Archive of Our Own ^beta

“So where have you been?” Amanda Stetson asked her husband as he entered their office. “I thought you were just dropping off some paperwork so we could get out of here."

"I was. I got sidetracked by this." Lee handed her the file he'd been reading when he walked in.

“More paperwork?” Amanda said, suppressing a groan. “I never thought I’d say it, but I’m beginning to miss field work.”

“Careful what you wish for,” he told her with a wry grin, pointing to the folder. "Looks like we have a new assignment."

She opened the manila folder and glanced at the top page. "The Department of Fish and Game in San Diego? Even if they were local, F&G isn't under our jurisdiction. Why check them out? And why us?"

“The first question’s easy,” he replied. “This particular branch of the Department of Fish and Game is really a part of the Agency."

It began to make sense. The Agency had been running security checks of their various offices and, of course, not all of them pretended to be documentary film companies. She started to look a little closer at the information in her hands. "And I thought that IFF was a strange cover."

"Tell me about it," Lee agreed. "But this is one of our smaller operations, which is why you hadn't heard of it. I've only heard about a couple of major cases coming from them, and they were years ago, before we met."

Amanda looked up from the page she’d been reading. "Lee, if this is one of our smaller operations, why were they recently given over seventeen million dollars in funding?"

He sat on the edge of her desk as he answered. "Good question. That little fact about their funding came as quite a surprise – the agent doing the check just happened to stumble across it. This whole thing has been very hush-hush, which is to be expected, given our business. But no one there is telling us anything, even though we're the same organization. Their 'contact zero' attitude, plus that mysterious funding, has raised one too many red flags."

"And that's where we come in," Amanda continued. "We're supposed to go in and find out just where the money is going, and why nobody's talking."

"Exactly,” Lee said with a nod. “Only we can't just go in and ask. If it were that easy, it would have been done by now.”

“So they’re activating our field status because…”

“I’d like to say it’s because we’re still the best team the Agency has ever had, on or off the field,” Lee said with a wry smile. “But in this case, the powers that be are counting on our seniority opening up doors if need be.”

“We were the best,” Amanda told him firmly. “We still are. You know not everyone wanted us called in from doing fieldwork.” She tapped the file. “This just proves it. Otherwise, why have us do the investigation when it was made pretty clear that those days were over?”

“Maybe,” Lee shrugged. “But there’s also some concern that someone has infiltrated that branch of the Agency, that it could be part of a larger plan to take us over completely."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Taken over? By another country's agents? I have trouble believing that."

"So do I,” he agreed. “Another theory is that maybe it's being used by some people in our government who don't want too many questions asked about what they're doing. You know as well as I do that the Agency is pretty much left to its own devices, at least more so than the FBI, CIA, and almost every other government acronym around. That relative autonomy and our anonymity makes for a pretty powerful combination."

"But if they aren't talking to anyone, including us, how are we supposed to find out what's going on? This isn't just any business we're talking about," she elaborated, "it's the Agency. You’re talking about spying on other spies - ones who've had the same training as us." She shook her head. “I don’t care how much seniority or experience we have – there’s no way this will be easy.”

"I know,” Lee said with a sigh, “and I’m not sure how we’re going to pull it off - yet. I'm hoping that we'll find our angle when we go through what files we do have on them. The records were pretty comprehensive until about a year ago. Hope you're ready for a late night of research, Mrs. Stetson."

_________________________

“I don't know, Amanda. I'm sure there's something here we can use, but I just can't see it." Lee got up from his desk, put down the file he'd been looking through and dragged a tired hand over his eyes. "I need a break - we've been looking over the F&G files for hours now, and it was quitting time when we started."

Amanda looked up from her computer screen, rubbing the back of her neck to ease the tension that had built up while she’d been searching the files. "I'm pretty beat myself. Maybe a fresh start is what we need. What would you say to an offer of a late supper, then back home and to bed. We can start again first thing in the morning."

Lee walked over to stand behind Amanda’s chair and took over the task of massaging her neck and shoulders. He leaned down and spoke softly, his breath tickling her ear. "Add in some dessert once we get home, and you have yourself a deal." The tone of his voice let Amanda know exactly what kind of dessert he had in mind. The fact that Lee couldn't resist using 'code phrases', even in their private life, made her smile with affectionate amusement.

Turning her chair slightly, Amanda wrapped her hands loosely around her husband’s waist. "I thought you were tired, Mr. Stetson."

Lee reached back to take Amanda's hands in his and helped her up from her chair. His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "Of looking through paperwork, yes. Of you - never."

_________________________

The next morning found the Stetsons back at work, continuing their search through the Agency's files. The night before, Amanda had looked through the computer records while Lee took on the backlog of hard copies that had yet to be entered into the system. This morning, Amanda had suggested that they switch positions, hoping that a different set of eyes would find something the other had overlooked the previous night. Lee, however, was reluctant to agree.

"You know, I really do like our original system better, Amanda. It's faster, and you're much better with this thing," he gestured toward the monitor, a small look of disgust on his face, "than I am."

"Faster isn't always better,” Amanda replied. “And before you even ask, no, I am not going to print the files out for you to look at. It's a waste of time and paper. You are perfectly capable of working with a computer. You just have to get over the idea that it's out to get you," she finished, giving him a gentle push toward the desk.

"I do not think that the computer is out to get me." He glared at the monitor, then sat down and started to type, muttering under his breath, "I just don't think it likes me very much."

Amanda shook her head and smiled softly at her husband, then went to work going through the files she’d gathered. She was reading over a report, focused on trying to find something, anything, when the sound of Lee slapping his hand on his desk startled her. She looked up to see him grinning triumphantly at the screen before him.

"What is it, Lee?" She put the file down and got up to see what had her husband so excited.

"I think I've found our way in, Amanda. Look at this." He moved over enough for Amanda to read over his shoulder.

It was a personnel file. “Hobbes, Robert A,” she read. “I remember seeing his name last night, right before we left. What's so special about him?"

"Nothing, except that I've worked with him before. It's been years - he wasn't even with the Agency at the time. I didn't know he'd joined until now." He gave her a satisfied smile. “He was an interesting character, all business, no nonsense, by the rules. If there is something going on at F&G and he knows about it, it’s got to be bothering him. Heck, he may even be conducting his own private investigation.”

Amanda studied the information on the screen as Lee spoke, then looked over at him with a puzzled frown. "Lee, have you really read his file?"

"Not yet - I recognized his picture, remembered what he was like, and that's as far as I got." He leaned forward, wondering what it was his wife had seen.

"Look at his record,” she said, pointing at the screen. “It's sketchier than the profiles in our Shadow file. Does that sound like the Agent Hobbes you remember?”

Lee read for a minute, then shook his head. “No. Maybe this is some kind of cover file.”

“A cover within the Agency? Why would we have less information on one of our own agents than we do on fictional identities?"

Lee sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No idea, but this case just keeps getting better and better. Let's see if we can find out what Bobby Hobbes is hiding." Lee started punching some keys, but quickly became frustrated. "Amanda..."

She grinned at her husband, waving her hands to shoo him out of the chair. "Move over, big fella. Leave this to the expert."

_________________________

“Lee, look at this,” Amanda said, and Lee got up to join her at her desk.

He'd gone back to looking through the paperwork they had, but what little he’d found raised more questions than it answered. There just wasn't enough recent information there to be of help. As far as he could tell, Bobby Hobbes was looking more and more like their best chance. Assuming, of course, they could trust anything they found.

"The words 'unstable' and 'paranoid', are used a lot in reference to your friend,” she said with a nod toward the computer. “He started out as FBI, but was asked to leave after a few cases went sour. After that he worked for the CIA and NSA. And I found not one, but three different psych work-ups on him.” Amanda looked up at Lee with a puzzled frown. “Based on what I've read, he really doesn't sound like someone the Agency would hire."

Lee pointed to the screen. "And yet we did, several years ago. He's been stationed out of the country for most of the time, small-time operations from the looks of it." Lee leaned in and read a little further. "His last assignment was in Mexico. Now he's in California - what happened?"

Amanda shook her head. "The records don't say. Just that he was reassigned, and given a pretty decent security clearance when he transferred to that Agency branch." She scrolled further down the screen. "It doesn't even give the name of who requested the transfer, just a title - The Official."

Lee gave a short laugh. "And I thought Blue Leader was bad." He stopped, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "Wait a minute..."

Lee went over and started sifting through the papers he'd been reading. "I think I remember seeing something about the Official in one of these files. Didn't think much of it at the time, but I didn't recognize it as an Agency title." He continued his search, scanning the pages quickly, then gave a satisfied smile as he found the file he wanted.

"Here it is." He brought the report over to Amanda. "It's not much, just a notation about some project being ready for its next phase."

Amanda noticed the date the report was submitted. "Lee, this wasn't long before Hobbes was reassigned. Do you have anything else on the project this refers to? There isn't enough here for me to search the computer records."

Another look turned up a little more information. "I've got a code - QS-9300."

"It's a start." Amanda typed the name and started the computer search.

It didn't take long, but that wasn’t a good thing. There were no files to be found on QS-9300. Lee continued going through the paperwork, trying to find more clues as to the nature of this mysterious project while Amanda kept working with the computer, searching for anything relating to the codename Official.

"I think I've found him, Lee." Amanda said, turning from the screen to give her eyes a break. "Looks like the Section Chief of F&G is a man by the name of Charles Borden."

Lee's head popped up at the name. "Charlie Borden? Are you sure?"

"It sure looks like it.” The look on Lee’s face troubled her. “Why? Do you know him?"

