Chapter 22: A Brother to Dragons

April 1981

CIA Black Ops Facility

Virginia

Jack shut the door behind him and then regarded the other person in the room. Doctor Yuri Drenkov. He'd known Yuri since his days as a case officer stationed at the U.S Embassy in Berlin when he was running spies on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The doctor, a specialist in psychology, had been a former KGB asset and one of his spies in East Berlin until he defected three years ago. Two years ago he had approached Yuri to be on his newest project for the CIA: Project Christmas. Yuri, not wanting to turn down the opportunity to work with him again, said yes.

He regarded him a moment, taking in his apprehension, before saying, "This is a secure room. We can speak freely."

They were in a small conference room with only a table and a few chairs. Jack itched for a smoke, a bad habit he developed while in Berlin and had given up a long time ago. Still, every now and again, the itch would gnaw at his senses. Yuri took out a cigarette and lit it up before offering him one. Jack wanted it but waved it off. He sat and waited for Yuri to speak first since he was the one who asked for a meeting.

"You may be wondering why I called you in for this meeting," the Russian said as he sat down on the edge of the table across from him. "Your boy is quite different. One way, he's exceptional. Another way, not so much. His mind is broken."

Jack suddenly wished he'd accepted the offer for a smoke as he asked, "What'd you mean by broken? Is he damaged?"

"Many differences between damaged mind and broken mind, Jack. Damaged can be fixed, broken cannot. He is broken."

"Is that your expert opinion?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"I am under the impression that a fractured mind is exactly the outcome you would need in order to initiate-""

"Question," Yuri said as he interrupted him. "If we succeed, Jack, what then?"

Jack didn't take his eyes off him as he said simply, "We succeeded."

"I meant, what about boy?"

"He's an orphan. He'll go into foster care," he answered. "Why do you care about the outcome of the kid? Is it due to your concern with his mind?"

Yuri took a long drag off the cigarette as he answered, "Yes. Going forward with Phase 2, possible risks exist."

"What risks?"

"Jack," Yuri said as he got up off the table. "I strongly suggest we reconsider-"

"This isn't a democracy," he said as he stared at his friend. "This is a dictatorship, something you Russians know well. When I give an order, I expect it to be followed. You'll do what you have been hired to do."

Yuri took a long drag off the cigarette, eyeing him as he walked over to the far wall. He was irritated and that showed in his voice as he said, "I have to strongly recommend not pursuing this course of action. Not at this time. I need to further evaluate his mental state."

"What does that mean?" he asked. "Is he unstable?"

"His behavior is troubling, yes," Yuri said in agreement. "You've witnessed his actions, yes? He has tendencies, poor impulse control, he has markers, characteristics of antisocial behavior. Combining his troubled mind with this program, quite frankly, you risk creating not spy, but killer."

"Tell me," Jack asked as he thought about the program and what the ultimate goal was for it, "does his behavior make him a more susceptible subject for this project?"

Yuri wasn't looking at him as he tapped the ash from the cigarette out in the trash can in the corner. He took another puff then smirked over at him. "Glad to know that the Dragon has not changed much over all these years. As long as job is done, that is your only concern."

Jack sighed as he leaned forward on the table. "Dragon" had been his codename in the CIA for years. Yuri knew it because he had been his former case officer. He knew Yuri's former codename as well. "You don't think I haven't thought about the moral ethics of what we are doing? Believe me, I have. I still think about it, but I also know that the KGB is trying to do the exact same thing. We don't know how long this will continue, what the future will be, and it is our job to successfully train children to be future spies. Now, if you think this boy is capable of more than that, then that's a win in my book."

"And you'll do anything to win."

They looked at one another. Jack couldn't think about the boy's age or if they should be doing this at all. He could only think about the fact that they were doing this because it was their job. It was his job. And this was war. A war of intelligence, and of weapons, and of spies. A war that if lost could mean annihilation.

Giving a nod, he said, "Absolutely."

Yuri rubbed his face and said, "I need more time to figure out how to properly introduce him to Phase 2. Too many uncertainties." He let out a breath as he walked back over to the table and sat on the edge of it. "Honest opinion. He reminds me of you, Jack. The way he can disconnect."

"I know," he said in agreement. "I saw that in him from day one. Put a weapon in that boy's hand and he will use it." He stared down at the table, trying to determine what his next course of action should be. It was hard to think in the small room filled with cigarette smoke. "The purpose of this project is to develop a sleeper agent to be a spy. In my opinion, the best spies are ones apt at a specialty, whether it be deception, seduction, or even killing." He was apt at killing. Looking up at his friend, a spy he would have killed for when they were in East Berlin, and told him, "As long as it's my government that's determining what people he has to kill, that's a success. And besides, if this kid is what we both think he is, this program will give him a purpose, will it not?"

Yuri gave a nod and finished the cigarette. "That would be yes, it will. I will advise you to think everything through first before we continue onward to Phase 2. He could be our only remaining subject. Our only hope in this project to come out successful."

"What is the best course of action?"

"We must cater to his mind. Make plan that will be beneficial to him. I don't know how to say it in your English-"

"Я говорю по-русски," Jack reminded him.

Yuri smiled slightly as he said, "Мальчику нужна способность разделять мысли. У него противоречивое поведение, которое необходимо разделить на разные личности, чтобы он мог нормально функционировать."

He looked at Yuri for a moment as he wrapped his head around what he'd just said. "Let me get this straight, you think that in order for him to function properly, he actually needs this fractured mind. If you mend it, it'll cause him to...What?"

"Go, as you would put it, crazy. Think about it this way, Jack, with his mind he can be spy who can, like snake, shed his skin. He can shift from one personality, one identity to another, at flip of switch. Ideal for spy. Or assassin. Yes?"

That was a good way of putting it for him to understand. "A chameleon."

"Exactly," Yuri said.

He pushed up off the table and walked over to the door. He opened it and eyed the blond haired six year old boy standing in the hallway, backpack over his shoulders, and a pair of oversized women's eyeglasses on his face. The glasses had belonged to his mother who died a year ago, leaving him with no one to care for him.

"Give us a couple of hours. I need to think," he told Yuri before leaving the room. Walking over to the boy, Jack knelt down in front of him. The boy never made eye contact. He never spoke a word. "Do you like movies?"

The boy's face wrinkled in confusion as he shrugged.

Jack stood as he told him, "Come on. It's field trip day." He held out his hand and the boy took it.

He stopped at a convenience store and bought several drinks and snacks and stuffed them in the boy's backpack. The boy watched him but didn't say anything. He winked at him and started the car up and headed to the movie theater that showed older movies for a discounted matinee price. He bought two tickets for "His Girl Friday" and headed inside.

Throughout the playing of the movie, while the boy sucked down a soda and ate all the snacks, he worked through his problem. The CIA wanted to end the program in a month. Everything would be scratched and they would move on. Years of time, research and development, and money spent, would have been wasted. That didn't sit well with him at all. They were so close and it was all due to the boy sitting next to him.

Jack didn't like to lose. He didn't like wasting time and energy on fruitless efforts. All the other candidates had been trained in Phase 1 but none were selected to continue on due to the news that the project would be scrapped. And all the other candidates had parents. Only the orphan boy remained.

He wanted him to finish it. Of all the candidates, the boy was special. Yuri was right. The boy was different. It wasn't the training that made him a promising candidate, but it was the boy's nature itself that showed promise. Jack had seen it from the beginning and hadn't been surprised by Yuri's assessment.

Marcus Aurlieus had said that it was in a man's nature to do what they were born to do. He saw in the boy that he was a born killer. It was who he was. The same way his parents knew what he was at a young age. With the right conditioning and training, Jack knew he could bring out the best in the boy. He could either nurture his talents or they would be wasted. He didn't want to see the boy's talents go to waste. As the movie ended, he had made his decision. He would go ahead with Phase 2.

Once back in the car, it started raining; a downpour from a storm that had come up alongside the coast. Jack cranked down the window enough to vent the air as he sat and waited out the rain. He didn't want to try to drive in the downpour; plus, it gave him more time to think. Reaching into the glove box, he dug under the registration and maps and car repair receipts until he found Laura's hidden pack of cigarettes and tapped one out. Laura took great care to not leave a smoke smell in his car.

He pushed in the car lighter before stuffing the pack back into the glove box. Much like him, every other month or so she had the urge to smoke one. At the rate they were both going, it would take a year for them both to finish the pack. He used the car lighter to light it up and sat back as he blew the smoke out the window. Hearing a noise, he glanced into the rearview mirror and saw the boy unbuckle his seatbelt and then climb over the middle console to the passenger seat.

The boy's small hands removed the oversized eyeglasses with no lens and folded it together and put it on his lap. Looking up at him, he said, "I liked the movie."

He eyed the glasses and then looked at the boy. Stunned that not only did the boy take the glasses off but that he'd spoken. "Why do you wear those?" he asked as he gestured to the glasses.

The boy looked down at the glasses and picked them up. Holding them up to his face, he said, "They're my mask. See?"

He nearly laughed at the seriousness but kept it to a smirk as he blew the smoke out of his mouth. "I see. You like to hide?"

The glasses went back to his lap as he nodded. Jack tapped the cigarette ash out the window and listened to the rain falling.

"You like to hide too."

He was taken aback by that observation as he looked at the boy. His blue eyes were on him. One of the key factors in the consideration for a candidate was their observational skills and intuition. The boy had excelled in both departments, among others.

Jack took another drag off the cigarette as he gave a confirmed nod. Yeah, he also liked to hide.

The boy smiled and leaned back against the seat as he looked out the window. "That's why I like you. We're the same."

