It was just after the sun had worked its way above the horizon that the admiral felt something relentlessly poking his ribs. Drowsily reckoning it to be Kate's elbow, he brushed it off. When the pressure became almost painful, he slowly stirred. Opening his eyes and finding himself looking up at an unfamiliar face, he bolted upright, jolting Kate at the same time.

"Harry, what's the…" Immediately noticing the gun leveled at his chest, she stifled a cry.

The man holding the gun motioned sharply. "Both of you, get up!" Obediently, they got to their feet, Kate adjusting her robe, Nelson standing protectively in front of her. Eyeing Kate salaciously, a grin formed on the gunman's hardened face.

A second man suddenly appeared, sticking the barrel of his gun against the admiral's neck. "Move aside," he ordered. Defiantly standing his ground, Nelson wasn't about to budge. Impatiently, the man drew back the hammer. "I said, move aside."

Nelson set his jaw and growled between clenched teeth, "No."

Kate, horrified as she realized what was about to happen, put her hand on Harry's arm, feeling the tension that pulsed through his body. "It's okay," she said, stepping away from him.

"She's a very smart girl," the first gunman spoke with a heavy indiscernible accent. "It's not our intention to hurt you, Admiral Nelson, but if you leave us no choice, understand that neither I nor Marco will hesitate to kill you."

Nelson started to take a step forward only to be held in check by Marco. "If you lay one finger on her…."

"What admiral? You really are in no position to make threats, are you? Let's be sensible, shall we?" The man glanced cautiously over his shoulder then walked deliberately towards Kate. Standing before her, he slowly brought the gun up, using the cold barrel to trace the outline of her robe. Kate felt the fear coursing through her but was determined to maintain her composure.

Inwardly seething, Nelson clenched his fists in frustrated anger. He was helpless, only able to watch as the man slowly pulled back the loose material. Kate bit her lip as the palm of his hand brushed across her then seized her. Nelson's temper exploded. With lightning speed, he brought up his knee, catching Marco in the groin, instantly doubling the man over. In a coup de grace, he brought his elbow down hard on the back of the man's neck, sending him to the floor. Surprised by the commotion, the gunman turned away from Kate as the admiral lunged at him. Nelson cuffed the gunman with a powerful cross, hurtling the man into the railing that surrounded the veranda. Rebounding furiously, the gunman countered with a wild punch that missed the admiral by inches. A smashing right hook sent the man crashing to the floor with a thud. With both men down, Nelson reached for Kate's arm. A sharp gasp from her and he wheeled just in time to see the arcing motion of the raised hand. As the butt of the gun cracked the side of his head, Nelson fell heavily onto the wooden floor.

"Send idiots to do a simple job!" the man hissed in disgust. Kate, all color drained from her face and desperately fighting to control her rising fear, watched this new man with the guarded respect one gave a poisonous snake. Sensing she was close to panic, he cooed regretfully as he stepped over the admiral's prone body, "My dear, please do accept my apologies for any discomfort Karl may have caused you by his actions."

Kate, numbed by all that had transpired, could only nod her head dutifully. She wanted to close her eyes and make the nightmare disappear but looking at Nelson crumpled on the floor, she knew it was all too real.

"My dear," the man cautiously approached her, his hand extended, "why don't you go and get dressed. Please know that the telephones have been temporarily disconnected and I have men outside who, like Karl, are very short on manners. So, please don't do anything foolish like our gallant admiral here. If you cooperate, I assure you, nothing will happen to him or to you." Kate nodded her head in understanding and carefully made her way through the house. Just before disappearing into her bedroom, the man called out, "Oh, Dr. Manning, would you be so good as to bring the rest of Admiral Nelson's clothes as well." He displayed his most charming grin until she was gone then kicked Marco hard in the legs as Karl slowly stumbled to his feet. "Idiots! Buffoons! I told you to keep your hands off the woman." Karl tested his jaw then staggered past Nelson and helped Marco to his feet. "Clean this place up. I want no trace of our having been here."

