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The Y-Files

Case File #1Y4 - 1077: Sweet & Sour

Part II

Jan. 28, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Kiwiphile

I pulled the phone rapidly away from my ear as I heard a loud 'CLUNK'. "Hello!" I nearly yelled into the phone. "Agent Kiwiphile? Kiwi? Are you there?"

Seconds later, I heard another sound and then a man's voice, "Hello?"

"Who are you?" I demanded. "What happened to Agent Kiwiphile?"

"This is Special Agent Wilks," the man replied rather snappishly even as I heard giggling continuing in the background. "Who is this?"

I don't think my adrenaline levels had returned to normal yet. "THIS is S-A-C Samantha Jaythree. Where's Agent Kiwiphile?"

SA Wilks didn't miss a beat. "Agent Kiwiphile just walked back inside the Nguyen residence and...is sitting on the floor, ma'am, laughing her a-- I mean, she has apparently inhaled something which has adversely affected her."

By this time I was at the Nguyen residence, so I simply entered through the front door even as I was talking on my cell phone. It simply saved time until I reached the living room and greeted a startled pair of agents. I joined them and knelt down beside Kiwiphile. "Kiwi, c'mon. We're going to go and visit Jadzia at the hospital. Wouldn't you like to do that?"

Agent Kiwiphile looked at me for a long moment and then simply burst into gales of laughter. I looked at the substance which the other agents said Kiwiphile had inhaled. "Do you know," I murmurred to them, "if we could encapsulate that, we could form our own pharmaceutical company?"

I looked around the room, and as my headache was slowly clearing, my ability to have a coherent thought was returning. "And take this," I pulled what was left of my almond cookie in its napkin from my coat pocket. "Have the lab analyze everything, and have it done by this time yesterday."

"Yes, ma'am," Agent Wilks nodded. I decided I liked him as a young agent who knew when to appropriately kiss up to a more senior agent.

"C'mon, Kiwiphile," I took her by the arm and led her outside. "Give me the car keys, and I'll drive."

Kiwiphile was spouting off several jokes, many of which I took to be funnier in her own native culture than in our North American sphere. I had never heard of most of the names or places or programs which she rattled off in her one-woman comedy monologue. Nevertheless, I nodded, smiled, and made appropriately amused faces as I returned sooner than I had expected to the Oakland Hospital ER.

AD Skinner was going to love reading this report.

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 28, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: SamanthaJ3

I lay my head on the table in front of me, while an exasperated resident doctor tried to administer some kind of sedative. I pushed his arm away, wiping my eyes. SAC SamanthaJ3 was looking at us both with a definate smirk on her face.  Actually, I felt a lot better. A whole lot better. I swallowed nervously and looked over to SamanthaJ3.

'Oh, um, did I? Did I say anything I have to worry about?'

SAC SamanthaJ3 signalled the young doctor to step aside for now. 'Not if you consider a joke that centres on a pub, a tuatara, and a rugby player from Whakarewarewa anything to cause concern, no.'

'I seem to remember laughing a lot.' I groaned and put my head back on the nice, cool table top. 'PLEASE tell me I didn't talk to Skinner about that betting pool?'

Despite herself SamanthaJ3 laughed. 'No, don't worry, just promise me that you work on your material before the next Agency open mike night!'

'It must have been that oil, have you had it run through the lab yet?' I really was feeling better, I must have stepped back from the burner soon enough.

'Its there now. I've sealed the Nguyen house and arranged for Kelly and Mrs Nguyen to stay at a motel. We'll need to figure out why they weren't affected by it.'

She carried on, her normal controlled disposition returned. 'We have numerous leads, and some absent suspects. As soon as Elisheva arrives, we'll start following them up.'

'Where's Jadzia?', I had a vague memory of her being here, at the hospital.

'She's out in the foyer, waiting for Elisheva. Come on SA Kiwiphile, sharpen up, we've got work to do. I want you to start looking up some things on your lap-top.'

I followed her out of the room, writing furiously as she listed off a series of sites involving the Vietnam War, chemical mood enhancers, mind control agents....Great, another
morning hunched over the screen.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 28, 2000

From: Samantha

To: Kiwiphile

I heard familiar voices out in the hallway, so I poked my head out to look at my two fellow SACs. "Skinner's going to love this field report," I smiled towards Elisheva (who must have just arrived) and Jadzia. I stepped outside to discuss the case with both of them.

"There is something which is not adding up here," I concluded after a brief summary of the facts in the case. "If Kelly or Mrs. Nguyen...or both...administered something to Jadzia and myself, how did they do it? Preliminary lab results show no known added chemicals -- outside of traces of seratonin and adrenaline -- and we don't have a method of delivery."

"What about Kiwiphile?" Elisheva asked as she nodded her head in the direction of Kiwiphile's room. I heard a snort of laughter from Kiwi's room, and I smiled again. Lowering my voice, I told them about the k-i-s-s-i-n-g song which Agent Kiwiphile had sung for me over her cell phone. My two fellow agents were hard pressed not to laugh.

"I can't explain that at all," I shook my head. "Mania or euphoria or whatever we're calling her present state...was not indicated in any of the restaurant patrons, Jadzia, or myself. Kiwiphile's condition I'm ascribing to whatever oil she sniffed. Probably poppy seed oil, do they make that?

"But for the rest of us, we all ate or drank something which Kelly prepared. I'm ready to say, let's have *her* tested as well. Perhaps she's a carrier for some...I don't know, substance? I can't conceive a motive for her to intentionally inflict anyone, but yet...we do have a 'form' of assault on two Federal Agents. What do you guys think?"

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 28, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: ALL

I quickly found myself swamped with meaningless fact and figures on the Vietnam War. I narrowed the search field a little, and used a hefty dose of intuition to pick my targets.
Placing a call to TLG, I was relieved to find they were able to help.
Finsihing jotting down the last few notes, I stretched my shoulders and headed over to join SAC SamanthaJ3 & SAC Jadzia.
They looked up as I sat down opposite them. SAC Elisheva was at the cafe counter.

Taking a deep breath, I spread my notes in front of me.

'Well, here goes, firstly, I looked into Operation Ranch Hand. In the late sixties, the Johnson administration green lighted the use of defoliants and herbicides like Agent Orange, 2,4,5,T and others.
The plan was to deprive the Viet Cong and the Nth Vietnamese army of food and cover. It didn't work, in fact there are several accounts of friendly villages in the MeKong Delta being accidentally sprayed and their crops destroyed.
There was a lot of covert stuff going on, and President Johnson had given the order to 'go big' in Vietnam.

The Director of Central Intelligence at the time, John McCone, fell out with Johnson.
He basically felt that Vietnam was a war that wasn't going to go away with more escalation. He was replaced as head of the CIA by Richard Helms, to all intents and purposes a guy who didn't like to rock the boat, and did what he was told.

That was it for official sources, but TLG came up with some information they 'recovered' from a governement warehouse clear out. Apparently there was a series of studies being done by the Chinese government in drugs that would improve the stamina of troops in the field. They were looking for an artificial stimulant, that unlike cocaine or speed, would not have the effect of making troops too 'jumpy'.

A CIA operative stumbled upon this experiment, and stole as much info as he could. Then the US goverment got in on the act.

It was called 'project ansuyar'. It was listed as a dismal failure. Administration of the compund to US troops resulted in various horrific actions. One battalion opened fire on a local village, killing all the occupants and then themselves.
Others became depressed, several soldiers simply went AWOL into the jungle and never returned. Officially it was ended and put on the waste paper pile.

But there is some evidence to suggest that it kept going. Plus there is some interesting info on a scientist involved in the project; an American Professor, Dwight Markham visited China several times in the mid to late eighties. Each time he visited a Chinese Herbalist store owned by a Mr. Wang and family. When in America, he was known to frequent the US residence of Mr. Wang.

There isn't a lot of information apart from this, but another connection between Wang and Markham is important. Prof. Markham was married to a Vietnamese woman, Mai-lyn. Mai-Lyn grew up in Cha La, Mekong Delta. In the late sixties her village was constantly covered by wind drifted Agent Orange and other herbicides. Cha La was also accidentally targeted by Operation Ranch Hand. In 1979, Mai-Lyn died of cancerous tumors that may have been the result of unusually high levels of dioxin.

Remember, Prof Markham works for a major pharmaceutical company, Somacen. And he has a huge chip on his shoulder, he's sued the US government over his wife's death eight times. All unsuccessfully. At the time of her death, Mai-Lyn was being regularly treated by Mr. Wang with traditional Chinese remedies.'

'Oh, and one more thing, I looked up Mai-Lyns obituary in the local papers. Professor Markham had inserted a quote from the Bible, Revelations 18:21; 'and a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all'.

I put the pile of papers together, SAC SamanthaJ3 looked at Jadzia. 'Interesting, the sweet & sour soup just got a whole lot spicier.'

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: ALL

"Jadzia," I turned to her, "I think we need to interview Ms. Nguyen again, don't you agree? And this time," I smiled, "we'll do it without eating or drinking anything. Elisheva, come along to keep us both sane, and Agent Kiwiphile...great job, as always. Make sure my Hawaiian T-shirt will look good on me."

I winked and headed off with my fellow SACs to continue the investigation.

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: SamanthaJ3

When I arrived at the hospital about 3:00 am, Jadzia met me in the foyer of the hospital and proceeded filled me in on the latest developments on the case. Afterward, not having had anything to eat for hours, I excused myself and headed for nearest source of food, the hospital cafe. Oh, yippee! I love hospital food, I thought to myself with a sharp edge of sarcasm.

I returned from the cafe to find my fellow agents lost in thought. Noticing the pile of notes sitting in front of them, I picked them up and read them. Agent Kiwi, if this chicken scratch is your normal hand writing, I feel sorry for your teachers! I will just attribute it to the fact you were just under the influence of an unknown mood altering substance!

After I skimmed the notes, I too had to stop and think. I found it strange that Agent Kiwi's response to the substance was one of mania, Agent Samantha's was one of hostility and Agent Jadzia's was one of depression. Only Jadzia's reaction was consistent with those of the patrons' at Da Chevett. My mind started to leaf through the catalog of information I had on Chinese herbal medicine. (In RL I have studied herbs for over 7 years) Off hand the only Chinese herb I could think of that might explain Sam's reaction would be the herb called Ma Huang. It's western equivalent would be ephedrine. It can cause the mind and body of the person who ingests it to become extremely excited and/or aggressive. But normally I have only heard of it being consumed orally.

"Sam," I began as I started to speak out loud the words formulating in my mind. "We should have the forensic team check out that almond cookie you ate for Ma Huang, or in western terms, ephedrine. I know it is grasping at straws, but it would certainly help to explain your behavior earlier today. I know that it doesn't leave a person's blood stream for hours, unlike the substance that effected the patrons at Da Chevett, but your symptoms are unlike theirs."

"Good idea, Agent Elisheva. Why don't you contact Agent Wilks and have him get on that right away." Agent Samantha Jaythree suggested. "There are so many leads that need to followed up at this point. Agent Kiwi, Agent Jadzia, is you feeling up to it?"

Rubbing her temples, apparently still experiencing some residual effects from yesterday, Agent Jadzia expressed her desire to forge ahead on this case. "Damn right, I'm ready. Anyone who has the power to make me feel this out of character is going to have h*ll to pay when I find them!"

