War Fields: Chapter 4
"There isn't any other way, Matt?"
Matt shook his head at Buddy, who was performing a quick check up on the vehicles. "I wish there was. But
PNA wants a team in Italy, and I need him on it."
"He's not going to be happy about this," Buddy warned, laying a wrench on the tool chest. "At
least let me give him a head's up."
"I'm going to put the call out right now. Feel free, as long as you think you can beat me to it," Matt
replied with a small smile.
Buddy had the phone in his hand before Matt dissappeared into Boulder Hill's secret areas. He quickly punched
in a phone number and waited.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings...then: " 'lo?" The voice sounded female, despite the sleepiness
laced through it.
"Your dad up?" Buddy asked politely, not bothering to announce himself.
"Dunno," replied the voice on the other end.
Click. The reciever went dead. That went well, Buddy thought to himself as he dialed again.
One ring. Two rings...then: "What?" growled a definitively male voice, more annoyed than sleepy.
"I hope you're awake, Brad, because you're about to get an even ruder wake up call then the one I'm making
now."
Chimes sounded in the background. Buddy heard the distinct thud of something being thrown into the distance, as
well as muttered cursing. "Damnit Hawkes!" Brad snapped into the phone, now wide awake.
"Hey, don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger," Buddy defended. "Besides, I tried to talk him out
of it, but he says he needs you on the team."
"What *I* need is to spend some much needed quality time with my daughter," Brad spit at him. "You
do realize that not even twenty four hours has passed? And what exactly do I say: 'I had a great day honey, nice
to see you again, by the way, I have to leave on another mission.'?"
"Look, just get here and get debriefed," Buddy said calmly, trying to rationalize with the now angry
father. "Considering the fact Annie just hung up on me, she's not going to notice you're gone anytime soon.
When we're done, you can tell Matt your exact thoughts yourself."
"Oh, I'll give him a piece of my mind all right," Brad said icily into the reciever. "Like he
can take this mission and stick it---"
Buddy quickly hung up.
A few minutes later, Brad walked into the conference room where everyone else was already assembled.
"Glad you could join us," Matt said half-jokingly.
"I'm not," Brad replied flatly, taking a seat across from the MASK leader.
His remark earned him a surprised glance from some of the others, and sympathetic glances from Dusty and Buddy,
both of whom knew he hid a glare behind those dark shades.
Matt ignored the remark and launched into his debriefing. "There have been sightings of Contraworld and VENOM
agents in Italy. No one yet has any idea what they might be up to."
"Nothing from your moles underground, Buddy?" asked Alex.
"Not a peep."
"Nevertheless," Matt continued, "The PNA wants a MASK team there to--"
"Forget it." Brad stunned everyone by interrupting Matt mid-speech and standing up. "I'm not taking
on a mission based on rumor and speculation. When you have something definitive, call me."
Before anyone could reply, he walked out the door. He was halfway to the garage bay before Matt managed to stop
him.
"Just wait a minute, Brad."
Brad whirled on him, taking off the shades and letting the MASK leader grip the full fury blazing in his eyes.
"No, YOU just wait a minute, Trakker. Never once have I denied you anything you asked of me. I can't count
the number of concerts I missed for you and this organization. It's a wonder I have any fans left at all. Even
after I wanted to resign after all that shit with Andy and Vanessa, I stayed because you wanted me to. But I draw
the line at taking a mission based on ghost stories not even a day after Annie's been home. It'd break her heart
and I'm not going to stand by and let that happen."
"Brad, there's no reason Annie can't go with you," Matt said softly.
"There's a damn good reason Annie can't go with me, and you know exactly what it is!" Brad roared back.
Matt swallowed hard, knowing he was about to take Brad's anger up a few notches. "How old is Annie now--Roxanne's
age...16 maybe? Somewhere along the line, you're going to have to stop being so over-protective of her."
"Oh, now there's the pot calling the kettle black," Brad shot back sarcastically.
"I admit I've been protective of Scott over the years," Matt conceded, "but he's matured quite a
bit in these last couple. So much so, that I trust he'd be a suitable and responsible companion for the girls
while we are in Italy."
"Girls?" The implication of that wasn't lost on Brad as his anger faded somewhat. "I thought Roxanne
was grounded...again."
"I'd be willing to lift that under these special circumstances," Matt smiled a bit wickedly, "and of
course, the girls wouldn't be allowed anywhere without Scott and T-Bob. I'm sure Annie wouldn't have a problem
with that."
"I'm sure Roxy will," Brad replied with a grudging smile.
"Roxanne is my problem, Annie is yours," replied Matt.
"Actually, she's yours, because if you want me on this team, you're the one who has to ask her to go."
Brad grinned wickedly at Matt, waiting to see his reaction. "And if she doesn't go, I don't go."
