UNEXPECTED HOUSEGUEST

"I would rather trust a woman's instinct than a man's reason." -Stanley Baldwin

Vecchiano, Italy (Earth, circa early 1492)

"MILO!" "MILO!"

All the screaming and all of the shaking by Laurent L'Andre and Alec Derevko couldn't make Milo Rambaldi wake up from his sleep. Laurent and Alec both knew something was amiss when Rambaldi didn't show up for breakfast on this spring morning. For the last minute, they've been trying to wake up an unresponsive Rambaldi.

Laurent puts his hand over Rambaldi's chest. There is no heartbeat. He then puts his fingers on Rambaldi's neck and finds no pulse, either.

Rambaldi is dead, and there not a single thing Laurent and Alec can do about it, and they both just realized it.

A defeated Alec sits at the foot of the bed, next to Rambaldi's feet. He just stares off into space and mutters "This cannot be happening."

Laurent shakes his head as he looks out the window into the Mediterranean Sea. He swears he sees a ship coming towards the villa in the distance. But that's not factoring any importance at all in his mind. "I'm afraid it is happening, Alec."

"No! I mean, the research isn't complete! All of the tests he's been doing, all of the injections he's been doing on us...it can't be over!"

Laurent solemnly looks over at Alec. "Nothing in life is absolute, Alec, except death. And quite frankly, maybe him dying isn't the worst thing in the world."

Alec angrily shoots up to his feet. "What the hell did you say?"

"Alec, Milo's research has been taking a turn for the worse of late. He's been getting more and more obsessed. His visions have been getting darker. I was beginning to get serious doubts about his mental state."

"That is not the point here! Like it or not, we're sworn to him! And if he is dead, for better or worse, then our last five years are a pitiful joke! Not to mention all he told us about the future our bloodlines hold!"

"There are many men that have lived for less than we have, Alec. We cannot be disappointed over his fate. Wait here, I must tell the follow..."

And suddenly, Milo Rambaldi starts breathing again.

Laurent and Alec immediately spring to Rambaldi's side. Both start shaking Rambaldi and asking "Milo?" and "Wake up!"

Rambaldi does just that, opening his eyes and looking up at Laurent and Alec with a startled look, like nothing happened. "Are you two alright?"

Laurent and Alec stop shaking Rambaldi, both forming relieved looks on their faces.

Rambaldi sits up and starts looking around. "Did something happen?"

Laurent shakes his head. "No...I mean, you wouldn't wake up. We thought you were dead!"

Rambaldi gives Laurent another funny look, and then looks down at his hands. He then smiles widely. "Good, it worked."

Alec, a little more frantic than Laurent, snaps out a "What worked?"

Rambaldi points to his end table. "You must be slipping, Alec. Clearly you did not see the glass next to my bed."

Alec looks over at a short glass on the endtable, with the residue of a clear liquid inside. "I thought...it might be just water or some sort of tonic."

Rambaldi thrusts up a finger. "Yes! It is a special tonic that suppresses one's heartbeat to give the appearance of death."

Alec quickly snatches the glass from the end table. "Why, in the name of all things holy, would you need to create something like this?"

Rambaldi swings his feet around and sits at the edge of the bed. He then grabs the glass from Alec's hand. "My relations with the Roman Catholic Church appear to be fraying. Leadership in the Vatican seems to be turning against me with more new faces among the council that frown upon my research strongly. I figure if things start to turn for the worse, simulating my death may prove a valuable cover for our escape."

Laurent now looks very concerned. "Milo, are you saying something like this could be imminent? You've alluded to nothing in recent weeks."

A glum looks appears on Rambaldi's face as he sets the glass back on the table. "I cannot say my dreams have been good of late. However, the one I just had was quite nice...at least, I think it was a dream."

Alec asks "What did you see?"

Rambaldi smiles his usual closed, wide smile. "I saw a new world. Much like ours, although different. Travel was not burdened by current physical barriers. You could simply wish to go somewhere and then you were there. I saw Earth, too...and then I met someone who I've always longed to meet."

Now it's Laurent's turn to give Alec a funny look. He then looks back at Rambaldi and, wondering if he's starting to lose his mind, asks "Who did you see?"

"Marcus Aurelius."

"The former Roman Emperor?"

"Yes. I always admired his intelligence and philosophy. It takes a certain kind of man to send other men into combat and another to lead the greatest civilization man has ever known, but Marcus was a true professional when it came to the art of war and governance. But what's interesting about Marcus is what he told me."

"What did he say?"

"He said that his land was in trouble. He was aware of me and asked about getting your help when you two pass on, as well as the rest of Il Credo Divino."

Alec, intrigued by this story, asks "What kind of trouble?"

Instead of answering right away, Rambaldi just smiles. "From what I could tell, it was nothing that you need to worry about at the present time." Rambaldi then lets out a couple chuckles. "That was a most interesting dream."

Laurent quickly asks "Are you certain this was a dream?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"You had no heartbeat. You had no pulse. You were dead. Are you sure this wasn't an out of body experience? I've heard people claim to have similar stories as yours."

Rambaldi sits back on his hands and ponders that thought. "You say I was dead...and yet, to be dead would render me incapable of dreaming. What an interesting thought, that I may have just traveled to another plane of existence!" Rambaldi then looks outside and sees it's bright out and the sun is shining fully. His look of surprised joy has turned sullen. "Have I missed breakfast?"

Alec nods. "Yes. Everyone is worried about you, you never miss breakfast."

Rambaldi then looks down at the ground. "A real shame. I shall speak to them at once."

Laurent looks back out and sees the large ship has come to a stop, and a small boat is preparing to launch from it with two men on it. "Milo, there is a ship outside. It appears there are two men approaching."

Rambaldi shoots up to his feet and walks over to the window. He spots the ship and smiles. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise."

"You know these people?"

"No, just one of them. The man sitting on the row boat, not the one paddling. I was wondering if he'd ever show up."

"Who is he?"

"He's from Genoa. His name there is Cristoforo Columbo...but others call him Christopher Columbus."