"Agreed," added Agent Kiwiphile. "Not that laughing is too out of character for me, but I have, what can be best described as, the most intense hang over in my life!" One final giggle escaped her. The rest of the morning we could hear her humming the tune of "...k.i.s.s.i.n.g..."

BTW, when did she have time to a love life?

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Stubru

To: ALL

As the agents left the foyer of the hospital a shaggy dressed drifter stumbled up to them. This bump looked like something your cat would even drag home.(just the thought of being close to this woman makes me itch). She mumbled something about X-mas cards. She wanted to sell X-mas cards. Still quite under the influence of the past days the SA didn't make a point about the fact that it is almost Valentine's Day. Feeling petty on behave of the woman SAC Jadzia bought one. And the woman vanished in the foyer. When SAC Jadzia opened the card there was a message written on it:

Check out the toy store across of Da Chevett and look beyond the facade!

SB

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Elisheva

"Herbal medicine is not my area of expertise," I smiled at SAC Elisheva. "Do you mind calling the lab and asking them to make sure they don't miss anything? Oh, and maybe my head is still hurting, but I could have sworn that some of the patrons exhibited hostile behaviors?" I shook my head. "Coffee. I definitely need more coffee."

I left to interview our current prime lead/suspect, Kelly Nguyen, with SAC Jadzia. The inebriated woman who was trying to beg money from us was annoying, and I think Jadzia bought something from the woman simply so I wouldn't shoot her. (Although I had reassured all my fellow agents that the hostile reactions had long since disappeared from my system.)

When we were sitting in the car, I turned my head slightly as Jadzia made a slight exclamation while she looked at whatever paper she bought from the woman. "What is it, Jadzia?" I inquired mildly.

At this point, absolutely nothing would have surprised me. Or at least, that's what I told myself.

SamanthaJ3

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Samantha

Willmore offered to drive me to the airport and take care of Keila while I was back in Oakland.
In the car, he kept talking about the weather, his lunch, the football, until I couldn't stand it. I finally told him about the pool Foxphile had going, and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.
With Skinner watching my tail, the last thing I needed was another reprimand for unprofessional conduct. I grabbed my bag and coat from the boot, and we found ourselves dodging a real goodbye. But as I turned in the departure gate, I was sure I saw him wink at me and smile.

I arrived back in Oakland at the Comity and put in a call to Sam. I hoped she had some meaty stuff for me to get my teeth into, I needed the distraction. The movie channel was playing
non stop romantic comedy, and I wasn't in the mood.

Samantha

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Jadzia

To: Samantha

 I turned to Samantha as she drove toward the Nguyen's house. I rubbed my temples with my fingertips -- the "hangover" from whatever had happened at the Nguyen house hadn't completely worn off yet. And now this . . .

I waved the card at Samantha's direction. "According to this, there's a toy store across from Da Chevett that's we should look into . . . I swear Samantha, secret informants can be a good thing, but most of the time they give me headaches".

"We'll look into that later, Jadzia. We've got to finish up with Kelly and her mom first".

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We met up with SAC Elisheva outside of the Nguyen's house. Needless to say, Mrs. Nguyen wasn't thrilled to see us again. She didn't even want to let us in the door at first.

"My daughter has been through enough without having the FBI accuse her of crimes that she did not commit! You are NOT welcome in my home," she told us emphatically.

"Mrs. Nguyen, we understand that you are upset, but right now Kelly is the prime suspect in a rash of crimes that now includes assaulting two federal officers. If you won't let us talk to Kelly, it's going to be even more difficult to clear her of any wrongdoing," I said firmly. "Please work with us".

"Ma, let them in. It's okay".

Mrs. Nguyen pursed her lips, but opened the door for us.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nguyen," Samantha told her.

Once again, Samantha and I were seated in the living room. Luckily we had Elisheva there to back us up this time. The question was if we were going to start getting any definite answers to this case. It was time to start narrowing the field.

SAC Jadzia

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Samantha

Watching Agents Jadzia and Samantha walk out the door was a little worrisome. Given what they had gone through in the past 24 hours, I was concerned for their well being but knew that they would use their common sense if the investigation took an unforeseen turn of events.

I called the lab and asked them to double check the results on all three agents blood samples and cross reference their finding in a hope of finding some commonality between them.

I got a second cup of my favorite herb tea, chamomile, from the hospital's cafe, sat in an empty seat and pulled out my field notes. The gears in my head were spinning at full speed. What "substance" could have caused all three agents to react so differently. I inhaled deeply of the aromatic scent of the chamomile, letting the stiff muscles in my neck and back relax. Boy I miss those days when SAC Skinner would give me a neck rub. A totally platonic neck rub...but boy was it great. I sipped from the steaming cup of tea, inhaled one more time and began to set it down....Oh my gosh!! I raised the cup once more to my nose and inhaled. This has got to be it! Agent Kiwiphile had found the traditional family shrine in the corner of the Nguyen's home with the burning pot inside. Although I hadn't seen the test results yet, I was certain that the substance in that pot could of had an effect on them. But there was the problem. We had been looking for a SINGLE substance. Remembering the details of their visit at the Nguyen's, Jadzia drank the artichoke tea and Samantha had only eaten the cookie. If....just if, (I'm thinking on my feet here) the cookie was laced with one "substance" and the tea laced with another, and they both inhaled the vapors from the family shrine...no, could it be? The vapor coming from the shrine could have been a catalyst for the two different substances they ingested which would have created two different reactions.

It is a common practice to mix herbs together to create a synergetic reaction from the herbs, each working with the other to produce and/or enhance the properties of the other. Now, if the restaurant had the traditional family shrine, which Asian restaurants often do, then we had a concrete lead here. I pulled out the cell my cell phone and immediately called SAC Samantha.

"BRINNNGGGG"

"SAC Saman....." she began.

I was too excited to let her finish. "Sam, I think I am onto something here." I ran my train of thought past her. "I want to go back to the Da Chevett and check for another family shrine. What do you think?" I asked with great enthusiasm.

"Damn, I'm impressed Agent Elisheva. Okay, you return to Da Chevett and check that out. Jadzia and I will continue on to the Nguyen's and finish up there. Let's meet back at the Comity Inn and compare notes at about....10:00 tonight."

"See you there." I answered and quickly hung up the phone. I gather my belonging and headed out for Da Chevett.

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

Samantha's phone was engaged, so I tried Elisheva's and got an answer.

'SAC Elisheva here,'

'It's SA Kiwiphile ma'am, I'm kind of at a loose end here, so have anything for me to do?'

'Meet me at the restaurant, I'm on my way there now. I'll explain when you arrive.'

Grabbing my coat, and making sure I had any and all equipment, regulation clothing and requisition forms, I went to meet her.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Kiwiphile

   From: Elisheva (ELISHEVA1)  Jan-29 1:24 pm 

       To: kiwiphile (IMALONE)    (101 of 178) 

I hung up the phone and continued my drive to Da Chevett, glad to have another agent with me to investigate this lead with me. Skinner often warned me that if at all possible, agents should work together...for safety purposes.

I pulled up to the restaurant and found Agent Kiwi waiting for me. I briefly went over my theory as we headed towards the restaurant. The doors were still closed but this time they were chained and padlocked too. Agent Kiwi began to pound on the door with her closed fist with the hope of gaining someone's attention on the inside....if there was anyone inside. We waited for several minutes, pounding intermittently on the door and finally gave up.

"Maybe we can look through the windows to find what we are looking for." I suggested. We walked to the windows facing the main street and looked in. The sun was setting, casting a long shadow across the facade. There were no apparent lights on inside the building so we pulled out our $4000 official FBI flashlights, directing the beam first toward the entrance and then to each corner of the room.

"I can't see anything Elisheva. Between the reflection of the light bouncing off the glass and the angel of our beams there just isn't much to see." Agent Kiwi observed, sounding annoyed.

"Lets check around back. Maybe there is someone in the kitchen who didn't hear us knocking." I knew it was not a promising idea. We had pounded on the front door long and hard enough to raise the dead...a possible case for Mulder if it had...but I was determined to get inside.

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

Minutes of pounding hadn't improved my ragged mood. I was either suffering from the after-effects of the mania, or other more personal matters were getting in the way.

Time to take action; a good Agent put their private life to one side while they were working. Silently mouthing a prayer to the Saint that protected FBI Agents from angry Assistant Directors, I asked SAC Elisheva to turn around.
Whipping out my lock-pick, I opened the kitchen door.

'Oh look,' I said, all innocence, 'it seems the door is open after all.'

'I'll pretend that didn't happen Agent Kiwiphile,' said Elisheva, stepping through the doorway. It may have been my imagination, but she sounded exactly like Skinner when she said that.

We looked around the restaurant, peering into cupboards and drawers. I turned when Elisheva called my name.

'Kiwi, look at this,' she was holding up a black A4 sized notebook. Flipping through the pages I noticed that the writing was all in Chinese.

'Can you read this?', I asked, passing it back.

'Given time, it's a journal of some kind, and I can see that a lot of the content is about herbs and their efficacy. Its too dark in here, we should continue the search and then head back to the hotel to read it.' She swung her torch beam around the room, as it passed the doorway leading to the dining area she stopped and moved forward.
Behind the waiters counter, in a small alcove lined with red and gold, was a shrine similar to the one in the Nguyens' house.

'Bingo', said Elisheva. 'Kiwi, get plenty of pictures of this and bag up what you can as evidence. We should get back to meet with the others.'

As we were leaving, I remembered to ask her about something that had been bugging me since morning.

'I was talking to Craig this morning, and he reminded me that he'd worked in ATD in Baltimore. He said the name Revelations Angels rang a bell. Should we be following up on Professor Markham and Mr. Wang? It's a possible connection. Craig could-'

SAC Elisheva cut me off as she started the car, 'I talked with Skinner this morning Kiwi, so I know you're under a microscope on this case. Why don't we let the SAC's in charge of the case decide the investigative path, to avoid Willmore and yourself getting into any more hot water.'

Glad that it was too dark to see my cheeks burn red, I watched the streets pass as we drove back to the Comity Inn. I'd better call Willmore and give him a heads up, at least I had a legitimate excuse to call him.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Kiwiphile

Before we existed the premises, I gave the front of the restaurant a quick once over. I had a hunch that there might be another shrine or alter that the vapor may have been dispensed from. Since the original tests on the food the patrons had eaten showed the same contaminant throughout, I believed there had to be two sources of vapor...one to create the depression and one to create the aggressive behavior. I was about to give up when the beam of my flashlight made a glimmer of light as it passed across what appeared to be a brass or copper pot sitting on the ledge above the waitress station. Looking closer, I found several incense sticks poking out of the sand. Yet another mode of dispensing the substance into the air. Quickly bagging up the sticks to take to the lab, Agent Kiwi and I made our way out the building. I knew that if Skinner ever found out that we had picked the lock and removed evidence from a crime scene without obtaining a search warrant first, he would not be a happy A.D. I prayed to the same saint to protect us from the wrath of THE MAN.

I could almost read my partner's mind as we pulled away from Da Chevett. "At least now I have a reason to call Craig..." It had been so long since I had been in any kind of a relationship, I almost coveted her "friendship" with Agent Willmore. The possible love of my life had always been unreachable...due to circumstances beyond my control...sometimes life just screams "bite me"!

