- - - - - - - - - - Déjà vu- - - - - - - - - - -
In true CIA style, no one would know by looking at the Plummers' house that it had just become an extension of the agency's offices. Even so, Shane couldn't believe what was happening.
"You should have backed her up, Lieutenant," sighed Michael Tanner, Reese's supervisor-cum-guardian.
"With all due respect, sir, we've gone over this—"
"Humor me."
"I was standing by to back her up. She never contacted me. When I got suspicious, I scoped it out carefully from the corner. The van was gone. At first, I wanted to assume that she'd just left with your men and not told me. Then I found the bodies. Both men, dead, with hasty execution-style blows to the head. Reese said this dirtbag was brilliant, sir."
"And what about the boy?"
"Reese had told me to stay completely out of sight, sir. I ha no idea Seth was even there—"
"She's sixteen, Shane," Tanner pressed. "Field agent or not, you can't let her change the protocol like that. Look where it's got us! We've got a missing agent and a missing civilian on our hands!"
Shane sank to the couch, throwing a glance back at the kitchen, where Claire was trying to calm Seth's mother. "I understand the situation as it stands, sir. I made a call, and it went bad. The question is, what now?"
For the first time, Tanner actually looked unsure of himself. "Hopefully not what we did last time."
"Sir?"
"The first mission I supervised was the Bryants', tailing a mob boss with a knack for slipping through the cracks. They'd just opted to trade out with another team—Reese hadn't been on a real vacation since the age of three—when they were all kidnapped. We negotiated with the mobster for over two weeks trying to recover them alive. I've never been so scared in my life. Reese was still just a child."
Dread was beginning to rise in Shane's chest. "What happened?"
"Toby and Kate were both dead by the time we got there. Shot execution-style before the mobster's own lackey turned on 'im. And Reese was barely holding together herself. It's the same nightmare all over again." Tanner sank into another seat, head in hands.
"We'll find 'em both," Shane said firmly. "Alive."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Seth was unnerved by the predatory way Trenton kept circling their chairs. The sun had set long ago now, revealing a single light beaming straight down from the vast ceiling. Hollywood couldn't have done better.
"I'm surprised at you, Reese," the older boy said coolly. "One would have thought you, of all people, would be accommodating to the situation's potential. You know what could be avoided."
"Somehow I don't see how giving in to you would change anything in the outcome—that's from knowing the situation's potential." Reese's voice was shaking. Seth twisted in his seat, Trenton having stopped in front of his other captive.
"Come now, you know me better than anyone else, I think. I can be merciful when persuaded to."
"Bah," snorted Reese. Her temper finally got the better of her. "Tell that to my parents. They told you everything you and your boss wanted to know after three days, and we were here for weeks. You enjoyed watching them suffer—ahh!"
Trenton slapped her so hard she would have fallen from her chair, if she hadn't been tied to it. "They deserved it, the sneaks! Sure, it's all in the name of freedom and equal opportunity…as long as no one opposes you. Some of us lowly mortals were the hope and pride of our families. We had a chance to make it! I was supposed to be on the same track as you; my genius capabilities more than merited it, even at age twelve. But I was refused, all because I came from the poor, mob-flooded population. Too risky to let one of them in. Better stick to those bred and groomed for the job."
He glared stiffly at Reese. "That day crushed what scant dreams I had into dust. And it didn't stop there. A secret raid on the mob hit our neighborhood barely two weeks later. Six people I'd known my entire life were either killed or arrested before it was over. Six! The feds had no mercy for us. And their mission didn't even succeed! People like me were left to replace the very threats they had tried to eradicate! It was the only option we had left. All that stopped me from killing you three years ago was 'cuz I saw a chance for revenge. A chance to humiliate them with their own pride and joy, and maybe take it away altogether. The fact that Shane Wolfe got dragged into this made it even better. And once I have the super computer, combined with technology I designed myself, I will show the whole federal government that what they did to me was the biggest mistake they ever made!"
Reese's shoulders were shaking. Seth saw glistening tears slip down the red welt on her cheek. If Trenton was surprised, he hid it very well.
"Don't think that you'll gain sympathy now. You've chosen your fate."
