SPECIAL OPERATIONS:         Part 6        by Robin
 

Amanda sat quietly in the living room looking at a bottle of scotch and a shot glass. Normally she didn't drink scotch and certainly not this early in the day, but today she was going to make an exception. She stared at the caramel colored liquid hoping that its potency would help dull the pain she was feeling. She picked up the shot glass and began to examine it more closely.

Rap, Rap, Rap, she heard on the door. She sat silently; hoping whoever it was would go away. But the series of knocks repeated, more urgently this time. RAP RAP RAP, RAP RAP RAP.

She put the glass down and was about to retreat to the bedroom when the voice on the other side of the door called out to her.

"Amanda, I know you're inside. Your car is parked down the street," Billy advised her.

She swallowed hard. 'What now?' she wondered, just wanting to be left alone.

"Amanda, open the door so we can talk," Billy urged in a direct, but tolerant tone.

She stood up and walked slowly to Lee's apartment door and unlocked it. Then she turned the knob and opened the door, but failed to greet her supervisor. She just returned to the couch and sat down in gloomy silence.

Billy walked in and looked about Lee's apartment. Everything was tidy and in order other than the bottle of scotch that sat on the coffee table and the full shot glass sitting beside it. He looked at his freshman agent. She looked more than tired. She looked defeated.

"A little early for that, don't you think?" Billy asked pointedly, nodding towards the glass of scotch.

"I haven't decided for sure," she answered phlegmatically.

"Why don't I make you some coffee," Billy suggested.

"Sir, I haven't been drinking - yet. I just stopped by to water Lee's plants and sat down for a few minutes," Amanda explained without looking at her supervisor. "It's been a difficult morning."

"That's what I came to talk to you about," he began to explain as he sat down in on the couch. "I've called all over town looking for you. I had a feeling since you weren't home you might be here."

"Sir, I really think I've had my fill of Agency bureaucracy for the day. If you wouldn't mind, I'd rather be alone," Amanda replied weakly.

"You have every reason to be annoyed with Beaman," Billy started. "Francine gave him an earful after you left and when I found out about him suspending you, I did the same. He's not a field agent; he lives and dies by the book. Unfortunately for field agents, they live and die by choices they make for themselves and their partners. Technically, what you did last night was against policy, but I don't think there's an agent out there who wouldn't have done the same thing under the circumstances."

Amanda nodded her acknowledgment. "I'd make the same choice regardless of whether it was Francine, Lee or any other agent. She was un…" Amanda faltered, not wanting to put the blame on Francine for her own supposed error in judgment.

"She went into that warehouse unarmed," Billy finished her sentence. "I know, Francine told me. It was not one of her better choices, but she got lucky last night. I've denied Beaman's request to suspend you. It never made it into your personnel file," her supervisor explained. "But I would prescribe a few days off."

"Thank you, sir," she replied. "I wouldn't mind a few hours sleep, but just the same I'd rather keep busy and get back to work tomorrow."

Billy nodded his understanding. "Amanda, you've done a great job working with Francine while Scarecrow's in training."

"Thank you, sir," she answered dully.

"I realize he didn't get a chance to say goodbye before he left town. That was partially my fault, the paperwork was misplaced. He didn't find out until the last minute that he'd been accepted into the program. I should have found some time before this and discussed how his completing Special Operations Training will affect your partnership, but with Lee gone, time is not something I've had a lot of," Billy began to apologize. "There's a strong possibility that he will choose to be relocated when he finishes training."

Amanda absorbed what her supervisor had just explained. She was relieved to hear that Lee hadn't found out about his 'Special Ops' training until the last minute. That explained a lot. Now she was more certain than ever that Lee would return to DC and their mystery marriage.

"No, sir," she contradicted confidently. "DC is Lee's home. He's not going anywhere."

"I've been very pleased with the way things are working out with you and Francine," Billy confided, not wanting to argue with his freshman agent. "Not many agents would put up with her… attitude. Most attempts at partnering her up in the past have worked out rather poorly."

"Just the same, sir, I'm looking forward to resuming my partnership with Lee," Amanda reiterated, this time looking Billy straight in the eye.

"If that option is available, it will be considered. Maybe you can save that drink for when Lee comes back?" Billy suggested as he got up off the chair and started for the door, realizing this was not the best time to approach the subject of permanently pairing her with Francine.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea, sir," Amanda concurred with a tired smile. "I'll look forward to that celebration."

*** *** *** *** ***

Billy sat in his office listening the verbal barrage go back and forth like a tennis match without being able to get a word in edgewise. Amanda and Francine were arguing vigorously about their widely differing view of changing the location of the upcoming SDI meeting that was just a few weeks away.

"We need to change the location," Amanda argued, glaring tenaciously over at Francine.

"Amanda," Francine replied testily, her hands on her hips as she glared right back at her temporary partner, "we don't have any intelligence that confirms that the location's security has been breached."

Billy gritted his teeth, hoping that the war of words would soon come to an end. The 'honeymoon' was definitely over. He reminded himself that Amanda and Francine had lasted over six weeks together without killing each other. But it looked like now he would have to intercede.

"Enough!" Billy eventually bellowed having had an overabundance of both of their attitudes.

Amanda and Francine, startled by his sudden outburst, stopped arguing and turned their attention to him.

"Thank you, both," Billy snapped as he shook his head in disbelief at the two women. "Now I have to agree with Francine. There's no evidence that we need to consider alternate locations for the SDI meeting…"

Francine shot a smug look over at Amanda. "Exactly what I've been telling her for three days now… "

"Francine, button it," Billy corrected harshly. He had enough of her childish display. "Just because I agree with you doesn't mean that Amanda's necessarily wrong." He then turned and looked at Amanda trying to salvage the situation before it started to boil over again. "Amanda, it's just that the intelligence we have - at this time - does not indicate that security has been breached."

"But, sir," she said quietly, wanting to make it clear to Billy that she still didn't agree. "I still think there's more to Vinnie Aloni's initial claim…"

"Mmmphhh," Francine snorted angrily. "We interrogated him for six hours, Amanda!"

"Francine, enough!" Billy yelled as he glanced at the report that sat on his desk regarding the Aloni debriefing. After a few seconds he calmly responded to Amanda. "You both have been in the field trying to come up with any additional evidence to prove that we might have a problem. Do you have anything solid?"

Amanda glanced down at the floor, then nervously rubbed her cast. Finally she raised her head and made eye contact with her supervisor. "Sir, it's a gut feeling. You're always telling me that I have good instincts and to follow them…"

"I respect your instincts, Amanda, really I do. However, I can't go down Pennsylvania Avenue a few weeks before a meeting that's been planned for months and tell the National Security Council that we're changing venues because one of my freshmen agents has a gut feeling!"

Amanda swallowed hard. She understood the position that Billy was in, but it didn't change the way she felt. Vinnie Aloni had something to tell Francine that night. Why he failed to deliver that message, she wasn't sure. Did Vinnie know that goon, Bogdanovich, who'd broken Amanda's wrist, followed him into the warehouse that night? Was that why he clammed up?

"Sir, do I have your permission to continue pursuing the possibility of Vinnie's claim being substantial?" she asked quietly, without looking over at Francine.

Billy sighed heavily. "Amanda, we're already stretched pretty thin as it is with Lee gone and agents on summer vacations," he expressed reluctantly. "I'm sorry, I just can't spare you right now."

Amanda nodded mutely. She understood, but knew she'd had to make one last attempt.

"That doesn't mean you can't keep you ears open when you're in the field," Billy suggested sympathetically, glancing at both Francine and Amanda. "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm late for a meeting downtown."

With that said, Francine and Amanda filed silently out of Billy's office. He sighed when the door closed. He, too, had a strong suspicion that there would be trouble at the SDI summit meeting, but he couldn't dwell on supposition. Without further delay, he grabbed his suit jacket and his files and hurried out of his office.

