Thank you, lovelies, for all your feedback! Not much for an author's note, so thank your for reading and reviewing and here's the next chapter!
Four
A peal of raucous laughter awakens Sara with a start. She hadn't even been aware she'd fallen asleep; the last thing she remembers is lying in bed, basking in the post-coital adrenaline rush, and watching the moonlight glitter and dance across her the golden band of her wedding ring. At some point, however, she must have fallen into the comfortable confines of sleep; she glances at the digital clock on her bedside table and notes it's almost seven o'clock. She has to get moving. Sara can hear the low sounds of male conversation and assumes, correctly, that her living room is full of the remaining members of the Scylla team, reunited after years apart.
She slides out of bed and makes herself a bit more presentable; this requires slipping out of Michael's boxers and into an actual pair of underwear and pants. Adjusting her tank top and trying to calm her tangled hair, Sara exits their bedroom and is immediately flooded with memories she only half-wants. The room smells of coffee and of conspiracy; Alex is once again sitting in the very armchair he'd taken up the night before, bent over the coffee table and rambling about something Sara's not tuned in enough to make out. Michael and Lincoln are occupying the couch, going over the notes Michael had taken the night before and adding more where necessary. In the corner of the room, stands Paul Kellerman, talking with someone over Bluetooth. It's been years and yet, Sara still visibly tenses when laying her eyes upon him.
It's Lincoln who first notices her, glancing up and asking, "Oh sorry, Doc. Are we too loud?"
"No, no I should've been up already, anyway," Sara says, her eyes still not leaving Kellerman. "I've got to get the kids going."
"You looked peaceful. I didn't want to wake you," Michael tells her, his sapphire eyes offering an apology for the unwanted company. He nods toward the kitchen counter. "There's coffee in the pot, if you want some."
"Thank you," She smiles gratefully and when Kellerman ends his conversation, he looks up to greet her.
"Sara! Long time, no see," He grins a million-dollar smile that she doesn't return. "How have you been?"
She doesn't answer at first and he rolls his eyes. "Yes, yes I tried to kill you in New Mexico. But I also saved all of your asses, so I think we can put that behind us, right?"
Sara shakes her head, pouring herself a steaming mug of coffee. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to you."
"You don't have to say anything," Michael insists and then turns back to Kellerman. "Your business is with us. Leave her alone."
"Ooh, touchy." Kellerman frowns. "You know, I would've forgiven you, if it had been the other way around."
"I guess that's the difference between you and me, Paul," Sara tells him and then disappears down the hall, in search of the children.
"Can we focus on the task at hand, please?" Michael asks, directing his attention toward Kellerman, who holds up his hands in defense.
"Alright, alright," He says. "We're all set for our flight to Miami. The man we are looking for is Owen Frank. He's been a Company operative since 2003. He runs a small but successful business near the port and will most likely have some kind of connection to Edison."
"Most likely?" Lincoln asks. "I thought you said you knew for sure."
"Nothing's for sure, not now anyway," Alex answers. "Sucre's meeting us there. His flight gets in at noon and ours gets in at one-fifteen. I told him to keep a look-out for this guy."
Alex places a shiny photograph of the man they're after on the table before them. Lincoln, incredulous, says, "You think this guy's just going to be wandering around the airport? That would be convenient."
"I doubt it, but I wouldn't put it past him," Kellerman offers. "By now, I'm sure Edison's orchestrated a plan. This plan will most likely involve killing every last one of us and the only way to do that is to find us. Therefore, he's going to have to travel. The bottom line is we're not untraceable. You guys have the government at your advantage, but we're not impossible to find."
"Which means we need to find them before they can find us," Michael states. "The only problem is, we don't know who they are."
"Great," Lincoln sighs. "This is just as cryptic as last time."
In the background, Noah and Zoe come into the kitchen, requesting breakfast from Sara, who's now fully clothed in her clinical attire. Noah stops to survey the room and take in all the new people in his surroundings whereas Zoe asks dozens of questions of each of them, pauses to give her father and beloved uncle a hug and a kiss, and finally sits for breakfast. Sara makes them scrambled eggs and toast, simultaneously packing lunches and backpacks and half-eating her own meal while the kids bicker half-heartedly over who would get to choose the radio station that morning. They run off to brush their teeth and finish getting ready moments later in a torrent of commotion.
Kellerman remarks, "I assume the Scofield spawn aren't coming with us?"
"They're going to a safe house," Michael explains briefly and then asks, "So if we find this guy and he somehow does have a connection to Edison, what's our next move? We can't just pull up a map of everyone involved. It's not like they have tracking devices."