"I agree Agent Kiwi," I assured her, starting to feel the fatigue of the day knotting the muscles in my neck once again. "Let's catch up with the others at the hotel and we will make plans for tomorrow. I do believe that Mr. Phong, Mr. Wang and Pro. Markham still tie into this case, but I'm not quite certain how."

We settled back in our seats, each to their own thoughts...mine imagining a pleasant neck message form Skin...maybe I shouldn't go there. NO, no, no. I smiled to myself as I drove off into the darkness.

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 29, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

Elisheva and I had adjacent rooms, so we left the door open and I sat on her bed while she pored over the book we had found. I was running a bath. Hopefully I would have a spare half-hour to enjoy it. Keeping an eye on it as we spoke, I played my trump 'sucking up to the bosses card'.

'I thought you might like to see this,' I placed a search warrant in front of her, it was dated today, well before our foray into Da Chevette.

She frowned at it, rubbing her neck absently. 'If this is some kind of back-dated form Kiwi-'

I cut in gently, 'No, not at all, I called SA Wilks today en route, and he said he would try and organize one before the courts closed for the day. I found the FedEx envelope under my door.'

It seemed to release a little of the tension she was holding.

'How’s that book going?' It looked like hard work, the writing was small and precise, there must have been the equivalent of well over a thousand words per page, and the book was almost full.

'Well, it's not going to be a quick fix break. Why don't you jump in that bath before it floods the rooms. I'll give you a shout when the others arrive.'

Shutting our adjoining door, I went into the steamy bathroom. I was about to call Craig when I thought better of doing it while standing half-naked in front of a bathtub. As I put my watch on the basin top, I wondered where Samantha and Jadzia had gotten to. They must have finished the interview by now.

Slipping into the warm water, I let myself float for a moment and dipped my head under. I was tenser than I thought, and quickly drifted off into a half slumber. A few minutes into my
comforting doze, two things happened simultaneously.

My 'phone rang, and there was a loud insistent knock at Elisheva’s' door in the next room. I half pulled myself out of the tub and picked up my 'phone, and had just put it to my ear when there was the sound of someone entering Elisheva's room. that must be the other two, I thought sleepily.
Telling whoever was on the end of the line to wait, I called out that I'd 'be there in a sec'. It was hard to tell through the closed door, but Elisheva's room seemed awfully quiet.

Maybe it was a mistake to have called out, after all, I was naked, in a bath, and my Sig Sauer was in its holster ten feet across the room.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Kiwiphile

Kiwi decided she needed a good long bath before bed, and I watched as she gathered her things. Perfumed oils, lotions, soaps, shampoo and conditioner. "Gee Kiwi, when you take a bath, you REALLY take a bath!" I teased her. "Just don't fall asleep in there daydreaming about your 'friend' Willmore"

From behind the door I heard her mumble, "Yea, sure, whatever..." 'Friendship' certainly suited my friend well.

"Oh, and before I forget Kiwi, I need to thank you for remembering my anal retentive personality and getting that search warrant!" I chuckled to myself.

"I didn't get it for you, I got it to cover my own @$$!" she quipped back. "Nice to know that it was big enough to cover two!" There was a long moment of silence.

Her head popped out from behind the door, a sparkle in her eyes, "Personally, I think you might have enjoyed having Skinner *chastise* you for being a naughty agent." She grinned a devilish grin. "He must get tired of feeling like he is looking in the mirror when you walk into his office. Not that you look like him by any means. But let's face it, your 'by the book, on the up and up, yada yada yada' approach is certainly similar to his. I hate to think what might happen if the two of you loosened up a little bit!"

I heard a wicked little laugh as she shut the door. Were my feelings that apparent? Not a good thing, definitely not a good thing....

I turned my attention back to the black notebook that had fallen to my lap. My vision was starting to blur from staring at the endless pages of passages. I grabbed my reading glasses from out of my brief case and put them on.

Many of the words were technical terms that I wasn't familiar with. I began to wish I had brought my Chinese English dictionary with me. There usually isn't much of a need for it on the cases I've been assigned, so I normally don't pack it. Maybe I should have thought things through a little better before I packed back in D.C. My mind started rambling its usual anal retentive thoughts but was soon interrupted by knocking at the door. Finally, I thought, Agents Samantha and Jadzia had returned. I heard the phone in the bathroom as I jumped off the bed. A sign of a good agent, always take your cell phone and gun to the bathroom with you. Never know when you might need to shot a bad guy and call your boyfriend while shaving your legs! Again, I chuckled to myself. It had been a long day indeed.

As I reached for the doorknob, the hairs on the back of my neck started to bristle. "Sam...Jadzia is that you?..." I said from behind still closed door. There was no answer. I looked through the peep hole and saw no one. "Come on you guys, it's late and I'm tired. Stop messing around out there!" I tried to make light of the situation, but the hairs on my neck wouldn't lie down.

Finally, what seemed to be a familiar voice came from the other side of the door. "Agent Elisheva, is that you?" the voice asked.

"Identify yourself!" I demanded.

"Ma'am, its Agent Wilks from the lab. I have those test results you wanted." he stated flatly.

I unchained the door, turned the dead bolt and swung the door open. The glare from the street lamp outside momentarily blinded me, and just as I was beginning to make out the person in front of me, a hand came around and behind my head, covering my mouth. I tried to scream for Kiwi's attention, but it was hopeless. The second person instantly wrapped his free arm around my waist, capturing my arms as his grip encircled me. I began to struggle, defensive training from the academy instinctively kicking in. I bit my attacker's hand. It instantly recoiled long enough for me to shout, "KKKKIIIIIWWWWWIIII!!!". Out of the corner of my right eye I could see the blur of a fist headed for....

The impact of his closed hand against my jaw was incredible. I was seeing stars...I had never seen stars before. Interesting sensati....

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

'KIIIWIIIII!'

The cry was half over and I was out of the bath and across the room in seconds. Grabbing my gun, I yelled into the 'phone

'Who is it?'
"Its Craig, what's going on-
I cut him off abruptly, 'No time to talk, Elisheva’s' in trouble.'

I disconnected the call and ran out the door, half in & half out of a bathrobe. Elisheva was struggling with two men, one of them raising his fist and sucker punching her in the jaw.
No time to think, I spun a kick into the guy closest to me, hitting him square on the temple. He landed with a satisfying heap on the ground. The second man was dragging Elisheva to a waiting car, his gun pressed into her head.

I kept my gun leveled at him, but shooting was pointless if I wanted my partner to live. Grabbing the unconscious guy, I threw him into the back of my car and cuffed him onto the arm-rest. As the sedan roared out of the parking lot, I followed, taking out the Comity Inns fold up signage in the process.

I kept pace with the sedan, trying to formulate a plan as I did. Picking up my 'phone I put it in the hands-free cradle and punched Samantha's number.

'SAC Samantha here'

'Sam its Kiwi, I'm in pursuit of a dark blue Mercedes sedan heading west along the I95. Plate number Echo, Mary, Kilo, 7, 9, 5. SAC Elisheva has been kidnapped. The car has at least two occupants, armed. I have one here in the car with me, out cold. I need back-up, and can they bring me some clothes- I'll explain later.'

'On our way, stay in touch.'

I looked over at the man in the passenger seat behind me. Wilks! Why would a local FBI agent be kidnapping Elisheva?

I called the Comity, explained the situation and asked for our rooms to be secured and left undisturbed. Apparently they were used to FBI activity, because they didn't seem fazed.

The 'phone rang, answering it, I passed several vehicles on the freeway, catching up with the sedan. I was glad of the extra power a Ford Explorer offered, if I was in a standard rental the European car would have left me for dust.

'Kiwiphile here'

'Kiwi, it's Craig, what’s happening? Are you OK?-'

'Elisheva’s' been kidnapped, I'm in pursuit.'

'Are you driving?', he sounded nervous.

'What the hell does that mean? I'm a good driver!'. A siren sounded behind me, and I looked in the mirror to see an Oakland PD squad car pull in behind me, indicating that I should pull over. 'Listen Craig, if you want to help can you call the local police and inform them of the situation.' I reeled of my vehicle details and the sedans.

"Sure, oh and Kiwi? PLEASE be careful'

'Yeah, yeah, drive on the right, I know.'

The sedan was still moving fast, I glanced at the speedo, 75 mph, I did a quick calculation, that had to 130 kmph. If we made a mistake, there was going to be messy consequences.
The police car managed to pull along side, and I pressed my ID against the window. With relief I watched them pull back behind me, the driver on the radio.
Up ahead there was a turn off, and the traffic had slowed almost to a halt. The sedan veered left, hard up against the dividing barrier. There was a gap of maybe two meters (six feet?) and I knew they would have to slow to get through it. Keeping up my speed, I rammed the Explorer into the back of the sedan. The bull-bars crunched the rear and it jumped forwards alarmingly, I rammed it again and it spun 360 degrees before driving off again. The back tire was on steel, sparks flying. Pulling ahead of it I swung into the side, pushing the car against the concrete barrier.

I had to move away, and again it pulled ahead, this time looking harder to control. Again I pulled in front, this time
pulling in front and slamming on my brakes. The Mercedes hit the back bull bars of the Ford and I was winded momentarily as the seat-belt locked around my body.

Jumping out, I saw the Police cars pulling up around us, and pulled my gun on the driver. It was Agent Harvey, his head slumped forward on the steering wheel.
I opened the back door of the car and found Elisheva lying on the floor between the drivers seat and the backseat. She was awake, but looked a little wobbly.

I helped her out, and she gingerly rubbed her jaw. Harvey and Wilks were being cuffed and Miranda by the local PD.
I wondered aloud where Samantha and Jadzia were.

'Elisheva, How about I take you to the hospital to get checked out, and we try to find the others. The police will hold these two for us.'

'Sure,' she said staring at me, 'But I really think you should change first. They have cameras mounted in these squad cars you know'.

I looked at her curiously, why would she be worried about what I was wearing? And why were all of those police officers giving me sideways glances? That's when I remembered, I was standing on the freeway, holding a gun, and wearing a red silk bathrobe.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Kiwiphile

"I think I understand your personal situation, Miss Nguyen," I repeated for what seemed the tenth time. The restaurant chef, Kelly Nguyen, was still telling us of the horrible depression, anger, and helplessness she felt when her fiancé broke their engagement and left the country. I was beginning to feel more like a clinical psychologist or a relationship counselor rather than a field agent, but I reminded myself that every detail was important. Sometimes the largest breaks on a case came through the tiniest of leads.

BRR-IIINN-GGGG

I answered the phone and listened, my mouth falling open, as I heard Agent Kiwiphile's story of what was happening to them. I finished my call and turned to Jadzia, keeping my face and voice as calm as possible. "SAC Jadzia, we have a situation in progress which demands our immediate presence." I turned to Kelly. "You will remain here and not leave this house until someone from the Bureau contacts you. Do you understand, Miss Nguyen?"

I hated leaving the interview in progress, but as I briefed Jadzia in the car, we concluded that a kidnapped agent with another agent in pursuit was our priority at the moment.

I was driving, and when my cell phone rang again, Jadzia calmly answered it for me. Then her own cell phone rang, so she passed my phone to me, even though I hated driving while talking on the phone.

