Chapter 13

Our New Secret

Jackson, Jamie, and I board a plane from Mobile to Washing DC, to meet Chloe, Mitch and Abe. While I am not happy about yet another plane ride, I am looking forward to seeing Abe again, and the plane rides are getting more and more bearable as this adventure continues. Thankfully it doesn't take us to long to get to DC and we see the group sitting in the bar area of the airport.

"Rafiki. Uzuri."

Abe calls out to us in the nicknames he's had for Jackson and I. Meaning friend and beauty in swahili. Abe looks to me and jackson, who both look like we've been in a fight. Jackson because he had been with Shafter and me because of the car accident.

"Who did this to you?"

Jackson sighs softly.

"It's a very long story. I'll tell you later."

I take the Mother Cell out of my bag and hand it to Chloe. Who looks up at me a little confused.

"What is it?"

"They call it the Mother Cell."

Mitch looks up to Jamie and then to Jackson and myself.

"What the hell is a Mother Cell?"

I shrug and take a deep breath, but before I can start explaining Chloe cuts me off, with a loud gasp.

"More importantly what is that on your finger?"

She looks up at me with a very happy and excited smile on her face, as does everyone else. Abe pulls Jackson in to a bear hug.

"Ahh… Rafiki. You finally got her a ring huh?"

Chloe and Jamie give me a hug and look over the ring.

"It's so beautiful."

"Good choice Jackson."

Mitch stands and extends a hand to Jackson.

"Well coming from someone who's been married and divorced. I wish you two the best of luck."

Jackson shakes his hand as Abe pulls me into a hug, picking me up off the ground and laughing.

"I'm so happy for you both. But I'm more happy that we get to have a party to celebrate."

Jackson shakes his head.

"After we fix whatever it is that's going on."

I nod.
"No one is to even whisper the words wedding planner or anything of the sort until we fix the animals."

The group nods and we all sit back down.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the Mother Cell is a piece of DNA coding that's in every product Reiden makes."

Jamie nods and looks over to Mitch.

"This is what's causing the animals to attack."

Mitch shakes his head and adjusts his glasses.

"So you're telling me that this is changing the animals on a DNA level."

I nod.

"Yes, that appears to be the case, yes."

Abe takes a deep breath.

"So where is our adventure taking us next?

Jamie clears her throat.

"Um… it may be a little hard for me to leave the country."

I glance between her and Jackson.

"Why?"

Jackson takes a deep breath.

"Ben wasn't FBI, he was working for someone else. He killed the optometrist and tried to kill me, Jamie saved my life."

I nod, a little shocked by hearing that not only was Jackson almost killed but that Jamie had killed Ben saving him. Chloe sighs and steps back to the group.

"Well, lucky for us there are people who will make Jamie a fake ID. We can get one and head out with in the next few hours."

Everyone quickly gathers their things and heads out of the airport. It is so early I can see the sun rising in the distance as I snuggle up to Jackson, trying to get what sleep I can in the car. It doesn't take us long to find someone to make Jamie's fake ID and he gets started right away. However, he does frustrate Jamie who is doing her best to take a decent photo, while the man clicks away.

*Click*

"Hey I wasn't ready."

*Click Click*

"We're good. I have everything I need."

The man takes his camera and moves to a small work station, as Jamie stands and walks over to Abe and I.

"I should just turn myself in."

Abe sighs and hands Jamie a cup of tea.

"I know you said that. Just drink the iced tea. It will make you feel better."

Jamie sighs.

"Look, seriously,, I shot a man, an FBI Agent. I can't just walk away from that."

I take a deep breath.

"No, a man claiming to be an FBI agent tried to kill you and you defended yourself. Jamie if you hadn't done what you did the love of my life wouldn't be alive right now. I can't thank you enough for that."

She shakes her head.

"Doesn't matter, we can't prove that. So Let's do something about it. Let's prove that not-really-FBI agent Ben Shafer was working for Reiden. Instead of.."

"We will."

We Will?"

"Yes,"

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it's the very least I can do to repay you."

Abe sighs next to me.

"We will figure something out. Right now we worry about keeping you safe, okay?"

Chloe raises her voice talking to the man making Jamie's ID.

"Forty-eight hours? You said you could do it in two."

"I did, and I can. But only for repeat clientele."

Chloe sighs and hands the man a stack of bills.

"Consider us old friends and make it an hour."

The man nods,

"I need a name. For the passport."

Jamie thinks for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Armstrong. Nancy Armstrong."

After a few minutes I walk to the small office area Jackson and Mitch are in, coming into the conversation while Mitch is explaining something.

"Let's assume for a second that everything that the chemist said was true. That molecules from this Mother Cell are in every single one of Reiden's still need proof that this is what's causing the aberrant behavior in the animals. We need, uh I don't want to say a smoking gun, that's way too dramatic, but a bloody knife? If we had a bloody knife, then perhaps we could build a proper case."

I lean against the door frame.

"Is it possible to prove."

Mitch shrugs and cringes as Chloe steps up beside me.

"We are going to Paris."

Mitch drops his shoulders.

"Not that I don't love that sentence, but why? What's in paris?"

"A pack of four Eurasian brown bears were being studied for migration and feeding habits. Two days ago their trackers went offline. The bio-lab assumed it was just interference with the satellite. Then, yesterday, one of the bears showed up in an apartment in the 16th arrondissement and neatly killed the woman who lived there. That bear is now apparently deep in hibernation in a research facility."

I glance to Chloe over my shoulder.

"Hibernating?"

Jackson looks to her confused.

"In the middle of summer."

Chloe nods.

"Yes. and the rest of the pack are still missing."

Mitch speaks with his hand over his mouth.

"Sleuth."

"Pardon?"

"A pack of bears is called a sleuth."

Jackson sighs.

"Whatever. There, there's your bloody knife."

Mitch nods.

"Yeah, well, if there's evidence of this Mother Cell in that bear's bloodstream, then, that would do it."

"Perfect. When do we leave?"

Chloe sighs,

"Jamie's passport will be ready in an hour. We'll have time to make our flight."

Mitch stands and heads for the door, as I call out to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Drugstore. If we're getting on a red-eye to Paris, i need some melatonin."