NationStates Jolt Archive

"They truly are fools..." Miles said with a grin, while carefully putting the piece of paper in his pocket.

Nadia nodded. "Yes. And the Senate is also full of Nationalists - right-wingers, militarists. Some of them are even fascists or national socialists. If they get control of the Presidency next election... well, I hope we can field a stronger candidate than me." She sat back and crossed her legs.

"Care for something to drink?" she asked. "I have wine in my desk, or you can help yourself to the water cooler."

"Wine would be fine. I need something to calm my nerves." Miles replied. "What are you going to do once your term is up?"

"I don't know," said Nadia. "The only real job I've had is the military. I'm pretty scared to go back to them, but... the political climate here isn't good. I just hope things improve in the next few years."

"What if they don't? Then what?"

"Probably... end up going back to the military anyway. I... joined to protect freedom abroad, but now I may have to do it in my own home," said Nadia sadly. "If the far-right gets any more vocal... any stronger, I'm not sure we can keep them in check. On top of it... when Malakov gets out next year, he'll make life miserable for the left. He'll try to discredit anyone he blames for collaborating with the Agency. That may include me. It's... unlikely he'll allow me to stay in the military if he takes over."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Malakov is assassinated after he gets out of prison. He has to pay for his deeds. This man wanted to bring Kahanistan to the brink of destruction. Luckily we were there to stop him, but now there is nothing to stop him." Miles angrily stated with his fist clenched in rage.

Nadia stood up and faced the window. She certainly felt that someone who wanted to deport all the Catholics, and was willing to risk getting one of his own generals killed for his ideas, had to go to prison for a long time. She certainly didn't want him assassinated or tortured, and had risked her life to inform on the Agency when she thought he was being tortured or murdered.

She took a sip of wine. "Maybe... I just hope the people don't vote for him. He has sworn to run against me in the next election. The Anti-Catholic Party's chair has gone into hiding. There was a rumour that he was involved in an attack on... a Doomani target. The Nationalist Party is probably stronger..."

Miles got up and joined her by the window. Once by her side, Miles put an arm around her waist. "Hope. That's all we can do Nadia. Hopefully people will see the evil within Malakov and pick the right candidate. If not then god help Kahanistan because this country is going to need it. Nadia...if thinks go to hell here you know that my house is always open to you. As along as you are safe I will do anything for you."

Nadia smiled. "Let's... hope so." She moved away, uncomfortable with being held this intimately. "He claims to have been tortured in custody. He may be getting out sooner than we think. I may have to... work with the Nationalists to stop him."

Miles continued to look at the window. "What do the Nationalist think of Malakov?"

"He was one of them until they started driving out all the outspoken anti-Catholics," said Nadia. "The Nationalists didn't want to be seen as a hate group. The Anti-Catholic Party was created then. They openly state that they want to kick the Catholics out of the country. Malakov is still trying to distance himself from them, doesn't want it to come out. He insists he was framed, but he's not fooling a lot of people. The Nationalists threw him out of the party shortly after he was convicted."

"So wants to work with you inside the Nationalist party?" asked Miles.

"Senator Petrova is more than willing," Nadia replied. "She's the one that pushed to throw him out. She did run against me in the last election... but neither of us wants an executive who will stir up hate. I'll be talking to her later today. You've met her before, haven't you?"

Miles shrugged. In the past few years he had met literally thousands of people. It would be hard to remember a person he might once.

"Well, she's managed to get most of her party to work with me. Normally, she'd probably want concessions to the Nationalists, like me putting more of them in the Cabinet, or more funding to the military, but she doesn't want an Anti-Catholic President next term any more than I do."

Nadia finished her glass and sat down. "When you go back to Canadstein... I'd like to arrange for someone to accompany you, in case they decide to renege on their deal."

"Personally I would like someone I can trust, not saying that I don't trust the Canadsteiners, but it isn't my choice. The Karamazov Brothers are in charge and they make the decisions. So you will probably have to talk to them about that." Miles said as he looked out toward the city. "What do the Nationalists think of me?"

"You don't want to know," said Nadia. "Let's just say they see me as weak because I don't hand you over to Intel to be tortured for information and murdered." She looked up, as if thinking.

"Well, these... brothers. So you still aren't asking too many questions?" Maybe if Miles had asked more questions, this whole shitty mess wouldn't have happened...

Miles continued to look out the window, then it hit him. Nadia was risking her career just to protect him, even after all the stuff he had done to her. Just by being here, Miles threaten her whole career and livelihood. She honestly cared about him. Miles felt like he could cry, but held it back. Miles turned back around, then faced Nadia. His eyes started to water. He quickly wiped them away.

"What do you mean asking more questions?" Miles said with a stern face.

"Ask them what their real intentions are. Blindly following orders got you into this mess in the first place. I wouldn't trust the spooks. If it's OK, I'd like the three people who took you here to go with you."

"Their real intentions? Well...they are hired guns. They aren't part of the government, but are currently working of them. President Harper probably doesn't want to get into another fiasco with Kahanistan, so he had to get someone with no connections to the government." Miles revealed. "I guess these brothers were the best choice. They could be lying, but I trust them. If they wanted to kill me they already had a chance."

Miles sat down next to her. "As I said before you have to tell the Karamazovs about that. It is out of my hands. But do you think we can trust this Beckett?"

"Why not?" asked Nadia. "He's my head of security. Has he done something that would make you not want to trust him? And if Harper is worried about getting into another international incident... maybe he could let our government know what he's trying to do. I can only assume these guys are up to no good."

"I don't know. Something in my gut tells me not to trust that guy. He seems...nevermind...I am probably just a little paranoid." Miles paused for a second. "Why would he want your government to know? Pretty much all of Kahanistan wants me dead, so who could he trust? Maybe you, but that is about it. And god knows if people are secretly listening on into your conservations. Somebody could have found out who I was, then leaked it to the public. They would have torn me apart..."

"You'll be guarded. I think he already knows who you are. He trusts me, and I think you'll be safe with him. Christi and Malena will be there, too."

"Oh about Malena...she seemed like she was going to break down in tears once we got here. I tried to find out about it, but she wouldn't tell me. Do you have any idea what is causing this?" asked Miles.

"I don't know her very well," said Nadia. "But I know that she... lost someone very close to her in the Doomani Wars." She seemed sad.

"What's wrong?" asked Miles.

"It's... an emotional event for me," said Nadia. "I'm OK." She poured another glass of wine. "Do you want some?"

"Part of dealing with sadness is telling someone about it. What happened?" asked a curious Miles.

Nadia took a swig. "The first war, I lost my father," she said. "My mother... has never been the same since. She keeps a lot of cats around in her apartment, trying to fill the void. She tried getting closer to me, too... but she doesn't like that I've chosen to warm to you again. To put it mildly... she doesn't like you. It's starting to come between us."

"Great...another problem I have caused." Miles poured himself a glass of wine, then quickly drank the whole glass.

"Don't feel that way." Nadia finished off her second glass, filled her glass again to the brim, and offered Miles another refill.

"You are... making amends with me. I hope sometime we'll be able to fix it all. Had you thought of... defection? Going over to our intelligence agency, with whatever you had, and getting their protection?"

"Canadstein will always be my homeland and the one country I am loyal to. Defection is out of the question." Miles this time slowly sipped the wine.

Nadia nodded and took another drink. "I see. There may be another option. It probably doesn't have the advantage of getting Intel off your back, but... have you thought about seeking citizenship here? Once my term is up, you would be able to live here openly, with the same rights as any other citizen. All that entails is demonstrating language fluency and passing a citizenship exam where you're tested on our history, culture and system of government."

She sat against the wall. Apparently the wine was starting to have an effect on her.

"Living here is probably the last thing I want to do. The whole country pretty much hates me for what I have done. I bet most people here would want me dead or something far worse." Miles admitted.

Nadia brought her knees up against her chest. Her skirt slid up a few inches, but she didn't seem to mind. "Well, defection would have redeemed you in the eyes of most of the people," she said. "But after what Canadstein made you do, why would you still be loyal to them?"

