Dr. Tillman looked up from the report she'd been reading and smiled.
"Come in you two, how'd everything go in Arizona?"
Shaw nodded once. "It was fun, except for the number."
Tillman's eyes got very wide. "Can you tell me about it?"
"Doc, I think it's better for you not to know. Everything turned out okay but it was a pretty crappy situation."
Root sat down with a slightly odd smile and hesitated before speaking.
"As bad as it was, Dr. Tillman, it did show me that I'm almost fully recovered. The skills and reactions were close to where I need them to be. I was a little more worn out by all the excitement though."
"That's to be expected, Ms. Groves. You're still recovering from trauma that would have killed most people. Now let's get you in for your examination."
Root was silent, only smiling faintly at the doctor. She stood and walked over to the examination room and closed the door behind her. Dr. Tillman looked at Shaw.
"What's the matter with Ms. Groves?"
Sameen shrugged. "I don't think anything's wrong with her, she's just processing a different reality. In the past, numbers were just part of the job and while we worked together and played together, we really didn't have a relationship.
"Now when we work together we may be a little more focused on each other. It's something we will have to adjust to because 'having your back' takes on a little more intense meaning now. It's what I was talking about way back when Root and I had an argument about returning to working the numbers.
"One of the perps might have gotten the drop on her out there. I intervened but I think the situation showed her what I was talking about. It's gone from theoretical to reality. She has to process everything.
"She will."
"I hope you're right Ms. Shaw, I'd hate to see anything happen to her."
"You're not the only one, doc."
…
A week had passed since the trip to Arizona. Root and Shaw settled into the routine that approached normal without quite arriving. Gen attended a virtual school while working with the Native American kids at the hospital. She also learned highly advanced coding (with a dash of hacking thrown in) from Root and self-defense from Shaw. Gen's classes were only abnormal in the fact that they were college prep at Grade 12 level and she was just 14. (And the hacking and self-defense.)
Root's PT was down to twice weekly with evals scheduled every other week. Shaw was determined to hone Root's fighting skills (mediocre at best if you took her guns and her taser away) to a level where she could take care of herself, unarmed, in any situation. Root, for her part, was a willing, if not enthusiastic participant.
"I get that you like to get your hands on me Sameen," Root said during one of their sessions, "but you realize with her in my ear again it's unlikely I would ever get caught in a situation where I'd need to be as badass as you."
"You need to be prepared for absolutely anything Root- even the Machine can't help in some situations. Remember Winslow, that goon might have gotten the drop on you simply because his reactions were way better than we, or anyone, could have anticipated."
"But he was almost 50 feet away from me, and you took him out."
"The principle doesn't change Root, we have to be prepared for every contingency."
"They teach that in the ISA?"
"Yes, but also in the Marines. It's just common sense when you're going out into a dangerous situation that you prepare for anything that could possibly happen. Then practice for it over and over until it's second nature. That way, if anything happens, you act without thinking. Stopping to think can be fatal."
…..
Twice weekly, Shaw stopped at a truck stop off I25 to top off the Escalade. She liked their doughnuts and bought a dozen regularly. Root and Gen would stay in the SUV while Sameen went in and looked over the inventory, then always came out with the exact same order. Root teased her about it.
"Why don't you just have them put the same order together on Monday and Friday Sam? That way you don't have to pretend you're looking over the selection. You always get four crawlers, four chocolate frosted and four jelly filled."
"You never know when they may come up with a new doughnut that needs a taste test. You know they allow you to sample some when you're ordering."
"Yes, you've said that over and over. I'm fine with what you get."
"Whatever."
The next Friday, as they pulled into the truck stop a gray Ford pickup was sitting at the pump two islands over from Shaw's normal stop. She liked parking on the outside- going back to her days in ISA when she always wanted a clean exit point. The truck had stopped almost between the two sets of pumps forcing the driver to stretch the hose to access the fuel tank. Shaw climbed out, put in her card, and began to fill the tank. She glanced back at the Escalade and said, "Going in."
