Safety Net 》Reuban Finch

Chapter 1

Reuben had finally reached the house he was staying at for his time during this mission.

Unpacking the few things he brought, he checked his phone, seeing a message from his friend and WSO Mickey Garcia, call sign Fanboy.

Hey, a bunch of us are meeting at Hard Deck to scope out who else was recalled. You in?

Reuben smiled, shaking his head as he responded to his friend. Let me settle in first, and I'll be there.

Shutting off his phone, he finished giving himself a little tour of the house. It was the perfect size for his needs, not too big or small. And if Jia was able to join him, there was enough space for her as well.

Speaking of his fiance, Reuben grabbed his phone from the charger and pulled up her contact.

The picture always made him chuckle. Jia had, as she always did, been raising his blood pressure by doing something entirely sketchy. This one he happened to catch on camera.

Jia had decided to do a series of monkey bars while blindfolded, having never done this particular set before. She was high enough off the ground that it would hurt if she fell, but she wouldn't break anything.

The picture he was referring to, however, was her celebration after she had completed the set. She had ripped off her blindfold, holding it above her head in celebration as she yelled in happiness. Her smile was infectious, and her eyes had a spark that could be seen even through a phone.

After he had finished reminiscing, he finally clicked on the call button. It rang for a few moments before being picked up.

"Hey Reu, you finally make it to North Island?"

Jia Mancini had been on a movie set for two weeks now, shooting a series of fight scenes and car chases.

Reuben nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "Yeah, the house is pretty nice. Think you'll be able to join me soon?"

Jia hummed. "I should be able to. The shoot location isn't too far from your base, no reason I can't make the commute."

He smiled, glad he would be able to spend time with her. They didn't know what this mission entailed just yet, but it couldn't have been good.

"Good. That's good. By the way, I got a text from Mickey."

Jia perked up at that. "Oh yeah? What'd he say?"

Jia absolutely loved Mickey Garcia. He was always there to nerd out with her on whatever her current project was and a support she could lean on if needed.

"He said some people were meeting up at one of the local bars. I'm headed there in a bit once I actually eat some dinner."

Jia, on the other side of the phone, got a signal from one of the assistants on set. "Well, tell him I said hi. I'm getting told to wrap this up for another take, so I'll hopefully see you soon."

Reuben smiled. "I'll be sure to tell him. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye, my love."

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

"What do they call you?" Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace asks. A man had been quietly sitting in the corner the entire time they had been talking to Hangman.

"Bob," he says, looking down quickly. He was cleaning off some peanut dust from his pants.

"No, your call sign," Payback corrects

"Uh, Bob," he says after a moment's hesitation. Well, that wasn't going to be hard to remember.

"Bob Floyd. You're my new back seater?" Phoenix questions. "From Lemore?"