Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye Fan Fiction: "Fly" - Part 1

*** What was I thinking? Musings on my foray into fan fiction. Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye was created by Dave Alan Johnson and Gary R. Johnson. ***

"Fly," by B.A. Rogers

SCENE 1 - In the bullpen

Myles, Tara, Bobby, Lucy and Sue are present.

Myles: So, I'll be heading down to the Outer Banks to do some windsurfing with the cousin from Canada. Cousin Toby, eh.

Lucy: I can't believe you're going out of town for the Fourth of July.

Bobby: Yes, how can you not celebrate our nation's Independence Day in our nation's capital? What's the meaning of this?

Myles: You have to agree that I haven't missed a year in . . . how long? How long has Mr. Faithful been attending "A Capitol Fourth"? Except, of course, those years when I was working on the holiday.

Bobby: I hear you, mate.

Myles: And that's also why I'm getting my leave form in months in advance. Head this off at the pass this year.

Lucy: But, Myles ---

Myles: Don't go there. (irritated, slowly) Don't go ---

Tara: (walking by, picks up on Myles' comment, counts a couple beats to herself and sings softly the tune and lyrics of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," by Elton John and KiKi Dee) ---"breaking my heart "--- (nods to the beat in her head, smiling at Lucy)

Lucy: (counting the beats to herself between Tara's line and hers; picking up on the tune) ---"I couldn't if I tried "---

Lucy and Tara look at each and laugh, "hear" the beat in their heads, then sing the next line of the song together, emphasizing the beat.

Lucy and Tara: (somewhat softly) "Oh, honey, if I get restless"---

Myles: (blurting out the next line of the song; spoken, not sung) "Baby! You're not that kind!"

Tara: Myles!

Dimitrius walks in.

Dimitrius:Myles!

Bobby: And who you calling "baby"?

Myles: It just came out. Okay. Enough with this Monday Morning Silliness Thread. Let a man drink his coffee in peace.

All smile and go about their tasks.

Bobby: Hey, Myles. I didn't know your cousin was Canadian.

Myles. Of course. Why do you think I always call him "Cousin Toby, eh."

Lucy: Do you mean to tell me all this time that you've been saying, "Cousin Toby. Eh?"

Myles: Absolutely.

Tara: I thought his name was just "toe-bee-AY." You know, French with an accent aigu on the end.

Lucy: "Toe-BEE-ay."

Bobby: "TOE-bee-ay."

Jack walks in, drinking a cup of coffee.

Jack: (throwing his comment off-the-cuff, somewhat deadpan) I thought it was just short for Tobias.

Everyone more or less freezes, staring at Jack with a "I can't believe you said that" expression on their faces. Jack notices, stops, wonders. He then takes a sip of coffee, while still standing there, wondering why he's getting the reaction he is.

Cut to Sue looking around at the "freeze frame."

Sue: Did Jack . . . just make a joke?

Everyone bursts into laughter and all start moving again. Jack walks to his desk, passing in front of Sue at her desk.

Jack: (pointing at Sue as he walks past) You!

(general laughter)

THEME SONG [click here] and OPENING CREDITS

SCENE 2 - In the bullpen

All are sitting around the office.

Jack: What they're concerned about is that all the chatter --- not only is it ramping up, but it seems to be focusing more on one particular person.

Dimitrius: But they don't know who.

Jack: And they don't know why.

Bobby: So he could be a friend, he could be a foe. He could be working with them, he could be about to get whacked by them.

Jack nods.

Jack: Something like that.

Dimitrius sees a woman holding a file approaching the office area. He goes to her, says a few words, takes the file and begins to look over its content as he walks back to his desk.

Dimitrius: (reading the file) His name is David Greene. He's an investigative reporter. Does a lot of freelance projects, especially on terrorism, the war. He was good friends with Matthew McLarson, the reporter who was kidnapped in Kandahar two years ago.

Myles: Now deceased.

Dimitrius: Right now, we don't know what story or information Greene is working on. But he's certainly attracting the wrong kind of attention. (reading the file) We have his address and his parents' address. They live in the area. It's a start.

Bobby: I have some contacts in the world of journalism. I'll check those out.

Tara: I'm on it.

Jack: (looking at Sue) Let's go knock on some doors.

