The story

Rick minds his own business as Hope appears with the child, but he can't help but see the interaction and feel the desire to help in the atmosphere.

Taken to her office, he takes a moment to look around, finding the surroundings very appealing. Unsure where to even start about Scott, he finds a chair to sit down and takes a deep breath. "Well... his name is Scott Johnson. He's twenty-six, I believe, and I think I mentioned on the phone that we're part of the Elite."

Rick pauses, trying to figure out what information was necessary and what was not. "I might as well start from the beginning. Forgive me if it's more than you need to know."

Settling back, he finds Hope's eyes. He could tell she had a very calm yet strong sense about her. But would she be willing to take on Scott?

"Scott was our tech guy for many years. Computers were his thing, not field missions, so he hadn't been trained for that kind of work. A while back though, his expertise was needed on a case, so he went out with a team. There was an explosion at the site, and while the rest of the team survived at at distance, Scott was presumed dead."

Rick swallows hard, remembering that day. It hadn't been easy for anybody. "Later we had reason to believe that we had been mistaken and a small investigation was started. It was about two months after that original mission that we learned Scott had been taken captive by an illegal organization that law enforcement has been battling for many many years. To make a long story short, Scott was rescued and brought back home. This was just recently. I, along with my assistant, was able to nurse him back to some health, but it started being evident pretty quickly that his experience had left him wounded more deeply on the inside than out."

Rick shakes his head, letting his eyes roam the room for a moment before coming back to Hope. "Scott was tortured, Miss Garrison. I don't know everything because he hasn't talked about it. The most I know is that he endured a lot of pain, mental anguish, lack of physical care, and was basically left to die. If our agents hadn't gotten to him that day, I have no doubt that they would have found a dead body instead. He told me a few things that went on, but nothing for me really to know what he's been through. Only one other man might know that, and he wasn't involved with this particular case."

Pausing again, he tries to collect his thoughts so he didn't ramble or get off track. "Coming back, not only is he battling with what happened to him, but he may not have a job anymore, he's lost the sight in one eye, his house is but an empty shell, and to top it all off, someone he trusted interrogated him right after he got back, seeming to set him back further. He's skin and bones, but wont eat enough to get is strength back. He has nightmares, but won't talk about them, and he's scared to death of his own shadow. From what I can tell, he feels like he's a weak failure, and feels completely worthless."

Emotions rise in Rick's eyes for his friend. "He needs help fast, or I'm afraid we're going to lose him."

He looks down for a moment, getting past his emotions before looking back up again. "But there's a catch. The enemy who took him is called the Agency and they've been known to go after those who interact with our agents. So there is risk involved here that I'm not sure you'd want to take."

He shrugs lamely. "And... that's the story."


Laura looks up quickly from her desk, just a little startled by Nate. A smile spreads on her lips at the suggestion of dinner. “You know I can’t say no,” she calls after him.

Laughing, she shakes her head and tries to concentrate on her work.


Reese is waiting by the door as Nate meets up with him again, and they head outside. He opts to drive one vehicle, taking his own, and aiming downtown. It’s not long before they’re parking in front of the police station, then on their way inside. Thankfully, Brown was available, having just returned from a meeting.

He greets both Reese and Nate with handshakes, not appearing to be too surprised they were there. Once settled in his office, Brown looks at them from across his desk. “Well, what can I do for you?”

“Not sure,” Reese admits. “Guess I… or we, are looking for a few answers at the moment.”

“Alright.”

“I just got fired this morning.”

Brown’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Yes. Austin was gone for a while, came back, stormed through my office and fired me, accusing me of undermining and something else about an investigation. Now… obviously that’s not illegal, but my son informed me he thought a couple other agents might have known what was going on, and your name was brought up as well. So… here we are. We’d like to know what’s going on.”

Brown shakes his head slowly. "I'm sorry. Austin's riding a fine line. I didn't figure he'd pull anything so soon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Austin was formally reprimanded today by Judge Reinholt."

Reese's eyes widen and he glances to Nate, then back to Brown. "I don't understand."

The corners of Brown's mouth twitch and he leans forward to rest his elbows on his desk. "It seems two of your agents had a complaint about the way Austin handled one of their fellow men. They brought it to my attention, there was proof of inappropriate behavior, and it went almost as far as a court hearing, but the judge decided that wasn't necessary at this time."

