First Person POV (Kaira)
Ever since Eliot and I fought, things have been different. We were more whole than we've ever been. Eliot and I had our hair cut like how it was when we went to D.C. It was part of the change we both needed. And well, Nate had another job for us.
A young woman, Kristen Knox, had approached Nate about what happened after her father died at Bee Meadow Winery. He was a worker there and suffered heart failure. A lawyer from the winery approached Kristen with a nondisclosure agreement and a million dollar check. Yeah, that isn't normal when someone dies cause on an accident.
So, Eliot and I went undercover as grape pickers. Hardison, Nate, and Sophie were back at HQ. I was standing beside Eliot, picking grapes. It was oddly relaxing, in a way. Then the guy in charge, Leonard, drove up in his pick up, yelling at everyone to move or they'd lose their jobs. Then Leonard yelled at me and Eliot, saying we needed to turn in our paperwork. Leonard had the driver leave.
"Punk ass." I heard Eliot mutter.
A woman walked up to Eliot and me, carrying a blue five gallon bucket of grapes. Eliot and mine were red and full.
"He can get a little rough. You better be careful." She told us.
We started walking to the dump spot.
"Oh, I can handle him. I put up with his ass every day." I teased Eliot slightly, giving him a small slap on the ass, getting a groan from Eliot.
Hey, you ain't married till you smack your spouse's ass. Just saying.
"Yeah, well, I ain't the guy that… wants trouble." Eliot told her.
"Let me carry that for you." Eliot offered, extending his hand to grab her bucket.
"Thanks." She accepted.
"Ah, your water's in there." I reminded her.
"Oh, yeah." She grabbed the water bottle.
We went to the ldump spot. Eliot and I sat our buckets down.
"So you work the harvest for two weeks, huh?" Eliot asked as we dumped the grapes into the pile.
"Yeah. It's-it's steady work - if you can keep it." The woman explained.
Eliot and I chuckled a bit.
"Pruning begins from leaf drop in the fall to bug break around April." The woman said.
She took a sip of her water and offered some to me and Eliot.
"I'm good. You can share mine, babe." I handed Eliot my water.
Eliot grabbed it and took a swig, then I took a swig. Eliot and I nodded.
"We had a good buddy of ours, Sam Knox, working here. You know him?" I asked the woman.
The woman was spooked.
"Um… sorry. I-I've got to go." She grabbed her bucket and left quickly.
Something was indeed off.
"People are spooked out here, Nate." Eliot reported on comms.
"Anything to report about getting an inside man?" I asked over comms.
"Yeah. Working on it. Get me any background information you can on Sam Knox's working conditions." Nate ordered us.
"Copy that." Eliot and I both said.
Third Person POV
Hardison, Nate, and Sophie were at HQ, sitting around the briefing table. Hardison showed Nate and Sophie a copy of the nondisclosure agreement the winery tried to get Kristen to sign, saying it was 100 pages longer than the ones used by the CIA. Hardison came to the conclusion the winery was trying to shut Kristen up. Sophie questioned how Hardison got a hold of a CIA nondisclosure agreement. Hardison told Sophie she asked too many questions.
Nate said that if a man dies, you take responsibility, you make amends, you don't make cash payments. Sophie added unless it was the tip of the iceberg, betting in good faith Sam Knox wasn't the first victim. Hardison reported that Parker was in. Nate asked Parker to talk to him.
Parker was inside the winery as an intern. Parker hyped herself up, then told Nate she was going in. Sophie told Nate Parker's been working with her on her long-con abilities, internalizing the character more. Nate asked if it was necessary. Parker walked up to the other interns, trying to make small talk.
Then the big boss came up to them, basically flaunting his power, and Parker was handed a broom. Big Boss went on to add they were gonna up the production 1000% and the interns got college credit. Parker wasn't happy about that, asking if Intern Parker was working for free. Sophie said Intern Parker was a character. Parker said she knew her character's worth, and Intern Parker deserved a fair wage for her labor, which she had a point (A/N And I say this as someone who worked at Valley Dairy, look it up and don't go there the foods kinda bad, they treat employees bad, and made $8 an hour and barely had any hours, and failed to get a raise even though I was told I had one. And I don't work there anymore, so HAH!). Nate told Sophie she might have to dial it back a bit. Sophie agreed.