Amanda had had enough arguing for the day. Not wanting to go back to the Q Bureau and endure Francine's gloating, she went to the one sanctuary where she could be alone for a few peaceful minutes of contemplation - Lee's apartment. Once inside this tranquil retreat she looked around, hoping for some way to relieve the wall of loneliness that had built up inside her. She walked into his bedroom, sat on the bed and looked at the calendar. It was almost August. She felt a little like a schoolgirl counting down the last week of school. Only she wasn't certain when Lee would arrive home. Other than the one phone call, she hadn't heard from him since. Unfortunately, his homecoming couldn't come soon enough to suit her.

*** **** **** ****

August the first was another long hot summer day. Amanda raced around trying to squeeze in a week's worth of family activities into just one day. By the time she arrived home with the boys late in the evening, Dotty had already left on her date with Captain Curt. After cooking a quick dinner she chased the boys into the family room to watch television while she cleaned the dishes and tidied the kitchen. She looked out the window remembering how many times she had looked out to see Lee smiling back at her. Amanda frowned; knowing that familiar reflection wouldn't appear tonight.

She finally joined her sons in the family room. It felt good to sit down and relax. The droning of the TV mesmerized her and she soon found her eyes drifting closed. Several hours later she woke up to find that both Phillip and Jamie had gone to bed, leaving the TV sound on low. She stretched as she got up, then checked all the doors and retreated upstairs. Before retiring for the night she glimpsed into her sons room to see them both peacefully sleeping.

She changed into her nightgown and was about to turn out the light when the phone rang. She answered it before it rang a second time. "Hello?" she asked, concerned about who would be calling at this late hour.

"Hello, beautiful," Lee responded.

A broad smile raced across her face. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"It's nice to hear yours, too," he concurred warmly. "Before you ask, I'm still in California, but we finish next week and I should be home sometime on Monday, the tenth."

"Ten more days!" Amanda rejoiced, as she looked up at the ceiling in silent prayer. "I can't wait. How are you? You sound tired."

"I am tired," Lee remarked candidly, there was no hiding that fact. "It's been a long couple of months, but we're down to the wire. I miss you so much it hurts. I can't wait to see you. How's everything there? Are the boys and your mother OK? You and Francine getting along any better?"

Amanda laughed out loud. "We don't have enough time to get into that subject! But the boys and mother are fine. They missed you, too. They'll be glad to hear you'll be back soon."

"Oh, trust me, your house is the first place I plan to stop," Lee confided.

"Do you know what flight you'll be on?" Amanda asked, hopefully. "I could pick you up at the airport…"

"I don't have the exact flight yet, but I'll try to call from the airport before I leave," he answered. "Amanda, I'd really like to talk longer, but I can't. I just wanted to let you know when I'd be back."

"You're AWOL again aren't you?" She shook her head, wishing he wouldn't take such risks just to call her.

"What do you mean, again? I wasn't caught the first time!" he laughed.

"Let's hope your luck doesn't run out tonight," she warned. "I love you and I miss you. I can't wait to see you again."

"That goes double for me," Lee reiterated. "I'll see you sometime on the tenth. I love you."

With that last statement Lee hung up the phone, not wanting to prolong the agony of another painful goodbye. Amanda sat in her bedroom and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. The long summer finally seemed to be coming to an end.

End Part 6
 
 
 
 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS      Part 7            by Robin
 

tap, tap, tap… tap, tap, tap, TAP, TAP, TAP… "Amanda, wake up." She heard the voice calling her from far away.

Amanda awoke. "Another dream," she whispered to herself in annoyance as she rolled over pulling the sheet to her.

The voice returned. "Amanda! Amanda, wake up, it's me!"

She sat up in bed. Was she hearing things now? At first this nightly ritual of dreaming about Lee had been a comfort, but lately it had become anything but. She'd wake up and reach out for him before realizing it was only a dream. "Only a few more nights and you can see him in person," she reminded herself as she settled back into her bed.

"Amanda, out on the trellis!" the voice urged in a hushed, but anxious tone. "Would you please hurry before I fall?"

Finally she realized she wasn't dreaming. She threw the sheet off of her and hurried across the room. "Lee, is that you?" she asked as she pulled up the window shade.

There, in the darkness she could make out his form. This was no dream; Lee Stetson was clinging precariously, one hand on the windowsill, the other holding onto the trellis.

"There'd better not be anyone else climbing up your trellis at this hour! Will you please hurry up, this thing's creaking like it's going to break," he pleaded nervously.

She threw open the window and reached out to grab his arm. She tugged on him, trying to pull him into the room.

"Wait, my belt's caught on the vine," he grimaced painfully. Then without warning he fell into the room. "Never mind!" he laughed as they landed together in a heap on her bedroom floor.

"Are you OK?" she asked him in amazement.

"Uh, huh, I was about to ask you the same thing!" he whispered cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be home for another 48 hours!" she reminded him.

"If you want I can always leave and come back," he shrugged playfully.

"No, no, no," she swatted at him, then hugged him. Their lips met. The kiss that she had longed for over the last two months was finally a reality. As he pulled away she reached out for him again. "Not so fast," she mumbled as she captured his lips again.

Their hands explored each other anew before Lee stopped and pulled away again. He reached for her right hand. "What happened?" he asked as his hand inspected her cast in the darkness.

"It's a long story," she replied, not wanting to discuss that right now. "I promise to tell you all about it later. I'm so surprised that you came home early. You're not AWOL again are you? I could have picked you up at the airport. Why didn't you call me?"

"Another long story," he replied. "You look beautiful."

"How can you tell, you can barely see me?" she whispered as they were still sitting on the floor in the dark.

"Because I know every inch of your body, Mrs. Stetson," he whispered seductively. "And I know you ARE beautiful."

She began to stand up and reached out for his hand. They slowly rose to their feet. Amanda pulled the shade down and they crossed the room, putting on a light, before sitting on her bed.

"See, I was right," Lee commented as his hand gently caressed her face. "You are beautiful."

"I can't believe you're really here," she remarked in amazement. "I heard your voice and thought I was dreaming again."

Lee grinned lasciviously. "And just what were you dreaming about?" he teased.

"Like you don't already know," she chuckled as her eyes scanned every inch of his lithe body, as if taking inventory. "You look fabulous…"

"I've never been in better shape in my life. Those first two weeks were brutal," he started to complain as he flexed his back muscles in remembrance of the pain he endured. "They found muscles on my body I never knew existed."

Amanda's hand examined his firm arms with a delicate, yet exploring touch. Then her hand moved on to his chest and she slowly started unbuttoning his shirt. Lee closed his eyes and sighed heavily. As her hand worked down to his belt, he quickly grabbed her hand.

Swallowing hard to maintain some control of the physical responses her hand elicited from his ever-willing body, he warned his wife in a husky voice. "Mrs. Stetson, please don't torture me. It's taking every ounce of my strength not to make love to you on this bed right now. I want you so badly…"

"And just what's stopping you, Mr. Stetson?" she asked teasingly.

He glared at her and gritted his teeth. "Phillip, Jamie and your mother for starters!" he answered.

"Hmmph!" she snorted as she turned her chin away from him in a pout. "Some secret agent you are. It just so happens that Phillip and Jamie are with Joe this weekend and Mother went to visit Aunt Edna for a few days…"

"Seriously?" Lee asked, almost pleadingly for it to be true. "We're alone?"

"Scouts honor!" Amanda replied, holding up her fingers in a Boy Scout salute.

Lee's face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. He looked at his wife, almost puzzled, not sure where he wanted to start as if she was a dessert that needed to be devoured very carefully.

