The Net: Still Running: Chapter 8

Stopping at a cheap motel the next night Angela sat beside Jacob while Skate was in the shower. In her hand she clutched the journal she'd been writing in ever since she's entered the front gate at Quantico many months before.

"Jacob, losing you ruined my life. I vowed to find you again, no matter what it took, or how long. Even if you had gone back to New York and never wanted to see me again, for whatever reason. Now that I've found you, I'm not letting you out of my sight until this is all over and you decide to leave. With that being said, this belongs to you."

Angela handed him her journal.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Everything I wanted to tell you since getting out of jail after taking down Trelawney. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. But I addressed it to you, so it's only fair that you have it."

Jacob's eyes grew wide at her words and almost seemed to be smiling but he was speechless, unable to say a word.

"When I say I missed you, Jacob, I really mean that."

Skate came out of the bathroom wearing an old t-shirt and his boxers, intent on getting some shut-eye.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower, and then I'll stay up and keep watch," Angela said, heading to the bathroom and leaving Jacob to mull over everything she'd just told him.


"You said they were gone," Skate said, looking over at Angela in the front passenger seat while he drove. Jacob was asleep in the back seat, using Angela's fleece jacket as a pillow, and his own as a blanket. "Ang, you told me you'd defeated them. So how did they come back? I thought they were dead?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Jacob tells me they're more technologically advanced. And they are, viewing the trackers they were using on him." she shuddered at the thought of what they had done to him. "Somehow they survived the fire fight we gave them, and here they are."

"But why? What do they have to do with you? I still don't get that."

"It's because Jacob has one of the most brilliant minds when it comes to computers. He sent me the file about my father in Copper Canyon, though I still don't know why. I guess just so that I could know about it. And they came after me because I wasn't supposed to see it. But now they're after him and they don't care about me. Jacob tells me it's because they were using me to get to him the whole time. And now that they know who he is, they don't need me anymore."

"So, they didn't know who he was? But they knew you?"

"He had an alias online, and anytime they saw him with me, they never made the connection. Until now."


That night Skate had the first watch at the window of the motel room while Angela and Jacob got their sleep. Before he went on watch he took a quick shower. While he had the water running Angela inspected Jacob's back to make sure nothing had changed. He was still in a lot of pain.

"I wasn't asleep this afternoon," he said, grimacing from her touch.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard what you said about the Praetorians, about me."

"I trust him, Jacob."

"It's not that. I never did tell you the truth."

"The truth? About what?"

"About me. And the Praetorians."

"See, I was looking into what had happened to my father. Now he was the greatest mind when it came to computers. Not me. And I found out about Copper Canyon, and started to dig deeper, and they came after me. You know he and I shared the same screen name. They saw that and thought I was him or something. And I was worried they'd get me and this secret would die with me. So, I reached out to the only other person I knew who could be trusted. I'd heard about you on the internet, how people said you were amazing at what you did and everything. So, I sent that message to you, but then I had second thoughts. Would you even look at it. You didn't know who I was. And then they started to go after you, hard. Harder than they went after me, surprisingly, and I thought it was an opportunity to help you, and together we could defeat them and they'd never be able to put my name with my face. But by the end, they'd figured me out. And when you were down in the travel agency getting your life back and I was upstairs working the computers, they came. That's when they unleashed those guys in the trench coats. They'd been saving them for just such an occasion. For when they thought the organization was going down. They didn't want to go down and they made sure it never would. You may have killed all the original Praetorians, Sean Trelawney, his goons, and Mr. White did himself in. But not these guys. They're suped up. They will stop at nothing. And it was then that they started to chase me. All I could do was run. And leave you with Mariano and pray that you would be OK and that you would make it out alive with your identity back."

"Jacob, none of that matters anymore. You did what you had to in order to survive. I would have done the same thing in your shoes."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Don't thank me. Now look, Skate's taking the first watch tonight so you and I can get some sleep. OK?"

"Sure."

"Your back looks the same so far, how does it feel?"

"It still hurts, and I'm tired of sleeping on my stomach."


It was late at night in another motel when Angela was woken up by Jacob's near screaming from the other bed. Skate had the second watch of the night and Angela ordered him to keep watching for Praetorians while she ran over to Jacob's bed to see what was wrong.

"Jacob, Jacob wake up!"

He had rolled onto his back in his sleep. She quickly ripped the covers off him and rolled him back onto his stomach as he woke up.

"Are you OK?"

"No. No. It hurts like hell."

Angela pulled his shirt up to see if anything had changed and found that things had. They looked different somehow, as if they had dug deeper into Jacob's skin, like tentacles. Parts of his skin that had been blue was now turning black.

"We're going to have to get you on a plane. Driving is going to take too long."

"No! I can't take a plane!"

"Jacob, no arguments. This is getting worse, and you're taking a plane."

Angela got up and grabbed her computer, turning it on as she walked to save time. Landing on the bed beside him, she went online and began looking up the cheapest plane tickets she could find to Chicago.

Jacob pulled the screen down so that he could look at her over the computer.

"Angel, they'll find me, and kill me. And then they'll go after you!" his eyes were pleading for her not to buy the tickets.

