Title: The Retrieval Job

Rating: T+

Feedback: welcomed

Summary: The team takes on the hardest job they've ever had, retrieving one of their own. But who do you turn too, when it's your Retrieval Specialist that's in need of rescuing?

Author Note: This idea came to me after "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job", so I decided to run with it. I am going to try and keep this fiction on a schedule of updates every Sunday, but as those who have read my other stories, things do come up where I'm unable to write or post. At the moment my ideas are flowing and I have the time to write (currently without my weekend job) and need something to do. So, please review and enjoy the ride!

Chapter 1: Absence

Retrieval Specialists aren't like other thieves. Yes, they take items that do not belong to them by means of treachery or force. But, unlike most thieves Specialists don't steal for a personal pleasure or gain, no, they are hired by clients to perform a service. Depending on the money a Retrieval Specialist will repossess any item from people to merchandise in any part of the world.

If the money is good enough.

For people like Eliot Spencer, whose reputation is well known throughout the crime world as being nearly unstoppable in his missions the money is awfully good. Knowing that he can't keep the team from reverting back to their old habits Nate just asked them to limit their heists, preferably to cities the team isn't operating out of and to be available when a job comes in. When a side job comes up and one –or more- of the team disappears for a weekend Nate doesn't ask questions and when the news report comes out about a priceless item being nicked, Nate turns a blind eye. The arrangement worked for Hardison who could commit his transgressions from behind a computer screen and for both Parker and Sophie who were use to traveling for their heists but always has a house or two around for them to return too.

For Eliot though, staying in one city for longer than several days was a difficult thing to get use too. Specialists are always on the move, rarely ever staying stationary in a single place for more than a few weeks. It was a life that suited the long haired Specialist, the traveling and moving. Nate watched as the hitter became increasingly restless, the tension building as the realization of what staying truly entailed. So, when Eliot left him a message saying he'd be back in a few days on his phone the Mastermind didn't think anything of it and hoped that when the other man returned he'd be settled down and relaxed.

A few days passed without incident, Parker returned from her own 'trip' filled with excitement while Tara smiled into her coffee cup at Nate's innocent inquiry of her weekend while Hardison listened to Parker's weekend exploits, spoken in hushed voice from his couch. Monday is the day when Nate would pull out whatever files he had on those who need their help and go over their stories with the team. Everyone had arrived and was waiting, coffee cups in hand as Parker slurps away happily on a bowl of Cheerios. Nate glances around the apartment, noticing for the first time that Eliot wasn't anywhere to be seen, his usual cup still sitting in the strainer beside the sink.

"Anyone seen Eliot?" He asks, suddenly concerned at the man's absence. Nate will be the first to tell you that Eliot can be a stealthy person when he wants to be, his steps absolutely silent on the hardwood floor but to refrain from giving Parker anymore near heart attacks he always announces himself.

"Maybe he's late?" Tara offers but Nate shakes his head.

"Eliot's never late." He retorts, pulling out his phone to see if he'd somehow missed a message from the hitter. Finding nothing recent that Mastermind turns to look at Hardison.

"Was any of his alias' flagged at any of the airports recently?" he asks and within a second Hardison's fingers are flying over the keys of his laptop, filling the room with the usual clacking sound.

"Wait? 'Airports', he was running a job?" Tara asks, shock lining her voice as she stares at Nate and then Parker. Parker shrugs and moves the bowl to her lips, drinking the milk before responding.

"What? He's not allowed to have a few side jobs?" she asks, shooting the blond grifter a strange look before uncurling herself from the couch and heading towards the kitchen. Tara stares after the thief for a moment before turning to look back at Nate.

"Well, where'd he go? What type of job was it?" she asks and Nate can only lift his shoulders and shake his head.

"I don't know. I don't ask about any of the jobs you guys do on your off time. He followed my request and took it out of town. I was surprised he even called me, usually he'll just take off and then show up on Monday." He states, suddenly angry at himself for having not wondered at the fact that Eliot had actually called him.

"I'd say he took it way out of town. Nothing on the alias' I made up for him and no hits on any of the accounts I know of." Hardison explains with an air of frustration. Nate nods to himself, pacing for a few minutes.

"Well, yeah. We have to assume Eliot has other alias' and other means of paying for things, and the fact that he's not using anything that can be linked back to the team or Boston, we can only assume it was something he didn't want dropped on our doorstep if it went south." His words seem to hit home with both Parker and Hardison, the two sharing a look while Tara huffed.

"We don't know anything yet. He could be perfectly fine, just late because his plane or armored truck were late." She states, downplaying the severity of the situation. Nate shoots the blond grifter an annoyed look before pointing at Hardison.

