Jessi brought her laptop into Kyle's room and set it next to his computer. They sat side by side, typing rapidly on their keyboards.

Jessi pointed at her screen, "Here's another likely prospect. I found a social media post indicating that they had a meeting where they decided to look for a new agency. The poster is complaining about the extra work that's going to involve."

"Maybe we can make their job easier," Kyle smiled. "I'll add them to the list."

Nicole knocked on the door and said, quietly, "May I come in?"

"Of course you can," Kyle said.

I could tell the Nicole was concerned about something. Her heart rate was slightly accelerated and her anxiety level was raised. There was something she wanted to talk to us about that made her feel uncomfortable. I wondered if she knew about the times Jessi had visited me in my tub.

Nicole came in and sat in a chair, looking uncertain. Kyle and Jessi looked at her expectantly. She broke the silence by asking, hesitantly, "You said Brad Keels was dead?"

"Yes," Kyle nodded. "He was killed when the National Security Force was rounding up the mercenaries."

Nicole said, "The other day, at the breakfast table, you and Jessi said you were going to deal with him." She took a breath and continued, looking at Kyle, "Did you arrange for him to die?"

Kyle met her eyes, "Yes, Nicole."

Jessi objected, "That was just one of the possibilities."

"Jessi," Kyle said. "We knew that it was likely he would die. Either by the mercenaries who were likely to think he betrayed them or in a fire fight with the security force, or by being captured and tried as a war criminal responsible for thousands of deaths."

Nicole looked down at the floor for a moment and then looked first at Jessi and then Kyle. She said, seriously, "Tell me what you did." She held up a hand, "Just the summary, I don't need the details, I probably wouldn't understand them."

"We identified all of the mercenary forces and their facilities then we anonymously reported them to the National Security Force," Kyle said. "They immediately began raiding the camps and killing or capturing them."

"So, you found out where they were and turned them into the authorities?" Nicole leaned forward, "Anything else?"

Kyle glanced at Jessi who admitted, "I hacked into Colonel Kieferts bank account, he was the man running the mercenary forces, and emptied it. That kept him from having the money for his forces to escape."

Nicole frowned, "You stole his money?"

"I transferred it to 'International Doctors'," Jessi said. "I thought he should help pay for some of the damage he caused. I did the same thing to Brad Keels account so he couldn't give Kieferts more money."

Nicole raised her eyebrows in response and sat obviously thinking.

"Did we do wrong, Nicole?" Kyle asked quietly. He reached over and took Jessi's hand, saying, "I couldn't let him try to hurt Jessi again."

"He deserved it," Jessi said firmly. "He and Keiferts are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. The recent Anthrax attack was only the most recent example. They've been doing this for years."

"But you arranged things so that he was likely to die," Nicole pointed out, "because you wanted him dead." She sighed, "That bothers me a lot."

"We told the legitimate government about people who were causing death and destruction within their country," Jessi said, defensively. "It was the right thing to do." She shrugged, "It might have been wrong to empty their accounts, but it seemed just."

Nicole smiled grimly and nodded in acknowledgement, "There is a sense of justice to that." She thought for a moment and said, "Tell, me, could you have closed down the mercenary operation and arranged it so that Brad Keels and … Kieferts could get away safely?"

"Yes," Jessi said. "But the mercenary troops were going to have casualties. Why should the people who hired them get away safely? They would just do it again somewhere else."

"He tried to kill Jessi," Kyle objected. "He would do it again."

"I can't argue with your actions in the abstract," Nicole said, slowly. She took a breath, "And, frankly, I'm personally happy at the results, including Keels being dead. Having Jessi kidnapped and almost killed was terrifying." She looked at Jessi earnestly, "I'm so glad you're all right." Then she looked back at Kyle, opening her hands in explanation, "But the reality is that you wanted him dead and he is dead as a result of choices you deliberately made. Your motives were not pure. I'm worried about how that will affect you. I'm afraid that, with time, you will find this kind of thing easier to do."

"It does bother me, Nicole," Kyle admitted. "It had to be done, though."

"Tom Foss told me that if it stops bothering you, you stop being human," Jessi said. "He said that you live with what you've done as the price you have to pay, that it keeps you from doing it unless you really have to."

"I don't even want to think about how many people Tom Foss has killed," Nicole said. "But I'm grateful for what he did to save Jessi and the things he's done to keep us all safe." She sat for a moment and then added, "I guess that I just wish we were back in the simpler days when the worst thing I had to worry about was you disobeying us when Ms. Bloom said you couldn't see Amanda. I worry about you." She glanced at Jessi and added, "About both of you."

"The problems we face are bigger now, Nicole," Kyle said. "We can make a difference with what we do. We have to do the right thing. Sometimes people are going to get hurt no matter which choice we make."

Nicole thought for a moment, "The two of you are going to have a big impact on the world. The choices you make are going to affect many people for good and bad. You are going to have to make other difficult decisions." She looked at them earnestly, "Just try to always remember who you want to be and stay true to that person."

"We will, Nicole," Kyle promised.

Nicole stood up and stepped in front of Kyle opening her arms in an obvious invitation to a hug. Kyle rose and they hugged. She said quietly in his ear, "I love you, I'm sorry you have to deal with things like this."

After they let go she turned to Jessi who seemed slightly surprised but stood up herself for a hug. Nicole smiled and told her, "I love you too."

After hugging Jessi, Nicole turned to leave but stopped in the door, still troubled, "Always remember, you can talk to me about things like this. Both of you."