Laurent looks back at Alec, who also has a vacant look on his face. Apparently Alec hasn't heard of this guy either. Laurent looks back at Rambaldi. "So, what is so special about this man? You seem rather excited to see him."

Rambadli looks back at Laurent. "There has been one problem with my vision of the future. I have envisioned events that happen in a place that I don't think we have discovered yet." Rambaldi then looks out at the sea. "I believe there is still land to be found. A large piece of land that will be the setting for many elements of my prophecy. But, to answer your original question, Christopher is an explorer from Genoa. He is also one of the original followers of my prophecy."

"You have not mentioned this man before."

"That is because he has not been around to mention. At last check, he went to Spain to try to get the Spanish royalty to sign off on his mission, and I see he is flying the Spanish colors now!" Rambaldi grins at that last part. It sounds like Christopher has found his way after all.

"What mission?"

"He has been searching long and hard for a country that will sponsor his quest for the West Indies. But, what Christopher really wants to do is something different entirely. He wants to sail west alright..." Rambaldi looks at Laurent, then at Alec. "He wants to find this land that I've been envisioning." Rambaldi, already clothed, exits the room quickly to greet Columbus. Laurent and Alec look at each other in disbelief. Rambaldi was dead just a couple minutes ago, after all.

Christopher didn't exactly find the America that Rambaldi envisioned when he sailed the ocean blue later in 1492. But he would find America's neighbors in the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola on his first voyage, along with the rest of the Caribbean and Central America in future voyages.

And yet, when all was said and done, the world thought Christopher got lost on the way to the West Indies. History didn't know that he was on a mission from this obscure prophet from Vecchiano, Italy...

...which was the way Rambaldi planned it.

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

A drunk Tom Falk appears on the walkway leading up to the front door of his house.

Laurent L'Andre, guarding the door as it's his shift, notes he's drunk right away by the way Tom is drunkenly laughing and staggering towards the front door.

Tom finally notices Laurent and drunkenly waves. "Hey! Laurent! We ain't got no cartel problem no mo'!" Tom then starts laughing after his attempt at...well, I don't think either one of them is sure what kind of accent Tom was going for there.

Laurent's face remains a stone. One thing he's learned with drunk people is that consistency is key. That includes watching your expressions. "The mission was successful, I heard. Did you leave any alive?"

Tom stops his staggering, eying Laurent funny. "You kidding me? It was too hot! Besides, if anyone did survive, they're hurting worse than anything Hell can give them!"

Laurent lets out a disappointed sigh. He doesn't like to hear there still may be some cartel members alive, barbecued or not. "I shall check them in the morning. How did the True Irish perform?"

"Great! I like those guys...just left their pub as a matter of fact! Wish I were a member...I hang out there more often!"

"Perhaps that is something you can convey to Owen at your debrief tomorrow."

"Debrief? Huh?"

"Rambaldi wants to see you and Owen in his office tomorrow afternoon. He wants a report on how the mission went."

"I just got off the phone with him...some time ago. Besides, I'm not in the CIA anymore! Debrief? Really?"

Laurent sternly says "But you are in Elysium, and one of the four leaders of Elysium wants a report on how the mission went. It's required. Not only that, but it's a man you should be grateful for, because if it weren't for him, you wouldn't be in Elysium."

Tom's smile disappears and he gets a serious look on his face, feeling himself sober up already. "You're right...you're right. But that's not all I have to be grateful to him for." Tom then turns around and shows the void of hair in the back of his head where Manuel Del Rio plunged a knife in.

Laurent raises an eyebrow. "It is true..."

"What is?"

Laurent pauses for a moment, then says "Nothing. What happened?"

"I was stabbed! I was all but dead! Then, I got better! I thought The Tonic was supposed to be temporary!"

Laurent pauses again, then decides to tell the truth. "Rambaldi wasn't so sure. I think this confirms what he and I suspected."

Suddenly, Tom feels more sober than he did a few seconds ago. "Wait a second...Rambaldi KNEW I couldn't be killed?"

"Did I say that? I said he suspected you couldn't be killed! Have you not received a cut or bruise since coming here?"

Tom thinks, then shakes his head. "There was one time when I thought I scraped up my knee when I tripped and fell at my mother's house, but by the time I pulled up my jeans, there was nothing there. I didn't think anything of it and called myself a wuss for thinking I even remotely hurt myself."

"Right. You've been taking it very easy since you got here."

Tom suddenly grabs his head and tries to find his balance, feeling woozy from being drunk. "Whoa...I guess I drank more than I thought!"

"Go get some rest. Nadia is expecting you, she's worried."

"Kids already asleep?"

"Yes. It is 10 PM, they have been in bed for an hour. Nadia kept checking every 30 minutes, looking for you."

Tom lets out a sigh. Amidst his drinking celebration with the True Irish, he forgot he doesn't like missing tucking Maria into bed, and he wanted to be there for Emilio since he's still getting used to his new home. And of course, there was the fact that Tom was ignoring Nadia's calls since he gave her the news about the fireworks show in Actopan. "Alright. Well, hopefully you won't need to be here for much longer."

"Much of the threat appears to be eliminated, but there is still a threat involving cagier people than cartel members. However, there are only three of them to worry about...maybe four depending on Irina. We may be able to get by with just two or three of us stationed here. I will talk to Rambaldi about this. I understand your concern for us continuing to be a presence here. I wish I were doing other things myself." Laurent then gives Tom a cordial headnod. "Have a good night."

Tom returns the headnod and cracks a small smile. "Back at you."

Tom then walks around Laurent and opens the front door. When he walks through, he sees Nadia turn her head from the couch and spot him. Completely clad in pajamas, she quickly leaps up to her feet, runs around the couch, and practically crashes into Tom with a big hug. If it weren't for the door behind him, Tom would have probably fallen over from Nadia's momentum and his drunkenness.

A startled Tom asks "What's gotten into you, babe?"

Nadia, her head buried in Tom's chest and her arms shaking, replies "I nearly lost you!"

Tom chuckles, ignoring the fear in Nadia's voice. "Nonsense. I'm here, aren't I?"

