Caffe Mokador, Vienna, Austria

The television showed an interview with the urbane spokesperson for the Heritage Foundation. The reporter persisted in grilling the spokesperson on the work of the foundation. To her credit, the spokesperson maintained her poise and remained coolly informative until the end of the interview. Behind them, the Foundation's grounds crawled with public service vehicles and personnel. Press vans with satellite dishes lined the driveway.

Renowned investigative reporter Jackie Templeton faced the camera. "I have secured an interview with the reclusive founder of the foundation, Helena Villiers and-" She looked to the side and was handed a sheet of papers. She read it quickly and said, "Local authorities have now ruled the incident as an accident. However, due to unspecified anomalies, a full inspection of the entire facility will be required before the investigation is ended. This is Jackie Templeton reporting. We will return with the interview. For now back to the news desk."

"Damage control on full," said Felicia as she sipped her cappucino.

"Must be if Elena is willing to get interviewed," added Frisco with a mouthful of sour cherry linzertorte.

"Jackie Templeton is a very insistent reporter. She makes Tiffany look like a girl scout."

"You want some of this, honey?" asked Frisco pointing his fork at the traditional dessert.

"You and your sweet tooth."

"Hey, I'm going to be on guard duty for God only knows how long. I better pamper myself a little first."

Felicia's phone beeped. It was a text message. It said: "Meet outside. Blue van."

"Let's go," said Felicia standing up.

The soft bell of the front door sounded. Three burly men entered. All wore dark blazers with the Foundation insignia. None of them looked to be office clerks or scientists. In fact, they were built like tanks. They headed towards where Frisco and Felicia sat.

"Honey, don't turn around," hissed Frisco. "We may have company."

"We have to get outside," insisted Felicia

"How did they find us so fast?" said Frisco as he stood up and pulled Felicia's chair out. "Diplomatic incident here we come."

Felicia took a quick look out of the cafe window. The blue van was in sight. "Our friends are in the blue van right in front."

Frisco held her coat out for her. He whispered, "You want to be Butch or Sundance this time?"

"I didn't bring my hat, Butch," replied Felicia. Her hand slipped into her coat pocket and, out of habit, felt for her compact Sig Sauer 238 pistol. It wasn't there. "Didn't think I'd need it."

"It's all right, sweetums, I got mine," said Frisco. His large Sig Sauer 220 nestled in his coat pocket. Their references to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was their personal code for tight situations. In this instance, it meant that they would make a break for it avoiding a shootout if they could. "Ready, partner?"

In answer, Felicia began to walk with deceptive calm towards the entrance. Frisco made sure to be a few steps behind ready to charge and tackle to allow Felicia to get out first.

The three Foundation security men seemed to part in the middle as Felicia approached them. She let out a small sigh of relief. Her steps became lighter. She smiled as she passed the first man.

The first man stepped in front of Frisco leaving Felicia blocked all around her by security men.

The second guard studied her face. "Dieses ist die Frau."

The first man addressed Frisco in perfect English. "Come with us. No violence."

Frisco launched himself at the first man. "Go, go!"

Felicia drew her right hand into a stiff palm which she slammed against the second man's prominent nose. She followed with a knee to the stomach. She moved around him and ran for the door. Behind her, she could hear Frisco taking care of the other two men.

Outside, she saw the blue minivan immediately ahead of her. Shane jumped out of the passenger side and opened the rear sliding door. To her dismay, she spotted two more Foundation security men walking towards her. Still tussling, Frisco and a Foundation man burst out of the cafe door. The two Foundation men began to run towards them.

"We're blown!" cried Felicia clambering into the van.

Shane took out his gun and aimed for the approaching men's legs. He shot one. The other ducked behind a car and returned fire. People began to scream and run in all directions.

Frisco flipped the other man over and punched him twice squarely in the jaw. The man did not move. Frisco leapt into the van while Shane covered him. Shane fired into the air twice before jumping back into the front seat. Driving, Nestor drove into traffic and gunned the engine.