"Canadstein hasn't made me do any of those acts. I made myself do them by blindly following and trusting a madman. If I am to blame anyone, then I must blame myself. Canadstein is my home and I still have love for it." Miles looked at Nadia. Did she honestly want Miles to stay or was it the alcohol speaking?

"All right," said Nadia. She motioned for Miles to come over to her. "There's another bottle in the third drawer from the top on the right."

Miles got the bottle and sat next to her.

Nadia put an arm around Miles. "Where... and who... are these 'brothers'?"

"Somewhere in a forest north of New Masada. Malena, Christi, and Beckett probably have a better idea. They drove out there." Miles refilled Nadia's glass. "The 'brothers' are the Karamazovs. I think their names are Dmitri, Ivan, Alexei, and Pavel. They seem to be in their late teens or early twenties. Also they are no joke either. These brothers know how to handle guns."

"So do our people," said Nadia. "In fact, we're working on a new bill to introduce basic combat training in high school so we can have a fresh crop of trained reserves if we end up in a war. Of course, nobody here wants a war, but if it comes..."

She wrapped her arms around Miles. "We'll be ready to handle it. Of course, a lot of people don't want to face up to the problems with the command structure. I'm trying to get an officer exchange system working with friendly nations."

"I don't think that the Karamazovs are like your people. These brothers looked like they were born to shoot guns. It was very strange..." Miles put down his glass and smiled at Nadia. He put one of his hands around Nadia waist. The other moved the wine bottle away from them. He didn't want Nadia to get anymore alcohol. She was drunk enough.

Nadia finished off her glass and set it down. She pressed her body up against Miles, breathing heavily. There was probably still a guard outside the door, but she didn't seem to care...

Miles was not completely drunk, like Nadia, and could somewhat think straight. He looked at Nadia then started think. She was getting very close to him, but that was due to the alcohol. Should he....No that was the wrong thing to do. Obviously Nadia's thinking was impaired and that meant she couldn't make good decisions. Miles had enough respect for Nadia and wasn't going to take advantage of her when she was not in her full thinking capacity. If Nadia ever wanted to do it, then she would have to do it without being impaired.

Miles got up, then picked up Nadia. "I think its time we got you to bed...any idea where your bed is located?"

Nadia smiled. "I just work here. I don't want to live in a big fluffy mansion. I was elected to protect the people, and drag them out of poverty. I can't be living in a big ass mansion when a lot of people are having trouble affording one-story homes. How credible would I be?"

She put her hand in Miles' pocket, where he'd put her address. "There. I found it. When I'm not signing bills or holding meetings or doing political stuff that's where I am. Nice, cheap place, doesn't distance me from the masses." She smiled widely and slipped off her blazer.

Miles smiled weakly at Nadia, then put her gently down on a nearby sofa. Okay this was going a little too far. He needed help from someone.

"I will be back in a minute."

Before he went out the door, Miles checked himself in the mirror. The last he wanted to do was give away his disguise just because of a few drinks. Once he had tidied up his appearance he went out the door to find a guard.

Christi was standing outside the door. Evidently, she was standing in for the usual door guard - a good thing for Miles, who likely would have been in a very nasty situation indeed if his disguise had slipped.

"You might want to talk to Malena," she said. "She's holed up in her guest room. Beckett tried to talk to her, but he didn't get far. She seems really depressed."

"Christi I want you to take get Nadia, then get a car and bring it back to the parking lot. I will be there in five minutes, after I talk with Malena. See Nadia is very drunk and needs to get home. Also make sure that no one sees Nadia in this state. I don't think people will appreciate seeing their President drunk." Miles started to walk down the hall, but stopped. He had no idea where he was going. Quickly he turned back around to face Christi. "Where is Malena's room located?"

"A lot of politicians get drunk," said Christi. "Nobody'll care. Ever seen the photographs of... Alyssa Petrova? Kinky. Malena's two doors down on the left." This was Kahanistan. Allegations of politicians using alcohol or drugs weren't as scandalous as in a lot of other countries.

She went into Nadia's office, apparently intent on staying with her or getting her back into her blazer.

Miles ran to the door. He wanted to find out what was wrong with Malena. It was the least he. Once he got to the door, Miles gently knocked on the door.

"Malena...it's me. I need to talk to you."

"Come in," said a depressed voice. Malena sat on a queen-size bed, dressed in a white lace slip. Her medium brown hair hung around her face. Out of uniform, it was apparent just how small she was. She was about 5'4", but appeared to be very thin, albeit in good shape.

Miles quietly came in. He closed the door behind himself, then Miles slowly made his way over to the bed. Getting closer to the bed, he noticed how attractive she was when not dressed in the uniform. Plus her white lace slip seemed to really show off her body. Miles' cheeks turned a light shade of red. He finally made it to the bed, the effects of the alcohol were mostly to blame, and sat down next to her. He looked at Malena and smiled.

"Malena are you going to tell me what is wrong?"

Malena nodded. "We were talking about the Doomani Wars earlier," she said. "It's... just very emotional for me." She pulled her wallet off the table and opened it to show some photographs. The first was of two girls sitting on the beach in bikinis, their arms around each other, smiling. One was evidently Malena, though her hair was a little longer then. The other girl had darker hair but the same blue eyes, a wide smile and was a cup size larger than Malena. The photo was dated two years earlier.

"This is my sister, Alicia. She stayed behind in the Middle East when we were driven out," said Malena, sniffling. "Kaselev told me what happened. She led a group into one of the Doomani prisons, but was captured. He said he didn't know what happened to her... but she was killed there. If she wasn't tortured to death, she was killed when the Doomani bombed the city when it looked like the Allaneans would make it in. She was a lot braver than me... she was a civilian, her interest was in history and politics, not war. But when the chips were down... she was the one to take on a dangerous mission..."

"Malena, I am sorry. Death is part of live and it makes us stronger. Yes they have died, but we will always have their love with us. Actually my first love was taken away from me, when I was still very young and a hothead. Her name was Elise. I thought she was the well the, only one for me. Being young and naive, I wanted to marry her and live the rest of my days with her." Miles paused for a minute and seemed almost about to cry. "Well Elise was killed in by a drunk driver. That night I had invited her over to my house to watch a movie. Once the movie was over I offered to take her home in my car, just lived only about half a mile from my house. She said that she needed the fresh air. That was the last time I ever saw her alive. Elise was walking home and some dumb drunk hit her at 60 mph, the speed limit was 30 mph. She died instantly so at least she didn't have to suffer. The driver claimed he didn't see her. That didn't really matter. There was some much alcohol in his system that he could weasel his way out. He is still probably rotting in that jail cell. I don't hate him...how could I? The man was affected by alcohol. It wasn't like he was trying to kill Elise. I kind of feel sorry for actually. He has to live with the guilt of killing her for the rest of his life."

Miles took a deep breath. This whole topic was very touchy to him. "I felt partly guilty for the death of Elise after the accident. Thoughts raced through my head. What if I had come along with her or pushed the idea more of me driving her? Would she still be alive? It was part of my denial. I could not get passed the thought that Elise was dead. Everyday it seemed like I cried. Also for weeks I had nightmares, horrific nightmares."

"Then one day everything just stopped. I accepted that Elise was dead and there was nothing that I could do about it. If Elise had seen me back then; she would have been disappointed. She knew I was meant for something great and her death shouldn't hold me back. If I really loved her, then I would succeed in life. I would make my dreams comes truth, but also remember her in a good light, the happy times. Especially those lazy summer days where we would sit underneath a tree and talk about anything and I literally mean anything. Elise is still a positive driving force in my life. Even though she is dead my love for her has never changed."


Miles took out a wallet and showed off his own picture. The picture was very worn and definitely showed its use. In the picture it showed an 18 year old girl leaning against a tree who a very naturally beauty about her. She had blond hair and light green eyes. A wide grin was across her face. It looked like she was having a good time.

Malena nodded and examined the picture of Elise. "She's so pretty." Her face was still red and tears ran down her cheeks. She rummaged around in her rucksack for something, then took a large red pill and poured a cup of 140-proof whiskey.