"By reputation only. He's been with the Agency for years. He was a real hot-shot - everyone I've ever heard talk about him says he really could have gone far."

"Then why didn't he? And if he was that good, why are you surprised that he's gotten as far as he has?"

"From what I've heard, he was too secretive,” Lee told her. “He hoarded facts the way a miser saves pennies, keeping everything hidden away. Which was fine, until his close-mouthed attitude got some people hurt, and not all of them were Agency. That was his other big problem - he didn't have a problem sacrificing civilians if it furthered the cause."

Amanda quirked an eyebrow at that. "I seem to remember a few times early on when the Agency was ready to sacrifice me for the sake of a case."

“It isn’t policy and you know it,” Lee reminded her. "Anyhow, in Borden’s case, one of the civilians was the nephew of one of the Agency bigwigs. After that, he didn't have a chance. He was pulled in from the field, and sent to our most out-of-the-way offices.” He shook his head. “I'm surprised he’s still with the Agency at all."

"Well, he is, and if what you've been told is true, I can see why we're having trouble finding any records. He was made Section Chief of F&G branch about a year before Agent Hobbes was reassigned."

"Which coincides with the drop in reports." Lee ran a hand through his hair. “And now Hobbes sketchy file is making more sense.”

“What about the information I found? Do you think we can trust it?”

“Hard to say,” Lee sighed. “But I’ll tell you what I do know. With Borden in charge, there’s no way the direct approach will work. Which means this just got even more complicated.”

Amanda had just known this wasn’t going to be easy. "Any luck finding more on the QS-9300 project?"

"Nothing so far,” he said, frustrated. “It's strange... that isn't the type of code the Agency would normally give a project."

"I know." Amanda had a thought. "Maybe it was a joint effort. Who else has branches in California that we might work with? Or that would want to work with Charlie Borden?"

"Good questions," he said as he looked at the paperwork surrounding him. "Wish I had some good answers."

_________________________

Meanwhile, in California…

"What do you mean, someone's been accessing our files?" Charlie Borden stared up from his desk at the man in front of him, making sure his annoyance at the news he'd just been given was obvious. "I thought you made sure everything was secure."

"It is, Sir. No one from outside the Agency should be able to get into our computer records."

"No one from outside?” Borden leaned forward intimidatingly. “What are you saying, Eberts?"

Eberts nervously edged a little farther around the desk, as if trying to use it as a shield from his superior's mood. "It seems as if another branch of the organization has developed an interest in us," he answered, eyes on the files in his hands.

"What kind of interest, Eberts?"

"I'm not sure, Sir.” He looked up hopefully. “It could be a routine records check - we do have them occasionally."

"But you don't think it is." He counted to ten in his head. It would be so much simpler if Eberts would just tell him the full story at once, but that wasn't his way, at least, not when the news was bad. And getting too obviously upset would just make the man flee. He really needed a better assistant.

Eberts slumped. "Not really, Sir. The data that they are attempting to access is quite specific."

Borden had had enough. "Just what is it you aren't telling me?" he asked, overly polite.

Eberts looked down at his files again, obviously not wanting to meet Borden’s gaze. "The information being requested looks to be related to the QS-9300 project."

Ah - that would explain the hesitation. Borden leaned back in his chair. "So, someone's interested in our Mr. Fawkes. And you're sure it's from within the Agency? It couldn't be someone trying to smokescreen us?"

"No Sir. I mean, yes Sir, I'm sure this is really someone with Agency clearances. The access codes they're using all indicate that this is a legitimate search."

Borden glared at his assistant. "Well, legitimate or not, I don't like people nosing around my department,” he snapped. “Take care of it, Eberts."

Eberts nodded and started toward the door, obviously more than happy to leave the Official's office for the relative safety of his own. "Consider it done, Sir."

_________________________

Amanda created a file listing what little information they did have, but it was depressingly small. While no more information was found on the QS project itself, they were able to find out that it was the latest in a series of QS projects, and that whatever it was, it involved animal, and probably human, testing. Just as things were starting to get interesting, she hit a wall, one she was sure hadn’t been there before. Apparently, their looking into the files had been noticed, and not appreciated. No matter what she tried, Amanda couldn't get back in – she was completely locked out to any files remotely related to F&G.

"I just don't understand this, Lee,” she said, spinning her chair around to face him. “If we're all a part of the same organization, why would someone block my access? Or if it's really that classified, why aren't they labeled for a higher security clearance?” She shook her head, “Why even have us looking into it at all if we aren’t cleared for it, for that matter? It just doesn't make sense."

"None of this is making sense, Amanda. And if we’re really locked out, then we’re out of long-range options.” He sighed as he got up and walked over to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Looks like it’s time to start packing – we're headed to San Diego."

_________________________

Lee and Amanda spent the first day in California just getting a feel for the area, locating the Department of Fish and Game, but not going near the Agency too closely. After that, they took the bulk of the next day checking out the more immediate surrounding area, looking for good places to watch without being seen. There wasn't a lot to choose from, a fact which surprised neither of them. This was, after all, an Agency operation.

They settled on some carefully timed walks on the opposite side of the street, picking times most likely for Hobbes to be leaving the building. On their third day there, it worked like a charm. The couple used the reflection in a shop window to watch as Hobbes came into view, though he wasn’t alone. Lee pointed at the reflection as he spoke.

"There he is, Amanda. Do you recognize the man with him?"

Amanda rolled her eyes at her husband. "Lee, you read the same files I did - do you know who he is?" He shook his head. "Well then, why should I?" she asked, exasperated.

She could see Lee hiding a grin at her tone, but since he did his best to remain serious, she didn’t comment on it. "I just thought maybe you'd seen something I hadn't." He frowned slightly. "Since he's leaving with Hobbes, he has to have some tie to the Agency. But we looked through all the personnel files before we got locked out, and I know I never saw him."

Amanda turned to face her husband, the change in angle making it possible for her to see the two men out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think I did, either. Maybe he's not officially with the Agency, or he's new enough that we didn't get a file on him yet." It was possible - the records concerning this branch had been woefully out of date.

She took another look at the two men. Hobbes was wearing a dark suit and white shirt, sans tie, collar unbuttoned. The tall, wild-haired young man with him was a sharp contrast, dressed in a t-shirt, old jeans, and tan jacket. "He sure doesn't look like an agent," she said.

Lee turned his watch toward the two men, pushed a few buttons, and then pointed and clicked a few times. "Well, once we get these pictures downloaded onto the laptop, and you plug into the Agency's system online, hopefully we can find out who he is."

_________________________

"This can't be right," Amanda said as she read the screen in front of her.

Lee got up from the bed, laying down the file he'd been reading as he moved to see what Amanda had found. After a few moments of reading over her shoulder, he was inclined to agree with his wife's assessment.

"Are you sure the pictures were a match, Amanda?"

"Absolutely," she answered with a nod. "And before you ask, I've re-checked this three times. Darien Fawkes is the man we saw leaving the Agency with Bobby Hobbes."

He believed her, but it still didn’t make sense. "Could all of this be a cover, then? Something to throw people off the track?"

Amanda shook her head as she answered. "Doesn't look like it. This is nothing like a Shadow profile. If nothing else, the newspaper articles corroborating the facts go back too far. He was just a kid when some of this stuff happened. He even has a juvenile record, still sealed.”

“That is a more detailed file than the Agency usually creates,” Lee agreed. “So either someone went to a lot of trouble to create an identity, or Darien Fawkes really is an ex con.” Lee read what she had up, then gestured for her to show him more.

Amanda scrolled down the screen, Lee reading aloud as she did.

"From the looks of it, until recently he was a career criminal. Hmmm... San Quentin for breaking and entering, Fulsom for armed robbery, and most recently, Dinsom, for…molestation?" He shook his head. "You're right, Amanda, this has to be real. And Fawkes is definitely not the type of person the Agency would hire."

Amanda went a little further down the file and pointed at a paragraph. "Look at this, Lee. His last sentence was for life. Someone had to pull some major strings for him to be out of prison now."

“Who would go to all that trouble for a guy like this?” Lee stared at the screen, trying to see a connection between the Agency and this Fawkes guy... wait a minute. Hadn't he seen the name Fawkes before, earlier in his research for this case?

"Amanda, pull up the information we found on the QS project, will you?"

Amanda nodded, saving the file they'd been reading before pulling up the one her husband had requested. It didn't contain much, just notes on what they'd been able to come up with so far, and references to specific files that had seemed to have some connection to the case. She moved slightly away from the screen to better give Lee a chance to find whatever it was that had struck his memory.

"There it is," he said, pointing at a name halfway down the screen. "I knew I'd heard the name Fawkes before. The head of the QS project is Kevin Fawkes. That can't be a coincidence."

"You're right, Lee. Let me see what we have on him," she continued as she moved back to the keyboard and began to type. "It looks like Kevin and Darien are brothers-"

"Which would explain why Darien is here, and not in prison." Lee finished. "Do we know where this Kevin is now? He could shed some light on what this mysterious project is all about."

"I don't think so, Lee." Amanda replied. "Kevin Fawkes has been dead since last year. He died from multiple gunshot wounds." She tried some more, but couldn’t come up with any more information about the death.

"Whatever he was doing when he died, it was covered up” she told him. “There isn't even any mention of his death in the newspapers or police reports at the time.”

“Which makes it sound like it was definitely related to the Agency, and the QS project," Lee said. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

_________________________

"So, what's the word, Keep? Our boy Fawkes been playing nice enough to get his shot?" Bobby Hobbes paced the lab as he spoke, unable to relax until his partner's status was determined.

