CHAPTER TWO

"No, I’m sorry to tell you but that’s my answer" was Rollie’s reply to Mira’s umpteenth request for assistance.
 

"Why!?  I don’t understand; you have helped us in the past.  Why not now?!?"
 

"How about because I have a really big job coming up; I mean huge. This job can either make me or mostly definitely break me.  I want to spend all of my time on it.  Believe it or not Mira, I do have a career to take care of, bills to take care of …not to mention Angela" he added with a look in his assistant’s direction.
 

"Rol, *I* pay my bills on time.  Hey, I’m the one who reminds you to pay yours; in fact I write out the checks all you have to do is sign them.  I even mail them for you" quipped Angie, which brought a chuckle from the police officer standing next to her.
 

"Not that’s not what I meant" Rollie said which put a puzzled look on Angie’s face.
 

"So, if this movie or whatever wasn’t going on then you WOULD help us, right?" Mira asked.
 

"I don’t know, maybe….look Mira, I am very busy so….."
 

"Mira, exactly what help do you need?  I mean, Rollie, if it isn’t that much trouble…" Angie inquired.
 

"See, there is this chop shop here in the neighborhood but it  is actually selling the stuff in Queens.  The guys out of the One-Oh-Eight are helping us to land these jerks" Gatti offered.
 

"Right, so all we need is someone to go in as a ‘customer’ in the shop here and somehow get  the address for the Queens place and we are home free." Mira added to Francis’ information.
 

"Hey, the truck needs some repairs, I could bring it down there and then ask the guys what needs to be done…"

"Angie, could you?!  That would be a big help to us."
 

"NO!!! Absolutely  not!!" Rollie shouted.
 

"What!?!?! What do YOU mean *NO*!?!?" Angie shouted herself.
 

"Look, this is a huge job and I can’t afford to have time wasted by you running all around the city playing ‘good guys Vs bad guys’…."
 

"GOD!!! You have got some nerve!!!  How many times did I save your butt by doing your part of the job??  How many times have I lied to directors because you weren’t there on time, because YOU were too busy playing cops and robbers with Leo or Mira or Francis or God knows who else?!  Not to mention all the times I worked into the wee hours of the morning to meet the deadline and you have the nerve to tell me I’m going to waste YOUR time?!  You know Tyler, there are times when you can be a real  piece of work."  By this time Angie was seething, and it showed on her face.
 

"Look, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea." offered  Francis.  "I mean we can always get someone from another preceint to help us.  Who knows??  This deal may turn out like the last one…."
 

"Yeah, and we all know how THAT turned out.  A building exploding…." Rollie remembered out loud
 

"and Angie stuck in the building", Mira finished for him and then turned towards the blonde. "Angie, maybe Rollie is right.  I mean maybe this isn’t your thing.  You did get stuck in the building because you forgot about the time."
 

"I think maybe what Mira is trying to say, Angie is that we just don’t want you to get hurt.  I think we can find someone else.  But thanks for offering" Francis consoled her.  "Mira, let’s go.  We got paper work to do and I don’t want VanDuren on my back any more then necessary.  OK, later guys and Rollie, relax a little" and with that the two police officers left their friends.
 

The two F/X specialists just stood where they were, just staring at the other one.  "I can’t believe you just did that to me." Angie said quietly.
 

"What?  I probably just  kept you from getting yourself killed.  You should be thanking  me, Angela".  With that last comment, Angie turned away from him with a look of disgust on her face.  "I know that look; what is your problem!?!? I am trying to help you.  What did I do that was so terrible? Huh?? Tell me."
 

"You really want to know?  OK.  Here it is.  You told Mira that you ‘had bills to take care of, career to take of…not to mention Angela’.  What the hell was that supposed to mean!??!  I can take of myself, Tyler!!  Hell, I take care of myself and you and Bluey and Chiops and the loft and my apartment and the van
and the truck and…."
 

"OK, I get the point.  So, you are responsible but this business with Mira and Francis is not right for you.  You are still too…." Rollie faded off as he couldn’t come up with the right words to finish off his thought.
 

"What?  I am too young, too small, too fragile, too…? What am I, Rol?  Huh?"
 

"Nothing, never mind.  Forget it, Ange."
 

"NO! You started this and I want to know just what  it is that I am that makes me sooo wrong to do what everyone else can do.  Just tell me."
 

"Well, you are young for this type of thing…."
 

"Rollie, there are policemen younger than me and that doesn’t stop them.  So, that is out."
 

"You are small and most of these guys are big, I mean really big."
 

"Mira is my height.  Again you lose.  Continue" she added with a smirk.
 

"Angela, the truth is that you really never take part of the ‘action’; you are always in the van and you really don’t know what happens out there.  You can’t handle it.  You freaked out when that building collapsed; you froze and Francis had to go in and get you.  That could have cost him his life.  Have you ever thought of that!? Have you?" Rollie concluded on a softer note.
 

"Has it ever occurred to you or anyone else that *I* did not freak out.  I knew what was happening.  I knew that bomb was  going off early; remember I can read computer programs.  I was there for that reason; to read the program in the computer before it went off.  Has it ever occurred to you that someone else set it off way early and that I was stuck!?  And why was I stuck??? Because you conned me into it. You told me that it would be easy; you said nothing would go wrong.  So, the bomb goes off and I get stuck there and because I am not trained in emergency situations like the NYPD is---I ‘freak out’?!! God, I do you a favor and then when something goes wrong and I get caught in it , I get blamed.   Plus, who are you to tell anyone else what *I* can or can not do!?!?  Know what, Tyler??  Next time Mira or Francis or anyone on the NYPD needs something done via a computer ---tell them that I can’t do it----I may not be able to ‘handle’ all that pressure" she added sarcastically . "In fact, the next time they ask, tell them that I refuse to help them ever again if that is the way they, and you, feel about this. So, don’t even bother to ask when they need a favor" with that she stormed out banging the door on her way out.