"Call up any new thefts or security breeches in the last three days. Anything." He states and quickly moves into the next room, his fingers flying through files in search of anything that might help, any recent jobs that might have a name Eliot could have recognized and wanted to take on himself.

"NATE!" Parker shouts, jolting the man out of his search, alarmed at the young woman's uncharacteristically displayed urgency. Moving quickly, half expecting to see a bleeding and broken hitter at the door Nate practically slides into the other room, fingers clutched to the door frame.

"Nate, I just got this as an update from one of my… formers…" she trails off, unsure of how to name her contacts before snapping back to attention with the one thing that could stop Nate's blood cold.

"Eliot's in trouble." Sophie's voice states from the TV monolith on the wall, her eyes wide with worry and wet with unshed tears. Nate gapes at the woman, his mind racing to come up with something to say when she holds up her Iphone to the video screen, showing the ghastly video she'd been sent.

"Hardison!" Nate practically shouts and the Hacker moves quickly, adjusting the volume so they can all hear what's going on in the video playing on the other's phone.

"So, you thought you could get away with stealing from me a second time hmm?" the thickly accent voice states as a shadow moves in a circle around the hitter, his body forced into a squatting position, a board thrust between his bound arms. Eliot's head was down, hair hiding his face from the camera's view but judging from the shallow breathing and trembling Eliot had been held in that position for a while.

"Let me show you what I do to those who steal from me." The man gestures to another out of range of the camera and within moments a large bruiser steps into frame, his large fists clad in thick knuckle dusters. With a mighty swing the beater brings his metal clad fist down into Eliot's exposed shoulder blades, driving a curse out of the bound man, his body rocking. More blows fall and within moments Eliot is crying out, his voice hoarse as his body trembles under the abuse.

"Now, for two nights only I will be taking bids on whoever would like to take Mr. Spencer home with them. Of course this is a live auction only, no wire transfers accepted. You know how to contact me if your interested in… owning your own payback. I know this bastard has stolen from many of you… here's your chance." The accented voice states smartly before the screen fades to black. The phone is pulled back from the screen, revealing Sophie's trembling lips and the slight runs in her make up. The gathered criminals are silent, their thoughts all their own as they each process what just happened.

Nate recovers first, his voice shaking a bit but his eyes hard.

"Sophie… how do you get into contact with this bastard?" he asks and the woman sniffles, running a hand over both of her eyes in an effort to compose herself. It was a rough thing to see for all of them, having grown attached to the hitter.

"I have to return with an interested answer to my contact and buy into the auction." Her voice trembles for a moment but with a deep breath she's able to continue. "It's a one million dollar buy in, then the auction goes up from there." She informs.

"Alright, who is this guy? The guy holding Eliot?" Nate asks, already pulling out several bank slips and various boxes containing the 'emergency' fund.

" Altan Celik, he's a big playing in the Turkish Black Market. Deals mostly in fine arts and ancient artifacts." Sophie states.

"And now, human trafficking." Nate supplies. Parker has joined him in the search for remaining money while Hardison's hands fly over the keys. Tara is on her phone, speaking in rapid fire Turkish.

"Sophie… we're going to need you on this one." Nate informs the woman, stopping his search and coming to stand before the screen, his eyes pleading. Sophie nods, her jaw tightening at the request as her lips tremble.

"Of course. Eliot is my friend too Nate, I can't just abandon him because of my need for space. Come to London, the sale date doesn't take place until Friday, plenty of time to scope things out and plan." She states and Nate nods, moving away when her words catch him, making him and the others stop.

"A fault proof plan… or else we'll never see him again." She says softly before signing off, leaving the wall black. The mood in the apartment is somber as the thieves inside take in the Grifter's words.

"We're not going to let that happen." Nate states, tone hard as he glances around at the three criminals he's come to regard as family in a strange way. Hardison seems to take strength and beings booking flights and making arrangements while Parker rushes to gather her gear. Tara concludes her call and quickly hands Hardison whatever information she could get from her contacts.

Nate swallows thickly against the bile in his throat and pushes aside his emotional attachment, knowing it won't help Eliot at the moment. Turning quickly the Mastermind grabs his keys and takes Tara's arm as the woman walks past, heading to help Parker sort through her gear.

"C'mon." he states, leaving no room for argument.

"We'll be back, going to Eliot's to see if I can figure out what he was going after and for who." He states offhandedly and slams the apartment door. Tara follows silently and within minutes Nate's easing his car out into the Monday afternoon Boston traffic, his hands tight on the steering wheel.

Author Note: I will try and update again this Sunday, but no promises since this is being posted on Friday. Please review and tell me if you like it or if I should scrap it.

Thanks for reading!