For those that may be missing it, I've been posting multiple chapters a day this week. You may want to click back through the chapters posted to make sure you're not skipping any! This is Chapter 13 of the series.- Wild

Just One Question

May 30th, 1999

"Julia, I need you to do something for me."

There are moments in life that as they're happening you recognize that whatever follows next will change your life forever. I know this is one of those life-changing moments when I see Cassiopeia appear before me in my horse barn in Montana. I graduated High School yesterday and had seen her in the crowd, so I knew she was around but never expected to see her standing before me now. The way she's looking at me, and the tone she's using are very different than anything I've ever experienced. Something is about to happen.

She's never asked me to do anything for her, ever. I'm stunned. "What, ma'am?" I continue to brush out my horse as I was doing before. We just arrived home from a long ride and I'm now hoping the repetitive motion sweeping over his long back will hide my hand trembling with nerves. The air around us has changed significantly even the horse is picking up on it and stamps his feet.

"I need you to go on a mission for me. No questions asked. Non-sanctioned and Off Grid. "She stands with arms crossed over her chest and aviator glasses firmly perched upon her nose so that I cannot read her eyes. She's wearing boots and jeans and looks just like any other country girl I know around here. Her versatility and ability to blend in anywhere is admirable.

"Okay." I answer feeling my mouth going dry and unable to blink at her request. Slowly I stop brushing, pat my horse and walk out shutting the stall door behind me. Cassiopeia steps out of my way but maintains the same posture as I pick up my saddle near the doorway and put it away in the tack room across the alleyway. I have to keep busy while listening to her. Continuously moving is the only way I'm able to calm my nerves.

"You can never speak of this to anyone. This must remain absolutely between us from this moment forward."

"Okay." I answer slowly with my back to her as I hang the bridle back on its peg. I'm incredibly freaked out now wondering what she's asking me to do. She's never broken any rules and yet she is asking me to go on a non-sanctioned mission and keep it an absolute secret from everyone.

"I'm serious. No one. Not even Nyah. Do you understand?" She says more forcefully waiting for me to turn around and look at her.

"Yes, I understand." I want to ask if she's okay or in some kind of trouble but I just agreed to no questions asked. I'm instantly worried about her and my heart is now pounding loudly in my ears. She must be incredibly desperate to ask the likes of me for help.

"You need to eliminate two targets and secure a package."

I want to ask Why me? Why not another First Gen? I'm sure they'd help you and they wouldn't mess up a mission so important. What if I fail? I have a million questions surge forth in my mind but I can't ask her any of them.

"They'll kill me if they catch me performing a non-sanctioned mission." I remind her of the rules she's spent the last 18 years branding into every cell of my being.

"They won't kill you." She sighs shaking her head taking a deep breath. "That's why I'm asking you. You are the exception, Julia. You've always been the exception. You'll always be the exception."

I don't like how that sounds coming out of her mouth. Not with malice but acceptance of an absolute truth. How can I tell her no when she's spent the majority of her life protecting me so that I stay alive in our crazy world? She's never asked a single thing of me and now she's asking for my help. How can I possibly tell her no?

"When am I supposed to do this?" I feel like that's a safe question to ask with heart thundering in my chest now. I feel as though I'm going to have a panic attack. I can't tell if those are my own emotions or hers I'm picking up. The thought of it being her panicking about this only makes me panic more.

"Tomorrow, during the The Council's Quarterly Meeting of the Division Heads in New York." She shifts her weight on her heels, tapping the toe of her boot. "Where Command and I will be with all the other First Gens in attendance for the next four days."

"A very public alibi." I realize why she's chosen this period of time. "That's it isn't it? You need an alibi? And the rest of the First Gens?" I realize now why she hasn't asked any of them to do this. They all need an alibi for whatever I'm about to get myself into for her. I step out to face her crossing my own arms over my chest and study her as she's doing to me. Mirroring her posture and movements she taught me so well. "What is in this package, General?" It must be something extraordinary if she and all her friends need a concrete alibi in front of every division head and Command.

"No questions asked." She shakes her head softly. "I cannot explain, Julia. I just need you to secure the package and deliver it safely and then never speak of this again."

I feel as though I'm peering through The Looking Glass into some alternative world. Cassiopeia never breaks the rules. Ever. She hammers into my head repeatedly that we must always follow the Chain of Command and yet she's asking me to go Off Grid and assassinate two people to secure a package in a non-sanctioned mission without asking any questions. Then never speak of it again. I feel as though the axis of my world is shifting.

"Julia, I'm not asking you to do this as your General," She pauses and takes a deep breath, shaking her head once while staring at the ground and then looks up, staring me straight in the eye. "This is for me." She pauses again and I cease breathing. "This isn't an order. You are free to decide whether or not you will accept this mission."

I've never been given the choice to accept a mission or not in my life. And now I'm being given the chance to say no, but I can't. My heart won't let me even if my mind is screaming at me that this is a terrible idea. She is asking me to do something personally for her. After everything she's done for me, I can't say no.

"I'll do it." I answer her quietly and see her face wash over with relief before she puts her mask back on. "Where am I going?"

"Russia."

"Oh course I am." I sigh instantly with slumping shoulders. I haven't had very good luck on missions inside Russia of late. The last time I was there I was shot twice. The country was becoming the bane of my existence as an agent. "And where is the drop off point?"

"Stockholm. Here are the coordinates. Leave the package at this address." She hands me a small slip of paper with coordinates written on it. "But your entry point is England. You need to fly into London on the Grid. Then Go Off Grid to secure package and deliver to drop point, then fly home on Grid via the same way you arrived through London."

