I know that is has been forever and I am sorry. Life has been crazy busy. But I have not forgotten this story and do plan to finish it. I hope that you still enjoy reading it.

Mac had to fight the fight his first instinct to immediately head to the hospital. There was something….something that he could not quite put his finger on….something that just did not feel right. He wanted desperately for Cory to be better…for her to have woken up…for everything to be OK. But the rational part of his mind was screaming a warning. Something was wrong.

"Jack..," he started to say.

"Yeah, I know," was his friend's response. The look in his eyes mirrored what Mac was feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I've been calling Arends for the last ten minutes and he's not picking up. That's not like him."

Mac nodded, his brain starting to work overtime.

"I've called the other Triad guys and they've not heard from him either," Jack continued.

"That's not good," Mac mused.

"But it may not be bad either," Jack countered. "The hospital has a weird effect on cell phones." Mac nodded.

"So what do we do."

Jack thought for a minute. The brain of the crack CIA agency and Delta Force leader fully engaged as he weighed various strategic options. "Nothing. We do nothing." He saw Mac open his mouth to protest, "For the moment. Think about it, Mac," he continued. "The call comes in and what's your first instinct?"

"To run to the hospital," Mac admitted with a slight wry smile.

"Don't you think they…whoever "they" are," Jack wiggled his fingers in air quotes, "would know exactly what you'd do. Don't you think they would be ready?" Mac nodded, albeit a little unwillingly….a part, a huge part, he admitted to himself, that he still wanted to run to the hospital to see his sister.

"So what are you recommending, Jack," asked Sarah.

Jack checked his watch, "It's late. We're all tired and some of us, he threw a look at Nikki, are beat up. We need time to think and if that throws their planning off, so much the better."

Mac's phone rang again. "It's Riley, he said as he pressed the speaker button. "Yeah, Riley…what's going on."

"I broke another part of Cory's encryption," the young woman's voice came over the phone. "This part is the beginning of the profile for Chrysalis." A pause and a deep breath from Riley. "She says, that Chrysalis is a woman." Mac exchanged a look with Jack…that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his belly getting worse. Riley continued, apparently reading from Cory's computer. "A professional woman, forty to fifty-five years of age. Somebody used to leadership. Probably former military. Probably mid rank….maybe a Captain or Commander grade. No family. Very focused on her work…" Riley kept going. "Cory goes on to say that Chrysalis will be focused and ruthless. She is a socio-path who can appear sympathetic and empathetic but would kill to advance her goals."

There was complete silence. Mac and Jack exchanged looks. "I have a bad feeling about this," said Jack echoing one of his favorite movie characters. Mac was not amused, but he did agree with the spirit of what his friend said. He realized that Riley was still on the phone. "Sorry, Riley," he said encouraging her to continue.

"We have an account number, but we'll need to verify it in person." Riles paused for a moment. "Bozer has a plan to get us in tomorrow morning," she did her best to not sound dubious and almost succeeded, "and we'll let you know what we find out."

"Ok, Riles," Jack said. "Just be careful."

"Got it," she said. "Goodnight."

There was silence again in the hotel room as the team exchanged looks.

"Now what?" Nikki asked, drawing all eyes to her.

"Now we need to get Chrysalis to come to us on our terms," Sarah said.

"How?," Sarah at least tried to assume that Jack was not actively trying to be belligerent, no matter what he sounded like.

"Nikki," the older agent continued, "how do you contact, "The Organization?,"

"Dark Web," she replied.

"Can we assume that Chrysalis has access to this method of communication?"

Nikki nodded. "I would think so," she said.

"And," Jack added "we are staying at a five star hotel, I think that its time for Room Service."

Sarah threw him an exasperated look, but Jack blithely picked up the menu and the phone and proceeded to order.

"What do we need to do to get to the Dark Web, Sarah asked.

Nikki permitted herself a small smile, "Well, you just happen to have a computer expert with you." She reached for the suite's entertainment center, found the wireless keyboard and proceeded to type. In a few minutes, the screen offering movies and video games changed. It now showed, a blank screen on which green type appeared as if on an old computer. "What should I say?" Nikki asked.

This was met with a moment of silence as the team started to consider. "Tell her," Jack said contemplatively, that you know who he is,…no," he stopped himself, "who she is. Tell her that you know about the plan to cause an epidemic."

Nikki typed obediently. Everybody waited while the cursor blinked. In a few minutes, it came to life.

"What do you want?" The screen read. Nikki looked up

"Tell her that you want a piece of the action. That you think you can be helpful and that you would like to discuss terms." Nikki typed.

"Where?" The screen lit up.

"Any suggestions?" Jack dictated.

"Cedar's Sinai Hospital. Front Lobby," came the response from the screen.

"Isn't that interesting?" Jack murmured.

The scroll on the screen continued. "10 am. Tomorrow." The screen went dark

"Well there you have it," Nikki said, setting the keyboard down.

"Why the hospital," Sarah asked. "Why that hospital."

Mac's brain was working, chasing down the threads and he did not like where all of this was leading him. He did not like it one little bit. A very quiet gasp pulled him out of his thoughts. He noticed that she was wincing in pain and doing everything to avoid moving her arm.

"Now," he said, "I'm going to see about your arm…." Nikki tried to argue, but something in Mac's eyes, suggested that this would be a bad idea.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Sitting on the bed in one of the suite's three bedrooms, Mac gently unwrapped the bandages. He gently cleaned the area with soap and water and then with antiseptic from the first aid kit from Sarah's car. "It's a clean wound. The bullet went right through" he said, not looking up at Nikki. "It could use some stiches," he applied analgesic gel, "but since that's not possible right now, we'll use this."

Nikki gasped as he took out a small tube of crazy glue. "This is what this stuff was actually invented for," Mac said. "During Vietnam." He opened the tube. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "This will sting." He applied the glue to the open wounds. Nikki bit her lips and groaned in pain, but did not cry out. In a moment the pain had subsided. Mac wrapped he arm in a clean bandage.

"Thank you," Nikki said again.

"Why?" The word was torn from Mac as he looked at the woman he once loved…still loved if he was honest with himself. "Why?" he repeated.

"The Organization has to be stopped. The only way to do it is from the inside. I had to look like I was turned for them to even consider accepting me…" her voice drifted away when she saw the pain in Mac's eyes.

"I thought I lost you," Mac whispered. His voice ragged with pain. "I saw you and thought you were dead. I mourned you." He took a shuddering breath. "There were days that I didn't want to go on."

"Oh Mac," Nikki sighed, cupping the side of his face. "Of everything that has happened, knowing that I hurt you, is the worst thing of all. If there had been any way…any way at all, I swear to you that….

Mac did not let her finish as his mouth crashed down on hers.

It hurt, a lot. All that Cory really knew at that moment was that every part of her was hurting. A small rational part of her brain told her that this was a good thing since it meant that she was still alive. Why should she not be alive, another part of her brain wondered. She knew something had happened to her, but could not remember what. Slowly, Cory opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to focus, but once she did, she realized that she was staring at a face that she had never seen before. It was the face of a woman, with dark eyes and dark hair.

"Oh good," the woman practically snarled. "You're awake. This should make things so much easier."

Cory flinched. She did not know how she knew, but she was certain that she was looking at Chrysalis.

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