Case 1: Sniper, Part 7
Disclaimer: Same as before. I took the liberty of inventing Tatiana's last name and her family.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Hal," Ivy said, as they drove along in the Land Rover, "Thanks for doing this."
"No problem." Hal replied, "How do you think Tatiana's parents are gonna react to the fact that Zack got their daughter pregnant before their planned marriage?"
"I'm not sure, really. Her mother's the most likely to start going off on her about this." Ivy said.
"I take it she's a bit of a traditionalist." Hal replied.
"Yep." Ivy replied, "If she had her way, Tatiana would still be wearing ankle length skirts everywhere she went and not be allowed to leave the house."
"Yikes." Hal replied, "That bad. I'm guessing she's a rural girl of some sort."
"Exactly." Ivy replied, "From a tiny village in the Ukraine."
"She's gonna have a hard time explaining her frequent trips to the toilet." Hal replied.
"Be nice!" Ivy commented, "Besides she said she'd explain to them that she and Zack were engaged before she got pregnant."
"Might I ask how that happened?" Hal replied.
"According to Tatiana they had a case in Hawaii they solved in record time. Having some time together, a free five day vacation given to them by the grateful Hawaiian state government, they made love every night of those five days." Ivy said, "Then a while later, after feeling badly, Tatiana found out she was pregnant and asked me the best way to tell Zack."
"It's gonna be interesting when her parents find out." Hal said, rolling his eyes as he took the turn towards the airport.
"You have no idea." Ivy replied as they saw a trio of people waving at them. One of them was a big Russian bear of a man, with fiery red hair and Nordic features, the other was a blonde woman, petite in stature, dwarfed by her big husband. Hal could see where Tatiana got her looks from the appearance of her mother. An old woman covered from neck downward carrying a cane accompanied the group.
"That's our party?" Hal said.
Hal stopped the SUV and Ivy wondered what those strange looks Hal had been giving her were all about. She decided to just write it off as Hal just being himself.
As soon as Tatiana's mother stepped into the Land Rover she asked, "Ivy, is that your new boyfriend?"
Ivy almost laughed at the surprise on Hal's face, "No ma'am, I'm not. I'm her new partner."
"You're British?" Mrs. Rossovsky said.
"Yes I am." Hal replied.
"Ivy, when are you gonna settle down and become a wife?" Mrs. Rossovsky began.
"Ivy, the very idea of you as a housewife is quite laughable." Hal replied.
"I'd probably go crazy, marine." Ivy replied.
"You are in the marines?" Tatiana's father asked.
"Royal Marines." Hal replied, he usually tried to avoid saying he was a member of the Regiment unless he had to.
Hal dropped the family off at Tatiana's apartment, which was across the street from Ivy's apartment building without any drama. He was also able to drop of Ivy at the hospital to check on Zack and later he dropped her back off at ACME.
~ ~ ~ ~
Spyde was annoyed. The damned police somehow kept showing up at areas he was either scouting for hides or planning to use to shoot more victims. Most irritating was the fact that he saw two police snipers using the historical house he was planning to use as his primary hide. He had a feeling his old mentor had something to do with this.
The construction yard had ample hides he could prepare and a wider field of fire. Coming out alive would be a bonus once he killed Christopher Powers with a single round to the traitor's head. He would just have to figure out another way to kill his dress rehearsal victim before the visit of his true victim the next day.
~ ~ ~ ~
11 May 2000: "I can't believe you're doing this Hal!" Ivy said as they walked out of the elevator, heading for the conference room for roll call.
"You mean taking charge of the sharpshooters watching over Mr. Powers. Ivy, the sort of bloke they need in charge is someone who knows exactly how Spyde operates." Hal replied.
"You can pass that information on to whoever's in charge of the snipers." Ivy replied, stifling a yawn, "I need your help with this stuff. Setting up a security detail is hard work."
"I can still help you with that." Hal replied, "And besides there are a couple security experts in the building who can too. You don't need to prove again that you can do it all on your own."
"Hal, I never said that." Ivy replied, "I just think you'd be of more use helping me coordinate the entire detail, not just the snipers."
"I see your point, but bear in mind I've actually worked with Spyde before. I know how his mind works. I know how he operates. I need to be able to take him out if the police can't stop him. Lord knows he's avoided every police dragnet since they've been on the case." Hal replied.