Matt rose calmly to his bait. "I see. And you'll be waiting here for the response."
"Oh you bet," Brad smiled. "And just to make it fair, I'll wait in the conference room with the
others so that you don't think I'll sneak in a warning phone call."
Under Matt's intense scrutiny, he walked back into the conference room, not bothering to hide the self-satisfied
smile on his face.
"What's the matter with ya, Brad?" Dusty asked. "First you go tearin outta here like Gangbusters,
now yer back smilin' like the cat who ate the canary!"
"He's got a dual personality disorder," Buddy quipped.
"Nothing of the sort," Brad replied, sitting down and propping his feet up on the conference table.
"Matt suggested Annie come with us to Italy, and I suggested he ask her."
"The enemy of my friend is my enemy," Bruce said as the group gave him a collective puzzled look.
"Brad, that's evil! You know that Annie can barely say two words to him!" Gloria cried in mock-indignation.
"That, my dear, is what he's counting on," Alex said.
As Matt pulled up to Brad's house in Thunderhawk, he wondered what in the world possessed him to do this. Because
you need Brad on that team, he told himself. He hated to take advantage of Brad's connection with Vanessa,
but there were times it came in handy. Then again, there were times it didn't. Either way, he was on his way
up the walk to talk to a girl who turned pale and faint if he even looked at her cross-eyed. He sighed, wondering
if he seemed *THAT* imposing as he rang the doorbell.
He very nearly rang it again before he heard the sound of footsteps from inside. The door opened, and Matt saw
that Annie was still towel drying her hair from the shower. He decided to take the initiative before she noticed
who was at the door and slammed it in his face.
"Hi Annie. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."
She glanced at him sideways, wringing out the last of her hair before replying slowly, "I just finished, but
I don't think Dad's here," she said in an attempt to get him to leave.
"That's quite all right, I actually came to talk to you," Matt replied without missing a beat. "May
I come in?"
Annie gulped, torn between being rude and making him stand in the doorway, or being more rude and telling him no.
Matt thought she looked much like a scared rabbit. Do I really look *THAT* imposing? He asked himself
again as he waited for her reply.
She finally gave in to etiquette with a quiet, "Umm...sure." As Matt stepped into the foyer, she added,
"Though I'm not, uh, really sure why you wanted to talk to me..."
"Actually, I--"
But Matt stopped as he met the gaze of her piercing green eyes. He watched understanding dawn on her facial features,
then watched as they set themselves into a hard look that he'd seen so many times...on Vanessa's face. "Wait,
don't tell me...you're sending Dad on another mission, and you thought you'd deliver the news personally. Gee
thanks," Annie said bitterly.
Annie wasn't sure exactly what had come over her. Maybe it was the fact that she was in her own house, maybe it
was the fact that Matt Trakker had interrupted a perfectly good morning, or maybe it was the fact that a whole
day hadn't even gone by since she'd been home. It didn't really matter, because she just all of a sudden let him
have it.
"Well, I really appreciate you considering my feelings in the matter," she told Matt sarcastically with
a harsh laugh. "Guess I better go pack." She pantomimed thinking, then added, "Oh wait, gee, it's
only been a day...I haven't even had the chance to unpack yet. Guess it's your lucky day, you get to be rid of
me all the sooner. Should I call Jesse now, or would you just like to dump me off at the first opportune moment?"
It was, Matt conceded, at least the first genuine statement that she had given him, even if it was laced with anger
and bitterness. They were at least communicating. He ignored the connotations of her words and replied simply,
"Actually, I thought you might like to come with us."
That brought her up short. For just a moment, he saw her expression soften, and then she barked a laugh again.
"Haha...that's funny." She mimicked cleaning out her ears. "For just a minute, I thought you said
that you wanted me to come with you, not that Dad would probably let me."
"It was actually his idea that I ask you," Matt said calmly, baiting her in his own trap. "I planned
on taking Scott and Roxanne along, and I thought you might like to join them."
She looked at him in stunned silence for a moment. Matt watched a blush the color of her hair creep into her cheeks.
"You're serious," she said softly.
"Completely." He agreed. "So, as long as you are still packed, we can leave now if you like. I
hear Italy's beautiful this time of year."
Matt thought Annie might faint from shock as quiet as she was. Finally, she stammered the beginnings of an apology.
"Matt...I didn't mean...it's just that...well, this isn't easy..." she finally admitted, and left it
at that.
"Of course being away from family isn't easy," he told her. "That's why I thought you should be
included this time. So, why don't you get your things, and we'll go back to Boulderhill. I'm sure your father
will be thrilled to be able to spend more time with you."
And I'll be thrilled to have him around in case things get ugly, Matt thought as Annie headed up to her
room to get her stuff.
