Now
New York City
"Yo, guys. Do you read me?"
Robert Barnes looked aside to Sayid who grinned smugly at him as they sat in the back of a van, before complex surveillance equipment.
Barnes sighed in frustration as Sayid flicked a switch on the console before him.
"Loud and clear, Mister Rose." Said Sayid into a mike, "Give each of the bugs you planted three taps to c-."
"Okay."
"How did the son of a bitch slip past the secret service detail and get into that bus?"
"It could be the creature of the night thing, it could be the CIA training, either way, you have to… What's the expression you Americans use? Ant up?" asked Sayid as he held his hand open.
"Ante. The expression is ante up." Said Barnes as he pressed a twenty dollar bill into Sayid's palm. The Iraqi gave the former spy a wink as he placed the bill in his shirt pocket and got out of the seat, allowing Barnes to sit in his place while a series of three taps were heard on one of the speakers every now and then.
"So, how is life in the majors?" asked Barnes, "What's it like to be a minuteman?"
"Not bad, I suppose. There is less confrontational operations than I wagered and for that I am relieved. What about you?"
"I'm about to spend the next couple of weeks following McNeil on the campaign trail, bugging her hotel rooms and keeping my watchful eye on her. I'll be fine as long as I manage to stay awake."
"Do you know what happened to the rest of the Cairo cell?"
"Almasry has completely dropped off the radar, but the Saudi probably has an eye on him."
"What about Aladdin?"
"He's been getting treatment from one of Nemo's former crewmen, an ex-psychotherapist who was lost his license for having sex with his patient, a female patient, that is. Apparently, he's doing a little better. Raimus had them installed in Florida."
"And Aisha?"
"Last I heard she was in Ankara. I don't want to think what she's doing there."
"Boys?" came Priest's voice over the speaker.
"Everything checks out, Mr. Rose. Head on to the hotel, we'll have a cold bear waiting for you."
"Oh, god. Not today." Muttered Mona to herself as she turned away and retreated through the crowd, away from the man of forty in a ceremonial police uniform.
Senator McNeil's voice drowned in the tidal wave of applause and cheers, she had to pause till the noise quieted down.
"Freedom is never granted. It is earned by each generation… in the face of tyranny, cruelty, oppression, extremism …"
"Mona?" asked Lucy as she caught up with Mona, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just saw a cop."
"You saw a cop?" asked Lucy as she looked back, "I see no less than twenty men in uniform."
"This was one who knew me for a few years."
"You saw a cop who knew you for a few years," asked Lucy, "Or did you see a cop whom you've loved for a few years."
"Goddamn it, Lucy!" barked Mona, electing the brief attention of a few surrounding her before all eyes returned to the senator's passionate speech.
"Would you stop doing that? Do you know how annoying it is to be around someone who reads you like a book all the time."
"I'm not reading you, okay." Said Lucy loudly, "But sister, right now you're not a book, you're like a parade float with blinking lights and bag pipes. I can't help but knowing what you're feeling."
Mona scratched her forehead.
"I… Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"It's okay, let's sit down."
The two women sat down as the crowd cheered once more,
"give youth a future and old age security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill their promise; they never will. The corrupt free themselves, but they enslave the people! Now, let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where hope prevails and..."
"If I was an American, I would vote for her." Said Lucy.
"If I wasn't a fugitive criminal, I'd vote for her too. Too bad she's in the bed with the devil."
"Yes. So, who is your boyfriend?"
Mona sighed.
"Mona, you can tell me or I can ask Priest."
"Priest doesn't know."
"Perhaps, but he will have fun with you over this."
"He… When we met, I was working for a woman who told me to kill him. He was a nice guy, didn't deserve to die, so I didn't kill him. A couple of years later, we got caught up in a gang war, we almost had sex at one point, and then I got shot and went into a coma. As soon as I was out of it I was trialed and sent to prison. And then one day, Nemo and Priest came and broke me out."
"That's it?" asked Lucy, smiling unwillingly and dropping a hand over Mona's shoulder, "You and your boyfriend haven't even slept together!"
"He's not my boyfriend, we never went out on a date; he never bought me flowers or anything. The closest thing we had to a date was me providing him with cover fire."
"What's his name?"
"Payne. Max. Well, Max Payne."
"No, really. Wait… That IS his name! Ha! Your boyfriend's name is Max Payne!"
"Yeah, well, my grandma wasn't a war criminal."
Lucy's smile disappeared and she said, "Hey, that's a cheap shot."
"…Yeah, it was. Sorry."
"….Byones."
"You what?"
"Byones. You know, forget about it."
"The word is bygones, sweetie. Now, how are we going to do this?"
Later
Mona wore large rimmed sunglasses and she sat in the lobby of the Dolphin hotel, sipping an espresso. Priest sat on the bench right next to her, solving a crossword puzzle. Five floors above both, Lucy stood pacing in a corridor on the fifth floor.
Outside, Shaun stood by a restaurant across the street from the hotel, watching the traffic. Inside, O'Brien and Sayid stood a distance away from the security office, with the first in a staff uniform, and his features changed into a different face entirely.
Priest's cell phone vibrated once. He casually picked it up and read the text message received before setting it down, just as casually.
"Barnes says she's incoming in three minutes." He muttered without looking at Mona and read the next clue.
"Alright, Ali and Charlie, you're up." Said Mona quietly.
