Dissecting The Toad
(ATF)

by Brandgwen

Disclaimer: The guys belong to Mirisch, etc., the universe belongs to Mog, "Addicted to Bass" belongs to Daemion/Abrahams (copyright 1998 Prozaac Recordings) and "Into Temptation" belongs to Neil Finn (copyright 1996 Capitol Records). All characters, with the exception of the Seven, are of my own creation; any resemblance to persons, real or fictional, is entirely coincidental. I'm not making money, I'm not worth suing.
Author's Note: This fanfic is the second in the Deep Cover series.

The Debrief

A muddle of nervous words could never amount to betrayal.
The sentence is all my own and the price is to watch it fail.
As I turned to go, you looked at me for half a second.
With an open invitation for me to go...
Into temptation, knowing full well the earth will rebel.
Into temptation, safe in the wide-open arms of hell.

Chris Larabee had hoped to arrest Ezra Standish, himself. At very least, he had wanted one of his own team to catch up with the undercover agent, preferably away from the other targets. Had things gone to plan, the arrest would have been a simple matter of "Hey, Ez, long time, no see..." and a short trip to the local police station. At worst, a few hours in a holding cell.

Things had not gone to plan. The ATF agent had been taken by a small group of local officers, in the presence of one of the main suspects. As witnessed by Vin Tanner, Standish had seen fit to resist. He had been through the formalities of arrest, just as the suspects had, and now sat in one of the interview rooms, awaiting debriefing.

Please, don't let this be an interrogation, Chris thought, as he approached the interview room at the end of the hall.

Many of the agents who filed into the interview room were Larabee's superiors. Among them the ATF, FBI and Denver PD were all represented. Aware of his position, Chris kept to the rear of the group. Any chance he had of gaining control of the situation depended on him keeping his head down and his mouth shut.

Ezra paced the interview room, rubbing the bruise forming on his brow. He had not been struck hard; obviously the arresting officers had known who he was and why he had resisted. He had feared his companion, Cassandra, would cause trouble, but, when finally they were caught, she had cooperated. Ezra couldn't help but be grateful for that.

"Good evening, Gentlemen," Standish greeted his inquisitors. It felt good to use his native accent, even if the southern tones had become somewhat unfamiliar. It had been six months since he had last employed them.

"Agent Standish," the man who stepped forward was an Assistant Director of the FBI, "Please, sit."

Standish took a seat, disguising a growing sense of trepidation with a deliberately casual manner. Before him sat one of the most powerful individuals in the FBI, his large, sagging form a poor reminder of the fit young agent he had been. Bureaucrat though he now was, he remained formidable. Around this powerful individual stood at least ten others.

Nervous now, Ezra searched through the group for a familiar presence. Larabee stood by the door, avoiding Standish's glance. "This certainly seems a large congregation for a simple debriefing," Ezra began.

"A great many people have a stake in this, Agent," the FBI man's cool response heightened Ezra's discomfort, "after all, this has become both a lengthy and costly operation. However, I am confident that it will pay off. Your work has been excellent and we have sufficient evidence on all four targets to begin prosecution."

All four targets. Ezra had wished at least one innocent.

"Now all we have to do is identify the suppliers," FBI smiled a thick, sloppy smile, while Ezra's breath caught in this throat, "to this end we will be interviewing Conners, Smythe, Jennings and Jameson tonight. They will be released on bail, in the morning. You, too, will be released, following debriefing. Upon resuming your cover, you will be expected to find out as much as possible concerning business associates, supply lines..."

"Excuse me, Sir," the words fell out of the undercover's mouth, almost too quickly, "am I to understand that I am still assigned to this operation? That I am to continue this already protracted charade, indefinitely?" again, Ezra sought Larabee's reaction. The veteran agent appeared almost as surprised as Standish, himself.

The FBI man seemed annoyed by the interruption. He knew little of the undercover's history and cared less. Ezra's position within the import company made him a valuable source of both information and physical evidence. Every man in the room had a great deal riding on his ability to do his job. The possibility that Standish was either ill trained or ill equipped to sustain deep cover did not bare consideration. "Yes, Agent Standish. You will maintain the guise of Alexander Mitchell until otherwise instructed."

"All we need are their main suppliers," Larabee could no longer take a back seat, "do you have any information at all that might lead us to them?"

Standish shook his head. He had been feeding evidence back to the ATF, but much of it had been encrypted, or required further analysis to be of use. "You have all I have."

"There was mention of several individuals in both the audio-tapes and accounting records you sent, but not enough to warrant further action," the Assistant Director's frown produced a proliferation of chins beneath his jaw, "I've wondered why you did not follow up on those leads, before now."

"My targets were the insiders..."

"Such a limited approach? Why not exploit your position to the full?"

"Dealing with four targets within the one organisation is no small task, particularly if you wish to continue breathing..."

"Surely you must..."

"Enough," underling though he was, Larabee's tone silenced the room, "we need evidence. Of the suspects we have, which might roll over?"

Ezra hesitated, as the feeling, which had begun as trepidation, grew into dread. "To save their own skins? Any of them might. I suppose, however, you would be disinclined to deal with Conners or Smythe?" Larabee nodded; Conners and Smythe were prize catches, "Jennings is a heroin addict; he would make a poor witness..."

"That leaves Jameson."

"Cass Jameson is an intelligent woman. Make her the right offer and she will take it."

The rest of the conversation was a blur to Ezra. He would never remember what was said, only that the operation was not over and that he had handed them Cass as a witness. Not for the first time in his life, Standish saw his career flash before his eyes.

When finally the crowd began to filter out, Chris was the last to leave. "JD will be in the debrief you."

Ezra nodded, staring at the table before him and fingering the bump on his head. As Larabee turned to open the door, Ezra looked up. "Six months is a long time."

His northern accent sounded somehow fitting.