Disclaimer- please see previous chapters for disclaimer information and add on the fact that don't own Casablanca or any of the characters in that amazing movie. If you haven't seen I highly recommend it.
Authors notes- I want to send a huge thanks to those that have reviewed my story so far. It means a heck of a lot to me to know that someone is actually reading this story besides me. I am always up for constructive critism so if there is something that you don't think works please let me , of course I would love any type of feedback.
I would also like to thank my sister for her awesome Betaing skills, she has really helped me get and keep this story in line and moving forward and is quick to point out when I stop making sense.
This is a repost of this chapter with a change in the Chapter name- I accidnetaly named it incorrectly- but its the same thing.
Chapter 2: A Time to Plant
December 2009
Malone quickly settled into a routine. He spent 12 hours a day at the
office, looking over old case files and new intel. He had made a few
friends at the Agency but for the most part kept to himself. He would
have a lunch meeting with AD Weiss 3 times a week, and after the 3rd
week on the job the AD had insisted that Malone stop calling
him 'sir' and just stick to Weiss. As the AD put it, it made him
feel old and stuffy and he was not becoming old and stuffy without a
fight.
Malone really liked working with Weiss. He was fun, but professional.
He knew his stuff and was willing to "impart his oh so great wisdom
on those beneath him." Malone had already learned so much from his
boss/mentor that he didn't even feel like the same person. He could
not imagine the amount of knowledge that Weiss had in his head.
He had seen the woman from Weiss' office only twice since that first
day. Each time he saw he noticed more about her. The haunted look,
the fact he she only talked to Weiss, her reserve (that many called
ice in her veins). He had attempted to talk to her once and she
looked through him and then walked away. At that point he decided to
just watch her from a distance. He noticed that she would stop and
stare at the younger agents with a wistful look on her face and once
he caught her staring at a couple on the street as he was coming into
the office. The couple had been kissing goodbye and she was
mesmerized. Her face showed an array of emotions that Malone could
not quite make out, hope?jealousy?sadness?
That was the day he tried to talk to her, but she didn't notice, she
was in her own world. He felt sorry for her. She looked so sad all
the time. Each time Malone saw the woman alone he noticed that
seemed distant, almost as if walked in a world that he did not
inhabit. He had never known someone to be as sad as this woman
appeared to be and it pained him to see the haunted expression in her
eyes. He was not sure what was driving this obsession of his, maybe
it was the fact that he couldn't understand the depth of her pain. He
wanted to find out who she was and what she did at the Agency. He had
walked all over the building and never saw her in an office or at any
meetings. He asked some of his new friends if they knew who she was
and no one seemed to have any idea. At least the younger agents did
not know, he asked AD Kendall once and the director told him to pay
attention to his own work and not worry about others. Malone glanced
at the clock above his desk and realized he was going to be late for
lunch; he stopped his musing and grabbed his coat then headed out the
door.
He rounded the corner and looked towards the Deli where he and AD
Weiss were set to meet. He saw Weiss talking with the mysterious
woman and slowed down keeping his ears open. He didn't feel right
eavesdropping, but he did it anyway. Malone desperately wanted to
know what the two were talking about. He figured eavesdropping was
the only way to learn more and he knew that if he were spotted they
would break off all conversation.
"5 years Weiss, that's how long it's been. I can't let this
information go without at least checking it out. I owe him that much.
I should have been there. He never let me down and that's seems to be
all I did to him"
"Its not your fault, he would have gone with or without you, you
couldn't stop what happened to him." he said, "You have to let it
go, your killing yourself, he would not want this life for you and
you know that." Weiss replied almost angrily.
Malone saw her put her head down and she appeared to be fighting back
tears. "I loved him and I let him down. I can't let it go now"
'Ahh' Malone thought 'she's upset over something she did or
apparently didn't do to her boyfriend. Well that explains the sad
looks. Malone wondered for a moment what had happened 5 years ago
but could not think of anything major that had happened within the
Company. Malone approached the pair, hoping that they would continue
on in their conversation and he could learn more. When he reached the
table the woman looked up at him and sighed. She stood up and turned
to look at Weiss one last time before walking off.