Taking a few deep breaths, she took Miles by the hand. "I want you to hold me," she said. "Do you... want something to drink?"

"No thank you. I think I have already had enough alcohol for two people today." Miles put away the pictures, then put his arms around Malena. All she needed was someone to talk to. He just hoped that Malena could deal with her grief in some positive form. Drowning them in alcohol was probably the exact opposite of something positive. Would her sister really want her doing that? "What's the pill for?"

"Depression," said Malena. "I've been taking them for over a year. Until six months or so ago, they were pretty effective. Now... I just take them to keep from going mad. I... I've been volunteering for the more dangerous missions these days. I almost got killed by Scott protecting Jamal in the prison. He's one of the other guards. It was one of the few times I felt alive in years."

She took a shot of the whiskey. More accurately, her cup contained about four shots of the stuff, and it was nearly twice the potency of the more common whiskey on the market.

"Do you have a sister, Miles?"

"No I was an only child." Miles said with a concern looked. Hiding her fears by taking some pill or drinking alcohol was not the answer. Once he saw Christi he had to tell her. Malena needed help. Was she trying to purposely kill herself? That sounds a lot like himself when he started as an agent. He would sign up for the most dangerous missions. See Miles did not tell Malena a crucial fact. After Elise's death the Agency had picked him as a candidate. Miles had said yes because life was meaningless. Did he want to die back then? He didn't know, but that was certainly a scary time. When Malena wasn't look Miles hid the whiskey bottle away from her. He couldn't let Malena sink deeper into depression.

Malena nodded and put her arms around Miles. "That used to be really common in Kahanistan," she said. "Now, a lot of people are having second children, or taking fertility drugs and having three or four at a time. I... I've wanted to have a child myself, but... it just isn't working."

She decided to talk a little about her relationship with Alicia. She flipped to a photograph of her sister graduating from college, the year before the First Doomani War, and one of herself graduating from the military academy five years earlier.

"She was four years younger than me. I've always been protective of her. When I was nine I chased a group of six-year-olds that were bugging her and I ran after them with a stick covered in dog crap. On her fifteenth she had too much to drink and a guy groped her and I broke his arm with a Krav Maga move. But I couldn't be there for her when she needed me the most, when she went into the lion's den with the Doomani Nazis."

Malena looked around for a few seconds for her whiskey bottle. After a few seconds she apparently gave up, sniffling. "After 23 years with her... I guess it's in my nature to be protective of people. I'd like to have a baby. Someone to... protect, I guess. And to know I was contributing to the next generation..."

Miles felt a tingle of sadness, though all he could do is feel sorry for her. She had lost her closest friend and that had devastated her whole life. He wished there was something he could do. Shaking his head, Miles knew that he could do something. She needed someone to be close to. He could be that person. "Malena you have to accept the fact that there was nothing you could do. Just try to remember the good times...that all we can do."

Malena took Miles by the hand and squeezed. "Now, where's my... bottle?" she asked.

"I don't know." Miles was not going to let her drown herself in whiskey. He needed to get off the subject. "You have said that you wanted a child. How come it hasn't been working? Maybe the guy is infertility."

"More like... the man I'm dating... doesn't want to have a child with me. He doesn't want a child with a woman with my issues," said Malena. "Do you have children?"

"No...I haven't had time to commit to a stable relationship in the past five years or so." admitted Miles. "Maybe you should leave the guy. I mean he doesn't care what you think. Malena...I think its time you find a new boyfriend."

Malena shrugged. She lowered a strap on her slip to expose her shoulder and smiled, crossing and uncrossing her legs as if she wanted something, but couldn't work up the nerve to say it outright. She looked around nervously for her bottle, then took a couple of breaths and placed her arms around Miles in such a way that his arm was against her breast.

"What about you? You haven't had time for a relationship..." She may not have known Nadia very well, but found it hard to believe she'd return Miles' affection. Maybe...

"If the right girl comes along then maybe." Miles was slightly taken a back by Malena's actions.

Malena pulled her slip up and ran her fingers over her midsection. "And me?" she said, softly. "You've probably wanted to settle down with a woman..."

She lifted her head and ran her other hand over her neck, smiling expectantly.

Miles gulped. "Yeah its...been a while."

Malena smiled enticingly. "Do you like me?" She picked up one of the bed covers and draped it over herself and Miles.

"Of course I like you...I mean you are a nice girl." Miles was quickly becoming very unconformable.

Malena had enough alcohol in her system to not notice Miles was uncomfortable... or maybe she didn't want to notice. She slid her slip off altogether and lay there in her bra and panties, then climbed on top of Miles. She wanted him to take her and do her right there on the bed.

"Malena...I don't think I am ready for this kind of relationship." Miles did a little roll, so he was on the top. "Maybe we can do this some other time."

He then swiftly ran out the door. Malena was a pretty attractive girl, but Miles had just met her. Plus that wasn't really Malena. That was a drunk Malena. It was pretty much the same case as Nadia. Coming upon the Presidential Office, Miles entered. Man this day had been rough.

Malena sighed and pulled her slip back on. If Miles was leaving, she'd probably be leaving with Christi soon enough. She put her uniform on and sat with her head in her hands. She had never thought of herself as especially pretty. Alicia had gotten all the looks in the family.

She rummaged around and found the whiskey bottle, taking another drink before putting it in her suitcase and walking it out the door.

---

Christi was sitting on the sofa next to Nadia, encouraging her to drink water so she'd have less of a hangover. She'd also gotten her to put her blazer back on. Nadia was still mildly intoxicated, but not as bad as she'd been earlier.

"Hey," said Christi. "So, did you manage to get into Malena's shell?"

"Christi...Malena needs help. Did you know she takes pills for depression? Also she seems to drown her pain in whiskey. She isn't handling her emotions too well. To top it all off she tried to have sex with me. If we don't help her soon, then see will fall into a black abyss. So can you go find her and make sure she doesn't get even more drunk?" said Miles. "I will take Nadia back home, by the way how is she doing?"

"I'm all right," said Nadia. "I can walk. As long as I don't talk much... you shouldn't be able to tell."

Christi smiled at Miles. "So she came on to you and you think that's a problem? Well, aren't you the big stud." She knew about Malena's sister, and her emotional problems. They were old hat to her.

"Didn't know she was taking pills, not that I'm surprised. I'll pick up Malena and we can go to... wherever you're going. Better if you come with me, else one of the guards might get suspicious of you and take a shot."

"I am not ready for that kind of relationship. Plus I just met her. I don't count the last time since I was a prisoner." Miles said to Christi. He sighed then closed his eyes for a minute. What a day. "You get Malena and Beckett, then meet back here okay?"

Christi walked out and pulled her walkie-talkie. She called in Beckett and said they were ready to leave, then went to Malena's room.

Malena was sitting outside the room, her bags already packed. Within five minutes, Beckett was at the door of Nadia's office.

"So what's up with the heavy drinking?" asked Miles as soon as Christi left. He walked over to Nadia and sat down. "I don't really remember you drinking before, but I think it was due to the baby."

"Well..." Nadia began. "I'm asked to lead a country that's been wiped off the map twice, keep it out of wars, the wars are coming to us, and at the same time I have to keep Praetonian protection from expanding into turning us into a capitalist business haven. Until then, I didn't have much experience leading more than a fighter wing, and now... well, the pressure is pretty great. I answered the call of the party and the people. It sounds good when I put it like that, but... I really am too young and inexperienced for this. I'll be happy when it's all over and hopefully I can return to the Air Force. I was never cut out for this position."

"I've been taking a lot of anti-depressants. Probably six over the last year, and I take three now. They interact and I've been having mood swings. So far I've been able to keep it out of the public eye, but I'm pretty sick a lot of the time, from stress. A friend of mine from the military suggested I... unwind with one of the male interns every now and then. It's not as scandalous here as it is in a lot of countries, but I have... a lot of hangups about it."

Miles intently listened to Nadia. Kahanistan was certainly like no other nation he had seen before. It had been wiped off the map two times, but somehow came back. Kahanistani were very relentless people. Nothing could stop them. The only problem was that most of them were inexperienced. Much of the older generation had been killed and that left people in Nadia's age range. They got too much power too quickly. They had no idea how to handle it. Plus to top it all off the country was fierecely divided. You had Nationalist, Catholics, Communists, Anti-Catholics, Fascist. You name Kahanistan probably had it.