Nadia lets go of Tom still nervous and says "Turn around. I want to look at your head." Tom nonchalantly does as asked and turns around. Nadia rubs her thumb along the line in Tom's hair where Del Rio's kitchen knife went in. "Tom...I can't believe you're still alive!"

"I can." Tom turns around and looks Nadia in the eyes. "I think Rambaldi knew what he was doing all along. And now...your husband is the most unstoppable force in Elysium."

Nadia closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Do you understand how frightened I was when you told me on the phone what happened? Dammit Tom, I don't even want to THINK of eternity without you! And not just for me, but for our kids! Maria and Emilio need their father!"

"And they're going to get their father. You know, this time a month ago, we were waking up on Christmas Day and I thought I'd live in Elysium forever. Now, I know I'm going to live in Elysium forever, and suddenly that fact makes me feel kinda special." Tom then starts laughing again, then hiccups and burps.

Nadia, meanwhile, turns her head away repulsed, having smelled his breath when he burped. "Oh gosh, what did you drink?"

Tom stops laughing for a second. "Just the finest brew Ireland has to offer!"

"Well, it sure is strong! I'm going to bed, and I think you should do the same, you're a mess. But before you do, go wash your mouth out." Nadia then holds her breath and leans in to give Tom a kiss on the cheek. She then whispers in his ear "I love you, handsome."

"I love you, beautiful." Tom then leans in to give Nadia a kiss on the cheek in return. However, with a laugh, Nadia puts a hand up to block Tom's face and smelly breath and heads to bed, telling him along the way "You can do that after you wash your mouth out!"

As she walks away, and as Tom takes a few seconds to admire her pajama-covered butt, Tom can't help but smile and let out a couple chuckles. It does feel good that he's going to be around to love Nadia and be a father to his children. Speaking of those children...

After taking a few deep breaths to try to control his drunken state, Tom starts walking down the hallway himself. He stops at Emilio's bedroom and slowly cracks the door open. He sees Emilio sleeping in his bed. Tom decides to risk it and sneak into the bedroom. He creeps across the room and walks up to Emilio.

He stops as he studies Emilio, who's sleeping on his side with his head turned away from Tom. Tom thinks back to the conversation he had with his uncle, Javier Ortega, a while ago. Even Javier himself hated Emilio's father Felix. Javier was no winner either, but Tom could detect that Javier was a little repulsed that Felix murdered Emilio the way he did. And now, with Emilio sleeping peacefully in his home, Tom smiles, knowing that Emilio's got a much better future now with him as his father.

Tom bends over and gives Emilio a kiss on the forehead.

Unfortunately for Tom, this causes Emilio to stir and very sleepily ask "Dad?"

"Yeah. Go back to sleep."

Emilio doesn't look up or move, but he still mumbles "Your breath smells funny."

"I had some fun with some new friends tonight."

After a pause, Emilio asks "Where did you go? Mommy Nadia wouldn't say."

Tom looks at Emilio with a smirk. "I went out and made sure that you and Maria are safe and sound for the rest of eternity. You have nothing to worry about any longer. Now, go to sleep, kid. I'll see you in the morning."

Emilio shifts his head to get comfortable, then says "Ok. Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, Emilio." Tom then rubs Emilio's shoulder and quietly exits the room, leaving the door cracked open slightly.

Tom then goes into Maria's room, his Elysian-born daughter of his own blood. As he slowly creeps to Maria's bed, he thinks of Owen Schroeder, who also was Elysian-born, having died under similar tragic circumstances in his mother's womb as Maria did. Owen turned out to be a very intelligent and successful man in Elysium, and Tom hopes Maria grows up to be intelligent and successful as well. She's already off to a good start on the first part. Perhaps that's why Tom likes Owen so much. He can relate to Owen in a lot of ways, including the fates he and Maria both had before they were even born. Elysium is all that Owen knows, and it's all Maria will know. Perhaps that's not such a tragedy after all.

Tom bends over and gives Maria a kiss on her forehead. She stirs a little, but doesn't wake up completely. Tom smiles...grateful that he can still kiss his daughter goodnight.

Tom exits the room, goes to the bathroom to gargle some mouthwash, and climbs into bed with Nadia, who's already there waiting for him. They kiss each other goodnight on the lips and go to sleep in each other's arms, not an uncommon occurrence with those two.

In truth, even though he hid it with bravado, Tom knows he dodged a major, major bullet today. And even though he never would express it, he would never be any more happier to be able to go to sleep next to Nadia. That's because, deep down, he knows he should be dead and in Hell.

Vecchiano, Italy (Elysium)

Tom and Owen sit outside of Rambaldi's office on a wooden bench underneath a painting. Neither one of them could tell who painted it, but both guess it was sometime when Rambaldi was alive. Both of them look bored.

Tom slaps his palms on his knees, leans back and lazily says "I always feel like I'm waiting to go into the principal's office when I come here."

Owen lets out a dismayed grunt, then mutters with his thick Irish accent "At least you had a principal."

Tom looks over at Owen. "How were you educated in Ireland?"

"Same as your daughter will be. The education system and the orphanage system go hand in hand. Kids used to hate me because my mother would take me to school everyday. They felt it was an insult considering they didn't have mothers, you know?"

"I know, Owen. There was some jealousy towards my own daughter because we'd frequent the orphanage. Cruel realm we live in in that regard."

A dismayed Owen mutters "Life is cruel."

Tom leans forward to look Owen in the eyes. "Why do you say that? You sound depressed."

"It's personal. Me and Ma...sorry, I don't like to talk about family matters." Owen then gazes over at Tom. "When I saw you were putting your life at risk yesterday, possibly leaving a family behind, I thought you were a bloody madman."

Tom shakes his head and looks down. "I had to do what I did, Owen. Because if I didn't, the cartel would have come after me eventually."

"You should be burning in Hell right now, ya know?"

"If Nadia, Maria, and Emilio could live in peace with my sacrifice, I would have gladly given it. Without them...I don't know what I'd be."

