Chapter 2.

Thanks Liz, will rest. Expecting many more sleepless nights and zombie days.

Lets see if I can get this chapter and the next uploaded before getting that timeout message.


Partheois: Part 1

Memories of the Past

CHAPTER 2:

Fenton

"Good morning Mr. Hardy. Two sets of cloths for dry cleaning?" A matronly woman at the counter asked and Fenton nodded with a wry smile on his face. "This way please."

Why did she even bother with that pretense when he did not even bother to carry any laundry with him? He thought as he made his way to the little enclave behind that rack of dirty laundry.

He reached behind the little lamp protruding from the wall of the enclave and flicked open a panel. A tiny door opened and he slipped in. He was supposed to use the word 'unnoticed', but again he could not be bothered. Anyone following him for several mornings in a row could easily see that he 'disappeared' into Marion's Laundry Service every morning. The tiny door closed, he flipped open the controls panel and placed his palm on the touch-screen. A light on the panel changed from red to green, and the little elevator he was in began his descend into the Network facility below.

Yes, there was a Major Network Installation right here in Bayport. Arthur Gray, the head of the Network, thought it more appropriate to base it here in low-key Bayport than in New York City. At this moment in time, he was grateful that is one such facility in Bayport, otherwise his whole family would have to relocate.

That is what being a family is all about. You stand by your family no matter what. His sons understand that part all too well – they would do anything for each other. Too bad they are still learning about the second half of that maxim: Being family also means letting your family stand by you, trusting your family to stand by you, and accepting without reservations that your family will always stand by you. Fenton sighed. Why did such things happen to his family?

He was only a civilian PI, albeit a highly successful one. For the first time in his life, he regretted his success. He should have stuck to the usual bread and butter insurance and fraud cases. Then his sons would have grown up normal teens and Frank…

The elevator door opened. He stepped out and walked down a long narrow corridor, his footsteps echoing hollowly behind him. He felt old and tired. Yet he could not rest, because his sons needed him. Especially Frank, he added. He flashed his ID and Network Pass at the two guards, and they did a brief search and a weapons scan before letting him through. Another set of security gates, and finally he was in.

Fenton acknowledged the usual 'good mornings' sent his way with a slight nod of his head. As he did every morning, he headed straight to his allocated office, set down all his things, and proceeds to the changing room. He took a quick peek into Joe's cubicle along the way. His younger son was not here yet. He shook his head, wondering a little amused at what Joe's going to tell Gray as he reason for being late yet again. He recalled Gray's warnings yesterday regarding Joe lack of punctuality. Then he shrugged, his younger son had more than proven his worth to the Network despite Gray's reservations. And he had to admit privately that he had come to enjoy those little sessions when Joe rattled Gray's cool countenance by always doing the unexpected that was just barely within the rules and protocols of the FBI and the Network.

Several minutes later dressed in a T-shirt and pajama pants, he waited impatiently for the guard to complete the paperwork as necessitated by the bureaucratic protocols. The guard finally gave him a nod; he went through the first set of doors and waited rather impatiently for them to lock behind him. He reached for the second and final set of glass panel doors that was keeping him from his firstborn son.

He paused.

Every morning he simply rushed through, eager to see Frank, to hold him and just chat with him. He had to admit that his eldest, while communicating with him, never really talk. As a result, even as Frank was recovering from his ordeal, he never really healed either. And how could he? Fenton suddenly admitted. Who could heal being locked up in that little cell for months?

But it was beyond his ability to take Frank out of here at the moment. He had already used everything he had, pulled in every favor he was owed, for his eldest. And as much as he hated to admit that, there really was no safer place for Frank at the moment.

Firstly, it was because those people who had Frank before had tried to get him back. Failing that, they tried to kill him. And Gray, for all his faults, had put his life on the line for Frank several times now. Then again, Fenton acknowledged cynically, Frank is valuable to Gray for now…

Secondly, Frank was dangerous; to himself, and to those around him. That was why security was so tight here. His eldest already made two attempts to escape, during two unexpected personality reversal, almost killing two other agents along the way. In both cases, it was Joe's appearance that brought the base personality back. After that, Fenton watched Frank walking back to his holding cell of his own free will while Joe stood there awkwardly staring down at his toes. That invisible wall between his sons was so palpable he thought he could walk right smack into it if he tried.

