4/6 of "Quicksilver"
.
Title: Quicksilver.
crossover of Numb3rs and Cal's Immortals.
Dedicated to & written at the request of: Mustangcandi.
crossposted to my lj and to SaveColby
Author: Keenir.
Pairings/Characters: Charlie, Hannah, Val (Molly), Colby, Amita, Kim (Wren), Janet, Trace McKay.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The hunt is afoot.
summary of part 4: complications arise.
Spoilers: Soft Target.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
Notes: for how Trace McKay sounds, I used the English in this interview as a reference.
--words in between dashes-- are on the other side of the phone conversation.
Warnings: none, actually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
at the FBI office:
"Eppes," Don said, answering the phone.
--"Agent Eppes? This is Detective Poirot of the LAPD. Your people are tromping all over my crime scene, and I'd love it if you could get them out."--
"My people?" Don asked. "No, if they're -"
--"While they aren't putting their boots in the blood spatter, yet, they're destroying any chance I have of finding out where the killer is or where he went."--
"I'll get them out," Don told Poirot. "Where are you?"
--"I'm a few blocks away now...had to drive out of the area your people are in. Did they bring a phone-jamming device of some kind? You feds have that stuff, right?"--
"We don't, and we didn't," Don said. "I'll get on it. Thanks for the heads-up."
--"Just get moving; I need to find the bastard who sliced open some guy named Charlie Eppes," and hung up.--
Don was out of his seat like a hyperactive jackrabbit. "Terry, Megan, you guys mind coming with me?" Please be wrong, please!
Both women nodded and headed to the elevator with Don.
Don wasn't aware that it had been Marlowe making the call, and lying about Charlie, but being honest about the phones.
* * * * *
on the roof:
"What do you mean, we wouldn't be going to England even if Marlowe hadn't done this?" Amita asked.
Val was apologetic about it, but wasn't about to hide this from her: "The plane would have been asked to taxi around, and Charlie would have to get off."
"But why?"
"What's the one thing police and federal agents tell the press if they're asked about an active case?" Val asked, knowing Amita knew this.
"That it's ongoing and that they can't comment."
Val nodded.
"The people at the top are worried Charlie will say something classified over in England?" Amita asked, and was worried by how reasonable that concern was.
Another nod. "And we know some of what he's said already has ruffled relationships between various agencies."
Charlie as the cause of an international incident possibly bigger than the Dreyfus Affair, Amita pondered. Then, "How much *do* you know?" she asked, curious.
"Everyone of interest has a file," Val said, trying to sound casual about it.
"Do I have a file?" Amita asked.
Val bit her lip. "Let's say you're not as red-flagged as Agents Granger or Sinclair." Callie's definately walking a tightrope there. Let's hope she survives it.
Val also hoped that her comment would take Amita's mind off the concern weighing on the Immortals almost as much as Marlowe herself.
* * * * *
on ground level, scouting:
"You look like someone I know," Nikki said as she and Kotsonis walked down one alley, looking for clues.
"If her name happens to be Alice Chen, I don't want to hear it," Janet Kotsonis said.
"You know her?"
"No. I just like assembling random Asian names."
"That's a yes?"
"Aye, massa," Janet said.
"I'm a Betancourt," Nikki said.
"My mistake," Janet said. This time, she said "Aye, massa," with a French accent.
Nikki chuckled. "Don't bother. If you have to try that hard, just don't bother."
Janet shrugged, and started to walk like Nikki.
When Agent Betancourt noticed this, she asked, "Wouldn't that be noticable, to Marlowe or anybody else?"
With a smile, Janet said, "That's the idea."
"You want us to be seen?"
"Ever been fishing, Betancourt? I mean with water, not desperate questions."
Who the hell are you people? Nikki wondered. "You - Hold on. We're bait??"
"No," Kotsonis said calmly. "We are a lure."
"Like there's a difference?"
"There is."
"Fish eat them both. What's the difference?" Nikki asked.