Cut to Tara, standing in front of her desk, with her back to the door. Stanley comes up behind her.

Stanley: Hi.

Tara: (jumps, startled) Oh. Oh. Stanley. Hi.

Stanley: I stopped by to see you earlier.

Tara: You did? That was nice of you. Why didn't you . . . talk to me?

Stanley: You were singing.

Tara: (puzzled) Excuse me?

Stanley: You were singing. To Myles.

Tara: Oh. Oh. Yes. Lucy and I were --- I guess you could call that "singing." Singing a little bit. Just fooling around. For a minute.

Stanley: (leaning closer) You looked really cute when you were singing.

Tara: Really? I mean, come on, Lucy and I were just being silly. Myles---

Stanley: I've never seen that side of you.

Tara: Um. I think it's just . . . a Monday-morning thing.

Stanley: Or maybe Myles, you know, brings out your fun side.

Tara: Stanley ---

Myles strides into the office.

Myles: (upon seeing Stanley, calls out to him) Stanley! Some advice, my man. (moving closer to Stanley) Don't go . . . breaking her heart. (to Tara) Although, in my view, he couldn't if he tried. (to Stanley) And, oh, baby, if she gets restless---

Stanley: Um.

Myles claps Stanley on the back and walks away.

Stanley doesn't get it.

Tara: Help.

SCENE 3 - At the home of David Greene's parents

Jack and Sue are sitting in the living room with David Greene's parents.

Jack: It's very important for us to find your son and talk to him. Can you help us?

The father abruptly makes a noise as if he is catching himself from getting emotional. He quietly gets up and leaves the room. When Mrs. Greene speaks to him, he stops in the doorway behind where his wife, Jack and Sue are sitting.

Mrs. Greene: (turning around on the sofa to face Mr. Greene) Bubbala, please. Don't leave me here to do this by myself.

Mr. Greene: (from behind her, in the doorway to the room) You can do it by yourself.

Mrs. Greene: (to Mr. Greene) But, bubbala, it's the FBI. If the FBI is here, something is wrong. It's very wrong.

Mr. Greene: I know. That's what I know. (emotional, but not angry) And I don't want anything to do with it.

Mr. Greene leaves the room.

Mrs. Greene: (to Jack and Sue) He doesn't . . . . like David's job.

Mr. Greene: (calling out from adjoining room, behind them) That's not true.

Mrs. Greene: (softly to herself) I know, bubbala, I know. . . . (to Jack and Sue) Please. David is our only child.

Jack: Mrs. Greene, do you know where your son is?

Mrs. Greene: I would tell you! But he doesn't tell us. He says it's safer that way.

Jack:: Safer from what?

Mrs. Greene: I don't know this either. From people. People he meets in his work.

Jack and Sue look at each other.

Sue: Do you have any way to reach him? Any way at all?

Mrs. Greene: I can give you his cell phone number. But I am telling you, he won't answer it. And it won't let you leave a message. But I'll write the number down for you.

Mrs. Greene writes the number down and gives it to Jack.

Sue: Do you have a number for his wife?

Mrs. Greene: You know about her. David always tells me, "Ma, when she goes away, she goes away. Don't even call her." Why, I say? Like she has to go into hiding from her own mother-in-law.

Jack: Is there any other way we can reach him?

Mrs. Greene hesitates.

Mr. Greene: (calling out from the adjoining room, behind them) Esther, give them the address.

Mrs. Greene: (over her shoulder, to Mr. Greene) Okay, bubbala. I give them the address.

Mrs. Greene writes down an address.

Mrs. Greene:: (to Jack and Sue, indicating the address) They don't know that I know this. I hope I don't make trouble. But this is where they go sometimes. When they --- poof --- disappear for a while, they can be here (indicating the address). That's all I know. It's an expensive building. With lots of security.

As Jack and Sue are leaving, they hand Mrs. Greene their business card.

SCENE 4 - In the bullpen

Dimitrius, Myles and Tara are in the office. Myles is walking to his desk when Lucy walks in and makes a "frustrated" face at him.

Myles: Ah, the mercurial dance of human nature. You began this bright day with a song --- a love song, even --- and . . . now . . . look at you.

Lucy: I just had a meeting with Randy.

Dimitrius: Forgiven!

