Getting Back To Business 5

Summary: More information is divulged as the friends begin their mission.

Rating/Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Author's Notes/Thank you's: Thank you to those who have reviewed me time and time again, ie Ozmandayus, Morgan, The Girl In The Red Jacket, Sara, White Tiger, StarryNights and everybody else.

Special Dedication: It's true, this chapter would not be out in the superhighway if not for Devon aka DevDev helping me a LOT when I needed it. Thank you so much for being patient and picking out the good ideas from the rubbish.

*Girls Dormitory 3*
*September 24, 2001*

Dreamless, restless sleep was interrupted by an insistent pounding at the door.

Kat rolled over, opened one eye and mumbled, "What time is it?"

Tanya, who had already had the pleasure of being awake for fifteen minutes, sat up and said, "6am. Sunrise."

"Oh great, I always wanted to see sunrise in New Mexico with an FBI colony providing the illustrious background," Aisha said, rubbing her eyes. After they had started to go to sleep at around 3 am, the beds had seemed a lot more uncomfortable. She had laid awake for about an hour in the dark silence, reasoning that although Zack Taylor was a nice guy, she shouldn't get involved because

a) they were about to embark upon a highly dangerous FBI mission that might take their lives, and

b) she was nervous.

Aisha pushed the unwelcome thought of being nervous out of her head and took in the scene around her. Tanya was getting out of bed and opening the closet stuffed full of agent-like clothes next to it. Kat was slowly sitting up, and mumbling something about blackmail being the lowest of all evils.

Kim and Trini still appeared to be asleep, but the insistent knocking and call of "You'll find clothes in the closets next to the beds. Someone will be along shortly to take you to the dining room." soon woke Kim. Then clicking footsteps caused by high heels could be heard quickly retreating down the corridor.

"No shower?" Kim asked. Then she snapped her fingers and said, "Silly me, I forgot. That would involve showing the tiniest shred of humanity towards us, the hostages."

"Never spoke a truer word," Aisha agreed. Then she grabbed a pillow, threw it in Trini's general direction and said, "Trini? You awake?"

"I am now," came the muffled reply, and soon she too fully entered the land of the living. Then realization dawned upon her delicate features, and she said, "Oh god, we're here, aren't we? I wondered why it wasn't Billy waking me up."

"Too much information, but ten out of ten for observation," Kim told her.

"Spealking of ten, you have ten minutes to get ready to face your beloved Billy," Kat teased. "Chop chop."

"Ten minutes?? Are they trying to make us feel as bad about ourselves as they possibly can?" she enquired, leisurely stretching her arms and getting out of bed.

"Comfort yourself with the fact that we have breakfast," Tanya said, pulling the hem of her trouser leg down. "They haven't decided to starve us yet."

"Only a matter of time," Kim speculated. Her bad mood had not been improved by just two hours of broken sleep, and Aisha and Tanya were also not in the best of moods. They too had not forgotten the words of yesterday.

The five dressed quickly in the conservative suits, Trini complaining that if she had to dress like an FBI agent then she'd feel like one and that surely couldn't be good. Agent Cresswell made an unheralded appearance, striding into the room as if she owned it.

To all intents and purposes, she did.

This was her territory, after all.

"Good morning girls," she said, her voice flowing over the words like molten caramel. "Your breakfast is ready, if you would follow me into the dining room."


*Sitka Bau dining area*
*September 24, 2001 06:15*

"You look as bad as I feel," Trini said, greeting Billy with a lingering kiss on the cheek and taking a seat next to him. "Did you get much sleep?"

"Not a lot," Billy replied, pouring her a glass of orange juice. "What about you?"

"She was snoring well into the night, let me tell you," Aisha confirmed from the other side of Trini.

"I don't snore," Trini mumbled, taking a piece of toast from the basket in front of her. At least this place has standards she thought to herself grimly. And I do not snore

"Of course you don't," Billy reassured her, but the look on his face told a different story as his eyes met Aisha's. Opposite her, Zack had to stifle his laughter by coughing to avoid Trini noticing and interrogating him, as she had done so well in Geneva.

Furthe down the table, past Kat nibbling on a piece of toast and Rocky on his fourth croissant, the people in bad moods were eating in silence, excluding the key phrases such as "Please pass the butter." It seemed that ten hours of reflection had done nothing to calm the minds of Tanya, Jason, Kim, Adam or Tommy. Finally the conversation began, started by Tanya who couldn't handle the somewhat eerie silence any longer.

