Hello! Sorry I'm so late with this post. I'm just swamped! I hope you enjoy this chapter. In reading the last two chapters of this story, I felt that it read too fast. So, I added a little more to make sure that you all receive a satisfying end. Hope you like it. My editing skills are non-existent as I am posting at 1:31am Sunday morning. LOL!

TJ12398: I wish I could keep going forever! I loved writing this story. I'm hopeful that my future fics are just as good as this one….Let's see!

Goddess Evie: I'm glad you were surprised. I wasn't sure I could pull that through…Ethan was a challenge at times to write. Thank you for the accolades. Jonny will live. I am a writer who likes HEA! The memory part…well, you'll get a clue on this chapter.

Jdcocoagirl: You knew? Awesome! Great job. Thanks for keeping it a secret in your reviews and not ruining it for the other readers. Now the memory part….ahh…well….

CubbiesFan1: Again, thank you so much for reading and enjoying this fic. I'm totally enjoying yours as well. Can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Playlist

Hybrid: Break My Soul

Hybrid: Secret Circles

Chapter 27

The last five hours had probably been the worst experience in Jessie's life. Waiting to see if Jonny would make it out of surgery had been torture. She looked around the waiting room watching her family as they too waited quietly and anxiously.

Alex, the I-1 agent that she had met when Claire had arrived at the hospital, sat quietly checking her I-Phone. Earlier, she had told them that Agent Corvin was on his way from the detention center where the "Master" was held. Apparently, both Doctor Quest and her father knew the bastard. He had even sent them on a wild goose chase around Europe, only to find out later that Jonny had been home all along. She didn't know the specifics, but her father's angry eyes told her more that words could.

Hadji and Claire stuck together, sitting in a corner of the room. Claire, with her head on Hadji's shoulder, had her eyes closed. She looked like she was sleeping, but Jessie knew her friend was resting. The last few days had been hectic for her as well. Hadji held his girlfriend's hand as he too closed his eyes. Jessie wasn't surprised if Hadji was meditating, maybe even trying to connect to his brother's subconscious.

Turning her sights to the other side of the waiting room, standing by the window watching the night sky, Jessie watched Doctor Quest. God, what he must be going through, Jessie thought as she looked at him. She thought he had aged dramatically. His face looked haggard and his brows furrowed as if he was deep in thought. Her mind suddenly went to when Jonny was transported to the hospital…

Once the paramedics took Jonny into the ambulance, she and Doctor Quest went with him while her father and Hadji stayed behind. It had taken some convincing, but the paramedics allowed her to go with them. Benton travelled in the back with Jonny and the other paramedic while she sat the passenger seat of the ambulance. While on transport, Jessie watched as they worked on Jonny. The worst moment was when, even unconscious, Jonny coughed up blood and his vitals slipped. Her eyes widened as Benton, yelled with desperation, "What's happening?"

"The bullet could hit the lung. He's not breathing," the paramedic immediately answered as he quickly ripped open a bag that came from one of the compartments inside the ambulance. He took out a large tube, "Endotracheal tube. It will allow him to breathe."

The medic tilted Jonny's head slightly back and with a smaller tube which suctioned whatever blood was in Jonny's mouth. Then, he inserted the lagyngeal blade inside his mouth in order to insert tube further in. After, the medic took a ventilator bag and began ventilating Jonny. Soon, his vitals leveled and both Jessie and Benton saw Jonny's chest rising.

Benton didn't take his eyes off of his son. He held his hand and whispered to him to stay with him. Jessie wanted to be with him, but she knew Doctor Quest needed that time with his son.

Trying to erase that awful memory from her mind, Jessie stood up from her chair and walked over to him, deciding he needed someone with him at the moment. Someone to comfort him. Hell, maybe she needed him just as well.

"I need to apologize to you," she said as Benton turned around when he felt someone approaching him.

"What do you mean, Jessie?"

The red head sighed as she continued, "Maybe this isn't the right time to tell you this. I don't know," she sighed again frustrated with what she was even saying, but somehow, she needed to tell him, "The first time I saw Jonny was at that club that Claire, Hadji and I went to."

