Disclaimer: FX: The Series does not belong to me, and I'm in no way profiting financially from this story. The screenplay for Red Storm was written by Mary Crawford and Alan Templeton, and the episode was directed by J. Miles Dale. I have adapted the story to written form hopefully remaining true to both the writer and director’s original creative intentions. It is written purely for my own entertainment and for the entertainment of others. FX is a Fireworks Entertainment Inc. and Winterset Productions Inc. production also produced in association with Rysher Entertainment and Hallmark Entertainment. The show is also based on the movie FX, an Orion Picture Corporation movie.

CHAPTER 5

Two fire trucks, an ambulance and several police cars were now parked in front of the brick house at 57 Keyswater. Firemen were hosing down the last of the hotspots and police had cordoned off the area around the house.

Rollie Tyler was pacing in front of the house, talking on his cell phone. “...Yeah, she just has a few scratches. But Loubar...” he paused not able to verbalise the horror Loubar had wreaked upon Angie’s life.

Mira was on the other end of the phone, still clearing up everything at the gun dealers’ place. She cut Rollie off, “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

Having updated their friend as much as he felt necessary, Rollie wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible. “Look, I gotta get back to her. I’ll meet you at Loubar’s third stop. Bye.” He ended the call and pocketed his phone.

Angie was sitting in the back of the ambulance. The medic had checked her over, and she had pulled her emotions back in check. She had a blanket wrapped around her and was idly watching as the firemen finished their work while she waited for Rollie. She sighed as Rollie sat down beside her. He looked at her and asked, “You warm enough?” Angie shrugged and nodded that she was, Rollie continued, “I’m gonna take you home.”

The young woman looked at Rollie for a moment, trying to assess how serious he was. She shook her head slightly, “No, I’m all right.”

Rollie’s eyebrows rose incredulously. “Angie... No you’re not.” He persisted, “Come on, haven’t you been through enough?”

Angie realised that Rollie was serious. She took a mental step back and decided to take another angle to convince him she could handle things. After a moment’s thought she asked, “My Dad ever tell you, how we got outa Cuba?”

To Rollie this was a non sequitur, but he gave Angie the benefit of the doubt, figuring she was going somewhere with it. “Yeah, he told me.”

Angie took a sip of water from a bottle in her hand before turning back to Rollie with another question, “Did he tell you about my mother? She paused, thinking for a moment, and shook her head answering her own question. “No, course not... couldn’t...” Childhood memories rolled through her mind as she continued, “Well, my mother was a very beautiful woman.” She glanced back at Rollie ironically for a moment. “Men liked her. A particular man liked her.” Angie frowned at the memory, “A general. And she did what she thought she had to do.” The young woman paused again, her narrative becoming more difficult as she brought the memories back to the surface after so many years. “And we got out because she stayed.” She sighed, her story complete, an ironic twist caught the corner of her mouth as she summed up her story, “The things you do for love, huh?”

Angie sighed again, before turning back to her boss and friend, “I’m her daughter, Rollie. Don’t treat me like a piece of porcelain,” she paused for emphasis, “cause I am not going to break.” She watched his reaction for a moment, the got up and walked back to their van.

Rollie kept quiet throughout Angie’s story. He was careful to keep his expression neutral as she spoke. He frowned a little as she walked away and the anger he felt towards Loubar increased many times over. He was frustrated too, he could see how much pain Angie was in and knew there really wasn’t an awful lot he could do about it, even if she would accept his help and currently she wouldn’t.

Victor Loubar screwed the Barclay 62-A1 mount onto the side table he’d pulled in front of his hotel room window. He then went back to his laptop, and with a few keystrokes checked that the computer-targeting signal was registering on the mount, changing the targeting of the gun itself.

Rollie drove the FX van to the third stop, and pulled up behind Mira’s unmarked police car. She and Rollie both got out of their respective vehicles and met on the footpath. Mira updated Rollie on her progress (or lack thereof) at this site, “I checked the street. I don’t have any idea what Loubar might be doing around here.”

Rollie leaned on a parking meter, “I’ll take a look,” and he turned to head off.

Mira grabbed the Aussie’s arm, “Stay close” she said, concerned for his safety. Rollie nodded and then looked down the street.

Angie sat at the computer in the back of the van working through the data she downloaded off Loubar’s computer. Mira came in the front door of the van, and headed straight to her side. “What have you got?” asked the cop.