"I just don't get it!" Reese burst out. "We're both victims for what others around us chose to do, not what we chose to do! This isn't your fault or mine!"
"You're stalling, Agent Bryant." Trenton leveled a knife at her face. Seth saw her resolution crumbling quickly.
"Don't just give up now, Reese!" he told her as calmly as he could make himself sound. "He can't kill you while you're his only link to the computer. You're too valuable! All you have to do is hold out."
It was a stupid move, and he knew it, opening his mouth in front of Trenton. But the older boy appeared to have been caught off guard. His knife hand lowered somewhat, and indecision flitted across his features. This was quickly covered by a hard mask.
"Unfortunately, he's right. I can't get too carried away if I want to gain anything coherent from you, at least for now…he's a different story!"
Seth stiffened as the knife was suddenly pressed to his throat. Yup, stupid move. A strangled cry issued from behind. Reese was struggling to free herself for the first time.
"No!"
Trenton smiled unpleasantly. "You're making this exceedingly difficult on yourself, you know. Now let's stop the games and—"
"Keeping the computer safe is more important than I will ever be; don't sacrifice it to spare me the pain if it won't make a difference!" Seth didn't know what else to say, but was spared the task by Trenton's fist slamming into the side of his head. For the second time in less than 12 hours, stars danced in his vision. Two more punches to various parts of his face followed before Trenton heeded Reese's pleas to stop. Blood was dripping onto the front of Seth's exposed t-shirt.
"Considered your words carefully in the future," Trenton warned with lethal intensity. "If falter, if you lie, if you try to cross me, you will be punished. And he will get twice what you do. I'll give you until morning to think about that."
His footsteps echoed, followed by a door booming shut. Seth attempted to wipe his rapidly-bruising face, smearing a fair amount of blood on his button-up. Behind him, the sounds of Reese's crying had resumed.
"Are you okay?" Without waiting for him to answer, she added, "It's all j-just like l-last time. Trenton w-won't hesitate trying to kill if he—hic—has to. I c-can't do this again, Seth."
"Believe me, I'm just as scared. If we weren't, I'd think we were crazy. But we can't just give in to him. You're an actress—make something up for awhile."
"But I'm panicking. He's always been able to see through anything when I do."
"It doesn't have to be foolproof, just convincing enough to stall 'im until the CIA tracks you down."
"Oh, that'll go over well," Reese shot back sarcastically. "I practically handed Trenton the key to the world. Ever wonder what the CIA was doing on a domestic case? That's because it's not; terrorist groups would line up an' pay anything for this kind of technology. Maybe we'll be able to track some of them down now. But think about it. Everything the government has been trying to stamp out, gaining complete access to the world's most powerful countries. And I helped bring that about. Ya think they'll take my involvement kindly?"
"Trenton's already taken care of that, whether he meant to or not. He made it look like he took you by surprise—captured just for doing your job. They'll see that—"
"Nothing will stop him from telling when they catch 'im. In fact, that'd be just like him to squeal. It's my word against his. Fits right in with his plan to humiliate the government. I'm their crown jewel, their success story."
Seth was stumped for a minute. "We'll figure out something…it's not like we've got much else to do. Sleep'll be a miracle with the nights getting colder. Man, there's so much I take for granted at home." He managed a chuckle. When Reese didn't answer, he took her hand reassuringly again. "Hang in there. If anyone can track us down fast, it's Shane when he's on a mission. I never thought I'd actually miss those dumb tracers he made us wear."
Despite her tears, Reese giggled this time. The sound made Seth smile, cracking the blood already drying on his face. "Think it over for tonight, and try to sleep if you can. Now is not the time to freak out, okay?"
"Okay," Reese replied in a small voice. "And Seth?"
"Yeah?" Seth twisted around to find her looking straight at him.
"I still mean what I said about liking you. All the stuff that Trenton said earlier…falling in love wasn't in the plan. But I did." Reese paused, then snorted to herself. "It's probably the only real thing in this whole mess."
"I know. And I still believe you."
"You do?"
"Yeah," Seth chuckled. "It's this thing you do with your eyes. I can see so much farther into them when you're being truly honest. They lose that quality when you lie, though."