"The one where you witnessed the ambassador's son death?" his brows furrowed, "That's where you first saw him?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He killed him Doctor Quest. At first, I didn't want to believe it, then I had to accept it, but not without understanding why. In my heart, I couldn't allow you to see him that way. At least, not until I understood what or who had made him a killer. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Perhaps…"

Benton didn't allow her to finish. He immediately took Jessie into her arms and held her, "You have nothing to apologize for, Jessie. You did what you thought was right…just like I did."

She looked up at him, "What?"

"Phil and Zack received a video of Jonny, in Russia. They showed it to us the night you went to that club."

Nodding in understanding, Jessie responded, "That's why you and Dad went there." She had had her suspicions, but he had confirmed them.

"We should have told you. But like you, we wanted to understand why Jonny had become…this completely different person than the one we had always known him to be."

"And?"

"I think the jury is still out on that," they suddenly heard Race's voice as they turned and watched the white haired man come up to them holding two coffee trays filled with four Styrofoam cups. "I thought we might need these."

Taking two cups and handing one to Doctor Quest, Jessie answered, "Thanks, Dad."

"Any word?" Race asked as he handed the other tray to Hadji, Claire and Alex.

Shaking his head, Benton answered, "No. We haven't heard anything yet."

"How long has he been in there?"

"About five hours," Jessie answered as she took a sip of her coffee. "I'm going out of my mind." Running her hand through her hair, she turned and took the closest seat to where they were standing.

"Jessie, it'll be okay," Claire told her gently. Standing up and walking to her friend, she hugged her, "It'll be okay."

Nodding, Jessie answered holding back the tears that threatened to fall. She needed to be strong for Doctor Quest, Jonny and herself.

No sooner had they settled themselves when they watched a physician walk in to the waiting room, "Doctor Benton Quest," he called out.

Immediately, the entire family stood up. When the doctor identified the group, he said, "Could you all please follow me?"

All did as told and followed the doctor to a private waiting room. Once they settled, the E.D. physician began speaking, "I'm Doctor Adam Geiringer. I performed your son's surgery."

"How is he doctor," Benton asked as he held his feature of concern.

"He is critical but stable," the doctor answered seriously. "I was able to extract the 25 caliber bullet from his chest. He was lucky. For a wound such as this one, a small caliber bullet offers a higher survival rate."

Race nodded in agreement with the physician as the doctor continued.

"The bullet hit his left lung. We immediately underwent surgery to remove the bullet and then repair the lung. Luckily, we were able to repair it without removing any part of the organ."

"Thank God," Alex answered with relief.

"He will be on a ventilator at least overnight, maybe more. Right now, it's too soon to tell. We always try to remove ET tubes as quickly as we can since there are many complications if they remain in place for several days."

"What complications?" Jessie asked.

"Pneumonia," Benton answered.

"Yes," the E.D. attending answered, "And, being tied to an ET tube and a ventilator for too long immobilizes the patient and sets him up for DVT-Deep Venous Thrombosis and a pulmonary embolus."

"Blood clots," Claire whispered.

Once again the doctor agreed, "Very dangerous and potentially deadly. It's a common occurrence in these situations, that's why I don't want to keep Jonathan on the ventilator for longer than he needs to be. We'll be keeping a close eye on him. Other than the threat of infection, I don't foresee any other complications. He's young and strong, he should make a full recovery with time."

The last sentence made everyone finally put their guards down. Jessie hugged her father with relief at the same time that Hadji took Claire into his arms. Alex put a hand on Benton's shoulder and squeezed gently offering him comfort.

"Thank you doctor," Benton replied as he shook the physician's hand. "Thank you so much," he repeated with his voice cracking a little.

"No thanks needed Doctor Quest," he answered. "I'm glad that I'm able to give you cautiously optimistic news. But, like I said, we will be keeping a close eye on your son."

"When can we see him?" Hadji finally asked.

Turning to Hadji, the doctor replied, "He's in recovery for the moment. In about an hour or so, we'll move him to a private room. One of the nurses will notify you when you'll be able to see him."

"Is there any way that I can see him now?" Benton asked with a little hope.

