Oh, if you think ya strong make ya move,
Oh, if I find you weak I'll be cruel,
I'm a man of lots of patience that is true,
But getting on my bad side's not something ya wanna do,
So be open with me,
I'll be open with you,
Tellin' lies is not something that I like to do,
So make ya move,
Ah, make ya move,
Oh, make ya move,
Make ya move.
Patience please, be with me throughout my day,
Conscious please, forgive me for what I think today,
Cause I'm just a man feelin' like a man does,
Overwhelmed and angry by what another man does,
That's no excuse for feeling like I do,
Give me some advice man, what should I do?
Should I avoid everyone who doesn't brighten my day?
Should I ignore all dem people who stand in my way?
Or better still man, tell me is this a better plan,
Should I stop them on the street or wherever we should meet (and say)…
If you think ya strong make ya move,
Oh, if I find you weak I'll be cruel,
I'm a man of lots of patience that is true,
But getting' on my bad side's not something ya wanna do,
So be open with me,
I'll be open with you,
Tellin' lies is not something that I like to do,
So make ya move,
Ah, make ya move,
Oh, make ya move,
Make ya move.
Wisdom please, you're all that I need today,
Mercy please, for confrontation could come my way,
And what would I be if I let them get away,
With every dirty thing that they ever wanna say?
Oh, don't misunderstand me now,
I'm not lookin' for a fight when I go out on the town,
But there's so many inconsiderate people,
Wicked, hateful, dirty, evil people,
But a real man don't hate and a real man don't judge,
But my friend, even a real man knows how to hold a grudge (so)…
If you think ya strong make ya move,
Oh, if I find you weak I'll be cruel,
I'm a man of lots of patience that is true,
But getting' on my bad side's not something ya wanna do,
So be open with me,
I'll be open with you,
Tellin' lies is not something that I like to do,
So make ya move.
Bulletproof Marshmallows (BPM)- "Make Ya Move"
.com/bpmband--
"Wolfman here."
"Colonel, it's Craig Crankurt."
It was only then that Wolfman actually opened his eyes, instantly convinced of the importance of the phone call. Instincts of a soldier went through and through and Colonel Wolfman was certainly no exception. If Cammy's significant other was phoning him it was bad. It wasn't as if he and Craig hated each other, but they definitely didn't 'chat' with one another. So it was important. He rose from bed and began dressing quickly as he questioned Crankurt.
"You sound worried and this is Cammy's cell phone, what's going on?"
"It's a long story."
"Then stick to the important details."
Wolfman was now fully dressed as he exited his bedroom and flipped on the light switch in his home office. His time on leave was about to be at an end. He clicked his computer equipment on and listened as Crankurt filled him in.
"It's Cammy, she's pregnant. We're pretty sure Shadowlaw wants the baby. Vega's shown up three times now… and I-I don't know what the fuck to do."
Wolfman froze, his official demeanor on pause as he let the news sink in.
"Cammy's what?"
"Pregnant, okay? Look, Vega showed up, and we did all we could think of and hulled up, slept in shifts. But Cammy, she went after him."
"Of course she would. He has her?"
"No, no, she's with me, us, we're with the Guile's. He let her go once and then he let us both go for no reason when we confronted him. And again tonight. He had to, it's all a part of the game….Shadowlaw needs the baby."
"Calm down, it sounds like you're jumping to--"
"No! I've thought this through…think Colonel, it makes sense. Plus there's Juli…"
"What about her?"
Cranky was silent for a moment before Wolfman pushed him.
"Crankurt there's not time for this."
"Genta, and some other soldiers came for her. Messed Wagner up pretty bad. We got her back, alive, but…they hurt her Wolfman, bad. I'm pretty sure they were trying to--"
"Up their chances?"
"Yeah."
Wolfman thought for a moment. If they'd retrieved Juli already Shadowlaw is going to strike again, sooner than later. They'd mount a siege and ask questions later, too afraid to give time for their plan to be figured out. Too bad for them they were up against him. Cranky became frantic over the phone.
"I-I can't do what they expect. It's too important. I have to act."
Crankurt was breathing hard, emotions a little uncontrolled, but that was to be expected. Wolfman hadn't heard any word of Shadowlaw resurfacing which probably meant it was exactly true. America wasn't really interested in the way Delta Red handled situations involving Shadowlaw, and that was on top of the fact that Colonel Guile had most likely not reported a thing knowing the same of his military's way of doing things. No, this was desperate. The situation was bad.
