fringe_exchange | Darkness Before Dawn - (Olivia & John, Redverse)

For

ponderosa, who wanted to know what the Redverse's John Scott was up to since canon never told us. Set pre-series.

"What's he doing here?" Charlie asked, nodding toward the other side of the room.

Liv looked up at the wide glass wall of Broyles' office, then grinned at the presence of the tall, blond man standing in front of the desk.

"Oh, seriously," Lincoln complained. "Every time he shows up you run off with him for weeks and won't ever tell us anything when you get back."

"Need to know, my little friend," Liv quipped.

Lincoln glared.

Liv's earcuff chirped and she smirked at him. "Duty calls."

*****

"Agent Dunham," Broyles said. "Thank you for joining us."

"Sir." She darted her eyes over to the man standing at parade rest. "Captain Scott."

John nodded. "Agent Dunham. Nice to see you again."

"Special Operations Command has requested your assistance with a tactical mission." Broyles sat at his desk and gestured to Scott. "Please, have a seat and bring Agent Dunham up to speed."

John nodded, turning his chair in her direction as he sat. He leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. "We've been tracking a terrorist cell -- one of the most prolific and wide ranging we've ever dealt with. They were responsible for the bombing of the Glatterflug spaceport at Springsteen Station last month, but that was child's play compared to what they usually get up to." His hands clenched briefly. "We have three agents embedded in the cell, and we're making progress, but this is a long-term operation. However, we've been presented an opportunity to take out a high-value target without compromising our primary mission. Which is where you come in."

Liv flicked her eyes to Broyles, then back to John, curious. "You have snipers of your very own. Why me?"

"The nature of both missions tangentially relates to Fringe Division's interests. You have the appropriate clearance already. And, as I understand it, you're quite good." A hint of a smile showed on his face, but his tone was serious.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." She resisted the urge to wink at John and looked over to Broyles. "I'm clear for this?"

Broyles inclined his head toward her, not quite nodding. "If you want to be. You'll be assisting on a voluntary basis. They can find another sniper with clearance if you want to pass."

She smiled, grateful for the concession, but said, "I'm good. When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible." There was a thread of worry in John's voice, a subtle urgency Liv thought most people would miss. "We don't have a lot of time to get in place for this."

Broyles nodded. "I won't keep you then. Keep me apprised as you can." He met Liv's eyes with his own, brows furrowing just slightly. "Stay safe, both of you."

Liv returned the nod and said, "Thank you, sir."

She and John clattered down the stairs and he asked, "You have a go-bag here or you need to hit your apartment?"

"I've got a bag here -- need to run down to the locker room and grab it, then stop by the weapons locker."

"I've got a CheyTac you can use, but I'm guessing you still prefer that god-awful Galil."

"Yeah, I'll bring my own. You got everything else we'll need?"

He nodded, then smiled when they reached the Science Team's workstations. "Charlie. Lincoln."

"Hi, John. How've you been?" Charlie extended his hand.

John smiled warmly. "Not, bad, you?"

"Same old, same old." Charlie kicked Lincoln none too subtly and Liv grinned.

"John," Lincoln said. "Nice to see you."

"Always a pleasure, Lincoln. Liv, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Lincoln's voice was low as he leaned toward her. "Liv. Be careful."

She met his worried eyes and couldn't find a smart-ass response. "Of course," she said. "See you when I get back. Don't break the universe while I'm away."

*****

Liv stretched her legs out in front of her and looked around the DoD jet. "You Special Ops types have it pretty good. This is nicer than my apartment. By a lot."

"Has its perks." John sat facing her and tapped at his datapad. "Dossier's on your pad. We'll touch down at McCarran and head out as soon as we grab our gear. Ops Logistics will have a Jeep and supplies waiting for us."

"Hope that includes cold gear. Don't wanna freeze my ass off."