As Nadia continued to talk Miles wanted to ask why did she accept the nomination to become President. It wasn't like she was forced to. He thought it would be best not to ask. The Presidency was already wearing away at her soul.

"Nadia do you remember what we were talking about when you were drinking?"

"What to do about your situation," said Nadia. "Christi is more than willing to go with you if the Brothers OK it. She thinks Malena will probably do it with no objection. Beckett, too."

A knock came at the door.

Miles got up and opened the door.

Christi, Malena, and Beckett stood at the door. "We're ready," said Christi.

"Where are we going?" asked Miles.

"To... talk to the brothers," said Nadia. "I'll go with. Maybe take some extra reinforcements, just in case."

Miles turned back around and faced Nadia. "What if...I want to spend more time with you?"

"We don't have to go right now," said Nadia. "But I probably shouldn't be driving in my condition."

"Nadia you don't understand." Miles struggled for a second. "This might the last time I ever see you."

Nadia understood. She just didn't know what to say.

"You can stay as long as you like. My apartment is... pretty similar to the one you saw me in before. Nice, middle-class one-room flat. We don't have to see the brothers until you're ready."

Miles said nothing, but just looked at Nadia. Now it seemed like she wanted to get rid of him. He made his way to the window and looked to the outside world.

"You have my address and cell. You can contact me anytime," said Nadia. She seemed to notice Miles wasn't himself.

"What... do you want to do?"

Miles simply ignored her.

Nadia shook her head. "I'll be outside with Malena," she said. "Christi... stay with him."

The two women walked down the corridor to the stairwell. Christi stayed behind, sitting next to Miles.

Miles did not seem to notice Christi.

Christi put her arm around Miles. Unlike Malena or Nadia, she didn't seem to be interested in him sexually. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Miles grabbed Christi's arm and moved it away from himself. He turned and looked at Christi with a stern face. Obviously he did not want to be bothered. "Everything."

Christi shook her head. She waited for the truck to get to the Palace to take them back to the brothers. There would be some extra backup in the truck, just in case...

Miles grabbed the G100 and checked it. His hands nimbly handled the weapon. He took out the magazine. All the bullets were still in place, good. Miles put the magazine back in place, then looked over to Christi. She didn't seem to be paying attention to him. No one wanted him here. He had only been here for a few hours and they already wanted to get rid of him. Well he was going to make this wish come true. Silently he slipped out the door.

Beckett was outside the Palace, smoking a joint. He saw Miles coming out and walked over.

"You don't want to wander around out here," he said. "Many of the guards here... would love to shoot you. Truck's over there. Malena's already aboard, with Miss Sklenova."

He gestured to a heavy army truck with what looked like light armour. "It'll take you back to the brothers. I'll go with you."

Miles looked over at Beckett and kept on walking. Some pothead certainly was going to stop him.

Beckett decided not to stop Miles. The truck was there; it was up to him to get on or not. Beckett figured it was probably smarter for Miles not to go - who knew what the government had in store for him over there?

Miles walked right past the truck. He was headed straight for the front gate.

The truck moved into gear. It pulled around to the front gate.

Malena stuck her head out. She would apparently be driving Miles back to the brothers.

"Come on."

"Give me one reason why I should? None of you want me here. So it is time for me to leave." Miles shouted to them. He walked up to the front gate, then showed his pass.

"What happened?" asked Malena. "Think about what you're doing. Those people are dangerous. I want you here. If you're going back to them, you should at least have some protection."

"Those people are my fellow countrymen. They know me better than any of you do." Miles retrieved his ID, then walked straight out. He wasn't coming back.

Malena shook her head. She motioned for one of the troopers in the truck to take over and got out in full uniform. She ran up to Miles and threw her arms around him.

"I don't know why you feel like this, but I'm... not leaving you. Stay here... with me?"

"I have to go..." Miles kept on walking, even though he was dragging Malena now.

Malena struggled to her feet and took Miles by the hand. She walked alongside him, unwilling to leave him to the tender mercies of the Brothers Karamazov.

"What..." Miles stopped, then turned to face her.

Malena smiled warmly and put her arms gently around Miles. "Please... will you stay and talk to me at least before you go wandering off...?" For all she knew, they were going to throw him in some federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison in the middle of nowhere.

"Why should you care?" Miles looked down at here. Malena had just met him. It wasn't like he gave good first impressions, so why?

"It's dangerous," said Malena. "I... wouldn't trust them. At least come with me. I won't take you to the brothers. Stay with me?"

"What if I want to go to them? They are taking me back home." Miles painfully stated.

"You seemed depressed about something," said Malena quietly. "Won't you at least talk to me about it?" She was more than a little suspicious of these "brothers" and she was aware that agents of the government had tried to kill Miles before. She wasn't going to see him walk into a trap.

"Talk about what?"

"What's troubling you," said Malena. She looked intently at Miles. "It can't hurt. You told me that to deal with sadness you had to talk about it."

[6,000th post!]

"All of you that's what is troubling me." Miles looked away from her.

Malena shook her head sadly. "I don't know how things turned out between you and Miss Sklenova," she said. "I don't know why you feel this way about us." She was growing frustrated. She clearly cared enough about Miles to want him to stay, and she'd tried to seduce him earlier. It was hard for her to see herself as part of his problem.

"None of you want me here. A couple hours after I arrive here, you already want me to leave. Look at yourself. You have the truck and supplies ready. Maybe you should look at yourself first." Miles looked off into the distance. He was ready to leave forever.

"It's all a misunderstanding," said Malena. "We were under the impression you planned to leave with the Brothers. I'd be more than happy to have you stay. You can stay with me if you like." She held Miles again, letting her soft, warm cheek lay against his.

"Not everyone here wants to see you leave."

Miles started to break down in tears. Too many emotions at once. He couldn't handle them all. Closing his eyes, he hugged Malena. Miles just needed someone to be close to. "Malena..."

Miles was interrupted by another voice. An unknown man called out to him. "Mason you are coming with me."

Malena took Miles by the hand and looked around. With her other hand, she reached into her holster for her Hi-Point .45 ACP. Whoever this man was, he was clearly dangerous.

"Put the gun down, girl. I don't want anyone to get hurt." The unknown man said. He walked out into the open. His face was hidden by his homburg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homburg_(hat)). "Now come over here Miles. I want to have a word with you."

Miles looked at Malena, then back over to the mysterious man. What should he do? He couldn't see a gun on the man, but that didn't mean he had one. Right now he could be risking Malena's life if he didn't follow the man's directions.

"Who are you?" asked Malena. This guy definitely had a weapon on him, probably body armour, too, for him to so casually dismiss an armed special forces officer.

"What do you want with him?" She kept her other hand firmly holding Miles'. Malena wasn't going to hand him over to the unknown...

"Who I am is none of your concern. What I want is a word with Miles. Are you going to give me that or I am going to have to take it by force?" The man stated coolly. Miles eyed the man. Something was familiar about him.

"What you want to say to him, you can say around me," Malena replied. She kept her weapon out and held it as if expecting to be attacked out of the blue. Maybe someone else was with him...

"No they are only for Miles." The man stated in a monotone voice. "Now Miles the decision is up to you. Come talk with me or something is going to happen. I am not going to tell you what, but something will happen."

Malena would no more let Miles walk off with a strange man - especially one who had used threats to try to get him to come along - than she would have let her sister walk straight into a Doomani prison if she'd been there.

Must be deep-classified shit. But wasn't the Agency disbanded? Maybe he was a member of Kahanistanian Intelligence... but this wasn't their style. They would have been more likely to have someone show up at the doorstep, knock and haul him in for questioning.

It was up to Miles how to respond now...

Miles stepped in front of her. Then whispered to her. "Let me take care of this. If this guy tries anything suspicious, then I will take him down."

He walked over to the mysterious man. The Man put an arm around Miles' shoulder then walked over behind a nearby tree. The two men began to talk, but in a whisper so no one else could hear it. This conversation was going to be private.