Reese starts to put the pieces together. "Jason and Katie... about Scott?"

Brown nods. "They brought me footage from a surveillance camera. It showed Austin getting too rough with Scott during an interrogation. His actions were uncalled for, Jason and Katie both wanted to press the issue, so I took it from there. This morning, Reinholt reprimanded Austin and warned him to stay clean unless he wanted to be demoted, or worse, thrown off the Elite. I was just getting ready to call Jason about it."

"I see." Reese thinks for several moments. "Why wasn't I informed?"

"Jason and Katie didn't want anybody else dragged down if they got into trouble. Unfortunately, it looks like you're getting the blame instead of them."

Reese sighs. "Maybe it's better this way. I'd rather give up my job so they could stay on the force anyway."

Brown eyes Nate for a moment, seeing the loyalty in his expression. "Yes, but..." He looks back to Reese. "...what good are a bunch of disgruntled agents who don't want to follow their leader? You're the one they trust - not Austin."

"But what can I do? I just got fired."

"You have a couple options. One, you can go confront Austin and explain you had nothing to do with this. Of course, then he might just turn around and fire Jason and Katie instead. Two, you can file a formal complaint that you were fired on illegitimate grounds because you did nothing wrong. Austin can't fire you without real cause."

Reese sighs deeply and leans back in his chair, trying to think. "What do you do when a leader is corrupt?"

Brown chuckles. "Hire a hit man?" He shakes his head, realizing it was an inappropriate statement. "We have corrupt leaders all over the place. Half our judges will take bribes, but without proof, there's nothing we can do. And even if we did have proof, if there aren't enough people to make a stand, they stay in office."

"That's exactly why TJY was formed in the first place." Reese responds with a quiet passion. "To fight against the corruptness of law enforcement itself. To help the people who were getting ignored or lost in the system, or who were being wrongly accused. And now... now we have become part of that system, bound to it in ways that we no longer can execute our mission. We may have performed illegal activities prior to our exposure, but it was never for selfish reasons, and never with ill-intent. At least we had free-will... at least we could perform our missions without answering to the corrupt nature of those above us."

Brown lets silence linger for several moments, Reese's strong statement hanging in the air. "Do you know the regulations that were written up for the Elite when I headed up its formation?"

Reese shakes his head. "Bits and pieces. But not enough to quote it. Why?"

Brown leans down and pulls out a stack of bound papers, letting them flop down on his desk. "Right here is the bottom line for the Elite. The boundaries were formed by myself and Judge Reinholt himself."

"I know some of it through you, because we had to set everything up according to a legal system and with hierarchy.'

Brown nods. "See, with your case, it was so unique, that the rules in establishment weren't followed anyway. The Elite is different, and deserves to be. You're the best of the best, able to infiltrate, investigate and execute missions unlike any other law enforcement. The problem started when the rules written to protect this branch were used against it instead. Take the officer rankings for example." He taps the papers. "In here, it suggests a method for hierarchy in order to maintain balance within the staff. However... it doesn't require it."

Reese lifts an eyebrow, starting to understand. "Okay... but still... the man in charge is still the man in charge. The judge is over Austin, but otherwise, the rest of us are just sitting ducks."

"How was Austin appointed?"

"I don't know... I guess Carter just handed everything over to him."

"Carter was established as the reigning authority over the Elite, simply because he had been the head of TJY already. However... according to this... a new chief can only be established by popular vote of the staff. This is a rule exclusively for the Elite."

"So... you're saying that the rules Austin is enforcing may merely be suggestions, while at the same time, other rules are being blatantly disregarded."

"Yes." Brown folds his hands. "Gentlemen, here's the thing." He looks to both Reese and Nate. "In here, it is stated that if the Elite as a whole is in agreement with any proceedings, whether they go against this regulation book or not, they are allowed. Except for illegal activity, of course. So... in other words, if the staff was in agreement that Austin wanted to fire you or Scott, then it would stand. However, when there are those who stand up and say 'hey, wait a minute,' regulations are consulted, and at most, a judge, as was the case earlier today."

He pauses, letting the information sink in. "Same thing about leadership. No one formerly complained about Austin taking over. Same thing about official rankings. Now... if taken before a judge, they may rule in his favor, and then the law stands and must be obeyed. But until that point, the Elite has more freedom than any other law enforcement branch. I made sure it was set up that way because a team like you needs freedom."