"I haven't heard otherwise, Bobby," The Keeper replied absently, her attention focused on the red and green snake tattoo on Fawkes’s wrist. "Though I think Darien might be able to go at least another day before he needs more counter-agent. He still has three green segments left on his tattoo."

Fawkes twisted his arm in her grasp to glance at the tattoo, then back at the Keep, the look on his face too-innocent. "I don't know, Claire, that seems awfully close to me," he said, so earnestly Bobby had to hide a chuckle.

She tucked a wayward strand of her long blond hair behind her ear as she answered, her British lilt softening the words. "Darien, you know as well as I do that you shouldn't get a shot of counter-agent unless you really need it. The fewer shots you get-"

"The longer it'll be before I build up an immunity to the counter-agent, and therefore, the longer it'll be before the gland drives me permanently nuts," he finished, a defeated look on his face. He readjusted his watch, making sure the band covered the tattoo. "Thanks for the reminder."

Bobby knew that tone of voice - it meant Fawkes was ready to go into his self-pity mode. Not a pretty sight, and hell to break him out of, unless it was done quickly.

"Hey, Fawkes, Keep's right,” he said, giving his partner a light punch on the arm. “We don't have an assignment right now, so you really don't need a shot yet. And anyway, when was the last time we had a real day off?” He started toward the door. “C'mon, let's get out of here before the Fat Man realizes he's given us a break."

Bobby could tell that Fawkes knew what he was trying to do, and just had to hope he appreciated the gesture enough to at least try and go along and see if Bobby could help him out of the too-familiar funk. After a minute, Fawkes got out of the chair and walked over and put a friendly arm loosely over Bobby’s shoulder.

"You're right. We'd better get while the getting is good." Bobby hid a relieved smile as Fawkes looked back at the Keeper. "You didn't hear that. As far as you know, we're on our way up to do some paperwork or something, right?"

Claire smiled indulgently, and Bobby was grateful she didn't see any harm in the two men playing hooky. After all, it wasn’t like they didn’t deserve an afternoon off; they'd been working their asses off, and both of them could use the break.

She waved them out the door. "Go on, and don't worry. My lips are sealed." Her remarks garnered a small grin from Fawkes, and Bobby relaxed a little more.

"You're all right, Keep," Bobby said with a wink as they went through the door to see what the day would bring for them.
_________________________

It was a beautiful California day. The two men blinked at the sudden brightness as they walked outside, then each pulled out sunglasses. Fawkes leaned his head back for a moment, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face, before turning to his partner.

"So, now what?" Fawkes asked.

"What do you mean, now what?"

"I don't know." Darien shrugged, looking not at all surprised that Hobbes was playing dumb. "It just sounded like you had some ideas back there."

"Nope." He looked around. "Nice day. We could take a walk."

"A walk," Darien deadpanned.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, a walk. You know, one foot in front of the other, forward motion. It's good for you."

"Great idea there, Bobby." Fawkes’ tone left Bobby with little doubt as to just how exciting he found the prospect.

"You don't have to come along, you know,” Bobby told him. “There's nothing that says we have to spend all of our time together."

Fawkes gave him an over-the-top look of concern. "Why, Bobby, if I didn't know better, I'd say I'd hurt your feelings."

"Not a chance, my friend." Bobby teased back, pleased when it earned him a grin.

Bobby had a real way with making sure his partner’s moods didn’t go irreversibly bad.
_________________________

Lee and Amanda spent most of the next day at places they’d found out Hobbes frequented during their brief time watching him, hoping he was a creature of habit. Their latest stop was at an outdoor café not too far from the Agency.

"Do you mind if we stop here?” Amanda asked. “I don’t know about you, but I'd love a break. We can sit outdoors, enjoy the weather, watch the people as they go by…"

And remain totally inconspicuous while doing so, Lee thought, smiling at his wife's cleverness. "Whatever you want. After you, my dear."

They made sure to be seated at a table near the sidewalk, giving them a clear view of the area. A few minutes later, their forethought was rewarded when they saw both Hobbes and his mysterious partner Fawkes being seated across the way. Now all they had to do was find some way to get Hobbes' attention and make first contact without him realizing that was their goal.

The waiter returned with their drinks, and Lee watched as Amanda took the opportunity they needed. She reached out for her glass, but didn't get a firm enough grasp, making it slip to the ground.

"Oh my gosh - how clumsy of me," Amanda exclaimed, looking apologetically at the waiter.

"No ma'am, it was my fault. I'll get you another drink right away." He rushed off to find something to use to clean up the scattered remnants of the glass.
_________________________

The scene attracted the attention of the occupants several tables including Darien and Hobbes. Darien didn't give the couple more than a brief glance before returning his attention to the menu.

"So, what sounds good?" He waited, but got no reply. Darien looked up to see his partner staring at the couple he'd blown off. He took a second look at them, but couldn't see what had caught Hobbes' interest.

"Hobbes? Bobby? Yo, Earth to Hobbes," he said, waving a hand in front of the other man's face to get his attention. Hobbes grabbed his wrist and pulled the hand out of his field of vision.

"Do you see those two?" he asked, low and intense, never taking his eyes off the couple.

"Yeah,” Darien shrugged. “I noticed them when the waiter dropped her glass. So what? Look like your basic tourists to me. Ones who are gonna be creeped out by your staring if you don’t stop, by the way."

Hobbes made a rude noise. "That just shows how little you know about this business, my friend."

"What, you mean they're not tourists?” Darien took a longer look. “They aren't Canadian spies, are they?" he asked, thinking back to their first meeting.

"Nope, not this time. The man is one of ours, at least he was the last time I saw him. Don't know about the woman, but I would bet she's no tourist."

Darien resisted rolling his eyes and went back to reading his menu. "So, if they're the good guys, why do we care that they're here?"

Hobbes tugged the menu from Darien’s hands, looking at him like he was an idiot. "Because they're here and we're here. Too coincidental, if you ask me."

"Come on, Hobbes. This is a public place. Just because they stopped to eat here doesn't mean they're following us." He thought for a moment. "In fact, I think I saw them sitting there as we came in. How could they be following us if they got here first? Answer me that one, Mr. I know everything because I've been in the business forever."

Hobbes rolled his eyes. "I never said I knew everything. Just more than you do. And that includes what I'm talking about right now. That guy is one of the best - he could've set this up, and you'd never know it."

"Except that you do."

The disbelief in Darien's tone was totally ignored by his partner. "Yes I do,” he replied matter of factly. “Takes more than a guy like him to pull one over on Bobby Hobbes."

"So what should we do? Wait and follow them? Push them into a dark alley and rough 'em up a little, find out why they're following us? Maybe we should just take them out, y’know, to be safe." Darien gave Hobbes his most innocent look, totally at odds with his mocking tone.

"Ha ha. You know, you really need to take this more seriously."

Darien shook his head firmly. "No way. You take it seriously enough for the entire Agency. I am not going to let this business turn me into another paranoid like you."

"Suit yourself, Fawkes. You don't watch your back, you won't live long enough to be like me."

"Yeah, well, thank heaven for small favors." He realized that the agent had barely taken his eyes off the couple throughout the entire exchange. "Hey, give it a rest, willya, Bobby? They're gonna notice you staring if you keep it up."

Hobbes looked at his partner briefly, then back at the other table. "Can't be too careful."

"Okay, then, how about I watch them for a while?" His face lit up. "Hey, even better - why not invite them over? Then you can really keep an eye on them."

Hobbes stood up. "That is the best idea you've had all day, Fawkes." He started walking toward the couple, ignoring Darien's protest that he was only kidding.
_________________________

Lee noticed Hobbes’ approach, and subtly nodded to Amanda that the bait had been taken. She smiled in response, and took on the role of playing the innocent tourist.

"It really is beautiful here, Lee. Maybe we should think about moving." She glanced around as she spoke, as if she were admiring the scenery rather than trying to catch a glimpse of the man approaching their table.

"Do you really think so?" Lee took a look around as well. "I didn't think California was your kind of place."

"Some parts of it definitely aren't, but San Diego is nice enough."

Lee took her hand in his at that remark. Even after fifteen years, the memory of almost losing her on their California honeymoon was still painful. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as he answered, as always finding comfort in her touch. "Maybe. I know I wouldn't miss driving in the snow."

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about here. Smog, definitely, but not snow." Hobbes's voice interrupted whatever reply Amanda had been about to make. Lee casually looked up to see who had invited himself into their conversation. He feigned a look of confusion, as if he didn't recognize the man standing there. After all, it had been over fifteen years.

"I'm sorry," Lee began, then let recognition spread slowly across his face. "Bobby Hobbes? Is that you? Man, it's been years."

"Lee Stetson" he replied, putting a hand out for Lee to shake. "I was pretty sure I recognized you. Haven't changed a bit." He released Lee's hand and reached over to take Amanda's, charm permeating his features. "This lovely lady, however, I know I haven't had the pleasure of meeting before."

Amanda blushed a bit as Lee introduced her. "This is my wife, Amanda. Amanda, this is Bobby Hobbes. He and I worked together... how long ago was it?"

"Longer than I want to admit,” he said, giving Amanda a charming smile. I'm surprised you recognized me - I'm not the same man I was all those years ago."

"Just part of the job" he shrugged, pretending not to hear the unspoken questions behind Bobby's statement. "Bobby works for the government, too, Amanda, or at least he did," he explained. "That's how we met - on an inter-agency case."

"You still with the Agency, Stetson? Or did you wise up and take a safe job when you settled down?"

