For disclaimer and everything else see chapter one.

Chapter Two: Friendly maneuver

FBI Headquarter,

Washington, D.C.,

Section for technical support 1.3,

2th January 2012, 12:01 p.m.

Fixing a motherboard was a very tricky work. Full concentration and steady hands were needed to place the tiny elements on the right positions. One mistake and you could start over again.

Charlie was almost down with it, as the door to his office was opened and smashed back so hard it didn't even close properly.

The small silver circuit board flew halfway out of the motherboard, together with the graphic card.

The man let out a frustrated groan and looked up at the intruder, just to see his best friend pacing up and down before his desk.

"I can't believe it!" he said loudly, his voice trembling with anger.

Charlie had a look at the motherboard and said: "Yeah. Two hours' work for nothing."

"I mean, who does she think she is? The goddess of ballistics? Should I bow before her or something like that? Does she really believe that shooting guns and rifles and whatever is more important than catching a serial killer whose favorite victims are cops?"

"Jayden, calm down. I don't understand a single thing you say. Just start at the beginning."

"Okay, there's this new case I got. The Chicago sniper", he explained.

Charlie looked at him, his face blank with confusion.

"He's a cop killer", Jayden said.

"Okay."

"And now, it seems as if he continues his assaults in Washington. And I have to stop him."

"Wow. The Origami killer case really put you into the front row, did it?" Charlie said, not sounding as flashed as his friend.

"The guy has already killed two officers in Chicago, so we have no time to waste. But of course, this is not a concern of agent Lauren Treat me like a beauty pageant winner and I treat you like a sucker Teason!"

Charlie shook his head and sighed. "Okay, I guess your test shooting didn't go too well, did it?"

"I failed at the moving targets", Jayden said shortly.

"Why?"

"That's not the point. The point is…"

"Why?" Charlie repeated patiently, but forceful.

"A very, very small withdrawal attack. Nothing to worry about."

"Ah. No, why worry? I mean, this small withdrawal attack could have happened in actual combat, where the targets shoot back, but hey", his friend said ironically.

Or lock you up in your car with the intention to scrap it, Jayden thought, but quickly cleared the memory out of his mind.

"As I said, that's not the point. The point is that your nine refuses to let me repeat it until Monday in two weeks! That means I'm off the case! I have to go to Garland and explain him I cannot investigate because I failed my test shootings!"

"Why don't you talk to her instead? Explain her the situation?"

"I tried! I told her it was important and asked her if she couldn't make an exception, but she just looked at me, as if I was some kind of insect and told me she didn't make any exceptions, not even for heroes. That rules are rules."

"Well, I assume you answered in a very calm and reasonable way."

"Hey, it wasn't me who started the "who-is-more-important" comparison! She hated me the very first moment I came in. Just because I thought she was a secretary."

"Yes, of course. Public enemy number one Norman Jayden. Has it ever crossed your mind that she might really just follow the rules?"

"She? No. Never. I tell you, you may get fooled by those aquamarine eyes under the long lashes, but I don't. That bitch is playing all her cards to get what she wants. I bet she only got the job because she slept her way up to the top."

"Actually", a female voice behind them said. "I got the job because I was best at dealing with guns, but well, I admit it seems pretty unlikely."

Charlie's face turned into a rather painful grimace as his eyes fell on the ballistic expert, standing in the door. Norman could feel his cheeks redden and avoided turning around.

The woman, however, kept a remarkable control over her voice. "Charlie, could you probably come over after lunch? I still have trouble with the software on the computer. It's still messing up all the test results."

"Sure, Lauren."

"Thank you", she said and left, closing the door properly as she did.

Charlie raised his eyes to his friend. "Ouch. Well, that was… awkward."

"Lauren?" Jayden asked. "I didn't know you were on first name terms."

"Oh my god, is that your only concern?"

Jayden furrowed his brows.

"Alright, alright, before you suspect another mighty conspiracy against you: apparently, agent Teason prefers to be called by her first name. Everyone I know is calling her Lauren. So, we are not bff's and after what just happened, I guess we'll never be."

"Oh, I'm sorry I ruined your dream girl scenario", Norman said sarcastically.

"You should better be sorry you just ruined your relationship with ballistics. You got a case where a sniper is involved – did you ever think about how to solve this without her support?"

