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Chasin' the Beat of My Heart: Austin Moon
"I'm thinking ultramodern furniture in the minimalist style with a touch of Indiana Jones, like overstuffed leather pillows." Bozer says we follow Jack up the stairs.
"Oh, c'mon, Bozer. You're giving Jack way too much interior design credit." Riley tells him. "I do agree with you about the leather. But, like, a ton of leather. Like, if a Whitesnake concert threw up on a condo."
"C'mon, Ri. Seriously. Whitesnake? That's what you think of me?" Jack questions.
"I mean, that is what everyone thinks of you." Mac quirks and I grin down. "You wear a leather cuff, like, all the time."
"Even to formal occasions." Evan adds.
"It has significant—you know what? If you guys don't stop Jack bashing, I'm just gonna uninvite you all right now." Jack warns.
"Oh, no. Please, we'll stop. Do not deny us of this opportunity." I start to get on my knees and the others laugh.
"Very funny, smartass." He nods and I get up.
"Oh, c'mon, Jack. Don't be like that." McKenna crosses her arms. "Me, Riley and Bozer have never been to your place. We can't help but wonder what chez Dalton is like."
"Exactly. We're just excited you finally asked us over, even if it is for a midweek Bruce Willis marathon." Bozer nods and I scoff.
"Let's go." Jack points warningly at him and we continue walking up the stairs. "Okay, now, I don't have a big patio with a view of the L.A. skyline, but I think you'll find the Dalton digs are a little slice of heaven." He opens the door and we head inside.
"Jack, why is your door open?" Mac asks.
"Looks like you've been robbed." McKenna enters with us.
"Oh, man. They took my TV?" Jack gapes. "I just figured out how to work the remote."
"That's what you get for being a slow learner." I shrug and the others laugh.
"That was good." Bozer clasps my hand.
"Lina." Jack turns to me.
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, they left the remote." I hold up the remote.
"Quiet, you." He points at me as the others chuckle.
"Jack, I tried calling you, but it kept going straight to voice mail." A dark haired girl in yellow walks over.
"Yeah, that's because somebody took apart my phone to make a tracking d—yeah. What happened, Janese?"
"I-I came in this morning to drop off your mail, and I found this. I...I thought I was doing a good job checking on the place twice a day. I feel like a terrible neighbor. I'm so sorry, Jack."
"No, it's...I'm sorry. It's not your fault, okay?"
"Nobody saw anything out of the ordinary?" I cross my arms and lock eyes with a blonde boy talking to an officer.
"Uh, Tommy thought he heard noises late last night." Janese steps away.
"Carrying a flat-screen down a fire escape—that can't be easy." Evan remarks.
"Other than the TV and coffee table, what else is missing, Jack?" Bozer asks.
"Well, they took my Telly Savalas painting, which had cultural significance." Jack points to the wall where the painting was. "Took all my books."
"Yeah, books, sure." I nod and the others chuckle.
"Yes, Lina, my books. I read."
"The Berenstein Bears don't count, Jack." I shove my hands in my jean pockets and Bozer laughs loudly with the others.
"Hey, I thought I told you to be quiet."
"Come again?" I tilt my head.
"Nothing. Uh, anyway." Jack clears his throat. "My CDs. I had so many CDs."
"Can we go back to the Telly Savalas...?" Riley scratches her neck.
"Later." I nod and she chuckles.
"And my cigar box." Jack hits his armoire. "No, they took my cigar box."
"Mister Dalton?" An officer heads over. "Got a list of items I'd like to talk to you about."
"My stolen stuff? Yeah."
"Actually, no. We're gonna get to those items in a minute. There's some other stuff that's still in the apartment that kind of caught our attention. Come here for a sec? You own a samurai sword?"
"It's called a katana. And y-yes. I got it on a trip to Japan. A business trip."
"And a two-handed broadsword."
"It's, uh...it's another business trip to Scotland. Big Braveheart fan."