"So either Mikael or Marie is my alibi." I answer my own question following along with her plan.

"Theoretically, both and yes and no. You won't be involving her at all. Command thinks you're working on an assignment for her this week."

"And how does she fit into all this?" I'm concerned about what her involvement is in this plan.

"She doesn't. But if you're caught she will cover for you thinking you were off doing something with Mikael for her own agenda." Ironic that Marie's own secret mission for me with Mikael is what's providing cover for Cassiopeia's current secret mission. The web of secrets and lies in this family only continues to grow as does the mystery surrounding the need for them.

"So she's my alibi with Command and Mikael is my alibi with her." Things are certainly getting interesting. "I thought he was supposed to be in attendance at the meeting?" I'm not sure how I'm supposed to make contact with him to use as an alibi if he's not even in the country at the time. As Ulric's heir, part of his training is to attend such meetings with him.

"He has his Final exam at Oxford before graduation on June 5th and then a polo tournament in London. He's been exempt from attending this Quarter's Meeting. Nyah is going in his place as his 2nd in Command. You'll see him in London on your way back for the graduation. You have only three days after securing the package to make it back to the drop point in Stockholm on the evening of June 4th."

"Okay." I try not to sweat thinking about that. Going Off Grid always took a lot more time and three days wasn't a lot.

"The targets and package will be at this address," She hands me another piece of paper, "On the evening of June 1st only. They are traveling and it has to be this location at this time. It is your only window of opportunity to secure the package." I memorize both sets of coordinates for the drop off in Stockholm and my target location and hand the slips of paper back to her. She drops them into the horses water bucket beside us and the papers dissolve instantly.

"And what is the package I'm looking for?"

"You'll know it when you see it." She answers looking away down the barn's breezeway toward the scenic mountain views. "He never lets it far from his sight."

"If this is not sanctioned I'm guessing there will be no Sweepers coming in after me?" Normally after an assassination mission another team called Sweepers, clean up experts, comes in right behind me to dispose of the bodies and clean up any trace I was ever there.

"No. But the building has an incinerator in the basement." She looks me dead in the eye. Cremation isn't my preferred method of disposal but I guess it will have to do. It will buy time but not cover up the crime.

"Why does this building have an incinerator in the basement?" The foreboding feelings are getting stronger the more I learn and it's getting more difficult to ignore my brain screaming at me to 'abort' this mission before I've even begun.

"No questions." She reminds me of the deal we've made. "This will never have happened. We will never speak of it again." The intensity of her gaze and hint of fear lurking in their big blue depths speak to my soul. I won't let her down in this.

"I won't." I look her in the eye with the same intensity giving my word. "I promise."

June 1st, 1999

"You've got to be kidding me." I hiss under my breath standing in front of the building I'm supposed to be breaking into this evening. The sun is setting in Red Square with the Kremlin right behind me and directly in front of me are temporary quarters for FSB officers and agents. I'm not breaking into the Kremlin directly but I may as well be. Well that explains the incinerator in the basement. I keep walking along with the rest of the tourists taking photos of the beautiful onion domes surrounding us and snap a few photos myself blending in. There are three access points for this location. Two are exits only. The only entry in the front includes an armed guard, fingerprint scanner and FSB keycard. There's only one thing I can do given my limited time frame to work with. I don't have time to go collecting cards and fingerprints forging my own access. I'm going to do what Cassiopeia has taught me to do in such situations. Let others do the work for me.

I swing by the pharmacy on the way back to my seedy little hotel and pick up a few essentials. My little bathroom turns into both a chemistry lab and beauty salon as I prepare for the night ahead. I've died my hair temporarily dark brown and straightened it. Blue contacts over my golden brown eyes and bright red lipstick, are the finishing touches. I'll be hard to resist looking like this for some young officer looking to get lucky this evening. The slit in my little black dress is dangerously high and the perfect invitation if I play my cards right. I slip into matching bright red high-heeled strappy sandals and reach for my rings. Poison is always the cleanest way to eliminate a target when you're in a hurry and have no time to clean up. Thankfully every pharmacy carries the necessary ingredients to procure such a formula. I use an eyedropper to carefully coat both tiny needles then secure their closures. It takes only minutes for me to sweep the area and clean up any evidence I was here before I'm out the door.

I zero in on my target the moment I step foot inside club in Red Square. He's tall, dark and handsome. Just the way I like them. I saw him leave the FSB Officer Quarters an hour ago for the Officer's Club and followed. In order to keep people off my tail after this is all over with, tonight has to be real. Real at least for him. He needs to believe I was simply a call girl and remember every detail of our encounter. That's the key difference. If he had amnesia from Rohypnol or 'Roofie' and couldn't remember the actual night together it's a dead giveaway he was actually seduced by a Swallow, someone trained in the art of seduction in the intelligence world to lure in prey. It was a dead give away when tracking novice agents in the field and a tactic we used all the time to track down enemy Swallows. Cassiopeia was the one to teach us to follow through and create the memory to cover our tracks. Mission before Self as was our motto. In The Council, those of us trained in such tactics were called Sirens after the mythical beautiful mermaids who used to lure sailors to their deaths. I'd only just begun such training and hoped I would be able to pull it off and cover my tracks tonight. It's easy to catch his attention as I saunter seductively up to the bar and sit on the opposite side of his friend. I flash a megawatt smile and then lure him in using his friend as bait. Flirting is easy and soon they're both trying to outdo each other to gain my attention. They're both quite cute and charming even after several drinks but this is taking too long and so I do what I do best, I improvise.

