why I'm the guy for this job Billy!" Lee fired back.

"No." was Billy's simple reply as he broke eye contact with Lee and began walking towards his office door, signaling to the agent that the conversation was over.

Lee watched Billy's retreating form with disbelief. He resented Billy's insinuation that he wasn't up for the task.

"Oh, common on Billy …" Lee went after him in protest. "You know damn well I've been in more harrowing situations than this, with a lot less recovery time, and I still got the job done! I can do this!"

Arriving at the door, Billy turned and looked into the determined eyes of his best agent. He knew better than to do what he was contemplating, but then he saw that look in his eyes; the look he knew so well; the look that put him on notice that if he declined him "officially," Lee would find an "unofficial" way to get involved, which could complicate things even more and escalate an already dangerous situation. He felt he had no other choice but to relent.

"Fine," he said with irritation, "fine, but on one condition …" Again, Lee opened his mouth to protest but Billy held up his hand and said, "… nope, this is non-negotiable Stetson." Lee acquiesced. "Once you have everything in place, I want you to bunk down in the small conference room and get a few hours of sleep."

Lee protested, "But Billy, you said we didn't have much ti-"

"That's an order Stetson or no deal!"

"Okay, okay," Lee reluctantly agreed, "have it your way. Thanks Billy." He grinned, dimples abounding.

"Yeah, yeah … now go join your briefing. I'll break the news to Anderson."

Lee gave Billy a decisive nod before Billy moved aside, pulling the office door open to allow Lee to exit. He sprinted past Billy for the conference room like a kid running to open presents on Christmas morning.

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Lee worked fast and furious to bring the back-up team up to speed for the operation. The target time for departure was 11 PM and by 10:40 PM, Lee had his team briefed, assembled and ready to go.

At Billy's insistence, Lee had reluctantly bunked down in the small conference room and gotten about thirty-minutes of sleep. He was finishing his fifth cup of coffee for the night when he walked into the Q Bureau for some reflection time before he had to leave.

He remembered his promise to call Amanda so he picked up the phone and started to dial. Being reminded of the lateness of the hour by the clock on his desk, he quickly hung up the phone before he had completed the number. 'Don't want to wake her or the family at this hour,' he thought. 'I'll just see her in the morning,' he commented out loud to himself.

With military-like precision, he quickly scanned his desk and the room to ensure he had everything he needed then mentally went over the plan one more time. Feeling ready and confident, he nodded to himself, walked to the door, turned out the lights and exited the room.

TBC