A/N: For the general setting of the story see the A/N of the prologue. After the literally explosive start, the upcoming chapters will explain what led to that situation before the story continues from there. So a little patience is required, but I hope it will be worth it and you don't mind.

I received some questions as to my update schedule. I aim for regular, weekly updates (most likely sometime at the weekend) as long as real life doesn't interfere.

Thank you so much for your interest and support, especially for your reviews that make my day. :)

The usual disclaimer applies (see prologue).

- Collateral Damage -

Six weeks ago

It has been an ordinary day in Dr. Gillian Foster's life so far. She treated patients, finished her paperwork, and did some research for an article about voice patterns she plans to publish in a renowned psychology journal. The sun sets outside; she is about to grab her bag and head out, pondering on whether to cook dinner or have her favorite Chinese take-away, when the door to her office opens and her superior, Jordan Hines, comes in.

This is no courtesy visit. First of all, because he doesn't do courtesy visits. Ever. In fact, Gillian sees him on rare occasions only, is used to work independently. Second of all... Well, she doesn't need to be an expert in reading voices to know from the words he doesn't say that something is off balance. Judging by the heavy silence that follows after he stepped in and closed the door behind him, something is utterly wrong. Hines holds on to the door handle for a brief moment until he straightens himself and turns around to look at her.

Gillian doesn't know that her superior received a message regarding the death of one of their top undercover agents two hours ago. Hines still hasn't told the agent's widow and her three children. They don't know about the details as yet. Most likely he was killed because his cover had been blown. His body was found in a bad condition in a dumpster. Tortured. Mutilated. He probably welcomed death in the end. It happens, but Hines never will get used to things like that. It's been months that the agent had been wrangled in a terrorist organization and had given them valuable information about their business ever since. Information that had become irreplaceable lately, including leads about a planned attack on public facilities. They had been so close to reveal the details necessary to prevent the attack. It would have been a matter of a couple of days at most. And now this. They had to reconsider their plans in order to act quickly. Let alone that they don't know what the agent might have told his torturers. The fallback option they came up with is far from perfect, but there is no other alternative at this point, no time to lose.

She hasn't moved, is standing next to her desk, bag and coat in her hand. He takes a few steps to get closer until he is standing right in front of her so that he can talk quietly.

"There will be an undercover assignment on short notice. One of our men will be put in prison to elicit information from an inmate."

What Hines doesn't say is that the information they hope to gather from that inmate won't help them to prevent the attack directly; it won't be information connected to it. They are going out on a limb here because they have no other choice. Their plan is quick-and-dirty blackmail to prevent the attack based on whatever helpful information will be played into their hands. A precarious plan that will hopefully somehow prevail.

"Your role is easy. You will be the link between our undercover man in prison and us."

Her cover will be the temporary substitution for the prison psychologist that got an unexpected offer for a guest professorship. She will have to be on site in prison two days per week, a few hours each time. The other psychologist didn't work full time either; not many inmates are allowed to undergo therapy, let alone agreed to do it. Gillian has to be part of the operation so that they are able to use the office of the prison psychologist as a safe place because no one at the prison will be involved for safety reasons. Even the warden doesn't know about the assignment. He was solely told that the other psychologist was urgently needed for the guest professorship and that a replacement already was found. Gillian will be given a tap-proof cell phone that the undercover agent is supposed to use each time he has a therapy session to tell his contact about the information he gathered recently and to discuss the situation as well as the next steps. If the contact is not available, there is a software on the phone that allows to record voice messages. In this case, Gillian has to deliver the information afterwards. To make the cover work, Gillian has to treat the other patients (inmates, Gillian thinks, deliberately not asking what crimes they committed, she will find out soon enough). Well, she will treat them the best she can, but given the circumstances it will feel like forgery, anyway.

"Any questions?" Hines asks her when he is finished with his brief.

Jordan Hines has an impressive demeanor. Tall, confident, unwavering once he made a decision, and with a light tan throughout the entire year that always makes Gillian wonder if he really has time to go on vacation to look like this.

Like everyone working at the Pentagon, Gillian signed a clause that allows her superiors to assign her to any kind of approved operation, undercover or not. It just usually doesn't happen that one of the civil employees is actually asked to take part in something like that. Not asked, she corrects herself. No one asked her if she is comfortable doing this. It's an order.

