Third Person POV
The cops had surrounded the United States Patent Office, all pointing guns at the building. Nate and Kaira looked through a window at all the cops. This job had gotten interesting quickly.
Twelve hours earlier, Nate went to Latimer Diversified. He was on the phone with Sophie, apologizing for bailing on a date. Nate then met Latimer. Nate has asked why Latimer called him. Nate reminded Latimer that he wasn't gonna do the job he was offered. Latimer then revealed he got another man to do the job. Of course, Nate was confused as to why it concerned him. Latimer said the job had begun without a hitch, and the plan was working. But his last contact with him was Friday.
Nate figured it was because this man didn't like the price and was sitting on it. Latimer said the man would be arrested and die in prison. Nate left, saying it wasn't his problem. Later that night, Sophie approached Nate, more upset that the wait to get into that restaurant had taken forever than the fact that Nate bailed. Nate got luggage and went to leave, Sophie wanting to go with him. Nate said she couldn't, and that it was personal.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Of course, Nate couldn't leave anything the hell alone. Of course, he'd run off in the middle of the night because "it's personal". I mean, did Nate really think Hardison wouldn't be able to track Nate down? Well, here we were. In Nate's living room, all at the table. Well, Parker and Sophie were, I was standing next to Eliot in front of the table, grabbing his arm. Of course, Hardison was at the screen, able to track Nate. He had up a map with an orange outlined box, saying "where Nate is going".
"I'll tell you where he's going. He's headed to the United States Patent Office in Alexandria, Virginia. Nate even cleared out his browser history so we wouldn't know. It's adorable." Hardison explained, pulling up Nate's browser.
"He's looking at security schematics. He'd only do that for a heist." Parker pointed out.
"Even crazier, I traced the files from where they came from - from a subsidiary of Mr. Latimer's." Hardison added.
"Remind me next time I see Nate to brain his ass. He could've told us." I groaned at the idea of Nate pulling a job for Latimer.
"What does Latimer want at the Patent Office?" Eliot asked.
"Uh, what doesn't he want? A cure for the common cold, warp drive, a water engine. People, everybody knows the government is sitting on futuristic technology at the Patent Office." Hardison pointed out, as if it was obvious.
"They are?" Parker asked.
"Oh, damn straight, girl. Under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, the US Government has sealed away over 5,000 patents that they say is a threat to national security. It's all just sitting right there chillin', locked away in a super-secret vault." Hardison said.
"Is there a time machine?" Parker asked.
"There isn't, Parker." I groaned.
"There is." Eliot said.
"Yeah." Parker muttered.
"Yeah, not so much a machine as probably a portal, though. You don't really sit down as much as-" Eliot said.
"I'm gonna go get that portal, and I will go - I will take-" Parker said before I interrupted.
"No, Parker, it wouldn't work. Don't encourage her, babe." I tried to get us back on track.
"Let's just put a pin in what Latimer's after and - and focus on the heist. Hardison, what's the security profile?" Sophie said.
Hardison pulled up the blueprints.
"It's all been upgraded to require no on-site guards. It's all automated. See, the, uh, elevator and the stairs - they're rigged with motion sensors, while the rest of the building is CCTV cameras that are linked to a central computer. Now, instead of paying a guard to sit there 24/7, the computer watched footage by running an image analysis. Anything out of the ordinary triggers the alarm. The trick is to get into the computer room by fooling the server with looped video." Hardison explained the setup.
"Can Nate do this by himself?" Eliot asked.
"No he damn well can't. This is a two-person job, minimum." I said.
I nod to Parker to finish the explanation. She got up and started walking to the screen.
"To get to the computer room without triggering the motion sensors, we're gonna have to go up through that skylight and then drop someone down from the top floor." Parker explained.
Eliot then walked up beside Hardison, brushing past him.
"All right, well, then here's the deal. See this glass thing right here? You're gonna go up on this side of the building, use that to go across to the next one." Eliot explained.
I notice the bridge in between, and I see the plan working.
"Fine. Off to the US Patent Office, then. Let's go steal a-" Sophie said, standing up. "Let's go steal a time machine." Parker said.
"Let's go steal a Nate." I butted in.
"No, you don't steal-" Eliot tried to say.
"I'm gonna steal the time machine." Parker said.
Then the three of them argued about stealing a time machine, which I reminded them that time travel isn't possible, so any "time machine" in the vault is just a heap of junk basically as we left.
As we got ready to head to Virginia, some questions circled my mind. One; What did Latimer want from the U.S Patent Office? Two; How can Latimer use this item? Three; Why is Nate helping Latimer? And the final question; Why the hell didn't Nate tell any of us? That last question was the one bugging the hell out of me. If there's something I've learned about Nathan Ford in the three years I've worked with him, is there's always a method in his bastardly madness. So, he wouldn't willingly steal something for Latimer, especially since Nate and I told him to piss off, unless it was for a damn good reason.
I could see Nate stealing the item for himself to use as leverage (A/n See what I did there? Okay, I'll go to the corner.) against Latimer in the future. But if that was the plan, he would've told us and had us help. No, this was something else. Something Nate would have deemed personal enough that he'd want to do this on his own, knowing it was a two-person job. He had to save someone.
