1 Aftermath
Valinda sat quietly in the shadows, in front of the desk, listening and watching the SAC rant and rave. She put a hand to the side of her face framing her cheek with her fingers and looked at him as he towered over her trying to intimidate her. She rose silently from her chair, and watched as he jumped back as she just appeared in his face.
They were nose-to-nose, so close she could kiss him or kill him.
" Enough." She rumbled he was instantly silenced. "The shooting was justified, your own ballistics personnel proved it. Now I don't care if you're having a bad day because of this. The only thing I care about is the fact that you and yours fucked up.
You allowed him time to arm and fortify himself." With that she turned on her foot and walked out of the drab, and claustrophobic federal office.
It was time to clean her own house now, she thought as she entered the training center. Kincaid was already waiting for her in her office.
"Hey boss! You wanted to see me?" he asked turning around as she came in the door.
"Sit down!" she ordered ice in her voice.
He sat a look of protest on his face.
" I want to know why the hell you left Mercer alone in that hall, and why no one could raise you on your radio for over a minute!?" she said taking her seat behind her desk, her voice forced but not loud.
"Mercer is a big boy he can take care of himself." Kincaid stated petulantly.
Valinda stood up and leaned over the desk so she was in his face. " That is not he point, you do not leave your team mates out on a limb. Not if you want to stay a member of this squad!" She told him her tone more forceful, the threat obvious. " I. A. ruled the shooting clean, that you made us look bad is secondary, but if you ever leave a team mate again, or go off comm., I will personally kick your ass from here to next Sunday, before I kick you off the team, am I making myself clear!" It was not a question.
"Yes, Captain." Kincaid said meekly.
" Now get out and take Cutler with you when you leave your both suspended for a week."
"Captain!" Kincaid started
" Get out Kincaid, what about that do you not understand?" She ordered flipping a file open.
Valinda hit a button on an intercom on her desk. "Mercer! Report!" she called, the order reverberating through out the complex. There was a hesitant knock on her door five minutes later.
"Come in!" she said looking up from the file as the door opened.
" You called Captain." He said jovially trying to lighten the load of negativity in the room. She was mad and you could feel it.
" Sit down Mercer you and I need to have a come to Jesus meeting."
He knew what this was about and he was prepared to take his medicine, he knew nothing was more important to his commanding officer than the integrity of the team. That integrity had been challenged by the incident at Bacche's.
" You know better than to go into a room with an armed suspect alone." She scolded. " I'm suspending you for a week, all three of you. You guys seem to need time consider how badly you want remain a member of this team. She said looking him in the eye.
" You're Captain it was a stupid thing for me to have done and it won't happen again." He swore to himself and her.
"Did Kincaid ever say why he switched his comm frequency?" Kilmann asked him.
"No."
" All right, get out of here I have work to do, and think about what I said." She admonished him.
Mercer ran into Miller as he was leaving the complex.
" What's going on?" Miller asked
" Oh nothing much I just got suspended for a week though." Mercer answered dejectedly.
"Just you?"
"No, Kincaid and Cutler too. Cap is not at all pleased with us."
"Well that explains that." Miller said cryptically.
"Explains what?" Mercer asked quizzically.
" Kincaid and Cutler they just sped out of here like a bat out of hell. They looked pretty pissed."
"We all got we deserved, the only thing I want now is to know why those two switched their Comm frequency and cold beer." He told Miller.
" I've got to go see the Captain, I 'd better go before she decides to put my head on a platter." Miller told him starting toward her office.
" Hope you have better luck than I do." Mercer told him as he swatted him on the back as he started off.
Miller knocked on Kilmann's door. He heard her talking on the phone but couldn't make out what she was saying.
" Just a minute!" she called out.
Miller heard the phone click as it was hung up.
"Come in!" she said a second later.
" You wanted to see me Captain?" he asked standing just inside the door.
" Valinda looked up from her paperwork. " Yes, I want you to take a few days off; in fact I 'm putting the rest of us in for R with three out for disciplinary action and another out for personal reasons. I figure now would be a good time for a little vacation."
" I see." He answered flatly.
She looked at him, but said nothing.
" I wanted to talk to you about the Bacche incident." he said
" There is nothing more to talk about, a suspect is dead and my team has been disciplined. It was a bad day. Do you wish to reconsider your involvement with this unit?" she asked. Looking pointedly at him.
" No, I don't" he answered.
Valinda went back to her paperwork. "Your dismissed Miller. Go relax for while." She replied it was clear she wanted him to drop it.
Miller left the office, he didn't argue with her decision it was her team after all. He thought as he was leaving the complex. Now at least he had a clear Idea of who all the bad guys were in this.