"Got ya covered, although the way the forecast sounds, asses might be frozen anyway. The site's about 300 miles north of New Vegas, middle nowhere. We're going to be in the path of a hell of a storm coming off of the Sierra Nivelados."

Liv grinned. "Fantastic." She paged through the information on her pad. "Your people are embedded with a weapons manufacturer?"

"Weapons, technological threats, wholesale destruction. Toby McClosky hasn't met a form of terrorism that he didn't love, or that he couldn't make a buck off of. We've got three people in -- Pete Vena, Maricela Conkling, and Kendrick Loewer. You remember Kendrick?"

"Worked with him in Seattle, right? Tall guy, built like a freight train?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's heading up security for McClosky."

"That's convenient."

"Very. Took a lot to get him into that position. Mari and I served together in Afghanistan. She's Recon. Pete came to us through the CIA before it was absorbed into the DoD. He'd be a Looker if your people had gotten ahold of him."

Liv tapped to the next section intel. "Dona Sasso. That's who we're after?"

"Yeah. Chemical weapons expert from Interpol who went rogue in the '90s. The guy's been a ghost. Every time he pops his head up we're too late to do anything other than lose agents in the trap he left behind. We lucked out this time."

Liv studied the gruesome details of the last raid-gone-bad, then looked up at John, studied him over the edge of her datapad. "You sure about that?"

"Our cover is solid. There's been no chatter at all that would indicate we've been blown." He leaned forward, eyes intent on hers. "We're in the right place at the right time and we're going to nail this guy."

*****

Snow flurries were whipping around outside the windows of the Blue Diamond Gas and Grub in Ely, Nevada. The truck stop was nearly deserted -- most overland traffic had shifted to the maglev trains two decades ago. They'd landed at New Vegas, thrown their equipment into a nondescript Jeep and headed north in to the cold, wet canyonlands left behind by the climate shift after the class eleven event that sent half of California sliding into the Pacific.

They held their hands around their teacups, leaching warmth while they waited for their food. John nudged her foot with his. "So you're still seeing Frank?"

Liv looked up over the edge of her teacup and nodded.

John's smile deepened, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. "A little Lincoln on the side?"

"No." She wrinkled her nose. "Just Frank. It's good, mostly. He's gone a lot and that makes things kind of rough. And my job isn't exactly nine to five, you know."

"He home now?"

She shook her head. "Carolina, helping with the tanapox outbreak. You seeing anyone?"

He made a face at his matcha and shrugged. "My job's even less nine to five than yours. It's hard being with someone you never see, and when you do you can't even tell them where you've been. I've seen a few people off and on, but no one really since, well, since we split up."

"That's just sad."

"Thanks, Liv. Now I remember why things didn't work out between us." He was smiling, though, warm and familiar, and Liv was reminded of all the things that had worked between them.

"I could always set you up with Lincoln."

He laughed, clear and ringing, and Liv had missed that sound so much. "I think Lincoln's a little too high-maintenance for me."

She laughed and leaned back from the table as the waitress brought their food. "Your loss."

*****

Liv pulled the tarp over the Jeep and secured it to the undercarriage with a short bungee. The rocky overhang blocked the worst of the wind and kept the vehicle out of sight. The thermal parka and snow pants, in gray and white camo, did the same for her.

She looked over her shoulder at John, who was zipping himself into his own cold-weather suit. "How far is it?"

"Two days out. We're not sure when the meeting is going to happen, so we might be hunkered down for a while. Not going to be the most comfortable assignment, but we should have enough chemical heaters and MREs to keep from freezing or starving."

She knelt on the ground and checked her pack, then turned her attention to the disassembled rifle in its light case. Her fingers skated easily over the parts, movements long memorized. When she was done she pulled her hair up into a sloppy bun and tucked the loose ends under the white balaclava, pulled the hood of her parka up over that. The light snowfall was being whipped around by the wind when she stood and shouldered her pack.

John was watching her, eyes washed pale by the dim light and white fabric covering most of his face. His voice was slightly muffled when he asked, "Ready?"