"Gentlemen, why fight?" I smile like a Cheshire cat, twirling the stem of the cherry seductively between my teeth. "When you can both have me?" I purr in Russian with growing smile. I uncross my legs in front of them, sure to show them a dangerous view inside my inner thighs and then lean forward, placing my hand high on the leg of the one sitting beside me on the stool and squeeze making him jerk slightly. They realize in that instant what I am, or at least pretending to be, a High Priced Call Girl not uncommon in these parts. Not a simple streetwalker but someone whose special talents are often enjoyed by elite members of the military and government officials surrounding the Kremlin. I'm also at the perfect age for this. They like their women young and barely legal. "I'll let you both take me home tonight for the price of one. I'm tired of old men." I nod towards the line of older men standing near the back of the bar ogling me for the last hour and smile. "I'd enjoy the company of two fine young gentlemen such as yourselves for the evening. Hot young bodies for hot young fun." I wink at them and twirl the stem seductively around my tongue luring them in. I see them both visible gulp watching me. It takes only a second for them both to agree to the terms I've presented. They pay our tab quickly and we are on our way.

We laugh and flirt with small kisses and touches as we walk back towards their building and my intended target. The guard at the door smiles at us and eyes me head to toe appreciatively, nodding as the young officers I'm with flash their credentials and clear security. Male pride is clearly at work here when he's impressed with what they've brought home together. I can see in his eyes he'd like to join in and so I wink at him wiggling my chest suggestively, hoping to divert his focus straight to his groin and away from memorizing my face.

I know there will be security cameras inside the entrance and also know I must hide my face. The scrambler in my necklace will prevent any scans for facial recognition on video when this is all over with but I don't want to take any chances. Before entering the lobby I bury my face into the neck of one of my current targets, kissing his skin and laughing as a cover while we pass the cameras. While we wait for the elevators I make a point to never look towards where I know the cameras will be placed and instead latch my lips upon my victim, kissing him deeply. His hands cover my face greedily as we all step into the elevator hiding my face. In order to protect the privacy of the officers staying in this building, only the first floor has security cameras. One of the perks of being an FSB officer in a country where everything is monitored by them as the former remnants of the KGB. They didn't spy on each other hoping to cover their own dirty laundry; they just spied on everyone else. Once we clear that floor, my job gets a great deal easier.

"How do you want to do this?" Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome asks nervously when we enter his room on the third floor. I can tell that neither of them has even been with a Call Girl before and I smile. This makes them putty in my hands. I've been taught that Hard and Fast is most efficient in wearing out the target on missions such as these and so it will be this evening.

"Get undressed. Both of you. Now." I bring out my ordering tone with a dangerous gleam in my eye that has them both gulping and scrambling to take their clothes off. When they're both standing before me naked, I take a deep breath. My brain has turned off all of my personal emotions about doing this and my body is just a machine I remind myself. Like any other mission, I do whatever needs to be done to accomplish the goal.

I'm sore by the time I've worn them out two hours later but I don't have time to think about it. Silently, I put my clothes back on and take the money they've left out to pay for my very expensive services on the nightstand. I need the cash if I'm going to be off Grid without access to any known funds. The young men have both passed out completely from their efforts and I have to admit, I've had worse. They weren't mean or vicious; just typical young men looking for some fun. I have no ill will towards them. I used them this evening, not the other way around. I've made sure to make it memorable but I doubt they'd be able to recall my face in a line up; my body likely but not my face. They won't be able to recall anything but extreme pleasure and the fond memories of begging for mercy. Exactly the way I need it to be. The clock on the wall says it's just past 4 AM. I need to get moving. My targets are on the floor above in Suite #47.

I slip out of the room and head towards the elevator making my way down to the basement first. When it opens, the floor is clear at this late hour and I head straight towards the Maid's Changing Room. They usually begin their shifts at 5 AM here to prepare for the next day and I know there I find an All Access Pass to every room in the building. I change quickly into the uniform, locate the pass in her pocket and grab the large bin for collecting dirty sheets and laundry. On the shelves beside me are rows and rows of clean sheets and I grab a stack. Tossing some of them violently into the bin to create dirty laundry in my basket. I pull my hair up into a tight bun, slip on latex gloves and then get moving.

When I reach the fourth floor and take another deep breath and step in front of the door with #47 staring at me. I brace myself and swipe the card, entering the dark residence silently. It's a small apartment and I find myself in the living room. A quick survey shows the kitchen opposite of where I am standing. Two doors are on either side of the room I'm standing in now. Which one do I enter? I ponder for a moment making a quick decision to sweep left and then right.

Before I take another step, my Sixth Sense washes over me that something is off. I sweep my eyes left to right and spot it. A tiny red shadow no bigger than the size of grain of rice is resting on one of the air vents near the floor. I approach cautiously and when I kneel down can see that inside the air vent and behind the protective cover, someone has placed a straight-line beam alarm across the floor. It would have been undetectable if not for the shadow it created by not being centered just perfectly. Whoever my target is in that bedroom, they're clearly trained and paranoid, fortunately for me, not enough of either. The beam is reflecting off a tiny mirror on the opposite wall making my job easy. I recognize this is a classic travel alarm system issued to many high-ranking FSB officers. My training in The Program taught me to circumvent things such as this. All I have to do is pull the mirror off the wall and carefully move it back towards the laser device without cutting the beam. There is a lamp on the table beside me and I attach the mirror to side of the lamp to hold it in place. Now I have the freedom to move in and out of the door without setting off the alarm.

