Dar was glad enough to escape the room and she willingly followed Kerry to where Steve and two Federal Marshals were waiting. “Okay.. oh crap I need my laptop.” She turned and started back down towards the briefing room. “Be right back.”
“I could have..” Steve started after her.
“Bssspp.” Kerry pulled him to a halt. “Let her go.” She said. “She’s going with us to try and fix what’s wrong.”
“Oh.. really? Will we have to do all this then?” Steve said. “I really want to do it anyway. No offense to you, since you used to be in charge of all that, but I don’t trust private companies when it comes to this stuff.”
Kerry folded her arms. “I understand what you mean, but honestly? Before this last truly Technicolor clusterfuck ILS was very good at what it did and kept the government on the top list of it’s priorities.”
“Mm… if you say so.” Steve said, in a dubious tone.
“I say so, since it was my job to make it that way.” Kerry responded with more than a slight edge to her tone. “And I don’t appreciate being accused of incompetence while I’m on my way to save your ass.”
He lifted his hands and took a step back. “Okay okay! Sorry!”
“And don’t bring that attitude with you to Herndon.” Kerry warned. “What happened here, wasn’t their fault. The idiot you had in that room did it.. or at least was responsible for it.”
“Okay, I get it. I’ll shut up.” Steve relented. “Let’s go meet her coming back. The car’s outside that middle door anyway.” He pointed. “C’mon, guys.”
They walked down the hall and had almost reached the door when Dar came around the corner of the hallway and headed back towards them, her messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She had her Handspring in one hand typing on it and was dodging people in the hall by some sort of nerdic radar.
Kerry pulled out her own as she felt it buzz and glanced at it, then hit the answer button. “Hey Maria.” She took a step back and half turned away from Steve and his goons. “What’s up?”
“Have you finished the demonstration to the government ? I was just hoping it went so well, and also, that you and Dar have enjoyed the hotel.”
“Where do I start?” Kerry sighed. “Let me get back to you Maria. I think the demo went fine but everything else just went to Hell.”
“Ay yi yi.”
**
It was a long ride, and traffic was atrocious. “Last time we went here, no one was on the road.” Kerry commented as she studied the buildings going past.
“Yeah, people got back to normal. Whatever that is.” Steve agreed.
Dar remained silent, as she was wedged against the other window, her sunglasses on and her eyes closed behind them.
Kerry suspected her partner was asleep, and she spared a moment of affectionate envy for her ability to shut out the world that way. Her own eyes felt tired and sore, and she was looking forward to the day being over in the worst way.
Maybe this, maybe now, they’d get some closure.
Or something.
“So, we’re going to hire everyone, and all that, and then she’s going to fix stuff, right?” Steve asked, after being quiet for a long time.
“We’ll probably have to play that a little by ear.” Kerry admitted. “I don’t really know how they’re all going to react to us showing up like this. Everythings been pretty chaotic.. matter of fact, I hope they let us in.”
“They’ll let us in.” Steve said, confidently. “Nobody says no to the GAO and Federal marshals. Really.”
No, that probably was true, and as they drove down the long, tree lined street that would end at the Herndon facility, Kerry suddenly wondered if this mixture of anticipation and dread was what Dar had felt when she’d been the one to go in and give the news of never wanted change.
She remembered suddenly, vividly, being that person in that place and looking up and facing that change, all unaware of how much more personal it would be for her than she’d ever anticipated.
They slowed to turn in at the gate, and Kerry reached over to gently touch Dar’s leg, watching her profile as Dar’s eyes opened and turned her way. “We’re here.”
“So I see.” Dar flexed her hands and straightened up, leaning against the armrest and looking out the window. “Wonder how this is going to go?”
Steve had rolled down his window and was talking to the guard, handing out his business card and indicating the back of the stretch sedan they were riding in. The two federal marshals were in the back of the car, and they were hanging their credentials around their necks and checking their side arms.
The guard at the gate bent down and looked in the window and his eyes met Dar’s and the look of relief on his face made her feel sad. She lifted a hand and waved and he backed away and gestured the way forward, pulling the gate aside rapidly.
“Think he recognized you, hon.” Kerry said, quietly.
“Yeah.” Dar pushed her sunglasses up on her nose and folded her arms.
“That was easy” Steve said, glancing behind him. “Just mentioned your name.”
Dar exhaled, and got her messenger bag strap over her shoulder as they pulled up in front of the building and she opened the door and got out, stepping back to let Kerry slide out after her.
They walked to the door and pushed it open, coming into the public entrance where two people were at the desk, already straightening up as they entered.
The receptionist let out a gasp of recognition and her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh!”
After a hesitant moment, Kerry took charge. “Hi Stacy.” She walked forward and held her hand out. “Wish this was under better circumstances.” She took a breath. “Can you ask Paul to come out here please? We need to speak with him.”
“Yes ma’am, right away.” Stacy turned to the other woman standing there. “Go get Paul – he’s in the break room. Hurry!”
The girl looked confused, but left, badging through the door and disappearing.
“I know he’ll be glad to see you.” Stacy said. “It’s been horrific here this week. A dozen people walked out… it was just too much. All those screaming phone calls.”
“Yeah, I know it’s been tough.” Kerry said, quietly. “Shouldn’t have fallen on you all though. Nothing of this was your fault.”
“That’s just it. “ The woman said. “It wasn’t the customers yelling.. .you know, that’s part of the job. It was those people who took over from you. They were so nasty.”
Dar removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her bag. “So I heard.”
Stacy looked from one of them to the other. “So did you come back?” She asked, hopefully. “We heard they fired that one guy, and we haven’t heard from that man that replaced you, Ms. Roberts, now for a while.”
Dar was spared from answering by the door abruptly opening to reveal a harassed looking man in chinos and a long sleeved buttoned shirt. “Hello Paul.”
He stared at them “Oh lord it is you.” He looked about to collapse. “Whats happening?”
Kerry moved towards him. “Let’s go into the conference room, Paul. We’ll explain what’s going on.” She saw the apprehension come into his face and internally winced, remembering what that felt like.
He came around the desk though, and preceded them into the public conference room, taking a seat at the table as the rest of them entered, and Dar closed the door behind them.
Kerry went over and sat down next to him. “So, okay, I know things are rough right now.”
Steve sat down across from them, and the two accountants they had brought also took a seat to either side. The two marshals went to opposite corners of the room and stood there, not quite at attention.