"Fine." Ivy said, "But next time you have any crazy ideas, please warn me ahead of time."
"I tried calling you last night, left you a message on your answering machine and damn near called you again."
"What time did you call?" Ivy asked.
"The first call came around 8:45." Hal replied.
"I was still visiting Zack in the hospital then." Ivy replied, "Why is it that injuries turn all men into wimps?"
"I have no idea. They never did for me." Hal replied.
"Ha ha, I remember our sparring match." Ivy replied, "And your complaints over your shoulder."
"Well, after the VIP escort is all over and done with, what would you say to a rematch." Hal replied, "I'll give you the full extent of jap-slapping I learned in the Regiment."
"Good, you're not holding back this time." Ivy replied.
"I don't intend to." Hal replied.
Just then Tatiana came running out of one of the little instructional classrooms for the nearest bathroom. "Morning sickness strikes again, eh?" Hal remarked.
"What are you, Canadian now?" Ivy asked.
"There was a mission where we posed as a Canadian sniper team, but the details are classified." Hal replied.
"So in other words, once I get clearance..." Ivy began.
"Wait, I thought you had no intention of becoming a bloody spook." Hal replied.
"I never said I did. I'd just love to break into British archives so I can read about some of your exploits." Ivy replied, "The ones you don't tell stories about."
"There's quite a few of them." Hal replied, with a cryptic grin."
"I bet I hear one of them at some point." Ivy replied. "I'll bet you dinner at a place of my choice."
"You're on." Hal replied.
"Darren? Olden?" Corso said, "Wells would like to see the pair of you in his office, pronto."
"We're on our way." Ivy began, before Hal could say a word.
~ ~ ~ ~
Chief Inspector Wells' office was a Spartan but colorful office in terms of forty years of ACME memorabilia that dated back from his seventeenth birthday when he first joined to his current position. Pictures, awards, and all sorts of other memos were in abundance.
Grant Wells was a bald fellow, standing a little over six feet tall, in his fifties but still lean and muscular from working out quite often and teaching the afternoon self defense classes for the new detectives. He looked like he'd just eaten a cinder block.
"Olden, might I ask why your name is listed as in charge of the snipers covering this event?" Wells said.
"That's because I volunteered, Chief." Hal replied, "I have several years of experience...."
"As a military sniper, Olden." Wells began, "Not as a police shooter."
"I beg to differ. When I was on the Special Project's Team in 1997 in the UK I was in charge of the sniper detachment before I picked up my bloody commission." Hal replied, "I know the trade."
"I don't doubt that. But you and Detective Darren were clearly assigned to VIP Escort duty." Wells replied.
"I can best eliminate the greatest threat to Powers' life as...." Hal began.
"Olden." Wells replied, "You had best be working with Darren on this case, and sharing whatever 'aces' you've got up your sleeve. There's an issue with team work afoot here. I'd have thought an SAS trooper would be able to work in a team."
"We are also trained to follow our instincts and act alone at times." Hal replied, deadpan, "Chief."
"Very well. If you think that you can work best commanding the snipers, you're on that job. But understand this you are not to operate on a shoot to kill basis, do you understand, unless you see a specific threat to the Minister's life." Chief replied.
"Yes Chief." Hal replied.
"One more thing. Detective Darren is your partner, you'd best work with her and share whatever leads you have with her. I'm big on teamwork, and I thought that a sniper and an SAS operative would be as well." Chief replied, "Now I don't want to hear about you chasing leads without backup ever again. Do we understand one another?"
"Yes Chief." Hal replied.
"Good. Now you're to finish up any last minute preparations before the SFPD get in to look over our security plan for tomorrow's event." Wells replied.
"Right. We'll get right on it." Hal replied.
As they got out of the office, Ivy said, "Hal, next time you do any late night stakeouts, please warn me ahead of time if they get us sent before Wells."
"I'll make sure of that. But I turned up the most likely hide for Spyde's big hit. And I'm gonna give my former pupil a BIG surprise when he tries to execute his deed." Hal replied.
"Remember what Chief said." Ivy replied.
"I know, but Spyde is definitely a threat that can only be silenced by a round between the eyes." Hal said with an air of finality. The cold expression on his face was enough to drop the room temperature a few degrees, "If the student is going to abuse his knowledge, it is up to his mentor to put a stop to it."
