BLACKBIRD AND KESTREL

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." -Oscar Wilde

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

The former members of Storm Crew, along with former Anti-Cartel agent Matt Aguero, sit around the bamboo table in the back patio of Tom Falk's house. Just beyond the patio is the Sea of California, whose waves crash onto the shore as they always do.

It's a nice day to be outside, so that's where Tom Falk decided the weekly meeting of the heads of the New Arrival Counseling Program should be. This is actually a somewhat frequent occurrence. The only reasons they wouldn't be under the covered patio is if it were raining, which is fairly rare given the arid conditions of San Felipe, or if it were the middle of summer and hotter than, well, Hell.

Tom sits with his back to the beach, with Chris Cooper, Jacob Jackson, and Charlie O'Doyle to his right, Matt across from him at the other head of the table, and Eddie Alvarez, Jerome Thompson, and Luke Winter down the left side.

All have folders in front of them, filled with statistics, information, and other items pertaining to their territories.

Matt, the handsome Latino man from El Paso, is the Vice-President of the organization, but he also handles Texas, northern Mexico and much of the southwestern states as well.

Charlie, the tall, lanky red-headed Irishman, is based out of Boston and has the New England territory. He splits New York City with Chris, the tall, muscular and gregarious black man who is based in Philly and handles the east coast all the way down to the end of North Carolina.

Jacob, the lanky redneck based out of Alabama, has the southeast states. If you're in the Southeastern Conference territory in college sports, he probably represents your area.

Eddie, the fit head-shaved Mexican, has central and southern Mexico. Being from Mexico City, he pretty much gets that territory by default.

Jerome, the big, soft-spoken inner-city man from Oakland, has California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. Only five states, but plenty to keep him busy.

That leaves Luke, the youthful one of the group from Minnesota, with the northern midwest states all the way west to Idaho. A friend of Luke's handles Canada, although it's technically under his territory.

And not a single one of them is happy with how things are going in their territories.

Tom stares at the table, feeling almost defeated. "Guys, what are we doing wrong? Huh? Are we not advertising enough..." Chris shakes his head and says "No, there's plenty of notice of our meetings. Some say we advertise too much...but I don't think that's what's driving people away."

Tom shifts his body to face Chris. "What do you think the problem is then?" Chris leans back and says "I think these meetings are too much to handle right off the bat. These people are still sorting out what is going on, why they're here...and man, they get to be told how to live all over again and all at once? I don't know about you guys, but that'd be a lot to handle for someone right off the bat."

Tom watches the rest of the table nod in agreement. He chuckles and says "Congratulations on making this meeting sound like the last few we've had. We know there's a problem. We know there's frustration among us over the program in general. But this is our problem, and since it is our problem, where's the solution, guys?" Jacob asks "What about the DVD program? Let them get what they need to know in their own time..." Tom shakes his head and says "There's no guarantee that they'll watch it, and I don't believe in being all Big Brother and watching over their shoulders. This is not Soviet Russia...this is about the opposite of that, actually."

Luke raises his hand and asks "What about a computer program?" Tom looks at him and asks "What about it?" Luke replies "You say there's no guarantee with the DVDs. So let's create a computer program that is tied into our servers. Once a person completes the interactive program, then they'll be eligible to get their monthly stipend. Make the stipend contingent on completing the program." Jacob then says "We should also have a phone app. When they're practicing teleporting or jumping to Earth to view their families, they can have that app with them to help them get back."

The rest of the table, including Tom seems intrigued by the ideas being thrown around. Charlie, with his thick Irish accent, asks "Plus, they'll probably like to know the ways they can make more than their base stipend. This program can do that and get people interested in their own time. We'll link them to all the programs available to them, they can apply right there..." Eddie cuts him off with a curious question "Ok, who's going to program this software? I can't do it. Can anyone here?"

And the table goes silent again. It's uncomfortably silent for a few seconds. Jerome chuckles and says "Moments like this, I wish David Marston were here." The rest of the table chuckles as well at the mention of their former Operations Tech guy in Storm Crew. Even Tom cracks a smile at the mention of his friend back on Earth.

Tom slaps his hand on the table suddenly after getting an idea. "My brother can do it." A few eyebrows raise among the group, including Matt Aguero's, who knows all too well how Tom and Eddie Falk aren't the best at working together on missions. Tom continues. "My brother did some technical stuff with his SEALs unit, and I know he was getting into computer science and programming when he got out of the SEALs. He's the man for the job.

Matt snickers a bit and says "Tom, I know he's family and all, but can you do this without the both of you going all loco on each other? I've seen you two work together in the field before...it wasn't pretty!" Tom shrugs and says "No, because I wouldn't be dealing with him on refining the software. I thought that'd be your job, Matt."

Matt quizzically asks "Really?" Tom nods and says "Yup. Should we go ahead with this, I'm making this your baby. There might be a time when I decide to move on from this...and I know I've heard the grumblings from the rest of you wanting to move on..." A couple others at the table snicker or nod in approval. Tom continues. "...so Matt, you told me you want more responsibility. I say take this ball and run with it. Anyone have a problem with that?" The rest of the table shakes their head. Matt just shrugs and says "That's cool with me." Tom gives him a quick headnod and says "Good. Since we're all on board with this, let's brainstorm what's going to be in the program and we'll..."

Tom pauses when something catches his eye from the inside. He looks inside the patio doors and sees Laurent L'Andre alongside Nadia Falk, whose tattered shirt and pained expression speak a thousand words about the horror she just went through.

Tom springs up out of his seat like a cat, causing it to fly backwards onto the beach, and runs towards the patio door like he was on fire. The rest of the table looks inside and sees what's going on and all look shocked to see Nadia with bruises on her face, a puffy lip, and a ripped up silk shirt.

As a frantic Tom gets inside, a very distraught Nadia starts walking over to him with her arms outstretched, crying a bit and just cracking out a feeble "Tom..." as she falls into his arms, finding the security she sought.

Tom embraces Nadia tightly, and is embraced just as tightly in return by Nadia. Tom looks up gravely at Laurent, who has a somewhat solemn look on his face, and asks "What the hell happened?" Laurent flatly replies "Your wife encountered someone at the grocery store." Tom gives Laurent a very unsatisfied look over his answer and asks "WHO?" Laurent replies "Cesar Martinez."

Tom freezes his glare at Laurent, but is really computing what he just said. Cesar Martinez...Nadia's former running mate in Argentina during her teen years. It was barely a week ago when Nadia confessed in bed that Cesar had raped her in Minsk during the time she was knocked out. The mere thought of that saddened and demoralized Tom...and seeing Nadia roughed up with the front of her shirt in tatters, it doesn't take long for him to complete the puzzle.

