Mission: Impossible -- The Hida Factor

[AN: Here is the complete version of Chapter 7. There's a revelation at the end that I'm sure a lot of you have seen coming. Yet, somewhere in the ether of the story, imagined, but not yet written, is the real shocker. A lot down. A lot more to come, and it will. Thanks to my beta reader "Timp". Thanks also to support readers "Opus J", "Code", and this time "Super Tiny Guy" too. Enjoy!]

Chapter 7: Shadows and Truth

Cody Hida squinted against the glare of sun off of Odaiba Harbor. The speedboat he was riding in was raising a light spray of water that settled on him, only to evaporate in the breeze accelerated by the boat's movement. It was a combination too wet and too cool to be pleasant. The fact that the boy's hands were bound behind him underneath his backpack only added to the genuineness of the misery showing on his face. Cody knew his current uncomfortable captivity was part of the plan to stop the evil man Zane. Looking distressed was probably appropriate, even though it was the way he really felt anyway. Cody Hida was too honest to deny a feeling that was so true.

Ethan Hunt's newest disguise, that of Jace Randall, contrasted with the honestly miserable look on the boy's face. Another flawless replication, complete with Randall's own clothes, allowed the IMF team leader to convey the smug and victorious satisfaction that would be for Delton Zane's benefit. Yet, behind the affectation, Ethan Hunt considered the boy who was dutifully, truthfully carrying out the role of prisoner. There were so few truths Hunt could allow himself. Even when he'd been Cody's age, Ethan had understood that most people tend to act based on what they only think is real, and if a person was lucky enough to see an underlying reality ... clever enough to control that reality, then that brought advantages. Such was the potential that IMF had seen in him, then trained and perfected into a mastery of deception -- for the sake of international security, of course. For all the polish IMF had applied to his deceptive abilities, he'd always had the inclinations for them.

Though it was easy for IMF agents to think of themselves as the ultimate hustlers and virtually the rest of the world as marks or suckers, Hunt had another term for those who could not do what he did, but needed him to do it for them. They were innocents. He didn't say it much -- it was too idealistic, right? Still, that's what they were -- and Cody Hida now personified their need to have some leverage against those who would take advantage of that innocence for twisted and sick reasons. Hunt was part of that leverage. Those two truths could not be as sustaining as the fortress of honesty that nine year-old Cody Hida could still afford to maintain around him, but they kept Ethan Hunt sane. It was the only way he could justify what he was doing with the boy now. Cody Hida was innocent, Ethan Hunt wasn't, and he cast a shadow over the youngster's truth, but darker shadows threatened Cody. The boy needed the protection of guile that simply was not in him.

Cody, by virtue of his innocence, naturally did not like the way IMF did what it did. Hunt knew that feeling almost certainly carried over into a near dislike of the people who did those things. Hunt had seen the boy struggle to be polite nonetheless. As an agent, Hunt had to mitigate and work around the child's natural disdain, As a man, Ethan hoped that Cody never lost it, because it was the pure absence of intentional deceit.

Hunt decided to check on Cody, but he cautiously used the sub-vocal method that would only be heard through the small earpieces that he and the boy were still wearing. "Cody?" The boy didn't respond right away and the IMF agent got set to remind him how to secretly communicate when Cody finally did answer.

"Yes, Ethan-san?" Cody quickly pondered how one man could have such different voices, but then dismissed the thought as unnecessary at the moment.

"Are you OK?" Hunt noted that Cody was now addressing him by his real first name -- a sign of respected familiarity re-earned at the mall for promises kept. Still, the youngster's voice was distant, and his answers were brief.

"I think I'm OK." Cody stated, fighting a slight shiver to mumble the words clearly. The IMF agent didn't acknowledge the boy's response, and Cody tried to understand the slight as part of necessary tension between a real captor and hostage.

When the speedboat neared the fishing lanes Hunt brought it to a stop. A quick search of the boat's storage compartments yielded a brown canvas tarp. Without saying a word the man wrapped the tarp over and around his restrained passenger, backpack and all, until Cody could visually pass for bundled boating gear. Hunt lifted the boy and carried him forward, depositing Cody in the space created by the aerodynamic curve of the hull over the steering and the craft's powerful engine. It would take a close inspection to determine that the man wasn't alone. The operative never broke character, even as he explained his actions in disinterested, pragmatic terms, "I can't have nosy fisherman spotting you now."