Malena stood by at a distance. She wasn't going to listen in on a private conversation, but she wanted to make sure he didn't harm Miles. She waited patiently for the discussion to end...

The two men stayed behind the tree for ten minutes. Oddly the conservation seemed to be lighthearted. A couple of times Miles actually seemed to laugh. Once the conservation was over the two men walked over to back over to Malena. Miles had a wide grin over his face as he walked. While the stranger still had his face for the most part covered by the shadow.

"Malena, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Pete Amherst." Miles said proudly.

The man took off his hat, then retrieved Malena and kissed it. "Sorry about the threats. I just really needed to talk to Miles."

Malena smiled. "Major Malena Neil, Kahanistanian Army," she said. "Christi mentioned you. So what was so important that you had to risk a confrontation with me?"

"Canadsteiner government matters. See I work for the Military Intelligence Directorate or MID and if we are going with ranks then I am Colonel Pete Amherst. Just sorry about that confrontation. I don't even have a weapon on me. It was all just a bluff." Pete smiled at Malena. "My mission was to find Miles and inform him about something, but I also decided to visit Christi too. Heck if I am in Kahanistan I might as well meet an old love. I found out that Christi was stationed here and I was planning on surprising her by meeting her here. But I just happened to see Miles storm out of the base. Isn't that luck? So where is Christi?"

"She's in the truck," said Malena. "We were originally going to take Miles to meet some... brothers, what do you know about them? Now... hopefully I talked him into staying here." She gestured to the supply truck and holstered her weapon.

"Oh you mean the Karamazovs? I am the one that actually asked them to do this job. It seems like they found him. That's good." Pete seemed to be one concentrated on finding Christi. "Sorry, Malena but I will have to talk to you later."

Pete nodded toward Malena, then put back on his hat. He started to walk over to the truck, but stopped. "Where exactly in the truck?"

A smile grew on Miles face as he looked at Pete. He hadn't changed since their last meeting.

"In the troop carrier part," said Malena. She opened the back.

Christi sat in the back, talking to another officer. She saw Pete and smiled widely, then nodded at Malena. "So, you talked Miles out of going back?"

"I hope so," replied Malena. "You might want to touch base with your friend, here. Miles, any ideas on where to go?"

Pete gently grabbed Christi, then passionately kissed her. It had been far too long since he had seen her. He felt bad about not e-mailing or calling her, but it just didn't feel right. Every time he had tired to do one of those things; Pete just remembered that she was married. For all he knew, Christi could have had a baby. Now he was here in the same place as her. It was some much easier.

"I think I am going to stay here for a little longer." Miles smiled at Malena, then kissed her cheek. He leaned closer into her and whispered. "Thank you..."

Malena smiled. "I knew you would. Any time. So, where do you want to go?"

Christi returned the kiss. "Haven't seen you in a while," she said. "What were you up to the last few months?"

Miles admitted "I just want to stay here with you. Mostly to get you better."

"You know military stuff. I work in intel and we don't have that much to do, since we are neutral. It isn't like we are planning to invade a country. So we just keep up the files on each country's military. That kind of stuff. The work is very boring." said Pete. "You look well Christi, well from the last time. I remember that your kneecaps were blow out. I guess you recovered. I did too, but it took sometime. Kind of painful, it was worth it."

Malena smiled. "I live in a rural house southeast of New Masada," she said. "We can go there."

Christi nodded and rolled up her trouser leg. She had severe scarring and what looked like a titanium bolt through each knee. "Still hurts to walk," she said. "I take pain pills and I can get around, but I had to have my car fitted with hand brakes like the kind paraplegics use."

"That sounds really good." Miles tenderly kissed Malena.


Pete's head looked down to the ground. He seemed to be ashamed. "Christi, I am sorry that I couldn't have saved you sooner. If I did, then you wouldn't have scars or pain in your legs. Walking would still be an easy task. I let you down..."

Christi smiled. "I'll heal," she said. "It'll be a few more months, but it'll go away. How's your gut?"

Malena nodded. She walked over to the driver's seat and put the truck in gear. "Change of plans, troops," she said. "We're going to my place, then Christi's going to take the truck back." Military vehicles in Kahanistan generally had hand brakes - not so much so a wounded soldier could drive them (though that was part of the decision), but because it carried less risk of accidentally hitting the wrong pedal.

Pete showed his own battle scar. "Also sorry about walking out on you, after we came here. I just didn't feel comfortable being around your husband. I had to get out of there."

"So how far is your house?" asked Miles

"Around the capital, you can see the mountains from it. Probably about a hundred kilometres." Malena pushed the throttle and sped up to roughly one hundred and fifty kilometres per hour.

"Highway's got no daytime speed limit," she said. "Nighttime speed limit's one-fifty. Ain't it fun?"

Christi nodded. "He is intimidating, but he knows about us meeting and understands everything. It's a cultural thing. He's off on his warship again, so he's not going to be at my apartment. He does the same thing with women when he's off, though he's first officer so he prefers to do it in port."

"You could say that." A smile grew on Miles face.

"I hope that we have some alone time." Pete winked to her.

After half an hour, due to a relatively clear road and Malena's speeding, the truck pulled up to a small, one-story house in a grassy area near the mountain. A gravel driveway led to the house where a green 1999 Porsche was parked, an older sports car that was more affordable on a soldier's salary. Behind the house was a swimming pool and sundeck.

"This's my place," said Malena. She led Miles out of the truck. Christi moved over and took the wheel.

"Seems pretty nice." Miles said as he looked around.

This sort of reminded him of the place he use to go camping. Every summer his father would take up to some nearby mountains, then they would "rough" it for an entire week. He fondly remembered those days. It was before he became an agent and the death of Elise. But now he knew that he could never do those trips again. The feeling would be too awkward. His parents still thought he was dead and after thirteen years he was going to come back to live. That was certainly going to be a shock for his parents.

Miles walked up to Malean, then put an arm around her waist. "Do you have anything to eat?"

---

"So where are we going Christi?" asked Pete.

Malena nodded. "I don't entertain much," she said. "All I have here is cold cereal, army food and some canned fruit. I could call in a pizza if you like."

She opened the door to the house. It was small, but looked quite livable, with a love seat facing a high-definition TV set and a sofa for the few times guests came. The door to her bedroom was open, showing a neatly made full-size bed with black sheets. The bedroom looked somewhat gloomy from what could be seen from the entrance, but the living room looked neat.

A large photograph overlooked the living room, with Malena, Alicia, and a man and woman aged in their late forties or early fifties. From Malena's appearance it appeared to have been taken within the last couple of years.

---

"To take the truck back, then to my apartment," said Christi.

"I can tell." Miles said with a smirk as they entered. "Pizza sounds fine to me."

While Malena was busy ordering the pizza, Miles looked around her house. He usually did that when he arrived to a new place. It come from his agent training. They had taught him to always know any other exits, besides the front entrance, and the basic layout of the building. Better safe than sorry. Who knows what could happen. Miles then stopped for a moment and looked at the large picture.

"These your parents?" called out Miles.

---

"I wonder what we are going to do there?" Pete sarcastically asked.

"Yup," said Malena.

There was one other exit in Malena's room, leading to the sundeck and pool. The bedroom looked kind of dark and gloomy, with black walls, black sheets, even black carpet, and a desk with a computer and a phone sitting on it, as well as a set of paints and a collection of CD's with gothic music, horror and war movies, and what looked like an art tutorial. Across the room from the desk was a dresser which, like most of the room, was painted black. On top of this dresser was a folded easel and a box of paper, and a bookcase stood next to the dresser.

A large painting of a street lined with human torches adorned the south wall. The bodies were bound to, or impaled on, stakes with expressions of abject terror on their faces. Doomani soldiers with sadistic grins oversaw the burning in the shadows of tall buildings like those Kahanistanians had lived in before being uprooted from the Middle East.

The only other major rooms in Malena's house were the kitchen, a rather clean room with a fridge, dishwasher and microwave oven, and the bathroom, a large room with a tub, shower stall, toilet and sink cabinet. A laundry room with a combination washer-dryer machine was next to the bathroom in the corridor from the living room to the bedroom.