Hardison reported that the person they heard speaking to the group of interns was Frank Madigan, the owner of the winery. Hardison explained that Madigan fired all the old staff and hired part-timers (A/N also what happened to me at Valley Dairy, I wanted full-time hours, but that never happened, and I only worked 4-hour shifts so I didn't get a break.).
Sophie asked where Madigan get the money. Hardison said Madigan used to run a chemical manufacturing company that made acrylics, adhesives, dyes, epoxies, and fertilizers. Nate asked about Madigan's safety record. Hardison said Madigan had several worker fatalities and did the same thing he did there at the winery, paying for silence, adding that if his old company was a person, he'd be doing time for murder one. Sophie questioned why he bought a winery, slightly confused.
Nate said they had negligence, worker deaths, and cover-ups, same digs, and M.O. Nate also pointed out that Madigan said he was gonna increase yield by 1000%, saying he was up to something cause it was a big claim. Hardison said Parker, Kaira, and Eliot were investigating the death and asked what they were doing.
Nate asked to see the financials on the winery. Hardison pulled up the paperwork Madigan filed to get the loan to buy the winery. He added that Madigan put his wine collection up as collateral, asking about the legitimacy of it. Sophie confirmed, saying if a collection was strong enough with certain vintages, it could be worth millions. Nate said some of the biggest cases he investigated were wine insurance payouts. Sophie asked what the jewel in his crown is. Hardison said it was a bottle of wine previously owned by Thomas Jefferson. Sophie was intrigued. Hardison said it was the only one of its kind, and it was priceless.
Nate said that when Eliot, Parker, and Kaira find Madigan's secret, that bottle was what they'll use for leverage (A/N Puns! Don't tell me you didn't read it like Nate in the intro!). Sophie said the rallying cry "let's go steal a bottle". Nate said no, and that because the bottle was going to be heavily insured, they'd be doing Madigan a favor and giving him a big fat check. Nate then explained that they should ride with Madigan through the loan, and make the collection worthless, since it was the collateral.
Sophie pointed out that if the bank figured out the collection was a fraud, Madigan loses the winery. Hardison said they just had to take a 200-year-old bottle of grape juice and turn it into two-buck Chuck. Nate then said the modified rallying cry, "Let's go fake a bottle".
A bit later, Hardison drove to the winery, bitching to Nate about not knowing wines, and how beers were his thing. Nate told him he'd be a great vintner. Hardison asked what a vintner does. Nate explained they were the resident geek of wine, and winemaking was fermentation and chemical processes.
Nate told Hardison to pretend he's making whatever he makes. Hardison repeated that he makes beer. Hardison then asked if Nate tried his jicama plum stout. Nate basically said he hasn't. Hardison tried selling his beer, but said if Nate did taste it, he would know Hardison knew his beers, saying wine was on a different field, and it was like playing football on a baseball field. Nate told Hardison it was interview jitters and to relax, and Sophie was getting him the answers.
Sophie got information from a former vintner and gave it to Hardison. Hardison talked to Madigan and got the job. Madigan introduced Hardison as Jason Brown, the new vintner. Hardison acted a bit like a snob about the cleanliness of the glasses. Parker gave Hardison a look, warning she was gonna hurt him, which Hardison promptly apologized.
Then some delivery people brought in a computer Hardison ordered, calling it his precious. Parker gave him a look, which prompted Hardison to tell Parker she was his precious. Parker warned him he was on thin ice. Hardison got his computer set up and then talked with the interns, talking about carbon dioxide meters he had set up. Hardison handed Parker a list. Hardison told the interns to leave. Hardison then said his catchphrase, calling himself the grape Gatsby.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot and I were taking a stroll through the vineyard, which sounds romantic on paper. But in reality, we were both sweaty as hell, covered in dirt, especially since smartass thought it would be funny to wipe my face with his dirty-ass gloves. I may have smacked his ass after he got dirt on my face, which lead to a chase, specifically Eliot chasing me, and picked me up, smacked my ass while I was swung over his shoulder, and me screaming and laughing to put me down (A/N Scene inspired by my good friend, writer buddy, and listener of bad ideas, AlexCooper250! Thank you for putting up with my shit and being a good friend! You should read their Leverage fics "American Made" and "Something's Gotta Give", yes both are named after Christian Kane songs. They are amazing!). We may have gotten yelled at. Whoops! And we were a tad bit stinky.
We were walking along side the edge of the vineyard closest to the winery. Parker joined us as Eliot was fixing his gloves. She sighed.