"And there's also a World War II-era Russian sniper rifle we found in your closet. Those claymore mines stashed under your bed?" The officer goes on.
"They're replicas. They're not even real." Jack shakes his head. "You know, I'm the victim here. Instead of listing all the stuff I still have, why don't we focus on what I don't."
"Jack. Jack." Riley heads over. "It sucks. I know. But I-let's look at the big picture here. Alright? It's just stuff."
"Yeah. I know, Riley. It's just stuff. It doesn't matter except for one thing." He holds up a finger
"The cigar box." Bozer realizes.
"Yeah." Jack turns back to the armoire.
"What was in the box?" Mac wonders.
"I'd rather not say." He steps away and our phones go off.
"Matty needs us." I look at my screen. "I'll just tell her you got some things going on."
"Yeah? No. No, Lina, it's fine. All my stuff's long gone by now. What does it matter? Let's just go save the world again."
"I'm so sorry, buddy." Mac pats his shoulder and we head to the door.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Three months ago, a corruption scandal forced the president of Ecuador to resign." Matty pulls up the video on the screen and I cross my arms. "The very next day, Colonel Diego Zarate marched 4,000 troops into the capital and declared martial law."
"Yeah, this is all over the news. I tell you what. You point me in the right direction of this Zarate, and I'll put my boot right in his butt." Jack promises.
"You seem grumpier than usual, Jack. Something you'd like to share?"
"No, I'm...I'm all good here."
"Okay. Seems unlikely, but whatever. Now, as much as this will disappoint Jack, I'm not sending you to Ecuador to plant your boots anywhere. I'm sending you there to save democracy."
"Ecuador is about to hold a special election to pick their next president." Cage informs.
"Let me guess." I scoff. "This Zarate's positioning himself to be that guy. If democracy falls in Ecuador, the entire region's in danger."
"Unfortunately, that's correct." Matty nods. "And our only hope in stopping Zarate and saving the country is this man."
"Hector León." I walk closer. "Former Ecuadorian soldier turned opposition leader. León served as a UN peacekeeper. Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia—you name a hot spot, he's been there. And when Zarate seized power, León was the first to speak out against him. Now he's the only candidate brave enough to stay in the race." I shake my head in disbelief. "He's fought so hard." I whisper to myself. "And now they wanna kill him, right?" My eyes get glassy.
"Yes. León's got the people, and he's projected to win by a landslide, but only if he's still alive on election day."
"Zarate." I nod to myself.
"Well, that's one way to save money on attack ads." Bozer remarks.
"How is he?" I turn my head.
"So far, León's done a good job of hiding from Zarate's death squads. But sadly, now he has a new problem: he's actually dying." Matty tells me and I turn back with a hard face.
"He does look pale." I rasp out. "Sounds short of breath." I look down. "Heart failure." I turn back.
"Yes." She nods. "If he doesn't get a heart transplant in the next forty eight hours, he'll die."
"So, what do you want us to do? Find him a new heart?" Jack questions.
"There's a part of me that would just love to see what you would do with the marching orders, find me a heart. But, fortunately, Jack, we've already found one. The problem is it's not in the right place. We found a donor heart and a surgeon in Pasto, Colombia, and I secured an operating room in Quito, Ecuador."
"We? You mean Fitz?" I inquire.
"He said if you guessed correctly, I could confirm. And yes, cause he knows that brain of yours has studied and looked up everything known to man. Those were his exact words. So, Mac, Jack, Evan, Riley, McKenna and Cage, you'll head to Colombia and escort the doctor and the heart across the border. Lina, you will slip into Ecuador, reach León, and get him to the secured hospital, where you will link up with the others."
"He knew I'd have to go alone, didn't he?"
"Yes. And I was adamant. But he was very convincing. He said León couldn't have better protection, except you. We do our jobs correctly, León and his new heart will become one before Zarate even finds out he's sick."