---

"Well, I like to go swimming," said Christi. "Lets me work my legs without too much strain." She put the truck in gear and sped off toward her apartment.

Miles entered Malena's room and could see that she was dealing with her depression and the lost of her sister. This was exactly the opposite of what Miles thought her room would look like. It was dark and morbid. As he looked around, Miles became frightened. He wondered if she was always into this kind of stuff, or was it the result of the death of her sister. Either way it was still very creepy. Slowly he looked through the room. Miles looked at her CDs, DVDs, and book collection. They matched the kind of person who would live in this room.

Suddenly something caught his eyes. It was the painting. He could easily recognize the Doomani and the Kahanistani buildings. Miles guessed that it was back when Kahanistan was in the Middle East. Malena must have made this painting. He looked back to the kitchen. She needed help. Maybe she was to far in the abyss of depression, but Miles could at least true.

---

"A swim sounds like fun." Pete playfully put his hat on Christi's head.

Malena stepped into her room and sat on the bed. "Do you mind if I... change into something more comfortable before the pizza gets here?" she asked.

---

Christi smiled. "I don't think you've seen me in a bikini, have you? You'll like me." She pulled into the truck lot and called a cab to take her and Pete to her apartment.

"Not at all...I have one question though. Did you make this painting?" asked Miles.

---

"Well I have to see first, before I make any judgments." Pete remarked.

Malena nodded. "Yes, I did," she said quietly. She walked over to her closet and stepped in. After a few minutes, she came out in a light off-shoulder sundress. She looked fresh and summery.

"Pizza should be here in twenty minutes," she said. "Do you want anything to drink?"

---

Christi stepped into her apartment and into her bedroom. "Robert left a pair of his trunks here. They're a bit big, though..."

"What do you have?" Miles seemed to be transfixed by the painting.

---

"No hurt in trying, am I right? So where are they?" Pete followed Christi into her bedroom.

"Got some wine, though you probably aren't interested in drinking with me again. I have some soda, or ice water, or blueberry juice," said Malena.

---

Christi opened a drawer and pulled out a large pair of blue trunks. "Here they are," she said. In her other hand was what looked like a skimpy black bikini.

"It's not that I am not interested, you just have to know your limit." Miles said. "I will have whatever you are having."

---

Pete changed right in front of her. She had alright seen him naked before. It wasn't like she was going to see something new. They were a little loose, but they would have to do.

Malena smiled widely and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "We should wait for the pizza," she said. She opened the door and stepped out onto the sundeck.

"I like this place," she said. "Nice and remote. I can tan in the nude and nobody will see. Not that there are any laws against public nudity, but I'd rather not have a load of people stare at me in the nude."

---

Christi changed quickly. The top did little to support her breasts and they looked like they would pop out any minute.

Miles nodded, then followed her out onto the deck. "Sure is remote out here. You can actually hear yourself think. Kind of amazing in my opinion."

"So what is up with that painting in your bedroom?" asked Miles to Malena.

---

Pete looked at her body and almost drooled. It had been very too long since he had been with another woman. He had to blame that on work. "I guess you haven't worn a bathing suit in a while?"

Malena set the glasses on a table under an umbrella. "It... represents the barbarity of the Doomani... Nazis," she said, pouring the glasses full. "I made quite a few, actually. So, where did you live when you weren't... doing Agent stuff?"

---

Christi shook her head. "It's always looked like this. I like the way people look at me in it." She picked up two towels and led him to the pool.

"In the capital, Regensburg. I owned a little apartment downtown. I didn't have much in it since I in Canadstein that much." Miles took a sip of wine. He needed to make sure Malena didn't get drunk again.

---

Pete shrugged. There was nothing wrong in that, but in the back of his mind he wondered how many people Christi had slept with. Was she a slut? He shook his head, then followed Christi down to the pool. Pete stood near the edge and looked down. "Pretty nice pool."

He gave a hand gesture for her to come over.

"What was it like?" asked Malena. She took a sip of wine and held Miles' hand. "The apartment...?"

---

Christi walked over and sat down next to Pete. She slid into the water and came up, the water running into her top and over her stomach muscles. She'd told him soon after he'd gotten over the fact she was married, she'd slept with about twenty people, about half of whom were one-night stands. This was fairly typical of Kahanistanian women. They had a very relaxed view of sexual matters compared to most nations.

"Medium-size. You know a bedroom, living room, and a kitchen. Pretty upscale. I didn't know why I had it, since I probably spent all together maybe a week in a it. Once I get back I plan on not renting it anymore. Maybe move back home with my parents." Miles looked at the mountain in the distance.

---

Pete jumped right into the water. Quickly he came back to the surface and took a deep breath. Slowly he made his way to the other side of the pool. Then he started to swim straight for Christi. Before she knew it, Pete was right behind her and had both of his hands around her waist.

"I am really glad to see you again Christi." Pete whispered into her ear.

A knock came at Malena's door. "That should be the pizza..." She picked up her wallet and went around the house.

---

Christi smiled. "Nice seeing you again, too." She propelled herself across the pool and back.

Miles patiently waited on the deck. It had been a good twenty-fours since he had eaten. He had just eaten breakfast right before he was kidnapped, but that happened a little more than a day ago. Hopefully this pizza was good. Shoot he didn't really care how it tasted.

---

"So what have you been doing since I left?" asked Pete as he floated in the water.

Malena brought in a huge stuffed-crust pizza with peppers and chicken and anchovies and numerous toppings and set it down on the table.

"Dinner," she said. She opened the box and picked up a slice. "You seem starved. Pig out."

She took a sip of wine. "Do you like the outdoors?" she asked.

---

"Not much," said Christi. "Recuperating, mainly. Spending a lot of time at the pool."

Miles took a piece and devoured it within seconds. He grabbed a second pieces, but decided to answer her question before he stuffed his mouth again. "Yeah I use to go camping all the time when I was a kid. Plus I grew up on a farm, so you can't not love the outdoors when that happens."

---

"Where is your husband?" asked Pete as he made circles around Christi.

Malena smiled and finished off her first slice before speaking. "I love the outdoors. Alicia and I used to play in the desert a lot. I was more adventurous, but I always tried to stop her when she did anything risky. Sounds hypocritical, I guess, but I always felt I knew how to take care of myself and never thought she did." She took a gulp of wine.

"Do you lay in the sun?" she asked, taking a second slice.

---

"He's serving aboard a prototype cruiser," said Christi. "He'll be off for several weeks while they get the bugs worked out."

"What do you mean?" Miles sat in between a bite.

---

"I guess we will have plenty of time to be together." A mischievous grin grew on Pete's face.

"Well... I like to use the remoteness of the area to tan nude," said Malena. "Unless you meant what did I mean about knowing to take care of myself. I'd always known of the dangers of the desert, what to look out for. Alicia probably did too, but... older sisters don't always give their little ones credit."

---

Christi nodded. "Sure." She went across the pool and back again, this time as fast as she could with an injured leg.

Miles nodded. "It's the first one."

---

Before Christi could complete her last run. Pete blocked her. "Oh no...you are not getting by."

Malena smiled. She finished off her second slice and took a drink. "So, when was the last time you went out with a woman?"

---

Christi bumped right into Pete. She turned to the side to move by, but wasn't going to go to great lengths if he insisted on blocking her.

"Months..." Miles admitted. Actually he couldn't really remember at all. It has been far too long.

---

Pete grabbed Christi by her waist and spun her around. Suddenly he stopped, then brought her body right against his.

Malena finished her glass, then put her hand on Miles' hand. She smiled warmly and intently. "Do you... like me?"

She had asked him earlier, when she was trying to seduce him. This time, he was likely not so uncomfortable, and she wasn't making such overt advances.

---

Christi smiled and giggled. She put her arms around Pete, then pushed into the air so her boobs were against his face.

"I don't know yet. I have some feelings for you, but I don't know if it is love." Miles took a sip of his wine.

---

Pete's whole face turned red. He rested his head onto of her breasts.