Owen understandingly nods, then turns to the ground. "It was interesting talking with you about Nadia while we were waiting on the cartel to arrive. You two seem co-dependent with one another. Ironically, I have a woman like that in my life, but it's my Ma."

Tom lets out a couple laughs. "So, does the True Irish know you're a momma's boy?"

Owen grins and lets out a couple laughs himself. "I wish I could say they didn't, but I don't think it's any big secret. Every man should respect their mother, so I get no grief over it." Owen then lets his smile disappear.

Tom looks up at Owen. "You're right. I should be dead. It did feel good that I could continue to kiss my daughter goodnight last night. And my adopted son as well. You know, you should find a lady yourself. Without Nadia in my life, I'm not a quarter of the man I am now."

Owen shakes his head. "Too much to lose falling in love."

"I didn't take you for the shy type."

"It's not that." Owen looks at Tom again. "I don't like who my father was and I'm glad he's not in Elysium. But growing up, I would try to put myself in his shoes, you know? I pondered what he felt when his pregnant wife was blown up in an act of terrorism he helped facilitate. How could he live with himself? As for me, I've known about my mortality here for a long time, since Alec paid me that visit as a matter of fact. And here, there's no assurance of ever seeing your loved one again if you or her were to fall. I've got my Ma and I've got the True Irish. I've got all that I need." Owen turns away and tries to not look somber, but isn't doing a good job.

Tom calls him out on it. "Bullshit. It's written all over your face."

Owen leans back on the bench dismayed. "Can we talk about something else?"

Tom thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "Owen, I'm not one of your True Irishmen. Now, I've spent the last few years counseling men and women with faces like the one you have now. I understand confidentiality wholeheartedly. None of this has to leave this bench."

Owen gives a dismissive shrug, and after a few seconds mutters "Go on. Nothing else to do, I suppose."

"Listen, I have a feeling you're a lot like me. You're loyal, driven, and a family man. So am I. After the Covenant did their surgery on me, my wife left me for dead and for a year, I was alone and hurting. Once I was alone, I thought that I can do this on my own. But I couldn't. When I found Nadia again...I knew what I had to do. I needed her, and with her problems in life, she needed me. You're right, we probably are co-dependent on one another, but that's fine because we're also so better off together. Owen, a good woman can make all the difference. It can give you a reason for waking up in the morning, a reason to fight, a reason to live even. I'm sorry if I'm going all sappy on you, but I'm just speaking the truth, Owen. There are a lot of women in this realm that feel just like you do. Alone. Their families are on a different plane of existence. In the end, we all need someone to love."

Owen allows a smirk to form on his face. "You sound like a damn 60's song right now." Owen then looks back at Tom. "I guess I finally understand why you did what you did yesterday. You really are a family man. Guess you're a rebel with a cause."

Tom chuckles a bit. "You're damn right I am."

"You said you had a wife before...was she with you during the Anti-Cartel?"

"Kate? Yeah, she never knew what I did until after the CIA showed up to our apartment to tell her I was presumed dead when, in reality, I was getting my skeleton yanked out of me. I fought long and damn hard to keep that a secret, and I worked long and damn hard to keep her a secret from the cartels. Because if one found out about the other, it wouldn't have been pretty."

"I never had you pegged for the CIA type, but you living a double life like that...guess you fit in better than I thought."

Tom smirks. "Seriously, give what I said about finding a lady in your life some thought. Hell, if Nadia were here, she'd also be telling you to consider adopting..."

Owen holds up a hand defensively. "One thing at a time here, mate!"

Tom laughs, then reaches his hand out for a handshake. Owen looks at the hand and, with a smile, shakes his hand back. Tom then says "Firm, but not unfriendly."

Owen breaks out a toothy grin, remembering that was one of the first things he told Tom a couple days ago when they met. "A sign of brotherhood. But you're not shaking correctly."

Owen lets go of the hand and then, with his right hand, clasps Tom's right hand with his fingers around the back of the thumb instead of around the fingers. With his left hand, he covers Tom's hand. Tom, seeing where Owen is going, does the same with his left hand.

Owen gives the clasp a bit of a shake, then says "This is how the True Irish shake hands."

Tom gives Owen an incredulous look. "I thought you had to be full-blooded Irish to be True Irish."

"Correct. This is how we shake hands with our allies, too."

The two let go of each others hands. Tom then notes a little despondently "Wish I had a drink in my hand, or I'd toast to a long and prosperous partnership between Storm Crew and the True Irish."

"Remind me next time we're in the pub and we'll make a formal declaration."

"Big on ceremony, I take it?"

"Tradition is tradition, friend. True Irishmen adhere to tradition very strongly."

"I can respect that."

Owen then leans forward and says "You know, with you being unkillable and all, I'm wondering if this partnership of ours couldn't be more than just a ceremonial handshake and declaration."

Tom gives Owen a curious eye, perhaps seeing where he's headed with this. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Owen smirks. "If you're thinking that we could take a more...active role in defending Elysium from those that would do it harm, then yes, we're on the same page."

Tom gives Owen a toothy grin. "Couldn't agree with you more, Owen."

One of the double doors to Rambaldi's workshop and office suddenly opens. Tom and Owen quickly stand up as the members of the Elysian Council walk out. Marcus Aurelius is the first to notice the two. "Good job yesterday, gentlemen. You and your contingent just made this place a whole lot safer."

Owen gives a cordial headbow and says "We're happy to serve and protect this realm."

Aristotle then looks at Tom. "Rambaldi tells me that you cannot perish in this realm. How are you feeling from your knife wound?"

Tom rubs the back of his head where the hairline is still showing from the knife entering the back of his head. "Perfectly fine. Although I do find it ironic that the gift I thought I had this time a month ago is suddenly all that more valuable nowadays."

"Impressions mean a lot to people, especially those that just arrive. You don't need me to tell you how impressionable new arrivals are, however."

Tom, with a blank face, says "No, you do not." Tom's still not happy about lying to new arrivals, and Aristotle does pick up on it.