"Uh...everyone's got a job but me. You forgot to say what I'm doing." Bozer raises his hand.
"You're staying home. I've got a tac team heading to Germany on another mission, and they need disguises."
"On the bright side, Boze, you won't have to witness Jack commit verbal atrocities to the Spanish language." Riley points out.
"Hey, I'll have you know my command of the Spanish language is fantastico." Jack tells her. "My accent, perfecto." He opens the door. And don't make me enojado. You wouldn't like me when I'm enojado."
"You're making me enojado right now, now get out of here. León's corazón won't be transplanting itself." Matty tells him.
"Adios, muchacha." He leaves and my phone goes off.
"I'll be right back." I take out my phone and leave. I walk down the hallway and stop once I'm far enough, now placing my phone to my ear. "Really?"
"Well, hello to you too." Fitz tells me.
"Isn't your job as the President of the United States to, I don't know, only worry about the United States?"
"Oh, it is, make no mistake. But wherever you go is important to me too, you know that."
"Yeah, I do. Thanks." I lean against the wall and look down.
"Hey. I know the only President you've ever watched was me, but you can do this. I know you can. You're the unstoppable danger. You're Amanda Clarke. And I also know you're already thinking of a plan to save León. So go through with it. Listen to your gut, no matter what. And you call me when you succeed. I'll be watching the news all day, okay?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Hey. You can do this, Amanda. You've done much harder things."
"I'm guessing Matty told you about-"
"That bastard kidnapping you and taunting his part in destroying your father? Yeah, she did. And I have teams still scouting all over the world for him."
"Call them off. I don't want him going after you too. Not you."
"With you on my side, I got nothing to worry about."
"Fitz-"
"Now go save the world, as always." He hangs up and I do so as well.
"Hey." Riley heads over. "You watched Fitz's back for over ten years. You can watch León's for a day." She grips my arm.
"Yeah." I return the action. "I'll see you soon." I squeeze her arm before parting ways with her. I then take out my hat from my hoodie pocket and place it on my head.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Hey, Matty." I hold up my phone.
"The others have the heart and the surgeon. They're en route and six hours away. How are you doing?" Matty asks.
"I'm just pulling up to León's place now." I see an ambulance and two medics wheeling León on a stretcher. "No, no."
"What is it, Lina?"
"That's León. Matty, what happened?"
"You heard her. Get it on the screen." Matty orders before sighing. "Ten minutes ago, León collapsed in his safe house, and one of his aides called 911. EMS arrived five minutes later and they must have recognized León, because when they called dispatch, they referred to him by his name."
"So his illness is no longer a secret. Does Zarate know?"
"Not only does Zarate know, but according to our intel, he has troops mobilizing. If you don't stop that ambulance before it reaches the hospital-"
"It won't be León's heart that kills him. I know. I'll call you back." I hang up and my phone rings. "Mac. You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Well, most of us." Mac tells me.
"Did Jack dare you to call me or something?"
"Hey." Jack warns. "I didn't-"
"No." Mac scoffs. "Go on." He whispers.
"Lina?" A voice comes through.
"This is her speaking." I reply. "Wait, are you Doctor Rosa?"
"Yes. Uh, yes, I am."
"You sound nervous. Don't be. We got five hours till we're all there, and that heart still has eleven hours ticking on it, so we're gonna get to León with plenty of time to spare."
"Y-Yeah."
"This isn't about the heart, is it?" I break the short silence.
"On the night Zarate took over, my brother went to a peaceful protest and...never came home. They found his body two weeks later. Zarate's police declared his death an accident, but I know it wasn't. Zarate has murder everyone willing to stand up to him."
"I'm sorry." I clench my jaw.
"My brother believed León was the only one who could save our country. That's why I volunteered to save him."
"Bravery must run in the family, then."
"Honestly, I don't feel brave right now. I'm feeling pretty terrified."