Geiringer debated for a moment. No one was allowed in recovery, but, then again, Benton Quest wasn't really "no one". He happened to be one of the most renowned scientists in the world and a VIP at the hospital. Quest was also a doctor. And doctors were allowed in recovery. The small technicality allowed the E.D. physician to nod, "I can only allow you Doctor Quest and only for a short while. The nurses and rest of the staff will need to prep Jonathan before moving him to his room."

"I promise, I won't stay for long," Benton promised. "I only want to see him."

"Sure, I understand," the doctor said with understanding. "Please follow me. You'll need a surgical gown to enter recovery."

"Thank you, Doctor Geiringer," Benton responded before turning to Jessie, "Jessie, if I could…"

"No," she immediately shook her head with a small smile, "Don't worry. I'll see him soon enough. You go. It's okay."

Hugging her quickly, Benton turned and followed Doctor Geiringer to some double doors that lead to the inner area of the hospital.

Once again the rest of the group was alone in second waiting room. Noticing the quiet and pensive demeanor of those around her, Claire spoke up, "Thank God, he's okay."

"Yeah," Jessie whispered.

Suddenly, Alex's phone rang, "It's Phil." Picking it up, she answered, "Hey…yes, he made it. He's alright. Where? I'll find you." She hung up the looked at Race, "Phil and Zack are in the area where we were before. I'll bring them over." She turned and left the room and moments later, returned with the other two I-1 agents.

"I'm glad he's okay," were Phil's first words as he walked in the room.

"So are we," Race answered, his tone still laced with concern. "Benton was able to go in and see him in recovery. We're going to have to wait until Jonny is moved to his room."

"When will that be?" Zack asked.

"They say in an hour, but you know hospitals run on a different time clock than the rest of the world," Claire answered finally feeling that she could lightened the mood in the area.

Jessie truly smiled for the first time all night.

After a moment, everyone took a seat and began discussing what now seemed to be the second most important issue of the night, The Master.

XXXXXXXXXX

Entering the recovery wing, Doctor Geiringer stopped Benton before pulling the open the curtain where Jonny lay, "Before you see him, I have to warn you."

"Of what?" Benton asked concerned.

"Surgery on a gunshot wound takes a lot out of patient. You may find your son looking pale and maybe worse than the condition may be. Although he is critical, Jonathan is stable and I feel confident that he will recover. Nonetheless, he doesn't look good. The ventilator, and the chest tube that's inserted on the side of his chest makes him look worse than he is. I just want you to be prepared, Doctor Quest."

Grateful for the advice, Benton replied, "Thank you for letting me know. I do appreciate it."

"Come on," the doctor replied before opening the curtain. Benton sucked in his breath. Jonny looked extremely pale. Bone chilling white, was more like it. His blonde hair had been brushed back and his chest was exposed with bandages around it. True to his words, the ventilator, the chest tube and the sounds that emitted from the machines running them, made him look like a creation from Frankenstein's lab. "I can only allow you a few minutes Doctor Quest. Then, we must prep him for the private room. There you will able to spend the night with him if you wish."

"I understand," Benton answered.

"I'll be outside if you need me," the doctor replied as he dragged the curtain close so that Benton could have some privacy.

Once left alone, Benton walked up to his son's bed and laid a hand on Jonny's forehead. Cool to the touch, he grimaced, "Oh, son. What did Ethan do to you?" He paused for a moment and gently kissed his son's forehead, "I'm sorry you had to go through all this. I blame myself. I should have been more careful. I shouldn't have let my guard down."

Looking at his son's every feature, Benton's exterior began to falter and tears ran down his cheeks, "I am so so sorry, my boy. I am so grateful you are back in my life and I promise I will make sure you get everything that you need. I promise you that."

Then, Benton held his son's hand and just looked at him, focusing on every part of Jonny's face trying to learn every detail of his son's features. Jonny was looked older, more manly. And, despite the years apart, Benton realized what a fine looking boy Jonny had become.

Smiling sadly, he caressed his son's cheek, "Never again. Never again will you leave me. I'd rather die than lose you son."

XXXXXXXXXX

She had just sat down on the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment before the baby began to cry, "Oh, Hannah, why can't you just sleep baby," the woman whispered as she opened her eyes.