Amanda couldn't wait any longer. Her lips captured her husband's. Her hands continued her deliberate exploration of his taut, muscular body. His hands were soon delicately touching her nightgown. Then they slowly made their way under the thin fabric. Within seconds they were lost in their passion after two long months apart…

*** *** *** ***

The sun shone past the window shade and filtered into the bedroom. Amanda lay motionless next to her husband, enjoying the closeness she had longed for, not wanting it to end. Lee breathed rhythmically, still fast asleep. It wasn't often that she was able to share her bed with Lee. Whenever they did have a night together they normally spent it at his apartment. She smiled broadly at the thought of having her husband in her house. Someday she hoped it would be their home.

Lee finally stirred. "Is it morning already?" he asked sleepily.

Amanda chuckled and nodded. "If you think about it, it was already morning when you crawled into my window six hours ago."

Lee laughed as well and kissed his wife's forehead. "So it was."

"So tell me all about Special Operations. I'm so proud of you," she added as they both sat up in bed.

"Well," Lee started then paused, shaking his head. "Like I mentioned last night, it's a long story."

"The boys won't be home until after seven tonight, so start talking," she encouraged as she cuddled next to him.

"It was incredibly demanding; they were working us day and night. Most days we were up at five and didn't stop until after dark. Then some nights there were classroom sessions or paperwork to fill out. We wouldn't get back to our bunks until after ten or even later," Lee explained.

"And you volunteered for this training?" Amanda remarked. Then, no longer able to keep her curiosity at bay she asked the question that had been plaguing her mind for two months. "Lee, when did you actually sign up for this training?"

"Oh, that!" Lee remarked as his head dropped almost in shame. How many times he had thought about that knee jerk decision over the last two months.

"Yeah, that!" Amanda responded. "They always say the wife's the last one to know…"

"Amanda, it's not like that at all. I actually got the idea shortly after Joe came back to town," Lee confessed, slightly embarrassed. "There was a memo in my mailbox about N.E.S.O.T. just before Christmas that year. You and Joe were getting pretty chummy. Every time I'd drive by the house it seemed that Joe was around. So I kept the memo in my desk for a while. I'd throw it into the garbage then pull it back out again."

"But obviously you did send it in," Amanda pointed out.

"Yeah, when Francine got kidnapped in Afghanistan and you and I were fighting over what's his name - the mathematician…"

"Will Towne," Amanda reminded him as she cringed. "We weren't really fighting. It was more like a professional disagreement."

"Whatever it was, that's when I filled it out and gave it to Billy," Lee confessed. "I didn't think you and I would ever get on track and I didn't want to get in the way… you know… if you and Joe got back together…"

"The only reason Joe was hanging around so much was for the boys' sake. There was never any idea of getting back together," Amanda divulged.

"Well, this whole idea started out badly and ended just the same," Lee announced, point blank.

"What do you mean ended? You did finish training, didn't you?" Amanda groaned.

"We were on the last few miles of a ten mile run. After that it was just a day of paperwork to complete. The next thing I know a jeep pulled up and they ordered me in. They drove me back to the camp and pulled out my file. It seems that in one of the hundreds of forms I filled out over the last couple of weeks was a life insurance form listing you as my beneficiary."

Amanda shrugged, not following his logic.

"On the line next to your name they requested our relationship. "I put down spouse," Lee divulged truthfully. "So I was DSQ'd."

"As in disqualified?" Amanda questioned swallowing hard, but she knew the answer. "So the Agency knows we're married?"

"Yeah," he disclosed with a deep breath, as his hand reached down to cup her chin in his hands, turning it towards him. "Special Operations is a very dangerous job. They don't have restrictions on whether trainees are male or female or age for that matter. If you can successfully complete the training they don't care, but…"

"Let me guess, they don't accept married applicants," she finished his explanation for him.

"Nope!" he concurred. "I honestly didn't know until that moment. When I filled out the paperwork over a year ago, it wasn't an issue. When Billy gave me my orders back in June, I barely had time to pack let alone go through the manual rereading the fine print."

"So how much trouble are we in?" she asked as she squeezed his hand.

"We shouldn't be in any trouble. I might end up with an official reprimand in my personnel file. It's you I've really missed," Lee surmised with a shrug, his lips meeting his wife's again. Their passion quickly ignited, but Lee wanted to get this discussion behind them and pulled away.

"Amanda, we never lied on any Agency paperwork since we got married. We've both been careful about that," Lee reminded her.

"What do you think they'll do about our partnership?" she asked with concern.
 

"Officially, I don't know of any specific regulation saying we can't be partners, but who knows what Dr. Smyth will decide." Lee reminded her of their ever-present nemesis. "We'll deal with whatever happens, when it happens."

Amanda smiled and her hands gently stroked his face. She knew deep down inside her that he was right. In many ways she was relieved that he didn't complete his training. She knew how dangerous the Agency was, and the Special Operations Team took risks she didn't even want to imagine.

Lee reached up and took her hand in his. "Are you OK with all this?"

"Yeah," she nodded, answering softly. "In a way I'm relieved. I have you back home with me, where you belong. That's all that really matters."

"OK, I told you my long story," Lee remarked with a sigh as he held her cast in his hand. "Now it's time for yours. So what happened to your arm?"

"I was on the losing end of a wrestling match for Francine's gun," Amanda started to explain.

"You were wrestling with Francine?" he interrupted in confusion.

"NO!" Amanda replied shuddering at the thought. "It was some Russian goon. We were at a meet and things went a little awry."

"Where was Francine during all this?" he asked curiously.

"On the floor. Her snitch sucker punched her; when I heard the commotion I went in with her gun, but before I had total control over the situation Bogdanovich snuck in…"

"You don't mean Boris Bogdanovich, do you?" Lee questioned, remembering the name.

She shrugged. "I think that's his name. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I had the misfortune of meeting him in a Moscow alley once, at about two o'clock in the morning. Pretty nasty guy. You're lucky he didn't kill you. If I get my hands on him…" Lee started to get angry.

"Too late," Amanda added quickly, "they deported him back to Russia. I don't think we'll be seeing him again for a while."

Lee nodded his approval, then caressed the fingers of her hand. "No permanent damage or anything?"

"No, it was a clean break. The cast comes off later this week," she advised him with a smile. Then, wanting to change the subject to more pleasant things, she suggested. "Hey, you must be hungry. I know you're not much for breakfast, but how about just this once we play Mr. & Mrs. Stetson at my house."

Lee was rather hungry and the thought of spending a quiet day with his wife really did appeal to him. "Yeah, I'd really like that…"

*** *** *** *** ***

Lee arrived at the Agency early Monday morning. He was somewhat annoyed by the disappointing ending to his training. Officially he'd completed training but he was disqualified on a technicality. He walked into the Georgetown foyer with a smile, glad to be back just the same. The familiar surroundings seemed almost welcoming for a change.

"Good morning, Mrs. Marston," he greeted cheerfully.

"Welcome back, Mr. Stetson," she replied with little emotion. "Dr. Smyth has requested to see you upon your arrival."

"I'll head down as soon as I check into the Q Bureau," Lee said with a quick wink.

She shook her head. "Dr. Smyth made it clear that you were to report to him immediately!"

Lee swallowed hard. That could only mean that Smyth had received a memo or fax from the N.E.S.O.T. board. He wondered how much trouble he really was in. "Thanks," he said with a lackluster wave and he walked over to the closet/elevator pushing the button to go down to the lower levels of the Agency.

When the elevator door opened, he went straight to Dr. Smyth's outer office.

"Dr. Smyth has been expecting you," his secretary acknowledged with a nod.

Lee opened the door cautiously, then he commented determinedly. "You wanted to see me?"

"Don't play coy with me, Stetson," Smyth barked angrily.

Lee noticed right away that his N.E.S.O.T. file was open and sitting on top of his desk. He didn't know quite what to say. He knew Dr. Smyth didn't like surprises and the Agency didn't like secrets unless they belonged to them.

"I suppose you heard?" Lee began, not sure how much of a stir his mystery marriage had caused.