Liv scanned the dim gray line of the horizon and nodded once, sharply. "Let's go."

*****

The wind died down, leaving a quiet that made her ears ring in its wake. The snow had been falling heavier since mid-afternoon, leaving the landscape muffled and indistinct. Liv slid down the scree lining a dry creek bed. The rattling of the stones was loud enough that John turned and frowned at her. She slid to a stop next to him and said, "Sorry."

"Losing your touch, Liv."

She stuck her tongue out at him and wound up licking the inside of her balaclava. She looked up at the dimming sky. "How long before we make camp?"

"About another mile." He gestured along the creek. "There should be some decent shelter along this. Keep us out of the worst of it."

"You've reconed this area?"

"Not me, but Mari has."

"You trust her?"

"She's part of my team."

Liv nodded. "What about the others?"

"They're solid."

"How long have they been in?"

"Mari's been in the longest -- almost two years."

Liv shook her head. "Rough."

"We've been after this cell for over a decade. This is the first time we've even gotten close. If it was anything else, we'd just let the deal go through, but this guy Sasso, Liv, he's a monster."

"Well, let's not keep him waiting."

*****

The bank cut in deeply under an overhang of sandstone. It was tucked into a bend in the old creekbed, a tumble of boulders and dead trees piled up at one end to make a pretty decent shelter. They were running dark, even this far away from the target, dinner consisting of chemically heated MREs and bitter tea. The stone wall behind Liv's back was slowly warming, mostly insulated from her body by the thermal blanket from her pack. John was next to her, legs stretched out, shoulder pressed against hers.

"You should come back to Special Ops."

Liv looked over at him, startled. She huffed out a little laugh. "I've got a job, thanks."

"You're good at this. You like it."

"I like what I do with Fringe Division. I like my team."

"You don't like me? Liv, I'm crushed."

"That's not why I left and you know it."

He shook his head. "I never figured it out. Was it what we do?"

She pulled the thermal blanket closer around her shoulders and looked out into the snow. The angle of the over hang was keeping it off of them, but it was starting to pile up in the creek bed. "No, it wasn't that. I mean, I didn't necessarily like everything we did, but it's not really that different. It's maybe easier, what you do. How often have you initiated quarantine protocol in a crowded place knowing that not everyone is going to get out in time? Knowing that you might not get out in time."

"Yeah, not really something I have to deal with very often. So if it wasn't that, what was it?"

She was quiet, turning the question over in her mind. She didn't want to give him the easy, deflecting answer that it was complicated. She didn't believe that she owed anyone anything, but their shared history left her wanting to answer. "I like the… attention isn't really right. It's just, I like working where I get recognition for what I do. You could save the world ten times over and no one would ever know. I don't like working in the shadows."

He nodded, thoughtful. "That makes sense." He reached out and curled a stray lock of hair around his finger. "Is that what this is about? Being noticed?"

Liv shrugged.

"Not noticed, exactly. Appreciated, I guess."

He bumped his shoulder into hers. "Don't lie, Liv, you like being noticed."

She was still laughing when she zipped herself into her sleeping bag.

*****

Liv leaned against a rock, resting. The snow had stopped, but given the heavy, gray skies, she was pretty sure it was only temporary.

John was adjusting the straps on his snowshoes, fingers turning bright red in the cold. "We can get about three quarters of a mile away."

Liv arched an eyebrow.

"Loewer picked the location pretty carefully. There are a few spots closer, but he's got them trapped -- motion detectors, cameras, the works. The spot farther out is clean. He convinced McClosky that it's too far away to be any threat."

"I guess we don't have to worry about the sound at that distance. Lucky thing I'm such an amazing shot."

"Too bad you can't just kill people with your ego."

Liv grinned. "So how is this gonna play out?"

