Room 1521
Sydney City Australia
Clay entered his hotel room, slamming the door behind him.
"Damn the Admiralty to hell" he thought.
In his heart he knew that Admiral Anthony had been right about his not being involved, but the thought of being rendered helpless was almost too much to bear.
There were so many things he wanted to tell Traci, and the thought that he may never again have the chance left him with a sick feeling in his stomach.
His thoughts turned to Missy, his baby sister.
He knew that she stood a better chance of surviving if Traci was with her...it was the only positive thought he could dredge up from this experience.
Casey knocked lightly on his door.
"Clay? I need to talk to you."
He opened the door and Casey strode into his room, briefcase in hand.
"I just got an Intel report from Langley. There's an Australian Armed Forces satellite positioned over Northern New South Wales at the moment, evidently the Army is conducting test missions up there. About 30 minutes ago they picked up satellite transmission signals coming from the Warrambungle Ranges just outside of Coonabarabran. We've got them tracing the feed now."
As if on cue, Webb's cell phone trilled.
"Webb...uh huh..are you sure..yep...we're on it!"
He shut his phone with a snap and smiled at Casey.
"It's Palmer! They're faxing the satellite photo to us now. It appears Palmer is hiding out in an abandoned mine shaft in the Northern part of the Warrambungle National Park. They're also faxing us topographical and possible extraction plans."
Casey smiled at Clay.
"See we'll get them out."
Casey's cell phone rang and she answered it.
"McDaniels...yes Ma'am...I understand that but...Permission to speak freely Ma'am? Whilst I realise that the rescue of our Agents involves the cooperation of the United States & Australian Armed Forces, I also believe that an error in Judgement has been made with regards to Agent Webb's involvment in this operation. Clayton Webb is one of our best agents..to assume that he would be unduly affected by the present conditions is to grossly underestimate both his integrity and his dedication to his job. I request that he be given permission to be involved in the operation."
Casey remained silent as the Admiral spoke.
"Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am."
She snapped the cell phone closed.
"Good news,you're in. But only from the Intel side of things. When it comes to extraction, you have to leave it us."
"Thanks Case, this means a lot to me."
She just nodded.
"We'd better get in touch with Langley and organize a task force..the Admiral is sending us a strike team now, they should be here tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I'm going to liaise with our Australian counterparts at ASIO and see what Intel they can give us. I'll meet you back here for dinner at say 19.45pm?"
"Sure Case, I'll wait for the fax and see what else I can find out from Langley...see you at dinner then."
Casey smiled and, grabbing her briefcase, she turned and walked out of the room.
Outside the door Casey exhaled deeply, she would never get used to the feeling of being near Clay again.
She had thought she was over him...thought she could handle working with him again.
She was wrong..she still loved him.
She thought back to her imprisonment in the Russian Camp, all those nights she had lain awake her body racked with the pain their vicious and unrelenting torture had wrought.
Clay was all she had been able to think of, and those thoughts of him had kept her alive.
Escaping and coming home to the States to find he had thought her dead and had moved on with his life had caused her more pain than anyone could possibly imagine.
He had a new partner now..Traci.
Casey had been prepared to hate Traci, after all she had taken her place in Clays life(..her professional life anyway.) but when she had met Traci she found herself..however reluctantly....liking her.
Casey wasn't fool enough to think that she could just step back into Clay's life without causing any disturbance.
In fact this mission was an ideal way to see if they could work together as partners again.
She was prepared to step down if Clay wanted to work with Traci.
The only thing that mattered to her was that Clay was happy.
Clay looked at Casey as she left and wondered what had happened to the wise-cracking,fun-loving person she had been.
The one he had fallen in love with.
There was a guarded side to her now...and a hardness that had never been there before.
She was all business the epitome of a Company Woman.
He thought back to when the Director of Ops had told him Casey had been executed in the Russian prison.
He had been devastated, his entire world had collapsed around him.
Every fibre of his being had told him that Casey was still alive...but the evidence had been so stacked against that option that he had chosen to ignore it.
Then 2 months ago Casey had turned up on his doorstep, very much alive.
He had been angry with her for being alive, angry with the Company for lying to him, but most of all he was angry with himself for not going to Russia and searching for her...for the truth.
He thought he was over her...thought he had moved on with his life.
He had a new partner in Traci and they worked well together...she wasn't Casey...but she didn't have to be.
Then the Director had re-assigned Casey to work with him on Missy's kidnapping case and he had realized how much he still cared for her.
He wanted another chance with her...he only hoped it wasn't too late!!