She noticed in passing that the truck had stopped in the one spot that blocked the Escalade's view of the store (and conversely, her view of the Escalade). Thinking little of it, Shaw continued into the store and headed for the doughnuts.
As she entered the store, a choreographed drama began as a white cargo van pulled into the spot between the Escalade and the pickup. Two men hopped out of the van and approached the truck. Pulling the passenger door open, they yanked a teenage girl from the front seat and began to drag her toward the van.
Root hopped from the Escalade and called out, "Hey, leave her alone. What are you….."
The sentence never finished as she felt something poke into her neck. Instantly, a million volts shot through and paralyzed her. As she lay twitching just outside the Escalade, another man jumped from the cargo van and opened the rear door on Bear's side. As the Malinois turned toward the invader, snarled and attacked, he bit down on the tactical bite sleeve the man was wearing.
Before he could switch to the other arm he was hit in the chest with a similar burst from another taser. Bear spun and went down, twitching.
Gen, who had looked at Root being tased in shock, turned to Bear and opened her mouth to scream. The same man reached across the bucket seat and jolted Gen into unconsciousness. The entire event played out in less than 90 seconds. The men grabbed Root and Gen, threw them in the back of the cargo van and headed out of the station.
The young girl took hopped back into the pickup, slid into the passenger seat and drove out of the station in the opposite direction from the van.
Shaw, blissfully unaware was finishing her order when the machine chirped in her ear. Get to the Escalade, now. Root and Gen in trouble.
Shaw dropped the box of doughnuts and sprinted outside. The only thing that seemed amiss was the rear driver's side door appeared ajar. As Sameen closed the distance to the SUV she couldn't see any activity inside. Racing to the vehicle, she jerked her door open and yelled.
"Root, Gen!" She heard a soft whine from the back seat and looked behind the driver's seat. Bear lay on the floor between the seats, still twitching slightly. Shaw cradled the gas pump, started the SUV and headed out.
"Which way? Now, machine, we don't have time!" Desperation tinged her voice as she waited, uncertain where to go.
Left, but I lost them already.
"How could you?! It's Root and Gen!"
The van took a couple of turns and headed into an area south of here that has no coverage. And the inside of the van is lined like a Faraday cage so tracking her impossible at this moment. Will keep trying.
"Tell me what happened." As the machine relayed the events that transpired in the gas station Shaw felt the tendrils of full blown panic beginning to caress her insides. When it mentioned the young girl in the pickup Shaw pounced.
"Find her, it's a starting point."
Five miles northwest of here, sending coordinates. Truck abandoned, subject on foot. Headed into residential area with little coverage. Sending picture.
Shaw glanced at the photo and hopped in the Escalade, racing off to locate the truck. When she pulled up to the location the Machine had given, it appeared the truck had not necessarily been abandoned, just parked in a convenient spot so the driver could access it without heading into a cul-de-sac which could limit any escape.
After examining the truck, Shaw placed a miniature tracker on it and headed into the area. Desperate to find a link, any link, she started knocking on doors. There were 10 houses on the short access road that seemed quiet in the middle of the afternoon. First house- no answer. At the 2nd house a sixty-something lady peeked out from the drapes, saw Sameen was alone and answered the door.
"I'm really sorry to disturb you miss, but there was an accident and I was told this girl was a witness. Do you recognize her?"
Squinting at the image on Shaw's phone, the lady nodded. "That's the Baker girl. She lives in the white house over there." The lady indicated a house across the street and two houses further down the access road.
Shaw headed across the road with a glance back over her shoulder, "Thanks."
As she approached the front door, it opened and her witness came flying out, obviously in a hurry. Shaw held up her hand and said, "Whoa, FBI. I've got a couple of questions for you."
The girl stared at Shaw for a few seconds, debating flight. Then, as Shaw pulled her nano from her jeans, the girl gasped and turned to head back inside.
"I can put you down with two in the knees, or you can talk to me."
The girl hesitated, then turned. "Do I have to give the truck and the money back?"