"Do you have any idea the trouble you've caused?" Smyth questioned in a demanding voice. "I get a call at home on Saturday night from the Special Operations Field Director asking me if I knew your marital status."

"I can explain…" Lee began

"Scarecrow, I don't want to hear your excuses," Smyth snarled loudly as he paced deliberately behind his chair, gnawing on his cigarette. "This doesn't just affect you and the King woman. This whole incident has reflected badly on me, Melrose, the entire section! I personally approved you for Special Operations training. I don't like being made a fool of in front of the NESOT board."

"Sir, it's just…" Lee interrupted again.

"Do I need to remind you that I don't want to hear your excuse?" Smyth snapped in a huff. "Do you know I woke Melrose up out of a warm bed to confirm you actually were married? Apparently you failed to mention it to him either. I guess our invitations were lost in the mail?"

Lee sat there gritting his teeth at the verbal assault. He never imagined that his marriage would cause such a stir. Dr. Smyth paused for a moment. Lee looked up hoping that he was about to be dismissed, but he was wrong. The tongue-lashing continued.

"I'm not sure how many hours Melrose spent researching marriage records in half the counties of Virginia this weekend, trying to confirm what you failed to mention?" Dr. Smyth slowly pulled a copy of his marriage license from his file, shaking his head in disapproval. "To compound problems, you failed to report immediately to the Agency and advise your supervisor that you had been disqualified from training… NO! You don't bother showing up until this morning!"

Lee nervously ran his hand through his hair. "I, um, went to see Amanda," he confessed in a hushed tone, wishing now he had at least checked in with Billy by phone on Sunday.

"No doubt," he snapped curtly. "Need I remind you that Melrose has given you a lot of latitude over the years, Scarecrow, and this is how you repay him?"

Lee sat motionless. He didn't know what to say. He'd never given much thought to whom else would get caught in the downfall when his and Amanda's secret marriage inevitably unraveled.

"I didn't know that being married precluded me from entering Special Operations Training. Besides, when I applied for the damned thing I wasn't married," Lee defended himself weakly.

"Not good enough, Scarecrow," Dr. Smyth snapped. "You lied to me, Melrose, the rest of the Agency and wasted nine weeks training for…"

"No, Dr. Smyth, you're wrong. We never lied," Lee corrected vigorously. "We may have withheld the truth, but neither of us have ever lied about our marital status."

"Scarecrow," Smyth yelled as he pounded his fist on his desk. "This is the Agency! Keeping a secret from us is just as bad as lying. Internal Affairs is all over this incident."

"If Internal Affairs hasn't gotten anything better to do, let them check all they want," Lee reiterated, not willing to back down. "Neither of us have ever lied about our marital status."

"Trust me, Scarecrow, there are several people searching both yours and Mrs. King's file as we speak," Dr. Smyth advised. "Until they complete their investigation, you're on suspension - without pay, of course."

Lee's jaw dropped. "Suspended? You're kidding me! What about Amanda?" he questioned.

"Since Mrs. King is still a Freshman Candidate, she could be terminated," Smyth answered coldly.

Hearing that, Lee's temper took hold and he shouted angrily. "I can't believe even you would stoop so low as to terminate either of us over our marital status."

"Frankly, Scarecrow, I've never liked you. I've made no secret of that. You're a rogue. This Agency has no place for someone like you. As for Mrs. King, excuse me, Mrs. Stetson," he corrected himself pointedly, "I don't know her well enough to make a judgment, and I prefer to keep it that way. Now if you don't mind, I have more important business to attend to," he snapped before busying himself with paperwork.

End Part 7
 
 
 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS       Part 8       by Robin
 

Lee and Amanda had in some ways enjoyed the last two days. Neither of them were thrilled with their suspensions, but they luxuriated in just being with each other. They spent it constructively, discussing their future together.

"I say you wear your engagement ring home tonight and see how long it takes your mother to notice it," Lee teased as he played with the diamond ring that she wore on her finger.

"I swear she inspects my ring finger every time I walk in that door," Amanda chuckled.

Lee laughed, knowing it wasn't far from the truth. "Amanda, we should go ahead and make our marriage official for the family. We don't know how long it will take for the Agency to make a decision on our suspensions. It could take weeks and if they do decide to terminate either of us, the appeals could go on for months. I say we make it official, no more wasting time," Lee cajoled his wife.

"You know mother will insist on a church wedding," she reminded him.

"Amanda, I don't care where or when, as long as it's soon!" Lee pleaded.

"OK, I'll wear it home tonight," she agreed as she looked down at her hand and the exquisite diamond ring that decorated it. "So, do you want to bet how long it takes her to see it?"

There was a knock at Lee' s apartment door. He unwrapped himself from the comfortable position of holding his wife in his arms and teased with a shrug. "You don't suppose that's her now?"

She shook her head. "It would serve you right if it was her."

He walked over to the door and glanced through the peephole. "Billy!" he said calling out over his shoulder and then opened the door, greeting his supervisor. "So, what can we do for you?"

"I bring good news," Billy announced with a relieved smile as he walked into the apartment. "Internal Affairs has finished their investigation and I've talked with the legal and training department heads. Although you seem to have bent the rules a bit by not advising the Agency of your marriage, you didn't break any written regulations."

"So we're back to being partners?" Amanda inquired eagerly.

"Well, you're back on the payroll and I'm expecting you both at roll call tomorrow," Billy answered, skirting Amanda's question.

Lee realized immediately what Billy didn't say and brought the question back up to their supervisor. "But are we still partners?"

"At the moment, Amanda's working with Francine on the SDI meetings. I have another project for you to start," he confided with his agents.

"So you're splitting us up?" she asked point blank.

Billy sighed. He expected this to happen. "I didn't say that. All I'm saying is the SDI meeting starts in two days. I can't pull you off that assignment now. Francine's been going crazy since you were suspended trying to keep up."

"OK, that's not a problem," she replied calmly. "But when the meeting's over, Lee and I are reassigned to the Q Bureau, right?"

"I can't honestly say," Billy sighed heavily. "I'll do everything within my power to keep you two together, but with all that has happened I can't guarantee it."

"Damn it, Billy," Lee shouted. "Smyth is behind this isn't he?"

"Lee, you hid your marriage from the Agency for almost six months," Billy reminded him pointedly. "You spent the last nine weeks in California training for a position that doesn't accept married candidates. I don't think you're in a strong bargaining position right now. Give it some time, it'll work out."

Lee nodded his agreement to Billy then winked over at his wife. "Maybe when we get back from our honeymoon?"

"Honeymoon?" he questioned, rather startled.

"We're going to tell Amanda's family we're engaged and have an extremely short engagement," Lee replied.

Billy patted Lee on the back. "It goes without saying, but I am very happy for the two of you. Although Francine's a little miffed about the whole situation."

"I bet," Lee replied, mentally picturing her reaction.

"I'll see you two tomorrow morning, then," Billy replied as he took his leave.

"I guess things worked out all right after all," Lee commented as he came back into the room and sat down beside her.

"In record time, no less," Amanda agreed delightedly.

"Let's set a record in short engagements," he remarked as his lips captured his wife's.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she mumbled in-between kisses…

*** *** *** ***

The Strategic Defense meetings started that Friday morning. The scientists came from universities, private industry, NASA, and the military. There were numerous security checkpoints for the safety of all concerned. Identities were checked and rechecked, but the meeting got started on time, without any glitches.

The entire floor was cordoned off with two Agency's guards checking ID's for anyone wishing to enter the west wing. There was an armed Marine guard stationed outside the main meeting room. Amanda was responsible for sweeping the room before and after each meeting for any bugs that might have found their way into the room after the initial sweep. With the number of people coming and going the Agency wasn't taking any chances.

"Francine," Amanda commented as she pulled the earpiece from her ear. "I'm getting an awful lot of static on this thing."

