Chapter 4: Resurfacing

Jacob Nussbaum's apartment, Morningside Heights. Sunday, July 2, 2006.

Henry was a caged tiger as he paced back and forth in the living room in Jacob's apartment. Sara wished he'd stop. His behavior reminded her of Neal's energy and also spoke volumes about the world of difference between the Neal she knew and the man now meeting with Jacob behind closed doors in the doctor's consultation room.

After a day in the hospital, Neal was pronounced physically strong enough to leave. Sara and Henry had stayed the night in the hospital room with him. She'd brought sweat pants and a t-shirt for Neal to change into. He'd docilely followed their instructions to dress, but his face was blank and expressionless. Neal was so robotic, it was eerily more terrifying than if he'd been agitated.

Peter met them in the morning for the short drive to Jacob's house. The university neuropsychologist lived in a brownstone south of Columbia, only a few blocks from June's mansion. Jacob's comfortable Arts and Crafts style apartment reminded Sara of Noelle and Joe's home. It put her more at ease although it didn't seem to have the same effect on the others.

Peter was as stressed as Henry. For the past several minutes, his gaze had been locked onto a painting on the wall as if willing it would turn into Neal.

"Henry, do you know much about the hypnosis procedure Jacob will use?" Sara asked, hoping to break through the tension threatening to smother them all.

Henry stopped short as if he'd collided with a wall. "Only that it didn't work when he used it on Victor."

"But as Jacob pointed out, Victor's emotional state was vastly different from Neal's," Peter said, appearing grateful for a discussion topic. Jacob had warned them that it would be at least an hour before he'd be ready for them.

Sara stood up to refill her coffee mug from the thermos Jacob had provided. She shouldn't load up on additional caffeine, but none of them were going to get much sleep till Neal began to improve.

"My only knowledge about hypnosis is from movies," Sara admitted. "The Ipcress File, The Manchurian Candidate, Zoolander—I hope they weren't realistic portrayals."

Henry grabbed a wood dining chair and placed it in front of her. "They're not," he said, straddling the chair and resting his arms on the back. "In any case, what Jacob is doing is hypnotherapy. The technique is sometimes derided by psychologists but it can be very effective. I trust Jacob's judgment. He said it didn't work for Victor because his emotional state had deteriorated to the point he couldn't be reached. If Neal managed to construct a rabbit hole, it will just be a matter of coaxing him out."

All of them were trying to stay positive for each other's sakes. Jacob asked them to stay because he believed that Neal could eventually respond to their voices. Sara clung to that thought, but as the minutes dragged, all of them fell silent. She listened intently for any sound coming from the consultation room. At one point she heard a Japanese flute, the instrument used in the phone call Neal had received. Several minutes later they heard the theme music of Finding Nemo. Neal was fond of the song "La Mer" which the movie theme was based on. He told her Diana had played it during a surprise party when he and Peter were appointed to the Interpol art crimes task force. Neal had sung it for Sara in London. Would it now welcome him back to their world?

After close to two hours, the door opened and Jacob walked into the room. "Beyond the Sea" was still playing in the background. He closed the door quietly behind him and approached them. "We're to the point I'd like you to participate," he said, keeping his voice low. "Neal is making excellent progress. He's answering my questions. He's accepted me into the underwater cave he's been living in." A smile spread over his face. "I should warn you that I've taken on Gill's role."

Henry nodded with approval, a small smile forming. "That makes sense. He's the fish who masterminded the escape of Nemo and the other fish from the aquarium."

"If this works, I may start a new school of underwater therapy," Jacob said, a twinkle in his eyes. Simply listening to his warm Queens accent eased a little of Sara's tension.

"I've been able to piece together a rough scenario of the fantasy Neal created," Jacob went on. "Bruce the Shark—that's you, Henry—saved him from being pulled into Cthulhu's fortress of R'lyeh. You told him to hide in a cave then left to find Marlin. Peter, you're Marlin. Bruce assured Neal that you and your wife Coral are safe. Inside the cave with Neal are Shellie the Seahorse"—he nodded at Sara—"and Gurgle. I'm not sure who Gurgle is, but he's a germophobe."

