Frannie's Lament
by Tanya Reed
Thanks to everyone who's stuck it out so far (if there are any of you left. :)) Now, you finally get some answers.
Disclaimer: Due South belongs to Alliance Atlantis.
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Ray sat at a table by himself. He fidgeted and, every once in awhile, he threw a look at Fraser and Kowalski, who were at the next table. Benny was quietly drinking a glass of milk, but Kowalski was grinning like a sated cat. It was ten after six.
Ray watched his friends receive sandwiches and a pot of tea from one of the McKinnon girls and wondered what was keeping Andrea. He hoped she hadn't changed her mind. Kowalski would never let him live it down.
It was as this thought formed that the door opened and she walked in. Her long, dark hair fell loose to her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends, and her face had just a faint brushing of make up. A red blouse, cut low in the front, accentuated her pale skin; a short black skirt revealed long, well-formed legs. There was something more to her too, something that he had never noticed before. It was almost as if a glow surrounded her, and it was a glow of self confidence. Ray felt his breath catch in his throat. God, she was beautiful!
Andrea looked around searchingly and when her green eyes met Ray's, they lit up. Genuine happiness touched her features, and he knew she wasn't lying when she said she was glad he would meet her.
She hurried over, stopping briefly to greet Ray's friends before sitting down.
"Hi," she said with a smile.
Ray returned the smile, glad that he wore the best clothes he had brought with him. "Hi. You look nice."
"Thanks. So do you."
Then, she regarded him frankly. There was something in her expression that made him uneasy. After a moment, she leaned forward and whispered, "There's something I need to share with you. I didn't just come for your company."
Puzzled, Ray leaned forward as well. "What do you mean?"
Andrea glanced quickly around the room before continuing, "I've come to bring you a message."
Ray's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't get a chance to ask questions right away beccuase one of the girls reached them with food. Andrea smiled at her pleasantly, giving her a sweet thank you. The girl smiled back and disappeared towards the kitchen. Ray's companion waited until she was out of earshot before she spoke again.
"Ray, it's about your sister."
"My sister?" His voice rose, and Andrea's eyes flashed dangerously.
In a tone he'd never heard her use before, she ordered, "Keep it down. We're just two friends on a date, remember?"
"What about my sister?" he hissed hotly, deciding to go along with her for the moment, for Frannie's sake.
"We know you saw her, and you're bound to want explanations."
Ray's mouth was suddenly very dry. He took a gulp of water, then demanded, "Who are you?"
Her lips thinned into a straight line. "My name is Andrea. I work as a maid for Scott Lawrence. Now start eating before people become suspicious."
Angrily, Ray took a sandwich and started chomping it. He let his eyes convey his displeasure and saw discomfort go over Andrea's face. She watched him silently for a moment, then looked away from his heated glare.
"I've been ordered to tell you something."
Swallowing, Ray asked, "By Mr. Lawrence?"
"No." She shook her head, still not looking at him. "Not by Mr. Lawrence."
"All right, lady, what is it?"
The eyes that suddenly flew to his were tinged with hurt and sadness. "I do like you. I didn't lie about that."
"Fine. What's the message?"
"You do understand that we have to seem like we're enjoying each other's company. Doing otherwise could be dangerous to The Go...to your sister's health."
"You'd hurt her?" Ray's hand tightened on his glass.
"No, not us. We're on her side. Him."
"Williams," Ray whispered the name, causing Andrea to nod slightly.
"We're willing to give you answers to your questions. Go to this address," she slid a hand across the table to take his. Something pressed into his palm, but she did not let go right away. Instead, she squeezed and left her hand in his, "tomorrow morning at seven. Ask for The Professor. She'll take care of you."
He looked down at their twined hands and heard her add, "I really do like you, Ray. I like you a lot."
Ray sighed heavily, wondering what in the hell Frannie had gotten herself involved in. Whatever it was, it involved a lot of secrecy and probably men with guns.
His eyes went back to Andrea's, and he saw something almost like pleading there. He stared at her for several moments before she gave him a tentative smile. Sighing again, Ray gave in and squeezed her hand gently.
"All right, Andrea. Why don't the two of us just sit here and finish our tea? Would that be okay?"
She ran her fingers gently over his, causing tingles to shoot up his arm. Whatever her role in all this, he could not deny that he liked her.
"More than okay," she whispered.
He was still angry with her--he was angry at everyone--but he put it aside. Andrea was still a very attractive woman, and his feelings about her had not changed. He was determined to forget everything but that for the duration of their meal, and by the end--cheered on by Andrea's dazzling smile--he almost had.
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"It's still night," Kowalski grumbled as their rented car sped through the countryside early the next morning.
"The sun's out, Ray," Ben answered good naturedly.
"You know he's right, Benny," Vecchio argued from behind the wheel. "Why anyone would want a meeting at such an ungodly hour is beyond me."
