NationStates Jolt Archive

"OK," said Christi. She sat back and waited for the grub to arrive before drinking any more.

Molly was soon ushered of the kitchen, with a glass and a bottle of wine. She said that Taylor was putting the last finishing touches on the meal. Soon he came out with a massive roasted venison, which must have come from an old hunting trip. Quickly he rushed back into the kitchen and came back out with steam vegetables, mashed potatoes, corn, and a bottle of whiskey for the men . After setting them on the table Taylor took his seat. He gazed at his meal.

"Dinner is served." Taylor poured himself some whiskey.

Christi was certainly interested in the venison, which she had never had before, deer not being a common species in Kahanistan. She wanted to watch her figure, so of course, she would take only small portions and eat mainly vegetables.

She poured her wine glass about half full and offered the bottle to Molly. "Try it. It's good."

Molly took the bottle and poured her own glass, very low, to sample it.

So far, so good...

All three of the men were taking in immense amounts of the whiskey and food. It was pretty clear that none of the men cared about their figure. They thought that some exercise would take care of this glutton. Soon enough they became incredibly drunk. Drunkly the entered the living room to continue their drinking.

Christi stayed behind with Molly. She plied the younger girl with a fresh wine bottle, not wanting to overload her on whiskey and risk poisoning her. She wanted Molly wasted enough to pour out her secrets to her, not out cold on the ground beyond the reach of medical assistance.

She held back on drinking herself, but had to get somewhat under the influence or Molly wouldn't trust her - thinking she was a predatory lesbian or worse.

"How do they treat you?" she asked after Molly had had half a deer leg and three-quarters of the bottle.

"Great," said Molly drunkenly. She took Christi by the hand. "You've been wanting to talk to me away from the guys, about Kahanistan, right?"

Christi nodded casually. She took a large slice of the venison herself.

The living room became oddly quiet. All three of the men had passed out. The whiskey had gotten the best of them. When they woke up in the morning they would have massive headaches. But it was worth it for Pete. Now Christi had all the time in the world to speak with Molly.

Christi managed to get Molly drunk enough to let her take her outside, dressed for the winter cold. She sat next to her and put an arm around her. Molly seemed to be quite friendly while under the influence.

"You seem really nice, Christi. I really like you," said Molly. "So why was Pete so depressed earlier?"

"Found out I was married. Adultery isn't a big deal to us Kahanistanians," Christi replied. "The way we think, the Creator didn't give us desires, separate us from our partners, and intend for us to forgo the use of our best parts. Sneaking around behind our partners' backs... now that's low."

"God, you are degenerates," said Molly. "But you're a nice girl. So where did you get that picture of me you showed me?"

Christi smiled. Was she breaking through? "Kahanistanian Military Intelligence. General Kaselev."

The name seemed to ring a bell in Molly's brain. She immediately thought of the evil black-clad man in her dreams. Kaselev wasn't evil, but Molly's modified memory of him was.

"What a terrible man," said Molly. She couldn't place why he was evil, only that her impression of him was that he was.

"General Kaselev is a good man," said Christi. "He sent me to retrieve you after your comrades were repatriated when they were caught breaking into a secret facility. Do you remember that?"

"I was spying for Canadstein," replied Molly. "For King and Country."

Christi rolled her eyes. It was only a hop, skip and a jump from "For King and Country" to "Fur Fuhrer und Reich." How brainwashed is she? She must have had almost a whole bottle of wine. "Molly, how do they treat you?"

"They treat me great. Taylor loves me. I think I want to marry him." Molly smiled at Christi.

Christi wrapped her arms around Molly gently and burst into tears. The girl's memory was so fucked over that no amount of alcohol could get her to break through - it would take more than her training to undo whatever had been done to her. Her acting as a Canadsteiner seemed to be so cemented that it was part of her - not just outward expression from someone being coerced.

"Christi, why are you crying?" asked Molly. She looked into the woman's face. "Don't you want me to be happy with him?"

"I... I do, I want you to be happy. I don't... think he's right for you." She couldn't explain why, though - she had no view of Canadsteiners as scum, or as some racial inferior she wouldn't want marrying her daughter - not that she had one. "Canadsteiner culture is not like Kahanistanian culture. If you're in the military and get separated... you'd be all alone, this isn't like Kahanistan where affairs are more accepted. He'd be all alone, too." She held Molly gently against her out in the snow.

In the morning each man hazily woke up. None of the men had an memory of what had happened last name. Taylor tried to get up, but his body was just too weak. That alcohol had taken a number on him. Looking around he wondered where Molly was, but that was diminished when he felt his headache. Not wanting to do anything, Taylor went back to sleep.

Miles actually got up and looked at the whiskey bottle. It was completely empty. Better to enjoy it, then keep it hidden away. He got up and poured himself a glass of orange juice. His stomach started to growl. Miles guessed he was going to make breakfast. He looked at his watch. No brunch.

Pete looked around and did not see Christi. Hopefully she got the job done. All three of the men were drunk as skunks last night. But now he had to pay the price. He had a head splitting headache. Slowly he made his way over to the bedroom to see if Christi was there.

Christi was in bed, apparently alert, but very depressed. She was laying in a short red nightie she'd found that was probably a foot too short for her. Molly was still asleep, though not as smashed as the men were. Christi had taken her to her room and tucked her in.

"So what happened?" asked Pete as he laid down beside her.

"Nothing," said Christi sadly. "She says she's treated great, I didn't see any signs of abuse on her, and... she wants to marry Taylor." Christi shook her head and lowered it into her hands. "The more I talk to her, the more confused I get. But we have a file on her, it's got her face, her bio, looks just like her."

Pete gently grabbed her chin and looked at her. "Just know that you tried your best. Some times it is better to have honor in defeat. Christi you have talked to her and gotten a straight answer. Your mission is over. Just look to the future."

Pete kissed Christi to try to comfort her.

Christi was inconsolable. Kahanistanian officers did not see any honour in defeat. They were tired of defeat. The military was full of nationalist generals who promised no further defeats.

She was one of these women who got emotionally involved on her mission. Christi was not about to give up on Molly... but after the big pig-out, she didn't think there was a lot of food left, and they'd have to get out of the cabin within a couple of days. Well, it was a matter of time before she was back in Kahanistan... leaving Molly to marry a Canadsteiner, set down roots... and make her repatriation even more traumatic than it had to be.

"I think Miles is making us some food." Pete said to get her mind of the current subject. "Smells pretty good. Can't really remember the meal last night, but I do remember the whiskey. It was good enough for me. If it wasn't then I wouldn't have drank so much of it. So Christi...can you tell me about your husband?"

Christi nodded, willing to take her mind off Molly for a few minutes. "He's a year older than me, and a lieutenant commander in the navy. I think his current posting is as first officer aboard the destroyer RKS Minerva. He's a big supporter of the Nationalist Party, he distributes leaflets in his spare time. I got him hooked on fitness, being in the navy doesn't require the degree of it that the marines do."

"Do you plan on having any children with him?" Pete asked cautiously.

"Well, we're kind of putting that off - I'm only 27, so menopause is a good twenty to thirty years off for me. We want a kid to grow up in a proper home, not being shuttled all over hell and creation - and what do we do when there's a war abroad and we're both shipped off, or God forbid, killed?"

"So how about our relationship when you return to Kahanistan? Or is this a one time deal Christi?" Pete asked painfully.

"I don't know," said Christi honestly. "You could write to me, or email me." She scribbled her contact information down on an old candy wrapper. "You could even see me - my husband does the same thing when he's stationed abroad, sleeps with all kinds of women, so he won't be mad. Might want to pick up a book on our culture if you do, though, so we don't have some other cross-cultural goof."

Pete looked at the candy bar, then stuffed in his pocket. "But Christi we can never truly be together. I will always have the thought that you are married in the back of my mind. Plus one day you are going to have a baby. What then? That means our relationship will be over. I never want it to end..."

He was probably right - Christi wanted to spare his feelings and had never expected him to attach to her emotionally.

"Cross that bridge when we come to it," she said calmly. I could hook him up with someone, but he would still have to travel between two countries that hate each other... and if I don't get Molly back, will hate each other more.

"I'll be in the den," she said. She wanted to wait for breakfast to get started.

"Go ahead. I need think something over." Pete said before Christi left the room. He thought about the future and how he was going to make this work. As each hour went by his affections started to grow into love for CHristi. But she was already taken by another man. Pete was going to make this work some how.

Christi sat down and waited for breakfast to arrive. She was hungry and needed something to keep her strength up...

"How are you doing, Christi?" asked Miles from the kitchen.

"Fine," said Christi. She was actually a little depressed about Molly, but didn't want to let on. "I was wondering, since you're in a conflict with the Agency... what's your opinion on accepting military assistance from us?"

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Miles.

"Special forces. Marines," said Christi. "People like me, and like the people we sent to that base up north, only this time we'd be using our elites." She didn't mention Molly had been one of them - she didn't think Miles was going to help her on that front. "You can't beat the Agency with just you and Taylor."

Molly would probably help too, but Christi was tired of thinking of her. She was feeling more and more helpless the more time she spent around Molly.

"There is no point. It will look like an invasion. But it will fail. The government will call up every Canadsteiner to fight and repel your forces. The only way the agency will fail is if President Harper does something. Until then the Agency will live." Miles replied.

"If they know we're here," said Christi calmly. "I'm not talking about sending thousands of troops, with artillery and chemical weapons and what have you. A few insertions, behind your lines, probably no more than a hundred or so of us in the whole country. Maybe airstrikes against targets you designate for us, suppression of air defences if necessary, though we'd prefer stealth."

