Disclaimer: Still don't own it
Spencer Plans never worked.
Mona should have realized that when the FBI Agent first came up with the idea; especially with what happened back during highschool.
Currently, both Spencer and Toby were missing; neither having reported in for some time. Since they had yet to implement the next stage of the plan, it was assumed that the couple was off being together as they usually did on occasion. That thought was quickly dismissed though when both their vehicles had been found along with their wallets and stuff. That is when it was concluded that something had happened since they would never have gone off the grid like that; especially in the middle of a big case. Despite their faults, Toby Cavanaugh and Spencer Hastings were really responsible people; known to take their jobs very seriously.
Currently, Mona and Mike were sitting at their laptops in a NSA Mobile Command Center; the same one that was responsible for observing the suspected lair. It was a converted mobile home, placed in a lot not too far away, and could house large number of agents. The appearance on the outside matched the style of the other homes of the lot; even looking slightly worn. It had a blue roof with old light grey painted walls, and glass windows that were disguised to not look like they were bullet proof. On the inside, it looked much different with wooden floors instead of carpet, a complete open area except for the bathrooms, and a small kitchen made up of modern appliances. The walls were clean and white; with many cables and cords coming out various spots that fed into the many computers and monitors spread throughout the small building. There were satellite dishes on the roof, made to look like they were for television viewing, that were linked securely to the local NSA office.
They had arrived a little while ago after it was discovered that the other two members of their team were missing. Slightly worried that Tabitha Clark was making a move against all of them, Mike and Mona thought this was the safest as well as closest place to be so that they could still be on the front line. Besides themselves, there were eight other agents inside the command center with them; half were responsible for security thus heavily armed. Reinforcements were not too far away in case they were attacked; though that was unlikely at this point since A probably didn't know where they were. Though they were not in person, Tanner and Ashford were on two of the main monitors as well as Mona's boss in case she needed to pull rank. This was a possibility since the two did not look happy at their subordinates being missing.
"How could this have happened? I thought we were prepared for this," Tanner angrily stated from her office back at the State Police Headquarters. It was bad enough that one of her most prized officers was missing but the thought of him being in the hands of a psychopath was another.
"I agree with the Captain; I was assured that all precautions to prevent this from happening other than our own terms would not happen," Ashford said, sounding not happy as well. While this had been his agent's plan, he considered her irreplaceable like of the people under his command and should have taken better steps to assure her safety.
"And we did; we had not even initiated the plan yet when this happened. It seems that A decided to make the first move before we were even ready," Mona simply said the assembled in a rather bored tone of voice; which irritated Ashford and Tanner since it appeared to them that she was not taking this seriously. Mike as well as her own boss knew differently though since they knew her better than most people.
"And you never expected her to do that?" inquired the FBI Assistant-Director as he narrowed his eyes at her. If he was trying to intimidate the shorter young woman, he was failing miserably.
"No; so far, A had not made any attempt to go after the remaining members of our team given their connection to the original A Drama. This is quite an unpleasant surprise to say the least," admitted the NSA Agent. While she had expected to at least one thing go wrong with the plan, especially since it was Spencer's, this alteration was something that she had never even considered.
"Except for yourself; shouldn't that factor had been considered," Tanner raised as to make a point; which Mona conceded was valid.
"It was; but Tabitha Clark had only made a move against me because she considered me far more important than the rest of our group. We figured that A had plenty of templates for Spencer than for someone like me," Mona stated, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. She knew she was wasting time talking with them though Mike was doing his best to focus on his searching and ignoring what was going on around him.
"Well you were obviously wrong and now we have a real mess on our hands," Director Ashford said and Mona did everything she could not too appear bristled since it appeared that he was blaming her in some capacity. While Tanner nodded her head in agreement with Spencer's boss, she knew that her own Director would back her; especially if what she was prepared to do was needed.
"This is not a mess of our making. Every analyst we consulted agreed that Doctor Clark would not make any move against us unless we provoked her. The only part of our plan we went forward with was the first stage which involved revealing the whole case to the press. Agent Hastings was then to openly mock A which would then make her a target. That never happened and Officer Cavanaugh was not to be abducted as well. If anything, our beliefs were wrong as well as analysis provided by the FBI's BAU," the young woman pointed out irritably as she narrowed her eyes at the people on the monitors; which earned a concerned look from Mike.