But just as she was about to stand up, she heard another voice in the room, "Mom, don't worry. I'll take care of Hannah."

"Thank you, son," she answered with a smile as the young man walked across the living room and in to the bedroom of the penthouse apartment he currently resided in. Moments later, he walked out with a three month old baby girl wrapped in a pink and white blanket. The woman smiled. Watching her son holding her granddaughter in his arms almost made her cry. "I'm sorry I haven't been much help. I think I may have forgotten how to care of a baby."

"Please mom," the man snorted. "You've done great. I bet Hannah cried because she missed you."

"I'm sure Hannah cried because she's hungry!"

Her son laughed as rocked the baby back to sleep, "You just fed her an hour ago. Is she okay?" he asked as he sat down next to his mother. The living room was filled with warm lighting. A few unscented candles also gave the space a warm feeling. Soft classical music played as the two spoke. "I hope she's not getting sick. Anja would kill me!"

The woman laughed as she looked at baby, "Oh, please, she's not sick. Hannah is fine. She's just a cranky baby. Takes after her father."

"Mom, thanks for coming," the man genuinely told her. "This is Anja's first photo shoot since the baby came and being able to do it has lifted her confidence."

"Anja's a beautiful woman," she shook her head. "She doesn't even look like she gave birth!"

"I keep telling her that, but you know her. She wasn't convinced. When Allure wanted her to pose for one of their feature stories, she went nuts," he answered. "I'm glad though. It was a good confidence booster for her."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help you out for a few days," she answered as she caressed the baby's forehead. "Anja will be back tomorrow and Hannah will have her mommy back."

"I know that even leaving work for a few days was hard," he replied, "Especially for you. So, thank you."

"That's alright," she shrugged, "I can't visit you as often as I would like. This was just one opportunity I couldn't pass up."

He nodded in understanding, "Thank you for everything, Mom."

She understood what he meant with those words, "What are mothers for?"

Looking at his daughter, the man then said, "I think she's finally out. I'll put her back in her room." Standing up, he headed back to the baby's room.

As she watched her son walk away, her cellphone, which sat on the end table, began vibrating. Picking it up, she looked at the number. Her features changed. They no longer were soft and grandma like. Knowing that she had to go into work mode, she answered, "I'm listening."

Another voice at the end of the line answered, "Crawford is dead. Grant has been arrested by I-1 agents."

Sighing in anger, she then said, "Was the cover blown?"

"Negative."

"The operatives?"

"We can't access them."

Her eyes widened, "What do you mean you can't access them?"

"I'm not sure what Grant did, but all operatives are unresponsive," the voice answered. "There's more."

"Continue."

"Grant wants to see you."

"That's impossible," the woman stood up from the sofa, "I cannot be seen with him. Especially now."

"Operatives are non-responsive. The headquarter site is practically non-existent. The lab has been wiped out clean. And none of the checkpoints are active. Everything has gone dark. The entire agency has been erased from existence. We have nothing."

Looking worried and confused she calmly asked, "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure. But Grant said that if you want answers, you'll see him."

Sighing, the woman replied, "It's going to take me some time. Tell him to stall and to keep his mouth shut until I get there."

"I will," the voice answered. "Hurry back."

She pressed the button to hang up the phone and placed it back on the table. A minute or two later, her son walked out of the room, "Are you okay?" he asked curiously. "You look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

Turning her frown around like the flickering of a switch the woman said, "Oh, I'm fine. Just got a call from work and it had me thinking."

"Is everything okay?" he asked, now concerned.

Nodding and smiling, she answered, "Of course honey! It's literally nothing I can't fix."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessie thought she waited a lifetime to see Jonny again. True to the hospital's promise, Jonny was finally put in a room on the seventh floor of the hospital's private ICU wing. Alex, Phil and Zack decided to give the family some privacy and left soon after the group was notified that Jonny had finally been moved to his room. They would come tomorrow to see him.

These private rooms were usually reserved for VIP guests: celebrities, government officials or the wealthy. The room was rather large. There was obviously the large hospital bed, a three-seater sofa with recliners on each end and two individual recliners. A large window behind the sofa overlooked the city. The walls were painted a warm yellow, almost mustard color and portraits of main lighthouses decorated the room. The bathroom had a rather large shower and sitting area where the patient could feel comfortable while bathing. Overall, it was a good room for a group as large as them. Jessie knew this would be her home for the next few days.