"Colonel? Say something."
"I'm on my way. Next flight out."
"That's it?"
Colonel Wolfman nodded, too caught up in reading an e-mail flagged important to remember that over the phone Crankurt wouldn't see his nod. The e-mail was in fact, about Cammy. She'd checked out weapons on her Delta Red clearance…wanted for questioning...Crankurt's voice came again, louder, breaking Wolfman from the e-mail.
"Just keep doing what we're doing?"
Wolfman's eyes darted to the clock on his wall, doing the math with the time difference. They'd be there soon with a warrant for Cammy. What the hell was going on?
"Okay Crankurt, you wouldn't be calling if you didn't feel like Shadowlaw is about to move again and I think you're exactly right. It's going to take me a good 12 hours to get to you and there's no time to explain, so I need you to trust me."
"Okay, go ahead, I'll do anything to keep Cammy and our baby safe."
"When the L.A. police come, let them take Cammy in."
"What?! What do you mean?"
Wolfman pressed 'print' on his computer and tucked the warrant for questioning into his pocket along with his freshly printed airline ticket.
"She'll be safe with the police, at least for long enough for me to get there and start working on a real plan. But listen Crankurt, you've got to get her out without Shadowlaw knowing."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Wolfman laughed.
"That's exactly why I need you to trust me."
--
The sound of plastic crumbling, followed by the familiar tear of foil were a welcomed ritual before heaven came to his lips. His lighter flicked and Kenny inhaled the smoke from his first cigarette in 24 hours. God it felt good. Julian had crumbled his last two shortly before the shit hit the fan and he'd been desperately wanting one ever since. The fact that Dorian sat next to him on the front porch of the Guile home enjoying his own cigarette did more than to satisfy Kenny's sense of revenge; he liked him. It wasn't too long ago that Kenny was in the same proverbial boat, Cranky showing up all gung-ho protective over him. It was exhausting so he could at least understand Dorian's resulting bitchiness enough to see that under it, he was an ok guy.
Kenny stretched his legs forward, relaxing his posture to slump down and more thoroughly enjoy his cigarette. Dorian was one step ahead of him, having already assumed the same optimal relaxing-in-the-sun-smoking position. His bare feet dangled off the side, toes grazing the tops of the blades of grass underfoot. From their relaxed positions, a passer-by would think it was just another lazy day for a pair of teens. The truth was much more dark. They'd both survived a confrontation with Vega. The fact that they each only had minor scrapes and bruises was testimony to Vega's nature. It was like they were his chew toys, only slightly damaged until one day when the master says he can finally finish it and tear the toy apart. Kenny didn't like the uneasy feeling it gave him knowing that Vega had once fooled him into giving him information on Cammy and Cranky. Growing up with Cranky on the streets he'd always kept a comfortable suspicion with strangers. You had to act natural and be on guard to effectively pickpocket, and even more so to survive on the streets. But Vega had gotten past that and used him to threaten the people he cared about most….no he wouldn't forget that. As if Dorian knew Kenny's train of thought, he spoke, face remaining forward, looking into the distance.
"I'm sorry about your face getting busted up, Kenny."
"I jumped into it of my own free will."
"Because I spazzed out."
Kenny couldn't help it and laughed. He took a big swig of his big gulp slushy, and tossed a candy bar into Dorian's lap
"Yeah, you did kinda spazz there on Julian. You start your period or something?"
Dorian ran his hand through his hair and laughed goodheartedly.
"Fuck off. You don't understand. It's like, if he'd just get off my back for a damn second."
Kenny narrowed his eyes at Dorian who was peeling open the candy, totally unaware of his astonished gaze. He almost yelled.
"Uh, hello! Have you even met Cranky? You know, the big angry red head in there?"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, he did give us money for all this shit."
Kenny smiled. Dorian was kind of right in a way. Kenny had asked Cranky if he was feeling well when he'd come to him earlier with a shopping list, some money and asked him to run to the store for him. He seemed distracted, but then he added instructions to go straight there and come straight back and threatened to 'show him the meaning of trouble' if did anything other than retrieve the listed items. Cigarettes, slushies and candy weren't on the list, but if Cranky was going to treat him like a kid, he was going to act like one. But he'd made due with the money he'd been given and didn't miss a single thing on the list, so Cranky really had no reason to complain. He didn't know what the big deal was about a bunch of household shit for Jane but it'd given him and Dorian a little break from everything.