"Are you trying to put blame on this Agency because the BAU knows how to do their job," Ashford said to Mona as if he were offended. Director Ward made a look that told Mona that she needed to be cautious.
"I am saying that we were all wrong and underestimated our opponent. Now we have to do our best to play catch up and get everyone back alive," corrected the NSA Agent in a softer tone; hoping that would smooth things over.
"I am afraid that is not going to happen; the FBI is officially taking over the case and I want all of your files so that the BAU can pick up from where you left off," Director Ashford declared in a strict tone; which earned a protest from Tanner.
"You cannot do that; this is and has been a case for the State Police. We have jurisdiction and will not permit the FBI to take over our case," the older woman countered as she turned her full attention to the FBI Director.
"One of our Agents has been kidnapped; we have every right to insure that she is returned safely and joint guidelines give us the authority to take over in that case," Ashford shot back politely but very sternly as well.
"Agent Spencer Hastings was a consultant and nothing more. I only allowed her to participate because on the advice of Officer Cavanaugh as well as because of her past connection to the original case dealing with Charles DiLaurentis ten years ago. This is and has been a State Investigation so we will not give it up under any circumstances," the Captain informed the FBI Director with obvious anger in her voice. Mona shot her boss a look as if she were seeking his permission on something; which he nodded his head as if in approval.
"I am afraid you are both mistaken; this is now a matter of the National Security Agency and I am now assuming all authority for this case," Mona announced to the two with as much authority as she could muster. They both turned to her out of surprise and anger; which Mona was prepared to meet.
"You can't do that; the NSA had no jurisdiction to take over this case at all," Ashford protested angrily with a nod in agreement from Tanner. Mona just smirked at them while Mike tried to look small as he possibly could since things were about to get majorly dicey.
"Actually I can under Article 23 of the New National Security Act of 2017; Doctor Tabitha Clark has committed crimes both within and out of the United States. Thus I am officially designating A aka Tabitha Clark a domestic Terrorist and under the preview of the NSA which I have the authority to do as head of all anti-terrorist activities in the region. If I need something, I will call you but until then I have command authority in this case; goodbye," Mona said as she then pressed a key on the console next to her and hung up; the monitors going black just as the two senior officials were about to protest.
"Technically, you need permission from the State Attorney General before making such a move unless there is an emergency situation," Director Ward pointed out as he tried to suppress the amused smile off of his face. He knew he was going to get calls from this here pretty soon and also knew he would need to have a pretty convincing story to give his superiors.
"I consider this an emergency and Tabitha Clark could be considered a Terrorist by her own actions so I didn't stretch the rules that much," stated the young woman while Mike was no longer sure where he played in this investigation.
"Well I'll cover your back in case there is protest from the top but you need to resolve this quickly before this reaches the Senate's ears. I think the Oversight Committee is getting tired of you appearing before them," Ward said with a soft smile. Though Mona Vanderwaal was considered one of the Agency's brightest stars, she was also one who made the most noise no matter the favorable results.
"Thank you," the young woman said and looked over at Mike; who looked uncertain in his role since the NSA was now in charge.
"What about him? You sending him back to Captain Tanner?" inquired the NSA Director out of curiosity.
"No; I am drafting him and I doubt that Tanner will object since she needs to know what is going on. I'll be in contact," Mona said and her boss nodded before signing off. She then turned her full attention to the young man next to her who still looked uncertain.
"Can you do all this? I don't want you in trouble," Mike said and Mona softly smirked at him in reassurance.
"I can do anything Mike; don't you know that by now? Now what have found?" Mona asked the young man in an effort to get back to the crisis at hand. She knew full well that they were on a time table and needed to act before the FBI came rushing in to recover Spencer; possibly getting her killed in the process.
"CSU went over Toby's apartment with a fine tooth comb and found absolutely nothing of relevance. This makes me think that that they were grabbed outside his apartment; perhaps one at a time. Given that they found his weapon outside on the ground, I believe that Spencer was taken first, then Toby when he went outside to see what happened to her," proposed the man as he showed Mona the evidence compiled. He showed her the pictures of the various areas including Spencer's car as well as the spot where Toby's gun was found.
