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Date Posted: 02:27:21 08/15/11 Mon
Author: asiacheetah
Author Host/IP: ppp-71-128-206-135.dsl.sndg02.pacbell.net / 71.128.206.135
Subject: Chapter 46 - Elsbeth and Michael
In reply to: asiacheetah 's message, "The Recruit - Story continues" on 03:19:50 08/04/11 Thu

Chapter 46 – Elsbeth and Michael

Elsbeth

“Elsbeth, you have an incoming call from the Chief Strategist at Section One.”

“Thank you, I’ll take it.”

“Elsbeth. This is Madeline at One. Do you have a minute?”

“Hello Madeline, what can I do for you?”

“I am putting together a profile for a high priority target. The profile requires a specific set of skills and aptitude that cannot be found here at One.”

Elsbeth had a feeling she was not going to like what Madeline would be asking next. There was only one way to confirm her suspicion. “Is there someone you had in mind?”

“Yes. One of your Level 3 operative has the particular experiences necessary for this mission, a Michael Sammuelle.”

Elsbeth slowly let out the breath she was holding as her suspicion was confirmed. She couldn’t flat out reject the request since Section One has always had first pick and priority over the other sections. That didn’t make it any easier to see her best operatives being poached from the roster. She kept her voice as flat and emotionless as possible as she responded politely: “Michael could be made available. How long will you need him?”

“It depends on how effective he is on the mission. The profile currently calls for a 6 weeks period.”

Elsbeth was quiet for a long moment, going over the request for any hidden loop holes and traps. The important thing she must do was ensure his return to Section 8 once the mission was over or she would have wasted all those months of training and resources. She was quiet for too long as she heard Madeline cool, pleasant voice from the other line.

“Elsbeth, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. We will of course accommodate your request. I was just going over our missions on deck to make sure it would not conflict with anything.” She lied quickly to cover her reluctance.

“Based on Michael’s personnel file, he should have no trouble completing the mission and will quickly return to Section 8.”

“I appreciate that. When should we send him?”

“As quickly as possible. We were hoping tomorrow.”

She couldn’t help blurting out with a slightly elevated volume: “Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Will that be a problem?”

“None what so ever. I’ll inform him immediately.”

“Thank you for being so accommodating.”

Elsbeth thought sarcastically to herself ‘like I had any choice.’ She replied back smoothly: “My pleasure. It was good to hear from you.”

“It’s good to hear from you as well. I hope Jurgen was of help while he was there.”

There it was, a slight nudge of reminder that they had loaned Jurgen to them with the understanding of reciprocate aid in the future. Having accepted that help during Michael’s training, she really had no choice but to loan Michael to them. She could only hope that once they got their claws into him, they would loan Michael back to them in future missions.

“Yes, he performed satisfactorily during his tenure.”

“I am glad. I apologize, but I must get back to work.”

“I’ll let you get back to it then, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Elsbeth hung up the phone and resisted the urge to slam the handset down. After taking a few calming breathes, she picked up the phone again and dialed Michael’s number. The phone rang once and was picked up immediately. She heard Michael’s softly accented voice on the other line.

“Yes?”

“Jacques. Come in.”

“Of course.”

She hung up the phone and made the necessary notations on Michael’s personnel file. She notified both Kendo and Caroline of the change and made suggestions on possible replacements on the missions Michael had been slated for. She closed his file and tried to concentrate on upcoming missions, all the while muttering under her breath about Madeline and the vultures at One.

******

Michael

“So anyway, as I was saying, I just got tired of the endless snow and cold at Copenhagen and decided I needed a change in scenery. I dropped out of school that day and bought the plane ticket.”

Michael nodded politely at Lysette who was apparently trying to set a one woman record for endless, mind-numbing small talk. He discretely checked his watch and noticed that she had been running her mouth for the last 10 minutes. He mentally cursed Carlos for running late and Lysette for being early.

Who would have thought that he would wish fervently for Section to call him in just so he could escape from the overly friendly neighbor. He kept his expression as friendly as possible as he took a sip from his beer as the blonde sitting next to him continued her verbal diarrhea.

“I’ve been here 3 years now and I do miss home sometimes. Have you ever been there?”

He blinked a few times, trying to remember any of what he was half listening to. “Copenhagen?”

“Yes.”

“No, I’ve never been.”

“Oh you have to visit it sometimes. Just let me know and I’ll be glad to show you around.”

He had no intention of going to Copenhagen, especially with the vapid chatterbox. He suspected he would end up committing homicide, however justifiable it might be. He replied politely as he lied through his teeth: “That would be nice.”

“You know, Michael, we don’t spend hardly any time together outside of the group. We should really change that don’t you think?”

He took a sip while he tried to figure a way out of this conversation. Lysette apparently had some sort of aversion for silence, which she compensated by talking, endlessly. Not waiting for Michael to respond to her last question, she pressed on.