But who would Nathan Ford deem important enough to go to Virginia and break into the United States Patent Office? First person to come to mind is Maggie, but she's an honest woman, so she's out. Bonanno possibly, but he's honest so no. Sterling is an option, but Sterling would've called in a favor, and he could've gotten it without breaking in the building or involving Nate. Nate's priest friend, no. He would have done it for anyone of us, but since we were all at the briefing, that's a no. Tara maybe, but she would've made it out and Nate would have gotten us involved. The only other person I can think of is Jimmy Ford. Nate's father. He does tick the boxes. He's someone that's relatively important to Nate, and he would break into the US Patent Office.
But last I remembered, he was in Ireland. So if it was Jimmy, what's his game? What's Latimer's game? Right now, there are too many cards on the table. I need to remove a few. And the only way to do that was to see exactly what the hell Nate was up to.
When we arrive at the patent office, I see Nate, dressed in black, taking photos. Eliot, Hardison, and I walked behind Nate.
"Did you really think I would let you get away with pulling a job without us?" I asked Nate.
"I told Sophie this was personal." Nate said, still taking photos.
"We're your family, Nathan, anything that's personal to you is personal to us." I reminded Nate.
"This has to do with Latimer. He knows about all of us, so it makes it our problem as well." Eliot said.
"Even if it wasn't, we either have each other's backs or we don't." Hardison said. "Why are you pulling a heist for Latimer?" Eliot asked.
"And don't even try to lie, Nate. Hardison hacked your browser history. Which why you thought deleting it would be enough, I don't know. You know Hardison's got more time on his hands than he knows what to do with. Anyways, it doesn't matter. Why are you doing a job for Latimer?" I added, warning Nate.
"I'm not. I'll explain everything later. Right now, I have to get inside that building." Nate said, still taking photos.
"What's your plan?" Hardison asked.
"Well, I'm gonna pull the fire alarm, then go in as my arson-investigator alias." Nate said.
"Frank Petrino?" I questioned.
"The Arson Investigator with the limp?" Eliot questioned.
"I didn't say it was a great plan." Nate said.
He walked away. I groaned as we left.
The three of us met Parker on the roof with the climbing gear and we ran to the skylight we needed to use to get through. We climbed through the fire escape and walked down the flight of stairs. We stopped at the railing as Parker, Eliot, and I got the rig ready.
"This is the plan?" Hardison questioned.
"Uh-huh." Parker hummed.
"Mnh-mnh." Hardison tried to leave, but I tried to grab his arm.
"Get ba-" Parker said as Eliot turned.
"Hey, hey." Eliot tried to get Hardison to stop.
"Get back down here! Go get him." Parker said.
"Damn it, Hardison!" Eliot exclaimed as I groaned and followed.
"Hardison, get back down here before I whup your ass!" I lovingly threatened him.
We did get Hardisn back and get him in the rig.
"Why y'all always pushing me off of stuff? Don't I get a say? I vote no!" Hardison complained as we got the rig ready.
"We don't have a lot of room for error." Parker pointed out.
"You can do it if you stop squirming, man." Eliot said.
"Just stand still." I groan at him.
"Hey, hey hey. Where's Nate, okay? Frank Petrino, Arson Investigator, was a rock-solid alias." Hardison complained more. "It might be easier if he's asleep." Parker looked at me and Eliot.
"Want me to put him to sleep?" Eliot asked Parker as Parker nodded approvingly.
"I could choke him out." I added, a bit of a smile on my face.
"Hey! I'm standing right here, okay? It's not my fault y'all can't spoof a CCTV." Hardison complained.
Parker put her hands on Hardison's shoulders hard.
"Relax! We're gonna lower you really, slowly, but if you bump into anything - the walls, the windows, anything - you will set off the alarms." Parker reminded Hardison.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. It's like the game "Operation", except I'm the tweezers." Hardison looked down.
"Look... whatever you do, do not drop me." Hardison said.
The three of us nodded. Hardison went to the edge.
"Come on. I'm tired - I've had it. Being pushed off of damn buildings and stuff and windows." Hardison complained as the three of us looked at each other.
We gave Hardison a shove, sending him down screaming. He made it safely to the bottom. We looked over the edge and saw Hardison looking at us as he was disconnecting himself from the rig.
"Really? It's not funny. It's not funny. I see you laughing. I see you laughing. I'm a person... human being! I got feelings, and I don't feel none of this. I'm tired of being pushed off of stuff. We all having a serious conversation when this is over with." Hardison complained as we left.
I heard over comms Hardison saying he peed his pants, which causes me to be both disgusted and amused.
Third Person POV
Hardison made his way into the server room. Not so surprisingly, it was simple for a man of Hardison's caliber. He got into the system.
"Okay, guys, I got good news and bad news. The good news is - the video cameras can't see us. The bad news - this cheap video system only has a two-hour buffer, so that's all the time we got." Hardison reported.
Nate, Kaira, and Eliot were making their way to the archive room.
"Get Parker up here. There's a 2 1/2 inch steel door with a triple military lock that is..." Nate walked up to the door, only to see it was still open.
"Open. Oh boy." Kaira muttered. Eliot and Kaira went to walk ahead to scout the room out. but Nate stopped them as a radio was heard.
"Wait here, wait here." Nate ordered the couple.
"Hell no." Kaira whispered.
"Absolutely not. Not until you give me and Kaira some answers." Eliot objected.
"No, listen, I'll explain everything later. It's better if I go in alone." Nate insisted.