Bobby: (looking up just in time to see Jack and Sue walk in) So, here we are. Together again.

Cut to everyone sitting around to get caught up on the Greene case.

Bobby: We haven't managed to make contact with Marissa Greene yet. Apparently, no one's heard from her or David for a week, and Marissa is not answering her phone or email. But, this afternoon, we'll be paying a visit to that address Jack and Sue got from David Greene's mother.

Tara: On that address --- it's a condo in The Highwater building.

Myles: That would be a nice view of the Potomac.

Tara: The condo is owned by Marissa Greene's parents. They use it occasionally, as a second home. Apparently David and Marissa do hole up there from time to time. But it's more often Marissa who goes there by herself.

Dimitrius: And here's the story Greene is working on ---

Tara: (taking a phone call) Excuse me. Sorry. Jack, it's Marissa Greene. She's asking for you or Sue.

Jack: (on the phone) Special Agent Hudson. . . . Yes, Ms. Thomas and I met with your in-laws this morning. . . . If you'd rather not talk on the phone, we can meet you. . . . Is everything okay? . . . I understand. We can leave right now. Highwater, number 1204. Okay. We'll be there soon.

Jack hangs up.

Jack: She's upset.

Dimitrius: David Greene is working on a story about a network of informal charities that has been taking donations from the Somali-American community, supposedly to provide humanitarian relief for displaced persons, especially in southern Somalia.

Myles: Oh, don't tell me that money is really going to al-Shabab for non-humanitarian purposes.

Dimitrius: We know that. But the bad thing for David Greene is that he knows that, too.

Bobby: And, even worse for David Greene, the terrorists know he knows. That's what they're chattering about.

All exchange knowing looks. Jack indicates to Sue "let's go," and they begin to walk out of the office.

Cut to Myles talking to Tara. Lucy is present.

Myles: (to Tara) Surely you can't be blaming me for starting that little songbird chirping this morning. I can't help it if you react to my mere presence with your inner chanteuse. (to Tara and Lucy) I think this morning you both learned something important about the power of my, shall we say, personality.

Lucy: (to Tara) Maybe what you actually learned this morning is something about Stanley.

Tara: Or . . . maybe . . . about myself.

Myles: Hmm. Well, forgive me for transgressing on this delicate conversation, but in this case, I have to agree with Stanley. Yes, with Stanley. There is something rather . . . attractive . . . about a woman who gives in to her creative impulses. Of course, sometimes it takes the right person, the right situation, the right . . . vibe . . . to bring that nascent charm to fruition.

Lucy: (to Tara) I just felt a little sick.

Myles sighs hugely, resigned. He turns and moves on.

SCENE 5 - At the condominium

Marissa Greene cracks the door and looks out. Jack shows his badge.

Jack: Jack Hudson.

Marissa: And Sue?

Sue nods.

Marissa: Come in.

When Marissa opens the door, Jack and Sue see that she is holding a blonde-haired baby on her hip.

Marissa: (indicating her baby) Estelle. She'll be one in a few weeks.

Sue: Estelle. She has a beautiful smile.

Cut to Jack and Sue interviewing Marissa, with the baby on her lap, in the living room.

Marissa: I'm a doctoral student in Middle Eastern Studies at Georgetown. I actually started out to be an Archeologist, but . . . Anyway, that's where David and I met and that's why I understand his drive. His drive to investigate, to learn, to find the truth. I know why he has to be a journalist.

Jack: Do you know what kind of story your husband is working on?

Marissa: No. But it seems like it's something bigger than what he's done in the past. "Bigger," I don't know, I think I'm using that as a euphemism for "worse." Whatever he's doing now; this is worse. I admit, I've been scared before. And with good reason. But I've never been scared like I am now.

Sue: I'm sorry.

Marissa: You know, my studies (beginning to break down crying) . . . No matter how much I study, I still don't understand . . . I don't understand the violence. The hatred. The killing. You can give me all the explanations in the world, and it still makes no sense to me. But I know the danger can be very real.

Sue: David is in danger?

Marissa: (thinks a long moment) I think so.

Jack: Marissa, where is your husband?

Marissa looks Jack in the eye for a long moment. Then she kisses her baby's head.

Marissa: He's in Afghanistan.

Continue reading at Part 2 . . .