This is a Second Season story inspired by the Tuxedo story challenge, and is a sequel to my story, Compromised, which the reader should be familiar with to fully appreciate the characters and how they interact.
Spy Games
by Lynn
“May I have this dance?” Lee Crane asked, cutting in on the beautiful blonde's current dance partner. Her long cocktail dress clung tightly to her body leaving no imagination concerning her perfectly sculptured curves and her plunging neckline had made her noticeable to most of the men at the black tie Embassy Ball. Her scarlet colored dress suited her and complimented her blond hair coiffed pleasantly on her head, exposing her neck. She smiled provocatively and accepted the dance with the tall, dark, handsome man as he held her familiarly close on the slow dance. He nuzzled up to her ear and as he whispered it sent little spasms of excitement down her bare back.
“What are you doing here, Sabrina?” Lee asked, his facial expression giving no indication of the distrust he held for the beautiful bombshell he was dancing with.
Another gentleman came up behind Lee and tapped his shoulder for the cut in, but Lee turned and smiled deviously as he spoke.
“Sorry, the lady's dances are taken for the rest of the evening.” For effect he drew her hand up to his mouth and applied a kiss as Sabrina smiled, raising her spaghetti strapped shoulders slightly in a shrug of surrender. Lee continued with the dance drawing her closer, indicating to the rest of the men in the room that she was definitely “taken”.
“Oh Lee, if you're going to take me in don't you think you ought to frisk me?” She taunted seductively.
Lee smiled. “Not a bad idea,” he said as he drew away slightly and looked up and down her dress. “I'm not sure where you hid your hypo needle, but I'm sure it's there somewhere.” Then he drew her close and continued the dance.
“And where are the rest of your men?” He added.
“What men, Lee? I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about?” She answered in feigned surprise.
“Your 'partner', I'm sure you've got one around someplace. And you always have backup,” he added as the song changed and the dance rhythm picked up to a waltz. He whirled her around the floor gracefully, his long slender body decked in a black tuxedo offsetting her dramatic dress perfectly.
“I'm in between partners,” she answered without a hint of uncomfortableness in discussing who her latest conquest might be. “Are you up for the job?” She added suggestively.
“No thanks, the last time you nearly killed me.”
“Don't be dramatic, Lee. I just gave you a little something to slow you down.”
“No...,” he whirled her around looking directly into her eyes as he spoke, “You overdosed me on whatever you gave me and if my CMO hadn't been good, I'd be dead right now.”*
She studied his eyes looking for sincerity, “Well you did set me up and really Lee if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead.” Her pleasant smile did nothing to hide the look in her eyes that testified to the truth of her last statement as she continued.
“But I'm infinitely glad that you're obviously perfectly healthy. I prefer my men with stamina, and as I remember you had a lot of that.”
Lee rolled his eyes and returned to his first question, “You still haven't told me why you're here.”
“Oh I've reformed. I'm here at the invitation of a rather illustrious dignitary.”
The dance ended as Lee took her by the hand and guided her to an empty table lowering himself across from her but never removing his hand from hers.
“Why Lee, don't you trust me?” She asked coyly.
“Not on your life and especially not on mine.” He sighed, “Sabrina, why did you come back? You've got to know I can't let you leave.”
“Well, I have no intention of leaving and as I doubt you want to make a show of bringing in your law enforcement buddies, I'd say we're both stuck here for the rest of the evening. Unless...” she leaned over the table seductively rubbing her fingers over Lee's hand, “...you want to find a quiet room to get reacquainted.”
But Lee was immune to her considerable charm and seductive prowess and returned her smile with his command glare.
“I don't think so, Sabrina.”
She blew a breath and sat back slightly as a waiter walked by offering champagne. She started to remove her hand from his hand but he held on flashing a “not on your life” smile and reached up taking a glass for her and then for himself as the waiter moved on.
Sabrina returned to all the poise and confidence she always carried and took a drink looking over the top of her glass as she did so.
“So, I understand you're still working for Nelson,” she said, hinting to the huge subterfuge Lee and Harry had engaged in to deceive her into believing he was a disgruntled employee whose career was over. Lee smiled; turnabout was fair play as she had tried to deceive them in an effort to steal the secret military plans Harry was working on and even lined up a buyer. The whole deal having gone bad as Seaview and the Coast Guard closed in on Lee's transponder.
“And what about ONI? Are you still playing spy games for them?” She threw in victoriously.
Lee's facial expression registered his question, just how did she know that he was an occasional field op for the intelligence agency?
Sabrina smiled sweetly, “Oh come now, Lee. I've still got my contacts. And you know, I respect a professional. You were very good at what you did, and not too many people can say that they've gotten one over on me.” She took another sip, pausing dramatically before speaking, “And what about taking me to bed, was that all part of your spy games?”
Lee's eyes never dipped from hers, but she knew she had gotten the dig in, still he answered confidently and evenly.
