The men and women had been sitting around the table for more than two hours planning how to finally contain the Blackbriar case. One witness was recently found and needed to be removed. Did they just have a meeting about this? Wondered one of the newer agents. He'd read about this shit but this was his first time being on one of these teams. He reminded himself of his dream of rising through the ranks. It starts here. He wanted to impress
The three other faces were solemn as their plan was pushed into motion. It wasn't unheard of for gas mains to explode. It was unfortunate that innocent lives might be affected but containment would insure that they were kept to a minimum.
By business Monday there would be sighs of relief in DC.
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Nicky stepped out into the cool air holding the large black knapsack over her shoulder. The wetness was a refreshing contrast to the dry heat there'd been inside. While it did feel good she was unnerved by the sudden change. She'd been unnerved by many things today. For a reason she couldn't name she'd felt eyes on her wherever she went; walking to work, at work. Now.
She needed time to think. Was she just caught of guard by this trip with Ben? Or was her gut telling her that something in the Big Picture just wasn't right? Jason had told her if something didn't feel right then it probably wasn't. Looking down the street at the line of upcoming cars she got ready to signal a cab.
"I want to see the sights." She told the driver when she was inside.
"At this hour signora? "
"Just drive"She slumped back against the seat. "Please." She grabbed onto her bag, the one she'd dug out from its hidden yet convenient place under the sink, wedged between the pipes, and unzippered it. She stared at the contents and hoped she was just being paranoid. Cautious. She told herself. If you don't need it then so the better. Consider it a drill.
Nicky fingered the cash and IDs—gifts from Jason's contact back in Seville. She'd added the sneakers and clothing, first aid kit, the gun and the boxes of bullets and made sure that everything she'd put in there when she first put the bag away was still there. It was.
They had been driving all night and had just rounded the entrance to Vatican City. The sun would be up soon and Nicky was half-dozing in the backseat. A flash in her mind's eye made her sit up and grab her bag again. She fished inside before coming up with what she was looking for—a train schedule.
"Signore," she told the driver. "The train station."
The sun was coming up as her car pulled in. She made sure to wait until the line formed a little to buy her ticket and when it was safely in her pocket she ran for the train. She looked forward to two things: Sleeping on the train and seeing Ben later.
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Jason had watched her come outside and stop. He was in the shadows and so close he could smell the alcohol and her own sweet scent mixing together in the heavy air. He'd already taken care of the two-man team that had been assigned to watch her and now it was his turn alone.
When he saw her eyes switch to the oncoming traffic he'd known what she'd do. Quickly he darted across the street and grabbed the first cab in line, allowing the second to go to around and to her. He took his time telling the driver where to go, fumbling for his Italian.
As her cab pulled away he spoke in more even tones and he in fluent Italian. "My friends are leaving without me. There." He pointed up ahead to the cab that had just pulled away from the curb and ignored the driver's surprised look. "Can you follow them please? I have a hundred extra Euros if you can catch up."
The driver smiled and accelerated, following the other cab.
Thirty minutes into the ride he caught the driver's concerned looks being thrown into the rearview mirror.
"Another hundred to keep driving. Go where they go."
The driver was nervous but needed the money and so he drove on.
When the other car finally stopped at the train station the driver was happy to take his money—all of it—and even happier that his fare was complete.
Jason followed Nicky into the train station and bought his ticket to Davos not far behind her. She was aware of her surroundings he could tell, but he could also see her fatigue and her fear.
He'd successfully and more importantly quietly, taken care of the two man team that had been assigned to follow Nicky. They could now board the train safely.
They were together on the same train, each in a different car. He waited until he was sure the rocking of the train had lulled her to sleep before he took a quick walk. He apologized to the man who sat behind her as he quietly tripped over an imaginary item and fell against him. Nicky stirred but didn't feel the weight of the phone that had been added to her pocket.
Jason went back to his seat and put in an earpiece. He watched her car door and listened to the news on a radio channel. How long would it take until the two men were found at the station? That news story would tell me how much time they had.
Jason was half asleep when something made him bolt upright. Via Cavour 312. A local news report from Rome was coming into his ear. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, listening and trying to piece together the information through his sleep deprived brain.Was it the train station piece? Via Cavour 312. Shit! That was Nicky's street. Fuck! That was Nicky's address Conduttura del gas. He sighed and rubbed his face. Gas main explosion.
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The first transmission had been promising. "Detonation affirmative."
They listened to the local police chatter and took reports from agents on the street. All seemed to be going to plan.
"And we're sure Parsons was on site." Demanded the officer in charge.
The young agent nodded, gathering his files and handed them to his superior. "
The mane leafed through them and then stopped. Cold. He stared at the younger agent.
"You're missing reports." He rifled papers until he found what he was looking for. "Hale and Canon. They were tailing her. Where are their latest reports? The logs shows their latest check in 3 hours ago." The agent stared at him. This couldn't be possible. He'd painstakingly compiled all that they had on this girl.
"Christ!" he roared to the room in general. "Do we even know if this girl was home?"
Suddenly the agent who'd dreamed of rising through the ranks had a very sure feeling that he would be having a very bad year. And then some.
"Okay people let's hope that pieces of Nicky Parsons are still sizzling around Trastevere." He went on, sarcastically. "But let's get some confirmation just to make me feel better." To his aide he snapped, "Pretending Parsons wasn't at home, let's get a new team in place and find me that girl."
