Walking back into the apartment the team were taken aback by the sheer mess that Nate had left strewn about the apartment in just a matter of hours. The chaos was extraordinary, even for Nate's standards.
The team flicked their eyes up towards Sophie, pouring a mug of coffee into what must have been the only clean cup that Nate had left her. Sophie never drank coffee; an indication, along with the exasperated look on her face, as to how tired she must have been.
She flicked her head over to Nate, who was sprawled out on one of the cots brought in from the neighbouring room. He snapped awake, as if an epiphany had suddenly come to him in his drunken sleep.
"Whoa, ah, Verd Agra," he declared, pulling himself off the couch. The smell of alcohol was pungent in the air. "It all started with Verd Agra guys."
"Was that the job with the potato?" Hardison whispered to Parker as he paused from marvelling at the extent of Nate's mess.
"Mhm. I liked that potato," the thief replied.
"For three years, Victor Dubenich, from prison, has been telling Jack Latimer who we were gonna hit and when." Nate wondered about his stage in front of the plasmas as he spoke, it made him seem disjointed and distracted and didn't at all instil any confidence in anyone, least of all Eliot. "And every time, he has profited from our work. Except once, when he saved the CEO of Verd Agra. The one that we took down. Why?" He waited for the others to answer.
"'Cause he needed somebody in power at the company, somebody in his pocket," Eliot deduced, with a slight amount of bitterness in his voice.
"These are the land tracts that Verd Agra sold to Latimer." Nate pointed to the map on the glass board, using his hands for pointed emphasis. "With the CEO of Verd Agra's approval."
"What does he want with all that land?" Hardison asked, now sitting down at one of the chairs on the upper landing.
"It's not the land," Eliot informed him. "It's what's underneath; the water rights. Land without water is just dirt."
"We have thousands of acres of private property all seized from locals," Nate continued and it wasn't lost on Eliot or Sophie how quickly he skimmed over who the victims were. They both knew this wasn't about justice for him. "Latimer, he controls the water facilities, the pipelines; the dams. Our key right now, is Bellington Dam." He walked over to the glass board on the other side of the screens. "That's what he wanted the patent for because he wants to build that water filter on this dam." Sophie stood up from her seat in the back of the room and began walking towards the front, carefully eyeing at the information in front of her. She stood next to Parker, strengthening the front of the team who all knew Nate was going too far. "So this is it," Nate continued. "This right here, this is our job."
Eliot shook his head, gritted his teeth in frustration and turned to walk to the back of the room, breaking Sophie's attempt at a physical representation of a united front. "No, this, we can't do this job, alright? We couldn't even do a simple recon." He sat down on the step, indicating his disinterest. "He's got the upper hand and he's putting lives at risk."
"Yeah, and Dubenich already warned him about us," Parker added and Sophie looked at her in surprise as she too turned and sat down on the step not too far from Eliot.
"We're talking advanced biometrics, facial recognition," the hacker elaborated as Sophie followed Parker. "They even countered my software. I mean, spanked it."
"We need back up," Nate said simply, the cogs turning in his mind.
"He's been planning this for three years," Sophie pointed out. "He's gonna know every friend, everyone in the game."
"Anyone we can trust or we could call," Hardison added.
"So," Nate said as he sat down on the steps next to the team. "We find someone who is not a friend; someone's who's not in the game, someone we do not trust," he stated, looking at each in turn. "That's what we do."
"Let's get to it then," Hardison said as he stood up, Parker, Sophie and Eliot following suite.
"Eliot, can I talk with you for a sec?" Nate said to the hitter who slowly turned around, crossing his arms.
For a moment, the hitter thought Nate was going to apologise and explain with some twisted logic why'd he'd gone through with letting Dubenich go free.
But he wasn't really surprised when the mastermind began with something that was in no way an apology.
"Do you think the bar and apartments are safe?"
Eliot covered the urge to cough with a steady shake of the head. "We've already been breached, no telling if they'll do it again. And if he knows this, he likely knows our homes."
"What about safe houses?"
"I wouldn't risk it."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Find somewhere where Dubenich can't find us. We, including Abby," he made sure to make that part clear, "all stay there while we set this thing up and see it through. You know the city better than I do though, got any place in mind?"
"I've got a few ideas," Nate shrugged. "You planning on using Shelley for the job?"
Eliot shook his head. "No, we need people Dubenich won't expect and seeing he knows so much about us, he knows that I trained Shelley and, other than one other person, he'd be the first I'd call."
"What about Mikel from that job with Starke?"
Eliot had a moment of silent reminiscing as actually considered calling the female hitter for a moment. Then the nostalgia left when he realised how the last night they'd spent together had ended.
"That's probably not a good idea," he confessed. "I've got someone else in mind, but they're overseas. I'll leave tonight to go get him. Shelley's agreed to stay and keep an eye on things for now."
"Don't trust us?" Nate asked, partially as a joke but Eliot remained solemn.
"You're not thinking straight on this one Nate," Eliot his voice steady but still terrifying. "You're taking unnecessary risks and I don't know what you have planned, but don't screw up, the job or this," he gestured to the apartment and all it represented around him. "We've all got too much at stake."
"You think I don't, uh, know that?" Nate asked smugly.
"You put her life in danger, I don't know what you're thinking! But you better sort yourself out Nate; get your priorities straight!" The hitter had to restrain himself from lashing out further and followed the rest of the team out the door, not waiting to see Nate's response. When he shut the door behind him, he was surprised to see the rest of the team waiting in the hall for him; they looked at him for elaboration and he raised his eyebrow in question.
"So what's the plan with Nate and stuff?" Parker asked.
"We watch him," Sophie declared. "Carefully."
"And besides, he's doing this, with or without us," Eliot added. Hardison looked at him curiously. "You saw how dammed determined he was, lettin' Dubenich out of prison? He's got tunnel vision and he wants revenge," he exclaimed in an angry whisper, his nostril's flaring.
"But you don't?" Parker asked. Her question was cautiously sincere and Hardison gave him a look, wondering the same thing. Wondering why he didn't want to hurt the man that had Abigail kidnapped.
"I want him taken down Parker, not out."
"Why not?"
"Because right now, I have other priorities," he hissed. "Priorities like keeping this team safe."
"Okay, so we run with it?" Hardison questioned, accepting Eliot's answer and moving swiftly onwards.
"Mhm," Sophie agreed. "And make sure things don't go too haywire."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hope you all had a very merry Christmas.
and Happy 2015 to you all. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.
Just a short little chapter, hope you all enjoyed.
xx A Lyrical Dreamer