“You put out a pretty clear invitation Sabrina, all I did was answer it.”
“It seems to me that you were doing your fair share of pursuing, and quite effectively I might add,” Sabrina added with her alluring smile making her point. She leaned forward, “Can you honestly say you regretted it?”
Lee looked on not saying a word. Sabrina Meadows was a fascinating woman of unequal beauty, but she was also agent working for the highest bidder. He wouldn't allow himself to be compromised a second time, but he had “indulged” in the line of duty and the gentleman in him couldn't let her believe that she meant nothing to him. The truth was, if he had spent too much more time with her he would have fallen hard. His duty was never in question, but she had definitely messed with his heart.
His eyes seemed to tell her this, and she smiled sitting back into her chair taking another sip of champagne. “I still think we could have been good together, Lee.”
Lee decided the conversation had gone long enough, he was here for a job and he needed to know how Sabrina played into it. He was here to secure top secret intel delivered by an agent deep undercover in a foreign country and smuggled into the party here tonight. The intel would be worth a great deal of money to the right people, very ruthless people; he wondered if Sabrina had changed her clientele to include such people. Furthermore, the intel carried great national security implications, and any courier would find themselves in danger just by possessing the information. Still, he didn't believe that she had turned assassin. She was greedy and possessed little scruples to go with her considerable charm, but there were far more efficient ways to have killed him if she had wanted instead of pumping a muscle relaxant into him. He had received a dose more than necessary to subdue him as the strong drug effectively slowed down his heart to a dangerous level. If Jamie hadn't had his long needle ready to insert straight into his heart then he wouldn't be here today. But even though Sabrina Meadows had learned long ago how to use her considerable talents on the men around her, something told him she wasn't cold blooded enough to be an assassin. Still, he couldn't take a chance. Though she was banking that he didn't want to cause a scene, Lee figured it went both ways. Sabrina wasn't the type to give up easily, and whatever plans brought her here tonight wouldn't be scrapped just because he showed up.
“Captain Crane,” was heard in a loud sing-song tone as a matronly woman wearing a dazzling diamond necklace around her neck that accentuated the ample cleavage on her low cut dress walked up to the table.
“Now Captain, you promised to dance with me tonight,” she cooed, totally ignoring Sabrina.
“But of course Mrs. Pyle,” he smiled as he broke his handhold on Sabrina and stood.
“Don't mind me Lee, I think I'll just work the room a little,” Sabrina added with a victorious smile.
“But of course Darling,” he answered all too easily as if not concerned about her whereabouts at all. This perplexed Sabrina but she ignored it and started to rise from her chair. As she rose she felt someone pull her chair in a gentlemanly fashion and turned to see whose attention was being bestowed upon her. She sighed as she caught the auburn hair and deep blue eyes of her one time “employer”, Admiral Harriman Nelson.
“My dear, would you care to dance?” He asked politely, but taking her by the hand in a way that indicated that her answer should be “yes”.
“Of course, Harriman,” she answered using his first name as if they were well acquainted. As they danced she took in Harry's command over the dance floor, his confidence and those oh-so-cute dimples. Like Lee, he wore his tuxedo grandly and Sabrina raised an eyebrow in appreciation.
“Don't even think about it Miss Meadows,” he warned with a tight smile that she responded to in a gentle laughter, tossing her head back as he whirled her around the floor.
“My dear Harriman, just what are you accusing me of?” She asked rather like a southern belle, feigning an innocence that had long been lost.
“Let's just say that your considerable charm is completely lost on me tonight.”
“Just tonight?” She probed deviously.
Harry stopped dancing and tucked her arm inside his, “Let's just go cool off on the terrace, shall we?”
Sabrina laughed again as they walked toward the terrace. It was a high-rise building so the terrace had tall rails that opened up to a fantastic thirty floor drop below.
“Oh this is glorious, I do believe you're blushing Harriman!” Sabrina enjoyed the affect she had on men, but in this case she was just fishing because Harry had no attraction for the woman who had schemed to steal top secret plans from his safe and nearly killed Lee in the process.
She nonchalantly turned back toward the dance floor and watched as Lee and Mrs. Pyle danced a tango. Sabrina eyed the diamond necklace on the older woman's neck as Harry raised an eyebrow, not missing her interest in Lee's dance partner. Perhaps they were all here for the same reason after all.
* * * * *
Mrs. Pyle held Lee exceptionally close as they tangoed across the dance floor. She was stocky woman in her late sixties and having been widowed for over twenty years had accepted an appointment as an ambassador in an exotic country some ten years ago. She had an eye for the finer things in life; loved good food, good wine and cooing over young good looking men whenever possible. Mrs. Pyle was also the secret agent who had agreed to smuggle the microfilm back into the country and here to the party. She had done so at great risk, but Mrs. Pyle wasn't all what she seemed to be. She was no 007, but she knew how to work the system, and was so unassuming she was never suspected in the many “jobs” ONI's sister intelligence agency had assigned her.