"Don't worry about that right now, Amanda," Francine lectured, rolling her eyes. "When they break for lunch I need you to go in after the cleaning crew tidies up. Until then you could shut the thing off if you'd like."

Amanda shrugged, but didn't want another argument with Francine. Francine was still upset about her marriage to Lee and the fact they had failed to confide in her. It didn't seem to matter that they had told virtually no one. To Francine it was just another black mark against Amanda and the short peace in their relationship had met a rather large snag.

Finally the door to the meeting room swung open and the members of the meeting filed out, heading to the banquet room for lunch. Amanda waited at the door until the last of the scientists had filed past her. This time, she was getting a strong signal as the last of the scientists left the room. Amanda looked at them, but said nothing. As they walked away from her the signal faded. She looked for Francine, but she was out of sight.

After the cleaning crew removed the empty coffee cups and sundry items, Amanda went through the room and thoroughly swept it. This time there wasn't any static. Concerned about the earlier incident, she went to update Francine on her earlier find.

"Francine, can I speak with you for a minute?" she asked politely while Francine was talking with the Secretary of Defense.

"Excuse me, sir," Francine said, obviously peeved and grabbed Amanda by the arm, pulling her out of earshot. "Do you have any idea who I was talking to?"

"Of course I do. Do you really expect that I wouldn't recognize the Secretary of Defense?" she replied angrily. "This is important! Either this thing isn't working properly or we have a problem."

"OK, what is it now?" she asked, clearly annoyed.

"I put this back on when the scientists exited the room. Just as the last two men left, I got a reading that was off the scale!" Amanda exclaimed in a whisper as she scanned the room. "See those men in the back? The two short guys, one bald, the other with the thick black glasses?"

Francine nodded.

"It was one of them," Amanda advised. "I'm not sure which one, they walked out together…"

"Are you suggesting that one of them is wearing a bug?" Francine asked incredulously. "These scientists are from major universities or prestigious think tanks from all over the country. They've been invited to attend these meetings; they're not a security risk. Now the caterers, the service people, that's who you're supposed to be scanning for…"

"Maybe someone planted a bug on one of them…"

"Amanda," Francine interrupted loudly, shaking her head. Several of the scientist turned to look at them.

Amanda grabbed Francine's arm and pulled her further from the attendees. "Francine, you assigned me this task and I'm doing it to the best of my abilities. Either we have malfunctioning equipment or we have a security breach. Now if you don't want to investigate it further, fine, but I will call Mr. Melrose and advise him of my concerns."

"OK, OK, Amanda," Francine replied, throwing up her hands. "Call Billy and tell him we may have a problem. Tell him we need the CT2000 to scan for an unknown signal. Of course, that's like using a magnifying glass to find an elephant, but since you're insisting…"

Amanda gritted her teeth, but held her tongue as she left the room and headed for a phone.

Within the hour Agent Jane Deevers showed up with the CT2000. It was state of the art, but a bit on the bulky side. It had been used prior to the meeting to sweep the entire complex, but it was too cumbersome to use regularly during the conference.

"So you ordered the CT2000?" Agent Deevers asked as she met up with Amanda.

"Yeah," Amanda nodded sheepishly as they wheeled the large contraption in.

"OK, they tell me you're having problems with the portable unit?" Jane Deevers asked Amanda as she plugged the large unit into the wall outlet nearby and began to set its gauges.

"I'm not sure if it's working improperly or if we have a potential problem. Earlier this morning I was getting static. Not all the time, just on and off. It would last a few seconds and then go back to normal."

"Could be normal interference in these old buildings," Deevers offered with a shrug.

"When the meeting broke for the morning and the last of the members cleared the room, the machine went clear off the chart," Amanda added, hoping that her fellow agent wouldn't dismiss her as quickly as Francine had.

Jane Deevers nodded and checked the dials of the CT2000. "This baby was just tuned last week. I know it's in good working condition. If there's a problem, we'll have an answer in no time."

Amanda smiled flatly. She didn't want to be the subject of water cooler ridicule over the next week. On the other hand, if there was a leak, she'd rather plug it and the sooner the better.

Agent Deevers continued to check the readings on her machine. The scientists finished their lunch and began to drift back into the conference room. Amanda watched and waited for the two short men to reenter the room. She put her earpiece back in her ear and tried to appear casual as the bald man passed by first, then the man with the glasses. This time it was clear - when the man with the glasses passed, her machine began to get a significant reading. Amanda looked over to Deevers who was studying a tape.

"You got a reading too, didn't you?" Amanda probed.

"You bet your lunch we did," Jane confirmed as she dialed in something on the small keyboard. "Give me a minute and I'll tell you exactly what we have…"

Amanda stood impatiently waiting.

"It's not really a bug," Agent Deevers finally replied.

Amanda's heart sank. She thought once and for all she'd been right about the SDI meetings. Now she'd never hear the end of it from Francine.

Jane Deevers noticed the look on Amanda's face. "I said it wasn't a bug. It's a radio wave of some sort. That's why you can't pick it up. That machine isn't sophisticated enough to know the difference. This one is."

"A radio wave?" Amanda queried. "You mean someone is sending a signal out of here?"

Deevers nodded. "It can't be going too far, it's not that strong. Maybe a mile away, tops! I'll notify Melrose and they'll have to send up a chopper. With the CT2000 we can triangulate the location of the other party…"

Amanda listened to the rest of Jane's explanation, but most of it was techno-babble to her. All she knew was that she needed to find Francine and fast.

*** *** *** ***

Billy came down to the conference center in no time carrying a thick file. He entered a small room just down the hall from where the SDI meeting was currently in progress.

"We've got it narrowed down to an office building two blocks north of here. The Agency is scouring it. We'll have them within the hour," Billy advised both Francine and Amanda. "In the meantime, Amanda, can you identify the man?"

"Yes, sir," she responded quite assuredly.

"Good," he replied as he opened the file that contained pictures of all the attendees. "Since you told us it was a man, we've already sorted out the women. That leaves us with thirty two men."

Amanda quickly picked through the pile of photos. It didn't take her long before she picked out the suspect. "It's him," she stated determinedly as she turned the photo over and looked at the bio on the back. "Jason Hilberger."

"You're sure, Amanda," Billy asked.

"Sir, I'm positive," she concluded.

There was a quick knock on the door then another agent stepped into the room.

"Billy, there's a call on line two for you," he advised.

Billy picked up the phone promptly. "Melrose…Great…OK…What else?… bring her downtown and seal that room. I want an armed guard positioned outside until further notice!…Got it… Nobody goes in without my permission." With that said he hung up the phone and addressed the agents who were eager for an update. "They found a woman with a rather intricate listening device taping the meetings."

"Oh my gosh!" Amanda blurted out.

"You can say that again," Billy commented. "If you hadn't found that radio wave, everything that was discussed today could've been on the market to the Eastern Bloc before we had a hard copy of the meeting ourselves."

Francine asked. "Is there any way that Hilberger could have been signaled that his accomplice had been caught?"

"According to the sound boys, it wasn't two way. She could receive, but not transmit back," Billy informed them.

"Do we interrupt the meeting and yank Hilberger out of there?" Francine suggested.

"No, we'll grab him when they take a break. I'd rather keep this quiet. Besides, we're not even certain he's working alone. In the meantime, I'll make sure all exits are sealed in case Hilberger tries to run. Francine, when they do take a break, separate him from the ranks and detain him in here," Billy ordered before leaving the room.

Billy first notified the guards on the floor before heading downstairs to inform his other agents of the security problem. They would be the first line of defense if Hilberger tried to run. Additionally, there were two exits to the building, front and back. Billy spoke with the agents in the front advising them of the problem. He never got a chance to make it to the rear exit to speak with the agents covering the back. The sharp, piercing sound of an Uzi broke the quiet hum of the conference center, followed by screams, people running and general chaos.

