I'm sorry

Giving a laugh as Kyle messed her hair it felt nice to have something break up the searousness. Tighting her arm around Kyle's shoulders just a little Alice couldnt help but be a little scaired about what she had to tell Kyle. She didnt know how he would react.

"You have told me everything about you, now its time for me to tell you the one thing about me that I havent hardly told anyone else. I was married about a year ago...."

Alice goes through every detail with Kyle filling him in on who Seth was, and what had happend to him. She explained how things were better now and she was at peace with his death but why sometimes she still pulled away.

It was hard to tell once again but and a few tears filled Alice's eyes at differnt moments non the less.

"..thats why I keep my head up and stay so full of life. I made a promise to myself, to Seth and to God. Sometimes its hard but I know I will be ok."

Alice falls quiet as she searches Kyle's eyes looking for his reaction and wondering what would happen now.

Jumping up out of his seat BJ's excitment bursts forth as he waits for Mick to put the saddle down.

Doing a little dance shows how excited he really was. Seeing Mick set the saddle down he goes over and takes his hand in his own before pulling Mick twords the door.

Hope gives a small smile as her finger gently runs over Scott's hand.

"It's ok to be scaired Scott. Thats how we stay cautious. "

For a moment she was quiet as she choose her words for Scott. Everything she said was the truth and though Scott was scaired she new he could do this.

"Your NOT going to fail, and you WILL remember. Scott your the only one who can do this. Katie's life now rests with you. If your friend is to pass on and go home finally she deserves to be where she is comfortable with her friends right? In a place where she might get better. Not dieing in a damp dark basment."

Hope, hoped that her woulds would help Scott. Bring her hand to Scott's face very gently she ran a thumb down his cheek and his jawbone. Studying his eyes for a long moment, behind the sadness and confustion she saw a man that wanted to help her friend, she saw the happyness once Scott had. For the first time, Hope really saw the man behind the outside shell insted of just knowing and hearing it there. It made my stomach do flip flops.

As if a force pulled her Hope could feel herself moving closer to Scott, she new what was coming and she couldnt stop it not that she wanted to. She wasnt sure at the moment what it was but something was pulling her twords Scott.

Still holding the side of his face in her hand Hope looking deep into Scott's eyes.

"I know, you can do it Scott."

Closing her eyes Hope can feel her lips brush Scott's ever so lightly. A million and one feeling suddonly bursted into Hope all at once sending her stomach to do flip flops. It was a feeling she never had before but she couldnt say she didnt like it, because she did.

Retreating for a moment Hope looks into Scott eyes again before turning her head and coming back again feeling her lips brush his once more and the feelings hit her once more.

Pulling away just a little again Hope finally can regain her thoughts and cant help but think maybe she had just over steped her friendship. Giving a horse whisper Hope looks into his eyes and than away again she almost felt silly, not only was that her first kiss but she never even made sure it was ok.

"I'm sorry, I....I'm sorry."

Nate eyes Gage as the anger is present, but it was not anger twords Gage, it was more on an anger to put fear into him. There was no way Nate would let Gage get to him or see any emotion from him.

"You pocket huh?"

Looking to Con Nate nods.

"Get the needle from his pocket and give it to me Con."

Nate waits for a moment and than takes the needle from Con and holds it up for Gage to see.

"This is what you were asking for?"

Taking it Nate throws it onto the ground and steps on it breaking it and letting the liqued leak onto the floor.

"You have no option Gage, you have no where to go, and you have no one coming for you. Tell us what we want to know and it will be much easyer on you."

Scared

For some reason, Hunter still seems uneasy leaving Alice alone with Kyle, but seeing that she might want to talk privately, he backs off. "Alright... I'll be outside."

Kyle watches him go, keeping his head leaned back and resting it against Alice's arm. He was a little confused at her serious tone... but didn't know if he was misreading her because of his state of mind, or if she really was being sober about something.

Closing his eyes against the light, he shrugs. "You can tell me anything, you know that. Right about now, hearing something new will at least make me forget I feel like throwing up for a few minutes." He tries to quirk a smile, but it's a weak one.

Reaching up and back over his head, he messes teasingly with Alice's hair before letting his arm drop back down again. "What's on your mind, Shadow?"