Peter chuckled. "That can only be Mozzie, a close friend."

"Neal has been working on a mosaic in the cave," Jacob said. "The technique he's using reminds me of when he worked on a jigsaw puzzle as part of his therapy last summer. That's an encouraging sign. I'm hopeful that Neal remembers how he was able to ignore the false signals his brain was sending him by focusing on puzzle pieces. If my theory is correct, Neal constructed a mental barricade to shield himself from the programming. Our job is to coax him out. He's ready for you to enter his cave. I've prepared a script for you to follow. We'll proceed a step at a time. If any resistance is encountered, I may need to ask you to leave."

Once he'd given them their instructions, Jacob led them into the consulting room.

Neal was sitting at a round table in the center of the room. He ignored them, keeping his gaze focused on the table. He moved his fingers as if rearranging puzzle pieces only he could see. Jacob motioned them to take seats. Sara sat next to Peter on the couch. Henry picked a side chair.

Jacob took a seat at the table facing him. "Neal, do you know who I am?" he said quietly.

Neal nodded absently as he picked up an invisible piece and fit it into place. "You're Gill."

"That's right. I told you I'd check to see if Bruce had arrived. I found him just outside. He's at the entrance to the cave. Do you want to talk with him?"

Neal swallowed. "Sure." His voice was a barely audible whisper.

Jacob raised his voice slightly. "Bruce, is Cthulhu still hunting Neal?"

"Nah, that loser took one look at me and my pals—Anchor and Chum—and realized it was curtains." Henry's voice rang with easy-going confidence. "Our buddies at the Oceanographic Institute captured him. Cthulhu's now in a cage where he'll be poked and prodded for the rest of his unnatural existence. The ocean's safe once more."

Neal's hand hovered motionless over the table. "How about Marlin and Coral?" He kept his eyes fixed on the table.

"They're fine too. Cthulhu never got his tentacles on them."

"Neal, this is Marlin," Peter said. "I'm just outside the cave. I'd love to see you again."

Neal continued to stare at the table. "What do you want me to do, Gill?" he asked.

"Perhaps you should ask Shellie," Jacob suggested.

"All right. Shellie, do you think it's safe to leave?"

"Yes, I do. There's a world of adventures outside waiting for us. Let's explore them together!" Sara tried to keep her voice cheerful but her heart was breaking at the sound of his voice. He still sounded so lost.

Neal didn't respond. His eyes were still fixed on the table as he dropped another piece into place.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Jacob asked, "Neal, what are you making?"

"A mosaic."

"What's the subject?"

"Shellie." He stopped abruptly, blinking his eyes. "That's not right. This is Sara."

"Isn't that mosaic finished?"

He raised his head to look at Jacob. "Is it?"

"Yes, I believe it is. When I snap my fingers, you will exit the cave and recognize your friends. You will remember everything you've been keeping hidden."

Neal continued to stare at Jacob as he raised his hand. At the sound of the snap, Neal blinked. He offered Jacob a confused look. "How did I . . .?" His words trailed off as he turned his head and saw the others. "Sara? What happened? Are you crying?"

She rushed forward. "They're tears of joy." She wanted to kiss him but was it too soon? She stroked his hair instead.

Neal exhaled slowly. "What did Rolf do now?"

#

"And Neal wasn't troubled by nightmares?" Diana asked anxiously.

"He slept peacefully the entire night," Peter assured her. "I doubt Sara got much sleep though." Peter had called the team together for an early morning briefing. He'd already spoken with them on Sunday after the therapy session. Neal was allowed to return to June's house with Sara. Although he'd continue to see Jacob daily, he was no longer displaying any symptoms of trauma.

