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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Part 4
SL-25
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
6.35pm May 16, 2000
"Miss Parker," the Asian woman announced calmly.
"Are you sure?" Lee knew that the member of the Triumvirate who had made that statement was quite hard to surprise and it was only with difficulty that she suppressed a grin as she heard the tone of her voice.
"Quite sure, sir. She had been shown to be loyal and hard-working and I am sure that with the correct... re-education... she could be of much use to us." Lee watched as Miss Parker tried to hide the tightening of her facial muscles and she could feel Broots' concerned eyes staring at her back.
The three men conferred for a few moments before one nodded. "Very well, Miss Lin. You have had experience with the three people and know their abilities and strengths. We trust your judgment in this manner."
Lee tried not to grin with delight. "I appreciate that, sir. Thank-you." She walked forward and turned the key in the lock, opening it enough to allow Miss Parker to slip through and then she firmly closed it behind her.
"And I believe that that is all, is it not?" The man glanced at the other two members of the Triumvirate and they nodded their approval.
"Not quite, sir."
Lee pulled a small, black device from her pocket and pressed the button on it. Instantly, sheets of clear material slipped from the ceiling into the gaps between the bars of the screen in front of them. At the same instant, she withdrew a small black clip from her other pocket and attached it to the shirt in front of her. By this time, the men had recovered from their shock enough to speak.
"Miss Lin, what is going on?"
"An - extension of your plan, gentlemen." She deliberately allowed the faux-Asian accent to slip, and her American one to take its place, listening to the echo of her voice as it came through the speakers.
The Triumvirate members straightened in their seats, glaring at her. "A challenge, Miss Lee?"
"You might call it that." As she spoke, the door behind her crashed against the wall and men in black SWAT vests burst into the room. One opened the gate in the bars and the men poured through it and into the smaller part of the room. Then the first man slammed the gate shut and joined the rest of his men, his gun drawn. The figures already in the room had taken advantage of the initial disruption and were now also donning black vests. The three men bound in the chairs looked as though their eyes were about to exit their skulls but the Triumvirate glanced around their encased room with a sense of satisfaction. That lasted until Jarod 'came to life', much to the astonishment of Miss Parker and Broots, and pressed a small button on the wall. Almost instantly the bulletproof sheeting in front of the Triumvirate disappeared into the ceiling and the three formerly powerful men found themselves staring down more than two dozen gun-barrels.
Lee, who had not moved since the raid began, now took up a position where she was clearly visible to almost everyone in the room.
"I know that this is a surprise to everyone. Almost everyone," she corrected herself as she heard Jarod cough gently but meaningfully behind her. "But you see, gentlemen," she looked up at the Triumvirate, "despite all of your denials to the contrary, I doubt if you will really change the Centre. If, as you told me initially, you'd only been in charge of the Centre for a little over a month, then I would be able to excuse the lack of action. But I happen to know that the coup masterminded by you happened more than six months ago - plenty of time for you to have instigated the changes you mentioned before. So I'm forced to doubt your intention as to the eventual reality of those changes. In fact, I'm willing to believe that those changes are never going to take place at all - at least, they weren't. Otherwise, why would you still need Jarod or Ethan - or any of the subjects that are here? So I was forced to ask myself - why did you need me? What possible use could you have for me? And then, the other day, it hit me. Through me, you could find out who was going to be a possible threat - and dispose of them."
Lee turned and caught a glimpse of Miss Parker as she shuddered and slid down the wall, against which she had been leaning, until she was sitting on the floor. Lee turned back, contempt becoming obvious both in her voice and on her face.
"So I was to be your weasel, hunting out figures for you to trap and destroy. Then you could have the freedom to work the Centre in any way you liked."
Lee could feel her temper beginning to rise, as it had when she had first learnt about her probable fate. She took a deep breath and then continued.
"If you had been a little more careful in your research, gentlemen, you would have discovered that I am not, nor have I ever been, associated with the organization from which you - recruited me. My interest in taking this job was sparked by the disappearance of my sister...and the fact that her assumed killer worked here. And you can see for yourselves how right my information was."