"How did they find us?" asked Frisco.

"My fire wasn't exactly subtle," said Felicia. "He looked straight at me. Knew who I was."

"Staying in Austria is not going to be possible," said Nestor. "The Foundation is too well connected here."

Shane activated his iPhone. "Time to regroup." SIMON's call interface flashed then was replaced by Heloise's face. "We have them. Need help getting out."

"I understand. Head for Eisenstadt. Stay close to the Hungarian border," ordered Heloise. "Wait for a call from me or Dimitri."

Frisco leaned over Shane's shoulder. "We're hot!"

"What else is new, Frisco," said Heloise in an amused tone. "Extraction within a few hours. Keep low until then. Paris out."

"Heads up! I think we have company," said Nestor glancing at his side mirror. "SIlver Mercedes. Got anything in your box of tricks, Shane?"

World Security Bureau (WSB) Headquarters, New York City

At the elevator on the top executive floor, Gemini Group Director Chase Masters was met by WSB Managing Director Martin Ross and USA Bureau Chief Connie Townley. With their easy smiles and relaxed stances, they all seemed like typical high-level executives employed by the same far-flung conglomerate. Surface appearances can be so deceiving.

"Hello, Chase. Good to know you get out of London sometimes," said Martin leading the group into the executive suite of offices.

"I hate leaving but we go where we're told," replied Chase. He flashed a warm grin at Connie. "Ms. Townley, I've been warned to behave myself around you. I promise to be on my best behavior."

"I don't bite. Much," said Connie. "Your requested security detail will be ready for you tomorrow with one exception."

"Straight to business as always," said Martin snidely.

"All our time is valuable, especially with everything going on," said Connie. "We can ... socialize later."

"There's ALWAYS something going on," retorted Martin. "You need to relax."

Connie asked with acid sweetness, "How are your migraines? I can handle briefing Chase if you want to lie down."

"And, we need to keep on top of things to make sure nothing blows up," said Chase. "I'm tired and would prefer to, as the Brits say, get on with it. Migraines, Martin? My sympathies."

"The doctors can't figure it out. It's probably stress." Martin opened a door that led into a well-appointed office. It had a mahogany desk, a small leather couch, a whiteboard, a closet and it's own bathroom. "You can use this office while you're here, Chase. Your executive assistant's name is Ella Perkins. She'll be here shortly."

"You remembered I liked whiteboards," said Chase approvingly. "Thank you, Ross."

"What better tool to visualize global domination, eh?" teased Martin.

Trying to minimize the old boys club vibe she was getting from the two men, Connie asked archly, "Should we meet in the conference room in thirty minutes, gentlemen?"

Chase put his garment bag on the desk. "Plenty of time for me to get settled in. I'll see you then."

After being left alone in the office, Chase inspected the room for surveillance devices. He found none. From his bag he removed a device that seemed like an old-fashioned transistor radio. He turned it on and it began to emit an audible but not irritating series of tones continuously. He sat behind his desk and began to call someone on his cell phone.

"Arn, I'm here and set up. My assistant's name is Ella. Go through her per our usual drill," said Chase with no trace of the easy charm on display to Ross and Connie. "I'll be out and about tomorrow. Any word on Sidwell?"

He listened for a few minutes. "I'll sound out Townley. She was close to Sidwell. Without him, we're back a few paces, you know. She's good. I can't read her very well. Before I forget, how is our latest delivery?"

Chase nodded. "Good. I want to proceed on our new project. We have to deliver, Arn. We need results. What was that?"

Chase chuckled. "He was everything my old man said he was. Cool, sharp and doesn't give anything away or misses any cues. He's slowed down but he must have been something in his prime. I'll see about getting him to come to London. I still can't believe we're going to be working with the legend himself. I'm meeting with him tomorrow. I'll check in after my meeting here."

Chase disconnected the call. He'd made Director in record time. He had his eye on the European Bureau Chief position. He had time on his side.

