Thank you to all who reviewed my story. I will do my best to follow your advice. Yes, I have read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Is this web page formatting? If not, let me know. A computer whiz I am not. Suggestions are welcome, actually, anything is welcome. NO, this is NOT meant to be slash. 'Lickin'' means that the Fantom beat him in a fight. Anyway, advice is STILL and ALWAYS welcome!!!
Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own anyone except Tad Meyers and the unknown aide.
Suspended
Huckleberry Finn walked into the Head of the Secret Service's office. Tad Meyers did not look happy. He sat in the windowless room staring at plain walls. Tad had once known action, but those days had passed when he came to administration. He was balding and rather overweight, but he could still strike terror in the hearts of new recruits, and most of the older agents, except for two. Well, one, now. Tad looked up at the one agent in the American Secret Service who was not afraid of him. "Why, hullo, Mr. Finn. What brings you here today?"
"You know what brings me here, sir." Huck was not in the mood for games, having just recently come from a very public and uncomfortable funeral in Missouri. In his youth, he had been painfully shy, but the years had washed away most of it. It had come back full force at Tom's funeral, but was now forgotten in his anger.
"Alright then, Finn, we'll get to the point. I'm taking you off the Fantom assignment."
"What?!!" Huck stood up so quickly that his chair nearly fell over. He had been expecting this, but the actual realization of his fears was like a slap to the face. "You can't take me of this case! I'm the only agent who really understands the magnitude of what the Fantom is trying to do!" His emotions were taking control, and he knew it, but that didn't mean he was going to stop it.
"Please, Finn, keep yourself in check."
"Keep myself in CHECK?!! That was my partner out there, my best friend who's DEAD! I have to be on this case." Huck finished quietly.
"Look, Huck, I truly am sorry about Sawyer. He was a good agent, truly a good agent. He had guts, and that's something you don't find too often."
Huck found himself calming down slightly, and he sat down slowly. "But, gosh darn it, I've gotta—"
"Don't tell me what you have to or don't have to do, because as long as you are in my department, you do what I tell you to. Finn, it's because of your friendship with Sawyer that I can't let you take this one. Your emotions would only get in the way. I know it's hard for you, but that's just the way it works. You either deal with that, or you're suspended for the duration of this assignment."
Huck took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he slowly stood and walked over to Meyers desk and leaned down, resting his palms on the desk. "I think you're gonna have to suspend me, sir," he said quietly and evenly.
Meyers nodded slowly. "Very well, then. You'll be notified when everything's been wrapped up."
Huck suddenly smiled, and said, "Oh, you won't have to worry about that. I'm sure I'll be the first to know." He straightened, turned on his heel and left the featureless office. Tad smiled, and turned back to his work.
About 20 minutes after Huck had vacated the bland office, one of Tad's aides walked in, carrying a large stack of files that he was obviously struggling to keep a hold on. He had his chin resting on top and both hands supporting it from underneath. The aide staggered over and dropped them unceremoniously on Tad's desk. He let out a huge sigh and started going into details of reports that needed signing, assignments that needed to be doled out. "Oh, and by the way, sir, I noticed that Special Agent Finn is off the Fantom case. We downstairs were wondering who you were planning on replacing him with…?"
Tad smiled to himself, and said in a self assured manner, "I don't think we'll be needing to put another agent on that case." At the aide's questioning look, he finished, "Just call it a hunch, and trust me. I think everything will work itself out just fine."