"We both work for the Agency, Mr. Hobbes." Amanda answered. "That's how Lee and I met." She gestured toward an empty chair. "I'm sorry, where are my manners. Would you like to join us?"

Hobbes nodded back toward the table where Fawkes was sitting, watching the scene with obvious shock. Lee wondered again what his Agency connection was. If he was an agent, he had the worst poker face Lee had ever seen. "Actually, I'm with a friend," Hobbes told them.

It was Amanda's turn to put on the charm, and Lee had no doubt she’d convince him. "Your friend is welcome to join us, too. I'm sure you and Lee have a lot to catch up on, and I’d love to hear the stories."

“If you’re sure…”

“Of course we’re sure,” Amanda told him, scooting her chair closer to Lee’s to make room. “Please, join us.”

Lee could see Hobbes’ satisfied grin as he turned to wave Fawkes over to the table. Looked like he and Amanda weren’t the only ones doing some recon. Hobbes’ look turned stern when it looked like Fawkes wasn't going to move, but Fawkes must have seen the stubborn set of Hobbes' features and conceded defeat; he stood and walked to their table.

"Nice of you to join us, Fawkes," Hobbes said quietly, with just a hint of sarcasm, before smiling once again as he introduced his partner.

"Lee and Amanda Stetson, this is Darien Fawkes. Fawkes, Lee here and I worked together once, long time ago."

Fawkes nodded to the two in greeting. "Hey there, nice to meet you both."

Lee stood to shake the younger man’s hand. “Good to meet you. Sit down and join us.”

Fawkes gave his partner an uncertain glance. “Wouldn’t want to intrude on you.”

“It’s no intrusion, Mr. Fawkes,” Amanda replied. “Please, we’d enjoy the company. Maybe you could tell us a few places to visit while we’re here.”

Her comment stopped Hobbes momentarily as he was sitting. “You aren’t from around here?”

“Heavens, no, Mr. Hobbes,” Amanda said with an easy smile. “We’re on vacation. As much as I love DC, it just gets so cold this time of year.”

“Well, that’s something you don’t have to worry about here. And it’s Bobby. Mr. Hobbes was my father.”
_________________________

The meal proceeded smoothly enough, though neither Lee nor Hobbes managed to get much information from the other. Hobbes was good, better than Lee had remembered. Amanda and Fawkes chatted about nearby sights, seemingly oblivious to the verbal fencing match going on beside them.

An odd movement near the entrance caught Lee’s eye, halting him in mid-sentence. Hobbes started to turn, but a hiss from Lee stopped him. Fawkes and Amanda, noticing the increased level of tension, turned toward their respective partners.

“What is it, Stetson?” Hobbes leaned in to ask.

“A man, mid-twenties, jeans and a t-shirt. He just walked up to the entrance, and he’s fidgety, nervous, looking over his shoulder every two seconds.”

Fawkes was at the better angle to see, so he followed Lee’s gaze, nodding when he saw the man. “Something’s going down, Hobbes. This guy isn’t right. Strung out, maybe. Desperate, definitely. Got that no hope kind of look.”

Hobbes nonchalantly shifted in his chair, and Lee did the same, giving him easier access to his gun. Before anyone could do anything else, the man in question pulled a gun, firing once into the air before pointing it at the hostess. The shot started a panic, which Lee and Hobbes used to their advantage.

"Amanda, get down!" Lee yelled, putting himself in front of her and drawing his gun as she reacted to his command. That did it - Lee didn't care how important the assignment was, he and Amanda were never coming to California again.

He turned to make sure his wife was unharmed, relief flooding through him as she nodded in response to his concerned look.

Hobbes had used the moments of chaos to turn their table on its side, giving them some much-needed cover. Lee and Amanda moved to join him; Fawkes quickly followed.

The four hid behind the upturned table, peeking around the edge to get a better view of the gunman. Lee could see that Fawkes had been right on the money – the look on the gunman’s face spoke of desperation. "Looks like we picked the wrong place to have lunch," Amanda whispered.

"More like this punk picked the wrong place to hold up." Hobbes replied. "Stupid kid. He has no idea what he's up against."

Fawkes leaned in to whisper to Hobbes. "I could take him, Hobbes. Piece of cake, and nobody'd be the wiser." He shot a brief look at the Lee and Amanda, and Lee wondered what it was Fawkes was planning. "Well, almost nobody. But they're with the Agency, so it's cool if they see what I can do, right?"

It was obvious to Lee that Hobbes wasn't so sure about that.

“You see a better way to take care of this?” Fawkes pushed. “Some way we can take down the shooter without endangering civilians?”

Lee could feel Amanda’s questioning gaze and put a hand over hers. She got the message and they both stayed quiet, waiting to see what was going on.

"Okay, Fawkes, pull your disappearing act,” Hobbes finally said with a wary nod. “But be careful, willya? Don't do anything stupid."

Fawkes's withering glance was his only response, which Hobbes ignored as he turned to Lee and Amanda.

"Okay, here's what's gonna happen,” Hobbes said, voice low. “Fawkes here is gonna get behind our man out there and disarm him before he hurts anybody. You two be ready to move the second that happens."

Lee looked from one man to the other in disbelief. "How is he going to be able to get near the guy without getting himself shot?" he whispered.

"You’ll see. Or, well, actually you won’t," Fawkes replied with a smirk. "Here goes nothing," he said, and a metallic substance began to flow over him, seemingly seeping out of his pores. Within moments, Fawkes was completely covered, glinting silver in the sunlight. He waved at them, then shimmered and disappeared from view.

Stetson and his wife were too shocked to move. Bobby chuckled at the sight of them for a moment, their eyes wide and jaws dropped, before snapping his fingers in front of them to get their attention. "Hey, you two, c'mon. Snap out of it. What, never met an invisible man before?" He grinned as they regained their composure.

"Oh my gosh," was all Amanda could say. Stetson, however, looked like he was about to launch into a series of questions that could last all day.

"Later, Stetson," Bobby said, holding up a hand to forestall any questions. "First things first. Fawkes gets the shooter, then we can talk." He turned to watch the scene, effectively ending the conversation for the time being.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stetson shake his head in wonder, then focus on the task at hand. Amanda was watching as well, waiting for a sign.

It wasn't long in coming. Suddenly, the man doubled over as if in pain, dropping the gun as he clutched his stomach. It hovered in midair for a moment, then skidded across the pavement toward them. Bobby quickly retrieved it as Stetson covered him. Amanda watched for any accomplices, but it seemed like the man was alone.

The would-be robber groaned and started to rise, but his head suddenly jerked, neck twisting as if he'd been punched, and he fell to the ground once again. It looked like it was time for Bobby to take over. He stood, holding his ID up in one hand, the other keeping his gun carefully trained on the fallen man. "Federal agent! Everyone calm down, looks like the show's over." He approached the man as he spoke, trading his ID for a pair of handcuffs.

As he neared the scene, he whispered, "Good job, partner. Join back up with our friends, pop back into view, and get your skinny butt back here to help me with the crowd, huh?" The only response he got was a chill that passed him, headed in the direction of the Stetsons.

_________________________

"I'm going to go help Bobby with the crowd, Lee." Amanda said, starting to rise. She shivered, and Lee saw her jump and look around.

"Hey, don't worry about that." Fawkes said as first his hand on Amanda’s shoulder, then the rest of him came back into view, silver flakes dropping from his body. "Hobbes and I have it covered. Whoa, it's just me," he said, seeing that Lee had automatically trained his gun on him as he'd come back into visibility. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry if I startled you two. I guess I should have warned you I was back here."

Lee relaxed and lowered his gun as he realized who had gotten the drop on them, and how. "That's a pretty impressive trick. Wouldn't mind being able to do that myself."

"Trust me, it's not as cool as it -" Fawkes began, then grabbed the back of his head and cried out in pain. He looked at his arm, and his eyes widened in fear. "Oh crap." He looked up at Lee and Amanda, pain and panic covering his features. "Get Hobbes. Get him now," he managed to get out before curling up into a ball and moaning in pain.

Amanda immediately started to rise to get Hobbes, but was stopped by Lee's hand on her arm. "I'll get him, Amanda. You stay with Fawkes."

"Hobbes!" he yelled as he approached the agent. "We need you over here."

Hobbes gave him a suspicious look. "Why? Where's Fawkes?"

"Something's happened to him,” Lee answered. “He was fine, then doubled over in pain for no reason. He wasn't shot, no visible wounds -"

"Was he holding the back of his head?" Lee nodded. "Oh crap," he said in an unconscious echo of his partner. "Cops are on the way. You take care of this punk until they get here," he said, running toward the overturned area they'd used as cover. "I've gotta take care of my partner.”

_________________________

Amanda was cradling Darien’s head in her lap, speaking softly to him and putting a damp napkin on his forehead in an effort to soothe his pain, when Bobby ran over to them. Darien, seemingly unconscious, hadn’t responded to her actions.

"Amanda," Bobby said quietly, "back away from Fawkes." She started to question him, but the look on his face stopped her. "Please, you have to trust me on this. Back away from him now."

She nodded, though despite his obvious concern she was still uncertain. She moved to carefully lay Darien’s head on the concrete when his hand shot up, grabbing her wrist. Bobby swore under his breath.

"Hey, where you going, pretty lady. Fun's just getting started." Darien’s voice had a nasty edge to it, and Amanda let out a gasp when she looked down to find him leering up at her with blood-red eyes. She tried to move away, but his grip on her wrist tightened painfully.

"C'mon, Fawkes, let the lady go," Bobby urged.