Malone sat down at the table with Weiss, who smiled at him and
started in on a cheesy joke. Weiss was famous for his really bad
jokes and Malone often had to remember to laugh. Malone was surprised
to see Weiss act as if nothing had happened, when form what he could
tell it had been anything but a fun meeting with the woman. He
stopped trying to figure him out when he heard Weiss finish a joke
and wait expectantly for a reaction.
"Their both purple except the Elephant!!!!"
Malone gave the customary courtesy laugh and ordered a burger from
the waitress who had appeared at his side. Weiss ordered a grilled
cheese and they sat in silence for a moment.
"So Malone I have been pretty impressed with the work you have done
so far." Malone smiled and waited for him to continue, " We have
some information that could prove to be very interesting. My agent
will be going in to try and get verification. We'll be headed to
France in the morning. You up for a trip?"
Malone was thrilled, his first trip with the Agency, and if Weiss was
going along then it would be big. He had heard rumors about Weiss's
agent, Mountaineer. Supposedly one of the best the CIA had ever had,
and apparently a real jerk. Refused to work with anyone but Weiss,
once he was unable to help with an op and Mountaineer refused to go
until he could accompany the team. Had real trust issues that one,
but Malone figured that that's what happened when you had been in the
field for as long as Mountaineer had. Weiss could handle most of the
Ops from LA but this was the first time, since Malone joined, that
they were going to have to travel.
"What's in France?" Malone asked.
Weiss gave him a critical eye and Malone thought for a second that he
wasn't going to answer. "The agent is going to intercept a package
that needs to be copied and then returned before it's missed. I need
to be there to insure that it goes smoothly." He added, "And I
haven't been to France in a while so I figured now is as good a time
as any" Weiss smiled at his last remark.
"When do we leave?" Malone asked
"Plane leaves tomorrow at 6. We will be meeting Mountaineer to get
the package around 10, if all goes well."
The plane took off right at 6. Malone immersed himself in the case
file. There was a lot he did not understand about the mission and a
lot he never would. One name kept popping up though and he wanted
more information.
"Weiss, who is Michael Vaughn?" The entire plane grew quiet as all
the other agents looked uncomfortable for a moment and then went back
to work. Malone could sense the tension in the room and it gave him
goose bumps but he still waited for the answer. Weiss looked at
Malone long and hard before answering.
"Michael Vaughn was an Agent who was killed 5 years ago on a mission."
"What does this mission have to do with him, there seems to be a lot
of mention of him and someone who appears to be his father?" Malone
asked unsure if he was reading the file right or if he was jumping to
conclusions.
Again Weiss appeared to be thinking hard about his answer, "Vaughn's
father was also CIA, it was thought that he had had been killed by
Irina Derevko when Vaughn was a kid. Before Vaughn's death we found
some intel led Vaughn to believe that his father was not dead." Weiss
answered "He led a team into a compound where we believed his father
was being held hostage. The intel we had was wrong, he was not being
held hostage, and when Vaughn's team entered the building they were
ambushed and in the resulting confusion he was able to let us know
that his father was alive. We believe it was his father that killed
him."
"So what does this have to do with the mission now?" Malone asked
still confused as to the import of this story.
"The package that Mountaineer is retrieving is a disk, as disk that
we have been told may contain information that will confirm that
Vaughn's father is still alive and hopefully we can find out where he
has been and bring him in."
"Why is the CIA interested in this after all these years?"
"One thing you will learn greenhorn, is that although the agency may
leave some agents out to fend for themselves, when you have given as
much and been as loyal as Vaughn, resources and exceptions will be
made to bring them home, or at least bring closure."
Malone thought about this for a while and came to the conclusion that
whoever this Vaughn guy was, he was one lucky son of a bitch. 5 years
after his death and the Agency was still willing to waste resources
and time and jeopardize agents in the process to find out what
happened to him. Malone could only hope that he would be thought of
as fondly, and with such loyalty should he ever go down in the field.
The team entered the operations headquarters and started setting up
in anticipation of Mountaineers arrival. Malone watched as Weiss sat
down and put his headset on. 5 minutes later he heard him make
contact with Mountaineer. Watching Weiss work with Mountaineer was
always interesting for Malone. They obviously had a great working
relationship, Weiss seemed to visibly relax when talking to his
agent, even though they were under enormous amounts of stress He
noted that Weiss' voice became more fluid, bits of his usual humor
combined with an easy professionalism as he talked. Glancing over at
his boss, he noticed that much of the tension had faded from his
body, as years of training and experience allowed the stress and
danger-induced adrenaline to work for him instead of against him. It
seemed to make him sharper.