"No, they don't, but if we find one, we'll find them all," Kellerman states confidently. "I'm one hundred percent sure they'll talk if we have Edison in custody."
"What makes you think that?" Lincoln asks in disbelief. "There's no way they'll talk. What if we miss one of them and he wants to rebuild? Don't tell me we'll be back in this situation in a year or two."
"I think they'll do whatever they have to- even die- to protect this organization," Alex agrees. "And if they do, then we're back where we started."
"What we need to do is get in their heads," Michael suggests. "We need to know what they're going to do before they do it."
"You guys used to be in The Company," Lincoln says, glancing between both Alex and Kellerman. "Any idea how they operate?"
"At one point, I was under the influence of The Company, yes, but I didn't work for them," Alex clarifies. "And by that logic, so did you, Linc. Or did you forget that you once told the General you'd get him Scylla?"
Lincoln frowns. "Shut the fuck up, Mahone."
"I was long since terminated by the time this whole Scylla thing blew up," Kellerman says a moment later. "So I don't have any idea what they'll do to protect it. But if I had to guess, I'm sure they'd gladly die to make sure their fellow operatives were kept safely hidden."
"Gretchen," Michael then says and all eyes are immediately on him.
"What?" Alex asks in surprise.
Kellerman looks confused. "Who?"
Lincoln is already irritated. "Why?"
"Gretchen might be able to help," Michael explains. "If we're going to Miami anyway, we might as well pay her a visit."
"What could she possibly tell us?" Lincoln implores. "She's not even part of The Company anymore. She's useless."
"She may not be a Company agent anymore, but she used to be," Michael says. "If we're going to stop The Company from rebuilding, we might want to consult someone who was close to the General when it was first built."
They all pore over this decision for a moment as Kellerman grins. "See Scofield, we need your brain. I know this is the last thing you want to do right now, but do you see how useful you are?"
"The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can move on with our lives," Michael deadpans and Lincoln nods his agreement.
"Once we walk away from this, we're done for good," He demands. "Don't even think about calling us again."
"Fine, fine," Kellerman agrees. "You can just send me Christmas cards from Tahiti or wherever you're planning on escaping to."
It's nearing eight o'clock, now, and when Sara and the kids appear again, a moment later, they're readying themselves to leave. Michael takes a moment to scribble an address on an abandoned piece of paper and then expertly folds it into an origami crane. Zoe is by the door, struggling to pull her snow boots on, and Noah is busy twisting his scarf around his neck and zipping himself into his coat. Sara's throwing things mindlessly into her purse and asking Noah if he's remembered everything for school that day. She glances around aimlessly for her keys and Michael, spotting them by the TV- which is a weird place to keep keys, if you ask him- snatches them and brings them over to her. She smiles gratefully and thanks him.
He hands her the crane as well and she chuckles softly. "For old time's sake."
Michael then kneels beside the chair Noah's perched in and says, "Hey buddy. You and Mom and Zoe are going to be taking a little trip later today, okay? When you get out of school, you're going to head somewhere for just a little while. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Why can't you come with us?" Noah asks, distrustfully glancing at the two foreign men in the room. "Where are you going?"
"I have to go somewhere with your Uncle Linc and some friends," Michael says, bending the truth a bit. "Don't worry about me. I'll be safe."
"Are you going to Disney World?" Noah asks excitedly. "Can we come too?"
Michael laughs. "I'm not going to Disney World, bud. Everything's going to be fine, though. Just keep your Mom and sister safe for me, okay?"
"Okay," Noah shrugs. "Bye Dad."
He scoops his son in for a hug and tells him, "Bye Noah. Be good and be safe. I love you."
"Love you too," Noah reiterates and hops off the chair to slip his boots on.
Michael then turns to his daughter, who asks, "Daddy where are you going?"
"I have to go to Florida for a little while with your Uncle Linc and some friends," He repeats. "And you and Noah and Mommy are headed somewhere else. You're going to go on a little vacation, okay?"
Zoe gasps. "Florida? Are you going to Disney World without me?"
"I would never do that," Michael grins. "I just have some work to do. I'll be with you guys as soon as I can."
"Why can't we stay here?" Zoe asks and Michael sighs.
"You just can't, babe. It'll only be for a little while. I promise."
"Why can't you come with us?" She asks, then, her voice small.
"I have somewhere I have to be, first," Michael tells her. "But you'll be okay. You'll be with Mommy and Noah. Sofia and LJ, too. Be a good girl, okay? Be safe. I love you, Zo-Zo."
"I love you too, Daddy," She says and allows her father to hug and kiss her goodbye. She then turns to glance at Alex and Kellerman, asking the latter, "Are you a secret agent too? A ninja?"