“Lee Dear, give me a dip and we'll make this look good,” she whispered as they danced cheek to cheek.
At the appropriate moment of the song, Lee proceeded to dip Mrs. Pyle, as he raised her from the dip her diamond necklace's clasp shook loose and her shimmering, sparkling diamonds began to slide down her chest lodging themselves in the cleavage of her dress.
Mrs. Pyle grabbed at her necklace making a fuss while Lee offered to help with her “jewelry malfunction”. He led her over to the side of the dance floor and stood behind her laying the necklace across her neck again as he pretended to fuss with the clasp at the nape of her neck. Under one of the large diamonds he found what he needed and liberated the microfilm from its secreted place and then clasped the necklace into place. He palmed the microfilm into his left jacket pocket where a false seam was open and ready then velcroed shut, securing the intel in its hiding place. Then he offered his arm to Mrs. Pyle and took her back out to the dance floor to continue their tango.
* * * * *
Sabrina's eyes widened as Mrs. Pyle's necklace fell loosely off her neck, and watched with interest as Lee guided the woman over to offer his assistance. She watched carefully to see if Lee had performed a sleight of hand and exchanged the fabulous diamond necklace but saw no such subterfuge. She avoided the audible sigh, relieved that her prize was still hanging about Mrs. Pyle's neck. She had been offered a great deal of money to perform the jewelry heist and so she watched with great care as Lee moved the giggling matron back out to the dance floor to continue their tango.
Harry of course, had not missed Sabrina's attention to Mrs. Pyle. Like Lee, he questioned why she would be concerned with the Intel. However, since she worked for the highest bidder and obviously had no concerns over the security of her country, perhaps she had seen this as just another job. He kept an eye on her needing to know just what her interest here was.
* * * * *
Lee walked Mrs. Pyle back to her table and thanked her for the dance and then headed over to the terrace to meet Harry and Sabrina. He had the Intel, now he needed to secure it and deliver it to ONI.
Lee closed the distance to where Harry and Sabrina were standing and when he got close enough Sabrina attached herself to his arm, hanging on him in an over-show of affection. Lee gave an inward sigh, and smiled to make a good show of it as Harry spoke.
“Everything secure, Lee?”
“Yeah, I need to make my way out,” Lee answered, at which point Sabrina slid her fingers up Lee's face trailing down his jaw bone and then over to his ear.
“Sabrina,” he growled through a clenched teeth smile as Sabrina laid off a bit satisfied that she had embarrassed the gorgeous man she was hanging onto.
Lee pasted the pleasant smile back on his face, “Can you handle Sabrina, Sir?”
“Of course, Lee. Take care.” Harry offered as he gently tugged Sabrina back to his arm and Lee turned to leave the ballroom.
“Just what are you two up to, Harriman,” Sabrina inquired understanding that she was in the middle of something bigger than the simple jewelry heist she had been hired for. Her “employer” explained that the necklace was a family heirloom that had made it into Mrs. Pyle's possession after her husband won a rather large staked gentleman's poker game. It had sentimental value far beyond the million dollar price tag and he wanted it back. She was getting a full million for her trouble tonight. She planned on following Mrs. Pyle into the ladies' room and liberating the diamonds there with the duplicate she was carrying in her cocktail purse hanging inconspicuously on her shoulder.
Lee started for the door but only made it halfway across when a storm of black clad men with ski masks entered the room with semi-automatics pointed menacingly at the party guests. No one needed any demonstration to know that the band of six men meant business as they were herded to one side of the grand ballroom.
Ladies' muffled screams were heard as Lee melted into the group huddled up against the grand terrace while their assailants began their work.
“Listen up ladies and gentleman,” the obvious leader said while opening a black satchel. “I want all your jewelry, necklaces, ear rings, rings, hair pieces, watches, and your wallets put into this bag and if you hold out on me, I'll take it out on your hide,” he warned in a dangerous tone. The guns trained on the group left them no choice but to comply as one of the thieves walked around holding the bag out in front of the each of the guests as they unloaded their valuables from their persons.
Lee watched, studying the situation before him. Sure, there was a lot of high priced jewelry being worn here tonight, but his years in the “business” told him the heist was a cover for what they were really after. At least, by taking all the jewelry they had moved the attention away from Mrs. Pyle. Obviously whoever tipped off the microfilm's whereabouts didn't know of her involvement. Lee sighed inside, grateful that Mrs. Pyle's cover was still secure.
When the thieves reached him he deposited his ever present black onyx ring and gold watch without a fuss, hoping to send the thieves on their way with the intel still safely secured in his left pocket. About ten minutes later the bulging bag was brought to the leader who took it to a table as one of the thieves cleared it with one swoop of his hand sending champagne glasses shattering on the floor beside them. The bag was emptied on the table as the leader sorted through the spoils and just as Lee suspected, honed in on Mrs. Pyle's necklace. Even though the leader's back was to the group Lee could see him examining the diamonds, searching for the microfilm. The leader pulled off his ski mask as the game had now gotten dangerous. He had exposed his face in a clear move of intimidation as the rest of the thieves did the same. All subterfuge was gone as the ruthless men continued their quest for what they were really after.