I pull the laundry bin inside. Then move on light feet not making a single sound and pause for a moment with hand on the door to the bedroom. Slowly I turn the handle and step into the shadows. A bed is facing the door directly in front of me. I can make out two lumps, one large and one small: a man and a woman and both are my targets. Clothes are strewn about the floor and it's easy to see they had their own passionate end to the evening this night. His light snore made me smile. He was just as passed out in sedation as the two men I'd left below. It made my job easier. She will be my first target as the lighter sleeper. My finger carefully flips my rings around towards my palm. I use my thumb to flick open the top of my ring carefully and creep into position. The woman is beautiful as I stare down at her. Dark brown hair splayed over her naked back and face resting peacefully. Not much older than 35 years-old would be my guess.

My eyes glance over towards the man. His back is facing me but he's quite muscular and physically fit. I don't know what they've done to deserve this but I trust Cassiopeia. If she says they need to be eliminated then I will do so without question. I spot her pulse point in her neck throbbing beneath the skin in a silent rhythm and make my move.

Quickly and without sound I simultaneously puncture her jugular with my toxic ring and cover her mouth and nose at the same time to cover the soft gasp I know will follow. The formula I've concocted instantly stops the heart from beating but the last rush of breath from the lungs always makes a sound. I need this to be silent. When I feel her last warm breath against my palm, I know she's gone.

As I move around the bed the moonlight filtering into the room illuminates the man's jacket strewn over the chair. He's not only an FSB Officer, he is a Highly Decorated General. The pin on his lapel indicates he reports directly to the FSB Director himself. A moment of realization comes over me. This is why Cassiopeia and every other First Gen needs an alibi on a world stage in front of every Division Head. I'm about to take out the General of Russia's Intelligence Agency and everyone in that agency will be hunting for those responsible.

Oh, Julia. What have you gotten yourself into?

My brain is scrambling hoping I'm not walking blindly into a setup. My heart screams back to trust Cassiopeia. She wouldn't do that to me. I need to follow through. I stand beside him, hovering over his body, and look down. He inhales a soft snore shuffling in his sleep a bit and I make my move. The moment my hands come down and prick his neck his eyes flash wide open and stare directly at me. My eyes hold his in the darkness as I watch realization flood through him and then the last signs of life drain from body. There is dead and then there is dead. Cassiopeia has taught me to be efficient and cover my bases and so I break both of their necks as well, ensuring death in the event the poison doesn't work.

Now I need to locate the package. She said it would be nearby and I'd know it when I see it. I spy a silver briefcase on the desk by the window and wonder briefly if I'm stealing some Nuclear Bomb codes or something else hideously insane given this man's status level and make my way towards it.

My breath catches when I hear it. The soft muffled cry coming through the door. My brain recognizes that sound immediately and I'm instantly horrified.

"Oh, god, Julia what have you done?" I whisper out loud to myself. They're not alone in this apartment. They have children or a child at least that I can hear crying out softly in the night from the other room. I creep quickly across the two rooms separating me from the sound and quietly open the door. On the far side of the room I can see a baby's crib illuminated by a soft orange glow from a nightlight and I feel my heart drop into my stomach realizing I've just killed this poor baby's parents.

I wasn't told about this! That they had a child! What was I supposed to do with it? I'm freaking out as I approach with caution and see the tiny body move around the crib in the darkness, still whimpering. It's crawling towards the corner, climbing the bars to look at me and when I step forward it reaches for me; my heart all but stops at the sight. Two realizations come to me instantly: I know those eyes and this is no regular package.

"Oh my god," I cry quietly with instant tears in my eyes staring into the beautiful blue orbs staring back at me. His tiny little fingers are reaching for me in the dark and all I see looking back at me is Cassiopeia: her eyes in that face. Those deep dimples are also immediately recognizable as Ares. The tiny hand reaching for me bears the same lopsided heart birthmark as Cassiopeia. I gasp unable to breathe. I know in my heart I'm right with my assumptions. This is Cassiopeia's baby. She said I'd know the package when I see it. There is no denying what I see looking back at me. It all makes sense. Why she sent me on this mission. Why she needed an alibi and all the other First Gens. I just don't know when or how she had this baby? The baby looks to be about eight months old and when my brain rapidly counts back to that time I realize that's last Fall around the end of September or beginning of October. Around the time she was on the deep cover assignment with Draco. I gasp in horror and realization. About the time she was tortured by Ulric.

Wildly all the pieces of speculation in my puzzle fly through my mind and snap together of what it could all mean coupled with her conversations with me to stay away from those you love if you want to protect them. Love is a weakness he will use against you. Families are forbidden.

My God.

I can hardly breathe thinking about all of this. I look at this sweet little face before me crying out for me to hold them so on instinct I pick him up. He digs his little face into my neck and rests against my shoulder, not caring that I am a complete stranger. Placing my hand on his back I can feel his tiny heart thundering and the warmth of his body and I cry. Tears are streaming down my face in disbelief when I lay my cheek against his soft blonde curls.

"She's a mother." I inhale a quiet sob. I think about Ulric's ability to rip his own child away from Maria with no problem and it doesn't surprise me in the least he'd do the same to Cassiopeia if that is the case here. No wonder she nearly lost it when Marie brought up her torture in November and why Marie wants to change my fate so whatever had happened to Cassiopeia never happens to me in the future.

