THE PRICE OF SILENCE

Federal Prison

Tom gazes out into the horizon, leaning up against a light pole in the prison yard. Unlike most days since he entered prison, today's not a nice day.

The sky looks ominous. Dark clouds fill up the sky, all the way to the rolling hills that help shape the skyline that Tom is gazing out at.

It feels rather humid today. A gust of wind goes by, and Tom immediately takes notice that the air feels moist. Rain is coming.

It's been two weeks since he earned protection from the Brothers of Bloodshed. He feels safe walking around freely, as there's bikers usually spread throughout the yard.

He looks content as he stares at the hills and reflects. He was able to see Nadia in the hospital earlier in the day, just as he did last week, and the week before that. Sydney has joined him on each of his visits, bringing him both good home-cooked food as well as good company. Mike even flew into town a few days ago to see how he's doing.

He's also gotten visits from his attorney and former Anti-Cartel director Eduardo Munoz, who actually has been visiting less frequently because there's just not much to talk about with his case stalled. Plus, Tom is starting to feel a lot better mentally as Sovogda gets pushed further and further back in history.

As he looks out at the rolling hills, he can't help but imagine what he'd be doing now had Nadia and him made it out of Sovogda unscathed.

He'd probably be settling down to dinner with her back at the apartment. They will have just come off two gloriously relaxing and enjoyable weeks in San Felipe, both a little more tan then when they left for the trip.

Nadia would probably be dressed in a shirt and jeans, her usual casual attire away from work. She'd also be wearing her favorite kind of perfume, and the thought of that smell pleases Tom. Nadia's scent is just one of the many things he loves about her.

Suddenly, his daydreaming is interrupted by a ruckus going on behind him. Tom turns and sees that a prison yard brawl has started. The Brothers of Bloodshed and a pack of Latinos are going at it pretty hard.

Whatever they're fighting about probably has nothing to do with him. Besides, he's enjoying getting lost in his daydream. So, Tom just turns back and goes back to staring out at the hills while chaos goes on behind him.

Tom smiles again as he imagines giving Nadia a kiss and thanking her for a wonderful meal. Tonight could have been taco night, and Nadia is a very creative cook. He imagines how the various spices she would have used would have tasted...

"Tom, look out behind you!"

Tom snaps out of his daydream and digests what he just heard. "Mom? Is that you?"

"TOM! MOVE!"

Tom quickly turns around and spots a Latino man right behind him, holding a crude prison shank in his right hand. He's being followed by a man in a wheelchair that looks vaguely familiar to him at first glance.

Still, Tom's more concerned with this man with the shank. Tom notices the man take aim for his gut and quickly jumps out of the way, barely missing the shank being swung at him.

Tom then faces the man and stares him down, waiting for him to react. The hopeful assassin eyes him down menacingly, and then charges at him with his knife drawn above his head.

Tom decides to cut down the distance by charging back at the man and tackling him before the man can react quick enough to take a swing at him with the knife.

The crude knife goes flying towards the man in the wheelchair. Meanwhile, Tom finds himself back in the same position he was in when he turned Julian Sark's face into a punching bag.

But, instead of going to town on this young man's face, Tom stands up and grabs the assassin by the shirt and drags him to his feet. He swings at his head with his Project Alloy hand, but the man ducks and punches Tom in the stomach.

Tom, realizing this guy is quick, bearhugs the man before he can take another swing and drives him back first into the perimeter fence. He then starts punching the guy's ribs with his right hand while in the bearhug, trying to take his wind away.

Finally, Tom steps back and cracks the assassin in the face hard with his right hand, knocking him out instantly with the force of the titanium-backed blast.

Tom then turns around to inquire about what had happened to his protection, but instantly notices the man in the wheelchair has wheeled up to him and is about to swing at Tom's leg with the prison shank that the assassin dropped.

Tom, seeing as this man is older and not as mobile, grabs the man's right wrist before the knife gets plunged into his leg. Tom then starts bending the man's right arm backwards and twists the right wrist slowly, causing the shank to now point at the man.

Tom, still applying pressure to the man's arm, looks the man in the face and instantly recognizes who it is. "Jorge Campos...one of the only Lobos Rabiosos gang members that can say he's still alive today. Still upset over the whole leg thing, I take it?"