He looked away, out the window, as he thought about those words and realized that the boy was right. Maybe that was why he was so intent to finish this program. Why he desperately wanted the boy to go through Phase 2. He, himself, was an assassin and a CIA agent. It was how he operated. The boy had the same quality about him that spoke to the exact same nature. Hell, even Yuri saw that.

The tapping of the rain on the roof of the car slowly started to ease in the intensity. The storm was moving out of the area. Jack finished the cigarette and flicked the butt out the window. Looking at the boy in the passenger seat, he told him, "Jump back to your seat so we can leave."

The boy did as he was told. Once he was buckled in, he looked at him through the rearview mirror and said, "I'm Ryan. What's your name?"

Jack realized that the boy might not have thought he knew his name since he never called him by it. He always called him the "subject" or the "boy". Looking back at him through the mirror, he told him, "Ryan, I'm Jack."


January 2003

Japan

They had to postpone their trip to Japan. Bini's nephew had called with information about the radiation substance from the nuclear missile and it wasn't good. Jack had somehow tracked down Luc Goursand who he believed could get them closer to Arvin Sloane. So they had stuck around Italy and then gone after Goursand, aka Marcus Bernard. Then they went to Germany.

And then, finally Japan. Now, they were leaving.

"We're not heading to the airport?"

"That's no longer an option. Airport's too dangerous. Besides, I never intended on flying out."

A mile up they came across a train station. Jack had gotten into the habit of stashing valuables in bus or train station lockers once he arrived in a country. For a man who never knew when and if he'd be out of supplies, like money or an identification, having a go bag with those things came in handy. As Jack went to retrieve the bag from a locker, Will leaned against the wall and tried not to squirm with the few eyes that stared over at him. Luckily there were only three people in the train station at that time of night. The guy behind the ticket counter and a young couple waiting on the train. It didn't take long before Jack was rushing by him toward the door.

"Don't suppose you have a car tucked away in that bag of yours?"

Jack glanced up at him with a smirk as he said, "Matter of fact," as he walked over to a truck while pulling a Slim Jim out of the bag.

Will stopped being amazed by the things Jack was willing to do, like commit grand theft auto. If there was one thing Jack was great at, it was running. He also had a way of bargaining. Will was amazed, however, at how well Jack could convince others to do things for him, like booking passage on a freighter destined for the Port of Vladivostok. Sure, he and Jack had to become members of the crew and pull their weight, but he was okay with work. It also helped that they turned a blind eye to the illegal cargo being stored away that wasn't on the ship's manifest.

The Rendezvous was moored in Italy, and that was where they had to get back to. They had to take several flights and then book passage on a cargo plane just to get into Japan. Getting out had the same difficulty.

"Vladivostok," he exclaimed as Jack shut the door to their room. "I've never been to Vladivostok."

It was a small space for two people with only two small twin beds on either side of the room, a small table against the wall between the cots, and a thin upright storage locker that he guessed was used to store their clothes and stuff. There was at least a shelf on the wall with a radio.

Jack tossed his bag on the tiny bed and looked at it for a split second before collapsing onto it. He rolled onto his back and stretched out as he stared up at the ceiling. He knew that meant he had to think.

Will sat down on the cot and rubbed his head. He knew Jack had a plan. He always did. He was what he would refer to as the architect. The strategist. The man with the plan. What irked him was the fact that he was never told the plan. All he ever knew were the tasks assigned to him, but still he wasn't privy to the entire operation. Jack had told him once that it was to protect him. That what he didn't know he couldn't divulge. It made him feel like he couldn't be trusted. He trusted Jack with his life but it seemed like the only person Jack truly trusted, was Jack. What happened between him and the CIA, and his ex-wife and best friend, didn't exactly help Jack in the trust department.

It also did help with what they learned in Japan. The truth of what happened at the Misawa Air Force Base. There had been a murder on base in 1996. An airman killed. Anthony Richards. Classified intel had also been stolen along with a weapon prototype that Airman Richards had been overseeing.

He knew it all the way in the back of his mind and deep in his gut that he had been the killer of Airman Richards. He knew. Jack knew of his pain and anger; knew of his desire to understand and get to the truth. Looking over at him, he watched as he continued to ignore him and felt annoyed with the silence.

"What'd you think will be waiting for us?"

"I don't know."

Will sighed and stood. Feeling restless and angry. Jack finally looked at him. There was nothing in his eyes that gave his emotions away. Sitting up, he turned to put his back against the wall. Then he pulled his bag over and rummaged through it and pulled out a book.

He tossed it over to him while saying, "We're going to have a lot of down time. You can brush up."

He read the title and sighed in frustration. "The Art of War? Sun Tzu?" Tossing the book onto the bed, he said, "A book isn't going to help us get-"

"Sun Tzu said that if you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself. If you only know yourself, but not your enemy, you may win, or," he shrugged, "you may lose. However, Will, if you know your enemy and yourself, you will not be put at risk...not even in a hundred battles."

He started to pace as he felt himself tense with anger. "Then tell me, Obi Wan, what's the plan?" he asked.

Jack continued to watch him as if he was watching a caged animal pace back-and-forth. "You discovered something about yourself that is eating away at you. You need time to-"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Will said, cutting Jack off. He stared hard at him as he said, "I don't know what we're doing half the time." That was what was really making him mad. "What you're thinking. You're keeping secrets-"

"Will," Jack said softly, calmly as he let out a breath, "I know you're upset, but I can't tell you-"

"Why not?! I've done so much. I have been your partner on missions and we nearly died. Yes, I know I'm angry, but you're not fucking helping. You want me to calm down?! Answer my question!"

Letting out a deep breath, Jack closed his eyes and shook his head.

This wasn't the same. It no longer felt the same. He wasn't the same. Will knew it had all started to change in Mexico, and he'd found out why while they were in Italy. He wasn't who he thought he was. He wasn't born Will Tippin. That much was evident now, but Jack knew something and he wasn't telling him everything. He was keeping secrets from him. Truths that he needed to know.

Jack knew who he was. He knew it. Yet, he wouldn't tell him.

"You said I wasn't listening to you before, that I was being combative and dismissive because I didn't want to know the truth, that my mind was blocking me from knowing the truth. Well, Jack, I want to know now. You told me to investigate myself. Why do I have to do the work when you know who I am! Why won't you tell me-"

Jack was getting angry. He could tell by the way his jaw flexed. "You know how a virus works? It starts with a single patient, patient zero, and then it spreads outwards. It attacks, and infects, and can potentially kill everyone it comes in contact with. A radius of death and destruction, constantly spreading and infecting, from one person to another, and then to another, and so on. The only way to stop it is to do so at the source. Patient zero is both the cause and the cure. What you're asking for, that knowledge that I have that I won't tell you, that information, Will, all of it...That's the virus. And I'm patient zero. You understand? Everyone around me is in danger merely by association. I don't want this virus to spread, but unfortunately for you, the moment you entered into my life, your life expectancy dropped considerably. The reason I don't tell you everything is because I want to see you live to your next birthday. This isn't about me not trusting you. It's about me not wanting you to become a link in the chain. Believe me, the less you know, the better off you are."

He felt his jaw clench as he shook his head. "I'm already in danger-"

"No, you're not," Jack snapped. "You can still walk away from this and get as far away from me as possible. But if I tell you, if you learn the truth, you can never walk away. You will have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Up until this point, you have chosen to come along-"

"And it's my choice-"

"You can't see all your options. You feel lost and think your only way-"

"Then give me another option, Jack," he snapped at him. "I dropped everything, gave up everything to help you find those responsible. I could have gone into Witness Protection but I chose this. I chose you!"

He saw the guilt suddenly that filled Jack's eyes and didn't know how to take that. He wished Jack would just talk to him, but he didn't. Instead, he asked questions like, "What do you want, Will?"

He let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Right now, I want to hit you."

Jack buried his face in his hands. He hardly allowed himself to get this worked up but it had been a long couple of days. He still loved Jack. He did. And if Jack didn't want to be with him he would have told him. He would have left. He would have done something. It was as if whatever connected them before had severed and now he felt like he was drowning. He needed a hand to help him out of the spiral down but there was no hand to be found. Jack was letting him fall and he didn't know why. He didn't understand.

"You're at that crossroads. You want to know if you're capable of being what you fear you are, which is a killer. There's a disconnect somewhere, and that emptiness, it comes out in anger. In time you are going to have to face it and you may not love everything. It isn't about loving or hating the parts of yourself that scare you the most, it's about accepting it. Accepting all of who you are, and learning what you can and can't live with. One day, you'll find out the truth. But, it won't be today, because I'm trying to save you from becoming like me. Because you're not me. You're better. I told you I protect those I love, Will. It's the only other thing I'm good at."

Will stared down at the man he loved and wanted to hit him, and hug him, but mostly hit him for being right. "I don't need you to protect me, Jack. I need you to trust me," he said as he turned to leave.

Jack stared at him a long moment. His face had dropped and he looked almost afraid. He was half expecting him to say that he loved him. Instead he heard, "I highly advise you to reconsider. Whatever happened to you, whatever you did, you wanted to forget it to the point of erasing your old life and replace it with a new one. You wouldn't have done that if it was something you could live with."

Will opened the door as he told him, "At the time, maybe, maybe not, but...my life is not your secret to keep." He slammed the door shut behind him and headed down the hallway.


They spent the next few days in silence. Jack knew well enough to give Will his space as he focused on work. He was given many different tasks to perform while on the ship. Everything from maintenance to swabbing the decks. Will also did the same tasks but on the other side of the ship and on day shift. They stuck him on nights. So, while Will slept, he worked and vice versa. It was long hours but he didn't mind as he worked through the problems in his head. Most of the other workers ignored him as he tended to keep to himself.

