The pub was called The Lucky Clover, and Paddy O'Connell had been the owner and bartender for as long as anyone could remember. It was in a fairly respectable part of Dublin, and had its share of regular customers. The night after Saint Patrick's Day, however, was a slow one, as all his customers were usually at home still sleeping off their hangovers from the previous night's celebration. Paddy was just considering shooing the few die-hards away and closing up shop early when the door was pushed open and two familiar figures stepped in.
"Evenin' Paddy," the two young uniformed men said as they removed their hats and topcoats and took seats at the bar. "Slow night?"
"Ach, boyos! Ah 'and't expected tae see you lads again. Do ye ship out soon, then?"
"Aye. Tomorra mornin'. We just stopped in fer one las' pint. An' ta say farewell to a good ol' friend."
Paddy looked back and forth between the two men, a broad smile on his face. The two young lads sitting in front of him were the Kincaid brothers, 19-year-old identical twins whom he had known since they were babes in arms. The lads had both joined the RAF at the age of sixteen, and they were just about to ship out on their second six-month tour of duty.
"Liam, Kieran, 'tis an honor tae pour ye yer last pint on th' fair soil of Ireland before ye ship out. Why, ah still remember th' day your da brought ye both in here fer yer verra first pint. How is the colonel doin' these days, then?"
"He's well," Kieran said noncommittally. "He was back from London on a two-week furlough not long ago. It's been hard on our mother, with the three little 'uns to take care of alone, but she's been holdin' up enormously well."
Paddy nodded understandingly as he handed them their pints and poured one for himself as well. "Your mother's a lucky woman to have two such fine lads as her sons. Slainté." They all toasted, and Paddy couldn't help grinning as Kier picked his glass up with his right hand and Liam used his left. It was the only sure-fire way to tell them apart.
The idle chitchat continued for some time before Paddy noticed that one of the twins was less talkative than was normal. "Liam, m'boy, you're oddly quite tonight. Is somethin' wrong?"
Liam was swirling the beer around in his mug. "No, Paddy, ah'm alright. Ah just 'aven't been quite meself lately."
"Ah heard ye'd been in th' hospital after returnin' from yer las' mission. Nothin' serious, ah ken?"
Liam shook his head. "No, it was pretty serious, but ah'm better now. The doctors said that this next tour of duty should do me a world 'o good."
"That's wonderful ta hear, me lad. Ah hate ta see ye so silent; 'tisn't in your nature. Why, ah remember your da once tellin' me…" Paddy regaled them with a funny story about themselves as children to break the ice, and in moments the three were laughing like the old friends they were.
It was hours later when the twins finally left The Lucky Clover to head for home, only slightly inebriated. As they walked down the dark street, Kieran kept glancing at his brother, concern written all across his face. Finally, he was unable to keep quiet any longer. "Liam?"
His twin looked up, but his gaze was distant. "Huh?"
"Ya sure you wanna take this mission? An mean, we could give it more time, if you feel you're not ready…"
Liam looked surprised. "Ah'm ready, Kier. Ye said it yerself, 'nother mission'll be good for me. Besides, you need me on this one. You said as much yourself, an' it's the only reason ah'm standin' here today…"
Three months ago…
Kier hated hospitals. Especially military hospitals. The sterile whiteness of everything caused him to lose all depth perception, not to mention the austerity and impersonality of it all. They were, in his opinion, cold, frightening places.
He sat next to his twin's hospital bed, Liam's cold, white hand held tightly in his own. His brother had been completely unresponsive since the day he'd been found in that alley in Berlin three months after his arrest at the hands of the Gestapo. His physical injuries had completely healed, leaving only scars, but still he did not wake up. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with him, but Kieran did. Liam was trapped inside his own head, reliving every moment of those three months in his mind. Kieran knew this because every night he found himself a bystander in Liam's dreams, watching as he was tortured, trying to tell him that it was only a dream and getting no response. He knew there had to be some way to bring his twin out of it; he just wasn't sure what it was yet.
He looked up as Kathleen Kelly, Liam's girlfriend of four years, came into the room. She had been here every day, never giving up hope, and that made Kier respect her in a way he never thought he would. *You've got yourself a great girl, Li,* he thought to himself. *I only hope you'll get the chance to realize that yourself.*
"Mornin', Kieran," Kathy said softly. "Have ye been here all night, again?"
He nodded. "Ah keep hopin' he'll dream himself awake one of these nights. Someone needs to be 'ere when 'e wakes up. He won't know where 'e is, and he needs ta see a familiar face."