The young woman sighed in frustration, “Blueprints, from the download. They gotta have something to do with Loubar’s plan.” She paused for a moment, averting her eyes, “I... umm... I told Rollie what happened.” Mira nodded quickly, thankful. Angie looked at her, “but not how.” The cop nodded again and placed a supportive hand on Angie’s shoulder. Angie continued on the business at hand, “So, we know that Loubar bought a tracking dart from Jorge. I’ve set a PDA to the tracker’s frequency.” She handed Mira the PDA.

Mira took the PDA, not overly optimistic about how useful it would end up being given they didn’t know whom or when, “Well, it’s something.”

Angie recognised the slightly cynical tone, and agreed, “Yeah.”

Rollie stood on the footpath and looked around, scanning the buildings up and down the street. He turned to the intersection up the road and recognised the ‘Golden Thai’ restaurant. He headed back to the van.

Angie and Mira both looked up as Rollie entered the van. He got straight to the point, “Kenny Trio’s restaurant is down the road. He catered Red Storm.”

Mira replied, “Let’s check it out.” Rollie nodded and turned to leave again. Mira stole a quick glance at Angie to assure herself that she’d be all right and then followed Rollie. Angie watched them leave and then turned her attention back to the computer, and continued searching for an ID on the blueprints.

Victor Loubar continued setting up equipment in his hotel room. He plugged in a tracking surveillance dish on a stand beside the gun before going back to check the computer control for the movement of that as well. He then activated the scanning software and it began checking a nearby building for the tracking frequency.

Angie’s computer finally flashed up a match for the blueprints. It was the Galen Conference Centre. She brought up the public official functions listing off the Internet for that day. The computer showed her that on the 8th of December room 14B was to be used for a conference that incorporated the Chinese Trade Commission Ceremony. The mention of the Chinese Trade Minister reminded her of the speech ‘Rollie’ made at the wrap party the previous night, that he had a message to deliver to ‘Comrade Sheu’. She realised what Loubar’s plan was and frowned at the thought he was setting Rollie up.

The ‘Golden Thai’ was a high-class oriental restaurant with opulent fixtures. As Rollie and Mira sat quietly at a table a waiter brought them both a cup of tea, with the tea he delivered a message, “I called Kenny, he’s on his way.”

After the waiter walked away, Mira leaned forward and started going over the details they knew to date, “So Loubar has you buying a 50 calibre Barclay and a high tech tracker. He leaves 2 bodies, establishing your credential as a killer. He’s planning as assassination.”

Rollie fiddled with his watch in frustration and anger. “Yeah, and I’m his Lee Harvey Oswald.” He was ticked off. He looked up as Angie entered the restaurant, walking quickly towards them. “What is it Ange?” he asked, concerned.

Despite Rollie asking the question Angie focussed her attention on Mira for the most part as she sat down. “I matched the blueprints. It’s the Galen Conference Centre, he’s gonna try and kill the Chinese Trade Minister.”

“What!?!”, Mira was shocked at how high profile the target was.

Angie continued, “It makes sense. Rollie’s the perfect patsy...” to which he felt indignation but she didn’t notice and kept talking to Mira. “Remember I told you about that speech he made at the wrap party. He was setting Rollie up.” The young woman was totally focussed on her conversation with Mira and forgot Rollie didn’t know that Loubar had worn his face for all of the 3 days.

Mira glanced at Rollie, she realised that Angie had just potentially blown another part of her secret. The patsy comment went out the window as he too realised Angie seemed to be saying that Loubar had worn his face around her and their friends, “Wrap party!?” he queried. Angie suddenly realised as well, a guilty looked crossed her face and she mentally berated herself for letting slip. Rollie was like a dog with a bone, “Are you saying that Loubar was at the wrap party as me?”

Angie looked back at Mira for support, avoiding Rollie’s eye, but Mira grabbed her phone from her pocket instead and called van Duran. “Captain, code green. We have a sniper targeting Minister Sheu. The shooter may look like Rollie.” She paused for a moment, listening to his answer, and then continued. “Yeah, I’m on my way.” She ended the call and leaned toward Rollie deadly serious, gesturing to him with the phone “Stay away from the conference centre Rollie, I don’t want you getting shot by mistake.” Without waiting for an answer she got up and ran from the restaurant.

Rollie and Angie watched the cop leave. As the door closed behind Mira, Rollie got her assistant’s attention “Angie”, he paused waiting for her to turn her head back to face him. “Was Loubar at the wrap party as me?” His expression told her that she was not going to be able to evade the question any longer.

Angie sighed, resigned to her fate as Loubar’s pawn and nodded an affirmative response. Rollie took it in, and took the questioning to the next logical step, “And at the loft?” Again his body language told her she had no choice but to answer.