Passing over the silk blouse and straight skirt of the previous evening, Kate struggled into a pair of khakis, her hands trembling as she fastened the buttons to the denim shirt. Trying to control errant sobs, her fear turned to concern then anger. If she were going to be any one's captive, she certainly wasn't going to entice them. An impatient knock on the door and that serpent's voice asking if she were all right hastened her out of the brief bout of emotions. Slipping on a pair of boots and grabbing the admiral's shirt and shoes, she threw open the bedroom door.

"Ah, there you are," the man greeted as she came into the living room. Taking the admiral's things from her, he handed them to Marco. "Get these on him and get him into the car." The man urged her to follow him.

With renewed strength, Kate asked, "Where are you taking us?"

"My dear doctor," the man rebuked, "you do so disappoint me. I had hoped for something a tad more original from you than just where are you taking us?"

Kate crossed her arms, "But then again, I might just want to know where you are taking us."

The man gave her reply some thought, a slight grin playing at his thick lips. "Yes, I see your point. It wouldn't be prudent for me to answer that question at this juncture but in a matter of time I will answer all your questions."

~oOo~

In the back seat of the large, black sedan Nelson slowly regained consciousness. It took him a few minutes to clear his head, to realize the warm body he was leaning against was Kate's and that the drone he heard was the sound of a car engine. It wasn't until he sat upright, his head throbbing from the lump above his right temple, that he remembered the course of events. Wincing as he fingered the welt, he leaned his head back against the seat.

"Here, take this," the man offered a handkerchief to Kate. He had positioned himself on the bench seat directly facing the admiral and Dr. Manning while Marco and Karl occupied the front seat.

Kate took the handkerchief and wiped the stream of blood from the side of Harry's head. Instinctively, he pulled away from the treatment then slowly eased back. She brushed the hair away from the cut and dabbed it with the cloth. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

No, he wasn't okay, he thought bitterly. He was angry with himself and his head was throbbing. Frowning and closing his eyes, he merely nodded.

"I would like to apologize for the rather extreme greeting, Admiral Nelson. However, given your disposition at the time, I fear it was my only recourse. If things had really gotten out of control, you might have been shot and that really wasn't my intention."

"I'll thank you later, if you don't mind." He took the handkerchief from Kate and held it to his head.

"As a gentleman, I would also like you to know I did offer my apologies to Dr. Manning in the context of Karl's behavior. But as you were unconscious at the time, you weren't party to it. So, I offer it again."

Nelson bit his lip in a tight scowl. He wasn't at all interested in anything this man had to say if it didn't involve an explanation of who they were and what they wanted. "I don't suppose you'd mind telling us who you are and what you want?" He lowered the handkerchief satisfied the bleeding had stopped.

"Yes, I suppose I do have you at a slight disadvantage. You see, I know you, Admiral Nelson, although your reputation makes it nearly impossible not to know you. And Dr. Manning, not only do I know you, you know me. However, I expect I'm not really anyone who would leave an indelible mark on someone." The man smiled a cold, tight-lipped smile that made Kate's skin crawl. "Does the Albemarle ring a bell?"

~oOo~

Lee Crane entered Admiral Nelson's office with an uncharacteristic flair. "Hiya, Angie!"

He started to give a perfunctory knock on the admiral's door when Angie stopped him. "Sorry, Lee but he's not in yet. There was a message waiting this morning. He decided to stay overnight in San Diego and was going to drive up first thing this morning. He said he planned to be here in time for the budget review at 10:30."

Lee looked at his watch. "It's still early. He's probably sitting in traffic." Angie nodded in agreement. "And if he is caught in traffic, I really don't want to be here when he gets in." The two shared a laugh. The admiral's impatience and mercurial disposition were renown at the Institute.

"How about I tell him you stopped by? After his meeting with Admiral Hewitt, I'm sure he'll be anxious to talk to you."

"Well, he knows where to find me." Lee flashed a dashing smile as he disappeared out the door.

~oOo~

Nelson was the first to react, although he could tell the name wasn't entirely lost on Kate. "The Albemarle sunk 270 miles off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands."

"It was Kauai to be exact."

