Chapter 10

A group of multinationals known as The Company was created with the purpose of protecting Americans and ensuring the best interest of the American people.. That soon changed as greed, evil intentions and motivations replaced that purpose.

It's power and influence started to impact every decision made in the country. The goal became to impose New World Order and remain in control over the country's economy and tyrannize the world.

The deeper Michael got and the more jobs he took it became clear that innocent lives didn't seem to matter. Power and control was all that mattered and anyone who became a threat to that was eliminated. As it seemed now, The Company was losing their control and influence over President Mills, which meant they wanted him out of the picture.

Over the years Michael questioned some of the very questionable missions and kills but never had he ever been ordered to kill a Head of State never mind the President of the United States.

"They can't obviously think they can get away with that?" Veronica asked as she too was shocked by the new development.

Michael started pacing and running his hand over his head as he processed the information that really only lead to one conclusion.

"I'm sorry but this is what I got" C-Note told them as he shifted his feet. "It ain't right that they are doing this. Don't let them get away with this" C-Note said as he shook his head.

"Listen you should get you and anyone close to you out of the country and to safety" Michael said and as he looked at C-Note fidgeting he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just get these guys," C-Note told Michael. "I got to go" he added and then turned to Sucre. "Stay safe Papi" he told him and then gave his old friend a hug. Michael and Veronica stood a few feet away both feeling a little uneasy with C-Note's nervous behavior but as Veronica looked around the alleyway nothing seem out of the ordinary.

"We better get going" Veronica stated as Sucre and C-Note pulled apart from their hug.

"Thanks C-Note" Michael called out as he held up the envelope he had given him.

While C-Note went one way the other three went the opposite direction and still Michael couldn't get rid of that feeling something was wrong. "Keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary, I have a bad feeling."

The three exited the alleyway and decided to split up so that if anyone had been watching them they would have to choose only one of them to follow. Moving down the street Michael felt his instincts of being able to read his surrounding coming back to him as if he had never given up that life. He was aware of everything around him, from the homeless man on the street to the man on his of his cell phone talking to his girlfriend.

Checking his watch he moved closer to the road and out of the corner of his eye he saw Sucre driving down the street and without the car even stopping when it was beside him, Michael had opened the back door of the car and climb inside.

"You think they are following us?" Sucre asked looking at Michael in the rearview, as he turned left.

"Not that I can tell" Michael replied. "I don't know, something about that alleyway made me uneasy" he told him. As they continued to drive they soon came across Veronica and just as Michael had earlier, Veronica hopped inside without Sucre stopping the car.

"Everything looks good to me, no one was following" Veronica said as she shut the door.

"Yeah we're good, lets head back," Michael said while he sat back in his seat and knowing that this fight with The Company was only getting started.

"You really think they want you to kill President Mills?" Sucre asked from the drivers seat.

"It make sense if they have lost their control on him," Michael stated.

"They have to know killing President Mills won't be as easy as walking into the White House" Veronica stated.

"I think that's the point, I kill President Mills, I go down for the murder and The Company washes their hands of not only Mills but also me" Michael stated sadly and after that no one else in the car said a word.

After leaving the meeting with Michael and the others, C-Note drove his car to another alleyway where a car was waiting. Taking a deep breath and killing the engine C-Note couldn't' help but feel he had betrayed a friend and someone who he knew would have been there for him.

Getting out of the car he walked towards the black sedan waiting for him and watched as Gretchen stepped out of the driver side of the car with a grin that made him want to punch her.

"Well done Franklin" Gretchen said as she walked towards him.

Shaking his head, C-Note thought back at how he leaned into hug Sucre and while the two embraced, he had planted a bug in his coat that would allow Gretchen to see just where they were hiding out. He hated himself for what he had done to his friend because he knew that when The Company would track them down and kill them. 'Where's my daughter?" he demanded.

Gretchen said nothing, but turned her head to watched as Kellerman stepped out of the car with a young girl who looked scared and had red tear marks on her face because she had been crying.

"Daddy" she cried but Kellerman didn't release her yet.

"Let her go! I did as you asked," he yelled at them.

Gretchen gave a nod and Kellerman released the girl and allowed her to run into her daddy's arms. "Oh baby" C-Note said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "You won't get away with this" C-Note told Gretchen. "Michael won't do what you want"

"You did, I just needed the right leverage" Gretchen replied.

"Well I hope they bring you down!" C-Note growled and then without another word walked his daughter back towards his car and got her inside.

As C-note got his daughter into the car, Kellerman came to stand next to Gretchen. "GPS is tracking Michael perfectly. Are you really going to let Franklin walk?"

"Of course not, but I'll let him have a second thinking he will" she told Kellerman.

As C-Note climbed into the driver seat and started the engine, Gretchen reached for her gun and as she saw the whites of C-Note's eyes she took the shot to kill him and then moved to also shoot his daughter. At no point did Gretchen flinch and when she shot and killed C-Note's young daughter it showed just how little humanity she had left in her.