“Bring Mrs. Pyle to me,” he ordered as Lee watched, the intensity in the room having gone up several notches.
Mrs. Pyle was moved from the center of the group forward, keeping herself completely within the cover that she wore so effortlessly.
“Young man, what is the meaning of this?” She bellowed.
“Shut up. Now no one left the room, so the microfilm has to be here.”
“Just what are you talking about young man?”
The leader smiled tightly, “A small microfilm was placed on your necklace before leaving the country.” Mrs. Pyle gasped in surprise for effect as the leader continued, “You wore it here unknowingly, but it's obviously been removed. Now who was close enough to do that?” He asked in a no nonsense tone.
“I don't know what you mean. I've danced dozens of dances, greeted nearly everyone here, I just don't know what you're talking about.”
The leader shook his head and then turned toward the group sweeping his gun across the huddled frightened dignitaries and their guests.
“Whoever took it knows who they are, now we'll see how much they care about your health,” he threatened as one of the thugs placed an arm around Mrs. Pyle's neck holding a gun to her temple and pushing it uncomfortably against her head.
“I'm going to count to five, and if the microfilm is not produced you will all watch the Honorable Mrs. Pyle get her head blown off.”
The room gasped in horror as the leader began his countdown. “One...two...three...”
Lee figured it was time for Plan B and stepped forward, hoping the leader had a bad memory.
“Stop!” He said as he was ushered forward to stand in front of the leader who held out his hand for the prize.
Lee reached into his right pocket and pulled out the fake microfilm that he carried for just this possibility, handing it to the leader as their eyes locked. The leader cracked a victorious smile as he handed it over to one of his cronies.
“That's it!” The crony exclaimed, “Let's get out of here,” urging the leader who had made no effort to move and had kept his eyes locked on Lee's.
“Not yet, Perkins. Don't you recognize 'courier boy' here?” he taunted, pointing towards Lee.
Perkins studied Lee as his squinted eyes suddenly went wide in recognition.
“It's Crane!” He yelled.
* * * * *
Harry kept his hold on Sabrina's elbow as he watched Lee make his move forward. He knew the intel had serious security implications, but the level at which these men had stooped to obtain it signaled a desperate move on behalf of their assailants. They had removed their masks indicating that they had nothing to lose; cooperate or else. Harry knew that Lee's plan was to get the bad guys out of the room and away from the civilians as soon as possible. He had employed the decoy plan to protect Mrs. Pyle, but even Plan B was in danger as everything went south real fast. There was no way out, as Harry and Sabrina stood in the back of the group of hostages with a thirty story drop behind them. So Harry watched, looking for the right time to act.
* * * * *
Lee kept his expression even, but inside he knew not only the mission was in danger, but the lives of every civilian in the room. There were certain powers in the world that would pay handsomely for the exact positions of America's entire spy satellite network. The microfilm had been stolen from a remote satellite monitoring station, and retaken by CIA Agents. So dangerous were the implications that their enemies had sent in this raiding party with obvious instructions not to fail. If they had found what they were looking for they would have left the party with the whole thing being chalked up as an elaborate jewelry heist. Now everything was even messier as the man standing before Lee recognized him from a previous mission three years ago, before Lee joined Seaview.
“What do we do now, Sid?” Perkins asked raising his gun to point directly at Lee.
“We wait for confirmation of the goods,” Sid replied as he began to circle Lee. “I think Mr. Spy Guy here might not be trustworthy.” He finished his three-sixty around Lee stopping in front of him to speak. “If you've double-crossed me Crane, you'll regret it. 'Cause I'll make sure you pay,” he threatened.
“Why don't we just take Crane and make him talk if the 'film ain't good?” Perkins whispered.
“Cause if it's not real, then the film's still in this room. We wait. Take the 'film up to the roof and tell the Boss what's going on. He'll know what to do,” Sid ordered, as Perkins nodded an affirmative and left the ballroom.
Sid turned his attention back to Lee who now had a guard standing directly behind him aiming his semi-automatic rifle squarely in his back.
“You didn't think I forgot about our last meeting, did you Crane?”
“Why? Do you want to try taking me on again?” Lee challenged darkly.
Lee kept his command face firmly in place as Sid sent a nod to the guard, at which time Lee received a devastating blow in his back directly over his kidneys that sent him to his knees and gasping for breath.
“You know Crane, something tells me you didn't give up the film, and I'm going to enjoy making you talk. I'm pretty sure the Boss won't mind me softening you up a bit.”
Sid's memory had apparently not been affected by the years as Lee had bested him in a long bloody hand to hand fist fight that ended with Sid sprawled on the ground, despite the fact that he was at one time a boxing contender.