She looked out the window. "If there's no point, I don't see you objecting. I'd like to talk about transportation back home."

"It wouldn't matter. They have probably moved on to another location. Might hit nothing, but empty buildings. Of course who knows what is there now? Could be a small base for the Royal Canadstein Army. I don't want innocent people dying." Miles commented. "What about my transportation?"

"I just wanted to know when we'd get out," said Christi. "Apparently the Agency can make airline security hold us up, so a flight out is out of the question... and they'd expect me at least to try to get out through the Regensburg airport. What if I took a cruise ship to some third country, and tried to get a flight to Kahanistan from there?"

She went over possibilities in her head for hitting Agency installations. They were basically terrorist camps, but they had to have a command and control centre somewhere...

"This might sound crazy... but if for some reason someone wanted to contact the Agency. How would they go about it?"

"I don't know what we are going to do. Give me sometime and I will come up with something. As for the agency question, they contacted me. I never call them up." Miles said.

Christi nodded. She wasn't sure she believed Miles, but... unless she wanted to trek through the ice fighting off Agency goons with an old six-shooter, she didn't have a choice. "OK. I'll... be sitting in the den till you're done." She was starving.

"How do you like your eggs cooked?" asked Miles from the kitchen.

"Fried," Christi replied. "Lots of pepper."

Miles quickly finished and saw that Christi was the only one up. Taylor had returned back to his bedroom and Pete must have wanted some more rest. Miles entered the living room with a tray with two plates, also with two glasses. On the plates were bacon, some pancakes, a some steak, some fried potatoes, and eggs made especially for both of them. Miles put the tray in front of Christi, then grabbed his plate.

"Hope you like it. The drink is some champagne I found. A little alcohol will not hurt."

Christi nodded. "Thanks." Champagne for breakfast? She sat down and dug into the eggs and pancakes, even though she never ate pancakes. Not because she didn't like them, but because they were loaded with carbs and she liked her figure the way it was. She needed to keep her strength up.

"So, how did you end up in the Agency?"

"More or less they came to me. That is how they get all their recruits. But why they choose me is beyond me. I was the son of a simple farmer. But that life ended once I joined the ranks of the Agency. See once you join they fake your death, so your family isn't at risk. So ten years back you will find a Miles Mason, but he died in a car accident." explained Miles in between a mouthful of eggs.

"No wonder our intelligence couldn't find any information on you. We don't look for dead people... dead people tell no tales. So your President may not have been lying when he said there were no records on you." Christi looked as if she had just experienced a major epiphany. "So, there's no way to contact the Agency? You weren't given a classified number to call their command and control centre? I think General Kaselev would like to talk to Director Hull, personally."

"A file for me does exists in the some file cabinet in the National Archives Building. Probably hasn't seen the light of day since it was put in there. I literally gave up my old life for this one. Obliviously I didn't make the right choice. But I chose to join because of my anger..." Miles said, then suddenly stopped. He was recalling memories. Memories of better days. Hiding in the golden wheat fields with Elise...Suddenly he snapped back. "No. As I said before, they called me. Also another think I should mention, Director Hull speaks to no one. The only man he speaks to about the Agency's business is the President."

"Anger is never a good reason to join any organisation," said Christi. "We've had to start weeding people out who joined up to kill Catholics, and move them into non-combat positions. They would have clouded judgment and they would be blinded by their hatred, more likely to commit atrocities."

She finished off her eggs and took a sip. "Unfortunately, from what little I know of the Agency, it seems to be 'blood out,' if I may use a gang term. Basically, that means you're in for life, like a prison gang - if you leave, they'll kill you... unless there's something about your defection you aren't telling me."

"What else was I suppose to do? I thought about..." Miles thought of what he was saying. He was already revealing too much. Just thinking about it was like putting salt on an old wound. "Never mind. Just don't worry about the decisions I made. It is all in the past now. I would like to forgot about it."

"No...they think I am a traitor. I just left because I was sick of their dealings. I was sick of what I had done, to Nadia, Andrea, Mara, countless others. The nightmares were destroying me. I have the blood of innocent people on my hands. I just couldn't live with it anymore. I still have many years ahead of me. Still fit for service. Other men have quiet for being too old and a risk for the Agency." stated Miles coldly. "That is why I am coming with you Christi. Part of my penance and path of redemption."

Christi nodded. She knew about Andrea's case - it had been used to showcase the inhuman barbarity of the Whyaticans. She also knew that it was the same Andrea who General Kaselev had accused the Agency of kidnapping. Nadia had to be General Sklenova - while there were quite a few people in Kahanistan with that name, who else had connections with Miles? Mara, she didn't know too much about.

"I'm sure most people in the Agency have the blood of innocent people on their hands." Christi knew something was troubling Miles, but if he wanted her to know, he could tell her. She'd probably let slip before that she was training for a psychology Ph.D. She might be able to help, but then again, she might not.

"Why do they suspect you're a traitor?" He must have given them some indication, but Christi wasn't going to say so. It wasn't just because he wanted to leave...

"Mostly because I slipped my tongue around them. I started to tell people of how I felt. That we were killing innocent people for no reason because Director Hull told us too. In my whole time there I never told that the President gave the orders. Also that I felt that everything the Agency stood for was wrong. We were reckless and had to obey no one, but Issac Hull. Not the King or the President, but a power hungry man." Miles grabbed his glass and gulped down the last of his champagne. "Director Hull or one of his goon planted evidence on me. Said that I was going to betray them, but they wanted me dead because of my ideas. Of my self enlighten attitude.

"The Agency are the traitors," said Christi. "They would destroy Canadstein's neutrality without reference to the people or the Parliament." She finished off her plate and poured another glass of champagne.

"You are, from what I'm hearing, loyal to Canadstein. The Agency's line of 'For King and Country' is so much B.S. - they don't care if Canadstein gets invaded because of some stunt they pull. Now, the Kahanistanian government is not in the business of assassination, but if possible, we would like to capture Mr. Hull, and put him on trial in Kahanistan for terrorism and other crimes." Christi sucked down the whole glass of champagne.

"Got anything harder?" she asked. "The more I hear about the Agency, the angrier I get. But I need to know as much as you have."

Christi would not understand why Miles or the others blindly went along with the Agency. Some thought they were actually protecting Canadsteiner, others were just sadistic bastards who wanted to kill, and others who just wanted to vent their angry. Sadly Miles was the latter of the three cases. Something happened a little more than ten years that changed that young farm boy into a killing machine. But he was ready to tell anyone. It seemed pained him to think about it.

"That is all I have. But Director Hull is one elusive man. You have a better chance of finding the ashes of Hitler." Miles shut his eyes then sighed. "So what do you think will happen to me when I go to Kahanistan?"

Christi nodded and poured another glass, then took a gulp. "You'll probably be asked to defect to Kahanistanian Military Intelligence, and provide what information you have to General Kaselev. If you cooperate, some or all of the charges against you will probably be dropped or reduced. Since your life is threatened by your government, you could claim asylum in Kahanistan and become a citizen if you pass a citizenship test. We don't extradite people to nations where they'll be tortured or executed, it's against our Constitution."

Miles shook his head. "I am not going to work with you. The reason I am returning is to face my past crimes. For the last ten years all I have been doing is running away from crimes. It is finally time to face them, even if it means I belong in cell the rest of my life. I am not defecting, providing information, being a Kahanistani, or any of the other things. I am a Canadsteiner and will always be one. Nothing will ever change that. The government isn't threaten my life...the agency is..."

Christi took another sip and nodded casually. It wasn't her place to persuade Miles; Kaselev or another interrogator would take that role.

"Well, I hope you don't rot in a cell for the rest of your life," she said. "Until the government does something about the Agency, while it's their duty to do so, it's responsible."

"Whatever happens, happens. The jury will decide for me." Miles replied.

Christi nodded. The jury wasn't likely to be too sympathetic to Miles - it would likely be composed of people who disliked Canadstein and would gladly string him up if Kahanistan had the death penalty. They'd have to be content with life in prison.

"So, can you tell me about what made you so angry when you were a farm boy running off to join the Agency?" She pushed what was left of the champagne bottle to him.

"None of your business..." Miles poured the rest of the contents into his glass.

Christi nodded. She hoped Miles would be drunk enough to open up to her after his body absorbed the rest of the alcohol...

Miles downed the rest of the champagne. "Do you hate me?"

"No," said Christi. "If I did, I wouldn't sit here talking to you."

Miles had a glazed look in his eyes. It was pretty oblivious that he was intoxicated. The champagne had finally gotten him. His eyes scanned Christi's body. His words were slurred. "I try to save people, but all I do is kill and ruin."

Christi didn't feel uncomfortable at all with Miles looking over her body. "Well, you're changing that," she said, smiling. She sat next to him. "You probably saved me, even though I didn't trust you at first. I came in with no weapons or anything that would alert the Agency that I was military, so I wouldn't have had a chance against two armed agents who are willing to kill in front of witnesses."

"Do you know how we can get some news of the outside world? I still don't know who won the election, or if the Agency's giving up on the chase, figuring we've fled the country."

"Just a minute." Miles said as he got up. He stumbled to a nearby closet. Opening the door, he rummaged around for a while until he found something. Miles returned with a small radio in his hands. He put it in Christi's lap. "Here. You might find a new station on that. Though it will be a while before they cover world news..."

Without hearing another word from Christi, Miles collapsed onto the couch and feel asleep.

Christi arranged Miles into a recovery position in case he threw up while asleep, so it would drain out rather than block his airway. She then went back to her room and plugged in the radio.

