Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye Fan Fiction: "Fame" - Part 3 (Conclusion)

"Fame" is published in three parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (Conclusion) - You are here.

"Fame," by B.A. Rogers

Continued from Part 2 . . .

Man: (looking around) What about Kathy-nut?

Uri: You mean the woman who can't seem to do anything right. The woman who insists she can divert whole shipments when she can't even make a single drop competently.

Sue begins to squirm a little in her seat. She looks occasionally at Jack, as if she is impatient for him to get back. She signs at Jack.

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) She said she can divert whole shipments.

Jack nods. He is pushing the video button on his phone.

Man: (shrugging) Apparently Kathy swears up and down she left it at the spot.

Sue turns again to look at Jack. She makes an impatient face. Then she signs at him.

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) Kathy said she left it at the spot.

Jack, "listening" to a phone conversation, nods at Sue. Uri and the man act as though Sue isn't even there.

Uri: Well, she didn't follow procedures. So, she failed. She's lucky I agreed to one last meeting, face to face. That's not a privilege I grant to many.

Sue again makes a face at Jack and signs to him.

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) She didn't follow procedures.

Uri notices Sue signing to Jack and smiles.

Uri: (offhand, about Sue) See, she misses him. He must love her to learn her . . . whatever you call that (making a few gestures with his hands). She lets you know when she's getting mad, doesn't she. (laughs) Ah . . . (looking around) So, Ms. . . . What did you call her?

Man: Kathy-nut.

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) They call her Kathy Nut.

Jack looks puzzled.

Man: I don't think Kathy-nut realizes you gotta be smart---

Uri: --- and reliable ---

Man: --- to be in this business.

Uri: You remind me of my higher calling. (looking around to go) Okay. As soon as Romeo gets back, we're leaving.

Sue turns to face Jack, who is on the phone, standing some steps away.

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) Did you get this?

Jack: (to Sue, speaking, as if into the phone, but looking at Sue) Yes. Do you need me?

Sue: (to Jack, signing, with subtitles) No. He is going to leave.

Jack nods.

Cut to Kathy Rivera walking into the restaurant lobby and approaching the hostess stand. Bobby nonchalantly comes in behind her.

Cut to Kathy Rivera walking up to Uri's booth.

Kathy: (looking at Sue) Who's this? You couldn't find anybody but the help to socialize with?

Uri: You are a very unpleasant young lady. I won't be sorry when you realize that our business relationship is terminated.

Kathy looks at Uri as though he's crazy for talking in front of Sue.

Uri: Don't worry. She's deaf. And we're leaving.

Uri catches Jack's eye and motions that he is leaving. Jack nods and finishes up his phone call.

Kathy: (worried) Leaving? I hope we'll still get a chance to talk. For to me explain.

Uri: I decided I don't like explanations.

Cut to Kathy walking up to her car. She is angry.

Dimitrius and Tara approach her.

Dimitrius: Kathy Rivera. (He displays his badge.) FBI.

Dimitrius escorts Kathy away.

Cut to Uri and Man walking down the back street behind the restaurant, almost like an alley. As they come out onto the main sidewalk, they are met by Bobby and Myles.

Bobby: FBI. I think you know why we're here.

Bobby and Myles apprehend Uri and the man.

Cut to inside the restaurant.

Jack is sitting at the booth where Uri was. He is looking around, as if looking for someone. Then he takes a phone call.

Jack: (on the phone) Okay. See you back at Headquarters.

Sue walks up with a tray and two cups of coffee.

Jack: (laughs) Where were you? I was getting worried about you.

Sue: You ordered coffee, didn't you?

Sue serves Jack a cup of coffee.

Jack: (eyeing the second cup) I hope that means that you're going to join me. That we're not having another meeting with a kingpin of the underworld. I had enough trouble stopping myself from decking the last one.

Sue: I'm joining you.

Sue sits down opposite of Jack.

Jack: I guess I was wrong about you not being too friendly.

Sue: I just feel sorry for you. (making wild gestures with her hands, with this subtitle) "Ready? I confuse him many hand up down around town." (After a second, Sue starts up signing again, with subtitles) "P.S. Moon jumped over cow. What."

Jack: I was just trying to look like I really knew what I was doing. You know, throw in more fast, complicated stuff.

Sue: Quick-draw Hudson.

Jack: (thinking) I hope I didn't say anything bad.

Sue: Well. Unfortunately, you said you were totally in love with me. And that you would die for my chili.

Jack: I did?

Sue just looks at Jack.

Jack: Let's have our coffee.

Cut to the bullpen. Jack, Bobby, Dimitrius, Myles, Tara, Sue and Lucy are present. The mood is somber.

