A.N. - Okay, so this next phase has been so hard to get right hence the delay in posting, sorry for the wait! I have re-drafted, re-edited, re-structured and deleted great swathes but nothing seemed to work for me, so it's been very frustrating. The whole story is pretty much spun on it's head now and it's been so hard to structure it appropriately but I've finally decided on splitting it into two shorter chapters rather than putting it all together, it was just too much. I won't say any more but as the chapters were written concurrently, they are uploaded together so there is no wait.

The non-italicised 'present' of these two chapters are Saturday night/Sunday morning in Hong Kong as we fill in the final hours of the twenty four hours before Fred and Daphne wake up at the airport, and it picks up exactly where the last chapter ended.

The flashbacks presented here are even further back down the timeline and represented in italics and I've tried to nail down the time frame a little more to give you a better idea of the Hong Kong timeline. Hope that's not too confusing, enjoy!

Hong Kong – Saturday night/Early Hours of Sunday morning:

His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, as he went to remove the ornate mask. She was watching him with a fear on her face that completely destroyed him inside. The golden mask was heavy, and it took a few seconds to lift it fully from his head. Once he had done so however, he realised he was still standing in the wig with the ridiculous fake facial additions, but he knew that she recognised him immediately even underneath the disguise.

For perhaps an entire minute, she did nothing but simply stare at him in shock, and he stared straight back, both of them unable to shake their gaze nor form any words; nothing seemed appropriate for this moment. After a few more tense seconds, he opened his mouth to try and speak just as her arm drew back. He had enough time to react, he could have moved away in time but he didn't. He took the full fury of her fist to his face anyway, he knew he more than deserved it.

She hadn't drawn blood, just knocked his glasses flying and his nose was throbbing, but he made no move to cradle his face, he only wanted to reach out to touch her. He wanted to hug her tightly but as she stood there, hatred and confusion swimming in her eyes, he knew he was a long way from that. He knew she would want answers, they both would, but he didn't even know where to begin. How do you even begin to explain why you had to 'play dead', and ended up 'kidnapping' your own sister and one of your closest friends?

Hong Kong – Over 4 days earlier, Wednesday, approximately 12 noon:

Ethan's heart was bursting in excitement for Fred as he proudly showed off the dazzling engagement ring on his webcam. He was just about to ask his friend more questions about the proposal plans, when he saw his phone flash on the bed next to him, out of the corner of his eye. He swiped to open it one handed, while still keeping most of his attention on a buoyant Fred. He couldn't help but be annoyed by the single word flashing up – URGENT.

He inwardly groaned to himself. Why now dammit! Why today of all days?! It was supposed to be his day off!

He knew this was something he was going to have to deal with imminently though, so he quickly shut down the conversation with Fred, hoping he didn't come across too abrupt as he left the chat, and turned his computer off.

He knew it had been too good to be true that it had been fairly quiet recently. He had known that obviously wouldn't last, but it was most inconvenient for this to flare up again now.

He made a quick call to his boss, Oliver Farshan, and was not at all heartened by what he heard.

"Hey Ethan, it's nothing concrete OK, but there's chattering of something major brewing, which backs up the stuff you were able to get from that group last week. I'm advising everyone to be on their guard OK? We need to be extra cautious for the next couple of days until we get any more information. Stay safe."

His immediate reaction to hearing that unpleasant news was to quickly contact Stella; there was no indication whether this potential threat was here, or in the States, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She thanked him for the information and then told him they were finalising plans for the big raid.

Ethan set the laptop down by his bedside before walking into his kitchen and pouring himself a cool glass of water. He carried it to his balcony, and then sipped it slowly as he gazed out across the city. He never really planned to come here but when Devon's links with Hong Kong were first discovered, it was a natural step for him to move to the city and he had slowly fallen in love with the place. His life had changed considerably in the two years he lived here, and it certainly pained him that he wasn't able to tell Daphne, Fred and the others, the true nature of his reason for coming to China. He knew keeping the truth from them was necessary to maintaining their safety, and he couldn't help but smile when he thought of them.