"Can't take this anymore. Clean, clean, clean. Interns do this, interns do that. You know what? I don't think this is a valuable work experience. You got a little something on you right there." We kept walking, but Parker stopped to brush the dirt off Eliot's shoulder.
"Look," Eliot said, something catching his eye. We looked in the direction Eliot was. We saw Leonard talking to an employee, the one that was spooked by Eliot and me.
"He's Leonard. He's the right-hand man of Madigan." I explained.
"He's got a very punchable face." Parker pointed out.
Eliot started walking.
"Yeah, we noticed that." Eliot pointed out.
Parker and I followed him.
Third Person POV
Back at HQ, Nate and Sophie sat at the table. Nate told Sophie it was Sophie's turn, giving Sophie an idea. Sophie declined, saying she was thinking something fun, and it wasn't her first picnic with a wine collector. Nate warned Sophie she had to be careful, and Madigan was someone who knew how to make wine, and it wasn't some weekend hobby. Sophie assured Nate she had it handled, saying it was all about status, and wine was another way of saying they were better and belonged, which was her business. Nate told Sophie that some things can't be faked. Sophie pointed out that at the end of the day, there's fake, and then there's fake. Nate said he'd like to know the difference. Sophie gave Nate a soft smile before leaving.
She went to the winery and introduced herself to Madigan as Chantale Mitchell, asking about a job as a pourer, showing him her application. Madigan told Sophie H.R dealt with applications, and walked away. Sophie followed, saying she wasn't one to fill out forms.
Sophie offered to sell a case of wine to any customer in the room, and she was his girl. Madigan brushed Sophie off, saying she couldn't do it. Sophie then told Madigan she was very persuasive. Madigan accepted the offer, saying she had to sell to the toughest customer there.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot, Parker, and I were walking through the rows of vines, getting ready to see what Nate wanted us to do.
"What are we looking for, Nate?" Parker asked over comms.
"Okay, the most common cause of death for field workers are dehydration and hypothermia." Nate told us over comms.
I took a look around. Everyone had water bottles filled, and I had seen no evidence of dehydration.
"It's not dehydration. Everyone here's got full water bottles, so I can't see hyperthermia happening." I reported.
"It's been warm here for over three weeks. No one's freezing to death." Eliot said.
"No, babe, hyperthermia. It's when the body gets over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Hypothermia is when the body gets below 97.6 degrees Fahrenheit." I explained.
Eliot just nodded. Then I heard the cart driving by, and Leonard yelling at everyone that break was over. I just groaned.
"Ass." I muttered.
"I do not like that guy." Parker commented.
"Nate, this guy works everybody really hard, but he's not killing anyone." Eliot reported.
"If Madigan was willing to pay through the nose to cover up Sam's death - keep looking." Nate told us.
I saw the same woman who Eliot and I spoke to from earlier walk away.
Third Person POV
Turns out, that toughest customer Madigan mentioned was himself. Sophie used her skills to sell the guy a 2010 Cab wine. Madigan liked it but wasn't getting out his wallet for it. Sophie then sold Madigan on a finer bottle she said the vintner held back for the staff. Sophie had the bottle in a brown bag. Sophie got out a different glass for the finer wine. Madigan tasted it and liked it more, and asked if it was the 2008.
Sophie revealed it was the same bottle of wine, and explained she told him a story, and he expected the second glass to be better. Madigan thought it was disturbing, but also was impressed, and maybe slightly turned on. He explained that the last owners didn't care about profit, and made 20,000 cases a year, which according to Madigan was small time. Madigan said he was making changes and planned on making 200,000 cases a year, and the wine would cost him half as much, and it wouldn't be as good, but it didn't matter. He needed someone to sell it, and asked Sophie if she was on board. Sophie accepted the offer.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot, Parker, and I were walking by the winery, trying to figure out what killed Sam. If it wasn't something physical, then it had to be something we couldn't see.
"Look for endosulfans and organochlorines. They're illegal pesticides - could have killed our victim." Eliot said.
Parker and I noticed the stacks of white five-gallon buckets that had fertilizer. I didn't exactly grow up on a farm like Eliot, and I only knew a bit about fertilizers from one of the businesses my family had. But I didn't know what the words meant.
"Hey, babe, need you to translate." I called Eliot over.
Eliot came over.
"Just scan and move on." Eliot told us.
"Fertilizer. Easiest place to hide chemicals." I added.