Malena nodded. "I see." She began on her third slice. Normally she didn't eat this much, and this would probably be her last slice. She poured another glass of wine.

"Will you stay the night with me?" she asked.

---

Christi looked down at Pete's face. "Like them, huh? No need to be embarrassed."

"If you want me too." replied Miles.

---

"I'm not embarrassed, just surprised." said Pete.

Malena nodded. "I'll understand if you don't want to sleep in my room. It is a bit dark for the uninitiated. The sofa folds out into a bed," she said. She finished off her pizza and washed it down, then wiped her hands and face with a napkin and sat back with her glass.

---

Christi smiled mischieviously and popped her boob out. "Surprised?" she said, casually putting it back in as if nothing had happened.

"How did you find this place?" asked Miles.

---

"More now than before, but also a little curious about somethings." Pete gave one of her butt cheeks a nice squeeze.

"Had it built," said Malena. "When we were uprooted again, the government dipped into the foreign aid to provide for houses for displaced people, gave out cash when it became available. I wanted a place that was nice and remote."

She noticed only one slice was left. "You can have the last slice," she said. "I need to watch my figure." Her gaze turned to the pool. "Do you happen to have any extra clothes around?"

---

Christi squealed. "If you're going to do that, we should at least go back to the apartment," she said.

Miles looked at the last piece of pizza and thought for a moment. Should he eat it or not? He might as well. No use in wasting food. Like many of the other pieces, he wolfed it down in seconds. He finished off the rest of his wine, then his face showed that he was in heaven. "No, the Karamazovs kind of caught me off guard. I didn't bring much of anything."

---

Pete didn't seem to hear Christi. His hands rested on her breasts. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Without any warning he gently squeezed them.

"OK, is it safe to go back to your apartment tomorrow? We can get some stuff there then," said Malena. She picked up the empty box and put it in her trash can, then picked up her glass and bottle.

"Till then... what do you want to do?"

"That sounds like a good idea. I can get some of my belongings before I leave." Miles picked up his own glass and followed her. "I don't know. What is there to do around here?"

---

"Christi...do you want to back to your apartment?" Pete said with a mischievous grin.

"Not much," said Malena. "Listen to music, watch TV... spend time with me." She went back into her room through the back door.

---

Christi nodded. "Yup."

Miles watched her go into her room and decided not to follow. Her room kind of scared him. There was just something creepy about it. He just saw down on a nearby sofa.

---

Pete got out of the pool and started to dry himself off.

Malena went into her room and set up her easel. If Miles wanted to talk to her, she was all ears. She took down her paints and set them on her easel to get ready. Finally, she plugged in her MP3 player and put in her earphones to listen to goth music.

---

Christi dried off and walked back toward her apartment.

Miles sat there for an hour just thinking. He mostly thought of going back home and meeting his parents again. Would his parents welcome with open arms or shun him? It had been more than ten years since he had seen them. Right at this moment they still thought he was dead. Maybe it would be better if he never saw them again. The shock might be too much for them. Out of nowhere Mile silently started to weep. All the stress had finally gotten to him.

---

Pete finished drying off and followed Christi back into her apartment.

Malena stepped into the living room and sat next to Miles. She put her arm around him gently. "What's wrong, Miles?" she said softly. "You can tell me."

---

Christi went into her apartment and sat on the bed.

Miles wiped away his tears and said nothing.

---

Pete entered the bedroom calmly, then suddenly jumped right onto the bed. He grabbed Christi and got on top of her. Gently he kissed the top of her nose. "Are you ready?"

Malena hugged Miles tightly. "Tell me. I think we should talk about this," she said. "Maybe I can help."

---

Christi nodded.

"I don't know if I should talk to my parents. They haven't seen me in over ten years. The shock might be too much for them." Miles said in between a sob.

---

Pete got off of her, then removed his bathing suit. He waited patiently for Christi to call him back over.

Malena made eye contact with Miles. "They will be relieved to know you're alive," she said. "You should see them. It's your first step to breaking away from the... mistake of joining the Agency. They deserve to know that you're safe. I'll come with you." She hugged Miles. Her cheek pressed against his face. "They'll be surprised, yes... but it has to happen if you're going to have a normal life again."

---

Christi stripped hers off, then lay down on the bed and waited.

"They may not accept me at all." Miles pulled away from Malena. He covered his face with his hands. "I'm not the same person anymore. I no longer have that innocent I use to have. I'm barely even a human being."

---

Pete slowly crawled over to Christi. Finally he made it there and got on top of Christi. He pressed his body up against hers, then kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"You're their only son. They'll accept you," said Malena. "I'm not the same person I was before Alicia was murdered. The few people I know who knew me before still accept me." She moved back to Miles. "You're... human enough to feel love, compassion... I know you like me. I don't know what you did in the Agency, but now you've worked to destroy it and stop its crimes."

---

Christi smiled. "I... really like you." She wasn't in love with him; she was happily married, but she still saw Pete as a friend, what in Western societies might be a "friend with benefits," i.e. sexual benefits. She put her arms gently around him.

"I just don't know anymore." Miles shook his head violently.

---

Pete lifted himself up from her body, then gave her breasts a nice squeeze. Man he loved her breasts.

Malena held Miles gently. "It's the only way to get it off your chest," she said. "We can go to Canadstein together. I want you to feel normal again. To have a normal life... a family, like everyone else... a wife and children..." She took his hand and smiled.

---

Christi rolled over on top and began to enjoy Pete's attention.

"I can't be normal. I am beyond the point of normalcy." Miles shook his head. "I have done too much to return to normalcy. The things I have seen and done. I don't want anyone to suffer."

---

Pete took to Christi gently at first, but came more intense. It seemed as though he would never stop, but eventually became tired. He put his arms around Christi, then fell asleep.

"Nobody has to suffer," said Malena. "Do you... want to see your family again? To return home, see your family, make up for lost time, and... maybe even feel better about yourself?"

---

Christi put her arms around Pete and went to sleep too.

"I don't know if I want to see my family again." Miles sighed, then stopped for a second. "It would be easier to run away, never to see them again."

---

Pete woke early in the morning and smiled when he saw Christi. He kissed her cheek, then rested his cheek against hers. Silently he went back to sleep.

"It would," agreed Malena. "But you're... emotionally sick and you need to vomit to feel better. Once you've seen them things will be much easier. I'll come with you if you go." She kissed Miles on the cheek. "I... really care about you, you know."

Miles pushed her away. With a stern face he looked at her. He wished that Malena would just go get drunk again, so she wouldn't bother him. "Things will never be easy for me."

Malena looked hurt. She was probably the only woman to actually give a crap about him and he was pushing her away. "I think it's worth the try," she said. Her voice was starting to shake and she went to her wine cabinet to get another bottle. If Miles was hurting, she was certainly willing to do whatever it took to make him feel better.

Miles stayed on the couch with a stern face. Honestly he did not care if Malena got herself drunk. He had enough on his own mind.

Malena came in with a large wine bottle, larger than the one she'd shared with him earlier over the pizza. "Do you want some?" she asked kindly. She wanted to calm him, get close to him. They seemed so similar, both feeling they weren't normal.

On a more emotional level, they were both apparently also the last of their families; Miles an only son, Malena a sole surviving daughter. Both were childless. Maybe there was a common solution to the last problem...

Miles ignored her question and closed his eyes. Thoughts were bombarding Miles mind. His mental state was currently near the breaking point. If he didn't get help, then he would crack. Once he cracked that would not be a pretty sight. Miles might go on a killing spree, but that was only a educated guess.

Miles needed help - there was no doubt about that. Malena was right next to him; all he needed to do was ask her. She certainly cared enough about his feelings to listen to him...

She sat next to him and popped the bottle, pouring herself a glass and offering another glass to Miles. "It'll calm you down, for now," she said. She still wanted to be intimate with him, though she wasn't the sort to take advantage of a drunk person. She was, however, willing to become drunk with him and let what may happen take its course.

Mile sat there and did absolutely nothing.

Malena took a drink and set down her glass. "What... do you want out of life?" she asked softly. "I really want to help. I can't do anything if you won't talk to me."

