“Jamaica’s out. We’ll split the heat with my sister. How about Oslo?”
Ewan O’Hara was remarkably breezy for a guy who’d just turned Shawn’s life upside down. And Gus, too, and Jules.
Oh, no---Jules was going to kill him.
Ewan somehow got them away from the Helicopter SWAT guys and into an armor-plated chopper of his own that apparently he was piloting. They were just out of U.S. airspace on the way to Scandinavia, and Jules was waiting for him at the airport, probably a complete nervous wreck. Trying to block out the sound of Gus retching into a paper bag, Shawn turned his (much belated) wedding “present” over in his hands.
Don’t ever break the casing or drop it, Ewan had said. Shawn’s trained mind calculated the possibilities. A clever but stable explosive seemed the most likely option, while a canister of nerve gas seemed less likely even though it would be way cooler. Of course, if the box had been Murdoc’s idea, it would’ve contained some kind of gaseous poison.
Shawn smiled. As much as he hated the idea of hurting Jules and getting shot at, he had to admit that he missed his previous high-octane adventures from time to time, both in Santa Barbara and with his old friend. It was usually pretty fun to work in a Chinatown alley, and he’d already sniffed out a small but tight-knit and supportive network of ex-HIT “retirees,” but psychphrancisco still wasn’t quite what he’d imagined it would be.
“So, how are you doing back there, Shawn?” Ewan said finally. “Been forever since we’ve talked.”
“Mostly because you disappeared from our lives while Jules was trying to transport you to prison, but yeah, no, I’ve been good. I’d be better if Gus weren’t throwing up half his colon right next to me, but--- But you, man! Hey, you look like you’ve been doing pretty good. Avoiding getting hit with bullets and all.”
“Yeah, you know, I’ve been doing all right,” Ewan replied. “I did some soul-searching after what went down with Juliet back in Santa Barbara, and to be honest, I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. So I put in from a transfer from my old DoD unit to an old-school by-the-book crime-fighting unit in the Department of External Services.”
Shawn blinked. “You’re working for the DXS? So basically, you switched from one black op squad to a different black op squad.”
Ewan shrugged. “Yeah, but this time, all of it is legal and on the level. I promise. And also, I get waaaay better health insurance.”
“Okay… So I’m guessing that all the running-and-shooty stuff has to do with whatever secret mission the DXS sent you out on?”
“Pretty much. I’m supposed to be investigating this group of mercenaries called Homicide International Trust. That’s where all the crazy snipers and stuff came from.”
For a second, Shawn’s pulse stopped. “Homici--- You’re investigating HIT?”
Oh no. No no no. That’s why the shooters in the helicopter knew my name. They’re from HIT. They’re after me again. This can’t be happening!
Oblivious to his companion’s well-hidden panic, Ewan chuckled. “Yeah, kind of a dumb name, isn’t it? It’s like something off an old TV show. Anyway, I was here in California because their base of operations is in LA, but right before I could get close to finding out the identity of their chairman, my cover was blown and I had to get out of the city fast. After that, I tried to stay low and I just started looking for anyone who might be able to turn state’s witness and give evidence on HIT. I managed to find out a few things while I was undercover, but I need more if we’re going to really pin ‘em.”
“Sounds like a hard job,” Shawn replied carefully.
“No kidding. These assassins are a tight-knit bunch and it’s harder than you’d think to get them to turn on each other. Even harder to get them to talk to you without getting trigger-happy, too. Needless to say, I haven’t gotten anywhere fast.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
“Ah, c’mon, Shawn! You know I’m not gonna give up that easy, right?” Ewan glanced away from the helicopter controls to grin at his brother-in-law. “I actually have a pretty good lead right now. That’s why I was in San Francisco. Apparently, there’s this guy called Murdoc. I heard that he used to be some kind of big-name assassin, a real legend in their business. Supposedly, back in the late ‘80s or so, this guy was at the top of his game when he decided to turn on HIT and give evidence to the government. He sent it through some agent at a think tank, of all places. Nearly brought the whole operation down for good. If it weren’t for their current chairman taking over, HIT wouldn’t have even continued to exist. So I started looking around for this guy, because I figured that if anyone could help me complete my mission, it’d be this dude Murdoc."
Shawn glanced at Ewan sideways. “Murdoc, huh? So, did you, uh---did you find him?”
“Nah, man, he’s dead. From what I heard through my contacts in the criminal underground, he was killed about six months ago.”