"If I remember correctly," Nelson taxed his memory, "the Coast Guard's investigation found that a bomb caused the explosion that ripped through the Albemarle. The boat was blown apart in a matter of seconds."

"Yes, a single timed detonator set just between the number 1 and number 2 diesel oil tanks."

Nelson reacted with immediate contempt, his eyes narrowing accusingly. "It was you."

From the moment she heard that name, Albemarle, Kate desperately tried to recall the events preceding the incident. She was all too familiar with the Albemarle and the explosion that killed her friend and mentor, Dr. Elliot Mankin, as well as his associates, noted electrical engineers, Drs. Owen Cresswell and Colin Howe. What she had difficulty remembering were the circumstances that led to their presence on the boat.

Nearly five years ago: she had been shocked and alarmed to learn of the unexpected dismissal of Dr. Elliot Mankin. Mankin had been a quiet man, reserved, extremely introvert and a phenomenally brilliant physicist. He was the last person she would have ever suspected to be involved in such a premeditated scheme. And yet, the evidence was overwhelming.

Mankin and his team had been tasked by the Center to develop a highly confidential new project commissioned by the U.S. Government. What was the name? Funds had initially been appropriated but the project hit a number of impediments that eventually led to the discontinuation of not only the funding but also the project. Mankin was furious. Determined to keep the project alive, he and his associates clandestinely channeled Center funds into a Swiss Bank account then set about advancing the project outside the confines of the Center. When eventually the connivance was discovered, Mankin, Cresswell and Howe had been abruptly dismissed.

Recalling the contents of the newspaper article, something caught in Kate's mind. Besides Mankin, Cresswell and Howe, there had been a fourth man implicated in the fraud—a financial analyst at the Center who had orchestrated the misappropriations. It came to her in a flash. "Briere," Kate muttered the name aloud. "You're Maxwell Briere."

His fleshy features notably lightened at the recognition. "And so I am, Dr. Manning. Very astute of you to remember my name."

"It was difficult," she noted with icy detachment, "you've changed your appearance."

The man ran a hand over his smooth, depilated head. "Yes, certain events necessitated a slight deviation from my previous features." Turning his attention to Nelson, "To answer your question, admiral, yes, I was responsible for the destruction of the Albemarle." He accentuated his statement with a wry grin that sent Nelson's blood to boiling.

"You killed, murdered fifteen men including one of the greatest minds in the world!" Nelson seethed, his temper dangerously close to boiling over. "For what purpose?"

Briere momentarily evaded the pointed question. "Dr. Manning, I'm sure you are aware of Dr. Mankin's work at the Center at the time of his departure."

Kate glared, unflinching, "I can't seem to recall."

He found it hard to tell whether she genuinely didn't recall or if it was all an act of defiance. In any event, he smiled in delighted amusement. "Lightning Bolt," he answered succinctly.

Nelson glanced instinctively at Kate then quickly shifted his gaze to Briere. "Lightning Bolt?" he repeated with a dry laugh, his tone and demeanor notably incredulous. The project: a folly, skeptics had called it; a resource with limitless power, supporters had argued. Although cautious, Nelson viewed it as the latter.

Lightning Bolt. The idea wasn't new: broadcast electricity or the ability to send electricity by radio waves. Nikola Tesla first did it in 1899 by transmitting 100 million volts of high-frequency electric power wirelessly over a distance of 26 miles, lighting up 200 light bulbs and running one electric motor. Lightning Bolt was merely an expansion on Tesla's concept. As far as Nelson knew, Lightning Bolt died with its creator on board the Albemarle.

"Any hope of resurrecting Lightning Bolt was lost with Mankin aboard the Albemarle."

"You are only half right, admiral." Briere glanced at Kate. "Would you like to explain, Dr. Manning?"

Nelson passed a confused look from Briere to Kate.

"I told you, I don't recall."