Tom looks down at the top of Nadia's head and, in a calm yet worried voice, asks "Babe...did he rape..." Nadia cuts him off quickly, her voice muffled by her face being partially buried in his chest. "No. Just groped me a little, grabbed my throat, and hit me. He didn't even get my pants off before Laurent stepped in."

Tom lifts Nadia's head up and studies her petrified face. Her lip is puffy from Cesar's punch. Her throat has a couple bruises from where Cesar choked her in order to stop her from teleporting. There's a bad bruise that extends from the left side of her mouth down to the left side of her chin and up her jawline a little from Cesar's punch when Nadia tried to scream for help.

Tom closes his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths to try to control the rage that is bubbling inside him now. His face shakes with that anger. He hasn't felt this way in years, not since he was alive. He wants to tear someone's head off right now.

Nothing quite puts Tom in a violent mood like seeing Nadia hurt.

The shaking stops when Nadia puts a hand up on his cheek. He opens his eyes as a very shaky Nadia looks up at him and tells him reassuringly "Tom, I'm ok. I've been hit worse..." Tom turns away and cringes at that thought. He knows Nadia had a rough life before they met, but the thought of a hurt Nadia still pains him. Nadia still continues despite Tom's anguish, trying desperately to calm his fears. "Really, I'm fine. Laurent was there."

Laurent was there...

Tom pops open his eyes and focuses his attention on Laurent. "You stepped in to save Nadia...why were you even there in the first place?" Before Laurent can respond, Nadia says "Tom, please don't be angry with what he has to say. He was only trying to help..."

Tom looks down at Nadia quickly. Why would she say that? Why would she defend him like that? Yeah, he stepped in before bad things really happened, but why word her statement like that?

Laurent then says "Nadia, you should be checked out at the hospital. I can take you..." Nadia shakes her head and says "No, I'm fine..." Laurent cuts her off. "You said on the way back you still had a headache from where Cesar hit you." Tom asks Nadia "From when you got punched in the face?" Nadia shakes her head and says "No. He hit me in the back of my head with something and knocked me out cold."

Tom asks Nadia "Look up at me again." Nadia looks up and Tom studies her pupils. Tom doesn't notice any signs of a concussion, but it can't hurt to get checked out, so he lies. "You should get checked out. You could have a concussion."

Nadia grabs the back of her head in pain as he says that. Her head throbs not just from a headache, but from the point of impact. She then looks down at her torn up shirt and says "Let me get a new change of clothes and some makeup on...Maria's due back any second, I don't want her to see me like this."

Tom gives Nadia a kiss on the forehead and says "I love you, Nadia. I'm so sorry..." Nadia cracks a faint smile at Tom to try to calm him a bit and says "I love you, too. Don't worry about me."

Nadia then lets go of Tom and slowly makes her way to their bedroom.

"Is she alright?"

Tom turns behind him and sees Chris Cooper has made his way into the house. Tom asks "How long have you been standing there?" Chris replies "Long enough to know there's something messed up going on here."

Tom turns to Laurent and says "Nadia was in the process of getting raped, and Laurent stopped it somehow. For some reason he was following Nadia..." Laurent holds up his hand and cuts him off. "The reason was because Cesar is a part of a group that have crossed over to Elysium from Hell via a portal in Siberia."

Tom starts walking over over to Laurent, surprised at this news. "Portal? What the...who's in the group?" Laurent replies "Arvin Sloane, Elena and Irina Derevko, Kelly Peyton, Julian Sark, and Mitch Hayes are the surviving members."

Chris shouts "WHAT? MITCH IS WITH THEM?" Laurent calmly nods at Chris. "Yes. He was teaming with Irina and Cesar. Their focus was Tom and Nadia. I do not know what purpose the other surviving members have...only that Rambaldi and Aristotle were also targets." Chris now looks incensed at the mention of the man that helped kill him and five other Storm Crew members in Torino. He's usually an easy going guy, but he hates Mitch more than anything. Mitch helped get him to Elysium after all, leaving his wife on Earth a widow. He's never forgiven Mitch for that.

Tom shakes his head all confused, but for a different reason than what's ailing Chris. "Surviving members? You can't die in Elysium!" Laurent takes a deep breath, bracing for the meltdown that is sure to take place. "Yes, you can."

Tom forms a look of shock on his face and turns back to Chris, who sports a similar stunned look. Shock quickly turns to irritation for Tom, who turns back around after connecting the dots and says "You mean to tell me that my entire group has been LYING to new arrivals? That I ordered my friends, and the people that TRUST them to lie?"

Laurent solemnly nods and says "As part of keeping peace in this realm, the Elysian Council ordered that death remain a secret. There is only one way to die in Elysium...brain activity has to cease. When brain activity stops, the body can no longer exist in Elysium, and it disappears. Bloodflow, pain, hunger...those are now simulated to imitate reality. But the brain controls the very foundation of life here. Knife to the brain is our preferred method, but there are other ways, like a bullet."

Tom both hangs and shakes his head despondently. "Chris, I'm sorry..." Chris butts in. "Nothing to be sorry for. Ain't the first time we've been lied to by men higher in rank than us."

Laurent, trying to be reassuring, says "Rambaldi recently tried to have that ordinance lifted, but the council overruled him. He believes that it's immoral to lie to people about life and death..." Tom sarcastically replies "NO SHIT!"

Laurent sighs at Tom's rudeness and says "Cesar died with a knife through the head. I also killed Gordon Dean when they attempted to assassinate Rambaldi and Aristotle a few days ago, and Alec Derevko killed Francisco Alvarado..." Tom's gasps at the mention of Alvarado. "The former leader of the Lobos Rabiosos was here?"

Laurent nods. "Yes, and according to Cesar, he controlled an army comprised of gang members that you yourself killed in your Anti-Cartel days. Their whereabouts are unknown. But Il Credo Divino is at your disposal...we can station ourselves here for protection..."

Something still is sticking in Tom's crawl after all this time. Death, an army that he killed returning to haunt him, Sloane's group, Mitch...oh, and Nadia nearly getting raped. Yeah, something stinks there.

Tom sneers at Laurent and says "Nadia seemed awfully worried over what I'm about to ask you, but I have to ask: Where were you when Cesar was getting fresh with my wife?" Laurent takes a deep breath, knowing this could set Tom off, and says "I was hiding in a wooden crate to Nadia's right, slightly behind her. I had just jumped in when Nadia regained consciousness."

