NOWHERE TO RUN
By J-James
Chapter One
Disclaimer: The characters contained within belong to NBC and Shane Salerno with the exception of Katherine Dawson who is a figment of my own demented imagination. No copyright infringement intended.
Please read and review!! This is my first fanfic. Please be gentle.
Dead end.
Another dead end. The team had been trying to track down their elusive prey for well over a month now, and as of yet….no luck. Nerves were frayed and tempers were running high.
"I can't even fucking believe this!!! Who the hell is this person!?!? The invisible woman?? We're always this close behind her! Or at least it seems that way. Maybe she was never here anyway."
"Jake, calm down. We'll find her. We just need to regroup a little. Step back. Maybe we can't see the forest for the trees."
"Monica. We've been on this damned case for well over two months now. A month tracking down sources and another blasted month on the road traveling from one city to another!! Maybe you need to step back and regroup a little!! We've been going on the information you gave us. Do you have any idea who the hell this woman is?? Or have you just been feeding us bull……"
"That's enough Agent Shaw!!! We've all been working as hard as we can on this case. The profile Monica has given us is based solidly on the info the Bureau has given us, along with whatever leads you and Alex have dug up for us to follow. The final decision about where we head next has rested solely with me. If you've got a problem with that, then you can head back to Chicago. We'll finish this case without you. I don't need a hot head running off at the mouth! The decision is yours."
Jake stared blankly at Frank. He knew his boss was right. It wasn't Monica's fault. It wasn't Frank's fault either for that matter. The situation was just so incredibly frustrating. Time after time it seemed that they had definitely cornered the slippery Katherine Dawson and time after time they were left empty handed. Jake hung his head and sighed heavily. *God I could use a drink right now!* Jake thought to himself.
"I'm outta here."
Now it was Frank's turn to stare. He knew Jake was prone to fits of rage when frustrated, but he didn't think he'd ever see him just walk away from a case. Frank also knew exactly how Jake felt. This case was different. Something about it felt different. Was it simply the fact that their suspect seemed to continually elude them so easily or was it something else. Something………. He was watching the younger agent's retreating back when Jake suddenly turned.
"The hotel. I'm going back to the hotel. Not Chicago. I think there was a nice little bar off of the lobby. I'll be there if you pick up another lead. And no, I'm not going to get drunk. I just need to take the edge off before I go completely psycho and do something completely nuts like……like…..take Cody up on his offer to teach me how to play Dungeons and Dragons." Again he turned and headed down the street toward their hotel.
Frank smiled. Just then the van door opened.
"What's wrong with D and D? He makes it sound like some sort of torture. It's a time honored game, I'll have you know." Cody turned to see Alex and Frank both smiling at him. "Forget it! I wouldn't waste my time teaching him. It's way too complicated for him to understand anyway!" He knew what the others thought of him. A computer techno geek. That was fine with him, only he preferred the term computer techno wizard. The bottom line was, he knew they respected his abilities and he was proud of that fact. A man like Frank Donovan wasn't easy to impress, and although Frank had never stated as such, he knew that's what he meant when he said, "Good job". High praise indeed.
Alex approached Frank. "If you don't need me here, I'm going to head back to the hotel with Jake. You know, try to talk him down off that ledge he's on right now." The truth was, she was feeling as on edge right now as Jake was, but she would have never blown up like he had. It just wasn't in her nature. She internalized too much, which probably could explain that ulcer her doctor told her she had. Yep, she could definitely feel that baby kicking into high gear right now. Jake needed his shot of whiskey. She needed her cigarette. After a cig or two and she'd be right as rain.
"OK, head on back and see you both keep out of trouble", Frank said with a smirk, remembering all too well the time he was called at 3:30 in the morning to bail their asses out of jail. Something about causing a bar fight. He didn't ask. He didn't want to know, and frankly neither one seemed all too eager to fess up either. The next morning he simply stated to both that if anything like that happened again not only were they off his team but he'd make sure that neither one ever worked in law enforcement of any type again. Both took his advice, or at least he hoped they had.
"Trouble?", Alex asked. "Not us" She winked and headed after Jake.
Frank turned and headed toward the van just as Cody was getting out.
"OK boss, what's the game plan? Think Ms. Dawson is heading back to this apartment building anytime soon?"
"I doubt it. The apartment was completely empty when we got here, so either she left some time ago or she was never here to begin with."
"Right. I'll come back here first thing in the morning and take down all of our surveillance equipment."
"Why don't you take care of that right now, Cody"
Cody started to respond with some smart ass remark, but he saw that Frank was staring at the van with a concerned look on his face. Monica had not said a word to anyone since Jake's little tirade. Cody knew that his boss was worried about how she was dealing with the accusations that their resident hot head had flung at her.