"Does anyone else feel as though they want to kill every FBI agent alive for this, or would that just be my own twisted and evil subconscious?"

"I'd like to rip their heads off and skewer them in a vat of boiling oil, thanks for asking," Adam mumbled through a mouth of croissant. "Not that I'm at all bitter about this entire hullabaloo."

"When all this is over, do you think we could sue for emotional crisis or psychological trauma?" Kim asked, not even bothering to pretend to eat anything. She wouldn't be able to swallow it. "Destruction of normal life, imprisonment, there must be something we can get them for."

"You'd think, wouldn't you," Tommy said. "I would go with psychological trauma. They can't actually prove anything then, and we'd get a lot of money for our troubles."

"I'm sorry, but no matter what Billy said about the good child-bad chile syndrome plan I don't see what good it can achieve," Jason proclaimed. "I mean, what exactly have we done to make them say the things that they did, to remind us of what we've gone through in a bad way? I never thought that they'd hold Murianthius against me, but they did. Is that what they did to you, Kim?"

"No," said quietly, and with no room for further discussion.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough what they have planned for us," Adam said. "Learning about how we will be tortured. Oh, the fun!"

"Yeah, but we have to remember one thing. These people-the people who dealt with Zedd and Rita, not the FBI- are dangerous. Who knows what kind of information or help they could have gotten from Rita and Zedd before they became human? If we can help, even though we don't agree with the way that the FBI are dealing with it, then we have a responsibility to. We owe it to those who helped us when it was our job," Tommy said, and everyone who heard thought instantly of Zordon, and swallowed hard. They were brought back to earth by Tommy's speech, and the reference to their former leader.

"I agree, but I really, really wish they'd learn to stay out of things that aren't their business. They should get on with the job in hand and not bother about anything else," Kim said quietly, staring at the shiny surface of the table. "They could get the job done just as easily by acting more impersonal and not out to deliberately cause trouble."

Whatever the agents had said to her -whatever old emotions had been stirred by Agent Cresswell- she wasn't about to share publicly. Not when she could tell that both Tommy and Kat were looking at her, and after a day in their presence she still wasn't sure where she stood.

Better to protect yourself than to risk your heart when you're not sure you'll get what you want. When you're not sure you'll get through something like this unscathed.

"I don't know why they chose you guys to be so mean to, though," Kat said, joining in the conversation. "They could just as easily have chosen any one of us to make scapegoats of."

"I doubt it," Tommy muttered under his breath.

"What's the matter?" Jason asked, their old brotherly bond coming to the surface once again, despite the two years they'd been parted.

"They must have had some kind of a reason for them to alienate us. Otherwise, why bother?"

"Look, there's no point in dwelling on these things," Tanya intervened. "We're here now, there's no turning back, and yet you insist on going around in circles. Let's just leave it."

Whatever reply or retort may have been made was curtailed by the appearance of everyone's favourite FBI agents, Cresswell, Evans and Wiltord.

"Good morning, recruits," Evans said smoothly, surveying the group of dishevelled friends as they sat amongst breakfast. Or, the remains of breakfast after Rocky and Jason had had their fill. "Agent Cresswell will now speak to you about your plans for today."

"Thank you. First of all, I'd like to begin by explaining a little more about this mission to you. We know that our approach hasn't been well received, and although I am not permitted to go into details, it is necessary.

"We told a few of you shards of information during your interviews last night, but I'd like to talk to all of you now, together, about the full truth.

"We are aiming to either bring in or take out six people -three wedded couples- by any means possible. It would be preferable to avoid it, but their death is a possibility. _Your_ death is a possibility. We are of the belief that this team has the edge, both mentally and physically. However, they have evil on their side, and that is always harder to beat than the pureness of good. They also have access to the most delicate and advanced technology in the known universe."

All eyes in the room turned to Billy, and Emma Cresswell permitted herself a small smile. "Yes, Mr Cranston will have a lot to do with that aspect. We are very lucky to have someone with such expertise in his chosen field."

Trini smiled proudly and squeezed Billy's hand which she was holding underneath the table. Billy's old trick of embarrassing easily came to the fore once again.

"We know the locations of the humans formerly known as Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. We are equally confident that they pose no threat to us, or to the human race, the world in general, but in this business you can never be too sure. We have their residence under 24 hour surveillance. Evans-" she turned left to face her colleague. "Perhaps you'd like to explain more about the couples in detail. You have more information to hand than I do."

