Science Lab

Zan smiled and nodded. "Okay. Well let me get you home then before we have anything else too exciting." Making sure she had her leftover food to take along and was all set, he waved to Hunter, then Ryan. "And looks like I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. I got off the hook early at the gas station and Axel said you guys are ready for me." 

Hunter grinned. "Well apparently you just have to watch out for her when she's hungry."

Zan laughed. "I'll be careful." 

Once he and Destiny were gone, Hunter set an elbow on the table to rest his head in his hand, turned to just look at Ryan with a soft smile. "Life wasn't nearly as much fun before you came along." He reached up to brush some hair from her face. "I know I need to take you home too... I just don't wanna." His smile widened. "But I guess the faster I do that, the faster it'll be tomorrow when I can see you again." 


Getting Destiny home, Zan parked and got out as usual to open the door for her and walk her up to the porch. He stopped at the steps though, fidgeting with his keys. "Thanks, um... for making it fun evening even though it started out kind crappy." 

He gave her a little smile. He still didn't feel good about it, and he still wasn't convinced he could beat Thunder at this point, but... there were other things to focus on - and Destiny was one of them. And that helped. He set his palm to the side of her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Talk to you tomorrow... okay?"


Sounds to me like you just 
want to cuddle...

Dani sent her message and giggled to herself before she got back up off the couch and wandered down the hallway to get ready for bed, while typing another message.

...which is just fine with me
by the way. :)
I'll prep food. You pick me
up after work. 

At least now she had something to look forward to. Any day spent with Dalton would be nice, no matter what they did. 


The Elite office was tense this morning. It was nearly noon, and Reese had been questioned multiple times from various people about Jason and Katie - all were worried, some thought there was Agency involvement, some wondered if the FBI had gotten involved already, and some wondered if they were physically ill again. The only thing Reese could do was assure them he didn't know where they were but assumed they were safe - as far as he knew, there was no foul play and they weren't sick, and the FBI wasn't involved...yet. But that's what the issue was, which had driven Jason and Katie away. He would never say that's exactly what had happened, but at least those he talked to sensed his reasoning and finally quit asking questions. But no one was happy, everyone was worried, and no one wanted anything to do with Kirk now. At least Kirk hadn't shown up again today, so there was no risk for any fights to break out. There was only so much Reese could do though, so for now, he was just going to let it sit. But if Kirk didn't make a decision soon, they were going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting and he would not let it end until he had an answer. 

"You wanted to see me?" Eli stuck his head in Reese's office after finishing his session with Garret and Dylan.

Reese looked up quickly, trying to shift his focus back over to other issues at hand. What he really wanted to do was go get some lunch, but that had to wait. "Yes, come in, please." Reese motioned him to come and sit. "Have you gotten anywhere with finding out who the Agency's been trying to target?"

Eli sank down in an extra chair and sighed. "No. I've seen the recruiter though. Don't have a name, but I know his face. Why don't you want him?"

"Oh, we do. But he's already been at work, and if we don't get a hold on the people he's snagged, catching him will do little good. If we arrest him now, the new recruits will disappear and we'll never find them. Not to mention, we have no solid evidence to hold him. We'd need a recruit to testify."

Eli nodded slowly. "I've seen him talking to a handful of people, but I haven't caught anyone leaving with him, or acting all that interested."

"Well, there was a break-in last night down at the Jupiter science lab."

"That fancy business building they built last year?"

"That's the one. Some research files were stolen off one of their computers. We're pretty sure it was the Agency, simply because of the nature of what they stole. Had to do with some recent experiments with bio chemistry, something or other I don't understand."

Eli quirked a little grin. "You think it's connected to the recruiter?"

"Ron thinks it was done by some new recruits because it was a bit sloppy. They got caught on camera."

"The Agency is usually more careful than that. Are you sure it was them?"

"Again, evidence points to them, yes. But that's why we think it's newbies. Security cameras didn't catch any faces, but we did get a glimpse of their vehicle." Reese turned his laptop around to show a still shot of a pickup.

Eli's heart sank. "Oh, no."

"You recognize it?"

"Yeah." Eli let out a long sigh. "I feel so stupid. It's so obvious now he'd be a prime target."

"Who?"

"Jett Thompson. He hangs out at the races a lot and I've just recently become friends with him... I should have known. He's got no confidence, he gets pushed around and he doesn't fit in anywhere. He'd be putty in the Agency's hands. I just never even considered him."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'll need to put a couple guys on it to bring him in. Do you have an address?"

Eli was quiet for a moment. "What's gonna happen to him?"

Reese sighed. "That all depends on how willing he is to cooperate. If it's his first offense with the Agency and he's unaware of what he just got himself into, as long as he tells us all he knows, we won't hold him. If he refuses, that's another story. You do know where to find him, correct?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking... being told the Agency is dangerous, and experiencing it firsthand are two very different things. If a kid wants to try smoking, giving him a whole pack and letting him puke it all up can be quite a cure."

Reese grinned a little. "I understand the method, but what are you thinking?"

"If there's even a tiny speck of doubt that the Agency is that bad, Jett - or anyone else for that matter - will run back to them and confront them, if only to be convinced we're wrong and he wasn't stupid to get involved with them. He feels stupid enough the way it is with the rest of his life, this will be the ultimate blow and he'd do anything to save face - even going back to them and believing them when they tell him we're the bad guys, not them."

Reese's eyebrows rose. "That's a wise perspective. I hadn't thought of it that way. But... what do you suggest?"

"Scaring the crap out of him. And I think I know how to do it. Can I borrow Garret?"

Reese's eyebrows rose even higher. "Um..."

"Well, it would probably be best if Jett didn't find out I was with the Elite. If anything does go wrong, I can't let him blow my cover. I may want to use Destiny as well."

"Destiny Rose? I don't think that's such a good-"

"Jett likes her. They're friends. It may have been the Underground that actually killed Destiny's parents, but it was the Agency that ultimately ruined their lives. If Jett can actually see what they're capable of, and see someone he cares about in their clutches..."

"It might be enough to make him puke it all up," Reese concluded.

"Exactly. I know this isn't the way you'd normally handle things but..."

Reese nodded. "He's your friend. I understand." Sighing, he thought for a moment. "Go ahead. As long as Garret and Destiny are willing. If she isn't though, don't push. She's been through a lot."

"I know. And I won't. At the very least, if I can just have Garret, that should be enough to knock some sense into him."

Reese chuckled. "One look from him is enough to scare the bejeebers out of anyone."

Eli laughed and nodded. "Agreed. And thank you for giving me this chance. I'll be in touch."

Once Eli had gone, Reese let out a long sigh. Well, at least this would prove if Eli could do more than just snooping around. And he was glad Kirk wasn't here - he'd probably have a cow if he knew Reese was letting Eli do things his way when he wan't even technically a trained agent. Now, one more thing before lunch. Picking up his phone he buzzed Adison's cubicle. "Adison? I'm free now if you wanted to come talk." He still didn't know what her message had been about the evening before, but was ready to check it off his list.