"The amount of damage done to the fish," Janet said, ticking off one finger at a time. "The ability to close a trap around the fish. And the ability to have the last laugh at the fish's expense."
"You sold me on the third one," Nikki said. "Still not wild about the first one, though."
"You're new yet. Plenty of time."
* * * * *
elsewhere on the search for clues:
David and Colby were checking back doors, access to windows, anything that might have given entry - and potentially exit in the nearish future - to Marlowe.
"Go ahead," Colby said.
"You say something?" David asked.
"You're dying to ask, so go ahead."
"You're sure?"
"So long as it's not 'if you die, how long do I have to wait before I can date Callie?'."
"Now I'll never know," David kidded his buddy. "So how long have you known your fiancee's a superagent?" David asked, curious.
"Since last night," Colby said. Reminder to self: never turn all the lights out and then sneak up on Callie, no matter how amorously. "Fortunately we don't keep a knife in the cake."
"Owch."
Just then, David's cell phone rang. "Sinclair," he said.
"Hello, Agent Sinclair. I'll answer what you're about to ask - I am Marlowe, the one you're all running around trying to pin down."
"You're being awful chatty," David said.
Hannah was amused by this. "Even if you could carry tracing equipment on your person and Agent Granger's, you wouldn't be able to find me. We're trained better."
"Yeah? Well we'll see about that."
David could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "You don't want to make this a competition, Agent Sinclair. It wouldn't be healthy for your math friend here. My, how cliche I sound just now."
"Do something novel: surrender now," David suggested.
"I'm tempted to do so. After all, you were so very nearly one of us."
"One of who?"
"Our organization. The one that pulled me from their ranks and hurled me into the depths of captivity."
"And why should I believe you?" David asked.
"About my captivity, or about your near miss?"
"Pick one."
Hannah told him, "You were on the roster to be recruited as soon as a space opened up - and then you went and moved."
"Yeah, I left New York."
"Not what I meant," Hannah said and hung up.
"She wouldn't let you talk her down?" Colby asked.
"Pretty much," David said. "And she more than insinuated I was almost invited to join the organization she worked for and Callie works for."
"Cool," and said with full honestly, "You'd do great there."
"Thanks," David said. "Now, let's see what happens when we Redial," and pressed that button on his cell phone.
A prim and proper librarian's voice answered, informing him in a feminine voice that "This cell phone belongs to David Sinclair. FBI agent. Born in New York State. This is your phone," she said.
To David, it was a different woman's voice. Then again, isn't that what we've been seeing so far?: changes of the tone and timre? "This is. And you're still Marlowe."
A groan on the other end of the line, and the same woman spoke, only more casual: "This is Trace McKay, Agent Sinclair. And based on proximities...you're standing next to Agent Granger."
David mouthed 'not Marlowe. she says hi.' To Trace, "I was just talking to Marlowe."
"And you hit Redial?" she asked.
"Yes."
One of the first things we learn. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to reprogram a burn phone to make it's redial to a different location?" McKay asked.
"No idea. Don't really care, either. What I do want to know is what Marlowe's game plan is."
"To bring us down," McKay stated.
"And by 'us', you mean the organization you're a part of."
"Yes."
"And she used to be part of," David said.
"Is there a point to this line of questioning?"
"What's the name of this organization?" David asked.
"No name."
"So you can't reveal it under questioning?"
"There is that," Trace agreed. "Mostly, it's more of a concept, an idea." An ideal, one might say.
"And what's that idea?" David asked.
"The Immortals."
"As in 'there can be only one'?"
"And you wondered why we didn't tell you previously?" Trace asked, shaking her head. "Have to go. Tell Colby I'd give him a peck on the cheek if I were there."
When Trace hung up, David looked at Colby and asked, "Just how many superspies do you know?"
Colby shrugged. "Doesn't part of that mean they're so good nobody notices anything spy-like about them?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"Sort of like Michael Westen and the Predator."
