Resisting the urge to panic and go strait to the surface, I circled around underwater until my eyes adjusted enough to be sure that I wasn't swimming up into a patch of fire. Once I found a clear area I kicked my way up, taking in huge gulps of air at the surface. I briefly saw the motor boat speeding toward the distance with four, maybe five men in it, one of them was Khasinau. I surveyed the debris from what remained of Khasinau's boat. There wasn't much, I nearly cheered out loud when I noticed the bright orange first-aid pack drifting by. I grabbed it and slung the strap over my shoulders. 'Maybe there is such a thing as good luck after all'
I started swimming and soon came upon a piece of debris much more gruesome than a piece of wood or a deck chair……a body, and not just any body it was Noah's body. The nearest island was about five hundred yards away from where I ended up. Normally it wouldn't have been too difficult a swim for me, but it was quite choppy that day and pulling Noah along with one hand slowed me down considerably.

After what seemed like an eon I got close enough to the island that it was shallow enough to stand up, at which point I slung Noah over my shoulder military style and walked the rest of the way toward the beach. Once I got there I laid Noah down, knelt beside him, and checked his vital signs. No breathing, no pulse. I tipped his head back and did mouth to mouth in time with chest compressions until he finally started coughing, spat some water up, and breathed raggedly.
I sighed with relief. Even though he hadn't come to he was alive…….though that wouldn't last long. Suddenly my head started spinning, I reached over into the emergency pack at my side with shaking hands. I rummaged through it, and found what I had been hoping for. A waterproof radio that would send an automatic distress signal. It was all I could do to flip the switch to "on" before I my body gave out. I knew that I should try to stay conscious, but my eyes felt like they were made of bricks so I fell face down in the sand and went to sleep.

BUUUUUUZZZZZZZ

The noise cut through my sleep like a knife. I groaned, planning to go in search of the annoyance. However, I found that to be much easier said than done, my body was rife with exhaustion. It was all I could do to even open my eyes, once I did the sun blinded me. I quickly closed them again. Some how I got up the energy to move my head just enough so that the sun wasn't directly in my face.

'A beach

A small raft

Men wading towards me, they're carrying something, what is it called again?

I can't remember.

A bigger boat farther away. What's that's it says on the side?………Coast Guard.

None of this makes sense…….I don't care.'

These were my last thoughts before I drifted off again.

Funafuti, Tuvalu

I sighed and wished, for the millionth time, that I could beat up the ER doctor. First he ruined my favorite jeans by cutting them off even though I was awake at the time and asked him not to. Then the sadistic son of a bitch decided that I should be x-rayed before giving me any pain killer, but the x-ray room was occupied so I was left out in the hallway with a splitting headache and a newborn crying in the next room. Finally, when I refused to tell him how Noah was shot he wouldn't let me out of his sight. It took me almost half an hour to persuade him to give me five minutes alone at the pay phone to make a call.

The American Embassy knew about our situation, thanks to my oh so helpful doctor informing them for me. Meaning that very soon it would be all over the evening news. I could see it could just see it. Two Americans with no passports or identification found on some little speck island, one with a gun shot wound and the other with no explanation for how they got there. The only problem was I didn't know whom to call. After all if Sloane found out about this he would have Noah executed, which in spite of everything I did not want to see happen. Besides that the CIA would not be to happy about me handing The Snowman, Noah, over to SD-6.

In truth I knew what my only real option was here. The only one I was comfortable at all with at least. It would require me swallowing an enormous amount of pride, but I knew I had to do it. I sighed again and picked the phone up off the receiver.