Protect and Serve

By Sherry

Part 1

The mood at Section was tense and growing more so with each day that passed. Everyone was wary, looking over their shoulders, wondering who would be next. The mood at CLHQ was worse. The residents were jumpy and on edge. No one knew how it happened, or when it would happen again. Nobody wanted to be next and they were all working overtime to figure out what was going on.

North called a meeting for CLHQ residents in the Conference Room. She asked Michael and Birkoff to brief everyone on what they knew and any new developments from the past 24 hours. As soon as everyone was seated, North began.

"As you know, five operatives have disappeared. All of them tied to CLHQ. I’ve asked Michael and Birkoff to update us on the situation." A few of the operatives had been on missions when this mess started and didn’t have all the facts. That was the purpose of this briefing, to bring everyone up to date.

North turned to Michael who began the briefing. "We have had no contact from any of the missing operatives. We have had no contact from any group claiming to have them or to have killed them."

Michael looked to Birkoff who picked up at this point. "I’ve tried tracking them using their crystals, but they’ve been disabled. I’ve sent word to the other Sections so their people will be on alert - not only for our operatives, but also to keep the same thing from happening to them."

Michael resumed the briefing. "Sherry disappeared eight days ago. She returned from the Fulsom mission and debriefed. She went to her quarters, changed and checked in with Northstar. Some of you spoke with her in her office. She and I had dinner with Brenna and Xavier, and then we returned to her place. After spending approximately one hour together, I was called in for a briefing. That was the last anyone saw her."

There was complete silence in the room as worried glances were exchanged. Michael paused, took a deep breath and continued. "Joann disappeared the following day. She had gone out shopping, returned to her quarters where she spoke to Nabiki by phone, and was visited by Rita. The next morning she was gone, again with no clues."

Nabiki spoke from her seat at the front of the room. "What about surveillance on their rooms? Didn’t it pick up anything?"

Birkoff answered. "The surveillance on each room was tampered with before they disappeared. The perpetrators somehow got their hands on old surveillance tapes and spliced together a plausible scenario. The watchers never realized a switch had been made. So, we’re dealing with some very talented people."

Sinjn jumped up clearly agitated. "Well don’t you think it’s time we do something other than sit around on our hands? Sherry’s been gone a week already. Who knows what they’ve done to her by now. How long are we going to wait? Until one of them shows up dead? Or maybe all of them?"

Avillion touched Sinjn's arm to calm him down. Michael understood how Sinjn felt, but they were doing all they could at this point. Very pointedly, Michael answered, "We know how long they’ve been gone, Sinjn. The reason we are here is to share information and see if anyone knows anything else. These are the cleanest disappearances we’ve ever encountered. We haven’t discovered a trace of anything. No struggles, no fibers or hairs at their last known locations ... nothing. As soon as we have something, we will move. Until then, we have to maintain calm and stay focused."

Sinjn snorted. "Sure. That’s easy for you, Michael. I forgot you don’t have any emotions. You don’t care whether any of them come back or not. They’re all replaceable, right?"

North could see Michael tense and stepped in. "Sinjn, I know you’re upset, but that was totally uncalled for. Of course Michael cares if they return. Just as much as you do."

Michael simply stared at Sinjn for a few moments. Taking a deep breath and refocusing his thoughts, he went back to the briefing.

"Two days after Joann’s disappearance, Curlly vanished. She had worked with Birkoff in Comm that day. She went to dinner and a movie with Sinjin. When they returned, she visited Avillion and then returned to her quarters. Again, that was the last anyone saw her." Although many of them already knew these facts, listening to Michael coldly reiterate them made them feel even more nervous. It was like their friends simply vanished into thin air.

"Brenna disappeared two days after Curlly. Brenna’s disappearance was different, however, because it occurred during the day. She came back from the Lyons mission and went to debrief. She spent a few minutes chatting with Kathy and then went to see Xavier. They spent about one-half hour together when Brenna received a call. She told Xavier she had a briefing and that’s when she disappeared. No one has any record of Brenna being called for a briefing. Again, no one saw anything."

Pausing, he looked over his file and then continued. "The day after Brenna’s disappearance, Davenport was reported missing. That was yesterday. The timing was again different with his disappearance as it was with Joann’s, having occurred the next day, rather than two days later as in the earlier disappearances. Again, we don’t know why. His disappearance was at night like the first three. He spent most of that day with trainees. He attended a briefing for an upcoming mission at 5:30 p.m. and then he returned to his quarters. When Kit went to see him the next morning, he was gone."

Michael was finished, so North spoke. "If any of you have any information, anything at all, that you think might be pertinent, or even if you’re not sure, please tell Michael or myself. We’re in charge of this investigation. Also, please get in touch with your contacts. Someone, somewhere has to have spotted them. People just don’t vanish."

Michael interrupted. "One last thing. We are treating these disappearances as abductions for now. However, there is the strong possibility that they have simply escaped. We need to keep that possibility in mind. Any questions?"

No one spoke, so North dismissed them. Once most of the group was gone, North turned to the two men at her side. "So, what are our chances of finding them? With nothing to go on, what do we do next?"

Birkoff rubbed his head and sighed. "I’m not sure, Northstar. I’m trying everything imaginable to trace them or contact them. I’ve run the numbers and there is a less than 30% chance that we will recover them intact. Operations is getting very antsy too." Birkoff suddenly looked like he regretted adding that last part. North knew he had let something slip that he probably shouldn’t have. "What do you mean, Birkoff?"

Birkoff looked to Michael who decided to give the young man a break. "Operations has downgraded all but the most critical missions for a period of 72 hours. After that, all the missing operatives will have become too much of a risk and it will no longer be a retrieval mission."

North couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "Three days? He’s given us three days to find them? Sherry’s already been missing eight days and he expects us to find them in three? He can’t do that!"

Birkoff snorted. "He’s Operations. He can do whatever he wants."

Michael glowered at Birkoff and tried to explain Operations’ thinking. "The operatives that are missing are mostly high ranking operatives. Davenport and Sherry are both Level 5. Curlly has knowledge of Section’s computer systems. They all have information that could be used against Section. Or, in the alternative, they could be turned. He can’t allow that. If we don’t find them in the next few days, when we find them, he will have them eliminated. He’s already feeling the squeeze from George. And, if our missions start to go badly, he will assume they’ve been turned. The directive will be issued-cancel on sight."

North was shaking her head. "No. Michael, we can’t let him do that. I’m going to speak with Operations. Maybe I can get him to extend the deadline. Even one more day would be helpful."

Michael nodded. "I will continue to check with my contacts. There are a few people I want to see personally. Birkoff will return to Comm and monitor all incoming and outgoing transmissions."

Birkoff nodded, and headed back to Comm. North turned to Michael. "You don’t really think this is an inside job, do you Michael? Who would want to get rid of them? And you certainly can’t believe they’ve escaped."

Michael sighed. "I don’t know. That’s what I intend to find out. I just find it strange that they’ve all disappeared and no one saw anything, and there’s been no word about them. For the time being, however, we cannot assume anything. Until we have proof, assume that anyone and everyone is a suspect." North nodded and turned to go back to her office.