10:47 AM
Quantico, Virginia 

J.L was satisfied with Mark’s response, he found some insight just in the initial analysis. He knew, in no time, Mark would have something more solid. Whether that profile meant anything at all, after it was complete, was unknowable; which is why J.L immediately put in an order for another jet. Just as he was doing so he received word from Mitchel Green concerning a case he had recently found on his desk. Mitchel worked directly underneath J.L, but sometimes it was hard to tell since Mr. Green ran most of the day-to-day operations and only ever spoke to J.L when there were problems, when he needed something, or if there was a performance review. Since both cases were out in New York, and they were going to be sending agents that way anyway, they signed a joint order (it gave the order more credence and made it far easier to file the forms). 

Green wore large horn-rimmed glasses, he was a red-head of middle age with freckles running along his neck; he scribbled something on a notepad as he held the handset of a phone to his ear. J.L was on the other line, this promised to be the last call they’d have to make to eachother all day, they were a bit sluggish with their speech and passively annoyed. 

“Who are you sending?” Mitchel placed his pen on the form, waiting for the name. 

“Mark… Vern.”

Mitchel tilted his head as he tried to create a face for the name, then it came to him, and he grimaced. “Ah, okay. Is that the teacher?”

J.L was holding his head on the other line, a migraine was creeping up on him. “Yeah.”

“Has that been cleared?” Green asked suspiciously.

“Yeah, I spoke with Central earlier.” J.L responded, he popped a few Advil and sipped the remnants of his coffee to wash them down. 

“Well, alright then…”

“Wait,” J.L interrupted, “what’s your agent’s name?”

“Oh, right, uh… Thomas Wakefield.” Green confirmed after checking the running list of names he had near his desk. Just as Mitchel said Thomas’ name he saw the agent walking up to his office door. 

Kaily was, once again, unnerved as Thomas approached her desk. “Sure,” she responded, trying to forget the comments he made about her smell. 

“I’ve got to go Jay, I’ll talk to you later.” Mitchel said over the phone. He waved Thomas into his office as he hung up with J.L. “Sit down Mr. Wakefield.”

J.L was as happy to get of the phone as Green was, and he got straight down to business as well. Josh was already in his office, sitting just where he had hours earlier. “Josh, I need you to bring this over to Martha and have it faxed to acquisitions, then get Mark. I need him ready to go. Confirmation should be on my desk in less than 30 minutes.” J.L spoke the orders steadily, without any hesitation.

“Am I going with him, sir?”

“Yes. I’ll arrange transport to meet you at the airport. And, Josh,” J.L removed his reading glasses and set them on the desk, “don’t be afraid of Mark. He’s a genius but he isn’t always right, and he’s a man just like me and you, made of flesh, and blood, and bone. If you’re going to do him any good, you need to build a connection with him. Do you understand?” J.L was serious, meticulous with his words. He was setting up the pieces, arranging their paths as such. 

“Yes, sir. I won’t let you down, J.L.” Josh said, as a son would to a father, and then he left. 

Mitchel Green called in Kaily as Thomas took his seat, he sent his order with her to be faxed. “I need you to head to New York on assignment. Primarily it’s to put you at the crime scene, also so you can assist closely in the investigation.” Mitchel opened the file he was given by Wakefield, glanced through the profile quickly. “I’ll have to correspond with you on the profile after you get to the crime scene. Right now I’d like you to visit the morgue. Take a look at the body, see if it tells you anything. When you’re done there report back up here, I’ll have your assignment all detailed and we can send you on your way. I hope you have a go-bag here, you might be staying over there for a while.” Mitchel took a sip of the glass of water he had next to him and then looked back up at Thomas. “Any questions?”

Josh found Mark easily enough, tucked away in some dark corner of the Headquarters. “Hey, Mark,” Josh spoke ahead of his approach. “J.L wanted to let you know that we’re heading to New York today, in the next half-hour in fact.” Josh sat next to Mark, a sternness appearing on the boy-like face. “I thought I could brief you on the case. It looks like you’ve been working over the files, do you have any questions?” Josh asked. He remembered what J.L said, he needed to [i]’build a connection’[/i]. He held back a laugh as he thought of that advice, combined with the man he figured Mark to be, and the man who stood before him now. Josh lied to J.L, he didn’t actually understand what he was supposed to do, it was like talking to a slightly more responsive brick wall whenever he encountered Mark.