I apologize for the delay, I know some of you have been waiting for the next chapter. I'll do my best to post the next one soon.
I really appreciate your reviews and all the PMs I've been getting.
Here's the next chapter. And I hope it's not disappointing.
It's a little rushed, so I'm sorry about that.
Let me know what you think.

PS: Gail Peck is awesome! (I don't own Rookie Blue)

25. Ghost You Know

"Call her." Marcus urges.

"Hang on, jus give me a minute." I beg.

"Now. You don't have much time. We're on a timer remember?" He reminds I don't have much time before the bomb goes off.

Last night, Carl had listed the plan to me in detail. At Eight AM, we will be in the tunnel that leads to the second base. That's when the bomb in my house will blow up. The base will remain safe, since it was installed to remain bomb proof. But just in case, we were to be far away, but not too far that the explosion wouldn't be heard. Also, the base doors from the house were locked from the inside. They can no longer be opened from the outside.

Carl made sure to instal a bomb with a timer. He also had a plan to make everyone believe I was dead. He suggested I call someone who'd overreact if I exploded while talking to them. It would make it more believable. He was sure they'd send someone to watch the scene. Someone to make sure the job was done right. Which is why he installed cameras outside as well so that we can watch the people and know who they sent. Actually so they can watch. I refuse to watch the people I care about to react to my fake death. Not when I can't comfort them and tell them I'm still here. Especially not if Holly's there.

I already cut off bits of my hair and bloodied a shirt and placed it in my room. Even though I doubt anything can be found, considering the explosion will happen from the room, which means everything there will become complete ashes.

I'm hoping though that Holly wouldn't believe in my death, not without proof. Even if this phone call happens and even if everyone else is convinced.

"Gail." Marcus urges me again and that's when I pull my phone and dial the number.

"Gail?" The person on the second end answers on the third ring.

"Hi mom." I greet my mother trying to keep my voice steady. I know my mom is all tough, but this will not be easy on her. And I'm probably being cruel for calling her. But I wasn't going to call Holly, or Steve, which were the two names Carl had suggested. Even though they'd make the perfect freak out, they'd fall apart. If I was to make someone hurt, I should pick someone who can handle it. And someone who'd understand my actions when all of this is done.

Which leaves my mother.

She's always thrived for higher places in her job. If anyone was to understand sacrifice in the name of a job it'd be her. She'll make this believable, she's not that heartless. She'll freak out and show up at the scene and she'll yell orders at everybody, and maybe she'll cry. That should make it believable. And I am such a horrible person for doing this to her. First I leave for five years, then I come back and have to die, while she witnesses the sound of my death.

"There's no canceling tonight." She warns me thinking my phone call was to bail on dinner tonight.

"Oh I'm not canceling. Just calling to make sure I'm not required to stay late." I lie to her, and I clench my fists while doing it. "We might have to go back on the undercover job tonight." A mention of a job should do it.

"So it's true? You took over for your brother?" So she heard about that.

"Yes."

"I'm impressed Gail. Why didn't you tell me you outranked your brother? And in just a matter of a few years." She almost sounds proud.

"Working to many near death jobs and almost dying dozens of times does that." I say sounding sarcastic, but I'm sure she won't care about my tone.

"Well you got places. Did you gather more intel on the job you're working on? Steve had little." I guess she's trying to get information from me. Not going to happen.

"Can't tell you anything mom, you know that." She probably already looked for the files though. The second she heard I kicked Steve and Sam off the mission I'm sure she checked my files again to see if she missed anything the first time she checked them. To see if it says anywhere that I'm working on this job and to see what my rank had reached.

"Oh I'm you're superior, I think you can tell me." She's pulling the boss card on me then.

"Not on this mission mom. I'm sure you figured that out when there was no mention of it in my files when you checked them." I throw at her and she remains silent for a moment, not expecting me to know. "Big dangerous missions are always to remain on the down low, so the people involved remain safe." I throw in the danger part.

"Well, then I hope you're close to solving it." Her voice sounds worried. I guess that's her way of saying be safe. Then she clears her throat and continues."I don't mind you leaving early tonight, as long as you come to dinner." She gives me the green light, which I will not be needing.

"And no asking questions about the job tonight." I warn her.

"Of course. It won't be right in front of Leo anyways." Leo. The cute kid. He'll be devastated too. This plan sucks.

Marcus then taps me and indicates to his watch. Telling me I have thirty seconds before everything goes boom. Carl had connected my phone to the bomb timer. So my phone will go dead when the bomb goes off. They'd already placed another similar phone in my room. I have thirty seconds to convince my mom I'm dying.