Tom walks towards Laurent more, this time in a quick pace. The anger shakes have resumed, and Tom blows his stack at Laurent. "AND YOU JUST SAT THERE AND LET CESAR SEXUALLY ASSAULT MY WIFE? WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?" Laurent sternly tells Tom "Calm down. I had to wait to get information on Cesar, Sloane, and everyone else. Cesar is a man that runs his mouth when he's cocky, and I had to get everything I could before he started making his move. Tom, I swear on both our lives that I was not going to let Cesar rape Nadia."

Not good enough for Tom. He grabs the front of Laurent's robe and drives him HARD into a wall of pictures with a loud roar, next to a window overlooking the Sea of California. A few pictures next to him fall to the ground off their hooks. Tom doesn't care about that. Pure, unbridled hate is coursing through him right now.

With a growl that he would often save for Arvin Sloane in life, he snarls "You and the council made me lie to hundreds of new arrivals over the years! You lied to me about death! You withheld the fact that Sloane, the Derevkos, and their friends from Hell are hunting us down! And to put the cherry on top of the fucking whipped cream, Nadia is scared half to death right now because you waited to act! GOD DAMN YOU! I ought to bash your face in right now..."

Laurent quickly underhooks both of Tom's arms and twists tightly, causing Tom to growl a bit in pain. In an icy growl right back, Laurent tells Tom "Three moves, two broken arms, and one man on the ground...and it won't be me. Your call."

Chris runs in to try to separate Laurent and Tom. Nadia, who has heard the commotion from the bedroom and looking a little better with a new shirt and pants, but no new makeup, sprints from the bedroom to pull the two apart. She screams "LET HIM GO, LAURENT! PLEASE!" Chris also adds a "Come on now. No one needs to get hurt here. There's been enough pain today."

Chris' words appear to have an effect on both men, especially Laurent since he had control of Tom's arms. Laurent lets go, and Tom doesn't attempt a sucker punch in return. Tom shakes his arms a bit and says "You're lucky I don't have my titanium right fist anymore, Laurent." Nadia stands in front of Tom and, like a mother scolding a child, tells Tom "That's enough."

Tom is silenced, but keeps his glare at Laurent in the meantime. Matt Aguero and the rest of Storm Crew look tense as they remain out on the patio, watching the ordeal take place.

Tom looks down at Nadia, then back up at Laurent. "I tell you what, there is no way I'm allowing any of you assassins in my home after what you pulled today. That offer of protection and four bucks can buy me an average cup of coffee." Laurent, still upset at Tom's antics, says "You are making a terrible mistake. There are people who crossed over from Hell to kill you and your family!"

Tom turns to Chris, looks back out at Matt and the rest of Storm Crew, then back at Chris. "Call them in." Chris turns and waves everyone else inside. They all walk in and join Chris, Tom, Nadia, and Laurent in between the kitchen and living room.

Tom looks at the Storm Crew members and says "Guys, you want to do something different than new arrival counseling? This is your chance. We've been lied to. People can die in Elysium." Matt and Storm Crew feel a little uneasy at that news. Tom notices. "Yeah, I know. So I'm giving you a new option. Matt, you take control of the New Arrival Program. You work with my brother on the new system. You're in charge on an interim basis."

A very surprised Matt asks "Are you sure, man?" Tom nods and says "You told me on your wedding day that you wanted to use your words to help people...this is your chance." Matt nods, remembering his words very fondly.

Tom turns to the rest of the team and says "Instead of new arrival duties, you find people to take charge in your stead, and protect my damn family. You'll be paid your same stipend as before..." Tom turns to Laurent and says "...and you better make sure Rambaldi gives the OK on that." Laurent just stares menacingly at Tom, not saying a word. Tom turns back to Storm Crew and says "There's six of you...three teams of two every eight hours patrolling outside. You're welcome inside anytime, and you're welcome to anything in the fridge..."

Laurent snickers and says "Two men at a time will not be enough." Tom turns back to Laurent and says "Unlike your merry band of killers, these men have lives. I just need them to sound the alarm and we can bail to safety."

Laurent turns to Nadia and says "You should talk some sense into your husband. There is considerable risk to your family if he does this." Nadia shakes her head and says "All we need is a few seconds and we're off to safety. I stand by my husband's choice."

Tom turns back to Storm Crew. "Anyone have any objections? You don't have to do this if you don't want." Eddie quickly says "I'm in." Charlie and Jacob both says "So are we." Jerome, Chris, and Luke each give Tom a headnod, confirming they will stand as security for Tom, Nadia, and Maria.

Laurent brushes himself off a bit and says "I should extend the same courtesy to your mother...she was listed as a target." Tom quickly replies "No. She's not even at her home because my dad is a jackass. Leave her alone. She doesn't need your...'help'."

Laurent throws up his hands and says "Whatever. I cannot force you to do anything, only give advice. At least we will have more men available to search for the portal. Good luck." Before he can leave, Nadia asks "Can you still take me to the hospital?" Laurent nods and says "I can do that. I'll be outside." And with that, Laurent walks out the front door. Tom rolls his eyes and says "Thank God..."

Nadia shakes her head and says "I know I said I supported you...but I think we should have kept Il Credo Divino around." Tom quickly replies "No way. We're no one's bait. I don't trust him anymore. I'll go with the men I do trust." Nadia just nods, but doesn't press the issue further. She's not in the right frame of mind to fight right now, and even if she was, there was no budging Tom.

Charlie steps up and says "It's 4 in the afternoon. Me and Jerome, being the single ones of the group, can stay for the first eight hours." As Jerome nods affirmatively, Jacob says "I'll take the graveyard shift. Who's with me?" Eddie rolls his eyes and says "I'll keep your redneck ass company." Chris looks over at Luke. "Looks like we got the 8 to 4 shift." Luke just shrugs and says "Fine by me." Tom cracks a small smile at the group and says "Thanks guys, I appreciate it." Nadia also says "Yeah, thank you so much..."

The front door opens and in steps Eddie Falk and Maria Falk.

Nadia quickly turns away to hide her bruised face from Maria. Eddie Falk curiously asks "What's Laurent doing out there?" However, Maria has other things on her mind and excitedly asks "Mommy, guess what? Guess what?" Nadia, her back turned to her daughter, asks "What is it, sweetie?"

Maria picks up on the lisp that Nadia makes when she talks because of her fat lip. She also has noticed that Nadia's not looking at her. She's very perceptive, and picks up that something's wrong right away. Now concerned, she asks "Mommy? What's wrong?"

As she says that, Eddie Falk also has noticed Tom, Matt, and the rest of Storm Crew gathered in the living room, looking concerned themselves. "What's going on, guys?"