Cody saw his abrupt relocation in different terms. The tarp was heavy and warm. It quickly took the chill off. Being in the close space so near the engine was better too. It was dry, the steady vibrations from the engine would counter the choppy way the boat moved, and it was shielded from breezes. Cody was grateful, and briefly freed his face from under the tarp to say so. "Thank you Ethan-san."

The man gave the child an expressionless stare. "I haven't done anything for you. I'm hiding you because someone might see you."

Cody became stoically disappointed "I guess I mean I'm fine for now. I would've been alright anyway. I've got something in my backpack that will keep me warm if I keep it dry. Let's just keep going." The youngster pointedly wriggled himself back under the tarp. Upamon might not like to be oversimplified as a backpack warmer, but that was truthfully one of the benefits of currently having him along. At least Upamon cared. The boy scolded himself for making a snap judgment about a person, a bad habit he was trying to correct. Maybe Ethan Hunt really did care, but had to concentrate by behaving like he didn't. The conversation seemed to be over, but Cody began again. "Ethan-san?"

"Yes?" Hunt answered.

The boy got to a point quickly, "The man you look like now ... did you have to hurt him to make his face?"

"No, its a painless scanning process." Ethan explained, but decided it was best not to tell Cody about the hand to hand combat between himself and Randall at the mall.

"Oh, ..." Cody noted, "Good. ... Will anyone else have to get hurt for us to do what we need to do?"

"I don't know." Hunt replied. It might have been soothing for Hunt to add "I hope not", but the agent knew that could well turn out to be something much less than the truth, so he didn't say it.

"Oh," was all Cody said in return.

"We'll be there soon." Hunt finished, then also returned to silence. The speedboat started up again, moving faster than before.

Back at the Odaiba Downtown Mall, Yolei Inoue was being roused by one of the many paramedics now on the scene. The tall girl managed a couple of nods to answer that she was OK before the rescuer moved on to the next person in need of help. Yolei saw that everyone who had been in the concert audience area was now being triaged nearer to the building's main exit. The center of the mall was a complete wreck, and the girl wondered how anyone could have been pulled out from there. Suddenly, she realized how important it was to know how many had been, and exactly who they were. She looked around frantically. The largest age group she could see was the younger kids. They were in mostly frightened, but unhurt bunches waiting for the authorities to reunite them with parents who had been in other parts of the complex when whatever happened hit the place. Yolei glanced from small face to small face, yet could not find the serious-looking one she hoped would be looking back for her. The girl felt a building sense of concern specifically for her best friend, and she moved purposely closer to the nearest group of younger children. She called out for him, "Cody." When he didn't answer Yolei tried again. This time she was deliberately loud. There were times when Yolei was admittedly a tiny bit louder indoors than she actually needed to be, and Cody never failed to correct her matter-of-factly if he was within earshot. So when Yolei yelled, "Hey, Cody Hida!" and got no response, it was really time to worry. She snapped out of that as soon as she remembered Cody's Mom was here today too. Cody would have protectively sought out Mrs. Hida at the first sign of trouble, of course. The youngest Digidestined had been on the stage, so that's where Yolei headed as quickly as she could.

Yolei found Mrs. Hida as the woman was showing a picture of Cody to a combination of police and fire fighters. None of them had seen the boy yet. When Minako Hida saw Yolei, she immediately came over to the girl. "Oh Yolei, thank goodness! I'm so glad to see you ... has Cody been with you?"

Yolei Inoue took a long look at Minako Hida. The girl knew right away that she couldn't possibly burden the woman with additional worry and uncertainty. Yolei understood that Cody spared his Mom as much intentional concern as he could by being responsible and helpful. Now, the bespectacled teen would do the same, only her way, being optimistic and super-cheerful. "I haven't seen him yet, Mrs. Hida, but I know I will. Cody's never been very good at hide-and-seek. Whenever I finally get him to humor me by playing it he always chooses the most obvious hiding places." The girl managed an encouraging grin.

The girl's positive tone was perfect, but she saw that the humor of mentioning Cody in atypical play passed too quickly. It made Minako Hida smile momentarily, but fresh worry dragged the expression into a sudden frown. "Cody's so little trouble and so much help, that even I forget that he's still very young. He's just a little boy, though. What if he's trapped somewhere? What if he's hurt ...?"