They had become such carefree travellers right now, touring around, having fun, and solving some absolutely kooky mysteries by the sounds of their regular updates. Every time he spoke to them, they all seemed so happy and relaxed and that was exactly how he wanted it to stay. There was no need to inform them of the dangers that had developed here or in Coolsville. Their ignorance to the situation was necessary to their safety and that's all that mattered as far as Ethan was concerned.

His phone rang again, and he found himself jumping a little in nervous anticipation, expecting to see Farshan calling back with further bad news. Instead, he was soon smiling when he saw who was video calling. He walked back into his apartment, sliding the balcony door firmly closed.

"Hey Tomas," he greeted his fellow 'spy'. "What's up? Did Farshan give you this warning too?"

Tomas was German and had been part of the same groups that Ethan had infiltrated undercover. He was similarly young but had a little bit more experience than him in the whole 'spy game'.

"Yeah, I don't take too much notice, we've been here before, remember?" Tomas scoffed.

"Ah Tomas, this is true, but just take care of yourself though, yeah?"

"My young American friend, you worry too much! Look,I've got a favour to ask you, can I use your motorcycle? My car is..." Tomas made a little 'kaput' sound on the screen, followed by a sad face making Ethan laugh aloud.

"That's some bad luck you're having lately Tomas! Are you still out today?"

"Ah, that's right!" Tomas recalled, swiping his hand to his forehead before grinning at Ethan salaciously. "It's your day off! 'Date' day in fact. Ethan's gonna get some!"

Ethan blushed, glad his European friend hadn't used an even cruder expression. "It's only the second date, Tomas!"

"And?" Tomas raised his eyebrows before laughing. "Look, I'm only teasing, you need some fun and time to unwind after the last month. I can't remember if you told me, does he know what you do?"

"He knows I work for the American government," Ethan shrugged. And that's all he needs to know."

"Sure, sure. So you still haven't answered me, can I have the ride? I'm quite sure you told me once that Tao doesn't like it...so..." he pouted and batted his eyelashes, causing Ethan to laugh again at how ridiculous the tattooed blond looked doing it.

"Yes Tomas, you can take my bike. If you pop over in the next half hour, you can collect the keys before Tao picks me up, and then collect it from lock-up."

"You're a good man Ethan, thank you! I'll be there in well...two minutes..." Tomas turned the phone around sheepishly and Ethan could see he was already stood outside his apartment complex and had been for the duration of the conversation.

"That was very presumptuous of you," Ethan mock scolded when Tomas was at his door a few minutes later. He made to hand over the keys into Tomas' outstretched hand but then held them back while he sternly went over the rules.

"Do not go above the speed limit, no illegal passengers. No dangerous stunts. Not a scratch Tomas, you hear me?"

"I hear ya brother, I will take good care of her, I promise," Tomas grinned.

Satisfied by his promise, Ethan deposited the keys into Tomas' palm, who then high-fived him with his free hand. "Later, bro, thanks again. Good luck on your date!"

Ethan waved and retreated back into his apartment to get ready for his date afternoon. Tao had taken full care of the arrangements this time, and he had also promised him something of a surprise. Ethan had been so looking forward to it, but the warning now played on his troubled mind.

At 12.45 pm, Tao arrived right on time, and unsure how to greet him, Ethan stood a little awkwardly at his door, but luckily Tao took the initiative and lightly brushed his lips against Ethan's.

Tao had a backpack on, which Ethan eyed curiously.

"Are we going hiking? I'm not sure I'm dressed appropriately."

Tao looked him up and down approvingly. "You look good from where I'm standing. What you're wearing is more than fine. Let's go."

Ethan grabbed his jacket and his own smaller backpack, and then locked up. He took Tao's hand, relishing his soft, delicate grip as they got into the elevator together.

"You still haven't told me where we're going yet?"

Tao beamed a smile in response. "I told you it was a surprise, are all you Americans so impatient?" he teased lightly as they hurried outside and he politely opened his car door for Ethan. "Oh I almost forgot, your cell please," he said, holding out his palm.

"My cell?" Ethan replied, a little panicked. "What do you need my cell for?"

"Where we are going, I don't want any distractions. I know you government types are oh so busy but this is your day off. What harm could there be in switching it off just for a few hours? I would like your full and undivided attention this afternoon." Tao smiled widely, running his fingertips along Ethan's arm.