He guessed Cranky did understand in a way and besides, even when things between them got real bad, they fought it out like any good brothers would do. But would it be the same between father and son? Kenny spoke.
"You know Dorian, Cranky's a pain in the ass, but there was a time when I didn't know about him. Didn't know that he was out there worrying and caring about me."
Dorian had turned to him, face serious, wanting more, needing more.
"And?"
"It was lonely. You wonder-wonder if--"
Dorian's shoulders slumped as he finished Kenny's sentence.
"If anybody would even fucking care if you lived or died."
Kenny nodded solemnly as Dorian continued.
"This isn't what I expected, but it's better than--"
Dorian's sentence was cut short when he sprung to his feet and leapt over Kenny's still relaxed form. By the time Kenny noticed what had caused Dorian to leave so abruptly, he'd already made his way over the side porch railing and most likely scaled the fence leading into the backyard, leaving Kenny dumfounded as a police cruiser pulled into the Guile's driveway. Kenny stood as two officers approached looking peaceful enough. They spoke, not exactly cheerfully, but it was pleasant enough. They didn't feel like a fight today.
"Excuse me young man. We're looking for someone."
Kenny was instantly suspicious…it wouldn't be surprising to see Shadowlaw soldiers disguised as cops.
"Who and what for?"
The officers' smiles melted into scowls at Kenny's bluntness. It was a reaction Kenny had become used to over the years, but he wasn't about to change, he'd survived this long. The younger looking officer replied.
"Camilla White…for questioning."
Kenny sunk into a fighting stance. It was way too fucking convenient. However there was no time for him to really protest as he felt a hand fall heavily on his shoulder as Cranky's voice filled his ears.
"Cammy? She's right here."
Kenny turned and his jaw dropped. Cammy stood next to Cranky in the open front door. Her long blonde hair, which he was most used to seeing in braids of some sort was cut short, and brown. She-she looked like Jane! But it was unmistakably her as evidenced by the scar running its way down her left cheek and the nervous smile she gave him. Even the police did a double take to their file photo before the older one stuttered.
"Camilla White, we can do this calmly if you'll please just come with us down to--"
Kenny couldn't help it and protested.
"Cammy's not going--"
Cranky's hand squeezed hard on Kenny's shoulder, his hard glare staring holes through him. Kenny shut his mouth as Cammy looked his way, face confidant.
"It's okay Kenny, I'm sure they just have some questions for me."
Sure, her gaze was calm, but her eyes, they gave it away. She was scared. Something was going on that he wasn't in on, so he started adding it up. They were most surely being watched by Shadowlaw. That's how they'd gotten to Juli, when she was alone. How could Cammy just let herself be singled out, unless… Realization hit Kenny like a ton of bricks. The list for the store earlier today. Kenny'd just seen a simple list of items for the Guile's…and that's what Shadowlaw saw too. They wouldn't have noticed the essentials for the plan among all the other junk on the list (plus what Kenny himself had added). Cranky was using the cops to sneak Cammy out. Further he was making Shadowlaw believe she was still in the Guile home by making it appear Jane's the one who left with the police escort. But the big question was why were the police here? Kenny was calmed by at least understanding the plan as the police presented Cammy with a warrant.
"You're under arrest under suspicion for the murder of Conner Brady. You have the right…"
The rest of the Miranda rights were a dull cadence among the shock. Everyone's faces remained calm, afraid to give away the plan. Except for Cammy, who's eyes were wide, astonished, and stared directly at Wagner as she was led to the police car.
--
Wagner stood in a shocked daze. The police were investigating Conner's death? His murder. Cammy's green eyes seemed to pierce straight through him as the police led her into their cruiser. She, she looked horrified, of him. He had wanted to tell her last night, so badly, but when things got out of hand with Vega's arrival, he'd decided it should wait. She was supposed to be resting. But with the turn of the events she was gone, out of his reach, with no chance for him to offer an explanation. Hell, did he even have one?