~ ~ ~ ~
TBC
Disclaimer: Same as before. I took the liberty of inventing Tatiana's last name and her family.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Hal," Ivy said, as they drove along in the Land Rover, "Thanks for doing this."
"No problem." Hal replied, "How do you think Tatiana's parents are gonna react to the fact that Zack got their daughter pregnant before their planned marriage?"
"I'm not sure, really. Her mother's the most likely to start going off on her about this." Ivy said.
"I take it she's a bit of a traditionalist." Hal replied.
"Yep." Ivy replied, "If she had her way, Tatiana would still be wearing ankle length skirts everywhere she went and not be allowed to leave the house."
"Yikes." Hal replied, "That bad. I'm guessing she's a rural girl of some sort."
"Exactly." Ivy replied, "From a tiny village in the Ukraine."
"She's gonna have a hard time explaining her frequent trips to the toilet." Hal replied.
"Be nice!" Ivy commented, "Besides she said she'd explain to them that she and Zack were engaged before she got pregnant."
"Might I ask how that happened?" Hal replied.
"According to Tatiana they had a case in Hawaii they solved in record time. Having some time together, a free five day vacation given to them by the grateful Hawaiian state government, they made love every night of those five days." Ivy said, "Then a while later, after feeling badly, Tatiana found out she was pregnant and asked me the best way to tell Zack."
"It's gonna be interesting when her parents find out." Hal said, rolling his eyes as he took the turn towards the airport.
"You have no idea." Ivy replied as they saw a trio of people waving at them. One of them was a big Russian bear of a man, with fiery red hair and Nordic features, the other was a blonde woman, petite in stature, dwarfed by her big husband. Hal could see where Tatiana got her looks from the appearance of her mother. An old woman covered from neck downward carrying a cane accompanied the group.
"That's our party?" Hal said.
Hal stopped the SUV and Ivy wondered what those strange looks Hal had been giving her were all about. She decided to just write it off as Hal just being himself.
As soon as Tatiana's mother stepped into the Land Rover she asked, "Ivy, is that your new boyfriend?"
Ivy almost laughed at the surprise on Hal's face, "No ma'am, I'm not. I'm her new partner."
"You're British?" Mrs. Rossovsky said.
"Yes I am." Hal replied.
"Ivy, when are you gonna settle down and become a wife?" Mrs. Rossovsky began.
"Ivy, the very idea of you as a housewife is quite laughable." Hal replied.
"I'd probably go crazy, marine." Ivy replied.
"You are in the marines?" Tatiana's father asked.
"Royal Marines." Hal replied, he usually tried to avoid saying he was a member of the Regiment unless he had to.
Hal dropped the family off at Tatiana's apartment, which was across the street from Ivy's apartment building without any drama. He was also able to drop of Ivy at the hospital to check on Zack and later he dropped her back off at ACME.
~ ~ ~ ~
Spyde was annoyed. The damned police somehow kept showing up at areas he was either scouting for hides or planning to use to shoot more victims. Most irritating was the fact that he saw two police snipers using the historical house he was planning to use as his primary hide. He had a feeling his old mentor had something to do with this.
The construction yard had ample hides he could prepare and a wider field of fire. Coming out alive would be a bonus once he killed Christopher Powers with a single round to the traitor's head. He would just have to figure out another way to kill his dress rehearsal victim before the visit of his true victim the next day.
~ ~ ~ ~
11 May 2000: "I can't believe you're doing this Hal!" Ivy said as they walked out of the elevator, heading for the conference room for roll call.
"You mean taking charge of the sharpshooters watching over Mr. Powers. Ivy, the sort of bloke they need in charge is someone who knows exactly how Spyde operates." Hal replied.
"You can pass that information on to whoever's in charge of the snipers." Ivy replied, stifling a yawn, "I need your help with this stuff. Setting up a security detail is hard work."
"I can still help you with that." Hal replied, "And besides there are a couple security experts in the building who can too. You don't need to prove again that you can do it all on your own."
"Hal, I never said that." Ivy replied, "I just think you'd be of more use helping me coordinate the entire detail, not just the snipers."
"I see your point, but bear in mind I've actually worked with Spyde before. I know how his mind works. I know how he operates. I need to be able to take him out if the police can't stop him. Lord knows he's avoided every police dragnet since they've been on the case." Hal replied.