"Clear. It's fertilizer." Eliot said.
Parker and I then noticed the label was off.
"Wait." I said.
Parker peeled back the label, reading SN-12.
"Labels got switched. It's what my family did when they'd transport… things of value that would raise suspicion." I explained.
Eliot opened the lid, and the liquid inside was a blood red.
"You're the one who grew up on a farm, Cowboy, but that doesn't look right" I pointed out.
"It's not fertilizer." Eliot explained.
"No shit, babe." I looked at Eliot, sarcastically.
"Then what is it?" Parker asked.
I handed Parker a silver water bottle that was empty and dry. She stuck it in to get some of the liquid.
"Don't get it on your hands." Eliot warned Parker.
She got the sample and pulled the bottle out.
"That's it guys - proof." Parker said as she put the lid on.
"Maybe. We got something, Nate." Eliot reported.
"Yeah, we got hundreds of gallons of something labeled as fertilizer. Parker got a sample." I reported over comms.
"Get it to Hardison. I want it I.D'd. Hundreds of gallons - that means there's purchase orders, usage logs. We need evidence that's gonna hold up in court. Parker, Kaira, find the paper trail." Nate ordered.
"Could be poison." Parker pointed out.
We looked at each other, realizing that the next spraying was happening soon.
"Can't let them use this." Parker looked at Eliot.
"Alright, you go. Kaira and I'll take care of it." Eliot told us, walking to the truck.
Third Person POV
Nate went on comms, cueing Sophie and Hardison to start the con, the Swap-and-Whisper Campaign, and keep it simple. Nate bet Sophie was halfway there. Sophie was selling cases of wine, saying she was three-quarters there, reporting she was making an impression on Madigan.
Madigan approached Sophie, telling her the Pinot, the Syrah, and the Chardonnay were sold out, and next year's pre-orders were through the roof. Madigan offered to celebrate. Sophie said she was dying for a drink, and the good stuff, saying she heard amazing things about his collection. Madigan told her he had a couple of bottles he'd been saving for the right time, and he had just the place to drink. They left.
Madigan took her up to the roof tower. Sophie asked if the tower was part of the original winery. Madigan told her it was and that the tower was used to release the built-up carbon dioxide from the fermentation before HVAC systems existed, going into this speech about how it was good for its time, but everything marches on. He asked how Sophie liked the wine. Sophie said it was good, but she heard he had some rare bottles. Madigan asked if she wanted to see his cave. Sophie agreed.
Hardison got Sophie's button cam came on. Sophie was walking through the cave. Hardison told Sophie to get ready to swap the bottle. Madigan showed Sophie a couple of bottles he had out on a table, making it look romantic. Sophie rattled off the names of the wines. Madigan was impressed. Madigan then out got his Thomas Jefferson bottle out. And as it turned out, it was impossible for Sophie to switch out the bottles, since it had its own license plate.
Hardison told the team it would be days before he could crack it, and by the time he did, there was no guarantee Sophie could get in the cellar again. Parker got the sample to Hardison. Hardison pointed out that Madigan had to be caught with a fraudulent wine collection, wondering how they were gonna do it if they couldn't swap the bottles.
Nate said to make the real bottle look fake. Hardison wondered how. Nate said he was working on it and told Parker to find the paper trail. Hardison wasn't happy with the tasks he had to do, which was to forge a bottle and test the mystery liquid. Parker left.
Nate told Sophie to start the whisper campaign, making Madigan doubt his own bottle. Sophie looked at the bottle and said, "huh", going to another bottle. Madigan was offended. Sophie then told him a story about her old boss who had what he thought was a genuine bottle from a Saudi Prince and put a $20 million offer on the table for it. Madigan got even more offended, assuring Sophie his bottle was real. Sophie told him it probably was, but wine fraud was a pernicious business, and her ex-boyfriend, who turned out to be a huge disappointment because half his collection was fake.
Hardison was impressed.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Eliot and I walked up to the truck as other workers started getting the sprayers ready.
"Hang on, boys. Flag on the play. Boss man told us to move this to another part of the field." Eliot started grabbing a sprayer, and I did too, but Eliot pretended to stop me.
"Hey, I got this, why don't you get in the truck, there sweets?" Eliot asked me.
"Now, babe, it'll go quicker if I help." I argued.