"... He isn't, Mrs. Hida!" Yolei insisted. "I haven't seen Cody, but I saw a lot of other younger kids who were just fine, so Cody must be too!" The girl's comforting had nearly won the moment, when a man in a dark suit approached and asked Mrs. Hida for a look at Cody's picture.

Like all IMF agents, Norman Teller was trained to multi-task across specialties on IMF teams. Though he would never have Ethan Hunt's gift for assuming identities, Teller was perfectly capable of using a face and a vox patch to convey a persona. That's what he was doing now by introducing himself now to Minako Hida and the Inoue girl not as Norman Teller but as Inspector Datsai Iatsu, an agent with the Japanese division of Interpol. "Is this your son, Mrs. ... ?"

"... Hida. Yes, that's my son Cody." He was right up here. I'm trying to get the emergency crews to help me locate him." Minako Hida was clearly distracted and dismayed by the man's inquiry and detachment. "I'm sorry, who did you say you worked for? Have you seen my son?" There was a growing desperation in her second question.

"I work for Interpol, Mrs. Hida, and I've seen your boy, but it's a complicated situation now." Iatsu answered, "We should discuss it elsewhere, privately." He glanced at Yolei and then back at Mrs. Hida.

His suggestion visibly shook the woman. "Tell me where Cody is, right now! Oh please, you have to understand, I lost his father to violence, and now if ... tell me!" In all the years Yolei had known Cody's family, she'd never heard his mother raise her voice, but now Minako Hida was screaming.

Teller made Iatsu a man of composure, not compassion. His next revelation stunned Minako Hida back into silence. "Your son was apparently taken hostage from here by corporate saboteurs."

"What?" Minako Hida was simultaneously relieved by the thought Cody must be alive and chilled by the Inspector's news. "You .. you mean he isn't even here in the building? Who'd want to take Cody? Where have they taken my son!"

"There are security tapes I'm reviewing now. If you'll come with me I'll show them to you. The girl should go now." His terseness invited the woman's insistence.

"Yolei is Cody's best friend. I need someone who cares about him near me right now. I'll come with you Inspector Iatsu, but she comes with me," Minako declared firmly.

"Fine, if you'll both just come with me now, please." The man responded with resignation. The woman and girl who urgently followed behind him had no idea that drawing both of them into the new scenario was exactly what Norman Teller had been instructed to do. All was according to Ethan Hunt's plan so far. Ethan wasn't just going to turn the tables on Delton Zane. Hunt planned to crush Zane under the weight of those tables.

The supposed Inspector Iatsu led Mrs. Hida and Yolei to a commandeered office where he cued up a mall security tape on a hastily provided video system. "Now, the majority of the footage is poor because of all the fog, heat, and debris. Still, coming up here is a section we've been able to enhance for clarity." The woman and the girl peered worriedly at the monitor and saw a grainy image of one of the mall's service doors. That door opened, fog billowed out, then the small form of Cody Hida emerged. The boy was being roughly escorted out by a man with a harsh grip on Cody's collar -- and a large gun. From the angle of Cody's shoulders it seemed that the youngster's hand had been tied.

"Cody!" Minako Hida gasped, and couldn't say any more.

Yolei instinctively put a comforting arm around Mrs. Hida. Her eyes were locked on Cody's face from the video. She saw how worried he was, and just knew that his concern was more for the people he was being taken from than for himself. The girl told herself not to cry. She chose to be angry instead, really, really angry at the man who dared to push Cody around. She wanted to yell at the screen and demand that the creep leave Cody alone. Yolei checked that impulse because it wouldn't do any good, and because the Inspector was going to explain who the kidnapper was.

"The man forcing your son to leave with him is Jace Randall, an American mercenary." Iatsu told Mrs. Hida.

"What does he want with Cody?" Minako pressed for some reason, any reason.

The man from Interpol adopted a confidential tone. "The better question is who was he getting your son for," The woman had mentally shifted into the gear for crisis situations that most mothers have. She was still very upset, but she was purposefully listening to everything she was being told. "I won't lie to you Mrs. Hida. Randall's a dangerous man. However, we're operating with intelligence that suggests that the American's involvement here was for hire. We're nearly certain that someone with an interest in demoralizing global economics opportunistically used the festivities here to strike today. Your son was probably taken hostage as a convenient representative of all consumers, to be ransomed for some symbolic gesture like deflating Japan's currency.