Albert Einstein then gives Tom and Owen a shy smile. "I guess we should be going. You've been waiting for a long time, I believe."

Tom smirks at Einstein. "Hey, everything's relative, right?"

Einstein laughs at Tom's acknowledgment of his Theory of Relativity. "Very good! Nice to see some people still listen to me!"

Marcus defensively says "I take offense to that!"

Aristotle pats Marcus on the back. "I believe our councilman was just speaking in jest. Let's go, Milo is expecting these men." Aristotle then tells Tom and Owen. "Good day, gentlemen. And thanks again."

Tom and Owen both nod their heads at Aristotle. The three Elysian Council members each close their eyes and teleport away.

Rambaldi then steps out of the workshop and turns to Tom and Owen with delight all over his face. "Gentlemen, how good it is to see you both getting along and in good health. Please, come in."

Tom and Owen do just that, following Rambaldi into his workshop and office. Rambaldi casually walks behind his desk and turns to the two men, pointing at leather chairs in front of the desk. "Have a seat. Is there anything I can get you two to drink?"

Tom looks over at Owen and chuckles. "I had enough to drink last night, thank you."

Owen looks back at Rambaldi and points at Tom with his thumb. "A lightweight, this one."

Rambaldi smiles his usual closed, wide smile. "It sounds like you two are getting along pretty well."

Owen shrugs, but keeps a smirk on his face. "Guy's wife has him whipped more than a slave building the Pyramids, but he's alright I guess."

Tom gives Owen a condescending look. "And this guy is a bigger smartass than the world's smartest donkey!"

Owen gives Tom a big incredulous look. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Rambaldi chuckles. "Very well, I think that answers my first question on how you two worked together. Now, you two were both gracious enough to give me the play by play on the phone after the job was done..."

Tom interjects "We were also drunk enough, too."

"Perhaps. But alcohol does bring out the honesty in people, so it was of no concern to me." Rambaldi then looks over Tom's shoulder to the back-right of the room. "Laurent, what did you find at the site?"

Tom and Owen both appear shocked as they turn and see Laurent L'Andre leaning up against the wall with his arms folded. They had no clue he was there. Tom asks "How long have you been there?"

Laurent flatly replies "Long enough." Laurent then stands up straight. "There were three cartel members still alive."

Rambaldi claps his hands together suddenly. "Good, you found the stragglers that Purgatory said were missing."

"I did. We took care of them." Laurent then turns back to Tom. "There should have been none alive! That was sloppy work..."

Before Tom can defend himself, Owen stands up to his feet, already red in the face from anger. "MY MEN BLEW THAT PLACE UP GOOD AND PROPER! DON'T YOU TELL ME THAT WE WERE SLOPPY!"

Tom looks at Owen with a great deal of surprise. Owen's usually a very, very cool customer and this is the first outburst he's heard from Owen since meeting him. Tom knows every man has his weakness. Tom's is family and friends. And, from his conversation with Owen before entering Rambaldi's office and this outburst, he realizes Owen also has the same weakness.

Laurent also realizes that Owen is offended at what he feels is a slight against the True Irish. "I did not say that..."

"Yes you did! If this were Earth, I bet you those three that you found would have been done for by now! And don't you tell me we were lazy...the fire still was burning almost until sunrise, I checked from the plateau this morning!"

Laurent goes back to leaning against the wall, perhaps conceding this round. "They were gravely injured from their burns. They had no idea we were even there because all of their focus was on the pain from the burns all over their bodies."

Tom looks up at Owen. "Take a seat, man." As Owen returns to his seat, still a little angry, Tom tells Laurent "It's just as well that they suffered before they died. They made their choice in life to be the men they became...they made the choice to cross the portal from Hell."

Laurent nonchalantly shrugs. "Whatever. What's done is done."

Rambaldi turns back to Owen, whose normal color is returning to his face. "Forgive Laurent, he holds himself to a different standard than most of us. It does sound like a job well done. You both should be commended for your efforts."

Tom then leans forward. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room here."

Rambaldi looks back at Tom with intrigue. "Would this be the fact that you're still alive?"

Tom nods his head. "You knew all along, didn't you? You knew that the effects of The Tonic didn't entirely wear off when I died."

Rambaldi shakes his head. "I did not, actually, but there was a suspicion when our scientists found anomalies in your DNA from the initial blood draw. They couldn't identify them or what purpose they served. And it's not that The Tonic didn't wear off on you...it did."

"Then what happened?"

Owen, looking confused through all of this, asks "Should I be here right now? This sounds like something between you two..."

Rambaldi holds up his hand towards Owen. "That will not be necessary. I trust that you will keep anything you hear in this room to yourself."

Owen nods, affirming he'll stay quiet.

Rambaldi then turns back to Tom. "What happened was that The Tonic effectively re-wrote your DNA while it was making it's migration in your body. The euphoria you felt was temporary, created by a momentary spike of adrenaline and other chemicals in your body that The Tonic triggered. That certainly wore off. Now, you might be asking yourself something like...'I thought The Tonic was supposed to heal everything, but I still died. Why?' Well, the reason for that is because, when you died, your heart exploded into many small and large pieces. When the mortician performed the autopsy on you, they found bits of your heart as far down your body as your tailbone."

Tom winces, then grabs his chest thinking about his heart being scattered throughout his body. "I really didn't need to know that..."

"My apologies. But anyway, because your heart exploded the way it did, it was impossible for The Tonic to put it back together again. But by the time you died, and this is just a conclusion I'm drawing after yesterday's events, your DNA was re-written and combined with elements of The Tonic to enable you to heal from any injury you may incur, save for something catastrophic as your heart exploding or your head being cut off, provided it's cut off fast enough before The Tonic's healing properties can react."

"That's all fine and dandy, but would that still carry over into Elysium?"

"Why yes! People inherit their physical and DNA attributes with them into the afterlife. For instance, the reason you have your bones back in your entire body is because it's in your genetics to have a normal bone structure. So you no longer have your titanium bones. But, to answer your question, the re-writing of your DNA from The Tonic would have also carried over."

