NEW FLESH

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: REVENGE OF ROME

STAN gestured to the parking lot the two falling in with the rest of the group as they passed by, Josi and Josh exchanged a few fragments of speech the conversation between Stan and Eric crushing out the others as they spoke, they were talking about their targets and where they were going to be setting up. Up ahead, Stan pointed as a pulled into the parking lot, "that's our ride." he stated picking up his pace slightly, they all followed behind him picking up their pace to keep up with him.

Approaching the car the driver rolled down the window a smile on his face, it was Ben, Irene's assistant, "Hi Stan." he spoke, Stan paused glancing over the edge of his sunglasses, "it's sir to you, Ben." the man nodded his head the older man of the two holding a certain level of intimidation over almost everyone he encountered, including his recruits. Climbing into the passengers' seat he leaned back waiting for the others to load up.

Josi and Josh waited outside beside the car as Eric pulled one of the seats in the middle row forward giving the other three team members- Annika, Mitch, and Margo- access to the very last row of seats, Annika was the first one in, the set of partners insisting that she climb in before them, next was Margo- Mitch letting her go first as usual- and then Mitch himself slid in beside Margo leaning back at Eric pushed the seat back into place.

He slid into the row listening to the car door slam shut after Josh had climbed in trying his best to be chivalrous by letting Josi climb in before him, Margo rolled her eyes a faint smile playing across her lips, she hadn't seen Josi so happy in so long, and to know that it was a mutual "friend" making her happy, it just filled her with joy for her friend.

It made her think that maybe the world wasn't such a shitty place after all, that maybe, just maybe, some of them could get the happy endings they'd dreamed about for so long. Ben shifted the car into drive quickly peeling out of the parking lot, he was careful to wait for passerby Stan watching him with a firm stare. The man could feel the anxiety in his chest building up worried that if he messed up in the slightest bit that Stan would report it back to Irene and get him fired.

He couldn't afford that.

"Rapp, Lee, you're lead, Merdock, Calebs, you're back up, I want you two in the building in case they need assistance, you understand me?" they all responded with their respective "yes sir" responses the man seemed satisfied with the replies he received, "Ogden, Bander, you two are out here with me, we're on survey." Eric nodded his head pulling his computer from his bag, "we start this as soon as this car stops, give you all plenty of time to settle in later and think about what's at stake here, sound good?" once again they offered their "yes sirs" Stan letting out a sigh glanced out past the window taking in the sights.

Rome reminded him of the vacation he'd taken with his wife so many years ago before they'd divorced Stans occupation, his wife had been sick of the lack of time she was allotted to spend with him between missions and hated it even more when she was unable to contact him for weeks at a time his life always being in question.

More times than not he would arrive home with a bouquet of her favorite flowers and chocolate as his apology trying to explain to her that despite his want and need to contact her he just couldn't do so without jeopardizing the mission- and his life- in the process.

Shaking his head he adjusted his sunglasses and looked forward trying to drown out the memories that were plaguing his mind. Meanwhile, in the backseat, Margo and Mitch were exchanging fixed looks trying to discuss- with no words- how things were going to go down, she was trying to tell him that if he disobeyed orders one more time she'd personally put a bullet in the young man's head, he was arguing that if she did that Stan would have her ass.

She knew without a doubt that he would, but, at the same time he would be relieved he didn't have to deal with the trouble maker any longer relief settling in his veins at the idea that he finally had rid himself of the one recruit that couldn't seem to follow orders, at all.

"You two stop mumbling back there before I swap you with Merdock and Calebs as back up." the two stopped their lips in mid-motion unsure of how Stan had even heard them, the man truly was superhuman, "No thanks, I would rather not die." Josh nervously chuckled scratching his neck as he did so, Stan turned in his seat setting his glare on the boy, "Calebs, stop being a pussy, it's starting to get on my nerves." he turned back in his seat leaving the boy in silence.

Mitch leaned over the seat trying to meet Josh's gaze, "how the hell did you even make it through his selection process?" he questioned, he let out a sigh crossing his arms over his chest in the process, "should I tell them or do you wanna?" Eric interjected, the boy didn't respond all of the others shifting their gaze to Eric.

"He only got in because of his test scores, and the fact that he's fast." Josh turned to glare at him feeling betrayed, he had never thought in all his life that one of his closest friends- one of the only few friends he had- would betray him like this, it was like a stab to the heart.

"Sorry, they were gonna figure it out sooner or later." he returned his attention to his computer screen typing away at the black keys, Margo leaned over the seat as Mitch sat back in his seat, "hey, you're a good thinker, that's important" she paused thinking over her next words, "you're like the brain of the operation." he softly smiled at her words the statement lifting his mood just enough to bring him out of his funk.