"You know…..why put off until tomorrow, what you can do right now. Let me just get a few pieces of equipment and I'll be out of that perfectly cut hair of yours"
Frank waited until Cody had left for the building before he entered the van. He found Monica at one of the computer consoles studying photos and statistics.
"Jake's right. I've missed something. Something important, something vital. A crucial piece of the puzzle." She continued staring at the screen as if in a trance.
"You haven't missed anything, and Jake had no right to say what he did. You're right. Maybe we are missing something vital, but it's not because it's been overlooked by any one of us. If we are missing a piece of this puzzle, it's because we don't have that piece yet. Not because you've overlooked it. And finding facts for this case is just as much Jake's responsibility as it is Alex's, Cody's, mine or yours."
"Frank, look, I appreciate the pep talk. But I'm OK. Really. I know how Jake gets when things don't go as planned. He lashes out. It's just part of his personality, and I can accept that. But I guess the bigger question is…….where do we go now? We've exhausted every lead we've been given or dug up. I've been sitting here pouring over the same facts, and I'm at a loss. We've analyzed every centimeter of this girl's existence and we still can't find her. We've followed every logical course of action and still nothing."
"Well, maybe it's time to follow the illogical." Frank and Monica both turned to see Cody standing just outside the van's door.
Monica then turned to Frank and said, "Out of the mouths of geeks."
"Hey! Wizard! I'm a wizard, not a geek. Geek implies being a dork. Wizards are cunning and clever. Get it right people!"
Frank exited the van laughing. "Let's head out!"
"Where to?", Monica asked, thinking back over the list of cities that they had visited over the last month. Los Angeles. New York. Atlanta. Greensboro. Miami. Houston. Albuquerque.
"Chicago", was all he said before getting in his car to head off to round up Alex and Jake.
*Follow the illogical.*
Monica was right. They needed to regroup. Get a little perspective. And a little rest wouldn't hurt either.
*Follow the illogical.*
It was time to start over. Start fresh. Something his bosses wouldn't be happy about.
They would see the maneuver as a sign of failure, and in a way they would be right. But from each failure, a lesson could be learned. And what they had learned so far form this case is that they can't keep thinking like cops. Every move they had made so far was one that any good law enforcement officer would have taken. Methodical. Logical.
*Follow the illogical.*
Yep, out of the mouths of geeks.
By J-James
Chapter One
Disclaimer: The characters contained within belong to NBC and Shane Salerno with the exception of Katherine Dawson who is a figment of my own demented imagination. No copyright infringement intended.
Please read and review!! This is my first fanfic. Please be gentle.
Dead end.
Another dead end. The team had been trying to track down their elusive prey for well over a month now, and as of yet….no luck. Nerves were frayed and tempers were running high.
"I can't even fucking believe this!!! Who the hell is this person!?!? The invisible woman?? We're always this close behind her! Or at least it seems that way. Maybe she was never here anyway."
"Jake, calm down. We'll find her. We just need to regroup a little. Step back. Maybe we can't see the forest for the trees."
"Monica. We've been on this damned case for well over two months now. A month tracking down sources and another blasted month on the road traveling from one city to another!! Maybe you need to step back and regroup a little!! We've been going on the information you gave us. Do you have any idea who the hell this woman is?? Or have you just been feeding us bull……"
"That's enough Agent Shaw!!! We've all been working as hard as we can on this case. The profile Monica has given us is based solidly on the info the Bureau has given us, along with whatever leads you and Alex have dug up for us to follow. The final decision about where we head next has rested solely with me. If you've got a problem with that, then you can head back to Chicago. We'll finish this case without you. I don't need a hot head running off at the mouth! The decision is yours."
Jake stared blankly at Frank. He knew his boss was right. It wasn't Monica's fault. It wasn't Frank's fault either for that matter. The situation was just so incredibly frustrating. Time after time it seemed that they had definitely cornered the slippery Katherine Dawson and time after time they were left empty handed. Jake hung his head and sighed heavily. *God I could use a drink right now!* Jake thought to himself.
"I'm outta here."
Now it was Frank's turn to stare. He knew Jake was prone to fits of rage when frustrated, but he didn't think he'd ever see him just walk away from a case. Frank also knew exactly how Jake felt. This case was different. Something about it felt different. Was it simply the fact that their suspect seemed to continually elude them so easily or was it something else. Something………. He was watching the younger agent's retreating back when Jake suddenly turned.
"The hotel. I'm going back to the hotel. Not Chicago. I think there was a nice little bar off of the lobby. I'll be there if you pick up another lead. And no, I'm not going to get drunk. I just need to take the edge off before I go completely psycho and do something completely nuts like……like…..take Cody up on his offer to teach me how to play Dungeons and Dragons." Again he turned and headed down the street toward their hotel.
