Iciness crept through his stomach as Jackson got closer to the hospital in the cab, so he went as quickly as humanly possible through the process of getting Lisa the migraine medication. The pharmacist seemed understanding, quickly processing Lisa's medical information through the standard global health network and handing Jackson the needed orange bottle without trying to make any small talk. Only about seven minutes after he arrived, Jackson was striding out of the sterile building, his nerves more on edge than they'd been even during his years as a manager. He walked down to a bus stop about two blocks from the hospital and collapsed on the bench, digging through his pocket for a cigarette and putting it between his lips with a cathartic sigh before realising that he didn't have a light.

'Dammit...' he grumbled, leaning back against the plexiglass walls before a clicking brought him back to attention and he jumped up, his eyes wide as he looked at the woman who had so sleekly appeared beside him.

'I guess that means no?' she purred, giving him a light shrug before lighting the cigarette held between her crimson lips.

'What the fuck do you want?' asked Jackson, angrily taking the cig from his own mouth and casting it aside as he glared at the woman.

'Well, I did want to give you a light,' replied Lyna, stretching out a leg seductively before crossing it over the other. 'The least I can do, yes?'

Jackson was speechless, choosing instead to gape at her, his face appearing vaguely crushed and crestfallen. 'You were involved, weren't you?'

Lyna narrowed her eyes, tapping ash from the end of her cigarette before speaking with more vehemency than he'd seen her muster in years. 'I would never kill a child.'

He swallowed harshly past the huge lump that had formed in his throat, but the swallowing didn't help strengthen his voice any when he spoke. 'Why are you here?'

'I was waiting for you in La Junta,' she said with something distantly related to sympathy. 'We were given instructions to bring you all safely to Liechtenstein.'

'We?'

Lyna gestured past him to a car sitting in a car park across the street. 'Sharena and Danielle. Shall we visit?'

Despite offering her statement as a question, she didn't leave much room for argument as she stood and slipped her arm through his, dragging him flannel pyjama bottoms and all across the street. She shoved him in the car and he landed partially on top of Sharena, who sat him up before straightening his hair and handing him his glasses, which had fallen off of his face and down atop her cleavage. He looked with exhaustion at the front seat as Lyna sat down next to a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair and brown eyes who offered her hand to him from over the console.

'Danielle Bayley,' she said in a chipper Australian accent, and he took her hand bluntly with the odd realisation that he'd done this same thing to many people over the years.

'Jackson Rippner,' he said, unsure.

'Pleasure,' Danielle replied before raising her eyebrows sympathetically. 'I'm sorry for your loss.'

Jackson just stared at her, the prior realisation adding a sheen of the surreal to the entire situation. 'I'm sorry?'

Danielle gave Sharena a confused glance and the older woman reached over to lay her hand on Jackson's arm. 'She was talking about your little girl, honey.'

He turned to look at her with an expression that only she seemed to be able to read, and she reached up to place a hand on his cheek, patting at the stubbly skin warmly before pulling him into a tight hug. Typically, Jackson was averse to any sort of frivolous contact outside of the rare public displays of affection shared with his wife or the normal fatherly things he did with the children, but with Sharena, he just let himself melt. In the front seat, Lyna nodded, and Danielle started the car; it wasn't until they started moving that Jackson fought against Sharena's hold.

'Where are you taking me?' he demanded, giving an accusative glare at the back of Lyna's head before looking hopefully at Sharena for an acceptable answer.

'Don't worry, baby.'

'My wife is waiting for this medicine,' Jackson said quickly, fishing the orange bottle out of his coat and shaking it. 'She'll notice if I'm gone for too long.'

'Which is why we intend to make this quick,' said Danielle, turning onto the main street.

'I am sure that you are aware of the incident with Poulain and Pedram.'

'Pedram?' he asked. 'I didn't hear anything about Pedram.'

Lyna tipped her head and he could see her purse her lips with a slight contempt. 'You obviously have not been keeping as sharp as I expected you to be.'

'Vasylyna,' growled Sharena protectively. 'The World Society has been bisected. South America, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe staged a coup and eradicated the other heads. Currently, the only living Continental Delegate is Saeng Chaiyasan, but she's in critical condition. Acting in her place is her second, Chiaki Fujihara, and the North American Delegation is being handled by Watson's second, Austin Dalby.'

'Who is engaged to Poulain's niece!' announced Danielle gleefully, which earned her a dark look from Lyna.

'The seconds don't have access to their Delegations,' Sharena continued. 'The seconds of the four members of the New World Society have already been sent out to cover the orphan delegations.'

'Would I know any of these seconds?' he asked, his head finally wrapped around the there and now.

'Most likely not,' replied Lyna. 'They are all younger than you are; they were in training when you were on your last assignment. The oldest of them just turned twenty-eight.'

'I could have found this out on my own. Why did you come to me?'

'Well, you're the heir apparent,' replied Danielle, looking at him in the rear-view mirror. 'Anaïs told us that you're the executor of Poulain's will, and if you're wanting to seek revenge for your daughter, then we'll be here to help you.'

Jackson raised an eyebrow; for all the intelligence Melissa had, her sister sure seemed to be lacking. 'Then why is Sharena here? She's retired.'

'I'll be taking the kids, honey,' she said with a smile meant to erase the nagging fear of his children and Joe being harmed. 'We'll all go to Miami to get far away from the Continental Headquarters, and once Dalby and Couturier send us the information about contacts, you and baby-girl can head out.'

He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed. 'How do I know you're not working under Pedram?'

Lyna turned to glare at him and Danielle's face grew angry in the rear-view mirror as Sharena reached over towards him. At first, he thought she was going to hit him, so he shrunk away from her only to realise that she was holding an envelope of airline tickets. Light filled the car despite the heavily tinted windows and Jackson noticed that Danielle had pulled the car under the portico of the hotel, the gears popping as she put the car into park. Jackson looked from the envelope to Sharena, but after she gave him an almost punishing look, he rolled his eyes and took it from her, opening it to see the tickets inside. He fingered through them, stopping half-way as his eyebrows pulled together and he bit his lip.

'You left Adalia's ticket in here,' he said, and Lyna nearly jumped when he took a short intake of breath and covered half of his face with his other hand, tapping the envelope down on his leg as he started crying.

Sharena cast a dark look towards Lyna, but the Ukrainian just continued looking like a deer in the headlights as tears rolled down Jackson's face and splattered on the envelope. Slipping her hand under his, Sharena took the envelope from him and pulled out the ticket, folding it and putting it in her pocket before slipping the other tickets into his suit jacket behind the bottle of pills for Lisa. She reached up and pat him on the side of the face.

'The flight leaves at nine tomorrow morning,' she said as Jackson closed his eyes and composed himself. 'We'll be here at seven.'

Jackson nodded before grabbing the handle and pulling it towards him. There was a momentary pause on his part before he pushed open the door and got out, not looking at the car as he walked to the hotel and disappeared through the automatic doors. Once he was gone, Danielle put the car into drive, refusing to look over at Lyna, whose head was still turned to look out the window. When they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street again, Lyna hazarded a look back at Sharena.

'I just thought it would be-'

'You,' said Sharena, crossing her arms as she shook her head disapprovingly. 'You're gonna have to answer to Jesus.