I have to pull myself together and speculate later. I still have a mission to accomplish and I'm more determined than ever to do it now. I will deliver this 'package' safely no matter what it takes. I cry holding the baby more tightly.

"You're my nephew." I smile through the tears realizing who he is to me even if his mother and I never recognize we are sisters. "I'll take you home. I promise." I whisper. He needs to go back to sleep so I can finish my job and I locate a tiny pacifier in his crib. He happily sucks on it and as I sway and hum lullabies, quickly goes back to sleep. I wrap him carefully in the blankets I find and set him back in the crib. My eyes flash around the room taking stock of supplies I know I'll need now including diapers and a few pairs of clothes. I jam them into the baby bag I see next to dresser and set out for the kitchen hoping to God to locate a bottle. To my dismay, there is none. Which means this woman was nursing him. The thought makes me furious. I can't help but be enraged she had no right to do so. This isn't her baby! This is Cassiopeia's baby and how dare anyone else nurse him? I'll have to figure out what to feed him later. Right now I need to dispose of the bodies.

More rapidly than I believed possible, I move through the space. It takes great effort to slide the bodies into the laundry bin but I manage. I move about the room scooping up all their' strewn about clothes and any evidence they were in this room and toss it into the laundry bin with their naked bodies. I make the bed with a stack of fresh sheets and wash the whiskey tumblers in sink before placing them back on the tray. I wipe down all the water spots left in the shower, tub and sink and then do the same in the kitchen. I'm trying to make it appear as though this General of Counter-Intelligence chose to disappear on his own. Hopefully casting doubt on his' own activities and buying me time to escape.

Now, how am I going to get the baby out? I thought I was removing a simple package that I could just toss into the bin with the bodies but that is definitely not the case. I'm going to have to improvise again I realize and move silently about his nursery packing up what things of his I can to keep with us, and tossing the rest into the bin with everything else I'm going to get rid of. When everything is packed and ready I pick him back up again. He's sound asleep and so tiny in my arms, my heart melts with simultaneous feelings of love and fear to know just who this baby belongs and how valuable he truly is. Oh my God she trusts me with him. I can't get the thought out of my head as I cradle his sleeping body and gently lay him inside the nest I've made in the bin for him. He looks like a tiny angel. I cover him lightly with a sheet and say a silent prayer hoping he won't make a sound while I take him downstairs. Shit! I almost forgot about the laser. I'm no longer concerned about it waking the dead man in my laundry bin and remember to remove it as well. Instantly the watch on the man's wrist is buzzing in alarm but I manage to disarm it quickly. Looking at the time on it, it's nearly 5AM and I am running behind now. I recover everything and open the door.

"Good morning," I'm greeted by a smiling officer as I step into the hallway. He's up early to run it seems as he walks by me in running gear. My heart starts to pound.
"Good morning, sir." I answer quietly in perfect Russian and look down, pushing the cart towards the elevators. He pauses at the elevator and smiles, holding the door for me. "It's okay, sir, please go ahead I'll get the next one." I answer with a shy smile wishing the man would stop trying to be so damn polite!

"Nonsense. There is room enough." He insists and I cringe. I can't reject or he'll be suspicious so I smile and push forward. Hoping he doesn't discover what is in this bin or I'll be forced to add him to the pile to dispose of.

Silently we make our way down and he steps and I say a million prayers of thanks to my Guardian Angels for the uneventful ride. I make it to the furnace room where I know the incinerator will be and say another prayer when I see it's roaring hot already from warming the building overnight. With the greatest care imaginable, I remove my tiny package and place him and his blankets in one of the boxes waiting beside the incinerator waiting to get burned by the staff today. The box makes a nice cradle for now and I get to work shoving clothes into the incinerator and all the items that belonged to this couple. Their bodies are the last to go in and I'm sweating profusely by the time I manage to get the man inside and shut the door.

I wait a few minutes until I know they've already started their process of cremation and scoop up the box with the baby. There is no way for me to get him out the front door with me. I have to leave out the front door or they'll know I was the one responsible for this. I have only one option and I hate it. My heart is thundering loudly in my ears as I stare at the gorgeous little face. This is by far the worst thing I've ever had to do and it terrifies me. I close the flaps to the box and pray. Please God make sure he's okay.

The door to the back alley is just behind me and I quietly open it, wedging the brick laying there for just this purpose there to block the door from closing on me. It only opens from the inside. I look in both directions seeing the alley abandoned and lurch forward, quickly putting the box into the dumpster behind the building and shut the lid. "I'll be right back." I whisper in a panic laying my hand on the lid feeling torn. It has to be this way. Quickly, I go back inside the building and strip off the maid's clothing, putting everything back exactly as it was before. I ride the elevator back to the first floor and quickly set free my hair before whipping it around. I'd forgotten was still in a bun and I need it to look like a wild night of passion. I'm making rookie mistakes because I'm flustered emotionally. The baby has thrown me for a loop. This is why I need to get better at compartmentalizing.

I strut passed the security guard who opens the door for me, keeping my head down until I'm out of view of the camera and then smile and wink at him on the way by. He smiles back at me and watches my legs as I walk away.

The sun is rising and I don't have a lot of time. My heart want to run around the block to the back alley but my brain reminds me of all the reasons why that's a terrible idea. Drawing any attention to myself is the last thing I want to do. I hear the garbage truck approaching the alley and I start to panic. He's moving along more quickly behind me than I can safely walk without running. He passes me and head straight for my garbage dumpster.