Ethan felt a delicious thrill, both from Tao's words and the feathery light touch on his bicep, but he was torn. The idea of completely switching off for a few hours and spending the time with Tao sounded like complete bliss; this was the first proper day off he had had in months and things had been pretty draining. But that warning was still very much prevalent in his head, it was unspecific right now and they had had similar warnings in the past that amounted to little. Still, he knew it was unwise to dismiss it completely and knew he was always going to remain on guard regardless, the same as any other day. So long as he stayed alert, it was okay to shut out others wasn't it? It would only be for a few hours after all. Tao smiled beseechingly at him and Ethan made the rash decision.

"You're right, a complete switch off would be amazing Tao," he smiled and then pushed the button to switch his cell off completely and put it in Tao's hands. "I'm all yours!" he said confidently but with a nagging doubt still in the back of his mind.

What's the worst that could happen?

Hong Kong – Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:

Daphne knew instantly despite the further tame disguise, that she was somehow staring at her own brother. There was probably a good long minute where she did nothing, she couldn't be completely sure that she was even still breathing in fact. A wave of emotions then crashed into her all at once. She could barely even begin to comprehend the fact he was almost certainly the one behind their abduction, which was bad enough, because only one feeling was insistent for now;

He allowed you to believe he was dead.

The anger at him for that alone was overwhelming, and she found herself unconsciously suddenly slamming her fist into his face. He staggered backward a little in shock, his stupid fake glasses flying off, then made a move to reach out to her. She didn't shake his hand off as it rested lightly on her shoulder but she couldn't look him in the eye. She found herself shaking instead as she confronted him furiously.

"How could you Ethan?! How could you let us think that you were dead? We watched that video. How can you possibly be here now? Was it all fake?!"

"I wish it was fake. Believe me, You don't know how much I wish this was all some staged nightmare but that video is more than real Daphne." His face looked pained now, a haunted expression in his eyes and he shuddered. "But it wasn't me on that bike."

"So it was a decoy? Why did you need to fake your own death?" She asked in confusion.

"There was nothing fake about any of this Daphne!" Ethan cried, a little angrily now. "The only reason why I'm not the one, that was carried away in the waves with a bullet in my skull, is little more than just a pure twist of fate. It SHOULD have been me."

Hong Kong, Wednesday, late afternoon:

The afternoon spent with Tao had been one of complete bliss for Ethan. Tao had driven them a little way out of the city to this gorgeous little forest and they had enjoyed a picnic purely in just each other's company, and without another soul around for miles.

And for those brief hours, Ethan had been able to forget everything. Forget about Devon Blake and his ever sprawling criminal empire. Forget about the terrible crimes that were happening in Coolsville on a daily basis, and forget about the dangerous assignments he himself had been a part of in this unfamiliar country. Instead, he had spent the time totally relaxed, getting to know his date, Tao.

Tao was a 28 year old private music tutor who visited children in their homes to give them lessons. Ethan had found him on a dating app and was initially drawn in by his profile photo; dark-haired, handsome, gorgeous eyes, great smile. Exactly his type. Luckily, when they met in person, he found everything about him on paper translated to his real life persona too. Tao was kind and easy-going, and very easy to talk to. While Tao talked candidly about his family, Ethan was much more guarded for obvious reasons. He couldn't divulge anything about his work life either in case it inadvertently put Tao in harm's way, but instead he found himself opening up about Daphne and Mystery Inc.

Like most people, Tao was incredibly sceptical when he first heard the stories but as they lay on their backs on the grass, the sun warming their faces and their arms entwined, he became more and more invested in their adventures.

"I can't believe people really go around in masks like that when committing crimes!" he exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Do they not even consider how ridiculous that is?"

Ethan kept quiet on the inspiration for the sudden spike in the costumed villains trend in Coolsville and beyond, and instead shrugged indifferently. "I guess they're not thinking straight at all. Most of them are pretty desperate or crazy, or a risky combination of both."

"Your friends though, they must be so brave themselves to get involved in something so dangerous."

"Oh they're the very best!" Ethan said enthusiastically. He propped himself up on his elbows, and pushed his sunglasses onto his head to regard Tao properly. "Seems as though I can't show you any photos because you insisted on taking my phone away..." he gently teased. "Let me tell you all about them instead."

