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sablelab · 4 years

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Covert Operations - Chapter 115

SYNOPSIS: Murtagh and Fergus make their way to the unrestricted area, but they run into Madeline on her way to Committee where Dougal and Colum are waiting for her. Fergus still has reservations, as they have one after the other mishaps along the way. Madeline is suspicious as to why they are there but they manage to present plausible reasons for being where they shouldn’t. She ponders if the two operatives were up to something or if it was just a coincidence that they were in the vicinity of a restricted area without clearance. Further on the boys run into Joe Abernathy.

Chapter 114 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

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CHAPTER 115

Murtagh and Fergus made their way from Systems taking the route that lead away from the common area. As they walked through the quiet hallways of Section One, the two men kept looking behind them from time to time on the lookout for any operatives who may be lurking. Thankfully they saw no one. They soon came to some stairs that led to a catwalk running over a long corridor. Climbing the flight of stairs, the two friends were about to cross over when they heard voices approaching from a distance. They stood on the catwalk listening to see if they could recognize who it may be. Merging into the shadows Murtagh and Fergus looked down over the railing from a height into an abyss of levels and corridors which seemed to flow endlessly down into the bowels of Section One. As they looked down to the next level, they saw the operatives come into view. Fergus was still a little jittery and he nearly dropped the computer component he’d taken out of his drawer on to the floor. Luckily however, he put it in his pocket, knowing that if he had dropped it, the devise would have resonated on the metal grill of the catwalk. The noise would have alerted all in sundry that someone was about to enter an area that was restricted to all but Madeline, Operations and Level 5 operatives. “That was close.” Fergus whispered to Murtagh. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, but I’m still a little jumpy.” “You’re doing fine,” he replied pleased that his friend hadn’t dropped his bundle completely at the first sign of being discovered. The two friends watched as the operatives passed under them oblivious to any one observing their movements. Although Murtagh and Fergus couldn’t quite hear the conversation between them, the two men were talking jovially. Just to be sure, they erred on the side of caution and waited until the men had disappeared from sight before continuing on their way. “Look we have nothing to hide ... if anyone asks, we’re collecting equipment. Okay?” “Okay.” “You’ll be fine … You’re with me. So come on, let’s go.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The two friends looked at each other, then walked down another of Section's main corridors. Murtagh was thankful that they’d managed to avoid any other operatives as they made their way to one of the secluded areas of Section One. It wasn’t long until they were quite alone with only their footfalls echoing in the quiet of their surroundings. “The elevator is just over there.” Fergus alerted as they rounded a corner and came to a wall which contained the secured elevator that would take them up to Level 5. However, just as Fergus was about to key in the access code, the doors to the lift suddenly opened. Madeline was in the elevator but her back was turned away from the door. Murtagh and Fergus got the shock of their lives to see her standing there and had to think quickly on their feet when she turned around and discovered they were where they shouldn’t be. As she turned around the two friends hurriedly pretended to leave in the opposite direction away from the elevator and down the corridor that headed to Systems and Munitions. Despite having much on her mind about why Colum Mackenzie was here, Madeline gave them a surprised glance when she looked up and noticed the two near the elevator. “Fergus! Don't you have the Uzbekistan mission to monitor?” He turned at the sound of his voice. “They're en-route. It goes live in twenty minutes.” He was scared at having been discovered and began to walk away, but stopped in his tracks when she addressed him again. “Good. Operations and I will be in Committee with Colum for at least that amount of time. We are not to be disturbed.” “Of course.” Madeline’s eyes then travelled to Murtagh remembering that he was with Fergus. “What are you doing here Fitzgibbons?” she inquired with a steely look. “Just stretching my legs with Fergus.” “I see,” she replied skeptically. “Don’t you have things to do too?” “Yep … as a matter of fact, that’s just what we were about to do.” “Very well. Carry on then,” Madeline ordered as she walked briskly in the opposite direction towards Committee and they walked the other way. The two friends stopped, however, once she had disappeared from sight and Fergus turned to his buddy. He could see that his buddy was really agitated with having been nearly discovered.