"As far as the police will know this is a gang shooting down an alleyway and nothing more" Gretchen said and tossed the gun on the ground that had already been tampered with to frame one of Chicago's gang members for the murder.

"Lets go" she called out and both her and Kellerman got into their sedan and drove off leaving the bodies of C-Note a John Doe and his daughter bodies to be found.

It had been a few hours since Michael had left with Veronica and Sucre and no matter how long Sara stared out the window she couldn't see the car coming down the road. Biting her bottom lip she looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with the paper crane between her fingers.

24 hours ago everything seem so much simpler in her life and now here she was unsure if she would ever have that life again. While Michael had said that he would make things right a part of her knew it wouldn't be that easy. She didn't know that much about the people Michael use to work for but they didn't seem like the kind of people who just let things go. Hell it had been four years and they were all still looking for him.

Sara knew she would need to come to terms that the life she had lived for the last four years was nothing but ancient history now and there was no going back. She had no idea what would happen; now where would they would go or even if they would all be together. Over the last day Sara had seen another part of Michael come alive and the way he moved, the way he talked, it was like he had been this agent forever. What scared her the most in all of this was that at the end of the day the danger and the rush would be so addicting to Michael that he would want to go back to that life. A life Sara could not follow.

"You okay?" came a concerned voice and as Sara was pulled out of her own thoughts she turned to see Linc sitting on the armrest on the couch with his arms crossed and watching her.

"I… I honestly don't know," she told him as she shook her head.

"I know" he replied.

"What do you make of all this?" Sara asked Linc as she knew he too was dealing with learning all this news about Michael same as her.

"Honestly… I blame myself," he told her as he looked down at the paper crane in her hands and then he bowed his head in shame.

"What are you talking about?" Sara asked him.

"When we were kids, I left him. He's been abandoned his whole life, mom, dad and then I took off from our foster parents. This Company, they fed off that abandonment and made him think he belonged and used him. I should have been there to protect him," Linc told her honestly.

"He doesn't blame you" Sara told him moving away from the window and walking towards her brother in-law. "He is nothing by grateful to have you back in his life"

"They did this to him because he was an easy target, someone who had no one looking out for him. I became a cop because I wanted to help people and in the end the one person then meant the most to me and I should have protected, I wasn't there for."

Sara leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around Linc, as they both needed comfort. "We will get through this and so will Michael," she told him and apart of her wondered if she was actually trying to convince not only Linc but also herself.

While the two were embracing, the sound of a car engine could be heard pulling up to the house and as soon as Linc heard it he went into protective more. "Stay here" he told her and moved to pick up the handgun that was on the coffee table.

Staying away from the window, Sara backed into the kitchen and got her hands on a knife just in case as Linc slowly moved towards the front door with his gun drawn. Sara's heart was beating so fast in her chest she was almost certain Linc could probably hear it.

The car engine had been killed and then sound of footsteps could be heard coming up to the house. Linc made eye contact with Sara as if to silently tell her that everything was going to be all right.

A knock came from the other side of the door, "Linc, Sara it's us" came Michael's voice and just then the door opened and both Sara and Linc let out sighs of relief.

Stepping into the house Michael caught a quick glance of Linc holding the gun as he lowered it. "Everything is alright" he reassured his brother as they both made eye contact.

Moving further into the house Sucre and Veronica followed in behind and also gave Linc a nod that everything was okay now. As Linc talked with Sucre and Veronica, Michael stepped into the kitchen and saw Sara shaking still gripping the knife. It broke his heart that this is what her life had become.

"It's alright," Michael told her as he moved closer to her.

Letting out a shaky breath Sara realized that she was still gipping the knife quickly dropped it on the counter and stepped around the counter and into Michael's arms.

He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around his wife and the instance she was in his arms both their bodies relax and clung to the other. "It's alright," Michael repeated as his fingers ran through her auburn hair and pressed kisses on her temple. His eyes closing as he inhaled her perfume scent and it brought such comfort to him.

"I was so worried" Sara said as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Everything will be alright" Michael told her and a part of him wondered if he was actually trying to convince himself more then trying to convince her. The new development on what The Company wanted from him played over and over in his head.

They were going to make him assassinate the President of the United States, a mission that would get rid of not only the President that wouldn't bend to The Companies will but also rid them of himself as he would go down for the murder and most likely be killed in the process.

At this point Michael had no idea what he was going to do but one thing was for sure. Sara and Linc needed to be safe and kept away from anyone involved with The Company.

"How did everything go?" Linc asked as he joined Michael and Sara in the kitchen.

Without pulling away from Sara completely Michael looked over at his brother and it was almost instantly that he saw that Michael had got the answers he was looking for but they weren't good.

"We manage to meet with C-Note, we got what we wanted but it's bigger than I thought" Michael told him.

"Don't worry Michael we will beat this" Sucre said as he came into the room.

"Beat what?" Sara asked.

Michael looked down at his wife and bit his bottom lip nervously. She was looking at him full on concern. He shook his head and replied; "I won't do what they want," he told her and Linc.