Sid pulled his leg back ready to deal a swinging kick to Lee's chin but found himself suddenly taking a dive backwards as Lee recovered and grabbed his foot sending Sid sliding across the ballroom floor. Immediately Lee was picked up by both arms and held as Sid pulled himself off the floor and walked toward him with sheer hatred in his eyes.
Lee breathed heavily, the exertion having cost him after taking the blow to his back. Sid had sent Perkins out to the roof, there were two guards holding him; that only left two guards left to watch the hostages. Lee hoped that Harry could do something with the little diversion he was offering, because he wasn't sure he'd be too much help after Sid was through “softening him up”.
* * * * *
“What's he doing?” Sabrina hissed, as she watched Lee's defiant stance with the leader. Before Harry could answer the guard behind Lee swung the butt of his rifle with force into Lee's back, the blow leaving Lee in pain on the floor as Sid readied himself to join the attack. Suddenly, Lee grabbed his swinging leg and sent the leader flying into the air and landing on his back. Several guards moved to secure Lee as the two remaining guards trained their guns on the hostages, their semi-automatic weapons ensuring the group's cooperation.
Harry recognized Lee's actions as strategic and answered Sabrina, “He's providing me with a diversion.” He started to move forward recognizing the lack of guards now watching them when Sabrina caught his arm.
“Wait, there's a better way.” She motioned Harry to step back closer to the terrace edge. The crowd of huddled party guests effectively hid their movements as Sabrina ducked behind the large ceiling to floor draperies that flanked both sides of the terrace. Behind the drape Sabrina stepped into a harness and climbed over the terrace and without any fanfare dropped off the edge and rappelled down the outside of the glass building landing on the terrace two stories below her, some twenty-eight floors above the ground.
Harry peeked out the drapery's edge as Lee's diversion took hold in full affect, his grunts giving testament to the beating he was receiving. Harry resisted the urge to help and moved to follow Sabrina over the edge. He didn't have a harness, but tied a quick loop and proceeded over the rail following
Sabrina to the terrace below.
* * * * *
Sid pulled himself off the floor and walked toward Lee. He was restrained by two guards, while the remaining guards turned slightly still keeping their hostages at bay, but in a position to watch the coming confrontation. Sid took a rifle from one of the guards flanking Lee and raised it high jabbing the butt deep into Lee's gut. He pulled back and delivered more blows to Lee's stomach and sides as the guards allowed Lee to fall to the ground. Then he landed even more blows as Lee curled into a ball trying to protect his damaged body. Screams from shocked dignitaries filled the ballroom as Sid backed off breathing hard, more from his rage than exertion.
“You're just lucky that you're still needed at this point, Crane, or I'd finish the job.” Then Sid backed away, turning to meet Perkins who had just returned from the roof.
“The boss is taking the film back to the office to read it. He'll let us know,” Perkins reported as Sid nodded.
Lee breathed hard trying to pull in the pain as he did a physical assessment. He moved slightly, testing his limbs. Okay, my ribs are battered; maybe a few cracks, but nothing broken. The blow to the jaw had caused him to see stars and his face was bloody but all in all Lee thought he could still function. He just needed to rest and recover, so he'd stay put and see what Harry was able to do with the diversion.
* * * * *
Harry dropped to the floor of the terrace and looked around, not seeing Sabrina. It was obvious by her prearranged departure plan that she had indeed been up to something. Harry thought it prudent to find out just what that “something” was before they went too far.
He heard a noise wondering whose room they had just dropped into and wondering how they would slip out without causing too much trouble, but his worries were for naught as Sabrina emerged from the darkness wearing a black tight fitting jumpsuit, her hair now pulled into a ponytail.
Harry blew out a breath as he thought over the situation; rappelling equipment already secured and ready hidden behind the huge draperies, and her room conveniently two floors below on the next terrace.
“Alright Miss Meadows, I'd like to know how you play in all this,” Harry delivered in an even but in-control-of-the-moment tone.
Sabrina sighed but answered confidently, “I was hired for a simple jewel heist. It was supposed to be a family heirloom lost in a poker game years ago, I had no idea there was anything else involved.”
“It looks as if your employer didn't trust you to do the job,” Harry added.
“No, I don't think so. These are different players, I'm sure of it.”
And now the sixty thousand dollar question, Harry thought. “And just why did you let me in on this little escape?”
Sabrina raised her eyes to meet Harry's and held it there without any hint of the intimidation that Harry so often elicited in his command stare.
“How's Lee?” She asked instead of answering Harry's direct question.
“Paying for the diversion,” Harry answered.
Sabrina nodded, and uncharacteristically sat on the bed with her head lowered as she spoke.
“Lee told me that the last injection I gave overdosed him and nearly killed him?”
Harry nodded, “The muscle relaxant interfered with his heart, slowed it down to a dangerous level. It took a shot of adrenalin directly into his heart to reverse the effects.”
