Vin entered the small quiet conference room where CO Orrin Travis and the rest of Team 7 waited for him. He was running late thanks to a delay on the flight he’d just covered. It’d been a hard two weeks for all of them and Vin could easily read the somber faces of his friends, the weary set of their shoulders and the ever-present worry in their eyes. Even with all these concerns, he was relieved to physically confirm that they were all okay…considering the current situation. It was the first time since commercial flights had resumed that the entire Team was even in the same building at one time, and it felt good just to be together again.
He hadn’t imagined how difficult it would be to fly on his own. The entire atmosphere on his flights had been different and people’s reactions to him had run the gamut from quiet intimidation to out right relief. The lack of contact with the rest of the team had left him with too much time to worry about the future as well. The reports that the FAM program might go back under the U.S. Marshals left a constant churning in his stomach, not to mention the fear of Team Seven actually being split up permanently because of the sudden need for marshals to cover more flights. He’d started to look at this team as his family and the thought of losing them was one he wasn’t ready to face.
Taking the empty seat between Ezra and JD, Vin nodded a silent greeting and forced himself to try to focus on Travis. Travis cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table before him, the strain of coordinating schedules and working virtually around the clock to organize intensive training sessions for new marshals was obvious on the older man’s face.
" It’s good to see all of you." Orrin smiled genuinely. "I know you must have a lot of questions about what kind of changes are being made in the program and where we will go from here." He made eye contact with Chris and then Buck, making his way around the table as he continued. "First, I want to say thank you for your cooperation with the sudden schedule changes. I know it’s been hard on all of you."
"Just wish we could have done more." Chris shifted in his seat as he spoke, knowing that everyone on his team felt the same. Not one air marshal in the program failed to feel the angry sense of "if only we’d been there."
Travis nodded with understanding. "I’m calling each team in separately in order to fully address your concerns with the new changes."
"Are you splitting us up?" JD interrupted suddenly, blurting out the question on everyone’s mind. Team Seven had been together less than half a year but the bonds between the agents had strengthened quickly.
Travis sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat. "No, Mr. Dunne. It’s been decided that this team, along with teams three and five, will remain intact for use on larger flights. The rest of the current teams will be pared down to meet the demand until more agents are trained. We’re also bringing in our most recently retired marshals for the interim."
Vin couldn’t help but flash a small smile at JD’s obvious relief. Dunne wasn’t the only one visibly reacting to Travis’ announcement. Tanner heard the soft exhale from Ezra, and saw the way Josiah’s broad shoulders relaxed and how Nathan’s fingers had loosened their tight grip on the pen he held.
Travis sat forward again. "The public is, of course, now aware of the possibility that air marshals will be on their flights and are actually looking for you. For the time being at least, one of you will always be identifiable. That means wearing visible identification and firearms. The rest of you will remain undercover and approach each flight the same as you would have before September 11th."
"Will the flight crews still be told of the entire team’s presence?" Nathan asked.
"The pilots and head flight attendant, yes. For security reasons the rest of the crew will only be aware of one of you."
"Will this mean we’ll be assigned to more national flights?" Josiah asked.
"Yes." Travis nodded in affirmation.
"Will the team go into action immediately or are we still on individual schedules until further notice?" Chris inquired.
"This goes into effect immediately," Travis answered. "I believe your first assignment is the day after tomorrow. I figured you could all use a day to regroup and get some training in." There were several nods around the table as he spoke.
"Are there any other questions?" Travis asked after a minute of silence.
Vin debated within himself whether to speak up or not. He didn’t want to let on that the possibility of change was bothering him but it was…more than he liked.
Chris’ voice surprised him out of his personal struggle. "What about the rumor that the Feds are going to take over the program?" he asked. "They want to put the U.S. Marshals in charge?"
Travis looked at Chris and then met Vin’s gaze as well. Tanner’s first instinct was to look away but he didn’t want to broadcast his worry either so he met the gaze, unwavering.