This morning, he did not rush into Frank's cell. Instead, he paused at the door.

Perhaps it was because he finally stopped berating himself and acknowledged and accepted the fact that both his sons were not ordinary. Even if he had stuck to boring fraud and insurance cases, his sons would have made it on their own. Now, as he stood behind the last glass door separating him from his eldest, he finally accepted what Gray had been telling him for months.

Frank is dangerous…

Even he had no idea how dangerous and how resourceful his eldest could be, until Gray sat him down and made him watch the recordings of Frank's escape attempt. The total change in personality had shocked him. But it was the look of total devastation on Frank's face when the base personality re-asserted itself that moved Fenton to act. He finally agreed to let Gray moved Frank to this current high-security location and cell. It was the right decision too, for he could see that Frank was more relaxed in his new cell, even if it was very sparsely furnished. There was only a foam mattress and a number of paperback books. That was why he was visiting his son dressed in a flimsy T-shirt and pajama pants. So that there was absolutely nothing that Frank could use to effect another escape. And his son had proven he could use literally almost anything.

So this morning, he stood behind the glass door for a moment to observe his son and to think. He knew Frank would not be able to see anyone behind the door because the visual was one way only.

Yes, to think; to reflect on how well he actually knew his own sons, which was clearly not as well as he thought.

Two and a half years ago, when he thought Frank was killed in a terrorist holdup, he grieved. When they found out that a newly surfaced terrorist group, The Partheois, was behind that holdup, Joe had quitted Hardy Investigations, joined the FBI and gone after them with a vengeance. Joe was too successful – and Fenton saw for the first time how far Joe could go when he bothered to push himself. Then almost seven months ago, his eldest surfaced before Joe when he and Laura were away on a month long cruise. It was deliberate, and he got to the scene of action a month later and barely on time to save his youngest. He would never forget that moment in time, when he watched his eldest pulled the trigger on his youngest. He shot, and prayed from the depths of his soul that he wasn't too late to save Joe. He prayed from the depths of his soul that his aim on Frank's arm was true, that he did not kill his elder in his attempt to save the younger.

Both his sons lived, for that he gave thanks to his Lord daily. Something he had stopped doing since high school.

That was also about when he found out that the original holdup was an elaborate plot to get Frank. And the Network got the confirmation that The Partheois was an older, bigger, and much, much deeply rooted and secretive organization than expected. They chose Frank for their next generation of leaders.

Fenton shook his head. He had always known his eldest was exceptional; outstanding academically and an all rounder in sports. After completing his college degrees in Law and Mathematics, Frank had taken on several high-profile white collar cases and performed brilliantly. He could see why they would want Frank.

The FBI psychologist had explained to him what was done to his son. Frank was a good person at heart, so in order to shape him into what they needed; they created a second personality alongside the base personality. But the base personality was strong, so they planned for Frank to commit the one act that could forever bury the base personality and allow the second personality to come to the fore – by having him kill the one person that matter most to him.

Fenton still shuddered at how close they came to succeeding. If he missed, and Frank's shot found the target, he knew he would have lost both sons that day. There was no way his Frank would come back if he had to live with the knowledge that he killed his own brother.

Then there were the triggers; so many triggers! What would it be like to be Frank now? To live in fear of not knowing what would set him off? Fenton could see that Frank had lost a lot of weight. He was told that Frank only ate what was necessary for surviving and refused to exercise. Frank was afraid, the psychologist told him. His son wanted to make sure he was the weaker opponent should anything trigger the other personality.

And the existence of those triggers was the reason why Joe was still pushing himself to bring down The Partheois. He wanted to find that laboratory where Frank was held, find the medical notes, and then destroy them all. It was the only way his younger son felt Frank would be free again. The father knew his younger son was deluding himself. But he let his younger son be for the moment, knowing that Joe needed to burn off those excessive emotions.

What the FBI psychologists were working out now was, how that personality split was done, and if it could be fully reversed. They were being nice about it of course. They told him that the fact that Frank's base personality revert when he saw Joe was an encouraging sign. But Fenton was not a man to wallow in delusions. What was done to Frank could never be fully reversed. The best he could hope for was for Frank to gain enough control of himself so as to live the rest of his life with some semblance of normalcy.