Agent Willmore was calling to relay information on my phone, and the local PD had called on Jadzia's phone to update her on the whereabouts of our agents.

We both sighed in relief when we learned that the pursuit and hostage situation had been peacefully (and safely) resolved, but then Jadzia broke into laughter as she hit the button to terminate the phone connection.

"What?" I wanted to hear something humorous at this point.

"Didn't you say that Kiwiphile told you to bring some clothes?"

"Yes," I nodded, my eyes glued to the road, even as I negotiated a tight curve at a high speed.

"Well, I found out why," Jadzia smiled and recounted what she had learned of the situation. We exchanged information (what I had learned from Willmore's call, and what Jadzia had learned from the local PD relay). Then with Jadzia's excellent directions, I turned the car into the correct direction and headed for the hospital to meet our agents there.

"Better call Skinner," I added as I looked for a parking space. "I'm sure he'll be in a much better mood about all of this if we tell him first." The thought of presenting this incident in a report to AD Skinner sobered us both rather quickly.

Parking the car, Jadzia and I hurried inside to locate Elisheva and Kiwiphile.

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Elisheva

 To: SamanthaJ3

I insisted that I didn't need to go to the hospital. It was just a blow to the jaw, not like I had lost a body part! But dear Agent Kiwiphile insisted. We piled into the now tattered Ford Explorer, and headed for Oakland General.

"Hey Kiwi, how much experience to you have driving on U.S roads?" I just had to ask. "Watching through the rear window of the sedan, I was amazed at your skill and style." I

"Oh, not much mate, just a time or two!" She proudly announced.

My heart fell to my toes. I prayed a prayer of thanks to the saint who was specifically assigned to Kiwi. That saint was one busy saint!

"You know you were suppose to lay low on this assignment," I reminded my partner. "When he sees the bill for this rental and its repairs, he going to flip his wig!"

Kiwi let out a loud belly laugh. "Since when did Skinner start wearing a rug."

I couldn't help but laugh as I pictured THE MAN in a 'rug'.
"OOOOOO, that hurt. Kiwi don't make me laugh until I can get some ice on this jaw of mine."

"Yea, sure, whatever..." she chuckled as she turned the car into the hospital parking lot.

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

With the kind of attention that comes with familiarity, the emergency room doctor was checking out Elisheva. We were getting to be on first name terms with the staff of the hospital, I thought wryly.

Samantha and Jadzia arrived. I tried to tidy up my robe as best I could, but sitting there covered in a layer of silk with my bare feet, I felt a little like a wayward child who'd refused to go to bed on time.

SAC SamanthaJ3 gazed at me seriously, while trying to suppress a smile. 'We, ah, bought you some clothes Agent Kiwiphile.'
She held up a plastic suit bag and a pair of shoes.

'Thanks', I mumbled, moving to a curtained area to change.

'Oh, and Agent Kiwiphile, AD Skinner is on his way here to have a meeting with the SAC's. Apparently, your 'Xenaesque'
approach to pursuit and capture has been radioed across every police channel across the country. Quite a few of the officers have started calling you 'Red', and I don't think that they're referring to your hair color'. I ducked behind the curtain to the sound of Jadzia and Elisheva bursting into good-natured laughter.

Great, I thought. So much for a low profile. I would end up having a reputation every bit as loose as an Australian, and that was something no self-respecting New Zealander should allow. Besides, my hair was auburn, I knew what she meant. I pulled on the suit they'd picked out and returned to the team.

SAC Elisheva's jaw was already turning black with bruising. I found myself suddenly angry about it, just give me five minutes in a room with Harvey I thought. Then I shook it off, gung-ho tactics weren't my style, and besides, both the Agents were being treated in the hospital at the moment. Apparently, they were exhibiting strangely elevated adrenal levels. Maybe they were victims of the mystery substances. Not to mention the fact that I'd caused some pretty serious damage to Harvey in the car-wreck.

We drank some coffee that Jadzia had had the foresight to purchase from somewhere OTHER than the hospital cafeteria. After receiving the call to aid us, Jadzia and Samantha had returned to the Comity and picked up the burner and the black book. They needed to get back and wind up the interview with the Nguyens, but before SAC SamanthaJ3 had finished talking her 'phone rang.

'Jaythree here'

Her look became serious. 'When?'

We watched as she balled up a piece of sheet in her hand tightly.

'I'll be there shortly.'

She ended the call, placing her 'phone on the bed before her like it had bitten her. 'Mrs Nguyens and Kelly are missing, the local police officers that were watching them have been murdered.'

There was a stunned silence. The death of two police officers threw our predicament into sharp review. Whoever these people were, we had them rattled enough to start killing.

'Where should I start?' I asked Samantha.

'I'll go check out Elisheva, the rest of you meet me by the car out front. I want to check out the murder scene first, see if there's some leads.'

As we were leaving, I picked up Samantha's cell-phone. Before I could put it in my pocket, it rang.

'SAC SamanthaJ3's 'phone,' I answered, fervently hoping not to hear AD Skinners voice.

It wasn't, instead a well-spoken man began to talk. The accent was familiar, Asian...no, Chinese. I had enough Chinese friends in Auckland to recognize the filtered English vowel sounds.

'We have something you want Special Agent SamanthaJ3, and you have something we want. It is time for negotiations to begin.'

'What do you want?' I asked, hoping he wouldn't notice my accent.

'You have one hour. A car will meet you at pier 41. Come alone, bring the book. After that, you must cease your investigations into these matters. If you fail to comply, Kelly Nguyens and her mother will die.'

The line went dead. Pretty crap negotiator I thought, it seems like we were getting the short end of the stick.

I caught up with the others and filled them in, no matter what happened, there was no way Samantha was going to that drop off alone.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: All

Guess who was working the late shift at the ER that night. Our now good friend Dr. Winn.

"Oh no, not you again!" He exclaimed as he passed through the curtain partition. "Now what troubles have you two gotten yourself into? Is it going to require more sedation, because our supply is starting to run low," he laughed under his breath.

"Agent Kiwiphile insisted I come and get this," pointing to my now bruised and slightly swollen jaw, "looked at. I told her its nothing, but it certainly hurts like h*ll."

"Uhmmm, let me take a look at that." He gently twisted my head back and forth, up and down. "Does that hurt?" he asked.

"No, sir." I replied

"What happened to you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well my face came in direct contact with the fist of a 200 lbs male who is suppose to be working on our side. You know, all in a days work when you work for the FBI." I laughed again and immediately regretted it.

"Why on earth would a grown man punch a nice lady like yourself?" he asked as he handed me a couple of Tylenol and an ice bag.

"Duh...Isn't it obvious, he's a bad guy." Agent Kiwi answered. I shot her a look of disapproval.

"Sorry for my partner's behavior Dr. Winn. The last 48 hours have proven to be rather challenging and she just has a lot of adrenalin left over from her recent car chase." I tried to explain.

I looked over at Kiwi and gave her a wink. I didn't want her think I was a total Skinner clone.

Dr. Winn acknowledged my explanation with an ever so small nod of his head. "Here, take these," he said pointing to the cup of Tylenol I was holding, "and ice that bruise off and on for the rest of the evening. It should help with the swelling."

We finished up our little visit with Dr. Winn as Agents Samantha and Jadzia walked into the ER.

Samantha took one look at my face which was now turning a lovely shade of blue-violet, her nose wrinkling at the sight. "Ouch! That looks like it hurts."

"Yep, you can say that again." I mumbled.

"Maybe Skinner will kiss it all better when we get back to D.C." Jadzia added.

I looked at the floor and shook my head. Does EVERYONE know I have the hots for Skinner? What a troubling thought! Could I be transferred from the Y-Files for just thinking about THE MAN? Why am I always asking myself questions? I'm starting to feel like Jan Brady! YIKES!!!!

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 30, 2000

From: Jadzia

To: Kiwiphile

When Kiwiphile and Elisheva met Samantha and I outside the hospital, I was bowled over by their news. This case made absolutely _no_ sense to me. Every time I thought that we were starting to make some headway, something else happened to throw us for a loop. The kidnapping of Kelly & her mother was definitely the latest "something else".

"The Oakland port is kind of a shady area once you get away from Jack London Square," I said. "We're definitely going to have to watch each other's backs on this one".

Just then, my PDA beeped -- I had mail. As I read my new message, something clicked in my head. Maybe a couple of the different parts of this case were about to make some sense.

"Should I even ask?" SAC Elisheva asked, wincing a little bit from the bruise.

"Danny just emailed me the results of a background check I asked him to run on Christian Phong, Kelly's ex-fiancé. It seems that Mr. Phong was involved in some illegal smuggling of Asian medicinal herbs from Vietnam to the States. He was arrested six years ago, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

"How's this for a theory, agents: what if Christian set up the restaurant not just to showcase Kelly's cooking skills, but as a front for his smuggling ventures. That might explain all of the ties to Asian herbal medicines that we keep finding. Not all of them are allowed in the States, and some of them take forever to get through Customs. Mr. Phong could make a tidy profit while keeping his fiancée happy. From the abrupt departure he made a week ago, and the kidnapping situation we've got on our hands right now, I'd speculate that something went sour in the smuggling business"

"Okay, Jadzia, that might be a possibility," Samantha conceded, "But why would Kelly and her mother start poisoning people -- especially us?"

"I don't think that Kelly Nguyen poisoned anyone. Not intentionally, at least". I got a full round of raised eyebrows from Kiwiphile, Elisheva & Samantha with that comment.

"Out with it, Jadzia," Kiwiphile said. I had the feeling that she was going to get a kick out of my next little theory.

"Well, keeping our minds open to extreme possibilities, what if Kelly somehow has an ability to project emotions through her . . . cooking?" Before my fellow agents could have me taken into the hospital for a psych evaluation, I continued. "Samantha and I have both seen that Kelly is a very emotional young woman and that she's going through a lot right now. From our interviews with her, I think that she honestly doesn't have a clue if the restaurant' being used for smuggling, and she doesn't seem like the type to go around poisoning people. The emotions that people have experienced after eating food or drink that Kelly prepared, though, are the types of emotions that one has after a severe relationship break up -- anger, guilt, sadness, depression. What if Kelly has some sort of psychokinetic ability that alters the makeup of food or drink to produce the kind of chemicals that we've found?"

"But what about Kiwiphile's giggling attack?" Elisheva asked.

"We don't know when that altar was assembled. Maybe Kelly made the contents of the pot when she was really happy instead of really upset? And the contents were really concentrated since they had boiled down -- maybe to the point that it didn't have to be ingested, just inhaled. Or maybe Kiwiphile came into contact with something in the house and didn't realize it. This is still a theory. I'm working on the details," I answered with a wry grin. At least they hadn't called for a strait jacket . . . yet.

"But how would this explain the local agents' impersonations of Mike Tyson?" Kiwiphile asked.

"That's one of the details I was referring to," was the only answer I had.

SAC Jadzia

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Kiwiphile

"Just what I always wanted to do," I muttered. "A pier. Alone. With kidnappers and murderers. Where's my Kevlar vest? It won't matter. They'll probably shoot me in the head."

AD Skinner would have *my* head over this one, but I had volunteered after the fact to meet the kidnappers. They had called and asked for me, so I would go and meet them. Meeting them, though, did not entail a complete capitulation with their demands.