Nadia decides she can't hide it anymore. She turns around and shows Eddie and Maria the ugly bruise on her jaw and the fat lip. Maria, looking horrified at her mother's banged up face, exclaims "Mommy!" and quickly runs over to her and hugs her legs. "Mommy...you're hurt!" With her lip quivering somewhat, Nadia says in a calm yet shaking voice "Come here..." Nadia then squats down to hug her properly and says "Mommy's ok. I just had an accident."

Eddie Falk asks Tom "What happened?" Tom lets out a sarcastic chuckle and says "I'll tell you everything later. Not while my daughter's here." Eddie picks up on Tom's tone of voice and says "It's not good, is it?" Tom shakes his head slowly and says "No...it's not."

Meanwhile, Maria leans back a bit while Nadia hugs her and puts her hand up on Nadia's bruise. She presses in, which causes Nadia to wince a bit and turn her head. "Be careful, sweetheart." A remorseful Maria hangs her head and says "I'm sorry..." With her voice cracking, Nadia replies "It's ok. Everything's going to be ok."

Nadia hugs her daughter tightly once again. In addition to the events of today completely changing things in her life, it's also going to affect Maria, since she's also a target. She starts to be afraid over something happening to Maria.

Nadia can no longer hide her tears or crying. She lets out a couple of sobs.

Maria looks over her mother's shoulder at Tom, who has a solemn look on his face. Maria looks down and buries her head in Nadia's shoulder, now starting to feel bad herself.

But, being the strong kid she is, she doesn't cry herself, but says in a sad voice "Don't cry, Mommy..." Nadia sniffles a bit and loosens the hug to look Maria in the face. She wipes a few tears away and, with a faint smile, says "Ok, I won't, sweetheart."

Maria examines Nadia's bruise some more, then leans up and kisses it. When she's done, she happily says "There, I made it all better!" This causes Nadia to laugh a bit. She gives Maria a wide, warm smile and says "Thank you so much!" Maria grins back and says "You're welcome!"

Nadia then stands up and says "Come on, we need to go make sure your mommy's not hurt anymore, ok?" Maria holds Nadia's hand and starts to walk out with her.

But as she turns to the door, Maria spots Eddie again and stops. "Mommy, I have to tell you what happened today!" Nadia stops and asks "What happened?" With a grin, Maria says "Julieta kissed Uncle Eddie!"

And for a moment, the horrors of the day were completely forgotten by everyone in the house. Tom's jaw drops a bit and he just looks at his brother in shock. The Storm Crew guys start laughing. Nadia looks up at Eddie and playfully asks "Did she now?" Eddie just shyly starts scratching the back of his head and says "I asked her out on a date to New York and she responded with a couple kisses. Are all you Argentinian minxes like that?" Nadia grins and says "Sometimes..."

Internally, Nadia's extremely surprised at this news. When Nadia first arrived in Elysium, Julieta was still frightened with men over her experiences as a prostitute in Argentina. For Julieta to make the first move and lock lips with a man not once, but twice? Either Eddie must have really turned up the charm, or Julieta's starting to come out of her shell. Nadia decides it's the latter and that Julieta must have liked Eddie more than she realized.

As for everyone else, the brevity would be enjoyable for as short as it would last.

Eddie then looks a bit remorseful and says "Are you still going to be able to fill in at the orphanage when I take Julieta out Friday?" Nadia sighs and, the reality of the day sinking back in her, says "We'll talk later." Nadia then looks down at Maria and says "Let's go make sure Mommy's well." Maria waves at Eddie and says "Bye! Thanks for picking me up!" Eddie smirks at his niece and says "No problem, shortie. Anytime."

Nadia and Maria then leave. When the front door closes, Eddie turns back to everyone else and asks "Ok, what's going on? Why does Nadia look like she took a right hook from Manny Pacquiao?"

Tom and the rest of the gang would then fill in Eddie on what happened and also explain what he's going to do for the New Arrival Program.

Bunker, MO (Elysium)

The events that have taken place in San Felipe today have not yet reached the ears of Mary Falk, the mother-in-law of Nadia Falk and mother of Tom and Eddie Falk.

This is clear because she appears to be quite happy as her and her mother Violet practice their singing in her parent's living room. They both are a part of the local recreational choir in Bunker. The fact that Mary is even in a choir is a miracle in of itself. It required a lot of arm twisting by Nadia and Violet to get her to even try singing, but once she started, she found she couldn't stop. She was in need of a new hobby and this filled the need. It still does, even now that her days are dull since she split from her husband.

Nadia used to be a part of the very choir that Mary and Violet are in. However, when Rambaldi named her the North American Director of the orphanage program, she found her free time crippled by her new duties as well as raising Maria, so she had to drop out. But this doesn't stop Nadia from living vicariously through Mary sometimes, and every once in a while, she drops by to do a cameo appearance with the choir.

Mary's days have been long and full of thought since she walked out on her husband, Thomas Falk (Author note: This is Tom Falk's father, Tom Falk Senior. However, as an easier way to distinguish the two, Tom's father will be referred to as Thomas from now on, not Tom Senior).

Five days later, she's still extremely hurt over Thomas' final shouted words to her before she stormed out: "Why don't you go back to Bill Vaughn?"

Why doesn't she?

She's been trying to find the answer to that question these past few days. She ran with Bill for the nine years after she faked her death, working to protect Tom and Nadia, then just children, from Rambaldi's prophecy and the fate that would claim their lives later in life.

She doesn't like to talk about that these days. Not to her sons, not to Nadia, not to her parents Edward and Violet, and especially not to Thomas, who wasn't the least bit happy when Mary sat him down after he arrived in Elysium to talk about her relationship with Bill.

Mary wanted so much to give Thomas another chance. She still had feelings for Thomas long after she faked her death, and she felt pity on the effect her faked death had on her husband. Without Mary, Thomas became an alcoholic who practically abandoned his children for the bottle. But at the same time, she knows that wasn't the only thing crippling the mind of the Vietnam veteran. She doesn't like to think about that, though. It hurts him as much as it hurts her.

But as much as she felt for Thomas, she also felt for Bill Vaughn. Since they were all they had for much of their time on the lam, it didn't take long for a friendship to become a relationship. But Mary doesn't mention that to anyone. It's a complicated friendship she has with Bill, and even though her and Bill are still friends in the afterlife, she keeps her distance from him for those reasons.

Mary could use a friend right now, and she's about to get a call from one that she doesn't really want to talk to.

Mary and Violet's singing is stopped when Mary's cell phone rings from atop the fireplace mantle. Below it, a warm fire burns in the fireplace.