The night before they were due into port, all that changed. While attending to a maintenance issue near the stern of the freighter, he was approached by a group of other men. They were mostly Russians but a few one of them Persian. He'd heard him speaking Farsi over a cell phone a few nights ago. Once he dropped the tools into the storage box, he faced the group and gave a nod as he went to walk on by. A hand to his chest stopped him. He looked at the hand and wanted to scuff at the gesture of intimidation. These guys had no idea who they were dealing with.

Looking up into the man's face, and barely holding in a grin, Jack told him, "You're in my way."

The tall Russian laughed and looked back at the others and said in Russian, "I'm in his way." As they all chuckled, Jack felt his hand clench. The Russian shoved him back into the rail. A little more push and he'd be falling over the side. "You pay."

"Pay for what?"

"Pay me to not toss you overboard." The Russian held out his hand and said, "We saw you give Comrade Borodin payment your bunkmate owed him for poker winnings. I want the rest. What it going to be? Pay or swim?"

Jack gave a nod. Will's gambling habits had gotten them into trouble. "Comrade Borodin," he said as he looked at the Russian and then at the others. "You've mistaken me for someone else, fellas. I'm not the one who pays. I'm not an soyuznik, I'm not a matpoca...You want to know who I am, Comrade?" The Russian's eyes narrowed as his grip on his shirt tightened. "I'm the one you don't mess with because by doing so could result in the death of you and all your friends."

A gun appeared beside his head. The Persian had a gun. He glanced over at the trembling man holding the trembling gun and smiled a sly smirk that made the man shake harder. "Shoot me and I'll make sure you're dead before you hit the water." The man swallowed hard as his eyes grew wide with fear. His hands continued to shake as the gun stayed aimed at his head. Taking a deep breath, he moved and grabbed the man by the arm.

BANG!

He jabbed the Persian in the face, knocking him back while he snapped his arm, causing him to release the gun. Jack brought the gun up and he shot the Persian once in the head. His body swayed back and then tumbled over the side as his lifeless body fell into the water.

Turning back to others, Jack pointed the gun at the chest of the Russian. "Pay or swim...Comrade."

The next morning, he met Will near the bow of the ship, up on the forecastle, as the Port of Vladivostok appeared on the horizon to the North as the sun rose in the East. They still had a way to go, half a day, before docking. Jack handed Will a cup of hot coffee as they both leaned on the rails and watched the sun rise off the starboard side. He really did like being on boats and ships. It was peaceful being on the water with no civilization in sight. He was at the helm of his own destiny instead of at the mercy of his fate.

Nothing but possibilities laid ahead but also uncertainty. So much was unknown and anything could happen. As he stared out at the horizon, he couldn't help but remember a woman. It'd been during a time when he'd felt the possibilities of his future despite his path being darkened and muddled with uncertainty due to his own obligations. He'd been searching for direction and the courage to give into his inner turmoil and accept his nature.

With her, he'd felt like he'd found something he'd never had before: a way forward.

There was a soft knock at the door and if he hadn't been sitting quietly reading a book, he never wouldn't have heard it. Placing the book on the coffee table, he stood to answer the door. Peering through the peephole he spotted the familiar sight of his girlfriend, Laura, on the front porch. He quickly opened the door as he greeted her, "What're you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes at him and shoved past into the living room carrying a bottle of wine and nothing else. "I'm alone and no one followed me."

He checked the porch and street anyway. There was no car or anyone out of the ordinary. She must have gotten a ride or parked her car down the street. Staring out into the night, all he heard was the wind. It was a quiet night. Shutting the door, he locked it and returned to the living room where he found her sitting on the couch, thumbing through the book he'd placed on the table.

"You really have gotten paranoid since you've gotten back from Vietnam. Since when do you study Human Anatomy?"

He crossed the room and politely took the book from her hand as he told her, "Knowledge of the human anatomy could prove beneficial in my future endeavors." She started laughing. A heavy, body shaking laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You. Don't ever change, Jack." Then she asked, "When do you go back?" she asked.

He looked at her a moment before walking over to the bookshelf to put the book away. He turned and watched her as she leaned back into the couch. Laura's hair was hanging off her shoulders, framing her face. When she crossed her legs, the low-cut dress rose up her leg as she leaned back into the couch with a smile. Her sudden change in mood, one moment irritated then the next seductive, was all too familiar. She wanted something from him.

She wasn't the prim and proper girl she pretended to be. She liked to drink and party. There had always been guys tripping over themselves for her, and she loved the attention. But they were all "friends". Except for him. He had been very aloof, while she had been very persistent. In fact, she was the one that had to ask him on their first date. And the second. Then once they were together, she'd turned persistence into reliability. Cooperation. She would do things for him. She had stopped partying. Stopped being a lot of things she'd once been.

She always kept coming back, even when he got drunk and upset and broke mirrors. He was a constant in her life. She never left and he never stopped being her boyfriend. She never once judged him. He knew exactly why he stayed. Deep down he truly thought, and felt, that he loved her.

And now...Now he was lying on his back with her draped over his body. She reached over and picked up the wine bottle and took a drink.

He reached up and moved her hair away from her face. "I don't get why you put up with me," he said. "I know what you've told me, but there are other ways of getting what you want." He took the bottle from her hand and sat up against the headboard and took a drink of the wine.

She wanted to marry a man in a position of power and possibly a career in politics. She wanted that life and the connections it brought. She'd take a troubled man if it meant getting what she really wanted in the end. A woman of ambitions and wants and needs. Influence was her biggest want.

How she ended up with him was a mystery to him. He didn't want any of that.

She gave him a kiss. It lingered on his lips as she snaked her hand up his arm and into his fingers. She took the bottle from his hand and he let her roll off him as she sat up and brought it to her lips. The loss of her weight and the warmth on his chest was missed.

"What do you want, Jack?" she reached out and rubbed his chest.

They had never talked about their childhoods before besides a little piece of some story every so often. For instance, she knew his mother died of cancer when he was young, and he knew her parents were both dead but she never said how or why. Those thoughts led his mind away and he was alone in the dark again.

Her eyes grew heavy with worry and curiosity as she continued to rub his chest. "Jack, did you hear me?"

"What?"

She knew, or at least suspected what had happened in Vietnam. She wouldn't know the whole truth, but enough. "You drifted off. I asked-"

"You asked me what I wanted. I heard that." He shook his head. "I have no answer. Why do you stay with me?"

"You honestly don't know?" When he shook his head no, she said, "Of all the men in my life, you're the only one I can truly depend on for anything."

He watched as she gave him one last kiss before sliding out of his bed. She dressed, slipping her dress back on, and grabbed her shoes up in her hand. Asking her to stay would've been a waste. She never did. And he never asked.

Once she was gone, he laid awake thinking of what she'd said. He didn't think anyone had ever truly been appreciative of the things he did and what he was capable of doing. She could have been lying to him, however, he believed her. Her reaction was genuine, real, and it cut through him like a knife. She depended on him.

Her admission seemed to change things. His value to her changed everything.

Longing, yearning, for companionship was one thing, but what he knew he felt with her was something entirely different. Laura brought out something in him he hadn't felt before or even knew existed.

He wanted to protect her, fight for her, even kill for her. That feeling felt like ice stabbing his heart making it cold and numb. His natural instinct was primal and it ran deep. Who was he to love someone? When he loved, he wanted to kill to protect them.

Why shouldn't he accept the assignment for the CIA? It was what he was made for.

He heard Will ask, "What happened last night?"

Jack shook his head of his thoughts as he took a sip of the coffee, then told him, "The Persian was lost at sea." Will looked over at him then. The unspoken question that seemed to constantly linger between them every time something happened to someone while he was around.

"Did he deserve it?"

"He tried to shoot me."

Will actually laughed. He quickly tried to hide it but it didn't work. He outwardly hollered in laughter. "I'm sorry," he finally got out. "I'm so sorry. That's not funny. God, I'm a horrible person. That's not funny. Oh, man, Jack, can't you go anywhere without someone trying to kill you?"

He shook his head as he went back to watching the sunrise. The grey sky broke into slivers of a deep red and orange, signaling an approaching storm system. It was already brutally cold, but added winds and rain, or snow, would make for rougher, choppy, water as they neared land.

"How're we going to get to Moscow?"

He smiled as he told him, "The Trans-Siberian Railway."

"A train? That'll take, what? A week or two?"

"Six days."

Will downed the coffee then said, "Six days on a train. You know, I love North by Northwest, but the idea of actually taking a week long trip in a very small confined-"

"You were right, Will, it has to be your decision to learn who you are. When you're ready, we can try something that, if it works, if you are who I think you are...You'll remember everything."

Will was silent a moment but let out a deep breath as he gave a nod. Then he told him, "I want to know."

"Are you certain?"

Will was shaking slightly and he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or not. "What'd you want me to do?"

"You don't have to do anything." He thought all the way back to the year 1981 and sighed as he remembered that boy with blond hair and blue eyes. If he was right, Will was that boy. "I'm going to say a phrase and it will activate you."

"What does that mean? Activate me?" he asked as he shook his head and then looked around. "Is here the best place-"

"Here is fine." He stared at him and kept his voice as calm as possible as he told him, "You'll remember your training. Your life. And I have to warn you that you will be different. Not changed, but different."

Will swallowed hard again and looked around again. He shook his head as tears welled. Looking back at him, he asked only one thing, "Will I still love you?"