Jorge doesn't answer as he's more focused on trying to prevent the shank he's holding in his right hand from being plunged into his own chest.

With the tip of knife a couple centimeters away from Jorge's chest, Tom suddenly gives Jorge's right hand a hard twist. An audible crack is heard from the wrist breaking. The pain this causes forces the hand to open up and the shank to drop harmlessly to the ground.

Tom then leans in and gets in Jorge's pained face. "9 years ago, I let you crawl away with your life. And now, 9 years later, I'm still going to let you live. Now, was this your idea, or did someone else put you up to this?"

Jorge continues to eye down Tom in pain until, all of the sudden, he starts to laugh sinisterly. Tom's a bit confused at this, but doesn't break his angry glare.

And then, as prison guards are approaching to separate them, Jorge smiles and says "I met your future father-in-law a couple weeks ago. He wanted you dead, too."

Tom backs off and has a shocked look in his face. Only one thought comes to mind: "Sloane wanted me dead?"

The prison guards stand between the men. One of them picks up the prison shank and asks "Who's is this?"

Another guard says "I saw the altercation. The man in the wheelchair and his accomplice were the aggressors." The guard then points over at the man that Tom knocked out along the prison fence. "That's the man that initiated the attack."

Another guard then tells Tom "Alright, we're sending you back to your cell while we sort this out. Follow me." Tom does as instructed and follows the guard back towards the prison.

He looks back at Jorge, who's in the process of being handcuffed to his wheelchair. Jorge glares at him back angrily, but Tom's not concerned with that at the moment.

He then looks back forward and continues to digest the fact that, apparently, he had Sloane all wrong.

Tom stares off into space in his private meeting room, still going over what happened a couple hours ago.

"Arvin Sloane wanted me dead."

Tom can't get those words out of his mind. He thought Sloane would have known better than to try to take away Nadia's fiancé. And if Sloane was behind his death, he couldn't hide that fact from her since Jorge was so willing to implicate him, and word would have gotten back to Nadia somehow.

And remembering how Nadia's temper can be, he knew she would have done more than simply disown Sloane. It wouldn't have been pretty when they confronted each other over his death.

As he continues to mull over Sloane's motivation, his attorney Eduardo Munoz comes in to the room. The first thing he asks as he walks over to the table is "Are you alright?"

Tom nods his head. "I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out why Sloane wanted me dead." Eduardo shakes his head as he sits down. "I just finished talking to him. He's denying he had any involvement."

Tom chuckles sarcastically. "Of course he would. The man is a habitual liar. But, we still have Jorge..." Eduardo cuts him off. "No, we don't. Jorge is denying everything, too."

Tom rolls his eyes. "Jorge told me that my future father-in-law wanted me dead. There's only one future father-in-law in my life, and he just so happens to be in this prison. Jorge must have talked to him." Eduardo nods. "Sloane did admit to having a conversation with Jorge a couple weeks ago in the infirmary. However, he says he never asked to have you killed. And the CIA isn't even willing to consider Sloane's involvement, considering Jorge already had the motive he needed to kill you."

Tom sighs and looks down. "So, Jorge acted on his own as revenge for cutting off his leg. Yeah, I'd say that's enough motive." Eduardo then says "Jorge and the young man he tasked to kill you have been sent to a Supermax prison and both are charged with attempted murder..."

Tom looks back up and cuts him off. "Good, so my threat is over and I can go back to my cell?" Eduardo shakes his head. "No. There's still a threat. Many of the prisoners in general population have ties to Jorge and there's a belief between me and Director Chase that another attempt on your life would be imminent if you went back to general population. Therefore, you've been ordered to be held in protective custody until your trial."

Tom slams his hand on the table and says "NO! Don't do this to me! I can't be locked away in solitary confinement! I'll crack!" Eduardo says "I've asked for and been granted more outside time for you than most members of solitary get. You'll be outside a total of 4 hours in the day, two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. I know you have a lot on your mind, especially with what happened to Nadia, but it you do seem to be doing better lately."