As soon as she walked in, Jessie went to him. She tried to control the tears, but it was impossible. He looked awful.

"Jessie, the doctor assured me that he's fine," Benton told her. "This type of surgery took a lot from him. But, Jonny will bounce back."

"Are you sure?" her voice cracked as she shook her head. "He looks really bad."

Race observed his daughter carefully wondering just what more she felt for his surrogate son.

Wrapping his arms around her, Benton answered, "I'm sure Jessie."

She took his hand, squeeze it gently before kissing his forehead. Then, she allowed the rest of the group the opportunity to comfort the young man. After the adrenaline died down and the excitement of the day faded away, the group felt tired. Noticing the energy around him, Benton finally spoke out, "I think we need to get some rest. Tomorrow will also be hard too. Why don't you all go home? I'll stay with Jonny tonight."

"I'm staying too," Jessie suddenly said.

"Jessie, you look beat sweetheart," Benton tried to reasoned. "Get some rest and you can come back first thing tomorrow."

She adamantly shook her head, "I'm not leaving his side until he's out of the hospital."

"Jessie," her father tried to reason, but was immediately shut down.

"When he wakes up, it's most likely that he's not going to recognize any of you," she began, "But, he'll recognize me and that will put him at ease. Besides, I want to be here when he finally wakes."

Understanding her friend and her reasons, Claire jumped in, "I'll come back tomorrow morning with some clothes and toiletries."

"I will do the same for you father," Hadji then said looking at Benton with a small smile. His father looked tired and worn out, but Hadji also found a small spark of relief within his features.

"Thank you son," Benton replied squeezing his son's shoulders gently.

Knowing he wasn't going to win the argument, Race chimed in, "We'll come back tomorrow morning with clothes and breakfast then."

They said their goodbyes, but before leaving Race asked Jessie for a moment outside. Leaving Jonny's side, the young woman walked out with her father. In the empty hallway of the ICU, Race tried to think how to start.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"I need to ask you a question, but I don't want you to get angry with me," he replied uncomfortably.

"Dad, just ask," Jessie responded, "I won't get mad."

Race was pensive for a moment, but then finally asked, "In the cabin…there are two bedrooms."

Jessie nodded, "Yeah?"

"The beds. Only one was slept on."

"Dad…"

"Please understand that I would never want to invade your privacy, Jessie," Race began. It's just that I…I don't know…you've always blamed yourself, even though you were never at fault. Part of me thought you did all this because you wanted to correct what you thought was your own doing, but, now…"

"Dad, I've loved him since I was a teenager," Jessie confessed. "I mean, I love Jonny. But, what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm in love with him."

Race was surprised, but things also now began looking clearer, "Are you sure?"

She laughed a little, "The day he disappeared we left the camp ground to be together." When Jessie saw the immediate surprise in her father's eyes, she quickly corrected what she communicated, "I mean, we didn't…you know. We went to watch the sunset. During the day we acted as friends, but we took time to be on our own too. That was one of those moments. That's why I blamed myself. It was my idea to leave camp that morning. All these years without him…my love for him never went away. If anything it grew. It has always been him. It will always be him."

"But, how does he feel about you?" Race challenged. "Jessie, he doesn't remember you. What's to say that he..."

Jessie immediately shook her head, "He loves me Dad. I know it. I feel it. I know Jonny more than you think. He gave up his cover for me. He defied his orders from the Master to save me. There's no doubt in our minds about being together."

Race sighed. He didn't know what to think. Finally, he said, "I love you Ponchita. I want the best for you. And, if Jonny is it, then…"

Smiling, Jessie hugged her father tightly, "I love you Dad. And yes, he's it."

Hugging his daughter back, Race sighed again, "Who would have thought that you too…all you did was argue with each other."

Laughing now, Jessie answered, "I think those fight actually got us together."

Shaking his head, Race replied, "So you and Jonny. One bed, huh?"

"Dad!"