Peter was silently sleeping in the bed. He was still beat from all that alcohol.

Christi prepared a glass of water, figuring Pete would want something to drink when he woke up, and laid it next to his side of the bed. She stripped naked and lay in the bed next to him.

Pete woke up a short time later. When he felt around in the bed one of his hand laid on Christi's breast. Almost instantly his eyes opened to see Christi. His face soon had a smile on it. He brought himself closer to Christi and hugged her.

Christi smiled. "I left you a glass of water. I thought you'd be thirsty after your drinking binge. We didn't... do anything while you were out, if that's what you were thinking."

"Do you want to do something?" Pete said with a devilish grin. He had drank all of the water and put the glass back on the table.

"I don't mind," said Christi. "If you're feeling all right."

"So are you up to it?" asked an eager Pete.

Christi smiled and lay on her back. "Sure." She pushed the blanket off her body.

Pete quickly undress. He was going to make this the best sex experience of Christi's life. Quickly he leaped onto the bed and on top of Christi.

Christi had to push her head into a pillow so she wouldn't wake Miles, Taylor or Molly. She felt great, but didn't want to wake anyone screaming. She was clearly excited, from a visual inspection of her body.

Pete got off of her. Sweat glistened on his forehead. He was breathing heavily. It was worth it though. What had just happened was amazing. That was the best sex he had experienced in his life. After calming down for a while, he suddenly grabbed Christi and brought her body right next to his. Pete could feel her boob squeeze up against his sweaty chest.

"Christi..." Pete was at a loss of words.

Christi lay there and allowed Pete to hold her. "Do you still... want to see me after I get home?"

"Actually I was wondering...if I could go with you." Pete said sheepishly. "Stay with you for a while. Let things die around here before I come back."

"Seems OK. My husband will probably question my competence, how I got myself found out, but given that he's probably been with ten times as many women as I've been with men, he won't have a problem with you being around."

"So how would you compare me to him?" asked Pete.

This was clearly very uncomfortable for Christi. "I'm not as... emotionally attached to you," she said. "So, naturally, it won't... be as good as if I were, but felt great."

Miles moved on after noticing the question bothered Christi. "So what is there to do in Kahanistan?"

"Well, we have some good beaches in the south and west, I live in one of the southern coastal cities," Christi replied. "Spend a lot of my free time on the beach. There's a big amusement park in the capital and one out west, we're trying to drum up tourism to reduce our dependence on foreign aid. Sports like baseball and gridiron aren't as popular there, but there are a few smaller stadia around the country. What is there to do in Canadstein?"

"Pretty much anything you can imagine. I just mostly ski. Actually I was planning to do some skiing this weekend, but that is kind of shot now." Pete held onto Christi. He never wanted to let go, but knew that he was going to someday. She was already married and was going to create a family one day. But until then he was just going to hold onto her. "Christi...you know I have feelings for you, right?"

Christi smiled sadly. "I know. You're just infatuated, I don't think we know each other well enough to really be in love. Maybe we can talk to Miles about going out, skiing or something... I doubt there's an agent scouting the ski slopes. It's not something we do in my new homeland, except maybe in the winter on the mountains around the capital, and I've only been to the capital a few times."

Pete just remained quiet. Did Christi see him as a way to get some sex? She was married and had a husband. Made her husband bored her and she had to find other to men to please her. Pete could not think that Christi had another man or even men. "Christi...how many men have you had sex with?"

"I'd probably say around twenty over the last five years," Christi replied. She didn't feel ashamed - when she was stationed halfway across the planet, what was she supposed to do? She did feel a little uncomfortable - it wasn't like she was using people as long as they felt good too...?

"How many of them were one night stands?" asked a curious Pete.

"About half of them," said Christi. "The other half... well, I have what we call 'friends with benefits.'"

"What do you mean by friends with benefits?" asked Pete.

Christi looked a bit surprised at being asked for clarification. "Basically... it means we stay friends, we don't commit to each other, but if we want something... we'll get together. Of course, we often end up spending time or communicating non-sexually."

Pete was slightly disgusted, but it wasn't his decision. Of course he had sex before, but not with someone like Christi. She had been around the block around of times.

Christi nodded. She could tell Pete wasn't too happy, but she was experienced and knew how to deal with various types of men. She put her clothes back on and plugged in her radio to hear about what was going on in Kahanistan.

Pete, not wanting to create an argument, got his cloths back on and went to go look for something to eat. As he passed through he noticed that Miles was passed out on the couch. In front of him were two plates and two glasses. He must have gotten drunk again. Also he noticed that Molly and Taylor were still in their room. The alcohol must have taken a number on them. Once getting to the refrigerator, Pete started to look.

She would finally find the Canadstein National Radio station, but it would be another thirty minutes before they would cover international news. For the time being they were covering a ski competition.

Christi flipped through the stations impatiently, not being the least interested in ski competitions. After half an hour of frustration, she finally got a news broadcast. General Sklenova had won the election, a massive inquiry was being conducted into how Kahanistan fought its wars, the government had made overtures toward Xirnium, and Kahanistan was now pretty much a self-governing province of Praetonia. Things hadn't turned out so bad for Petrova, either - she was now the senate president. Apparently a large segment of the population was pissed off about something called the Treaty of Haversham, and the government was getting a load of aid from Axis Nova.

"You find what you wanted?" asked Pete as he entered the room with a banana in hand.

"Yeah, some news about what's going on back home," said Christi. "I'm starting to lose patience with these people. They don't seem to have any plans to get out of here. I think if they don't make any move to get out within... three days or so, we should run for it, hitch a ride to a coast, and take a ship out of here."

"Yeah except that coast is about 1,000 miles away from here. I have a pretty rough idea where we are located. Somewhere in Northern Canadstein. This area is pretty rough. We wouldn't make twenty miles out there." said Pete in between a bite of banana. "Miles just planning something...just give him time."

"We have survival training... and Miles has had... three, four days to plan this. He'd at least be discussing such a major tactical move as sneaking us past the Agency with us, if he were serious. When we plan an exfiltration in the marines, we discuss it extensively, get input, make sure we all know what we've decided on. Ideally, I'd be able to discuss escape with him, but he doesn't seem interested in talking about it."

"Just trust me. He is planning something. We are going to get out of this country." Pete said trying to reassure Christi.

"I'll give him a few days. After that... I'm making a break for it, if he hasn't come up with some plan. I don't know that he won't surrender us to redeem his own ass for the Agency." She figured that would take a bit of planning he wouldn't discuss...

"Just to be realistic, you wouldn't make it alive anywhere. You will either freeze to death or get starve. But I do thank you for giving Miles a chance." Pete sat down beside Christi and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Christi nodded. She still didn't trust Miles completely, and would have liked to take Molly with her, but she wasn't going to take her against her will and didn't know how extensive her survival training went. She figured she'd have the basics like how to make fire, but it was unlikely she'd know how to fashion a bow and arrows, lay a deadfall trap, or stalk a caribou.

She continued to listen to the radio for news about Kahanistan.

The radio soon went back to reporting local news. It was another dull day in Canadstein. Pete turned toward Christi. "So what do you want to do?"

"Just know how the plan to get out is going."

"Well it seems like Miles is going to be out cold for a while. What did you do with him?" asked Pete.

"Asked him a little about his past. I think it's very complicated, he won't open up at all to me. Just that he joined the Agency because he was mad. He drank a lot."

"Sometimes its better to keep secret because just the mere thought of them causes pain." commented Pete.

Christi shook her head. "It'll just be bottled up in him, cause pain... until he goes insane. Maybe it's already happened. What Intel managed to get on him suggests he's crazy, but we really don't have a detailed background on him. Probably should open up to me or someone." She had no idea where this was going, and her own government had probably concluded she was captured by now.

"Miles isn't insane. He has a lot of pain bottled up. Though I heard him mutter something. Elise...or something. I don't know. Maybe someone he loved?" stated Pete.

"Probably. Well... he does need to open up to someone, for the sake of his mental health. Let's go and see if lunch is ready for us now."

"Most likely no. Last time I was in there, Miles was still passed out/sleeping." said Pete.

"True. Taylor might have cooked, or Molly. I would, but I don't know enough about the cuisine here."

"Do you want me to cook you something?"

"Maybe you could show me how to cook stuff," said Christi. "I can cook when I have to, but I don't know much about what we have here."

"Well first you have to tell me what you are in the mood for." Pete asked with a warm smile.

Christi thought for a second. "Something high in protein, low in fat and carbs... some kind of lean meat, maybe with spices. Something exotic. I want to watch my figure." She smiled. "Keep the muscle, dump the fat."

"Well I really don't know how to cook anything 'exotic'. But I think I can make something up." stated Pete.

Christi shrugged. "Meh. Whatever's available." She went out of the room, leaving the door open, and headed for the kitchen.

Pete quickly followed behind her.

Christi opened the cupboards and fridge, looking for food. She had no clue what the Canadsteiners had, and half expected them to be running low - they probably only had enough for Miles, Taylor and Molly and had not expected to add two others to their contingent. She estimated that in a day or two they'd have to get food, if not before. Sure, they could hunt bear or deer, but carrying a bear carcass is pretty difficult with five people, let alone three, and one couldn't live on meat alone for any length of time without either getting fat or suffering health problems.

"So what did you find?" asked Pete once he entered the kitchen.

"Not much," said Christi, digging out a box of cold cereal and a hunk of leftover venison.

"I guess I can cook up something with the vension." Pete stated as he looked from some pots and pans.