"Is that so?" Kim asked, standing behind them now. I didn't know Callie's nails had gotten that bad. "I always thought it was more like Iron Man and Captain Planet, but your mileage may vary."
Both agents turned around - Kim hadn't been anywhere nearby before the phone call, they were pretty sure of that.
"Where d- How did you- Are you sure you don't have stealth capacity?" David aske.
Kim smiled. "Positive. Though part of our supplimental training is in moving quietly."
Colby nodded, as if he could testify to that.
But David asked, "When you say supplimental...?"
"On top of what we learn at the agencies we're recruited from," Kim said.
And that was when Don and Megan and Terry parked just a few yards away.
* * * * *
while they're parking:
"Actually, I am pretty much the only guy there," Nathan Poe said.
"Seriously?" Liz asked. I meant it as a joke, didn't think it would turn out to be true.
Poe nodded. "There's me, our boss, and one guy I've never met - not sure if he's in deep-cover or dead."
"Was it always like that?" Liz asked, curious abut this before-now-unknown branch of US law enforcement.
"From what I understand, yes. Now, this might just be something they tell to hide the true origins, or it really is true, but I was told that it started based on the observation that the enemy will tend to focus their attention on soldiers and diplomats...not on nurses and secretaries and game park rangers."
"Cool," Liz said. Though if I'd known about you guys back when I was remaking myself post-pregnancy, I probably would have signed up. "So who gets to join?"
"Americans," Nathan said. "The only more specific I can get is..." trying to put it into words, "if you're invited. And there's a shortlist of people up for inviting...but you don't even know you're on the shortlist until there's a space in the organization for you."
Just then, a side door swung open - almost jerkily - just ahead of them Poe and Liz raised their sidearms, then lowered them when they saw it was - "Charlie?" Liz asked.
Charlie nodded as he came towards them. "I solved that problem for her. She said I could go if I solved it, and..." and shook his head.
"And you solved it?"
Charlie nodded again.
to be continued.
Title: Quicksilver.
crossover of Numb3rs and Cal's Immortals.
Dedicated to & written at the request of: Mustangcandi.
crossposted to my lj and to SaveColby
Author: Keenir.
Pairings/Characters: Charlie, Hannah, Val (Molly), Colby, Amita, Kim (Wren), Janet, Trace McKay.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The hunt is afoot.
summary of part 4: complications arise.
Spoilers: Soft Target.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
Notes: for how Trace McKay sounds, I used the English in this interview as a reference.
--words in between dashes-- are on the other side of the phone conversation.
Warnings: none, actually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
at the FBI office:
"Eppes," Don said, answering the phone.
--"Agent Eppes? This is Detective Poirot of the LAPD. Your people are tromping all over my crime scene, and I'd love it if you could get them out."--
"My people?" Don asked. "No, if they're -"
--"While they aren't putting their boots in the blood spatter, yet, they're destroying any chance I have of finding out where the killer is or where he went."--
"I'll get them out," Don told Poirot. "Where are you?"
--"I'm a few blocks away now...had to drive out of the area your people are in. Did they bring a phone-jamming device of some kind? You feds have that stuff, right?"--
"We don't, and we didn't," Don said. "I'll get on it. Thanks for the heads-up."
--"Just get moving; I need to find the bastard who sliced open some guy named Charlie Eppes," and hung up.--
Don was out of his seat like a hyperactive jackrabbit. "Terry, Megan, you guys mind coming with me?" Please be wrong, please!
Both women nodded and headed to the elevator with Don.
Don wasn't aware that it had been Marlowe making the call, and lying about Charlie, but being honest about the phones.
* * * * *
on the roof:
"What do you mean, we wouldn't be going to England even if Marlowe hadn't done this?" Amita asked.
Val was apologetic about it, but wasn't about to hide this from her: "The plane would have been asked to taxi around, and Charlie would have to get off."
"But why?"