"Sasso will call ahead to let them know he's coming, but they aren't going to get much lead-time on it. Because of the security system, Loewer isn't going to be able to communicate that to us, but he'll send out a security detail to sweep the area when it's time. That's our cue to get ready. Of course, the guys going out are actually going to be looking for trouble, so that's also our cue to stay the hell out of sight. Remember that time in Valencia when we were pinned down for a week in that boathouse?"

"So much fun. You take me to the nicest places."

"Right. You'll take Sasso out, and in the chaos, Vena will copy the schematics and data on the tech we're after, then Mari will cause an accident that destroys the prototype."

"Not gonna try and get it out of there?"

"It's too big. We don't have a way to move it without blowing the operation. We'll take our chances on being able to reconstruct it from the data we get away with."

"Okay, then we hightail it out of there?"

"Yep. Mari's distraction should keep them off our trail. I can drag over our tracks, and with any luck the snow will have pretty much erased them by the time they get around to looking outside the compound. They'll never know we were there."

Liv pushed away from the rock. "Just like ghosts."

*****

Liv stared at the distant buildings through the swirling snow. She was belly-down on an outcropping of rock, looking down into the shallow valley where Toby McClosky had built his hideout. Staring through the snow made her vision swim, distorting the buildings, making her dizzy. The air seemed to waver. She tore her eyes away, swallowing against nausea.

"What the hell?"

"Some kind of displacement effect from the tech we're after. Don't look at it for too long."

"Is it some kind of defense? Like a force field?"

"It's to prevent Ambering."

Her mouth dropped open. The cold she felt had nothing to do with the snow settling on her back. It took her a couple tries before she said, "You can't prevent Ambering. If you could…"

"Someone could keep us from closing one of the rifts. That's one of the things that McClosky's working on. They're testing it here."

"Why? Why would someone do that?"

There was a crackling sound in the distance and the field dispersed.

"I don't know. I don't care. All that matters is we stop him." He nodded toward the slope of the hill behind them. "Get your gear together. We'll get about 20 minutes warning before the meeting starts."

"Take turns on watch?"

"Yeah. I know there isn't much shelter down there -- I'll try and get something rigged after you're ready, at least keep the snow off of whoever isn't on watch."

"Sounds good."

*****

For two days they switched off their watch at the top of the outcropping every three hours, crawling into the relative warmth of the little bivy shelter at the base of the hill. They rested as best they could below and watched the movement in the camp above. Liv shifted on the ground and activated another chemical warmer, tucking her hands inside of it to keep her fingers from going numb. The sky was just starting to lighten, almost imperceptibly, through the still-falling snow. The flurry movement in the compound startled her.

Liv tapped her earcuff and said, "Wake up. Two ATV's leaving."

"That'll be the security sweep." John's voice in her ear was rough from sleep and cold. "They'll get pretty close. Loewer will avoid us if he can, but if we get made we're on our own."

Liv checked the white material covering her rifle and pulled the shaggy hood of her Ghillie suit farther down over her forehead. "Head down. Right."

"I'll get things packed up so we can move out, then I'll come up and spot for you."

The ATV that circled toward their location came close enough that Liv could see the rider's breath steaming in the cold air. Liv went still as he looked in their location, heart pounding in anticipation, but he moved off without coming any closer. Minutes later both vehicles were back inside the fence.

"We're clear."

John scrambled up next to her, low to the ground. He set up his spotting scope, lining it up with the rifle. Liv pulled the cover from her rifle, carefully shaking away the snow. She centered the scope on the open space between the buildings, likely where they would park, and gave John the angles to work from. Once he had his scope calibrated he scanned the area with binocs.

"Got 'em," he said after a few minutes. "SUV about 10 minutes out, coming from the west. They'll probably use that gate, then circle north to park. They'll try to get as close to the buildings as possible."

She nodded and checked her sight again.

"The wind's going to be a bitch," John said.

"Cold won't help either, and I doubt if he's gonna be standing around outside very long."

"Think you can take him on the move?"