Christi nodded, pulled out a huge pot and managed to dig out some weird spices from some hidden nooks and crannies in the top shelf.

Putting some spices on the venison, then he placed it in one of the pans. "I hope this turns out somewhat edible."

"Me, too," said Christi. "Else, someone's going to have to go out and get some food. Hopefully I can make a break for it in whatever town they get their food in..."

Once the venison was done cooking, Pete put it on a plate. "Good ahead and try it."

"This is good," said Christi. "I think there's enough for both of us. May have a little more spice than you like."

"I'm fine. Not that hungry." Pete said with a warm smile.

Christi shrugged and said grace, then dug in. It was all right, if a little leftover-ish. "When Miles and company go into town to get more food, I'll head out of here, find a way out of the country."

"Christi...just trust Miles. He is going to get us out." Pete said.

Christi nodded and put the plate away in record time; she was famished. "All right, but only for a few days."

Suddenly Pete heard something near the front door. It sounded a lot like a car stopping. This was further made true by the sound of doors opening and closing. As Pete approached the door he could hear the crunch of the snow. Looking around for a weapon he grabbed Miles' Kar98. Turning back around to Christi, he motioned to Miles. Then he turned back to the door.

Christi pulled her M1917 out of her pocket and rushed to the door as stealthily as possible, pointing the weapon directly at the door to bust caps in whoever was coming up on them if they opened it.

A canister was shot through the window and started to release gas. Things were getting worse by the moment. Obliviously the Agency had found them. Pete eyes started to burn and he started violently cough.

Christi plugged her nose and grabbed a cushion from the couch to smother the canister and absorb as much of the gas as possible before it could permeate the cabin. She kept her weapon trained on the door, breathing as well as she could through a throw pillow she'd grabbed.

"Do we have better weapons than these?" she asked. "They will have fully automatic weapons and sniper rifles."

Outside shots could be heard. They were from a shotgun, but they just hit the door. What were they doing? On closer inspection a person could see the door's hinges were blown. A moment of calm came, but it was soon shattered by the door being kicked in. Swiftly four men came charging into the cabin. One had a shotgun, while the rest of them carried MP5s. The man with the shotgun smack Pete across the face with the gun stock. Pete fell limp to the floor. He had massive gash across his face. The other men pointed their submachine guns at Christi.

"Put it down or you will become a pus ball." One of them said.

Christi wasn't going to be taken in and tortured to death. She crouched behind one of the chairs and fired at the first man in, not waiting to see if he'd gone down. Now was Miles' chance to show where his loyalties really lay...

The men with the SMG's were the greater threats. The shotgun, if fired from more than pointblank range, would do little damage and stood a minimal chance of seriously harming a vital organ. The SMG's, on the other hand, could fire several rounds in one second - even if Christi had been built like a troll rather than a fitness model, she would stand little chance against them without leveling the playing field in her favour somehow...

"You better not trying anything lady. Now put down the revolver or he gets it." The man with the shotgun said with a muffled voice, which was caused by their gas masks. His barrel was pointed directly into Pete's head. There was no chance that Pete would live, if the man fired his gun.

The other agents had their guns trained on Christi.Three red dots could be seen on her forehead. The man, who Christi had shot, was still standing. They had bulletproof vests on. That weak revolver wasn't going to do anything.

"Do I save his life so he can be tortured to death by the Agency?" asked Christi. She may have seemed cold to Pete, but she had seen what the Doomani were capable of. While she did not see the Canadsteiners in the same league, she did see the Agency as a threat equal to that posed by Manus Dei - and equally ruthless.

"Pater noster, qui es in caelis..." She ducked behind the chair again, firing in the general direction of the man holding Pete hostage, hoping to score a head shot. If she could save him, not only would it be worth it to risk her own life, but maybe he could save hers. After all, they wouldn't expect her to continue to resist - then again, they had never dealt with a Kahanistanian Marine before.

The bullet hit his chest. He moved back a little bit, but he regained his footing. Pulling out a handgun, the shotgun man shot Pete in the leg. They were not kidding around.

"Drop the revolver or the next shot will be in his head." the shotgun man yelled.

Christi didn't trust them not to shoot him anyway, or her. She eyed the agents calmly, then in one quick motion fired on the man closest to her, and at the same time rushed the man with the shotgun. Caught off guard, he may not have had time to pull the trigger before his grip was loosened and the odds stacked more in their favour. She wondered where the hell Miles, Taylor and Molly had gone - had they betrayed her?

One of the men aimed his MP5 at his legs and fired. It was pretty oblivious that they wanted Christi alive.

Meanwhile the man, who had been shot, got up from the ground. The force had knocked him to the ground and he did not appreciate that. He was going to get some pay back. A main characteristic of Agents was their sadistic nature. They loved pain.

The rounds tore through Christi's legs, shattering her left kneecap and right shin bone. She wouldn't be able to walk again without joint and bone replacements. Christi continued to fire, aiming for the heads like in the zombie arcade games she'd played as a teenager. She was not going to be taken alive - whether that meant she would kill them or she would be killed was up in the air.

---

Molly turned to Taylor, hearing the noise and commotion. She was, of course, a Canadsteiner soldier, and Christi had come to take her away from that. But she seemed like a nice enough woman, and she certainly didn't deserve to be taken away by the Agency. She pulled a shotgun from under the bed.

"Shouldn't we help them?"

Suddenly the shotgun man left Pete and hit Christi square in the back of her head. Surely this move would knock her out for the time being. Another agent quickly ran up to her and pointed his MP4 at her head, in case she wasn't unconscious.

---

Meanwhile another agent slammed the door into Taylor and Molly's room. His MP5 quickly scanned the room, then took aim at Molly. A red dot appeared on her forehead.

"Put the gun down and get up against the wall. NOW!" the Agent screamed behind his gas mask.

Taylor knew that they had no other choice. He took the shotgun from Molly's hand it put it down on the ground. He wasn't going to allow Molly to get herself killed. Leaning toward her he started to whisper into her ear.

"Just listen to them..." Taylor whispered, before putting his arms up and getting up against a wall.

Christi was stunned, though still conscious and breathing heavily. She did not feel pain with her dulled senses, and barely noticed the weapon trained on her.

---

Molly gripped the weapon, but she was a fairly small girl. Taylor could easily disarm her regardless of how hard she held on, and holding on too hard could cause the weapon to discharge and kill one of them. Even if Christi was from an enemy government, she was basically a decent person. Molly didn't want her to be killed or injured. She looked dejectedly at Taylor.

Taylor saw the look on Molly's face and quickly became sad. But he knew it was for the best. If they hadn't given up, then one of them would be dead and Taylor knew that he couldn't live without Molly. Molly was honestly the love of his life. Life without her wouldn't be a life at all. Getting up against the wall, Taylor then put his hands behind his head.

"You too..." The agent said as he pointed his MP5 at Molly, though he inched forward to get the shotgun.

---

One of the agents walked up to Christi. He retrieved the revolver and threw it at another agent. It was caught and put away. The agent turned back to Christi and put his MP5 down. Though a syringe quickly replaced his empty hand. He jabbed Christi and injected a liquid into Christi.

"You are shortly going to feel a burst of energy. The pain will go away too. No need to worry. All I put in your system is some adrenaline. Mostly so I can tend to your weapons." The masked man stated. He took of his gas mask to reveal a handsome brown hair man. His green eyes twinkled underneath the light. As the syringe disappeared, his hands returned with a pair of handcuffs. He put them on Christi, then leaned her up against the nearby couch. "Name's Scott Lang."

The other two agents put of their masks. The shotgun man tended to Pete, who was unconscious. Meanwhile the other man scanned the area. Miles was nowhere to be seen.

Molly complied - she didn't want anything to happen to Christi, but wasn't as well trained as she was and was less inclined to risk her friend's life. She stood up against the wall.

---

The adrenaline and pure rage shot through Christi's body, still numbing her to the pain of having her legs blown off. She gripped the hand of the agent with the cuffs and twisted as hard as she could in her weakened condition. She couldn't move with her legs in this condition, but was still going to try to make the agent either kill her or die trying.

The agent pointed toward the door. It was oblivious that he wanted Taylor and Molly to join the others.

---

"Please...calm down. If you don't then your wounds will not be tended." Scott stated with a concerned look.

Molly stood next to Taylor and followed his lead.

---

Christi didn't care. She would rather die than be tortured to death by the Agency. However, she blacked out after administering another vicious twist to the man's hand from loss of blood.

Molly and Taylor were lead into the main living room and forced to sit down in a chair. Of course the chairs were positioned apart, so no talking could really occur without an agent knowing. Pete had been handcuffed to one of the chairs, after his wound had been tended.

Meanwhile Scott was hard at work with Christi. She had passed out from the blood loss, but she would live. Once her wound was tended, she was put down on a couch. Scott patiently waited near her, until she woke up. Two of the agents were interrogating Taylor and Pete, once he woke up. Molly and Christi were going to be next. While the last agent searched the area around the cabin. It seemed like Miles had just disappeared.

After an hour, Christi woke. She was 99% certain these men were members of the Agency - the other possibility was that they were criminals looking for a hideout who had stumbled upon them, but ordinary thugs wouldn't be interested in taking them alive...

Operating on the assumption they were from the Agency, Christi made eye contact with Scott.

"What do you want with us?"

"We are not going to hurt you. Just tell us where Miles is located." Scott said with a concerned look. The look was actually genuine and not fake. For some odd reason Scott had actually been worried about Christi.

That's a bald faced lie. They want to kill him, then they'll kill me for knowing the truth. She was certain he was around, and wasn't sure he hadn't betrayed her. However, she wasn't going to take a chance on him being innocent and getting him killed.

