Thank so much for all the lovely reviews and messages. I certainly hope this final chapter puts everything right ;)
"Flashback?" Lucas asked. He was surprised how raw his voice sounded. How much it hurt to swallow. He flushed at the thought that he had been screaming, caught up in a returning memory. He looked at the table and followed the marks in the dusty floor. There was only one set of footprints – Harry's. Lucas had crawled to the corner.
"One of many to come, I expect," Harry said with regret. "It's going to take some time to undo what the Russians did. You are, unfortunately, going to have to relive everything as your true memories return. We'll get you through this, Lucas. You won't go through it alone," Harry promised.
"Russians? Not Chinese?"
"No. Edwards is a known favourite mercenary of the Russians. Albany is something very much worth planning and waiting years for the right opportunity to try and obtain." Harry shifted closer to Lucas and in a rare display of physical comfort, put his arm around Lucas shoulders. Lucas was too emotionally drained to deny it and leaned into the one-armed hug.
"I still love her. I...I still feel the need to rescue her," Lucas confessed. "She's not real though, is she?"
"No. Maya Lahan is a Russian operative. She may well have been a sleeper agent for sometime. It will take time for your feelings for her to disappear. Once you've got back all your true memories, you'll feel nothing for her," Harry promised.
"Harry, I went to see Malcolm. He gave me what I thought was Albany. His house was empty when I went back. I was going … to hurt him, to make him tell me where Albany was," Lucas straighten up and leant his head against the wall, closing his eyes in an attempt to hide the anguish that ran through him.
"Malcolm will understand. You know he will. You've know him for years," Harry reassured.
"The American technician – the young girl, Daniella. I… I let her die, Harry," Lucas quietly confessed. He brought his head forward and then smacked it hard back against the wall. Harry withdrew his arm. Lucas had no idea why he had just told Harry that. Such a confession could see him charged and convicted of murder, manslaughter at the very least, and he would end up in a dreaded cell, his freedom once again curtailed.
"She died as a consequence of an ambush by enemies of both the United States of America and the United Kingdom," Harry stated.
Lucas turned to look at him. "I let her bleed to death, Harry. I was going to call for an ambulance, but she mentioned that she had heard me talking to Malcolm about Albany. So I just let her die," Lucas lowered his head to rest on his knees, hiding his shame.
"She died as a consequence of an ambush by enemies of both the United States of America and the United Kingdom," Harry repeated. Lucas lifted his head and looked at Harry. "How long did it take her to bleed out?"
"Four or five minutes," Lucas replied sadly.
"Even if you had called for an ambulance, it would have been doubtful that they would have arrived in time."
"We don't know that, Harry. They may have saved her," Lucas countered.
"Yes, they may have," Harry agreed. "And you will have to live with that, Lucas. Officially, this matter is closed. You will have to do whatever your conscious dictates, Lucas. I would suggest you ease it by continuing to save lives."
"I can stay at MI5?" Lucas tried to keep the hope from his voice. He'd tried desperately to keep his life as Lucas North from slipping through his fingers, caught in the middle by his loyalty to Harry and his desire to bury John Bateman forever.
With the elusive Albany file proving to be well protected, Lucas had known he would have had to betray Harry and MI5 to give Edwards what he wanted and for Lucas to be with Maya. No, it would have been John that would be with Maya. Lucas would have had to die, like he had all those years ago. Or so Lucas had believed. It was John Bateman that was the fake life. Tortured into believing he was a murderer and a terrorist. The knowledge hidden away in his subconscious until it became useful to extract and to be used and to destroy him in the process.
"Yes," Harry said without hesitation. Lucas sagged with relief. "However, once we've brought in Edwards and Lahan you will be going on medical leave until such time as you are signed back mentally fit. So I suggest you cooperate with the psychologist." Harry levered himself up off the floor and brushed the dust from his suit.
Lucas stared up at Harry. He had another confession. "Stephen Owen?"
"Yes, I knew he couldn't have accessed the information. His entire department verified that he was within their sight at the time of the alleged log in. He's currently on administrative leave. He'll return without a stain on his record and the grateful thanks of MI5 for helping to bring down a Russian spy ring." Harry held his hand out, Lucas grasped it and pulled himself up.
"We need to bring Edwards and Lahan in," Harry began, as he walked back to the table. He turned to look at Lucas who had slowly followed him. "Hopefully we will be able to get more names from them...Lucas?"
"With all the moving around Edwards has done, the knife I put in his thigh has probably nicked the artery. He could be dead by now. Without him Maya will have no option but to abandon their mission and disappear," Lucas said as he sat down. He rubbed his hands over his face. "If Edwards is dead, we could make it look like I'm ready to go rogue. Sell Albany to them..."
"No, Lucas." Harry firmly cut the younger man off. "You're in no condition to run an operation. You'll contact Edwards and arrange an exchange; Albany for Maya."
"And if Edwards is dead?"
"We'll bring Maya in." Harry picked up the photographs and paperwork from the table and placed them back in the file. He moved to stand in front of Lucas, placing a hand on the slump shoulders. "Let's get this done, Lucas. Then you can rest and heal."
Lucas stood up. "Thank you, Harry. For everything." Harry smiled and patted his shoulder. Lucas couldn't believe that his nightmare was finally over. He had frantically been trying to find a way out, to destroy John Bateman and keep Lucas North. Not once had it occurred to him that Bateman had been created inside his own mind during his eight years of hell in prison. Thank God Harry was old-school enough to think of it.
He walked out of the warehouse a step behind Harry and into the sunlight, into a future he didn't think he could ever have.