None of these characters are mine, belong to USA/Covert Affairs. Just having some fun writing and imagining in spare time. Kind of an escape from real life. I have a couple more chapters written, but need to go over them this afternoon. Enjoy! And can't wait for Ep 9 tonight!
Chapter 4 Salt on Wounds
After returning from Azerbaijan, Annie went straight from the airstrip to meet Auggie outside of Roger Bennett's apartment. Auggie let her know that Hayley Price somehow found out that she had a medical issue. Not only did Hayley know about Annie's cover up, she also knew specific information. Annie had little time to think about how her secret could have gotten out, she pushed the information aside to focus on Auggies's other news. There was a more pressing issue. Roger had called Auggie with information that perhaps Chicago had not been tied up neatly with Mueller's death as they all assumed. Annie already had the feeling something was amiss during her fourteen hour flight stateside, so she wanted to hear what Roger had to say.
When she and Auggie arrived at Roger Bennett's apartment she immediately noticed that he was less on edge and more coherent than he had been. Bennett was certain they US government had taken out the wrong man. That resulted in a huge pit in Annie's stomach, she had followed the trail that resulted from Ivan Kravec's interrogation. She with furrowed brow, thought for a moment, he was a seasoned FSB agent, he did give up the Mueller information rather quickly. Annie lasted nearly two weeks in a Russian prison and gave up nothing. Something definitely wasn't right as she first suspected on the plane ride home, now she was positive there was more to Mueller and more to the Chicago bombing. She had A) her gut feeling, B) Roger's intel on Kravec's past, and C) the fact that it was all too tidy. There had to be more and someone had to know more. In the spy business, secrets always get out and there's always someone willing to give up those secrets with the right encouragement.
Annie thought back to the Mueller intel. It all seemed too urgent, learning the courier was on the way and needing to be behind his heels. Was there really no time to fact check Kravec's story? It was all wrapped up too nicely. The info on Mueller's other crimes panned out, but was he really responsible for killing his own people? He did seem a bit surprised when Annie accused him of killing twelve CIA agents. He had never committed a crime back on American soil. All these questions are on Joan and Calder who ultimately made the decision to trust Kravec's intel. While Annie and McQuaid successfully identified him and caused the removal of an enemy of the state from the gameboard, finding out he might not have been responsible for the Chicago bombing was a blow. That's not on Annie. Despite her rational thoughts, she felt responsible for taking yet another life. Some heads will roll, over the droning of Mueller. Annie just didn't know that it would be likely be hers. She was being primed as the sacrificial lamb.
When Annie returned to the office she went to look at Ivan Kravec's records. What did he know and why would he give a false lead? Who was he covering for? Then she remembered Khalid's last words. He said, he was a fool and if they could do this to him. . . the people involved were skilled and powerful. . . but what motive do they have and what is their master plan?
Episode 8 happens (love the writing). Annie is transferred to a desk, continues to dig deep with Roger's promise of finding who was really behind Chicago, but comes up with nothing and gets suspended. Annie enlists McQuaid for help twice during the process of supporting Roger's sources showing they are growing closer and that some trust between them had been established.
After being back at the agency for only a couple of weeks and trying her hardest to hide her condition, Annie was angry that she was suddenly benched and without due process. As usual, she could not let go. Her empathy and her gut gave her reason to believe in Roger Bennett. He did get them the intel on the Postman. But he led her on a wild chase before succumbing to his demons. He was killed and left behind a mess for her and no actionable intel. In fact, what he left behind solidified the point of view that he was mentally ill. She figured, he had really lost it and this was the end.
When Joan brought her in to speak to her, she thought she could talk her way out of it. But looking at Joan's face, she knew it was over. She was disappointed that Joan didn't support her or trust her gut. No matter how many times she had proved herself to Joan, it always ended up this way. Joan wanted Annie to trust her, yet she was never there to have her back fully. Joan was too much a part of the bureaucracy, she didn't want to take the risk or believe in Annie. Mostly, Annie felt horrible that she had affected Auggie's esteem at the agency yet again. She was suspended, but Auggie was left to face the wrath. It pissed Annie off, but there was nothing she could do about it. Joan let her know that there would be evaluations, debriefs, and polygraphs to be taken and that she recommended Annie go into therapy to deal with the end of her career as a field operative. Annie never completed any of her evaluations after returning. She stormed out and left Joan with her mouth agape.