With a bit of a scowl on his face, Tom replies "I WAS doing better with it lately because prison has given me new challenges to keep my mind off of things. When I'm sitting all alone in a closet for 20 hours of the day, what else am I going to do besides dwell on things?" Eduardo then replies "You'll still be allowed to visit Nadia in the hospital with Sydney. That won't change. Also, I'll check on you daily now to make sure you're doing alright. You have to understand, Tom, I'm trying to help you. Remember when you started in the Anti-Cartel, I told you that I would continue to look out for my agents? Well, that hasn't changed."

Tom looks down at the table and sighs. "I understand, Eduardo. And I appreciate you trying to help me. It's just...I know I can be my own worst enemy. It's a weakness of mine, and I admit that. So, I apologize that I'm afraid to be kept from human contact for as long as this process takes." Eduardo then leans forward. "There's also something I told you on that first day that will serve you well while you're in prison. It's about what to do while in captivity..."

Tom smirks and cuts Eduardo off. "'Don't let them break your mind or your spirit. Those two things are yours and no one can break them but you.'" Eduardo smiles. "You always were a good listener. In fact, you became one of my best agents. I enjoyed you grow as both a leader and as an agent. You never let anyone intimidate you, and that's why I recruited you in the first place."

Tom chuckles and says "Well, you helped me out a lot. So did Matt Aguero...and I still thank you for understanding what I was going through when all of that happened." Eduardo nods affirmatively. "I didn't appreciate you and Mike going rogue on us to avenge him, but in the end, you did help bring down a rising gang in southern Mexico that was really making waves with their aggressiveness..."

Tom shakes his head and cuts Eduardo off. "...even though I become a monster in the process. The whole purpose of the Anti-Cartel was to think like a cartel and to take the fight to them, on their turf. After Matt died, I took that a little too literally with the Lobos Rabiosos." Eduardo leans back and says "You always were aggressive in the field, but you never went back to that level of aggression since then. Anyway, I knew what you were going through at the time. You and Matt were close friends."

Tom laughs and says "Close friends? More like brothers. He taught me a lot about gang mentality, having grown up in one himself, not to mention spending hours and hours trying to teach me Spanish. He didn't have to do that, but he looked out for me, and we ended up looking out for each other. I really miss him. I've been thinking about him a lot since I got here. By the way, do you ever hear how his wife and kid are doing?" Eduardo nods his head and says "They're fine. I check up on them every now and then. Rachel has since re-married, and Matt Junior is doing good in school."

Tom smiles and says "Good. I'll never forget the look on his face when he told me that Matt Junior was on the way. It was like he was floating on a cloud for a while there." Eduardo nods and says "Yeah, he was very passionate about his family, kind of like you were with Kate..."

Tom rolls his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me about that backstabbing bitch." Eduardo laughs, but says nothing.

Tom then remembers something. "Hey, how is Sark doing? Is he still in la-la land?" Eduardo, a little troubled, says "Actually, he suffered a mild stroke a week ago. They were in surgery, checking on his brain damage when the stroke occurred."

Tom leans back and exhales. "Thank goodness he survived, otherwise I'd really be screwed..." Eduardo shakes his head. "No, they're saying the stroke occurred as a result of the surgery, not the existing wounds. Still, Director Chase wasn't too pleased when she heard the news, seeing as there's a malpractice lawsuit coming down the road in all likelihood. Speaking of Chase..."

Eduardo reaches into his briefcase and slides Tom a piece of paper. Tom immediately asks "What's this?" Eduardo says "That's Chase's first plea offer."

Tom picks up the paper and looks at it. He sees that he'd plead guilty to attempted murder and be sentenced to 10 years in prison, with parole eligibility after 8 years. He immediately forms a look of disgust. "This is the maximum sentence for attempted murder. Does she think she's doing me a favor here?"

Eduardo shakes his head. "No, but she knew that you might have some reprehension over going into solitary and offered that as a way out. You'd be transferred and placed back in general population in a prison where you'd be safe." Tom looks back at Eduardo and cracks a wide smirk. "Don't let them break your mind or spirit, right?"