Jack nearly felt his heartbreak at that question. Grabbing him behind the neck, he pulled him into a kiss. Will held onto the back of his as he deepened the kiss. God, he hoped so, was all he could think of once he broke the kiss. Leaning his head against his, he said, "Maybe we don't have to do this right now-"

"I want to get it over with," he said before adding, "It's not "rosebud" is it? The phrase? 'Cause I've seen Citizen Kane and it didn't work."

He nearly smiled as he gave him a kiss on his forehead. Will always talked about movies when he was nervous. "Don't be nervous, okay? Whatever happens, I will be right here with you." He felt Will's hand tighten on the back of his neck as he took a deep breath. Letting out a breath of his own, he kept a hold of him as he said, "The dragon reigns alone."

Will chuckled as he said, "The dragon-"

He stopped as he went very still. Then he pushed him away.

Jack tried not to move. He also tried no to take anything Will said or did personally. Will pressed his hand into his head as he turned away. His body was shaking slightly as he stood there, back turned, and head in his hands.

Jack watched him closely as the shaking stopped. Dropping his hands, he saw Will's breathing ease as he looked around. It was in the little things that he noticed the difference. The way he held himself was more upright, his face appeared more stern yet not too hard. Little differences. Will, but, not Will. His hand ran through his hair as he turned around and faced him.

He stared into blue eyes that held a new sense of familiarity but also confusion. Then understanding. Reservation? He had no idea what he was thinking. Jack eyed him as he asked, "Who-What's your name? The one you were born with."

Will was hesitant, like he was making sure that what he knew was correct before telling him, "Ryan...I was born Ryan Robert Ferro."

Jack felt his body stiffen but then relax. It'd been impulsive. He'd been expecting the name. He hadn't heard it in a very long time. Not since 1981. He stared at Will...Not Will. He looked at Ryan and felt his chest fill with a rush of heartache but also pure devotion. He was the boy who had become the man that he loved. It should have felt odd, or weird, but it didn't. He didn't love the boy, he loved the man.

Will smiled slightly as he looked him over. "I remember...I remember, Jack...I remember-It's different, my head feels different. I can't explain it. I have this memory I never had before of meeting...I knew you as a kid? You were...You're the one-You trained me?"

He stared at him as he felt a deeply seeded sense of ownership come over him. He quickly pushed it away as that was not the correct emotional response to have. Jack didn't question why that was, probably due to his enormous sense of responsibility and accountability. He had to own what he'd done. So, in essence, own the man he'd essentially created.

He didn't know if Will regretted that knowledge or not. He didn't know if he would hate him for it or not. A lot of different scenarios went through his head of how this could be a very good thing but also a very bad thing.

This was why he hadn't told Will the truth. Not only to protect Will, but himself. He wasn't ready for the consequences.

Giving a nod, he confirmed, "I did," he confirmed.

Will nodded then hit him.

Jack was more shocked than anything as he caught himself on the railing. He hadn't seen it coming. He stared over at Will as his anger suddenly changed to a blank face of stoicism. No regret. No hate. No anger. There was nothing.

But then he did hear him say in a toneless voice, "Sorry," before he walked away.

He watched him go down the steps as he touched his face. There was blood on his lip.


En-route to Moscow, Russia

Trans-Siberian Railway

He stared up at him as Will stared down at him. Though at the moment they were fine, Jack knew that could change in an instant.

After the freighter had docked, they boarded the train and had gone about the rest of the day in absolute silence. Will had become withdrawn and had sat alone for hours. Jack had allowed him his space and time as he worked over what to do next. They currently were at a stand-still on the mission anyway. They had run out of leads. He was just thinking about pulling in the CIA, getting help from his daughter and calling in Thomas Grace and Rachal Gibson when the compartment door opened and Will walked in.

Will took one look at him, crossed the space between them, and kissed him.

That had been several hours ago, he didn't know how long and didn't care. All he cared about was the well-being of the man lying on top of him. He had so many questions.

The first question was, "I should've asked sooner, but what do you want me to call you now?"

Will's hand moved over his chest while his hand moved over his, as if he was touching him again for the first time. "Will. I may have been born Ryan but...Will is the man you love. I like being him."

He wondered about his life and wanted to know everything. The most important question was how he became Will Tippin.

Before he could ask, Will asked him, "What was that phrase about? "The dragon reigns alone"?"

Jack thought back to those days in the CIA as he told him, "When I first joined the CIA, I did it to slay dragons and to save men. That was my initial purpose. Then my true calling was realized, and...I was the one slaying men. Not saving them. I had become the dragon. That ended up being my code name in those days. And the "reign alone" part was because I did. I was a lone assassin. I was my own authority. I wanted to ensure that the trigger phrase was something that only I would know."

Will stared down at him as he said, "That's how I remember feeling. Always being alone...even when I wasn't." He leaned down and kissed him.

As they kissed, Jack felt how different it was from the kiss when Will had walked earlier. The first kiss had been passionate and apologetic. This one was uncertain and reserved.

Once the kiss ended, he asked, "What happened? How did you get to be Tippin?"

Will simply told him with hardly any emotion behind the words, "I wanted it done. I was doing work I didn't want to do, under the thumb of people I didn't want to be under the thumb of any longer...I thought the only way to be free was to become someone else and have my memories repressed, my thoughts manipulated. I saw no other option." He stared at him as he suddenly said, "I have money."

Jack shook his head, as he didn't understand the importance of it at the moment.

Will suddenly laughed and sat up. The stoicism was gone. "No, I mean it. I have...like, millions of dollars. And supplies and everything. Jack, I have resources. Allies." His eyes then lit up as he said, "I know a guy. I know a former member of Prophet Five. Jack, he's in Moscow. Before, when I first remembered, it was only brief memories and thoughts, like you and my name and what I did. But now, it's like my experiences are making sense with added context and knowledge. I'm beginning to understand the connections between people and places, and my life before. I wasn't just a spy, you know, I was like you, I was an assassin. And I worked with two other Project Christmas agents who were assigned with me in Russia. Allison Doren and Julian Sark. I know Sark! Sark knows me! That's why…" he got up out of bed as he started pacing.

Jack sat up in bed as he watched him and smiled slightly. Whether he remembered he was Ryan or not, he was still in a lot of ways Will. The pacing, the over-excitedness, his easy-going nature. Even though there was confidence in himself now, and a stronger sense of his abilities, he saw now that Will hadn't been a complete fabrication.

Will had been the real Ryan all along. The Ryan without the training, without the memories of being a spy and assassin. He hadn't been weighed down by the life and the missions, the responsibility and the consequences. The deaths.

Despite knowing it had to be done, he regretted that it had to be done. But it was either this or Will continuing to go without the truth and the anger and the space between them growing until it was too late to reconnect. Maybe he could help Will learn how to be better, cope better, with his added experiences as Will Tippin. He wasn't going to suddenly abandon Will, not now. If anything, he wanted to help him more. Help him to focus and find balance so he didn't think that the only way to break free, or feel free, was to have his entire life erased from memory.

"That's why Sark was coming after me in Los Angeles. It makes so much sense now. He probably thought I was on an assignment. I had them fake my death, but Sark must have thought my "death" was a cover when he saw us together. That's why he said that at the plaza."

"What did he say at the plaza?" Jack asked as he thought back to the time he had Will meet Sark at the top of California Plaza to make the flash drive exchange.

Will turned to him as he said, "He kept asking me questions I didn't know the answers to. He was acting weird, he said, he said…"What's your objective?" and "Who are you working for?". And I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he was asking me if I knew who he was, and when I said I didn't, he said, "You have no idea who I am?"...And, I was like, "Yeah, you're "deep throat". That's when he pulled his gun on me and I had to jump over the side."

Jack listened to what he was saying and gave a nod. "Since Sark knows your history with Project Christmas that means Prophet Five and Sloane knows about it as well. We could use this."

"How? Wait," he said as he thought about it. "They don't know that you know. They think I don't remember. They might try to get me away from you to use me against you. Or, or…Jack, or-"

"There are many possibilities," he said as he grabbed Will by the arm once he came close enough and pulled him toward him until he climbed on top of him. "First, try breathing," he said before giving him a kiss.

Will took a breath and said, "Yeah, I needed that. There's a lot-I'm just-Everything is lining up in my head. It's still-not everything is cohesive. There are still blurry images and hazy memories, and things I don't know, but more of my past is getting clearer and less confusing."

"I know. It might not all make sense today or even tomorrow. It could take a long time for everything to be sorted out in your psyche. Will, you've been having mood disturbances-"

"Mood disturbances? You think I'll go psycho on you?"

"No," he shook his head, "Nothing like that. I'm referring to Post-traumatic stress and depression, anxiety. At the moment, it sounds like you're only getting the memories without the emotional implications. It's all new and exciting. It might turn into sorrow, anger, guilt. You may regret remembering your past altogether and not know how to deal with it."

Will suddenly seemed to deflate in his arms. Then he looked at him and he knew he was different again. Jack really didn't think Will knew he was...shifting. That was the best word he could come up with. He had a feeling that the stoic was the real Ryan. He remembered that boy in the hallway. His look. His disconnect.

He remembered how they were the same.

"Listen, I want to take you somewhere," he said. "It's off the grid, remote, and a good place to think."

"You think I should get away?" Will asked.

"I think you need time."

"We don't have time."

"Yes, we do. Will... nothing about this was going to be quick. I know that better than anyone. I was undercover with SD-6 for ten years, another ten before I was even in the organization. This was never going to be easy. We have the time. I'm going with you and I'll be there every step of the way, but you have a lot to work through. And I'm not talking memories but emotions and your training. Your life is different now. You need to figure out for yourself what that really means."