Agent Evans stepped slightly forward and looked at the eleven young adults i front of him. Even if he hadn't known, the dubious faces of their recruits told him that they still were not completely convinced of as to what was really going on here, in Sitka Bau, Arizona, California and Michigan. It was his job to make sure that changed, and as quickly as possible.

"To begin, you will be split up into three groups to tackle the three couples. They are not being as co-operative as to live in the same area, they are in California, Arizona and Michigan. They know of each other's existence, and have met up twice to our knowledge, although as we have only been tracking them for a short time, the actual figure is likely to be in the double figures. Our reasoning behind having you in groups is that if they are all confronted at the same time there will be no chance to procure help of any kind. Also there is the factor that a large group causes alarm in small towns, or in big cities come to that.

"The couple living in California are Charlie and Liz Kenward. They encountered Zedd and Rita in 1995. We have reason to believe that it was a chance meeting, and Zedd, wanting to show off his powers, threatened to kill them. In a rash moment of bravery or foolishness, Charlie promised Zedd access to the world's finest technology through his employment, if he would just spare the life of him and his wife. It was agreed."

How on Earth could anyone offer to do to such a thing? Zack thought to himself. Why couldn't they have shown more bravery by dying for the cause instead of providing the bad guys with more ammunition to destroy the world with? And all to save their own skin.

Agent Evans noted the faintly sick look on their faces, and continued on with his 'Getting to Know the Bad Guys' introduction speech.

"In Arizona, we have Scott and Mary Conners. They are not perceived as so much of a threat within themselves. All they had to offer Zedd was a place to store ammunition, and perhaps the grey guy was in a good mood that day, because he agreed. God knows why, but anyway. Although Zedd is no longer a threat to this earth, the ammunition is still stored, and the brainwashed couple still believe that Lord Zedd is the ruler of all things evil. The Conners will not hesitate to use it if they believe that they have been found out by figures of authority. At the moment, all six are living in a sense of false security, believing that they are unknown, undetected." His unnerving gaze came to rest on Jason, who flinched but didn't turn away.

"The last couple are one Kyle and Susan Hicks. When confronted by death, they did everything they could to get out of it. They finally managed to wheedle their way out of leaving their lives by promising to give up everything they had."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Tommy asked.

"That, in essence, they sold their souls to Rita and Zedd." Mouths dropped open, breaths were halted, and faces went pale. No more than could be expected. "When their leaders were dethroned, they lost a lot of their danger, because now there is no way that Zedd and Rita can continue their telepathic link that was established. That was lost when they were changed from evil to good. However, somehow the three couples found out about each other, and have met up as Agent Cresswell told you. The agents who have witnessed their meetings said that although they were unable to record the conversation without being detected, they were talking of how to use their 'gifts'." He made imaginary quote marks with his fingers. "However, we have no idea what they meant by that, and how these gifts can cause destruction. Since that meeting, there have been no reports of abnormal or unusual activities in the three states." He looked at his superior. "I believe this is all the information they need to know for the present."

"Thank you for that, Evans," Cresswell said. "We need now to take a short break, only fifteen minutes or so, to finalize the groupings that we have planned. We also need to re-evaluate who will approach which couple. We will leave you here, obviously you will have a lot to discuss with each other."

The agents turned as if to leave, but Rocky had a question that just couldn't wait. He almost raised his hand, then thought better of it, and said,

"When do we have to take out these guys?"

The previously silent Agent Wiltord turned back to the group, and told them in a cool, detached tone,

"Tomorrow. 6am."

Then they walked out without a backwards glance.



"Tomorrow?" Aisha said in disbelief. "I sure hope they plan to train us from now til the moment they leave, they're already waiting for me to fail as it is!"

"This means too much to them to send us in with not enough training," Zack reassured her, still from his seat opposite her. "You have to try to put what those guys said to you out of your mind completely, otherwise you'll just be waiting for yourself to fail. It'll make you feel so tense that all you will be able to do is screw up."

"I feel as tense as a very tense thing at the moment, can you blame me?" Aisha said, verging on the edge of hysteria.

"We all do, Eesh, and no-one blames you," Zack said carefully, wanting to choose the right words to make her feel better. "I'm just saying that you don't need the extra pressure of waiting for yourself to screw up just because they said you would. Go out there and prove them wrong!! Concentrate on getting the human scum out of the way, then you can really enjoy the satisfaction of proving the FBI wrong."

Aisha looked at her hands. "Thanks."

"Hey, any time," Zack said, an easy smile taking over his entire face. "Not, of course, that you'll need it."