"Okay, we're set," I spoke softly and heard the confirming voice in my ear. I was wearing a lightweight body mike, a Kevlar vest, and a small receiver in my ear, and I was walking into the situation apparently alone. There wasn't time to pull together a lot of local back-up, but we had secured the help of the available SWAT-team members. I had retrieved my phone from Kiwiphile just in case I reached the rendezvous and then was called with more instructions.

"Okay," SAC Jadzia gave me a stern look. "The kidnappers are not afraid to shoot law enforcement officials. We do not want to add to the list of casualties or kidnapped persons here, Agent SamanthaJ3. Do you understand me?"

"That's a very good impersonation of AD Skinner," I nodded, smiling slightly.

"Sam," Elisheva growled at me in her own impersonation of AD Skinner. Then she winced and touched her jaw and her voice went back to its normal tones. "No heroics. You go in. If you don't see the women, demand proof that they're alive and in good health. If you do see them, then somehow maneuver them and yourself out of the line of fire."

"It's not the first time I've handled a situation like this," I reminded her. "And what if the kidnappers are upset that I don't have the book with me?" I thought I might as well ask about that little detail before I headed out into the situation.

"Then tell them we're not as stupid as they are," Kiwiphile retorted. "Tell them that it's being held downtown for evidence. Tell them that you need more time to get it. That book may be the only thing keeping the Nguyen women alive at this point, and if we can schedule another rendezvous and follow them after this one, that gives us more time to find the women and rescue them without incident."

"Without incident," I smiled and agreed. Local SWAT team members had concealed themselves as close to the rendezvous point as possible, but there was a large gap of space where I would be on my own. The location was good for the kidnappers. They could easily see if I had brought a lot of friends with me.

"Let's do it," I nodded and looked at my fellow Agents. I realized - not for the first time - that they were also my very dear friends, but now was not a good time to be sentimental. Concentrate. I very definitely wanted to come out of this alive, hostages alive and rescued, kidnappers in custody. Concentrate.

Glancing at my watch, I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and headed towards the nearest approach to the pier where I was slated to meet the kidnappers.

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: SamanthaJ3

I begged, I pleaded, I insisted, but all to no avail. SAC SamanthaJ3 was driving to the meet on her own. Jadzia finally relented and allowed me to accompany a SWAT unit. I could have hugged her and Elisheva, but instead I ran towards the SWAT unit before they could change their minds. I was wired up along with Sam, and I knew that Elisheva and Jadzia would monitor both our progress and the search at the Nguyens household.

I tried to get my thoughts in order before arriving at the ports. This case had me run ragged. A fact not helped by every second e-mail I received being one from Agent Foxphile. '9:25 am, Willmore has coffee. 9:34 am, Willmore picks teeth and stares out window.' I wondered if her work was suffering. The last one was an offer to put him on 24 hour 'Valentine surveillance' whatever the hell that was. Apparently she noticed him browsing in a card shop at the local mall. Pushing it to one side, I pondered our case.

The involvement of large scale smuggling seemed logical. But why would those smugglers allow the herbs to be used in such an obvious way. I thought about SAC Jadzia’s theory. I was as open minded as the next person, and I loved 'like water for chocolate', but it was a stretch for me all the same. If her effect on the diners was intentional, she wouldn't have been much use to a covert illegal smuggling ring.

I wondered if someone had stolen something from the smugglers. The whole thing had the feel of an inside wrangle that we had unwittingly stumbled into.

We arrived. I partnered up with a SWAT guy named Gunson, who walked and talked like GI Joe. I promised myself to karate kick him if he called me 'Red' again, I'd let him get away with it on introduction. We tucked ourselves out of sight, and I watched with a lump in my throat as SAC Samantha got out of her car and stood in the headlights.

Nothing happened for several moments, then a dark, late model car rolled into view, its headlights off.

Samantha stood her ground. The passenger side door of the sedan opened and a young man emerged, he walked to the back of the car and opened the door, indicating that she should get in. I knew she wouldn't, would she? But I crossed my fingers all the same. A few agonizing seconds passed, and Samantha took first one, then another step closer to the sedan, her hands thrust into her pockets. I knew she would have her gun ready, but I trained my rifles sights onto the drivers side window. If that car moved one inch, the driver was a dead-man.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Kiwiphile

I took three steps towards the dark sedan, and then I stopped. I was keeping my movements slow and non-threatening. I was also very conscious of the mike in my ear since a voice was coming through very clearly, "Negotiate, Sam, but don't get in the damn car."

I wasn't quite sure which of my fellow agents had said that, but I knew that they were right. I started walking until I was close enough to the second car to talk without yelling to man standing beside the sedan.

"Where are the two women?" I asked.

"Safe," his answer was brief, although I detected no sense of nervousness. This man wasn't afraid of me or whatever backup he thought I might have. Bad sign. He continued, "Get in the car, please."

"That wasn't part of the deal," I replied, my voice steady. Skinner would be proud of my 'by the book' approach up to this point.

The man shook his head. "I will not argue," he replied. Only the faintest touch of an accent tinged his speech, and I wondered if the mike were able to pick up the sound. "You will get into the car, or the two women are dead."

"What's to keep me from arresting you and finding the Nguyen women later?" I parried.

"If I do not call a number within another five minutes, one of the women is shot."

Either he had prepared his dialogue before he arrived, or he was telling the truth. That left me less than five minutes to make a decision. That also meant either there was at least one more man involved in this kidnapping (the two in the car, plus a third guarding the hostages), or else these men weren't worried about Kelly and her mom escaping.

"How do I even know that Mrs. Nguyen and Miss Nguyen are still alive?" I tried to stall. "I want to talk with them."

The man stood with his hands clearly visible. "I'm pulling out a phone. Do not shoot."

I nodded my head that I understood, and I hoped all the teams covering me had heard him, too.

He pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number, and spoke briefly into it. Then he walked around the car, came closer, and handed the phone to me. I accepted it and put the phone to my ear without the receiver. I hoped this wouldn't cause feedback from my own traveling sound system, but I heard an unmistakable whine as I brought the phone to my ear.

The driver of the car shouted something which I couldn't understand and quickly turned on the car's headlights. I was nearly blinded by the sudden glare, and I assumed it might have the same effect on some of the SWAT team members. I felt a sudden arm around my throat, something hard and metal pressed against my left ear, and a male voice loud enough to be heard by the mike I was wearing.

"If you try to shoot the tires or detain us, the hostages die, and so does this agent."

I slumped to the ground to try and make it harder to drag me into the car, but the man holding me was very strong, and by now I had determined that it was a gun barrel sticking against my head.

"He's armed," I also spoke loudly for the mike. "Don't risk the hostages on this one."

I knew that my fellow agents would try and salvage the situation, but I wasn't sure what they could do at the moment.
Lives were at stake, mine included, and I could only wait to see what would happen to determine my next move.

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: SamanthaJ3

"Oh sh*t," I exclaimed as the scene unfolded before our eyes. "They've got Sam!" No matter how much training an agent receives at the academy, or how may negotiations one takes part in, it never gets easier and now I was watching one of the Bureau's best agents and one of my best friends being dragged into a car with a gun pointed at her head!

Jadzia and I immediately removed the head pieces and headed out the door of the van. (I'm assuming here that we were in the traditional surveillance van) We watched from our vantage point as Sam's body slipped into the back seat of the sedan. Was Kiwi going to take a shot at the driver? Gosh, I hope not. They would take out Sam in the same heartbeat.

"Jadzia, what the h*ll do we do now?" I whispered. If anyone could think on her feet, it was SAC Jadzia.

"Follow my lead." She whispered in return as she began to scurry below the brush line towards the pier. "We're going to have to make this up as we go Agent Elisheva. Agent Samantha is our first priority."

I followed closely behind and as we neared Samantha's location, we drew our guns from our holsters and made ready for whatever would happen next.

SAC Elisheva

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

*Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!', I screamed as the car containing Sam roared off. Gunson looked at me in admiration, 'Hell, Red, you swear like a trooper!'

I fixed him with a gaze that would melt an ice-flow in Alaska.
'Call me Red again and I'll put that smile on the other side of your face!' To my chagrin, he looked flattered. What is it with these gung-ho macho guys and uppity women?

'I ran down to Sam’s car. Flipping out my 'phone I speed dialed Elisheva, and before she could answer I started to talk. 'I'm following that sedan, catch up with me if you can. Stuff the low-profile, if Skinner wants my head over this I'm making damn sure that Samantha will be alive to deliver it to him.'

I hung up and hoped Gunson would be true to his word, he had promised to get a helicopter to locate the sedan and tail it long enough for me to find it. He was, getting the location I swerved left and cut through some back-lots, hoping that my pay-cheque would cover the mangled chain-link fences I left in my wake.

I managed to tail the car down the expressway, until it turned off and entered a deserted warehouse lot. Lights off, I put on my night goggles and watched as Sam was bundled through the front door. The car disappeared around the back. Calling Elisheva again to let her know where we were at, I checked my Sig was loaded and grabbed the Swat rifle I'd kept in my hand earlier. It would be better as a long-range weapon, and the automatic fire-power may come in handy.

On foot I half-ran, half stumbled down an embankment to the side of the warehouse, hoping to find a way in un-noticed.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Elisheva

The kidnappers were very bright. The driver sat very low in his seat, the kidnapper -- with his gun still jammed against my head -- kept a low profile. Me -- I was sitting upright for the first few minutes of our wild car ride until we took a very fast corner and my head smacked against the side of the car.

"Oww..that's not good," I muttered and wondered if this man would be stupid enough to point his gun into my midsection where I knew I stood a chance of survival, although at this close range the bullet also stood an excellent chance of making it through the layers.

"That was stupid," the man whispered to me. He frisked me one handed and located my gun which he tossed into the front seat of the car. Then he found the telltale wire of the mike I was wearing and ripped it free, splitting the left shoulder of my blouse in the process. I remained perfectly still, though, as I still had the small receiver in my ear. I didn't know if it would come in handy, but I didn't want to reveal its existence.

"Well, you know," I was trying to maintain my attitude here. "Bureau policy says that we want to resolve a situation like this with a minimum of bloodshed, and since you said come alone..."

"Shut up," he whispered and taking my handcuffs he secured my hands behind my back. Damn.

"What's the matter?" I taunted him. "Are you afraid of a woman?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," he told me with a calm voice and a composed demeanor.

I believed him.

We arrived at a building which I didn't recognize, but I was unfamiliar with most of Oakland. I was quickly pushed inside the building, but I had ever faith in the abilities of my fellow agents to locate me.

"You could still make a deal," I tried to tell the two men as they shoved me towards a dark door. "Just let us go, and we can negotiate..."

I fell forward onto my face as I was shoved into a dark room. The door slammed behind me. I waited a moment until I heard only my own breathing and silence. My left shoulder had taken the brunt of the fall, and I rolled over onto my stomach for a moment to think.

Head...hurt from hitting the side of the car, but I didn't feel anything warm and sticky on my face. Shoulder...hurt like hell from hitting a concrete floor.

It was probably too much to hope that the kidnappers had placed us all in the same room, but... "Hello?" I called softly. "Mrs. Nguyen? Kelly?"