A sad smile crossed her face and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're the best of brothers, Kieran. I'll take over now. You must go an' eat something. Also, there's a man outside in th' hallway who wishes ta speak wi' ye. A general."
"A general?" Kier was curious. What could a general want with him? "Thanks, Kathy. Ah'll be back soon."
"Take yer time," Kathy replied as he got up to leave. "Ah'll be here."
"Thank ye for that." He graced her with a nod and a smile as he closed the door silently behind him.
The unknown general was waiting just outside the door to Liam's room. "Lieutenant Kieran Kincaid, I presume?"
"Sir, yes sir!" He came to attention and saluted.
"At ease, son." The general saluted back. Then, he asked, "Would you like to go to the lounge? We need some place to sit and talk, and you look like you could use a good breakfast."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Kieran replied. "Ah was planning on heading there anyway."
As the two of them proceeded down the blank, empty hallway, the general finally introduced himself. "General Creighton, Allied Intelligence, on detached assignment to the British Secret Service."
"It's a pleasure ta meet you, sir."
"I was very sorry to hear about your brother's condition, Lieutenant. How is he doing?"
"Well, sir, physically, he's completely recovered, but he still hasn't regained consciousness yet. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him, ah'm sorry ta say. I believe the trauma he experienced has simply been to much fer him to bear."
"I've heard of such things before," the general nodded sympathetically. "And that is why I am sorry to be coming to you here under such circumstances. I regret to inform you, Lieutenant Kincaid, that you are being recalled to active duty."
Kieran stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the general. "You're kiddin', right?" he asked incredulously. When the general slowly shook his head, Kier felt anger rising in him. "But they can't do that! Not so soon after… Ah won't go! Not w'out mah brother!"
The general, obviously surprised at his outburst, pulled him into a nearby empty room. "Keep your voice down, Lieutenant! You forget where you are."
Kier snorted at that. "No, sir, ah could never forget that. I've spent every day since ah got home in this hospital, prayin' fer mah brother ta wake up. An' the blokes at 'Eadquarters are off their crocks if'n they think ah'm just gonna leave 'im 'ere in his present condition an' go gallivantin' off on some mission!"
"It is a direct order, Lieutenant," the general said in a very dangerous voice. "I don't believe I need to remind you of your duties as an officer."
Uh-oh. It wouldn't do to overstep his bounds; not if the general was working for the Secret Service and Allied Intelligence. "Ah'm sorry, General, but you just don't seem ta understand. None o' the officers at Command ever did. Bein' a twin is a hell of a lot more than jes' lookin' like your brother; Li an' I are close in ways ye could never imagine. Ah know exactly wot's goin' on inside 'is head right now, an' ah won't leave 'is side until ah c'n convince him 'e's safe. An' if Command can't accept that, well… well…" The general's glare stopped him in his tracks, and he stammered to a halt, not sure what to say next.
"You don't really expect me to believe that you'd give up a promising career for a court martial, do you, Lieutenant? You know as well as I do that your country needs you, now more than ever. This is bigger than family or anything, and Command won't see it any other way. Your commander at MI-6 told me that this is exactly the type of mission they recruited you and your brother for. They're not giving you a choice, Kieran." His face softened a little as Kier hung his head in anger and uncertainty. "I'm sorry, son."
"Ah'm sorry too," Kier said, resentment clear in his voice. "But isn't there anything ah can do, sir? Can't you make Command understand? Ah can't just leave Liam 'ere, ah can't!"
"I'll see what I can do, but I'm afraid noting will change their minds on this one. Now, let's go to the lounge. I believe that when you hear the details of the mission, you'll understand why we need you right away."
Later that evening, Kier was sitting in his brother's room again, trying to come to terms with leaving. He had explained the entire mission to Liam, which involved an undercover operation in France to gather plans and troop information to help the Allies plan for the coming invasion. It really was a mission best suited for two people, which was why Allied Intelligence had chosen the Kincaid twins, but the mission was too important to abort just because one of them was out of commission, and none of their other operatives were available or capable of a mission of this type. So now Kier was going to have to go it alone.
"Ah really wish you were comin' with me on this'un, Li," he said aloud to the silent room, his voice full of emotion. "Ah dunno if ah c'n do this alone." He slumped to the bed alongside his unconscious brother, buried his head in his arms, and was asleep before he realized it.
He woke up in a small concrete room: a prison cell, and knew that he was dreaming again. Or, more specifically, he was in one of Liam's dreams. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked to the other side of the cell and saw Lima lying in the corner, handcuffed and shackled, with a nasty bump on his forehead. That was the worst of his injuries, though, so Kieran knew that it was only the first day. Any moment now, Liam would become conscious, glance around in confusion, and panic as he realized what had happened to him. Though Kier could see him, he could not see Kier, so no comfort or plea was ever heard. He could do nothing but sit and watch; that had never changed.