“I don’t like this Murtagh. That was really too close for comfort. Perhaps we should forget about it.” “Where’s your sense of adventure? And besides you heard what Madeline said. She told us to carry on.” “That’s not exactly what she meant and you know it Murtagh. You’re just being obtuse.” He smiled and gave Fergus a wily grin. “No, but it is open to interpretation. She obviously had other more pressing things on her mind than to worry about us being here or she would have said so.” “Madeline almost caught us. What if other things go wrong?” “Then you’ve got me to get you out of trouble.” “Or into it more likely!” He mumbled under his breath but loud enough for his friend to hear. Murtagh tried to convince Fergus that they were in the clear and shouldn’t have any more obstacles in their way. “Every adventure has a little mystery and danger to it. This is no different. Operations and Madeline will be in Committee for twenty minutes … that’s more than enough time to do what we have to do. We might even have time when we get back to go and see Jamie in Med Lab if we plan this right.” He looked at his buddy hoping that he had managed to convince him. “Look Fergus, I’d do it myself but you’re the expert. I need your help. I can’t do it alone.” Although Fergus stood his ground, Murtagh’s final plea had the desired effect. “Okay ... but if there’s a problem and we can’t access the Intel we’re outta there.” He nodded in agreement. “You’ve got my word.” In accord, they turned around and headed back towards the elevator once more and were soon in front of the metal doors set back into the wall, where they stopped and stared at the imposing, silver doors. To Fergus’s mind they could have been standing on the edge of a precipice … one they were just about to jump off from. He took a deep breath and quietly looked at his friend. On the other hand, Murtagh viewed it as an Aladdin’s cave … one full of treasures just waiting to be discovered. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Time to work your magic amigo,” he stated as Murtagh watched Fergus remove the electronic gizmo from his pocket. However, he didn’t use the device as he thought he would. “You sure you know what you’re doing?” Fergus gave him an assured look before tapping in a code on the walled keypad to the elevator. “Of course, I do.” It took a few moments but the doors suddenly slid open to reveal a sterile lift shaft. The two men entered the compartment and Murtagh turned back and cast a last look into the empty corridor just to make sure that they were not being followed. As the doors closed Fergus went to the keypad installed inside the elevator and coded in his destination and the access code. However, it was taking a little longer than he’d anticipated and he became a little edgy. “That can't be right,” he mouthed alarmed when the digits failed to activate the elevator. “What?” Murtagh looked at his friend. “What's going on?” Fergus was becoming a little testy as the elevator hadn’t moved. “Come on, come on, come on,” he implored impatiently staring at the unit on the wall as his fingers keyed in another series of numbers. Coming to stand next to him, Murtagh’s eyes scanned the keypad that Fergus was working on. “What’s the matter … … Don’t you have the right code?” The young techie continued to persevere but it seemed as if he’d miscalculated the access code. He looked at the screen. Red dots began to move closer together as an abort clock counted down on the screen.

“Murtagh, we've got a slight problem,” he stated in panic. That was certainly not what Fitzgibbons wanted to hear. They may have to abort before they even got started. “What are you gonna do?” Fergus Claudel was just on the verge of using the device he’d brought with him to override the code when he chanced to look at the screen again. “All right. Looks like converging trajectories on a timer,” he whispered speaking his thoughts out loud. “Can you override it?” As he spoke, Murtagh suddenly noticed something under the unit. “I see a power switch. Should I turn it off?” “No!” was Fergus’ firm reply. “I’m sure I can correct it.” He typed in another set of digits. “That should do it.” He watched as the screen gave off some other information, then Fergus tapped his finger to the screen in anticipation. “Come on, come on.” The suspense was killing him. The older operative watched the screen intently more than concerned that their Intel finding mission might be over before it even began. “Nothing’s happening.” “Just wait.” He replied becoming more confident by the moment as the red dots slowly disappeared one by one. “Fergus, it says 18 seconds!” “It'll work. The new numbers just have to filter through.”