Will finally seemed to understand as he gave a nod. "Okay. You're right, I need to to work through who I am. I understand. Where do you want to go?"

He looked away and then at him as he said, "Bhutan."

"Bhutan?" Will asked before his eyes widened. "That's in Southeast Asia, Jack. It's winter!"

"There will be snow."

Will shook his head and said, "Why couldn't it be somewhere tropical like Tahiti?"

"I don't know anyone in Tahiti," he said matter of fact.

Will stared at him and then smiled as he shook his head. "Again with the logic. Who do you know in Bhutan?"

"Lama Pak. He has a hut."

As Will rested his head on his, he said, "Off the grid?"

"It's isolated. And I have an old friend who might be able to help us really understand what's going on in your head."

"Do I him?"

Jack thought about that question before he said, "You've met."


February 2003

Bhutan

Jack hadn't seen Doctor Yuri Drenkov in almost decades. After Project Christmas was scrapped, Yuri went off to do other projects. Then once the USSR was no more, Yuri had returned home and took up a residency in St. Petersburg. At his request, Yuri came out and spent nearly a week with Will; he talked to him, got him to go with him for a few days. Where they had gone, Jack didn't know, but when they returned Will seemed more relaxed and refreshed.

They exited Yuri's Jeep and Will went over to the woodpile that he'd gathered and picked up the axe. Yuri walked through the front door and took off his hat and gloves.

Jack walked over to him and shook his hand. "How did it go? He looks rested."

Yuri walked over to the kitchen counter and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. "It went as expected." He took a drink as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "He's remarkable."

Jack pulled out a chair and sat across from him. "Is that your official diagnosis?"

"My official diagnosis, Jack, is he is suffering from a dissociative state due to the KGB's programming. I read over all his journals and the remaining reports on the KGB's Project Christmas concerning the other subjects. The drugs that they had administered, the cognitive behavior therapy, most of which would be classified as torture, by the way, from sleep deprivation to-"

"Yuri...I understand torture and the possible "therapy" that the KGB used in the '80's. Please, skip ahead." Jack took a drink from his own cup of coffee and then said, "Your English is better."

Yuri smirked slightly as he told him, "Years of practice." He leaned back in the chair and took out a pack of cigarettes.

"You still smoke?"

"Habit I can't break. Tried a few times." He shrugged and lit up the cigarette before telling him, "He is suffering from something that I have never seen before. Remember how I told you he was broken as a kid? How he needed to separate himself? That is exactly what he is doing here. He is hiding his true nature behind personas. Personas, that for him, are very necessary. He needs them. He's many different people, Jack. From one moment to the next, he moves from one persona to another, as if taking off one mask only to slip on another. Exactly the way we wanted. Except, right now, it is in self-defense. Quite simply, he is scared."

"Why? Do I scare him?"

Yuri shrugged as he blew out a breath of smoke and tapped the ash out onto a plate. "People usually put on a persona to do one of two things, Jack: to make a certain impression, or, to hide themselves. Whether it be to hide part of or all of their true nature. He could think he isn't enough. Or, he doesn't want to be who he truly is, or that what he believes himself to be is undesirable. Whatever the reason, he wants to hide. I'm sure it's not because of you. It's his way."

He leaned back in the chair and asked in concern and a little fascination, "Do you think this is permanent or a temporary defense mechanism as you put it? He's angry and then...stoic. He can't sleep. He's up all night writing in journals and then he's defensive again."

"I don't know. He has created different versions of himself, each one with their own personality and tics. The aliases aren't just aliases. They're his personas. He doesn't know who he is. And as I said before, it's like taking off one mask, one persona, and slipping on another. A snake shedding his skin. It's that seamless. Since you activated him, brought back his memories, it was like unlocking that compulsion all over again. He has to separate himself into these different people. It's how he knows how to function. These masks, Jack, I have to say, they are not what concerns me the most."

Jack perked up at that. He'd been indulging his assessment of Will only because he knew Doctor Yuri Drenkov was an expert, and one of the best. Up until now, he really didn't care one way or another about these personas. Will was suffering and he was currently out of control. All he wanted to do was understand and figure out a way to help him. "If that's not what concerns you, then what does?"

Yuri leaned on the table as he told him, "His shadow."

He nearly laughed. "His shadow?"

"Not that shadow," Yuri said with a smile. "Carl Jung explained the shadow in his work on personas. It's a representation of our deepest, darkest nature. We all have one. Our shadow is the manifestation of our dark nature and our deepest desires, but also our true self. If Mr. Tippin does have a true identity that he's been hiding with the use of personas, it's the shadow. He doesn't want anyone to see him for what he believes himself to be, what he truly is."

"And who is he really?"

Yuri looked at him as he told him, "Who do you think?"

Jack sighed as he understood. "Ryan Robert Ferro."

"Whoever he believes that boy to be, is what he is afraid of. Jack," Yuri said as he leaned forward on the table, "Mr. Tippin used this compulsion in his work with the Russians. He became known as the Prometheus because he was a trickster. A man of two faces. He did long undercover assignments lasting at least a year or more because of his ability to become other people. It has become his specialty, aside from being an assassin. You may not be able to...fix this. You may only be able to live with it. Help him live with it."

He looked out the window and saw Will chopping up the wood for the fire. Jack rubbed his head as he asked, "How? What do I do?"

"I don't know. Reassure him that who he is is enough. Let him know he can be himself. I'm not sure, Jack. If we had more time, I would recommend extensive cognitive therapy."

He nodded. There wasn't much else he could do. Yuri finished the coffee and cigarette then stood as he reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you," Jack told him as he stood. "You can stay for dinner if you want."

"I have to get back. I am a long way from home. My wife will get worried. It was good to see you again, old friend," Yuri told him before he left.

Jack watched as Yuri got in his Jeep; he gave a wave before he drove away. Will stopped as he sat the axe down and picked up the pieces he'd chopped up and brought them with him to the door. He opened the door for him, and with a hand on his chest, stopped him so he could give him a kiss. "I've missed you."

Will smiled at him as he moved around him and took the wood over to the fireplace. "I missed you too."

"Where did you two go?"

As Will stacked the wood next to the fireplace, he told him, "I'd rather not talk about it right now."

He could understand that but he didn't like not knowing. Jack took another sip of the coffee and looked around the small hut. They were so off the grid there was no access to a phone or internet. There were a few books, ones he'd already read, and that was basically it.

"Would it be completely unreasonable to think we can have sex right now?"

Jack looked over at Will who stood and walked over to him. He went to speak, stopped, and then shook his head. "No, it wouldn't be unreasonable."

The edge of Will's mouth smirked at him before it was gone. His look was one of serious consideration as he looked him over before he leaned in to kiss him. It was very deliberate and almost testing, like he needed to be sure of something. For a moment it was unsettling because he didn't understand the reason why.

Then Will pulled back and asked, "Can I be the one in control?" Jack realized why Will had been tentative. He wasn't sure if he'd be receptive to his request. "I understand if you're not comfortable with trusting me after I hit you."

Jack sat the cup down and then took a hold of his hips, pulling him along as he headed towards the bedroom. "I trust you."

And he proved that by being very receptive to Will's requests as he took control of their love making. Jack quickly realized that it wasn't so much as what Will wanted, but what Will believed that he wanted. For over a year Will had been trying to figure out how to get him to lose himself completely during sex. He had to admit that he'd been holding back a lot, but it was only because he was too focused on Will's needs to care about his own. He wasn't as young as Will, no longer tentative but also not as adventurous. He was experienced and a lot more secure in what he liked and didn't like whereas Will was still trying to figure it out. Will wanted to be the one to let go, to be taken care of, to be controlled and told what to do and he obliged wholeheartedly because his only concern was pleasing Will.

It never really occurred to him that Will would want to do the same for him. He didn't know why that was other than he couldn't remember a time when anyone cared so much about him to even try. Not even when he was married. But that whole experience with his once wife had been tainted but her betrayal anyway that he didn't think anything she did was for his benefit or happiness. Even if she told him it was, it had all been an act and a lie. Now, with Will doing everything that he'd learned about his likes and desires over the last year in order to please him, it was hard not to push aside all his learned control and reservations in order to let go.

Will knew he liked it rough, but he wasn't quite sure Will realized how rough he truly liked it until he did something he'd never thought he would do. He watched as Will moved away from the bed and then grabbed out of his bag one of his ties. Jack stared at him as he walked back over and without asking bound his arms behind him and then shoved him back onto the bed.

"I figured it out," Will told him as he ran his hand down his chest. "And I know how to make you beg."

Jack closed his eyes and felt a shiver run down his body. Will had figured it out and It didn't take long before he was begging and pleading until he nearly screamed out in pleasure.

A while later, Jack woke with a start with a feeling that something was wrong. Something, or someone for that matter, was missing. His hand ran over the sheet next to him and felt it still warm. Sitting up, he looked around the room and didn't see Will. He got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before opening the door.

A gun met his face the moment he stepped into the living room. He stumbled back as his hands instinctively went to his hip where there was no gun. The gun returned and he finally saw who was standing behind it as his eyes started to water from the pain.

Katya Derevko. "Good evening, Jack," she said. "Come join us in the kitchen."

He headed towards the kitchen and saw Will sitting at the table with three men with guns standing around it. One had his gun pointed at Will. He looked angry, confused, but most of all apologetic. He had nothing to apologize for. If Katya was there it was because of him. He had killed her sister.

"Have a seat," she told him as she walked around the table, gun still pointed at him. He sat down with Will to the right of him as Katya sat across from him. "All we're missing is Irina and this would have been a nice reunion, but. . .you had to go and put a bullet in her head."