SamanthaJ3

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: SamanthaJ3

I wondered how long Elisheva and Jadzia would take. I had switched my 'phone off, since Nokia mobiles made an irritating beep even on silent call, and I didn't want to attract any attention. There was a side door to the building. Putting my ear to the wall, I couldn't hear anything on the other side.
Pulling out my lock-pick, I prayed again to my faithful, overworked saint and opened the door.

So far so flying by the seat of my pants lucky. I found myself in a narrow corridor that had unused offices off to each side. I shut the door behind me, leaving it unlocked for the others if they found it. In the darkness, I slid along the wall, gun out and ready.

Time to look in those offices. There was a window in each door, and they were all filled up with crates and boxes. Chinese characters were written on several. Not wanting to go out into the main warehouse, I looked into the final office. There was a second door in one corner, unlocking it I saw a flight of concrete stairs. At the bottom was a small iron door.

Carefully I started to pick the lock, hoping it was the room Sam or the Nguyens were in. Behind me I heard voices approaching. I looked back up the stairs and heard the lock being opened. Damn! I looked up, the stairway ended in a small square area of floor. It was a long shot, but one captured agent was enough. Using the door-frame as leverage I managed to climb up and wedge myself like a starfish by the ceiling, my hands and legs pushed up hard into the corners.

Two men came down the stairs and stood underneath me. They spoke Chinese to each other, I was no expert, but it sounded like Cantonese, Hong Kong accents. Whatever they were doing, I wished they would hurry up, my arms were starting to burn from the strain of lifting and pushing.....

SA Kiwiphile

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Jadzia

To: Kiwiphile

Elisheva and I entered the warehouse, and heard the sound of voices coming from past a row of office doors. Guns drawn, we headed toward the lighted doorway we saw ahead. Elisheva took the left side of the door, and I took the right; she went in low and I went in high as we yelled, "Freeze!!! FBI!"

The men at the bottom of the stairway immediately went for their guns, and more colorful phrases went through my mind. Before anyone could fire a shot, though, something dropped on top of the men and took them both down. It was a development that surprised the heck out of the thugs and myself and Elisheva. After a split second of utter shock, though, we recognized Agent Kiwiphile and took off down the stairs to help cuff the men.

SAC Jadzia

~

Jan. 31, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Jadzia

There is only so long that a person can stay wedged up against a tiny ceiling, my left leg was cramping, the newly healed gunshot wound in my side was screaming, the rifle slung over my shoulder was increasing exponentially in weight, and a huge bead of sweat was about to fall smack bang in the middle of one guys head. With relief I saw Elisheva and Jadzia come barreling down the stair well.

Dropping like a fly, I landed in a heap on top of the two men. There was a moments struggle, and we had them under control.

We opened the door to find Samantha sitting in the middle of the room, bound and gagged.

Winded, I sort of shuffled over to Samantha and untied her. I left the gag until last, and immediately wished that I could put it on Elisheva given the first words out of her mouth.

'Agent Kiwiphile, where was your back-up! Do you have any idea how stupid it is to come into an unknown situation without assistance?'

It lasted about two minutes, I was ready to lay down and cry Uncle when she stopped. 'Oh, and well done, Kiwi, that was quite a surprise tactic.'

The two men were coming around. I cuffed them together to a drainpipe. 'We need to call an ambulance for this one,' I said, looking at the man I'd landed on. I think his arm was broken.

There are at least two more men here, maybe more. It will have to wait until the place is secure.' replied Jadzia

'Have you seen Kelly and her mother?' I asked. I was getting ready to wrap this case up, I didn't know how much more punishment my body could take.

Samantha shook her head no. 'They must be in another room.' I passed her the rifle I had seconded from the SWAT team. As she took it, we heard footsteps approaching down the stairs. We all swung towards the door, ready to fire.

SAC Jadzia

~

Feb. 1, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Jadzia

We all froze as we heard the footsteps approaching. They seemed to stop at the top of the stairs...and for a long moment there was silence. Jadzia and I were closest to the door and we again poised them in readiness as Samantha and Kiwi made sure the prisoners didn't make a sound. We all held our breath as we anticipated the next move of the unknown person. I swear I could hear the ticking of the second hand on my watch, it was so quiet.

And as unexpectedly as they had approached, the footsteps turned and faded into the distance.

"What the hell was that all about?" Kiwiphile asked.

"I don't know," answered Samantha, "but let's count our blessings and get a move on finding the Nguyens."

"What are we going to do with these guys in the mean time?" Kiwiphile said motioning to the prisoners with a turn of her head. "We don't want them to draw any unnecessary attention down here. Shall I give them a good wack up side the head so they will go nighty night for a good long time?"

"I don't believe that will be necessary, Agent Kiwiphile." I took off the belt from my trench coat and handed it her. "Here, use this to gag one of them and use yours for the other."

Kiwi started to object.

"Sorry mate, but you will just have to make the sacrifice. You can list it on your expense report and get a new one later." I impatiently explained.

For a brief moment, I wanted to apologize for the lecture I had given her earlier, but I decided against it. Better to be thought of as anal retentive than loose what respect I had gained. I knew Agent Kiwiphile hated my lectures, but I truly felt it was part of my duty...plus it just comes naturally! (OOC: just ask my kids!)

Relieved that Agent Samantha had been located and was safe, the prisoners were secured, and we had sufficiently regrouped, we began to concentrate on our next objective...find the Nguyens. We climbed back up the flight of stairs, hesitating slightly as we approached the top. We then turned and cautiously headed down a long hall. There were numerous doors lining the hall, and as we passed each we would stop and listen for any movement within.

Once we reached the end of the corridor, we found it branched off into two directions. "We're going to have to split up here. Kiwi, why don't you come with me." I whispered to the others. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

Kiwi and I walked several yards before we came upon a double door. It was slightly ajar and we could hear voices from inside...male voices. Whispering, I said to Kiwi, "You can put away your lock pick Kiwi, we're in luck." She looked disappointed.

Peering through the crack I could see a large room, obviously a warehouse. Inside were countless numbers of crates neatly lined up, each reading the words, HANDLE WITH CARE and the characters, Xiao Xin which basically convey the same message. I couldn't see the men who were speaking, but judging from their voices there were at least two of them, just as Kiwi had mentioned before.

"What are they saying?" Kiwi asked.

"I'm not certain, but I do know it is not Chinese, Mandarin or Cantonese." I thought for a moment and said, "Vietnamese!?"

Before I could put another thought together, Kiwi was positioned for entering the room and giving me the finger countdown. When Sam told me this girl likes action, she really meant it! Her fingers were dropping as she mouthed the words..."5...4...3...2...1..." I kicked the door open and Kiwi went in first, gun high. "Federal Agents, no one move!" she yelled as she swung her firearm from left to right in search of the source of the voices. I followed immediately behind her, also surveying the room. Our sights were drawn to the far corner, where two men - both of Asian origin, one young, late twenties early thirties and well dressed, and the other a stalky middle aged man, were standing motionless, obviously startled. We had caught them by surprise! We had the advantage, or so I thought. We started slowly working our way towards them.

"Identify yourselves!" I demanded. They gave no response. The older man stared at me with cold dark eyes. Instinctively I knew he was going to draw a weapon. Before I could finish thinking the words, he had drawn a gun from behind him and was about to point it straight at us. "Drop your...." I started. There was no time! My mind and my trigger finger moved in unison. I pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. As he stumbled backwards from he impact of my bullets, he fired his gun once before hitting the ground. As the bullets flew, the younger man moved behind a stack of crates.

"Kiwi, you okay." I asked without looking in her direction.

"Yea, I'm fine."

Not knowing if the young man was armed, we quickly moved behind the nearest crate. Having not seen Christian Phong's before, I wondered if this was him.

SAC Elisheva

~

Feb. 1, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: ALL

Having positioned ourselves behind the crate, I turned to Kiwiphile. Her arm was bleeding.

"Damn it Kiwi, I thought you said you were okay!"

"Don't go anal on me Ellie, it's just a flesh wound. Nothing a little band-aid and a kiss from Craig won't fix."

"This is NOT the time for joking Agent Kiwi!"

"Yea, sure, whatever..." she mumbled flatly.

With my back pressed up against the crate, the gears in my head were turning once again. I slowly began to stand up, just enough to look over the top of the crate, gun ready. "I'm a federal agent and I am armed. Move into the open and show yourself!" I shouted, the sound of my voice bouncing off the high ceilings of the warehouse.

Nothing happened. Not a sound. I began to repeat myself. "I'm a federal agent and I'm armed. Move..."

Gun fire rang out and I dropped behind the crate again.

"Cover me," Kiwi said as I followed her gaze to the stack of crates about 5 yards away. I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

As Kiwi made her move, I resumed my position and began shouting further instructions in the direction of our unknown opponent. "Lay down your weapon..." More gun fire whizzed past my head. Sh*t, I thought to myself, what a job!

We had to draw him out from his position.

Suddenly there was the sound of a heavy door opening and closing. It must be the exit door in the back of the warehouse, I thought to myself.

Kiwi looked across the distance between us with a look of bewilderment. She mouthed the words, "Jadzia?...Samantha?"

I said a third prayer to Kiwi's saint that it WAS them!

SAC Elisheva

~

Feb. 1, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

There was no time to think, and my left hand was getting slippery with blood. I didn't even remember being hit. But with all the scars I was gathering, I could see myself in the scene from Jaws where they play one-up on each other.

If it wasn't Samantha and Jadzia, who had entered, then so be it. I eyed the stack of crates that hid Christian, (if that was who it was), and gave them a hefty kick. There was a crash as they fell, and a muffled 'oomph' from the hidden gunman.

I looked back to Elisheva, who was emerging from her cover. There had been no sound from the mystery guests, and we both backed up to each other, our guns trained in each direction.

'Federal Agents! Drop your weapons and come out into the open!'

With relief I recognized Samantha's voice. 'It's us!' I replied. While the others met, I walked over to the crates and dragged the young man out from under them. He was off the clock for now I thought. I wondered why we didn't carry more than one set of cuffs, I was running out of items of clothing to tie the bad guys up with. I disarmed him and sat on his chest. At least he'd be warm.

Elisheva looked over at me, frowning slightly. 'Agent Kiwiphile, sitting on the prisoner could be construed as cruel and unusual treatment'

I stood up, using the belt of my trench-coat to tie his hands behind his back. I wasn't quite sure how to take that last remark, but it was worrying that without my belt, my trousers hadn't slipped down an inch.

Samantha wasted no time in telling us they had found the women, but that the room they were in had a steel door with double combination locks. If we wanted to break in we would need a torch-cutter. They had encountered the other men and shot one, the older man had escaped into the building.

'He won't get far, there's police surrounding the place, but flushing him out could be problematic.' said Jadzia.

I agreed, this warehouse was like a Chinese puzzle.

Elisheva took charge. 'Lets split up again. Samantha, Jadzia, you get some back-up onto opening that door, Kiwi; follow me.'

Time to catch the Tiger, I thought, making a note to light a candle for my Saint when I got home.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Feb. 1, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: ALL

We scouted the building quietly, systematically trying doors. I was surprised to notice that the warehouse smelled good, sort of floral...
My heart missed a beat. 'Elisheva?,' I whispered, 'I think we overlooked bringing a vital piece of equipment.'

'What’s that, Agent Kiwiphile?'