"There's a chance I can save you from them. Remember, I've had FBI training. So has Skate. But these trackers, I can't save you from them. And I...I think they might kill you if we don't get you to Dr. Graff soon."

Jacob was silent and Angela bought the tickets before putting the computer away and laying back down beside him.

"Besides, Skate and I had a talk the other day. He made aliases for all of us and we're close enough now to an airport that can take us to Chicago. We just can't get there fast enough by car. We just can't."

Skate was still standing beside the window, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," she said, pulling the covers back up over them both.

"No. It's OK. Whatever you think is best. An FBI escort sounds nice," Jacob chuckled.

From the corner of her eye Angela saw Skate turn from the window and look at her questioningly.

"Yes, I bought you a ticket too. He's going to need all the protection he can get," she said to him.

"I don't know how much protection I'm going to be. Remember, I failed at the shooting range."

"You did not fail, Skate. In the end, you did quite well."

"Right."

Angela sighed, before getting out of Jacob's bed and crossing the room back to her own. "You're much better than you think you are. Now, get back to keeping watch. Jacob, go back to sleep. I booked the flight for lunch time tomorrow."


Several hours later Angela was still wide awake as Jacob slept soundly in the next bed and Skate sat watch at the window. Craving a cigarette she got up and took the nearly empty pack from her bag.

Skate turned to look at her questioningly. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she said lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag.

"Since when do you smoke?"

"Since recently. This whole thing has me going crazy. I just don't know what to do."

"Ang, you worry too much. That's all. What ever they did to him, we'll get it fixed."

"Skate, I can't help but worry. What if something goes wrong? What if we don't get him there on time? You know, a long time ago, when I first met him, I almost laughed my ass off because he was so young. Nine years younger than me. And I couldn't believe he was the man I'd been talking to online, the one I'd entrusted my life to. But it was true. He helped get me back on my feet. And my life isn't the same without him. It just isn't."

Skate only nodded, keeping an eye out the window. Angela leaned against the wall, the cigarette in her mouth, as she watching Jacob sleep.

"I used to smoke when I was younger," she said out of nowhere. "When I was in college. I didn't smoke much. Once a day. And I quit easily after a few years. But this, what's going on right now, is just too much for my heart to handle by itself."

Angela put out her stub and lit another cigarette, turning to face the window. The two of them were silent as they stared out the window together, watching out for the trench coated men hot on Jacob's heels.


The next morning while Jacob was in the shower and Skate was getting a few moments of sleep Angela watched the news and was surprised to see a picture of Jacob on the screen above the name Erin Jack. The news anchor said he'd been sighted a few towns back but the FBI was still after him and he hadn't been caught. Yet. But she was FBI and she knew where he was. He would come with her nicely if she asked him. He would set off the metal detectors with those trackers in his back, and wouldn't be able to explain them. And his identity would be compromised. They would recognize him.

Skate woke up already dressed and ready to go. Jacob came out of the bathroom dressed but with hair that was still wet a few seconds later.

"Jacob, I'm going to have to arrest you," Angela said, standing up.

Jacob looked from her to Skate and back again. "What the hell...?"

"It's for the best. You're on the news, spotted a few towns ago but obviously you haven't been arrested yet by the FBI. I'm going to arrest you, and Skate and I will be your escort through the airport. We can't take the cuffs off you, so they'll cover for the trackers when you go through the metal detectors. It's the only way Jacob."

"But then you'll have to admit that you've got Erin arrested. What will happen when they find out that you don't?"

"We'll just say you escaped. Don't worry about that now. Let's just get going. We've got a flight in three hours."

"So you mean I have to be in handcuffs the entire time?"

"From the moment we get into my car. I don't want anything to look off when we get there and if you arrive without cuffs, that won't look good."

Jacob sighed and began packing his bag.

"Ang, I did make aliases for all of us."

"They won't work because his face has already been seen on TV. And we're going through an airport. There will be too many cops who might recognize him."

"Right."


Angela and Skate got out of the car when they got to the airport. Skate went to the trunk and pulled out one duffle bag and two back packs while Angela went around to Jacob's door and helped him out of the back seat. He was already handcuffed as he stood up and let Angela lead him away from the car.

"This is really degrading. You know that, Angel. Really," Jacob said, eyeing both agents in their black suits, white shirts, and masculine shoes. Angela had her hair up in a small, tight bun to keep it out of the way and to help make herself look that much more menacing and FBI-like.

"Jacob, you're supposed to be under arrest. That means you can't call me that. Act like you hate me. And look towards the ground. That's what most people do when they're arrested."

"Right. Good idea. Less chance of anyone recognizing me. You know it almost scares me that you know that."

Jacob did as he was told and looked sullenly at the ground as they walked across the parking lot towards the terminal.

Once inside Angela led Jacob towards the ticket counter, her hand keeping a good grip on his arm at all times. Skate held their bags and walked behind them, keeping an eye on Jacob in case he decided to bolt on them, like a real criminal might.

"What's with him?" the woman at the ticket counter asked, nodding towards Jacob when she saw his hands cuffed behind his back.