Hearing her over the receivers in their ears, Charlie and Ali as O'Brien and Sayid's codenames were went on to fulfill their orders.
Sayid remained in place as O'Brien went into the security office, he kept a watchful eye on the door until he saw three security men coming out.
Once the security men were away, Sayid stepped into a nook, took off his jacket and turned it inside out so that it took on the appearance of a staff jacket. He put the jacket on and headed into the security office where O'Brien had already made himself comfortable in a leather chair.
"I hope you're in place because MacNeil's ride just pulled up outside." Said Mona, still sitting in the lobby. Priest watched out the corner of his eye as Senator MacNeil entered through the revolving door moments later, surrounded by a barrage of secret service men. A few of the senator's admirers rushed to meet her but were only granted a gentle smile and a wave as the secret servicemen kept them at bay.
"Alright, get ready. She just got into elevator no. 3."
In the security office, Sayid tapped on a keyboard until a menu appeared that was for controlling the elevators.
"Ali, Make it stop on the fifth floor. Anna, she's coming in on no. 3."
Sayid pressed a few keys more and spoke, "Done."
Back in the lobby, Priest got up and tossed his newspaper in a trashcan.
"Are you sure getting a glimpse of McNeil is going to be enough for her to get a read?"
"She probably wouldn't have a read anyway, but better take any chance we get."
"What did you found out from her staff?"
"Not much. It's possible McNeil's the only one who knows about her own connection with the League."
On the fifth floor, Lucy waited by the third elevator. In a few moments, she looked into it as it opened and put on a shy smile. She focused her senses on the woman inside, reading her psyche for any valuable knowledge.
"Ar-" said Lucy before she was cut off by an agent raising his hand and saying,
"I'm sorry, ma'am. You'll have to wait for the next elevator."
"Oh, it's alright, Agent Pierce." Said McNeil with another of her captivating smiles, "You can come in."
The agent stepped aside allowing Lucy in. Lucy awkwardly walked in and stood in the corner facing the door, not expecting this opportunity.
"Going up?" asked McNeil.
"Yes. The 13th floor."
"Ah, you mean the 14th." Said McNeil as Agent Pierce pressed the button.
"Yes, that's what I meant."
"Are you alright, dear?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Said Lucy, trying to brush aside the slight nausea she was feeling at the moment.
"Are you from out of town?" asked McNeil, and then asking in German, "You're from Düsseldorf, aren't you? I recognize the accent."
Lucy laughed nervously, "Yes. Yes I am."
"So, what brings you to the big apple, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'm… I'm visiting a friend."
Lucy's heart was racing as she tried to penetrate McNeil's psyche. Reading both agents took two seconds and was very easy, but the senator was different matter. She didn't have any kind of block or barrier she was familiar with, certainly not one similar to Forrest Gump's. But it was like what she was looking for was surrounded by a wall of thick, dark smoke and attempting to penetrate it felt like drowning in tar.
The elevator pinged as it reached the 14th floor. Lucy struggled to smile and nod as she walked out of the elevator.
"Well," said McNeil as the doors were closing, "Enjoy your visit."
The doors closed and she heard the elevator as it rose. It was Lucy cue to collapse.
Evening
Mona looked between Priest, Sayid, Shaun and O'Brien as each seemed to be contemplating what she had just said. After nearly two minutes of silence, Mona spoke.
"Well, what do you think?"
"You said that Lucy said she saw a vision telling her that the secret to topple Senator McNeil is in Georgetown?" asked Sayid.
"Yeah."
"Are you… Should we be even considering this kind of thing? We just spent the afternoon planting bugs, we're supposed to be starting surveillance."
"It is a bit nutty." Said Shaun.
"I dunno, guys. How often does someone get a vision, honestly?" asked O'Brien.
"I'm not sure I ever heard her saying anything about her getting vision. I presumed that was outside the scope of her abilities."
"Well, she had one this afternoon and I doubt that she's lying."
"I'll take her." Said Priest, still looking quite pensive as he sat in the corner, sipping from an odorous glass of fish blood.
"What?"
"This thing has supernatural written all over it. I'm no Alestir Crowley, but I know a thing or two on the subject. I can protect Lucy while she does what she has to do, and I can make sure she gets back safe. The four of you can hold the fort till we get back, which I can't imagine will take more than a few days."
"Or maybe, you could not go." Said Mona.
"I don't care either way. Georgetown is boring and I would much rather stick around here, but Lucy has made up her mind."
"How do you know that?" asked Sayid.
"Because she's just slipped out. I heard her do so, and I bet she's heading to her and Mona's apartment to pack a bag. Eel, go tell her to come back up."
O'Brien was hesitant at first, but obliged when Mona gave him a nod.
"And why can't we just talk her out of it?" asked Shaun.
"You could try, Shaun, but I know when someone, a woman in particular has made up their mind on something. Believe me, she'll head out to Georgetown as soon as she finds the coast clear, and with those powers of hers, I think she'll figure out pretty fast.
"Aside from shooting her in the knee, I doubt there's much any of us can do to stop her."
Mona sighed, then turned to Sayid and asked,
"Are we all set?"
"Yes. For the record, I'm against this."
"Noted. Priest, take her to Georgetown, take a good look at whatever it is he's after but don't take your time. And pack some heat, enough for both of you."
R&R.
Next Chapter:
Lucy explains a thing or two about her powers when she and Priest head on a mission to delve through the labyrinths of the supernatural and dig up the hideus skeletons of McNeil's past.