Eliot and Kaira looked at each other. Kaira nodded.
"I'll start my sweep. But Kaira stays." Eliot said, leaving so Nate wouldn't object.
First Person POV (Kaira)
I walked in with Nate to the archive room. What I was about to see didn't surprise me. The lights came on with a clack as we walked up to a desk with a lone lamp. I heard the radio getting louder. We walked up to the desk, and I see Jimmy Ford. Nate's father. It doesn't surprise me. We walk up behind him.
"Hello, dad." Nate said.
"Jimmy Ford." I said, showing I wasn't surprised.
The guy on the radio was talking trash.
"Do you believe this guy? Blames all our problems on immigrants." Jimmy scoffed as he turned off the radio.
Nate and I started pacing to the front of the desk.
"Listen, Jack Latimer called me. He said that he hired you for a job and that you got stuck." Nate said.
"Stuck? Do I look stuck?" Jimmy questioned us.
We both look at him.
"You look like you're trying to find a needle in a haystack." I taunted.
"What do you care? Last time I saw you, you were shipping me over to the old country, price on my head." JImmy questioned us.
I flashed back to that day.
"Dad, listen, this isn't about you, okay? Latimer is just using you to get to me and Kaira and my crew. That's what's going on." Nate explained, leaning on the desk.
"Which means we got to get the hell out of this building, stop everything before they reset the alarm." I tried to rush us.
"Come on." Nate tried grabbing JImmy's arm, but he brushed him off.
"Hey, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. I'm gonna get paid 2 million bucks for carrying a patent application out of this building, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Jimmy insisted, pulling out a small revolver with a pearl handle and sat it on the table.
Nate and I don't even bat an eye. I did hear Nate sigh. Now, this was just getting annoying.
A bit later, we had Sophie, Hardison, and Parker to meet us. We stood a bit away from Jimmy, who was still looking at applications. Let's just say, they were surprised.
"Him? You came to rescue him?" Sophie questioned.
"I knew it." I pointed out.
"You said never again. I remember." Parker added.
"Although, he does provide a window into your distant and withholding management style. I'm just saying." Hardison added.
I shrug my shoulders.
"Look, look, guys, you know, I didn't ask you to come down here, all right? You know, frankly, I don't know what I'm doing here in this place, but he's my dad. I mean, I - he's my problem." Nate said, starting to walk away through the rows of desks.
"And you're mine." I muttered.
"What's this patent application for?" Parker asked.
"Latimer didn't tell him. All my dad knows is the name and address of the inventor and the date it was sent in 20 years ago." Nate explained.
I groaned.
"Oh, great. There must be at least 100,000 dead applications here." Sophie said.
"422,722... to be exact." Parker corrected.
"We could use the application to get an idea of what Latimer is up to." I realized.
"Exactly what I was thinking, kiddo." Nate glanced at me.
"I thought Latimer makes money on the companies we takedown." Parker pointed out.
"Well, I mean, there's got to be more to this than just Latimer's insider trading. That's why we have to find this application, and I just-" Nate stopped once we were a good distance away.
"Oh. We're gonna have to narrow the search." Sophie said as we all realize there's a lot of applications.
"Thought it was obvious." I questioned sarcastically.
"Where'd Hardison go?" Nate asked.
"He's searching for the government's top-secret vault... where they keep the time machine." Parker said, whispering.
I am not even surprised.
"Uh, go find him." Nate ordered.
Sophie left, and Parker went to follow, but Nate stopped her.
"No, I want you and Kaira to stay with me and, uh, help my dad." Nate said.
Parker groaned and turned around and went back to Jimmy.
"Hey, babe, got anything to report from your sweep?" I said over comms.
"Clear so far. But, I mean, let's be honest - government building on a Sunday? It's not like they're gonna have a bunch of people running around-" Eliot said, stopping suddenly.
I groan, realizing Eliot found people.
"Found some bag guys?" I question sarcastically, biting my tongue.
"Yeah." Eliot growled.
Third Person POV
Eliot was the lower part of the building. Two guys went after Eliot. He took one down easily. He found some duct tape on the table beside him, used it like brass knuckles, hitting the guy in the face, then he used the duct tape to tie up the guy, getting him down, then punching him in the face.
"Nate, we got company." Eliot reported.
As Eliot went to walk away, he was hit in the face by another guy. He got a hit in, but he got hit back more. Eliot was then flung into a steam boiler.
"I get it. These guys work on hourly - you work on commission, huh?" Eliot taunted the guy.
The goon went after Eliot, who gave him a one, two punch, pushing the goon down. Eliot of course knew the guy was a pro, and accused him of being selfish, and it would've been two against one instead of 1 vs 1, which might've ended up differently. Like Eliot Spencer couldn't take out two guys easily. Eliot knocked the guy out. He shook his head and walked away. Eliot was definitely offended at the goons.
Meanwhile, Sophie made it to the vault, calling for Hardison. She did find him. Hardison was playing with the inventions, which he called "The island of misfit inventions". Sophie found a fake pregnancy belly, which she was disgusted by. Hardison showed off some more inventions, impressed. Sophie managed to drag Hardison away, though he really wanted the meat smoker he found.
Back in the basement, Eliot had tied up the guys, hanging them on a steam pipe with duct tape like pigs in a butcher's shop. Eliot frisked the guys down and found a radio. It was just static.