Malone's ears perked when he heard Weiss say 'good job, see you when
you get here.' Malone got the computer ready to copy the disk that
the agent was bringing back. It was not a long wait. He had gotten
up to get a cup of coffee when the door to their makeshift
headquarters opened and in walked a svelte blonde in black leather.
To say he was surprised would be an understatement; never did he
think that Mountaineer was a female. She handed the disk to Malone
and walked over to Weiss who was sitting in his chair with a big
smile on his face.
"Hey good looking how about giving a fella a little lovin?"
"Oh I'll give you a little lovin all right," They both laughed as
Malone continued to stare in shock. Once he heard her speak Malone
realized it was the woman from the office and the Deli. SHE was an
agent; he would never have guessed it, with her striking looks, how
did this woman ever blend into a crowd? She gave an expectant glance
in Malone's direction She looked back at Weiss and he saw her raise
an eyebrow as if asking an important question. Weiss just shrugged
and looked back at her. She turned to Malone and stared it seemed
straight into his soul.
"I do need to get that disk back to its owner at some point tonight,"
she said as she stared at his hand, which still held the disk she had
given him. Malone started work on it right away embarrassed that he
had been caught staring. She smiled and turned back to Weiss, who
held up a paper bag and hollered, "I've got Ho-ho's!!!!!" The woman
laughed and they both settled down to talk.
Malone was busy making the disk copy and couldn't hear what they were
saying. But he did pick up a few words; Vaughn, father, mother, but
he couldn't make sense of it. What he did notice was that when Syd
said Vaughn's name it was with a certain amount of reverence or awe-
he could not quite figure out which.
"Okay done" Malone said, interrupting their conversation.
Mountaineer stood up and took the original back from Malone. She
turned back to Weiss "You'll let me know what you find?"
"Of course Syd- see you at home"
Malone was watching her leave when a thought occurred to him. "Was
that Sydney Bristow? I thought she retired?"
Weiss just smiled and said, "She did"
Authors notes- I want to send a huge thanks to those that have reviewed my story so far. It means a heck of a lot to me to know that someone is actually reading this story besides me. I am always up for constructive critism so if there is something that you don't think works please let me , of course I would love any type of feedback.
I would also like to thank my sister for her awesome Betaing skills, she has really helped me get and keep this story in line and moving forward and is quick to point out when I stop making sense.
This is a repost of this chapter with a change in the Chapter name- I accidnetaly named it incorrectly- but its the same thing.
Chapter 2: A Time to Plant
December 2009
Malone quickly settled into a routine. He spent 12 hours a day at the
office, looking over old case files and new intel. He had made a few
friends at the Agency but for the most part kept to himself. He would
have a lunch meeting with AD Weiss 3 times a week, and after the 3rd
week on the job the AD had insisted that Malone stop calling
him 'sir' and just stick to Weiss. As the AD put it, it made him
feel old and stuffy and he was not becoming old and stuffy without a
fight.
Malone really liked working with Weiss. He was fun, but professional.
He knew his stuff and was willing to "impart his oh so great wisdom
on those beneath him." Malone had already learned so much from his
boss/mentor that he didn't even feel like the same person. He could
not imagine the amount of knowledge that Weiss had in his head.
He had seen the woman from Weiss' office only twice since that first
day. Each time he saw he noticed more about her. The haunted look,
the fact he she only talked to Weiss, her reserve (that many called
ice in her veins). He had attempted to talk to her once and she
looked through him and then walked away. At that point he decided to
just watch her from a distance. He noticed that she would stop and
stare at the younger agents with a wistful look on her face and once
he caught her staring at a couple on the street as he was coming into
the office. The couple had been kissing goodbye and she was
mesmerized. Her face showed an array of emotions that Malone could
not quite make out, hope?jealousy?sadness?