Both Angela and Skate pulled their badges out and showed them to the woman. "We're FBI, Ma'am," Angela said. "Just escorting him back to prison in Chicago, that's all."

The woman nodded again and handed them their boarding passes.

"If you'll just hold on one moment, I need to call security to walk you through the building. They have to let the pilot and assistants know you're on board."

"Of course."

The three of them waited patiently while she made the phone call and again until security arrived to escort them to the waiting area. Jacob stood beside Angela, quiet, heaving a slow sigh only once. He did look like a criminal dejected at having finally been caught at his crime.

Walking away from the counter Angela kept her mouth shut, as if she was leading a real criminal, when all she wanted to do was to speak her inner thoughts aloud to the men with her. One step down. Now they just had to get to the waiting area, board the plane, fly to Chicago, and get through that airport. After that all they had to do was get to the hospital where Steven Graff worked in the ER.

At the waiting area, Skate and Angela sat on either side of Jacob, still in handcuffs, while the security officer sat on Angela's other side.

"Hand me that newspaper, will ya Tim," Angela asked, pointing across Jacob to the paper on the chair beside the other agent.

Skate did a double take at hearing his real name but he handed her the paper none-the-less. Angela opened it and began to read a section when she put it down and looked towards the security guy.

"Do you have to be here? I'd rather not cause a scene or anything."

"I have to be. Just until you board. I have to make sure the pilot and crew know you're bringing an arrested man on board. I'm sorry."

"No, that's OK. It's your job. You do what you have to."

Angela went back to reading the paper while Skate watched the TV on the wall across the room and Jacob sat between them, staring at his lap.

"What did he do anyway?" the security officer asked a few minutes later.

"Internet crimes. But I can't say more than that."

"Oh. You mean like downloading music?"

"That, yes, and worse. But I can't talk about it." She took part of the paper she was reading and handed it to him. "Here, read the paper to keep yourself busy if you must."

As Angela picked up her own paper she caught a glimpse of several men moving together as one. Like a large mass of gelatin. Looking up she noticed they were all wearing long trench coats and recognized them as the men who had been chasing them. Looking over at Jacob she saw him looking over at her lap while still keeping his head down.

"I'm bored," he said, upon seeing her looking over at him. "Can I read the paper?"

"No you can't read the paper," she said haughtily, for the security man's benefit. "Because then I would have to hold it for you, and I don't wan to do that. Just keep your head down so that no one recognizes you and we create World War Three here. OK?"

Jacob sighed, and kept his head low as Skate looked up to see what Angela was looking at. He glanced over at her to see what she was going to do about it and followed her lead.

Angela sat up straighter and saw the men scan the room in search of Jacob. They looked in her direction, but she'd lowered the paper so they could easily see the badge she wore, but not her entire face. She watched them out of the corner of her eye to be sure they wouldn't cause trouble for the prisoner they were escorting.

A few minutes later they'd moved on, taking her badge for the meaning she'd meant it to have. She relaxed and heard Jacob sigh.

"What was that about?" the security officer asked, having never picked up the paper to read it.

"They looked like the trouble causing type. That's all."

"Oh."

"Flight to Chicago now boarding," the flight attendant said from the podium a few feet away.

Angela stood up and took Jacob's arm, lifting him out of the seat while Skate picked up their bags. The security officer went ahead of them onto the plane and they followed a few feet behind.

"How's your back?" Angela whispered when she was sure no one was close to them.

"It hurts like hell," Jacob whispered back. "I hurt all over."

"I'm sorry. We'll get you to Dr. Graff as soon as possible. I promise."

As they reached the turn in the tunnel to the plane, they met the security officer coming back the other way.

"The pilot is waiting for you," he said.

"Thanks," Skate answered.

Reaching the door of the plane the three of them found two flight attendants and the pilot waiting for them, just as the officer had said they would be.

"Hi, you must be the FBI agents?"

"Yes, I'm Agent Esseray and this is Agent Bennett."

"Good to know," the pilot said. "Well, for the sake of safety, and since we have the space, I'd like to put you three up front. If you don't mind."

"No, that will be fine," Angela said.

"Good, Karen, will you show them to their seats then?"

"Yes, Sir."

Overall, the flight went smoothly. Only a few of the first class passengers eyed them suspiciously with their badges and a man in handcuffs, but nothing happened. Jacob was a well behaved criminal.


When they reached Chicago's O'Hare Airport Angela once again took hold of Jacob's arm and lead him through the airport behind another security guard and out the front doors with Skate following close behind with their bags. Together the three of them walked to the car rental agency next door where Skate went inside to rent a car while Angela and Jacob waited outside. With no one around to notice Angela took the handcuffs off Jacob's wrists. And that's when it happened.

"Angel, I don't feel good," Jacob winced.

"What's wrong?"

"I mean, I really don't feel good. I feel bruised. All over. I hurt."

Jacob leaned on her shoulder, using her body for support, to hold himself upright.

"As soon as Skate gets us a car we'll get you to the doctor's. Just hang in there."

"I don't think I can."

And then he collapsed.