Present (2015)

"I love how you look in this uniform." Sam wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck.

Jules squirmed, "Sam, you're not supposed to come into my locker room. What if someone saw you?"

He chuckled, nuzzling her neck. "You were always the worry wart."

"I'm the logical one," she countered, turning around in his arms to meet his lips.

"I'm liking your logic right now," he murmured against her lips.

Kissing him one more time, Jules pushed him away. "Get going. The guys will be looking for you."

Reluctantly, he pulled back. "Okay." He turned to leave but stopped, turning. "Hey, who picks up the kids from school when you can't?"

Jules grinned. "Claire. She helped me so much while you were away and the kids love her. She's a kindergarten teacher at their school, so she keeps an eye out for them." Jake was in the first grade while Sadie was in preschool. Both in the same school.

Sam nodded. Claire, Jules's best friend since high school, had supported the couple since the beginning and stuck by Jules through thick and thin. She was a godsend. "Good, I don't have to run another background check."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "Another?"

Sam shrugged. "Did you know Jake's teacher has 50 speeding tickets? Honestly, if she teaches class as fast as she drives, Jake won't learn a thing."

Jules couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. "You are hopeless."

He smirked. "But you love me."

"I do. Now out!"

He raised his hands in mock surrender and headed for the door. "Love you too, Jules."

Jules shook her head in amusement as she finished getting ready, waiting a couple minutes before leaving her locker room.

FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFP

Sam slipped out of Jules's locker room unnoticed and smirked. Like he told Jules all those years ago, he was really good at stealth. And boy would those skills come in handy today.

He mentally mapped the fastest route to the main computer data room. 10th floor. Exit elevator, down the hall, turn right, two doors down.

Making sure none of his teammates were around, he made his way to the elevator, ignoring Winnie Camden's curious gaze. He hesitated a split second before stepping foot into the small concealed box. As soon as the doors sealed him in, he realized he should have taken the stairs. This was a bad idea.

"Took you long enough to wake up, Son."

Frozen in shock, all he did was stare. Blue eyes, a reflection of his own, stared back at him. Cold, deep. He was drowning.

"Well, Zachary, I believe your boy is just surprised."

Two men. The first one, the General, wasn't a surprise. But the second one? Sgt. Williams? He had trusted that man with Jules's life. Betrayal, deep, drowning. His body began shaking involuntarily. Not fear. Anger, so much anger. He lunged towards his father and Sgt. Williams. Didn't get far. One of the heavily armed men aimed. Shot.

Momentarily dazed, he awaited the pain. It came. But no blood. Rubber bullet, not real. Nothing seemed real.

"Why?" His voice was horse. Water. He needed water.

"Because whether you want to be or not, you are a soldier. Your skills are valuable to the government Samuel."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm done. After this year, it's over. I'm leaving the military."

The General's smile was unsettling. Was it even a smile? No. It was a predator's grin. Sam braced himself for the fall. The hit was coming.

"No you're not. You haven't even started." Sgt. William's voice stated coldly. Everything was just so cold. "You will join a covert unit of highly specialized men."

Under who's command? To do what? He didn't care. He wasn't joining. He had a family to get back to.

He straightened his back. Clenched his fists. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not your soldier anymore."

He turned to leave. How? He'd figure that out later. He just needed out.

And then he saw black. He shut down. Probably a tranquilizer dart. Hours? Days? He wasn't sure when but he awoke.

He wished he hadn't. 4 metal walls. No windows. Small space. All covered with photographs.

Jules smiled back, a baby on her hip. Jules at graduation. Jules with a bulging belly, smiling widely. Jules taking a morning jog, his son in a stroller. All the pictures were in black and white.

There was no color. No hope. He heard the message loud and clear.

Either you're in or she's out.

The metal doors opened and Sam bolted. He needed out. He felt cold, so cold. He wished he could wrap his arms around Jules. She always gave him warmth. Love.

He leaned his back against the wall for a second, mentally regaining balance. I'm losing my mind. I need to remain objective. For my beautiful wife. My precious daughter and my brave little boy. I can - will - do this.

In less than a minute, a carefully crafted mask slid back in place. His eyes turned cold and his posture menacing. Not Samuel Braddock. Not David Hilton. тень смерти, Shadow of Death.

Although the floor was mostly empty, he stealthily followed his mental map.
Walk down the hall, turn right, two doors down. The plaque read 'main servers'. Bingo! He stood still and listened for a few seconds. Nothing. No one.

He slipped his hand into the inside of his boot and pulled out a pair of black gloves. He slipped them on and tried the doorknob. Locked. Expecting this, he took a small pin out of his pocket and expertly picked the lock. Click.

Closing the door behind him gently, he flicked on the lights. He mentally catalogued all he saw. Small room. A large metal table on the left. Five dusty monitors with wires running out of them sat there. On the right was an elongated wooden desk, probably were the IT people or security sat, with five computer screens, side by side.

He shook his head with a smirk. These guys seriously need an update, they'll thank me later. Or not, since they won't know who to thank.

He approached a large gray monitor that appeared to be in better shape than the rest. Reaching into his boot again, he pulled out a nondescript black flash drive. He inserted it into the monitor and glanced at the time. 5:46. Forty-four minutes until security came into the room. Fourteen minutes until he had to be in the briefing room with Team One. Five minutes until the small light flicked red on the flash drive, signaling the virus was in place. He had time.

5:51. He retrieved the flash drive and stuck it back into his boot. He stood still and listened. No footsteps. No breathing. No one. He opened the door gently and locked it behind him. He slipped off his gloves and put them back in his boot. Mission accomplished.

This time he walked down the hall, searching for the stairwell he knew was there. He jogged up the stairs, footfalls feather soft. Exiting the stairwell on the 25th floor, he checked the time. 5:57. He had three minutes. He quickly went into the locker room and dressed into his uniform in 60 seconds. Switch to cocky rookie persona.

"You're late." Ed Lane stated. His face firm.

Sam made a show of looking at his watch. "Technically I'm a minute early."

Ed's eyes narrowed. Greg stepped in. "Take a seat, David. We were waiting for you."

He nodded and took a seat next to Wordy. From there, debrief went smoothly. There was a drug bust in 6 days. Sam paid rapt attention to the details, logging names and the types of weapons. Who knows when the information would come in handy?

Greg was almost wrapping up, when the alarm blared, Winnie's voice cutting through. "Team One! Hot Call!"

For a split second Sam tensed. He wasn't expecting to take part in a call. He was only supposed to be part of the team for three days only, or until the target was neutralized.

How do you trust and protect people you will deceit and destroy?

A/N: тень смерти means shadow of death in Russian. Yes, Sam speaks Russian. You will learn more about this other identity soon. Thanks for reading :) Questions? Comments? Ya know what to do!