She glanced back and caught Jarod's eye. He grinned at her but remained silent.
"I'm a member of the CIA. Have been for years. And they, having had an eye on this place for years, were very pleased to get someone on the inside. So now it would seem that your whole plan is undone. The entire Centre has been surrounded since yesterday morning. Ten minutes ago, the other staff members were rounded up. And now it's your turn. I hope you enjoy it, gentlemen. At least you can be sure of the fact that you won't be needing to make any decisions for a while."
She turned, a broad grin on her face, and removed the small microphone from her dress and tossed it onto the ground. Walking over, she opened the heavy iron door that led out into the corridor and ushered the rest of the room's occupants out of it before her. Then, turning, she pressed the small button on the box in her hand again and the bars began their slow movement back to their original position, allowing the other people to leave the room more easily.
The Triumvirate Offices, SL-9
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
7:38pm May 16, 2000
Glancing over her shoulder, Lee saw the heavily armed group moving the six men, one by one, out of the now-defunct interview room and down the hall in the opposite direction. She was forced to suppress her own amusement as she walked in and shut the door. The room, however, was not unoccupied. At a desk, which stood facing a group of eight chairs, sat a man of slim build who wore round, wire-rimmed glasses. Behind the man stood a large group of heavily armed SWAT team members. As Lee entered the room, the man stood and came over.
"Well, well, well, Miss Stephanie-Lee Lin. I congratulate you. Another task successfully completed."
He smiled and she returned the expression.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
She leaned forward as the group took their seats behind her. "Just one thing, sir."
He glanced at her serious face and nodded. "Of course."
Glancing over his shoulder, he caught the eye of one of the guards, who moved over to a small door. As he opened it, two children ran out of the room. A small boy threw himself at his mother's legs while the girl glanced around, spotted Jarod and leapt at him with the cry of "Daddy!" Jarod picked up the small girl and Stephanie-Lee cuddled the small boy to her while trying not to giggle as she heard the united gasp from Sydney and Miss Parker. Meanwhile, the stranger reseated himself behind the desk and smiled at the group.
"Well, this has obviously been somewhat of a shock for most of you. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"
"Who are you?" Stephanie-Lee glanced at Broots as he mumbled the question and turned back to find the unknown man eyeing her with a grin.
"Would you like to answer that one?"
"Yes, sir. This gentleman is Mr George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence at the CIA."
"And - who are you?"
"I'm," she paused and glanced over at Mr Tenet, who nodded. "I *was* a member of Clandestine Operations. Since the birth of my children, however, I'm be reducing the number of projects in which I've been involved and this was my last in the field. I start desk work on Monday, though."
"And our loss is their gain. We lose a very valuable member of our forces, but we have no doubt that she will be a credit to us."
Stephanie-Lee bowed her head slightly and smiled. "Thank-you, sir. I appreciate that. I know you understand."
"And - what about us...?" Stephanie-Lee glanced over at Miss Parker as she spoke. It was Mr Tenet, however, who responded to the question.
"It will be up to you. Thanks to Miss Lin, we know we can trust you all. For that reason, we would like to invite all of you to join us as active members of the CIA."
"And if we don't?" Miss Parker asked.
"Then you will have a chance to return to - I should say develop normal lives. I doubt many of you have had the chance of a normal life for some time now."
"Even - ?" Sydney spoke before he had thought and was unable to prevent himself from glancing over at Jarod and Ethan.
"We are aware of their talents - Jarod's, in particular - but that information will go no further, if they don't wish to work with us."
There was silence for a few more minutes until Stephanie-Lee broke through it and glanced up at her boss. "I think, sir, that they might still be trying to come to terms with what happened. Perhaps, with some time to discuss it..."
"Of course." He glanced over his shoulder again and the armed troops trailed out of the room. Mr Tenet was about to follow him when his employee jumped up again.
"Uh, sir, did you manage to do what I asked?"
"Naturally. In there." He pointed to the other door and then left the room.
Stephanie, with due care and attention for her tight-fitting, Asian-style dress, put her son, who had fallen asleep, onto the sofa in the corner of the room and then slid herself up onto the desk. "You're all so quiet," she joked. "Even you, Jarod."