"Guess what? So am I." I reveal.
"But your friends say you-"
"Worked in the White House for half my life? Yeah, I did. Every day was scarier than the next. One of the most terrifying moments of my life was watching the President taking a bullet to the head on his birthday. The ones I took to my vest didn't matter. And when I got to the hospital, I saw nothing but my sneakers covered in his blood. He almost slipped away. And I blamed myself for a very long. And you know where that got me? Nowhere. Because when he woke up, the first thing he thought of was me. He thought I died protecting him. I think he was worried about me just as much as I was worried about him. And after that day, I promised myself that I would never fail like that again. But that's an unrealistic expectation. We can't control the things we have no power over. But this...in this case, we do have the power. And we're gonna do everything we can to save León." I pause. "I will. I promise. So don't worry, okay? You got the hard part. Just leave the rest to me."
"Thank you."
"Just breathe, that's thanks enough." I hang up and continue following the ambulance.
I open my laptop on the seat next to me and I type with one hand, remembering which keys Riley and McKenna told me press. I keep working with my right hand and create a traffic jam. I now stop and so does the ambulance. The siren then goes off and the ambulance turns, driving over the crosswalk.
"This isn't a computer problem, this is a people problem." I realize.
I close my laptop and continue to follow the ambulance. I turn left and press harder on the pedal. I keep going and the driver in the ambulance honks. I now step on the breaks as we almost collide into one another. I grab my gun and head out.
"Out! Fuera, por favor." I raise my gun and the driver puts his hands up before I open the back doors. "Out. Now." I order and the medic gets out.
"Señor León." I head inside. "Mi nombre es Lina Petronis. Solía trabajar para el presidente de 2005 a 2015. Ahora trabajo con el gobierno de los EE. UU. y estoy aquí para asegurarme de que usted reciba su trasplante de corazón de manera segura." I take out my comm. "I have León. I'm five miles from the surgery center."
"No, no, no. Change of plans." Matty tells me. "That place is crawling with Zarate soldiers. I found a new operating room, but it's eleven miles away. New facility, very private. None of Zarate's radio communications have ever mentioned it, so it looks like he doesn't even know that it exists. I'm gonna send you GPS coordinates now. Oh, and, Lina, you're gonna have to keep a low profile for longer than expected. The others ran into a little trouble at the border."
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Disculpe." I wheel León towards a nurse. "Tengo una paciente VIP aquí y no necesito ojos curiosos. Quién eres? Déjame ver tu identificación."
"¿Mi identificación? Yo soy el que está a cargo aquí. ¿Cómo se llama su paciente?" The nurse asks.
"Ronaldo Rodriguez." I pick up the clipboard on the edge of the stretcher. "Recién admitido. O #3." I hand it over.
"Bueno. Habitación 206, siga recto y luego gire a la derecha."
"Gracias." I turn and wheel León down the hallway, then entering the room.
"Miss Petronis...where are we?" León takes off his oxygen mask.
"A plastic surgery center. One Zarate doesn't know about. This is where you're gonna get your new heart."
"Would you hand me those?"
"You really should be resting." I walk on the other side.
"Please." He sits up and I hand over a new clipboard and a pen.
"What are you writing?" I place his oxygen tank on the side.
"The speech I was planning on delivering on election day. Just some words to encourage the people to ignore Zarate's threats, be brave, and to vote to save our nation. If I'm not here to deliver this speech, promise me you'll get it published for all to see so that someone else might continue the fight."
"León-"
"You worked for the U.S. President for ten years. You know. And even though we just met, I trust you. It's clear you're a smart and determined woman who would do anything to protect her country." He nods and my phone goes off before I take it out.
"Hey, Matty, I got León settled at the hospital." I place my phone to my ear. "How long before Mac and the others arrive with that heart?" I set up an IV for León and then stick the needle in his arm.