"What is that?" I ask making my voice slightly distant.

"What is what Gail?" My mother asks.

"There's a ticking noise. in my room." I keep playing my part.

"You're at your house still?" She seems surprised. She probably expected me to be at the station by now.

"Yes. My shift's at ten…" I then trail off… "Holy shit." I exclaim into the phone loudly when Marcus indicates ten seconds.

"Gail?" Mom asks worried.

"There's a Bomb in my room?" Is all I manage to utter before my phone dies, and and explosion is heard above us and I still. This is when pain is caused to some people and when I become a ghost.

"Good job, now let's move." Marcus grabs my arm and pulls me farther through the tunnel till we reach the other base. The whole time he keeps tugging my arm and I move silently with him.

"Hey." Marcus greets Carl and Caroline when we enter the base. I guess I wasn't paying attention when he put the access code into the entrance.

This base is exactly like the other one. Also lodged in a secret basement. The house however is not occupied or furnished, so I'll have to hide in the base.

"Plan is working." Marcus says emotionlessly. "15 devision are on their way and your mom already called the station yelling out orders. I'm guessing the fire department is not too far behind." He informs us of the situation as he turns on the cameras and Marcus takes a seat.

I stand their motionless, staring at the screens, as I see the house burning, and some people gathering already.

few minutes later the first squad car shows up. The driver that exits it is Oliver, and Dov is right by his side and they both look at the house in shock. I stand there motionless watching them.

"He's there. Watching the scene." Carl indicates to a guy in the back. I'm guessing that's the guy they sent to make sure the job is done.

A few more squad cars arrive with the fire department right behind them.

And they immediately get to work.

To my surprise a frantic woman appears. My mother. She starts yelling my name towards the house.

I can faintly hear Oliver asking someone to keep my mom away from the scene.

"She's in there." She yells at whoever is holding her back.

Oliver says something to her, I can't hear it but through the motion of his lips I'm guessing he says 'we don't know' or 'you don't know that.'

"She was on the phone with me. She found the bomb right before the explosion. SO SHE'S IN THERE AND YOU BETTER SAVE HER." She barks orders as she once again tries to break free of her hold, but the officer holding her, whom I still haven't seen his face, tightens his hold.

"Hurry up. A detective might have been in the explosion." Oliver informs everyone loudly.

Carl zooms on the guy's face though. I'm guessing whoever this fucking asshole is, he's enjoying the show. And his small almost hidden smirk proves that.

"He's buying it so far." Carl announces. Which is when his phone rings, and the guy on the screen is already on his phone.

"Yeah?" Carl answers.

A few seconds later he hangs up.

"He said good job. He bought it." He tells us what the other end of the conversation was. But the guy who just called didn't leave. I'm guessing he needs more proof of my death.

That's when a couple of detective cars show up. And Steve exits one of them.

"I can't watch this." I tell the room as I quickly make my exit towards the back rooms.

If Mom was bad, Steve will be worse. And the worst will be Holly, who I hope is still asleep and haven't heard about this craziness yet.

"You should really get some rest." Marcus taps the chair I'm sitting on.

"Not tired." I say with a wave of the hand as I resume working on my computer, trying to decode things.

"Gail. You've barely slept this whole week." He tries to reason. "I know you want to finish this job so you can get back to the living, but you won't do a good job if you're too tired."

"I'm fine." I grit through my teeth as I ignore him and get back to work and he gives up and gets back to his post.

It's bee a week since the explosion. And it's been a week of pain for the people I care about. I didn't want to see what they've been going through, but sometimes I cave and check up on them, and I hate it every time I do.

I can't' help but tap into the cameras at the station, at the morgue, and I keep checking their files and tapping into their text messages. It's wrong, and devastating and makes me want to really kill myself.

They've announced my death the next day after the explosion. I guess that was due to finding some small part of DNA in the house. Before that everyone as disbelieving. Even now, I've learned my mother doesn't believe it. Steve's a mess though, and Holly's worse. Even though they both according to Carl still have hope I'm alive. Which is why they're refusing a funeral. Not yet.

Every time I tap into them I start crying. I haven't cried in so long. The spy life has made me more cold than I was. I've induced torture, I've almost died plenty of times, and yet seeing the people I love go through pain made me cry.

Which is why I have to finish this fast. We have to get rid of this gang as fast as we can. I need to go back. I need to get back to them and tell them I'm here. I need to end the pain.

"He's right." Carl announces when he enters the base. I like to call it the Shadow Zone. We've been going back and forth between the two bases. Andy and Nick are still helping us out, but they don't know I'm alive, so I usually hide in the other base when they come to this one.