Briere smiled, nodding slightly as he yielded to her. He had expected her to be somewhat uncooperative but not persistently so. "You see, admiral, when Mankin left the Center, Lightning Bolt was nothing more than notes and diagrams on paper. The project was shelved before it could be advanced beyond the design stage. Before he left, Cresswell was able to switch the blueprints with that of a lesser design. I can only imagine the surprise when some electrical engineer began constructing a common light emitting diode. Perhaps it was you, Dr. Manning?"

Her eyes narrowed with unspoken contempt.

"Perhaps not," he continued. "In any event, Mankin was able to assemble a working prototype aboard the Albemarle."

Nelson shook his head. Now everything made even less sense than before. "I don't understand. If Mankin had a working prototype, you could have profited greatly from Lightning Bolt. Why destroy it?"

He let out a deep breath as if it taxed him to explain. "You might say Dr. Mankin and I had a clashing of ideologies."

"That was certainly no reason to destroy the lives of those aboard the Albemarle." Nelson found it difficult to keep his voice level as his temper surged.

"I assure you, admiral, Mankin left me no other choice." The reflective grin was immediately replaced by a condescending frown. "I understood the potential power of Lightning Bolt. Mankin, the puritan that he was, couldn't fathom the thought of using something so powerful for such a destructive cause."

"Look, Briere, why don't you dispense with the hedging and just tell us what you want?" It was Kate's question and she was feeling particularly surly.

"I would have thought by now it was painfully obvious: I want Lightning Bolt."

Nelson shook his head, disbelieving the audacity of the request. "You just confirmed that the notes and drawings, the equipment, were lost with the Albemarle."

"I did, however," he paused to examine his fingernails, "I believe there exists a second prototype." As he looked up, his eyes fell upon Kate's. If he expected a reaction from her, she did not give him one. Never flinching, her expression remained impassive.

The implication was not lost on Nelson. Sitting forward on the seat, eyes narrowing, "Look Briere, if you think we are going to help you locate this purported second prototype for your own destructive cause, you're sadly mistaken."

"Not 'we', admiral." With an ominous gaze fixed intently on Kate, "She. Dr. Manning is of vital importance to me. Although I would never deny your boundless innovative knowledge of electrical engineering or physics, I believe you would be more of a liability to me than an asset." His voice took on a menacing tone that shrouded his amiable demeanor. "That is not to say you don't have value to me."

With a menacing glare, Nelson pronounced each word carefully, "If you do anything to harm her, Briere, I swear I'll…" In the passenger seat, Kurt turned sharply, his gun steadied at the admiral. Surrendering to the clear persuasion, Nelson begrudgingly settled back in the seat, his right fist still tightly clenched.

Briere held up one hand, motioning Kurt to lower the weapon. "There's that streak of chivalry again, admiral," he admonished. "You really must be careful with that or one day it will truly be the cause of your demise." Folding his hands across his broad lap, Briere continued, "With regard to Dr. Manning, you really have nothing to worry about. As I said, she is vitally important to me and, as a gentleman, I believe it's very unsporting to try the same coercion tactics on a woman that one would use on a fellow like you. I believe that with the right amount of encouragement, Dr. Manning will tell me what I want to know."

"Then you're sadly mistaken," she interjected.

A faint, knowing laugh escaped Briere's tight lips. "We shall see, doctor. We shall see."

They stopped briefly at the immigration office in Tijuana, just across the Mexican border. Nelson held out brief hope that the guards at the border would question the fact that two passengers didn't have tourist cards but the cash that Karl slipped the man seemed to squelch the chances. With a cheery smile, the guard waved the sedan through the gates. Well, Nelson thought, at least now he knew where they were headed.

The drive along the highway briefly paralleled the Pacific Coast, allowing breathtaking views of the rocky coastline below them and the Coronado Islands in the distance. Once past Ensenada, the car turned off Highway 1 and onto a dirt road into the rugged, low hills and valleys. For a while, Nelson was convinced they were heading towards the middle section of the peninsula until he spied the glittering infinite blue of the Pacific Ocean just over Kate's shoulder.

Drawing to an idle as a pair of heavily reinforced gates opened on demand, Briere gazed out the window. "Ladies and gentlemen," he pronounced with undue flair, "we have reached our destination."