Chapter 8
The rest of the evening was spent relatively quiet. Rick was with his father doing campaign strategies. Beth took notes and made minor contributions herself to the discussion while Maggie scheduled some meeting for her boss.
Their mother was left up to doing what she does best…organise awareness for charities close to her heart. Michonne and the other agents were walking the ground when a large black escalade drove up towards the gate of the Grimes estate.
They recognized the licence plate immediately. When the main gate opened, the vehicle roared in. An agent exited the front passenger seat and opened the back passenger seat on the other side. A well-dressed man in his early to late sixties came out. Michonne frown quietly to herself.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Head Director of the CIA Mr Giles Thomas looked around at the well-manicured compound of the Grimes residence. Agent Ford and Walsh walked out to meet him. He extended his hand. They shook hands firmly.
"Director Thomas. I wasn't expecting you."
"That's the idea. I thought you would have been accustomed to it by now."
"I am. I just don't like it."
"You wouldn't if you have something to hide."
Agent Ford let that snide remark pass as he led the Director up to the house. Once inside Agent Ford took him to the Senator office where Ian, Rick and Beth were. Recognizing who he was Beth excused herself and left the room. Ian and Giles embraced in a hug and exchange greetings.
"Sorry I couldn't check up on you soon after the assassination attempt on you and your son's life."
Ian smiled acknowledging his apology. Then the Director turned to Rick and shook his hand. Before Rick entered the political arena, their paths have only crossed a few times.
"I want to officially welcome you to your father's world."
"Thank you."
How have you been?"
"I am ok considering someone probably tried to kill me."
Maggie walked in the office.
"Director Thomas! Nice of you to drop by!"
The Director kissed Maggie on the cheeks. He turned back to Rick.
" I saw the interview you gave recently. Well-articulated." He paused for a couple seconds. "Agent Atwell is on your assigned protective detail. How has she been faring so far?"
"She's great! She saved my life at the political meeting. Dad made the right choice requesting her."
Thomas's face remained stoic at the praise Agent Atwell was just given. Rick and Maggie noticed it. However Agent Ford and Ian wasn't surprised by his cold reaction.
"Is something wrong?" Rick asked confused.
"No." Thomas smiled slightly at him.
Rick phone began to ring and on checking, he realized that it was one of the potential investors that he had met earlier on in the day.
"I have to take this. Please excuse me."
They watched as Rick left the room. The Director then spoke.
"I need to talk to you about the Agents on you and your son's detail for your campaign."
He gave a quick glance over and Maggie and she got the hidden message.
"I guess that is my cue to leave."
Maggie exited the room. Once they were alone Thomas got right to the point.
"I am thinking about re-assigning Agent Atwell."
"Why?" Ian asked already knowing the reason.
"I got the report Agent Ford sent me and I just think that there are things that she could have done different…better."
Agent Ford became enraged.
"That's bullshit and you know it!"
Thomas ignored Ford's outburst, instead choosing to focus on Ian.
"She saved my son's life. He didn't have scratch on him when they got to the house. What on earth could she have done better? Could you have done better?"
Thomas said nothing.
"She is the best person to be at my son's side. She came highly recommended. I find no fault with her and neither does Rick so there is no reason to move her."
"You know I don't need your permission or approval to reassign her right?"
The tone in the Thomas's voice finally pushed Agent Ford over the edge. He couldn't listen to this anymore.
"I'm not going to stand here and listen to this!" He began walking out of the room. When he reached by the door, he turned around and issued a warning to his superior. "Know this…I will resist any attempts to remove Agent Atwell from this detail. She has worked hard and earned her place! She is an asset and should be treated as such! I know you're my boss but you have a boss too so if I have to go over your head and all the way to the Secretary of Homeland Security it will do it!"
Thomas and Ford glared at each other for a couple of seconds before Agent Ford stormed out of the room. Little did him or anyone else knew is that Maggie was nearby listening to the conversation. She pulled back out of sight when Agent Ford rushed past her unseen. She waited for a couple of minutes then followed him outside.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thomas turned around to see Ian looking at him. Saying nothing, he walked over to the window and watched Michonne quietly. She was walking the perimeter along with Rascolli talking briefly on the walkie talkie every few minutes.
He saw Beth came out and offered them sandwiches which they refused. He balled up his fist in anger. He wanted to find a fault in her or her behaviour but he couldn't. Ian appeared at his side.
"If you take her off, where are you going to assign her?"
"I don't know."
"You want to reassign an agent but don't know where you are going to put her? Does that make any sense to you?"
"I don't need to justify my decisions to you Ian."
"Yeah but you may have to if Agent Ford has his way."
"Don't worry about Ford. He can't do shit and he knows that. He's only blowing off hot air."
"I am strongly requesting for Agent Atwell to stay on my security detail. At this point, I don't trust anyone else with Rick's life."
Giles looked at Ian.
"Strongly?"
"Yes. Strongly."
Giles said nothing as he walked out of the office.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Maggie caught Agent Ford brewing mad in their flower garden. He heard her approach but didn't turn around. She had overheard the conversation so it made no sense pretending that she didn't. She decided to just go straight to the point.