Mick can't help the laugh that escapes, hearing BJ's innocent logic. "Okay... we can do it that way because we both Love her." He winks at the little boy before standing up and carrying the saddle back to its rack. Every day was full of little corrections, but BJ was finally picking up on them. The boy was a genius when it came to mathematics, but speech was something else altogether. Mick remembered what the doctor had said when they'd discovered the location of the chip, and it seemed to fit. He just hoped that their decision to leave things as they were had been the right one. Right about now though, he wouldn't do anything to ever risk BJ's safety... Mick couldn't imagine the ranch without the little ball of energy running around.

"Alright, Bud, let's say you and I get cleaned up, find an excuse to go to town and we'll go do our secret shopping?"


Scott refuses to look up and meet Hope's eyes. He stares down at his hands in hers, his own shaking as a reaction to everything going on.

He knew what she was saying... and he wanted to believe her... and somewhere deep down, he did want to help. He didn't want to be helpless anymore... just a dead weight. He wanted to prove he was still of use.

But what about last time? The only time he'd been out in the field and he'd been abducted. What about this time? What if the Agency got a hold on him again? Or worse yet, what if he made a fatal mistake that led to TJY's failure to save Katie?

"I can't," he mumbles again. "I... it.... what... what if I do fail? What if I can't remember? What if I wind up turning against my own team without realizing it? I... I don't know. I just...." He swallows hard, his voice wavering as another bead of sweat trickled down his face. His lip had started to bleed again. "I'm.... I'm scared."


Gage fights against his ropes and glares at Nate. "I was just doing my job," he retorts. "All I know is we were supposed to hold her and that's it. My job wasn't hard." He gives a jerk with his arms, trying to free himself, but it didn't work.

"Give me what's in my pocket and I'll talk more," he tries to bargain. He knew he had one syringe left that hadn't been found when he'd been brought in.

Question?

Continuing to watch her friend Alice only feels sorrow for how he felt now. She'd never been addicted to anything except her husband and writing. Cutting one of those out of her life was hard enough she could only imagen how up medicen could be worse.

"I havnt come this far just to leave you when you need me the most."

Turning a little on the bed Alice pulls her own legs up onto the bed her back to the wall. Gently putting her arm around Kyle's shoulders she looks out at Hunter. She new he was worryed, but everything would be ok. She new it.

"Its ok Hunter, everything is gonna be ok. You dont need to keep watch."

Looking back to Kyle Alice plays a few things though her head not sure if now was the right time to tell Kyle or not.

"I have something I want to tell you when your feeling more up to it Kyle. Its...a little bit more about myself I'd like you to know."

If Kyle wanted to know now she would tell him, but first and formost she wanted to offer comfort to her friend who was going though one heck of a time.

BJ thinks for a moment as he scrunchs his nose as he continues to help with the saddle. The little gears in his head turned as he thought about what he mom might like.

Finally his little face lit up as he stratend and looks at Mick with a big smile.

"I dot, a great idea. How about you get mom the flowers because you wove her, and I ta....ta..."

BJ stops and thinks for a moment as he continues to search for the right sound.

"..ta...CAN I can get the braided reins for her since I love her too. Dan we both got her something to like."

Standing aganst the wall in the intaragation room Hope wanted so bad to intervean and help Scott but she new she could not. Once Carson was done with him he would need her for comfort and to help him stay calm. For his sake she had to remain where she was till it was the right time.

The minutes dragged on feeling as though they were never ending. Till finally Hope let out her own sigh of releafe as Carson looks to her and signeled.

Coming slowly over to Scott she placed a gentil hand on Scott shoulder. Listing to what Carson had to say about his friend and Scott reaction she new he was scaired and couldnt blame him. She could very well be the same way.

Waiting till Carson had left Hope moves till she was infront of Scott and pulls a chair up next to him. Reaching out she took his hands in her own and help them for a moment before looking up at him again.

"When you first started coming to me Scott you had said that you felt so helpless like you couldnt help anyone. You were so upset that you had let someone die. Do you remember that?"

Hope waits for a moment before saying anything else for Scott to reply till finally she nods her head a little and gives a smile at him.

"Now is your chanse Scott, to save someone you care about. You dont want Katie to die right? Well its in your hands to herlp her now."

Nate eyes Gage for a long moment as Con said a little of what he wanted to. He sized the man up wanting to take him in to know just what he was up aganst.