"How," Miss Parker spoke slowly, "do we know that this isn't some trick by the Triumvirate to get rid of us?"
Stephanie-Lee nodded slowly and then stood. "Fortunately, I do have some proof to back up my words." She walked over to the door and opened it. "You can come out now."
As the girl appeared in the doorway, Broots leapt to his feet. "Debbie!"
Miss Parker glanced over to Stephanie-Lee as Broots caught his daughter in his arms and sat on the sofa next to the sleeping Jeremy. "How does that prove anything?"
"We got to her just before Mr Cox did. He was already working for the new Triumvirate and had orders to capture her in an effort to make the three of you do what they wanted. Fortunately we got hold of the order and stopped him before he got to her. Here's the order, just to prove it."
She picked up a folder that Mr Tenet had left on the desk, opened it and extracted a sheet of paper that she handed to Miss Parker. Then she glanced around, once more wearing a wide grin.
"Anyone else got any questions? You, Syd? You haven't said much."
"Well... it's just... did..." He pulled himself together. "Did I hear that child call Jarod 'Daddy'? How could...? Not even Jarod..."
Stephanie-Lee jumped to what he was thinking and broke into peals of laughter. She caught Jarod's eye and nearly fell of the table in her amusement. Standing up and making an extreme effort, she got hold of herself and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Oh, Sydney. No...No, Jarod's not their father."
At the thought, she began to giggle again and it was left to Jarod himself to clarify things, which he did while also wearing a wide grin on his face.
"Steph's husband was killed several years ago. I sort of - filled the void."
Stephanie-Lee had managed to calm down and now she spoke for herself. "David was also working for the CIA. He was shot while driving a pursuit vehicle. He was killed instantly and his partner was seriously injured. The suspect, who was wanted for a lot more than just David's murder, got away. Until today anyway," she finished with a faint smile.
"Today?" Miss Parker had picked up on this fact and looked up, interest written on her face.
"Yes, Miss Parker." Stephanie-Lee's face held a trace of sadness. "Today. Mr Lyle was responsible for the death of my husband. Mr Lyle was seen abducting my sister and David recognized her. He and his partner, although they were off-duty, chased the car and would have caught them both if Lyle hadn't been armed. It was that which made me most want to work her - to avenge his death. George - I beg his pardon, Mr Tenet - wasn't too sure but I convinced him. I would have rather died finding out about it than have lived not knowing. But Lyle had to file a report - with the old Triumvirate, incidentally - so that they could cover for him if he was ever accused of the murder, which was how I learnt about his involvement. David's former partner has no recollection of the accident, and so couldn't identify Lyle."
"So what now?"
Stephanie-Lee looked over at Broots, who was still holding Debbie closely.
"What do you mean? You heard George's offer and it's a true one. We could use people like you. You could all be very valuable to the CIA. But you won't be forced. It's up to you all to make up your own minds." She glanced around at the group as the ex-Centre employees exchanged glances. "So, what do you want to do?"
Stephanie-Lee leaned back against the desk and looked carefully from Miss Parker to Sydney and then to Broots. The most obvious expression on their faces was doubt and she thought frantically of a way to resolve it. Luckily the need was taken out of her hands.
Glancing around at the other occupants of the room, she noted Emily’s white, almost gray, pallor and leapt forward to catch her as she slipped from her chair. Lowering the woman gently to the floor, Stephanie felt frantically for a pulse and was grateful to find one almost immediately, however the strength of it concerned her.
As Jarod and Major Charles gathered around and tried frantically to bring Emily back to consciousness, the CIA agent gave a piercing whistle that was immediately answered by the door of the room opening and an agent, still wearing a SWAT vest, stood there.
"Yes, Miss Lin?"
"Bring my bag here, immediately. And a stretcher."
"Yes, ma'am."
He returned seconds later with a black bag, which he gave to her before leaving again. Opening it in front of her, Stephanie pulled a glass container and a small syringe out and, after filling the syringe, handed the bottle to Jarod, who showed it to his father.
"She's not allergic?"
"No."
