Rescued?

[neverwrongagent]

When the posters went up showing the two members of the Marine sniper team who'd gone missing, Carrie Mathison stood and stared at them. She didn't see two Marines in their uniforms, though, she saw only one of them half dressed on a rooftop looking up at the blanket of stars. She saw a sweet smile from a man who was too far from home and was trying to hold onto his humanity. Every time she passed the posters, even if she didn't turn to look, she was as aware of them as if someone had reached out and grabbed her. Months went by and the sensation never weakened.

Then came word that they'd been found, that two Marines had been found in neighboring camps. Both men were in rough shape: dehydrated, beaten and demoralized. One was worse than the other, but first reports didn't make it clear which it was and Carrie held her breath until she knew that Brody was in better physical shape. Not that she asked or spoke to anyone about knowing him. The moment she said a word, they'd pull her out of it all and that wasn't happening.

The men were kept apart while they were cleaned up. Carrie read both files, but it was Brody's she kept going over and over in her head. She knew every detail of what they'd found out so far. On the outside it probably seemed cruel to interrogate the men so soon, but the sooner they got it done, the better. These men were headed home, at least for a while, and it would be harder to get solid information from them when they were there.

It wasn't until minutes before she walked into the room that Carrie knew for sure which man she was going to debrief. She was ready to bounce out of her skin by the time she walked in, a feeling that vanished immediately when she saw him. "Sergeant Brody? I'm Carrie Mathison. I'm here to ask you some questions."

Comments

[neverwrongagent]

That was the very last thing she wanted. Realizing that hit her low in the gut hard enough that she pulled back and stared at him. She very nearly told him no. Finally she shook her head. "I want you to talk to him. If you go home now to do it, I'll be right there behind you. If we pick another way, I'll be there."

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Not leaving you alone again."

[posterboymarine]

It was a nice sentiment, but he would be alone if he talked to Walker. Still, maybe it was the best was to get on with his life, such as it was.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with, please."

[neverwrongagent]

She glanced over at Saul and nodded very slightly. Then she turned back to Brody. "Okay. Do you have a phone number for him?" They could get the number, but that would look suspicious if he didn't already have it.

[posterboymarine]

"I have his number from before we shipped out. I doubt it'd have changed, since he's got a wife, too." Which was a round-about way of saying yes. "Guess you want me to call him?"

[neverwrongagent]

"I think you should. Ask him to meet, someplace we can see." Hearing they would work out on their own. "Well make this go as quickly as we can." She smiled slightly. "You and I have unfinished business."

[posterboymarine]

He looked around, then leaned in and kissed her shoulder. "We do." He glanced toward Saul. "Get me a phone. Let's get this over with."

[neverwrongagent]

She touched his leg lightly before standing. "I'll be right back with one." Scaring up a phone that couldn't be easily tracked back wouldn't take long, just long enough to tell Saul what had been decided. Even knowing Saul was watching, she touched Brody's hair before heading to her mentor's side.

"Need a secure phone. He's going to make a call."

[posterboymarine]

"Going to make a call to who?" Saul wanted the answer to be Walker, but, for all he knew, it would be his wife, or for take-out.

While Carrie was getting the phone, Brody out his face in his hands and rubbed his face hard. He never should have left the house. For all the good it had done, this was the flip side. There was no way this could end well.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie actually rolled her eyes at Saul. "Santa Claus. He wants to complain about missing presents while he was in that hole." She shook her head. "We need to know what Walker wants. He'll find out." And if they were lucky, it could be done without revealing their secret.

[posterboymarine]

"Alright. Get him a phone." Saul would back Carrie's play, but they would be having another chat about her choice in men a little later.

[neverwrongagent]

The worst thing, of course, was that Brody was one of her better choices in men, possible terrorism aside. She waited off to one side for a moment until the phone was fetched. Then she sat down next to Brody and handed him the cell. "You'll do fine."

[posterboymarine]

He took the phone with a weak smile. "Thanks." He dialed Walker's number and got his wife. Tom wasn't home, which made sense if he was at Brody's house. So he left a message, then hung up.

"That number will come up on the caller ID, right?"

[neverwrongagent]

She nodded. "And you can keep that phone. We'll track it." She looked around for a minute. "You know what? We should get out of here. He'll call back when he does. Sitting here won't make that happen any faster."

[posterboymarine]

He pocketed the phone and nodded. "Please? This place makes me nervous."

Saul watched the whole thing and knew they were going to leave. He was not keen on letting Brody out of his sight, even if Carrie was still with him. He waved the blonde over.

[neverwrongagent]

She gestured to Brody to wait right by the door for her, knowing that it would mean she couldn't stay long. "I know, I know, but keeping him here is going to make him nervous and make it harder to focus when he gets the call back." She met Saul's eyes. "I worked with him before, remember?"

[posterboymarine]

After snorting, Saul shook his head. "You may have worked with him, but make sure you aren't being worked by him. Make sure he keeps that phone on him, even after this. I want to know what he's up to."

[neverwrongagent]

"Fine. I'll staple it to his ass." She was being more mouthy with him than usual, but not really any more difficult. "And you know how to find me." She very nearly grabbed Brody by the hand as she headed out the door.

She didn't say a word to him until they were in her car and away from the building. Too many eyes and ears. "Are you working me?"

[posterboymarine]

Saul very nearly yelled at her, but then she was leaving and he decided to let it lie for a while.

Brody frowned at her silence, then scowled at her question. "What? You found me. How could I be working you?"

[neverwrongagent]

She snorted softly. "There's a million ways. Maybe I found you before you found me again." She looked over at him. "Saul thinks you're working me."

[posterboymarine]

He stared at her. As though she had three eyes. "Found you again? Do I strike you as someone capable of focusing long enough to find anything? It takes me three hours to grocery shop, with a list."

He was rapidly become annoyed, and shutting down.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie found a spot to pull over and park. When she had, she turned in her seat and touched his face. "Hey. I didn't say I thought you were. I do think you're a smart enough guy that you could, but that's because I don't keep sleeping with stupid people." One night stands were another thing.

"But the people around us are going to think that and we have to be honest about it."

[posterboymarine]

He sighed roughly. "Fine." He didn't sound terribly sure, but he was looking at her again. He was torn, between getting out of the car and kissing her. It was a hard place to be.

The decision was made by the phone ringing in his pocket. He looked at it in confusion, then answered it. "Hello?"

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie wished she could clearly hear both sides of the conversation, but she couldn't without crawling in his lap. So she settled back some to watch him, drinking in he smallest details of his reactions.

On the other end of the line, Walker's voice was even, with only the slightest hint of camaraderie. "You're a hard man to find, Gunny."

[posterboymarine]

Brody looked at Carrie as he spoke. "Didn't know I was being looked for." He had a very bad feeling about the whole thing, like that Walker had gone bad. There was definitely something rotten beneath his even tone.

[neverwrongagent]

"We've been watched, recorded, poked and prodded. I'm surprised I'm not being followed 24/7." Walked paused for a beat. "Don't you ever feel like someone's watching you? Waiting for you to... I don't know what." The pause was a shade too long to be emotional confusion, but only if you knew Walker's usual cadences.