That was the day he tried to talk to her, but she didn't notice, she
was in her own world. He felt sorry for her. She looked so sad all
the time. Each time Malone saw the woman alone he noticed that
seemed distant, almost as if walked in a world that he did not
inhabit. He had never known someone to be as sad as this woman
appeared to be and it pained him to see the haunted expression in her
eyes. He was not sure what was driving this obsession of his, maybe
it was the fact that he couldn't understand the depth of her pain. He
wanted to find out who she was and what she did at the Agency. He had
walked all over the building and never saw her in an office or at any
meetings. He asked some of his new friends if they knew who she was
and no one seemed to have any idea. At least the younger agents did
not know, he asked AD Kendall once and the director told him to pay
attention to his own work and not worry about others. Malone glanced
at the clock above his desk and realized he was going to be late for
lunch; he stopped his musing and grabbed his coat then headed out the
door.
He rounded the corner and looked towards the Deli where he and AD
Weiss were set to meet. He saw Weiss talking with the mysterious
woman and slowed down keeping his ears open. He didn't feel right
eavesdropping, but he did it anyway. Malone desperately wanted to
know what the two were talking about. He figured eavesdropping was
the only way to learn more and he knew that if he were spotted they
would break off all conversation.
"5 years Weiss, that's how long it's been. I can't let this
information go without at least checking it out. I owe him that much.
I should have been there. He never let me down and that's seems to be
all I did to him"
"Its not your fault, he would have gone with or without you, you
couldn't stop what happened to him." he said, "You have to let it
go, your killing yourself, he would not want this life for you and
you know that." Weiss replied almost angrily.
Malone saw her put her head down and she appeared to be fighting back
tears. "I loved him and I let him down. I can't let it go now"
'Ahh' Malone thought 'she's upset over something she did or
apparently didn't do to her boyfriend. Well that explains the sad
looks. Malone wondered for a moment what had happened 5 years ago
but could not think of anything major that had happened within the
Company. Malone approached the pair, hoping that they would continue
on in their conversation and he could learn more. When he reached the
table the woman looked up at him and sighed. She stood up and turned
to look at Weiss one last time before walking off.
Malone sat down at the table with Weiss, who smiled at him and
started in on a cheesy joke. Weiss was famous for his really bad
jokes and Malone often had to remember to laugh. Malone was surprised
to see Weiss act as if nothing had happened, when form what he could
tell it had been anything but a fun meeting with the woman. He
stopped trying to figure him out when he heard Weiss finish a joke
and wait expectantly for a reaction.
"Their both purple except the Elephant!!!!"
Malone gave the customary courtesy laugh and ordered a burger from
the waitress who had appeared at his side. Weiss ordered a grilled
cheese and they sat in silence for a moment.
"So Malone I have been pretty impressed with the work you have done
so far." Malone smiled and waited for him to continue, " We have
some information that could prove to be very interesting. My agent
will be going in to try and get verification. We'll be headed to
France in the morning. You up for a trip?"
Malone was thrilled, his first trip with the Agency, and if Weiss was
going along then it would be big. He had heard rumors about Weiss's
agent, Mountaineer. Supposedly one of the best the CIA had ever had,
and apparently a real jerk. Refused to work with anyone but Weiss,
once he was unable to help with an op and Mountaineer refused to go
until he could accompany the team. Had real trust issues that one,
but Malone figured that that's what happened when you had been in the
field for as long as Mountaineer had. Weiss could handle most of the
Ops from LA but this was the first time, since Malone joined, that
they were going to have to travel.
"What's in France?" Malone asked.
Weiss gave him a critical eye and Malone thought for a second that he
wasn't going to answer. "The agent is going to intercept a package
that needs to be copied and then returned before it's missed. I need
to be there to insure that it goes smoothly." He added, "And I
haven't been to France in a while so I figured now is as good a time
as any" Weiss smiled at his last remark.
"When do we leave?" Malone asked
"Plane leaves tomorrow at 6. We will be meeting Mountaineer to get
the package around 10, if all goes well."
The plane took off right at 6. Malone immersed himself in the case
file. There was a lot he did not understand about the mission and a
lot he never would. One name kept popping up though and he wanted
more information.
"Weiss, who is Michael Vaughn?" The entire plane grew quiet as all
the other agents looked uncomfortable for a moment and then went back
to work. Malone could sense the tension in the room and it gave him
goose bumps but he still waited for the answer. Weiss looked at
Malone long and hard before answering.