She shrugged her shoulders, “My research revealed he has a slight resistance to sedatives,” Harry's eyebrows rose in question of how she came by that information, but Sabrina continued. “I upped his sedative doses and I guess did the same on the muscle relaxant.”
Curious, Harry thought. He remembered how confused Lee was after the mission. She had definitely affected him, and it looked like perhaps it went both ways.
She took a breath and rose from the bed, obviously aware that she had exposed herself more than she intended.
“Like I told Lee, if I really wanted him dead, he'd be dead. I saved him that day; Peter was ready to kill him. Right now,” she continued, “You're in on the escape because I was used by my employer. I do good work, but I expect to have all the pieces to the puzzle before I risk my neck and my reputation.”
“All right,” Harry answered satisfied with Sabrina's answer for now. “I'm calling ONI. If you have a problem with that you might want to leave now,” Harry said, offering her a way out for her help.
“I'll just stick around for a bit,” she answered as Harry pulled a small communication's device from his pocket. He remembered Lee's experience and made sure not to turn his back on the blond beauty to avoid her hypos. Harry hailed the agency, passed a few code words and was soon speaking with the Command Center.
“No, don't send in Commandos just yet, they've got a room full of hostages. Commander Crane has passed the decoy film, they're checking it now and he's still in possession of the real deal. Monitor the helipad and you may take down the head man. Give me a chance to reenter the room so I can coordinate from inside and we can reduce the civilian casualties.” He listened with the device to his ear verifying instructions and then looked at his watch, “Mark” he said calibrating his watch to the Command Center's and then hung up addressing Sabrina.
“We've got one hour to reenter the ballroom. Do you have any firepower here?”
Sabrina just smiled as if he'd had asked a very stupid question, and then proceeded to the bureau drawer and pulled out her choice leaving the drawer open for Harry to pick his weapon of choice.
“Alright,” he said checking his clip as he spoke, “I say we reenter the same way we left. Are you up for it?”
Sabrina's closed mouth smile indicated that he had just asked the second stupid question of the night and proceeded back to her rope still dangling from the window and resting on the terrace floor.
“You're not dressed for the ball my dear,” Harry noted looking over Sabrina's tightly fitted jumpsuit.
“Well, I guess I better stay out of sight then,” she answered back shrewdly. Harry agreed and she slipped back on the harness, readjusted the mechanism for climbing and proceeded to take to the outside of the high rise building as if she were scaling a twelve foot wall.
Harry shook his head and leaned over the terrace watching her ascent. He let out an audible blow of breath when she reached the top and easily climbed over the railing to the safety of the terrace floor behind the drapery. Harry tested the rope and looped it around his hips once more. A little trickier climbing up without a safety harness, but he figured he could do it for two floors. Besides, Lee was up there, and there wasn't any way he'd leave him without backup. So Harry proceeded up the rope hoping his years of training provided the experience he needed, because it was a long way down. He reached the top as Sabrina lent a hand as he cleared the rail and landed softly to the floor. Harry peeked out the curtain and saw that there were now three guards watching over the hostages, he waited for the right time and then quickly reentered the huddled pack looking for Lee as he did so. He found Lee lying in the middle of the dance floor with one leg bent at the knee and a hand splayed protectively across his middle. His face showed signs of battery with a deep bruise on his jaw and blood running from his cheek that flowed down the collar of his white dress shirt. Harry took a quick look back at the drapery and noted Sabrina effectively hidden behind the large and elaborate curtains. He checked his watch inconspicuously; now, if they would just lay off Lee for another forty minutes.
* * * * *
Lee lay on the floor with his eyes closed, but he was awake. He had “recovered” and found himself happily noting that the beating hadn't left him done in. The worse blow was actually the hit he took to his back, but he could overlook all of it. The best thing to do now was to appear weaker than he was so that he'd be able to surprise the bad guys and join in on whatever rescue operation Harry had arranged. There was no doubt in his mind that Harry had used the diversion he gave him. Harry was a good operative, and after working for him for two years Lee was well aware of his ability to think on his feet. He wasn't sure how long he laid there, twenty or thirty minutes he guessed, but his quiet contemplation was interrupted as he heard several footsteps approach.
“Pick him up,” he heard and allowed his body to stay limp keeping the strength that had returned a secret from his rough handlers.
“The satellite information is there Crane, but the Boss has a long memory and he wants you to join us,” Sid said sadistically. “And when the chopper arrives you're going to take a little ride.”
Lee made no facial expression as he watched Sid. The decoy microfilm had false information on it, but it all looked rather official and only someone who knew the whereabouts of the satellites could verify its authenticity. Lee needed to take this fight away from the hostages so he planned on going along quietly, feigning more weakness than he currently felt.
“Alright everyone,” Sid addressed the hostages loudly and in control, “We have what we came for, everyone on the floor and stay there or we'll cut you down,” he warned as two guards pulled Lee toward the door with his feet barely keeping up.
