[Tango Office]
> "That's me done for a while...hungry?" Vynce asekd Emily, aware that his
> stomach was indeed in need of filling. Emily grinned and nodded in
> agreement, then slid down from the desk she was sitting on and both Agents
> headed for the office door......
Just as they were about to reach the door, the knob began to turn and the door
suddenly swung in. Vynce went into a defensive stance and Emily elicited a
small gasp when they saw the three agents standing in the doorway. The lead
agent looked up from her files with a semi-startled look.
"I'm sorry if I startled you two." she said, "I'm Agent Anne Toussaint and
they are Agents Miranda Williams and Cody Hunt. We've been reassigned to Unit
Tango from Echo and Bravo, respectively. I'm the new Special Agent in Charge
for Tango."
Vynce and Emily looked at each other with puzzlement. Emily stepped forward
and offered her hand, "I'm Agent Emily Hanson. Pleased to meet you."
Vynce followed suit, albeit more cautiously. "I'm Agent Vynce Edwards. What
happened to Agent Anders, our former SAC?"
"She'll still be with Tango, but in a less supervisory role." Anne said.
"Because of what happened at the hotel?" Emily queried.
"Exactly." Anne said, as she and the other two agents took their desks and
started to settle in. "Well, I'm starving... anyone up for lunch?"
- * - * - * -
[Training Director Josh Peters office]
> Those words could almost apply to her situation now as the hour to her
> meeting with OPR approached. Lisa thought of what happened when they
> returned, how Agents Ian, Ormonde, and Smith had been reassigned to
> different divisions. At the moment, only Emily Hanson and Vynce Edwards were
> upstairs in Tango's office filling out the various paperwork while Lisa
> ventured to Josh's office. Taking a deep breath, Lisa turned the knob to the
> outer door and entered.
Suzanne looked up from her work with a smile on her face, despite the hint of
sadness that was in her eyes. "Lisa...."
"I know, I know... the infamous Anders temper strikes again." Lisa said, with
a hint of a smile. It was the most that she could muster considering her state
of affairs.
"He's waiting for you." Suzanne said, as she held Lisa's hand in hers.
"Thanks." Lisa said. Just as she was about to go into Josh's inner office, a
thought just struck her. "Who was that Agent that just left here?"
Suzanne shrugged. "For the first time that I've been here, I honestly don't
know. It was an unscheduled assignment coming from Station X, although I don't
remember them having any students at the moment."
Warning bells started to go off in Lisa's mind. If Suzanne was surprised, then
something wasn't right. If anyone in JEH knew the ins and outs of what went on
in Training, it was Suze.... Turning the knob to Josh's inner office, Lisa
entered to find that Josh was facing the window in his chair.
"Josh... before you start in on me...." Lisa started, wondering why Josh
hadn't turned to face her with his Lisa-how-many-times-have-I-told-you face on.
"Josh... you couldn't be that pissed at me... are you?"
Lisa went around Josh's desk to see him sitting back in his chair, a red stain
spreading over his shirt. Instinctively, Lisa hit the intercom and told
Suzanne to call an ambulance as she took off her jacket to stem the flow of
blood that was flowing from Josh's chest.
"Suze... I need something to stop this flow." Lisa said as Suzanne burst into
the inner office to see what she could do to help.
- * - * - * -
[Upstairs]
With the wig tucked away in her briefcase, Josh's assailant proceeded to make
her call.
"It's done." she said, hanging up almost immediately since another line was
ringing. With a well-practiced smile, she picked up the other line. "X-files
division. You've reached Unit ...."
- * - * - * -
[Office of Professional Review, 90 minutes later]
To say that Lisa was a mess would have been an understatement. She still had
Josh's blood on her suit, her face, her arms. Suzanne said that she'd go with
Josh to the hospital and that she'd keep Lisa posted on any change in his
condition. Her mind kept replaying to that agent she passed in the hallway,
seeing as there seemed to be something oddly familiar about her, but she didn't
know what it was. She answered the Board's questions mechanically all through
the first 30 minutes of their review. Now she waited for their verdict to see
if they were going to drum her out of the FBI.
"Agent Anders." Assistant Director Joanna Richards started, "The board seems
to find itself in a bit of a dilemna. As seen by your record, you're an
excellent agent that the FBI could ill afford to lose. On the other hand, this
incident is just the latest in which you've been recommended to appear before
this board. The past few times were headed off by recommendations by your
Superiors. Unfortunately, it had to take a shooting in order to bring you in
front of this board."
"The Bureau is set up to protect the citizens of this country, not harm them.
There is no room for vendettas or blood feuds here. You cannot, and WILL not,
allow your personal agenda to interfere with your job and thus, put innocent
lives on the line. As much as we're inclined to dismiss you from the Bureau,
we're going to give you one last chance. As I stated earlier, your record
shows that you're an excellent investigator and you've done the Bureau a great
service in your prior investigations. Don't screw it up, Agent Anders. One
more appearance before this board, and we will dismiss you from the Bureau."
"For now, it is in the Board's opinion that you will be demoted to Special
Agent 4 and be stripped of your command over Unit Tango. Another agent has
already been assigned to take over that unit. You will also be suspended
without pay for no longer than one week in order to think about what has
happened in the past week. After that period, you will return to Unit Tango,
if you wish, or you could request reassignment. That decision will be left
entirely up to you. This hearing is adjourned."
- * - * - * -
[Unit Tango's office]
Lisa walked into Tango's office, not sure how she should be feeling. Her
career was hanging by a thread, one of her best friends at the Academy was
just stabbed and in critical condition at St. Catherine's hospital, and she
was a total mess. She looked at the desks that used to belong to Ian, Ormonde,
and Smith and saw that someone else had moved in. Peeking at the folders on
the desks, she saw Miranda Williams, Cody Hunt, and Anne Toussaint. She had
recognized the first two names as being members of Richard's Bravo team. The
third she had only heard of in passing. A member of Echo, if her memory was
correct. Probably the one assigned to take her place as SAC for Tango. Taking
out her gun and badge, Lisa laid it on her desk and turned around to leave.
The team was probably out to lunch and she wanted to be out of there before
they had returned. A week suspension... all because of Docker and her blind
hatred for him. Rubbing her forehead, Lisa exited Tango's office and walked
down the hall passing by Delta's, Zulu's, Bravo's and Echo's offices before
getting to the elevator.
- * - * - * -
[Apartment of Lisa and Sandra]
As soon as she got back to her apartment, Lisa got out of her blood-soaked
suit and decided that a hot shower was in order. As she stepped into the
shower, feeling the scalding water beating against the knots in her shoulders,
everything about the past few weeks rushed up and hit her all at once. For
the first time in a very long time, ever since her parents were killed all
those years ago, Lisa broke down and cried.
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