"And what is that exactly?" Linc asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"They want me to assassinate the President"

After Michael had returned he soon got to work discussing with Sucre and Veronica the situation they were in and how they were going to deal with it. Sara was trying to wrap he head around what The Company wanted from him and it made her sick to think that they wanted him to assassinate the President.

Immediately Sara told them they needed to tell the cops, Secret Service and Linc was quick to agree.

While it sounded like a good idea at first Michael informed them that Company agents had been place within the Chicago P.D. FBI and Secret Service. Going to anyone wasn't an option and that The Company agents would ensure that word never got out. The Company was good at what they did and something as simple as calling 911 would be buried quickly.

Sara had retreated to the bedroom and was sitting alone in the dark playing with the origami crane between her fingers on the floor. She had tried to stay and help the others come up with a plan but her mind started to wonder as she watched Michael plot and plan with Sucre and Veronica.

The way the three talked amongst each other it seem so natural and it seemed that even after four years apart they were able to know that the other was thinking and it scared Sara a little. From what it sounded like the three of them were going to take on The Company and to Michael it seemed like no moves were off limits.

That part of Michael's past seemed to come to the surface of his personality and like she had feared it seemed like he was able to jump back into his old life like he had never left.

So here she sat in the dark in the bedroom she was sharing with her husband. A man, who was once an assassin and now was being pulled back into that life. Whether he was working for The Company or fighting against them, it brought out the same thing. His old instincts as killer were finding life again and Sara had no idea what that meant for the future or if there would even be a future.

Caught up in her thoughts she hadn't heard the bedroom door open as Michael stepped inside and stared at his wife sitting on the floor. He moved across the carpet floor and crotched down in front of her as she still held the crane in her hands.

"You okay?" he asked her softly.

Shaking her head she tried not to let her emotions over come her as the tears threaten to fall. "I…" she started to say but couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Sara, talk to me" he begged as he reached out his hand to intertwine them with hers that rested on her bent knee pulled up to her chest.

'This whole thing… " Sara started to say.

"We're going to beat this thing," Michael told her and he sounded so sure of himself.

"But at what cost?" Sara asked and then looked away from him. "I have seen things I thought I never would have with you… last night you killed people and hardly blinked. Today you find out that The Company wants you to assassinate the President and you have gone into this planning mode with Fernando and Veronica. You seem so comfortable and a part of me… a part of me wonders if you miss the danger and the fear and rush. It seems like you're chasing a high…"

Michael shook his head and moved closer to his wife. "Sara I would like nothing more then for you and I to disappear and spend the rest of our days lying in a hammock on a beach" he told her.

"I don't want that life anymore but The Company won't let us live completely until they are exposed for the evil corporation that they are. We could run off but they would find us eventually and I can't let them do anything that would put you in harms way" he told her.

"I love you" he told her and leaned forward to press a kiss to Sara's forehead. "I promise when this is over we will never have to look over our shoulders, we can truly live" he told her.

"You were right about the fact that a part of me never left my old life and that was because I knew that there would was always the chance that The Company would find me. That's why I had weapons hidden around our house, it's why I have passports made up for you Linc and I. In order for us to truly be free I need to take The Company down.

"Michael, if anything happened to you…"

"Nothing is going to happen to me," he told her.

"You don't know that" Sara replied, as the tears in her eyes that had been threatening to fall couldn't be held back anymore.

Wrapping his arms around her, Sara buried her face in his shoulder as her tears fell. She clung to him because she loved him so much even after everything that had happen, and she was terrified that she could lose him.

Pulling away slightly but keeping her arms around his waist, their eyes made contact in the dark. Michael wiped away the tears as they streamed down her cheek as his eyes bore into hers.

After a moment Sara looked down at his lips and then leaned closer to capture his lips tenderly. The kiss started off slow as Michael's hands came up to cup her face and then the kiss became more urgent. Sara's lips parted to welcome Michael's tongue into her mouth and she let out a soft moan.

Soon their shirts were pulled over their heads and as Michael got to a standing position he pulled Sara up along with him then lifted her up into his arms and Sara wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms cradled his head.

Never breaking from the kiss, Michael walked them over to the bed and gently lay Sara down. Shifting herself up the bed, she pulled Michael along with her so that he was crawling above her leaving kisses on her lips, neck and chest. Sara's head fell back as another moan escaped and her hands moved up Michael's bareback.

As his lips found hers once again the two just forgot about the rest of the world and the trouble that was coming. All that could wait until tomorrow as they would fight for their lives but at this moment it was just the two of them as they found comfort in each other's arms.

Sitting in her hotel room Gretchen turned on her laptop and while holding her glass of wine, her eyes stared a the screen that showed a blinking dot on a map, indicating the spot that the tracker had been place on Sucre's jacket was. And if this was where Sucre's jacket was then it was the exact spot Michael Scofield was hiding.

"You are mine Scofield" Gretchen said and took a sip of her wine.