"You really are an amazing kid Nicky."

Nick looked up from his reflection in his coffee and his eyes met Mike's. The brothers were sitting in Nick's kitchen, and had been silent for the duration of the time Mike had been there. They had sat at the table across from each other, Mike looking at Nick and Nick looking at his coffee. But when Mike spoke, Nick looked up, no longer able to avert his eyes from his brother's gaze.

Nick shook his head slowly. "What?"

Mike took a sip of his coffee. "You came into this business and within a week, you were running the show. Setting stuff up, making things better, getting new ideas."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It is," Mike said. "You may not think so, but it is. It proves that I was right."

"Right about what?" Nick asked.

"You," Mike said, pointing at Nick with his mug. "I knew that you could do this. You could do anything for that matter. I've never met anyone like you in my life, someone that can be so good at anything they want to."

"I'm good at being a criminal," Nick said.

"Yes, but you're even better at being a CSI. You were great at that before you were ever with us."

"That doesn't change the things that I've done," Nick said sadly.

"You didn't do them," Mike said, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? Of course I did. You saw me do most of the illegal things I've done. I've done everything but kill a guy."

"You didn't do them," Mike repeated. "Physically, it was you doing it, but not mentally. Not emotionally. On the surface, around dad and all the other guys that work with us, you're not the same guy that sat across from me in the bar for the first time that night. You're not even close to that guy now. You put on an act and do what you gotta go, but that's not you doing those things. You're doing what you're doing for a reason."

"I don't know what that reason is," Nick said.

"Neither do I. Reasons don't matter, they're constantly changing. What matters is you're going to fix it."

Nick froze. "What do you mean?"

"Don't bullshit me Nick," Mike said. "I know you're trying to get out. I don't blame ya, I wish I could too. But take my advice, would ya? Don't be who you think you're supposed to be because that guy isn't as smart as you are. Don't be like me or like dad. Be Nick, and you'll be fine."

Nick sat completely still and listened intently to every word James Sparazza was saying. He was having trouble believing it and comprehending it at the same time. It made sense, but didn't seem worth the enormous risk. To Nick, it was like jumping off a million dollar yacht into shark infested waters wearing a seal costume just for the possibility of getting a cruise line in return. The large reward didn't seem to outweigh the even larger risk.

"This is big guys," James said. "If we get caught, it's lights out. If we don't, we'll be the richest men in the history of the world. The merchandise we're moving is top of the line; forget about the petty drugs. These are much more important to people. Our main buyers don't want anything more than this. It doesn't get better than these computer chips."

"What exactly do they do?" Mike asked.

"Everything," James answered. "They were designed by CIA agents to tap into other countries nuclear secrets and such things. But now they can be used to program anything you want to do whatever you want and grants you access to bank accounts, social security numbers, the works."

"So why are we selling them?" Tyler, one of James' men, asked.

"Because in five years, they'll be worthless when the government catches on and changes their systems and everyone else does the same. We have to get rid of them before they're useless," James replied.

Everyone else is the room began talking excitedly about the deal and how much money they were going to make. Nick sat silently and didn't participate. He sat there, watching James, trying to read between the lines, but he couldn't. He sat there for almost ten minutes before Jack stood from the table and went back upstairs, out of the basement room where the meeting was taking place.

Nick quickly stood and followed Jack upstairs and down the hallway he had went down. Jack went up another flight of stairs that took them to the attic, where he opened the window and climbed through onto the balcony. Nick followed closely behind, slipping through the window and standing with his back to the side of the house as he watched Jack from behind lean up against the railing in front of him and look out at the city lights miles away.

"This is more than a get rich quick scheme, isn't it?" Nick asked quietly.

Jack turned around. "You already know the answer to that question," he said. "I just wish you had known from the beginning so you would have stayed out of this mess."

"But I didn't," Nick said. "So tell me what's really going to happen."

Jack sighed heavily. "I don't know."

"Come on Jack."

"I don't know," Jack repeated, more firmly this time. "Do you think I'd lie to you? I wish I could help ya kid, but I can't. I don't know what he's really planning to do. But it shouldn't matter. You shouldn't even be involved."

"If you didn't want me to be like this, then why did you teach me everything you knew? Why didn't you do more to stop it?"

Jack glared at Nick. "Don't you dare try to blame this on me. I've never tried harder in my life than when I tried to keep you outta this. You didn't listen to me. I taught you what I knew so that you could use it positively, which you did for the most part."

"I knew what to do because of you. I'm so good at this because of you," Nick said.

"You're better than James is," Jack said. "And he knows it."

"Is that what this is about?" Nick asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jack replied. "Only James' knows what he's thinking. The real question isn't what's gonna happen. The question is, what are you gonna do about it?"

Nick shook his head weakly. "I don't know."

"I can only help you so much kid," Jack said. "I can give you half of what you need, but the other half is all you. Put them together, and you got your answer."

"How can I put them together when I don't know what half of the answer is?" Nick asked.

"You know the answer," Jack said. "You just gotta let it come to you."

Nick threw his hands up in frustration. "This isn't exact the best fucking time to do you little teach me a lesson deal. You can't leave me alone in this."

"I'm not leaving you alone in this," Jack said as he stepped forward. He pulled a small, silver zip disk out of his jacket pocket and pushed it into Nick's hand. "Here's my half."

"What is it?"

"Everything," Jack said. "Insurance for you. I've had this for too long and hoped I would never need it, which I don't. You do. Which to me, is worse. It's paperwork and files and evidence against James Sparazza. This stuff will get him multiple life sentences, and you've got it in your hand."

Nick didn't look down at the object in his hand. He just stared at Jack and said, "And what am I supposed to do with it? Hand it over to the police and let them deal with it?"

Jack took Nick's right wrist in his hand and brought Nick's hand, which was holding the zip disk, up to his chest. Jack pressed it against Nick's heart and held it there for a second before releasing Nick's wrist.

"Put it together," Jack said. "Half and half. What you need, and what you have."

"I'm left with figuring out what I have," Nick said softly.

Jack nodded. "That's the most important part. Don't think so much. Don't think about right or wrong, illegal or legal. Fuck that shit. Do what you gotta do."

"What do I have to do?" Nick asked.

Jack smiled. He stepped forward again and pulled Nick into a tight hug. He pulled Nick to him, and said softly, "I can't help you with that, but you don't need me anymore kid. You can do this, all on your own." Jack paused for a second before kissing Nick on the side of his head, then saying, "I'm proud of you Nicky."

Then Jack was gone, back through the window and out of sight, leaving Nick on the balcony by himself. He was still holding the zip disk Jack had given him over his heart, and could feel the gentle beating against his closed fist. He stood there like that for almost an hour, not thinking of anything other than the chills that had run up his spine when Jack had said he didn't need him anymore. Something in his voice had made Nick's stomach turn. There had been something eerie in it, something ominous.

Something like a final goodbye.