"Why would I do that, Robert?" he responded, a hint of malevolence creeping through his voice.

"I don't know,” he said, all too casually. “She's married, she’s older than you, she's not your type. Pick a reason, just let her go. You don't want to do this."

"Oh, I don't know," Darien answered after appearing to consider Bobby's argument. "Right now, keeping this pretty lady close to me seems like exactly what I want to do."

Amanda kept her face impassive and her mouth shut, but it took an effort; she channeled her energy into watching for her chance to get away. At her seemingly docile acceptance of her situation, Darien's grip loosened ever-so slightly. It wasn't much, but enough for an agent with her years of experience to use. She turned her attention to watching him, waiting for a moment when Bobby would have him distracted enough for her to try and escape. The moment wasn't long in coming.

"I mean it, Fawkes - don't make me hurt you," he warned, aiming the gun he'd been holding at his partner. Amanda heard approaching sirens and saw the moment Bobby heard them too. He grimaced, then steadied himself, gun still trained on Darien. She had the feeling that letting the police get involved in the situation would be bad for everyone, and hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

"I don't want to shoot you, partner,” Bobby said, “but I will if you force me."

Darien laughed derisively. "Please, and chance hitting the lovely Mrs. Stetson? I don't think so." As he spoke, he shifted his grip to pull her closer, and she made her move. She turned her wrist in his grasp and drew her knees back as he started to tighten his fingers, letting his head land with a crack on the pavement. He let Amanda go for a split second, and she immediately got up and ran to Bobby's side.

"Nice moves there, ma'am," he said, keeping his gaze and his gun trained on the man before him.

"Standard Agency training," she replied, rubbing her wrist as she kept her eyes on Darien’s still form. "What's happened to him? Why is he like this?"

"Side effect of going see-through. If I'd realized how close he was to it, I wouldn't have let him take that guy out like he did." The sound of approaching footsteps made them both tense, and Bobby tilted his head in their direction, signaling for Amanda to see who it was. She shifted her gaze, immensely grateful to see that it was Lee.

"Well, the police are taking care of that guy." Lee said as he reached them. "Looks like it was a - what the hell is going on here?" he asked as he took in the scene before him.

Amanda put a hand on Lee’s arm to keep him where he was. "Lee, it looks like Darien... doing what he did has some unpleasant side effects. Agent Hobbes is just making sure Darien doesn't hurt anyone."

"Hurt anyone?" Lee's protective nature, already obviously in overdrive, jumped up another notch at her words. Amanda heard the dangerous tone her husband’s voice had taken, but before she could say anything to calm him, Bobby spoke.

"Look, I'd love to stand around and chat about this with you, but we have a situation here. I need to get Fawkes back to the Agency, and fast. And I need your help getting him out of here, preferably before the cops start asking questions."

"I think I can take care of the police," said Amanda. She slid her hand down Lee’s arm and took his hand briefly, smiling reassurance, before making her way over to where the officers were taking statements. The gesture calmed him, as it always did, and Amanda was glad to see Lee grin at her as she walked away.

"If anyone can stall them, it's Amanda," she heard him say as she pulled out her government ID. "Black belt in confusion."
_________________________

Bobby looked down at his partner, who had remained motionless since hitting his head. "Okay, Stetson, here's what we need to do. The Agency is just a few blocks from here. If he wakes up, he's gonna fight us all the way back, and believe me, when he's like this he has a lot of fight in him. Just be careful, and follow my lead."

He saw Stetson glance toward Amanda. "After we get him to the Keep, you can come back for your wife. I'm sure the Official will want to talk to both of you, knowing what you do now about our boy here."

Stetson nodded, and Bobby was pleased that he was waiting to see what Bobby wanted him to do. He handed Stetson his weapon. "Don't want to risk him getting hold of it. You keep your gun trained on him while I try to… aw, crap, I already used my cuffs on that bozo with the gun. Don't suppose you have any on you?"

Stetson shook his head as he put Bobby's gun in the waistband of his jeans. "Just have to improvise then." Bobby continued, edging toward his partner. He stopped at a slight movement, then carefully moved forward when Fawkes once again went still.

Bobby began to speak, keeping his tone soft and gentle. "Okay, partner, it's just me, your old friend Bobby Hobbes. Nothing to get excited about, just need to get you back to the Keep. You just keep on napping, and things'll be better before you know it."

Miraculously, it seemed that hitting his head against the pavement really had knocked Fawkes out; Bobby had feared he was only playing possum. It was awkward, but Bobby was able to get him to his feet, and started to haul him toward the Agency.

"Are you sure you don't want to trade places?" Stetson asked as he followed the pair, gun still drawn but now out of sight. Bobby could kind of see his point. He was definitely closer that Bobby to Fawkes’ height - it would be a lot easier for him to carry the man back. That didn’t change his answer.

"Thanks, but no thanks. He's my partner - my responsibility. Besides, I know how he thinks. It'll be much better if he wakes up if I'm the one holding on to him."

Stetson shrugged and continued to follow. Bobby figured he understood that argument well enough, and bet that if it had been his partner, Stetson would feel the same way.

_________________________

Despite the awkwardness of hauling an unconscious man, Hobbes was able to shift his hold enough to reach his cell phone. He pulled it out and hit a speed-dial button.

"Keep? You got any counter-agent ready there? Good, 'cause I'm bringin' our boy in, and he's more than ready for a shot." He paused, listening. "I know, but he had to do his disappearing act - helped stop a robbery, but it pushed him over the edge." Hobbes sighed at whatever the response was to that. "No, I've got him. Just have that shot ready. We'll be there in a few."

Fawkes started to wake as they entered the nondescript building that housed the Agency. He opened his eyes, giving Lee a first glimpse of their scarlet hue. He was too shocked to move when Fawkes began struggling against his partner's firm hold.

"Damn!" Hobbes swore. "Knew this was too good to last." He changed his hold, trying to restrain rather than support Fawkes.

Lee watched the struggle, trying to see the best way to help. Hobbes was right – Fawkes had a lot of fight in him, and was stronger than his lean frame would suggest. He seemed more animal than human at the moment, struggling viciously against his partner’s firm hold. It was a complete change from the quiet young man they’d been having lunch with a short time before. Lee decided the best course of action was to try and find help, hopefully this ‘Keep’ Hobbes had called. He edged cautiously past the two men, then sprinted down the corridor, glancing into open doors as he passed them.

He rounded a corner and stopped just short of running into someone. The non-descript man in front of him nearly dropped his armful of files in surprise. One look at Lee, gun still drawn, and his arms flew up, papers flying. Lee, realizing the problem, lowered his weapon, and asked, “Are you the Keep?”

The man blinked owlishly, lowering his arms as the threat of being shot was removed. “The Keep?” he answered, his voice breaking slightly.

“Dammit, you’ve got a sick man back there, and Hobbes said he needed this ‘Keep’. Are you him or not?”

He could practically hear the wheels turning in the frightened man’s brain as he decided what to say or do. Frustrated, he snarled, “Never mind – I’ll find them myself,” and moved past, leaving the man in a field of scattered paperwork.

Hearing voices coming toward him, Lee stopped and ducked into an open office, holstering his weapon as he moved. He really hadn’t been thinking when he rushed off, too rattled by what he’d seen. But that didn’t mean he had to keep making stupid mistakes. If the same thing had happened in DC, he’d have been lucky to have gotten this far without being shot. He stayed hidden behind the door as a young woman in a lab coat passed, flanked by two armed men. At that moment, Lee was glad his instincts had kicked in.

“Be careful, stay back, and remember, this is Darien, and that he can’t help himself,” she was saying as they passed. “Just do whatever Agent Hobbes and I say, and we’ll have him back to normal in no time.”

This must be who Hobbes had called, Lee realized. And those were some pretty heavy duty guards she had with her. He decided to be a lot more careful in his return to Hobbes and Fawkes than he had in getting where he was. He started to leave the office, but stopped when he heard someone coming his way. Again peeking through the barely-open door, he saw the man he’d nearly run into scurrying down the hall, obviously agitated.

Finally satisfied no one was near, Lee left the office and started carefully back to where he’d left Hobbes and Fawkes. Looking around the corner, he saw the woman making a careful approach toward a barely restrained Fawkes. Hobbes had him on the floor, half pinned, half just plain sat on to keep him in place. The two guards, guns poised, stood well away from the rest.

The woman knelt before the struggling pair and moved forward, something large and shiny glinting in her hand. Both men looked pained, and then the younger man slumped bonelessly to the floor, all attempts to move gone. Hobbes carefully moved himself off his partner and rolled the man onto his back. As the woman stood, relief evident on her face, the guards relaxed, and Lee decided it was safe to move.

_________________________

Hobbes had been hard-pressed to keep control of his maddened partner, but experience was a hell of a teacher. While the end result wasn’t pretty, it worked, and that was what mattered. Still, it was a relief to see Claire approach, as was her making sure the men with her stayed back. The last thing they needed was for Fawkes to feel more threatened.

“How is he, Bobby?” she asked, keeping her voice low and calm.

Hobbes felt his partner tense at the question, but he made no move to escape. Apparently, there was something of the Darien Fawkes he trusted as his partner still in control.

“We’re just fine, Keep. Course, our boy here would be happier if I’d get off him.”

“I can think of a few things that would make me happy that involve getting off,” Fawkes said with a low, dirty chuckle.

The Keep ignored Fawkes completely, though Bobby couldn’t resist, squeezing just a little tighter to remind Fawkes to show some manners. Based on the almost sensual twist Fawkes did in response, he was pretty sure it hadn’t worked.