I looked up at the air-conditioning ducts, 'Gas masks', I replied, hoping that that scent wasn't what I thought it was.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: Samantha

To: ALL

I had secured the assistance of the local police department who were working to secure the freedom of the two Nguyen women. This case had gone well past inexplicable homicide at this point. SAC Jadzia had been called outside to confer with one of the local police officials, so I was standing as close as I could while the rescue efforts were underway.

"She's back there," I heard a voice and for some reason, I looked up just then to see the unmistakable broad shoulders and familiar trench coat turning slightly to maneuver through a narrow spot in the hallway. I found myself looking up at Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

"Sir," I drew myself up as straight as possible and nodded. "SAC Jadzia is outside--"

"Yes, I know," he nodded his head without looking directly at me. "I spoke with her, and she gave me a brief update on the current status of the investigation." He looked towards the still closed door. "Do we believe that the two women are alive and well?"

"Physically, yes, sir," I nodded and sniffed the air. In addition to the burning smell from the torch, I also smelled a faint floral note, but it would be rude to ask the AD about his choice in cologne that day. "I'll have the paperwork in order by the time we return to Washington, but this case has developed into something far more insidious than I had initially anticipated. The international side of the case presents several questions of jurisdict--"

"Yes, I know," Skinner had a habit of rarely allowing me to finish my sentences, but we had settled that point long ago. He sniffed the air. "SAC Samantha, do you smell something...floral?"

"I thought it was..." This time I didn't finish my own sentence as we both looked at each other for a brief moment. I yanked out my phone and dialed Jadzia. "We have to evacuate the building NOW. Possible chemical agent in the main ventilation. Get a hazmat team out here to assess the situation, and contact all teams to get them out of the building until we know it's clear."

"I'm on it," Jadzia replied in her unflappable and reliable style.

"Move!" Skinner flashed his badge at the nearest officer in charge of the rescue operation. "How much longer until you can reach them?"

"Another ten seconds."

We stood there and waited. I couldn't decide what was better. Shallow breathing, or trying to hold my breath. The man with the torch finished his job. The door came down. The police officers went in and hauled out the two Nguyen women who appeared disoriented but otherwise unharmed.

"Move," somebody yelled, and I started heading for the nearest exit, my eyes traveling between the distance to the door and the rest of the group.

SamanthaJ3

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: ALL

Elisheva and I had covered our mouths and noses with our sleeves. This wasn't going to work for long. I racked my brains, what had she said about synergy? Maybe we needed to be exposed to something else for this to take effect. maybe not. I looked up the hallway and had an idea. There was a fire closet and I ran up to it.

It was locked, which broke at least five different city and state safety laws. Aiming my gun I suggested that Elisheva clear out of the way and I shot the lock off. I was relieved to feel the bullet ricochet off past my head. A little too close for comfort.

At least the cupboard was stocked, probably because it was locked. Apart from a fire axe and a hose, there were four breathing masks. It was possible that the filters weren't the right type for the chemicals we wanted to avoid, but it had to better than just our sleeves.

We slipped them on, and started to wind our way back out through the corridors. We had three more turns to go, I calculated, until we reached the cell where the Nguyens women were being held. Elisheva was ahead of me by five or so paces. I felt something behind me, a light brush at first, then slowed to a stop when I realized that something hard and round was being pressed into my back.

'Hands in the air Agent, and drop your weapon slowly.'

I complied, trying to get a look at my assailant as I did. I earned myself a swift crack to the side of my brow for it, and staggered slightly seeing stars.

Elisheva had turned when she heard the voice, and was motionless, holding her gun up.

'Lower your weapon and find your superior. I want you to tell the police that I will shoot this Federal Agent unless I am allowed to leave unhindered.'

I couldn't see who it was, Elisheva must have though. She nodded and started to head out towards the main door. I was slowly maneuvered along behind her, the gun now at my temple. He had cocked the trigger, and I hoped he was steady on his feet, because one false step and my career were on permanent hold.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: Kiwiphile

I turned to look behind me. There was a familiar voice coming from her direction that had caught my attention.

Mr. Wang, the chef that I had interviewed back in Phoenix, had Kiwi in his grasp with a gun to her head. "Lower your weapon and find your superior. I want you to tell the police that I will shoot this Federal Agent unless I am allowed to leave unhindered." His voice revealed the extent of his nervousness.

Sh*t! had become my favorite word during the case. It was usually exclaimed when Kiwi was in a 'situation', which seemed like...ALWAYS.

"Mr. Wang, there is no need to use excessive force. I will do everything in my power to get you out of the building without any interference. But you must let Agent Kiwi go, now!" Would negotiations work?

Mr. Wang pressed the barrel of his gun harder against Kiwi's temple and threw me an evil glare. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face, a noticeable shake in the hand holding his gun. This was the look of a man that was desperate but determined. I guess I got my answer. Negotiations were not the answer at the moment.

I turned and began leading the way to the main entrance. The thought briefly crossed my mind to lead him in another direction but I didn't want to run the risk that he might be familiar with the building and call my bluff.

Still walking a good five to six paces ahead of Mr. Wang and Kiwi, I began to lengthen my stride hoping to get just a little more distance between us before I turned the final corner. Agent Kiwiphile must have noticed the minute change in my stride and started to struggle in the hopes of giving me more of an advantage. I knew there would be a variety of law enforcement both inside and outside the entrance and I knew once Mr. Wang saw what he was up against, it would break his tenuous grasp on sanity.

I turned the corner and quickly backed up against the wall. I quickly turned to the left and caught Samantha's eyes. We had come to know each other so well, my one look conveyed my every thought.

I turned my gaze back to the corner and counted the final steps as Wang and Kiwi approached the corner. 6...5...4... I heard scurrying to my left...3...I clinched my right fist and said yet another prayer...2...they rounded the corner..."DOWN!" I yelled as Kiwi simultaneously followed my order and with every ounce of strength I had, I threw a punch straight at Wang’s head!

It was like watching a movie in slow motion. Wang instantly staggered from the force of my blow...a bullet discharged from his gun...Kiwi rolled her body, knocking him completely off balance and dropping him to the floor...the sound of voices shouting orders and footsteps rushing up from behind...the sight of Wang's gun skidding across the floor as Kiwi kicked it out of his reach......

I lunged to the floor to help Agent Kiwi subdue Wang.

"Ellie, since I seem to have already used my single pair of handcuffs AND my belt today, would you mind handing me your set." I reached into the pocket of trench coat to locate them as a hand extended from over my shoulder and handed her a pair.

I didn't turn to look who it was.

"Agent Kiwi, I guess I don't need to ask you if you are alright, do I?"

Her response was a Cheshire cat grin.

I then fixed my attention on Wang. Only half coherent, he was mumbling something in Chinese. I listened, straining to understand the word.

"Agent Toews, do you understand what he is saying?" a stern voice questioned from behind. I turned towards the direction it had come from and was met with the gaze of A.D. Skinner as he knelt directly behind me. Jadzia and Samantha standing just to my right. It never entered my mind to question why he was there...I just seemed natural.

"Ummm, most of it I can't make out...he is too out of it. The only thing I could make out was...," I hesitated. I understood the words themselves but momentarily pondered what they meant in the context of this case.

"Agent Toews..." Skinner's intense gaze drawing me out of my thoughts.

"Ummm, he's saying," I began, " 'I told my son this was a mistake.' " I finished my translation more as a question than a statement. A son. Wang had never mentioned a wife or children in our interview.

Our gaze stayed locked. "Sir, I don't know *if* or *how* his words tie to this case." Again I hesitated. "But I do have a theory."

SAC Elisheva

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Elisheva

AD Skinner stood, hands on his hips, looking down at the scene before him. "Agent Toews," he began then stopped and looked away for a long moment as if thinking deeply about something. Then he faced Elisheva again. "Agent Toews, if you have a theory, let's have it and get this man into custody."

He gave us one of his patented surly glances. "Then after we have secured this location, I want to emphasize that any further activity on this case will be done by the book or it will *not* be done by agents acting under my jurisdiction. Is this clearly understood?"

I nodded my own head and started to say something, but one glare from the Assistant Director silenced me. I turned to Elisheva expectantly. "Make it a good theory," I whispered and for some reason I couldn't resist adding, "and for Pete's sake, make sure it's a by-the-book theory."

AD Skinner paused, but he did not comment, so I wasn't sure if he had heard my little remark or not.

Jadzia caught it, and I saw her mouth twitch as she tried not to laugh.

SamanthaJ3

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: Elisheva

To: ALL

Skinner stood up and extended his hand, helping me get to my feet. I looked among the various law enforcement personnel that had gathered around Wang. Where was Kiwiphile?

Oh, there she was, having a conversation with Gunson. Her arms were waving around in the air as she was obviously conveying her most recent experiences. Gunson appeared totally enthralled with her tale.

"And what is your theory Elisheva?" Jadzia asked, as we moved to a more quiet area of the foyer.

"It is a work in progress at this point, but here is what I am thinking." I looked from face to face in our small circle, hoping they wouldn't think I was *reaching*.

"What if, and I'm just saying what if, Wang is Christian Phong's father. It wasn't uncommon during the Cultural Revolution for families in China to try and get their family members out of the country. What if Wang sent his family to Malaysia and they eventually immigrated to Vietnam after the war. Wang's family changed their family name in Vietnam in order not to draw attention to themselves. Wang stayed behind in China and continued on with the family business in herbal medicine. Once China opened to the west, and travel became easier, Wang located his family and renewed their ties. Enter Professor Markham. With his knowledge of pharmaceuticals and his experience with Wang treating his wife, he started getting the idea of using herbs for purposes other than healing. My guess is that Christian Phong was a bright and intelligent young man and served as the liaison between Markham and Wang...Money being the motivating factor for all of them."

"Then the incidents at the Da Chevett were controlled tests to study the results of whatever they were working on?" Agent Samantha asked.

I smiled at her. She indeed knew me well.

"You are just assuming that Phong is Wang's son, Elisheva." Jadzia piped in. "If he isn't, your entire theory hold's no merit."

"I know, Agent Jadzia, and if I'm wrong...well, then so be it. But this is the only idea I can come up with that would pull all of our loose ends together."

"Okay, lets work with Agent Elisheva's theory for now." A.D. Skinner stated flatly. "And where the hell is Agent Kiwi?" he said scanning the room.

All sets of eyes returned to Kiwi and Gunson, still standing together, talking. He had helped her remove her trench coat and was helping bandage her arm.

"Agent Kiwiphile!" Skinner growled. "I thought I told you to lay low on this case!" He evaluated the situation she was in at the moment and continued. "When you are done there, feel free to join us. We have a case that is still unresolved."

"Yes, Sir. Be there momentarily," she replied.

She walked over to our circle, but didn't say a word. No sense in digging herself a deeper hole than she was already standing in with Skinner.

"It's late. It has been a long day for everyone. I think it is best that we all return to the motel and get a few hours of sleep. In the morning, Agent Samantha, Agent Elisheva and I will pay Professor Markham a visit. Agent Jadzia and Agent Kiwi, you see if you can find a connection between Christian Phong and Mr. Wang." His orders were short, sweet and to the point. Yes his presence seemed very natural to me.

"Sir, excuse me, but I will need to go down to the police station to do the paperwork on tonight's events." I pointed out. "I will catch up with you and the others at the hotel in a few hours."