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Valinda sat quietly in the shadows, in front of the desk, listening and watching the SAC rant and rave. She put a hand to the side of her face framing her cheek with her fingers and looked at him as he towered over her trying to intimidate her. She rose silently from her chair, and watched as he jumped back as she just appeared in his face.
They were nose-to-nose, so close she could kiss him or kill him.
" Enough." She rumbled he was instantly silenced. "The shooting was justified, your own ballistics personnel proved it. Now I don't care if you're having a bad day because of this. The only thing I care about is the fact that you and yours fucked up.
You allowed him time to arm and fortify himself." With that she turned on her foot and walked out of the drab, and claustrophobic federal office.
It was time to clean her own house now, she thought as she entered the training center. Kincaid was already waiting for her in her office.
"Hey boss! You wanted to see me?" he asked turning around as she came in the door.
"Sit down!" she ordered ice in her voice.
He sat a look of protest on his face.
" I want to know why the hell you left Mercer alone in that hall, and why no one could raise you on your radio for over a minute!?" she said taking her seat behind her desk, her voice forced but not loud.
"Mercer is a big boy he can take care of himself." Kincaid stated petulantly.
Valinda stood up and leaned over the desk so she was in his face. " That is not he point, you do not leave your team mates out on a limb. Not if you want to stay a member of this squad!" She told him her tone more forceful, the threat obvious. " I. A. ruled the shooting clean, that you made us look bad is secondary, but if you ever leave a team mate again, or go off comm., I will personally kick your ass from here to next Sunday, before I kick you off the team, am I making myself clear!" It was not a question.
"Yes, Captain." Kincaid said meekly.
" Now get out and take Cutler with you when you leave your both suspended for a week."
"Captain!" Kincaid started
" Get out Kincaid, what about that do you not understand?" She ordered flipping a file open.
Valinda hit a button on an intercom on her desk. "Mercer! Report!" she called, the order reverberating through out the complex. There was a hesitant knock on her door five minutes later.
"Come in!" she said looking up from the file as the door opened.
" You called Captain." He said jovially trying to lighten the load of negativity in the room. She was mad and you could feel it.
" Sit down Mercer you and I need to have a come to Jesus meeting."
He knew what this was about and he was prepared to take his medicine, he knew nothing was more important to his commanding officer than the integrity of the team. That integrity had been challenged by the incident at Bacche's.
" You know better than to go into a room with an armed suspect alone." She scolded. " I'm suspending you for a week, all three of you. You guys seem to need time consider how badly you want remain a member of this team. She said looking him in the eye.
" You're Captain it was a stupid thing for me to have done and it won't happen again." He swore to himself and her.
"Did Kincaid ever say why he switched his comm frequency?" Kilmann asked him.
"No."
" All right, get out of here I have work to do, and think about what I said." She admonished him.
Mercer ran into Miller as he was leaving the complex.
" What's going on?" Miller asked
" Oh nothing much I just got suspended for a week though." Mercer answered dejectedly.
"Just you?"
"No, Kincaid and Cutler too. Cap is not at all pleased with us."
"Well that explains that." Miller said cryptically.
"Explains what?" Mercer asked quizzically.
" Kincaid and Cutler they just sped out of here like a bat out of hell. They looked pretty pissed."
"We all got we deserved, the only thing I want now is to know why those two switched their Comm frequency and cold beer." He told Miller.
" I've got to go see the Captain, I 'd better go before she decides to put my head on a platter." Miller told him starting toward her office.
" Hope you have better luck than I do." Mercer told him as he swatted him on the back as he started off.
Miller knocked on Kilmann's door. He heard her talking on the phone but couldn't make out what she was saying.
" Just a minute!" she called out.
Miller heard the phone click as it was hung up.
"Come in!" she said a second later.
" You wanted to see me Captain?" he asked standing just inside the door.
" Valinda looked up from her paperwork. " Yes, I want you to take a few days off; in fact I 'm putting the rest of us in for R with three out for disciplinary action and another out for personal reasons. I figure now would be a good time for a little vacation."
" I see." He answered flatly.
She looked at him, but said nothing.
" I wanted to talk to you about the Bacche incident." he said
" There is nothing more to talk about, a suspect is dead and my team has been disciplined. It was a bad day. Do you wish to reconsider your involvement with this unit?" she asked. Looking pointedly at him.
" No, I don't" he answered.
Valinda went back to her paperwork. "Your dismissed Miller. Go relax for while." She replied it was clear she wanted him to drop it.
Miller left the office, he didn't argue with her decision it was her team after all. He thought as he was leaving the complex. Now at least he had a clear Idea of who all the bad guys were in this.
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