Owen asks "Wait a second. There's something that been really blowing my dress up since Tom told me about the surgery he had...how, in the bloody hell, does a man survive the kind of surgery he had?"

Rambaldi doesn't immediately answer.

Tom gives Rambaldi a funny look. "Yeah...I've never really asked you about that. And your silence right now tells me you may not want to tell me."

"You're right. I did not want to tell you this. But, it is a valid question, and I feel I shouldn't withhold this from you any longer." Rambaldi points at a large workbench near where Laurent is standing. "On that workbench there, I perfected your spine. It was me that drew the plans for your surgery, the plan that Elena Derevko and Doctor Kozlov followed. In fact, the spine you had was the very spine I created for you and the spine that Elena found. But, as far as how you survived? Well, you can thank Nadia for that."

Tom raises both of his eyebrows in surprise. "Nadia? She had no idea what was going on!"

"As it just so happened, about a week before your surgery, Nadia was convinced to donate blood at a local blood drive. A plant within Argentine Intelligence set the blood drive up with the sole purpose of extracting Nadia's blood. She donated a lot of blood, and that blood was secured by Elena herself, posing as a nurse's aid. The blood that Nadia donated was sent up to Mexico City and was transfused into you during the course of the surgery."

Rambaldi then looks over at Owen, who looks like he's gotten off the train into Crazyville. "Tom and Nadia have properties in their blood that allow themselves to heal each other in times of crisis." Owen doesn't respond, still suspended in disbelief.

Tom asks "But I still had scars from the surgery! The Lifeforce is supposed to heal your scars!"

"Doctor Kozlov used too much of her blood and ran out. So, some scars still had to remain. You couldn't have survived multiple re-openings of your body without her blood, however."

Tom closes his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief. He can never forget how much pain he was in during that time period, both physically as well as emotionally since he effectively sent Storm Crew into the cemetery when he tripped over a wire that set off an explosion to the building they all were in. And now, he has learned that Nadia was responsible for saving his life once again. He's lost count on how many times Nadia has bailed him out. He loves her for that, but can't help but feel a little ashamed over that, either. After all, he wanted to be the one to protect HER, not the other way around.

At this point, Tom stands up to his feet and leans over to Rambaldi with an angry snarl on his face. "You didn't do me any favors with that surgery. You didn't do me any favors in Sovogda. And you damn well didn't do me any favors when it comes to Nadia's death. So guess what? You owe me a few favors, and I'm cashing those in right here and now."

Rambaldi folds his hands and rests them comfortably on the desk, not at all intimidated by Tom. "I thought I've repaid you on some of those, but there are other things I've done to you. So, what can I do for you?"

"One, accept my resignation as North American Director of New Arrival Counseling, effective immediately. I'm done with that shit. Two, promote Matt Aguero into my position full-time. He's better suited for that kind of thing than I am. And three, you authorize the creation of a new crime-fighting task force comprised of members of Storm Crew and the True Irish..." As Rambaldi raises an eyebrow in surprise and Laurent rolls his eyes in disbelief, Tom finishes his stern sentence. "...led by Owen and...me. The man that cannot die. The man that YOU made sure cannot die. Your prophecy's goal was to make an immortal man. Congratulations, Milo, your prophecy has been fulfilled."

As Rambaldi eyes Tom curiously, Owen starts clapping his hands. "Yes! I second that motion! My boys could use the action!"

Laurent sternly tells Owen "It doesn't matter what you second. It will never happen."

Owen stands up to his feet again and stares down Laurent. "Oh, that's because the all-knowing, all-powerful Il Credo Divino is doing such a smashing job keeping us all safe, isn't it?"

"We're not perfect, but we're better than whatever group you organize."

Rambaldi stands up now with a serious look on his face. "Enough, the both of you. There is truth in what you both say." Laurent and Owen both look back at Rambaldi with curious looks on their faces as he continues. "While it is indeed true that Il Credo Divino possesses talents far superior than just about anyone else in Elysium, it is also true that there are some things Il Credo Divino cannot catch that perhaps a different kind of group can. And I believe that it is quite possible that the right people to comprise...and lead such a group do exist now in this realm."

Tom stands up straight and smirks. "So, you're going accept my idea?"

Rambaldi turns back to Tom. "No, not as it stands right now. But, I am intrigued in something bigger than just your two organizations linking up."

Owen asks "You don't believe an alliance between us would work well?"

"Quite the contrary. I need to discuss this with certain people first, including my fellow Councilmen before I can divulge any further. But I will say this: my idea will require Storm Crew, the True Irish...and Il Credo Divino to work together. And that means any hostilities between the three of you will have to cease."

Tom, Owen, and Laurent each look at each other. Tom and Owen aren't the problem, but it's clear that Laurent gets under the skin of both Tom and Owen to some degree, especially with Owen.

Owen then turns to Rambaldi. "I can tell you this: Storm Crew and the True Irish aren't done working together." He then turns to Tom. "Tell them about Operation Scorched Earth."

The plains of what formerly was Sovogda, Russia (Elysium, a day later)

Irina and Elena Derevko both find themselves awkwardly standing amongst themselves in these lonely plains of southwestern Russia. There is no Arvin Sloane at the meeting, nor has there been for a few days now.

The two sisters have little to say to each other every time. They both can't stand the sight of one another, which makes the past five years under ice with nothing to look at but themselves all the more frustrating.

Irina has been thinking of a way to explain how the cartel army has perished. She was informed of their demise by Mary Falk, who texted her the confirmation last night. Irina could say they're missing, but that would just lead to a fruitless manhunt and even more suspicion when she turned up nothing. She also admit that she's been working as a double with Mary under the guise that she wants to reform. But Elena might sniff that out right away, knowing Irina's connection to her children.

And then there's Elena herself.

When they met on the beach a few nights ago, Nadia was VERY insistent with Irina about locating Elena, saying she wants to kill her. Nadia inherited her mother's bleeding heart, but she also has inherited her father Jack's ability to hold a grudge. Not that Irina can blame Nadia one bit. Hearing your childhood was nothing but a ruse would have upset her as well. Irina's childhood wasn't nearly as entertaining as Nadia's, growing up with two egomaniac sisters in a modest residence not incredibly far from where she's standing now. She grew up in a village called Leninsk, east of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). The town was so small when she was growing up, it didn't even become a town until around her 8th birthday.