"Don't you have any idea about who would do such a thing ... who could employ this awful man Randall?" Minako pleaded.

Inspector Iatsu shook his head to say no, but offered a glimmer of hope. "We haven't identified Randall's employer yet. However, whoever it is probably has himself very well connected to the prominent business community here, and that's to your son's advantage."

The mother's expression begged to understand what he meant. The girl, Yolei, impetuously phrased the question out loud. "How can that help Cody?"

The man explained. "If there's a connection between the mastermind and influential Japanese business leaders, we can get the word out that any harm done to the boy will become a very big black eye to to their images. They, in turn, will very likely let it be known that your son must not be harmed at all if any business with them is to remain possible. There's even a chance that we can persuade them to give up the perpetrator's location -- but it's more likely that they'll quietly arrange a safe and discrete return of the hostage. Be assured Mrs. Hida, we won't rest until both your son ... Cody ... is safe with you and the people responsible for his abduction are in custody."

"I just want Cody back." Minako Hida related, letting her determined composure go, holding tighter to the girl who was her son's friend.

"Yes, ma'am." Inspector Iatsu noted with the detachment that Norman Teller knew would make him an unmemorable person. "The best thing you can do for your son now is to go back to your home and stay by the phone. Interpol has arranged to handle this case. The lower the profile, the better that key people will consider for securing Cody's release and turning over the person ultimately responsible for taking him. It will be necessary to monitor your phone in case you're contacted for the ransom demand or Cody is allowed to contact you. I'll follow you there, but with enough delay not to convey anything but routine investigation. I'll coordinate from there and you'll know everything when I do. You can leave as soon as you feel up to it Mrs. Hida, or can I have someone drive you home?" This offer was strictly pro forma.

"I believe I can drive myself." Minako Hida assessed while trying to process all of what Iatsu was telling her. She started to hunt through her purse for her car keys. A realization suddenly hit her. "Wait Inspector, I was here with Cody to meet someone, a passing acquaintance of my late husband. His name is Jonu Sozi. He left the concert area to see to a business matter. I couldn't leave without speaking to him, trying to explain this."

Of course, Ethan Hunt had prepared Norman Teller for this likelihood. "Mrs. Hida, we're already aware of Mr. Sozi. He was one of the first people to contact emergency responders when the mall was attacked. We're questioning him as a witness. He told us he went to an exit near the concert area, and was just outside the building when the explosions here happened. He tried to get back to the hub, but was blocked off by rubble. That's when he called it in." Inspector Iatsu let out a slightly annoyed sigh. "If you'd like to speak to him, I can arrange it."

"Yes, please." Mrs. Hida affirmed, as the IMF team predicted she would.

Iatsu took out his cell phone and dialed a certain number. "The mother wants to speak to the witness," he prefaced, then handed the woman his phone.

"Jonu? Yes, I'm alright ... it's Cody, someone's taken my little boy." Minako Hida sobbed, but quickly tried to compose herself and seemed comforted by words offered to her over the phone. "No, please, don't come by. I appreciate the offer ... thank you for understanding. Jonu, I would like to see you again -- when I have Cody back." Her voice cracked again and she fought for control. "Thank you so much for your concern ... and everything Jonu. When this is over, you'll know where to find us. I've got to go now, goodbye."

On the opposite end of the cell phone connection, Paige Brooke peeled off the vox patch that had allowed her to duplicate the voice Ethan Hunt had used for the Sozi character. The experienced female agent took a relieved breath. Experience or not, that had been hard.

Minako Hida handed the phone back to the Inspector and she turned to Yolei. The girl had been unusually quiet, perhaps further upset by the way the brusque man from Interpol was speaking. "Yolei, I'll take you back to our building. I'm sure your parents must be very worried for you."

The girl was naturally willing to stay with Cody's Mom as long as it took, but Iatsu had information for the young teen to take or leave. "I can understand if you want to help Mrs. Hida, young lady, but many parents of the older children have been discretely summoned here to collect their kids at a central area the emergency crews have established here. It's a good chance your parents will be among them. You might want to be here for them ... or I can tell them you've gone with Mrs. Hida."