The police turned out of the drive, satisfied with a successful retrieval with no hassles. Little did they know they had the wrong person. Hopefully everything had gone according to plan and whatever Shadowlaw scum was watching the house had just perceived Jane leaving, and not Cammy. Even if they did see through the last minute cut/dye job, Shadowlaw wasn't about to take on the LAPD, that wasn't their style. The whole mentioning of Conner Brady's name hadn't peaked the interest of anyone else. Just him and Cammy remembered him as the bully of their high school days, to everyone else, the name was meaningless.
The house seemed more at ease with Cammy out of harm's reach, but there was still an air of anticipation for the night ahead. If indeed Shadowlaw still believed Cammy was hiding in the Guile home, there was going to be a siege and they needed to be ready. But Wagner felt like he was falling apart and it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Did you hear me?"
Guile's voice snapped him out of his daze. He smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry, I was…daydreaming."
Guile narrowed his gaze and grabbed Wagner's arm.
"Come here and talk to me in private."
Wagner nodded, feeling like a seventeen year old all over again as he followed Guile into his home office. But this was more serious. Guile knew something was wrong…Wagner was never good at hiding anything from him. But he hated disappointing Guile most of all. Guile was the man who'd taken him in when no one wanted to deal with a scarred teen with attitude, who'd cared enough to see it through, who'd given him countless tokens of advice….all of which he'd ignored when he'd pulled that trigger in rage. But he knew…and soon everyone was going to know. The one thing Wagner could do now to still make Guile proud was own up to his mistake.
The door clicked closed behind him and Wagner sunk into the small leather sofa at the corner of the small space. The afternoon sun was at it's brightest and tried it's hardest to leak in through the dark blinds, which left the room cast in a warm orange glow. Guile sat next to him and something in that small motion was the breaking point. Wagner broke into sobs, burying his face in his hands. His shoulders shook, bobbing up and down with his erratic breaths. Guile placed his hand on Wagner's shoulder and spoke.
"Son, what's happened? Tell me."
"Conner Brady. I-I killed him Guile."
--
Cammy sat motionless, staring at the double sided mirror positioned to her left. Usually she was on the other side, looking in, but as it was she sat alone, hot shining light in her face, with 8x10 glossy's of Conner Brady's dead body sprawled across the table she'd been sitting at for the last couple of hours. That was partly why she stared so intensely at her own reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, and appeared even more so in the harsh light. Her hair was a mess, makeshift cut proving inferior to the unruly nature of her hair if left to it's own devices. The darker shade of her hair did nothing for that either but it would soon fade…if she got out of this. She couldn't have looked like a killer to anyone looking in from the other side. Her eyes were wide and scared and she'd puked when they threw the photos down onto the table.
But they knew who she was, her history, her occupation. Oh, this was just a taste of things to come…everything the police had done so far was just preliminary, they technically couldn't do anything until Colonel Wolfman arrived since Cammy wasn't a U.S. citizen as she worked for the British government. The LAPD was eating this up…it was a scandal they had a chance to dip their hands into to get a piece of the media pie. It was a game that Wolfman had counted on to make this plan work. The interrogation that had been going on for a few hours and hadn't really begun was going to be tied up in so much legal tape that Cammy would be in custody for as long as they needed to handle Vega. All of this was to be expected…except for the circumstances it was under. She'd thought the questioning was going to be for the motel room fiasco with Vega…and it was. But Conner Brady's body had been found between now and then with a bullet in his head from the same gun, her gun…the gun Wagner left equipped with.
She'd added that up the second the police said his name and Wagner went pale. It must have been what he was trying to tell her the night before. He'd killed Conner. But Conner had hurt Juli, raped her, used her like livestock, all because of something Shadowlaw did to her in the first place. He deserved to die. But at what cost to Wagner? The police had gotten a hold of his body, which made sense under normal circumstances. But Shadowlaw usually cleaned up their messes. You couldn't very well operate in the shadows if you leave trails of dead bodies in your wake. No, this seemed intentional. Especially since no mention of Shadowlaw had been made in her questioning so far. Conner's body was stripped of any identifying markers aside from finger prints. Upon running those one would find that Conner had been on the missing person's list for nearly 8 years. She wondered how many families there were out there who missed their loved ones, wondered if they were alive or dead; when in reality they'd joined the organization, and sworn their lives to serve Shadowlaw, forever belonging to Bison, disappearing from their old lives permanently, even in death, fates remaining unknown. But not Conner…..why?