"That makes sense; the quest though is did Tabitha Clark grab them herself or outsource to someone else? Also, why did she grab them in the first place since Spencer never had a chance to mock her on air which her plan called for," mused the young woman tried to come up with an explanation for it all. It was very rarely that something like this stumped her; which she hated since it now involved someone's life.
"I think she outsourced; the only person we have seen leave the suspected lair was that one woman who we think is Tabitha Clark. We know she went back inside after going out to eat soup at that restaurant and has not been seen leaving again. We also know that she has the local gangs on the payroll so there is a chance that she got one of them to grab Spencer and Toby," suggested Mike as he leaned back in his chair. To say he was stressed was an understatement given the situation at hand.
The plus side of all of this was that his sister and her family as well as the other girls were safely out of the State; having just checked in with them. He didn't tell them about what had happened since he couldn't risk them coming back and putting themselves in danger so he stayed quiet, saying everything was going according to plan. By luck or design, the press had yet to learn about what had happened; though all three agencies were keeping things as quiet as possible. It wouldn't last though since the whole A drama was already out there for the public to know; especially when two of the lead investigators were missing and possibly kidnapped by the suspect. So far, they seemed to be buying that the whole team was hiding away from the press and searching for A; though there was always the risk of leaks exposing the truth.
"Maybe we should go and ask them," Mona stated, catching everyone in the room by surprise and causing them to stare at her. So far, the other agents had stayed silent during the whole exchange though Mike had a feeling that they would obey Mona no matter what she said.
"You want to go and ask some gang leader if he grabbed our friends? That is crazy and will cause a shootout," Mike said to her, still in disbelief on what she just said.
"I am not suggesting that we go there and question them; I propose that we invite the leaders to our base of operations for a little chat," stated the NSA Agent sweetly as she looked over at one of the agents. Mike noticed that he then pulled out a phone and started talking into it; hearing something that indicated that they were going out to grab the gang leaders by force.
"That's insane; you can't do that Mona, no matter how much power you think you have. This is a nation of laws and rules; you can't just go around and break them for your convenience," he practically yelled at her, surprising everyone in the room. The other agents looked at one another questionably since they had no idea what to do.
"Yes I can and I will; this is what the real world looks like behind the scenes and I will everything to save our friends. You can't stop me," Mona said, raising her own voice as well and glaring at him. They were both on their feet now and the room seemed to get a lot colder as well as tense.
"Wow; maybe we should call you A then. After all, you are both power hungry," Mike snarled at her; not choosing his words carefully. Mona then slapped him hard as rage appeared on her face and it took everything she had not to have him thrown out of the mobile command center. The other agents froze and even the guards were unsure on what to do.
Mike's reaction was even more surprising; he reached out and kissed her.
Mona's eyes bulged and it took her a full minute for her brain to register what was happening while Mike continued to kiss her. After finally registering what was happening, the young woman began to return the kiss and closed her eyes. The wall that had developed between the two over the years had fallen away and their feelings for one another began pouring out. The other agents in the room looked away uncomfortably and wondered if they should say something; instead going back to what they were doing before the small argument had broken out. When they were done kissing, they opened their eyes and put their foreheads together as they stared into one another's eyes. It was another full minute before each of them spoke; though it was Mona who first said something.
"We need to save them and do whatever it takes in the process," she said to him and they held one another while the others did their best to go about their business.
"I know; I am sorry for what I said. I was just afraid that you were turning back into her after all of these years," Mike replied and Mona knew full well what he meant.
They had discussed it once; before they started dating back in highschool and were in group therapy together. Contrary to the popular belief at the time, there had been times where Mona had been truthful and conveyed her feelings to the others in the group. One of those fears had been that she had become the very thing she loathed and feared; that she had become a doppelganger of Alison DiLaurentis. Mike had discussed it with her on occasion when they began dating, encouraging her that she was not the blonde. Truth be told, he hated Alison as much as she did; seeing the effect the blonde had on his sister. Mike blamed her for what had happened in town; not Mona even when she was A.
They moved away from each other though they still held hands; after all, they had work to do.
Please Read and Review; also a shout out to my friend Paraddicted for the pre-read!