Margo smiled back plopping down into her seat beside Mitch, while she wasn't one for empathy or sympathy of any sort she did like being able to bring up her friends' moods, more times than not she was successful in making them smile, whether it be coming up with stupid jokes or simply turning a bad situation into something good, watching them smile because of it made her warm inside.

"All right Ben, stop here." he glanced into the backseat gesturing to the very back, "Rapp, Lee, Ogden, with me."

Eric quickly climbed out of his seat pulling the seat forward for them as they couldn't do it themselves, the three climbed out Margo being the only one to say a quick goodbye to Josi, Eric climbed back into the car the vehicle taking off seconds later, "I'm gonna find a table near the bank, Ogden, you're job is to get us into the system, Rapp, Lee, you're gonna join me at the table here in a few moments after I sit, understood?"

"Yes sir." Margo replied Annika and Mitch following with their responses seconds later, Annika began to walk off the ends of her dark pink dress swaying against her legs, she adjusted the strap of the purse she'd been carrying on her shoulder glancing at the small trio before she turned back and continued to the bank.

Stan walked off leaving the two alone, Mitch immediately grabbed Margo's hand making it apparent to anyone and everyone around them that they were a couple- when in reality they weren't- he checked his watch trying to appear as casual as possible before he headed off in the direction Stan had walked off in, Margo followed behind him lightly swinging their hands as they walked.

He was seated at a table with a white and red checkered tablecloth with his tablet settled in front of him on the tabletop, carefully glancing around to survey the area he looked through the list in hopes of matching someone, he didn't look up as the two approached him taking the seats on the opposing sides of the table so that the three of them could collectively had eyes watching in both directions.

Around fifteen minutes passed of them sitting in silence Stan glancing from his tablet to the surrounding area as he tried to locate the physicist, Annika exited the building smiling as she did so, her black fur coat loosely dangled from her shoulders swaying in the light wind as she walked, Mitch wondered how a woman like her could get stuck in a career like this, especially when she more than likely had so many better options waiting for before the CIA, options that didn't include risking her life.

Leaning back in his chair, Mitch watched as his superior scrolled away on the tablet searching for hits on any of the people listed, "who was that guy? In Istanbul" he paused glancing off to figure out where Annika was before returning his attention to Stan and the question he was currently asking him, "It seems like he was a step ahead of us."

"Hey, are you gonna fill me in here or what?" Mitch asked his attitude spiking when Stan failed to respond, "some bad people planning on doing some bad things, and it's our job to stop them." Margo slightly smiled aware that Stan was just giving the disobedient recruit the normal run around, she found it rather amusing to see Mitch frustrated and even more so to see Stan be the cause of said frustration.

"You still haven't said anything about Victor." he added glancing down to the ground for a brief second before Stan's voice snapped him back to attention, "Victor's gone. Victor doesn't exist." he replied his voice dry as he continued to look at the faces appearing on his tablet screen, he shook his head in silence once again looking down at the ground as Stan lifted his head to look at the younger man.

"What is it you think we do here, Rapp?" he sat up looking away from the tablet as he spoke, "I think we kill people who need to be killed." he answered, he seemed confident enough in his answer that Stan didn't mock him, "and who do you trust to tell you?" Stan continued, "I follow orders."

Margo let out a scoff looking off to the side to avoid Mitch's glare, "No, you follow orders when they suit you." he replied his face remaining deadpan as the two continued to hash it out, "this whole thing is pretty much just a means to an end for you, isn't it?" he leaned forward linking his hands across the top of the table.

"A lot's happened in my life, sir."

"Really?" Stan gave him an amused smile insinuating with the action alone that he didn't give two shits about Rapps life or what had happened in his past, "yeah." he mumbled trying his best to maintain eye contact to show he wasn't afraid of the older man, which in reality he wasn't, and Stan knew he wasn't, but it was his way of truly showing him that he wasn't going to shy away just because he enjoyed harassing Mitch over all the traumatic events that had taken place in his lifetime.

"Huh. So you think you were sent here as an outlet for your self-pity, and your anger, and all your guilt. Right?" Mitch didn't respond instead returning his deadpan gaze to the man as he continued to speak, "Patriotism exists because people like us" he paused to gesture to all three of them- including himself- "need a higher cause. Something bigger than us."

"That stink coming outta you that you like to call "revenge", the rest of us call "shit." he let his gaze shift to Margo for a split second, "permission to speak, sir?" he nodded his head both men's attention shifting to her with little to no hesitation, "it's not revenge if he's not accomplishing anything along the way." Stan let out a chuckle glancing to Mitch again.

"As soon as it starts to feel good, that's when you stop being a professional. And then where are you?" the three of them turned to look as Annika approached the table carefully sliding into the seat beside Stan to make sure her dress didn't ride up her legs and reveal anything she didn't want being revealed.

"Tell us something good, darling."

NEW FLESH

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: REVENGE OF ROME