"I'll be fine." I say the same thing to Carl.

"You'll need the rest. I have an arrest for you to make." He knew this news would tempt me. I've been locked up in here for a week. While they've been going after the members of the gang, and in a week they've captured eleven. Our team has grown bigger. Ashley's even supposed to come join us at the base tomorrow, along with another spy. And if there's an arrest I can make, I'll be eager to make it.

"Really?" I ask eagerly.

"Yes." He nods and Caroline enters the room then.

"It'll be the perfect plan." She adds to his announcement and give her a look that asks for her to elaborate on her point. "Well, it's been only a week since we've tricked them with your death and they think they're a bit safer now. We've taken some of our spy names off of the radar, in case they still had access to our database. We've made a few arrests and there will be few to come. But we still aren't numbered enough to attack them full on. There's still traitors amongst our quarters, so we'll need help." She explains.

"Help as in…?" I trail off with my question even though I have a feeling I already know who she's going to name.

"The police." Carl answers for her.

"And how would we do that? They think I'm dead." I ask curiously. "Who'll recruit them?"

"You will." She says so simply that I look at her dumbfounded.

"Did you miss the part where I said they think I'm dead?" I question.

"No, but it wouldn't hurt if they thought you were a ghost." The smirk on Carl's face tells me this is one hell of a plan and he's proud of it.

"Who am I arresting?" I ask knowing that the answer to that, will tell me what the plan is.

"You're old teacher. Mr Burt." He announces proudly.

"Why now?" I ask.

"I just found out he's on the intel team. Which means he as lot of information that could help us." He explains. "So tomorrow, during school hours, we'll capture him when he least expects."

"During school hours? As in while he's in class?" This is too good. I get to arrest him and embarrass him?

"Yes. Where students will see, and the cops will hear about it, maybe even get a picture of you." Carl tells me how the plan will go and at the mention of the picture I get what he means. There's one person who'll definitely take a photo, and through that photo the cops will know.

"Izzy." I say and Carl's smile gets blinding.

"You ready?" Marcus asks as we park in front of the school.

"So ready." I say with a smile.

"Excited are we?" He notes. "This is all you, I'll just stand at the door of the class room."

I nod at his instructions and make sure I have my badge dangling from my neck and my gun is perfectly in place.

"You sure Izzy's schedule says she has his class now?" I ask to make sure.

"Yes. The class should have started fifteen minutes ago, and we made sure he attended and so did she." He reassures me.

"Let's go then." I say as I exit the car. Izzy's going to freak out when she sees me. Everything about me looks the same. I suggested cutting my hair or changing it's color, but we realized it'd work better if I looked the same. Not like the gang will know I'm still alive since Mr Burt will not be able to tell them.

When we approach the classroom my excitement doubles. This moment here will give the people I care about hope that I might be alive.

I give Marcus a look before I pick up my gun from it's place and get ready to go in. Once he nods I open the door and barge right in.

"Jonathan Burt you're under arrest." I exclaim as I raise my gun to his head. This is probably unnecessary, especially not in front of these kids, but just in case he was armed or tried anything.

I can see the surprise all over his face once he sees the gun pointed at him. I keep my attention on him, to make sure he does nothing wrong, so I ignore the students for now.

"What for?" He asks incredulously as he raises his hands.

"I don't know…" I say sarcastically. "Maybe for drugs, arms, smuggling illegal products, oh and treason." I say the last one with a serious face, so he'd know exactly that I'm not just a normal cop.

"No. Who are you?" He asks as he takes a step back and I follow with one forward.

"You know who I am." I give him a sadists smile.

"You're supposed to be dead." His voice shakes when he says that.

"Oh so you knew they were plotting my death." My glare at him gets venomous. "You know there's no point in trying to escape. I'll outrun you, and I already have a team ready to capture you. So don't make this worse for yourself." With that said I make sure my gun is perfectly aimed at him.

"Okay." He lowers one of his hands in a gesture that asks me to go easy on him.

"Turn around and hands behind your back." I order and he complies.

I lower the gun and go to cuff him. And that's when I take a moment to look at the students, searching for Izzy's face.

The moment the cuffs are secure I find Izzy. She looks as if she's seen a ghost. But she doesn't disappoint, she has her phone up and pointed in our direction. So just in case she has any doubts about whether or not it's truly me, I give her a smirk followed by a wink before I drag the prisoner outside of the class room.

"You got this?" Carl asks once we're done strapping Burt in one of our small lockdown bases in the city.

"Yes. We'll get him to talk." I assure Carl as I take off the blind fold we used on Burt.

