A/N: The first part of this chapter was an epilogue at the end of Cries to Heaven. The story exists in the modern day and it's my take on the ATF Universe. Comments and reviews are always welcome!

Orrin Travis slid a stack of files across his desk. "You're sure you want to do this?"

Larabee grabbed the top file. "I don't see another option."

Orrin nodded. He had known that would be the answer. Chris was someone who finished a job, no matter what the cost. And the cost has been more than he would have thought either of them could have borne. "Wilmington's on board?"

Chris didn't glance up from the first file he had pulled off the stack. "He turned in his transfer paperwork yesterday." Lateral moves within the government contractors already working with the ATF are generally granted without many questions. He quickly read through the front page of the file in front of him. Vincent Aaron Tanner. Twelve years in the Army, honorably discharged. Notes about PTSD. Anyone who had seen the action he had was bound to have problems. But, from a character and skill set perspective he fit what they were looking for and it was an added bonus that he was already working for the ATF. Transferring from the Austin field office would be easy. He dropped the file on the desk creating a new pile and picked up the next one. He glanced up at Orrin. "He's young."

Orrin leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "He'll bring the average age down. Besides, he was the one that figured out the remote trigger."

Chris frowned and looked back down at the file in front of him. "I'll talk to him but I'm not promising anything." To do what he needed to do, he needed experience, not a kid that looked like he should still be in high school. He flipped through the next couple pages and looked up at Orrin. "I think your researchers got a little over zealous. Not sure I needed to know his family history going back to…". Chris glanced down at the last page. "…1902."

Orrin leaned back and waived a dismissive hand. "She got a little carried away. After what happened I said I wanted their background thoroughly checked."

Chris clinched his jaw. After what happened. Boiling everything that happened down to a simple phrase seemed wrong. He dropped the file on the desk and picked up the next one. Nathan Jackson, Army Medic. Airborne. He seemed the least complicated so far. And, someone with medical training was a good idea. He deposited the file and moved on to the next one. Josiah Sanchez. He looked up and Orrin. "Ex Priest, Ex Beat Cop? Can't figure out what he wants to be?" Diametrically opposite vocations meant he was searching for something, but then again, he wasn't sure he knew anybody who wasn't.

Orrin shrugged. "He worked his way up to detective before leaving to join the ATF. You'll need his skill set to track them down. He's at the San Francisco Field Office. He's also still insisting that he's retiring."

Chris nodded and dropped the file and picked up the last file. He knew this was the file Orrin had argued the most about and Chris had to admit it was a risk.

"Your timing is good. He was told to either take a desk job or resign."

Orrin wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. "Did you hear about the 20 young girls that were rescued from a trafficking ring?"

"I heard something about it." Orrin wasn't sure why the sudden shift in topic.

Chris looked up from the file. "Traffickers were also dealing."

Orrin pursed his lips. "And that's the problem. He goes off mission."

"I would have done the same thing." Chris flipped through the pages. This file was a lot thicker than the others. Also seemed to go as far back as the kids'…early 1900's. "I figured it had to be a family name." He closed the file and set it on top of the others. "When do they get here?"

"Standish arrives in the morning. Tanner, Dunne, and Jackson are already here. You may have to go to Sanchez." Orrin tapped his fingers on his desk. "You're sure about this?"

"Standish or taking on the Cartel?" Chris met Orrin's eyes. "Standish's record on undercover ops is one of the best in the country. The reason no one wants to work with him is because he doesn't play well with others."

"And you think you can change that?"

"No. I think I can use that. He thinks on his feet. You and I both know that's exactly what we need." Chris leaned forward and scooped up the pile of files to take with him.

Orrin sat back again. "And the rest of it? Chris, it's only been six months."

Chris sucked in a breath. He really hadn't wanted to talk about this tonight but Orrin was just as affected as he was. "They're all from outside the initial operation." Chris left off that everyone involved originally was either dead, in jail, or working with the Cartel in Mexico. Everyone except him and Orrin. "We're having to start from scratch. Henderson's betrayal makes everything we had suspect. I don't trust any of it."

Orrin nodded. "Enough people want them dealt with that you've got a certain amount of latitude. Honestly, anyone else wouldn't have gotten this chance so don't make me regret this."

Chris pulled through the gate that had automatically opened as he approached. The drive to the main house was a couple miles. When they had bought the property it had been purely because of the land but now the two mile drive through open land acted as an additional barrier. From the main house you could see a vehicle approaching long before they got there. The cameras that had been recently installed would also pick up anything approaching that was missed.

Pulling into the driveway next to the red truck, he turned off the engine and picked up the files he had dropped into the passenger seat as he got out. Rounding the back of the Jeep, he nodded to the man sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch with his boots on the railing. "Make yourself at home Buck."

Dropping his feet down and standing up, he leaned against the post next to the steps. "Thought I'd save you the trip to the airport. I figured I'm here for the long haul anyway, might as well drive over." He nodded to the files in Chris's hands. "That the team?"

Chris turned the knob and opened the door. The house itself was in various stages of renovation. When they had bought it a year ago, they hadn't had any immediate plans to live there full time. It was more a place where they could go to escape. At this point, Chris was used to the unfinished floors and studded walls where they had opted to open up the kitchen and living room. Dropping the files on the large table, he walked into the kitchen and pulled two beers out of the refrigerator. Walking back to the table he handed one to Buck who had already pulled off the top file.

"You met any of them yet?" Buck skimmed the file in its entirety before moving on to the next one.

"Not yet."

Buck peered over the file he was perusing. "They coming here?"

Chris took a sip of his beer. "Don't know what other choice we have. I'm supposedly on an extended leave of absence. It's not like I can walk into the field office I'm not even officially assigned to and request a conference room."

Buck chuckled. "The office coordinator would love that." Taking a sip of his beer he set the files down. "You ok with bringing them here?"

"It's probably more secure than the field offices are and it's off anyone's radar." Chris took another sip. "They've been completely vetted. No connection at all to anyone involved. And their psych profile, for what it's worth, doesn't tag them as candidates to be coerced or bought."

Buck studied Chris's face. They had more than a few conversations about what Chris was about to do before he had managed to convince Buck to help. "I noticed none of them have any family."

"Yep."

Buck started to say more but recognized the look on Chris's face. He opted to pick up another file instead. "He's young."

Chris nodded. "I need you to talk to him in the morning while I meet with Standish. Convince him to withdraw his transfer request." Dunne was the only one that had requested a transfer. Chris wasn't even sure how he found out about the task force. He was also the only one from the Denver office which meant he knew details the others wouldn't.

Buck frowned and looked at the picture on the first page of the file. He knew what Chris's reluctance was and it didn't have as much to do with the kid's inexperience and more to do with who he reminded him of. "And what if he's exactly what we need. Says here he's the one who figured out the remote trigger. There were a lot of people working on the debris."

Chris clinched his jaw. "Your call."

Buck knew exactly what that meant. If he brought the kid on, Chris would stay as far away from him as possible and make him completely Buck's responsibility. Deciding a change in subject was needed, he put the file down. "When do the other two get here?"

Chris looked up at the clock on the wall. "In about thirty minutes."