Chapter 31: New Beginnings in the New York Office
The FBI's New York office was bustling, as usual. Grant Shawn, now a familiar face among the agents there, had recently learned of some changes on the team.
Kristen Chazal had left the office, and two new agents were now on the job: Tiffany Wallace, a former city cop, and Stuart Scola, who had recently arrived but whom Grant had not yet met.
With a free day, Grant decided to stop by the office to greet the new members and catch up with old friends.
When Grant walked into the office, the hustle and bustle of the office eased for a moment. His presence, even without saying a word, had an energy that commanded attention. He was impeccably dressed, as always, with his tailored suit and serious but approachable expression.
"Shawn!" Jubal Valentine was the first to spot him, rising from his desk and walking toward him with a smile.
"Jubal," Grant replied, shaking his friend's hand firmly. "How are things going here?"
"Racing, as usual. But listen, we have some new faces you should meet." Jubal gestured toward the team's work area.
Grant followed Jubal, greeting Maggie Bell and OA Zidan along the way.
"Shawn," Maggie said with a warm smile. "Didn't expect to see you here today."
"I was in town and thought I'd stop by. Looks like we've had some changes, huh?"
"Oh, you'll be glad to meet them," OA added, shaking Grant's hand.
Tiffany Wallace was reviewing files at her desk when she saw Grant approach. Stuart Scola was beside her, typing something on the computer.
"Wallace, Scola," Jubal began, "this is Grant Shawn. If you haven't heard of him... well, you soon will."
Grant extended his hand to Tiffany first. "Tiffany Wallace, right? Welcome to the team."
"Yes, sir. It's a pleasure," Tiffany replied, shaking his hand firmly.
Then he greeted Scola. "Stuart Scola. It seems like you're already settling in nicely here."
"I'm trying, sir," Scola replied, slightly disconcerted by Grant's imposing presence.
"No 'sir,' please," Grant said with a slight smile. "I'm just Grant."
Grant spent a few minutes chatting with the pair, asking about their experiences and how they were coping with the pace of New York. Tiffany talked about her time with the city police, while Scola mentioned his transition to the FBI and how he was enjoying working with the team.
"You're in good hands," Grant said, gesturing toward Jubal, Maggie, and OA. "This team knows what they're doing."
"Well, hearing that from you means a lot," Tiffany commented.
Grant gave a small wave before saying goodbye. "I have to go, but it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
As Grant left, Tiffany and Scola exchanged quizzical glances.
"Wait," Tiffany began, "was that... Grant Shawn? Grant Shawn?"
OA, who was standing nearby, started laughing. "Yeah, that's right."
"Are you serious?" Scola asked, still in shock. "I heard stories about him when I was in the academy. The guy's a legend."
"Not just a legend," Maggie added, smiling. "He really is as good as they say."
"You should see his resume," OA said, crossing her arms. "DEVGRU operator, intelligence missions, field operations with every agency you can think of. He makes us sound like amateurs."
Tiffany shook her head in disbelief. "And he seems so... calm. How can someone like that be so casual?"
"That's what makes him even more impressive," Jubal said, laughing. "He's the kind of guy who doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. Everyone already knows who he is."
Tiffany and Scola spent the rest of the day talking about Grant. For them, it was surreal to work on a team that had direct contact with someone so renowned.
"If this is what it means to work in New York, I think I'm in the right place," Tiffany joked.
"Absolutely," Scola agreed. "I hope we can learn something from him in the future."
And as the team returned to the frenetic pace of the day, Grant Shawn's presence left a lasting impression, even in a brief visit.
Chapter 32: Conversation with the Devil
The atmosphere in the FBI office in New York was as tense as ever. Antonio Vargas, the feared head of one of the largest cartels in the world, was in custody. But the situation was more complicated than anyone could have imagined. Vargas had an ace up his sleeve a necklace bomb attached to the neck of Elise Taylor, a young FBI agent who was standing in the lobby of the building, visibly shaken.