Moments later, Liam finally began to stir. He opened his eyes and glanced around, confusion written all over his face. That confusion turned to shock, then fear, as he encountered the shackles and realized where he must be and how he got here. He pushed himself off the floor and looked around wildly, and then his gaze fell upon Kieran sitting in the opposite corner. "Where am I?" he asked softly in English, not the German that he usually spoke, and the question was directed at his brother. "Kier? Is that really you?"
Kier just stared at him. Liam had never acknowledged his presence in a dream before! Maybe this was his own dream after all, and not Liam's.
"This looks like a prison cell, Kier. Did the Gestapo get you too?"
"No, it's just a dream, Liam. You're dreaming."
"A dream, eh?" Li sounded extremely calm at that revelation. "More like a nightmare, ah'd say. But why does it seem so real?"
Now was his chance to finally get through to his brother! "Well, that's because it WAS real, Li. This is a memory, from when you were captured by the Gestapo. But you're safe now in a hospital in Dublin. You were rescued."
"Were you captured as well, Kier?"
"No. I escaped before they could get to me."
"Then why are you here now, if this is a memory?"
"We haven't been able to wake you up since you were rescued. You've been trapped in your memories. The doctors and I have tried everything we can think of, but nothing works, so they're giving up. Ah just came ta say goodbye."
"Goodbye?! But… where are ya goin'?"
"I'm bein' recalled to active duty again. MI-6 had a mission lined up for us when we returned, and since you're still unconscious, ah have ta go it alone." He paused and took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. "It's a shame, too. Ah could really use you on this mission, Li. It was meant for both of us, an' it'll be a lot riskier goin' it alone."
"So don't!" Liam sounded desperate. He started glancing around the cell, scrutinizing every inch of it. "There 'as ta be some way out of here! An won't let ya go alone." He held his cuffed wrists out to his twin, pleading with him, "Set me free, Kier! You must have the key somewhere!"
"But ah don't! I've tried everything, searched everywhere, an' ah canna find it. You have the key, Liam; you must have it! Only you can set yourself free now."
"Help me search, then, Kier!"
"Ah can't. I've been ordered on this mission; I gotta go." As he said this, he could feel himself waking up. The dream was slowly fading.
Liam's voice became more panicked as he saw his brother slowly fading before his eyes. His panicked cries, "Kieran, don't leave me! Please, don't go!" followed Kier back to consciousness.
As he opened his eyes, he swore he could still hear his brother's voice. He sat up, surprised, as he realized that he DID hear his brother's voice! The figure on the bed was moving, thrashing about and muttering, "Kieran, don't leave me! Don't go, Kieran!" His voice got louder and louder, until finally his eyes opened and he shouted, "Kieran!"
Kier was so shocked and happy at the same time that he almost cried. "It's alright, leth-aon," he said quietly as he put his hand on his twin's chest to keep him from sitting up and hurting himself. "Ah'm here. I haven't gone anywhere yet. Everything's going to be just fine… now that you're back."
The next morning, Kier met General Creighton in the hospital lounge with a proposition. "The mission's a go, General, if you'll grant me jus' one request. Give me three months, an' mah brother an' I will both go on this mission, just like MI-6 had planned in the first place."
The general had no choice but to agree.
"Two Kincaids are better than one," Kieran said thoughtfully as he recalled his re-proposal of the mission to the general. The mission required an agent to pose as an officer in the SS division stationed in Paris. Headquarters had designed the mission with the twins in mind; posing as an SS officer would be a much easier task when two people could take turns, and it also made it possible for said officer to be in two places at once. Plausible deniability was key as well. Kieran and Liam had both been fascinated by the mission from the start; it would give them a chance to truly test their impersonation and espionage skills to the limit.
"If nothin' else, it gave me a great incentive ta get back in th' game," Liam commented. "You're verra convincing when you're desperate, Kier," he said with a grin.
"Well, ah'm glad fer that, then. An' I was desperate. There's no way I'd wanna go on this mission w'out ye, Li."
"Speakin' o' this mission, we best get home a wee bit faster, seein' as we gotta be on the base by 0800 tomorra mornin'," Liam reminded his twin as he stole a glance at his watch. "Come on, twin! Ah'll race ya home!" And with that, the two brothers took off, racing pell-mell down the street, their laughter echoing among the darkened buildings and out into the starry sky.