"You kidding me?" Eliot questioned out loud.
He looked in the pants pockets of the second guy, finding a pistol.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Nate, Parker, Jimmy, and I were still in the archive room. Parker at the desk with Jimmy, I was standing beside Nate off to the side.
"Eliot, what'd you get from the goons?" Nate asked.
"They're local hires. Orders were to follow the old man in, then take whatever paperwork he had on him. They saw us go in. They followed us." Eliot came over comms.
"Freaking amateurs." I groaned.
"Latimer must have wanted backup in case I let my dad hang." Nate figured.
Then I realized something.
"Wait, something's not right here." I realized.
"What do you mean, kiddo?" Nate turned to me.
"Latimer's a billionaire. He has his own private security." I said.
"Kaira, these guys are ex-cons." Eliot added.
"So why would Latimer hire three felons to take something from a 70-year-old man?" I questioned.
"Good point. Keep your eyes open." Nate said.
Nate and I paced back to Jimmy.
For some reason, I flashed back to when Jimmy was at the bar, talking about the "big last score" before he retired. I remember Nate asking him if Jimmy wished Nate's mom was joining him. Jimmy has said she didn't understand him, but she loved him. And that's what was important.
I realized that was kinda like Eliot and me. There was no doubt in my mind and my heart that I loved Eliot. But Eliot is a complicated man. And well, I'm a complicated woman. Eliot still tells me to this day he doesn't know why I'm with him. I tell him every time it's because he made me realize I could be a better person. And some days, Eliot's a hard man to understand. And well, I'm no walk in the park either. But we both loved each other, and that was enough for now.
I see Nate leave, so I follow him.
Third Person POV
Hardison and Sophie made it back to the archive room and went to the office to look up the patent on the system so they'd know where to look. With a little bit of threatening from Hardison, the chief archivist gave up how the patents we filed. They gave the information to Kaira, Nate, and Parker.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Nate, Parker, and I went to the shelf with the right information.
"Okay, according to our friend Bartholomew, the application should be somewhere in this section." Nate said.
Parker opened up the cabinet, revealing a lot of binders.
"That narrows it down to a few hundred." Parker pointed out.
"Yeah, all right, well, just get all of them. We'll, uh, look at them back in Boston." Nate said.
Parker and I started grabbing binders.
"Nate, look out the window." Eliot came over the comms.
Nate, Parker, and I went to the window and saw the cops and the SWAT van pull in.
"Goons must have set off the motion sensors when they came in." Eliot realized.
I was scared. Now we for sure couldn't just waltz back where we came. The police and SWAT team got in position and pointed guns at the window.
"I just checked. They're on every exit." Eliot reported over comms.
"Can they get through the glass walkway?" Nate asked.
"Hardison's got it on lockdown - for now." Parker said.
I swear I can hear a helicopter in the distance.
"What do we do?" Parker asked.
I took a breath to try and calm myself down.
"We pray like hell." I muttered.
I could see the wheels in Nate's head turning. They turned quickly, cause Nate had a plan.
"Okay, we need a clean phone and my dad's gun." Nate ordered.
Third Person POV
The team got to work overtime on Nate's plan. Eliot got a hold of a clean phone thanks to Kaira and tossed it out the door of an office. The man in charge grabbed it. Nate was on the other side of the line, asking who the man in charge was. He introduced himself as FBI Special Agent Dennis Powell. Nate started his spiel, having a voice distorter on to hide his voice.
Eliot and Kaira both exhaled sharply. Kaira nodded to go ahead as Eliot got Jimmy's gun ready. Eliot grabbed Kaira like a hostage and opened the door and got them both low as he just shot the gun wildly, not wanting to shoot anyone actually as everyone outside got down. Kaira was screaming, putting on the performance as the couple went back in and the couple assured each other they were okay.
Nate kept on, saying he had a gun and hostages. Powell asked Nate what he wanted, which was three things. Clear the premises, a transfer of $10 million in a bank, and a helicopter to land on the building. Nate gave an hour or threatened to drop a hostage from a window. Powell agreed on the condition Nate sent out one hostage. Nate said he'd think about it and took off his headset.
Nate told Sophie that she needed to get outside to get intel, and Sophie wanted the fresh air. Sophie was walking with Hardison in the vault. She told Hardison he'd have to make her a U.S Patent Office ID. Hardison ended up using a waffle maker he found to recreate the ID. Hardison said he'd also back up Sophie's alias online. Sophie questioned whether it'd be enough to sell her as a hostage. Hardison then had the bright idea of having Sophie wear the fake baby bump, having put on flats instead of heels.
Sophie went out and was escorted out of the building by the SWAT team, then taken to an ambulance and given some water. Just as they thought, Powell had a member of his team check on Sophie's alias. Sophie played her part well.
When Powell asked what happened, Sophie told him she was working on Friday when a man burst in. She also told him that he had taken her to the archive room at gunpoint. Powell asked how many hostages there were, Sophie said there were two or three, but she didn't know, saying the man kept them all separate. Powell asked if anyone was hurt, which Sophie said she didn't think so. She also added that he kept repeating the numbers 120, 215, 322, and 416. Powell said the guy was a nutcase and asked for a profiler.
