Introductions

I am FBI agent Hadrian Beckett. Before I tell this story, I would like to fill you in and explain why I perceive the world the way that I do.

When I was two years old, my parents went out and left me with my grandfather for an evening. He didn't know what to do with me so he made sure I was fed and put to bed, but he didn't do much else. Late in the night a pair of local police officers knocked on the door and informed him that there had been an accident. Suddenly the old man was saddled with a rambunctious toddler he didn't know and there was no other place for me to go.

My grandfather was one of those old fashioned men who provided for his family but left most of the home responsibilities to his wife. For more than forty years he worked long hard days in the local factory progressing from a young boy running menial errands to the floor manager keeping everything running. He knew that factory like the back of his hand, but he didn't know what a child needed beyond the basics of food, shelter, and an education. Growing up, he was always serious and distant, but he made sure that I had everything I needed and that I was raised right (in the sense of being a responsible citizen).

Over the years he used to share stories with me about the factory until I knew it nearly as well as he did. There were many stories but some of his main ones were the ones he told me about the people he didn't like. Apparently, there was a deaf man who had worked in the factory for a few years. My grandfather thought he was dumb because he couldn't understand him. Then, there was a former criminal. Grandfather always watched him like a hawk because he expected him to clean out the safe given the chance. Finally, there was the book smart "upstart" who replaced him when he retired. The man was fresh from college and had all kinds of ways to improve the factory, but no idea how it worked. His efforts had caused a lot of good local men to be laid off and a cut back in production until he too had been replaced. Needless to say, being raised to think that people with handicaps shouldn't work, criminals shouldn't get a second chance, and that intelligent people had their heads in a book with no real world application was going to catch up to me eventually.

When I struck out on my own, I went to college majoring in law before applying for the FBI. I buckled down and excelled at Quantico, completed my first year as a probie, and was eventually ready to find a team. The problem was that I had nowhere in particular to go. Being flexible in the FBI means living light and being transferred whenever and where ever there is a need.

The case that changed my life came to me in the form of an invite to join a task force. We were working as a united team with representatives from the Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC offices. I was told that our group consisted of the best field analyst, consultant, and mathematician the FBI could put forward. Being invited to work with this team was a privilege and I was aware of the value of such an opportunity.

My opinion changed when I researched everything I could about said teams. After hearing my grandfather's stories growing up, I was disheartened to discover that the analyst is deaf, the consultant a criminal, and the mathematician a book worm who still lives in the classroom. I couldn't believe that I was being brought in to work with such a team when I had excelled in Quantico and showed such a promising career with the FBI.

Some might call me prejudice, but my grandfather always told me that people have a place and they should be in their place. Well, the FBI just isn't for people who can't hear instruction, might be collaborating with the criminals we're chasing, and if the man can't get his nose out of a book, what help is he going to be on the streets? No these people shouldn't be in the field… and maybe not even in the office.

By the time I walked into the room I had the opinion that the 'legends' didn't deserve the reputation they had. I thought that the agents who worked with these people buffered their counterparts out of pity… which means I couldn't respect them either. My work with the task force wasn't starting out well.

It got worse when the agents in command ordered me, as the rookie, to work with them.

Since I was going to be saddled with the misfits, it only made sense to introduce myself and get started. Generalizing how the old saying goes, the sooner we began the work the sooner we could finish.

The first team that I meant was the representatives from DC.

Agent Jack Hudson is an avid hockey player from Wisconsin, has a reputable history as a lawyer, former SWAT sniper, and a strong leadership of his team. His record for closing cases is great and his team even took down the 'Prince of Terror' which was a huge win for the good guys.

Keeping close to him is his team mate and analyst Miss Sue Thomas. She was born hearing but unexplainably went deaf when she was very young and her overly determined mother worked hard to ensure she had as normal of a life as possible. With three older brothers she was often involved in tom boyish activities, she was a champion ice skater as a child, her mother forced her to take piano lessons, but she wasn't stellar at academics. Following her mother's determination for her to lead a normal life she was enrolled in public school where her disabilities proved a hindrance to her education. Growing up, she chose a career with the FBI where she was first hired for Special Projects to work in finger print analysis (more like what I would expect). A chance encounter bought Jack into the picture and he opened the doors for her to join his team. Since working in the field she has been connected to some legendary busts, but she has also been rumored to be the cause for trouble. Perhaps her records from Quantico shouldn't have been so ignored after all.

Jack was the first one of the team to approach me. "Hi, I'm Jack Hudson. This is Sue Thomas and Levi. It's nice to meet you." He seemed pleasant enough, but I still didn't like him.