Cammy wasn't able to contemplate any further as the door to the room opened. Who she assumed to be the lead detective entered the room. No matter, he was the guy who'd been questioning her for the past few hours. He was tall and too skinny, probably from long hours and late nights. He was for sure wiped out tonight. The man was frustrated with her. Of course, if she were him she'd be frustrated too, as she hadn't spoken a word during the six hours she'd been here. The worst part of the whole ordeal so far had been her worry over Wagner. The man sat in front of her and lit a cigarette. When he spoke smoke billowed out of his mouth, stinging her eyes.
"I hope you're comfortable, Camilla. Because if you don't start talking soon it might drag up a whole load of trouble for you."
Cammy pressed her lips tightly together. She had to remember that though they didn't know it, the police were helping her greatly. He caught her gaze and she kept her gaze cold, emotionless, and empty. The detective banged his fists on the table and shoved the photos her way.
"This man's dead and you've got the sketchiest past I've ever seen in all my years as a detective!"
Cammy remained neutral but had a hard time keeping her cold gaze with the photo's assaulting her vision. Cammy was trying her hardest to stay calm and collected in the midst of this, after all, it was everyone else who were going to be doing the real fighting tonight. For her it was a battle of wills. She looked over to the detective, eyes cold wanting more than anything to give him a verbal lashing for pulling her past into something like this. Were she really on trial she'd be quick to tell this man her involvement with Shadowlaw was involuntary. As it was, she held her tongue.
Her restraint seemed to pay off as the lights in the room dimmed and she saw Colonel Wolfman behind the glass. He nodded her way and appeared to continue to direct the others in the room. The detective across from her remained motionless, as if he knew this was how everything was going to unfold. Cammy waited until Colonel Wolfman entered the interrogation room and stood, saluting him. He motioned for her to sit down and directed his attention to the detective.
"So I'm to understand you've been questioning Agent White here without the proper clearances?"
"Just some information."
"It's quite clear in that in procedures such as these, things should be handled properly to ensure certain rights aren't infringed on."
Cammy wanted to laugh, Wolfman had rehearsed this. But hell, he did sound official. The detective was ready to bite back until another familiar face entered the room. The detective stuttered.
"General McCall."
Cammy would recognize her surrogate father's commanding officer anywhere, but she sure as hell wouldn't expect to see him along side two member's of Delta Red, helping them nonetheless. He spoke, chastising the detective.
"If you would have taken just a moment to think instead of attending to the whims of the reporters outside you would have noticed this woman's clearances as an active member of the British military and ally to this country. Luckily for you Colonel Wolfman was kind enough to inform me…I'll take it from here."
The detective left, not giving Cammy a second glance. Score one point for the PATRIOT Act. The tension in the room instantly faded and Cammy's demeanor softened. Colonel McCall nodded at Wolfman and left them alone. As soon as the door shut Cammy stuttered in apology.
"Colonel, I'm sorry. Everything is such as mess. I-I should have--"
Wolfman placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled a chair next to her as he shushed her.
"Don't worry about it."
She should have seen it coming but hot tears fell from her eyes betraying her resolve not to cry. Wolfman continued.
"Everything is going to be alright. We're one step ahead of Shadowlaw this time. Let's get through tonight."
Cammy nodded sucking up tears and straitening her hair. She took a deep breath, pushing out the overwhelming emotions with the air. Wolfman was being especially kind. Not that he was cruel to her, but a commanding officer usually had to keep certain rapport with his soldiers. Even though Delta Red was more like a family outside of missions, he was still laying it on thick. Guilt flooded her.
"I wasn't intending for this to happen. I mean a baby really complicates things, and I just don't--"
"Cammy! A baby is going to be great. The rest can be figured out. Your job is to keep this baby safe, and you're doing a great job so far. Especially given the circumstance."
She nodded, feeling more competent under Wolfman's guidance and kind words. A police officer entered the interrogation room carrying a pillow and blanket.
"Agent White, this is for you to get some rest, I'll take you to a cell."
She guessed military pull wasn't enough to get her something nicer than a cell, but anything that kept her safe would have to do. Wolfman squeezed her arm as she passed as if to say "don't forget", and she wouldn't. Tonight she'd have the peace of safety for her child…while everyone else she loved was in danger. As she curled into the fetal position alone on the small, hard cot, she prayed. Please give my family strength, I can't do this without them.