He washed his face and changed his shirt. Before he stepped out of the office, he was once more the persona expected of him - urbane, conscientious and dedicated. Just the sort of person that the WSB liked to trust and promote.

In the conference room, Martin and Connie began their meeting by bringing Chase up to date on recent intelligence information that affected the operational zones his organization, the Gemini Group.

"It must not be a secret to you that the DVX is having some internal turmoil," said Connie.

"Our commercial partners have told us of increasing difficulty or lack of transparency in working with governments in the former Soviet bloc countries. I've assumed that the instability would impact their primary intelligence agency," replied Chase. "From your face and tone, Connie, you're going to tell me something I'm not going to like."

"We have strong projections based on our analysis of the situation of an imminent coup within the DVX itself,"

"How strong?"

"Very strong. We've double and triple checked with sources closer to the ground there. They're not denying anything. In fact, their sense of fatalism is disturbing."

"It's the brooding, pessimistic Russian character I suppose," said Chase. "I thought that the triumvirate form of governance that the DVX uses was inherently superior and stable. Three top arbiters all sharing power doesn't seem to be a draw for a coup. Who's going to emerge the strongest?"

"All three of the current DVX chief directors, on paper, are of the same level of influence. Their system has each one nicely checked," said Connie. "We believe that a fourth party is wanting to crash the party using one of the three as their initial offensive wedge."

"I still think that we're jumping the gun in assuming that there will be a coup of some kind," said Ross. "It would lead to chaos-"

"Unless someone already has a plan to pick up the pieces for an orderly transfer of power. If so, then the DVX continues with new people on top. People who may not be too friendly to us," replied Connie.

"We've stopped shooting at each other. That's friendly?" asked Ross.

"They're not the enemy, Ross. We are well out of the Cold War."

"We have terrorists and their cells and sleeper networks to go after. I could care less if the DVX blows themselves up."

Connie glared at Ross. "You SHOULD care. You know why? Because ex-DVX agents tend to join other outfits to earn a living. Where they go, they take their baggage of know-how. The result is a gain to private armies, pirates and terrorist organizations."

"That is ridiculous!"

"Who trained the guerillas and citizen militias in Africa, Kosovo, Latin America, Laos, Cambodia and a dozen other places? We did our side and the DVX did the same to their allies," said Connie. "Through cooperation, we have actually reduced the percentage growth of private militias. And, working together with the DVX, we can make inroads into identifying and isolating terrorist cells worldwide. To have the DVX fall apart now due to some internal civil war is ... would be unfortunate in the extreme."

"Couldn't happen to nicer people," said Ross sarcastically. "But not our problem, Connie."

Chase cleared his throat. "I disagree, Ross. I think it's everyone's problem because terrorists know no boundaries. We want open borders for our work, we're going to have to do some opening and understanding of our own. It sounds that a meltdown inside is inevitable. Question is what do we do about it? That's the question, you, Ross, posed to my group a while ago when you requested my visit here."

"Exactly. I know it's a problem but it's a problem that I don't particularly feel we need to expend an excessive amount of resources, money or time. We need to get at the problem from a different angle," said Ross. "Our analytics team here is good but nothing beats real human knowledge."

Chase grinned. "From what little I've heard, I thought your analytics team is more efficient and smarter than a human being."

"It has delusions of grandeur, believe me," said Ross. "The Gemini Group has proven itself to be the most capable of short-term infiltration assignments using your corporate partners as a way to get inside targets. I propose that the Gems insert one agent in the proximity of the DVX. The deeper inside the organization he or she can get to, the better. I want more information on what's really going on. It's that simple."

"The Gems do have a solid track record of infiltration but it also has one of the highest rates of deaths in the field," said Connie. "It would be like sending out someone on a suicide mission. No offense meant, Chase."