Shaw frowned, then replied, "You'd better tell me what happened."
"A man came up to me yesterday after school. He said if I just helped him he'd pay me $500 and I could keep the truck. I realize it's old, but I never had anything to drive and my parents have been gone for over a year. I should have known it was too good to be true."
"Did you know this man?"
"Never saw him before, but he said he'd be in touch. He gave me this so I could be contacted by him." The girl held out a burner phone. Shaw took it and flipped through the menu.
"What did he tell you exactly that you should do?"
"He said he'd call when I was to drive into the station and park exactly where he showed me to park. I told him it would be hard to put gas in there, but he was insistent. He also said someone was going to come over while the truck was fueling and pull me out like he was attacking me.
"He said his people were trying to rescue those women from a cult and once they went toward the SUV I could leave. Then I could keep the truck. Oh, he said I should dump the phone- I just hadn't gotten around to it."
"I'll keep the phone- and I may contact you again. What's your name?"
"Shelly Baker."
"Well, Shelly, you've gotten yourself mixed up with a group that probably will come looking for you to eliminate any witnesses to their little operation. I'd get away from here as fast as I could if I were you."
"Should I call the police?"
"You can try but I don't know enough about this to tell you if they're trustworthy."
"Great." She turned to go back in her house. Shaw had an idea.
"Wait. Here's a different burner phone. If they come looking for you and you're able, call #1 in contacts. I may be able to help."
Shelly looked at Shaw skeptically, "You're not really FBI, are you?"
"Does it matter? You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and I don't like seeing young girls get taken advantage of."
"Thanks, I think."
Shaw headed out of the cul-de-sac and approached the Escalade. As she opened the door, she noticed still another phone stuck under her front windshield wiper. Shaw opened the phone, saw it was yet another burner and scanned the settings. Nothing. She pulled her phone and began to call Finch when the burner vibrated.
"What?"
"Puta! I have your girlfriend and your child. I am going to slit their throats and drink their blood. You will live with the knowledge you killed them when you murdered my brother."
Shaw hesitated briefly, mind racing. He wants revenge for something. Who got killed….Oh. She decided to stall for time.
"Who is this? I haven't murdered anyone. Unless you count the scumbag who was going to execute a couple of dozen people who's only crime was wanting a better life."
"Hijo de puta! You murdering bitch. You will regret ever seeing those people."
"You have no idea who you're talking to dummy. I'm a sociopath. I don't regret, in fact I don't feel. If you want them, you can have them."
Shaw hung up, then started shaking uncontrollably. Oh God, I hope this works.
After five minutes, Shaw was starting to lose it, then the phone lit up again. Shaw let it ring a few times, took several deep breaths and answered.
"So now you're going to try and annoy me to death, is that it?"
"Listen, Bruja, I will destroy you and everything and everyone you care about. YOU DON"T HANG UP ON ME!"
"Oh go fuck yourself." She disconnected again.
On the other end, Raphael was becoming apoplectic. He slammed the phone down and stomped around the office for several minutes. Suddenly, his phone lit up as a call came in from the number he had just called. From a phone that was supposed to be unable to access his number.
"What the hell?"
"You don't know who you're messing with, little man. I told you I don't have feelings, but I am aware of justice. If you're so big and bad why don't you take me and not some little kid. In fact, I'd so like to cut off your balls that I'd trade me for the kid just so you could have a fair shot.
"If I'm correct, however, your lack of manhood would keep you from ever letting go of a child when you couldn't possibly satisfy an adult woman."
Shaw held her breath, and her gamble paid off.
"Eeyaah! Puta, I will drink your blood instead. You'll come by yourself where I tell you and we will switch. Then I will peel the skin off your girlfriend in front of you and then slit your throat and watch you slowly die."
"Oh, be careful, you're scaring me. Your pathetic with your empty threats. I won't need anything but my bare hands to make you squeal for your madre, you piece of shit."
"Muerto!" Munoz slammed down the phone.