One last time our eyes met, and he nodded his head in approval.

I turned and saw Kelly and Mrs. Nguyen round the corner. They looked exhausted and frightened, but no worse for the wear. Kelly gave Samantha and Jadzia each a hug.

I gathered my thoughts and headed out to the car. I was stopped by an Oakland police officer. He informed me that the man that had been shot in the warehouse had died of his injuries and that I would need to file a report. I explained I was on my way down to the station even as we spoke. He left me standing in the cold northern California night air with the thought I had just killed a man. Not an easy thought to swallow. I had only killed a person one other time in my career and it had haunted me all of these years. Now I had another ghost to follow me throughout my life. I knew when I entered the Bureau that events like this were always a possibility. I also knew it would never be an easy aspect of my job to accept.

I fumbled for the keys in my coat pocket, my mind still deep in its reverie. Suddenly I felt a warm hand come to rest upon my shoulder. I jumped from the surprise of the unexpected touch.

"Agent Elisheva," Skinner said, dropping his hand from my shoulders I turned to face him. " Officer Jones just told me about the death of one of your suspects. Are you responsible for his death?"

I couldn't look into his eyes, so I looked towards the ambulance which was pulling up in the distance. "Yes Sir, I am responsible. It was a clear case of self..."

"I have no doubt about your reasons, Elisheva. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He smiled a familiar smile.

He knew me too well, even after all this time. "I'll be okay sir. It's part of the job." I half smiled. "I need to get going now sir, or I'll never get any sleep tonight. Excuse me."

He opened the door. I climbed behind the wheel and started the engine. He smiled once more as he closed the door behind me. Putting the car into drive, I slowly weaved through the chaos of vehicles, officers and a lone copter and made my way to the main road. A single tear trailing down my face.

SAC Elisheva

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Elisheva

I had gone back to the Comity Inn and my first instinct was to simply fall into bed. But I felt dirty from being hauled around as someone's prisoner, so I jumped in the shower first. I hated motel showers. The water was never quite warm enough, and there were never enough towels. But I still managed a quick shower and then climbed into my warm pajamas and turned on the TV. I really didn't want to watch anything, but I couldn't stand the sound of the own silent room. For some reason, it bothered me tonight.

Lying on the bed, the lights off, CNN flashing news stories even as I watched with the sound very low, I thought very deeply about the case on which we were working. I wasn't sure about all of the details yet, but that was a job for further research.

Then I thought about my own work in the Bureau. I knew that most of my own dossier had probably never been seen my fellow agents in the Y-Files Division. AD Skinner was familiar with my background, I knew that. He had wholeheartedly supported the transfer within the Bureau. I was supposed to be an 'asset' to the department, but I seriously wondered how much of an asset it could be to find yourself continually kidnapped. The next thing I knew, people would probably start knocking on my door at home...excuse me, can I kidnap you now before you get started on this case?

I knew that I was just overtired, but as I fell asleep with the news still on the television, I wondered just what I had to contribute to the department and my fellow agents.

SamanthaJ3

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: The Sandman

To: SamanthaJ3

As Samantha drifted into deep REM sleep, Elisheva appeared in her dreams. Elisheva was sitting behind A.D. Skinners desk, wearing his favorite suit, tie and glasses, twiddling his pen between her fingers. HIS voice came out of HER mouth.

"Agent Samantha Jaythree, it has come to my attention that you are having some self doubts about your position with the Bureau. I don't want to coddle your feelings of inadequacy Agent Samantha. Your fellow agents have come depend on you and your unique way of pulling them together and making them a coherent working unit. Your leader ship is invaluable to the Y-Files..."

The images in her mind's eye begin to shift. A.D. Skinner with a head full of hair replaces SAC Elisheva in the chair, wearing her favorite charcoal gray suit with a periwinkle shell underneath, tear drop shaped pearl earrings and smells of Bvlgari. HER voice comes from HIS mouth.

"Agent Samantha, I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't at the office every morning with your strong yet pleasant disposition. You ground us all when we start getting out of control. Let's be cliché here, you are the glue that holds the Y-Files together. If you hadn't been here when I first returned to the Bureau, I don't know if I would be here today. Just give it some time and there will be a case where you will shine far beyond the others and A.D. Skinner will reward you with THE MAN's highest honor..."

There is a sudden burst of bright light and Samantha awakes to find she is sitting up in bed, covered in a cold sweat.

"Gee, THAT WAS *WIERD*!" she mumbles to herself. Punching her pillow and adjusting her blankets, she settles into her bed and ponders the wierdness of her dream...

The Sandman

~

Feb. 2, 2000

From: Kiwiphile

To: Elisheva

A sudden feeling of tiredness enveloped me, and I stood away from the group trying to gather my thoughts. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to cry, maybe I was in some kind of delayed shock. I didn't notice Gunson arrive until he gave me a bone shuddering clap on the back.

'Hell, Red! You sure know how to pick a fight!'

Yeeha, I thought flatly, and resisted the urge to make good on my earlier promise if I heard that nick-name again. He talked nine to the dozen, my ears refusing to translate his Southern drawl. I wanted to say something nice. Instead I turned around and started to tell him what had happened, why it wasn't fun any more, and how good it would be if I could just have five minutes of peace and quiet to myself.

Bless the big lug, but he actually stood there and took the tirade. When he noticed the blood on my hand, he took off my coat and I just let him take care of me. It actually felt kind of good. I was reluctant to face Skinner. I'd kind of lost count of the property I'd mangled and destroyed today, but I knew he wouldn't have. Everyone was staring at us, so I expected that *someone* would be passing the news about my new friend around the office, it was bound to throw a curve into that betting pools odds.

When Skinner called me over, I stood quietly and listened to the orders. I wanted to ask if Craig had come with him, but I didn't want to say it out loud. My arm ached, my side ached, and hell my whole body ached. When the others started to leave the building, I trailed behind.

I watched Skinner talking to Elisheva, I guessed it was about the guy she had shot. I had a few of those ghosts at my dinner table as well. I tended to put those things in a box marked 'deal with later', but I knew I shouldn't.

Gunson left with the SWAT team, not before giving me a bear hug that lifted me off the ground. No easy feat as I'm five eight and a half.

I clumped up to Samantha’s car, and that’s when it hit me. I didn't have a hotel room key, I'd gone straight to work from the hospital. My trench-coat was locked in the warehouse where Gunson had laid it, and inside it were my cell-phone and the car keys.

Great, in one day not only had I been shot, had a gun held to my head, landed on a couple of very sharp-boned men, survived a car-wreck, and been treated for mania, but I was now apparently in the lost property box. I watched the blood start to seep out of Gunson's dressing again. There was nothing else to do; I sat on the ground and started to laugh long and loud, hoping that someone would come get me before I fell asleep in the deserted lot.

SA Kiwiphile

~

Feb. 3, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To: Kiwiphile

FBI Building
Washington, D.C. 8:57 a.m.
Desk of Special Agent Craig Willmore

Agent Willmore was sitting at his desk, phone in hand, mouth partially open in disbelief. "She did WHAT?" He listened and nodded his head, oblivious to the fact that the person on the other end of the call could not see his gestures or expressions.

His hand gripped the receiver more tightly. "Wearing WHAT? Are you positive?" He nodded his head again, his eyes bright, his face taut with concentration. "I see. Okay. Right."

Ending the call with the hard noise of two pieces of equipment being forcibly impacted against one another, Agent Willmore sat for one long quiet moment. Other agents in the nearby vicinity started to intervene, then taking another look at Willmore's face they immediately remembered other matters to which they must attend.

By now, Willmore was out of his chair, striding purposefully down the hallway to the open door of SAC FoxPhile. He stood in the doorway, a determined and rigid expression on his face. "I need a favor, and it is not negotiable. I want to be assigned to the Y-Files case Y-1077, and I want to be on the next flight to Oakland. This has nothing to do with any of the agents involved or on that damn betting pool I know you're running. I feel my presence is vital, and I'll tell Skinner myself if you won't sign the requisition."

SAC FoxPhile looked at Agent Willmore, and it was obvious that she couldn't decide whether to be angry or amused. Her irrepressible sense of humor asserted itself as she pulled some papers from a folder on her desk. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain agent who was caught on the Oakland PD's cameras wearing nothing but a robe, would it?"

Craig took a look at the pictures, his eyes growing even larger as he looked at them, including a very nice shot of Kiwiphile (now wearing clothes) being personally attended by an unidentified (but large) member of the Oakland SWAT team. "It's true then? The whole crazy story I heard on the phone this morning is true? Do you have any idea what happened in Oakland yesterday?"

"Sit down, Agent Willmore," SAC FoxPhile waved at the chair across from her desk. "Let's discuss this a moment before you go flying off the handle."

SamanthaJ3

~

Feb. 3, 2000

From: SamanthaJ3

To:  Kiwiphile

Jadzia nodded once to SAC SamanthaJ3 and AD Skinner. Then she walked over to where the Bureau's resident exchange officer was sitting on the ground.

"Come on, Agent Kiwiphile," SAC Jadzia leaned over and with a deft, but gentle move placed her hands beneath Kiwiphile's arms and hauled the agent to her feet. "Time to tuck you in for the evening. You know," Jadzia kept talking even as she turned Kiwiphile towards a waiting car, "New Zealand must be an awfully exciting country. We never would have had half the adventures in the Bureau lately, if it weren't for your dynamic presence."

If Kiwiphile was expecting either Jadzia or Skinner to ream her over the day's property destruction or wild escapades, she would be disappointed. Skinner was talking to some of the SWAT team members, and Elisheva and Samantha had already disappeared from the scene. Jadzia quickly checked the dressing on Kiwiphile's wound, muttering a comment about Gunson's ability to treat an injury.

"Do you want to go to the ER?" Jadzia asked the routine question and was greeted with another slight hysterical laugh and a shake of the head.

SAC Jadzia had far too much experience dealing with agents and the aftermath of a traumatic day to do anything more than remind Kiwiphile to fasten her seat belt as they pulled away from the warehouse. Driving towards the Comity, Jadzia kept up a warm and steady stream of conversation and simple questions until they reached the parking lot of the motel. "Wait here," Jadzia smiled as she left Kiwiphile alone in the car for a moment.

Kiwiphile had calmed down tremendously during the car ride, her slightly manic answers to Jadzia's questions coming quickly at first, but the slow, uneventful ride accompanied by Jadzia's steady, calming voice seemed to have a soothing effect.

"Here," Jadzia suddenly returned to the car. "Room 16. You don't even have to go upstairs. C'mon, Kiwiphile. I'd hate for you to tell everyone back home that we Americans aren't hospitable, even --" Jadzia made a wry expression, "if we are sticking you into a room at the Comity."

"I'll be fine," Kiwiphile assured Jadzia as the SAC gave her a warm, tired smile before heading towards her own room.

"I know. Good night, Agent Kiwiphile," Jadzia called as she left in search of her own room.

Kiwiphile looked at the telephone as if to call someone. She picked up the phone and pulled it onto the bed where she sat, then she climbed into the bed without even bothering to undress. Crawling beneath the sheets and bedspread, Kiwiphile was asleep before her head had settled into the pillow, the telephone beside her curled and sleeping body.

SamanthaJ3

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