For a moment Yolei Inoue looked torn. Then, an impulsive idea emerged in her mind, and she seized it with all her motivation. "I'll see you to your car Mrs. Hida, but I'll stay here. My folks probably are that worried, and I need to ... check on the rest of the ... computer club." The tall girl resisted the urge to add "if that's OK," to her explanation because it would have sounded so much like Cody that even thinking it hurt.

"That's perfectly fine Yolei." Minako understood. The woman hugged the girl fiercely. "In fact, it's for the best, because I have to go get Cody's grandfather and somehow break this all to him."

Inspector Iatsu reacted to that with patronizing concern. "I hope the shock won't be too much for an elderly man."

Minako Hida moved closer to point something out to the inspector with mildly building anger. She'd had just about enough of Iatsu, never realizing that was the whole point of his projected attitude. "Inspector Iatsu, you have no understanding of my father-in-law. I don't know what the people who've taken Cody might believe in, but if they prayed at all it would be to thank the heavens that you might have them in custody rather than having to deal with Cody's grandfather." She turned away from him and quickly left the office, followed closely by the Inoue girl.

It was Norman Teller's turn to exhale tension. Ethan Hunt's complex strategy against Delton Zane was manifesting. Ethan was infiltrating disguised as Randall with the boy to achieve the primary objective, destroying the Eden Device and taking Zane down. Teller's angle as Iatsu was to curdle the market that Zane thought he had for the device by upping the ante on Zane's likely Japanese business contacts toward dishonor by association -- a true threat that would not be taken lightly. The process of the supposed Interpol involvement would also distract the Hida family and neaten the mission wrap-up with convenient official authorities. Things were going well, but not perfectly. It was all emotionally charged now. He was certain Minako Hida would fully cooperate, and that Mrs. Hida would channel the grandfather's anger into cooperation. Of all things, it was the girl ... Yolei ... who had Teller worried. He'd noted her thoughtfulness while he'd talked at Mrs. Hida, even though it appeared Iatsu didn't give the girl a second thought. Yolei Inoue had been thinking hard when she left. It was as if the girl had been trying to plan something to help her younger friend. Teller wondered what the young teen thought she could do, and more importantly, worried about how and when she might try.

Not long after Mrs. Hida's tense departure from Odaiba Mall, the disguised Ethan Hunt brought the speedboat in to dock at the secluded island Delton Zane was using as his base of operations. Hunt had to recognize the choice of locations as ideal. The island was an easy reach from the city by boat, but it was also outside fishing lanes, outside shipping lanes, and the skyline of Odaiba was just beyond the horizon. Out of sight, out of mind. Still, the information gleaned from the mind of the real Jace Randall was perfect. That, accessed schematics, and the trained use of a natural photographic memory would make for an effective portrayal. Hunt instantly noted that he'd guessed correctly, the strike force captured with Randall at the mall had comprised the majority of Zane's mercenary forces. Only a small security detail remained on the island now. They wouldn't be getting the returning squad they were expecting, making Delton Zane a little more vulnerable and all the more dangerous. Ethan Hunt now had every reason to believe that Zane had learned from their encounter three years ago. He'd have special protection near at all times. If Randall had not known that before leaving to acquire Cody Hida, it's likely he'd have learned it in the immediate future. Zane was easily visible in the large window that dominated the compound's second story and overlooked the dock. Seeing Randall return without the other men had to alarm Zane, but only at first. Seeing Randall haul the small, tarp-bundled form out of the boat -- that was the prize. The boy was Jace Randall's ticket of safe passage back into Delton Zane's presence. Ethan Hunt would count on Zane never realizing that Cody Hida would be more than that.

Cody was unwrapped from the tarp and it took a moment for his legs to steady themselves on the wet, floating dock. For a moment, while Cody still faced the disguised agent, the youngster looked like he wanted Hunt to say something -- anything -- that would indicate that they'd really leave this place safely and as soon as possible. Nothing was said. Instead, the captor turned the prisoner toward the compound, and began a march forward. The boy looked up and saw the other man that was now looking back at him. Cody knew that man had to be Delton Zane. The child sensed something more. Ethan-san probably sensed it too, but differently. Ethan Hunt was on guard against danger. What Cody Hida recognized when looking at Delton Zane was ... evil. In the presence of that, Cody understood the cautious, uncertain silence.

