Codename: Undercover

Chapter 2: Meeting the Ops

See Disclaimer in part One. Don't sue me. I'm poor. And I'm taking a law class, so there. :-Þ

The UC team showed up the next morning, all safely in their briefing seats by ten minutes until 6. To say that they slightly feared the over-dramatic Section One crew would have been an understatement. The four of them glanced around at each other until Donovan joined them a few moments later. He nodded a good morning to each of them and sat back in his chair, the usual black clothing his wardrobe seemed to overflow with made him blend in perfectly with the operatives milling around the Section.

Alex glanced at her watch, five minutes till six.

The sharp clack of heels against tile could be heard and the team glanced to the long hall that lead into the main hall, each trying to cover their blatant curiosity with non-chalant glances. A tall, lithe blonde rounded the corner, the leather stiletto boots reached to her knees were clearly the cause of the noise. The hem of a black leather skirt rested a few inches above her knees, a long leather trench coat covering the fitted steel blue sweater she wore. Her long blonde hair was bound in a messy, yet strangely elegant, bun at the crown of her head, a pair of blue sunglasses resting on her nose.

Cody sat up noticeably......then Jake.......and suprisingly, Donovan perked up a bit at the new arrival.

The blonde sauntered up to them, gracefully lowering herself into chair across the table. Cody looked as though he was going to lay a line on her when a hand slipped over her shoulder. The team, along with the blonde, glanced up into the face of the most handsome man most of them had ever seen. He was dressed completely in black, auburn hair falling to rest on the collar of his jacket, blue-green eyes scanning each of the new members. The blonde shoved his hand away unceremoniously and he glanced down at her. She glanced up, their eyes locked, and the whole room felt the chemistry. It was that unspoken passion that writer's have grappled with for years. Blue-green eyes were staring fiercely down into a pair that resembled the ocean on a cloud-less day. She hated him. He loved her. And strangely enough, she seemed to love him too. Monica shook her head, welcome to one hell of a twisted soap opera.

Madeline and Operations joined the group a moment later, the man sitting as they approached.

"Good morning everyone," Madeline graced them with her neutral smile, "I'm glad to see you all made it on time."

"I see you've all met two of our top operatives....Michael and Nikita. They'll be leading the McCaulster mission," Operations gestured to the man and woman to his left.

"Ah, Mr. Birkhoff, so nice of you to join us," Operations glanced up the young man the team had seen at the computer terminals the day before, "Birkhoff runs all the technical aspects of Section One."

"Sorry sir, I had to make a timeframe adjustment to the SIM on the panels," Birkhoff glanced around, nodding to the new recruits.

Operations leaned forward and pressed a button on the table, a holographic screen sprung to life about the center of it. A picture of a man appeared, stats rolling down the side of the screen. He looked to be in his early 40s, Latin descent, dark eyes, dark hair....extremely attractive.

"This is Ortez McCaulster, leader of the biggest organized crime set up in the world. He's based in lower Manhattan, in a penthouse apartment near his warehouse where he runs a supposedly legit importation port. Lately, we've been receiving information that either McCaulster or his associates have been toying with murder for hire around various parts of the country. His victims all have the same story: tall, athletic build, given a job with him, gotten too close, gotten killed. We'll be sending Nikita in as his next victim, the information is on your panels. The van leaves tomorrow at 5 am., make sure to see Walter in weapons before you leave. He'll outfit you for the mission. Any questions?"

Michael glanced down at Operations, "Where does the UC team stand on this mission?" His voice was velvety smooth, lilting with an accent that none of them could quite place.

"Donovan will be your second in command, Michael. Cody will be assisting Birkhoff in tech work, Alex and Jake will be Nikita's back up during the introductory stage. They'll be in the field to provide intel for future use."

Michael nodded, his question answered, and Operations glanced over each of them until he nodded,

"Good. Dismissed. You are all on closed quarters stand by until you leave tomorrow."

The room cleared quickly, Madeline and Operations disappearing upstairs, Cody walking off to the tech station with Birkhoff, Alex and Jake off to see this Walter in weapons about the Section's inventory.

Michael stood, looking between Nikita and Donovan, appearing wary to leave the two alone and shook the man's hand before walking off to what could only be determined to be his office. Nikita stood as well, giving Donovan a smile he thought was nothing less than absolutely radiant, and shook his hand,

"Welcome aboard."

Somehow those were the least comforting words Donovan had ever heard.