Billy raced upstairs to where he had left Francine and Amanda only a few minutes earlier. As he reached the floor where the conference was being held. He noticed the guards were no longer outside the doors protecting the entrance to the conference. He knew their first reaction would be to enter and restore order. He pulled on the door but it wouldn't open. He tried again, this time pulling mightily, but it was clearly locked from the inside.

End Part 8
 
 
 
 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS      Part 9   by Robin
 

Amanda tended to the injured Marine guard who was bleeding from his chest as best she could. He appeared to be the only casualty of the recent shooting spree. She wasn't sure how Jason Hilberger had gotten the upper hand, but clearly and reluctantly, he was in command. Luckily, some of the scientists had moved swiftly enough to barricade themselves into the banquet room; the slower ones locked themselves in the meeting room.

As she applied pressure to the Marine's wounds she tried to count how many unlucky people were caught in the middle and were currently hostages. There were five agents including herself and Francine as well as ten scientists in the room. This didn't include the unfortunate Marine guard who despite her best efforts was still bleeding and was close to losing consciousness.

"It's going to be all right," she whispered to the Marine in the most reassuring voice she could muster. "What's your name?"

"George," he uttered weakly.

She nodded to the Marine hoping she appeared calmer than she felt. Then she called out to Hilberger. "This man needs medical attention now or he's going to bleed to death."

Hilberger's face was ashen, his brow soaked in sweat. He paced nervously, glancing at the anxious hostages whose lives were now in his hands. "Nobody was supposed to get hurt," he mumbled almost tearfully.

Amanda realized he was clearly in over his head. She wasn't sure how he got himself into this predicament but perhaps with some gentle coaxing they could end this without further bloodshed.

"Nobody else has to get hurt," Francine interjected, hoping to gain some control of the situation before it deteriorated further. She languidly started to pry herself off the floor. "Just give me the gun…"

"Nobody moves," he shouted in a panic stricken voice.

Francine stopped and slowly returned to her prone position on the floor. Hilberger walked over towards the injured Marine, constantly checking behind and around him like a high strung rat.

Amanda looked up at Hilberger, blood seeping through the man's shirt and soaking her hands. "He can't wait much longer…"

Hilberger appeared as if he was going to vomit. He studied Amanda closely, not sure if he could trust her. "You want to help?"

"Yes," she nodded affirmatively.

"No tricks?" he questioned nervously, his eyes darting back and forth quickly, scanning the room.

"No, no tricks," she promised.

Still not sure he could trust Amanda, his gazed fixed on Francine, then looked back down at Amanda and the injured Marine. "I want you to open up that door," he finally decided, speaking directly to Amanda as he pointed to the door that led to the second floor lobby. "Open it up, no tricks…"

Then he pointed at two of the scientists he had met earlier in the day. "You two, get up really slowly. I want you to carry him out that door," he commanded as his voice cracked apprehensively. His gaze turned back to Amanda. "When they're out the door with him, you close it and lock it IMMEDIATELY," Hilberger barked. "If you try anything, I mean anything, your blonde friend over there will have more holes in her than that Marine! Got it?"

"Got it," Amanda replied in a shaky voice as she swallowed hard. The two scientists cautiously stood up, their faces riddled in tension. Amanda relinquished her protective hold over the wounded Marine. They picked him up carefully and carried him to the door. When Amanda opened it, they rushed quickly to safety.

Billy stood at the door encouraging Amanda to cross the threshold into safety.

"No, sir, I gave my word," she declined reluctantly, clearly tempted. "There's thirteen of us, sir. Hilberger appears to be acting alone," she whispered.

"CLOSE IT!" Hilberger yelled and fired several rounds at the ceiling from the weapon he clutched.

Amanda slammed the door shut and turned the lock, not wanting to incite another outburst from Hilberger. She knew she had to carefully follow his instructions if she valued her life. Hilberger was close to losing what was left of his control.

"OK, now get back down on the floor," Hilberger warned as his pacing continued.

Amanda did as she was told, her eyes keeping a constant vigil on her neurotic suspect.

With the most intense situations covered at the moment, Jason Hilberger surveyed the predicament that he'd gotten himself into. He argued silently to himself. 'This was never supposed to have happened. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.'

Hilberger was going to be paid handsomely for the audiotapes of the meeting. He and his wife would have been able to write their own tickets to Easy Street. He would've had to work in the laboratory for twenty years and still not be able to make that kind of money. The corporation would most likely reap fantastic rewards for any discover he'd make. He might be lucky enough to receive some professional accolade, but certainly he'd never become wealthy. Research didn't pay very well, but with the riches the Russians had offered them, money would never be a problem for them and yet he could make significant contributions to mankind…

One of the agents in the back of the room noticed how distracted Hilberger was. Stealthily he reached into his jacket for his gun, leaned onto his elbow and took aim.

At that very second Hilberger resumed his pacing and the bullet whizzed by him, missing his neck by less than an inch. Hilberger's finger grabbed the trigger and starting firing wildly for a few seconds. Luckily for the hostages still flat on the floor, they weren't hit by his wild aim.

"Drop your gun!" he shouted angrily and stormed over to Francine, holding the gun to her head. "Get up!" he ordered her, grabbing her and forcing her roughly to her feet. "Drop your gun. Anyone else have a weapon? Toss it aside, NOW, or we'll have another casualty!"

Jason Hilberger strode across the room with Francine in tow. He kicked the agents' guns out of the reach of the hostages until he reached Amanda. "Your gun," he demanded.

"I don't carry one," she responded honestly.

"All agents carry guns," he reminded her in a sharp voice.

She swallowed hard not wanting to upset him further. "I rarely carry a gun," she explained nervously. "I'm still in training…"

He eyed her suspiciously, then nodded and left her alone. He ordered Francine to take her place back on the floor and scrutinized the thirteen hostages who cluttered the room in a haphazard fashion. There wasn't a sound in the room other than Hilberger's footsteps as he nervously paced back and forth like a rat trapped in a maze.

The voice came from a bullhorn from outside in the lobby shattering the silence. "Is everyone all right inside?"

'What do I do next?' he wondered in panic. Then he thought back to the movies he watched in his childhood. He grimaced painfully as he remembered the hero would storm in and rescue everyone, often killing the suspect. He never expected to be the suspect. He was in it for the money. Everything was going wrong… terribly wrong.

Billy repeated his question on the bullhorn, hoping to start a dialogue. "Is everyone OK?"

Hilberger strode across the room towards the door and pointed his gun at Amanda, who was nearest to the door. "Tell them everything is fine and not to try anything," he ordered.

Amanda opened her mouth, but at first no words would come out. Swallowing hard she finally found her voice. "Y.. yes, sir, we, we're all, um, fine," she answered nervously.

"Tell them no tricks! If anyone tries anything…" he stopped. What demands could he make? This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. He wasn't a killer. He was a scientist. Finally he decided on an open bluff. "Tell them not to try anything."

"Mr. Melrose, please, no, no tricks. Don't do anything…" Amanda called out fearfully as the suspect stood menacingly over her, gun pointed at her head.

"What do you want?" Billy continued desperately, trying to establish a dialogue.

"Leave me alone," Hilberger shouted out anxiously, running out of patience. "Shut the hell up and leave me alone…"

Billy put the bullhorn down slowly. Frustration and concern mired his face. He needed a hostage rescue team before this maniac lost control. He got out his cell phone and dialed the Agency.

*** *** *** ***

"Billy," Lee called out as he came bounding up the stairs to the second floor lobby. "Where's Amanda?"

Billy turned towards the door and nodded. "She's OK at the moment, but she's in there with one armed suspect."

"What the hell happened?" Lee demanded angrily.

"We don't have all the details yet," Billy answered evasively, shaking his head in dismay.

"Just what is the situation inside?" Lee asked in concern.