"If you want the young lady alive," Vargas stated calmly, sitting in an interrogation room, "you're going to let me out of here. I'll give you the code for the necklace when I'm far enough away."
Isobel Castille and Assistant Director Reynolds were in the monitoring room, watching the exchange. Reynolds rubbed his face, clearly uncomfortable.
"He has the upper hand," Reynolds admitted regretfully.
"We can't risk Elise's life," Isobel replied, her eyes fixed on the screen. "She has a young daughter. We need to make sure she gets out of this alive."
Reynolds sighed. "If we're going to let him go, we need some assurance that he's going to keep his word. Someone needs to talk to him. Someone who will intimidate him enough to think twice about lying."
Isobel knew exactly who could do that. "Shawn," Isobel called, finding him in the next room. He was reviewing some documents, but he looked up when he heard the serious tone in her voice. "I need you to talk to Vargas. He needs to understand that if he lies about this code, he won't have anywhere to run."
Grant nodded, standing up immediately. "Consider it done."
Grant stormed into the interrogation room. Vargas, cool and confident until then, glared at the man who had just entered, but maintained his mocking posture.
"Who are you, hero?" Vargas asked, smirking.
Grant sat across from him, crossing his arms on the table. He remained silent for a few seconds, letting the tension build. Then, in a calm but authoritative voice, he asked:
"Do you know who I am?"
"I have no idea," Vargas replied, with a sneer.
Grant leaned forward slightly. "They call me El Diablo."
Vargas' smile disappeared for a moment, but he quickly tried to regain his composure.
"El Diablo?" Vargas repeated, trying to sound nonchalant. "Never heard of him."
Grant was unfazed. He continued:
"If you're telling the truth, fine. But if you're not, Vargas, you know what happens when I go after someone. It doesn't matter where you hide. I'll find you. And when I do, it'll be just you and me... and you know how that ends."
Grant's gaze was so piercing that it seemed to pierce Vargas through. As much as the cartel boss tried to maintain a tough exterior, his eyes betrayed the discomfort he felt.
"I'll give you the code," Vargas said, his voice slightly strained.
"You better," Grant replied, standing up. "Because if that bomb goes off, I'll make sure your last day on Earth is worse than any hell you can imagine."
Isobel and Reynolds were waiting outside the room. When Grant came out, Isobel looked at him expectantly.
"He'll give you the code," Grant assured.
"I hope he's right," Reynolds commented.
Vargas was escorted out of the building under close supervision. Agents Jubal, Maggie, OA, Tiffany, and Scola, who had been instructed by Isobel to remain outside, watched as Vargas walked out the front door.
"Is that right?" OA asked in disbelief. "We're just going to let him go?"
"We have no choice," Maggie replied. "Elise's life is at stake."
A few minutes after Vargas left the building, Isobel received a text message on her cell phone with the code.
"I have the code!" she exclaimed, running toward the lobby, where Elise was surrounded by explosives experts.
"We have to act fast," one of the experts said.
Isobel typed in the code carefully. When she pressed the last key, everyone held their breath.
But the timer kept ticking.
"What's going on?" Isobel screamed.
"He lied," one of the technicians said desperately.
"No, wait!" another technician yelled. "The code slowed the timer! It must be set to stop at the last second."
The timer continued to count down, and everyone in the lobby fell silent, watching the numbers count down. 10... 9... 8...
Finally, the timer stopped at 6 seconds.
Elise broke down in tears as the specialists carefully removed the collar.
"It's deactivated," one of them confirmed.
The relief in the lobby was palpable.
Outside, OA, Maggie, Jubal, Tiffany, and Scola were informed that Elise was safe.
"Grant managed to intimidate Vargas," Jubal said, relieved. "If he hadn't talked to him, I don't know if we would have that code."
"Not only that," OA added. "He messed with Vargas' head. Only someone like Shawn could do that."
Inside the building, Isobel found Grant, who was watching from afar.