"I want nothing..." Miles stated with no emotions.

Malena took another long drink, draining her glass and pouring another. She lowered her head sadly. "I... want you to open up to me," she said. "To know that you can tell me anything."

"What makes you think that you can help me?" asked Miles, while burying his head into his hands.

"You seem to be all alone," said Malena. "I... think we would go well together."

"Hahahahahaha." Miles looked at her like she had said something funny. "Are you kidding?"

Malena looked at Miles in shock and started crying. She just wanted to help and he was laughing in her face. She wasn't expecting this kind of response.

Miles looked at Malena and noticed that she was crying. He had caused someone else to suffer. Was that all he was good at? Miles was a disgusting human being and he knew it.

"I... just wanted you to feel better," said Malena. "I... wanted to help and you don't take me seriously." She put her arms around Miles, not so much caring that he'd pushed her away before, but she wanted intimacy. She wasn't sure what kind, but she felt that she fit together with Miles very well. Right now, she wanted him to hold her and listen to her...

Miles turned his head and looked at her.

Malena smiled weakly and offered Miles a glass again. "It'll be OK," she said.

"It will never be okay."

"When you go back... will you take me with you?" asked Malena. It was unlikely anyone in Canadstein gave two shits about Miles, and he certainly needed a kick in the pants to see his family again.

"I don't know." Miles shook his head. He was so confused.

Malena nodded. It was better than nothing. "It's late. Why not... have a nightcap and sleep it over?" She figured he'd find her room too disturbing for his taste, but still wanted to sleep with him...

"You go ahead. Don't worry about me." Miles rubbed his eyes. So much pain resided within one person.

Malena nodded. She went to her room. It may have been disturbing for visitors, but to her it was home. She lay down under the covers and closed her eyes.

In the morning, Malena would find that Miles had simply vanished without a trace.

Malena got up and showered. She left the door a crack open, hoping Miles would come in and have his way with her. When that didn't happen after ten minutes, she dressed, in a light blue T-shirt and jeans, and looked around the house. There was no sign of Miles.

Her car was still in the driveway, not that she'd have given him her car keys so soon. Malena called Nadia on her cell. Not being as close with her as, say, Miles had been, she was put on hold for twenty minutes before being put through and being able to ask if Nadia knew where Miles might have gone.

A few hours early Miles had wandered out of the house. He looked up to the nearby mountain. As he stood in the cool morning air, he thought. His mind finally came with an answer. Miles was going to climb that mountain. Slowly he walked toward the mountain.

"No," said Nadia. "I haven't heard from him. I'll let you know if he calls me or drops by. Last time he ran from me, though... he went to mountains."

"Thanks, Miss Sklenova." Malena sighed. "I'll take a look there." Malena hung up. She decided to go up in the mountains, but first, she remembered that Pete was going to take him to Canadstein. She didn't have his cell number, but she did have Christi's.

---

Christi's cell rang early in the morning.

Pete eyes were wide open, once he heard Christi's cell phone ring. He looked at his watch and wondered who would call at this hour. For a second he thought about answering the phone himself, but it would be better if Christi answered it. Pete gently shook Christi to wake her up.

"Christi I think your phone is ringing."

Christi answered the phone. "Hello..."

"Christi. It's Malena. Miles went missing, has he contacted you or Pete?"

"I haven't heard from him," said Christi. "Pete was with me the whole time... unless he has a chip in his head that I don't know about, Miles hasn't contacted him, either."

"I think Agents do have chips in their heads," said Malena.

"They may. Pete didn't say anything to me about being contacted by Miles. I'd let you talk to him, but he won't tell you anything he didn't tell me." Christi was a little closer to Pete than Malena was. If Pete was telling anyone, it would probably be her.

"OK," said Malena. "I'll be in the mountains near my home." She gave Christi her address, and she hastened to write it down. "I'll have the cell, so you can call me if anything develops."

"Thanks," said Christi, hanging up. "That was Malena. Miles ran off. She thinks he's in the mountains. Would he have told you anything about this?"

"Nope..." Pete was still trying to wake up. He stretched a little bit before fully getting up. "Knowing Miles, he is probably alright. He is needs to find somethings out before he goes back home. So what are you going to do?"

Christi sat up. "Probably wait to hear from Malena again. I'll be in the shower... getting ready."

"Okay." Pete replied. He knew that Miles was just trying to not hurt anymore people. The only place he could do that was in the wilderness. Hopefully he would come back on his own freewill. But other matters were more pressing than Miles' disappearance. Pete needed to phone the Karamazovs and tell them of the developments.

---

By midday Miles had reached the base of the mountain. He looked back to direction where Malena's house was located and sighed. Miles knew that it was wrong for him just to leave like that, but he needed to do something alone.

Christi left her cell on the dresser when she went to take a shower. Pete could use it to call the Brothers Karamazov if he needed to, though courtesy dictated that he ask her first.

---

Malena's car was not designed for mountain driving, but it wasn't like she had an all-terrain vehicle. She would occasionally go to the mountains when she wanted to clear her head, but usually she did that by simply going for a walk or dipping into the stash under her bed.

She was at the base of the mountain, but several kilometres from where Miles was and had not the foggiest idea of where in the mountains he might be.

Pete used his own cellphone for the job. He didn't want anyone to get the Karamazov's number. That could put them in danger. They were pretty nice kids, but were rough around the edges. Too much had happened to them before they had even become adults. All of the brothers would have been excellent for the military, but destiny had enough job intended for them.

Christi came out of the shower dressed simply, in a short yellow dress cut very low to show her cleavage. She seemed bored. She sat down on the couch and began to watch the news.

---

Malena drove around the mountain as high as she dared to go, pushing the old engine's capacity for all it was worth. She hoped to find Miles before the car gave out on her or ran out of fuel.

Pete took a quick shower, then joined Christi on the couch. "Anything on TV?"

---

Miles was about two miles away from where Malena was driving. He was already making his way up the mountain. It was going to be a hard and long journey, but Miles could do it. This journey was going to push Miles to the limits. Hopefully he would find whatever he was looking for.

"Just news. Some general going on about how he's going to implement a revolutionary training programme... correct everything that's wrong with the Army," said Christi.

---

Malena's ancient vehicle sputtered as smoke poured from its engine in the heat and strained to climb a steep hill, then ground to a screeching halt. She came out of the car shouting obscenities.

"Fuck, shit, shit, SHIT!"

She was stranded in the middle of nowhere. She could run a mile in about six and a half minutes, so could be home in less than twenty, but had to get Miles first.

"That seems exciting. What do you want to do today?" asked Pete.

"I'm worried about Malena," said Christi. "She will protect Miles with her life. She is... willing to take risks, very dangerous risks... with little regard for her own safety. I'd like to go after her."

"God knows where she is right..." Pete said. "But I guess we can go after her."

"She said she'd be in the mountains," said Christi. "I know where she lives. Was at her birthday party a few weeks ago. I know the way."

Christi slipped on a pair of sandals and picked up her car keys and pack. "Whenever you're ready," she said, slipping her cell into her pack.

"Okay. I'm ready." Pete gave her a kiss on the cheek, then followed her.

Christi led Pete to her car outside the complex. It would be about two hours to the side of the mountain where Malena's car was. Malena hadn't told them about her breakdown there...

Pete was silent most of the trip to Malena's house. There wasn't that much to talk about.

"She probably headed here... so would Miles," said Christi, heading in the direction from the house to the mountain. Her vehicle was better constructed for steep driving than Malena's.

"What the hell is that...?" A stalled car appeared to be sitting on a steep gradient, and nobody was in it.

"I think we should check it out." Pete said with a concerned look.

Christi pulled over and stopped, then climbed out. "It's Malena's. She's nowhere in sight." She pulled her cell.

"Malena, it's Christi. I saw your car. Where are you?"

"About four kilometres up the mountain," said Malena. "No sign of Miles. Dunno where he is."

"I'm parked next to you, my vehicle can handle the gradients better. Need help?"

"I suppose a couple extra pairs of eyes won't hurt," replied Malena. "Could really use a search dog, though. Or a chopper."