"Five agents, eight scientists and our suspect, Jason Hilberger," Billy began to explain calmly.

"What do we know about Hilberger?" Lee pressed.

"Not much," Billy admitted. "He has a doctoral degree in laser technology. Quite a brilliant man I'm told, but a loner and evidently emotionally unstable."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there," Lee interjected, clenching his jaw. "Anyone injured?"

"So far he's shot a Marine guard. Apparently Amanda did some fancy talking and he was carried out by two scientists."

"You saw Amanda?" Lee questioned eagerly.

"Yeah, briefly. Like I said, she's OK."

"What kind of weapons does he have?" Lee inquired.

"The Marine's Uzi for one thing. He's been a bit trigger happy with that so far. Several of the agents that were armed are still in there. I think one of them tried something a while ago. We heard a single shot and then another round from our suspect. My guess is he's stripped the agents of their guns by now, so he's got plenty of fire power," Billy advised when his cell phone rang. "Melrose here… That's the best you can do? We might not have that long... OK, keep me advised."

Lee could tell from the shortness of the call and the look on Billy's face that the phone call only added to his problems.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"I put a call into Special Operations for a hostage negotiation/rescue team. That was my answer," he replied gloomily. "According to their sector chief, the closest team's up at Three Mile Island this afternoon on a training exercise. The soonest we can expect them here is four hours."

"Four hours? You might not have that long," Lee pointed out.

"I know," Billy sighed. "We've tried to open a line of communication but he's so high strung…"

"What tipped them off about this guy?" Lee asked trying to put together the pieces.

"Amanda noticed some strange readings and called for the CT2000. Jane Deever came down and confirmed that something was going on. We caught his partner just north of here with recording equipment. It seems they were taping the meetings for unknown ears."

"So we have audio?" Lee asked, eagerly.

Billy looked at him and nodded excitedly. "You're right, we do. I didn't even think about it! We've got everything he's been saying in there on tape. Now all we need is video…"

"Billy, you can arrange for an audio relay down here." Lee scanned the lobby. "I'll be back in twenty minutes. I'll get you visual," he called out as he hurried out of the conference center.

Billy paused for a moment, first saying a silent prayer, then adding quietly. "Perhaps your Special Operations training might come in handy after all." Then he began making phone calls and barking orders at the agents around him.

*** *** *** ***

Lee climbed through the cramped ventilation ducts carefully. The room where the hostages were being held was quite large and to make sure Hilberger didn't detect him he had to take it slowly. He painstakingly planted the first set of 'eyes' on the far side of the room, securing it tightly so it wouldn't fall or shift. He knew he still had to plant the second one to make sure the entire room could be watched. It took him a while but he finally made it across to the other ventilation grate.

He could see the suspect with an Uzi standing on the floor pacing below him. Lee wished at this point that he was armed. However, because of the small space in the ventilation shaft and the equipment he needed to plant the visual devices, he'd chosen to lighten his load and left his gun with Billy. Besides he reminded himself, if he dropped down from above onto the suspect, he'd most likely be the next victim. Pushing the thoughts of playing hero to the back of his head, he forced himself to continue with the task at hand. As silently as possible he pushed the 'eye' through the narrow grate, secured it, then worked his way back out of the ventilation shaft.

"They're working wonderfully," Billy advised Lee when he met back up with his supervisor. They both watched the two surveillance monitors. "Problem is, we've got hostages scattered all over the room. That's going to make a rescue effort more difficult."

Lee nodded his head in agreement. "Have you tried talking to him again? Maybe he's settled down a bit? See if he'll send out a hostage or two, or maybe all the women?"

"No," Billy replied. "I didn't want to risk setting him off while you were in the ventilation system."

"Yeah, I appreciate that. I saw him when I planted the second set of eyes," Lee corroborated. "I thought about dropping down on him…"

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't need any dead heroes," Billy commented as he grabbed the bullhorn and looked at Lee with a shrug.

"Jason Hilberger," Billy called out to the suspect. "Is everyone all right in there?"

They watched the monitor and saw Jason jumped at the intrusion. "Everyone's fine," he shouted back, anxiously worrying if they were about to move in on him.

"Jason, we know you want to end this as much as we do. All you need to do is put down your gun and walk out of there," Billy suggested in a reasonable tone, hoping that their captor had had enough time to think about his predicament.

Jason wasn't ready to give up yet. He wasn't looking forward to a lengthy prison sentence. At a loss for options, he thought back to the days of his childhood and the movies once again. Finally he called back to Billy. "I want a million dollars in small unmarked bills and a helicopter," he finally decided.

Billy grimaced at his request, but at least now they'd begun to open a dialogue. "I'll pass on your request, Jason, but we're going to need something from you to show your good faith. How about you send out the female hostages?"

"I already sent you three hostages a while ago," Jason reminded him shortly. "When you have my money and the helicopter you can have the rest of them. Until then, I don't want to hear from you," Jason answered determinedly and resumed his pacing.

"It was worth a try," Billy commented ruefully as he put the bullhorn down.

Lee nodded and turned his attention back to the video monitor. Amanda was the closest to the door. She was only a few feet away. Francine on the other hand, was closer to Hilberger, maybe ten feet away. Lee recognized the other agents who were scattered around the room among the scientists. Unfortunately since they were all sprawled out on the floor, it presented a major problem if they stormed the room. There would probably be a lot of casualties.

Lee carefully watched as Hilberger stood in the same spot in the room as he had while Lee was in the ventilation system. He barely strayed from what seemed to be his comfort zone, except when he paced back and forth. He always took four short strides, turned and repeated his footsteps. A smile formed on Lee's face.

"Billy, we need to call Special Ops control again. I have a request," Lee stated thoughtfully.

Billy shook his head. "They don't have anyone available."

"I've got an idea, Billy. All I need is a little help. Trust me, this will work."

Billy knew there would be no arguing with Scarecrow so he made the phone call and was put straight through to the Special Operations sector chief.

"What's the status on the team?" Billy queried.

"They're on their way," the Special Ops chief answered.

"Great!" Billy answered with relief. "What's their ETA?"

There was a moment of pause before the Special Operations chief gave him an answer. "Three hours."

"We can't wait that long," Billy replied tersely. "I've got Scarecrow here; he has a special request."

Billy turned the phone over to Lee, not sure what his idea was or how it would go over considering what had transpired over the last week.

"Scarecrow, here," Lee announced in a brisk voice to the Special Ops chief. "I need a vial of 'Sweet Sleep' sent over here priority."

"Sweet Sleep?" the sector chief repeated incredulously. "Scarecrow, I know you just went through training and all, but that's stuff's still experimental."

"Well it's about to go to field trial," Lee snapped. "The situation is classic for its use. The suspect has been standing in the same spot right under the ventilation grate. I tell you he's in his comfort zone and this is perfect. The hostages are spread out in the room all lying on the floor. The closest one is at least ten feet away. Worst case scenario is we have a sleepy hostage."

"I don't know, Scarecrow," the sector chief worried. "Sounds a little risky to me…"

"Listen, my wife is in that room!" Lee argued back. "I'm not about to take any unwanted risks with her life or any of the other hostages. We have no way into that room without making this a blood bath and we don't know how much longer we can wait or stall. We can shut off the A/C in the room, I deliver the gas down to him. It smells sweet, he takes a few deep breathes and he's on the floor, out for an hour…"

"I know how it works, Scarecrow; it's just not approved yet…"

"Can you think of a better option? Your closest team's still three hours away. The Strategic Defense of this country could depend upon your decision," Lee reminded him sharply, hoping the additional pressure would persuade him. "The only other way is a shooting match…"

"OK, OK," the Special Ops Chief answered unhappily. "I'll bring it down myself and if, and I mean IF, I agree that the situation warrants the delivery of the gas, I'll let you try."