Finally, the data was successfully downloaded into the elevator’s console. “All right! There it is.” Murtagh sighed, “Oh god. I hope that’s the last of our troubles.” “Me too.” Fergus failed to mention the fact that when certain things happened, they usually occurred in threes. They’d already had two mishaps. He just knew there was bound to be a third. He chanced a glance at Murtagh but from his friend’s demeanour it was obvious that he was oblivious to applying any significance to the last two events. He was just about to mention the probability of something else happening when they felt the elevator quickly soar upwards. The two friends then shared a look. Meanwhile ...

Madeline quickly hastened her step as she made her way to Committee where Dougal and Colum Mackenzie were waiting for her. After receiving the call from Operations to attend Committee, she’d informed him that she was on her way but that she also had some last-minute things to attend to on Level 5 that wouldn’t take long. No doubt Dougal was wondering where she was and would be chomping at the bit until she arrived. However, Madeline was really in no great hurry to get there because Colum’s visits seemed to raise Operations’ hackles and dealing with an irate leader was more than she needed at the moment. Whenever Colum arrived at Section One the tension in the air was always thick with antagonism between the two men as they loathed but tolerated each other. Just being in the same room was enough to send Section One’s leader into a tail spin. However, diffusing any volatile situation between the two antagonists was common place and something that she managed to do successfully. Hence when she arrived at Committee, her presence would ease the situation somewhat as it always seemed to calm Dougal’s ire at Colum’s unannounced visits. Madeline expected that the two men would be tapping their heels having run out of banal conversation by now, so she would need to prepare herself for a frosty reception from Operations when she arrived. Although not entirely unexpected, Colum’s visit couldn’t have come at a worse time. Keeping him out of the loop was an accomplishment they relished and one that was relatively easy to achieve, but if he decided to start poking around on this impromptu visit it could prove difficult. Had he heard that their two operatives had returned to Section and that Jamie was injured? Did he know the details about having them both inactive? Had someone relayed Intel to him at Oversight? It seemed suspicious that Colum usually managed to arrive when some event had occurred within 24 hours of it happening. If he had an informant at Section then that was something that needed looking into. But at the moment it was not high on her to do list as there were more pressing matters to attend to because of the injuries to Jamie and Claire. In the past they’d only told Colum what he needed to know in a condensed account of events. Giving him only enough Intel without going into detail was usually sufficient to keep him satisfied. Hopefully this time would be no different but they were unsure of why Colum was at Section. Since Jamie and Claire had returned from Hong Kong there was much on their agenda to deal with that, they had no intention of discussing with him unless pressured to do so. However, they were faced with a problem, for if Colum found any reason to question how they were running things at One then Operations would not be happy. Furthermore, if Oversight thought that the Rising Dragons’ mission was in any way compromised due to Jamie and Claire’s incapacity to function this could reflect badly on both her and Dougal. Colum would then seize any opportunity to discredit them at Center. The last thing they needed was the added complications that any involvement by the head of the command hub for all the sections, Mr. Lambert would cause if he became involved in what was basically an internal matter. However, Madeline knew they were more than capable of dealing with their own affairs without interference from Oversight, Colum or indeed Center. On the other hand it may just be coincidental that he was here. No doubt she would find out soon enough when she arrived at Committee. She would then need to steer the conversation away from contentious issues that could backfire on their leadership at Section One. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Madeline rounded the corner of the corridor and was soon nearing her destination point. However, although her thoughts were centred on speculating as to why Colum was here at Section One again, her mind also recalled the strange event that had just happened near the elevator concerning Murtagh and Fergus. Because of it, she was now running a tad late.

