Chapter 6

They arrived in LA and went straight to the house. It brought back some memories for Sophie as she walked up the steps. It was a difficult time for all of them back then. She had conned them, she was not proud of it but the allure of the Second David was just too much for her, and she had thought they take that and get Blackpoole at the same time and everybody wins, but that is not what happened. In the end though they had helped Nate get his revenge and their team had withstood not only her deception but also the six months they had separated after that.

"I hope there is a little more furniture than last time." She said to Nate as they walked up the long stairway towards the door with her arm linked into his. "Nate…?"

"Mmmm oh yes." He smiled at her he had been lost in his thoughts also remembering the last time they were here. "I'm sure Hardison will have taken care of you."

"Ok guys there is not much downstairs still and toilet still don't work, but I did make sure we all have beds and that upstairs." Hardison said as they walked into the house.

"Right let's get set up and then we can talk." Nate said and they all nodded as Eliot, Parker and Hardison carried all the Hacker's equipment into the planning room and placed them all on the table.

"Why don't you all go get…I don't know do something while I set up." Hardison said as he could feel their eyes on him watching his every move and willing him to set up faster.

"Fine I think I'll go and just refresh." Sophie said and the two followed her to see their rooms and get their bags in as well. Nate remained as he watched Hardison work.

"Hardison I need that location." Nate said once they had all left.

"You ain't going out there on your own Nate." Hardison said stopping what he was doing and looking at Nate.

"Eliot needs to stay here and make sure that Parker is looked after, you need to get that set up and Sophie is not going to help, and I can't be worrying about her if I do run into trouble." Nate said. "Just give me the information."

"Fine but…"

"Don't worry Hardison I am just going to check some things out, they are not after me, they are after Parker."

"What do I tell Eliot man."

"Tell him I will call if I need help." Nate said then left leaving a genuinely concerned Hardison to stare at his departing back.

Just under a half hour later the rest of the crew piled into the room to find Hardison hard at work on his computer.

"Where's Nate?" Sophie asked, she had expected to find the Mastermind sitting doing some research or working with Hardison or something.

"He…ah…he…"

"Hardison where is Nate?" Parker asked taking a step towards him.

"Archie called him, and he went to see if he could find him." Hardison said and saw the anger rise in both Parker and Eliot's eyes. "Eliot he said Parker had to stay here, she couldn't go. He said he would call if he needs help." Hardison said just as worried about Parker as he was Nate and not wanting the girl to run off on her own too.

"Dammit Hardison." Eliot hissed out, how the hell had he let Nate go out there alone, the man was not in any condition really to do any of this, he was still recovering, and he had taken a second hit and the doctor had said he should still be taking it as easy as possible.

"What, like you could have stopped him." Hardison said indignantly, nobody stopped Nate from doing what he did, nobody not even Eliot or Sophie.

Sophie watched and listened and then dialled his number.

"Sophie."

"Where are you and what do you think you are doing."

"Relax Sophie, just stay there and make sure that Parker is secure, I'll be back in a little while." He said noting the anger in her tone. "I'll be fine Soph I promise." He said softly. "Just make sure everybody stays there." Then he hung up before she could say anything more.

"Damn the man." Sophie said exasperatedly as she looked at Eliot.

"Where did he go Hardison."

"I don't know man." Hardison said and then shook his head as Eliot's face darkened. "I only had a general area man I don't know where he went of if he knew where he was going." Hardison said honestly.

"He's gone after Archie…" Parker said as she spun around but strong hands grabbed her before she could get far.

"No Parker, one of us out there on their own is enough and Nate is right they are not after him they are after you, so you stay here." Eliot said.

"They are also after Archie." Parker said her eyes hard as she looked down at Eliot's hand that held her arm tightly and then back at him.

"We don't even know exactly where he is girl." Hardison told her.

"Fine. Find him then." Parker said pulling her arm away from Eliot and moving to stand beside Hardison. "Find him Hardison."

Hardison nodded then got to work, he was monitoring Nate's phone so if he made a call he would know about it, that was about the only way he was going to get a fix on the man as he had not taken coms with him.

Nate drove along towards the district that Hardison had told him that Archie's call had come from, it was the dock area of LA and it was vast, he had no real idea where he would find the man. Finally he pulled up and pulled out his phone and dialled the number that Archie had called him at hoping the man would pick up.

"Ford is Parker safe?"

"Where are you?"

"Not your concern…"

"Yes it is because Parker wants to come after you and we don't know where you are, I am in LA in the dock area you called from before are you still in this area?"

"Is Parker with you?" He asked and Nate could hear the fear in his voice.

"No just me. Now tell me where you are because I am not particularly interested in the trouble you are in understand, but Parker is my concern, just like she is yours and whoever is after her is after you too so let's get on with it."

"They are still around so be careful Ford. I am in warehouse twelve, I don't think they know where I am."

"Twelve, ok I have it, I'm on my way, keep your head down and be ready to go when I get there." Nate said and hung up gunning the motor and setting off for Archie's location.

"Ok…" Hardison said looking up. "Nate is in the dock district he is heading towards these warehouses."

"Let's go." Parker said looking at Eliot who looked first at Sophie then Hardison then nodded.

"Fine, you will follow my directions and keep you head down." Eliot said then reached over and picked up the vest she had discarded earlier. "You wear this too, non-negotiable."

"Fine let's just go." Parker said taking the vest and slipping it on as she walked out the room with the rest in tow.

Climbing into the car Eliot asked Hardison where too and Eliot set off at speed.