The elderly Violet gets a little agitated and says "I thought you turned that damned thing off!" Mary defensively says "I swear turned the volume off when I set it outside to grab firewood for the fire!"

Mary picks up the phone and sees that it's Bill calling. Mary lets out a loud sigh at that fact. She realizes that Bill's just trying to be nice, but she really doesn't want to talk to him. She's avoided him since she bailed on Thomas for a reason.

She wants to go back to Bill, just as Thomas suggested. But then again, she doesn't either. It's complicated.

Violet, perhaps tired of the phone ringing, asks Mary "Aren't you going to answer that?" Mary turns back to Violet and says "It's Bill." Violet rolls her eyes and says "So? You've been moping around this house ever since you got here...you could use a friend right now. Talk to him, it'll do you good!"

Mary rolls her eyes, showing her disagreement with Violet and perhaps a little bit of childish petulance. Violet doesn't like it one bit. "Mary, you know how I used to get on to you about rolling your eyes at me! I didn't like it then..." A playfully irritated Mary cuts her off. "Would you be quiet? I have a phone call!" Now it's Violet's turn to roll the eyes.

Mary smirks at her mother as she answers the cell phone. "Hey Bill." On the other end, we hear Bill Vaughn say "Hey Mary. How's my Blackbird doing?"

Mary closes her eyes tightly at the mention of 'Blackbird'. Too many bad memories with that nickname...

Realizing that Violet is probably watching, she quickly exits the living room and escapes out of the front door.

Outside, there's a fresh layer of snow on the ground in the woods of rural Missouri. Like her and Thomas's house, her parents are also surrounded by woods, with trees completely bare of leaves except for the smattering of pine trees in the area. It's very quiet and gray outside, a common sight in the dead of winter. No birds chirping and only the occasional sound of a cold breeze weaving through the branches.

Back to the phone call, Bill asks "Mary? Are you there?" As the snow crunches under her shoes, Mary replies "Yeah, I'm here. I just had to find a private place."

Bill goes "Ahh...still with your parents I take it." Mary replies "Yeah. I take it Nadia must have told you about what all went down."

Bill replies "She didn't spare any details. Mary, I'm sorry Thomas is treating you like this." Mary snickers a bit and says "He's not treating me like anything. We haven't talked since he melted down."

Bill groans "I have no idea what the hell his deal is..." Mary cuts him off. "I know exactly what his deal is. He's not a man that accepts reality very well sometimes. But he is the father to my children...I just don't know what to do anymore, Bill."

After some awkward silence, Bill sullenly says "I've heard this from you before." Mary asks "What do you mean?"

Bill doesn't answer that question, even though he was referring to the last year of Mary's life, when he'd hear that comment repeated verbatim by Mary. Realizing he might touch on a sore subject on a sore woman, he backs off. "Nevermind. How are you holding up?" Mary dismissively replies "Oh, I'm fine. My boys and my parents are keeping me busy."

That's a lie. She's been bored out of her mind and left to her complicated thoughts. She also gives Eddie and Tom their space, realizing they're grown men and that she doesn't want to hover over them.

Bill buys the lie and says "That's good. Speaking of your family...I think Maria got a little more than she expected at school today." Mary concernedly asks "What happened, Bill?"

Bill laughs a bit and says "Well, according to your granddaughter, she spotted your son Eddie and Julieta kissing in the playground." Mary gasps loudly. "Oh my goodness, did she really?"

With a chuckle, Bill replies "Yeah. In fact, you're not going to believe this either. She says Julieta made the move on Eddie, not the other way around." Mary laughs a bit and says "You have got to be kidding me! Julieta wouldn't do that!"

Bill laughs again and says "Hey, don't shoot the messenger! But you know what they say about the brutal honesty of children Maria's age..." Mary shakes her head in astonishment. "No, Maria wouldn't lie about something like that. So are they going out or what?"

Bill replies "Not sure, Julieta was all coy about it before I left, but I'd be willing to bet something's been planned. She whispered something to him before he left with Maria." A very happy Mary says "Well good for Eddie! I'll be sure to..."

She's cut off by a sound she didn't expect to hear. A loud bird sound is heard from somewhere. But it wasn't just any bird sound.

Mary picks up on the pattern immediately. It was five notes: Low-mid-low-high-low. She only knows of one bird that makes that sound. In fact, it's not even that species of bird that's making it.

It's not a bird at all even. It's a human whistling. One human...

She hears it again, this time from a different location. Low-mid-low-high-low. Mary looks baffled that she's even hearing this whistling in the first place...as well as a bit frightened.

On the phone, Bill asks "Mary, did I lose you?" Mary dumbfoundedly replies "No...I just thought I heard something..."

Low-mid-low-high-low. There is it again! This time, from a distance behind her. Mary quickly turns, but sees nothing in the woods. She's not looking for a bird, though. She's looking for a person. One person. The only person who could know this pattern...and it's not a person she wants to see. At all.

Suddenly, her phone vibrates. She looks at the screen and sees a text from a "Kestrel". Mary doesn't remember entering a "Kestrel" into her address book.

And then she remembers who used to be codenamed "Kestrel". This woman went by Kestrel because of the light brown-colored bird that used to frequent her childhood home in Russia. The bird's colors match the color of this woman's long brown hair. Her eyes widen...her breaths quicken...

And then Mary reads the text from "Kestrel": "Hello Blackbird."

Still on the phone, Bill asks "Mary?" Mary gets back on the phone and, still comprehending that the sender of this text is actually in Elysium, mutters "Bill, I..."

Low-mid-low-high-low. Once again, Mary hears the whistle from a location that she hadn't heard it from before.

It was closer this time. Mary turns left, where it came from, and again sees nothing. But, there was someone there...she can see the two shoe-shaped imprints in the snow.

Sensing the danger is getting closer and closer, Mary gets back on the phone and says "Bill, I have to go." Mary hangs up the phone before Bill can respond. She starts walking around in circles, looking in the woods and the rest of the yard. Still not able to spot anything, she decides enough is enough.

"IRINAAAAAAA!"

Her yell echos throughout the woods. There is not a response.

Mary knows that "Kestrel" is the one making this whistle. She knows that "Kestrel" is Irina Derevko. The whistle pattern already gave her away, but the codename sealed the deal.

Her phone chimes that she has received a text. Mary looks down at the phone and reads "Easy now. I'm not looking for the world's attention. Just yours."

Mary looks up extremely worried and, a little quieter this time, but still relatively loud, asks "Where are you?"