Eliot got the guy off the bed of the truck. We pretended to argue about helping each other, then when Eliot and I got in the truck, he hit the gas hard, then hit the brake hard, causing the barrels to fall off the bed. I had to suppress a chuckle, knowing it worked. Eliot stuck his head out the window.
"Ohh, hell." Eliot muttered.
"God dammit! This is why I never let you drive!" I got out of the truck, yelling.
"What the hell, woman?! That was one time!" Eliot yelled at me.
I started walking away from the truck, but then walked to the driver's side and looked at Eliot.
"Five times! Every time, you're looking at me, distracted!" I yelled at him.
"It's not my fault when you're the one grabbing at the wheel, woman!" Eliot yelled back.
"I wouldn't have to grab the wheel if you weren't a freakin' moron!" I yelled, realizing I'm using my hands to talk a lot.
"I drive perfectly fine when I'm alone, but when you're in the vehicle, bam! Something happens!" Eliot yelled I started walking away, acting like I was annoyed.
I turned back.
"Yeah, blame it on me! Not my fault I was stupid and got married anyway!" I kept walking away.
I swear I heard Eliot groan and then tell the farmers it was okay, and he was gonna tell Leonard. I chuckle lightly as I heard the truck start up again.
"Nice work, mama." Eliot complimented me over comms.
"Oh, I know, Cowboy. I'm a natural." I teased Eliot.
I heard him chuckle.
"Is my Princess getting cocky?" Eliot teased.
"Hmm." I hummed.
"Guys, keep it off comms." Nate's came through, causing me to jump a bit.
"Sorry, Nate." Eliot and I both said.
"Y'all nasty." I heard Hardison's voice through the comm.
I groan.
"Dammit Hardison!" I groaned.
"Seriously?" Hardison questioned.
I groaned again. Hardison got the message. I met with Parker.
Third Person POV
Eliot drove off. He asked Hardison if he I.D'd the sample. Hardison told Eliot he was doing two things at once. Hardison pulled up his analysis of SN-12, saying it was nasty stuff, and it's chemical structure reminded him of experimental fertilizer that probably increased plant metabolism, leading to higher yields faster.
Eliot knew that meant more profit for Madigan. Hardison looked up the side effects, saying plants liked it, but not people, and other substances like SN-12 caused palpitations, high blood pressure, and sometimes heart failure. Eliot pointed out it was just like their victim.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Parker and I made it to Madigan's office, and we were looking on his laptop.
"Parker, Kaira, did you find a paper trail on the SN-12?" Eliot asked us over comms.
"Uh, yes, but I'm not exactly sure what to do with it." Parker was typing at the laptop.
"Uh, it's no problem, Parker. Kaira, show Parker how to disable the SSH shell and then delete dot log-in, and then reproc the authentication daemon." Hardison tried explaining.
I groaned.
"Hardison!" I tried not to get loud.
"Wait. Too Sloppy? You know what? You're right. Instead, uh, how about this?" Hardison was about to rant again, so I got involved.
"Parker, move." I scootched Parker over and started typing.
"Trigger a BIOS update, then trojan horse the reply. Easier, smoother." I taunted Hardison.
"Can't you just come down here and do this?" Parker asked.
"Not right now, babe, I'm still spoofing Madigan's PC. It's the last step of the whisper campaign. I'm making him think that he bought a fake bottle of wine so he has to call the 911 of wine. Ha. And, Kaira can handle it for now." Hardison explained.
I heard Nate helping Hardison with his cover, making it pray on Madigan's insecurities. Hardison reported the outgoing call to the wine auditor.
Then a black screen with a yellow outlined black box, with another red box saying Exception 214 popped on the laptop screen, its destination the research files.
"Shit! Hardison, get your ass down here! Exception 214 is about to happen." I kinda yelled.
"That's an automatic system wipe." Hardison said.
"Yeah, no shit, Hardison, you told me! Get your ass down here so we don't lose this evidence!" I told Hardison.
I tried to not freak out, cause I didn't know what to do, and I tried. There were less than 10 seconds on the timer.
"Hardison!" I called for him.
Hardison came in and I moved. He stopped the wipe. We sighed in relief.
"All right." Parker patted Hardison's back.
"Thanks. I owe you one." I patted Hardison on the back.
"Okay. So what am I looking for?" Hardison asked.
"Maintenance records, spraying schedules, logs that tell us exactly when the workers used SN-12." Parker explained.
Hardison had a look on his face, and we both see there's nothing there.
"There's no data." Hardison reported.