Ben didn't answer this time. He decided to let his friends grumble, it seemed to make them feel better. Instead, he thought about Williams and the fear in Vecchio's voice when he told them what Andrea had to say. The meeting for that day had been cancelled. Williams had called the night before, saying something important had come up. The Rays were all for overrunning the manor, but Ben thought it would be better to wait and see what The Professor--whoever that was--had to say first. After a heated discussion, his friends had agreed, but they hadn't exactly been happy about it.
As they approached the address Andrea had given to Ray, Ben furrowed his brow in puzzlement. The land around them was farmland, with giant old farm houses that were few and far between.
"Are you sure we're goin' the right direction?" Kowalski woke up enought to ask.
"Yup, but I don't see anything nearby but that rundown barn. What do you thinnk, Benny?"
Vecchio handed Ben the directions he had been given the night before. The Mountie's frown deepened.
"According to this, Ray, that lone barn is the building we're looking for."
Kowalski slid forward. "Yer kiddin'."
"No, he's not. This better not be some kind of joke," Vecchio growled, turning sharply and pulling up to the building.
When he shut off the engine, Ben heard noises he didn't think the others could hear. It sounded like voices.
"I think she was trying to de...dete...stop us from savin' Frannie," Kowalski said darkly, getting out of the car first.
"No, Ray," Ben contradicted. "There are people here. Quite a few of them."
"Oh, ya? Then where are dey?"
"In there." He strode forward, not bothering to check if the Rays were following. At the door, he knocked and was not surprised, though his friends were, when it was opened by a serious looking young man. He was dressed in farmer's clothes, but his eyes showed a sharp with cold intelligence that didn't quite fit.
"Yeah, can I help you?"
"We have an appointment with The Professor."
The man's face took on the same expression as his eyes. "And you are?" His thick English country accent thinned into an American one.
Vecchio pushed past Ben, his grim eyes flashing and his lips were set in a hard line. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I'm coming through that door whether you want me to or not. My name is Ray Vecchio, and my sister's in trouble. You people seem to be the only ones who know what's going on, and if I have to go over you to save her, I'll do it."
"Ray Vecchio?" Then he looked at the others. "Ben Fraser? Ray Kowalski?"
"Dat's us."
He gave them a sharp nod and opened the door. The eyes of all three North American men widened as they saw what was beyond it. Instead of the run down barn with moldy hay they were expecting, they walked into a large and neat office with doors leading from it in several directions. Ben realized that behind those doors was where the sound of voices were coming from, as well as--strangely--beneath their feet. There were several large chairs scattered throughout the room, but only one desk. Behind this desk sat an older woman, still pretty, with long red hair that was flecked with grey. Glasses perched on the end of an elegant nose, and blue eyes looked seriously through them.
At their entrance, she looked up from her computer.
"Hello," she smiled as the young man at the door led them forward.
"These men were asking for you, Professor. They're the cops you expected."
"Thank you."
He nodded and went back to his post as the Professor said quietly, "He's a good boy who mostly mans the door. He keeps out the people we don't want to discover our little space here. So, you are the ones Andrea spoke of?"
"My sister. She said this was about my sister."
"Do not worry, Detective Vecchio. Joe will tell you everything you want to know."
"Joe? Who's Joe? I thought you were the chick with all the answers."
She laughed lightly. "Not quite. I'm just the one who holds it all together. One moment." Then, she pressed a button. "Joe, they're here."
"Right there, Sweetheart."
The Professor smiled and shook her head. "One of these days, I'm going to get him for that."
It was only a few minutes before one of the doors opened, emitting a young, dark haired man. He smiled pleasantly and approached the three men.
"Hello." He held out his hand. "You must be Fraser, Vecchio, and Kowalski. You can call me Joe."
After shaking their hands, he winked at the Professor, who rolled her eyes. Ben thought they seemed very comfortable with each other.
"Now, gentlemen, please come down to my office. I believe we have somethings to discuss."
Silently, they followed him back through the door and down a flight of stairs. At the bottom stretched a long white corridor with doors along either side. A couple of hallways intersected it, and there was, at one point, a depression in the wall holding a pay phone, a fridge, a television, and a couple of chairs.
"It's this one here. Come on in."
The first thing Ben noted was that the office was quite messy. Papers were scattered everywhere, giving the room a cluttered but comfy atmosphere.
"Have a seat." Joe pointed to some chairs, then went and sat behind his desk. Leaning back, he twined his fingers behind his head and put his feet on his desk.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Vecchio burst out, "So, what about Frannie?"
"Frannie?" The man looked puzzled for a moment before understanding broke through. "Oh, you mean...Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. There are a lot of different parties involved, and the story's a little complicated."
Ben sat down and studied the man intently. He looked like an honest but slightly discontented person.
"About a year and a half ago, your two countries, or to be more specific, the CIA and the CSIS, came up with a plan. They thought it might be helpful and beneficial to deal with some of their common threats together. From this idea, an experiment was born. It consisted of creating five teams, each composed of one new Canadian intelligence officer and one new American intelligence officer. These ten people were chosen both from new recruits and recommended people not yet on the inside. It took about six months for them to hammer out all the details, and when they were finally done, the NACTs were born."
