D.C. General, Out Patient Center
"How
are you feeling?" asks Spencer as he walks into the hospital room where Samantha was staying.
"Surprisingly good," she responds.
"Getting let go soon?"
"She'll be ready in about five minutes," the nurse answers for Sam.
They stay silent for a moment as the nurse finishes her duties in the room. She looks at Sam and says, "I'll be right back with your discharge papers."
As she walks out of the room the nurse throws a glance at Spence and smiles.
"What was that about?" questions Sam.
"What?" he says with a tone of
I don't know what you're talking about.
They both laugh. Sam always notices how other women give Spencer glances and smiles. For the most part it didn't bother her, but lately it has kind of made her feel jealous. Was it alright to be more involved with your partner? She spent times thinking about it and never coming to a conclusion to her question.
"Thank you Spence."
"For?"
"For taking such good care of me."
"Hey, what are partners for?"
This brought a smile to her face. Spencer always liked the way Sam lit up, especially when she smiled. It had in turn always brought a smile to his face.
"Has anything transpired since I've been out of it?" asks Sam.
"I tried to get the guy we caught to break last night. All we were able to get from him was his name."
"What of any of Yonovich's men?"
"They all were more than willing to talk since their boss was dead. They provided more than enough information for all the crimes Yonovich committed, but help us with nothing. Apparently they were kept out of the loop with dealing with
Ghost
. That though is our only link that this
Yuri
guy belongs to them."
At that moment Spencer's phone rang.
"Reeds."
"Spence," Roger says, "we got a break. Our guy finally talked. He's going to be transferred to protective custody. I need you two to get here ASAP."
"Understood. We'll be leaving as soon as Sam's dressed."
"Good. Make it fast."
He hangs up the phone and smiles.
Finally a break.
Sam is already in action getting dressed.
"I'll go let the nurse know we're leaving," he says heading out the door.
He steps into the hall and a sudden feeling over comes him. There is no one in sight. The only sound he could hear is the standard noises of medical equipment. No talking, whispers or any other human sounds.
He looks back into the room at Sam. "Something's wrong Sam, get ready."
He pulls out his gun from its holster and starts to walk toward the nurse's station. A sudden gut wrenching noise comes from the ceiling behind him, then another.
There's definitely something wrong.
——
Mathsen
is occupying a roof top five hundred feet away from the FBI building. The decoy escort has already left, now it was a waiting game for the real escort. The whole morning he spent looking for a good set up. Out of three, he picked this one, it just felt right.
These guys want to win.
He had a knowing feeling at the back of his mind. In order to get his revenge he has to participate in acts of terrorism to accomplish it. Several times he thought of blotching this mission. It was better to die honorably than to die a traitor. But he decided revenge was better than no revenge at all.
Pushing his thoughts aside as the real escort pulls out, he sets up his aim. He pulls in a breath and holds it. Time seems to slow like it always has on these kinds of missions. Slowly the third SUV pulls out. Through his scope he can see the target clearly as if right next to him.
Sorry friend, but business is business.
He squeezes the trigger. Before Mathsen can fully release his breath, the bullet strikes the target. The whole convoy comes to a screeching halt. FBI agents get out of the vehicle, guns out and looking for the threat. He sits still for a few minutes watching the FBI agents scramble and assess the situation. He chuckles to himself. If not for being a professional he may have shot them all.
Quickly he replaces his rifle in its custom case and slips down the fire escape.
——
What
the hell just happened out there?" Roger questions.
"The prisoner has been killed," says an agent.
"Get a chopper in the air and people on the ground. I want this damn sniper found!" Roger yells.
He didn't like yelling but this was starting to get to him as well as everyone on this case.
We go forward a step and get knocked back three.
"Alert all the police precincts and get Director McMillan on the phone," he yells again.
He is standing in the center of the room that housed all the desks for the agents of CATU. Agents are coming and going. Calls are coming in at an alarming rate. The calls that come into the FBI that pertained to the case were transferred here. Nobody is prepared for this. Most of the calls come from witnesses that were in the vicinity of the shooting. Miraculously not one person saw the shooter.
"Sir," an agent says to Roger holding a phone outstretched.
He takes the phone from the agent. "Cornelius."
"Roger, what can I do for you?" McMillan asks.
"I need any agents you have available for a city block search."
"Now?"
"Preferably now."
"No problem. Give me a few minutes; I'll have thirty agents at your office."
"Thanks, Frank."
"No problem. You owe me one."
Roger hangs up the phone and looks for an available agent. "Marks? Get on the phone and find out where Reeds and Roberts are and get them here.
——
Mathsen
cursed himself as he ran from alley to alley. The police and everybody else were out looking for him.
Damn I shouldn't have waited so long.
He is about to leave the alley and run across the street when a helicopter flies overhead. He turns, deciding to back track. Racing back down the way he came, he almost makes it to the end before a black car pulls in. His first thought is danger, but he is ready to pass it off as coincidence until he recognizes the car. The same car Kloser was getting into when he attempted to kill him.
The car comes to a halt and the driver yells out the window, "Get in!"
How the hell did he find me?
A door in the back opens and without hesitation Mathsen jumps in.
"Good to see you weren't captured. I'd hate to have to use favors to spring you," Kloser says pouring a glass of wine.
"Good to see you too," he says with relief flooding into his voice.
"Drink?" Kloser asks.
"Sure," Mathsen says, happy he made it out of that. This was one of the few times he got caught in a fix. He could count on one hand the amount of times this had happened and still have fingers left. Special Forces taught a person how to strike and disappear, using stealth and evasion. Of course the one thing someone never wanted to do was linger. It's always best to have a sure shot, take it and then go. If a shot is taken then there is no need to look or the shot should have never been fired.
He never had a problem with that rule; it was the lingering to see how the enemy reacted that had got him each and every time. A mistake he vowed to not make again.
Kloser hands him a glass full of red wine. Tasting it he nearly gags. "How old is this stuff?" he asks.
"It's of a very old vintage, 1873 to be exact," replies Kloser.
"Whoa, how the hell did you come across this?"
"Let's just say it's been in my family for quite some time."
"Yeah sure," Mathsen says. He changes the subject. "I know you showing up, mysteriously mind you, to save me isn't all you have in mind."
"You're right; I can see why Delgrious kept you alive. You're not only exceptionally skilled but smarter than most people. No I'm here to collect you from certain capture and assign you another job."
"Who says I'd be captured?" Mathsen asks confidently.
Laughing Kloser says, "Trust me. You were on the verge of capture. If you failed or weren't needed, we'd have let it happen and let them deal with you as a traitor."
The comment stung him deeper than any bullet he'd ever been shot with.
A traitor.
Being branded with that was one thing no man wanted to be branded with. Certainly not him.
Pushing aside his fears he asks, "Who's the next target?"
——
Spencer
pulls his gun from the holster and takes aim at the ceiling ahead of him. He is ready for anything; his feeling of something evil is raging in his head.
He is diving back into the room as gun fire erupts from the hall. The sound of chairs and gurneys be overturned are heard.
"How many are there Spence?"
"Don't know, didn't get a chance to ask."
"Fuck. Are any of the staff in danger?" Sam questions.