"Michael Vaughn was an Agent who was killed 5 years ago on a mission."
"What does this mission have to do with him, there seems to be a lot
of mention of him and someone who appears to be his father?" Malone
asked unsure if he was reading the file right or if he was jumping to
conclusions.
Again Weiss appeared to be thinking hard about his answer, "Vaughn's
father was also CIA, it was thought that he had had been killed by
Irina Derevko when Vaughn was a kid. Before Vaughn's death we found
some intel led Vaughn to believe that his father was not dead." Weiss
answered "He led a team into a compound where we believed his father
was being held hostage. The intel we had was wrong, he was not being
held hostage, and when Vaughn's team entered the building they were
ambushed and in the resulting confusion he was able to let us know
that his father was alive. We believe it was his father that killed
him."
"So what does this have to do with the mission now?" Malone asked
still confused as to the import of this story.
"The package that Mountaineer is retrieving is a disk, as disk that
we have been told may contain information that will confirm that
Vaughn's father is still alive and hopefully we can find out where he
has been and bring him in."
"Why is the CIA interested in this after all these years?"
"One thing you will learn greenhorn, is that although the agency may
leave some agents out to fend for themselves, when you have given as
much and been as loyal as Vaughn, resources and exceptions will be
made to bring them home, or at least bring closure."
Malone thought about this for a while and came to the conclusion that
whoever this Vaughn guy was, he was one lucky son of a bitch. 5 years
after his death and the Agency was still willing to waste resources
and time and jeopardize agents in the process to find out what
happened to him. Malone could only hope that he would be thought of
as fondly, and with such loyalty should he ever go down in the field.
The team entered the operations headquarters and started setting up
in anticipation of Mountaineers arrival. Malone watched as Weiss sat
down and put his headset on. 5 minutes later he heard him make
contact with Mountaineer. Watching Weiss work with Mountaineer was
always interesting for Malone. They obviously had a great working
relationship, Weiss seemed to visibly relax when talking to his
agent, even though they were under enormous amounts of stress He
noted that Weiss' voice became more fluid, bits of his usual humor
combined with an easy professionalism as he talked. Glancing over at
his boss, he noticed that much of the tension had faded from his
body, as years of training and experience allowed the stress and
danger-induced adrenaline to work for him instead of against him. It
seemed to make him sharper.
Malone's ears perked when he heard Weiss say 'good job, see you when
you get here.' Malone got the computer ready to copy the disk that
the agent was bringing back. It was not a long wait. He had gotten
up to get a cup of coffee when the door to their makeshift
headquarters opened and in walked a svelte blonde in black leather.
To say he was surprised would be an understatement; never did he
think that Mountaineer was a female. She handed the disk to Malone
and walked over to Weiss who was sitting in his chair with a big
smile on his face.
"Hey good looking how about giving a fella a little lovin?"
"Oh I'll give you a little lovin all right," They both laughed as
Malone continued to stare in shock. Once he heard her speak Malone
realized it was the woman from the office and the Deli. SHE was an
agent; he would never have guessed it, with her striking looks, how
did this woman ever blend into a crowd? She gave an expectant glance
in Malone's direction She looked back at Weiss and he saw her raise
an eyebrow as if asking an important question. Weiss just shrugged
and looked back at her. She turned to Malone and stared it seemed
straight into his soul.
"I do need to get that disk back to its owner at some point tonight,"
she said as she stared at his hand, which still held the disk she had
given him. Malone started work on it right away embarrassed that he
had been caught staring. She smiled and turned back to Weiss, who
held up a paper bag and hollered, "I've got Ho-ho's!!!!!" The woman
laughed and they both settled down to talk.
Malone was busy making the disk copy and couldn't hear what they were
saying. But he did pick up a few words; Vaughn, father, mother, but
he couldn't make sense of it. What he did notice was that when Syd
said Vaughn's name it was with a certain amount of reverence or awe-
he could not quite figure out which.
"Okay done" Malone said, interrupting their conversation.
Mountaineer stood up and took the original back from Malone. She
turned back to Weiss "You'll let me know what you find?"
"Of course Syd- see you at home"
Malone was watching her leave when a thought occurred to him. "Was
that Sydney Bristow? I thought she retired?"
Weiss just smiled and said, "She did"