"Not a ninja, no," Kellerman smirks.
"Can you keep my Daddy safe?" Zoe pleads. "He might not be a fast runner like you. He's missing two toes, you know."
Sara covers her mouth to stifle a laugh, Michael smirks and Lincoln chuckles from beside her. Kellerman grins and says, "I didn't know that. Yes, I'll keep your Daddy safe, super safe. I promise you."
Zoe smiles and nods satisfactorily, heading over to join her brother in their farewell to Lincoln. Michael then turns to Sara and says, "When you guys are ready to go, open the crane."
"We'll probably get a move on the minute I pick them up from school," Sara says. "Where exactly are we going?"
"You'll see," Michael smiles. "Just remember to pick up LJ and Sofia before you go."
"As if I'd forget them."
"Just making sure."
She steps forward and wraps her arms around him in an embrace, his following soon thereafter. He kisses her hair and she tightens her grasp on him, whispering, "Be safe, okay? Come back to me in one piece."
"Well as Zoe just pointed out, I'm already missing a few pieces," Michael replies and feels Sara's body shake with laughter. "But I'll come back with everything I have now."
She pulls back slightly to kiss him quickly, given they have company. But he decides this isn't enough and brings her back in for another, much deeper kiss. Both Noah and Zoe pull disgusted faces and make puking sounds. Zoe states, "Kissing is so yucky!"
"Yeah," Noah is quick to agree. "And Mommy and Daddy kiss a lot."
The other three adults in the room laugh- endless entertainment from the Scofield children, as usual- and Michael and Sara roll their eyes, the smiles on their faces caused by their children's naïveté. Michael runs a hand through her hair, eyes scanning her face as if trying to memorize every last detail, before saying, "I love you. Make sure you're being safe as well."
"I will and I love you, too," She promises. "I'll guard these kids with my life, don't you worry."
She's only half-joking; Michael sense this and says, "I know you will."
"Oh, here, I almost forgot," Kellerman interrupts, handing each of them clunky cell phones that haven't been used in ages. "They might be outdated, but they're government-issued, so they can't be tracked. Just to cover our bases, okay?"
"Great," Michael looks relieved. "So we'll always be in touch."
"Okay," Sara nods. "Good luck."
They depart in a flurry of activity, which gives the group a little more time to plan. They figure if all else fails with Owen Frank, they'll always have Gretchen to fall back upon. It takes Michael less than five minutes to throw a duffle bag of items together for the trip and Lincoln and Alex talk logistics one last time. Kellerman puts in a call to Sucre, who is just boarding his own flight, and then they're leaving the apartment, heading to the airport and going through security. Since anyone could potentially be a suspect, they're wary of everyone they come in contact with. They wonder if the TSA agent that spent too long looking at Alex's passport is a Company agent or the guy collecting Smarte Cartes who glances at them twice as they pass, could he be one too? They board the plane and try not to overthink things, but it's difficult when they suddenly feel, once again, that they're in the limelight.
Kellerman sinks deeper into his plane seat, singing under his breath, "We're going to Miami. Welcome to Miami."
The other three stare at him and he says, "Will Smith? Miami? Come on, you don't know this song?"
They either frown or shake their heads or roll their eyes. Kellerman smirks. "Damn. Tough crowd."
They land in Miami three hours later, the weather improving drastically from a chilly and snowy thirty-two degrees to a sunny, warm eighty degrees. The airport is packed with people and they get separated every so often, but they manage to make it to baggage claim in record time to meet up with Sucre. He looks exactly the same as he had when they'd last seen him; a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and sunglasses protectively shading him from the crowd, Sucre is glancing over the hordes of people and when he spots Michael and the rest of the group in tow, his face splits into a grin. He drops his things to welcome his best friend in a tight hug, clapping him on the back as he does so.
"Hey, what's up, papi?" Sucre greets him warmly. "Long time, huh?"
"It's been a while," Michael grins. "How are you?"
"Great," Sucre replies. "I know you didn't want to head back to Chicago, but isn't all that bad, man. Our families are both there; we didn't want to leave them."
He pauses to greet Lincoln with another hug and Alex with a firm handshake. He merely nods in Kellerman's direction. Michael implores, "How are Maricruz and the kids?"
Sucre's beaming as he produces his wallet, showing off a miniature picture of his family of five. "Just great, man. Lila's already in second grade, papi! She's getting big. Nicolas, my little man, just started kindergarten. And Emilia starts pre-school in the fall. It's crazy, papi! But I'm sure you know that."
"I do," Michael says, examining the happy family. "That's insane. Nico and Emi were just babies last time I saw them."
