Disclaimer: I don't own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
~ mousetrap ~
"Dad, come on, this is serious! Was her name Kelly or Sally?"
Ash had gotten remarkably well over the fact that Tiffany had given him a piece of her mind after he had had to cancel their date for the second time.
Getting increased attention from two members of the cheerleader squad at once had surely helped with that, especially since his week of being grounded would end by tomorrow, he'd be allowed to play ice-hockey again and during the next game he'd be able to show off in front of whatever young lady had called this afternoon.
The only obstacle now was that he wasn't quite sure whom to call back, thanks to his Dad being the world's worst answering machine…
Chance hid his mischievous grin behind the newest newspaper edition.
"You should give them numbers, dude…", Guerrero suggested. He had spread out some sort of complicated looking technical device on the kitchen table and was apparently busy assembling the different parts. His son, meanwhile, was inspecting Carmine's ears and paws with a level of concentration that only kids his age could muster up. Guerrero rarely brought him to the office, but the boy's mother had an important appointment today and he was, come what may, on babysitting duty.
"You think that could work?", Ash asked with genuine interest, grabbing another one of the homemade chocolate chip cookies that FBI friend of his father's, Agent Barnes, had brought by. If he kept wolfing them down at that rate, there wouldn't be any left for the adults.
Only fair, Ash figured.
They had made him hide the whole time the agent had been around. She didn't know he existed and everybody was determined to keep it that way.
Sigh.
How had Isu called it? The RULES.
Guerrero arched an amused eyebrow in reply to Ash's number question and kept working on the device.
His son was lightly tugging at Carmine's ears now and although the big dog was tolerating the kid's exploring hands with all the patience anyone could ask for, Ash decided it was time to give him something else to do.
"Come on, Hombre, what about a cookie?", he asked, lifting the boy off the floor and placing him on the worktop. "Is it okay if I give him a cookie, Guerrero?"
Ash reached for the cookie bowl, with one hand holding on to the child so it wouldn't fall off the furniture. Slightly limited in his range of movement now, he had trouble getting the bowl and it took him a moment till he managed to grasp the rim.
Guerrero absent-mindedly grumbled his consent.
"What are you doing there anyway?", Chance inquired, lowering his newspaper and nodding in the direction of the now apparently completed device on the table.
"Whatever you're doing, put it away now, I want to fix some food", Winston grumpily addressed Guerrero as he came stomping in, followed suit by Ames and Ilsa. Judging from the bulging paper bags in their arms, they had paid the Fillmore Farmers' Market an extensive visit. Ilsa had said something about wanting to make sure that the team ate better.
She was also still working on periodical check-ups of the team members by a proper doctor, but so far all she had managed to establish were regular veterinary visits for Carmine.
Ash glanced at the leeks and lettuce peeking out of one of the bags and decided to quickly polish off another cookie, before someone could utter any of that "not before dinner" nonsense.
Guerrero's son stared daggers at him. That cookie had been meant for HIM! Ash made small, placating noises and reached to get a cookie for the indignant child.
"A minute, dude… It's time for the monthly bug sweep and Rahul said this was state of the art…Reacts to all sorts of transmitters." The explanation was more for Chance than for Winston. Guerrero switched the device on.
It began beeping madly.
Everyone was still "What the hell…?", while Guerrero already…
"Ash, FREEZE!", he yelled, pointing the small machine at him.
"What in the world…?" This didn't make any sense to Ash, but on the other hand he had been living in the office long enough by now to know that Guerrero's orders were meant to be followed.
Immediately.
He froze in mid-motion, right before finally giving Hombre his cookie. The child cried out in protest.
Guerrero got up and walked over to the two, pointing the device straight at Ash, then at the cookie in his hand, then back at Ash. The beeping grew louder.
"That damn bitch…", he hissed.
"What is going on?" Ash demanded to know.
"Miniature trackers? Like in the Russo case? Hidden in the cookies?", Chance asked, his face suddenly a mask of stone.
Wordlessly Guerrero showed him the tracking device's display. Winston and the others could see it, too. The readout was unambiguous.
Oh Emma….
"Hang on a second, that FBI friend of yours put mini trackers in the cookies and I ate them?" Now Ash was genuinely shocked.
"Don't worry, they're not poisonous or anything…", Chance replied, his eyes never leaving Guerrero. Anger was boiling inside him, too, jeez, trackers inside his son… But Guerrero and what he would do next was more urgent right now.
"You know what that means, dude." Guerrero switched off the device and put it on the table.
They all knew what it meant.
Ash had almost fed a cookie with a tracker to Guerrero's son. The child would have been dragged into whatever devious plan Emma had thought out.
She had put his safety at risk…
The last person who had dared threatening his kid….
They all knew what had become of the ElDo.
And his last passenger…
Guerrero looked at Ilsa. She swallowed hard but didn't say a word. There was sadness in her eyes, deep sadness, but no fear.
Test passed… She had really accepted him the way he was.
He turned and walked past them, out of the kitchen, towards the elevator. Nobody stopped him.
Nobody could have anyway.
The die had fallen. This was going to be the end of Emma.