The Darkest Night

Chapter One

Jaime walked into Oscar's office in a bad mood that was aboput to get much worse. Since his door was open, she began complaining as soon as she hit the outer office. "Oscar, since when do I need an armed escort? I'm perfectly capable - oh." She stopped short when she saw the stern, anxious faces of the four men gathered there. Rudy, Steve and a stranger surrounded Oscar at his desk in a tight, tense circle.

Steve broke away and walked to the door where Jaime stood frozen. Placing an arm around her waist, he led her to a chair and stood protectively beside her, his hand on her shoulder as if he knew she would soon need the support.

"Jaime, this is Doctor Sam Argus," Oscar told her.

Jaime felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "Argus...as in Argus Institute, where Michael is?"

"Where he was, anyway," Steve muttered angrily.

"What?" Jaime's face instantly turned ghost-pale. "Oh, no..."

Six months earlier, Michael Marchetti had been a talented young doctor, inventing new lifesaving procedures and surgical techniques. Jaime had been one of his patients and, breaking all the rules, they had fallen in love. Rudy, his boss and mentor, had arranged for him to be transferred to another facility, away from Jaime, and something inside Michael had simply snapped. He had attempted to kidnap Jaime from her hospital bed, and when his plan was thwarted he'd come terrifyingly close to killing her.

"But...he was supposed to be there at least a year, and go to prison after..." Jaime's voice was trembling almost as much as her body. Four pairs of eyes looked expectantly at Sam Argus, who was unable to look at any of them - especially Jaime - as he explained.

"Marchetti is highly intelligent, even in his current state. He turned up missing this morning, and my staff - some of the best and most highly trained in the business - have absolutely no clue how he did it, or even exactly when.

"In other words," Steve said, "He could have been out for an hour or two -"

"Or more than 10 hours," Argus confirmed.

"Has there been any improvement in his condition?" Oscar asked, frowning.

Unfortunately, no. In fact, he's gone downhill dramatically. When he was admitted, Marchetti still had at least some sense of reality, even if he chose to ignore it. In the last few months he has slipped completely into psychosis. That, combined with his intelligence, makes him an extremely dangerous individual."

Oscar rose from his chair. "Doctor, we appreciate your bringing us this information and Marchetti's file. I know you need to get back."

"Call me if there's anything else you need from the Institute, or from me." The two men shook hands and Argus was gone.

Jaime struggled to remain in control of her emotions. Steve knelt beside her chair, wrapped her in his arms and looked into her eyes with a reassuring smile. "Sweetheart, he's not getting anywhere near you; we won't let him. I won't let him."

"Jaime, I'm sending you underground until Michael is re-captured," Oscar told her. "That way, we know you'll be safe and out of his reach."

"No," Jaime said firmly, as angry as she was frightened. "I don't wanna go into hiding. I think I can help find him."

"Sweetheart -" Steve began.

"Just listen to me. Please?" She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "The way Argus described him, Michael's a threat to anyone who crosses his path. We need to find him fast. the only way he's gonna come out of hiding is if we give him a reason -"

"Not a chance in Hell!" Steve said, a little too emphatically. Jaime looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Do you know how close he came to killing you the last time?"

Jaime choked back tears, stubbornly refusing to cry. "I think I'm aware of that, yes," she said quietly.

Steve softened. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but I just can't let you do it."

"Let me? First, it isn't your decision; it's Oscar's, and mine. Second - let me?"

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded, but seeing you limp in his arms, not even knowing if you were alive or dead...it still shows up in my worst nightmares. Oscar - tell her she can't do this."

"Actually, Pal, she makes a good point."

"Then send me," Steve insisted. "I'm sure he's good and pissed off at me. I helped stop him from taking Jaime, and she and I are back together, so -"

"Mad at you, yes," Rudy interrupted. "But his obsession is with Jaime, and that's what's driving him now. I've got to go with Oscar and Jaime on this one."

Steve was out-voted. Or, rather, he would've been if there'd been a democratic vote. This was Oscar Goldman's office, though, and only one vote got cast and counted. That was how, a few hours later, Steve found himself in the basement of Jaime's DC home. Jaime was in the living room, directly above him, spending as much time as she could in front of the big picture window. Steve wore a special earpiece, enabling him to hear anything Jaime heard, on the phone or in person. he just hoped it would be enough...