Tom then starts ripping up the plea deal into little pieces, and then sets the pieces in front of Eduardo. "Tell her to keep that along with any other plea deals that involve me pleading guilty to attempted murder in a bag. And then, on the day when I'm allowed to plead guilty to the REAL crime of aggravated assault and released with time served, I want to take all these plea offers and throw them up in the air like confetti in front of her face. She thinks she's going to break me. Well, she's dead wrong. You know as well as anyone that nothing motivates me more to succeed than people doubting me."

Eduardo, not exactly sharing Tom's confidence, takes the ripped up pieces of paper and puts them in his pocket. "I don't think she'll be very happy to hear that, but I'll pass along the word. In the meantime, do you need anything else from me?"

Tom thinks, then says "Could you let Sydney and Mike know what's going on? Also...you should have my sister's cell phone number. I'd like you to tell Karen what's going on. She doesn't even know I'm in prison." Eduardo leans back and folds his arms. "Afraid to tell her yourself?"

Tom chuckles and shakes his head. "I wouldn't know what to say. I was hoping you could find the right words." Eduardo thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "I can do all of that."

At that point, a prison guard walks in the room and says "Time to go to your cell. Let's go."

Tom looks at the guard and nods, then looks back at Eduardo and extends his hand for a handshake. "We're still going to beat this. I appreciate all your help." Eduardo smirks as he shakes Tom's hand. "Chase has been grilling me about how I led you in the Anti-Cartel. Quite frankly, it's gotten to the point where I want to take some of those plea deals and throw them like confetti when you walk away from this, too. I can't wait to see the look on her face when you walk away a free man!"

Tom laughs out loud and says "That's the cocky and confident Anti-Cartel director I know!" Eduardo laughs himself, and then says "Take care, Tom. I'll be in touch."

Eduardo then walks out of the room as the guard comes in to handcuff Tom. Then, the guard says "Follow me."

Tom follows the guard out of the room and walks down the hallway and up some stairs with the prison guard. Then, he walks down a long hallway filled with private cells.

Towards the end of the hallway, the guard stops and unlocks one of the doors. He opens the door to reveal a tiny 9 by 9 foot room with a tiny sink, toilet, a bed, and a small window looking out on the prison yard.

The guard tells Tom to walk in, which he does. The guard then unlocks Tom's handcuffs and walks out of the room. He closes the door and locks it.

Tom walks up to the door and looks out the small plexiglass window facing out to the hallway. He then lets out a loud sigh as he walks over and stands up on his bed to look out the outside window. He sarcastically chuckles and says "Well, at least they gave me a room with a view."

He then sits down on the edge of his bed and reaches into his front pocket and pulls out his picture of him and Nadia in Argentina.

As always, he smiles a bit when he sees Nadia's smiling face. He then says "Just keep smiling for me, babe."

Tom then kisses Nadia's face in the picture, then puts the picture back in his pocket and lies down on the bed for a nap. He takes a deep breath and allows his mind to slow down.

He listens for any sounds of feet walking outside, or maybe sounds from prisoners in the adjacent cells.

After a few seconds, he hears nothing but dead silence. This actually pleases Tom somewhat. He cracks another smile and says "Well, I'll at least be able to sleep without Terrell's snoring."

Tom then closes his eyes for a nap.

Federal prison- One month later

"Forty-four...forty-five...forty-six...forrrrty...*splat*"

Inside his solitary confinement cell, Tom lies face-down on the floor, tired from doing pushups. After a few seconds, he gets up from the floor and sits down at the edge of bed to try to cool off.

Being in solitary has actually had its benefits. He likes the peacefulness and silence of not having loudmouth cellmates constantly bugging him, although he had started to make friends with Terrell before the attempt on his life.

There's not much to do in solitary besides read and do bodyweight exercises. His twice-daily workouts consist mostly of squats, ab crunches, pull-ups using the prison bars on the windows, and push-ups.

Not that he was really out of shape before, but Tom has already noticed that his strength is starting to really build up from these workouts. These give him something to be happy about in his dull days.

He also notices that his belly is starting to shrink. Most of his life, he was told it wouldn't be a bad idea to lose 10 or 15 pounds. Now, it would seem he's taking that advice and running with it.