"I don't need her support anymore. She'll send the test results to Garland and bam – I'm off the case and free to bore myself to death. God, I hate people."

"Yeah and you show it off every day", Charlie said.

"What?"

"You're always acting like this was a one man's show. Like all you needed was a pair of glasses."

"Well, they were all I needed to solve the Origami Killer case."

Charlie shook his head. "All I'm saying is: Maybe you wouldn't have so much trouble with the other agents if you would… be a little less defensive towards everybody."

"I'm not defensive", Jayden said, but sounding pretty much like it.

"Oh yes, you are. Always. Even to people who love you. Like Jamie. Are you still avoiding her phone calls?"

Jayden's face turned to a mask immediately. "That's none of your business."

"Norman, it was not her fault you ended in that hospital. And you know that."

"I said: it's none of your business. I'm going back to work."

And with those words, he left his friend's office. Charlie took a deep breath.

"And it's just another manic Monday", he sang to himself, before he turned back to his work.

FBI Headquarter,

Washington, D.C.,

Smoking area,

2th January 2012, 12:13 p.m.

Agent Lauren Teason knew that according to modern standards, she was called beautiful. And passing the police academy had shown her that beauty was not really an advantage in this career path. There always had been people looking down on her, including professors, other cops, criminals.

Yet, she had never bothered about it, like others. She remembered beautiful Julia Remington, a tall blonde from California, who had passed every single test with a clear A, but had suffered so much under the stupid comments about her that she had even tried to look a little more normal. It hadn't been any use, of course. Neither the glasses, nor the wide clothes had been able to hide her perfect features and everyone had just continued joking about her. She had told Lauren once, under tears, that all she had ever wanted was to become a cop, but that she wasn't sure she could stand it.

And she hadn't. Just a week before the final exams, she had packed her bags and vanished. Lauren had never found out what had happened to her after that. It was a shame. Julia would have become a great cop.

Lauren, instead, had just ignored the comments. Well, at least, most of the time. She had lost her temper once or twice and of course, she had been punished for it, but it also had helped her to build up a very high wall of ignorance towards the topic. Her appearance was neither her fault, nor her accomplishment. It was just genetic.

So, Agent Jayden's comments hadn't really insulted her. They had just rebounded at the wall. Like the two date invitations of other agents last week. Lauren Teason believed in a strict separation of private life and her work.

She searched her coat pocket for the cigarettes and the lighter and eventually, found it. She lit it and memorized Carla's morose look every time she had caught her smoking. Of course, Carla hated it, as a doctor.

Even though Lauren didn't smoke much. Five or six cigarettes on a working day and just one or two on the weekends. There were even weekends when she didn't touch a single one.

Standing in the cold breeze, smoking, she remembered her encounter with agent Jayden, trying to analyze from which moment on it had gone wrong. Actually, she wasn't looking for any trouble.

Probably she had been a little unnerved about being called the secretary again. And probably, she had been a little over the top with the anti-hero sayings. But she didn't believe in heroes. And she didn't believe in making them up. Not that she wanted to play down his work in the Origami Killer case. He had done a very good job. Only, the whole press stuff, the interviews, the talk show, had been too much, in her taste.

She wondered why he hadn't passed the shootings. After the steady targets, she had been pretty sure he would. And no matter what he had said, he had looked paler after the moving targets, as impossible as it seemed. This guy was just terribly pale. Together with the lines under his eyes and the rather bad shave it made him look at least 5 years older than he was.

Catch a cop killer. Well, that sounded like an important case. And another one with a high media echo. She could understand a little why he wanted it. A challenge with a lot of praise waiting at the end. The question only was: was the case important enough to make her bend the rules?

Well, maybe, she wouldn't even have to make the decision. If his superiors wanted him so badly on the case, she'd surely get a call from them. He would feel superior then, of course, but she could deal with that as well. If there was really a sniper involved, he would surely need her one time. And then, she would have the upper hand. And she wasn't afraid to use it. She flicked the cigarette into the ash tray and walked back in.

FBI Headquarter,

Washington, D.C.,

Ballistics,

2th January 2012, 13:07 p.m.