"What's the one thing police and federal agents tell the press if they're asked about an active case?" Val asked, knowing Amita knew this.
"That it's ongoing and that they can't comment."
Val nodded.
"The people at the top are worried Charlie will say something classified over in England?" Amita asked, and was worried by how reasonable that concern was.
Another nod. "And we know some of what he's said already has ruffled relationships between various agencies."
Charlie as the cause of an international incident possibly bigger than the Dreyfus Affair, Amita pondered. Then, "How much *do* you know?" she asked, curious.
"Everyone of interest has a file," Val said, trying to sound casual about it.
"Do I have a file?" Amita asked.
Val bit her lip. "Let's say you're not as red-flagged as Agents Granger or Sinclair." Callie's definately walking a tightrope there. Let's hope she survives it.
Val also hoped that her comment would take Amita's mind off the concern weighing on the Immortals almost as much as Marlowe herself.
* * * * *
on ground level, scouting:
"You look like someone I know," Nikki said as she and Kotsonis walked down one alley, looking for clues.
"If her name happens to be Alice Chen, I don't want to hear it," Janet Kotsonis said.
"You know her?"
"No. I just like assembling random Asian names."
"That's a yes?"
"Aye, massa," Janet said.
"I'm a Betancourt," Nikki said.
"My mistake," Janet said. This time, she said "Aye, massa," with a French accent.
Nikki chuckled. "Don't bother. If you have to try that hard, just don't bother."
Janet shrugged, and started to walk like Nikki.
When Agent Betancourt noticed this, she asked, "Wouldn't that be noticable, to Marlowe or anybody else?"
With a smile, Janet said, "That's the idea."
"You want us to be seen?"
"Ever been fishing, Betancourt? I mean with water, not desperate questions."
Who the hell are you people? Nikki wondered. "You - Hold on. We're bait??"
"No," Kotsonis said calmly. "We are a lure."
"Like there's a difference?"
"There is."
"Fish eat them both. What's the difference?" Nikki asked.
"The amount of damage done to the fish," Janet said, ticking off one finger at a time. "The ability to close a trap around the fish. And the ability to have the last laugh at the fish's expense."
"You sold me on the third one," Nikki said. "Still not wild about the first one, though."
"You're new yet. Plenty of time."
* * * * *
elsewhere on the search for clues:
David and Colby were checking back doors, access to windows, anything that might have given entry - and potentially exit in the nearish future - to Marlowe.
"Go ahead," Colby said.
"You say something?" David asked.
"You're dying to ask, so go ahead."
"You're sure?"
"So long as it's not 'if you die, how long do I have to wait before I can date Callie?'."
"Now I'll never know," David kidded his buddy. "So how long have you known your fiancee's a superagent?" David asked, curious.
"Since last night," Colby said. Reminder to self: never turn all the lights out and then sneak up on Callie, no matter how amorously. "Fortunately we don't keep a knife in the cake."
"Owch."
Just then, David's cell phone rang. "Sinclair," he said.
"Hello, Agent Sinclair. I'll answer what you're about to ask - I am Marlowe, the one you're all running around trying to pin down."
"You're being awful chatty," David said.
Hannah was amused by this. "Even if you could carry tracing equipment on your person and Agent Granger's, you wouldn't be able to find me. We're trained better."
"Yeah? Well we'll see about that."
David could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "You don't want to make this a competition, Agent Sinclair. It wouldn't be healthy for your math friend here. My, how cliche I sound just now."
"Do something novel: surrender now," David suggested.
"I'm tempted to do so. After all, you were so very nearly one of us."
"One of who?"
"Our organization. The one that pulled me from their ranks and hurled me into the depths of captivity."
"And why should I believe you?" David asked.
"About my captivity, or about your near miss?"
"Pick one."
Hannah told him, "You were on the roster to be recruited as soon as a space opened up - and then you went and moved."
"Yeah, I left New York."
"Not what I meant," Hannah said and hung up.