But, being in solitary is also very lonely for Tom. He reflects a lot on Nadia and his own struggles in the past few years. He also reflects on the others he's lost in his life: Matt Aguero, his brother Eddie, and of course, the six members of Storm Crew that lost their life in Torino a couple years ago.

Tom shifts to put his back on the wall and his feet up on the bed. In need of a project to pursue, he starts going through Time Magazine's Top 100 list of the best books of all time.

He picks up his latest book, 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger. He vaguely remembers reading this in high school, but so much has happened to him since then that he can't remember a thing about it.

He opens the book and starts to read the introduction. After a few seconds, though, his prison door opens.

The prison guard says "You have a visitor." Tom looks a little puzzled at that. He already had seen Eduardo today and Sydney was going to be stopping by tomorrow.

Still, Tom gets off of his bed and stands in front of the guard to be handcuffed and escorted to the private meeting room.

After walking through the usual path to the room, he stands outside the meeting room door as the prison guard opens it. He's surprised to see that his visitor is already in the room, with the back of his head facing him.

And then, the visitor turns to face the door, and Tom's jaw drops at who he's seeing:

Arvin Sloane.

Sloane, seeing Tom's displeasure with him being there, defiantly smirks a bit as he eyes Tom down. As he does that, the guard unlocks Tom's handcuffs and nudges him in the room. When Tom walks in, the guard closes the door.

Tom doesn't immediately take his seat. In fact, he looks behind him out the window to see if the guard is still standing outside the door, which he is.

Tom then turns back to Sloane, still in disbelief, and asks "What in the freaking hell are you doing here?" Sloane gets a serious look on his face and says "We need to talk."

Tom cuts a wide path around Sloane as he walks around the table to his seat. Sloane notices, but doesn't say anything.

Tom sits down and, now a little irritated, says "I asked you a question. What are you doing here...in regular clothes no less!" Sloane plainly replies "I've been released from prison and found not guilty for my crimes."

Tom looks up at the ceiling and starts shaking his his head in disbelief. "Do I want to know what you did to pull that miracle off?" Sloane smirks again and says "Actually, you do. Because I can get you out of here the same way I got out."

Tom looks down at him quickly and simply replies "Bullshit." Sloane shakes his head. "This time, it's not. I need your help."

Tom uneasily shifts in his seat a bit as Sloane continues. "I understand you've been locked in solitary since you were attacked a month ago..." Tom slams his hands on the table and leans forward. "Yeah, since you sent Jorge Campos to kill me, you piece of shit!"

Sloane shakes his head slowly. "I made no order to kill you." Tom, still leaning forward and looking at him menacingly, asks "Then why did he say you wanted me dead?"

Sloane looks down. "We had a conversation about you. He told me about what you did to him, and I asked him if he was looking for revenge, purely out of curiosity. He misinterpreted me and thought I wanted you dead as well. Tom, you know that your death would devastate my daughter." Tom shakes his head and lets out a sarcastic chuckle. "I THOUGHT I knew that. But then again, I forgot about your penchant for alienating the people closest to you for your own, selfish reasons."

Sloane looks back at Tom and says "I'm not going to deny that I thought about retaliation after you nearly strangled me to death in Sovogda, but I couldn't do that to Nadia. You once told me that Nadia is about all you have left in this world, but that's not true because you still have some allies. But with me, Nadia IS all I have left." Tom thinks about Sloane's comments for a bit, then replies "After all you've put her through, you're still trying to sell me on the premise that you actually give a damn about Nadia's well-being. After all, she's in a coma now because of your actions."

Sloane, unfazed at Tom's outburst, says "I tried to save Nadia in Sovogda because I thought YOU could save her. You know this." Tom sighs deeply and says "Well, you were wrong. The doctor that's watching over her tells me that crap that's in her bloodstream is completely immune to The Lifeforce." Sloane nods his head and says "That might explain why Rambaldi has a separate cure for Nadia."

Tom gives Sloane a blank look and deadpans. "Who told you that? Elvis? The Easter Bunny? Or was it that little minx Tinkerbell?" Sloane ignores Tom's sarcasm and says "It was the people that helped get me off for crimes much more heinous than yours. Getting you off of attempted murder will be easy for them."