Tao made himself more comfortable too, leaning to lay on his side, facing Ethan, his black t-shirt riding up a little as he did so. "Go ahead."

"Okay, so first there's Shaggy. He is literally the coolest guy. He's so free-spirited but he has a heart of gold, he's so caring and always so positive. He lost both his parents at a young age, but it hasn't held him back. He eats like no man I've ever met, but he's just like really pure, y'know? He's brave too. He acts like this big scaredy-cat but if his friends need him, he'll always be right there no matter what."

"And then there's Velma. Wow, where do you start with her? She's probably the most intelligent woman I've ever met, I mean we're talking a stupendous IQ here. She can solve a puzzle in minutes, and if you need someone to figure out a clue, she is definitely your woman. She is a little..." Ethan paused, trying to decide how to phrase what he wanted to say adequately. "...hard to love at first." He cringed at his words and immediately tried again. "God no that sounds awful! What I mean is, you really need to take your time to get to know her. It was probably months before I really felt like I knew her and she is definitely one fascinating cool chick.

"So then we have Fred. Fred is genuinely the bravest guy I've ever met and he's so selfless. He puts everyone before himself and would do anything for his friends. He's super smart too, he's especially gifted when it comes to figuring out how to trap the bad guys. When they became serious about the 'mystery solving' thing, they made him their leader and it was such a fine choice. He's headstrong and decisive. He's one of my very best friends in fact." Ethan knew he was gushing now, but talking about each member of the gang reminded him of how much he missed them all.

"Is he hot?" Tao asked deftly, catching Ethan by surprise. "You sound pretty in love with him."

"He actually saved my life once," Ethan admitted. "It's hard not to be in awe of him. And yeah he's 'hot', he doesn't swing our way though. In fact that brings me nicely round to our fourth member; who Fred's actually getting engaged to probably about now. I'm so excited!"

"Aw nice," Tao commented politely.

"So in my very unbiased opinion I've left the best until last. My beautiful half-sister Daphne," he announced with real pride in his voice. "She is so fierce and gutsy. She looks like this totally innocent little girly girl type because she loves to wear pink and purple, but, underestimate her at your peril. She loves martial arts and is like this tiny little whirlwind of strength and power. She has had to deal with a lot over the last few years and she's done it so effortlessly. She's such a tough little cookie. I couldn't be prouder of her."

"They all do sound like remarkable people, Ethan," Tao agreed. "Wait, didn't you tell me there were five of them in this group though?"

Ethan chuckled, a huge smile spreading across his face now as he thought of that all important fifth member. "Oh shoot! How could I forget Scooby! Scooby Doo is Shaggy's Great Dane and he's just an amazing dog, he's so loveable and loyal. He would do anything for any of them. The bond they all have with him is quite extraordinary and of course when he started talking..." he grinned slyly, watching Tao for his reaction.

"Shut up. No way!"

"Yes way," he affirmed playfully. "He can't talk like full sentences or anything, but there's definitely some speech. It's kind of like someone with a speech impediment. It's adorable. I've seen the videos."

"You're just totally lying to me now?" Tao said questioningly.

"I swear down it's all true! Google them when you get home. They're getting sort of a reputation now."

They had spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms, chatting and kissing, and by the end of it, Ethan knew he was already beginning to fall heavily for Tao. He was just the slice of 'normal' that he needed right now.

Just as it was starting to get dark, they drove back to the city, listening to music in the car, before spending a further couple of lazy hours at Tao's apartment. Around 9.30 pm, Ethan reluctantly decided he needed to surface from the 'Tao bubble' and made plans to get home and hail a cab. The subsequent goodbye on the doorstep was heartfelt and prolonged.

"I had a really amazing time today Tao, thank you so much for doing this, it was exactly what I needed."

"You work too hard Ethan. It's good for you to have a break," Tao replied sincerely, and Ethan kissed him again, a long lingering kiss this time that he was so very reluctant to break apart from.

"I'll call you soon, okay?" he said, after hearing his cab beep from outside.

"Bye Ethan. See you soon."

Ethan kept his eyes on Tao until he closed his apartment door and then jogged down the stairs and outside to his cab. He pulled the door of the car open, still with a goofy smile on his face. He quickly turned to the driver to direct him where to go and then settled back in his seat contentedly.