Jack worked his jaw as he glanced over at Will who had both his hands on the table. There were two guns under the table and neither one of them would be able to get to one in time. "She left me no choice."

"Oh, I see, you executed my sister because you saw no other choice. So, I should forgive you then. What did you always used to say, "There is always a choice"."

"Do you want me to apologize? Is that what you want?"

"Don't patronize. You're too good at what you do to feel sorry for doing it. If you pulled the trigger, it's because you wanted that to be your only choice. You didn't want another one. Just admit it, Jack, you wanted my sister dead."

He glanced up at the man in a Russian SVR uniform who stepped up beside him, trying to intimidate. If this was an execution, he'd be dead already. If they wanted information, Will would be used to get him to talk. He worked through the possible reasons why Katya was there and could only think of one reason. "You need something from me, don't you? What do you want, Katya?"

She gave him a soft smile and lowered the gun finally. She holstered it and motioned the other SVR officers out of the room. "Hands stay on the table. I know you both have loaded pistols under there." The way she said that sounded almost like an innuendo, which it probably was, Jack thought as he stared at Irina's sister. "When you shot Irina, you unknowingly unleashed, how you say, "a can of worms". First, with Elena. Second, with him," she said as she gestured to Will.

Will looked at Katya, then him, and then at Katya again as he asked, "Me? What'd I do?"

"Now you want to play coy."

"Listen, lady," Will said, "I'm not sure if you're aware but I had my memories repressed. I'm still struggling to work through it all and I'm not remembering everything-"

"So you don't know."

"Know what?" Jack asked.

Katya stood and started walking around the table as she said, "This is worse than I thought. We need the files your boyfriend stole from an Air Base in Misawa Japan seven years ago. Files that pertain to a certain weapons prototype and intelligence. Intelligence that you two have been trying to unravel since you shot Irina and put yourself on the Most Wanted List in America."

"This is about Prophet Five?" Will asked as he looked up at Katya.

"Prophet Five is only the beginning, Will. Or do you prefer another name? Ryan, perhaps?"

He looked over at her and said, "You know who he is."

"I know. He used to work for us. An unclassified division. Rogue. All trained using your specifications, Jack."

He looked over at Will and saw his eyes on the table as he clenched his hands. Will glanced at him and he saw his anger. This was about Will after-all. "Yuri," Jack said as he looked back at Katya. "You talked to Yuri Drenkov."

"You should keep better company. He's been one of our assets for years."

Jack looked to Will and asked, "Where did you two go?"

Will let out a breath and stood. Katya let him. "I didn't betray you if that's-"

"I'm not thinking that," he said as he watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "I need to know if anyone else could have learned about this. Were you alone? In public?"

He stopped and looked at the table. Not meeting his eyes, he said, "Public. Bangladesh. Dhaka."

"He wouldn't-" Katya said as she suddenly turned to Will.

"Wouldn't what?" Jack asked as he stood while grabbing the gun out from under the table.

"Elena is in Dhaka."

Jack was now more confused than before. "What does your other sister have to do with any of this?"

"Always the fool, Jack," she shot at him, causing him to tighten his grip on his gun. "They were working together. Irina and Elena. Irina was the front person. She conducted all the business, took all the meetings, negotiated all the ransom demands," Katya said pointedly as she looked at him. "Elena, she ran everything behind the scenes. In fact, she was the one in charge of it all. Who do you think recruited Arvin Sloane? Irina?"

In all honesty, he never thought about it. He didn't try to go that far back in time to consider who made the deal with whom. Who it was that got Sloane in on Prophet Five and for how long. Whenever he thought about the past, he was blinded to his own rage. All he could think about was how he was fooled, how he was betrayed. How he had failed.

"Elena has been obsessed with Prophet Five for decades. She believed it held a re-coding of sorts."

"Re-coding of what?" he asked.

"Of everything. Our genetics. The environment. The air we breathe. Evolution."

Jack shook his head as he fought to understand. It was too big. Too abstract. It wasn't his strong suit.

"You've always been limited. That's why you let it get personal; you were unable to see the big picture of what we were doing."

He felt his jaw flex at the shot from Katya. She always seemed to know where to hit him.

"Prophet Five's about DNA resequencing," Will said as he leaned over the back of the chair. "But not solely on human beings, but on everything. They want to create a new world. They're going to use Substance 33 to do it."

"Ah, very good, Will," Katya said as she smiled over at Will. "I see why Jack likes you. You're not just a pretty face."

Jack saw the annoyance on Will's face and tried to get them back on track. "Elena is in Dhaka; why?"

"A section of her organization has a base of operations in a decommissioned chemical facility south of the industrial zone."

"What's the organization called?"

Katya smiled as she told him, "OMNIFAM. And I came here Jack because I do need something from you. The both of you. A covert mission that we can not be linked to, in a region that will be hostile. Name your price."

Jack stared at her as he thought about a form of payment. He didn't need money. He needed another option. Without taking his eyes off Will, he said, "Will, leave us a moment." Will looked over at him and he saw the resignation in his eyes. He felt he was being pushed away again. Once Will was out of the room, he told her his terms, "I want all the files that the SVR has on Ryan Robert Ferro. All of them. Original hardcopies. And all other copies destroyed, both physical and digital. I want his history, all missions, erased like he never existed."

Katya started pacing again. "I don't have the authority-"

"Find the authority."

"I should be surprised that it wasn't amnesty for you and your pretty boy. Or immunity. But I'm not. Irina told me about you. She said that she knew she could get you to marry her and confide in her not because of your sense of loyalty or devotion, but your protectiveness. You will do most anything to protect someone you love. That is a weakness."

"We all have them."

Katya looked at him and he saw a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Do you know what he is, Jack?"

He didn't. Not completely. "I am learning who he is."

She smiled. "Be careful what you go searching for, you might find it."


July 2003

Minsk, Belarus

On the windshield a light rain blurred and obscured the figures hustling around the car. The street was packed with people, either businessmen or tourists, all wealthy and distinguished, but also most likely respective representatives, donors, and politicians or those associated with them. Tonight, the most exclusive and private hotel, the Minsk Sovereign Hotel, was hosting an international banquet of some obscure company called OMNIFAM. It was also the place where his target, one Doctor Wu Yen, a Chinese Chemist, was staying.

Yen had arrived the day before to attend the banquet tonight. Tomorrow he was supposed to board a flight back to Beijing, China. Doctor Yen wasn't to make that flight. If Yen returned to China, he wouldn't have another opportunity. Tonight, it was all or nothing.

"Am I clear?" he asked as he watched the light turn green.

~Hang on.~ Jack spoke into his left ear.

"I don't have time to hang on." He checked the mirrors again as he took a left, coming up along the backside of the hotel and closer to the underground parking garage. The all black luxury town car was making a second circle around the block. "I don't want to make a third trip around. I'll start drawing attention."

~One more minute-~

"You have thirty seconds." He watched as the hotel security took notice of his approach as he got into the lane to enter the parking garage behind another vehicle.

The only thing betraying his calm demeanor were his hands fisting the steering wheel. His anger with the delay was threatening to compromise the entire mission. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a split second to center himself and felt an internal shift. It was an odd sensation, like nodding off for a second before jerking back awake.

When he re-opened his eyes, the hands on the steering wheel instantly eased as he slouched back in the seat. Will reached over and picked up the chauffeur hat on the passenger seat and placed it on his head. Then he donned the thick framed coke-bottle glasses that had been insisted that he wore. It was a disguise, Jack had said. You'll look fine, he said. He looked like an idiot.

The guards were done with the vehicle in front and him and waved him forward. "I don't mean to hurry you along, but in twenty seconds we'll be a sitting duck if you don't-"

~Don't wait for me.~

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one in the car." He was motioned forward and let the car roll to a stop in front of the security officers.

Pulling out a chauffeur's ID belonging to Adam Bancroft, he lowered the window and held it out for the guard. There were no words spoken between him and security as they inspected the ID, the sticker on the car, and the license plate. All three checked out and he was motioned forward.

Once he put the window back up and started moving into the parking garage, he started counting backwards, "Three...two...-"

~You're all clear.~

"One," he muttered under his breath as he immediately spotted the security cameras.

They were in practically every corner. He steered the car not to a parking spot but right up to the elevator banks. Another hotel security officer, practically a kid, was stationed at that post. He immediately started to wave him on as he protested his stop. Parking but not turning the car off, he quickly got out to address the guard as he showed his ID. "Adam Bancroft, I'm Doctor Yen's driver. He has an emergency and I need to get him back-"

"No parking. No parking!" The guard kept insisting.

"I'm not parking, Einstein, it's idling, okay. I've got to keep it running or it won't restart, bad battery."

"No, you can't be here."

"Ten minutes," he told the guard. "By holding me up, it'll be twenty. Look, I'm in a hurry." He pulled a card out of his pants pocket as the guard pulled his radio off his belt. He shoved the card into his hand as he said, "You can call to verify. Doctor Yen is an important man to Chairman Raskina."

The guard's mouth snapped shut as his eyes widened. "Chairman Ras-"

"Isaak Raskina," Will finished for him.

It wasn't a stretch to think that Doctor Wu Yen, a highly acclaimed chemist from China and a newly appointed ambassador in the government, would be a very important man to Minsk's Chairman Isaak Raskina. Raskina himself was a renowned chemist, having graduated from the Minsk Institute of Chemical Engineering. He was currently the head of operations for Minsk's Chemical Industry.

Pointing to the card with a phone number on it in the guard's hand, he said again, "Direct line to the Chairman. Can I go now?"