"Neal's last clear memory was receiving the phone call on Wednesday. After that, his memories are disjointed. He recalls visiting the art gallery and seeing the sculpture. When he exited the gallery, he got into a black car that was waiting for him at the curb. He was unable to provide any details of the make or the person driving it. Someone met him at London Terrace and took him upstairs to the apartment but Neal doesn't remember what the person looked like. He couldn't even say if it was a man or a woman."

"Any idea how long he'll be on medical leave?" Jones asked.

"Jacob hopes that Neal will be able to return to the office for a few hours later in the week. The doctor's anxious for him to return to his normal activities as quickly as possible."

"Has Mozzie returned?" Travis asked.

"Yes, and he's staying at June's as well. You mentioned you'd made progress on Langton's files," Peter prompted.

Travis nodded. "We had our initial breakthrough yesterday evening." His eyes were bloodshot. He'd worked through the night in the lab decrypting files. Aidan was assisting remotely from California.

"The code has many points of commonality with the malware that was used for the heist at Harvard University last spring," Travis explained. "That simplified our task. Based on the data we've extracted, there's no question that Alice Langton ran the Pod. There are records relating to numerous video game ransomware demands as well as extortion attempts on eleven movies, most of whom we didn't know about. The two we were familiar with—Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea—had been prompted by someone identified only as 'Z' which we believe is Rolf."

"Do you have any proof?" Peter challenged.

Jones gave a smug smile as if he was hoping for the question. "Thanks to Mozzie we do. His efforts to promote that outrageous movie paid off. Diana and I worked on the phone records of the guards who've had contact with Rolf. One of them placed a call to Langton, relaying orders from Z to hack Hotaru's email server. That's the company Mozzie was meeting with. She was directed to find out if there actually is a movie under consideration that features Yellowface versus Godzilla."

Diana glanced at her watch. "By now the guard should be under arrest. One of Rolf's tentacles has been severed." She slapped a hand over her mouth, looking horrified. "I didn't mean that."

"It's okay," Peter said, not wanting to make her feel worse than she already did. Tricia had told him about Diana's remorse. "Neal would be the first one to say he doesn't want anyone to change their behavior around him. But this is an example of why Jacob won't sign off on him returning to work until the doctor's convinced a tease or slip doesn't provoke an adverse reaction. Henry and I stayed with Neal through dinner. Weight loss is the only symptom he shows. He was eager for details about everything that had gone on. He even joked about him and me being clownfish."

"I hope he's not conning us about feeling okay," Jones said, voicing the worry Peter also had. "With Caffrey, it's almost impossible to tell."

"Not for Jacob," Peter said. "Neal will have a difficult time faking it with him." He turned back to Travis. "I know you haven't had much time for analysis, but did anything else strike you?"

"It was more the absence of something," Travis admitted. "There's no reference to the Ood or anything else associated with the frame attempt on Mozzie. We found records about the theft of the map, but nothing about the elevator hack. There's also no information about Neal's abduction to Hungary or the virtual-programming incident last summer."

"Tricia believed Langton was genuinely shocked about Victor Liu," Diana said, "but I find it hard to believe Rolf kept her out of the loop, especially since her research ties into Penfold's procedures."

"He might have if he were aware of her scruples," Jones countered. "Langton could have developed her personal system of ethics. We've known thieves who've done the same," he added, glancing up at the ceiling. Everyone knew he was referencing Mozzie. "They may steal from museums or hack computer programs, but they refuse to engage in violent acts. Langton could be furious at both Rolf and Penfold if they'd kept her unaware of the psychological manipulation techniques Penfold was using."

Diana frowned. "It won't us do much good since she's now flown the coop."

"Hey, it's not all bad," Travis protested. "We're in a position to dismantle the Pod organization. Langton's not in custody but we have her files, and they include the contact information of her associates in the Pod as well as dark web handles."

"Travis is right," Peter said. "Plus, if Jones's theory is correct, Langton will never agree to work for Rolf again."

#

On Monday, Sara was invited to sit in on Neal's therapy session. That didn't seem like the appropriate term. It was much more like a visit between good friends.

