Leon's keys jingled as he unlocked the door to his apartment, stepping inside lethargically. Cool evening air briefly swept in behind him before he closed the door and set his keys on the counter, then started sloughing off his jacket.
"I need…a vacation," he sighed. The clean-up after the latest bioterrorism attack was taking months, with half-viable paranoid leads dropping in constantly for him to investigate, usually leading to a dead end.
He was about to go flop into a chair and vegetate in front of the TV for an indeterminate number of hours, but a piece of mail he'd set on the counter earlier caught his attention. It was addressed to him in delicate handwriting that struck him as familiar, but it didn't have a return address. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands before tearing the top open. When he unfolded the letter, he took in a breath sharply, eyes widening.
There was a very familiar deep red lipstick print in the bottom right corner. He felt his face heating up as he read.
Leon
You always want to talk, but we're always both so busy with work. Why don't you visit for a bit when things are quieter, and we can have a chat? Don't take too long deciding, I won't stay in one place forever. Be sure you aren't followed.
P.S. Pack warm.
A set of coordinates was written down in the other corner, and some vague driving directions that he assumed would make sense when he got closer…if he decided to go to the coordinates.
He ran a hand through his hair. After all this time, she was finally willing to talk to him? The letter was so incredibly vague. How long would he even be there? A few hours, a few days? Does one pack a shower kit for a trip to…where did the coordinates go anyway?
At least one thing he could figure out. He moved to his desk and opened the laptop, plugging the coordinates into a map. They led him to the middle of bum-diddly nowhere, up on the side of a mountain. If he looked closely at the satellite image however, he could just barely make out a path, and some kind of small structure among the trees. It was a good four hour drive from where he was at least.
A camping trip. Okay.
He sat back in the chair and stared at the satellite image for a good long while, tapping his fingers on the desk. His other hand rubbed at the five o'clock shadow along his jaw.
'Pack warm' meant he would be there for more than a day, he guessed. He didn't have any way to contact her to let her know if he was going to show or when. He would have to get a leave cleared with the BSAA…
After several more minutes of staring, he picked up his phone and hit a contact he had on speed dial.
"Hunnigan, do you think I could get a few days off?"