Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Burn Notice or Wicked.
Michael spent the morning discussing his plan with the group:
"Glinda, you and Boq continue with your day. Keep up the appearance that everything is still normal."
Glinda's afternoon meeting was with a group of people to discuss the final setup of the anniversary celebrations.
Before Glinda left for her meeting, Fiona asked her, "What anniversary?"
Glinda replied, "The anniversary of the death of the Wicked Witch of the West."
Fiona noticed a sense of sadness at Glinda's response. "You don't seem happy about it."
Glinda sighed. She wasn't – how could she be happy about the celebration of the death of her best friend? How could she celebrate the big lie perpetuated by the Wizard? These were the secrets she kept to herself, and she had to keep up appearances so nobody knew her secrets.
Glinda put on the best smile she could. "The celebration is more for the people of Oz," and with that she walked to her meeting.
Boq, meanwhile, did what he always did: walked through the palace and the perimeter outside to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
"Fi, I need you to be on the ground to be my eyes."
Fiona smiled. "I get to play tourist."
Fiona strolled through all the shops in the city. She was amazed that there were so many different shops in the Emerald City – cafés, open air restaurants, clothing shops, bed and breakfasts and tourist shops selling different trinkets. It amazed her that the area around the Palace almost looked like a regular tourist trap. Even so, she walked through the city looking around and taking in the view. During her walk, she stopped at a clothing store and complained to the shopkeeper that everything in the store was green. The shopkeeper looked at her strangely and said, "You do realize you're in the Emerald City?"
Fiona then heard Michael's voice in her earpiece, "Fi, don't make the locals angry now."
Fiona walked out of the store and quietly said, "Have you seen the stuff, Michael? It's all green. There's nothing that looks any good on me. The only thing I would consider buying are some Palace coffee mugs I saw at a store down the road..."
Michael sighed. "Later Fi. See anything yet?"
Fiona sighed, "No, not yet."
She put on her sunglasses and looked around at the cafés that looked onto the Palace. It was at one of the cafés she noticed a group of people gathering around three men sitting at one of the outdoor tables. Every so often, one of the people watching would walk up to a man and shake his hand. As Fiona watched this, a group of people passed by saying, "The Wizard's back! He's sitting over there!"
Fiona walked over to get a better view. She saw three men sitting at a table and she recognized one of them. "Michael, I see Pavel, the head of security, sitting with two men at a table in the café overlooking the entrance of the palace. I'm willing to bet that one of them is the Wizard, and it seems they're having a very serious conversation."
"Which café?" Michael asked.
Fiona smiled. "Just look for the crowd."
Michael was standing on the fourth floor balcony overlooking the city with a pair of binoculars. It was the same balcony Glinda used in the evenings. He looked towards the café Fiona described. Sure enough, he saw Pavel sitting there with two other men. One of them Michael recognized as the man Pavel was chatting with in the great hall the previous day. The other gentleman was an older gentleman; probably in his fifties. He had short black hair, a good sized beard and mustache, and was dressed in a purple jacket.
He smiled. "Good work, Fi." He then said, "OK Sam, you're up."
(Michael Westen voiceover): Going to meet a target cold is a difficult proposition. If your target is cautious, they will see you as a threat. However, if you approach your target and tell them you have a common objective, they will be more inclined to listen.
Sam strolled into the café wearing a gray suit, white shirt and sunglasses. He strolled over to the table where the three men were sitting, pulled up a chair and said, "This looks like a good spot to sit. Mind if I join you gents?"
Before they could answer, Sam sat down and called the waiter over. "Sir, some beers for me and my friends. What do you have?"
The waiter looked at Sam oddly and replied, "We…uh…we have Ozweiser in a bottle."
Sam replied, "That'll do."
One of the men looked at Sam incredulously. "Can I help you sir? You do realize you're sitting at a private table."
Pavel then spoke. "This is one of Glinda's guests, Wizard. I met him yesterday."
Sam then smiled. "Oh, so you're the Wizard? It's an honor to meet you sir. I've heard so much about you."
He offered his hand to him, and the Wizard shook it. The Wizard then asked, "And you are?"
"The name's Finley – Chuck Finley."