"You guys should visit more often," Sucre says. "Lila's always asking about Noah and Zoe. How are they, by the way? How's Sara? She's not here, I see."
"They're all doing great," Michael answers. "Heading away for a while until this blows over with LJ and Sofia."
"Yeah, Linc, how is LJ?" Sucre asks. "He finish school yet?"
"Just did," Lincoln nods proudly. "He graduated early in December."
"Aw, no shit! You got a smart one."
"Yeah, he didn't get it from me."
"So how's-"
"You guys can all hold hands around the campfire some other time," Kellerman halts their conversation. "Right now, we've got criminals to catch."
They follow him through the growing crowd of people and around the multiple carousels of rotating luggage. Michael is hyper-aware of anyone second glancing at them, cataloguing them, or taking notes of who and where they are. Kellerman slips a pair of sunglasses down over his eyes and adjusts his suit jacket, walking casually but with a purpose out of the automatic doors. There's heat and car exhaust and humidity, but through all the people shouting in Spanish and the cabs honking and children crying, a man bumps into Alex and apologizes profusely.
"No problem," Alex nods and watches the man pass him by. There's something off-putting about him; Alex reaches into his pocket to find the photo of Owen Frank and when he realizes the man in the photo matches the man who's just passed him, Owen's nowhere to be seen. Alex shoves the photo back into his pocket, shouting, "That was him! Owen's here!"
No one hesitates in sprinting after him. Kellerman barks out a few orders, directing Michael, Lincoln and Sucre to take opposite sides of the alley to corner him. He then darts after Alex, pushing past people and shouting back apologies without hesitation. Owen runs freely past the long row of taxis awaiting passengers, around the east side of the airport and towards the back alley. They lose him, for a moment, and the roaring engine of a plane taking off drowns anything Kellerman shouts at Alex out. They spot him once more at the south side and he's reaching into his coat pocket for what they soon realize is a gun.
"Get down!" Kellerman shouts and Alex dives behind a dumpster as shots speed through the space he'd just occupied.
It takes Kellerman less than a second to cock his own gun, Alex watching in disbelief. But before he can fire it, Lincoln appears from the corner of the alley and tackles Owen Frank to the ground. His head smashes against the gravelly pavement, but he isn't disoriented enough to forget he's armed. In a split second he's aiming the pistol at Lincoln's chest and a shot rings through the alley. Michael and Sucre, from the other side of the alley, shout in terror, but Lincoln remains unharmed; it's Kellerman's gun that's smoking, now. Owen's arm falls limply against the pavement, gun clattering to the ground. Lincoln inhales and exhales deeply, once again feeling what it's like to be this close to death.
"Why would you kill him?" Lincoln grumbles. "He could've had information we needed! He was your only lead!"
"Um, how about a thank you for saving your life?" Kellerman suggests. "Are we really going to pretend you weren't just two seconds away from a slow and painful death?"
"How did you get that past security?" Alex asks, out of breath and gesturing towards the gun.
Kellerman gives him a look, as if there's nothing he can't get away with. "Please. I'm not an amateur, Alex."
Lincoln and Michael kneel around the body, Sucre standing over it reciting a prayer in Spanish, and pick through his pockets. There's nothing but a few extra bullets; no identification, no cell phone, no ties to The Company. When they back away, Kellerman resumes his duty of cleaning the area, the gun and the body of any prints or evidence they may have left behind. He plucks something out of the dead man's hand and pries it open. It's a yellow piece of notepad paper, scrawled handwriting filling the lines, and Paul announces, "Maybe he was going to visit one of his buddies. If we go to this address, maybe we'll find someone who knows where Edison is."
He hands the paper over to Michael and the other three crowd around him. The color drains from his face and Sucre immediately asks, "What's up, papi?"
"This is my address," Michael states in horror. "He was coming after me."
He's immediately dropping his bag on the ground, rummaging through the items inside in search of the phone. "Just because he didn't get there doesn't mean someone else won't. I have to call Sara."
The line rings once, twice and then three times before Sara finally answers. "Hello? Michael?"
"Sara," He breathes her name in a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm on my lunch break. What's wrong?"
"So you're not home?"
"No, no. What's going on?"
"Listen, as soon as you can, you need to get the kids and get out of there," Michael says adamantly. "We're in Miami and we just flagged down a Company operative."
"Oh my God…"
"He had our address in his pocket," Michael explains. "I don't know if he was planning on bringing backup, but I doubt he was going alone. So get the kids, get Sofia and LJ and go to the address that I gave you this morning, do you remember?"
"Yeah, the crane. I have it right here."
"Okay, good. You need to go, do you understand me?" Michael stresses. "You need to go now!"