“Oh. Well, that, uh---that’d sure make it hard for you to get in touch with him, huh?”
“Yeah, tell me about it. But the good news is that this guy was supposedly taken out by his own apprentice. And word is, the apprentice guy doesn’t have any great love for HIT either, since he got out of the hitman biz years ago. That’s why I was in San Francisco---I got a tip from one of my contacts that he might have been hiding out there. My plan is to find him and convince him to testify in court against HIT, and maybe he could even find some other people to come up against them, too. It’s the only way to finish my mission, so it’s important that I do this.” Ewan glanced at Shawn again, his eyes bearing a remarkable resemblance to his sister’s as he fixed Shawn with a serious stare. “I need to find The Catch.”
“The Catch?” Gus said, poking his head up from his airsickness bag. “That’s the name that Shawn uses as his superhero alter ego. Mine is Tap-Man.”
“Tap-Man?” Ewan echoed. “Like a tap dancer? That sandy stuff they use on the floor would be great to throw in somebody’s eyes during a fight.”
“Thank you! You see, Shawn? I told you. I told you!”
Shawn rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
Ewan was after HIT. HIT was after Ewan. And now, HIT and the Helicopter Stormtroopers of Doom were after Shawn, too. They had called his name, they saw him as a threat, a target… Which meant that Gus and Juliet and his father were all in very real danger, and once again, there was almost nothing that he could do about it.
He cleared his throat. “So, what exactly is the plan here, Ewan? I mean, after all these years, you show up out of the blue and then you spirit me and Gus off to Denmark---”
“Norway,” Gus corrected, “and no, you haven’t heard it both ways.”
“To Scandinavia with a bunch of Helicopter Troopers after us? What’s the deal, man?!”
“The deal is this, Shawn,” Ewan answered, expression intense. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need your help. I can’t take these guys down on my own, and I’ve already proven that I can’t find The Catch on my own. The DXS can’t afford to lose any more agents on this. We don’t have the manpower. And I don’t have your investigative skills or your psychic abilities. I need you and Gus to help me work this case and bring HIT down, permanently. What do you say?”
Gus shook his head. “You must be out of your---”
“We’ll do it,” Shawn blurted.
Gus fixed him with a glare. “Uh, no, Shawn. This trip to Jamaica was supposed to be a celebration of our survival. I’m not putting my life on the line again. Especially since it hasn’t even been 24 hours since we escaped from Allison!”
“Yeah, but Gus, Ewan needs our help! And also, he totally just saved us from the Copper Choppers!”
“Which he brought to us in the first place!”
“Look, Gus, we are already in an attack copter bound for Olde London Town, so it’s too late to back out now.”
“I’m out, Shawn! I’m out!”
“I told you, you’re too late! You’re already in!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Ewan cut in. “This chopper’s going to Oslo, not to London. We already covered that.”
“Ewan,” Shawn said, “Ewan, you big burly blond Scotsman. You’d probably fit right in with the native Danes.”
Gus rolled his eyes. “Norwegians.”
“But as your brother-in-law and as a psychic detective, I’m telling you. The first step to finding the answers you seek is in England.”
Ewan sighed. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. As soon as you spoke the name Murdoc, I began to commune with the dead assassin’s spirit. He spoke to me, with his strange British accent. I can see his face very clearly. He’s kind of old, and really creepy, and a little bit on the sexy side. And he’s very clearly telling me---London. Trust me, Ewan. Have I ever let you down?”
Ewan mulled it over for a moment as he fiddled with the flight controls. “All right, then. We’re going to London.”
“Good idea,” Gus whispered. “Being in an English-speaking country will make it easier for us to ditch Ewan and jump on the first plane home.”
“Gus, don’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back. We’re not ditching Ewan. We’re helping him. I gotta see this through.”
“We’re going to get shot at, Shawn! He’s going after trained killers, paramilitary stuff! We can’t do that!”
If only you knew, a tiny voice in Shawn’s mind whispered, but he pushed it down. “Yeah, but this is really important. Besides, Gus, think about it. If they know who I am and they know where we live and they and already think that I’m helping Ewan, do you really think that they’re just gonna let us waltz back into San Francisco with nary a care in the world? No! Gus, we’re gonna get shot at either way, so don’t you think we’re better off with the human tank on our side?”
Gus’ eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh, Shawn, we’re targets!”
“Exactly. But don’t worry, buddy. We’ll see this through. Just trust me.”