Frank smiled. Just then the van door opened.
"What's wrong with D and D? He makes it sound like some sort of torture. It's a time honored game, I'll have you know." Cody turned to see Alex and Frank both smiling at him. "Forget it! I wouldn't waste my time teaching him. It's way too complicated for him to understand anyway!" He knew what the others thought of him. A computer techno geek. That was fine with him, only he preferred the term computer techno wizard. The bottom line was, he knew they respected his abilities and he was proud of that fact. A man like Frank Donovan wasn't easy to impress, and although Frank had never stated as such, he knew that's what he meant when he said, "Good job". High praise indeed.
Alex approached Frank. "If you don't need me here, I'm going to head back to the hotel with Jake. You know, try to talk him down off that ledge he's on right now." The truth was, she was feeling as on edge right now as Jake was, but she would have never blown up like he had. It just wasn't in her nature. She internalized too much, which probably could explain that ulcer her doctor told her she had. Yep, she could definitely feel that baby kicking into high gear right now. Jake needed his shot of whiskey. She needed her cigarette. After a cig or two and she'd be right as rain.
"OK, head on back and see you both keep out of trouble", Frank said with a smirk, remembering all too well the time he was called at 3:30 in the morning to bail their asses out of jail. Something about causing a bar fight. He didn't ask. He didn't want to know, and frankly neither one seemed all too eager to fess up either. The next morning he simply stated to both that if anything like that happened again not only were they off his team but he'd make sure that neither one ever worked in law enforcement of any type again. Both took his advice, or at least he hoped they had.
"Trouble?", Alex asked. "Not us" She winked and headed after Jake.
Frank turned and headed toward the van just as Cody was getting out.
"OK boss, what's the game plan? Think Ms. Dawson is heading back to this apartment building anytime soon?"
"I doubt it. The apartment was completely empty when we got here, so either she left some time ago or she was never here to begin with."
"Right. I'll come back here first thing in the morning and take down all of our surveillance equipment."
"Why don't you take care of that right now, Cody"
Cody started to respond with some smart ass remark, but he saw that Frank was staring at the van with a concerned look on his face. Monica had not said a word to anyone since Jake's little tirade. Cody knew that his boss was worried about how she was dealing with the accusations that their resident hot head had flung at her.
"You know…..why put off until tomorrow, what you can do right now. Let me just get a few pieces of equipment and I'll be out of that perfectly cut hair of yours"
Frank waited until Cody had left for the building before he entered the van. He found Monica at one of the computer consoles studying photos and statistics.
"Jake's right. I've missed something. Something important, something vital. A crucial piece of the puzzle." She continued staring at the screen as if in a trance.
"You haven't missed anything, and Jake had no right to say what he did. You're right. Maybe we are missing something vital, but it's not because it's been overlooked by any one of us. If we are missing a piece of this puzzle, it's because we don't have that piece yet. Not because you've overlooked it. And finding facts for this case is just as much Jake's responsibility as it is Alex's, Cody's, mine or yours."
"Frank, look, I appreciate the pep talk. But I'm OK. Really. I know how Jake gets when things don't go as planned. He lashes out. It's just part of his personality, and I can accept that. But I guess the bigger question is…….where do we go now? We've exhausted every lead we've been given or dug up. I've been sitting here pouring over the same facts, and I'm at a loss. We've analyzed every centimeter of this girl's existence and we still can't find her. We've followed every logical course of action and still nothing."
"Well, maybe it's time to follow the illogical." Frank and Monica both turned to see Cody standing just outside the van's door.
Monica then turned to Frank and said, "Out of the mouths of geeks."
"Hey! Wizard! I'm a wizard, not a geek. Geek implies being a dork. Wizards are cunning and clever. Get it right people!"
Frank exited the van laughing. "Let's head out!"
"Where to?", Monica asked, thinking back over the list of cities that they had visited over the last month. Los Angeles. New York. Atlanta. Greensboro. Miami. Houston. Albuquerque.
"Chicago", was all he said before getting in his car to head off to round up Alex and Jake.
*Follow the illogical.*
Monica was right. They needed to regroup. Get a little perspective. And a little rest wouldn't hurt either.
*Follow the illogical.*
It was time to start over. Start fresh. Something his bosses wouldn't be happy about.
They would see the maneuver as a sign of failure, and in a way they would be right. But from each failure, a lesson could be learned. And what they had learned so far form this case is that they can't keep thinking like cops. Every move they had made so far was one that any good law enforcement officer would have taken. Methodical. Logical.
*Follow the illogical.*
Yep, out of the mouths of geeks.