Sam then introduced himself to the third man in the group, who remained silent during the exchange. Then he handed the three of them a business card: Chuck Finley, President and CEO, Finley Shipping. The Wizard took the card. "So, what is the nature of your visit, Mr. Finley?"
Sam sat back as the waiter put four bottles of beer on the table. "Well, as you can see, I'm the owner of a shipping business. I'll ship anything anywhere. Appliances, food, guns, ammo…you name it, I ship it." Sam took a swig of his beer and then continued: "So, when there was an opportunity to expand to new markets, well, I couldn't just wait to jump at the opportunity."
The Wizard glanced over at the other two men to gauge their reaction. They had a skeptical look on their faces. He then turned back to Sam and asked, "And you telling us this, because…"
Sam turned around and saw the crowd standing around the café. He then turned to the Wizard and said, "I'm looking to negotiate with the ruler of Oz – the real ruler of Oz. Are you sure you want to talk with an audience around?"
The Wizard thought about Sam's question for a second, then got up and approached the crowd. As he talked to them, the third man asked Sam, "My friend here said you are a guest of Glinda the Good. Is that so?"
Sam nodded as he drank another swig of beer. "Yes sir. Arrived yesterday. I must say she is one smart lady. Pretty too."
The man just sneered. "I don't know if she's that smart."
Sam then asked, "You don't think so? Why do you say that?"
The man leaned forward towards Sam. "The Wizard here? He was in charge of Oz. He had everything going just fine until that 'Glinda' chick showed up. She kicked him out of Oz and took over. As far as I'm concerned, she's the ruler of nothing."
The Wizard returned from the edge of the café patio. The crowd started to disburse. He sat down and said, "You know, even though I've been away from this place for a while, when you politely ask for some privacy, they still oblige." He then turned to Sam. "Now Mr. Finley. You're looking to do some trading here in Oz, but I'm not in charge. So, why are you talking to us if you're here to talk to Glinda?"
Sam leaned forward to the Wizard and quietly said, "Mr. Wizard, let me tell you something: I'm a business man. I know opportunities when they arise, and I also know when I need to cover all of my bases. I may be talking to the current ruler of Oz but I want to make sure I'm talking to the future ruler of Oz as well."
The Wizard bristled a bit. "Mr. Finley, I don't know what you're talking about."
Sam smiled, and so did Michael. They saw the discomfort in the Wizard's reply. Sam continued, "That's not what I hear. From what I've heard, I should be talking to you. You are the 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz'?"
The Wizard smiled at this – it had been a while since he was called, "Wonderful".
Sam continued. "Besides, perhaps we can make a deal. If I will help you get back into the Palace, you could set me up with a 'business arrangement'. Perhaps you'll even be part of the board of my company."
The Wizard was too smart to just take an offer like that. "Tell me Mr. Finley, what's in it for you?"
Sam licked his lips (more for effect) and said, "Let's just say that I may be looking to relocate. There are certain…'events' occurring back home that may necessitate a move. If I'm going to move to a new place that I know nothing about, it's best to have friends in high places. Don't you agree?"
The Wizard was now intrigued. "Really? What kind of events?"
Sam breathed deep to relax (again for effect). "Last year, I was shipping some arms to a small rebel army. They wanted to overthrow their government. Unfortunately, the FBI got wind of it and now I'm under investigation."
The Wizard was amazed by 'Chuck Finley's' admission. Sam continued, "So, if I can 'relocate' to somewhere where the Feds can't find me, I would be…well…more than willing to 'help the cause'."
The Wizard sat back and considered this. Here was an absolute stranger coming up unsolicited and saying that he would help them. However, he was a guest of Glinda's, could work from inside the palace, and could provide help that could tip the scales in his favor.
Sam sat back and took another swig of beer. Then he asked, "So, Wiz, what do you say?"
While Sam was chatting with the three men, Michael's cell phone rang. He was surprised that his phone actually worked in Oz. His surprise turned to discomfort when he saw the caller id: Mom.
He answered the phone. "Hi Mom. Listen…"
"OH MY GOD, MICHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK?" She sounded hysterical.