Jack: (to Myles, seriously) I just had a meeting with a representative of the former Ambassador of Taiwan. Myles, I don't want to say you've created an international incident, but . . .

Bobby: Sorry to say, mate, you've created an international incident.

Myles: (after a moment, trying to change the mood) Oh, come on. This is all a bunch of hooey---

Cut to Garrett in the entrance-way to the bullpen.

Garrett: "Hooey" is not the word I'd use. Now. All hands on deck in the conference room. Thanks to Leland's little stunt, we have a mandatory session with a Public Relations Specialist, from the Division of Public Relations Mediation. Apparently, we're in need of mediation to resolve a complaint made by, oh, a former Ambassador, who's the life-long, dear and personal friend of a retired Commandant of the Marine Corps. Is everybody happy?

Garrett looks around the bullpen. Each member of the team is stunned. Garrett marches off and the team slowly, glumly moves to follow him to the conference room.

Cut to the conference room.

A table with three chairs is at one end of the room. The PR Specialist is standing behind the table. The Commandant and Ambassador are seated at the table. They are quite grim.

Myles is standing front and center in the room, in front of the table, facing the PR Specialist, Commandant and the Ambassador.

Jack, Dimitrius, Bobby, Sue, Tara, Lucy and Garrett are behind Myles, spread out near the walls on either side of the room. Also behind Myles is a large screen on the wall.

The New York Post photo of Myles and Ariel Lin is on the screen behind Myles.

Myles looks at the photo, then turns around to address the PR Specialist.

Myles: I apologize if this created an . . . incident. It was purely an accident. All I did was stop and get a bratwurst and---

PR Specialist: (sharply) No. That's not all you did. You stopped and got a bratwurst with Ariel Lin, a celebrity. Thus getting your mug, which belongs to the FBI, on the gossip page of the, I don't know, New York Post?

Myles: I--- I--- She asked me to pass her the relish---

PR Specialist: Relish? You know what I relish? I relish keeping the public image of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and its Special Agents, up to the highest standards. A thing of beauty. That's what I relish.

Myles: I agree. I have every intention of meeting the high standards of the Bureau---

PR Specialist: Oh, really. Then what's this?

The PR Specialist forcefully clicks the remote in his hand, changing the photo on the screen from the New York Post photo to a grainy, black-and-white still from security camera footage. The still shows Myles high-tailing it down the hallway of the FBI building while Lei, Bao and Hua, in their school uniforms, are clamoring after him.

Myles gulps hard when he sees the photo.

Myles: (turning back to address the PR Specialist) I should have stood my ground. But, frankly, I was shocked at the volume of their squeals. It's a very . . . unsettling situation, one I doubt few in this room have experienced. I mean, even the Beatles took off running when---

PR Specialist: (angrily) This is the FBI, not Headquarters, Myles-mania!

Myles: I am truly sorry for whatever role I played in the incident that occurred---

The Ambassador slams his fist on the table and stands up in a rage.

Ambassador: Sorry doesn't cut it. Look at that disgrace! Your actions brought dishonor on my name! On my country! On my life-long friend! (indicating the Commandant) And . . . (getting even angrier) . . . you made Granddaughter act . . . (now shaking with rage) . . . like idiot!

Cut to the Commandant trying to calm his friend, the Ambassador, and prevailing upon him to sit down.

Myles: I am truly sorry and offer my heartfelt apologies to you, Mr. Ambassador, and---

PR Specialist: Save it, Leland. That's not all she wrote and I'm not done with you yet. I'm quite sure your Ivy League education acquainted you with the concept of "three strikes and you're out."

Myles: Well, yes, simple knowledge of baseball---

PR Specialist: I said save it, Leland! I want to know if you have any concept, any concept whatsoever, of the impact your conduct has had on the image and reputation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Or do you think The Powers That Be get a boatload of warm-and-fuzzies every time you go around creating incidents such as this.

PR Specialist again forcefully clicks on the remote to change the picture showing on the big screen behind Myles.

Jack, Bobby, Dimitrius, Sue, Lucy and Tara turn and look up at the new photo, which we don't see yet. Then they look around at one another uneasily.

Myles turns around and sees the photo on the wall. It is a photo of him and Sue crossing Constitution Avenue. Myles is looking doggedly straight ahead as he crosses the street. He has Sue by the hand and Sue is behind him. Unbeknownst to Myles, Sue has put on a set of Groucho Marx glasses --- the glasses are thick black frames, with big black plastic eyebrows, a huge plastic nose and a big black moustache.

Myles is horrified. Then, as he thinks about it, he gets a smirk on his face and looks around at his teammates. They, however, remain serious and worried as they stare back at him and glance at each other. Sue looks especially worried.

