Fight

Rocky can't help his grin. "Oh, alright. If Jem Ferchin doesn't want to show herself, then I guess I can take you to lunch instead."

Watching Jess sign her name more slowly, he chuckles. "Well, I'll be. You are Jess Fisher! Then I'd be delighted to meet you for lunch at noon at..." He pauses and thinks. "Mom and Pops is good with me."


Listening to Carson and Ryder, Jason too, feels something a little off kilter.

Yeah, not sure quite what it is yet. I just don't feel like spilling too much information in front of him right now.

Receiving Katie's question, Ryder looks to her quickly. And for a moment, he just studies her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Ya know... you're an interesting team. Carson asks me questions he expects me to know, yet you question my knowledge when I've answered him."
He lifts an eyebrow and glances back to Carson. "Is it you she doesn't trust, or me?"

Carson grins a little. "Maybe both. But I wouldn't leave her in the dark unless you want to get on her bad side."

Ryder's mouth curls up at the corners, and he stands up to clear some of the paper plates off the table. "How does anybody know anything with security so tight? You think I'm with TJY without knowing anything about this area and what's happening?"

Jason bristles just a little. "You still haven't answered Katie's question."

Ryder turns from the sink. "I hear an implication in your tone."

"Maybe."

Carson looks back and forth between the men, analyzing the situation. So far he'd played things pretty cool, acting as though he trusted Ryder and who he was supposed to be. But he hadn't given away any information, also feeling the same way Katie had. He just hadn't gotten around to asking pointed questions yet - she'd beat him to it.

Ryder shakes his head. "Look, I don't know what Reese told you you'd find here, but I'm it. Either you trust me, or you're on your own, and I wouldn't recommend that."

Now it's Carson's turn to bristle. He gives Katie a glance, letting her know that he agreed with her questioning tone. "If you don't have anything to hide, then why won't you answer us about security? Do you have computers? Blueprints? An inside contact? What?"

"I've got eyes out there. I see the comings and goings for long enough to figure these things out."

"So you don't have actual proof of where the lab is."

"I didn't say that." Ryder moves closer to the table again. "I know what there is, and I'm here to get you in and out again."

Jason narrows his gaze. "I hope it's true about the getting out part."

Ryder throws up his arms. "What do you want? Confirmation from Reese?" He grabs a phone and picks it up. "Your call or mine."

Carson leans back in his chair, just watching. "Ryder, you haven't even checked us out. That seems pretty sloppy in itself. Then you expect to follow you blind? Allys don't normally expect to be trusted right off the bat."

"Look, what is this?" Ryder looks between all three. "I'm trying to help you out, and you're starting an interrogation process." He shakes his head and moves back to the table. "I suggest we get down to business and..."

He can't even finish his sentence. Carson is so quick to get up that his chair falls over. He moves with speed, going to pin Ryder's arm behind his back, but the other Australian is quicker, sidestepping the motion and coming back with a quick sweep to Carson's legs. Carson counters and goes for a jab to the mouth, but Ryder ducks, his own fist going for Carson's ribs. Carson sidesteps and finally gets an opening to put Ryder in a choke hold. "That's Agency routine," he hisses into Ryder's ear. "I know those moves because they were drilled into my head. The pattern is the same. Now you better start talking about who you really are unless you want a broken neck."

Ryder struggles under Carson's grip, and gasps for air. In a move of despiration, he drops to one knee, throwing Carson over his shoulders and onto the floor. Seeing Jason move, Ryder backs up, and in less than a second, he's got a sawed-off shotgun cocked aimed at the group. Breathing heavily, he looks at all three. "Jason, who first called you Hotshot?"

"What?" Jason's anger starts to rise and he tries to contain it for now.

"Who first called you Hotshot?" Ryder repeats, raising his voice. "Tell me, or so help me, I'll blow your head off."

"It was Laura!" Jason holds up his hands. "What does that have to do with..." His sentence trails off as he sees Ryder lower the shotgun.

Carson finally gets up off the floor. "What in blazes is going on?"

Ryder lets out the breath he'd been holding, and uncocks the gun. "You guys really know how to push the limits, don't you?" He shakes his head. "I thought I might never find out if you were for real or not."

Carson looks at Katie, then Jason, then back to Ryder. "Are you crazy?"

"For being here? Yes. Look, I'm sorry. But I had to make sure you guys weren't from the other side. Internet has been down for two days. Reese couldn't get me the specs and I didn't know what any of you looked like. You think you've been walking blind, so have I. Reese told me about the nickname, so that was my only source of making sure you all were the right people."

Carson lifts his eyebrows, bewildered. "Well now that you believe we're from TJY, what about you? I spent a year in training at the Agency to learn those moves."

Ryder shakes his head and puts the shotgun back in the corner by the cubboards. "I spent a year in training too."

"So you are with the Agency." Jason is so confused, that his anger disperses.

"No." Ryder looks down, his tone growing quiet. "But I was." An awkward pause follows, and he drops whatever story there might be about the past. "It was a long time ago. And now I'm on your side. I know about the place here because I have an inside contact. I wasn't going to just blurt that out in case you were from the Agency, come to feel me out. I don't have all the equipment and technoligy out here like you do back in the States. No security measures, other than my own brain."

Carson takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he folds his arm across his chest. "Alright. So... are we all clear on this then. Are we going to trust each other or what?"

"I will if you do." Ryder nods to Katie. "Sorry. You were right to question me. I just didn't know if I could answer you yet or not." He glances to Carson and Jason again. "I was telling the truth when I said we had to sit a day or two. If you're willing to listen, I'll tell you more about it. If you think you need to call Reese still, go ahead, but the phone lines aren't secure. You were followed by a TJY agent all the way here, and he's the only reason I knew who you were supposed to be at the airport. Now... are we trusting each other?" He looks to Katie, seeming to sense that she might be the hardest to convince. "Please believe me. I'll answer any questions you have."