Elena breaks Irina's train of thought. "I'm getting to the point where I'm going to stop showing up to these things."

Irina looks over at Elena with a plain look on her face. Of course, Elena disappearing might cause a problem, but Irina feels it's best to play along. "No kidding. These damn things were his idea anyway."

Elena gives Irina a curious look. "Isn't it curious that Arvin, with the way his scheming mind works, seems to be losing control?"

Irina shrugs. "Maybe he's perished."

"Doubtful. He's no fool. The man could be anywhere."

Even though she knows the army's a goner, Irina points out "Maybe we should see about doing something with the cartel army. They're getting more and more restless."

Elena shakes her head. "At this point, our focus should be back to finding the Elysian Council. Tom, Nadia, and Mary seem secondary now."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, they've proven themselves crafty. And there's the whole issue of Il Credo Divino. It'd be a shame if we had no army left by the time we address the Elysian Council."

"I see your po..."

Irina's interrupted by Arvin Sloane finally showing his face for the first time in days. And he doesn't look happy.

Elena starts off. "Arvin, how nice of you to..."

Sloane snaps at Elena. "Shut up." Elena bites her tongue, surprised by the outburst. Sloane turns her intention to Irina and gives her a death glare. "So, have you checked on the cartel army of late, Irina?"

Irina, doing her best to hide her worry, says "No, not today. I was going to after we were done..."

"Don't bother. Because there's no army left."

Elena's eyes bug out in surprise. "Are you serious? What happened?"

Sloane gazes at Elena. "I just came from their compound...what's left of it. It's been completely destroyed, with no one left alive."

Irina's eyebrows shoot up. This part about the compound being destroyed is something she did NOT know about. "What? I checked on them yesterday, they were fine!"

Sloane looks back over at Irina. "It would seem that this was our son-in-law's handiwork."

Elena asks "Tom Falk? I thought he was a pacifist now!"

Sloane lets out a sarcastic chuckle as he turns back to Elena. "It would seem that he's reacquired his penchant for destruction, Elena. The buildings appear to have been been destroyed by explosion. There was blood in the pool. And when I looked around for evidence of what was done, I found the following words burned into the grass: 'Halcon Diablo was here.'"

Irina's phone suddenly feels heavier in her pocket. She had heard nothing from Mary today. Perhaps she should have checked in today. In fact, she feels she should have asked for Nadia's number when they talked. She feels Nadia would have certainly told her mother what was going on, given how Nadia was changing her opinion of Irina as the conversation went on.

Elena, her usual cool having melted away now, exclaims "That was our contingency plan! Arvin, there's just four of us now, what are we going to do?"

Sloane lets out an irritated smirk. "What do we do now? Why don't you ask your sister, Elena?" And with that, Sloane gives Irina another gaze. Does Sloane know that Irina's been in communication with the Falk family? Irina's question appears to be answered when Sloane says "It seems that we have awakened the demon that's within Tom's heart. I blame this entirely on Irina's handling of the hostages."

"MY handling? YOU were the one that ordered Mitch to stand guard!"

"That's because that you told me that he could be trusted. It was your idea that he join us. I trusted your opinion on him, and look what it's gotten us."

Irina frowns, feeling more and more nervous about her situation with Sloane now. In an attempt to change the subject, as well as get an answer to a question she has, she asks "Did you find Kelly?"

Sloane immediately shakes his head, not appearing to hide anything. "I found nothing. No trace of her whatsoever. Why do you ask?"

"Because she went missing a few days ago without no explanation. I was wondering if you had any idea what happened. If you had been showing up to these meetings, maybe she could still have been of some help..."

"Maybe if I didn't start seeing our cause as hopeless when you blundered with the kids, I might have thought coming to our meetings was worth a damn anymore. I only came today because of what I just saw." Sloane then turns to Elena. "Have you heard anything on Kelly?"

Elena coolly shakes her head. "I'm afraid not." Irina notes that Elena's headshake was almost...too cool, even for Elena.

Sloane lets out a sigh. "I think we have hit the point where we should start fending for ourselves. If I know Tom correctly, he'll come after us eventually. This is not a man that waits for action to happen."

Irina, seeing this alliance crumbling before her eyes, pleads "Shouldn't we stick together if one man is going to come after us?"

"It's not just one man, Irina. There's Il Credo Divino to worry about. It's time we leave as little of a ripple here as possible. This is alliance is over. It's time we fend for ourselves." Sloane then sneers at Irina. "If I were you, I'd hide. Because the failure of this alliance is on your hands."

"Maybe you should watch your back, too. Because remember, it was YOUR decision to send me away and leave Mitch with the hostages! And it was YOUR decision to stall on getting the cartel weapons! Oh, and just where have you been these past few days?"

"Tending to my own affairs. I saw the writing on the wall with this group early, and I've been working on contingencies of my own...contingencies that don't involve the likes of you..." Sloane then gazes at Elena. "...or you."

Irina wants to smile and shake her head. She had a feeling Sloane was up to something, and this tells her that she was right. But, she keeps her stone face. "Where can I find you in the future?"

"You won't."

"Then there's something you should know. Because I'm not going to let you walk away without you knowing this."

"What is it?"

At this point, Irina reaches into her leather jacket and pulls out a folded sheet of paper. She walks over and hands it to Sloane. "When the orphan mother was a captive, she informed me that Nadia had a surprise paternity test done on her recently. I asked her for the report, and after she returned from Purgatory, she found me and gave me that." That's a bold-faced lie. It was Nadia that gave her a copy of the paternity report when they met a couple nights ago. Nadia had a copy of it in her purse.