"I'll head to the station then. Maybe Izzy already sent that photo to her dad. I need to be there to know what happens and how many potential recruits we're looking at for this mission." He informs me as he picks up his gear. "I've played my part perfectly this far, Nick asked in the beginning if I'd faked your death like I did with the others and I told him I wasn't the one sent after you. I can't come right up and correct that until the situation requests it." He continues.

"Okay." I give a slight nod as he makes his way out and I turn my attention back to Burt.

"So you're intel? I knew there was a reason I hated you." I say to Burt and he just glares at me.

"Not going to talk are you?" Marcus asks as he pulls out two chairs for us. One for me and one for himself, and he positions them right in front of the chair where Burt is strapped into, and Burt doesn't say a word to that either.

"This is going to be fun." I announce as I grab a tool box before taking a seat next to Marcus and in front of Burt, getting ready to make him talk.

I may hate this part, but when it's necessary I won't hesitate, especially now that everyone I care about is sad, especially since whoever he's working for is the reason behind it. And if getting him to talk makes things go faster and smoother, then he will talk, one way or another. Whatever it takes.

"What are they planning?" I start with that question but Burt doesn't answer he smirks.

"Okay." I say and then pick up a taser and start by a tasering him in the leg.

He jolts a bit at the voltage and when it's done I fix my seat to ask more questions.

"How about another question then? Who's your boss?" I ask and he still gives me that same smirk. So I raise the voltage and taser him again.

I give him a minute to adjust back and to decide if he wants to answer my question. When I'm met with silence I decide to change tactics again.

"You know, I never would've guessed that you were a traitor. An asshole maybe, but I thought you were too dumb to be a traitor." I place the taser in the bag and pull out a knife and simply shine it in his face.

"Same could be said for you. I thought you were too dumb to not die. Too bad I was mistaken." He answers back as if the knife doesn't phase him. "I Took your name off the hit list with a smile. Now you'll have to get back on it, along with many people that you care about." At that statement I give him the deadly icy glare. "I think Holly's name would look nice next to yours."

At the mention of Holly I act before I think and I jab the knife right into his thigh and he groans in pain.

"It's a good thing you won't be able to tell them I'm alive then, isn't it?" I ask cynically and challenging as I pull the knife back out.

His jaw is clenched in pain and the sight is satisfactory.

"Let's try this one more time. How about this question? What do you do for them exactly?" I go back to the questioning.

"You know, I would've expected your brother to be the spy. It was a shock when your name came up when I was tapping into your agency files." He looks smug but he just gave us information. He's part of their information team, and he's one of their hackers then. I never would've guessed that. He wasn't always the best with technology, he had a crappy phone for years, still does.

"I get them, I don't give them." His words clearly mean that he won't be telling me anything. I guess he forgot that people always talk.

"Now you want to be loyal?" My sarcasm is very obvious then. "And how much information did you get?" If I can know what they know, maybe some agents can be saved.

"I got a lot. I even got the fact that your brother was coming after us, till you pulled him off the case. Shame. Both Pecks dead, better world." He answers and before I can think the knife is jabbed into his other thigh and the sound of his pain brings me satisfaction.

"Gail." Marcus who's been quiet this whole time calls to me.

I pull the knife out.

"Why don't I take over? He knows you, and he's using that to get under your skin." He reasons as he reaches out to take the knife off my hands and I hand it to him. In a way he's right. If I continue the questioning and he keeps using my family against me, he'll be dead before I get any information.

"Go rest." He then gives me a look to reassure me he'll get what we need.

I give Burt an intimidating glare before I nod to Marcus and get up to leave the small back room of the base.

Instead of going to get some rest, I make my way towards the computers where Caroline is working. Back to the bug I've planted. Back to collecting more names and whatever information I can get. Even though they don't seem to use computers for planning, just for files on people. I do can however tell whenever they go after the false information I fed them, and I do get alerted when they try and hack into any governmental computer. They've so far gotten access to the city hall, district attorney and to some other minor systems. Whatever information they have, I have. And I plan on keeping them away from the police's system for as long as I can.

So I go back to coding and trying to access more names, jobs, residencies, while Marcus tries to make it easier by just making someone from the inside talk.

"Anything?" Carl asks me as he enters the base a few hours later.

"Yeah, I couple of names. And they've been monitoring money transfers from two banks, Caroline already sent out alerts and orders for tight security on them." I explain as I turn around in my chair to meet him.

"They're planning something big if they need more money." He guesses and I nod.

"How about you? What happened?" I ask as I lean closer in my chair anticipating his answer.