"She wouldn't let you talk her down?" Colby asked.
"Pretty much," David said. "And she more than insinuated I was almost invited to join the organization she worked for and Callie works for."
"Cool," and said with full honestly, "You'd do great there."
"Thanks," David said. "Now, let's see what happens when we Redial," and pressed that button on his cell phone.
A prim and proper librarian's voice answered, informing him in a feminine voice that "This cell phone belongs to David Sinclair. FBI agent. Born in New York State. This is your phone," she said.
To David, it was a different woman's voice. Then again, isn't that what we've been seeing so far?: changes of the tone and timre? "This is. And you're still Marlowe."
A groan on the other end of the line, and the same woman spoke, only more casual: "This is Trace McKay, Agent Sinclair. And based on proximities...you're standing next to Agent Granger."
David mouthed 'not Marlowe. she says hi.' To Trace, "I was just talking to Marlowe."
"And you hit Redial?" she asked.
"Yes."
One of the first things we learn. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to reprogram a burn phone to make it's redial to a different location?" McKay asked.
"No idea. Don't really care, either. What I do want to know is what Marlowe's game plan is."
"To bring us down," McKay stated.
"And by 'us', you mean the organization you're a part of."
"Yes."
"And she used to be part of," David said.
"Is there a point to this line of questioning?"
"What's the name of this organization?" David asked.
"No name."
"So you can't reveal it under questioning?"
"There is that," Trace agreed. "Mostly, it's more of a concept, an idea." An ideal, one might say.
"And what's that idea?" David asked.
"The Immortals."
"As in 'there can be only one'?"
"And you wondered why we didn't tell you previously?" Trace asked, shaking her head. "Have to go. Tell Colby I'd give him a peck on the cheek if I were there."
When Trace hung up, David looked at Colby and asked, "Just how many superspies do you know?"
Colby shrugged. "Doesn't part of that mean they're so good nobody notices anything spy-like about them?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"Sort of like Michael Westen and the Predator."
"Is that so?" Kim asked, standing behind them now. I didn't know Callie's nails had gotten that bad. "I always thought it was more like Iron Man and Captain Planet, but your mileage may vary."
Both agents turned around - Kim hadn't been anywhere nearby before the phone call, they were pretty sure of that.
"Where d- How did you- Are you sure you don't have stealth capacity?" David aske.
Kim smiled. "Positive. Though part of our supplimental training is in moving quietly."
Colby nodded, as if he could testify to that.
But David asked, "When you say supplimental...?"
"On top of what we learn at the agencies we're recruited from," Kim said.
And that was when Don and Megan and Terry parked just a few yards away.
* * * * *
while they're parking:
"Actually, I am pretty much the only guy there," Nathan Poe said.
"Seriously?" Liz asked. I meant it as a joke, didn't think it would turn out to be true.
Poe nodded. "There's me, our boss, and one guy I've never met - not sure if he's in deep-cover or dead."
"Was it always like that?" Liz asked, curious abut this before-now-unknown branch of US law enforcement.
"From what I understand, yes. Now, this might just be something they tell to hide the true origins, or it really is true, but I was told that it started based on the observation that the enemy will tend to focus their attention on soldiers and diplomats...not on nurses and secretaries and game park rangers."
"Cool," Liz said. Though if I'd known about you guys back when I was remaking myself post-pregnancy, I probably would have signed up. "So who gets to join?"
"Americans," Nathan said. "The only more specific I can get is..." trying to put it into words, "if you're invited. And there's a shortlist of people up for inviting...but you don't even know you're on the shortlist until there's a space in the organization for you."
Just then, a side door swung open - almost jerkily - just ahead of them Poe and Liz raised their sidearms, then lowered them when they saw it was - "Charlie?" Liz asked.
Charlie nodded as he came towards them. "I solved that problem for her. She said I could go if I solved it, and..." and shook his head.
"And you solved it?"
Charlie nodded again.
to be continued.