Sloane quickly opens up the paper and reads its contents. When he gets to the last line, about Jack Bristow being 99.9% sure of being Nadia's father, his hands start shaking. His face tightens and he hangs his head. He becomes so tense, he rips the paper. The sound of the paper ripping must have inspired him, because he then rips the rest of the sheet of paper into tiny, tiny pieces and throws them in Irina's face with a loud and anguished growl. He then opens his eyes and stares into Irina's eyes with a look of anger, confusion, and sadness over the fact that Nadia is not his daughter after all.

After a few seconds, Sloane closes his eyes and teleports away to parts unknown.

This leaves Irina with a few big problems on her plate. One, Sloane made a threat on her life, and with Kelly still missing in action, who knows when he or Kelly would try to cash in on that threat. Plus, informing Sloane about the truth about Nadia may have sent him over the edge. Two, Sloane is pretty much missing now, which means there's two people she's lost track of now. This is not looking good for the deal she struck with Rambaldi.

Irina turns back at Elena, who looks very disappointed at the events that just took place. "Look what you've gone and done now, Irina. That's what our mother used to say because you were always considered the screw-up of the Derevko sisters."

Irina growls "This is not my fault and you know it! I took immortality away from Sloane, and now this is his retribution. I think it's possible he had this sabotage in play before we even crossed the portal."

"Or maybe you planned this sabotage before we crossed the portal."

"Oh, not you too!"

"You angled to get the hands-on role with the hostages, you angled to get Mitch added to the team, and you took control of the cartel army. That last one, I'll admit, was deliberate on our part. We smelled a rat and wanted to see what would happen with the cartel in your hands."

"Excuse me, but it was YOUR idea to send Kelly to babysit the cartel!"

"And it was your responsibility to watch over her!"

Irina lets out a defeated sigh. This meeting has been a complete disaster for her. "So, now what?"

Elena answers by quickly reaching into her coat and pulling out her gun. Irina, seeing as her gun is in Mary Falk's possession, responds by closing her eyes and quick teleporting to safety before Elena can get off a shot.

And that was how The Nine ceased to exist as a unit.

Los Angeles, California (Elysium)

Tomorrow's the big day. Nadia Falk, Julieta Romero, and Jack Bristow are seated at Jack's kitchen table, going over how the first day of the adoption drive is going to work.

The television ads were done a couple days ago, with Nadia advertising the adoption day, explaining how it works, and giving it her seal of approval when Emilio walks onto the screen. Nadia's last words in the ad are "I'm so confident in this program, I've decided to adopt myself." The screen fades with Nadia and Emilio hugging in an "aww" moment. The ad is targeted for residents within a 100 mile radius of San Felipe and includes Ensenada and southern portions of Mexicali, the nearest big cities to San Felipe. There are also radio ads going as well as other marketing tools in play.

Once they finish talking about the television ad, Julieta happily exclaims "I am SO excited for tomorrow! I can't believe this is going to be happening finally!"

Jack asks "How are the kids handling it?"

Julieta apprehensively replies "Well, some are scared because they don't know what's going to happen. Others are excited. I guess it just depends."

Nadia nods, recalling her own apprehension towards being adopted in Buenos Aires. "I know what you're saying. I've been surveying orphanages and I'm getting the same kind of reaction."

Jack, in as calm and understanding as he can manage, says "It's understandable for children to be afraid of the unknown, given that they're still learning at an impressive rate. But once they get settled in, they'll realize home is a better place to be than crowded with other orphans."

"Yeah, it's just the transition can be so daunting."

"It's not like they're moving in with their worst enemy..."

The doorbell rings. Jack looks up at a clock, which reads 10:22 PM. "Who in the hell is stopping by at this hour?"

Julieta says "Maybe it's Mary. Maybe something's going on at the orphanage."

Nadia shakes her head. "No, she knows to call first. Tom would call, too, if he weren't so pre-occupied with the True Irish."

Jack decides to end the suspense by walking up to the door. He looks through the eyehole...and doesn't like what he sees one bit. He turns on his heels and storms back to the kitchen like a large ball of fire is behind him.

Nadia notices it. "Dad, who is it?"

Jack doesn't respond as he goes down the hallway. A few seconds later, he emerges with an aluminum baseball bat.

Nadia jumps to her feet. "DAD!"

As Jack goes storming by, he turns to Nadia and tersely says "It's your mother."

Nadia looks shocked. Irina's only supposed to have contact through Mary Falk, that's the arrangement. She exclaims "WHAT?"

Jack doesn't answer. Instead, as he walks up to the door, he fumes over the thought that Irina is at his home. He has not forgotten what Irina did to him in life...and what she nearly did to Sydney before Jack ended her life.

He flings the door open and immediately enters a batting stance. Jack, who is a lefty, stands like he's Babe Ruth and he's about ready to knock Irina's head off in to the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.

Irina just stands at the doorway, almost looking amused at Jack's tenseness. In her usual throaty voice and calm tone, she says "Well, hello to you too, Jack."

Jack, through gnashing teeth, growls "What...in the hell...are you doing here?" At this point, Nadia starts walking into the living room while Julieta remains in the kitchen, unsure of what to do here.

Irina doesn't say anything. Instead, Milo Rambaldi and Alec Derevko emerge from either side of the door. Rambaldi locks eyes with Jack and gives his usual goofy closed smile. "Good evening, Jack."

Jack glares at Rambaldi, immediately putting together the pieces that he's behind this somehow. "What is going on here? Why is Irina Derevko standing in my doorway?"

Rambaldi looks over at Irina, who gives him a wry smile. He then turns back to Jack. "I am not sure how I can say this without being as blunt as I can."

Jack's bat starts shaking from the tension that is building in his arms. "Your next words are going to be an explanation. This is your only warning."

Alec steps forward and gives Jack a stern warning. "There will be none of that."

Jack shifts his weight to be ready to swing at Alec. "I'll start with you first."

Rambaldi waves his hands frantically, yet still speaks calmly. "I assure you there will be no need for blood. Please, allow me to explain..."

Jack shifts his weight to face Rambaldi, ready to swing. "Start. Explaining. Now."

Rambaldi calmly replies "Irina's going to be living with you."

END OF CHAPTER