"Huh…cool. Well, goodnight, I guess."
"'Night, Reese."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Wakey-wakey, Plummer."
Seth groaned as a hand roughly tapped his sore cheek. Light was just beginning to filter through the dirty windows, so the overhead light still cast shadows on Trenton's down-turned face. The close proximity made Seth jump, promptly smashing his fingers between the chairs. His grimace made Trenton laugh.
"Have a nice nap? Well, I told you you had 'til morning to think about your position." He resumed his path around the captives, using the knife from the night before to clean under his nails.
"I—I can't," Reese stammered. "I can't take this anymore. The treason, the inside jobs, the torturing blackmail that you heap up on top of everything else I've been forced to do. Maybe I'm better of dead anyway."
With lightning reflexes, Trenton had her by the throat so tightly that the back legs of her chair left the floor. "That can be arranged, if it's what you really want. Tell me what I want, and I promise your suffering will not be prolonged." Her chair slammed back to the floor. Then the older boy was once more in front of Seth. "Just remember our agreement: he gets double the punishment when you resist. Double the injuries…double the pain."
The knife flashed out once, twice. Seth gritted his teeth as the angled flat of the blade slapped each of his cheeks, leaving two white-hot streaks of pain. The faint sensation of blood trickling down his jaw followed barely moments later. Shock took his whole attention, leaving him unawares when a punch to the stomach hit its mark.
"And that's just because I don't like you," Trenton said off-handedly. "Too nosy for your own good. While Reese can always be accepted as a casualty of the field, you are a civilian, who thus complicates the situation. They'll really be after me now. All for precious—little—Seth—Plummer." He emphasized each word with another blow to Seth's body. Seth couldn't breathe. He was fighting panic and unconsciousness, losing awareness of his surroundings in the attempt to keep himself going.
"Don't! I'll tell you! Just don't take your bitterness out on him!" Reese's voice was shrill, and strangely muffled. The shadow in Seth's blurry vision moved out of sight as Trenton's attention was again diverted. His return to normal breathing was agonizing and slow. The threat of blacking out still loomed, though his head was just clear enough to make out the conversation behind him.
"This particular business doesn't concern you. But all the same, if you're willing to talk…"
"Not if you're going to lay into Seth at whim. Like you said—I'm the one you want. Leave him alone and…an' I'll tell you everything you need to know."
"Well, I'll give you credit for being better suited to this than I thought after all. Fast thinking, smooth invitation to negotiate." There was a metallic whap, closely followed by a stifled yelp of pain. "Don't forget that I make the calls here. I'm in control. I own you, Reese. As the situation stands, I'll give in to your request. For now. Whether it remains that way is yet to be seen."
Reese was slowly bringing her own breathing under control. "Every high-security transport is planned with the possibility of a snatch. I don't have a key anymore. My job was to lock it up and break the key card. That way it stays locked until the transport is complete."
"Sensible tactic. Literally render the safe unbreakable while in transit. I must admit, even I wouldn't have come up with such a plan. So, how does one get into the safe at the end of the trip?"
"There's an access code that the techs use—I couldn't get it, for security, obviously. But Shane does, just in case there's an emergency outside the office. The trick is the lock mechanism has to be custom programmed each time it's used. You can't make a new key until the previous one has been completed. I didn't know about that part until right before the drop. No plan runs completely without risks. I tried."
"Interesting," Trenton sneered. "I was under the impression that I would be notified of any potential problems. Plus, you conveniently decided to go ahead and lock it anyway. I don't like being lied to, Agent Bryant." Seth flinched at the sound of fists meeting flesh. At one point, the older boy struck her so hard that Reese's chair toppled sideways. Trenton pulled her up by her short hair, to be finally rewarded by a cry of pain. Then, silence.
Seth braced himself; he knew his turn was coming again. Double the injuries…double the pain. He wanted to fight back somehow, but no food, little sleep, and being tied to a chair was starting to take its toll, not to mention the beatings. The last thing he remembered clearly was Trenton's quiet footsteps. As soon as the blows began to fall, he knew he couldn't hold out this time…