Chapter Seventeen
Lex felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Something was wrong. "C'mon," she growled at the computer as columns of numbers raced across the screen, the hard drive whirring madly as the information flowed onto the chip.
As the screen went blank, leaving the cursor flashing brightly in the corner, Lex quickly popped out the tiny chip, and secured it in a case before jamming into one of the many pockets of her body suit.
"Hurry!" Dorian hissed from the doorway where he'd materialized, his amber eyes dark with tension.
Slightly relieved that she wasn't the only one on this job with the willies, Lex leapt from the chair and headed for the wall safe. The only thing left to grab was the master security code for the program she'd just copied.
Her fingers flew over the keypad as she circumvented the locking mechanism. The small door of the safe popped open silently and she quickly reached inside and grabbed the paper.
In too much of a hurry to put it in a pocket, Lex quickly glanced at the sequence of numbers on it before closing her fist around the paper, shutting the safe door, and heading for the door.
Again Dorian hissed, his teeth bared as his eyes flew rapidly around the hallway.
"What?" Lex asked quietly as they scurried down the darkened hall.
"We've missed something."
"Sean wouldn't let that happen," she said, referring to their leader.
"He provided for us the schematics for the building and the duty roster. This is something new, something not on paper."
"How do you know?"
Dorian scowled, shaking his head. Lex knew enough to take his caution seriously. Dorian fancied himself irresistible to women, and during his waking hours, even when on a job, he pursued his goal of servicing every woman in sight, whether they were interested or not.
He'd been after Lex for the seven years she'd been on the team, and though she'd quickly put him in his place during her first week, he'd continued his relentless pursuit, purely for sport.
But right now, his lithe body fairly quivered with tension, his superior senses cast out, searching for their invisible assailant.
Both broke into a run as the outer door came into view. The last thing Lex was aware of was a low pitched whine as she shoved open the door before the explosion flung her into unconsciousness like a rag doll.
"So, where are we going?" Ben asked as he sat, shoving his tray onto the table.
"Well, the best I could figure out," Tim replied, popping a fry into his mouth, "is that we're headed to Macronesia on an unofficial rescue mission.
Manuel shook his head. "We're not allowed in those waters."
"That's why it's unofficial." Tim rolled his eyes.
"Who're we rescuin'?" Tony asked.
"From the little bit I heard between Bridger and Hudson, we're going to get the Viper Team because a member was injured on a mission."
"Yeah, right!" Lucas snorted in amusement, "and on the way back we'll be picking up the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus."
"What is the Easter Bunny?" Dagwood asked, plowing his way through a whole pineapple.
"There are too many rumours from too many sources, Lucas. They exist!" Manuel argued.
Lucas rolled his blue eyes. "Rumours?"
"Am I missin' somethin' here?" Tony frowned.
Tim put down his fork, his eyes alight with excitement. "The Viper Team is a covert-"
"An alleged ... " Lucas interjected.
"An alleged covert agency, privately owned and operated, that the government uses in sticky situations." Tim tossed Lucas a scowl.
"What kinda sticky situations?"
"The kind the government can't, or doesn't want to be involved in," Brody said as he joined the group.
"That would certainly explain why we're headed for Macronesian waters," Manuel added, brows raised.
"C'mon you guys! They aren't real!" Lucas laughed incredulously. "I looked for years for anything on them, and nada. There's nothing."
"What do you expect, Wolenczek?" Brody crossed his arms. "You think they'll have their own website with member bios and a list of all their upcoming missions?"
"Everyone, and everything, leaves an information trail. If it's there, I'll find it." Lucas cocked his blond head.
"Not this time," Ford smiled as he drew up to the group. "Everyone needs to return to their posts, we're getting ready to enter hostile territory."
Without another word said, everyone, even Dagwood, stood and after disposing of their trays, headed to the bridge.
Lex felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Something was wrong. "C'mon," she growled at the computer as columns of numbers raced across the screen, the hard drive whirring madly as the information flowed onto the chip.
As the screen went blank, leaving the cursor flashing brightly in the corner, Lex quickly popped out the tiny chip, and secured it in a case before jamming into one of the many pockets of her body suit.
"Hurry!" Dorian hissed from the doorway where he'd materialized, his amber eyes dark with tension.
Slightly relieved that she wasn't the only one on this job with the willies, Lex leapt from the chair and headed for the wall safe. The only thing left to grab was the master security code for the program she'd just copied.
Her fingers flew over the keypad as she circumvented the locking mechanism. The small door of the safe popped open silently and she quickly reached inside and grabbed the paper.
In too much of a hurry to put it in a pocket, Lex quickly glanced at the sequence of numbers on it before closing her fist around the paper, shutting the safe door, and heading for the door.
Again Dorian hissed, his teeth bared as his eyes flew rapidly around the hallway.
"What?" Lex asked quietly as they scurried down the darkened hall.
"We've missed something."
"Sean wouldn't let that happen," she said, referring to their leader.
"He provided for us the schematics for the building and the duty roster. This is something new, something not on paper."
"How do you know?"
Dorian scowled, shaking his head. Lex knew enough to take his caution seriously. Dorian fancied himself irresistible to women, and during his waking hours, even when on a job, he pursued his goal of servicing every woman in sight, whether they were interested or not.
He'd been after Lex for the seven years she'd been on the team, and though she'd quickly put him in his place during her first week, he'd continued his relentless pursuit, purely for sport.
But right now, his lithe body fairly quivered with tension, his superior senses cast out, searching for their invisible assailant.
Both broke into a run as the outer door came into view. The last thing Lex was aware of was a low pitched whine as she shoved open the door before the explosion flung her into unconsciousness like a rag doll.
"So, where are we going?" Ben asked as he sat, shoving his tray onto the table.
"Well, the best I could figure out," Tim replied, popping a fry into his mouth, "is that we're headed to Macronesia on an unofficial rescue mission.
Manuel shook his head. "We're not allowed in those waters."
"That's why it's unofficial." Tim rolled his eyes.
"Who're we rescuin'?" Tony asked.
"From the little bit I heard between Bridger and Hudson, we're going to get the Viper Team because a member was injured on a mission."
"Yeah, right!" Lucas snorted in amusement, "and on the way back we'll be picking up the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus."
"What is the Easter Bunny?" Dagwood asked, plowing his way through a whole pineapple.
"There are too many rumours from too many sources, Lucas. They exist!" Manuel argued.
Lucas rolled his blue eyes. "Rumours?"
"Am I missin' somethin' here?" Tony frowned.
Tim put down his fork, his eyes alight with excitement. "The Viper Team is a covert-"
"An alleged ... " Lucas interjected.
"An alleged covert agency, privately owned and operated, that the government uses in sticky situations." Tim tossed Lucas a scowl.
"What kinda sticky situations?"
"The kind the government can't, or doesn't want to be involved in," Brody said as he joined the group.
"That would certainly explain why we're headed for Macronesian waters," Manuel added, brows raised.
"C'mon you guys! They aren't real!" Lucas laughed incredulously. "I looked for years for anything on them, and nada. There's nothing."
"What do you expect, Wolenczek?" Brody crossed his arms. "You think they'll have their own website with member bios and a list of all their upcoming missions?"
"Everyone, and everything, leaves an information trail. If it's there, I'll find it." Lucas cocked his blond head.
"Not this time," Ford smiled as he drew up to the group. "Everyone needs to return to their posts, we're getting ready to enter hostile territory."
Without another word said, everyone, even Dagwood, stood and after disposing of their trays, headed to the bridge.