Chapter Text
Stolen Past
Author: Vinsmouse
Rating: FRT
Summary: A revelation challenges all that Vin knows of his history and who he is.
Disclaimer: I don’t own the Magnificent Seven or McKenna, not making any money, just cheap thrills.
Warnings: Angst
While not a sequel in the classic sense, this story will reference events in my McKenna story, Blindsided.
Chapter 1
Director Orrin Travis of the Denver ATF office sighed as he read the order for the fifth time. He shook his head, somewhat amused by the decision of the higher ups. He wondered, ruefully, if they could have found somebody more annoying for this assignment. Maybe he should just resign, let somebody else relay the order? No, he couldn’t do that. Orrin Travis had been accused of being many things over the course of his life but coward had never been one of them. Finally he reached for the intercom button on his phone.
"Janet call Agent Larabee, tell him I need to see him right away," he brusquely ordered.
Janet winced. She knew that whenever her boss used that tone it wasn’t going to be good. "Yes sir," she replied. Picking up the phone she quickly carried out the order. Glancing at the clock she decided that she was due for a break; she would take it as soon as Agent Larabee arrived.
"Have to go see Orrin," Chris announced as he left his office.
"There a problem cowboy?" Vin asked.
"Doubt it," Chris truthfully replied. He didn’t have any idea what Orrin wanted but as far as he knew nobody was in any trouble. All of their cases had been going well, a large number of guns had been taken off the streets and the gunrunners imprisoned. Even Ezra had been behaving, only sneaking an occasional Armani suit into his expense reports rather than trying for a whole new wardrobe.
A few minutes later he was knocking on Orrin’s door after Janet waved him past. He opened the door at Travis’ call. "You wanted to see me Orrin?"
"Yes Chris, have a seat," Orrin invited. His friendly manner was the same as always, serving to relax his visitor. "Your last case ended very well."
"Yeah it did," Chris agreed. "Has something come up concerning the case?" He knew they hadn’t missed anything but lawyers; especially criminal defence lawyers could be very slick in finding loopholes.
"Hmmm, what, oh no Chris, no there aren’t any problems with the case." Orrin answered as he shuffled some papers on his desk, clearly distracted. "The team doing okay?"
Chris narrowed his eyes. "Please tell me you’re not going to force us to go through some kind of team building exercise or something," he shuddered. He could just imagine trying to tell the boys that kind of news.
"What would make you ask that Chris? Is there a problem I should know about?" Orrin was well aware of how much his agents, particularly team seven, disliked such things, considering them to be psycho-babble stuff and nonsense. He couldn’t really argue the point with them and would only force them into the exercises Chris spoke of when forced to by his own bosses. He couldn’t, however, resist yanking the younger man’s chain.
"No!" Chris’ voice raised half an octave as it had a tendency to do when he was upset or taken by surprise. It was a tendency he silently cursed.
Orrin chuckled before deciding to let his agent off the hook. "Don’t worry Chris there are no team building exercises in your future."
"Then what’s going on? I doubt you called me up here just to say congratulations and ask how everybody is?"
Orrin sobered instantly as he was reminded of what he had to tell Chris. Team building might well be preferable. "Yes, about that." Pausing, stalling for time, he looked down at his desk, once more shuffling the papers that lay there. "Chris have you ever heard of a man by the name of Jock Steele?"
Chris frowned, trying to remember why the name sounded familiar. It came to him. "Doesn’t he write those stupid westerns that JD is always reading?"
"That’s him," Orrin confirmed.
"Don’t tell me he’s running guns?" The tone of Larabee’s voice indicated that he wouldn’t mind the chance to arrest the man.
Orrin laughed heartily. "No, nothing like that. He’s still writing, but lately he has been branching out, trying his hand at more serious writing."
"Okay, but what has that got to do with me?" Chris was very confused by this time.
"He happens to be friends, good friends with the U.S. Attorney General."
Chris frowned. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like this, whatever this was.
"Orders have come down through the chain of command."
"Orders? What kind of orders?" Chris demanded, interrupting Travis.
"Steele has been commissioned to write a series of articles that will appear in several law enforcement magazines. The first one will be focused on the ATF, specifically..."
"No! Hell no!" Chris protested before Orrin could finish.
"Agent Larabee this is an order that comes from the highest level. You will inform your team that they will make themselves available to Mr. Steele for the week he will be with us. They are expected to be cooperative and friendly," Orrin firmly informed his agent as he handed him the papers detailing the itinerary of Jock Steele’s visit.
Chris glared at his superior. "Yes sir," he bit out. Taking the papers he stalked from the office. One look at his face as he approached the elevator and suddenly those waiting for the car found someplace else to be.
"Uh-oh," Buck, who was getting a cup of coffee, muttered as he caught a glimpse of Chris getting off the elevator.
"Problem brother?" Josiah rumbled.
Before Buck could respond Chris entered the bull-pen, effectively answering the profiler’s question. "Alright everybody listen up," his words instantly gaining the undivided attention of all in the room. In a few words he outlined what Orrin had told him. As expected, to a man, the protests were loud and vehement. Chris allowed them to vent for a few minutes before calling a halt to the complaints. As Orrin had done, he made it clear that they had no choice in the matter. It was going to be a hell of a week, he thought as he retreated to his office.
Chris’ prediction proved true. The week they endured with Steele was one of the worst they’d ever, as a team, experienced. It was even more annoying than the time they were after gunrunners who had set up shop in a desert ghost town. Surveillance had been nearly impossible and the entire operation had been hotter than hell and just as uncomfortable.
Finally the week was over. All that was left was waiting for the article to appear, followed by the inevitable teasing from their fellow agents. At least it wouldn’t come out for another month. Maybe they could arrange to be out in the field when it was published.
ONE MONTH LATER:
A small town sheriff, several hundred miles distant, flipped open his copy of Police magazine. ‘Denver’s Magnificent Seven’ he read, chuckling at the title of the article. It was an interesting article, if a little more creative than most of the articles which usually appeared between the magazine’s pages. Turning to the second page, he stopped, sitting up straight as he stared at the picture of the members of ATF team seven. "What the hell?" He couldn’t imagine how that face had ended up in that particular article. It didn’t make any sense, unless it was a prank. "Only one way to find out what’s going on," he mumbled. Pushing to his feet, he headed out to his car, magazine in hand.
TBC...
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