They worked on a jigsaw puzzle and discussed an upcoming William Morris exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Jacob joked about Neal turning himself and his friends into sea creatures Neal teased Sar about her fondness for seahorses. They discussed the characteristics of the various characters in Finding Nemo and what similarities they had to the real people. By the end, Sara was left thinking the therapy had been more for her than Neal. He was able to pigeonhole the experience as a nightmare. She was still coping with the terror she'd felt that Neal would end up like Victor.

By the time she and Neal returned to June's, though, she was ready to celebrate. Luckily, the preparatory work was already done. Mozzie had arrived in New York yesterday evening. Before they left for the therapist, he'd pulled her aside to tell her where he'd conceal the surprise. June was out for the rest of the day but would be home for dinner.

As they neared the mansion, Sara's nerves started to flare up. How would Neal react? Was it too soon?

"Would you like to go out to dinner?" Neal asked as they walked up the front steps.

"Mozzie's already offered to pick up dinner at La Palette for us," Sara said. "We thought you might prefer to stay at home. June will join us."

"This is beginning to have the feel of a farewell dinner," he noted as he unlocked the front door. "When do you need to fly back?"

"I can put it off for a few more days," she said nonchalantly. Her boss was anxious for her to return, but Neal didn't need to know that. "There's no way I'd miss Henry's Fourth of July bash. It will be our first Fourth to celebrate together since the infamous occasion in Baltimore."

He smiled. "The fireworks were a bit of a dud back then, weren't they? But we've made up for them. The fireworks at Disneyland could easily count. I know how short-handed Sterling-Bosch is right now."

When he started to head for the stairs, Sara clasped his arm. "Let's first have a drink in the living room. June's not here. We can pretend to be lord and lady of the manor." Her heart started to beat faster with anticipation.

"I like the way you think, and Jacob cleared me to drink alcohol."

"I bet Mozzie will bring over an extra case of honey wine in anticipation." She gently nudged him toward the sofa. "Let me make the drinks. I love being your princess, but you realize I'm a modern one, and my bartending skills are much better than my cooking." She went to the wet bar. "Manhattan?"

"Sounds great." Neal relaxed into the cushions, spreading his arms out along the back of the sofa. He looked so happy that Sara hesitated. They had the house to themselves. Neal was giving her a come-hither smile. But there'd be plenty of time for that later.

Sara made the Manhattans in record time. June had taught her to make the cocktail with bourbon rather than Canadian whiskey. She found the box in the napkin drawer just as Mozzie had promised. She slipped it into the pocket of her dress, hoping Neal wouldn't notice the bulge.

She gave him the stemmed cocktail glass. "To us."

"And to future adventures," he said. "Both on land and in the water. Here's to you, Shellie!"

She waited till he'd taken a sip, then took his glass and placed it on the table. "I love you, Neal Caffrey, and I want you to remember that no matter where you go, I'll always be with you in one form or another."

He gazed at her with such tenderness that tears sprang into her eyes. "I know that," he said. "You were with me in that cave. That mosaic I was making was of you."

"Was I a mermaid?"

He grinned. "No, but I should paint you as one."

There was that smile again. She knew she needed to act quickly before being completely sidetracked. "You've given me so much. I'd like you to have this as a symbol of my love for you." She handed him the box then watched nervously as he opened it. She hadn't seen it yet but trusted Mozzie's judgment.

His eyes widened as he held up the ring. "How did you know? I realized when I came back from California how much I wanted to have a ring too."

Her heart performed a joyful somersault over his reaction. "I wasn't sure what you'd think, but in South America, men wear rings on the right hand when they're engaged and then move it to the left hand when they're married. I thought we could do the same."

"I'd love to." Neal studied the ring. "This matches what I made for you." He looked at her with wonderment. "How did you acquire it in such a short amount of time?"