"Thank you," she said, touching his arm.
"For you, always," Grant replied, with a small smile.
As the two exchanged a knowing look, the rest of the team knew that, once again, Grant Shawn had made a difference.
Chapter 33: The Legend of El Diablo
The next morning, the mood in the FBI's New York office was lighter, but still charged with curiosity. After the incident with Antonio Vargas, the team couldn't stop talking about the impact Grant Shawn had had on the situation.
Jubal gathered the team in the conference room to review the video of the conversation between Grant and Vargas. OA, Maggie, Tiffany, and Scola settled around the screen, waiting to see what had happened in the interrogation.
The video began with Grant entering the interrogation room. His presence was imposing, and Vargas initially seemed relaxed.
"He knows how to make an entrance," Maggie commented, crossing her arms as she watched.
"Shhh, let me hear it," OA said, gesturing for her to be quiet.
On the screen, Grant approached Vargas, sitting calmly and quietly, letting the weight of his presence fill the room before he spoke.
"Do you know who I am?" Grant asked, his voice calm and collected.
"I have no idea," Vargas replied mockingly.
When Grant said the words El Diablo, the change in Vargas's expression was subtle but noticeable. His confidence began to waver, and he quickly tried to cover it up.
"Did he say El Diablo?" Tiffany asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes," Scola replied, frowning. "I've heard that before… but I don't know where from."
In the video, Grant continued with his calm but deadly threat:
"If you're lying, Vargas, I will find you. No matter where you are. And when I do, it will be just you and me. You know how this ends."
The tension in the video was almost palpable. Vargas swallowed hard, nodding in agreement.
When the video ended, the room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Well, that was… intense," Jubal finally said, breaking the silence.
"I've never heard anyone talk to Vargas like that," Maggie said, still processing what she'd just seen.
"Me neither," OA agreed. "He looked… scared. And this is Vargas we're talking about."
"But what about this El Diablo?" Tiffany asked. "What does that mean? He used the name like it had weight."
"I know that story," OA replied. "I've heard whispers about it when I was in Afghanistan, and then in Mexico, during some joint operations. It was something of a legend… a man who hunted cartel members, but no one knew exactly who he was."
"Let's find out more," Maggie suggested, moving to the computer.
She began searching for the name "El Diablo" in classified databases and articles. What came up was a collection of disjointed reports and unconfirmed records.
"Look at this," Maggie said, pointing to the screen. "There are reports of undercover operations against cartels in Mexico and Colombia. In all of these missions, there are rumors that a man known as El Diablo led lone raids or small teams to hunt down cartel leaders."
"These leaders," Scola added, reading from another part of the report, "either disappeared completely or were found dead. But the bodies were always a clear reminder to others."
"That's grim," Tiffany commented.
"There are no official records of who he is," Maggie continued, "and no one knows what happened to the people he took. It's like they evaporated."
"Or worse," OA added.
"Do you think Grant is El Diablo?" Tiffany asked, looking at OA.
"Who else could it be?" OA replied. "You saw how Vargas reacted. And you saw the kind of operations he was involved in. It makes sense."
"If it's true," Jubal said, crossing his arms, "it would explain a lot about him. And why he's so respected and feared by so many people."
Maggie frowned. "But how could someone do all that and still remain completely off the record?"
"He was Red Squadron," OA reminded everyone. "They're not just operatives; they're ghosts. Grant could have done all that and more."
As the team continued to discuss and theorize, the name "El Diablo" seemed to take on more weight. Everyone looked at Grant Shawn with a new perspective, recognizing that there were more layers to his story than they could ever imagine.
And while no one knew the full truth about who or what El Diablo really was, one thing was certain: Grant Shawn wasn't just an FBI agent or a former elite operative. He was a living legend a figure shrouded in mystery and respect.
"If Grant is indeed El Diablo," Tiffany finally said, "then I hope I'm never on his wrong side."
Everyone silently agreed, as the name "El Diablo" continued to echo in their minds.
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