"Fine." Ivy said, "But next time you have any crazy ideas, please warn me ahead of time."
"I tried calling you last night, left you a message on your answering machine and damn near called you again."
"What time did you call?" Ivy asked.
"The first call came around 8:45." Hal replied.
"I was still visiting Zack in the hospital then." Ivy replied, "Why is it that injuries turn all men into wimps?"
"I have no idea. They never did for me." Hal replied.
"Ha ha, I remember our sparring match." Ivy replied, "And your complaints over your shoulder."
"Well, after the VIP escort is all over and done with, what would you say to a rematch." Hal replied, "I'll give you the full extent of jap-slapping I learned in the Regiment."
"Good, you're not holding back this time." Ivy replied.
"I don't intend to." Hal replied.
Just then Tatiana came running out of one of the little instructional classrooms for the nearest bathroom. "Morning sickness strikes again, eh?" Hal remarked.
"What are you, Canadian now?" Ivy asked.
"There was a mission where we posed as a Canadian sniper team, but the details are classified." Hal replied.
"So in other words, once I get clearance..." Ivy began.
"Wait, I thought you had no intention of becoming a bloody spook." Hal replied.
"I never said I did. I'd just love to break into British archives so I can read about some of your exploits." Ivy replied, "The ones you don't tell stories about."
"There's quite a few of them." Hal replied, with a cryptic grin."
"I bet I hear one of them at some point." Ivy replied. "I'll bet you dinner at a place of my choice."
"You're on." Hal replied.
"Darren? Olden?" Corso said, "Wells would like to see the pair of you in his office, pronto."
"We're on our way." Ivy began, before Hal could say a word.
~ ~ ~ ~
Chief Inspector Wells' office was a Spartan but colorful office in terms of forty years of ACME memorabilia that dated back from his seventeenth birthday when he first joined to his current position. Pictures, awards, and all sorts of other memos were in abundance.
Grant Wells was a bald fellow, standing a little over six feet tall, in his fifties but still lean and muscular from working out quite often and teaching the afternoon self defense classes for the new detectives. He looked like he'd just eaten a cinder block.
"Olden, might I ask why your name is listed as in charge of the snipers covering this event?" Wells said.
"That's because I volunteered, Chief." Hal replied, "I have several years of experience...."
"As a military sniper, Olden." Wells began, "Not as a police shooter."
"I beg to differ. When I was on the Special Project's Team in 1997 in the UK I was in charge of the sniper detachment before I picked up my bloody commission." Hal replied, "I know the trade."
"I don't doubt that. But you and Detective Darren were clearly assigned to VIP Escort duty." Wells replied.
"I can best eliminate the greatest threat to Powers' life as...." Hal began.
"Olden." Wells replied, "You had best be working with Darren on this case, and sharing whatever 'aces' you've got up your sleeve. There's an issue with team work afoot here. I'd have thought an SAS trooper would be able to work in a team."
"We are also trained to follow our instincts and act alone at times." Hal replied, deadpan, "Chief."
"Very well. If you think that you can work best commanding the snipers, you're on that job. But understand this you are not to operate on a shoot to kill basis, do you understand, unless you see a specific threat to the Minister's life." Chief replied.
"Yes Chief." Hal replied.
"One more thing. Detective Darren is your partner, you'd best work with her and share whatever leads you have with her. I'm big on teamwork, and I thought that a sniper and an SAS operative would be as well." Chief replied, "Now I don't want to hear about you chasing leads without backup ever again. Do we understand one another?"
"Yes Chief." Hal replied.
"Good. Now you're to finish up any last minute preparations before the SFPD get in to look over our security plan for tomorrow's event." Wells replied.
"Right. We'll get right on it." Hal replied.
As they got out of the office, Ivy said, "Hal, next time you do any late night stakeouts, please warn me ahead of time if they get us sent before Wells."
"I'll make sure of that. But I turned up the most likely hide for Spyde's big hit. And I'm gonna give my former pupil a BIG surprise when he tries to execute his deed." Hal replied.
"Remember what Chief said." Ivy replied.
"I know, but Spyde is definitely a threat that can only be silenced by a round between the eyes." Hal said with an air of finality. The cold expression on his face was enough to drop the room temperature a few degrees, "If the student is going to abuse his knowledge, it is up to his mentor to put a stop to it."
~ ~ ~ ~
TBC