"No, no no no no." I chant quietly when I see him stop and the arm of the truck reach out to grab the bin. Oh Dear God. I pause in horror and hear a sharp whistle in my right ear. In the dark crack between two buildings is another smaller alleyway and I hear the whistle again.

"Lady," I hear a voice whisper at me, "I have what you're looking for." He speaks in Russian stepping out from the shadows. It's a street kid, about 12 years-old I'm guessing and he's smiling. "I have the baby."

I gasp both relieved and worried he saw me put the baby into the garbage to begin with. He motions for me to follow him into the dark alley but I have no choice at this point. He has Cassiopeia's baby and I'm only hoping he doesn't do something stupid where I'm going to have to hurt him to get the baby back.

"See, he's okay." He smiles at me with a dirty face motioning towards the box where the baby was still asleep. "Why did you put him in the trash? Didn't you want him anymore?" He asks greatly disturbed.

"I'm leaving his abusive father." I lie, "I had to sneak him out without the guard out front reporting me."

"Ah," He nods in understanding. "Good for you. My old man was abusive, too. My mother died when I was little. Life out here is much better. My big brother left a long time ago. He moved to Finland to be near my mother's family, so I don't have anybody now. I'm glad he has somebody in you." He smiles at me. He's only 12 but he already speaks like an adult, likely from the older street boys he hangs out with and I have an idea.

"What is your name?" I ask him quietly. "Mine is Anya." I lie again but it's safer for us all.

"Yuri." He smiles at me.

"Yuri, I have a proposition for you." I smile at him kneeling down by the baby. "If you come with me and help me to get out of the city, I will take you with me to Helsinki on my way through. That is, if you want to go?"

"You'd do that?" He asks in disbelief.

"Yes." I smile. "I want to make sure he's safe and you, too." I add thinking he has no idea safe from who but if the FSB and The Council start looking into this and find this kid as a witness he'll end up tortured and dead. It's my responsibility to protect them both.

"Okay." He smiles, "How?"

Altering our configuration will help tremendously if I'm to get out of here Off Grid. They'll be looking for a single woman likely with a baby, not a woman with two children.

"I need you to pretend we're a family."

June 4th, 1999

The drop off point turns out to be a gorgeous upscale flat that was For Sale but recently sold it appears by the sign, not far from where I know Mikael and Nyah live when in the city. No one is here at this late hour and I can easily pick the lock to gain entry. It's beautiful, simple, clean lines and very modern. The curtains are already drawn thankfully, so I'm free to move about in the darkness without worrying about being seen. I'm not sure where exactly I'm supposed to leave the baby given he can crawl that would be safe. I have no idea when someone is coming for him but most likely they're waiting and watching for when I leave.

There are two bedrooms on the upper level. One is the master and when I open the door to the second room, I'm met with a beautiful new nursery decorated with Viking ships and shields. There is a crib on the far side of the room and I wonder if I'm supposed to leave him here? He's asleep but I can't imagine just laying him down and walking away, never looking back and wondering if he's ever picked up. What if something happened to the person who was supposed to come collect him? How can I trust this person with her baby's life? What if they're betraying Cassiopeia? How does she know she can trust them with such a precious package?

The First Gens, are the only people she trusts enough to leave her child with to my knowledge, besides me apparently, and she's keeping them far away so they're not suspected in helping with this unsanctioned mission. I'm torn about what to do.

My eyes catch sight of the one framed photo I see on the shelf near the crib and my heart all but stops. It's the photo of my mother Kristin holding me as a newborn in the hospital, my favorite photo of us. I know it's meant for me as a message that only I will understand upon seeing it. No one else would know this photo if they came upon it. This is Cassiopeia's way of telling me where she wants me to leave him. She must have had a copy made at some point because to my knowledge, my photo is still framed near my bed in Montana. She knows how adamant I was about getting that photo before leaving camp that summer my mother died, because it meant so much to me. It was considered contraband to have such a photo. She didn't care though she even delivered it to me safely that night instead of leaving it behind. I understand in this moment what Cassiopeia is telling me. She's the one coming for the baby, so it's okay to leave him. She won't leave him behind just like I wouldn't leave the photo. She helped to keep my contraband safe and delivered it to me that night and I am now doing the same with her baby. I should have known she wouldn't have trusted anyone else with this but herself.

There is no way I'm leaving now knowing she is picking him up. There is a rocking chair sitting beside the crib, so I set the baby bag and my backpack down near the door and make myself comfortable. If she's watching this place for my exit, she'll know in less than 15 minutes that if I haven't already left, I don't intend to do so. She also knows I'm stubborn just like she is, so once I set my mind to do something, she can wait outside forever for me to leave if she likes, but I won't leave and we'll both be wasting our time.

The baby is still sleeping peacefully in my arms and I take advantage of the moonlight streaming in through the top of the window as we rock together to study this little baby for the last time. We've had quite the adventure the last three days and I'll miss his adorable smile. His tiny fingers wrap tightly around my fingertip when I lift his little hand.

The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stands on end. I know she's in the house. I don't hear her approach but I know she's coming. I don't bother looking up from the baby or stop our rocking when she steps into the doorway.

"You're not supposed to still be here." She says quietly into the darkness surrounding us.

"You didn't tell me you were a mother." I respond instantly looking up. Her eyes lock with mine and I see her visibly tense with the reference. "Why didn't you tell me what the package really was?"

"Julia, you promised. No questions asked." She reminds me, wrapping her arms around her chest standing in the entrance and staring at the baby in my arms, almost as if she's simultaneously afraid to come any closer and trying to hold herself back all at once.