Nate got that Sophie was telling the team how many people were outside. Nate was in the archive room, a map on Jimmy's desk, and four piles of almonds to use as a visual. Parker was beside him as Jimmy was still at the desk.
"All right, so, Sophie says the FBI has 20 men on the north side, 15 on the south, 22 on the east, and 16 on the west." Nate said.
"She can see all that?" Parker questioned.
"Well, you know, you steal paintings for a living, you learn how to count security." Nate said. "Hey, these amount of nuts you're playing with here…" Jimmy said.
"So our best way out is the south." Parker realized.
"Yeah. What we need them to do is, we need them to deploy men from the south and east entrances." Nate said.
"All right, so what's the plan?" Parker asked.
"All right, so we are gonna stay here, continue to look for the file. I need you to help Hardison draw cops away from the south entrance." Nate made the plan.
Parker left to go meet up with Hardison.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Hardison questioned.
"Well, how you're gonna do it is, we are going to run a radio play." Nate said.
Hardison walked down the isle of inventions.
"A radio play with the stuff I find in here? I have a better chance of finding warp drive." Hardison complained.
Back in the archive room, Nate was brainstorming a plan. Jimmy realized Nate was making an escape plan and said he didn't need Nate's help, standing up. Nate argued back, saying he should have sent the Donnelly boys instead. Jimmy pointed out the only reason they were after him was because of Nate. Nate said that was why he sent Jimmy to Ireland. Jimmy asked what he was supposed to do over there.
That turned into a full-blown argument between father and son. Nate called Jimmy out, saying he was just doing this to add to his stories to tell about himself. Jimmy said he'd get $2 million and be free. Nate said there was no money, and the goons were gonna roll Jimmy like a drunk, obviously not seeing the irony. Jimmy yelled at Nate, saying he didn't know what he was capable of. Nate yelled, saying he knew everything about Jimmy. His blind rage, once again not seeing the irony.
Jimmy yelled that he did the job for Nate and Kaira. That shut Nate right up, and Kaira was trying to stay calm, having heard everything. Jimmy calmed down and said that Latimer was gonna kill Nate and Kaira if he didn't do the job. Things got awkward between Nate and Jimmy. Nate tried brushing it off, saying he didn't need Jimmy to help with Latimer. Jimmy said he didn't care, saying Nate was his son, and Kaira was the closest thing to a grandaughter he had, and that he had to do this.
After things inside calmed a bit down, Nate looked out the window, thinking. Sophie reported that the cops were about to go in, and asked what to do. Nate said to start a turf war and told her what to say.
Sophie got Powell's attention. She got the idea that terrorists were involved in Powell's head, and he called for Homeland Security. Homeland Security came and got themselves involved, starting the turf war.
Back inside the vault, Hardison was complaining about having to run a Radio Play, which takes a week to set up. Parker was riding around on a scooter, annoying Hardison with her version of "helping". Parker showed him the butler doll from earlier.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot and I went down into the servers and looked at the cameras and alarms, and we realize everything was quiet.
"Nate. Remember I told you the goons set off the motion detectors? I was wrong. These things are quiet." Eliot said.
"All right, well, then who sent the cops?" Nate asked.
Eliot and I got silent for a moment.
"Nathan, think about this. If you declined the job, then why would Latimer threaten you to get Jimmy to do the job? He's a millionaire. He could hire any thief to do this. Nathan, Latimer is using your dad as bait." I realized, getting worried about what was next.
"Cops and goons - that's all escalating pressure. Somebody's messing with your game, Nate. Latimer - he might be the front guy, but this ain't his style." Eliot pointed out.
He left and I followed.
Third Person POV
Nate was looking out the window, trying to figure out his next move on the chessboard in his mind. Sophie then pointed out that trouble was about to come. Homeland security didn't buy Sophie's story. Nate told Sophie to get out.
Sophie dumped some of her water bottle on the ground, acting like her "water" broke. She got an ambulance ride out.
Hardison grabbed a janitor cart and made it up to the building with Parker in tow with lights. They set up the show.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Of all the jobs in the damn world that I have done, none was like this one. It got out of control way too fast. First, Nate tried to go alone. Then, it turns out Nate was trying to save Jimmy. We spent a long time trying to find a damn patent. Then it turns out, Jimmy did this job to save Nate and me, all because Latimer threatened us. Now, we had cops, FBI, SWAT, and Homeland Security. Oh, did I forget to mention we were running a Radio Play? I mentioned the shit ton of cops outside, right?
Eliot and I walked through a hallway, holding a walkie-talkie, getting it ready.
"You sure you want me and Kaira to do this, Nate?" Eliot questioned.
"Yes. I need you two to buy us more time. Trust me - Agent Powell's primed for it." Nate said.
I sensed a nervousness in his voice.
"Copy that, Nate." I said.
I heard over the comms Nate and Jimmy get into it about complicated plans. I also heard Jimmy say he thought he had one more job left in him, and that the game had passed him by.
For some reason, I have a flashback to the last time we saw Jimmy, when Nate, Jimmy, and I were doing the pill scam to get the alarm codes. You know, the funny thing about that was, that was the most fun I had ever had. I mean, it felt like a day out with my dad and grandpa. And it was the first time I met Jimmy. And now here he was, trying to save me and Nate in his own way.
I focus when I hear Nate say the curtains about to go up.
Third Person POV
Nate said Sophie was in play. The ambulance stopped, and Sophie asked why. She got out of the ambulance. The show had begun.