"Good night?" the driver asked.

"Just a really great date," Ethan replied dreamily.

"I'm pleased for you kid. There's too much bad going on in the world."

"Sure is," Ethan sighed, immediately pulled out of his blissful state and back into the real world. He finally switched his phone back on, alarmed when he was immediately assaulted by several notification beeps.

"Someone's popular!" the driver commented, before turning up the radio for the news. "Sorry, just wanted to hear the latest update."

Ethan nodded politely, but had no idea what the man was talking about. Instead he turned to look at his phone, his concerns immediately rising when he saw the sheer number of messages and voice mails left on his cell over such a short period of time. He got the feeling he was about to severely regret switching off for the afternoon. There was a myriad of short text messages from his boss.

"Ethan, where are you? Call me NOW!"

"Ethan, this isn't funny, I need you to call me!"

"Holy shit Ethan, it is YOU they're after, we just got the intel confirmed. You need to go to ground NOW!"

Ethan felt his mouth go dry as he read that message, it had been sent 4 and a half hours ago. His fears were building as he called up the first voicemail to be met with the unfamiliar frantic tone of his boss' voice. Oliver Farshan was usually so calm and composed no matter the situation, as the head of the operation here to take Devon's empire down, but that composure was sorely missing here.

"Ethan, I don't know where you are but you need to know this..." There was a pause before Farshan continued, sounding weary and strained now."We can't be sure yet, but it seems likely that the bombing is also linked to the threat here."

Bombing?! Ethan jolted in full panic now. What was Farshan talking about? What the hell had he missed?

He didn't have long to wonder, the news report crackled to life on the car radio. It was read out in Cantonese but Ethan knew enough now to translate the key points into English. Even if he knew no other part of the language, the word 'Coolsville' stood out by a country mile.

"The latest news on the tragic bombing in America is that almost thirty police personnel are believed to be missing after the attack in Coolsville, California..."

Ethan felt like he couldn't breathe as soon as he heard the news. He felt like he was drowning underwater, unable to break the surface. He had kept his voicemail messages cycling and heard his boss almost crying now, begging him not to go home as it wasn't safe. He abruptly pressed 'end' on his voicemail, staring numbly out of the window.

The driver glanced over at him, seeing the rapid shock on the young man's face. "Yeah, that was AWFUL. You didn't hear?"

"No," Ethan managed to choke out in reply. "When, when did this happen?"

"Oh, it was like mid-afternoon here, so hours ago. Are you OK?"

Ethan was struggling to keep control of his thoughts but just about managed to make a request to the driver calmly enough. "Uh, yeah. Could you please just drop me here?"

The driver looked surprised and concerned. "You sure? We're still some way from your destination. You don't look so good, maybe I should drop you off at the hosp..."

"NO!" Ethan snapped, before trying to appear calmer again. "No, thank you. Here is good." He paid the driver, and left the car, walking into the heart of Hong Kong, still several blocks from home. He staggered into a late night cafe and listlessly ordered a coffee. He slid into a corner booth, whilst he played the rest of his voice mails, which were slowly getting worse with every message.

"Get out now Ethan! Your cover is blown, they're coming after you."

Shit, shit, shit!

Everything had spectacularly crashed in the space of one lazy 'off the grid' afternoon. He cursed himself for his recklessness. He had now been compromised. It seemed that there were very few safe places any more, and just what the HELL had happened in Coolsville?!

He frantically tried to dial first Stella, and then Will, noting with concern he also had a missed call from Fred. There was no response from either of the Coolsville Detectives. He opened the internet app on his phone to a news page and immediately found himself fighting the urge to be sick as he read the cold, hard facts. A bomb had been detonated in down-town Coolsville, just moments after Police had entered the building for a planned raid. There were already thought to be a number of fatalities, though their identities had not yet been confirmed.

Oh god, oh god.

The raid had been a set up.

A deadly trap.

Fuck.

And he had suddenly been targeted here in China after all this time and several successful 'missions'. It surely couldn't be a coincidence. He barely acknowledged the girl as she brought him his drink, his eyes were still glued grimly to his phone. The very last voicemail had been sent around an hour and a half ago. Tentatively he pressed play. His boss sounded utterly defeated now, no longer frantic.