Stephanie-Lee nodded at the word and, finding a vein, injected the contents into the unconscious woman's blood stream. As she waited for it to work, she looked surreptitiously around at the other people in the room. All watched her warily but at least the concern was gone and she could tell that a positive response to her actions would go a long way to placing trust in her and the organization for which she worked.
The Asian woman glanced over her shoulder and nodded at the two men in the doorway, who came forward and put the motionless, but at least conscious, woman onto the stretcher and carried it out of the room. Jarod, Ethan and Major Charles closely followed them. She turned back to find Sydney and Miss Parker watching her closely.
"What are you, Miss Lin?"
She tried to suppress the grin, having heard from Jarod how often he had been asked a similar thing. Instead, she snapped shut the bag and, standing, brushed the dust away from her dress as she answered.
"I am a CIA Operations Officer and a qualified MD. After I graduated from medical school, I applied and was accepted by the CIA to work with them. I also got engaged at the same time and was married a year later."
She took a seat facing the two ex-Centre operatives, glancing across at Broots who was seemingly absorbed in his daughter but, Stephanie-Lee suspected, was listening as hard as he could. Her final glance was over at her now two sleeping children, both of whom were obviously worn out from the long day. Her tender smile still played around the corners of her mouth as she looked back to Sydney and Miss Parker.
"I know that none of you have reason or grounds to trust anybody anymore and I wouldn't expect you to. But, although the whole building is being heavily guarded and will continue to be so until our people have cleared the offices of the sublevels, but you are all free to go wherever you like. Home, Maine," she nodded towards Miss Parker, who looked startled, "if you wanted to visit Michelle, Sydney, that would be fine. We might be calling on you to provide evidence, but that's not so likely. This building should be enough to convince any jury."
At this juncture, the baby began to cry very softly in his sleep and Stephanie-Lee walked over to scoop him up in her arms. He snuggled up to her and she rubbed his back as she returned to her former position, leaning against the table. As she did this, the door opened and a figure in a white coat walked into the room.
"Ms Lin?"
"Yes, Doctor Sullivan?"
"I wanted to let you know that the young lady is recovering rapidly now, thanks to your treatment. I was wondering, though, if I could have the container..."
Stephanie-Lee nodded and, with one hand, opened the bag and pulled out the small glass container, handing it over.
"Leave the door open, if you don't mind, doctor."
The woman bowed her head in acquiescence and disappeared down the hallway to the left, the glass held firmly in her hand.
"So..." Stephanie-Lee turned back to the room's occupants, "that's it. There is, if you’re interested, the chance for a debriefing over the next few days. If not...well, there's the door. Good luck."
She turned back and walked over to the inner room, picking up her bag and the bag of her children that contained the things that her son and daughter needed. It was several seconds before she came back into the outer room and saw that, although Broots had gone with his daughter and that Miss Parker had also left, Sydney still remained.
"Was there anything you wanted, doctor?"
He sat down in a chair and watched as she slipped her son into the cloth carrying-bag and swung it gently onto her back so that his head rested on her shoulder.
"Can I see...Jarod?"
"Of course." Stephanie-Lee scooped her daughter up in her arms and led the way out of the room. She stopped at the guard who stood outside.
"Which level is the infirmary set up on?"
He snapped to attention and, much to Sydney amazement, saluted her sharply. "SL-6, ma'am."
She nodded. "Thank-you."
The two walked beside each other in silence to the elevator.
"Are you...?"
He stopped and Stephanie-Lee glanced up at him in some amusement. "Doctor, I can perfectly understand your feelings - or I think I can. But I do want to assure you, if I can, that you're safe. Jarod trusts me completely, as do his sister, brother and father. I don't say that you have to trust me. Only that I hope, eventually, you will believe me when I say that this nightmare you've been living with for so long really is over."
The elevator dinged to a stop and Stephanie-Lee led the way out. Just outside the doors stood another guard who, like the first, saluted but, unlike the first, smiled as well. It only took Sydney several seconds to recognize him.
"Mike?!"
"Good evening, Doctor. Or rather, good morning." He stood by to let them pass.