Her phone chimes again a few seconds later. Mary looks at the text. "You can yell all you want, but I'm not going to answer. If you want to talk to me, talk to me here."

Mary shakes her head and starts walking into the house quickly, seeking shelter in case Irina is going to snipe her. She's not going to give Irina the time of day, she has to inform...

Low-mid-low-high-low. And this time, it's practically in her right ear.

Mary quickly turns back and sees the arm of someone before it teleports away. Irina Derevko had teleported right behind her and whistled loudly into her ear before bailing for safety.

And now, Mary is scared out of her mind. Irina Derevko, the woman that she spent a year setting up for betrayal in Brussels was a whisker-hair away from her. She knows that people can die in Elysium, she knew that a long time ago. And she was thisclose to the woman who she thinks would want her dead the most out of anyone in any plane of existence.

An exasperated and trembling Mary starts frantically looking around the woods. She goes to scream, but remembers what Irina said and doesn't. Not a couple seconds later, Irina texts her "Every time you whistled to me before, it meant you had something to say. Well, I'm whistling now, aren't I?"

Mary thinks about how she wants to respond to this. This is not a conversation she wants to be having, but realizes she needs to have it, if not for her own safety. Then, she decides to just repeat what she asked before. "Where are you?"

Her text is returned a few seconds later by Irina. "In your head."

Mary goes back to examining her surroundings once again, trying to find Irina in the woods. But at this point, she realizes it's futile. She deduces that Irina must be able to teleport quickly from one point in the woods to the other, always staying out of view. She can't see any other vantage points she could have binoculars looking in at her from. It doesn't surprise Mary one bit that Irina was intelligent enough to learn this quick teleporting skill quickly.

And yes, Irina Derevko is deeply entrenched in Mary Falk's head. That much Mary knows for certain.

Mary texts Irina back. "Are you going to kill me?"

After a long pause, Irina texts back "I thought you knew me better than that. I could kill you any time I wanted and you wouldn't even know it. In fact, I could have killed you just a few seconds ago when I was breathing down your neck. But that's not what I'm here for. I come in peace."

Mary wonders just what Irina could be here for. She thought for sure Irina wanted to kill her for her betrayal in Brussels that she concocted for nearly a year, stringing Irina along the whole time.

There can be no other reason she's here. Mary just doesn't think it's possible for there to be another reason. But Irina has surprised her before. Mary was witness to a few of those surprises when she and Irina were aligned after Sovogda.

Since there's no answers coming to mind, Mary texts back "Then what are you here for?"

Irina fires a quick text back. "Just to say hello, and to make sure that you are indeed Mary Falk. I often wondered what you looked like during our time together over five years ago. Now I know."

Mary forms an incredulous look on her face as she studies that text. It's not Irina's style to just screw with her head for the thrill. No, Irina has a reason for everything she does.

Mary fires back in text "Liar."

Almost immediately, she hears Irina laugh from off in the distance. She turns in that general direction. Of course, no Irina.

But Mary does get a text a few seconds later. "Almost caught me that time. Yes, you do know me well. I am here for a good reason."

Mary waits for an additional text from Irina explaining herself, but she doesn't get it. She rolls her eyes and says "What do you want? Tell me!"

Irina replies via text "To let you know that, in the very near future, you're going to need my help. And I'm going to need yours. We're going to need each other again...just like we needed each other after Sovogda."

Mary quickly texts back "What's going to happen?"

It takes a few seconds for Irina to reply in text "You'll know when it happens. I have your cell phone number now, and you have mine. I know what you look like. And now, I know where you live...although I thought your car registration said you lived down the street? There's a man at that address, and the mailbox says Falk, but yet, I find you here?"

Mary looks over at her car quickly. Irina found a way to snoop in her car and obtain her phone number somehow. She realizes it must have been when she went out to get firewood a while ago. The phone volume was turned up, and "Kestrel" was added to her list of contacts. She knew Irina was stealthy...but this is even surprising to her. Mary is a little curious about how long Irina's been snooping on her, but realizes there's more important questions on her mind.

Mary does crack a small smirk when she realizes Irina was somewhat stumped over her location. She decides to try to gain some semblance of control. "Who says I live there to begin with? Come on now, Irina. Don't tell me you've lowered yourself to baseless assumptions now."

A few seconds pass. Irina doesn't respond, which concerns Mary somewhat. Did her snide remark chase Irina off?

Nope. Irina texts back "Cute. But you can smile and snark all you want, but I'm still in your head. I can tell from my vantage point. And I know you won't be dumb enough to tell anyone about our conversation here...not that you'll be able to find me after we're done here."

Mary lets out a light sigh. She does realize that now the roles are reversed between her and Irina. Now Irina is the hidden one who controls all the cards.

Irina is now the hidden voice in Mary's head.

Mary looks up again. She imagines she's staring Irina dead in the eyes. She wants Irina to see the intent look on her face, wherever she's hiding. She holds up the phone and texts "You want me to cooperate? Promise me that you will not hurt my family, and I'll consider reforming our alliance."

She knows that's a longshot. She also knows that's desperate. But the safety of her sons Tom and Eddie, her daughter-in-law Nadia, her granddaughter Maria, and everyone else in her life is of the utmost importance to her now. And it's very likely that Irina knows where others that have crossed the portal into Elysium are hiding. This could be a beneficial partnership after all, but she's still unclear what Irina wants.

Irina texts back. Mary looks at her phone...and is surprised at what she sees.

"Deal."

Deal? Just like that? Confusion is etched all over Mary's face, and she realizes Irina probably sees it.

Irina fires another text. "On a separate matter, you might want to call your son Tom. Something happened to Nadia today. One of my men turned on me and assaulted her in a grocery store in San Felipe. She appeared to be roughed up a bit when I saw her from afar. I don't know what happened. I was hoping you'd fill in the blanks when you talked to her."

Mary starts breathing fast out of concern for Nadia, whom she considers something close to a daughter. One of Irina's men assaulted Nadia...and Irina knew about it. She knew there was a danger the night Jack arrived, and now it's carried over to Tom and Nadia...just what she didn't hope for.

Angrily, Mary texts back "Why do you care?"

Irina very quickly replies "Nadia is still my daughter. Don't you EVER forget that. I'll be waiting for your report."

As Mary finishes reading that text, she hears Irina whistle low-mid-low-high-low once again from her back-right, signaling the end of the conversation as well as giving away her final location. Irina still remembers the protocol like clockwork.

Every time Mary wanted to talk to Irina when she was helping her hunt The Horizon, Mary would always whistle that exact pattern to signal both the start and end of a conversation. It was a courtesy to prevent Irina from freaking out if Mary just started talking from the different plane of existence she resides in.