The mission was still in danger as Lee still had the real microfilm in his left pocket. He wasn't wearing a transponder as this was supposed to be a simple retrieval of the intel, followed by an uneventful role as courier to ONI. Getting stormed by a room full of bad guys taking the entire ball hostage wasn't one of the contingencies they had planned for.
Perkins gathered up the spoils into the satchel and followed the group out as all the ball guests lay sprawled on the floor. For effect, Perkins sent a spray of bullets to the ceiling sending the large crystal chandelier crashing to the middle of the dance floor. The guests screamed as Harry raised his head slightly and waited for Perkins to back out of the ballroom. When Perkins cleared the room, he stood up shouting orders to the guests.
“Everyone stay down until the room is secured.”
He turned toward Sabrina who was strapping on round discs to her hands and knees, with obvious plans to scale the final two stories from the outside. Not a bad idea, but as it appeared she only had equipment for one person he decided to head out the service stairs to the roof.
“I'll meet you on the roof,” she yelled over her shoulder and then proceeded to climb the rail and positioned herself onto the glass wall beside the terrace. Harry just shook his head at her obvious planning for nearly every fortuity and headed out through the kitchen to the service stairs.
* * * * *
Sabrina scaled the glass with her suction cups. It was slow but steady going as each time the suction cup was applied it had to be deactivated to take the next crawling step. But she had plenty of know-how in the spy game business and moved relatively quickly up the high-rise.
She didn't even know why she was taking this chance. If she had all her senses she would have left as soon she hit her hotel room on the twenty-eighth floor. But of all her previous “Partners,” she had found Lee to be the most exciting, sexy and strangely fascinating man she had ever known. She didn't know how to care in a traditional sense, this was a close as she got. It was so foreign that it intrigued her, and when she saw the brutal blow Lee took it affected her. It was too strange to figure out, she was just acting on her instinct to help; she'd work the rest out later.
* * * * *
Lee was hustled up the stairs to the rooftop, still playing the injured, defeated man. The danger had been removed from the hostages, now he needed to secure the microfilm and make good his escape. Off in the distance he could see a helicopter approaching, there wasn't any way he could let the bad guys take him. Especially once they found out their film was bogus, and he was sure the Boss was equally keen on taking revenge on him for his part in the mission three years ago when he retrieved the stolen laser plans and rescued a CIA Agent in the process.
What he needed was a diversion. Something to take the heat off the six goons surrounding him. He was still feigning weakness and so his captors held him with considerably less grip believing his condition prohibited him from fighting back. The closer the helicopter came the better it sounded to just take on the six goons and see what happened. Not the best of plans, but better than ending up a house guest of the man now approaching.
He was just about ready to go with his desperate “take them all on” plan when Perkins shouted.
“There's another chopper!”
Almost immediately the Boss's helicopter took evasive action and took off in another direction with the second chopper following. As if on cue, Lee's “diversion” presented itself as gunshots were indiscriminately sent their direction. The shots were very wide and Lee thought the shooter was either a very bad shot, or making sure to keep Lee out of the line of fire. Lee was banking on the latter, and the assumption that Harry had made his way to the top. The six men scattered finding sparse coverage, which left Lee covered by only two men, but they didn't join in the firefight. Instead, they kept their guns trained on Lee, he was obviously their prized hostage and probably their only means of escape now that the helicopter had deserted them. A rifle nuzzle in his back and one in his side were too heavy odds to fight back now, so he watched for the right moment.
* * * * *
Harry made it to the top of the service stairs and opened the door cautiously, looking across the high-rise rooftop. He spotted Lee surrounded by Sid and his men as they watched for the helicopter's approach. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the transmitter and spoke quietly into it.
“The hostages are clear. Repeat, the hostages are clear,” he reported.
Moments later Harry smiled as he heard Perkins point out the second helicopter. Harry began to open fire, he needed to keep the bad guys busy until the reinforcements made it to the rooftop. He fired wide, keeping the shots away from Lee but got the desired affect as the men scattered behind air conditioning units, turbine air ventilators and anything they could find to get to safety. Harry kept up the fire being careful to conserve his ammo as he only had two clips, effectively cutting off the escape route to the stairs. But he was in serious danger of being flanked if ONI didn't get here soon when suddenly shots were fired from a second location.
Harry looked across the roof to see Sabrina Meadows adding her fire to his. He shook his head and smiled weakly, she could have been one heck of an operative if only she was working for the right side.
* * * * *
Lee watched as the bad guys began to get a handle on the fact that there was only one gun firing on them. They started making plans for flanking Harry's position when all of the sudden a second gunman appeared pinning them down. Things were getting desperate for the bad guys and Lee's guards began to join in the firefight.
Now was Lee's chance, he came to life surprising one guard with an elbow in the gut and the other with a stiff uppercut in the jaw. Lee grabbed one of the rifles and kicked the other one out of reach of the second guard and fired a warning shot at Sid.