“I would really love to get to know you better. I think you are fascinating.”

“How so?”

“Well, you’ll so quiet all the time.”

It wasn’t hard to be quiet with Lysette trying to fill the world with white noise. He smiled slightly as he replied: “I just don’t have much to say.”

“Sharon and I have a running bet about you, the mysterious Michael.”

At his questioning look, she pressed on: “Sharon thinks you escaped France due to a disastrous romance.”

The corner of his lips quirked up at Sharon’s absurd idea, as he inquired: “What do you think?”

“I think you witnessed something and had to leave to avoid getting caught up in all that. There’s something deeply tragic about you. You remind me of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Have you ever read that?”

He suppressed the derisive retort on the tip of his tongue, and just shook his head as he took another sip from the beer.

“Heathcliff is this intense, dark, brooding, and romantic figure. He does unbelievable things in order to get what he wants and avenge for his lost love.”

She quirked her head to the side as she studied him with eager eyes as she droned on: “Heathcliff is a deeply passionate figure. I can see that about you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Sharon and I both think you can be a deeply passionate man and can love deeply. Sharon and I hope…” Lysette abruptly stopped talking, the sudden silence a welcome relief after the mind-numbing chatter.

He watched as Lysette blushed and fidgeted as she cast her uneasy gaze around the kitchen. Her blush was intensifying the longer the silence stretched. He wracked his brain for something to change the subject and awkwardly wondered aloud: “I wonder when Carlos and the rest will get here.”

His attempt to change the subject and let her off the hook seemed to embolden her. She leaned forward to present her cleavage to the best advantage and smiled seductively at him. He had a feeling he would not like the next line of dialogue.

She didn’t disappoint as she placed her hand on his knee as she purred: “I’m just going to bite the bullet and ask you out. I mean it is 1991, where does it say a woman has to wait until the guy asks right? So how about it?”

He was saved from answering when the door finally swung open to reveal Carlos, Ben, and Sharon. The latter narrowed her eyes at the scene she was witnessing and looked distinctly pissed off.

Oblivious to the two women glaring silently at each other, Carlos breezed in and stated jovially: “Sorry. We got caught up at Brian’s. You guys ready to go?”

For the second time he was saved from answering as the phone rang. He picked it up and answered: “Yes?”

“Jacques. Come in.”

He heard Elsbeth’s voice on the other line and replied without inflection: “Of course.” He hung up and looked apologetically at the group before stating: “Sorry, I just got called in to work.”

Carlos looked put out as he muttered: “This job of yours has odd hours. I wish you’d let me set you up with my friend for a job. That way you’d have normal hours.”

“Thank you. I’ll let you know if I ever need anything else.”

He walked Lysette to the door and gently nudged them out of the door. He sighed in relief when the door closed. He turned toward his bedroom, ignoring the chattering from the hallway, in order to change and gear up mentally for Section.

*****

“How long will I be there?”

“That depends on how much demands there are for your services at Section One.”

Michael sat across from Elsbeth, outwardly not betraying his uneasiness about the upcoming assignment. Elsbeth had just informed him he was being loaned out to Section One for a high profile mission. She didn’t have much details of the mission, just that it was anticipated to last 6 weeks.

He had thought he would have more time away from his erstwhile trainer Jurgen. It seemed the trainer’s prediction that Section One would be sending for him had come to fruition. It was good to know the other man’s paranoia was stemmed from an informed basis.

He studied the older woman sitting calmly across from him. Unless he was reading it incorrectly, the normally inscrutable woman was showing some signs of anger and annoyance. Annoyance of having to reshuffle the work load he could understand, the anger seemed excessive for what she was saying.

He calmly inquired: “How long really do you think they will keep me?”

Elsbeth blinked at the straightforward question and smiled begrudgingly. She replied honestly: “I expect they will continue to find missions needing your expertise.”

“Should I make a permanent move?”

Knowing what he was asking for, she replied: “I wouldn’t leave anything important behind. When the time comes, housekeeping will take care of it.”

He nodded politely before replying: “Will that be all?”

“Yes, Michael, thank you.” Elsbeth hesitated for a moment before extending her hand. Michael accepted the proffered hand and shook it. “Good luck at Section One, Michael.”

“Thank you.”

With one final look, he left for his onsite quarters to pack up the few belongings there. Not much had changed in his room since he first entered as a new recruit. He didn’t really need anything there, but didn’t want leave any traces of him behind. Everything fit easily inside a gym bag and he made his way to the door. He paused at the threshold to look back.

Those four walls had seemed like a prison when he first entered. The longer he spent there, the tighter the walls had become until he could barely breathe. Like so many other times in his life, he was forced to adapt, to adjust the tightness of those walls forcing the air out of his lungs and pressing around his soul. With one last look, he left to say his goodbyes.

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