"I thought you stopped the wipe." Parker questioned.
"I did, but Madigan must have deleted it before we got here." Hardison explained.
"We're too late." I start trying not to panic.
"Wait. Somebody copied the data before it got deleted." Hardison looked at the code.
I was confused.
"Why would Madigan copy files that could have him sent to jail?" Parker asked.
And an answer comes in my head.
Third Person POV (Nate)
Nate tested out a theory by calling Kristin Knox, the client. He walked around the office, telling her they found the chemical that caused her dad's heart failure, saying it wasn't screened in a tox screen. Kristin told Nate her dad liked the work, even though he worked more hours than anyone else. Nate realized the extra exposure was why he was the first to get sick. Kristin realized Madigan was still using the chemical and asked about the other workers. Nate assured her he had his people on it. Nate asked if anyone else visited her from the winery. Kristin said a woman stopped by. Nate thanked her and said he'd be in touch.
Nate then reported he knew who had the missing data. He asked Hardison to pull up the security footage, looking for a timestamp for when the data was copied. Hardison did, and reported a Jane Doe and sent her photo to Nate, asking if she was a friend of his. Nate said he didn't know her, but she paid Kristin Knox a visit and was a mole going after Madigan. Kaira and Eliot both confirmed she worked out in the fields.
Eliot told Nate she got jumpy after Kaira and him asked questions. Hardison looked in the employee database, and found her name to be Betty Carter. He reported that OSHA sent Madigan a warning after Sam's death after getting an anonymous tip about the conditions here, and Leonard put her on the suspect list. Kaira said that Leonard was the boss of the pruners. Parker said it explained why Betty was scared, she thought Eliot and Kaira worked for Madigan. Hardison said she took the data for the exact same reason they were, to end Madigan.
Nate told Eliot to find her, and if they knew she had the data, Madigan knew. Parker spotted Leonard and the trio left.
Later, the group was split. Nate was at the brewpub, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker were in a room waiting for the wine auditor, and Eliot and Kaira were in the fields, looking for Betty. Nate told Sophie the wine auditor was there. Sophie questioned about the lack of code names, which Nate said the fox was in the henhouse. Parker poured a couple glasses of wine. Sophie told Nate they were good to go. Nate told them wine fraud was a million dollar business, so they were up against three million dollar tests, and had to make sure the bottle failed them.
Hardison questioned about how they were gonna pull it off while Madigan was hovering. Nate told him that's what he wanted.
Sophie called the first test, walking up to Madigan, saying she was there for emotional support. She kissed her fingers and placed her hand on the bottle. Hardison said the auditor was doing the visual inspection, where Nate explained that the auditor was looking for visual signs the bottle wasn't 200 years old, and thanks to Sophie smudging the ink when she kissed her hand and put it on the bottle. Nate said they changed a kerning, which Hardison realized showed it was laser printed. Nate said that was the easy one, and the next two would be harder.
Sophie reported the next test was on the glass. Nate explained that before 1957, wine bottles contained manganese, and bottles after that have chromium. Hardison continued, saying that was because in '57, Madagascar gained independence and the price of manganese skyrocketed.
Parker recognized it from a game called "World Ablaze". Hardison tried giving Parker a tip about the game, which she revealed she was on level 4. Hardison was impressed. Parker offered wine to Madigan, changing the lens on the camera. Sophie tasted the wine, which Hardison revealed he made as sweet as his orange soda. Sophie had her hand up to her mouth, complaining it made her teeth ache. Parker asked if the test was failing, which Hardison said it was thanks to the lens she put on the camera.
The third test was a Geiger counter. Nate explained that all wine bottles after 1947 were slightly radioactive, and cesium isotopes from atmospheric nuclear testing. Parker asked where they got radioactive cesium. Hardison said the things he does for Nate. Hardison may have broken into a nuclear power plant. Parker asked if it was radioactive, why are they drinking it. Nate said it was safe, and there were trace amounts of cesium everywhere but on old wine, which was why Hardison dipped the auditor's gloves in a cesium isotope slurry, switching them out.
Parker questioned whether she was radioactive and why she didn't have superpowers. Hardison replied that "we all feel cheated". The Geiger counter went crazy, and Sophie questioned whether it was good. Nate said they did a good job, and they aged the oldest bottle of wine he's ever seen, Madigan would tell the bank, and Madigan could kiss his winery goodbye.