Looking down the hall, Stephanie-Lee could see Jarod standing outside the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his head hanging down.
"Is he...?"
She could hear the panic rising in Sydney's voice and grinned at him. "He's probably asleep. We've all had a long few days but not all of us had to carry somebody else long distances." She walked up beside the Pretender and tapped him sharply on one shoulder, giggling softly as he jumped. "Wakey, wakey."
"God, you startled me!"
"Obviously." Stephanie-Lee looked in through the window to see Major Charles sitting beside the bed in which Emily lay. "How is she doing?"
"Much better. They want to keep her under observation for a day or two, but she should recover fairly quickly. It was really only exhaustion - but you already knew that."
"I'm glad to hear it." She stepped back but Jarod put a hand on the shoulder that was free of children's heads.
"Are you okay? You look like hell."
She grinned up at him. "Looked in a mirror lately?"
"Okay, okay." He smiled gently. "Going home?"
She nodded. "I want to get these two into bed, above and beyond anything else that I might be feeling. Will you - any of you - be coming?"
Jarod shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt Dad will, but I'll see what I can persuade Ethan to do."
"I understand." She looked around. "Where is Ethan, anyway?"
"Miss Parker came down and he walked with her to her car. I think she still needs a little convincing."
"She isn't the only one." Stephanie-Lee nodded back over her shoulder at Sydney, who was standing a short distance away, watching them.
Jarod squeezed her shoulder gently before letting go. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."
"Morning!" Stephanie-Lee groaned. "I don't even want to think about it! Far too much paperwork." She grinned again before turning away again and smiling at the other occupant of the hallway. "Good night, Sydney."
Stevenson's Falls, Delaware
12:42 am May 17, 2000
Stephanie-Lee let herself into the house and kicked the door shut behind her with a practiced foot. She walked into the room that Emily had slept in the night before and put her daughter down onto the bed that the woman had occupied with a sigh of relief. Turning, she slipped the straps off her shoulders and gently freed her son from the cloth, laying him on a changing table to put on his pajamas suit before placing him in the cot that had been pushed into a corner. She gently covered him up and then changed and covered her daughter, shutting the door as she left the room.
Thank goodness, she thought to herself as she entered the kitchen, that they had washed up before leaving for the Centre that morning. Or, she corrected herself as she looked at the clock, yesterday before. Not bothering to suppress a yawn, she checked that the outside doors were all secure before going into her room and, changing as quickly as possible, turned on the television and slipped between the sheets. Yawning again and stretching, she relaxed against the pillows and was asleep before she could even focus on the screen in front of her.
6:28am May 17, 2000
The first thing that she noticed the next morning was the silence. The second thing was that, for some unaccountable reason, she was awake ridiculously early. Shaking her head at her own stupidity, but knowing from experience that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she dragged herself out of bed. Staggering into the kitchen, she put the kettle onto the stove before walking over to look out of the window. When it boiled, she made herself a mug of coffee and carried it back into the bedroom. Entering, she stopped in the doorway and came close to dropping the hot contents on to her bare feet. Somehow she had missed the most major change in the room. Her bed contained a second occupant. At some point during the night, he had come home from the Centre and forsaken his own bed for hers. She shrugged to herself and turned away, walking back down the hall to the living room. At least that explained who had turned off the television.
Wrapping herself in a rug, she settled in front of the television and watched some inane Saturday morning cartoons for a while before noises from another part of the house told her that her children were awake. Putting the mug on the table in front of her, she got up and went into the noisy bedroom, joining in the games that the two of them were playing before moving with them into the bathroom and thus preparing them for the day ahead. It was ten o'clock before she heard the ring at the doorbell and opened it to find her mother standing there.
"Hi, Steph, darling. I thought I would come by and see if you wanted us to take the children again today. We heard about the operation on the radio and I know you'll have work to do."
"That's definitely an offer I can't refuse." Her daughter smiled and gathered together a bag of things to hand her mother. As she waved the car goodbye, she turned to find Jarod standing in the doorway.
"Good morning."
"What time were you up?"
She stepped past him into the house and he followed her into the kitchen. "Oh, around six thirty."