"I apologize. There will be no need for me to call. Please, go in," the guard replied as he handed the card back and moved aside.

"Thank you," he said as he grabbed the card and rushed by the guard. He hesitated in his steps as he looked back and asked, "Hey, uh, can you watch the car?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

Will smiled and hurried on his way into an elevator. Once the doors closed and it started to ascend, he heard Jack's voice in his left ear. ~Did you ask him to watch the car?~

"I gave him something to do for the Chairman. The guard thinks he's doing him an honor. Remind me on my way out to tell him I'll inform the Chairman of his willingness to help...The cameras?" he asked as he glanced up at the black bubble in the corner of the elevator. That bubble was a security camera.

~You're a ghost. Stop worrying about the cameras.~ The voice said right before he saw a panel in the top of the elevator start to open. Appearing in the darkness that engulfed the elevator shaft was Jack.

"You're slacking. Two trips around the block, really?" He shook his head at the veteran spy as he removed the chauffeur's hat and glasses.

Both were handed up to Jack who placed them behind him somewhere. He removed his real pair of glasses from the inside of his suit jacket pocket and slid them on his face then proceeded to take off the clip-on tie. He tossed that up to Jack before pulling out a black bowtie out of his suit pocket. Jack dropped down an invitation to the banquet. Inside the invitation was an encrypted key card he would need to get into the ballroom where the banquet was being held. The invitation was addressed to a Mr. Henry, Personal Assistant to Mr. Bruce Yukawa.

And in that moment, Will was looking at his new alias persona of Mr. Henry in the reflection of the elevator as he wrapped the tie around his neck. As he used his reflection in the metal wall of the elevator to tie on the bowtie, he said, "Can I ask a question?"

"No," Jack said matter-of-factly.

He ignored him as he asked anyway, "Is Henry a first or last name?"

"That's the conundrum, it's it? The world will never know."

Will smiled and said, "And tell me why I couldn't just arrive as Mr. Henry? The name's been in their system for a personal invitation for weeks. I could've waltz right through the front door."

"Because Mr. Henry cannot, and will not, be associated with the abduction and disappearance of Doctor Yen. All anyone will remember is some American chauffeur with thick glasses and hat escorting Doctor Yen out to his awaiting town car. After tonight, Chauffeur Adam Bancroft will no longer exist."

"And Mr. Henry?"

He looked up at Jack as he told him, "As long as there's a Bruce Yukawa, there's a Mr. Henry. There's always a bank, Will. A financial backer supplying the means and opportunity. And Mr. Henry conducts all business on behalf of Mr. Yukawa." He glanced at the numbers and saw they were approaching the 60th floor. "We're almost there." Looking up at Jack, he saw his eyes on him. He was confident in him. "I'll be right here if you need me. Keep your eyes and ears open. Any sign of trouble, you know what to do."

"Yeah, get the hell out of Minsk."

Jack once again disappeared behind the panel on top of the elevator and he was once again left alone. He nearly laughed at that thought; he was never alone.

The doors opened and he stepped off the elevator into the hallway and made his way toward the ballroom. The high-rise building was well over a hundred floors and he had no idea why they chose the sixtieth for the ballroom other than the view. All he could think of was the evacuation procedures if something disastrous were to happen. He just hoped that he wouldn't be the "something disastrous". Approaching the grand doors that were the only way in and out, he removed his invitation and handed it to one of the guards at the entrance.

Once his invite was verified, the guard told him, "Welcome, Mr. Henry," as he gestured to the scanner in the wall. "Your card."

Will used the encrypted card that'd been with the invitation and swiped it through the scanner. It lit up green and the doors to the ballroom opened.

"Enjoy your evening."

He barely acknowledged the guard as he stepped through the doors and withheld a momentary gasp of awe. The ballroom was vast, decked in gold, crystals, and mahogany drapes and cloth. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling. As for the view, it really was worth it. He made his way to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and took a look out over the city, toward the direction of Independence Square-their rendezvous point after the abduction was completed-and took in the landscape. Minsk truly was a beautiful city.

Turning around to face the grand ballroom, his eyes swept over the attendees as he searched for his target. "Jack," he whispered.

~I'm still looking. He might not be here yet. Guests are still arriving...Your three o'clock, grey suit, standing by the fountain.~

He looked to his right, toward a fountain in the middle of the room. It was three tiers with water flowing out and over the top tier to gather and then fall into the next tier, and so forth. He made his way over as his hand cupped a small tiny capsule he had in his pants pocket. He used his thumb to push the capsule between his fore and middle finger, hiding it there.

Through several other attendees, he finally spotted Doctor Yen. The chemist had a thin frame and narrow face and stood slightly shorter than himself. Lanky would be the word he attached to Doctor Yen. Instead of going right up to Yen, he walked around him, keeping out of his line of sight as he grabbed a glass of champagne a waiter offered. He stopped in front of the fountain and sipped the drink.

Yen was in a conversation with another man who was speaking and translating the Chinese on behalf of the bigger and taller bald man who accompanied him. He didn't much care what their conversation was about, but it sounded like a business agreement was trying to be made. It wasn't long, only a couple more seconds, before it was done and the two men walked away.

Will waited another second or two before turning to face Yen as Yen turned around and saw him.

Their eyes met and recognition filled Yen's eyes. "Mr. Henry."

"Doctor Yen," Will greeted. "I see you made it from the airport all right."

Yen smiled and laughed, "Yes, with help. Thank you again."

Will had made sure he'd run into Doctor Yen when he'd arrived at the airport from China yesterday. He also made sure he'd swiped Yen's wallet and then proceeded to "help" him find it, but with his cash missing. So, he gave him some money for a taxi so he could get to the hotel. They now had a familiarity with one another that would prove helpful in getting Yen to trust him. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies either. Not yet anyway.

As another waiter walked by, Will asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"Ah, yes."

He grabbed the glass of champagne from the top with his right hand, making sure to deposit the small capsule into it as he passed it over to Yen.

"Thank you," Yen said as he took glass in hand. He then regarded him suspiciously as he said, "I wasn't aware you were on island for this occasion."

He smiled as he told him, "My employer insists I make an appearance, if only to land potential clients. He even gave me business cards to pass around." He transferred the drink to his right hand so he could use his left to pull out a card from his suit pocket. "Which reminds me," he said as he handed it to Doctor Yen. All the card read on the front was the name Mr. Henry along with a description of him being a private consultant. On the back of the card it stated: "Realize Opportunities. Rethink Possibilities." A single phone number was printed under it. Inside the card was a tech that disabled any electronic devices on or inside Yen. Jack was certain the chemist had been chipped with a tracker.

Yen took the card and read it before pocketing it. "What does your employer do exactly? The card's vague."

"Just as it says. Helping our clients realize their opportunities and rethinking what's possible. Our sole interest is in financing operations that best suit our clients' needs."

"What operations?"

He returned his attention to the room as he told him, "We're multi-functional."

"Multi-functional. You really do keep it vague. How'd you get any business?"

Will laughed a little as he agreed. He did like to keep it vague; it made everything easier. "Reputation. That's why you're interested." He saw Yen smile slightly in agreement.

"We've all heard stories, Mr. Henry."

He smiled as a sound caught all their attention. He turned to see a man on the stage on the far side of the room. He was a skinny man in a very expensive suit who stood about five feet eight inches tall, who had a pointy nose and short spiky hair. He recognized him immediately as Nigel Phillips. CFO of OMNIFAM.

"Hello, everyone," Nigel spoke to the gathered crowd. "My name is Nigel Phillips and I'm the CFO of OMNIFAM. Our chairman and CEO, Mr. Anneal Visor, couldn't make it this evening, because, you see, we at OMNIFAM are more than a business...We're a family. Once you sign on to be a part of us, we work for you. Our own founder is out there, right now, working for our clients. He doesn't have an office. There are no board meetings or private jets. There is only our clients and their needs. Everyone works for everyone else. There are no controlling interests, because even if you have one share, that's enough to become part of the OMNIFAM family. And that is what the F.A.M. in our name stands for: family. Not many companies can say that and it actually is true. Money, though helpful, isn't what we're about. We at OMNIFAM are interested in only two things: harboring uniqueness and leveling kings. It's the second part that I believe interests you all the most, so let me get straight to the point. Monopolies are a thing of the past, or, they should've been. The biggest monopoly in the world today...governments. Most importantly, an alliance of governments. We are all familiar with the fall of the Alliance of Twelve. Like you, I was shocked to learn that governments were in control of what I believe the people should be in control of: our future."

Will saw a lot of nodding heads in the room. He glanced back over at Nigel Phillips as he listened to what the man had to say.

"A global conglomerate of hubris had taken over and the little guy was getting crushed. If governments owning the weapons industry wasn't enough, they had tried to take over energy and technology, and they had done this by buying out all the competition. Through mergers and acquisitions of governments, alliances, treaties, our companies and businesses were getting stepped on. And as of right now, a government is trying to become the sole shareholder of a company that's working for the future, our future, in the advancement of weapons, robotics, bio-tech and bio-genetics, aeronautics and cyber-tech. A government is looking to take over this little company, of owning it's research and development, all for its own personal use and gain. That company is OMNIFAM and that government is the United States. The reason I'm here, why you are all here, is to prevent that from happening. In order to stop a King, we have to level him to the ground, and the only way to do that, is to hit him right where it hurts. In saying no to government control and yes to OMNIFAM we're one step closer to taking back what countries have taken from all of us, a chance to survive, and thrive..." Phillips' eyes landed on him and for a moment he was startled.

Will wondered if he'd been made, if the little CFO knew him.