"Fair enough," Lee agreed. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

*** *** *** *** *** ***

Lee crawled through the cramped ventilation shaft once again and waited until the drone of the air conditioner was turned off. That was his signal to start pumping the 'Sweet Sleep' gas carefully down into the room below. He pulled his respirator on before he began delivering the sweet smelling gas.

In theory, he knew it should work like a charm. They had no other options available to them. Trying to shoot through the ventilation grate would be risky. The gas had an odor similar to cookies baking in the oven. The most common reaction to the smell was a few relaxing deep breaths. That was all it usually took to knock out the subject unknowingly for about an hour. They'd used it in training in numerous situations. It worked every time. Lee took a cleansing breath of his own before he started to pump the gas towards Jason Hilberger who stood directly below him.

A few seconds passed. It was hard for Lee to tell if it was working. He knew the agents were all in place and ready to storm the room. The seconds ticked by slowly. It had to have been a minute by now and nothing. Lee kept pumping the colorless gas towards Hilberger. 'Take a deep breath, damn it!' Lee mumbled silently.

Then it happened. The suspect suddenly fell to the floor in a heap. Lee immediately capped the flow of the gas. He anxiously removed the screws from the grate while the other agents stormed the room, grabbing a sedately sleeping suspect without any harm to any to the scientists or agents in the room. Lee finally removed the last screw, pushed the grate out of his way and carefully dropped down into the room, not wanting to crawl back through the ventilation system.

"Scarecrow!" Francine called out in surprise. "It's good to see you. What's that odor? It' smells…"

"Francine, don't take a deep breath, whatever you do," Lee warned after he removed his respirator and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the area. "It's 'Sweet Sleep' and if you take too deep of a breath, you'll be out like Hilberger for at least an hour."

Francine nodded as Lee rushed her away and searched for Amanda, finally finding her talking to Billy in the lobby.

"Are you all right? " Lee asked apprehensively as he studied her closely. Her blouse was covered in blood.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded as she saw the concerned look on her husband's face. "It's not mine. It was from George, the Marine. Billy, any word on how he's doing?"

"Last I heard he was in surgery," Billy answered. "It was a good thing you got him out of there when you did, he's got a chance..."

"Amanda," Francine started. "I guess I owe you an apology. You were right. We should have moved the meeting."

Amanda shook her head. "I don't know if that would have made a difference, Francine. I was assuming that it was the location that had been breached. I never considered that one of the scientists was the breach."

"Neither did I," Francine replied regretfully.

"Maybe you've both learned a lesson," Billy suggested as he glanced at both of his agents. "Perhaps if each of you weren't so concerned with being right, we may have gotten to the bottom of this before today."

They both nodded and Amanda extended her hand to Francine. "Truce?" she asked softly.

Francine paused for just a few seconds, then shrugged. She reached out and accepted her temporary partner's hand. "Truce."

"OK, now that we have that settled, how about we get back to work? We have a lot of fences to mend and explaining to do," Billy reminded them. The agreement was unanimous and Billy quickly began to issue orders…

End Part 9
 

SPECIAL SITUATIONS:    Conclusion      by Robin
 

Phillip looked out the kitchen window and shook his head. Jamie came over and watched as well.

"What are they doing?" Jamie asked as Lee twirled Amanda around in circles while holding her in his arms.

"They're newlyweds in love, dummy," Phillip exclaimed authoritatively as he swatted his brother. "People in love do weird things."

Dotty overheard the exchange and joined her grandsons at the window. "They're probably celebrating the fact that they'll be getting a little solitude for the next week," Dotty teased, then she reminded the boys. "Now hasn't your mother told you spying on people isn't very polite?"

"Yes, grandma," the boys chimed together guiltily, knowing they had been warned numerous times. They moved away from the window without further urging.

Dotty pulled the curtain back and watched for a few more seconds. She was happy for her daughter and new son-in-law even if they had insisted on such a short engagement and a small wedding. Finally, she shook her head and let the curtain fall back into place. She walked away allowing the newlyweds the privacy they deserved. She couldn't help but wonder what was being said in the conversation she couldn't hear…

"I thought you were out packing the car," Amanda commented in a breathless voice when Lee finally put her down. "Instead I find you standing in the middle of my… our yard just staring aimlessly. You're not having second thoughts are you?"

He ignored her question. "Do you know when the last time was that I actually HAD a yard?" he asked, shaking his head in delight. "I was five years old. Since then I've lived on military bases or in apartments."

Lee bent down and pulled a few blades of grass from the lawn, holding them in his hand before the wind blew them away. "Do you know what it's like to have a yard?" he asked in a reflective voice, but continued on his oration and answered his own question. "Families have yards, for barbecues or birthday parties, playing catch or for just watching the sunset on a late summer day. I never realized until just now how much I missed having a yard."

Amanda nodded; she understood. "Yeah, they're not bad for backyard wedding receptions either," she reminded him as she scanned the yard quickly. Only the flowers were left from their recent reception, the chairs, tables and other decorations had been removed the next day, but it had been a festive occasion.

"Yeah, it really was beautiful, wasn't it?" Lee grinned happily as his arms reached around his wife, pulling her to him and hugging her closely. "I'm really going to like having a yard again."

"I wouldn't say that too loudly," Amanda warned as she looked up into his smiling face. "Otherwise you'll find your two stepsons more than happy to let you cut the grass every weekend."

Lee laughed and shook his head.  "No, we wouldn't want that to happen now would we?"

"So are you ready to go, or should we cancel our honeymoon?  I'm sure that would please Dr. Smyth."

Lee laughed.  "Yeah, I think when he told us we could be partners again he thought we'd forego the second honeymoon."

"Well, it's up to you, we could still cancel.  After all, I wouldn't want you to be too homesick for your yard," Amanda teased.

"It'll be difficult, but it's only going to be a week.  I think I can manage that long without the lawn," Lee responded with a wink.  "As for Dr. Smyth, I could manage a lifetime without seeing him again!"

"I'll second that!  I'd like to forget Dr. Smyth for a long while.  Come on then, partner," she replied, pulling from his embrace, but quickly reaching for Lee's hand and squeezing it tightly.  "Since you've already said goodbye to your lawn, how about we say goodbye to our family?"

"Our family," Lee repeated, still a little stunned. He thought back to the picture on Amanda's desk in the Q Bureau of the family. His wish had at last come true. "I can't believe that I'm finally part of this family."

"You've been a part of this family for a while now," she reminded her husband in a whisper and looked over her shoulder back towards the house. "They just didn't know it."

"Yeah, but now they do," Lee sighed anxiously, letting go of her hand, nervousness evident in his voice.

"Stop worrying. You weren't around all summer to hear how often your name came up in conversation," she cajoled, "and not just by my mother!"

"Really? You're not just saying that are you?" he asked hopefully.

"No, of course not!" she answered adamantly, reaching for his hands once again and staring him directly in the face. "Come on, Lee, you can't tell me you haven't noticed how well they took the news about us getting married? They've adjusted rather quickly to all the changes we've thrown at them in such a short time. The boys really care about you." She paused for a moment and captured her husband's lips with hers for a brief, but sensual kiss. "They're almost as happy as I am that you're finally a genuine member of this family."

Lee took a deep breath and nodded. Deep down he knew that the boys were ready for him to take his place in the family. His doubts lingered as any stepparent's would, but with Amanda's confidence and lead, he knew it was a challenge he could handle. "You know, I think I'm a very lucky man to have found you, Mrs. Stetson," he finally answered with his bright, confidant smile.

"Yeah, and I'm a very lucky woman, Mr. Stetson, to have never found the man in the red hat!" she teased.

Lee reached around his wife's back and held her protectively at his side. Then with a silent nod they turned and headed into the house. A new journey was about to begin for them… as a family.

The end.
 

Go to:  Robin's Stories

Back to:  IFF FILM LIBRARY