He observed Frank sleeping on his thin foam mattress through the glass door and felt a deep sadness flowed through him. Frank deserved so much more than 'normalcy', and he knew with brutal honesty that was no longer possible.

He felt anger rose to the fore. Too bad for them that was his son they went after. They would pay for that, he vowed. Actually, they were already paying for it; their 'secret' organization was no longer 'secret'. The Network and thus the FBI knew about them now. But he would spend the rest of his life working to bring every block of that organization down.

But now, now he must be the father to his son. The son was still lost in guilt and trapped in fear. So the father must be there to nudge him when he faltered, to catch him when he fell, and to carry him when he was exhausted. He opened the door and stepped through.

The door locked behind him with a loud click.

Frank turned around, noted his presence and quickly looked away. But not before he caught that glimpse of disappointment and hurt that flashed briefly in his son's eyes. Fenton knew it was because his eldest had hoped that it was Joe visiting. That was swiftly followed by a flash of guilt. Just as quickly, all those feelings were gone, leaving behind a calm and controlled exterior.

"Good morning, dad," his son greeted.

Fenton simply leaned back against the wall, crossed his arm and eyed his eldest. His unexpected action caught Frank's attention. Fenton smiled. Things would be turning for the better from now on - he could almost taste the change in the air.

He usually started his visit with a greeting and asking if his son was well. And most mornings ended up a series of polite exchanges. That had to stop, Fenton realized. He should have had more respect for his son's resilience and character; he should never have wasted all those time walking on eggs around Frank.

"Joe is confident he found the location of those labs," Fenton told Frank in a casual tone. "He's preparing for a sting operation now. We want those medical records intact."

He saw a flash of fear in Frank's eyes, which was what he expected. He cut in using his firmest tone before Frank could say anything.

"Joe will be very careful, so don't worry about him."

Frank looked unconvinced. Fenton chuckled. Some things about Frank would always remain the same, such as the need to keep Joe safe.

"But what I want now is to talk about you," he said.

"I am fine, dad. But what Joe is doing is dangerous…"

"You would have done the same for him, Frank, and you know it!" Fenton admonished his elder son gently. "Joe have matured much during the last two and the half years, son. Have faith in his capabilities."

"But he did not have to take that risk!" Frank turned on him. "If you have let me do what had to be done back then, then Joe would not have to take that kind of a risk now! "

"And what was it that you had to do back then, son?" Fenton asked in a reasonable tone.

He knew Frank needed to vent. If he was to be his son's verbal punching bag, so be it. Inwardly, his heart rejoiced. Frank was finally breaking out of his impersonal, emotionless façade.

"You should have let Gray sent me back in!" Frank spat out.

"So if the situation is reversed, you would let Gray re-program Joe, even when you know that the Network had no idea what was done to him in the two preceding years, and sent Joe straight back into the wolf's den?" Fenton asked conversationally.

"No!"

"Good! Because, I would not have allowed that either!" Fenton concurred agreeably.

Frank glared back at him, and he made himself ignore that.

"I would have done exactly the same thing for Joe as I did for you. I would have called in every favor owed to me, used every contact I have, just to keep him safe. You know that, son."

And that was what he did. It wasn't enough. Not until he and Joe agreed to work for the Network did Gray bend and argue on their behalf. They made a deal. But Frank did not have to know that.

"Then I and my son would have done everything within our power, took any risk necessary, to see my son and his brother home safe and sound."

Frank remained silent, and Fenton took that as a good sign. He continued in a softer, gentler tone, knowing that his son was now finally listening.

"I am your father, Frank. And Joe is your brother. It is one thing to do everything within one's power to keep his family safe. But the reverse also applies. You must let us be your family, son. You must let us do our part. Because at the end of the day, that is the only way a family stays together – by being a real family."

His voice softened as he added, "And you must know that we love you. You do not have to go through all these alone…"

He watched as Frank's shoulders started to shake. He crossed the cell in several quick steps and soon had his son in his arms.

"Sorry dad…"

"Oh Frank, son, how I missed you... how we all missed you…"