"It's all right. I understand how the statistics can mean one thing to outsiders. I will only point out that my mole operatives become so enmeshed in their assumed roles that extracting them after a mission's completion proves to be difficult," said Chase. "Without the main agency's support, they have to fend for themselves in terms of back up and security. For their own safety, they must keep to their roles. No matter what happens. That makes any mission suicidal and every success more impressive for being completed."

"Touché," said Connie.

"I would think that inserting an agent now is a little late," said Chase.

"I'll be honest with you, Chase. The executive panel has mandated that we determine the extent of the effect a coup would have on our organization. While a coup is inevitable, we need to know more information. And, I'm not going to base our future actions on simply the say so of Analytics," said Ross.

Connie shot Martin an annoyed look but said nothing.

"The Gemini Group are known as middle men and facilitators between the WSB and commercial interests. You're not assumed to be spying and that's an advantage the WSB proper doesn't have," said Ross. "So, will you give the assignment a shot for us, Chase?"

"Develop a mole, develop a cover with one of our legitimate business partners who mix with the DVX, deploy the mole and get information as soon as possible. What's your time table?"

"We believe the coup will be in place before the summer," said Connie. "How deep could a mole get in that time period?"

"I'm sure Chase's people can do it," said Ross.

"If things inside are in as much flux as you suspect, then the mole had better be very, very convincing," said Chase. "Doable but difficult."

"None of your existing operatives fit the profile?" asked Connie.

"My group has been immune from accusations of espionage because of our discretion and care. Secrecy gives us our particular brand of effectiveness," explained Chase. "That hasn't come without a price. Every mole we send out is groomed and ... and prepared for that specific task. In certain cases, we do all we can to assure success and loyalty at the probable cost of the operative's life. That's a hard sell for any agency."

"Is that a yes?" asked Ross.

"It is but only if you can meet my price," said Chase.

"What is it?" asked Connie.

"In recent years, my group's involvement with our business partners has expanded to include doing internal investigations of our partners' businesses for the usual things - embezzlement, corporate espionage, creative accounting. All of those tasks take time and sheer automated processing power," said Chase. "Because the Gems have always operated independently of the Bureau, we've had to develop our own automated systems, computer software and procedures. But those systems can't keep pace with what my partners are asking for. I think we can all agree that our business partners are valuable resources and allies. Plus, since my group doesn't get full Bureau support, we earn our keep by helping our partners. The more products I can sell to said partners the better. Information is the best and most valuable product out there. I want a system to help me create that product. That's where you come in."

Connie could feel her stomach sinking the more she heard. She asked anyway, "How can we help you, Chase. Spit it out."

Chase sighed. "I had hoped to ask Tim Sidwell to contract with us to design a new system. He's the best systems architect we have or had, rather. His death puts a damper on that option. However, the grapevine is always extolling the virtues, speed and analytical quality of the Babbage Protocol."

"How do you know about that?" asked Ross. "What grapevine?"

"Does it matter how? Every organization leaks, Ross. It's not as unknown as you think," said Chase. "My mole in exchange for two permanent connections to the Babbage machine and analytics system. What do you say?"

Chase sat back watching Ross and Connie. His request was simple enough - Link my organization to your system. The hesitancy to respond to his request was surprising.

"I understand this condition comes out of, um, left field but I think it's reasonable," said Chase.

"It's something we have to think about," said Connie.

"Whatever prerequisite requirements we have to fulfill, we'll do," said Chase. "We'll cooperate completely. If you give me the requirements, I can get started on-"

"As I said, we need to discuss this first. I'll let you know our decision," said Connie.

Chase looked at Ross then Connie. "This delays the assignment, Connie."

"Then it's delayed," said Connie. "Let's table this one and get to the rest of the agenda, shall we?"

Confused, Chase went along with the redirection. "I have three appointments with new clients tomorrow. Is my security detail ready?"

"It will be tomorrow," said Connie.

"You sure about that?" asked Ross. "Chase requested Frisco."

"He'll be here."

"Is that confirmed?"

"I don't NEED to micromanage my field officers. He'll be here."