Tom laughs and shakes his head. "Man, what kind of a world do I live in when you can be declared innocent of helping commit genocide on an entire city?" Sloane replies "A world that would let you walk on its streets again a free man."

Tom turns away and mulls over what he's hearing. As he is, Sloane says "I need your help finding a cure for Nadia. You'll get the same deal I got."

Tom looks back at Sloane and asks "Who is this person that got you free?" Sloane leans back and replies "Gordon Dean. I understand you got to know him a bit before you beat Julian Sark into a coma."

Tom looks down at the table, surprised that he's hearing that name again. "Yeah, I got to know that rat bastard. Who does HE work for?" Sloane shakes his head. "He hasn't revealed that to me, only that there is a cure for Nadia. In exchange for the cure, there's certain...tasks that we would need to fulfill for him. And to do that, you'd have to get your job back at APO. From what I understand, Jack no longer harbors any resentment for you over what you did to Sark. Sydney has apparently convinced him that you're innocent."

Tom leans back and looks down at the floor. "So, let me get this straight...I get released from prison. And in exchange, I would have to work alongside a man that I hate more than life itself, who works under another man who, now that I think about it, probably framed me so I would be motivated to work under him under this very scenario. And to top it off, I would have to betray Sydney and APO to go on a chase for Nadia's supposed cure."

Tom, still looking at the floor, continues to mull over Sloane's offer. Yes, getting out of this place would be nice, and he wants to believe a cure does exist for Nadia. But everything about this stinks to him.

Tom then looks up at Sloane menacingly and says "Hell no." Sloane replies "I thought you would be eager to not only want to get out of solitary, but also help Nadia."

Tom smirks and says "You're right, I am. But what's to stop you from killing me when I'm released and working alongside you?" Sloane sighs and replies "Tom, like I said, I don't want Nadia to lose the man she's going to marry..."

Tom leans forward. "...because you know what she'll do to you if she hears you had me whacked. She has quite the temper, you know. So, don't think you're doing me or her any favors. You're still looking out for yourself, just like the bloodsucking tick that you always have been." Sloane keeps his glare at Tom, but is unable to respond with anything.

Tom smirks again and continues. "Cat got your tongue? I'm also not going to accept Gordon's offer because I know how these things work. You're promised the world, and all you have to do is perform a few tasks that go against your moral conscience for a while. Only, you find the deal is always changing, and you're having to do more and more and more until you find yourself in a hole that you can't get out of...and at that point, you realize there's no cure at all. You were taken advantage of. And in the process, you alienated not just everyone you know in your life, but you also alienated yourself. And then, you find yourself in the very same prison you were bailed out of, facing a much more serious set of crimes, and you're alone and depressed, knowing there's no more miracles left for you. In the end, you just went on a fool's errand."

Sloane mulls over Tom's comments for a bit, then replies "That's an interesting theory. However, what you would do alongside me would not go against your moral conscience because, based on what Jorge told me, you have no moral conscience. I need a man with your kind of mentality alongside me." Tom raises his eyebrows up a bit. "Too bad I'm not that man anymore. I did what I did to Jorge and the rest of his homies because it was the last wish of a dying man. I'm not a selfish prick like you are."

Sloane then takes a deep breath and says "Well, it'll be a shame when I tell Nadia about your past crimes. I know you probably haven't told her what happened after you avenged your friend's death, probably because you know she'll be repulsed at what she hears. Am I wrong?" Tom keeps his angry glare at Sloane, but internally, he knows Sloane is right. Finally, he replies "Whether I tell Nadia about my past or not is not your burden. It's mine."

Sloane says "Tom, after I find this cure, my daughter is going to marry you. And as her father, I would like her to know the man she's marrying. There can't be any secrets between you and her. If you don't tell her, I will." Tom snaps back "And if you tell her about my past, I'll not only tell her about how you wanted me killed, but I'll also tell her what you did to get out of prison. The last thing she wants is to think that you're still a criminal. It would just break her heart to hear that you wanted me dead and you had to betray APO in order to bring her back to life. So, if you want her affection again, she has to know your secrets, too, and if you don't tell her, then I guess I'll have to."