"You're right. I did." I nod quietly, speaking softly because I know this has to be incredibly difficult for her seeing the slight tremor running through her as she looks at him. "I can pretend that he doesn't have your identical big blue eyes or Ares deep dimples," her gaze snaps to mine with the mention of Ares and I see her visibly swallow hard that I know, "or the exact same birthmark on his right hand that you and Maria both have." With my hand holding onto his tiny hand sticking out from his blankets, my thumb glides gently over his bare skin above the birthmark I'd recognize anywhere. "I can file that all away in the same box with everything else we pretend isn't true or doesn't exist. But considering I just assassinated the FSB General and his wife and could possibly face death for such treason by The Council, or at the very least a great deal of torture in my near future for all of this; I think you owe me at least the answer to one question. Just one. And I'll never ask again. Did you give birth to him?"

I want to know if she went through what Maria had described going through in carrying a child you loved for 9 months only to have it violently ripped away from you when it was born. Using deductive reasoning to answer more questions with the answer to this one, I also know that Ulric wouldn't use his top asset in Cassiopeia as a simple surrogate these days if he indeed were using her eggs for some future project child as he did with my creation. So if she gave birth to this baby it was because she became pregnant with him on her own.

She stares at me, and then the baby before answering quietly, "Yes."

I sigh heavily looking down at the gorgeous baby in my arms, "I've always known something was going on between you and Ares." I brazenly say what I've always suspected and watch her face muscle twitch ever so slightly as she clenches her jaw. "No matter how hard you both try to hide it. The way he looks at you when you're not aware has always been a dead give away that he's madly in love with you. Yours was more subtle but just as obvious over the years. The more you tried to hide it the easier it became for me to see. Your determination to ignore looking him as though he didn't exist when anywhere in the same vicinity and how you can only ever maintain eye contact with him for a moment when we all work together. You're afraid we'll see something more between you if you linger." Her nostrils flare a little and her arms still crossed against her chest begin to rise and fall a bit more quickly while she attempts to control her breathing and reaction to what I'm saying. I'm sure she sees the fact that I know all this about them and can read their behavior so well, as a failure on their part to hide the truth. "It's not your failure to hide the truth, but a success in your abilities to teach me. I've had an excellent instructor in the skills of observation, Game Theory and deductive reasoning, after all." I remind her why it is I know such things and that is because of her.

I look back to the adorable baby in my arms thinking again of how horrible it must be for her and Ares to have their baby taken from them. No wonder she kept insisting to me that night in December that love was a weakness they will exploit. Having a child was forbidden for anyone in the Elite Human Weapons program. Artemis was the only First Gen I'd ever known of having a child. She'd gotten pregnant on a Siren mission at only 16 by her target and Ulric made her give birth to the baby, seeing it as an asset at the time, only to take the baby from her at birth. The baby was raised in Foster Care until Ulric gave the child back to Artemis at age 7, to start training in The Program to become another EHW like the rest of us Third Gens. Her child is Gillian, my friend from camp and one of my teammates on group missions. Gillian always told Nyah and I that Artemis told her, she wished she would have hidden her pregnancy and had an abortion or given Gillian up for adoption before anyone ever found out she was pregnant; if she'd known then they were going to steal her baby at birth and put her in The Program and a life of servitude.

The First Gens all learned then after what happened to Artemis, what would happen if they ever had a child. They were property of The Council and as such, any children they had would also become the property of The Council. Just like slaves of old, they'd have no say in what happened to those children. None of them, to my knowledge, ever had any children after that because of what happened to Artemis, until now.

I can only imagine what really transpired for Cassiopeia to have this child knowing it would belong to The Council. Not to mention, it was forbidden. "He was the reason for your deep cover assignment last fall and the reason Ulric had you tortured, wasn't it?" Both make sense now once given all these new pieces of information. She needed to be off radar for the last few months of pregnancy and Lord only knows what happened after she had him given she was shot in the back twice, tortured and Draco wound up dead. I ask these things knowing I've reached my limited quota of questions but I will know by the way she reacts what the answer is even if she doesn't answer. The way she continues to stare at me with her penetrating unblinking gaze is answer enough. The amount of focus and effort she's putting into not looking away is the answer. Normally when you ask someone a question and they look away, you've hit the uncomfortable truth. But for the master before me who has taught me to defy those interrogation and investigation skills, I know that by refusing to look away and staring straight at me she is trying to cover such a reaction, especially since she's not even blinking her focus is so intense. I'm right on both accounts given her response.

"I thought so." I answer her quietly letting her know I know the truth, even if she won't say it. I stand up and move towards her closing the last of the distance between us and gently pass the sleeping baby into her arms. I need to get going as I'm already late but figure I better give her the rundown on what I've learned about our little 'package' over the last few days to make the transition easier. "He's used to nursing so I've had trouble getting him to take a bottle." She looks up at me surprised. I can see the same flash of hurt and anger run through her that I had when I realized such a thing. This is her baby. She should have been the one nursing him and bonding all these months and no one else. "He's getting better with it, just be patient. I've found that he likes the nipple warm and takes it better that way. Hold him close when you give him the bottle like you're cradling him against your chest as he would to nurse and he's pretty content. He also likes to be held upright to fall asleep against your chest and neck while you pat his back. I think he has some trouble with acid reflux still so he spits up if you lay him down too soon after eating and he'll cry. I left the formula I've been using in the baby bag. Be careful where you set him down. He's an early crawler and quite mobile." This isn't surprising given who is parents are and their athletic prowess. "I'm sure everything else you'll know what to do or will figure out as I did." She looks so comfortable with a baby in her arms, I know just by looking at her now she has a great deal more experience with babies than I realized. Another of her secrets is being revealed to me and yet I have more questions I know will never be answered.