"God Ethan, this is so fucked. They know who you are. We keep hearing about 'the nephew.' We've heard they're tracking your motorcycle right now. Fuck, I think we might even have got a mole...if by some miracle you're still safe, call me when you can."

It was all Ethan could do in that moment to not to scan each and every face in the cafe. Why had the messages then stopped so abruptly? A chill went right up his spine as he fully contemplated Farshan's phrase;

'We've heard they're tracking your motorcycle...'

Tomas.

Hong Kong, Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:

Daphne still looked incredibly hostile but indicated she was at least willing to listen as Ethan continued to lament harshly about fate and chance.

"Just a stupid twist of fate, that's all it was. They only wanted me. I innocently lent my motorcycle to a friend that afternoon and because of that action, he was murdered instead of me! I thought I was doing him a favour! I actually signed his death warrant."

Daphne saw Ethan's guilt-ridden expression and knew his pain was genuine, it didn't change how she felt however.

"I'm sorry about that Ethan, I truly am. But it doesn't explain this whole charade. This still makes no sense to me at all. Why am I here now as your prisoner. Why did you do this to us?"

Her face was full of hurt now, demanding answers he knew he was going to struggle to give because they were so painful.

"It was never supposed to be this way Daphne," he stated tearfully before becoming angrier again, his voice full of resent now. "You were never supposed to be here!"

Hong Kong, Thursday, midnight:

After the initial devastation of learning Tomas had been put in the firing line in his place, Ethan had then gone straight into 'soldier' mode, blandly following the protocol that had been set out to assume a new identity. There had been no further communication from anyone on his team. He travelled on foot to the storage locker he had procured some time ago which contained everything he needed.

Inside the fairly spacious lock-up were all of his fake papers and documents pertaining to his new identity. He went through the motions of physically 'becoming' his new persona – Adam Travers, a computer developer from London. 'Adam' had black hair that he liked to secure back into a little ponytail at the nape of his neck, he also had a full bushy beard and dressed casually in polo shirts. His 'geek' look was completed by thick, black glasses. Ethan shed his own clothes into a black bag and monotonously adopted his 'new look'. The clothing and the glasses were fine, but the wig and the beard itched like a bitch almost instantaneously. He knew it would take him a long time to get used to that. He examined himself in the mirror and began practising saying his new name in the English accent he had already mastered.

"Hi, I'm Adam, how can I help you?"

The final part of protocol was the hardest, as he was instructed to destroy his cell phone. Destroying the piece of plastic itself wasn't the hard part, it was everything that went with it. He had a ton of work cells but this was his personal cell for when he was off duty. His entire life was contained in this phone, all of his memories past and present, everything that made him Ethan Dillon. And that's exactly why it had to go.

He always knew there was a risk that this day would come, he had adopted various persona's over the last two years for assignments but this was likely to be a permanent change. He couldn't be Ethan any more. It was such monumentally cruel timing. He had just met someone he regarded as special but already he knew he had to leave him to protect him.

He placed his phone on the table; the wallpaper was of himself and Daphne last year when she had visited Hong Kong. Their arms were around each other, smiling into the camera whilst Fred took their picture. They hadn't known then what Ethan was truly doing here, they wouldn't know now. He'd contact them eventually but only when it was safe.

He raised a heavy hammer and in one fluid motion before he could hesitate, he smashed it down hard on his phone. Once, twice, three times, as fragments of glass and plastic rained down onto the floor. Once he was sure it was fully destroyed, he swept the pieces into the same bag with his old clothes and tied it tight.

Next, he switched on the police scanner, and though he had feared it from the moment he heard Farshan's message about the motorcycle, hearing some actual confirmation that something had happened to Tomas was devastating.

The chatter on the radio he picked up was about some high speed accident between a car and a motorcycle and the bike had gone over the reservation into the ocean below. The car didn't stop and they were trying to trace it. The rider was not found, though everyone doubted the chances of finding him alive.

Ethan knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was Tomas, and he also knew it was definitely not an accident. He sank down heavily on to the dirty floor, numb with grief now. Tomas was dead because of him. Someone had come after him, and because today of all days Tomas had borrowed his motorcycle, he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and now he was dead.