Sloane takes a deep breath and says "You would burn both of Nadia's bridges with us just to spite me." Tom shakes his head. "If I'm not going to be with her, I sure as shit don't want YOU to be the shoulder she cries on from now on."

Sloane thinks about what was just said for a bit, then asks "Who knows that I talked to Jorge before he tried to have you killed?" Tom raises his eyebrows. "Are you admitting that you did try to have me killed?"

Sloane snaps back "I'm only admitting that I talked to Jorge, and that what happened as a miscommunication between two imprisoned men. However, I realize that some might interpret that I set Jorge loose on you. You're not the only person that would have a bias against me, should that information get out. Who all have you told?" Tom replies "My attorney, Mike Walcott, and Sydney Bristow."

Sloane then leans forward. "Tell them to keep their mouths shut about me. And if you stay quiet about my dealings, I'll stay quiet about yours. We both have too much to lose by opening our mouths to Nadia." Tom blankly replies "Who's to say that you haven't already lost Nadia with your actions?"

Sloane looks down and says "Let me have the chance to rectify that." Tom leans forward and gets back in Sloane's face. "You know that's going to be a tough sell. So, I might be willing to keep my mouth shut about our dealings, and tell my companions to do the same, but only if you agree to stay the hell out of Nadia's life after she's revived. You've been nothing but poison to her. When all of this is over, and if she still wants to be with me, we're going to live a normal and peaceful married life. And I don't ever want you around our children, whenever we decide to have them. If you love your daughter and if you value your own life, you'll stay far, far away from her. That's the price of my silence."

Sloane looks at Tom angrily and says "You have no right to tell me to stay out of Nadia's life. Only she can say that." Tom leans back and casually replies "Well, then I'm going to find it awfully hard to keep your secrets a secret. Maybe I can give Nadia a chance to make an informed decision about her future with you."

Sloane leans back himself, looking a little defeated. "Here's one thing we can agree on: You want me to find a cure for Nadia. And I'm willing to do these risks for her. Telling Sydney and your attorney about my activities will likely keep Nadia in a coma for the rest of her life." Tom nods his head, then says "I tell you what...I won't say anything about your dealings with Gordon Dean if you keep what you learned from Jorge a secret to everyone, including Nadia. Leave that burden to me. Do we have a deal?"

Sloane then leans back in his chair. "You know, I'm still surprised that you're not willing to go to the lengths I am to find a cure for your fiancée. I thought you loved Nadia more than anything." Tom quickly replies "I do. But, you also know that I'm not a traitor. And there is no way in hell I'll work alongside of you after what you tried to have done to me a month ago. That was already tenuous at best after what you did in Sovogda."

Sloane, seeing as the conversation is about over, stands up. Tom stands in response. Sloane, looking Tom dead in the eyes, says "We have a deal. I keep quiet about your past and you keep quiet about what I'm doing for Nadia. However, I can't help but feel...disappointed that we won't get to work together again. Hopefully, your time in prison won't be too long. I'd hate to have Nadia wait for you to get out." Tom, with a sneer, says "I'd ask if that would just break your heart, but I remembered you don't have a heart to break. So, save your sympathy. I'm going to get out of prison the right way, and I will be there after Nadia is revived to see her walk down the aisle, and she won't have to wait long for that."

Sloane deadpans "Good luck with that." Then, he turns and walks to the door. He slaps the door to signal he's done, then walks out of the room after the door is opened.

The prison guard walks up to Tom and handcuffs him and escorts him back to his room.

After his handcuffs are removed and his cell door is closed, Tom slowly wanders over to his bed and sits down on it, mulling over the conversation he just had.

He's sure that he made the right decision to turn down Sloane's offer, but something else is vexing him.

He remembers that Nadia came clean to him about her checkered past in Argentina, and while Tom has been very open about his past with her, he's purposely kept the Matt Aguero story quiet.

But, if he tells Nadia this, how will she react? And if he tells her the story about Jorge Campos, he knows he'd have to tell the whole, entire story of his rampage. And that scares him.

Tom then lies down and closes his eyes for a nap, trying to not let this question consume him, hoping the answer comes quickly.

Unfortunately, Tom will spend the next 8 months trying to decide whether to tell Nadia this.

END OF CHAPTER