Liv chambered a round and settled the butt of the rifle closer to her shoulder. "Gimme the numbers on that light post, right where the notch is. I can work off of that."

He squinted into his scope, fingers moving along the controls on the side. "Four clicks up from center, six left, but it's really variable."

Liv adjusted her aim. She slowed her breathing, long breaths that barely moved her body at all. The sound of the wind, the hiss of the dry, icy snow fell away as she focused. She could feel the warmth of John's body to her left, just behind her shoulder. There was movement at the edge of her vision in her left eye, and she closed it, leaving only the crisp, hyper-reality of her scope.

"On your nine. Taking their damn time." John's voice was barely above a whisper now as he fed her information. The front of the SUV came into view, and he said, "Wind's dropping. Four and one eighth left."

"Got it."

People started getting out of the SUV, and John said, "Gray coat. Blue hat."

"On him."

"Send it at will."

The man in the blue hat was walking toward a group of people coming out of one of the buildings. When they approached, one of them extended their hand. Blue Hat hesitated, distaste flicking across his face, movement halted. It was enough. Liv pulled the trigger, steady and sure, and Sasso swayed on his feet for a moment before dropping.

"Nice shot. Haul ass."

Liv slithered backward, leaving the tarp and shooting mat behind. She rolled to her back as she scrambled down the hill, breaking down the rifle as she went, avoiding the still-hot barrel. Just as she reached the bottom and started bagging the gun, an explosion shook the quiet air.

"Damn."

"Yeah, Mari always did have a flair for the dramatic."

Liv shouldered her pack and checked her sidearm while John spread out a thin wire frame covered with soft fabric tassels. "That really work?"

"It does okay in some conditions. This is pretty good -- nice and dry, although all the wet stuff underneath will make our tracks pretty deep. It should cover our tracks well enough, and it's supposed to shift back to heavier snow in a few hours. They might find the nest, but even that's iffy. Side by side -- tracks'll be easier to cover if we're not waking in each other's steps. Ready?"

Liv turned, looking at the column of smoke rising behind them. "Always."

*****

By the time they reached the creekbed they'd followed on the way in, it was filled with deep drifts of snow, forcing them into the open. They skirted the edge of it, abandoning the drag when the snow started falling heavy and wet. They picked their way between the scrubby trees and half-hidden boulders until well after sunset, stumbling in the darkness. The hollow under the bushy pine wasn't much shelter, and Liv shivered.

John crouched in front of her and pressed an insulated mug into her hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

He pulled his glove off and cupped her face, thumb skating over her cheekbone. "Liv."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, into the tiny bit of warmth. "I'm okay. I'm not great -- I'll be worse in a few days once I really have time to think about it."

"Anderson's still your team psych, right?"

"Yeah. I'll set something up with her when I get back."

"You'll talk to Lincoln and Charlie if you need to? I know you can't tell them details, but you… They have your back, right?"

"Yeah." She curled her fingers around his. "Thanks, John."

"Of course."

He settled beside her, on the waterproof mat she spread out over the snow. She sipped her tea then leaned against his shoulder. "If I never see snow again, it'll be too soon."

"Come on, Liv, it's a winter wonderland." John elbowed her side and grinned. "We can probably hike out of here tomorrow if we push it. Get back to the Jeep at least."

"If there's real food and a warm bed at the end of this, I'm up for it."

"Well, there's a DoD jet and endless debriefing. That work?"

"Close enough."

*****

Liv dropped her pack into the storage bin near the door of the jet and started down the aisle. John leaned into the cockpit to talk with the pilot. Over his shoulder he said, "Couple hours to Washington for debriefing, then we'll get you home. Galley's at the back. There's probably some kind of food."

Liv nodded. She stopped at the back group of seats and shed her coat, wrinkling her nose as she did. "Too bad there's not a shower," she muttered to herself.