Travis smiled reassuringly. "As of now, it’s all talk. I think it’d be best not to worry about it. Even if the program is transferred, rest assured, you would ALL maintain your positions on this team. I’ll see to that."
Vin didn’t know if Travis actually had enough authority to keep his promise but he felt reassured by the strong statement all the same. He didn’t like the idea of going back to the marshals but Travis had a way of restoring his confidence. If it happened, Vin knew he’d handle it and this time he knew that he had a team that would always be there to back him up.
Orrin slapped his palms on the tabletop and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet. "This is going to be a adjustment for everyone but I have a lot of faith in this team. You’ve proven yourselves capable of handling even the worst situations in the past and I know you’re ready for the future. Now get back to work so I can."
Together the agents filed out of the small room. Vin stopped and waited, as did the others when they heard Travis call Chris back for something.
"What’s up?" Buck asked when Larabee finally joined the group.
Chris frowned, "Seems they’ve assigned someone from PR to the three largest teams."
"Ah," Ezra nodded. "A public relations manager to run interference with the media now that it’s a possibility we’ll actually be in the public eye more often."
"Why?" JD asked as they entered their own office.
"Keeping us out of the limelight, Kid." Buck grinned. "Or to keep us out of trouble. Ezra here is really the only one of us with any real tact and he only uses it if he’s in the mood."
Ezra snorted with mock indignation as the others laughed. Quiet descended as they moved toward their desks.
"So who did they assign from PR?" Nathan asked, shuffling through the accumulated paperwork on his desk.
"That would be me."
All seven men turned towards the door in surprise.
The woman standing there smiled broadly, obviously enjoying her timing. Dressed in a professional pantsuit, her blond hair was pulled back in a French braid and her light eyes were filled with a combination of strength and mischief.
"And you are?" Chris asked sharply.
"So much for tact." Ezra mumbled with a groan.
"Mary Travis," she replied, unphased.
"Travis?" Nathan asked curiously.
Mary nodded. "Orrin is my late husband’s father," she explained simply.
"I’m…" Chris started.
"Chris Larabee," she interrupted. "I’ve read your file."
"Oh, have you?"
Vin chuckled softly at Chris’ tone.
Mary nodded. "I’m well informed about everyone on the team." Her eyes swept the room quickly. "I just wanted to introduce myself since we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future."
"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Travis." Ezra interjected before Chris could say anything else.
"Thank you, Agent Standish." Mary acknowledged. "I’ll be scheduling a meeting next week with your team to go over the newest procedures for dealing with the media." She directed the statement to Chris, "Here’s my extension, fax and email numbers." She handed him her card. "Make sure I get your flight schedule as soon as you receive your week’s assignments," she added and then turned and walked confidently out of the office.
Buck let out a low whistle at her departure.
"Are we really going to have to report to her?" JD asked.
"Just for anything that entails relating to the public," Josiah answered.
"That narrows it down," Chris commented bitterly.
"I don’t know, Chris." Buck smiled. "She seemed real nice to me. I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better."
"Oh sure, Buck. Like she’d even give you the time of day." JD gave his roommate a small shove as he moved past him.
"She might."
"So out of your league." JD tossed back.
"You say that about every woman I meet." Buck accused.
JD shrugged, his black hair falling across his eyes. "Yeah, well…"
Buck scoffed and tried to swat JD but the younger man ducked out of reach.
Vin leaned against the edge of his desk to enjoy the chase, pleased to see that his friends were able to play and tease each other again.
"May I inquire as to your thoughts, Mr. Tanner?" Ezra asked quietly, not looking at Vin but focusing on Buck and JD’s antics. Chris shook his head and went into his office, flipping the business card between his fingers as he went. Nathan rolled his eyes and shared an exasperated look with Josiah as Buck caught JD and put him in a headlock.
Vin glanced at Ezra. "Just nice to know that no matter where we go from here…some things will never change."
The End