However, the auditor told Madigan it was genuine. The trio questioned what the hell happened. Nate was upset. Parker pointed out that Madigan was nowhere near losing his winery, and Nate confirmed it. Hardison also pointed out that the bottle failed every test, and how it was possible.
First Person POV (Kaira)
This was not good. I had heard all the commotion. As Eliot and I walked through the rows of grapes, we found Betty's hat and grabbed it.
"Nate. We tracked Betty." Eliot reported over comms.
Then I found her jacket. I noticed footprints.
"We got footprints. Shit, Leonard's guys got her. Three sets of prints. There was a struggle." I reported, low to the ground with Eliot.
"They've taken her, Nate. We've been shaking things up a bit. We put Madigan on Betty's trail." Eliot said.
"Okay, Eliot, Kaira, get her back." Nate said.
"Yep." Eliot said as we both started walking.
Third Person POV
Nate realized Madigan was so convinced his bottle was fake he bribed the auditor. Sophie met with Madigan, congratulating him on the bottle being real. Madigan brushed Sophie off, saying he was in the middle of something. Sophie questioned it, asking what was more important. Madigan told Sophie to take the say off and they were closing early. Sophie asked about Madigan, and Madigan got in her face, saying for her to go home. Madigan left.
Sophie reported to Nate that Madigan was giving everyone a vacation day, and something was going down. Nate knew the loan was safe, the collection was safe, and asked what he was up to.
Parker reported that something was up with the CO2 monitors. Hardison used the winery app he made to access his workstation. Parker reported that all of the CO2 monitors were offline. Hardison realized Madigan was about to manipulate the carbon dioxide levels to a lethal level. Parker pointed out that the winery was closed, wondering who Madigan was trying to hurt.
First Person POV (Kaira)
This was not good. I was walking through the winery with Eliot. He decided to go after Betty while I met with Parker and Hardison to help them. I hated leaving Eliot, but if the CO2 levels were gonna rise, which mean low oxygen, which meant only one of us could go in, as two of us would use up the air too fast. I walked up to Parker and Hardison.
"Betty. Madigan's gonna make it look like she messed with the CO2 monitors and died during her attempt." I explained.
"So any evidence she found is tainted as the work of a crazy person with a grudge. Eliot, they'll leave her down by the fermentation tanks." Nate said.
I was trying to keep calm, but I was freaking out inside.
"You know, I should be able to up the oxygen levels remotely. Fire up some of the air movers-" Hardison said, looking at his phone.
His phone started beeping and we stopped walking.
"Or not. Madigan sabotaged the HVAC system." Hardison explained.
"What?! Eliot's gonna be down there breathing in CO2! How the hell are we gonna get him air?" I questioned, yelling.
We went down the stairs.
"The tower. Intern Parker learned about the ventilation tower. If we can get up there…" Parker explained.
"We can open the door manually." Hardison said.
We started running.
"Babe, take as many breaths as you can before going in the tanks, the air's gonna get thin, but I swear I am working on it." I made the promise.
We started running. I heard Eliot over comms get a goon's attention. We made it to the staircase.
"How much time do we have before Eliot runs out of air?" Parker asked.
I did the math in my head. There were goons coming down the steps and I heard Eliot fighting. I heard him panting, trying to get air. My brain feels like it's overloading, and I can't do the math that I've done a hundred times. I realize I need to focus. Eliot's shallow breathing fills my ear.
"Babe, slow, long breaths, okay? Get as much air in as you can." I tried explaining.
Eliot went silent, though I could hear his breathing.
"Eliot, hold on. We're coming. Eliot? Eliot!" Hardison started getting his attention.
"Babe! Don't you dare pass out on me or I am going to kill you." I gave a half-hearted warning.
"Eliot's running out of air." Hardison told us.
Parker, Hardison, and I looked at each other. We silently made a plan. Hardison was gonna fight the goons alongside me, and Parker was gonna reach the top. We were panting.
"Let's do this." Parker said.
We walked to the doorway. Hardison and I ran ahead, each tackling a goon. Hardison gets nailed, allowing me to grab the scruff of the one goon's neck, banging his head against the railing. Parker was like a spider monkey, jumping from railing to railing.
The second goon had Hardison up against the railing. I landed a blow on the goon's back, getting him down, then Hardison was able to knee him in the solar plexus. Hardison and I ran up the steps, but I started doing what Parker did. I was hesitant to leave Hardison, but he gave me a nod to go.