“Any time, Keep,” Bobby ground out, feeling his muscles start to shake with the strain.

She knelt down beside them, shifting as she tried to find a place to give Fawkes the shot he needed to regain his sanity. Bobby did what he could, but unfortunately, the way he’d restrained Fawkes didn’t give her much of a choice; the shot would have to be in the neck.

“Hold him still, Bobby - he isn’t going to like this,” she said.

“Just do what you gotta. I have him.” This was going to suck big time, and Bobby would apologize for it later. For now, the best he could do was hold his partner firm.

Fawkes tensed, every muscle seeming to clench as the counter-agent shot through his system, then he relaxed in a heap. Bobby released him immediately, turning him onto his back.

“Let’s see those baby browns, partner,” he whispered.

There was no response for a few moments, then a faint groan, and Fawkes half-opened an eye. A completely normal, sane-looking eye, all trace of madness gone along with the unsettling red color.

“Baby browns, Bobby?” Fawkes rasped out, smiling weakly.

Bobby felt a relieved grin settle on his face. “Hey, not my fault they’re not blue.” Both eyes opened then, and Bobby’s smile grew stronger as Fawkes sat up.

“Long as they aren’t red any more,” he said, rubbing his neck where the Keep had given him the shot. “Thanks.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Bobby said with a snort. “Leave my partner like that? Not gonna happen, my friend.”

Fawkes smiled gratefully, then looked around, lingering pain evident through his careful movement. “Where’s Stetson? I think I owe him – and his wife – an apology.”

“Not sure. I was kind of busy takin’ care of you.” A teasing wink softened the words, and he stood, holding out a hand to help Fawkes stand.

_________________________

Lee was about to round the corner when the sound of someone behind him clearing their throat stopped him.

“Going somewhere?” The question was casual; the tone definitely was not. Lee slowly turned to face the speaker, hands carefully away from his sides. He found himself once again facing the balding man he’d surprised earlier, and another, older, heavy-set man. One he recognized.

“Charlie Borden.”

Blue eyes narrowed, then recognition flitted across the man’s face briefly before settling into a blank mask.

“Scarecrow.”

Lee smiled and lowered his arms, but didn’t relax. “Should I be flattered that you recognize me?”

“Grateful is more like it,” Borden huffed. “This is a government facility. You shouldn’t be running around unescorted. If I didn’t know who you were, I might have you arrested.”

“But since you do know who I am…”

There was a short pause, then Borden looked over at his associate. “That all depends. Eberts said someone was running around with a gun. Not exactly the kind of behavior that inspires trust.”

Lee refrained from commenting about Borden and trust. “I was trying to help out one of your men. Darien Fawkes?”

A darting glance at Eberts was the only reaction Borden gave. Eberts nodded quickly, then skirted past Lee to see what was going on further down the hall.

Lee kept his gaze on Borden as continued. “He’s fine now. Hobbes and I got him to the Keep in time.”

Borden looked wholly unimpressed. “And what? You want a medal? Key to the city, maybe?”

“Some answers would be a good start,” Lee shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. “There’s a lot more going on here than you’ve been letting on. It’s been noticed.”

Before Borden had a chance to respond, Eberts returned, followed by Hobbes, Fawkes and surprisingly, Amanda. Fawkes was speaking to her, embarrassment coloring his features.

“- sorry about that, Mrs. Stetson. It wasn’t me. Well it was, but it wasn’t, y’know?” he shrugged.

“It’s all right, Darien. And it’s Amanda, please. I’m fine, and I’m just glad you’re okay too.” Amanda looked chagrined. “I was afraid you were really hurt when your head hit the pavement.”

“That was a great move, Amanda,” Hobbes interjected. “Our boy here’s no easy mark, especially when he’s on the red-eye express. You got away from him like a pro.”

The group stopped as they noticed the two men, and the obvious tension between them. Amanda started over toward Lee, but before she could speak, Borden’s cold voice cut through the din their arrival had started to create.

“If you’re all finished congratulating yourselves, I believe we have some business to take care of. My office.” He turned, striding off without waiting to see if they would follow. Eberts started off in his wake, nodding and casting glances back to see if they were coming.

Fawkes rolled his eyes at Hobbes, who shrugged and started walking, gesturing for them to follow. Amanda nodded and took Lee’s hand, the look on her face promising they’d talk later.

They entered the office to find Borden seated at his desk, Eberts standing at his side. Hobbes and Fawkes settled back against a table at the opposite end of the room, leaving the chairs for Lee and Amanda. They’d barely gotten settled before Borden barked at his two agents.

“Would you mind telling me what you were thinking?” Borden raised and eyebrow as he added, “Were you thinking?”

Hobbes answered, apparently unaffected by his superior’s derisive tone. “Guy had a gun, and there were a lot of civilians. Fawkes was the best bet for stopping the guy without anyone getting hurt.”

“And it was just a coincidence that one of the Agency’s best-known teams was there, I suppose?” Borden said, voice laced with disbelief.

When Hobbes shot a you want to take this? look their way, Lee answered. “No. It was no coincidence. We’ve been watching this place for the last few days, Hobbes specifically.”

Fawkes immediately jumped to his partner’s defense. “Why would you do that? What – you think Hobbes has done something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Lee answered smoothly, Amanda nodding in agreement. “He just seemed to be the best way to what we needed without raising too much suspicion.”

That seemed to amuse Fawkes. “Then you don’t know Bobby. He was onto you two the second he spotted you.”

Borden spoke before Lee could form a reply. “And just what is it you wanted, Scarecrow?”

Lee heard Fawkes whisper, “Scarecrow?” and heard Hobbes whisper back, “Later,” as he started to answer. Might as well get it out in the open. “We were sent by the DC branch to see what was going on here. Specifically, what was going on that would entitle you to $17 million in funding.”

Fawkes looked from them to Borden and back to Lee again. “Why didn’t you just ask? I mean, we’re all Agency, right? All on the same side?”

Lee shrugged as he answered, his gaze never leaving Borden. “You’d think so, but the lack of reports coming from this branch suggested that someone here had something to hide.” His voice turned cold. “Even from his superiors.”

Borden seemed wholly unimpressed. “Then why say anything now, since you’re so certain I’m hiding something?”

Fawkes raised his hand. “I can answer that one. They saw my vanishing act firsthand. So putting two and two together was pretty much child’s play.”

“And just how did that happen, Agent Fawkes?” Borden asked, tone dark.

“They were at the same table as we were when the gunman showed up.”

Borden glared at his two agents. “Seemed the best way to keep an eye on them,” Hobbes added, then muttered to his partner, “I knew they were here for a reason.”

Borden turned his attention back to Lee and Amanda. “So you think you’ve seen something. That doesn’t mean you can prove it.”

Lee was reaching the end of his patience. “Why should we have to, Borden? Fawkes is right – we’re all on the same side here. If no one else was supposed to know about this, you should have covered your tracks better,” he pointed out. “Made all the files higher clearance. And at the very least, kept regular reports coming in, so you wouldn’t be red-flagged.”

Borden turned to his assistant. “Eberts.”

“Sir, if I may, I believe that I know where the ball was dropped, so to speak, with-”

Borden raised one hand, stopping his assistant. “Shut up, Eberts.”

Eberts looked at the floor contritely. “Yes, Sir.”

“So now you know what the problem is?” he asked long-sufferingly

“Yes, Sir.”

“And?” Borden asked when it became clear Eberts wasn’t going to say anything more.

“Consider it taken care of, Sir.”

Borden nodded, a small, satisfied smile lighting his face as he turned his attention back to Lee. “There, it’s been taken care of. Your little recon job here is finished.”

“I don’t think so,” Lee said. “We still have a lot of questions.”

The smile vanished as Borden answered, his eyes cold and his tone brooking no argument. “You’ve gotten all the answers you need. Expect to be called back to DC by the end of the day.”

Amanda looked at Lee incredulously. “Can he do that?”

“I assure you that I can,” Borden told her. “Eberts, escort our… guests out.”

With a tight nod, Eberts started toward the office door. “This way, please.”

_________________________

“I don’t believe this!” Lee growled after they were escorted from the premises. The guards had been polite and respectful, but even Lee and Amanda’s ranking in the Agency hadn’t been enough to persuade them to let them stay. They hadn’t even been able to talk with Hobbes or Fawkes, smoothly separated from them without a word.

“We’ve been sent here for answers, and we’re going to get them!” he went on as they walked back toward the rental car they’d left a decent distance away.

“Lee, if Mr. Borden has the influence he thinks he does, all we’re going to get is ordered home,” Amanda replied.

“That’s not good enough,” he told her. “You saw what Fawkes could do. In the wrong hands, whatever technology he’s using could be devastating.”

“Looked to me like it was pretty devastating to Darien,” she countered, and Lee felt a little ashamed that he’d forgotten that so easily. “He was in a lot of pain. And he was really sorry about what he tried with me.”

Lee stopped in his tracks and turned toward Amanda, gently holding her in place by her upper arms. “What did he do, Amanda?”

“He didn’t actually do anything, don’t worry”, she said, shifting so her hands were placed lightly on his waist. “I think he was going to use me to get away from Bobby. It might have worked if I wasn’t Agency-trained. As it was, he underestimated me, and it was pretty easy to get away from him.” She held his gaze until he nodded and relaxed, pulling her into a brief hug. “I feel bad for him, Lee. Whatever it is that lets him become invisible hurts him.”

“I know,” he breathed out, releasing her so they could walk again. “But I still don’t like it. We need to know what’s going on here.”

A quiet voice to the side answered, and only Lee’s training kept him from jumping at the sound. “That can be arranged.”

Amanda tried to look around unobtrusively, whispering, “What? Darien? Are you here?”

Lee felt her tense, and saw her grip something in one hand. Tiny flashes of light seemed to fall from her fingers as he watched.

“Be seeing you,” Fawkes whispered, and Lee felt a chill move past them, back in the direction of the Agency.

“Keep walking, Amanda,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “We’re probably still being watched.”

She nodded and smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Lee, Darien handed me something,” she whispered.

“Can you slip it onto your purse without it being seen?” The glance she shot him spoke clearly of the absurdity of the question, and he smiled an apology.

“We’ll look at whatever it is when we get back to our room.”

_________________________

The something turned out to be a short note, with a time and location written on it.

“I’m not sure about this, Amanda. It doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Lee, this is the first thing that has felt right since we got here,” she replied with a sigh. “I saw how frustrated Darien and Bobby were by what happened. I really think we should go.”

He still wasn’t convinced. “You don’t think it could be a trap?”

“Why would it be? I mean really, we were right there in their offices earlier. They could have taken us then, but no one did. In fact, they worked hard to get us out.” She held up a hand to stop what she knew would be his next argument. “And yes, I know, that doesn’t mean that this is a safe meet, that they might just want to do something that won’t obviously implicate the F&G branch, but the bottom line is, we’re all on the same side. I have to believe that it’ll be safe.”

Amanda waited as Lee thought about what she said. “Then we go,” he finally said, sighing deeply. “And hope that your belief is right, and my paranoia is just being in the business too long.”

_________________________

“You think they’ll show, Bobby?”

Bobby stopped looking around the bar to give Fawkes a quick nod. “Don’t see why not, kid. Stetson was not a happy man when he left.”

“Is that why you wanted to do this? Have to admit, I was kind of surprised you had me go after them. Didn’t seem like you were too pleased to find out Stetson was using you as an in.”

“Hey, I knew he was trying to get something from me all along,” Bobby said with a smirk. “Bobby Hobbes is not easily fooled. And that’s part of why we’re meeting with them. The Fat Man’s gonna bring the big guns down on our heads if Stetson doesn’t play nice, but anyone with eyes could see that tellin’ him that’ll do us no good. So, we give Stetson and his wife some info, and they get off our backs.”

“I don’t know, Hobbes,” Fawkes said, looking down at his shoes. “What if someone back in DC decides I’d be more useful in a different agency? I don’t like the secrecy crap the ‘Fish pulls any more than you do, but maybe this time him keeping everything hush-hush is a good thing, y’know?”

“Hey, buddy, do you think I haven’t thought of that? No, this is the way to go. I know Stetson, by rep if nothing else,” Fawkes snorted at that, and Bobby rolled his eyes as he went on. “Okay, and maybe I did a little digging after they left. He’s on the up and up.”

Fawkes looked up to meet Bobby’s confident gaze. “So you trust him to do the right thing?”

“Yeah. And even if he doesn’t wanna, Amanda will. And he’ll go with whatever she says.” A noise shifted his attention from his partner and the door, and he gave Fawkes a small nod. “What’d I tell you? And right on time.”

Bobby saw Stetson and his wife spot them at their corner table; he inclined his head toward the empty chairs and they quickly moved to join them. The four exchanged small pleasantries, but it was obvious that Stetson was anxious to get right to business.

“So why are we here? I thought Borden made it clear that we weren’t welcome.” He shook his head, looking a combination of disgusted and impressed. “Our recall orders were waiting when we got back to the hotel. I didn’t think he still had those kind of connections.”

“The Official may be our boss, but we don’t have to agree with everything he says. Or does. This is one of those times.” Bobby shrugged. “Look, I could see earlier that you weren’t going to take the Fat Man’s no for an answer. So I figured, maybe we could work something out.”

That got them a suspicious glare from Stetson. Amanda put a hand over her husband’s and asked, “Like what?”

“Nothin’ too shady. It’s just… look, there’s a reason Fawkes here is need to know. So I’m hoping that if we tell you what we can, you’ll see why you really shouldn’t tell anyone about him.”

“I don’t understand, Bobby,” Amanda said. “Why shouldn’t the Agency know about one of its own operatives?”

A waiter came by to take their drink order, stopping the conversation for a minute. When he’d left and Hobbes was sure they wouldn’t be overheard, he picked up where he’d stopped.

“It’s not the Agency I’m worried about so much,” he told them with a shrug. “There’s people out there that would snatch Fawkes up in a second if they knew about him, either to use him, or take him apart to try and figure out how he does the see-through act. I just wanna protect my partner here, that’s all.”

“We can certainly understand that,” Stetson said, his gaze flicking to his wife. “Look, I can’t promise you anything until we hear what you have to say, but I will do my best to keep Fawkes’s secret safe, if I can.”

Bobby exchanged a quick glance with Fawkes, and when Bobby finally nodded, Fawkes said, “I have a gland in the back of my head. It secretes this stuff called quicksilver, and once I’m covered in the stuff, I’m invisible.”

“It works on more than just you, though,” Stetson said. “I mean, your clothes were invisible too, and so was the note you gave Amanda.”

“Yeah, basically anything it touches goes invisible, but it all comes from me. And it doesn’t last too long, especially if it isn’t in direct contact with me.”

“Were you born with this?” Amanda asked, eyes wide.

“No, but I guess you could say it was inherited. My brother, Kevin, created the gland. I was his test subject.” They gave him a slightly horrified look and he shook his head. “Hey, it was that or life in prison. At the time, it looked like the better choice.”

“We saw your record,” Amanda told him. “But we thought maybe it was falsified. I mean, the charges were just so…odd.”

“I’m not gonna lie. I was a thief, and a pretty good one.” He grinned wryly. “But that last charge? Total bull. I was trying to save the guy I was robbing – if I’d known he had a bad heart I’d have planned better, trust me. Anyhow, cops came in when I was trying to resuscitate the dude, who it turned out had just fainted, not had a heart attack. He freaked, they got the wrong idea, and I had a third strike.” He shrugged. “Not that I wouldn’t have gotten one anyhow, for the robbery. But yeah, molestation is never something you want on your record, especially not if you’re being put away for life.”

Amanda reached over to pat Darien on the hand. “That just seems like such a harsh sentence.”

“Welcome to California.” He shrugged again and gave Amanda a quick smile. “Not that it matters now – I’m out, right?”

“But you don’t seem to have much choice in what you do,” Stetson observed.

“It’s more freedom than prison, even if sometimes it seems like I just traded one kind of cell for another. But even if I wanted to get out of the Agency, I can’t. You see, the gland has a flaw. The quicksilver the gland produces is always building up in my system. We track it with this.”

He held out his arm, moving his watch aside so they could all see the now-completely green snake tattoo. “It goes red as the quicksilver builds, and if I don’t get a shot of counter-agent every so often…” he trailed off, obviously embarrassed. “Well, you saw earlier what happens.”

“That’s why you were so, so…” Amanda trailed off, obviously trying to find a way to put stark raving crazy nicely.

Fawkes ducked his head and shrugged. “It’s called quicksilver madness. In its early stages, I get the headaches. Then I basically turn into a walking id.”

“But you can be treated,” Stetson said. “We saw it.”

“Yeah,” Darien agreed, “but not too often. See, I’m building up a tolerance to the counter-agent, so I have to keep the shots to a minimum.”

Amanda gasped. “And after that, you’ll have to deal with that madness forever?”

Bobby had known she was a sharp lady. “The Keep is working on a cure,” he cut in. “But if she can’t find it in time, one day he’ll take the red-eye express to rubber room city and never come back.”

“That’s why there aren’t any more invisible agents running around,” Fawkes told them. “The risk factor is too high. The Keep has been doing her best, but without Kevin, it’s not going so great.”

“Why keep doing this at all, then?” Stetson wondered.

“Have to earn my keep somehow, right? And the quicksilver builds up in my system whether or not I use it. Might as well make the best of it.”

“And before you ask, the gland can’t be removed, not without killing Fawkes,” Bobby said. “So we work together, do some good.”

“And hope like hell they find a way to fix it, or take it out,” Fawkes added. “At this point, I don’t really care which it is.”

“So keeping Darien a secret is for both his protection and the Agency’s,” Amanda said. “The Agency keeps you safe from anyone who’d want to experiment on you.” He nodded. “And they use you, but not too often because it will trigger the quicksilver madness, either temporarily or, in the long run, permanently.” She turned a sympathetic face toward Fawkes. “I’m so sorry. This must be terribly difficult for you.”

“Hey, you get used to it, y’know? And at least I’m not in prison anymore. I even get to help people, so overall, it’s not a bad gig.”

“But it’s not a good one, either,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “I know you want to keep this secret, but if more of the Agency knew, maybe a solution could be found faster? Some of the best medical minds in the country are in DC.”

Bobby shook his head. “Naw, the Keep’s the best there is. She’ll find a way to fix Fawkes.”

Stetson gave them a considering look. “You took a big risk, showing us what you could do earlier today.”

Fawkes shrugged that off. “Well, it didn’t seem like it at the time. I figured you had to know something about the project, since you’re Agency and all. Should’ve realized the Fat Man had kept the whole thing under wraps.”

“Mr. Borden doesn’t seem to be the trusting type, from what we’ve seen,” Amanda pointed out.

Bobby snorted. “That is the understatement of the year.”

“So what do we do now?” Stetson asked.

“Do?” Bobby said, eyebrow raised. “You go back home and bury this as deep as you can, that’s what you do.”

Stetson looked at him like he was an idiot. “That’s easier said than done. This is seventeen million dollars we’re talking about here, plus an amazing scientific development. I’m sorry,” Stetson said when Fawkes winced at his words, “but on paper, that’s what you are.”

Stetson turned to Bobby. “You’ve been in the business long enough to know how it is,” he went on. “There’s a lot of people out there who only look at the bottom line, and acceptable losses is a sliding scale kind of thing.”

“Didn’t think you were that kind of person,” Bobby said with a scowl.

“We’re not,” Amanda assured him. “But Lee’s right – this won’t be easy to hide, especially since we were sent here specifically to uncover what’s been going on at F&G. And Mr. Borden pulling whatever strings he pulled to get us out of here only made things worse.”

“Yeah, well, the Fat Man does go for the reactionary thing sometimes, especially if Eberts is up his ass and freaking out.” Bobby sat back and gave them a considering look, not sure where to go next.

“So, are you saying you can’t keep me a secret?” Fawkes asked quietly.

Stetson sighed. “I’m saying your boss made it a lot harder.”

“But like Lee said when we got here, we’ll do what we can,” Amanda assured them.

“Why?” Fawkes wondered. “I mean, you barely know me, and I tried to hurt you when I was messed up. Why do you even care? I mean, I could be a ‘valuable asset’ to your Agency, right? More than I am here?”

“Because you’re a good man, Darien Fawkes,” Amanda said, voice strong and sure. “You risked your life stopping that man earlier today, and you couldn’t help yourself later.” Fawkes started to protest, but she held up a hand to stop him.

“And don’t try to tell me you aren’t good, because you are,” she went on. “I don’t care what you did in the past, and yes we know about your record and believe me, that’s something that raised a few flags all on its own. I mean, some of the charges just seemed crazy, almost made up, which is why I told Lee they were probably true, but still.” She stopped and smiled sheepishly. “Still, you wouldn’t be with the Agency if there wasn’t more to you than what’s on paper.”

“As much as I’d like to have someone with your abilities on my team, it wouldn’t work,” Stetson added. “Not with the limitations you have. So we just have to come up with a convincing reason for the funding being what it is, and you should be safe. From us, at least.”

“Been thinking about that,” Bobby said. “And I think there might be a way to make it work, but it’s going to take some work from both our sides to make it convincing.”

“What do you have in mind?” Stetson asked.

“Oldest excuse in the book. Bad reporting. Glitch in the system. We aren’t supposed to have seventeen million in funding, so we never did.”

“It could work,” Amanda said, nodding slowly. “Lee, you know how many complaints the latest system upgrade has been getting. And how far behind some of the paper-to-electronic storage transfers are. I mean, just think how much work we had to do to track the money this far, and finding it in the first place was a fluke.”

“Nobody trusts technology,” Bobby said with a grin. “Makes it way too easy to make it the best kind of patsy, one that will never fight back or complain.”

“But if the Stetsons found us, doesn’t that mean there’s some kind of paper trail?” Fawkes asked. “What do we do about that?”

“We look into transposing some numbers, for one thing,” Amanda answered easily. “And misfiling a few items would work too. Plus, the QS project that got our attention in the first place – and that had to be you, right? – well, it isn’t a standard Agency designation. That will help, too.”

“Okay, so that’s a start,” Bobby said with a nod. “And as for me and Fawkes, we’ll work on Eberts, make him more paranoid than usual, and then he’ll go to the Fat Man.” He grinned in anticipation. “If we do it right, they’ll never know they’ve been played.”

_________________________

A little while later they had as much of the plan figured out as they could. Hobbes wasn’t completely satisfied, but Fawkes assured them there was no way he ever would be, and Hobbes had reluctantly agreed with the assessment.

Lee and Amanda finished their drinks and got up to leave.

“You have our contact information?” Lee confirmed.

“Hobbes probably has more ways to find you than you know exist,” Fawkes said, grinning widely at his partner’s glare. “What, like it isn’t true?”

“They didn’t need to know that, Fawkes,” Hobbes mumbled, then shrugged. “But yeah, we know how to get hold of you if we need to. Which we won’t. Need to, that is.”

“Well, then call because you want to, not because you need to,” Amanda said with a bright smile.

“Will do, Mrs. S,” Fawkes said, leaning in when Amanda reached over to give him a hug. “You certainly are the nicest secret agent I’ve ever met.”

Lee could see her cheeks pink up at that, and shook his head. Amanda never failed to charm people; even Hobbes was smiling at her. Not that he was surprised. After all, he’d given up on fighting it a long time ago; it had been the best fight he’d ever lost.

_________________________

They watched the couple leave, then Bobby signaled the waiter to bring them another round.

“You really think this will all blow over?” Fawkes asked him, tearing tiny strips of paper off his empty beer bottle.

“I never think like that,” Bobby informed him matter-of-factly. “That’s why I’m still alive and kicking.” He looked toward the door he’d positioned himself to face when they’d chosen a table. “I do think they’re on the up-and-up, and that’s something rare in this business.”

“So we trust them to help,” Fawkes said half-questioningly. The waiter brought their drinks, and Bobby took a long swig before answering.

“We trust that they’ll try, but we make sure we’re ready when it falls through,” he corrected.

“You really are a paranoid son of a bitch,” Fawkes said, but Bobby could hear approval in his voice. He was the first partner to ever treat Bobby like that, like his overthinking and planning to the nth degree was any kind of a good thing. It was an amazing thing, and there was no way Bobby was going to lose it.

“And you wouldn’t have me any other way,” he said, tipping his bottle toward Fawkes with a smile.

“I really, really wouldn’t,” Fawkes said, smiling back.

_________________________

“Do you really think this will work, Lee?” Amanda asked as they got back to the hotel room.

Lee held up a hand, opening the door and doing a quick sweep of the room for bugs. Satisfied there weren’t any, he nodded for her to come in. “I think it’s as good a plan as any,” he told her as she shrugged off his jacket.

“And you don’t feel strange about it, or guilty?”

“A little, maybe,” he admitted. “But it isn’t like they’re working for another agency – they’re still a part of the team, just sort of an estranged one.” He sighed and rolled his neck, hiding a grin when Amanda took that as a cue to push him toward the bed. Once he was seated, she got behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. He slumped forward, moaning when she hit a particularly tense spot.

“Besides,” he went on after a minute, “it isn’t like we could utilize those abilities, not with the side effects as bad as they are. He’d be too much of a loose cannon.”

Lee winced as Amanda pressed a little too hard. “Using that quicksilver stuff risks his sanity and his life,” she said.

Lee shifted to grab her hands in his. “I know that, Amanda,” he said softly. “But I also know we have to look at this professionally, especially if someone doesn’t buy into the story. The more legitimate reasons we have for leaving Fawkes where he is, the better.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I do know that, and you’d think that after all these years, I’d be used to it.”

“If you were, you wouldn’t be my Amanda,” Lee said, pulling her to him with a smile. “Don’t worry,” he told her as he laid back, settling her on top of him. “It will all work out. We’re still a pretty good team, you know.”

“Yeah,” she said, leaning down for a kiss. “But there’s always room for improvement. Want to work on some team-building, Scarecrow?”

He chuckled, the sound shifting to a moan as her lips traced his jaw, then started kissing down his neck. “Thought you’d never ask.”

_________________________

Borden was looking through yet another file, playing with numbers and facts in his head, when his Eberts unobtrusively entered his office. Despite the late hour, he wasn’t at all surprised; truth be known, he was fairly certain the man had co-opted a closet here in lieu of having an apartment. Borden didn’t care if that was dedication or insanity. He needed an on-call flunky, and he had one.

“Talk to me, Eberts,” he said, shutting the folder and stacking it haphazardly in the nearest pile. He pretended not to notice Eberts fighting to keep from straightening it.

“Agents Fawkes and Hobbes just left their meeting with the Stetsons,” he replied, attention as much on the desk as the answer he gave.

“And?” Borden prompted sharply, causing Eberts to look up guiltily.

“And it worked perfectly, just as you planned. The Stetsons are going back to Washington DC, armed with a plan to hide any evidence that will lead anyone here.”

“Of course they are,” Borden chuckled. “All they needed was a little persuasion from the right source. And what better way to play on their sympathies than a show of quicksilver madness, followed by remorse in a tall, sincerely repentant, attractive package.”

“Yes, it worked perfectly. The police released Agent Jones two hours ago, and he’s already on his way back to his assignment in Ecuador.”

“Good. And our dynamic duo?” Borden asked, eyebrow raised.

“Are planning on tricking me into coming to you in a panic, needing to redirect information on the Quicksilver project even more than I already do.”

“Not a bad plan,” he chuckled. “You were going to do that either way, weren’t you Eberts?”

“Of course, sir. This situation has been invaluable for highlighting some of the holes in the original plan to hide the funding. I’ve taken care of boarding those up, so it won’t happen again.”

“What about our contact in DC? The one that recalled Scarecrow and his wife?”

“Well, now that they’re going voluntarily, I don’t think we have to worry about them tracing those orders back to the source, Sir.”

“But if they did?”

“Someone is in place,” Eberts said, not batting an eye.

“Very good, Eberts. You’re not as useless as you look.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Eberts flicked his gaze to the pile of paperwork and Borden tilted his head in its direction, nodding just the tiniest bit. Eberts sighed in obvious relief and moved to the desk, putting everything in its place.

Just as Borden wanted it.