"No clue," she said.

"Why are you within our country, Mrs. McDaniels?" asked Scott.

"Major," said Christi. She hadn't spent six years in the Republic Marines and another eight in the Academy before that to be called Mrs.

Figuring the Agency did not have her interests at heart and wanting to protect Molly, she couldn't very well tell them her assignment - they might kill Molly if she had access to Canadsteiner secrets. Christi could, however, tell them her name, rank and serial number.

"Sorry about that...Major McDaniels. I should have known that. I have read your personal file at least fifteen times." Scott, then sighed. His hand disappeared and soon came back with a file. He laid it down in front of Christi. "See...pretty much everything that we have gathered. We have been watching you since you got of your plane...plus we have a good idea why you are here. So there really is no point in not telling us."

Scott paused for a minutes and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. Then he grabbed Christi's chin and looked into her eyes. There was something different about Scott Lang. He wasn't like any of the other agents. "Major McDaniels...why did your government choose you?"

Christi knew that interrogators tended to feed people a whole line of crap to get them to cooperate. She was completely indistinguishable from millions of other Kahanistanian women, and had nothing to attract Agency attention. True, she was better looking than a lot of other women, but there had to be plenty of Canadsteiner women who could compete with her on that front.

As for being watched since she got off the plane, that had to be a complete crock. Even Kaselev didn't know the details of what she'd be doing, just that she'd be hanging out in popular spots until she stumbled across Molly. He would know nothing about the attack in the subway, or Pete, or the cabin, though he figured Christi had been grabbed when she sent a broken message to Military Intelligence on her cell. For all he knew, his theory that Molly was experiencing Stockholm Syndrome was confirmed.

She would have, of course, liked to know more about how the Agency knew so much about her, but asking outright would mean admitting she was with Military Intelligence. This may have been what the Agency wanted... but they would have to be psychic to know so much about her.

Christi stared ahead. If the Agency already knew her mission, God forbid, she didn't have anything useful to give them and they would kill her. If they didn't, they would kill her as soon as they got what they wanted from her. She certainly wasn't going to make things easier for them.

"Major McDaniels...we know that you are in the Military Intelligence." Scott said.

Christi shook her head. "No." While intelligence agencies often had a policy of neither confirming nor denying operations, an innocent person would say outright that she wasn't in Intel. She'd given her rank, so they already knew she was military, but that alone meant nothing. Lots of soldiers vacationed abroad off duty, and officers were no exception. Not all people in Kahanistan thought Canadsteiners were scum.

Of course, she wasn't used to bald-faced lies. She tended to hide her background in half-truths rather than try to create lies out of whole cloth. Christi couldn't think of much to say that would hide her background in this case, so she said nothing more.

"Look at the file. You might find it very familiar. Actually its the file from Kahanistan. One of our men found it for us." Scott pushed the file toward Christi. If Christi looked within the file, she would find all of her information, but it was absolutely correct.

The file would not have any of the classified information about her, but it did say that she was a member of the military. Instead, it listed her military occupation simply as special forces, rather than say outright she was in intel. There was no sense in putting classified information in a non-classified document such as a basic personnel file.

"You have nothing on me," said Christi calmly. She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but if there was an intel leak, it wasn't at her base as even the one who had sent her had outlined only a basic objective and left the details up to her.

"We know everything. Your base security is laughable. I mean I could just wander in and no one would even bother to stop me." Scott stated.

"The classified information in the bases is put in secure vaults, protected by alarms, soldiers, what have you. They're also quite a ways under ground. You don't know anything."

"So that makes us further believe that you are in fact Military Intelligence. I guess its time to put the pressure on Pete. We know that he has been screwing you. He should know something." Scott put duct tape over Christi's mouth, then turned her straight into the couch. Until they found some use for her, she would stay like that.

"You are not torturing Pete..." Christi struggled, briefly forgetting her legs were not in a condition to stand her up. The Agency did not know about her having an affair, either - it had been done in the cabin and nobody had breathed a word, unless Pete was collaborating... No way. They would have just taken him out of there, not shot him.

She hawked a big glob of spit right in the agent's face right before the duct tape went over her mouth.

Scott looked down at Christi, as he wiped away the spit. He wasn't going to hit her. There was no point. Plus it was against his ethics to hit a woman. Scott nodded his head to two of the agents. They dragged Pete outside, who was still somewhat unconscious. As they came outside Christi could hear Pete scream. It was pretty oblivious what they were going to do. One of the men cocked his gun, then a shot was fired. One of the agents returned inside and simply shook his head. The job had been done.

Scott returned to Christi. "So are you going to speak up or is Molly going to be next?"

Christi figured Pete had already been killed. There was nothing more she could do. It also suggested to her what was in store for her when the Agency no longer found her useful.

On the other hand, her mission was to protect Molly, to repatriate her to Kahanistan. "I wanted to undo the brainwashing you put on her," said Christi tearfully. "That's why they sent someone with psychology training. It is... beyond my ability."

"You are going to have to undo that yourself. Molly right now is fully Canadsteiner. The process is pretty much complete. Now I will let her go with you, along with the soldier boy over that." Scott stated elegantly. "But you have to answer so questions first. If you don't within the next ten minutes, then Molly will have a hole in her pretty little head. Do you understand?"

Taylor looked over to Molly with frightful eyes. He was going to allow her to die. His eyes started to produce tears. Raging was building up in him.

Christi didn't trust the agent, but she had no real choice. She was in no condition to fight any more.

"What are your questions?" she asked. "You already asked where Mason is. He must have fled before you arrived, without telling us, if you haven't found him. I thought he had betrayed us until you asked."

"Why are you here?" asked Scott.

"I told you. I was here to de-program Molly. Since I cannot do that on my own, my backup orders were to take her back to Kahanistan to have more experienced people take care of her."

"Who sent you?" Scott said. Every word that came out of his mouth was refined and pure. Very different. Scott was different from the average agent.

"General Kaselev," said Christi. She knew that the General took great pains to secure himself ever since General Malakov had been grabbed, and he had made himself an enemy of the Agency by coming openly to Canadstein to meet with the President, getting one of their bases searched, and getting the Agency cracked down on. She didn't feel she was betraying him - he was one of the few people highly placed enough to be allowed to authorise foreign incursions as well as likely the Agency's prime suspect already, so it would easily narrow down to him soon enough anyway. Besides, he wouldn't forgive her anyway if she got Molly killed.

"Why is Molly so important to your country?" asked Scott.

"She's one of our citizens," said Christi matter-of-factly. "We aren't about to let the Agency have her and turn her into one of yours."

"Though, isn't just living a better life?" asked Scott again.

"Not better. Just different, especially now that we've elected a new leader who will keep us out of wars. Besides, you have no right to take our people, or kill them, and certainly not your own people."

"You have no idea who were are, do you?" asked Scott, as he checked her wounds. He pulled out syringe and pricked her. The liquid inside was morphine. Scott needed to loosen her up, so her touch would be loose.

"I assumed you were with the Agency," said Christi. She twisted her arm at the last second to get the needle into a muscle, where it would take longer to spread, even though her training had included harsh berating under the influence of various drugs. Unlike Nadia, who had minimal training in special forces resistance skills, Christi was trained from the ground up as a special forces soldier.

All Scott did was laugh. Christi had honestly no idea.

"Well, then you're mercenaries working for the Agency," said Christi, interpreting Scott's laughter as a denial. "I can't... say that makes me feel any better. Somehow I doubt you're soldiers from Kahanistan." Kaselev would never allow his soldiers to murder a civilian, or shoot one of his own soldiers, with the possible exception of the soldier turning out to be a Canadsteiner spy, and even then, he'd likely opt for a court martial.

"Mercenaries? You are not even close." Scott grabbed Christi's chin and brought his lips within a millimeter of hers. It seemed like he was about to kiss her, but that was not the case. Scott just stared directly at her.

Christi wasn't physically in the condition to resist. She thought Scott was going to kiss or fondle her, possibly even rape her. She knew that women captives often were raped by groups of male soldiers, and with her legs maimed, she wouldn't be able to keep them closed very well if attacked.

If he's not with the Agency, and not working for them... maybe the government is doing something finally? Christi shook her head. The government wouldn't just murder an innocent man to extract information. But would they cut deals with criminals to hunt down Mason?

"We are here to help you. You might want to know that Pete was an Agent. He was going to turn you in soon. If we hadn't caught on, then he would have turned you over." Scott's lips brushed Christi's lips. "Forgot to add that I am a Captain. Part of the Main Intelligence Directorate or MID. We are the intelligence service of the military. You could say that we are rivals of the Canadstein Intelligence Agency. Only difference is that the President has power over us. So we try to be lawful."

"My God, I slept with him," said Christi. "Mason wanted to leave the Agency, but they want to kill him, they see him as a traitor. He voiced his displeasure with their tactics. I don't know if I can trust him, the agents I've seen are all sociopaths." She still didn't want to believe Pete was an agent.

"You tried to help me by blowing my legs off. I hope you'll understand if I don't entirely trust you. The Agency is a threat to our nation's interests, but we have to know what the government's view of them is."

"Well I can see why he slept with you, but it was probably not his real emotions. He was just using you against Miles. Maybe he thought that you would kill Miles. But none of that matters. Pete is no longer a problem." Scott stated as he stood back up. "Sorry about shooting you up. We knew that you wouldn't believe us. So we had to take you down first, hopefully without killing you. That is why I tended your weapons."

