[The Office - Late]
The lights in the buildings behind him slowly winked out as normal people went home. Jordan Stern rubbed his eyes. The official report was done, but there were still things that nagged at the back of his mind. He turned his chair back to his computer and began to type.
Overall I find myself unsettled by the conclusion of this case. The fact that we were unable to apprehend Ted and Rebecca Cross bothers me, but not as much as the fact that we were so suddenly pulled off the case. The only reason we were able to get as close to them as we did was because they had chosen Agent Gorky to be their next victim.
I questioned UD Garrison about the order to pull us off the case and he tried to avoid the question. He stated that the order had come from "above" but he did not specify how far above. When I pressed him harder for an answer, he firmly shut me down. In the absence of any factual evidence I can only speculate that someone with some influence in the Bureau did not want this particular case solved. I find that idea particularly disconcerting.
It remains a mystery who connected with the Crosses could have that kind of influence within the government. Someday, I hope to find out.
***
The phone on the mahogony desk rang twice before being answered.
"Hello... Oh, good morning Chris."
Thaddeus Cross listened for a moment while taking notes on a pad of paper. "Of course I'd be interested in having coffee at the White House. Will the President be there?"
"Good. I'll write you a check as soon as we get off the phone."
***
[Hoover's Hollow]
Jordan Stern and the rest of the members of Team ZULU sat around a table toward the back of Hoover's Hollow. All through dinner Jordan had been very careful to keep track of the flat, wrapped package that now sat by his chair. After the dinner plates had been removed from the table, Jordan took his napkin from his lap and placed it on the table. Then he stood and picked the package up from the floor.
In his other hand he lifted his beer mug, "To Team ZULU on the completion of our first mission."
Glasses clanked around the table and the agents drank to each other.
"Now comes the main part of the festivities," Jordan continued putting his mug back on the table, "You're all wondering what this is, right?"
The agents nodded and Leo quipped, "The suspense is killing us."
Jordan tore the paper wrapping off revealing the wooden plaque within, "For bravery above and beyond the call of duty," Jordan read, "For allowing the bad guys to drug her and drag her off, and for allowing her team mates to shoot in her general direction. Team ZULU proudly presents the Sitting Duck award to Special Agent Zenya Gorky."
Jordan turned the plaque around to show everyone the text and the mallard duck emblem boldly displayed in the lower corner, "Congradulations, Zenya."
Applause broke out around the table and Zenya looked embarassed. She stood up, shook Jordan's hand and took the plaque from him.
"Speech!" Jim began chanting. The others joined in.
[NRPG: Sydnie, insert response here.]
After Zenya was done, Jordan stood up again and extracted several sheets of paper from his jacket pocket. "This is what the rest of you have been waiting for. It is with great pleasure that I announce the following promotions," Jordan cleared his throat for effect, "Zenya Gorky to SA-3, Leo Jones to SA-3, Vanessa Lee to SA-2 and Jim Reaper to SA-2. Good work people."
NRPG:
I know you're all itching for a new mission. If you have a mission
idea, please send it to me within a few days, and we can discuss running
it. If I don't get any ideas, or if the ideas I get need a little work,
don't worry, I've got an idea ready to go. The Thanksgiving holiday (in
the US) is the end of next week. Let's plan to begin our next mission
just after that (since a lot of people travel).
Please update your bio files with the promotions and any other updates and send them my way. I'll compile the file and get them back out to you.
A note on fluid time: The season (if you want to refer to weather) is based on the season in the Northern Hemisphere. In other words, ZULU's last mission began in late summer. Our next will begin in late fall. This is easier than trying to keep track of the "game" season.
Krister: Please post your character meeting team ZULU. It could either be in the office, or in Hoover's Hollow during the celebration.
Respectfully submitted,
Alton Reich
SA-4 Jordan Stern, Team Leader ZULU
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