First Person POV (Kaira)
"Hey, can anybody hear me out there?" Eliot put on a Boston accent as he got on the walkie.
I can't help but smile.
"This channel is reserved for FBI personnel only." Powell said over the walkie.
"Really? Stop the assault, man." Eliot said.
I grabbed the walkie, wanting to have a bit of fun.
"Please, do not send in those Homeland Security idiots!" I also had a Boston accent.
"Who is this?" Powell asked.
Eliot grabbed the walkie back from me and I smirked a bit.
"Who am I? I'm just a fly in the ointment pal, okay? An off-duty cop from Boston-" I grabbed the walkie again.
"And I'm his wife who works in the Patent office and a former cop." I added, trying to hide my smile.
"-caught in the wrong place at the wrong time." Eliot said.
He was proud of both himself and me, and we both smiled.
"You're inside with the terrorist?" Powell questioned.
"Terrorists. Ists, with an s, okay? This isn't some disgruntled employee." Eliot said.
He handed the walkie to me.
"My husband managed to free me from my office. These guys are serious, and they got an arsenal." I added.
"How do I know you're for real?" Powell questioned.
Eliot grabbed the walkie again as we walked down the hall.
"You know when you're talking to another badge, former or not, you can feel it? Now you tell me - can you feel it?" Eliot said into the walkie.
I can't help but shake my head as we approach the glass bridge.
"I'm feeling it." Powell said over the walkie.
"All right. Then those Homeland Security guys are gonna be ducks in a shooting gallery if they come in here. This is up to you pal." Eliot said, stopping before the glass.
"I really have to tell Hardison to stop letting you watch "Die Hard", babe." I said.
Eliot just gave a smirk and Powell said over the walkie that he was on it.
Third Person POV
Powell couldn't convince Homeland to stand down. He told Eliot and Kaira to keep their heads down as they were coming in. Homeland approached the entrance of the building.
Parker and Hardison were near the entrance, having set up the Christmas lights for the show. Parker counted down, and set off the bulbs to explode and ran. The exploding lightbulbs sounded like gunshots, which kept Homeland back.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot was the one holding the walkie when the bulbs exploded. We walked away from the glass.
"Welcome to the party, pal." Eliot said over the walkie in his Boston accent.
Yeah, I really got to stop letting Eliot watch "Die Hard".
"I don't know who you are, but this is Homeland Security Spec Op leader Elaine Delacourt. You're not following anyone." Elaine came over the walkie.
All right, this next part is kind of embarrassing. I was looking at Eliot, not paying attention. Eliot got socked by the goon he tied up. Then two more came around the corner.
"I'm just saying." The goon taunted Eliot.
Eliot and I gave each other a smirk, knowing we had a plan. Eliot and I challenged the goon.
"Come on." Eliot challenged the goons.
"What, you afraid to hit a woman?" I taunted, which earned me a punch to the face.
Eliot also got punched. I smirked as we both recovered from our punches. We kept getting sent back to the glass as Eliot kept getting punched in the face. Then just before I was visible from the outside, one of the goons grabbed me from behind. I tried fighting back as Eliot was getting tossed around like a damn rag doll. Eliot got shoved against the glass, and he was getting punched in the back and groaning, baring his teeth. Eliot then got flipped around. I
took this as my chance. I slammed my foot hard on the goon's foot. I gave an elbow, but then sucker-punched right in the face, sending me beside Eliot as I face the three goons. I hold Eliot's hand and give a squeeze, assuring him I was good, and silently signaling Powell outside who we were.
"How do you like me now?" The lead goon asked Eliot.
The goon punched Eliot in the gut and we let go of each other's hands as Eliot grunted.
"Really?" I questioned.
That earns me a punch to the gut. One guy grabs Eliot and knees him in the gut. I get sucker punched and tossed down the hall. Eliot is being dragged and I try to stop the goon, but another goon grabs me and grabs my shirt. We're both dragged off of the bridge back to the hall we came from. Eliot and I both get tossed, but we both roll out of it and stand up to face the goons.
"What's up?" Eliot taunted.
"Ready for round 2?" I taunt as the goons go after us.
Eliot and I both punch the goons in front of us, and Eliot spun around to give the third goon an elbow, and I dodge, then I grab the guy before he falls and knee him in the groin. Eliot and I step over the goons, knowing they were gonna be out for a while.
"You still with us?" Powell came over the walkie.
Eliot picks up the walkie and he gets ready, getting his breath, gasping.
"I'm still here." Eliot said.
He handed the walkie to me.
"I'm here. Nothing some Ibuprofen can't fix." I said.
"Hang in there, cowboy. You too, cowgirl." Powell said.
I groan as Eliot tossed something and looked at the goons on the floor.
"Yippie-Ki-Yay, Mother-"
"That actually felt pretty good." I said.
Third Person POV
Jimmy found the patent. He showed it to Nate, asking what it was. Nate looked through the file and realized it was a water filter big enough to put in a dam. Nate wondered why Latimer want a water filter. Nate told Hardison to get ready for what was next and to make sure the glass walkway was unlocked. Nate double checked that Sophie got them a ride.
Sophie reported that she got Lucille, Hardison's van and was on her way.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot and I made it to the archive room and met with Nate.
"Got this off one of the goons." Eliot said, tossing a phone to Nate.