Scott coughed for a second, then resumed the conservation. "First you have to understand that a rivalry exists between the MID and CIA. We both strive to gain intelligence, but how gain that intelligence separates, also who we take orders from. The CIA takes orders from only the Director. We take directors from the President. We are not as reckless and have to abide by the law. The Agency doesn't. President Harper is planning to use us to fight the Agency. He wants it utterly destroyed."

Outside a gunshot was fired. Scott quickly turned around with a concerned look. One of his agents got up to check up what was happening outside. Shots were fired through the window. The same agent frantically came back inside.

"Roger is dead." He reported to Scott.

Scott picked up his MP5.

"They'll probably gun for me, too," said Christi. "I'd rather not be left here alone and unarmed. I'd rather be able to blast one of the agents if they come in..." Roger's MP5 would be good, but her M1917 or Pete's Kar98K would suffice...

"That is a no, Major Christi. I have strict orders not to give you a weapon. So for now you will remain handcuffed." Scott picked up his MP5 and gave a hand signal to the remaining three men

Each man aimed their weapon out a weapon. They had no idea who or how many they were going up against. Suddenly the side of the cabin erupted into gunfire. It must have been from Roger's MP5. As Scott looked out the window he saw nobody. Though he did notice a trail of blood in the snow. It went straight into the woods. Shaking his head, he regained his focus.

A window opened from one of the bedrooms, then it silently closed. Christi would be the only one to hear this. The floor creaked as someone moved toward the bedroom door, which lead to the living room.

Christi rolled onto the floor face down. She wanted to give whoever was coming in the impression she was dead, that she had bled to death from her injuries.

In her normal condition, she would be able to flip the cuffs in front of her, and hold a handgun relatively unencumbered, though firing a rifle was out of the question. With her legs disabled, however, even flipping the cuffs would be extremely difficult, if possible at all, take too long, and be extremely painful.

Suddenly a gas canister was shot and crashed through a window. Once it hit the ground it started to spin all over the place. Gas started to quickly fill the room. The bedroom slammed open and shots were fired. A gun battle ensued. Groans could be heard along with some yelling. Then there was silence.

The front door opened and gun knocked to the ground. A man limped over to Christi, he rolled over. It was no other than Pete. He was bleeding from his chest and slightly pale, but some how still alive. Pete said nothing and placed Christi back on the couch. Miles was near the entrance with a wounded Scott. He smacked Scott straight across the face with his pistol. It seemed like Miles hadn't abandoned them after all. He was just waiting for the right opportunity. Miles soon found the keys for the handcuffs and threw them at Pete. Pete unlocked the handcuffs on them.

Miles grabbed Scott by his hair, then threw him into the couch. He put his gun into Scott's temple. Then he looked over to Christi. "What do you want me to do with this piece of scum?"

"Take him with us," said Christi. "We don't need any more killing. Besides, we'll need his vehicle to get us to a hospital." She placed her hands over her mangled knees. "And I'll need a stretcher to get me out of here, or be dragged out." She didn't know who to believe any more, and wasn't about to have anyone killed.

"This place isn't safe. We have to get out of here, no matter what."

"Christi...you have no idea. This guy is a flat out liar. He is an agent. Everything he told you is a lie. Mr. Lang tried to deceive you and put into a false sense of security. Once they Miles had be found and taken care of, then they would have killed you. They only saw you as a tool." Miles said as he still pointed the gun at Scott. He had seen Scott before at HQ. Scott was a pretty boy gentlemen, who used his good looks for his own sick deeds. Scott used people, then got rid of them once they no longer served a purpose. Miles could see that Scott was going to do the same thing. Well at least Miles had stopped that.

Pausing for a moment Miles caught his breath, then he clocked Scott in the back of the head. He was out cold. Getting a pair of handcuffs, he put them on Scott. "No time for any of that...we need to get out of this country now. More agents are going to be on the way."

Miles did not wait for a reply and shuffled off to make a few phone calls.Taylor and Molly went off to their bedroom to prepare for the journey.

Pete looked extremely pale. He had obliviously lost a lot of blood from his wound to the gut. Painfully he placed himself on the couch next to Christi and had explained what happened. Pete had been shot, but left to bleed to death. Luckily Miles had found him, who had escaped when Agents had attacked the cabin. The pair waited until one of the agents came outside, then shot him up. Pete had retrieved the fallen agent's MP5, then provided a distraction, while Miles sneaked in.

Pete was just glad that Christi was alright. Slowly he leaned to her and kissed her. Then Pete slumped over onto Christi's lap. Too much blood had been lost. A crude patch had been made from a t-shirt, but that was about it.

Christi didn't know what to believe now. Was Pete an agent? Was there even a M.I.D.? She'd read a little on Canadsteiner agencies, but somehow that had eluded her.

She checked Pete to see if he was still breathing. He'd clearly lost a lot of blood, and would probably die if he couldn't get to a hospital.

"He'll need a transfusion... is he an agent?" If he were, there was a chance that his blood type might be on file. If bad came to worse, he could always receive O-negative blood, the "universal donor." But O-negative blood tended to be in short supply for just that reason...

Miles walked in just as Christi asked if Pete was an agent. "You better get ready to go. We are leaving in ten minutes. I found a way out of this country and back to Kahanistan. As for Pete being an agent, that is laughable. There is only one alive agent here, Scott. Scott was just trying to trick you."

Walking over to Pete, Miles checked the wound. It was only getting worse. They needed to stop the bleeding or Pete would surely die. "Christi do you know how to stop the bleeding because right now we don't have a lot of time for a blood transfusion. Pete is just going to have to wait until we get to Kahanistan for that kind of treatment."

"I can stop the bleeding, but he's very pale. I'll need you to hold his legs and his ass up to let more blood to his brain and heart." Ignoring her own injuries, Christi pulled her shirt over her head and stuffed it over Pete's most prominent wounds.

"I'll monitor his breathing and heart. I don't think he'll last too long, unless we have a supersonic jet or something to take us to Kahanistan." She positioned herself so her weight rested on her right hip and hand, rather than on her maimed legs.

"I was asking because I thought the Agency might have his blood type on file if he were really an agent. I'm a type B-negative, so unless he's a B or AB, I can't transfuse him directly. In the meantime, we'll want to keep him warm, so do we have a blanket we can put on him?"

Miles grabbed a nearby blanket and threw it Christi. Then he looked at his watch. "Just get ready to go. We are leaving in three minutes."

Christi bundled Pete up in the blanket, making sure he was warm and his head and feet were mostly covered. "I can't walk. You can probably drag me, or carry me, and Taylor and Molly can take Pete."

Miles didn't seem to hear Christi, but started to gather supplies. Within a minute had made a crude stretcher. Calling Taylor over, the pair brought it right to Christi, so she could put Pete on it. Miles talked with Taylor for a few seconds, then walked over to Scott. Looking him over, Miles then found what he was looking for. He grabbed Scott, then went outside.

Their new car was going to be the SUV. It was apparent that everyone couldn't fit inside. Putting Scott in one of the back seats, Miles returned to the house. Molly and Taylor were going to take care of Pete. So that left Christi with Miles. He was going to give her a piggyback ride to the SUV. Pete was positioned in the trunk along with Christi, so she could monitor Pete. The rest of the group soon got in the SUV, and were off.

Miles looked to the back to Christi, once he got onto a main road. "I guess you really care about Pete."

Christi shrugged. "He was shot because I wouldn't give information to the Agency," she said. "I won't let him die because of me." The morphine and adrenaline she had been injected with were beginning to wear off.

"Do you have... anything for the pain? The drugs they gave me are starting to wear off."

"Well check Scott, since he was the one giving it too you." piped up Taylor.

Christi checked and found a needle. This would have to last her until they got to Kahanistan and she could be treated for her injuries. She injected only a small amount of the morphine into her stomach, above where her aorta fed into the major blood vessels to her legs. If Pete regained consciousness, he, too, might need something for the pain he would be in.

"The Agency will probably look for me at home. If we go to the military hospital in New Masada, we'd be safer. They'll treat Pete, too, since it's an emergency. Plus, there are guards all over the place. People try to steal drugs from there all the time to sell on the black market." Of course, the same would be true of civilian hospitals, but the civilians would be more likely to cooperate with an Agent pointing a gun at their heads than a military guard.

"We should be more worried about getting out of this country first." commented Miles.

Christi nodded. "Speaking of, where's the plane we're going to take out?" she asked. "And how'd you get it?"

"Private airstrip. About an hour drive from here. As for finding it, I called an old friend." Miles said as he concentrated on driving.

Christi nodded. She had a bad feeling about this... after all, if Miles had an old friend, he'd have called him or her five days ago, before this mess had nearly gotten them all killed. Probably another safe house, she thought cynically.

This time, though, she was in an even weaker position than she'd been in when she was taken up north. She couldn't walk, and her friend was near dead - if his heart gave out on him, he'd be fucked, and not in the good way Christi had done. All she could do was go along.

Christi's thoughts of distrust against Miles were about to be dispelled. After driving for a hour Miles turned onto a small road. This lead directly to a small airfield. It was completely surrounded by the pine forest. No one would have known it existed, unless they came back here. A small jet was already on the tarmac waiting for them. Miles turned straight on the tarmac and stopped right next to the jet.

It was time to finally leave his homeland. Miles opened up the trunk. Taylor and Molly quickly picked up the stretcher and got onto the plane. Giving a piggyback ride to Christi, Miles got her on the planet too. Quickly he set her down, next to Pete, then got into the cockpit. Within minutes the plane had taken off and was head straight for Kahanistan. Miles was ready for what laid ahead.