Charlie had a weakness for beautiful women, like a lot of nerds. The difference only was – he never felt intimated by them. Knowing all he could do was just admire from afar, knowing he never stood a chance, made him feel very comfortable in their presence. He valued them like nice paintings, or good books. Therefore, at college, he had hung out with the most beautiful women at the campus. They had liked him for his funny, unobtrusive behavior. Of course, this had given him the reputation of a homosexual, but he had never bothered. People could think about him whatever they wanted. This was the greatest advantage of his character and it was the reason why people, who thought of Jayden as an arrogant loner, didn't treat him like that as well. They just overlooked him. Sometimes even chit-chatted a little with him.

So, the former times he had entered the ballistics, he had been very lighthearted, even whistling. But thanks to Norman Jayden, this time, he didn't exactly feel like it. Though he hadn't said a single bad word about Lauren, he felt sorry for her. He was sure she hadn't intended to cause Jayden trouble. She hadn't done anything like that to anyone in the past three weeks. And there had been some agents who hadn't passed the first shooting test. None of them had complained in anyway. Maybe the situation could still be fixed. Maybe, if he played the right cards, Lauren would just erase it out of her memory. Good for him and good for Jayden as well. If he really was going to investigate this case, he would surely need Lauren's help one time or another.

And of course, as he entered the ballistics, he already had a plan.

Lauren was sitting at her desk as Charlie came in.

"Hi", he said, trying for a small smile, checking the situation.

"Hi", Lauren replied casually.

"So, let's see what the problem is now", he said and sat down at the chair beneath her, having a quick look at the computer. "Yeah, just as I thought. Still the updates."

"Still? God, how many updates did Catohe miss?" the woman asked in disbelief.

"In the last two years? For three programs? Something around 120, I guess."

"120?"

"Yes. And the trouble is – I can't let them run on one day."

"Great. I cannot always call you – I mean, you got other work to do, don't you? You won't always be available just on time."

"Possible."

She let out a frustrated groan. "That's just perfect."

He looked at her and guessed this was the perfect moment for damage limitation.

"Well, I could show you how to do it yourself. My superiors wouldn't like it much, but well, they don't have to know, do they?"

"Seriously?" Lauren asked.

"Yes. I mean, how many damage can you do, running updates?"

She looked at him closely for some seconds, narrowing her eyes. "How come I have the feeling you want something in return?"

He grinned. "You're quick."

"My father was a diplomat. I know the tricks", she said carelessly.

"Was?" he asked.

Damn, she thought, so much to keep private information private.

"He's dead", she said shortly.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

She just shrugged her shoulders. "You couldn't know. Besides, my parents are dead for 22 years now."

Oh great. Continue like that and he'll know your whole life story in less than five minutes, she swore to herself. But Charlie really had an easy way to talk to. In a way, he reminded her of Timothy. And she had never been able to hide a lot from Timothy, either.

"Car accident?" he asked sympathetic.

"No. Plane crash over Belgium. Why don't you tell me what you want from me, now, so I know if I will be able to do my updates alone the next time?" she said, changing the topic before the damage could get worse.

"Let Jayden repeat the test shooting before the next scheduled appointment", he said.

She stared at him and he could see surprise in her eyes.

"Listen, I know he's been… a little bit stupid today", he gave in.

"Really? I thought he was pretty charming", she said sarcastically.

"But I'm sure he didn't mean it. He was just depressed he failed the shooting", he added, without reacting to her last sentence.

"I had three agents in here that failed, but they didn't call me a bitch."

Charlie sighed. "He's really eager to work again. He probably was just angry at himself."

"Well, I have no intention to end up as a punching bag for personal failures", Lauren stated.

"No, of course not. All I'm asking is that you give him another chance. He's not very… socializing."

"Yes, I realized that", she said and paused, looking at the computer. "Okay, then."

"Really?"

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Yes. Lord knows I'm sick of repeating my daily work, just because Catohe messed up the computer." She looked at him. "Besides, I'm kind of impressed about your request. I thought you would ask me out on a date. Since you call me a nine."

Perfect. Now I'm already joking with him. Hell, I'm so untouchable.

Charlie smiled. "Ah, no. It would take a ten to make me jump over my shadow."

She furrowed her brow. "Oh, really? And what am I lacking for a ten?"

"You're taller than me."

She nodded her head slightly. "Yes, that's really a critical point."

"I'm glad you agree with me. Ah and one more point: Please don't tell Jayden I asked you to do this. He hates it when I interfere", Charlie said.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, but just replied: "Don't worry. I won't explain my sudden change of mind and I'm pretty sure he won't ask."