Operations would certainly not be happy that she had failed to appear in Committee as quickly as possible, nevertheless it couldn’t be avoided. Murtagh and Fergus’ presence was unexpected to say the least and when she’d looked up upon exiting the elevator it was a surprise to find the two of them there. It had thrown her for a loop; however, she was undecided if the two operatives were up to something or if it was just a coincidence that they were in the vicinity of a restricted area without clearance. She’d been taken aback to see both of them where they shouldn’t be. Yet they were not technically in the controlled area and they were after all walking in the direction of the Common Area when she had called them back. It was possible that they really were heading towards Systems and Munitions. Perhaps she was seeing more to the coincidence than it actually merited. Then again … on further reflection it was somewhat suspicious that the two of them were there together. Even though their excuses had been legitimate, they were rather unconvincing in their manner. Her gut instinct told her that she was sure there was more to their presence than met the eye despite their denial. Fergus and Murtagh were in a restricted area and although they had tried to disguise the fact by heading in the opposite direction, the two were obviously up to something. But what? Fergus had looked nervous. Could that just be his normal response to her? It was possible. Whenever he was doing something he shouldn’t be, Fergus Claudel got that anxious look about him. He’d never been able to maintain that calm exterior that other operatives wore whenever they were caught on the hop. He was too tense. Murtagh on the other hand had appeared casual about things. Unlike Fergus, he’d been able to hide his inner thoughts from her. This was evident in her conversation with him as a result of her questioning but there was one answer that suddenly began to ring alarm bells.

“Yep … as a matter of fact, that’s just what we were about to do.”

Fitzgibbon’s reply was cryptic and because she’d had other things on her mind, she had dismissed it without investigating further. Just what were they about to do? She had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with the Uzbekistan mission. Perhaps she should follow that up after speaking to Colum too, but right now she was where she was supposed to be. Despite these musings, Madeline entered Committee where Operations and Colum were impatiently waiting for her appearance. At last the two besties have reached the restricted area…

Murtagh looked at Fergus with a huge smile on his face. This was it … they were finally here. The elevator came to a stop at the desired level and he watched eagerly as the doors slid open. The floor was deserted much to their good fortune and they ventured out of the shaft with eyes fixed ahead. Fergus’ heart was racing though. He darted his eyes left then right just to double check that they were in the clear, but the clanging of the doors closing behind him caused him to jump in surprise. “You okay?” Murtagh asked. “Yeah … just a little jumpy as usual.” “All right let’s go then.” The two friends continued on into the classified level keeping a vigilant lookout for anyone who may be about. So far, so good. Their footsteps echoed lightly on the floor of the deserted corridor as they proceeded further down the hall, but to Fergus’ mind they were booming steps that echoed for all in sundry to hear and hence know of their location. Nevertheless, all was quiet and they soon came to a narrow corridor partially lit with eerie green and pink lights. Rounding the corner, Murtagh suddenly stopped. “What the heck?” he exclaimed in shock. He had run into a Level 5 operative entering the corridor from the opposite direction. It was a toss-up on who was the more surprised. Fergus meanwhile had stopped in his tracks at Murtagh’s words and hid where he could observe what was going on. “Abernathy!” “Fitzgibbons! I didn't know you had clearance down here.” For once, Murtagh was lost for words. “Well, I … I don't ... I … I … just ... ah … I was just ... ah ... going to look over an old past Mission of mine to compare my performance.” He looked up to stare at Joe Abernathy trying to gain some sympathy. His eyes were alight with bravado and he spoke more confidently. “You know how it is … I wanted to see if I still had the gift especially after what happened on the retrieval mission to rescue Jamie and Claire.” However, his ramblings were not having the desired effect on the stoic Level 5 operative that he had hoped they would. Joe Abernathy realized that the munitions expert didn't have clearance for this level. Even so, he looked behind him as if looking for someone who did have clearance who could have accompanied Murtagh but unfortunately, he saw no one. He only had one course of action and he let him know his fate.

“I'm supposed to report you. I have my orders, Fitzgibbons.” “Well, um ... do what you got to do Abernathy. I … I'll understand.” “Murtagh doesn’t have clearance, but Í do.” Fergus suddenly stated with authority as he appeared from his observation point and stood next to his friend.

“He’s with me.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued on Friday 24th April

#Jamieandclairefanfic #outlander fanfic #covert operations #LFNoutlander

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