*********************
Story Notes:
When I finished "Judas In My Mind," I was certain that I would never write a sequel. But then, I saw Psych: The Movie, and Ewan's mad fleeing from a swarm of bad guys (along with the fact that the bad guys knew Shawn's name) made me have an instant brainpop for a sequel idea. Then, Harakiri came up with a beautiful Post-Movie challenge on the forum that just compounded the fit of insanity and made everything worse. Thanks for that.
Link to the challenge here: http://www.psychfic.com/community/showthread.php?t=4348
This story is set immediately after the events of Psych: The Movie. It's also set shortly after the events of my fic "Judas In My Mind," which takes place only a few months before the movie. This story will make infinitely more sense if you read the first story before this one. But for those of you who don't want to read it or just want a refresher, here's the rundown.
In this alternate universe:
1. Shawn was recruited by Murdoc (the bad guy from MacGyver) to be a professional assassin working for the criminal organization Homicide International Trust (HIT) in 1995, while he was in jail after being arrested by Henry for stealing a car to impress a girl.
2. While Shawn was gone from Santa Barbara, he didn't actually have all those jobs that he claimed to have. He had one job: professional assassin. He did this for roughly eleven years, from 1995 until 2006. He did, however, do a lot of those activities that he references in the show either for fun or as part of a disguise/stakeout/etc.
3. Shawn and Murdoc grew very close during the two years that Murdoc was training him (1995-1997) and remained as close as family until 2017.
4. Murdoc misled Shawn from the very beginning about what HIT was and what Shawn's actual job was. Shawn knew that he was an assassin, but he was under the assumption that he was working for a CIA-like organization as a black ops agent of some kind. He did not know that he was actually a criminal working for a society of villainous mercenaries. When he found out, Murdoc agreed to help him get out of HIT. The price for Shawn's "retirement" was having to kill Murdoc.
5. Shawn and Juliet got married immediately after "The Break-Up." They were going to Jamaica to renew their vows and spend quality time together.
Everything else should be more or less canon-compliant, but there might be a few other inconsistencies, especially since I wrote "Judas In My Mind" well before the movie. Now, without further ado... Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or MacGyver, nor do I own any of the characters, settings, trademarks, or related material. Psych, MacGyver, and all related materials are the property of their respective owners. The plot and original characters of this story are my intellectual property. I am not associated with Psych, its creators, or any involved parties, nor am I associated with any other media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Link to the challenge here: http://www.psychfic.com/community/showthread.php?t=4348
This story is set immediately after the events of Psych: The Movie. It's also set shortly after the events of my fic "Judas In My Mind," which takes place only a few months before the movie. This story will make infinitely more sense if you read the first story before this one. But for those of you who don't want to read it or just want a refresher, here's the rundown.
In this alternate universe:
1. Shawn was recruited by Murdoc (the bad guy from MacGyver) to be a professional assassin working for the criminal organization Homicide International Trust (HIT) in 1995, while he was in jail after being arrested by Henry for stealing a car to impress a girl.
2. While Shawn was gone from Santa Barbara, he didn't actually have all those jobs that he claimed to have. He had one job: professional assassin. He did this for roughly eleven years, from 1995 until 2006. He did, however, do a lot of those activities that he references in the show either for fun or as part of a disguise/stakeout/etc.
3. Shawn and Murdoc grew very close during the two years that Murdoc was training him (1995-1997) and remained as close as family until 2017.
4. Murdoc misled Shawn from the very beginning about what HIT was and what Shawn's actual job was. Shawn knew that he was an assassin, but he was under the assumption that he was working for a CIA-like organization as a black ops agent of some kind. He did not know that he was actually a criminal working for a society of villainous mercenaries. When he found out, Murdoc agreed to help him get out of HIT. The price for Shawn's "retirement" was having to kill Murdoc.
5. Shawn and Juliet got married immediately after "The Break-Up." They were going to Jamaica to renew their vows and spend quality time together.
Everything else should be more or less canon-compliant, but there might be a few other inconsistencies, especially since I wrote "Judas In My Mind" well before the movie. Now, without further ado... Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or MacGyver, nor do I own any of the characters, settings, trademarks, or related material. Psych, MacGyver, and all related materials are the property of their respective owners. The plot and original characters of this story are my intellectual property. I am not associated with Psych, its creators, or any involved parties, nor am I associated with any other media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Story title & chapter title come from Fozzy.