I shook his hand and greeted them back. Despite my research, it was a surprise to see Sue leading around a dog. Upon inquiry about the canine I was informed that he is her hearing dog. His job is to function as her ears by completing tasks such as signaling her when someone is trying to gain her attention.

We spoke for a few minutes but I focused on Jack as I figured Sue wouldn't know what I was saying. When I asked Jack to translate for me she spoke up while Jack slightly smirked at my surprised expression.

There was something off in her pronunciation as several words weren't quite right. (I suppose that was because she couldn't hear to know how they were correctly said). "I can read your lips if you are looking at me when you speak. If it helps, I also sign ASL." As she described her abilities, she was moving her hands around presumably in sign language.

That was new. My grandfather said that the guy he worked with just watched what others did and mimicked them as no one could communicate with him. Apparently this woman had not one, but two methods of communication. She could speak and read lips for the hearing world while also being able to sign for those who couldn't hear. Perhaps there was more to her reputation after all?

While I was contemplating my new discoveries with the hearing versus deaf world, I noticed the mathematician and his brother from LA coming in my general direction.

Don Eppes is the senior brother of the duo. From what I have been able to gather, he was the jock in school before going on to play minor league baseball as a utility player. Although he was good, he wasn't necessarily good enough to make a career at the sport so he walked away one day and signed up for the FBI. His career started in Fugitive Recovery, went to teaching at the academy, and moved through various field positions from the Albuquerque office to the LA office where he has remained. He is a strong leader with an amazing team closure rate and not afraid to take a risk which shows in his choice to bring his little brother on as a consultant.

Charlie Eppes was discovered as being exceptional when he could multiply four digit numbers in his head at the age of three. From there he flourished in the academic world as a math prodigy excelling at everything early before settling as a tenured professor in Applied Mathematics for Calsi. For part of his career, the doctor teaches classes and is often involved with published works whether they are his own or as a math consultant on someone else's project. Outside of the classroom the Dr. is a respected consultant for the FBI with occasional involvement with the NSA, CDC, and several other government organizes. His reputation is that he can solve almost any problem using math and he has proven himself to generally be successful at it.

As they walked towards me, the Eppes brothers were laughing and rambling along about some scientific formula but it all sounded like gibberish to me. (My grandfather was right, book worms really are annoying).

Don shook my hand with a strong grip and Charlie seemed to have less muscle but more enthusiasm. Sue might not fit my grandfather's depiction of a deaf person, but Eppes seems to hit his notions right on. I kept my conversation with them brief before moving on to meet the con and his handler.

The White Collar team was the last group for me to meet. Since we were task forced on a different floor than their offices are located on, I only worked with Agent Peter Burke and his Consulting Informant Mr. Neal Caffrey.

Peter is the lead agent for the local White Collar team. He had stellar academics and a degree in advanced mathematics, particularly related to accounting. When he finished school he played pro baseball but an injury cut his career short. (Like Don, he resorted to the FBI). His reputation for doing the right things no matter what and finding all of the facts has earned him the nickname "The Archeologist." Rumor has it that he aspires to DC and he'll probably make it with his track record if his choice in consultant doesn't hold him back.

Neal is an enigma. There is no record of his existence prior to the age of eighteen and the time since is full of "alleged" stories that can't be verified. He is suspected in crimes around the world covering a broad spectrum of mediums and by reputation the man is brilliantly intelligent, charming to a fault, and a master in the art world. I planned to keep my eyes on this one.

My introduction to this duo was unnerving. Neal dripped with charm and he seemed disgustingly pleasant. Talking to him almost made me sick. When he reached his hand out to shake, I intentionally made the contact as short as possible before subtly ensuring my watch was still where it belonged. You never know with criminals after all.

Peter was pleasant but I didn't want to hang around the criminal long. Fortunately, we were all called in for a group meeting to get everyone up to speed on what was going on.

As I walked away from them, I noticed that Peter was giving Neal a look of reprimand, almost like he had done something. That made me curious so I ran through a check of all of my belongings to find nothing was missing or out of place. If Neal had done anything, I didn't know what and that was what unnerved me.

Thinking through the introductions, Sue may have affected my opinion of her working in general, but I still didn't believe that these people should be in the FBI.

Anonymous: Trying to mesh Neal and Bryce is definitely a challenge that gets addicting... When I write a new story, my brain is always playing with the concept and making it difficult to finish one story as my mind is creating alternate scenes or new story ideas at the same time... If you ever decide to start writing those spin offs, feel free to use my ideas. I just ask that you keep the plots clean enough for me to read them too ;)

I'm glad that so many of you are liking my stories, thank you all for reading, reviewing/commenting, leaving kudos, following, and choosing to favorite :D