"What?! Are you insane? You didn't leave the Centre until after midnight!"
"I know, I know." She waved in the direction of the coffee mug and laughed. "I have so much to do now that this is over."
"Anything I can help with?"
She smiled at him. "I know you'll want to stay with your sister. It's a lovely offer, but no thanks."
He left the kitchen and she could soon hear the sound of a shower running. With a sigh she picked up the bag containing her papers from the previous day's events, walked into her office and sat down in front of her computer to begin typing up her notes.
4:18 pm May 17, 2000
The sun was already somewhat low in the sky when she got up from her chair and stretched her weary and aching back.
"About time."
Stephanie-Lee jumped violently as a voice came from behind her and she spun around to find Jarod and his father, brother and sister standing in the doorway.
"Wakey, wakey," Jarod teased as he walked into the room. "I thought you must have gone deaf. We made enough noise coming in."
She laughed. "Sorry, I was concentrating."
"Well, don't hurt yourself."
She picked up a cushion from the sofa that the room boasted and swatted him with it before dropping it again and walking over to Emily.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
Stephanie-Lee looked closely at her and noticed that there was color in her cheeks as she responded. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. You gave us all a fright last night."
"Dr Sullivan said she’d either call or come by later this afternoon to talk to you about Emily's care," Major Charles interposed, smiling at his daughter.
"Great!" Stephanie-Lee gave a mock grumble. "That's all I need. More CIA agents coming to check up on me." She grinned as the group moved from the door of her study to the kitchen.
#####
"Where are your kids?"
Stephanie-Lee looked up from the book she was reading when Major Charles walked in to the living room.
"My mother picked them up early this morning. She heard about the raid on the radio and has a sort of extra sense where I'm concerned. Somehow she always knows when I'm involved."
Major Charles laughed as he took a seat opposite her. "I can sympathize."
The Asian woman smiled at him. "I'm sure you can. How's your daughter?"
"Resting. I said that you had told her she had to, so she was willing."
"And where are Jarod and Ethan?"
"They said they were going to take a walk."
"Well, they might not be back for a while, then. Jarod’s very capable of going off and forgetting about the time completely." She laughed before becoming serious once again. "And how are you doing?"
He sighed. "I don't...know."
She raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
"I suppose that it's just come so suddenly that I can't believe the threat of the Centre is finally over. When you've been living under that sort of cloud for so long, one night isn't going to clear it all away..."
"I understand, Major. I've been trying to find out why David died for several years now and it's only been in the last week that I've managed to learn that fact."
He nodded. "Do you think there's any chance of finding my wife soon?"
"We have our best people working on it. I arranged that to begin as soon as the Centre was in government hands. It probably won't take them longer than a week or two."
He nodded and looked out of the window and over her garden. Sensing that he wanted to think in silence, Stephanie-Lee returned to her book.
10:28 pm May 17, 2000
That night, in bed, she finished the last of it. She always enjoyed mysteries and it was even nicer when she wasn't the person responsible for solving it. With a sigh, she shut it and placed it on the bedside table. Tucking her hands in behind her head, she was about to indulge in some serious thinking when a knock at the door startled her.
"Come in."
When Jarod poked his head around the door, she smiled and moved across so that there was room on the bed to sit.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Of course you can. Do you need to ask?"
He flashed a brief grin at her before seating himself on the bed.
"It's nice that you ask, though," Stephanie-Lee continued conversationally, "as opposed to just coming in and lying on the bed."
She watched in amusement as he blushed. "I wanted company."
"That much even I figured out. Actually, I wasn't expecting you to come back last night at all. I thought you would have stayed with Emily."
"I was going to but Dad said that it wasn't necessary. I think he's still trying to get used to me being around."
Stephanie-Lee nodded thoughtfully. "That could take a while. You can be quite overwhelming."
"Thanks, I think."
She grinned. "Truth hurts."
"From some people."
For a moment she was overwhelmed by a feeling that she couldn't understand and looked away. An idea struck her and she looked back at him.
"Are you going to go to the debriefing?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of one eye. "I'm not sure."
"Why not?"
"Hey, I didn't say either way."
