Chapter Six
A/N: Ok… I'm going to be updating frequently.. I have a trip coming up and I don't want to have any unfinished business… so heads up.
And now to a little thank-you:
Lunours: Thank you sweetie! Wow you're so nice… I'll tell you some romantic elements will be coming up for Maxwell, not with Jack though (sorry, please don't stop reading)… my reason will be come more clear later on… the next couple of chapters will be revealing! Keep reading… I hope I wouldn't disappoint!
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"Yes?"
"It's dry this year…do you think we'll see some rain?"
"I see some clouds coming from the east."
"Hello, old friend."
"Hello, Jack. I'm assuming this not a social call."
"It's time for me to call in an old favor."
"Name it."
"I want the CIA to change the Vladimir mission objective."
"Jack, its important that Vladimir is eliminated."
"Tell the CIA to back off, and I will personally take care of Vladimir"
"Very well, Jack, I hope this is worth it."
"It is… make the call I want the objective changed with in the hour."
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"Are you serious… this guy is looking for you?" Marshall had waited for Tracy to come back, then asked her what was in the paper.
"Yah, I told Sloan about it, he said a follow up missionwould bein order right now." Tracy sat on an inflatable coach, fiddling with a pen. She was nervous, she didn't like confrontations with Jack.
"You think you'll be point on this one? I mean it is kinda of your mission with the last one being your gig." Marshall spook quickly, obviously excited to have some action going on.
"I hope so, if Jack doesn't get in the way again."
Tracy was getting angry, her heart raced, her blood pressure soared, and in an environment where she couldn't do anything about it, it made her sick.
"You ok, Trace?" Marshall looked at her with concerned eyes. "You don't look so good… I mean not good-pretty... good-healthy… youdon't feel too good?"
Tracy shook her head, she didn't feel too good. She had to blow out some steam.
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Vaughn watched that Maxwell woman immerge from the women's changing room at the APO gym. For some reason, her tensed up every time he say her, he just felt like punching her.
"Mr. Vaughn! What a pleasant surprise!" she said sarcastically. Tracy stopped trying to get on that man's good side some time ago, obviously he has issues.
Vaughn gave her a cold stare, he really didn't like her. He watched her as she started to beat the crap out of a near-by boxing bag. She was obviously not a happy camper today.
"You just love to show off don't you, Maxwell?" Vaughn looked at her mockingly. Tracy stopped and looked at Vaughn.
"What's up with you, huh? Did I offend you in anyway? I have done nothing to deserve this out of you." Tracy walked towards him as she spoke and pointed her gloved hand at him accusingly.
"I told you once Maxwell, I'll tell you again, I.. do… not… trust.. you!" Vaughn sounded very adolescent.
"Oh that's really mature!" Tracy scoffed.
"You, Maxwell, are a poor excuse for an agent… I am ashamed to work by your side!" Vaughn said angrily.
"Alright, Michael, its just you and me… how about a little game of kick-boxing?" Tracy gave him a cold glanced.
"What? I'm not gonna hit you, no w-" Vaughn was in the middle of protesting when Tracy jabbed him in the side. "What the hell!"
"C'mon pretty boy.. show me what you got!" Tracy taunted.
"I'm not go to fight-" Another jab to the stomach now, Vaughn bent over but soon recovered. "Is that what you got? C'mon, I'm gonna show you how a real fight is" Vaughn headed towards the boxing ring in the center of the gym.
Both Tracy and put on protective head gear, and Vaughn slipped on boxing gloves. They both headed to the center of the ring to discuss the rules.
"Ok… nothing below the belt…" Vaughn began.
"I thought this was going to be 'real' fight." Tracy mocked. "Everything goes… no aiming for permanent damage, of course."
"Fine with me!"
They slammed their gloves and headed towards their corners.
Tracy watched Vaughn carefully, he would be fighting in the heat of the moment, he would be angry and aggressive, it would be easy to take him down, first she had to see his style, then she would a little fun with it.