"What is Director Thomas's issue with Michonne?"
"He's a f*cking dinosaur living in the 21th century. That's his issue with Michonne."
"What?"
He turned to her.
"The good director believes that a woman's place is in the kitchen."
Maggie stared at him in disbelief.
"Why do you think he didn't want to discuss anything in front of you?"
"You have to be shitting me?! This is 2017…not 1817! What the f*ck?!"
"Well, he's been stuck in 1817."
"But what does that have to do with Michonne?"
"He wants to re-assigned her. He believes that women have no place being in the CIA or FBI or DEA or any other protective service…except maybe for being secretaries or typist etc."
"He's a sexist pig!"
"He is and since he can't do anything to prevent them from applying to be agents the next best thing is to frustrate them out. He attacks them professionally and personally!"
"He can't do that!"
"He can and he does. If he can't get them professionally, he will attack them personally. Male agents commits all kinds of indiscretions…sexually and otherwise. They get a slap on the wrist and it's swept under the rug. When female agents do the same and most times even less, they are sanctioned, demoted or even worst…fired. It doesn't matter if it was their fault or not. His reasoning is that female agents are more sensitive and emotionally unstable and tends to get more distracted from doing their jobs properly if their home or personal lives are in shambles."
"So why don't you guys do something about him!"
Ford looked at her exacerbated.
"You think we haven't tried?! Giles is the recipient of three purple hearts…two for saving his partner and a diplomat in Eygpt and one for saving the god damn President of the United States 11 years ago! He took a bullet for the most powerful man in the world. He is one of the few persons who actually have a Medal of Commendation! He has been practically walking on water ever since. He could kill in cold blood and they will label it self-defence. We have complained but the way he does it, he makes it comes off as he's doing it to improve the quality of the CIA!"
Maggie heard the frustration in his voice.
"And people buy into that crap?!"
"Unfortunately…they do. Agent Walsh, myself and a few other senior agents try to subtly shield the female agents as best as we could but we still lost some. Michonne is one of the few female agents that have managed to keep both their professional and personal clean and free from scandal thus keeping him at bay...atleast for now. Most of them become undone by their personal lives. It must be clean to the letter. No scandals whatsoever and it doesn't matter if they are at fault or not. We encourage them not to talk about their personal lives to no-one. Some of their own colleagues have betrayed their confidence in the past."
Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and they watched as Director Thomas approached Michonne. Maggie was about to walk towards them when Agent Ford stopped her.
"We need to help protect her. She saved Rick's life!" She protested.
"If we approach, it will make her look weak."
"We both know she isn't."
"Yeah. Don't worry. Michonne isn't a very talkative person to begin with, especially with her personal life so he will get nothing from her. She knows that he is out to get her and any other female agents he could degrade and humiliate. Besides, if she needs help, she knows that she could come to me."
Maggie looked pained and worried and she watched the exchange that was about to happened.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michonne looked on as Director Thomas approached her. She knows the drill and she's prepared for whatever nonsense he wants to throw at her.
"Agent Atwell."
"Director Thomas."
"How are you?"
"Good."
"I got Agent Ford's report on your handling of the assassination attempt on the Senator and his son. You did good work."
Michonne said nothing as she waited patiently for the punch line.
"However, there are some things that you could have improved on in the execution of your duties."
"Like what sir?" Michonne asked sweetly.
Giles paused slightly. Technically, Michonne didn't commit any grave mistakes but he wasn't satisfied with that.
"Well your response time could have been faster. Rick could have been hurt."
"But he wasn't."
"I know that but if you had responded a millisecond later it could have been fatal for him."
His voice was firm and condescending.
"Did he have a scratch, cut or bruise on him sir?"
"No."
"Was he hurt in any way?"
Giles paused before answering.
"No."
"So technically…I did my job. That includes my response time being on point in getting Mr Grimes to safety…right?"
Michonne tried her best to be respectful as possible. They looked at each other for a couple of minutes.
"Right." Then he stepped towards her and whispered. "You will slip up on day Agent and when you do…I'll be right there."
He smiled and walked back up to the house.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maggie felt sick watching the conversation between Michonne and her boss. Now she understands the reason for Michonne sealing the matter of her divorce. She didn't want it to be used against her even though she was the aggrieved party. He would interpret her giving in to all of her ex's demand a sign of weakness.
However the Director will not see it that way. Instead he will use the trauma of being cheated on as a ploy to pull her off Rick's detail and even worst placed on inactive duty. Maggie knew she needed to help Michonne, especially since Rick is interested in her.
Although she promised Trevor that she wouldn't talk but what she has now learnt has possible change the game. Rick would be absolutely furious with her if he finds out that Michonne is being targeted by her superiors and she knew and didn't tell him.
She saw Michonne's body slowly relaxed with the disappearance of the Director into the house. Agent Rascolli walked over to her and said something to her to which she nodded in the affirmative. Maggie walked back into the house and saw Giles interacting with the other agents.
He was smiling and laughing and cracking jokes…something that he didn't do with Michonne. It was then Maggie decided that she was going to help her possible future sister-in-law.