"No, but I know you well enough to know what 'I'm not sure' means."
He paused and glanced at the wall for a few seconds. "I don't know if I can bear to tell people what went on there. If I have to think about it again, I may end up reliving it."
"Jarod," she reached out and covered one of his hands with her own, "you do it anyway - night after night. How much worse can the dreams be than they are already?"
"How do you know?" He looked startled and pulled away from her grasp.
"I hear you." She sat back against the pillow. "That was why I gave you a room far away from the children - I was worried that you might disturb them. But I hear you almost every night that you're here." She smiled gently and wearily. "It's hard to hide something like that."
He nodded thoughtfully and glanced across to find that she was almost asleep. A small smile crept across his face as he leaned over and eased pillows out from under her head before getting up, turning off the light and leaving the room.
CIA Offices
Washington DC
9:42 am May 16, 2002
Sam walked down the brightly lit hallway and pursed his lips into a whistle. A glance from a passing officer brought him up short and Sam saluted sharply before continuing on his way. When he arrived at the office, he tapped gently on the door before opening it.
"Doctor? The others asked if you had remembered about today and if you were still coming?"
The room's sole occupant looked up with a gasp and then stared at his watch before throwing papers into a drawer, locking it and picking up his jacket.
"They'll never let me forget this!"
"Oh, it's not that bad." Sam stood aside to allow him to lock the office door. "It only took them six months to stop teasing you about it last year."
The doctor shot him a half-harassed, half-amused look as the two began to hurriedly walk down the hallway towards the elevators.
"The late Doctor Sydney," the voice came before he was even through the door, "mourned by all who knew him."
Sydney walked across to the sink, picked up his mug and gave his former protégé a friendly slap on the arm. Stepping away, he walked over to the sofa that the room contained and settled himself into a corner of it, glancing around at the room's other occupants as he did so.
"Is this everybody?"
Stephanie-Lee smiled across at him from where she sat. "Everybody who is currently in DC, yes."
"So where are Miss Parker and Ethan?"
"The Operations Officers," she stressed the words "are out in the field. I'm afraid that, as their superior, if I told you where they were, I’d have to kill you." She blew gently to cool her coffee down and then took a sip.
"Steph, did you get the call from Mr Tenet?"
"Yes." She nodded. "I have a meeting with the President and Foreign Minister in a week. How did you know?"
An expression of both amusement and curiosity crossed her face as she looked up at Major Charles.
"I met him when he was looking for you. He just said that he needed to get a message to you and did I know where you were?"
She nodded and smiled before emptying her mug and getting up to place it on the sink.
A sigh of frustration from a seat on the sofa made the people turn to find Broots clutching his forehead in his hands.
"What is it, Broots?"
"I can't get these figures to add up and if I don't get this report to George by tonight, my life won't be worth..."
"...any more than it used to be when you worked for Miss Parker," interposed Stephanie-Lee smoothly and with a grin.
Jarod straightened up from where he had been leaning against the sink and walked over, plucking the folder from the former technician's hands. As he read through it, Major Charles tried to glare at him sternly.
"Really, son, you know that you shouldn't interfere in other departments."
Jarod grinned but continued to concentrate. There was silence for a moment that the slender girl sitting quietly in the corner was the first to break.
"So, can the NRO/IG Officer solve problems in the Network Design and Management Program?"
"And could the Statistician do the same if she were allowed?" Her brother responded immediately and then glanced at Broots with a humorous expression in his eyes.
"Broots, I suggest you hire a new secretary - and compare with the originals."
"Oh," Broots sighed with relief, "is that it?" He stood up and tucked the folder under his arm.
"Where are you going? We have two hours for the second anniversary of the destruction of the Centre."
"I want to get this done. If there's still time at the end, I'll come back." He disappeared through the door, leaving the others laughing.
Jarod walked over to his wife, who had taken Broots' seat on the sofa and was chatting with Sydney. After finishing her sentence, she turned to him with a smile.
"Sorry that I couldn't get home last night. Duty called."
"It so often does," she smiled as she leaned against him and he gently kissed the top of her head. A knock at the door prevented Jarod from saying what he was about to.