Like, how long did she care for this baby after he was born before he was taken? And why exactly was she tortured over this baby by Ulric? Was it because she is forbidden as an EHW from having a child? Or was it because she didn't want to give him up to The Program? And what really happened to Draco? And how and why was she shot during all this?

Those questions and a million more. Questions, I know I'll never get the answers to, from her anyway, and so I need to let them go. To question anyone else now, such as Marie, would only bring more attention that we definitely didn't want now if we were going to pretend this never happened to keep the baby safe. What matters now is that she asked me to do this one thing for her and I've done it. I delivered the package safely to her as promised with no further questions asked.

"None of this ever happened just as you wished. Goodbye sweet baby, Alexei." I lean forward and kiss his sweet blonde curly head never knowing if I'll ever see him again.

"How did you know that was his name?" She asks in barely above a whisper holding her own baby in her arms. Her body is swaying back and forth rocking the baby without even realizing she's doing it on instinct when he starts to squirm in his sleep.

"It was stitched onto the corner of one of his blankets." I smile softly to hear she'd given him the name after all and not the people who were raising him. "I didn't know if you'd given him the name or not but knowing he was yours, I thought about Maria's story. The one she told us on your birthday about the night you were born. How she said your name was Alexandra. And I thought about how you were stolen from her at birth and how he must have been taken from you too; and maybe you called him Alexei after the life you should have had. The life you deserved. A life that was free from all this." I swallow the lump in my throat thinking about how very different her life would be if she'd been born as Alexandra and never taken from Maria. Was free to grow up away from The Program and never becoming a project for Ulric.

"I've always known I cannot keep him." She speaks quietly looking down at the sweet baby asleep in her arms. "But I want him to have the freedom I'll never know." My heart is breaking for her. She will never be free but she's giving up her child so that he can be. I cannot ever imagine being strong enough to do such a thing. I can't imagine what she's going through.

"I don't know what you're planning to do with him, but you have my word, I'll never speak of this again. If I'm caught and brought in, don't do anything trying to protect me." I cast my own penetrating gaze with a hint of warning towards her for the first time, knowing she might, considering our history of her need to protect me. "You have someone else more important to worry about and protect now other than me. I'm all grown up and can take care of myself." I give her a small smile. "You've done a good job raising me." It's the truth. She's been the one constant adult in my life guiding me through all the twists and turns. The utter surprise on her face is hard to miss as she's caught off guard with what I'm saying. "I'll figure it out. Don't worry. I'll be okay. You just worry about keeping him safe. I'll never say a word about this or him to anyone. You have my word." There isn't anything I can say to her in such a situation to make any of this easier but I hope to at least ease her nerves a bit about his safety if she knows I will keep my promise.

I lean forward and kiss his sweet forehead once more, letting my kiss linger a little longer saying goodbye to the nephew I'll never know. Knowing her arms are full and she can't react, I go with my instincts realizing this is the end of chapter in my life and hers and just the beginning of something else. I've matured immensely in the last few days since she first appeared in my barn and everything has changed as I knew it was going to even then. The air was different that day for a reason. I launch forward, hugging her tightly with the baby between us. I don't expect her to hug me back but I need her to know I appreciate all she's done for me to keep me alive all these years. Teaching me what I need to know to survive.

"Thank you, Cassiopeia. For everything." I say over her shoulder and pull back, kissing her cheek quickly and pivot rapidly to pick up my backpack off the floor, and head towards the door trying not to look at her feeling the welling tears in my eyes about to spill over my lids. I know she can't stand anyone crying and she would especially hate these are over her and saying 'goodbye.'

"Julia," She calls out quietly and I know she intends to thank me for retrieving her son. I can tell by the tone in her voice and the vibes I feel coming off of her she's close to breaking through her emotional walls so overwhelmed by the transition happening between us and with her own child in her arms. She has never said thank you to me in all the years I've known her because I've never done anything for her that mattered enough to say it. Even though I understand why she'd use her very first thank you to me for this in getting her baby back, I don't want her to.

"You don't have to thank me for this." I cut her off before she can actually say the words still refusing to turn around and look at her. It doesn't feel right to accept thanks for something of this magnitude in her personal life. She is my mentor, my protector, my sister and my family even if we never acknowledge it. Family helps each other in desperate times of need. Or at least they're supposed to. That was the point of family. People to love you and have your back when no one else does. "As a wise woman once told us, Evil can only prevail when good people standby and do nothing." I turn and give her a slight smile holding back my tears, quoting back to her exactly what Maria had said to Nyah that night in regards to having Cassiopeia taken from her as a baby; and how no one said anything, just stood by and let it happen and let it continue to happen by keeping the horrible secret for so many years knowing the truth.

"You have my word, I'll take this secret to my grave, ma'am. It stays between us. Even if I'm caught; I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect him." I look her straight in the eye making sure she can see into my soul that I'm telling the truth. "He's a beautiful baby, Cassiopeia. I wish him a beautiful life." I turn and then pause with hand on the edge of the doorframe looking back at her. I need to say this even though I promised I'd never speak of it again. "I might not be your sister. But you'll always be mine." She may not accept me but I cannot deny her. My heart refuses to ignore our connection now that it knows the truth. "Goodbye General."