As always seems to be the case nowdays - I apologize for the delay and the radio silence. This is a shorter chapter, but I promise more meatier chapters to come soon
"Mr. Comescu?," Lily's voice was tremulous and unsure and she made sure to slightly struggle with the foreign name. Tim looked at the woman and he could have sworn that she physically changed from the self-assured agent, to a frightened small-town girl. Lily paused to listen, her face focused and her eyes intent. Taking a deep breath she spoke again. "I really don't know what's happening. I was asked by some people to come here as a marrow donor for a man who is supposedly related to me….," a false sob. "Please excuse me, this is all so confusing and so new." Tim again saw her body almost contract in on itself.
"No. I don't know this man – before this week, I'd never seen him before. But I couldn't let him die, so I came to see if I could help." Another pause as Lily listened again, her eyes growing bleak. "Please. I don't know about any debt. I just came here to help save his life. Please….just let him go. I don't want to be in the middle of this." The people in the room could hear the man on the other side of the phone begin to yell although they could not understand.
"Please," Lily's voice pleaded and Tim was not sure any longer if she was acting. "I don't understand. I don't know what you want me to do….," a long pause. "No!," that word rand out loudly and caused everybody to stare. "Please don't hurt him. Please…he's been through so much already." Tim saw Hetty raise her eyebrows while Sam's scowl blackened.
A deep breath. "Ok. If it will help him. I'll meet with you.," A pause as Lily grabbed a piece of paper and pen and hastily scribbled. "OK. I understand." Clearly Comescu had hung up first. Lily stood there for a few more moments, clutching the phone, her eyes far away.
"Lily," Sam asked as gently as he could. "Are you OK. What's going on?"
Sam's voice recalled Lily from wherever her mind was wondering. She took a long, shuddering breath. "Its everything we were afraid off," she said simply. "Anatoly is in charge – the man behind the throne and he has Callen. They will kill him unless Sophia meets with them."
"They just want both of you together, to finish the job. To finish the Vendetta," Tim said, fear and concern adding sharpness to his voice.
Lily nodded. "They want to meet tomorrow," she indicated the piece of paper. "Information is there….No policy or anybody else…or they'll kill him outright." She buried her face in her hands for a moment. Tim resisted the urge to run to her, giving her the time to pull herself together. In moment, Lily raised her face, pulled her fingers through her hair and looked around the room again, her eyes and face again calm. "So now what?"
There was a general commotion as the team all spoke at once. Hetty permitted this to go on for a minute, and then spoke up, her quiet, authoritative voice cutting through the conversations like a knife.
"We will not let Mr. Callen down. We will rescue him," a pause. "Right now we need ideas."
What followed was a cacophony of brainstorming. Deeks suggested going in as a team to get Callen, and Sam suggested him alone sneaking into the compound to extract Callen. These and the other suggestions received a hearing, but none of them withstood reasoned consideration.
Lily watched and listened, but she was growing restive. None of the solutions could guarantee that Callen would get out of the situation alive.
"I'll go," she said. Then louder. "I'll go in."
That proclamation was met with silence and everybody staring at her. Lily felt herself blush, but went on. "I'll go in as Sophia Callen. They are most likely to put Callen and me together…to watch us together before they….," Lily took a deep breath, "before they complete the vendetta."
She made eye contact with Hetty, pleading silently for her support. "You'll know then where they are holding Callen and you'll be able to go in after both of us."
"How are you going to sneak a weapon in," Sam asked, all business.
"I'm not going to," Lily replied simply. "There is no way that they will not search me and our best advantage is them thinking that I am helpless and clueless. Anything we can do to ensure that they underestimate me."
"So you'll go in unarmed. And then what?," Sam pressed. Lily knew that he was not being belligerent. He, of all people wanted this work, but he was asking fair questions that deserved real answers.
"I'll just have to get one once I'm inside," Lily said. Sam gave her a deep, searching look which she returned, but said nothing more. He understood what she was planning and as much as he may have wished it, he could find no alternative with a better chance of success than the plan that Lily had proposed.
Standing in the middle of the hospital room, the cell phone still clutched in her hand, Lily looked around. What she saw in their eyes confirmed what she already knew. For better or worse, she had won the argument and it would be up to her to rescue Callen.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I know that it was shorter than the rest. This is a bit transitional and I promise more of the story soon