“That’s it, once we get on the plane, you’re taking a pill and going to sleep.” Alex shook her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you read those papers. You need to rest, Ter.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Teren leaned back and closed her eyes. “How are you going to get them translated if I don’t read them?”
Alex was about to reply when she heard Gerd clear his throat.
“I do read German, Teren.”
“Yeah, but you’re not coming with us.”
“No, but Alex has a tape recorder. I’ll read the file into the recorder, and she can type it into her compuer at her leisure.”
Raising an eyebrow, Alex considered the offer. “That’s really a very good idea. I can type it on the flight. Good thinking, Gerd.”
“You fall asleep on planes, Alex.” Teren didn’t open her eyes. She wanted to give the room a chance to stop spinning first.
“Well, this will keep me awake.” She sat beside her partner and patted her leg. “Besides, you’ll be the one sleeping this time, pal.”
Teren just shrugged. “It’s a long flight. I’ll sleep for part of it.” She cracked an eyelid, fighting not to wince from the light lancing into her eyeball. “But I don’t need one of those damn pills.”
“Fine.” Alex patted her arm. “Tell you what, you open your eyes and look at me when you say that, and I might believe you.” She turned and shifted her position, putting the light directly behind her and over her shoulder. Teren opened her eye again, but couldn’t stop the wince that time, and she slammed her eyes shut again. “Uh-huh. Now, what was that about the pills?”
Her partner mumbled something, but didn’t answer. Alex glanced at Gerd who was smiling.
“Okay, let’s get to work,” she said as she stood. “I hope we have time to get through all the papers.”
“I’m sure we do. We still have almost two hours before we have to leave.”
“Are you driving us to the airport, Gerd?”
“Yes. Or, at least I’ll be one of the agents with you. There will be a team of us taking you there.”
“Why?”
“Cause,” they heard Teren say, “I set it up that way. No surprises.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t think the group here in Munich is finished, do you, Ter?”
“Nope.” She shifted a little on the couch. “I think we cut off the Hydra’s head.”
“But in mythology, the Hydra grew two heads for each one severed.”
“In real life, too, Alex.”
Gerd had just turned off the recorder for the final time when there was a knock at the door. He handed it to Alex with a grin.
“We cut it very close, I think.”
“Yeah, but we did it. Thanks, Gerd. I managed to take some notes as you were reading.” She stood and walked towards the door. “There’s definitely enough to help us put Treville away, and there are also several clues to CJ’s identity.”
The German frowned. “I didn’t see anything else, other than what we already discussed. Did I miss something?”
Alex grinned back at him. “Yeah, you did.” The door opened, and she waved the other two agents in. “Hi, guys. We’re ready to go.”
Thorsten was among the men, and he smiled at her. “Nice to see you, Alex. You’ve been keeping Teren out of trouble, yes?”
“Trying,” Alex laughed. “Are you heading to the airport with us?”
“Yes. We have a driver, a lookout, and Gerd and I will stay with you until you board your plane.”
“It’s a regular commercial flight?”
“Yes, three actually. This one will take you to Paris, where you will transfer to a second plane. From there you will go to Heathrow, and finally to Washington. We will have an agent on the first two flights, and from what we understand, there will be an agent from the CIA on the third. So, you shouldn’t have any problem getting home.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “No problem. Three flights, three take offs, three landings. No problem, he says.”
“You don’t like to fly, Alex?” Gerd asked.
“It’s not the flying she has a problem with, Gerd,” volunteered Teren. “It’s the take offs and landings.”
“Ahhh. I see.”
Thorsten didn’t seem to understand, as he raised an eyebrow. “Alex, you are afraid of flying? Of the plane taking off? That does not seem logical.”
“Why not, Thorsten?” Alex asked.
“Because, in your job you are much more likely to die, moreso than you are in the air.”
Teren laughed, and Gerd chuckled. Alex just shook her head.
“Thorsten, I never said I was afraid of the take offs.”
“Oh.”
“I just don’t like them. You can not like something without being afraid of it, can’t you? For example, I know Teren doesn’t like green peppers, but I’d never consider her afraid of them.”
He crossed his arms and looked at her thoughtfully. After a moment he shook his head. “In most cases, yes. But you are afraid of this, I think.”
Teren laughed again, and Alex turned to her.
“Keep it up, Teren, and I’ll give you enough pills to keep you zonked ‘til DC.”
Her partner closed her lips tightly, and looked down at the floor in contrition. Seconds later, she started chuckling again, and Alex just glared at her.
The blonde agent grabbed her coat and picked up her briefcase. “Gerd, why don’t you walk out with me? We can leave Miss Giggles here.”
Thorsten’s eyes widened as Gerd almost doubled over in laughter. Teren stood, her arms crossed, an angry expression on her face.
“For your information, I don’t giggle.”
“Right.” Alex’s answer was very dry. “And I’m not afraid of airplanes,” she said as she walked out the door.
Teren stared after her for a moment, then moved her glare to Gerd, who seemed to be unable to breathe for the moment.
“Laugh it up, fuzzball. Just remember, I was there the night the duck attacked you.”
His laughter ceased. Teren smiled evilly, and picked up her own jacket. She followed in the path of her partner, leaving the men to grab the duffel bags.
Teren spotted the German agent as they were boarding the plane. It wasn’t hard, since she was the stewardess standing just inside the aircraft.
She gave them the standard “Welcome aboard,” and winked at Teren, who smiled back. The tall operative had worked with Helene several times, and had fond memories of several cold nights in an alpine chalet.
Alex saw the wink, and her jaw tightened. Another flirting stewardess? Jeez, aren’t there any male flight attendants?
A few minutes later, they were settled into their seats. This time, Alex took the aisle, and Teren sat by the window.
“Ready for a pill, Teren?”
“Not yet, Alex. My head’s better, and I promise I won’t read. I just don’t want to be too groggy right now. Wait until the flight from London, okay? That’s the longest, and I”ll be able to sleep better.”
Alex bit her lip. She knew Teren was right; why should she go to sleep now if they had to switch planes in less than an hour?
“Alright, we’ll wait.” Putting the pill bottle away, Alex then leaned back in her seat, keeping a close eye on all the passengers as they went past. A few people glanced at her and Teren, but none of the looks lingered, or were hostile in nature. When it appeared the last of their fellow flyers had boarded, she sighed, and relaxed.
“See anything, Alex?”
“No. Were you watching?”
“No, I trust your judgment. If you don’t see anything to worry about, neither do I.”
Alex chuckled. “Thanks, Ter, ‘preciate that.” She frowned. “I also didn’t see anyone that I thought could be this agent. Thorsten did say there’d be one, right?”
Her partner snorted. “Yeah. Don’t worry, she’s here.”
“She?” The blonde turned to her. “You saw her, then? How come I didn’t?”
“Well, what’s the point of being an agent, Alex, if you’re going to be noticed?”
True, Alex thought. “How did you know her then?”