| Subject: This I Offer 8/10 |
Author:
Athena4
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Date Posted: 19:18:50 03/06/02 Wed
In reply to:
Athena4
's message, "This I Offer" on 14:58:36 03/03/02 Sun
The sun glared down through the trees, creating eerie shadows on the pathway before her. The small copse of trees was on the far side of the garden, and Madeline had sought it out as soon as she’d passed through the gateway.
Her breath caught in her throat as she passed through to the other side of the grove. Rose bushes were packed tightly into the small space; yellows and reds standing out against white trellises, mottled crossbreeds offering a compelling mixture of colour against their green leaves. The petals were damp, round droplets shimmering in the sunlight.
“You shouldn’t be in this part of the garden.” The man’s voice came from behind her; from the copse of trees she had just left.
“I was looking for some solitude,” she began, turning towards the voice. She smiled broadly when the face came into view. “Martin,” she said, relaxing from her role. Looking back through the trees to ensure Martin hadn’t been followed, she continued. “It’s nice to see a familiar face. Paul left this morning.”
“I know,” he replied, pushing a hand through damp blonde hair. “We’ve been keeping track of who comes and goes.”
Martin took a few more steps into the rose garden. The usually pale Com officer had gotten some sun in the past few weeks. His skin had darkened to a dull bronze, and his dark eyes no longer seemed unnaturally large. She nodded in reply to his statement, once again happy that he’d been chosen as her on-site contact.
He’d been gathering and transmitting intel for several weeks already, posing as a gardener’s assistant within Ryker’s compound. Much of the information Paul and Madeline had used to infiltrate the organisation had come from Martin, and any additional observations she made would be transmitted to Section through him.
Pacing the short pathway between trees and the fence, she turned her thoughts back to the debrief, drawing on everything she had seen during her short time on-site. After filling Martin in on the layout of the house, she turned to more pressing matters. “Ryker wouldn’t say where he was sending Paul, or why. But Section knows enough about Ryker’s organisation to guess: arms or drugs… he’s into everything.”
“Section’s tracking Paul. We’ll figure out when and where the delivery is being made. That won’t be a problem. But we need to get to Ryker.”
Madeline paused, quickly scanning the garden again for any unwelcome presence. “Security’s tight,” she began, mentally accounting for the number of guards she’d seen. “Especially around Ryker himself. But, given the way he’s been leering at me – I’m sure I can get close.”
Martin was silent, so she raised her head. He was staring at her, a sly grin on his face. “He won’t know what hit him,” he said.
She smiled back at him, chuckling softly. Leave it to Martin to lighten things up. “No, I suppose he won’t.”
Martin’s smile faded as the sound of voices filtered through the trees. “Is there anything else?”
“Bring me some Wagner,” Madeline said, walking past Martin to listen more closely to the voices.
Martin was looking at her in confusion when she turned back towards him. “You hate Wagner.”
“Ryker loves him. If we have something in common, things might go a little quicker. Bring me a couple of tapes.”
The voices were getting closer. Martin nodded. “Got it.”
Without another word, Madeline slipped back through the trees, leaving Martin alone with the roses.
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