"Well Izzy did send the photo to Oliver. But he didn't inform the whole station. " He starts to explain as he finds a seat facing me. "Oliver didn't want to give anyone high hopes apparently so he only informed six people. Andy, Nick, Sam, Dov, Chloe and myself. I wasn't even going to be one of them, Nick called me in, and when everyone left the room he and Andy asked me if your death is fake, so I told them that I have no idea like we planned." I confirm that his answer was the right one with a nod. "They believe it's you though. The girl in the photo looks just like you and you winked at Izzy so that's what's making Oliver believe you're alive. They haven't told the chief yet though. They'll tell others once they have the smallest proof you're alive, so we'll have to find a way to show them proof. We need the whole station on our side."

"I was hoping my brother and Holly would be informed. It'd be easier when I show up." I confess with a sigh.

"You'll just have to play ghost for a while longer. As long as they don't know you're alive, we have the advantage. And this bug you planted is giving us more member names, and it's helping us intercept some of their plans. You're doing great, and we're so close." Carl reassures me. He's right. We are close and we'll get even closer when Burt talks.

"True. What exactly are the cops planning to do now? About me?" I inquire.

"Well Sam ordered a look out. He believes that if you faked your death then the mission you pulled them off is more dangerous than they believed, and that you showing up in Izzy's class is a message you're trying to send. So they got the point." He explains. "He thinks you'll leave them more clues to find you, because if this mission is this dangerous, you can't tell them you're alive, just keep them speculating."

"So we leave them clues then." I say.

"Can you send them an untraceable coded message?" Caroline jumps into the conversation then.

"I suppose." I think about it. "Dov is one of the people Oliver told right?" I direct my question at Carl who nods in confirmation. "I've been teaching him some things. I can send him a message."

"When?" He asks.

"Tomorrow. Put him on desk duty and let me know which computer he's using. The prank I taught him and he used on Chris, will be my message." I relay and Carl understands what I mean.

"Good. Any closer on the CIA traitors?" Caroline refers the subject towards the other mission.

"Not yet. I've been talking to Christie though and she thinks she has a clue on who it might be. She's going to send me the logs she's intercepted." I tell her in answer.

"On the rate we're going, my guess is three weeks and we'll have them all captured." Caroline says confidently and I smile in hope.

"It'll be less than three weeks." Marcus enters the room.

"Did he talk?" I ask before he even takes a seat.

"Yes. And by next week, you can have your reunion with the hot doctor." He gives me the smirk I hate as he finds a seat.

"Explain." I urge.

"Apparently, they're planning a meeting in five days. And everybody will be informed of the meeting the day before. And guess who everybody is?" He muses and before anyone answers he continues. "Everybody is everybody. Every member of them. And that's when we attack, and we either kill them or capture. Either way, we win." He says confidently.

"We need to get the cops on our side fast then." Carl comments.

"Let's talk details. Call Christie and the others." Marcus says excitedly as he finds a computer to start contacting everyone who's been working with us on this mission lately.

"Did it work?" I ask Carl through the phone.

"Dov's freaking out." He says.

"He didn't get it yet?"

"Nope." He answers. "Oh wait, he's calling Nick over… And now Nick's walking towards me."

"Good." This means they'll soon know and be on our side.

"Dov swears Gail is messing with him." I faintly hear Nick's voice through Carl's phone. "She's not haunting this place is she?"

"Is he sure it's Gail?" Carl asks.

"He says he's positive." Nick confirms.

"She's sending us proof she's still here then. Let's tell Sam and Oliver." Carl puts the plan in motion.

After a few seconds he addresses me directly. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything." He then hangs up.

And I wait.

Thirty minutes before he calls back.

"So?"

"Sam and Oliver agree, you're alive. They told the chief. But he asked that Steve, Traci and Holly stay in the dark about this, they're not back to work yet and he doesn't want them to be in danger when they're thinking irrationally. He only wants a very few officers to know, so he selected a few officers and he ordered for it to remain on the down low, anyone who tells Steve, Traci, your parents or Holly will be dealt with. Sam however ordered to be ready. Your message might be an alert, and they'll be ready if you ask for help. I didn't think they'd get it this fast, but he's a smart guy." He remarks and I have to agree.

"Maybe it's best he doesn't tell my family. This is still dangerous, and I could still die." I admit that they have a point. At least I know that they're still none believing that I'm dead. They still have a tiny amount of hope, and that's all I need right now to know that they'll be okay till I can come back.

"You're not dying on my watch." Carl promises. "We'll catch them soon."

"God, I miss Holly." I confess and I can hear Carl's faint chuckle.
"I'm sure she misses you too." I know she does.