"Alright! I need to get used to this Jessie, bear with me," he rolled his eyes. "Be very patient with me Ponchita. I hope Jonny gets better soon. He and I have a lot to talk about."

Jessie wasn't worried. She knew her father loved Jonny and eventually he'd accept him. And that thought couldn't have made her any happier.

XXXXXXXXXX

4 days later….

Benton and Race walked in the lockdown unit of I-1 headquarters where Ethan Grant was detained. There was no word yet as to what was going to be done with him. Would there be a US trial or would he be tried in both England and the US? Benton, at the moment, didn't care. All he wanted was the truth about what had happened to his son.

By the entrance doors, Phil Corvin met both men, "I can only give you five minutes with him. As it is, I'm not supposed to be giving you anything, but seeing that you've help us more often than not Benton, the higher ups are allowing a limited visitation."

"I promise, I won't take long," Benton replied coldly. He had been seriously debating whether to continue helping the agency after everything that he and his son endured.

"How's Jonny?"

"In and out, still," Race answered. "They have him under pretty strong meds. The times that he's up, he's not truly lucid."

"But he's alive," Phil responded without looking at either Race or Benton, "At least there is that."

Benton nodded, but didn't answer. Phil could tell he was extremely angry, not at him personally, but at the agency. Gaining his trust again would not be easy.

"Come on," Phil gestured to the doors, "Let's get this over with."

Walking in through the doors, Corvin led them to a room down the hallway. When he opened the door, they found Ethan, in an orange jumpsuit. He was chained by the ankles and hands. He greeted them with a small smile, "Hello Benton. Race."

"At first I wanted answers as to why you did this to us?" Benton began. "Why you took my son away from me and turned him into an assassin with no feelings or emotions," he paused. "But that's not what is important in the long run."

"What is?" Ethan calmly asked.

"What's important for me to know is what cocktails Crawford gave him so I can reverse what you both did to him," Benton replied, a harshness in tone that even impressed the prisoner.

Ethan smiled coolly, "It's amazing how closed minded you are Benton. First, you come here and demand explanations that truly you do not deserve. And, second, you believe to be the all-powerful who is capable to manipulate perfection. How truly…sad."

"Damn you Ethan!" Race lost his patience and banged the table with his fist, "Tell us how to help Jonny!"

Looking at both Race and the doctor, Ethan replied, "My son doesn't need help."

"He is not your son!" Benton shouted with pure acid in his tone.

"I beg to differ, Benton," Ethan replied harshly as his emotions finally came out. "Aidan is a product of Rachel's love for me."

"You're insane!"

"No," he laughed, "I am more sane and able than you think. Rachel and I had an affair."

Benton felt the wind being knocked away from him, "You lie."

"Oh, not at all," the Englishman said. "I remember our night of passion very vividly. You remember that time you flew to Borneo to explore the great rainforests to find one of the many lost cities you attempt to find, but never quite do? Rachel and I had the opportunity to indulge in our love."

"No," Benton shook his head, "Rachel would have never done that to me. How the hell did you know Rachel?"

"But she did," he answered with a satisfied smile, "Don't you remember? I met Rachel before I met you. I was the bodyguard assigned to her during those lonesome weeks you were gone. During that time, we became close. Then, one night, it happened. It was the greatest night of my life. To have made love to her, over and over and over," Ethan closed his eyes as if remembering the moment.

"You son of a—"Benton lunged at him, but Race held him back, "You're lying! Rachel would never! She was faithful to me. She loved me!"

"Part of what you say is true," Ethan admonished. "During those weeks, I flirted. She never reciprocated my advances. I attempted to ask her out, again I was turned down. Luckily, Oliver, who had just started working for ICE provided me with a little gift. A serum, one of his cocktails. All I had to do, was to spike her drink one night and well…the rest is history. The next day, she didn't remember a thing and I was…well, maybe that was my punishment. I still remember each kiss, each touch, and each body part that I caressed."

Benton was outraged. But he had to control himself. Right now, his son needed him, "Was that the same serum you gave Jonny?"

"His name is Aidan," Ethan corrected, "I remember that after our session ended, I told Rachel that I wanted her to bare our children. I asked her, what we should name our child if it was a boy. Do you know what name that she told me? Aidan. "

"Was it the serum you used Ethan?" Race repeated the question. "What's the name Ethan?"