They were both in the same game and knew the risks and dangers involved but this was a truly devastating turn of events for Ethan. He allowed himself to grieve Tomas, opening up a couple of cans to toast him before he shook himself to get down to business and wrote down everything he knew.

His identity had been compromised and someone had set out to kill him. Due to an unfortunate turn of events, they had killed Tomas instead. Shortly before this, the raid undertaken by Stella and Will in Coolsville, and supported by their own sources here, had been a set-up. There had been an explosion at the warehouse. Working through the time difference in his head as he plotted these two events, he realised there wasn't much time at all from the explosion in America, to those first calls from Farshan urging him his cover had been blown. They were undoubtedly linked. He knew exactly what the link was, grimly drawing a line from each side of the paper to a circle in the middle. Inside the circle he wrote one word heavily in the marker, pressing on hard with each letter; DEVON. He had launched a devastating counter-strike, aiming to take out Stella, Will and Ethan, those who were quietly pursuing him and trying to take down his vast criminal empire.

Ethan didn't know how successful Devon had been in Coolsville, updates were sketchy with little detail but it was prudent to assume the worst. He realised that it was highly likely Devon's minions would assume they had been successful with killing him too. If they were under orders just to eliminate the motorcyclist, it was unlikely they'd hang about to double check the identity of the rider. They had no reason to suspect it wasn't him. He figured that's why the alerts from Farshan had stopped so abruptly around about the time they heard about the crash.

One way or another, Ethan Dillon was now dead.

He was Adam Travers now. He pulled on a dark cap, a very unstylish parka and stuffed everything he needed, including weapons, into his backpack and left the lock up carrying the black bag of his 'past'. It was the very small hours in Hong Kong now but there was plenty of people about still, so he was careful to walk in the shadows and the backstreets. He ditched the bag in a dumpster a few blocks away and then made his way to the grimy apartment he had rented in his new identity as a precaution a month ago. The 'apartment' was more like a bedsit, it was so grotty and unclean, nothing like his own pristine apartment. The walls were paper thin and it only contained the absolute bare essentials but it was now home for 'Adam' for the foreseeable future. Ethan lay down on the narrow single bed, hands clasped behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

He was going to need some sleep but it wasn't going to be easy. The old adage -'What a day' barely seemed to cover it. A day that had started out so promisingly and teased a delightful new beginning with Tao, had been cruelly ripped from him in a matter of hours. Devon had completely blind-sided them with a double pronged assault. Ethan should be dead. Stella and Will probably were. His only shred of comfort was that the kids should be safe in Hawaii. Fred was proposing to Daphne! Today should have been perfect, but all there was for Ethan to contemplate now was a lurid darkness. Only sheer luck ensured he was still alive, and he knew that it was a lonely secret that was going to have to hold for some time.

Hong Kong, Thursday morning:

The next morning, 'Adam' rose early and went to grab some essentials from the nearby grocery store. He had managed a little sleep last night but damn if that beard wasn't already irritating the hell out of him! He pined for his usual clean-shaven chin, every time a new crumb landed in the wispy curled hairs as he ate breakfast. Ugh! How do people live like this? He thought in disgust as he flecked another morsel to the floor. He could take it off and put it back on when he went out but it was such a pain to get just right every time that he just put up with it. He pivoted between the apartment and the lock-up for the rest of the morning, transferring everything to his new home and leaving no trail behind at the storage facility. Once he had everything, he began using one of the walls to document everything he knew, including anything he thought significant from previous assignments, it was exhausting but necessary. After he wrote 'nobody knows I'm still alive' he frowned and re-considered, he had to find a way to let Farshan know at least. He trusted Farshan with his life. He selected one of the burner phones and dialled his number from memory and waited for him to pick up.

"Yes?" the Detective said, sounding grizzled and weary. "Who is this?"

Ethan spoke calmly in his new native English accent. "This is Adam Travers."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Ethan knew his boss was struggling to process this without drawing suspicion. He and Farshan were the only people who knew about 'Adam', it was Farshan who had helped to develop the identity.

Eventually he heard his voice again, more professional and measured. "I see, one moment please Adam."

Ethan heard movement and rustling and knew Farshan was walking to somewhere safe and private.

"Ethan?" Farshan hissed in a low voice. "What the fuck?! Is that really you?"