She took a breath, “Yeah” Angie replied steeling herself. Rollie waited, instinctively knowing there was more for her to tell him. She continued, “The mask was perfect.” He frowned as she got a distant look, she recalled her feelings at the time, before he life turned to custard, and confessed the last part of the secret, “Everything was perfect...”

Rollie didn’t understand, and believed Loubar had violently raped Angie wearing his face. He was visibly upset, remembering how Angie had pushed him away when he first saw her that morning, “But how can you think I would do that?”

Angie was shocked by his question, then realised what train of thought he’d taken and she sighed. She smiled ironically and realised also that she was going to have to spell it out for him. “You don’t get it do you?” she asked, not really expecting an answer. Rollie’s hurt blank look in response was more than enough. Angie grew serious, and confessed again the last part of her secret more clearly. “It wasn’t rape...” she paused as his mind swam with incomprehension, “...not until the mask came off.”

Angie watched Rollie’s reaction. He stared at her, stunned for a moment, and then his stomach flipped as he realised what exactly she was telling him. Rollie Tyler realised that his closest friend and business partner, Angie Ramirez, had willingly gone to bed with a man that she believed to be him. He blinked in embarrassment having never ever thought of her in that way. And he had never ever considered that she might have those kinds of feeling for him, he thought of her as the younger sister he never had. He looked back at her, realising that she was watching him, waiting for him to respond to her confession.

Rollie was ‘saved by the bell’ when Kenny Trio entered the restaurant. The young Asian man walked quickly to their table, “Hey, the film rats are here. Hi guys,” he grinned.

Angie knew she wasn’t going to get any kind of satisfactory answer from Rollie now and she took the opportunity to escape, “Hi Kenny,” she answered as she got up from the table, left the restaurant and headed back to the van.

Rollie got to his feet, wanting to chase after Angie, watching her go. Kenny also watched her abrupt departure and was confused, “Hey Rollie, what’s with Angie?”

The FX artist didn’t hear the question, his mind working over time, and he found it difficult to change gears back to why he was at the restaurant in the first place. He turned to his friend, “Kenny, I was here yesterday right?”

Kenny smiled in chagrin, thinking that Rollie was kidding around. “You do too many stunts landing on your head?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large envelope. “Yeah, you asked me to hang onto this.” He handed Rollie the envelope, Rollie took it and headed for the door after Angie. Kenny had one more question, “What’s going on Rollie?”

Rollie replied, “I’ll tell you later Kenny. Thanks!” without even turning around as he ran from the restaurant.

Angie was back in the van, working busily on the computer as she tried not to think about her latest conversation with Rollie. Rollie bounded in the front door of the van, “Angie, we need to...”

But Angie interrupted him, not wanting to go down that track right now. “I think I know how to find Loubar...”

Rollie refused to back down, “Angie!”

The young woman tried diverting his attention again, talking fast “The 62-A1 has a range of...”

Rollie interrupted her again, getting deeply frustrated, “Angie, please!”

Angie stopped, she sighed and took a different tact. “Rollie, the Chinese Trade Minister is going to speak in half an hour.” She looked at him, waiting for a response.

The Aussie looked at his watch and realised the wisdom behind her words. They needed to talk, but a man’s life was on the line. He agreed their personal problems could wait, for the moment. “OK. Later...” he finished, giving her no question of doubt about the fact that a conversation had to be had sooner rather than later. He ripped open the envelope and shook his head totally frustrated.

The young woman continued with her theory, “The 62-A1 has a range of 1800 yards. He’s gotta be somewhere within this circle.”

Rollie glanced back at the computer screen at the map of Manhattan before he turned his attention to the contents of the envelope he’s tipped out onto the workbench. He picked up the plane tickets first, “7.30 flight to Manila. Yeah, the airport would have been my next stop.”

Angie raised an eyebrow ironically, “Well, I guess that’s where the cops woulda nailed ya.”

Rollie grunted in agreement, now reading the passport. “Rick Blaine... been around. Traveller...” He had a sudden thought, “There any hotels in that circle?”

Angie keyed in the request, and the computer brought up several flashing dots. “4” she replied.

Back in that hotel room Victor Loubar had brought up the schematic of Rollie’s face again. He reached for the cloudy plastic mask and stuck it to his face securely, having already applied the wig. He picked up a small remote from the table and keyed the button, with a few muted sparks of light the mask moulded to his face and reshaped into a duplication of Rollie’s face. Loubar put down the remove and checked the edges were clean and his wig was secure.