The galley did have food -- soup, among other things, and she activated the chemical heaters on two bowls of instant udon. She braced her arms on the counter and leaned her forehead against the cabinets while they were heating, letting the warm steam hit her face. She blinked her eyes open when the bowls chirped, dumped hot sauce in one before heading back the seats just as John got there.

"We'll be in the air in about 10. One of those for me?"

"Yeah, the one that's trying to melt through the bowl." She pushed it toward him.

"Thanks, Liv."

They ate in silence, pausing when the jet took off, and John carried the bowls to the galley when they were finished. He returned with two bottles of water and blankets. Liv nearly drained her bottle, then tipped her seat back and stretched out. She started at the ceiling, exhausted but too wired to sleep.

John's voice was quiet, just audible over the sound of the engines. "Hey, Liv?"

"Hhm."

"Why didn't things work out between us? I mean, I know it was scheduling and our jobs and all that, but we probably could have worked through that. Why didn't we?"

She smirked at the ceiling. "We're too much alike."

"That didn't take much thought."

"Thought about it already. I think we were better friends, anyway." She pushed her seat upright and folded her legs under her. "That's probably why you're still talking to me and all my other exes don't want anything to do with me."

He tilted his head at her. "Why didn't you and Lincoln ever get together?"

Liv stared down at the blanket covering her legs and toyed with the edge of it.

"Sorry, Liv. I shouldn't have pushed."

"No, it's just…" She sighed. "He's in love with me."

"That's a bad thing?"

"It's… an unbalanced thing."

John was quiet for a moment, then said, "Liv, relationships with you are always unbalanced. It's a point of pride for you that you don't need anyone."

"That's not… true." John raised his eyebrows at her and she frowned. She laughed a little. "Am I that bad?"

"It's not bad. It's just how you are. I always felt like, I don't know, like you were halfway out the door." He shook his head. "Okay, that sounds awful. It wasn't like that. You're just pretty self-sufficient. That's all."

She threw her empty water bottle at his head. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Red, anytime."

*****

The debriefing dragged on for hours, and Liv was blinking blearily by the time it was finished. John had managed at least a little sleep on the jet and was leaning against the wall outside the conference room.

"There's a car downstairs that'll take you to the airfield. Or you can come home with me, get some sleep and catch an airship tomorrow."

She blinked a few times and said, "Sleep," then followed him to his car.

She woke when John opened the car door and reached across to unbuckle her seat belt. "Come on, Sleepy."

John's phone rang just as they stepped into his apartment. He glared at it and said, "Sorry, Liv, I gotta get this. Take the bed. You remember where everything is?"

She waved him off and headed to the bathroom, digging around under the sink to find an unopened toothbrush. She thought about a shower, but it seemed like too much effort. She could hear John's voice from the kitchen when she shuffled to the bedroom, stripping off her jeans and shirt on the way to the bed. His t-shirts were in the same drawer as she remembered and she pulled one on before she flopped down on the bed. She kicked the blankets down and buried her face in on of the pillows.

"Comfy?"

She hummed in response.

His hand was warm against her back as he traced up a path up her spine. He brushed her hair away from the back of her neck. "This is new."

"Mmm. Yeah. Frank's got one, too."

"You're really happy with him, aren't you?"

She rolled onto her back and looked up at him, at his familiar blue eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

He smiled, warm and genuine. "Good for you. You deserve it, Liv."

"Thanks." She smiled and closed her eyes when he bent to kiss her forehead. She was asleep by the time he left the room.

*****

Liv opted out of stopping by work on her way home -- teasing Lincoln could wait until tomorrow. She dropped her bags by the door and kicked off her shoes before she dropped on to the couch and tapped Frank's pattern on her earcuff.

"Liv?"

"Yeah. Hey." She smiled in the empty apartment, closing her eyes at the sound of Frank's voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I just… miss you. I know you're probably busy and everything, but I just wanted to say hi."

She could hear his frown in his voice. "Okay, something's definitely wrong."

She laughed and relaxed into the sofa. "No. It really isn't."