I could hear Leonard over Eliot's comm say he'd pass out in 30 seconds. Eliot said he'd only need 10. That pushed me to go harder. I met Parker on the stairs, using the railings. We made it to the top and realized one of the doors was locked.
Parker found one that was unlocked, and I am so focused on everything else that I didn't see the goon chasing us, which Hardison choked him out. Parker and I found two doors that were open and all but threw the doors open. I sighed in relief. Parker and Hardison leaned against the door.
"I think it's about time Inten Parker start getting paid." Hardison quipped to Parker.
I got out a bobby pin I kept in my hair to keep it out of my face and opened up the locked one. I heard Eliot panting.
"Please say something to me, babe. Please." I was leaning against the railing outside, all but begging silently.
"I'm here, Sweetheart." Eliot's voice came over comms, weak and out of breath.
I chuckled, relieved.
"Thank God." I try to hold back the tears as I hear Eliot comfort Betty and make sure she's okay.
"That's it. Everybody out, we're done." Eliot said.
We started heading back down the stairs.
"I'd give that a B-plus overall." Nate said.
I stare ahead in disbelief. And I'm tired, not in the mood.
"Oh, screw you, Nathan. We saved a woman, and we're all alive. Screw your B plus, we're getting A's." I bitched a bit.
"Have we been watching the same game? We barely saved Betty. We didn't even get back the bottle." Eliot complained.
"Well, excuse me for being grateful I ain't gotta haul both your asses out of there. And Madigan is still convinced the bottle is fake, so he's gonna unload it cause it's a ticking time bomb." I got a bit loud.
"That's exactly the idea." Nate confirmed.
Parker, Hardison, Eliot, Sophie, and I met outside the winery, where we got an ambulance for Betty and got her to a hospital. After Betty was taken care of, I saw Eliot by the car. I ran up to him and hugged him hard, burying my face in his neck.
"You scared me, Eliot." Was all I could get out.
"I know. It's just been a long day, Sweets." Eliot said quietly.
"Yeah it has." I responded, letting go slightly.
I felt like if I let go of Eliot, he wouldn't come back. Eliot held my hand and we left the winery.
Third Person POV
Nate met with Madigan, selling him the bottle. When Nate handed the check-over, undercover FBI arrested Madigan for fraud. Nate told Madigan the auditor confessed to the bribe. Nate got to keep the bottle.
Later that night, Nate gave all the evidence to Kristin, and had her meet Betty, who revealed with the money he gave her, they were able to reopen the winery, and it was 100% employee-owned, thanking him. Nate said to take care of the place.
Nate met with Sophie at the bar. She asked about the money, which Nate said he found a buyer for the bottle. Then he poured himself and Sophie a glass of wine, not Hardison's brew. Nate toasted to Kristen's dad and in honor of good friends. Sophie added with hope for the future.
They drank, and Sophie really liked the wine, saying it tasted good, which Nate added it was special. Sophie put together that it was the Jefferson wine, and Nate sold the actual bottle, not the liquid. Though she quickly realized Nate wasn't gonna tell her. Nate then told Sophie he knew the difference between real and fake. They clinked glasses and drank.
First Person POV (Kaira)
I felt bad for going off on Eliot like I had. I was laying in bed, waiting for Eliot. He did eventually join me. We cuddled close, Eliot's chin in my back.
"I'm sorry about going off like I did. I just - I could hear your breathing in the comm, and I had visions of me running in there to find you passed out, or worse." I explained, keeping calm.
"I'm sorry, too. I wasn't trying to-" Eliot struggled to find the word.
"Dismiss you. Yeah, we were all okay, and I think I was still trying to get my oxygen up. I know it's not an excuse." Eliot said.
"It isn't, but I get it. I was scared, and by the time everything was over, my brain was fried. We need a vacation." I chuckled a bit, and I heard Eliot chuckle.
"Sounds good, sweetheart." Eliot agreed.
We both drifted off to sleep.
But around midnight, I jerked awake, feeling nauseous. I felt like I had to puke, so as quietly as I could, so I didn't wake up Eliot, I went into the bathroom and shut the door, and puked my guts out into the toilet. And after I puked, I realized I kinda felt better. I at least didn't have to puke more. I got up and brushed my teeth so I didn't feel yucky going back to bed. The idea that popped into my head was vexing me. I looked in the cabinet, then the trash can, and I looked at the calendar on my phone. I did the math in my head. Shit! I was late.