"Mozzie, of course. He'd seen the ring you made me and had a goldsmith create a similar ring." The gold band was simple. The surface undulated slightly, giving it the effect of a handcrafted Renaissance band. The inside was engraved. Sara waited breathlessly for Neal's reaction.

He scrutinized the calligraphic whorls. "Is this supposed to be what I think it is?"

"What else? Celaenian script, or as close as human hands could create it."

Neal snickered, his eyes lighting up. "I bet there's algolnium in the gold. Will you place it on my finger?"

"It will be my greatest pleasure," she said, growing equally emotional. They'd have a wedding ceremony later, but in a very real sense, this was their private ceremony binding them together.

Afterward, she joined him on the couch to finish their cocktails.

"Now that we both have our rings, isn't it time to pick a date?" he said. "What do you think about Thanksgiving? The university will be on break. Surely by then, you will have moved to New York." He hesitated. "Unless you'd rather have a longer engagement." A note of uncertainty had crept into his voice, and there was a vulnerability in his expression that tugged at her heart.

"I would gladly marry you tomorrow," she said firmly. "But why deny ourselves the fun of planning a wedding! And I make you this promise. One way or another, I'll be back in New York next September."

"Did you hear something?" he asked.

She nodded. "While you were meeting privately with Jacob, my boss called. I'd told him about the abduction, and he was concerned about you. He also is well aware of how impatient I am for a transfer. He told me that Sterling-Bosch has decided to outsource their investigators. It's still confidential, but the news will be made public in about a week. He'd like me to work on the transition team and is confident that my transfer to New York will come through shortly." She smiled. "I suspect he was worried I was already reaching out."

"I'm sure he was. He has your file. He knows you used to work for Win-Win and now they have their first insurance client."

"That's excellent news! I hadn't heard. Sterling-Bosch will pay my relocation expenses and continue to keep me on staff till an outside provider is hired."

"Finances shouldn't concern you," Neal reminded her gently. "A certain Raphael painting will more than make up for any loss in salary." The painting was scheduled to be auctioned off in December, pending authenticity confirmation by Italian authorities. Neal's contacts had assured him that everything was proceeding smoothly.

"I know but you understand how important my career is to me."

"I do and I'll support any decision you make," Neal said. "I'm sure Henry's team will bid on the contract. If you went to work for Win-Win, would that cause any conflict-of-interest problems?"

"No. If anything it will have the opposite effect. Sterling-Bosch should be reassured to have a known investigator continuing to work on their cases."

"You'll be Henry's star agent," he said, giving her a kiss. Sara noticed Neal didn't make any mention of him jumping ship to work for Henry. They'd briefly discussed it, but she was convinced his loyalty to Peter and the team as well as to John Hobhouse would keep him at the Bureau.

"I do sense one looming problem," he said.

"What's that?"

He slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I've seen your closet. Much as I love the loft, it's not built for two. We should start checking out co-ops."

She sighed. "That's been on my mind too, but part of me has been dreading it. June will hate to see you move out."

"June's house feels like home, but the space really is inadequate. Every time I go over to Henry's loft, I fantasize about having a kitchen that size. I wonder what it would be like to walk around without bumping into furniture."

"Just think how liberating it would be to have a table large enough to hold both your and Mozzie's clutter."

He chuckled. "Plus a wine cellar, of course."

Sara heard a sound at the door. "That's probably Mozzie. I'll go check."

He'd already entered by the time she got to the foyer. "Has it already happened?" Mozzie whispered eagerly.

"Yes, and he loves it." She kissed his cheek. "I couldn't have managed without you."

"Tosh," he murmured. "It was my great pleasure to be part of the conspiracy."

"What are you two whispering about?" Neal asked, walking into the entrance hall.

"Just how lucky you are," Mozzie said. "I was prepared to act as Sara's proxy and offer you the ring on her behalf. I had quite a speech prepared. The downside, of course, was that you might have mistakenly believed I was like Cyrano de Bergerac—forced to plight someone else's troth to you."

