Rudy turned on Jaime as soon as they had cleared the glass doors to Goldman's outer office.

"What did you think you were doing in there?"

Jaime was taken aback by Rudy's ire, and had to remind herself that he only gave into it when he was frightened for someone he cared deeply about.

"I'm sorry, Rudy..."

"That's not good enough, Jaime." He ran a hand over the back of his neck and stepped closer to her, his eyes full of fire, "You know better than that; do you want to push him until he has a heart attack?" Despite the tears that had begun to form in her eyes, he yelled at her, "Do you?"

Guilt overwhelming her, Jaime couldn't speak. She looked down and shook her head, the tears falling hot down her face. Pacing away a few steps, Rudy took a calming breath, and felt his own regret at having made her cry. He shook his head and stepped closer, taking her by the shoulders.

His voice softened considerably, "I don't mean to be so harsh.....I'm just......"

Rudy's voice died away and Jaime looked up at him, finishing the thought, "You're just scared."

He nodded, "Yeah, I guess I really am." He put his arm around her shoulder, and moved her in the direction of his office, "Come on, let me take your mind off of this for awhile and show you what I've been working on. I think you'll find it interesting."

Jaime smiled wanly at Rudy, but the doctor knew damned well that she couldn't keep the worry from her mind. Neither could he.

Goldman looked up as the young man entered his office, "Well?"

"Our intel's confirmed, they're going to make an attempt tonight."

Oscar nodded, "Have we also confirmed that it is the Shia Hizballah that's behind this?"

Russ nodded, "Yes. Our sources in Lebanon have corroborated that this organization was the one which sponsored the theft of the Gillespie Project last year, and that they are in fact behind the attempts on your life."

Goldman stood, exhaling a large breath of air, "Okay..... Is everything in place?"

"Yes."

"Good." He turned and looked out the window, "And Jaime?"

"Well......"

Goldman turned back and glared at the young man, "Russ--"

"--It's a little sticky, Oscar."

"That's not the right answer, Russ."

The young man sighed, "I don't think you'll like this part of the operation, but I could only think of one way to insure her safety."

"And that is?"

"Sedate her and keep her here."

The dismay was evident in Oscar's tone, "Oh Russ--"

"--I told you that you wouldn't like this part."

Goldman paced in front of the window, "You're right, I don't."

"Look, we can't let her go home because they might try for both of you; but if she's here, at least they can't get to her. You know as well as I do, if she discovers the truth, there's no way she'll stay here voluntarily, and if she gets in the middle of it....well, there's no telling what could happen. If you want to keep her safe, this is the best solution for everybody."

Oscar stopped pacing, to look at Russ, "And just how do you think you're going to sedate her? She's not some naive little girl who's easily taken in; and you certainly can't overpower her....."

Russ looked away, swallowed, then turned to face Goldman, "That's the really awful part, Oscar. You're going to have to do it."

"What?"

"Oscar--"

"--No. Absolutely not." Oscar's tone turned emotional, "Don't you understand that I can't? Jaime trusts me, and--"

"--That's exactly right Oscar: Jaime trusts you."

The simplicity of it stopped Goldman cold. The two men stared at each other, their eyes locked in a battle of silent argument. While Russ respected Goldman tremendously, he had always felt that the older man was too soft where Jaime Sommers was concerned. It was a weakness that had put the OSI at risk more times than Russ cared to remember. And now he wondered if that fondness would put the old man's life in jeopardy; or worse, trigger the end of it.

Oscar could feel the perspiration slide from under his collar and down his back as the scrutiny of his young agent crept under his skin. Strategically, he understood how Russ had arrived at his determination, but how in the name of all that Oscar held true could he betray Jaime in this way? Goldman broke their concentrated stare and turned back to look out the window. Life in the mall was proceeding as it always did; people hurrying here and there, oblivious to whatever horrific fate of the day their government was at that moment trying to avoid on their behalf. For a brief moment, Oscar wondered when their collective luck would run out, and the United States would find itself at the mercy of terrorists. He closed his eyes in the painful realization that if they continued down their current path, that day would indeed come. He fought the emotion that began to rise in his throat at the idea that Jaime might someday become a statistic of counter espionage. What had he been thinking in allowing her to become an agent? The day would come when he'd no longer be there to protect her. But today, he could.

After what had seemed like an eternity, Russ saw Oscar's head drop in resignation. The older man took a deep breath, and spoke not above a whisper.

"All right...........bring me the sedative and I'll see to it."

"How do you plan to--"

Oscar whirled around and snapped, "--That is not your concern. I said I'd do it, but I'll do it in my own way. Now please, just go."

Russ silently exited the office, not enjoying what he had needed to do, but confident that it was the only option to not only keep Oscar and Jaime alive, but also to catch members of the Shia Hizballah in an act of espionage and treason. Once caught on US soil in an assassination attempt of the director of a government agency, the penalty could be swift and severe. He wondered if terrorists maintained their numb lack of respect for human life once the choice of when, how and whom was taken away from them. Somehow he doubted it.....