"Come in."
The door swung inward, revealing the two figures that stood in the hallway outside. One was a head taller than the other and wore a figure-hugging suit. Her companion was wearing baggier clothes and both smiled broadly. Stephanie-Lee remained sitting on the sofa while the other occupants gathered around the newcomers.
"Welcome back, guys. Come on in and join the party."
Miss Parker walked immediately across to the urn and made herself a mug of coffee but Ethan came and sat next to Stephanie-Lee, handing her a folder. He said something in a language that none of the others, including Jarod, could understand and she nodded and replied as she took the folder he was offering. Jarod came over and sat back beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"What was that?"
"Just private conversation."
"In which language?"
"Swahili."
He grinned. "Going to teach me?"
"Nope. I have to have some private communication with my operatives." She smiled and then stood up, moving over to where Miss Parker stood with her arms folded and a grin on her face. The two exchanged comments in another language that was a mystery to the others. Jarod sighed and rolled his eyes to the heavens, exchanging glances with his brother and then grinning.
"And this time?"
"Not telling." His wife smiled. "I don't tell you everything."
"So it would seem."
2:16 pm May 16, 2002
Stephanie-Lee settled back into the chair behind her desk and was about to recommence work when she heard the knock at her door and looked up.
"Come in, Major. What can I do for you?"
"I thought you knew where your operatives were."
Her brow furrowed. "I do."
"So why did you say that they weren't in DC?"
"Because," a smile made her lips twitch. "When you asked, they weren't. A few seconds later, they entered DC airspace."
He relaxed into the seat behind the desk and grinned. "Very clever, Miss Lin."
"Mrs. Richards, please, unless you want to disown your daughter-in-law."
"Very well, Ma'am."
Stephanie-Lee smiled. "And how is your wife?"
"Enjoying some peace and quiet. I've been trying to convince her that she could come to work but she said that she would rather stay home."
"Funnily enough," his daughter-in-law interrupted, "Jarod’s quite pleased about that. Actually, I think he thinks the best part is that he can go and see her whenever and pretty much guarantee that she'll be there. He always says he has to work, but I'm beginning to discover that he isn't always in his office when he says he is." She laughed aloud and, as a sound caught her attention, looked up to find her brother-in-law in the doorway.
"Am I interrupting?" Ethan asked.
"Not at all." She waved him inside and Major Charles got up from his seat.
"I'll be going, then." He patted his son on the shoulder and then left the room while his son and daughter-in-law settled down to discussing the last operation.
Lincolnville, Washington D.C.
9:30pm May 16, 2002
"I'm home."
"Thank God!" The male figure appeared in the hallway as Stephanie dropped her bags and picked up the little girl who had run into the room and hugged her legs. She looked at the man who stood, holding a wriggling toddler in his arms. "None of these three was going anywhere near bed until their Mommy got home."
"And I suppose their Daddy wouldn't either."
He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. He always knew exactly what made her feel best and, right now, it was exactly what she needed.
"Mommy, story!"
"Okay, okay. What say we give Mommy five minutes to catch her breath and then maybe you can get a story?"
"You go and pick one out, Clare and Jeremy. And take David with you."
The two children disappeared into a nearby room and Stephanie leaned her head on the shoulder of her husband as they went down the hallway to the living room.
"So how was the rest of your day?"
"Pretty quiet. A few reports, but nothing extreme."
"Hmm, sounds like pure bliss."
He laughed and pulled her a little closer. "Dinner?"
"Mmm, as long as it's not Cup O'Soup again."
"Oh, I promise. Proper cooking."
"And none of that ex-Centre food either. Meat and three vegetables, like every other family in America."
He laughed. "I was thinking maybe something Asian."
"And the last time you attempted Asian, we had to buy it from the local take-away, remember?"
"But I've been reading about it since then, and now I know where I went wrong."
"I hope so." She stood up and stretched.
"Where are you going?"
"To read the kids and story, and then back to the kitchen to enjoy my take-away."
He stuck his tongue out at her and continued his preparations. She smiled as she left the room and headed in to see her children.
The End
