Mission: Interrupted

Chapter 1 - An Ending and a Beginning

"Do you have to go, Meg?" her mom asked while wrapped in a bear hug. "I feel like we just got you back."

"Mom," Meg said with her chin resting on her mother's head. She knew that no mother would find it easy to deal with the extended separations with no contact, and felt a moment of guilt. "We've been through this. It's something I have to do... I... I just need to feel close to him. Besides, Dad's retired now. You can come and visit when I get settled."

"I know you do, and I understand. Dad and I loved Doug like he was our own. I just worry about you. So much can happen out there on the road." This statement drew a chuckle from Megan's dad.

"Come on now, Carol. If Megan could survive the SEALS and CIA and come out with the nickname 'Mass Destruction', I think she's got this," The pride in her Dad's voice still had the ability to make her feel accomplished. As a retired three-star General, he wasn't the easiest man to impress.

"I gotta get on the road. I'll call you in a few days, let you know my progress." She zipped up the light-weight leather jacket and snapped the neck and wrist straps into place. Before pulling on the full face helmet, she wrangled her thick chestnut hair into a loose bun. "I love you both," She said, then swung a long leg over the motorcycle and took off down the quiet neighborhood street.

Her plan was to stop first at the headquarters of her former employer. She had officially retired from service a few months earlier but she needed to pick up some personal items and sign some paperwork. From there she was going to St. Augustine, Florida to spend a couple of nights. St. Augustine was one of her and Doug's favorite places and was a good place to start her mission.

The visit to Langley was as difficult as she thought it would be. She was leaving behind a life that she was uniquely qualified for and enjoyed, even with the danger involved. But after her last mission left her nearly dead with massive internal injuries and several broken bones, it was suggested that Meg either move into an analyst position, or take retirement. It hadn't been hard to come to a decision - sitting at a desk would have been the same as climbing into a coffin for someone like Meg MacAndrews.

After making the tough decision to retire, there'd been a brief period of depression followed by reserved excitement. This was because retirement meant that maybe she and Doug would be able to work on a life together. It took only eighteen days for that dream to be shattered.

Now, walking the halls of Headquarters, she saw many familiar faces and shook a lot of hands. She had to endure a couple of awkward shows of sympathy, but nothing quite as bad as she'd been expecting. People in her line of work experienced death much more often than was normal, so they became really good at handling it.

"Meg, we're gonna miss you," the Director said as she signed the last of her paperwork. "I've never had an operative quite as effective as you in all my years."

  "Careful, Bob, someone's gonna overhear and mistake you for having a heart," she replied drily and they grinned at each other. He sobered quickly and pulled her into a brief hug, squeezing her shoulders.

The expression on his face conveyed how sad he was about her situation. "What're you planning to do now?"

She sighed, looked down for a second, and then shot him a smile. "I'm planning to complete a mission that Doug had planned for himself. It's a small way to honor him."

  "A mission?" Bob asked with his eyebrows raised.

"I guess you'd call it more of an adventure," she explained. "I'm hoping it might actually be good for me, maybe help me find some closure." She cleared her throat and swallowed back the lump that had risen. "Then I'm going to settle down and be a homesteader out west."