"Take a look at the last incoming call, Nathan." I told Nate, not happy at what we had found earlier.
"Rockford, Illinois." Nate said.
"That mean anything to you?" Eliot asked.
Nate and I had the same realization, but before I could say anything, Parker and Hardison came up to us.
"All right, phase 2 is ready." Hardison reported.
"All right, here we go." Eliot said.
He got back on the walkie.
"Hey, pal. Stay away from the west entrance. They're headed there now, and they're gonna shoot their way out." Eliot said.
"You can't do this on your own. Cowboy? Cowboy!" Powell said over the walkie.
I groaned again, getting looks from Hardison and Parker.
"Don't ask." I groaned.
"What? He's… from Boston." Eliot defended himself.
I grabbed the walkie.
"Don't worry, Agent. I got him." I said with a smile on my face.
I counted down in my head from three.
"Babe!" I yelled before letting the walkie go static.
We left and started phase 2. See, everyone moved in on the front. Getting everyone away from the bridge, allowing us to army crawl through the bridge. See, we triggered the motion senors using the Mr. Butler doll Hardison found.
We made it to the stairwell, heading down.
"Okay, Sophie's pulling around now. The backstreet should be completely…" Nate opened the door outside, seeing a lot of people gathered around.
We made it through the crowd. Eliot asked some guy in the crowd what was going on. The guy said someone called the radio station saying they were gonna throw a million dollars off the roof. I see Nate looking around, and we realize someone was missing.
"Where's my father?" Nate asked.
I growl a bit.
"Son of a bitch!" I exclaimed.
"What? He was right here." Parker said.
Parker and I realize the same thing.
"He has the patent." We both said.
Eliot walked up to us.
"What the hell just happened?" Eliot asked us.
"What just happened is a 70-year-old with a radio just created a flash mob." Nate explained.
I hear the van pull up behind us.
"Your dad double-crossed us?" Parker questioned.
"Yes, he did." Nate said.
"You really that shocked?" I questioned Nate.
"Come on!" Sophie exclaimed from the van.
I turn to look at Sophie.
"We have to go!" Sophie exclaimed.
"Nate." Eliot said.
I see the gears turn in Nate's head, and I weekly shake my head no, warning everyone Nate wasn't gonna listen.
I go back through my memory. Someone besides Latimer is messing with Nate. The goon's last incoming call was from Rockford, Illinois. I realize I hadn't heard of that place for a long time. In fact, I hadn't heard of that place in 3 years. Not since I agreed to take a job with my husband from a man in a bar in Chicago, Illinois. It was the last known location of the man who had brought my family together. Arguably, the son of a bitch who had started it all.
Nate and I look at each other, realizing we both had come to the same conclusion.
"I know who's behind this." Nate said, turning to face the team.
"We need to find Jimmy fast. Let's go!" I rushed everyone, opening the door to the van.
Hardison was on his computer in the van, Parker was behind me, I was sitting on the floor of the van, my legs hanging down off the side. Sophie was beside Nate, who was pacing, and Eliot was on the other side of me. I grabbed his wrist, trying to ground myself.
"He called the radio station. See if you can get a trace." Nate ordered Hardison.
"Where do you think he's gone?" Sophie asked Nate.
Nate mumbled that he didn't know.
"Where? Don't you mean when?" Parker questioned.
I groan, lowering my head.
Parker went on, saying Jimmy time-traveled to 1962. I just shake my head.
"Parker, now is not the time!" I groaned.
"Now, why would he go back to 1962?" Hardison asked Parker.
"Don't encourage her." Nate and I both said.
We looked at each other. I really am turning into Nate. Parker asked about Hardison's bow tie, which Hardison of course used to make a Doctor Who reference, which why I even know that is annoying enough.
"Shouldn't we be doing this on the road?" Sophie asked Nate.
I realize the sun is setting, almost to sunset.
"I wouldn't worry about it. I think the Feds are gonna find who they were looking for." Eliot said.
I remember the goons Eliot and I tied up and left in the archive room. As Nate's pacing, his phone rings.
"Okay, guys, guys." Nate said.
Nate answers the phone and sits beside me.
"Dad! Listen, where are you? You have no idea who you're up against." Nate said.
I can tell Nate's close to panic.
"That's never stopped me before." I hear Jimmy on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah, okay. Now, here's the thing, dad-" Nate tried to warn Jimmy.
"Now you just sit back and before you know it, we're gonna be tossing back a few with your protege… a couple of free men." Jimmy said.
I snatched the phone from Nate.
"Jimmy! Wait a goddamn minute and listen-" I hear the phone click.
"Shit!" I exclaimed.
Nate grabbed the phone before I could throw it.
"Please tell me you got a location, Hardison." I all but beg Hardison.
"I got somewhere close to the Baltimore waterfront, but if I ping it off the towers, I can get a little closer. It's just gonna take me some time." Hardison said.
"All right, Eliot, get us there." Nate said.
"And move your ass, Hardison!" I exclaimed as we all pile in.
I get in the back with Nate, Sophie, and Parker. Hardison gets in the passenger seat. Eliot gets in the driver's seat and we go. Eliot raced over to Baltimore, and Hardison kept pinging to try to get a location.
"Okay, there it is. There's the ping. It's the warehouse district by the shipping docks. We got a 600-foot radius. That's as close as I can get." Hardison pulled up the info on the screen for us to look at.