“Drop it!” Lee shouted, as Sid realized they were now surrounded. As if on cue the stairway door busted open as commandos made their appearance. The bad guys' hands went up in the air as Lee identified himself and surrendered his gun.
“All Clear, Admiral,” Lee called as Harry made his way out of his secure position. The commandos began their cleanup securing all the weapons and the satchel with the stolen jewelry while the bad guys' hands were secured behind their backs and led to the stairs.
“Who's that?” A commando yelled, as they watched a small figure wearing a black backpack step off the rooftop. Lee ran to the side and watched a black chute open as the jumper flew away and out of sight into the dark night.
“One got away!” The Commando Leader yelled as he raised his radio to alert the Command Center, but Harry stepped over and nudged the radio away as he spoke.
“Negative, Lieutenant. Tonight, she was on our side.”
* * * * *
Lee was settled into his bed at the Naval Hospital. As expected, the doctors wanted to observe him overnight for the bruised kidneys he suffered with the blow to his back. He was resting nicely on pain medication but awake as he and Harry talked.
“I never would have expected Sabrina to have joined in the rescue, Sir.” Lee nodded in unbelief as he spoke. “She just strikes me as the type who would look after her own self-interest first.” His voice was slightly wistful. He still didn't trust her, but it did ease the regret he carried that he had meant nothing to her.
Lee shook off the melancholy mood and smiled warmly at Harry.
“Well, that was a mission to remember, Sir. Except I think we got upstaged in cool spy gear this time.”
Harry chuckled with Lee as they both pondered Sabrina's planning to include rappelling gear out of a thirty story building, suction cup urban climbing gear and a BASE jump using a flyable parachute on the roof to make good her escape. And they both realized the mission's outcome may have been adversely different had it not been for the extra gunfire that Sabrina had provided, though Harry doubted she had helped because of her loyalty to her country. No, he was sure it had to do something with the dark headed man lying in the bed trying to keep his eyes open just now. Harry cracked a smile.
“Why don't I let you get your rest, Lee? I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Aye Sir,” Lee said drifting off to sleep.
Harry smiled again and left the hospital room for some much needed rest himself.
* * * * *
Lee was in a sound sleep when he felt soft lips pressing against his own. Even in a deep sleep he knew who was there. It was more than her perfume, it was her very scent that gave her away as Lee reached up cupping her head in his hand, deepening the kiss.
“Hello Sabrina,” he breathed out, with his eyes still closed, then opening them to verify his assumption.
“How'd you know?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
“We spies have our ways,” he quipped back, not even bothering to ask how she had made it onto the Naval Base, much less into the hospital. She was hovering over him in the naval dress of a nurse and looking very military at the moment.
“Why'd you come back?” Lee asked.
“To say goodbye, and to make sure you were alright.”
Lee smiled pleasantly, Sabrina was definitely an unpredictable woman. Too unpredictable to trust, but too fascinating to completely ignore.
“Thanks for coming for me,” he said sincerely.
“I don't know why I did, Lee. Except that you really are something special and if things were different, we really could have been good together.”
“Sabrina...” Lee started regretfully, but was interrupted as she returned to her normal confident self, agreeing with Lee's unspoken words.
“It would never work. You're too noble, and I simply don't have enough hypos to keep you in line,” she smiled as she delivered the last.
“So goodbye, Lee. The next time we meet we're back to square one. Don't get in my way,” she delivered seriously but with her familiar seductive smile.
“Goodbye Sabrina,” Lee replied ignoring her soft spoken threat that he figured was delivered to remind both of them that the next time they met they would likely be on opposite sides of the law once again.
She leaned over kissing Lee one last time and then slid out of the room as quietly as she had entered. Lee lay there for a few minutes looking up at the ceiling but seeing nothing. He wasn't confused about Sabrina or her intentions. She was right and he knew it; they played on opposite ends of the spy games. Lee knew she would always be pushing the envelop looking for the next big heist and no one... no man was going to change that about her. Still, there was something freeing about meeting up again. Harry had relayed that the overdose of muscle relaxant was an accident and that she was actually trying to protect him from Peter. For some reason, he needed to know that. Hopefully, he and Sabrina's paths wouldn't cross again but at least this time all had ended well.
He'd like to think that Sabrina would rethink her life, but he knew with all certainty that she had no intention of turning over a new leaf any more than he would ever turn from doing the right thing; a future together was as impossible as mixing water and oil. Lee's eyes got heavy as he drifted off and returned to the deep sleep he needed, content with the mission's outcome and the closure he found where Sabrina was concerned.
* * * * *
Outside the Naval Base a white naval nurse's uniform sat in a pile as Sabrina slid into her black leathers; sat astride her cherry red motorcycle and placed the helmet over her head. Then she blew off into the dark night ready to take on the next big payoff that came along.
The End
Spy Games
* See my story, Compromised
Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen