Leaving

"Alright. I'll be around." Kirk gave Ron a handshake. "Take care of that head." Once alone, he wandered towards the back office. He might dare another conversation with Reese if he sensed  the timing was right. If not, he'd leave it be until tomorrow...


Jason knew it wasn't Nate's fault they hadn't gotten anywhere, but that didn't ease his frustration. Leaving the little group, he stalked back to his office, but didn't sit down. Instead, he paced, ignoring Trooper's whining at him. 

Turning around and seeing Katie, he hoped she knew his scowl wasn't meant for her. "I just want to go home," he stated flatly. "Or somewhere. Anywhere but here. I'm tired of hiding and having to look over my shoulder all the time. Why me?!"

He flopped down in his chair - which was the wrong thing to do - and winced as his shoulder objected. The workday was almost over, and he was going absolutely stir crazy. 


"There's...something I didn't get a chance to talk to you about earlier." Kirk sat in Reese's office once again, just a short while later, hoping to have caught him in time. "Have you informed anyone of what's going on?"

Reese straightened in his chair. He could sense the tension in Kirk's tone, and it worried him. "No...I was going to call a meeting tomorrow. Why?"

Kirk sighed. "The board, before their decision, went through all the Elite personnel files. Actually...I went through them first and wrote up evaluations." He couldn't leave himself out of this and still have a clear conscience. "Then the board took those evaluations and made decisions on each one."

Reese didn't like where this was headed. "Go on."

"You have to understand, the board, while agreeing to allow the Elite to continue, are not convinced that their authority is ultimately respected. To...shall we say... flex their muscles... they made a decision that would prove a test of the Elite's obedience." Kirk shook his head. "They'd never admit to that being the reason, but in reality, that's the truth of the matter."

Reese studied Kirk's face. He seemed pretty bothered by whatever this was, and it was interesting he would lay that kind of blame onto the board. He pursed his lips, preparing himself for the worst. "Who do they want us to let go?"

Kirk should have known that Reese would figure that out before he even got there. He hung his head a little. "Gunner."

Reese closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't have to ask why. He knew just looking at Gunner's record, there was plenty of fodder for this kind of decision. "And?"

Kirk shook his head. "Just him."

"Are you serious? They actually singled him out?"

"That's what convinced me it's just a power play, and I wish I could fight it. While I understand their perspective on Gunner's case, I don't necessarily agree with their decision."

"Why didn't they pick someone like Scott? Or even Carson for goodness sake?"

Kirk sighed again. "Scott's a victim. And Carson...he's just contract and doesn't even have a badge so they left that one alone." He paused in thought. "Almost everyone here has something questionable in their record. Whether it's Sapphire who's dating ex-Agency, Angelica who's married to the boss, or Jason who's apparent physical failings have caused quite a bit of trouble. But Gunner...he's a hothead by choice, and...they see him as a risk because of his obvious psychological issues."

Reese groaned and ran his hands over his face. "I can't believe they ignored someone like Chance."

"I know. If anyone had reason to be fired, it's him. He already was at least once. But the board overlooked his past disloyalty in favor of his skills as an agent."

"And Gunner's skills?"

"Look, Reese..." Kirk leaned his elbows on is knees. "I'm not saying their reasoning is airtight. Gunner's the name they drew from the hat, so to speak. He's the lucky one they chose to pick on just to prove they're in control and can do things like this whenever they want."

"So he suffers for no good reason."

Kirk shrugged. "You have to admit...there is some validity when looking at his record."

Reese knew that was true. Gunner could be unpredictable and downright unstable, depending on the day. It just didn't feel fair. "Do we have any choice in the matter?"

"Not unless you'd rather fold."

Reese shook his head slowly. "I don't think that's the right action for this."

"You would have given up the entire Elite program just to save Garret from going to prison. What makes this different?"

"Prison would be the end of the road for a man who has the potential to be great. Gunner...will find other opportunities." At least Reese hoped so. "I hope you realize you're going to be the one to tell Gunner about this."

Kirk nodded. He'd figured as much. "I do. Although I'd appreciate your presence since he trusts you..."

...Twenty minutes later, Gunner sat in the meeting room across from Kirk and Reese. He'd just been ready to leave for the day when he'd been called in here. And now he'd just been given a very brief summary of what was going on, and of his termination. Remaining calm, he looked between the two men, just trying to understand. "Why? I mean... what reasons?"

Kirk didn't make Reese give the answer. "The board feels your behavior over the last year or two portrays that of someone who needs psychological help and should not be trusted to make clear-headed decisions in the field."

Gunner's head lowered as he stared at the table. His heart was racing and his stomach was churning. "I did time at Northside."

"Yes." Kirk nodded, trying to remain sympathetic. "Unfortunately many of your actions after being released still mirror that of someone who could be considered unstable. If it was up to me, this wouldn't be happening. But it's the board's decision and...I can't fight them on it."

The silence that followed hurt Reese almost as much as the information itself. "I'm sorry, Gunner... I wish I could change this. You know good and well it has nothing to do with the kind of agent you've been. You've always been one of my top picks."

Gunner refused to look up at him. "When's all this going down?"

Kirk gave Reese a sidelong glance before answering. "The new plan will be in place as early as six weeks. I've been authorized to grant you the next full four weeks on the job, and then you'll have two month's pay after that."

Images flashed through Gunner's mind. Images of working alongside Con on the police force. Coming to the Elite. Fighting alongside all the other agents here. His friendships. The bad times. The good. The laughter. The heartaches.

"Gunner?"

His attention snapped up at Reese, and he forced a sad kind of smile. "I...don't think I'll stay. I'd rather just go." He stood, ready to leave.

Reese got to his feet as well. "Don't go like this... Fill the next few weeks with what you love. Give us a chance to give you a proper sendoff."

"Nah..." Gunner shook his head. He opened his mouth to say more, but then simply stopped, and walked away.

Kirk slowly stood and let out a long, slow breath. "I'm sorry, Reese."

Reese cocked his head, just looking at him for a moment. "I believe you."

Gunner walked back out to his cubicle where he stood for the longest time, just staring at his desk. Finally, he grabbed a small box and picked up the few small personal items he had, including some pictures of his family...this family. He really didn't have much to clean out - the rest belonged to the Elite.

Reaching to his belt, he took off his badge and fingered it before setting it on his desk. Then he removed his gun as well. There was nothing to fight. Kirk had laid it all out very clearly. There was nothing that could be done.

Once finished, he put the small box under his arm, took one last glance around, and aimed for the exit. On his way, he forced the same smile as always, giving Sapphire a wave as he passed. "See ya." It's what he always said. It was the right way to end this day.


Laura gave Maggie a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, it's just a little scratch. Thank you for cleaning up those pans though."

She glanced around and sighed. "Now where was I?" 

"Soup." 

"What?" Laura looked to Garret.

He pointed to the stove. "You've got a burner on."

"Oh." Laura rolled her eyes. Perhaps her little mess gave her more of a fright than she thought. "Maybe you can help me butter the bread for the grilled sandwiches," she suggested to Maggie. "You go ahead and get the bread and butter - you know how to do that."

Garret backed slowly away, figuring the women had a handle on things again. Pausing in the kitchen doorway, he glanced to the front door for the umpteenth time. Still no word. They always said no news was good news, but he wasn't so sure.