"Ok he is at warehouse twelve I think." Hardison said checking his phone and seeing the signal from Nate's phone and extrapolating from that.

"Hold on guys." Eliot said as he put his foot flat and sped towards where Nate was.

Nate arrived at the warehouse as the four of them sped across town towards his location. He quickly exited the vehicle and made his way inside.

"Ford." Archie said as Nate walked through the door.

"What the hell is going on Archie?" Nate asked turning to look at the man. He looked like hell, he had dried blood on his head matting his hair and he had an obvious injury to his leg as he sat on a chair leaning his head against the wall.

"We did a job, about seven years ago. Parker was just getting into her stride and I took her along, it was a simple theft and there was no problem in and out."

"So?"

"So it seems the guy we stole from finally caught up to me and want's Parker too."

Nate knotted his eyebrows and shook his head trying to figure out why if this was a small job and they were in and out like Archie said.

"The job was to steal some, well some very sensitive documents from some guys."

"What guys and who gave you the job?" Nate asked, this changed things depending on what they had gotten into.

"I don't know, I was approached via phone only never me the man, the drop after the job was also a dead drop. We got paid and that was that."

"Who did you steal from."

"I don't know Ford. The man's name was Tompkins, and it was only some documents."

"And it is him after you now?"

"I think so."

"Ok, but why Archie you aren't telling me everything."

"I think the guy who gave me the job was CIA or maybe NSA...I can't be sure…" Archie said, and Nate raised his eyebrows.

"And Tompkins?"

"I really don't know, but I think…maybe he was…"

"A an agent from say one of the other agencies…foreign maybe?" Nate finished for him. But why come after Archie now and why Parker in the way that he had, was it to hurt Archie going after Parker. Whatever the reason the man was organised and he had a team obviously because he could not have been in Portland going after Parker and he here going after Archie. "Ok well my car is outside can you walk?"

"Not very well." Archie said as he pushed himself up and Nate saw the pain on his face and caught him just before he fell back onto the chair.

"Ok..ok let's go." Nate said taking Archie's weight and leading him out the door then stopping in his tracks at the sight of three SUV's lined up with four men standing outside them all heavily armed.

"I'm tired of this game now Archie, just tell me who you were hired by and this can all be over. Or I am going to have to get it out of that lovely young blonde…before I kill her too."

"I told you I don't know and nor does Parker…he contacted me anonymously." Archie shouted back.

"Well that is just too bad." The man said then nodded to his friend who handed him what looked to Nate like a rocket launcher.

Then Nate stepped back pulling Archie back into the warehouse closing the door. Then he frantically looked around for somewhere for them to take cover, it was not a large place and was filled with discarded wood and other appliances and that rocket was going to level the place.

"There's a basement, hidden." Archie said his breath coming in gasps from the effort of moving.

Nate nodded and dragged him along to where Archie told him the door was, pulling it open he almost threw Archie down into the hole in the ground before following him and pulling the door closed. Minutes later the whole building shook and there was a loud explosion as the missile hit.

Outside Eliot and the others pulled up just in time to see Nate drag Archie back into the warehouse and the man take the rocket, Parker made to sprint to stop him from firing, but Eliot knew they would be too late, and they did not have the means to take on four heavily armed me or the time in which to do it. He grabbed Parker and pulled her down behind the car and Hardison did the same with Sophie, then the building went up in an explosion sending debris flying.

"Nate…Archie…" Parker cried out and tried to pull away from Eliot who held her tightly. There was no use, the building was gone and so were Nate and Archie. They were out of sight of the men and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Let me go." Parker said her voice deadly as she pulled against him.

Eliot did not reply he just tightened his grip on her as she turned towards him and started hitting him with her free hand, he let her holding onto her tightly until she stopped and turned back to look at was left of the building Nate and Archie had gone into minutes before. Then the four men who had attacked the building climbed into their cars and left and Eliot let go of Parker's arm.

She felt his grip loosen and ran towards the building or what was left of it, followed by the other three. Getting to what was once the inside she stopped. There was nothing, everything had been obliterated by the rocket, there was no way either Nate or Archie could have survived her mind told her as she stared at the rubble.

Sophie stood in shock, she had just witness Nate get killed and her mind was trying to comprehend that fact. She could feel the tears build as she surveyed the damage done by the rocket. She felt numb as she stared almost unseeing at the destruction.

"Ok let's get back to the house." Eliot said softly taking Parker's arm.

"We can't just leave them here, we have to find them we have too…"

"Parker there ain't going to be anything to find." Eliot said softly, he doubted by the way that Archie was being dragged along by Nate that they were very far into the building when the rocket hit, probably in its path and there would be nothing left to find of their remains except pieces. He bit back the anger at the men how had done this and took Parkers arm again looking at Hardison to tell him to get Sophie back to the car.

"Eliot…"

"We have to get out of here Sophie." He said gently. "The cops and more will be here soon we need to go."

She nodded feeling the tears start then as she felt Hardison take her arm and lead her back to the car. They all got in and Eliot drove off heading back to the safehouse. They drove in silence all of them stunned by what had happened and all of them trying to comprehend that they had just lost Nate.

Parker stared out the window her eyes devoid of tears, her mind racing as she realised that the two mean who meant so much to her had just died for her, been killed in front of her eyes and she could not stop it, could not save them. She felt Hardison put his hand on hers but did not react she was numb. The only thing she could think of was revenge, she would revenge them, she would kill the man who had done this, and nobody was going to stop her.