"Is there a problem with my detail?" asked Chase.

"Why did you request Frisco?" asked Connie. "Do you know him?"

"No, I don't and that's why I wanted to meet him. I've heard some good things about his on the ground operation in Europe. I thought I'd pick his mind for tips," replied Chase.

"He's not all that, Chase. He's just lucky and you'll be disappointed," advised Ross.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

The conversation drifted into the rest of the agenda. Connie's phone rang and she excused herself from the conference room.

Chase asked, "Connie doesn't seem sympathetic to my request. Why?"

"Analytics is her baby. She's very protective."

"I need it, Ross. Help me out here and I'll be sure to return the favor."

"I got a bloody nose going against her and her baby recently. The lady bites back," said Ross.

"Sidwell was one of my mentors during my training cycle. I thought we were close but he wouldn't talk about the 'baby' either. Why the shroud of secrecy?"

"I've been trying to flush it out into the open but it has powerful backers on the executive panel. And, Connie's their point person," said Ross. "You want Analytics then I suggest cozying up to her."

"Take one for the team? She's not unattractive," said Chase.

"She's held up well but I don't think that would do any good. Your competition is tough."

"What competition?"

"One man. Robert Scorpio," said Ross. "He holds the keys to the Babbage Protocol."

"There's a name from the past," said Chase. "Scorpio, Devane and Donely."

"Add Frisco Jones to that list. His loyalty is to them no matter what comes out of his mouth. Remember that."

"Scorpio, Devane, Donely and Jones. Are Donely and Devane close to Scorpio?" said Chase.

Ross snickered. "Devane's sharing his bed. Donely's moved back to Port Charles. It's their old stomping grounds you know."

"Retired agents have to live somewhere."

"Retired? Bull! Only death will retire those three."

"You don't like them. Not even Donely, a former chief like you?"

"He's nothing like me. He's always been out for himself. If it wasn't for Ballantyne having a soft spot for those three, well, at least one, maybe two, would be behind bars today."

"Really?"

"Mavericks and rogues. The only team they play on is their team," said Ross. "How much do you want Analytics?"

"Badly."

"Then I advise you to think of a way to get on their team."

"You're not on the team I take it."

"Mutual dislike," said Ross. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

Eisenstadt, Austria

Frisco drew Felicia behind the blue van. For a few seconds, they simply clung to each other.

"I have to go to HQ. If I don't, it'll look suspicious," said Frisco.

"I know. Just be careful," Felicia said.

"It's babysitting some VIP. Big deal. You're the one being hunted down."

"Once we're over the Hungarian border, they can't touch us," said Felicia.

"Never say never." Frisco kissed her gently. "This is my last job, honey. I'll tell Connie I'm resigning the minute I get there. I swear."

Felicia smiled. "Then we go home."

"To a really warm reception I'm sure," said Frisco sadly.

"It'll be hard at first but Maxie will come around. We need to be patient," said Felicia. "I know that we can be a family if we only try."

Frisco nodded. "Whatever you want. It's your turn."

"You want it too, don't you? You say you do."

"I'm terrified. It's going to feel strange being back there."

"I'll be right there with you. But first, get through this job in one piece," said Felicia.

They walked towards the two cars and the men waiting for them. Dimitri's three men said few words but it was obvious that they were anxious to get on their way. The blue van would be disposed of. Frisco would be driven to the international airport to make his flight. Shane, Nestor and Felicia would be escorted to Vadsel, Dimitri's estate.

Frisco made sure Felicia was in her assigned car. He watched them go before he got into his car with his driver. He had a funny feeling that something was in the wind. Something different. It made him nervous.

Author's Note: This story was begun and posted on September 2010 on my home page. Any similarity to any current GH storyline(s) is coincidental. This is a direct sequel to The Telltale Lie. Though it's not necessary to read that previously, it would be helpful. Please see my profile home page on the status of this series. More chapters are posted on my home page. Like it or hate it? Please leave a comment or review.