Mary chose that pattern because it sounded like a blackbird that she encountered in Europe once. The symbolism of the blackbird also has another meaning for Mary...but she doesn't like to think about that.

Mary reflects on the conversation she just had. Irina claims she doesn't want to hurt her family. But she wants Mary's help with something, but she wouldn't say why or when she'll need it, nor did she say why or when Mary would need HER help. But she felt the need to cross over from Hell into Elysium for a reason. And she seemed awfully defensive about Nadia's well-being at the end there.

Is this just Irina playing headgames? Probably, Mary thinks. Irina is one complicated woman, and Mary knows this all too well. But if Irina does something, there's always a reason for it, and there's a reason for all this. Mary just knows it.

But Irina did say Nadia was assaulted, and she needs to check on that right away. Mary dials Tom's phone number, and plays dumb when informed that Nadia is in the hospital.

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

A concerned Mary Falk makes her way through the halls of the San Felipe Hospital. She finds little in the way of doctors, nurses, or patients at the hospital. This is not uncommon, given how things are regulated in Elysium. There's not much need for hospitals anymore, but they still exist for physical injuries.

She turns down the hallway and sees Laurent and Maria sitting on two chairs outside of a hospital room. Maria looks over her way and looks excited to see her grandmother. "Gramma!"

Mary gives Maria a smile and says "Hey munchkin." Maria gets out of her seat as Mary gets close and gives her a hug on the legs. "Mommy's hurt!" Mary strokes some of Maria's hair back and says "I know. Your daddy told me everything."

Mary looks up at Laurent and sternly repeats "He told me everything..." Laurent slowly stands up and coldly says "You are going to persecute me as well, I take it."

There's a lot Mary would like to say about how Laurent handled things, but since there's a 5 year old girl standing between her and him hugging her legs, she decides this is not the place to do it. Instead, Mary says "I think it'd be best if you left now. Go find the portal. That's why you did what you did, right?"

Laurent angrily replies "I did what I did because I had to. Nadia is safe, and we have more information now. I'm done defending myself. If you still don't like I did...take it up with Milo. I'm done."

And with that, Laurent storms off angrily, eventually teleporting out of the hospital.

Maria looks up at Mary and asks "Why is he so angry?" Mary, who was staring down the hallway reflecting on Laurent's temper tantrum, looks back down and says "It's nothing you need to be worried about, sweetie. He's got a lot on his mind."

Mary then squats down to look Maria in the eyes. "What you need to be concerned about is being strong for your mommy. She's going to need you to be extra good and extra supportive while she gets better." Maria looks down at the ground and says "Mommy was crying when I got home...I told her to stop and she did...is she really hurt?"

An unsure Mary says "I don't know." Mary then smiles at Maria and says "I'm going to tell you something that your daddy would always say. Don't let them break your mind..." Mary points to Maria's forehead, then lowers her finger down to her heart. "...or your spirit. Those things are yours, and nobody can break them unless you let them." Maria thinks about what Mary said, even pointing to her mind and her chest. Mary asks "Do you understand what your grandma is telling you?"

Maria unconvincingly says "Kind of..." Mary smiles and says "Just keep being yourself. Don't change a thing. Your mommy will appreciate that." Maria grins wide and says "Ok! I can do that!" Mary gives Maria a kiss on the cheek and says "I know you will."

A Mexican male doctor walks out of the hospital room next to the seats Laurent and Maria were just sitting in. Mary stands up straight as the doctor asks "Where was the man that was just here?" Mary, like nothing happened, replies "He had to leave on urgent business. I'm Nadia's mother-in-law."

The doctor smiles and says "Ah, you're Mary. Nadia thought you might be stopping by." Mary shakes off the small talk and asks "How is she?"

The doctor casually says "She's fine. No concussion, but she took a pretty good blow to the back of her head. She'll need to take it easy for a while. I prescribed her a couple Vicodin for the headaches, but just a few low-grade doses." Mary then asks "What about her jaw? Tom said it looked bad..." The doctor replies "No break. No loose teeth. The swelling should go down on its own, but the Vicodin will help with any pain."

Mary nods and asks "Can we go see her now?" The doctor nods back and says "Sure. She's free to leave anytime."

The doctor walks off and Mary and Maria walk into the hospital room.

They immediately spot a despondent Nadia sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown and looking very sullen and deep in thought. Mary studies her face a little bit. She immediately notices that Nadia has a lot going on in her mind. She has a look on her face that she had when she was alive and constantly concerned about Sloane, Elena, and whatever maladies she dealt with in life.

It's a look Mary hasn't seen since Nadia arrived in Elysium under tragic circumstances. It's a look that troubles Mary as well. Calmly, Mary asks "Nadia?" Nadia doesn't respond, instead just staring off into space. Now, Mary is really concerned.

Maria runs up to Nadia and says "Mommy! Are you feeling better yet?" Nadia jerks up, as if her concentration was just broken. She looks down at Maria and gives her a smile. "Yeah, I'll be ok." Mary happily replies "That's good to hear."

Nadia looks up at Mary, then turns away a bit. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Mary." Mary shakes her head and says "There's nothing to be sorry about. Bruises go away over time...I've had my share of them. You're alive, that's all that matters."

Nadia turns and looks Mary in the eyes. She lifelessly asks "Why is this happening? I thought all of this was over..." Mary looks down at Maria, then back at Nadia. "There's no sense in trying to rationalize the things we don't know. Everything will work out. I promise. I have some news that might cheer you up a little, though!" Nadia asks "What is it?"

Mary replies "Tom's cooking dinner for you tonight." Nadia rolls her eyes and says "Oh no...don't tell me he's doing something crazy just to make me feel better..." Mary laughs a bit and says "He knows his cooking limits. He's just making cheeseburgers when you get home. He invited me to stay, but..." Nadia grabs Mary's arm when she senses Mary's wishy-washiness over that idea. She'd feel better of Mary hung around. "I'd really like for you to stay for dinner."

Mary senses in Nadia's eyes that she really would feel better with her around. Besides...not like she's got anything else to do. Her parents Edward and Violet were going out tonight. Mary smiles at Nadia and says "I'll stay." Maria hops up and down and exclaims "Yay!" Maria's very close to her grandmother and is happy Mary's staying for dinner, too. Mary laughs at her granddaughter. Even Nadia gives Maria a smile as well. Mary smiles at Nadia's first signs of a good mood. Maria's being herself...just what she was told to do.