Despite the fact that she barely knows Hines, she likes him though. His job is secrets and lies, but in a way he manages to retain an aura of honesty that surrounds him.

"How long is this supposed to go on?"

He has looked at her the whole time, but only now Hines seems to really see Gillian. His facial expression doesn't change. Determined. Unwavering. But there is a hint of something else she can't quite pin down yet.

"As long as it takes."

Hines watches her narrowly. He made it sound as if the undercover operation was nothing but a simple task, but his answer confirmed that it isn't. Secrets and lies.

"So who is it? The man you will put undercover in prison. I do have to know which one of the inmates it is, don't I?"

Gillian doesn't socialize with many colleagues and highly doubts that the undercover agent is among them, considering that she tends to stick with other psychologists, but perhaps it's someone she greets in passing or sees at the lunchroom every day.

"You will refer to him as Cal Atherton."

The name means nothing to her although it for sure is not his real name. She will have to wait until she meets him to know whether she saw his face before or not.

Although he keeps feeding her with only the absolute necessary information, his answers as vague as possible, Hines lingers over leaving. That's the part Gillian likes about him. That he doesn't feel comfortable doing things like this even if it's his job.

"Any other questions?" he eventually asks.

"When will it start?"

It's worth trying although she doubts that he will give her a specific date.

"Be ready."

As expected, he doesn't give her a date, but this time she recognizes what it is that she couldn't pin down earlier when she sees another hint of it in his face. Concern and regret. And just like that her ordinary day is anything but.

On the way back to his office, Jordan Hines calls his assistant over a secure line to inform him about the necessary arrangements he has to implement. Everything about this is last-minute and although this happens more often than not, considering the sensitive issues they handle on a daily basis, this assignment brings along an especially dreadful premonition.

There were two aspects that made them choose the two people that are now the core of their undercover operation.

The first aspect was that they had to blend in well with their surroundings.

Pretending to be a prisoner is one of the most dangerous scenarios for an undercover assignment. Once the cover is blown, it is unlikely that the agent can rescue himself or be brought to safety before the other inmates take revenge. Therefore, they needed a cocky man that could hold his ground in a fight. A keen thinker with the appearance of an underdog. Underestimation as the key to survival. Plus, they needed a real psychologist because it was the simplest solution to use the psychologist's office as the place to transfer the sensitive information. Preferably a woman because the cliché is in their interest. Women are perceived less threatening, less likely to be part of such an operation. They had a few names on the list of suitable undercover agents, but there was only one name on the list of the psychologists since the other psychologists were male.

Hines didn't even remember what Gillian Foster looked like until he saw her photo in her file. But only when he went to her office and heard her speak, he knew who she was. Like her, there are many employees he barely is in contact with. Her voice though. He remembered that. She's the psychologist who is also an expert for speech patterns. He had thought this to be an interesting fact when he had interviewed her during the application process back then since Gillian Foster's voice is able to soothe his ever strained nerves, something that had never happened to him before. Hines didn't want to endanger the woman with this soft voice (innocent came to his mind when he talked to her, vulnerable, although he actually can't tell, was judging by the sound of her voice). However, he couldn't let his worries get in the way.

Worries about the other aspect that made them choose her and the undercover agent.

The man they chose is no dark horse. He is an experienced undercover agent. Save that he constantly rubs his colleagues and superiors the wrong way. Arrogant, self-absorbed, no team player were only some of the descriptions that stroke Hines eye when he read his file. Cal Atherton. The man is presumptuous enough to keep his real first name during his undercover assignments. As if he was untouchable. Therefore – and no matter how tragic it would be – his death would be no true loss, not least due to his reputation as a troublemaker. Despite his experience, he has no particular value for the agency. And the same goes for her.

The decision to choose them took into account that they are expandable. Acceptable collateral damage in case the assignment goes wrong.

- To be continued -

Ever since I re-watched "Captives" with Tim Roth (a movie in which he plays an inmate who falls in love with the prison doctor), I have been wanting to write a LTM story with a similar scenario. Seems as if I've finally found a way to do it. ;) I hope you like the idea and enjoy the story so far.

Next chapter: Gillian and "Undercover Cal" meet for the first time.