The dock led inside a gate on the shore of the island itself. From there they entered the compound's main building. From the outside it looked like a fishing lodge, quaint and just overly-secure. The inside had been converted into the nerve center of a quasi-military and quasi-scientific operation. A bank of video monitors revealed multiple camera positions fixed throughout prefabricated building extensions that radiated from the back of this main building like the strands of a spider's web. Zane summoned Randall and his prisoner immediately, so Cody Hida's rough escort continued up a flight of stairs to the room maintained as an office, the same room overlooking the dock below.

Cody was hauled into Zane's office. The boy's wrists hurt, his legs were stiff from the boat ride, and his head ached from both worry and concentration. Still the youngster was determined to meet the evil man's gaze with all the righteous contempt possible. However, Zane did not immediately turn from the big window to recognize their arrival, so he was evil and bad-mannered. Instead, Delton Zane pelted Jace Randall with cold, angry questions. "Mr. Randall, I thought we had agreed on certain things regarding your operation today, had we not? The boy was to be sedated, yet I see he's quite awake. Why is that Mr. Randall, hmm? Oh, and what of all the other men who left here with you, where are they Mr. Randall? Can we still count them on among our ranks?"

"No we can't count on seeing them again, Mr. Zane ..." Ethan Hunt spoke with Jace Randall's gruff voice and and forced deference. "... because the operation didn't account for the intervention of an IMF team."

"Led, no doubt, by Ethan Hunt." Zane saw a perplexed look cross the window reflection of Randall's face. "It doesn't matter if you saw him or not, Mr. Randall. Wherever IMF attempts to thwart me, there too is Ethan Hunt."

"You mean you ...," Randall began to ask.

"Knew?" Zane predicted. "Oh yes, Mr. Randall, I certainly knew that IMF -- particularly Hunt, would meddle in my attempt to reactivate the Eden Device. I've known all about Hunt's IMF team from the moment they reached Japan up to their attempt to thwart your raid at the mall." Zane allowed himself a crisp, evil laugh. "The IMF activity at the mall was desperation, really. I'm told that Hunt actually wanted to take custody of the child, but discord within his team never allowed that before your strike. Don't concern yourself with how I know these things. It's not your concern at the moment. Just be aware that my knowledge made your way as clear as possible. IMF was on the defensive the whole time. Even so, I'm surprised that you achieved the objective ... and impressed. You have the boy! That success is worth every man I sent with you."

Ethan Hunt took the necessary moments for Jace Randall's confused reaction to his employer's revelations to mentally enjoy all that Zane did not know. Keeping Quint Morgan unaware of Cody's initial abduction and secure storage at the mall had turned a dangerous traitor into a natural conduit for misinformation. Hunt would deal with Morgan when the time came. Right now, Zane believed that he'd gotten Cody first, and that the boy was now helplessly in the man's power. The distance between what Zane believed and the truth was the one chance IMF would get.

Cody tried to follow the meaning of the exchange between the two men, though it took place in English. Even without words, the tone made the boy cringe involuntarily. Delton Zane turned to face his hard-sought prey. He had the nerve to initially ooze the charm of a host, as if the restrained child was his guest instead of his prisoner. Zane spoke to him, greeting the boy in mangled Japanese that the man actually seemed proud of. "Hello, little boy Hida. Do as told, cooperate. Your stay here will be short and less unhappy."

Cody's response was almost patronizingly matter-of-fact. "Excuse me for saying so, but it's not really polite to speak in a language if you can't pronounce it correctly." Ethan Hunt could hardly think of anything that could have stung the pompous killer more.

Zane came with clipped, angry strides and stood over Cody. He growled with the vindictive scorn of an unexpectedly corrected substitute teacher. "Where are manners little boy Hida? Not showing me your famed manners?"

"Manners are wasted on evil men!" Cody vented more than a little natural frustration with his predicament by yelling at this bad man. Delton Zane reacted by trying to land a fierce blow across the child's face, but a showy wind-up allowed Cody to recognize the attempt. The child ducked, and Zane's fist met nothing but air. The enraged man reared back, and he was about to throttle the youngster. Ethan Hunt wanted to grab hold of Delton Zane's wrist and break it. Instead, "Jace Randall" pushed Cody Hida down hard in the ribs from behind, leaving him sprawled face down, out of breath on the carpeted floor -- but also safely out of Delton Zane's reach . Hunt understood Cody's defensive reaction, but the agent could not allow Zane to suspect that the young Hida was capable of anything special, even the reflexes of a trained kendoist.