"It's gonna be a minute. Right now, there's a bit of a problem." Matty tells me.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Jack, you look really pale." I hold the door open.
"Yeah, I know. It's not my, uh, best look." Jack tells me.
"I was gonna say good, because he doesn't—clock is ticking." I head back over to León.
"Lina." Rosa heads over to me.
"Rosa." I shake her hand.
"Okay. We got León. We have the heart. All set, Doctor." Evan inquires and the lights go out.
"Uh-oh. Looks like somebody forgot to pay their electric bill. This is a great time for a good heart pun.
Just let me think of it. I got it." Jack says.
"Shut up, Jack!" I shout and silence fills the room before my phone goes off. "Yeah." I turn.
"Shut up, Jack." Riley mutters in seriousness.
"Lina. I'm watching the electricity go out all over Quito. You guys still have power?" Matty asks.
"We're in the dark. So is the whole block." McKenna looks out the window. "If the power's gone out all over, that's gotta be Zarate."
"He's the only one with access to the grid." Cage nods.
"Zarate can't find León so he's cutting the whole city's power hoping to stop the surgery." Evan adds.
"Hey, Zarate cut the power so he could..." Jack trails off. "So he could stay in power."
"Someone help Dalton into a chair before he hurts himself." Matty urges. "Look, the colonel is clearly willing to do anything to kill León. He's shutting down the city's power grid, and he's sending men to all the hospitals and clinics to find him."
"No problem. We got these two. They can fix anything." Jack looks at me and Mac. "You can fix this, right? Huh? All you gotta do is-"
"Jack?" I walk over.
"Yeah?" He grins and I get in his face.
"Tone down your commentary! This isn't a game." I raise my voice.
"Lina, León's fading fast. I need to operate now, but I can't perform surgery without power." Rosa tells me.
"No." I walk over and feel León's pulse.
"Just scrub in and start your prep. I'll have power back by the time you're ready." Mac assures and I turn, locking eyes with him.
"You will? How?" Rosa walks past me and Evan sits Jack in a wheel chair.
"Uh, not sure yet, but by the time you're ready, I'll have it figured out."
"Lin's. Mac." Riley panics and I turn.
"What the hell is going on in here?" The nurse I spoke to earlier comes in with two others. "Is that Hector León?" She look at León and I grab the clipboard from beside him.
"The smallest acts of courage, when done together, can move mountains. Stand with me now, and let's build Ecuador a new future together." My voice shakes. "Hector León wrote this speech for the people. If he doesn't get into surgery now, he won't be alive to deliver it. You can call the cops, or you can help us save him. Or we can do this my way. That may involve me possibly dying." I pause. "And I'm okay with that."
"What do you need us to do?" The nurse gives in.
"Scrub up. I'm gonna build us a generator." Mac leaves and the rest of us start working.
I wash my hands and then look up as the lights come back on. I close my eyes in relief and leave to thank Mac. I make a turn and I stop to see Rosa pacing around with her gloved hands up.
"Everything okay?" I walk over.
"I don't know if I can do this." Rosa shakes her head.
"Of course you can. You've done this surgery before, dozens of times."
"I know, but it's not just one man's life in my hands this time. It's the lives of everyone in my country."
"I know." I nod. "And, uh, as you know, before I did..well, whatever you call this, I started working for the President at eighteen. And all throughout the training, and the tests, and the scandals, and the fighting, and the bloodshed, I wondered what I would do when other people's lives were actually on the line, when my decision was the difference between life and death. And...the first time it happened, when the President was shot, I was shaking worse than you are right now."
"What did you do?"
"Well, I took a deep breath, and I admitted to myself that I was terrified. And then...I got back to work and found his assassinator." I nod. "Look, you've come all this way to save your home and to fight for someone you believe in. Personally, I think your country's in good hands." I look at her hands. "See what I mean?" I raise my eyebrows and she puts on her mask before heading inside. I now look down at my father's ring and flex my fingers, then making a fist. "I need you save me here, dad." My voice breaks. "And yes, I'm admitting it. I'll say it twice for good measure." I chuckle. "Please save me, dad." I slowly repeat, keeping my teary eyes on León.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Hey." McKenna greets as I head over.