Neal laughed. "Now I insist on hearing it!"

"Another time, perhaps." Mozzie linked arms with Sara. "Did Neal ever tell you about the time he confessed his passion for Neal Caffrey?"

Neal groaned. "It wasn't that way at all."

"Tomayto, tomahto. I'm sure my version is the correct one."

Mozzie proceeded to mix himself a Manhattan while giving a dramatic rendition of Neal's predicament with his former fencing instructor. Sara listened with half an ear while savoring the sensation of floating on a cloud. She hoped they could find a suitable apartment in the same neighborhood. Although Mozzie occasionally stayed with his girlfriend Janet in her apartment in Chelsea, his life too revolved around Columbia. And not just because of his close business connections with Billy Feng at the Aloha Emporium. Would the day ever come that he'd let her see his bunker in the basement of the emporium with its secret access to the university tunnel system?

But right now the only thing that mattered was that Neal was laughing and happy. The trauma of the past week was fading for her too.

"You and Janet are coming to Henry and Eric's Fourth of July bash, I hope?" she asked Mozzie.

"We wouldn't miss it. Who else will be there?"

"Henry's keeping it a manageable size," Neal said. "June, Peter and El, as well as Angela and Michael, are the only other names on the list."

"I'm told Henry plans to make the suit's gourmet burgers with the Burke secret sauce. That's one secret I haven't cracked yet, but I'll get El in a weak moment. How will she be able to resist my charm?"

"She won't be much help," Neal cautioned. "Only Burke men are privy to the formula."

Mozzie frowned. "He's bound to see reason. I'm Sara's adopted uncle. You're Peter's adopted son plus nephew through marriage. That must make me Peter's adopted something-or-other."

"I didn't even know you liked burgers," Neal teased.

Mozzie shrugged acknowledgment. "I've stopped eating beef out of respect for my bovine friends. El is bringing along some of her signature vegan burgers to the party, and the Burke secret sauce goes just as well with them." He paused, taking a sip of his drink, his face growing unusually serious. "Does the suit think the attack on you was provoked by the Godzilla con?"

"No one does," Neal assured him. "Peter told me Diana is worried that the stories may have played a role, but he pointed out that the arrangements for the octopus sculpture had been made a year ago. Rolf's fascination with cephalopods can be traced back to the very beginning of our interactions. Remember the murder at the Prague Aquapalace where an octopus had been glued onto a police detective's face? That occurred only a few months after Klaus faked his death at the Met."

"The Godzilla con accomplished its goal," Sara added. "Thanks to it, we discovered how Rolf was keeping in touch with the outside world. Tricia interrogated the guard. She was able to coax a confession out of him where he admitted to summarizing the Arkham Files stories. He also passed along coded information to two telephone numbers. One of them was traced to a phone belonging to Alice Langton."

"What about the other number?" Mozzie asked.

"It hasn't been identified yet, but we suspect it's a number connected to Penfold." Sara slanted a glance as she mentioned the doctor's name, but Neal concealed any unease he might be feeling. He claimed he didn't have any nightmares last night. She'd awakened every few minutes to check on him and had always found him sleeping peacefully. Jacob had assured them not to be concerned over the occasional nightmare since it was a natural consequence, but she still worried.

"Here's to Yellowface!" Neal said, clinking glasses with Mozzie. "Did you spend much time discussing the movie?"

His eyes glinted behind his glasses. "More than I'd expected. They want to move forward with the project!"

Notes: Many thanks for your comments on Klaus! He's using them to build his case for an arc where he'll play a major role. He particularly loved the comment from one reader who said it was time for a Mansfeld Conversation. He was probably also inspired by Penna's inclusion of an Ellis Conversation in her release of an updated Caffrey Conversation, the story which launched a series of over two million words and two spin-off series. Penna's written a blog post in connection with the release. The title is "Caffrey Conversation Revisited."

A few more surprises are on tap for the final chapter of Tsunami, and yes, Klaus will be part of them.