"It's me," Ethan revealed, causing Farshan to swear again.

"How? How is this even possible?! We found your motorcycle. At the bottom of a great big ruddy cliff face, smashed to bits. I KNOW you didn't just walk away from that...and even if you somehow survived that fall, you would never survive the bullet in your skull so listen you prick, I don't know how you got this name and I guess you just wanted to fuck with us some more you sick, sick bastard. Was the video not enough?!"

Ethan was completely stunned by Farshan's reaction, but only really took note of one phrase: 'You would never survive the bullet in your skull.'

"Woah, Oliver," he said using his first name that was very rarely used by anyone else. "It really is me. Yes, it was my motorcycle but it wasn't me riding it. Are you telling me they shot him?"

Ethan's hand was already balling into a fist while he clutched the phone tightly. Bastards!

"Fuck Ethan. I don't believe it," Farshan whispered. "It wasn't you?"

"No," Ethan exhaled sorrowfully. "It was Tomas. He borrowed my bike yesterday afternoon. God, it was just a dumb twist of fate why it wasn't me. Did they really shoot him?" he asked in a small voice.

"Oh man. Tomas, nobody had even reported him missing. God." Farshan sounded very emotional as he then explained what happened. "They tracked him...you...your motorcycle down... They tailed him and then waited until he was in just the right place and then they shot him. He went straight over the reservation Ethan, he didn't stand a chance."

Angry tears welled up in Ethan's eyes and he thumped the bed hard.

"We know exactly how this went down because they sent us a video of it this morning."

"They filmed it?!" Ethan was truly sickened to his core. It wasn't enough to murder Tomas but then to send the gloating proof to his boss, there was only one man he knew who thrived on such sadism. Oliver very quickly confirmed his suspicion.

"Look Ethan, I'm absolutely gutted about Tomas and by god we'll get these bastards but the really important thing is that they believe they won. They think they killed YOU. The video was gloating from Devon that he had 'finished the job'. We have to keep it this way. You have to stay dead for now."

"I know," Ethan said grimly. "Hence 'Adam Travers' calling you. "'Finished the job', do we know for definite if the explosion killed Detective's White and Barnum?"

"Not for sure no, but we have to expect the worst. Fuck Ethan, there's something else you need to know and you're not going to like it."

Ethan held his breath, he didn't think things could get much worse. He very quickly realised, they really could.

"About an hour ago, we found out someone purporting to be from the US Embassy here contacted your sister..."

As soon as Ethan heard mention of Daphne, he went cold, forgetting to use his fake accent as he demanded further information instantly.

"What the hell do you mean, someone 'purporting' to be from the Embassy?!"

"It wasn't one of ours. We can only conclude it was them."

Ethan exhaled loudly before asking calmly. "Did they tell her that I was dead?"

"No, they only told her you were missing in fact..."

Ethan suddenly got a sinking feeling about what Farshan was going to say next. "Oh god Oliver no, please say no."

"I'm sorry Ethan but I've had it confirmed. Your sister and her boyfriend are on their way over here."

Ethan let out an almighty scream of frustration, uncaring who heard it in this moment. Daphne and Fred were on their way to Hong Kong. And going to fall head first into danger.

To be continued.

A.N. So there you have it! I know some of you worked out the 'twist' and we'll see in great detail how this plays out as we see glimpses of Daphne and Fred's time again in Hong Kong through Ethan's eyes this time and see how we reach the point in our present – Daphne and Fred 'abducted' by Ethan. And the delicious fall out as they come to terms with this.

I'm going to level with you now and tell you when I first plotted the bare bones of this sequel, even before I had quite finished 'New Beginnings' that I fully intended killing Ethan. But as I fleshed out the remainder of 'New Beginnings' and the start of this, I realised I did actually love the character I'd created and explored the possibility of what could happen if everyone only 'thought' he had died and was then able to create this complex narrative. When I had people telling me they still had hope for him to be alive, it cemented to me that that's what I should do. And it's been a device to allow me to create an incredibly rich Hong Kong adventure that I only originally conceived to be a very short side plot. I realised I really did enjoy writing Ethan too much to have him die as a mere 'revenge' plot device so instead we have this devious and complicated web of deceit with many layers as you'll find out in the second part!