The American took hold of the prone Japanese boy and forced him to stand before he wanted to, moving them both away from the other man with a show of anger. "Randall" pointed a threatening finger in the boy's face and used a harsh tone to convey the meaning of the words. "Show Mr. Zane some respect. You'll live longer."

Delton Zane seethed while toying with his cufflinks and adjusting the fit of his suit coat. It was angry bluster ironically meant to send the message that Cody's defiance wasn't upsetting. He walked back over to the scowling youngster, leaned in close and hissed more brutal Japanese just inches from the boy's face. "With what I plan for you little boy Hida, your death starts as soon as possible, but happens very slowly while I harvest what I need from you. It will be enjoyable for me." He finished with a vicious smile and then moved away. Cody held his scowl with stubborn bravery, at least until the evil man turned away again. Zane spoke to the impersonated Randall again in English. "Take him to the device team. Have him hooked up immediately. I'll be along as soon as I can. I'm going to activate the system myself." He condemned Cody with relished satisfaction.

Ethan Hunt spoke through the persona, careful to weight the words in the context of professional caution, but adding a hint of fear that Zane was sure to pick up on, and feel superior to. "What about Hunt and the IMF? If they're on to this, they've probably got a way to track the boy even if the kid's never seen them. If they were slick enough to tag him with the microdot we used to locate him, then they could be monitoring him a dozen ways from Sunday. Shouldn't we keep the boy as leverage, at least until we relocate."

"Calm yourself, Mr. Randall. It just so happens that I have the secure frequencies of all the tracking devices the current IMF team has with it. Even now there's a large satellite dish on the high point of this island shielding our operation completely. There's no need to relocate. Now, take ..." A short computer-generated chime followed by the soft whir of a printer pulling paper interrupted Zane, and also delighted him. "... Ah, and see there is no time to relocate. I took the liberty of informing my most immediate contacts in Japan of the availability of my new service. They must be eager to fax in their contracts." The disguised IMF agent watched carefully as Zane's gloating smile reading these faded, first to disbelief, then to rage as he looked back and forth from the pages to the subdued boy.

Ethan Hunt chose this time to follow orders. He dragged Cody toward another door in Zane's office. "Let's go kid."

"Wait!" The European commanded. Only an expert would have detected the calculation in the pause that followed. "I've changed my mind. I'm going to have a full diagnostic on the Eden Device to make sure we can use the boy with optimum efficiency. In the meantime, lock the brat up somewhere. I don't care where as long as it's under camera surveillance."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Zane." the American acknowledged. "Is anything wrong?" The question was couched in a tone of clueless ignorance, because Zane was so obviously bothered by what he'd read.

"It doesn't concern you. Now get that child out of my office!"

"Whatever you say, Mr. Zane." It was "Jace Randall" that repeated himself, but Ethan Hunt knew that Norman Teller was doing his job. The kidnapping of Cody Hida was now a very sensitive subject for certain Japanese businessmen. Zane would have to ponder what to do. He'd have to take the time, and in that time Zane would lose ... if. That "if" wasn't very big -- just very young, rightfully scared, and answering to the name Cody. The disguised agent changed directions with a credible hint of annoyance to haul the youngster out of Zane's presence the same way they entered. He'd take Cody to the barracks section of the compound. After the events at the mall there were several spare quarters to choose from.

When the American and the boy were gone, Delton Zane sat in the imposing leather chair at his desk, at first turning toward the large window behind him. Then he turned back to the desk, reaching to push up and slide back a small secret hatch built carefully into the front edge of the desktop's underside. Zane pushed the button the hatch enclosed. A full panel of the wall opposite the desk opened by retracting in halves into the floor and ceiling , a man emerged from the hidden observation space.

"Jace Randall? Was that the best you could do Delton?" the newcomer seemed to tease mockingly.

"He brought in the boy, and can be publicly identified as doing so. That's all that matters. Of course, he doesn't know how indebted to you he is for that accomplishment. He'll be very close to death when he realizes that. Very sad -- for him. There is an unexpected complication." Zane thrust the faxes at his guest. "I trust you'll help me work out a creative solution."

"I'm your man Delton," Quint Morgan affirmed.. "Consider it done."