"Not enough." Nate pointed out.
"Well, it's either one of these three warehousers - 16, 21, or A7." Hardison said.
"Then get ownership records of the warehouses, Hardison! And Eliot, punch it!" I am very anxious.
"It's not my fault, babe. It's not my Challenger." Eliot argues (A/N I thought it was a Camero, okay? Assume it's the same vehicle.). I give him a look to not push it with me. We keep driving.
After a bit, Hardison got the records. He puts them on his monitors in the back, and Nate and I look at them. I try to focus on the puzzle in front of me to distract me.
"Um… well, look, this is all I got - no names, but I got companies." Hardison said.
Nate pointed to one of the applications.
"No, that's it. That's it right there. Building 21." Nate said.
"Tobin-Casey? They make fishing reels." Hardison pointed out.
"No, it's just a shell company he owns." Nate explained.
Nate turned to Eliot.
"Eliot, how much longer?" Nate asked.
"Four minutes." Eliot said.
"Make it two!" I yelled.
Nate tried the phone again.
"All right, please answer. Come on." Nate mumbled.
After what feels like forever, Jimmy answered the phone.
"Yeah?" I hear Jimmy on the other side.
"Listen, this is a setup." Nate said.
I can still hear the anxiousness in his voice. I hear Jimmy coughing.
"You don't think I know a setup when I see it? Latimer double-crossed me." Jimmy said.
"No, no, no, no, no, no. This is not about Latimer, all right? I need you to listen very carefully. I need you to focus." Nate tried to tell Jimmy.
"Oh, maybe this is one of those things that you were right about so many of the time. Things are more complicated than they seem." Jimmy was stalling.
I don't know if he's trying to get his bearings or what.
"Okay, just walk out of the building. Start walking out of the building right now very - just- just start going, okay?" Nate told Jimmy.
Eliot took a left.
"I got it. It's up here at the end." Eliot reported.
He kept driving.
"No, you and Kaira stay out. Don't come in here. I'm your father. I'm telling you not to-" Jimmy said, his voice changing, maybe worried even.
"No, no, no, no, no. You have to get out of the building now! Okay?" Nate exclaimed, and the tears are forming in his eyes.
And they're starting to form in my eyes too.
"It's the first time I've been able to do some of these things - the father and grandfather things." Jimmy said.
I get this sick feeling this isn't gonna end well.
"Listen, listen, if you don't get - okay, okay, we're-we're pulling up right now. I need you to walk out of the building now, okay?" Nate was all but yelling in the phone.
"The hell's he doing?" I can barely get out.
"You and Kaira just tell stories. Tell them stories about me." Jimmy said, calmly surprisingly.
"No, no, no! Get-get out! I'm coming in to get you right now!" Nate yelled, close to tears.
The van hadn't even come to a full stop when Nate got out. I go to lean out the door, but Nate shuts the door, running towards the warehouse.
"Tell them-tell them… how much Jimmy Ford loves his son and grandaughter." I can hear over the comms.
I am just stood there, frozen. I can see through the windshield Nate stopping. He lowered the phone. Then time slowed down as the warehouse exploded. I see Nate get flung back, and the adrenaline pumnping through my veins was like gasoline.
"Nate!" I hear Eliot yell.
I shove myself in front of Sophie and Parker as I open the van door, and I see Nate on the ground.
"Dad!" I don't even process what I said, I'm too damn focused.
I run up to Nate along with Eliot as the explosion calms down. I see Nate very slowly trying to get up so I take that as a good thing.
"Nate!" Eliot yelled as he drops beside Nate.
"Dad!" I said, sliding to Nate.
Eliot and I help Nate sit up. His lip is bloody, and blood is coming from his ears.
"Nate." Eliot repeats.
I look Nate up and down, and I don't see any evidence to suggest Nate was majorly injured, so I have him look at me. I see Hardison holding back Sophie and Parker, who were trying to get to us.
"Dad." I try to fake a smile, showing Nate I was glad he wasn't majorly hurt.
He just looks at me and Eliot blankly. I know it's not a stretch to guess Nate has a concussion and blown eardrums.
"Can you hear me?" Eliot asked.
He still just looks between us and the warehouse. I look at Eliot.
"He has a burst eardrum, he can't hear us." I told Eliot.
I make sure Nate is looking at me so he can see my lips.
"Dad, are you okay?" I ask Nate.
I still can't tell if he can hear me, but I think he read my lips. Right now, I don't care that I called Nate dad. The bit of relief I felt that Nate was relatively okay was quickly fuel by anger.
I know damn well who was behind this. Victor Dubenich. The son of a bitch who showed up at that bar in Chigaco 3 years ago. The son of a bitch who introduced me to the team. The same team who would become my family. Victor Dubenich and Jack Latimer killed Nathan Ford's father. My grandfather.
I told Latimer when we told him to piss off that I wasn't a good person, and that good people don't need rules. But those bastards were gonna learn why we have so many. Those bastards have what's coming to them.
You know, they say demons run when a good man goes to war. Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war. Friendship dies and true love lies. Night will fall and the dark will rise when a good man goes to war. Demons run, but count the cost. The battle's won, but the child is lost. I felt like the child. Nate is a good man. And those sons of bitches just declared war. And war was what they were gonna get.