> "But that's a lie," Tom said. He was standing up now, his face all flushed.
> "You know that, and we know that, but they don't. Someone has made them > believe you are a murderer and a thief. Unfortunately, we don't know who > might have done such a thing."
"It's the device," Jordan said, "There's probably a disconnect between the agents in the field trying to get the device from Tom and their bosses."
"There isn't a much more effective way to get me out of the picture than to have me arrested," Tom said banging the palm of his hand on the table, "I was such a fool to think that I could have kept this thing long enough to have figured out its significance and told the American people about it."
"At the moment that's not very important. We need to be concerned about two things. Getting Emily back and keeping you out of prison, Jordan pointed out.
"Don't worry about me," Tom said sitting back down, "They can't have any hard evidence, since I haven't been in California in over a year."
"They could still make your life difficult," Zenya pointed out.
"Maybe, but they'll have to expose themselves in order to do so, and then we'll have some idea who we're dealing with."
> "Right now, that's the last thing we have to worry about." Leo interjected as > he glanced at his watch. "We should set up the meet as soon as we can. It's > nearly 8 now."
> Jordan nodded. "Right. We should get Emily out of her situation as soon as > possible, at least to ensure her safety. Will we be safe at Jack-in-the-Box?"
> "THere are a few places that we won't be able to cover, but overall, it should > be safe enough." Zenya acknowledged.
> Leo looked at the rest of the group and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll make sure > that the area is taken care of."
> "How?" Jordan asked.
> "Well, I'll need to bring in the Black Ops group." Leo said, staring directly > at Jordan. "They were one of the two groups following us, but now their > mission has been the safe retrieval of Emily Hanson. And since that will be > our current mission also, they could provide valuable backup."
> Martin stared over at Leo, slightly unbelieving. "What the hell do they want > with Emily?"
> "They want her back in Israel. Apparently, the negotiations that they want her > to go to must be very important, especially if it came from the top." Leo told > the group. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get to spend some time together > before they shuttle her off."
> Jordan looked dubiously at Leo. "Can they be trusted?"
> Leo felt the sting, as unintentional as it might have been toward him, of the > unspoken question of his loyalty as well. "They can. Besides, they owe me."
> Jordan nodded, "Very well. Set it up. But remember, they convene only if we > need them. Understood?"
> As Jordan picked up his phone to set up the meet, Leo went outside to call his > old friend and ex-boss.
Jordan dialed the number Carol had given him. It rang twice before she picked up.
"Carol, this is Jordan. I really had a good time on our last date, and I was wondering if you'd be available to have dinner tonight."
"That's kinda short notice. I'll need enough time to put my make-up on," Carol said sarcasticly.
"How about 8 tonight?"
"I think I could make 8. How about we meet in the great hall at MIT? There are lots of places to eat within walking distance," Carol suggested.
"I was thinking we could meet at the Jack-in-the-Box in Cambridge," Jordan replied.
"If I was 12 I would meet you for dinner in a Jack-in-the-Box. I'm a woman, Jordan, and I need real food. The kind real geeks desire."
"There are lots of geek oriented establishments around MIT."
"Exactly. And my friend still wants to come, if your friend wants her to."
"Don't worry he wants her to."
"Ok, I'll see you there."
"Shit," Jordan breathed, "There's been a change. We're meeting Carol in the Great Hall at MIT."
Leo re-entered the cabin, "Team TANGO will be in place in 30 minutes."
"Good for them," Martin said, "but we're meeting someplace else."
"Where?"
"The Great Hall at MIT," Jordan said.
"Where's that?" Leo asked.
"It's like a main foyer at the entrance to campus. It's a big enclosed hallway that connects three of the oldest buildings on campus. It's all made of marble with columns holding up the roof. Quite impressive to see, actually," Jordan explained.
"Is it public enough?" Zenya asked.
"At 8pm? There'll be lots of students around. We'll stick out, and so would a black-ops team, I think. I wonder if Carol knew somehow about TANGO?"
"So what's the plan?" Leo asked.
"Martin and I will make the swap. Leo and Zenya should find a discrete place to watch from to back us up. Tom, you're staying here."
"What?"
"You're wanted by the FBI. It would be better if you stay out of sight until we get this sorted out. We'll come back and get you."
"Great," Tom said, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride."
***
[MIT]
Jordan and Martin walked through the double doors into the Great Hall. Jordan had the device in a briefcase he carried. The smoky grey marble made the entire chamber look dim despite the abundance of flourescent lights. They looked around and saw students traversing the open space between the various entrances to the hall.
To their right a young woman stood with her back against a column while her boyfriend did his best to ensure that there was no air space between them. Jordan tried to remember if he was ever that young.
They walked in a short distance before a man and two women stepped out of a side corridor and walked toward them. Jordan recognized Carol and assumed the other woman was Emily. The man was a mystery. The two groups stopped about 10 feet apart in the middle of the Great Hall.
NRPG:
Next!
Jeff: I'm thinking that the man with Carol is Docker. What do you think? Actually, unless Leo recognizes him, we'll never really know who it was.
Respectfully submitted,
Alton Reich
SA-4 Jordan Stern, Team Leader ZULU
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