"Thanks, that's very nice of you. Now watch carefully. I'm going to give you a private lesson in outsmarting your computer."

FBI Headquarter,

Washington, D.C.,

Agent Norman Jayden's office,

2th January 2012, 17:24 p.m.

Though Norman Jayden had expected to be called to his superior's office and taken off the case he just had gotten, he had studied the file about the "Chicago sniper" the whole afternoon. Not that there was pretty much to go on from.

The police officers in Chicago had been shot in broad daylight, but nobody had seen anything. The police had been able to identify the buildings the sniper had used, but there had been no clues left. All information this evidence offered was that he was a very good marksman, according to the distance between his shooting positions and the victims.

He even had extended the distance by each victim. He knew he was good, but it was not enough. He wanted to prove it. Self-assured and arrogant, he wanted to show the police what he was able to.

The bullets had been different with every victim as well and the police had assumed he had used a different rifle in all murders.

Jayden remembered his trouble with the new Beretta and raised an eyebrow. This seemed unusual. If a new model could cause him to shoot worse than normally, wouldn't it be the same for rifles? He couldn't tell. He had no experience with them and after what had happened in Charlie's office, he was sure it wouldn't be a good idea to call the ballistics.

He moved on to the information about the cases the policemen had worked on, but there wasn't much about them. All officers had been shot at the day they took the case…
Which was actually very weird. This meant the killer had known they were after him very early, even before the police had had any clues about his participation. How could he have gotten the information? Had he supervised the police actions from the very start? That would have been a lot of effort.

Or was it possible he had had an informant in the police rows?

Probably it would be a good idea to ask some questions at the department of the Washington police officer… Not that he really expected to find an answer, but it was the best idea right now.

He opened the file again, to make sure he hadn't overlooked anything, as his right hand began to tremble. He looked at it and swallowed hard. As much as he loved the ARI, he feared its side effects. His heartbeat quickened and the uncomfortable feeling of cold sweat in his neck increased the tremor in his hands. He believed he could taste blood on his lips and wiped his left over his nose, just to realize it was bleeding.

Within an instant, the secure, powerful feeling the ARI gave him had changed to panic and anger. Why did he always have to be so inferior? Why couldn't he be like all the others? Why did he always end up in trouble?

He took off the ARI and dug for the tripto in his coat pocket. He had really wanted to stop with this stuff, but it was impossible. He just needed it to go on. But it wasn't really a problem, as long as he kept it low. Yes. One dose a day. It wasn't a great deal, was it? Others took pain medication against the headache every day, that couldn't be healthier, could it?

He took the Triptocaine and immediately, a soft, cozy curtain fell over the symptoms. He took a deep breath and stretched his legs to support the relaxation, his eyes falling on the clock. Almost half past five. No wonder he suffered under the side effects. He had been in the ARI for five hours without taking a break. He really needed to pay more attention to the time. Only, that time didn't seem to exist when he used the ARI. He believed he could spend weeks with it, if it wasn't for the side effects. When he wore the glasses, he felt in control of everything. Centered in a perfect order.

Still, it was no use. He needed to stop for today. After all, there wasn't much more he could do. He put the ARI back in his pocket and shut down the computer. Since he had the ARI, he just used it to write his reports. He never did any research with it.

Just as he put on his coat, the phone rang. He looked at the display. Ballistics.

"Oh, fuck", he swore, then answered the call. "Norman Jayden?" he said, trying to sound matter-of-factly.

"Ballistics", Lauren replied shortly. "If you're still interested in repeating the test shooting, I could give you an appointment for tomorrow morning, 7. a.m."

"7 a.m. tomorrow?" Jaden asked, all the coolness washed out of his voice.

"Well, the early bird catches the worm. Or is this a problem?" Lauren asked back, her voice ironical.

"No, no… That's fine by me."

"Great. Don't let me wait", she said and hung up.

He stared at the display, the speaker still at his ear, for a second unsure this had really happened. Why the hell had she changed her mind? Had she been ordered to? Or did she expect him to fail again and couldn't wait to see it?

Well, whatever reason she had, he would take the tripto tomorrow morning right before he went to work. Just to be prepared. Just in case.

Alright, enough now with the introduction. Time some bullets fly in Washington D.C.