The Town of Odyssey

*Tasha and a few agents board an Agency jet*
*two hours pass*
*they land in Odyssey*

Tasha led the way into Whit's End, marveling at the fact that for all of the technological and advertising advances of the rest of the world, this place remained basically the same. And it feels like I spend more time in this town than I do anywhere else, she thought wryly.

She didn't see anyone at the counter (or at least anyone related to the case), so she headed upstairs to what she knew was Whit's office. She knocked once and didn't bother waiting for an answer before turning the handle.

A fairly interesting scene greeted her. Whit and a man in his thirties were talking quietly in a corner next to a computer, a young man who looked about eighteen or nineteen was pacing the room, and Jason was trying to calm him down.

"Trent, we're doing what we can, but you have to calm yourself down a little," said Jason.

"Calm down?" the young man demanded. "Why don't you try having your girlfriend kidnapped by a terrorist and see how you calm down?"

"Trent, I get that you're upset," Jason began impatiently, "but really, at the moment this is all we can do."

Trent sighed, stopped pacing, and slumped into a chair. "When did you say those agents would get here?"

"Oh, right about now, I'd suppose," Tasha said from the doorway.

All four men looked up in surprise as Tasha, followed by her team of agents, stepped over the threshold. "Tasha Forbes, Agent 2362, at your service, boys."

Phillips checked the clock again.
“Ten hours. That boy’s cutting it closer than I thought he would.”

Jason immediately strode forward and held out a hand. "Good to see you again, Tasha," he said, beaming.

"You too, Jason," she replied, shaking his offered hand. Then, not caring about whether or not it was proper protocol, she hugged him. "You know, I thought when you disappeared, all of these old threats would, too."

"Shows you what happens when you're me," he joked.

"No, it shows what happens when you live in this town," she replied dryly. "Anyway, enough chit-chat. Does anybody have anything resembling a plan we can work with?"

"Actually, Trent here had an interesting one a while ago." Jason gestured to the young man in the chair.

Trent looked up. "Yeah," he said, looking mildly surprised. "I had an idea to give them a fake computer. I mean, I don't underestimate these people by any means, but if we could program something like that, we could exchange it for my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend? Don't tell me they've resorted to that old trick again." Tasha rolled her eyes.

Trent nodded. "And really, I'm willing to do just about anything to get her back at the moment, so if we could decide on a plan of some sort, that would be great."

Tasha turned to Jason. "It might work, you know. I think we should try it."

Jason nodded. "The question is, will they fall for it?"

Tasha raised her eyebrows. "We'll have to make it believable, won't we?" She turned to the two men in the corner. "Whit, can we count on your help? And you too, if you can," she added, nodding to the man talking to Whit. "Care to introduce me to your friend, Whit?"

OOC:
Remember, the Agency intends to move in and apprehend Blackgaard once Mandy is safe, so they don’t need to create a whole fake program, they just need a blank hard drive to hand over.

Understood. Now we just need ric back.

OOC: sorry

"Well, hello Tasha," Whit said kindly. He gestured to Richard. "This is Richard Maxwell. He's a friend of mine, and he knows a bit about computers, don't you Richard?"

"Ya, I know a little. I'd love to help with this operation, if I could."

OOC: Huzzah for ric!

OOC: We love you, ric.

IC: Tasha nodded. "Good. Let's do this."

An hour later (OOC: or however long it would take to program this thing)

"Well, that's about everything," Jason announced. "I think we've done about all we can. Trent, call Phillips and set a time and location."

"I was just doing that," Trent replied. He went to his call history, found Phillips's number, and dialed.

OOC: bookworm, would you do the honors?

OOC:
Mandy actually still has the phone, so she can see it’s from Trent and then I can take it.

OOC: Then ID4J, get here and post!

OOC: I iz here!

IC: Mandy felt her leg vibrate. She twitched anxiously, hoping that it would be Trent...Whit...or someone. Anyone who could help her, even her mother or brother. She desperately jerked her hand loose from the tight ropes that were holding her arms back. Grabbing her pocket, she winced as her sharp fingernails dug into her delicate skin. The phone slipped out of her hand and fell with a soft ping! to the ground. Mandy closed her eyes. Oh, please, please don't turn around, Philips!

Phillips kept working on his computer, unaware of the incoming call.

OOC: Oh, I thought you were going to pick it up

No matter!

IC: Mandy kicked (or tried to kick) furiously. All it did was knock the chair off of its balance, throwing her, still tied to the chair, to the hard ground.

OOC:
I was, but I thought you were telling me not to. That seemed to be a direction, not a full in-character thought.

OOC: I actually didn't think about it I was just trying to fill in Mandy's thoughts.

..and my thoughts are not Mandy's!

So, it doesn't really matter

“What?” Phillips turned around sharply.
He hurried over and pulled Mandy’s chair upright. “What were you trying to do?” Then he noticed the phone vibrating on the floor. “Oh.” He picked it up and checked the caller id.
“That was foolish” he said, holding the phone out just long enough for her to see Trent’s name. “This is your only chance to get out of here.”
He flipped the phone open. “Phillips.”

"We're willing to trade. Your program for Mandy." He really hated having to say that. What was she, some kind of trophy? If they made it out of this situation, he was considering switching Phillips's prison food with something out of his chemistry set.

OOC: Hey, all three of us are online at the same time!

IC; Mandy gasped. "No!" she screamed.

Phillips ignored Mandy’s outburst.
“Let’s keep this brief. We don’t need to be dragging around a whole computer, just open it up and bring the hard drive. Be at the alley behind the Harlequin in ten minutes. You’re making the right choice.”