Brown shrugs. "If the staff consulted Austin himself about the rankings, and he decided to change the method, then that's fine too. It's all a matter of which battles are worth fighting, and which ones are not. Austin may think he has power over the Elite, when in reality... he's simply a team captain."

Reese cocks his head. "Then who's the coach?"

"Me. But even the coach can be fired. The team still has an owner, and that's the law itself, driven by the judges."

Reese takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "So... what can we do?"

"Well... what do you want to do? How far do you want to go? Will the Elite suffer if this is fought too hard? Will more people suffer through this than necessary?" Brown looks to Reese, then Nate. "How far are you willing to go, gentlemen?"


Axel can hear someone coming up behind him, and knows from the light steps that it must be Jess. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye a faint grin surfaces.

He reaches into the engine to fiddle with a couple things, letting Jess’ words just hang for several moments. Most would find the silence awkward – he used it.

Seeing her look into the engine with him, he shakes his head, skipping a greeting. “I must have missed something the other day, but I don’t know what it could be. Leo’s got the other car at the moment, so I’ve got time to look at yours.”

Stepping back, he shuts the hood. “Can’t tell you if it’ll be all day or not until I look a little deeper, so if you want, you can hang around here for a bit. I’ll drive your car inside and have a look.”

Axel gestures to the office and waiting area again. “There’s a couple chairs in there and some magazines. I’ll let you know when I find something.”

Once Jess’ car is in the garage, Axel sets to work, looking for the problem.

“So what did you not do the last time?” Leo hollers to him.

Axel comes up out of the engine too quickly, bumping his head on the open hood. “Well give me a few minutes to figure it out, will ya?”

Leo glances at his watch. “I bet you can’t find it inside half an hour.”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“Lunch?”

“Can of pop.”

Leo grins. “You’re on.” He glances to the notches on the far wall. Only the mechanics knew that they signified bets won between Leo and Axel. At the moment, Axel was ahead by one. Leo nods with satisfaction. Today they would be even…

...Axel ambles over to the car Leo was working on, a part of a hose in his hand. “I think I’ll take root beer today.”

Leo rolls out from under the car, staring up at Axel. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Axel shakes his head. “Radiator hose.”

“Dang it. It was too easy.”

Axel throws him a grin. “Sorry.”

“Radiator hose, huh? Wouldn’t you have checked that?”

“Yeah. This is the new one I put in the other day. Must have been defective.” Axel shrugs. “I’ll get a new one in there and she should be set.”

“How come you got the easy job today?”

“Because Ron is sick and left his designated jobs to you.”

“Oh.” Leo nods. “Alright, I’ll buy that.” Rolling back under the car, his voice is muffled. “There’s some quarters over by the desk.”

Axel chuckles. “Thanks.” Giving a little sigh, he makes his way over to the waiting area that adjoined the office. He was glad for quiet days. It was only him and Leo today. Sometimes they had all six men working at once with customers waiting. Days like this were appreciated.

“Hey, Jess.” He slips inside, finding her waiting. His hands were black with grease stains, a smudge on the side of his face. He twirls the piece of hose in his fingers. “Give me half an hour and you’ll be good to go.”

He moves behind the desk to scratch out some paperwork before moving back to the door. “Oh…” He turns around as an afterthought. “If you’re thirsty, help yourself to a couple quarters from the desk.” He tosses her a wink. “Compliments of Leo.”

As promised, half an hour later, Axel is washing his hands at the garage sink before going back inside again. “Well, you’re all set, Miss Fisher.”

Glancing up at the clock, he sees it was past lunchtime, but ignores the growling in his stomach. “Looks like you still got half your day off to enjoy, and now you can actually get somewhere without sending out smoke signals.”

He moves behind the desk to finish up the paperwork, speaking as his eyes remain on the paper. “Don’t worry about the cost today. Must have been a faulty hose I put on before. So…”

He flips a folder shut. “You should be ready to go.”

Catching Jess’ eye, Axel just studies her for a moment, wondering what was hidden behind the shine. Realizing he’d been in business mode, his tone softens just a little. “Unless you wanted to join me for lunch.” He turns it around, making himself the one in need. “Every once in a while a rainbow needs to be around a bit of light so it doesn’t disappear.”