Kowalski asked in puzzlement, "The NACTs?"
The look Joe threw at him made it seem the agent thought Ray's wall was short a brick. "North American Co-operation Teams. Now, please don't interupt." When this request was greeted with silence, he continued, "It was at this time that your sister was approached. Though reluctant to leave her home and family, the CIA were very persuasive..."
Unable to help himself, Vecchio put in incredulously, "Frannie? They wanted Frannie that badly?"
"She came highly recommended, Detective. Anyway, the story I heard was that, frustrated with a perceived lack of respect, she finally decided to take the offer."
As Ben listened, Vecchio's voice echoed through his mind from long ago. "Let me tell you somethin', Frannie. You're my sister, all right? But trust me, no matter what you wear, people will never respect you." At the time, his friend had taken his sister for granted but that had changed later. Ben wondered if Frannie had just not noticed or whether she was working on an impression taken from when she was younger.
"The CIA was worried about The G..." He paused and frowned. "...your sister's large extended family. They were afraid her identity would be discovered sooner or later and things would go to hell. Because of this, they decided she had to die. By fortune, one morning, a young agent matching her description was found blown apart near her car..."
"Not fortunate for her," Kowalski grumbled.
"...and so they gave her...Frannie's identity. From there, she went to four months of intense training, meeting her partner and taking on the code name of The Godmother."
"Which is why you haven't been saying her name," Ben said thoughtfully.
"I only learned it this morning, so you must forgive me. Where was I? Oh, yes. The Godmother and her partner, The Ice Queen, were given their first assignment eight months ago."
"Williams," Vecchio growled.
"Yes, Williams. Mario Williams. AKA Warren Burke. AKA Charles Pearson. An illegal arms dealer who fled to the UK after his prostitution and drug rings fell apart in North America. He's doing a pretty good business here selling North American weapons to Eastern Europe and Asia. He's got contacts everywhere, including the Canadian government and the British elite."
"Lawrence and Wilson," Ben suggested.
"Wilson has never been confirmed, but we're pretty sure about Lawrence. The Pretender's been watching him for five years."
"Is everyone a spy or a criminal in this damn country?" Vecchio burst out angrily.
"Certainly not, Detective."
"We just had bad luck. It's Fraser, he attracts it," Kowalski added.
"They needed someone to go in, someone that Williams would not suspect. Because he is known to think little of women, it had to be one of the women's teams. It started with The Godmother. She went to several of Lawrence's parties and flirted shamelessly with Williams. Eventually, they became an item. During this time, Williams's assistant was mysteriously murdered, and he needed a new one. The Ice Queen stepped in. The two of them have been feeding information to Harvey, a British agent who has been with Williams for three years..."
A knock on the door interupted Joe's flow, and his feet dropped from the desk. "What now?"
Without waiting for an invitation, the person on the other side pushed it inward. It turned out to be a grizzled older man with eyes as cold as ice.
"What do you want?" Joe snapped irritably. "You can't trust me to do this on my own?"
"I have to speak with you," he said, ignoring the younger man's tone.
"I'm a little busy here, Cat."
"It's urgent."
With a sigh, Joe got to his feet. "I'll be back in a moment."
All three cops nodded, absorbing what they had just heard. As Ben's mind worked on the information, he listened to the two spies enter the next room. He found that he could still hear them perfectly. The silence of his friends made it even easier.
"What do you want?" Joe demanded angrily. Ben had noticed that there was a lot of tension between the two men.
"It's the Williams case. We have trouble."
Up to this point, Ben had been trying to block out their voices, not wanting to be rude. At mention of Mario, his reluctance vanished, and he concetrated intently. Vecchio turned and opened his mouth, but Ben quickly raised his hand. Both Rays frowned in puzzlement, but their silence remained unbroken.
"If you're talking about the North American cops, I've got them in my office. They won't hurt the mission--one way or another."
"No, it's not them. It's Harvey. He's been discovered."
Joe's voice filled with shock. "Are you sure?"
The other man's tone was sharp and biting as he replied, "Well, he was found in a nearby field with a hole in his throat."
"Harvey's dead?"
"As a doornail."
"And agents Ice Queen and Godmother?"
"They're on their own. We can't risk a rescue mission. Williams has his house shut up so tight, a mouse couldn't get in. The best we can do is leave the Pretender in place and wait and see if they contact her."
"They won't get out alive."
A pause, then, "Probably not. You may as well let the cops go. They can't blow the mission now."
Ben felt his whole body grow cold. Some of his shock and apprehension must have shown on his face because Kowalski leaned towards him and demanded, "What is it, Frase?"
"I'll tell you later. Act as if nothing is amiss."
When Brother Joe entered a few minutes later, he found three patiently waiting, bored looking cops inside. If this seemed strange to him, he gave no indication.