Ethan stayed quiet for a moment before speaking, "Is he alright?"

"Yes," Race answered trying to keep his calm. "He's heavily sedated, but will pull through."

Ethan nodded. For the first time showing just how much he cared for Jonny, even if it was in his own demented way, "Oliver never gave him those drugs."

"What?" Benton asked surprised.

Ethan looked at him straight in the eyes, "When I found out about my son, I promised myself that I would make sure, he'd love me for who I was. I never liked what Oliver's drugs did to the kids. They were robots. I didn't want Aidan to turn out that way."

"So why can't he remember anything?" Race asked.

"Because the day that I took him…he had an accident," Ethan answered clearly unhappy with the matter. "The drop, was deeper than we anticipated. Aiden fell and broke his left femur and hip. But, the worst part was that he suffered head trauma. It was bad. He was comatose for almost four months. When he finally woke, he looked at me strangely. I wasn't surprised, that I expected. But, when he asked me who he was a few days later when his speech was stronger…I was shocked. I thought it was a blessing in disguised."

Benton thought he was going to vomit. It took every bit of self-control not to hit the bastard. He remained quiet and allowed him to continue.

"Oliver checked him over. He said it was post traumatic amnesia. Aidan wasn't able to remember people or places. We thought he wouldn't remain in this state, and after weeks without any significant progress, I thought it be best to begin treatment."

"What treatment?" Race asked.

Aiden smiled, "We first began with physical therapy. With a broken leg and hip it would be months before he would walk. He'd watched the other recruits from afar train. One day, I asked him if he'd be interested in training with them. He simply nodded. I promised that after he'd get better, I would enter him into the program. It was almost a full year before he began operative training. During that period of rehab, Oliver created a cocktail that would allow the brain to forget….I'm not sure how it worked or what it contained. The fact of the matter was that he would never remember anything after the first round of treatment. He was given a dosage once a month for a year. Oliver promised that the effects would be permanent. The truth of the matter was that with PTA, there was a chance that he'd remember at any given point his former life. I didn't want him to remember. I needed Aiden to have a clear head if he was going to become an operative for me."

Benton closed his eyes at the thought of his son given something that would make him forget him and everyone else in his life.

"Anyways, we would check with him periodically to make sure he didn't remember. And he didn't. But the drugs the other operatives were given," Ethan shook his head, "No, we never administered those."

Neither Race nor Benton knew what to say next.

"How did you manage to kidnap him?" Race suddenly asked.

"One of Dr. Zin's inventions," he answered without care. "I borrowed it from one of I-1's warehouses. It was his plateau alteration machine. No one ever missed it."

"You're a sick man, Ethan," Benton whispered in anger. He knew exactly what machine he spoke of. He helped I-1 confiscated it after running into the evil doctor in one of his explorations years ago.

Ethan, however, smiled, "You know Benton, the greatest satisfaction in all this is that Aidan will never, EVER, remember you!"

Benton couldn't hold it anymore. He walked up to Ethan and punched him so hard that he fell off the chair, "I'm going to make sure you rot in hell! And Ethan, my greatest satisfaction right now is that you will never, EVER be near my son again!"

"He's not your son," the Englishman attempted to get up, as Corvin immediately entered the room, "He is not your son! He has my eyes, my hair, everything that is mine!"

"No," the doctor corrected, "He has Rachel's eyes, her hair, her everything. And I will prove it to you once and for all!"

"That's it!" Phil responded, "This is over."

"You're right!" Benton continued. "This is over!" he began to turn and leave.

As Benton and Race left the area, Race, trying to calm his friend down stated, "He was lying Benton. What he said, it didn't happen."

"Yes it did," Benton stopped and turned to Race. "Yes, it did. I'm just happy Rachel never knew."

"How? Why do you think that?"

"Because," Benton sighed, "A year after I married Rachel, she did get pregnant, but we lost the baby. We named the baby Alexander."

Race looked at Benton curiously, "I'm not sure I follow you."

Benton smiled bitterly, "Should that baby have lived, we would have called him Aidan. Aidan was Rachel's favorite name."