Vaughn moved away from his corner triggering the beginning of the fight. Tracy moved towards him and blocked some of his punches, she even took one, just to get a feel for his type.
She had underestimated Michael Vaughn, he didn't loose himself in the anger, he was precise and powerful. A true agent. But he hasn't seen what she could do.
Tracy watched him slowly until she saw an opening and she took it, she gave him aright hook in the face. His head was thrown back, and Tracy saw a shadow of a surprised look. This guy has underestimated her, but she wouldn't let her self-control slip.
He took another punch to the stomach, and then returned a few of his, catching Tracy a couple of times in the stomach. Tracy hit back to his chest, and knocked his feet from under him. He went down like a rock.
Vaughn wasted no time and recovered himself in a heartbeat, hitting Tracy a couple of times in the face. He saw a look of anger cross Tracy's face for a second.
Tracy waited patiently until Vaughn let his guard down just long enough for her to hit him in the face again. She caught him in the side of the mouth, and his lip split on impact.
"What was that?" he demanded, leaning on the ropes, gingerly touching his lip.
"That was for the split lip in France, you never did apologize for it!" she was looking at him defiantly, and hopping around. "C'mon pretty boy!"
Vaughn charged and caught her in the stomach a couple of times, she let her hands, that were protecting her face,down and Vaughn took the chance for a left hook on the nose. Blood exploded, but nothing cracked.
Tracy leaned back on the ropes to recover her self. She was real angry now, and it was becoming hard to hold herself back. She stood again and went back. This time she got in a few hits but Vaughn was fast in returning them.
"Hey!" a voice stopped the two in their tracks, someone was angry.
"What hell are you guys doing!" It was Sydney. Besides he stood a dumbfounded Nadia, just staring at the Tracy and Vaughn. Their faces were bloody and they were panting.
"Training" Tracy managed to day, between deep breaths. "I guess we got a little carried away, didn't we Michael?"
"Yah, yah. Just a little carried away that's all" Vaughn said, still panting.
"What did you guys do to each other?" Nadia talked now horrified at the blood dripping from their chins.
"This?" Tracy touched her nose, and winced in pain. "Nothing a little ice cant fix. I'm gonna go now, good game."
Tracy got out ofthe ring slowly and headed for the changing room, a little shower is defiantly in order. She had to start to think of way to explain the nose to her neighbor.
"What was that about Vaughn?" Nadia asked her arms crossed at the chest.
"Do you really expect us to believe that you and Tracy were 'training'?" Sydney spoke up.
"Yes, it is the truth. And I'm not having this conversation right now, you guys are double teaming me!" Vaughn pointed at them his boxing glove still on.
"Double teaming you?" Sydney gave a little laugh "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Never mind, I gotta hit the shower" Vaughn headed towards the shower.
"Vaughn.." Vaughn turned back to face her. "Sloan called a meeting in an hour." Sydney told him.
Vaughn nodded and continued down his way. What was he gonna tell Weiss about his split lip.
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"Marshall has intercepted intel this morning from Philip Vladimir, Sergey's eldest brother, he is looking for his niece Natasha Vladimir. As you know, Maxwell has been posing as his niece on a deep cover mission for about a year. The CIA wanted us to dispose of Vladimir, but I got a call just a half hour ago, informing me that this mission will not be a hit, but an information gathering mission." Sloan explained in his calm, cool voice to the APO team seated around a conference table.
"The communication came from the south of France, and one of our contacts says the Philip Vladimir left his lavish home in Russia a week ago," Jack spoke now. "So it is safe to assume that he has gone to the south of France to look for his niece personally. We will make contact with Vladimir, telling him that Tracy has been hiding in a little apartment ever since the incident."
"So I'll be going back in? what exactly am I gonna do?" Tracy asked, he nose had a little white medical tape to prevent it from breaking, it was tender.
"You will go in and find out what Vladimir wants to do with his money, now that his brothers are dead." Sloan explained. "We expect that he wants to make you the new caretaker of his, and reestablish his brothers connections."
"I understand." Tracy said in a professional matter.
"Meanwhile, we will giving you an emergency tracker, just in case your cover is compromised." Jack said. "If your in trouble we should be able to reach you in reasonable time."
Tracy nodded, her heart raced she was excited to be in the game. But for some reason she felt a sense of uneasiness, a sense of foreboding.
"What about the rest of us?" Sydney asked, also eager to get back on the field.
"Sydney, you, Vaughn, and Dixon will be on surveillance. Nadia, and Weiss, you'll be under cover on the field, just in case something happens when Vladimir's guys pick Maxwell up, we are still not a 100 sure her cover is intact. Marshall will be monitoring the situation from base." Sloan assigned everyone a job.
"The plane to France will be leaving tomorrow at 0500 hours, Marshall will make the communication tonight, and will establish a meet the day after, giving you some time to prep." Jack explained.
"Good luck everybody, dismissed." Sloan concluded. Everybody got up from their seats, and left the room.
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"So just a little tap on this little button here should activate it, ok?" Marshall sat in the Tech room with Tracy, he was showing her the emergency tracker.
Tracy nodded and smiled at Marshall, he seemed a bit different.
"What's wrong Marshall? Do don't seem like yourself?" Tracy asked him with a concerned smile.
"Yah… its nothing… it's just… never mind!" he put his hands up in surrender.
"C'mon man? what buggin you?" Tracy insisted.
"I'm just worried… apprehended… about this mission… I'm scared.. for you… I'm afraid for you… I have this weird feeling… its not a good feeling.. its just…" Marshall was babbling, Tracy realized a long time he babbled when he was nervous.
"Hey Marshall, its ok… I've been in worse situations, don't worry about it" Tracy assured him.
"It's just that you're… you're on you own in there… and its only this thing with you.." Marshall voiced more concerns.
"I work better alone Marshall, don't worry about me." Tracy gave him a grin. "You wont get rid of me this easily!"
Just then Marshall's cell phone rang, he looked at the flashing screen.
"It's Carrie…" He flipped his phone open. "Hey Carrie!"
Tracy walked out of the room to give Marshall some privacy. She saw Jack, and headed in his direction.
"Why do I have a feeling you changed the objective of the mission, Jack?" she said standing behind him.
"Were you going to take the mission if it was a hit?" He asked absently, reading through something.
"You know I wouldn't have. I wanted to have the choice, though." Tracy lowered the paper so that Jack would look at her.
"You wouldn't have had a choice, Tracy. Not in black ops." Jack said seriously "I didn't want to put you in that position."
Tracy nodded, she understood.
"I want you to be careful tomorrow Tracy, there is rarely any room for error." Jack continued in his concerned tone.
"Don't worry, Jack. I'll be careful, I have been taught well." Tracy walked away from Jack.
He watched her head back to the office, and wished he could keep her here, keep her safe. But she wouldn't have it, she will not be held back by him, by anyone, one more thing he regretted she learned from him.
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"Nadia and Syd think you have completely lost your mind you know that?" Weiss was sitting on Vaughn's desk, he had just come back from a little talk with Nadia and Sydney. "I still cant believe you picked a fight with Tracy! That girl is a sweetheart!"
"She's not to me!" Vaughn protested.
"Well that's because you treat her like crap man!" Weiss shot back.
"I don't trust h-" Vaughn began again when Weiss interrupted.
"You know man it's getting really old! 'Ooh… I don't trust Tracy' " Weiss imitated Vaughn with a whinny voice. "Come off it already! Its getting hard to defend you… sometimes I'm not sure I want to!"
"Whatever man, tomorrow Maxwell will go on the field then we'll see what she's made off." Vaughn said. "and I don't sound like that!"
"Yes you do!" Weiss said on his way out the door.
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A/N: And thus another chapter ends…. Any good? How about you review and tell me… please!