Myles draws himself up and turns around to address the PR Specialist.

Myles: Well, this one, as . . . embarrassing . . . and disreputable. . . as it is, is imminently explainable. (looking around at his teammates) If you knew these jokers on my team---

PR Specialist: Thomas, it sounds to me as if Special Agent Leland is trying to fob this off on you as some kind of a practical joke. (to Myles) I can assure you, Leland, that the Director didn't find this funny.

Myles: (weakly) The . . . Director?

PR Specialist: It's one thing to make Granddaughter act like an idiot, but you've put your whole team in the position of looking like nincompoops.

Myles: But--

PR Specialist: (sharply) Thomas, what's the meaning of this?

As Sue steps up and into the center of the room next to Myles to speak, Myles takes on a slightly superior air. He thinks Sue is about to get dressed down for her role in the photo.

Sue: Sir, I had become aware that Agent Leland may be a publicity risk.

Myles: Publicity risk?

Commandant: (to Myles) Publicity hound.

Ambassador: (to the Commandant) Hound dog.

PR Specialist: Very good, Thomas.

Myles: (aghast) Wha---?

PR Specialist: (to Myles, sharply) Do not disrupt these proceedings. I won't warn you again. (to Sue) Continue, Ms. Thomas.

Sue: So, when going out in public with Agent Leland, I decided to take evasive action.

Myles: Evasive action?

PR Specialist: Excellent, Thomas.

The Commandant and the Ambassador nod at Sue with approval.

Myles: Excellent? (to Sue, under his breath) How could you?

Sue: (to Myles) I'm sorry, Myles. I just didn't want to be famous.

Commandant: (with disgust) I say we throw the book at him.

Ambassador: (to the Commandant) Yes, the book. (angrily, to Myles) We are going to throw the whole book at you.

PR Specialist: (to Dimitrius) (ordering) Special Agent Gans, give me that book.

Myles is still facing forward, so he doesn't see what Dimitrius and the others are doing.

Dimitrius: Yes, sir.

Dimitrius takes a wrapped box, about the size of a book, that had been on the seat of a chair under the table, and tosses it to Jack.

Jack: (catching the package) The book, sir. (tossing the book to Bobby)

Bobby: As you ordered, sir. (tossing the book to the PR Specialist)

Immediately upon catching the package, the PR Specialist tosses it hard at Myles, who is shocked, but catches it. He quickly notices that it is not a book, but a box wrapped in birthday paper. He realizes he's been pranked again.

Myles holds up the wrapped package and then begins to take a bow in various directions. Everyone laughs and cheers.

Cut to Tara opening a door and Bobby pushing a large table on wheels into the room. The table has a birthday cake and other party items on it.

Jack: So, it's a little early, Myles. But the Ambassador insisted we do this before he went back to Taiwan.

Myles: (turning and bowing graciously to the Ambassador) Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ambassador.

Cut to everyone standing around eating cake and socializing. The Ambassador walks up to Myles and speaks to him privately.

Myles: (to the Ambassador) Of course! I'd be delighted.

Cut to the Ambassador opening the door to the conference room and Lei, Bao and Hua excitedly running in and up to Myles. They catch themselves and greet Myles very politely.

Cut to Myles standing with Lei, Bao and Hua. The Ambassador is taking their picture and Lucy is taking a pic of them as well. Myles and the girls, now with the Ambassador joining them, make a couple of different poses as Lucy takes more photos.

Cut to the team members filing into the bullpen after Myles' birthday celebration. Myles throws the package, still wrapped, onto his desk, and begins to loosen his tie.

Bobby: So, Myles. You still haven't opened your birthday present.

Myles: Were you on the gift committee?

Myles sits on the edge of his desk to unwrap the present as all gather around a little.

Myles takes the gift out. It's a t-shirt. We don't see what is on the t-shirt.

Myles: (reading the front of the shirt) "I had lunch with Ariel Lin dot dot dot"---

Myles studies the front of the shirt for a moment, then turns it over to read what is on the back.

Myles: (reading the back of the shirt) ---"And all I got was this stupid t-shirt."

The team cheers.

FREEZE FRAME

THE END

***

You just finished reading Episode 8 of my Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye fan fiction, "Season 2.5." Check out these other episodes, with more on the way!

Episode 1 - "Missed Connections"
Episode 2 - "Ships at Sea"
Episode 3 - "Fly"
Episode 4 - "Dreaming of a White Christmas"
Episode 5 - "Without Words"
Episode 6 - "Bank on It"
Episode 7 - "Blarney"
Episode 8 - "Fame"
Episode 9 - "Viper"

Or check out the Season 2.5 Complete Episode Guide.

What's the real Sue Thomas up to? Find out!