Christi held Pete against her as the plane took off. Knowing that in his weakened condition he might not be able to stand up to the altitude change, she watched his vitals more closely than she had been in the SUV.

She just hoped they made it home without being blasted out of the sky by the Agency or some jittery Air Force officer... on either side.

Once getting out of Canadstein's airspace, they were home free. They had finally escaped the grip of the Agency. But now Miles had to face an almost equal threat, the Kahanistan. He wasn't going to run away anymore.

OOC: Okay this is pretty much the end of this thread. So do you want to continue the story in another thread?

[OOC: I was thinking of continuing in this thread, no sense in starting up a whole new one...]

Given that the Agency had come to Kahanistan before, Christi was apprehensive about returning home to her husband in Jugo Beach, southern Kahanistan. New Masada, the capital, was in her view a safer place.

While the Agency could easily come there, too, there was a larger military presence in the capital, as well as a high-grade military hospital where she (and Pete, in an emergency) could be treated for their wounds.

---

A Kahanistanian Air Force Su-30MKI approached the plane. "Unidentified aircraft, you are entering the airspace of the Free Republic of Kahanistan. State your destination."

Miles quickly opened the cockpit door and pointed toward Christi. He wanted her to come up. Taylor got the message and picked up Christi. Entering the cockpit, Taylor then placed her in the co-pilot seat. Miles explained the situation and thought it would be better if Christi talked it over.

Christi didn't want to let them know she had Miles - this was going to be hairy.

"This is Major Christi McDaniels, Kahanistan Marines. We're heading for the military airport in New Masada."

"Major? We thought you were missing in action... never mind that. We'll escort you."

The Su-30MKI assumed a position behind the aircraft and fed coordinates to the plane for it to land at.

Miles followed the coordinates perfectly and landed the plane. Fear started to build up within Miles. What laid ahead for him? He could only see a jail cell, where he was going to live out the rest of his life. At least he would have some peace within his heart. Taylor and Molly picked up Pete's stretcher. Miles opened the door and the light poured into the small plane's cabin. He took in a deep breath, then went back inside to get Christi. As he walked down, with Christi on his back, the steps of the plane he had to ask.

"What will happen to me?"

"It depends on what you're willing to do," said Christi. "I'll help you, but there's nothing I can do if you aren't willing to cooperate. If you're afraid, you can hide in the plane, let Molly drag me out."

A soldier approached. He didn't recognise Miles at first, but then again, he was focusing more on Christi. She looked like she'd been through hell and back.

"Well Christi...its time to face my destiny. No more running away." Miles stated as he continued down the steps. A lump was forming in his throat. Part of him wanted to run away, the other wanted to go through with it.

"Soldier we need immediate medical evacuation for Major McDaniels and Pete over there." He called to the soldier.

Christi nodded. The soldier took her down from Miles, and another soldier went in to retrieve Pete to take him to the hospital.

"So, who's everyone else?" asked an officer casually.

Miles called to one of the soldiers. "You might want to arrest the man inside the plane. He tried to kill us, but luckily we took him down."

Then he turned his attention to the officer. Hearing the question, he soon turned to the young couple. He spoke aloud with confidence. "Well that woman is Molly Hargan and the guy next to her, and her boyfriend, is Taylor Hall. The guy on the stretcher is Pete Amherst. The injured woman is Christi McDaniels. The third guy, who is still within the plane, is Scott Lang. Finally I am Miles Mason."

Taylor was holding on to Molly. He never wanted to let go, but knew that he had to. Soon enough Molly was going to find out that everything was a lie. Her memories, identity, friends, family, it was all a lie. Their relationship was going to be over. Taylor thought that Molly would be repulsed by him. So he had to enjoy the lie for now.

"Well, Mr. Mason, given the Major's and Mr. Amherst's injuries, it's pretty credible that someone tried to kill them," said the lieutenant as Christi nodded to him. "I'm Lieutenant Harold Goldsmith, these are Sergeants Harry Ashe and Mark Brown. You wouldn't happen to be the same Miles Mason who grabbed the President a few months ago, would you?" He didn't seem to believe that Miles would openly reveal his identity.

"Yup, it's him, all right," said Ashe, still holding Christi. Brown took the stretcher to drag Pete to the hospital. The lieutenant looked nervously at Mason, then pulled a radio. "This is Goldsmith, we need a security team at runway C..."

"I guess you caught me red handed." Miles said with a smirk on his face. "Still there are other pressing matters. Like Mr. Lang. He shot one of your officers."

Goldsmith nodded. "We'll take care of him, too." He pulled his pistol. "We'll take care of you, too. General Kaselev will want to talk to you." The security team was five minutes away.

"Put the gun down." Miles looked at Goldsmith with a blank stare, but a hint of coldness. Things suddenly got tense. There was no knowing what exactly Miles was going to do.

"Put your hands behind your back," said the lieutenant calmly. "Turn around and face the plane, and you will not be harmed." He wanted so badly to execute Mason right there, but he was afraid he'd get in some trouble with his own side. They'd want him to have a fair trial and send him to rot in a cell for the rest of his life.

Miles shook his head. So stuck up lieutenant was going to capture Miles. This was pathetic. Turning around and putting his hands on his head, Miles complied with the order.

The officer slipped a pair of handcuffs on Miles, and began to cuff him as the security arrived.

"There's another guy in the plane, too. Tried to kill two people here, but we've got them in the hospital."

---

Christi and Pete were taken to adjacent beds, separated only by a curtain as doctors sought to extract the bullet from Pete's gut, and attach a colostomy bag to his injured stomach. Christi was placed under general anaesthetic to allow doctors to replace her knees with titanium joints. Her leg bones would take about a month to heal to the point where she could comfortably walk again.

Miles gave no resistance. He was finally on the path to redemption. Meanwhile Taylor stood off to the side with Molly.

"What about us Lieutenant Goldsmith?"

"Well, Mr. Hall, we don't really have anything on you," said Lieutenant Goldsmith as the security team looked in the plane. They came out in a minute dragging Scott. "Ms. Hargan... well, let's say we're glad to have her back."

Molly shook her head and looked at Taylor. "Why is their government so insistent I'm one of them?" she asked.

"Because you are.." Taylor told Molly. Then he Molly everything. It was the right thing to do. She needed to know the truth because he loved her. Once he was done, he turned to Lieutenant Goldsmith, not giving her a chance to talk. "Lieutenant, I think it is best you look after Molly. She has been brainwashed. She doesn't remember every being a Kahanistan. Molly honestly thinks that she is a Canadsteiner. Can you get me a ride out of this airfield"

Miles saw them pull Scott out. He was still unconscious. That little bastard deserved it. "So what are you going to do with us?"

"You and Scott are going to be interrogated," said Goldsmith. "We'll try to restore Ms. Hargan's memories."

Molly looked completely stunned. "So... Christi was... telling the truth? She wasn't sent out there to... ruin my life?"

The security cuffed and shackled Scott, and continued to drag him across the runway toward the base. Miles, still conscious, was simply walked.

The lieutenant spent a few minutes talking on his radio. "Get me the President, and General Kaselev. ASAP."

An MP walked up to Taylor. "Sure, we can give you a ride. Anywhere you're planning to go?"

Taylor turned back to Molly, with tears rolling down his cheeks. "No...it was all a lie, except for my love for you Molly..."

Swiftly he turned away, not wanting to look at Molly, because he was too ashamed.

Molly was still in shock. She stood motionless next to Taylor. The MP next to him nodded.

"At least something that comes from a Canadsteiner is the truth," he said cynically. He knew that Molly had been captured in action and was MIA, or at least strongly suspected as such, from his connections with the intelligence personnel. It wasn't out of the question for him to believe Taylor was telling the truth - he would not be the first jailer to fall in love with a prisoner, and he would not be the last. His tears certainly seemed genuine.

"Ms. Hargan, I know a wonderful civilian psychologist. We'll get your memories back no matter what it takes," said the MP.

Molly nodded. "If it's true... I'd like to know who I really am. If my parents are still alive, what family I have, what I did here."

Taylor was ready to beat the crap out of the MP, but restrained himself. It would be pointless. He would have just furthered thrown more wood into the fire. Wiping the tears from his face, Taylor calmed himself down. Molly was the only one for him. If he couldn't have her, and her love, then there was no point in loving. He turned back around to face her.

"I can understand if you never want to see me again."

Molly shook her head. It would take her some time to make that decision. She'd invested a lot emotionally in her relationship, and as she'd told Christi, she planned to get married.

"I don't know. It's... really sudden," she said. "I suppose I should find somewhere to stay. Would you or those agents know what I did before coming to Canadstein? Christi just said I was military, but... somehow I don't think I was in the Air Force." This was clearly an Air Force base - there was a large runway, the Su-30MKI that had escorted the plane was right down the runway, and several others flew overhead.

She'd have to ask Christi that later if she couldn't get an answer here. Christi was probably in surgery, though - those wounds to her legs looked nasty.

"I wouldn't know nor the agents. They probably a file here." responded Taylor.

The MP nodded. "I can help. Haven't introduced myself. First Lieutenant Godfrey Green," he said. "We could pull something up on my computer. Mr. Hall, if you want and she doesn't have any objection, you can come."

Molly nodded. "Thanks. You can come," she said calmly. She seemed eerily calm, but inside she was dreading what was in there. She'd been conditioned to hate the government.

Taylor just looked at Molly with a concerned look. Nothing good was going to come out of this.

Lt. Green nodded. "Will you come?" he asked Taylor. "Else, I'll just have someone watch you until Molly's finished. You can never be too careful."