"I'm beginning to wonder why they can't just shoot us and get it over with," Kim moaned as she slumped back into her seat. "It would save them the formality of pretending to save the world. Probably it would save them a whole lot of money as well."

"What the hell did they say to you in your interview last night?" Tommy asked her wonderingly. "You've been like a bear with a sore head all morning."

"Hello, pot calling kettle?" Kim said sarcastically. "You haven't exactly been a ray of sunshine yourself, you do realise."

"Well, it's kind of difficult to bring sunshine and light into the group when you get told that someone in the group is keeping a secret from you and you have absolutely no idea who it is," Tommy defended.

Kim looked up in alarm. What the fuck are they playing at now? "R-Really?" she stammered, hoping against hope that she wasn't being betrayed by her plae skin and blushing. "Did they say who it was?"

"Unfortunately they weren't so kind," Tommy said. "They also made a few cracks about when I was evil as well." There was a slightly awkward pause before he continued, "So, fair's fair. What's gotten you so rattled?"

"It sounds...no scratch that, it _is_ stupid," Kim said. This isn't the way I wanted to tell him!! she mentally screamed to herself. I wanted to tell him under normal circumstances. Not in an FBI colony the day before we all go out on a life-threatening mission!! But if I still know Tommy, he won't let up until he knows what's going on. And I'm sure he still remembers I'm the worst liar on the planet. Why aren't the agents walking through the door this very second?

Tommy watched her indecision, and was half tempted to tell her not to bother explaining if it was causing her as much pain as it seemed to be. But he wanted to know.

His own indecision over whether it was the best thing to avoid both Kim and Kat had been pretty much broken down by the fact that they had been teleported in so early. He had come to a decision anyway. Tommy just didn't feel the same protective urge towards Kat as he did Kim, to protect her from everything that was wrong with the world so that she'd never have to know suffering. And though he couldn't deny that he still had a lingering attraction for Kat, Tommy had observed a few glances between her and Rocky that didn't signify 'You have nice brown eyes I have blue eyes.'

If you know what I mean.

Kim didn't bother with her normal cleansing ritual of a deep breath. There didn't seem to be any point, his reaction would be the same anyway.

"Okay...I have a feeling that it may have been me they were talking about when they said that someone was keeping a secret from you." Taking courage that she didn't know she possessed, Kim summoned all her inner strength to look Tommy in the eyes.

She'd always been able to read what he was feeling through his eyes, as had he with her. Right now, if her interpretations were correct, he was curious, dubious, and if you felt the need to complete the rhyme, furious.

"And what would this secret be?" Tommy said, secretly proud of the way he kept his tone light, even though he was torn up inside.

"Judging from what they said to me, they definitely know that I had a plan that I thought would work, and it kind of went a bit wrong." Met with silence, she continued, knowing that there was no realistic way to turn back now. "I broke up with you because I thought that if we were meant to be then you would come back to me. That if you and Kat were as attracted to each other as I thought, I should give you two a chance and see whether it was her you were meant to be with. I wanted to get out before you betrayed me."

Her voice didn't serve her as well as Tommy's had sone, breaking at the end of her sentence. Kim's eyes remained fixated on the floor. She didn't want to give her heart another chance to break by looking at his reaction.

Luckily, she was spared his reaction, whatever it may have been. Just as Tommy was about to voice his- his disbelief that she could lie? his joy that he hadn't been shared with another?- the doors opened once again and instinctively the room fell silent.

"Ah, trained to perfection already I see," Cresswell remarked. "The groups have been finalized, and we now also know who will go where."

Tommy couldn't tear his eyes away from Kim, who was studiously avoiding his gaze, her hands clenched at her sides. How was he supposed to deal with this news now? He had thought that the secret was something big, sure, otherwise they wouldn't have brought it up. But he didn't think that it was to do with Kim, and not that there had never been another guy. That seemed too much like a TV movie to be true. That she had sacrificed her own happiness so that he could have a chance to see if his true love lay elsewhere...

"Before we divulge the groupings to you, I would like to inform you that we have decided to keep one of you behind to assist in controlling this mission."

Billy remained expressionless. In his heart of hearts, he had guessed as much.

"Billy, we know you might feel hurt by this. But I want you to know that we truly believe this is best for you, and the mission as a whole. If I'm truthful with you all, you could help us get out of a rut we seem to be stuck in at the moment."

The look on Agent Wiltord's face said it all, he was displeased by how much his superior was revealing. A few of the more observant, Kat, Aisha and Jason among them, noticed this and wondered how much friction it would cause for them later on.

"Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, Adam Park and Tanya Childes. You will travel with Agent Williams who is currently working on the teleportation device. You must remember at all times to tread carefull on this mission in more ways than one, as you are going to Arizona. The Conners have a lot of ammunition at their disposal, and they won't be afraid to use it."

"How powerful is it collectively?" Zack asked, his voice not showing his fear.

"Estimated to take out the entire state in two seconds flat." Agent Evans gave them no time to process this shocking information, as he continued. "It's only an estimate however, we have no concrete proof."

"We will issue you with the highest quality detonators available to man. Your job will be to neutralize the ammunition and, if possible, bring the couple in alive. If not, Agent Williams knows what to do."

Zack was worried, no matter how calm he appeared on the outside. There were no obvious leaders in this group, and he briefly wondered if it was deliberate.

"Wiltord, escort them to Room 43. Agent Williams is waiting for them there."

Trini kissed Billy quickly, there was no time for a kiss to remember these days. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Billy looked wistfully at her retreating figure as she walked away from him. Who knew what would happen?

Zack threw a desperate glance at Aisha. They could have had a chance..if the FBI hadn't decided to spoil their party.

Adam and Tanya walked away silently, each relieved that they were in the same group and not suffering the pain of enforced seperation as Billy and Trini were.

The remaining six- Jason, Kat, Tommy, Trini, Rocky and Kim- looked at each other nervously as Wiltord led their friends away.

"The three to travel to California will be Jason Scott, Aisha ampbell and Rocky DeSantos. You will be accompanied by Agents Evans and Wiltord. Would you please take your charges to Room 336, Evans, Wiltord will be along shortly. Could you also stop by Room 72 and ask Agent Perry to come down here."

Agent Evans nodded, and said, "Okay you heard her, let's get moving." Jason Aisha and Rocky got up from their respective seats and followed Agent Evans out of the room, leaving the worst possible combination together.

Tommy, Kim and Kat, surveyed by Agent Cresswell's eyes. From the strange looks that she had picked up during the talk it seemed that Kim had told Tommy what she feared the agents would have. And Kat seemed to be peturbed by the fact that she and Rocky were not in the same group. Maybe the young Australian posed no threat to Tommy and Kim's relationship after all.

Emma Cresswell shook herself out of her reverie and began to tell them about their mission.

"You'll be dealing with those who sold their souls in Michigan. It's potentially the most dangerous of the lot, which is why I've called in Agent Perry to accompany us, s well as those FBI agents already in Michigan, of which there are many.

"They have, locked away inside of them, secrets of those we are working so hard to eliminate. That is why it is essential that we bring them in alive, or get them to spill their secrets before their death."

"Let me guess," Kim said, rather pleased that she'd been so perceptive as to pick up the look that Cresswell had sent her way. "I'm the bait."

"We were rather hoping you'd seduce Kyle Hicks as our Plan A, yes," Cresswell responded. She ignored the horrified look on Tommy's face, and the terrified lone on Kim's, instead choosing to focus on Kat. "And you could come into it if we find out he prefers blondes. We're finding that out as I speak, so don't think you're off the hook."

A door slammed, indicating Agent Perry's entrance.

Kat looked at him, and her thoughts of Rocky disappeared as quickly as though they had never been there. Cheekbones to die for, not too tall not too short, and piercing blue eyes made him even more desirable. He stood as though he owned the room, yet when he addressed Emma it was with a tone of deference.

"My apologies Agent Cresswell. We had a few minor problems determining a fault in one of the software programmes."

And clever to boot, Kat thought. Perhaps this might be a little more bearable after all.

"Agent Perry, your designates," Cresswell informed him. "Thomas Oliver, Kimberly Hart and Katherine Oliver. Tommy, Kim and Kat for convenience."

Chris flashed a smile at each of them in turn, his eyes finally resting on Kat. His smile became somehow more genuine, as he said "I think I'm going to enjoy working with you."

"No time for pleasantries, let's get them to Room 231. They need as much assistance as possible if we're to leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kim mumbled as they made their way out of the dining room. "Great, I get to walk into my own death trap sooner than I expected."

"You won't die," Tommy said in the same low tone. "I don't think that's planned in the itinerary." He had forgotten the tension, and it re-appeared straight after he spoke. Kim didn't respond, and they walked on.

In no time they reached Room 231. Cresswell threw the door open, and the three friends walked in, completely unprepared for what they would find...