Michael rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom, we're fine. We're all fine."
"Sam and Fiona are with you?"
Oops. "Yeah. We're..."
"But you're all ok? Because the news channel showed a story about a freak tornado just outside of Miami yesterday and a car that looked just like yours was pulled into it!"
(Michael Westen voiceover): Having a neurotic, chain-smoking, hypochondriac mother has it's disadvantages. When she sees something on tv, whether it's a terrorist attack, automobile accident, or a story of a car being pulled into a tornado, she's instantly assumes the worst. Let's face it, my mom would have made a great N.S.A. communications operative. Drop me in the middle of the Gobi Desert, bury me in a cave on the moon, or stick me in a magical land, and somehow she'll still find a way to get a hold of me.
Michael grimaced. How was he going to explain this one? She'd never believe it.
Calmly, he replied, "Mom, we're all fine, we're ok. We're just on an assignment right now."
A sigh came from the other end of the phone.
He continued, "Listen, you may get a phone call from somebody verifying Sam's shipping company. Can you be ready?"
Madeline let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I suppose so. Any idea who'll be calling?"
Michael was hesitant to answer. However, he replied, "The guy may call himself 'The Wizard'."
Madeline chuckled. "You're on assignment tracking somebody called, 'The Wizard'? Seriously, Michael, twisters and wizards, you would think you were in…"
It was then Michael realized she had put two and two together.
After a long pause, Madeline sternly said, "Michael, please don't tell me you are where I think you are."
"Well Mom, it's a long story."
"I'll bet. I'm…going to get some more cigarettes now."
And with that, the line went dead. Michael hung up the line and rolled his eyes.
"Great," he said sarcastically.
Back at the café, after some thought, the Wizard said, "Mr. Finley, let me consider your proposal."
Sam nodded. "Absolutely. I certainly hope we'll be in touch."
The Wizard pointed to the palace. "I'll definitely know where to reach you."
Sam then got up from the table and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all." He smiled and then left the three men to ponder their conversation.
Glinda walked up to Michael on the balcony. "How is the plan coming along?"
Michael handed an extra pair of binoculars to Glinda and pointed to the café. "Sam's planted the seed – they'll just need some more convincing that they need his help."
Glinda looked at the men sitting there through the binoculars. She sighed as she realized that her head of security was sitting at the table. She shook her head. "I can't believe Pavel is working with the Wizard."
"Who's the other gentleman?"
Glinda nodded. "He's Raymond Shaz, the governor of the Emerald city. He's a real slimebag to work with."
Michael took note of this gentleman.
Raymond Shaz
Slimebag
Michael also noticed that the Wizard pulled out a small, brown notebook, put Sam's business card in it, and wrote some notes in it.
(Michael Westen voiceover): Keeping notes of allies and enemies is not uncommon as it helps keep you organized. It also acts as an insurance policy if one of your allies tries to burn you: if an ally tries to stab you in the back, you have enough information on them to bring them down with you. Of course, if your enemies get a hold of your notebook, it could make life a little more interesting.
"We need to look at that book. Fi, do you see it?"
Fiona had been watching from one of the shops and listening to Sam's conversation through her earpiece. She watched as the Wizard put the book back in his inside right jacket pocket. "Yeah, I see it. I'll see what I can do."
Fiona was about to head back into the palace but decided to do one more walk around the palace. From a distance, Fiona noticed a young couple approaching the back of the palace. The man looked like he was totally un-coordinated in his walk and wore an outfit that was fit for a scarecrow in the fields. The woman was dressed head to toe in black, wore black gloves, and had a black shawl covering her head. It's too hot to be dressed that warm, Fiona thought. Then, she realized who it was.
She looked at the back doors of the palace and realized that a certain tin man saw this couple as well.
Fiona's smile dropped. "Oh no."
Michael heard Fiona remark. "Fi, what's wrong?"
"Michael, things just got a lot more complicated."
A/N: I was debating on leaving the phone call with Madeline in – didn't know if it was too cheesy or not. After some thought, I decided to leave it in. We may hear from Madeline in the future.
Please review and let me know what you think. Do you like the story so far? Do you think it stinks? Let me know.