He took Molly by the hand. "Let's see your personnel file."

"I guess, but only for Molly's sake." Taylor stated.

"OK." The MP led Molly and Taylor to his office, a tiny room with little more than a desk, a computer, and a small filing cabinet. As there were no chairs but his, he put his chair in a corner while he accessed Molly's personnel file. It detailed how she had gone MIA, that she was in the reserves, and had served in the infantry during the Pwnage conflict. Her record was far from impressive - she was pretty much an average girl. It even identified her education and her civilian occupation.

Molly looked at it in shock as she took it in. This was way too detailed to be an elaborate hoax. Besides, what was the point? Then again, what was the point in making her think she was a Canadsteiner?

"Why... was I brainwashed?" she asked Taylor. She definitely needed answers.

---

Miles and Scott were put into cells on opposite sides of the base. Lt. Goldsmith watched Miles while a hulking brute of a man, a black ex-gridiron player, watched over Scott. Everyone simply called this man Jamal, and his last name or rank were never mentioned.

"The President and General Kaselev are attending some kind of inquiry," said Goldsmith. "It'll go on for some time, but they've been notified. Kaselev might be able to get some time off in a day or two. In the meantime... what did the Agency do to Ms. Hargan, and how do we restore her memory?"

Taylor stood patiently to the side, while Molly read over her file. He has heart ached too much. Their relationship was never going to be the same. Still he wondered if Molly still loved him. Molly was the one. Taylor wanted to marry her, then settle down and have kids. But telling the truth might have destroyed that dream.

"Because you knew too much. I captured you and handed you over to the Agency. They thought that you had alright seen too much. So they decided to use you as a test subject for a new machine. It would implant new memories, of their choosing, and erase the old ones." Taylor said. "Pretty much your old self is gone."

---

Scott laid unconscious in his cell. It would be a long time before he regain consciousness.

Miles looked at the cocky lieutenant. He was trained to deal with interrogations. That was a must for every agent. But Miles also knew that this Mr. Goldsmith was trained to do this. He was probably some infantry officer, not an interrogation expert. "Its pretty oblivious they made her new memories, to replace her Kahanistani life. To reverse...I have got no idea."

Goldsmith was base security, so he would have interrogated people he caught stealing from base supplies and the like. He had never interrogated an Agent before, though, and had no way of knowing whether or not Miles was telling the truth. If he believed everything Miles said, he risked falling into the same trap Nadia had. If he never believed Miles, then there was no point in talking to him. He also knew Kaselev wanted to interrogate Miles and Scott himself.

---

Jamal stripped Scott naked. He believed it would weaken his will to resist when he awoke, and that the murderous Agent would be frightened by the enormous black man. The soldier also placed Scott face down on the floor, locked the cell door, and sat outside to wait for him to wake up.

---

"So, how do I get them back?" asked Molly. "And what did I see?" She knew Kaselev would want to know, too, although she was barely shaking the implanted view that he was evil.

Lt. Green handed her the phone number of a civilian psychologist, but the therapist would have little experience in this kind of treatment - Kahanistanian medicine did not admit of the possibility of wholesale memory erasure, and generally viewed recall of "repressed memories" as a load of crap.

Miles just stared back at Lieutenant Goldsmith. This guy had no idea who he was going against. A smirked appeared across his face. The game was a foot.

---

"Honestly I don't think there is a way to get them back. They have been literally erased from your brain..." Taylor said with sadness. "As for what you saw...it was one of the Agent's bases."

Lt. Green shook his head. "That isn't possible. Corporal, do you want to talk to Dr. Morgan?" He picked up his cell phone.

Molly looked at the lieutenant. "Is he... going to repair my memory?"

"Dr. Morgan is a woman. She'll do what she can. She's a psychologist, so she's going to find out what's wrong. Mr. Hall, it'll help if you can tell her the details of this procedure."

Molly nodded. "I'll see her. I want to know who I am. Do I have a family?"

Green nodded and scrolled down Molly's file. "Your parents are alive, and you have a younger brother, Aaron, who's fourteen." He dialed a number on his cell phone and asked to talk to Dr. Morgan.

Taylor thought that is was hopeless to get back Molly's memories, but it was worth trying. He was going to give up. Taylor grasped her hands and looked into her eyes. So much pain resided in his heart. For the past few months he had been living a lie.

Molly looked back at Taylor. "Did you know... what the Agency was capable of then?" she asked.

---

About ten minutes later, a woman with light brown hair and dressed in a lab coat came into the room. She was in a wheelchair, apparently crippled from the waist down; her legs looked like those of a 70-year-old woman, and were covered by two layers of white trousers. The woman looked to be about 40 years old, and carried a clipboard, pencils, and other accoutrements of a psychologist in a bag attached to the side of her wheelchair. This was apparently Dr. Morgan.

"I had no idea Molly...but what was I to do? Try to save both of us? That would have been insane. We would have never made it pass the front gate. It would have been needless blood spilled." Taylor stated.

Molly seemed to understand. She pored over her personnel file, struggling to remember. The older woman came into the room.

"Are you Ms. Hargan?" she asked. "I'm Nadine. I'm... a psychologist. This man called me, said I might be able to help." She nodded to Lt. Green.

"I know," said Molly. "He said the Agency might know something."

The psychologist looked at Taylor. "What can you tell me about this... procedure?" she asked. Knowing what had been done was half the battle.

"I only saw one thing. Molly was forced to sit in a chair. Her eyes were forced opened to view images of Kahanistan. Mostly of the war and rape of innocent people. But it depicted the Kahanistani in a bad light. As godless war mongers, who raped Catholics just because they were Catholic." Taylor said with pain. He turned toward Molly. "I think that is why you have a burning hate about your own homeland."

Dr. Morgan nodded and took notes with her clipboard. "That would have minimal effect on a heavily indoctrinated soldier. Molly, may I see your personnel file?"

"OK," said Molly. She stood to the side to allow the psychologist to look at the computer.

"Interesting..." said Dr. Morgan. She looked over the areas of Molly's personnel file relating to her training, to get a feel for how indoctrinated she was. "A reservist infantry soldier. I only have a year of military experience, 20 years ago, but the army I knew would never have sent me to infiltrate an Agency base. What have we come to...?"

"Are you Catholic?" asked the psychologist.

"No. Orthodox," said Molly casually.

"Jewish?"

"No. Christian."

"I see," said Dr. Morgan calmly, taking notes. "Well, I hope you know now that we aren't godless warmongers. We did have the occasional pogrom, motivated by anti-Doomani sentiment that boiled over into riots. I myself was dragged into an alley, mauled and beaten almost unconscious during that rising, and I'm not even Catholic. Today, there are Catholics in very high places, the Foreign and Defence Ministers, for example. Back to the topic, though... this would certainly be severely traumatic, especially if prolonged. The mind may even repress the traumatic event itself. But there is nothing in the literature that even suggests at the possibility of severe retrograde amnesia like what you have."

"Dr. Morgan, there are two Agency captives in this base. Perhaps one or both of them might be able to tell you more about this..." said Lt. Green.

Taylor stood off to the side and silently listened to the pair speak. There was probably a slim chance that Molly might return to half the person she use to be, but fully? Never. The process of entering in new memories was about 98% completed. But there was still a few scant memories left of her old live, though they were hidden under the mountain of her new memories.

"They would be of no help to this. I never saw either of these men went they were brainwashing Molly." Taylor piped up.

Thinking for a second, Taylor knew that he needed to show the extent of Molly's brainwashing. He cleared his voice, then he said in a very military fashion. "What country are you loyal to?"

Molly, of course, would answer in some fashion, that she was loyal to Canadstein and the King. But the odd thing it would be almost instantaneous and frighteningly cold.

"I am still loyal to King Albert IV of Canadstein," said Molly calmly. "Nothing will ever change that."

Dr. Morgan sighed. "This is... extensive," she said. "I'll still want to talk to the Agents. They may have brainwashed others. Take me to them, Lieutenant."

"OK. I'll leave another guard to watch them," said Lt. Green. He called on his radio for a soldier to come.

Taylor hugged Molly. He was going to protect her from being some tool.

A guard came in two minutes later. She was small, about five feet tall and 100 pounds, and about the same age as Molly. "This is Corporal Leanne Grant," said Lt. Green. "She'll keep an eye while I take Dr. Morgan down to talk to the Agents."

He led Dr. Morgan to where Miles was being held, and she wheeled after him.

Taylor did not seem to notice the new guard. All he cared about was keeping Molly safe. He whispered into her ear. "Do you still trust me?"

Molly nodded. "Of course." She sat on the floor next to the new guard. "I think when Dr. Morgan gets back, we should tell her all about this. Something just... seems artificial about my old life. We should tell her more about the procedures. Somehow... I doubt being made to watch scary films will erase your memory, or put new ones in."

---

Lt. Green and Lt. Goldsmith opened the door to Miles' cell. A woman, apparently a doctor or scientist of some sort, entered. She was clearly not military, given the fact she was confined to a wheelchair. The woman carried a clipboard in her lap and a pen on a string around her neck, and the door closed behind her as she entered.

Memories... She shrugged it off. This was no Kraven trooper, just an ordinary man. "Mr. Mason?" she said.

"I don't know anymore about the procedure...I don't think either of the agents know either..." Taylor said, while sitting down beside her. "I do know one thing. That I want to be with you forever."

---

"I am not answering any of your questions. Clearly you are not General Kaselev or President Sklenova. I didn't come to this country to mess around with a cripple. I came to face my sentence." Miles said as he turned around to a wall.