"Hey." I rasp out and I look at León through the glass with watery eyes. I flex my fingers and go to make a fist, but a hand slips into mine. I then see León open his eyes and the others sigh in relief.
"Well, the surgery was a success." Evan says.
"Yeah, but we're too late. It's election day, and Zarate's about to declare victory on television, because nobody even knows León's still alive." Cage tells him.
"Lina?" León looks around for me.
"They will." I pull my hand away from Mac's and turn.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Ooh, you hear that fire in his words? He's got that Dalton blood pumping through his veins, boy." Jack says from behind me as I watch León give his speech with the computer in front of me.
"That's not how...blood works, Jack." Evan sighs.
"Good work, Doctor." I turn my head.
"Thank you, Lina. Thank you for everything." Rosa tells me.
"What's next for you?"
"I think I'm gonna stay here for a while. Help León get our country back on the right track."
"Well, I'm sure he could use someone like you. Good government takes a sharp mind and a steady hand."
"Like you?"
"Lina Petronis." León looks at me. "Venir. Venir." He motions his hand.
"Go." Riley nudges me. "It's about time you got credit for all your hard work."
"Oh, well, thanks." I get up, now standing next to León.
"Quiero que mi país vea a mi mayor aliado e inspiración." León grins at me.
"Ecuador, sé lo que es sentirse desesperado, impotente, aterrorizado y silenciado por mucho que intentes que otros escuchen tu voz." I start. "Y hoy Zárate intentó precisamente eso. Pero fracasaron. Porque el poder no es un medio, es un fin. Y usar ese poder para el bien no es sólo una elección, sino una responsabilidad. Y no tengo dudas de que el presidente León cumplirá ese papel. Y pase lo que pase...no te rindas. Porque siempre será un nuevo día." I turn and share a grin with León before he takes my hand in his. I feel then feel something hit my palm.
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
"Once the truth about Zarate's attempts to kill León got out, the people did more than just vote. They took to the streets. Zarate has now been arrested by his own forces, and will now stand trial for treason." The reporter says as I watch León wave to his people, making me grin.
I look down and look at the pin he gave me in the palm of my hand. A knock on my door is then made and I get up. I head over and open it.
"Hey." I push some hair behind my ear that's blowing from the wind.
"Hey." Mac replies and I step aside, letting him enter.
"What's up?"
"You hear about León?" He looks at my tv.
"Yeah. He's gonna be okay." I nod.
"Thanks to you."
"We all did it, Mac." I close the door.
"Not the speech, though."
"You understood what I was saying?" I furrow my eyebrows.
"Riley pulled a translator when she took over."
"Of course she did." I place the pin my back pocket and then fix the bracelet the boy gave me back in Turkey.
"I don't how you do it."
"Well, we come to work everyday and-"
"No, I mean...all of it. You were part of the President's life for ten years. And you still are. And you were just on tv with Ecuador's."
"Okay, being on tv was not my idea, you and everyone saw that." I walk past him and he turns me around by the arm, then slipping his hand in mine.
"You were really amazing today. You always are, but, today...I know it was a lot for you. I know it brought back a lot of memories."
"And those memories are what got me through today. My country is very important to me, despite, well, every horrible thing that's going on right now. And I won't ever turn my back on it." My eyes water.
"I know." He nods. "C'mere." He pulls me into him and I close my eyes.
"You'll find him, Mac. I know it. And I bet he's looking for you all the same." I squeeze him.
Please bring James home, dad.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
🖇️🧠🪵🧨💥
don't worry, the slow burn is gonna start moving a little quicker very soon💅🏻
robbed of this duo
quick version my ass
she's stronger than me
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