Mary then tells Nadia "I'll let you get dressed." Nadia gives Mary a small smile and says "Ok." Mary looks down at Maria and says "Stay here with your mommy, ok?" This causes a red flag to fly with Nadia. "Why can't she go out with you?" Mary quickly replies "I have to make a pit stop." Nadia nods, ascertaining that Mary must need to use the restroom. Makes sense, it's either have Maria wait in the hospital room or wait in the bathroom. At least she'll be able to see Nadia and have a conversation.

Mary walks out and quickly walks out into the bathroom across the hallway. She walks into a stall and quickly pulls out her cellphone.

She goes through her contacts until she gets to "Kestrel". She opens up a new texting form and types "Nadia is fine. Bad bruise on her chin area, took a bad blow to the back of her head. No concussion, no fractures. She seemed a little withdrawn when I encountered her, like she had a lot on her mind. I was informed by Tom that Cesar intended to rape her, but the assassin Laurent L'Andre stopped him before anything really happened. Some groping took place, but nothing close to penetration. Cesar did reveal location of portal, but wasn't exac"

Mary then stops in her tracks. She thinks back to the text conversation she had earlier with Irina. All Irina asked for was a condition report on Nadia. Maybe she did want more on what Cesar could have said, but she didn't make that clear.

She decides there's no sense in telling her more than she has to. She deletes the last sentence about Cesar and sends everything before that. She'll let Irina ask for more if she wants.

About a minute or two later, she gets a text. It's from Irina and it simply says "Thank you."

Mary breathes a sigh of relief, but relief doesn't find her right away. She really wasn't sure about sending that text, especially since so much is uncertain about Irina's intentions. This was a test, Mary thinks. Irina was testing Mary to see if she could be an asset. And she just proved to her that she can be. Maybe when Irina makes good on whatever she's promising, it'll be Irina's turn to be a helpful bird.

Mary steps out of the bathroom and almost bumps into her son Tom. Both let out a "whoa!" as they dodge each other. Tom was walking down the hallway in a hurry and was lucky he didn't run over Mary.

Both laugh a little bit. Mary asks "Did everyone leave, I take it?" Tom nods. "Yeah, the boys are actually at Eddie's place. They wanted to really hammer out ideas for the computer program, and Eddie was more than happy to help, he could use the extra money he told me. I just wanted to check on Nadia..."

Mary sighs as she looks at the hospital door. "Speaking of Nadia, I still have to talk to her about Friday night..." Tom asks "Eddie and Julieta's date?" Mary nods. "If she can't fill in at the ophanage, I will." Tom shakes his head and says "I'm sure Nadia can still fill in..." Mary cuts him off. "Sure she can. But her mind's not going to be on the kids. She doesn't need anymore stress in her life. Besides, I literally have nothing going on. I'll help out."

Tom gives his mother a smile and says "You know Nadia's going to fight you over that." Mary smirks and says "I know she will." Mary's smile turns into a frown as she says "When I saw Nadia just a few minutes ago, she looked fine, but it looked like she had her mind on something in particular. Something was really weighing on her."

Tom shrugs and says "She nearly got raped today, Mom." Mary thinks, then slowly shakes her head. "I don't think that's it. I know her. She didn't show any symptoms when she was raped by Cesar in Minsk. Given how barbaric her childhood was, she might be past the rape attempt already. No...she's concerned about our visitors is my guess. Lots of demons that she needs to exercise there."

Tom lets out a loud sigh and says "Her mother and her aunt are here for one, and so is her father..."

Tom notices the doctor has returned with a folded sheet of paper. Before he walks in to the hospital room, Tom asks "Hey, she's getting dressed." The doctor stops in his tracks and knocks on the door. He hears Nadia say "Come in!"

Before the doctor can walk in, Mary asks "I thought you said she was cleared to leave...is everything alright?" The doctor looks back at them and says "I have to present this to Nadia herself. It's confidential."

Confidential? The details of Nadia's injuries weren't confidential...why would whatever the doctor has in his hands be?

Tom and Mary follow the doctor into the hospital room.

As Tom steps in, Nadia looks around the doctor and gives him a small smile. Tom grins and, trying to cheer her up, says "Hey beautiful." Nadia grins...it's actually been a while since Tom said that to her. This was his trademark for so many years, and always worked to make her smile. She responds with her trademark response "Hey handsome."

This lifts Tom's spirits up a bit. Whatever Mary's talking about must not be weighing that much on Nadia's mind. Nadia's smiling again. Although Tom knows Nadia is a pro at hiding her real feelings.

The doctor walks up to Nadia and says "I received this from Dr. Rivara in Los Angeles. You had some blood work done today?" Nadia looks up at the doctor and nods, a little surprised. "Yes, I did. A nurse stopped by my friend's home in a surprise visit and drew blood from both of us. It's back already?" The doctor hands Nadia the paper and says "When I inputted your visit to the hospital today in the system, I received this via fax. These are the results of your bloodwork. I hope they were what you were looking for."

Nadia gives the doctor a real confused look as he turns and walks out of the room. Then, Nadia flips open the paper, and finds the following words on top:

PATERNITY TEST

Nadia's jaw quickly drops in shock. "PATERNITY TEST?" This completely comes out of nowhere for Tom, who just manages a quick "WHAT?" in response.

Mary, meanwhile, turns away from them both to hide her nervousness. She knew this could be coming. She knew Rambaldi and Laurent L'Andre were curious when Jack Bristow's official recorded reason for arrival in Elysium said "family". Could this be...

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Mary quickly turns around and finds Nadia in hysterics, crying her eyes out and now on her feet, slowly backing away from her, Tom, and Maria, muttering "Oh my god...oh my god..." repeatedly and shaking out of shock.

Tom runs up to Nadia and grabs her by the shoulders, partly to stop her from walking back, partly to stop her from shaking in shock and horror, but also to see what's going on. "Nadia, what is it?" Nadia's jaw quivers as the tears continue to stream out of her eyes. Whatever the paper said...it has just turned her life upside down more than anything else that has happened today.

Nadia just hands Tom the paper. Mary walks up to Tom's side and examines the paternity test results for themselves. They see various numbers, computations, scientific terms make up most of the paper.

And then they get to the bottom, and they both read the following:

Subjects: Jack Donahue Bristow and Nadia Anabella (Santos) Falk

Doctor: Dr. George Rivara

Nurse: Helen Malone

Ordered by: Councilman Milo Rambaldi

Results: Based on the results, the likelihood of Mr. Jack Bristow being the biological father of Mrs. Nadia Falk is 99.99999332%.

Conclusion: Jack Bristow is the biological father of Nadia Falk.

END OF CHAPTER