Nigel Phillips recovered quickly as he said, "Thank you," to end the speech. There were murmurs all around the banquet hall as he walked away from the microphone.

As he took a sip of his drink, he watched as Nigel walked off the stage and down to greet the people whom he'd gathered to attend the fundraiser event. "Did you hear all that?" he asked Jack but Yen answered.

"I did. Looks like you might have a new competitor with this OMNIFAM," Yen said to him.

~I heard.~ Jack said in his ear.

Will took a drink of the champagne before giving him his prepared speech. "I could recite our mission statement," he teased before saying, "Let me just explain it like this, my employer is independently wealthy and wants to put his money to use. You have an idea, project, or cure but not the financial backing to get it off the ground...that's where we come in. We acquire contracts, whether they're weapons contracts, cyber technology, small business upstarts, biotech, even environmental sustainability. The one thing we don't do is mass manufacturing and production. We can supply the final fully-functional prototype or product. You then can sell it to your manufacture of choice, or the highest bidder, and we get a percentage of the profit that's agreed upon. It ranges from a small cut to half, or more depending. All contracted under our specifications."

"I'm assuming your contracts or more than monetary binding?" Yen asked.

He smiled but didn't say anything to that as he leaned a little forward, dropping his voice and told him, "The best part is it's clean and legitimate and entirely confidential, at least on the surface. And if anyone tries to dig deeper will get burned. Our front, it's...impenetrable."

Yen smiled as he said, "I think it's safe to say that I'll be getting in contact with you in the future to discuss opportunities."

"Then here's to future endeavors," Will said as he clicked his glass with Yen's and took a drink. Yen followed suit.

They continued to talk for several more minutes until he spotted the signs of the drug kick in. Yen started to sweat profusely and his hands started to tremble. He took the glass out of Yen's hand before he could drop it and sat it down on the side of the fountain, only to "accidentally" knock it over into the water to dissolve any trace of the drug being found in the drink.

"Doctor Yen, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm..." Yen's protest stopped as he hurriedly excused himself, "Excuse me."

Will watched as Yen rushed out of the ballroom, un-escorted and alone. He finished his glass of champagne then slowly proceeded to walk out of the ballroom as he pocketed the champagne glass. He didn't want to leave anything that might have his DNA or prints on it. Getting to the elevators, he glanced up at the numbers and saw one of them blinking, indicating it was stuck on the 50th floor. He got in an elevator and took it to the 50th.

~I couldn't use the same elevator. Guests were coming up.~

"Are we still clear?"

~For now. Security figured out something was wrong when they did a floor check when a lady lost her phone.~

Will exited onto the 50th floor, glanced up and down the hall to ensure it was empty, and as the other elevator's door slid open, he came face-to-face once again with Doctor Yen. He saw surprise but not fear in Yen's eyes as he got on with him. He knew at the moment Yen couldn't speak due to the drug. Once the doors were closed, he checked his watch. A few more seconds and Yen would be out cold. Turning to face Yen, he watched as the man slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor. He didn't bother saying anything. Yen would know what this was all about soon enough.

The top panel to the elevator was yanked open and Jack stuck his head out. "We need to move fast."

Jack dropped down the chauffeur hat, glasses, and necktie to him and he quickly changed. He shoved the bowtie in his pocket and then lifted Yen up to his feet and wrapped his right arm around his body. Will watched the numbers and cursed again that the ballroom had been up so high.

Looking up at Jack, he asked, "You know how to get out of here?"

"I got myself in, I can get myself out."

"If you're not at that rendezvous in twenty-"

"Don't wait for me." Jack grabbed the panel and closed it.

Will looked back at the doors and the numbers and tried not to tense. Eight more floors to go. He would be ready to go as soon as the doors opened as he hung his left arm loose at his side while his right held onto Yen. Reaching into the suit pocket he pulled out a circular metallic device and pressed a button to activate it. Hopefully he wouldn't need it, but had it ready just in case. The moment the 1st floor parking garage light lit up and he felt the elevator stop, he rushed forward as the doors opened.

The young guard that'd been watching the town car turned to him and went to grab his radio. Will didn't hesitate as his left hand flung out. The guard didn't even know what hit him before it was too late. His body spasmed, twisted, and he collapsed to the ground. Will got the backdoor of the car open and Yen's unconscious body in the seat while the guard convulsed violently on the pavement before going slack. He knelt down to retrieve the device from the guard's body and to check his pulse. He was still breathing.

When he got into the driver's seat and found the keys missing, he cursed under his breath as he said, "Damn it, next time don't leave the keys with the antsy guard."

He got out of the car and searched the guard's pockets. Finding the keys quickly, he got back into the car, tossed the glasses into the seat and started the engine. Will Tippin, get-away driver extraordinaire. He hit the gas and shot out of the garage in a hurry as he headed directly toward the drop-off location.

The rain was falling harder as he drove around the streets. He had less than five minutes to get Yen to the location and then another five minutes to ditch the car. Then another ten to get to the rendezvous with Jack.

A pub that was the drop-off location was literally a big pink warehouse on the border of two districts. It wasn't only a drinking establishment, but a fine restaurant with cabaret entertainment. He pulled around to the back of the building and found a spot with no other car around and cut the engine. Leaning back in the seat, he let out a breath and waited while staring across the parking lot to the building. He had no intention of going inside; the parking lot served as a good place to move the body. Everything had gone relatively smooth. Now all he needed was to wait for Katya.

She opened the door at exactly five minutes after the hour and two men walked out. They were two of the men that were in the hut in Bhutan. They opened the backdoor and pulled out the unconscious body of Doctor Wu Yen. Coming up to the drivers side, Katya held an umbrella over her head as she removed a package and handed it to him.

"For Jack."

Will took it and didn't bother opening it. A deal was a deal.

"We'll be in touch, Mr. Tippin." She turned and walked away.

He ditched the car, wiped it down, and took a tram to Independent Square with two minutes to spare. As he crossed the street, heading toward the statue of Lenin, he spotted Jack. He was sitting on a bench, looking at the statue of the former USSR leader.

"I never thought I'd see a statue of one of the worst people to have ever lived, but...Vladimr Lenin. Why do you think they keep it up?"

Jack looked over at him as he said, "A reminder of what was and what could never happen again."

Will smiled down at him as he held out his hand. Jack took it and stood. He had changed out of the all black attire he'd worn in the elevator shaft and was in a nice looking tuxedo. Jack looked stunning in a tuxedo. It matched his own. "Think we'll be shot for holding hands in this country?"

Jack held in a laugh but he shook his head. "People in this country are pretty calm in general. They actually aren't big on any public displays of affection for any couples as they don't express themselves in an, as they call it, aggressive way."

"So holding hands, hugs, and kissing in public is aggressive to them?"

Jack gave a nod as he let go of his hand as they approached the corner. "We don't need the attention."

"You might not want it, but I like attention. I also love it when you're spontaneous. Here," he said as he went to hand him the package Katya had given him. "Your payment."

"It's yours," Jack told him as they crossed the street.

Will looked at him as he gripped the package a little tighter. "It's mine?"

Jack gave a nod as they headed down a street, toward a museum or some place he wanted to explore while dressed in a tux. Leave it to Jack to want to do sight-seeing after a mission. As they approached the museum he realized what it was as he read the name. "This is the Museum of the Belarusian Cinema History."

Looking over at him, Jack said, "You said you liked it when I was spontaneous and I know how much you love movies."

Will smiled and felt like kissing him, once they weren't in public.

A couple hours later, they were seated in a place called the Red Yard having a drink. Will couldn't keep his excitement down if he tried. He didn't try. "That was so much fun. I loved the little clay houses and landscapes and people, the old film reels and cameras were...It was like being transported back to the golden age of cinema, you know. And the black-and-white cinematography. Don't get me wrong, I love movies in color, but there is just something about black-and-white that is...captivating. And that something gets lost in color. I don't know what it is."

Jack had been listening to him talk nonstop for hours and was still being quiet as he took in the surroundings and nodded along to what he was saying. Will shook his head at him as he also looked around. The walls surrounding them were painted red with murals of people playing instruments adorned the walls. A man playing a saxophone was painted on the wall with a balcony next to a window, a man played a piano, another an upright bass. Real music, jazz, drifted around the winding walkways from somewhere. Strings of lights zig-zagged above him and he felt the humidity in the air from the rain that had stopped a few hours ago.

Leaving Jack to his thoughts, he finally opened the package and pulled out the contents. What he saw startled him. Looking through the classified files, he poured over the contents in disbelief and confusion. "This was the payment you asked for?"

Looking up at Jack, he saw his eyes on him as he absently swirled his drink around in the glass in his hand. "If she kept her word, that is the only remaining copy, and it's yours."

"This is me. My life, I mean…" It was his life. His life as Ryan Robert Ferro. From 1988 to 1996. "Jack, if this is what's left then that means-"

"You have another option."

Will closed the file and looked over at him as he shook his head. Jack had done this for him. He had done the mission so he could get his file for him, and to have all others destroyed, so that if he chose it, he could walk away. He could disappear. He could burn the file and that would be the last of who he had once been.

He picked up his drink and took a big gulp, finishing it off.

"What do you want, Will? That's the only thing that matters. I had to answer that question decades ago and this is my fate for that decision. You can still-"

"You."

Jack stared over at him before looking away. He finished his drink and rubbed his face.

"You asked. I answered," he told him. "You're what I want. I told you that. Where you go, I go."

"For how long?" Jack asked as he looked up at him.

Will saw his uncertainty, his fear. He couldn't hide it from him like he could anyone else. If he stayed, Jack wouldn't be able to protect him. He could lose him. "As long as we last."

TBC...