Finally as Con finished Nate steped forward as he swong a chair around and sat down himself.

"What do you know about and why Katie Pent? The women you help toucher?"

Nate got right to the point, knowing Gage wouldnt know who we were and if they were good guys or bad guys. As far as he new, they were two people who got a hold of him and now wanted info.

"I would sujest you just tell us, or you yourself will feel a little bit of the same pain Katie did."

Interrogations

At Phinox's last bit of information, all eyes snap up. Jay's face pales and he puts his head in his hands, having thought that the worse was over... he'd been wrong.

A quietness settles over the room and through the phone too. It is a strange silence... one would question why it was there at all. But the agents knew.

Reese looks around at the faces. They all knew the same information. He glances to Phinox, then lowers himself into a chair, taking a deep breath. "Well.... if everything goes accordingly, the Agency will disarm the bomb themselves, right? In order to make the exchange."

"If it goes accordingly..." Rick grits his teeth, emphasizing the "if." "And what if it doesn't? What if we need to disarm it ourselves?"

Again, there is the same strange silence.

Jason's voice finally comes over the phone. "You have to use him, Reese... We can't afford to bring in an outsider this late in the game, and as risky as this is with the Agency. You know that."

"But we can't-" Reese moans and rubs his aching forehead. He looks to Phinox again. "Around here, most agents are trained with firearms, and many with hand-to-hand combat. Fewer have computer skills... the list goes on. We're a branch made up of bits and pieces of people and skills and...."

Rick intervenes. "What he's saying is that we only have one person here who has the right training for disarming a bomb."

Reese purses his lips grimly. "Scott."

"Whoa guys..." Carson's voice comes again. "Do you know what kind of a risk that is? We still don't know which side his brain is wired for. The Agency could have messed with him good enough that he could betray us without even knowing it. And having him onsite?"

"Well what else would you suggest? Letting Katie get blown up?"

Though Reese's words are harsh, they get their point across. Carson comes back a little less aggressive. "Okay, look... I have got to finish with Scott's interrogation. Let Nate handle Gage, and hope we have enough time before Phinox gets his call."

"Why do you need to interrogate Scott first?"

"Because one, he might have information. And two, I'll be able to see if we can trust him or not. I need to confirm that he was indeed assimilated, I have to study his reactions and see whose side he's on. Trust me... we have to do it first, and I would never trust him in the field without this step first."

"And if you think we can't trust him?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Reese has to think for several moments, weighing their options. It didn't matter which way they turned - no prospect sounded good. Finally, he nods, even though Carson can't see it. "Do it."

"Alright. Wyatt, can you handle watching the monitor?"

Wyatt takes a deep breath. He knew why Carson was asking instesad of directing. But he also knew that probably the worst of the scene was over. "Yeah."

"Good onya. Nate? You should take Con with you and go take care of Gage. Once his sedative wears off, he's gonna be madder than a hornet. He's gonna want a fix, and he's gonna want it bad. If he gives you trouble, just have Con sit on him. Treat him like the peon he is... he will probably think he's big stuff in the Agency's eyes - that's the way they make all their little people feel. But he's nothing. As such, he's probably pretty clueless about this current situation, but it's worth a shot anyway."

Carson stops for a moment, thinking. "Sorry, Phinox. Didn't meant to take over. Carry on. I'm going for Scott."

Once the conversation is over, it's agreed that there isn't much else to be done until Phinox was contacted with more information.

Wyatt is the first to leave, heading bravely for Katie's cubicle. Anything that happened now could be vital to this mission.

Con rises as well, looking to Nate. "Well... let's get this show on the road..."


Scott is quiet, but manages a little nod to Hope. He wanted to believe her so badly. And at one point just recently, he had. He'd really been able to start pulling himself out of this pit. Now he felt like he'd been shoved right back down again, but this time, there were daggers at the bottom that hurt even worse.

The sound of someone entering the infirmary makes him look up. It was Carson. A chill runs down his spine.

Carson approaches slowly, but deliberately. Standing near the bed, he gives Scott a grim look.

Scott swallows hard. "It's time, isn't it?"

"Yes." Carson wasn't going to sugarcoat it. "You need to come with me to interrogation room one."

"Can... can Hope come with me?"

A rare gentleness flashes through Carson's eyes, and his tone is softer if just for a moment. "Without hope, we wouldn't have much of a chance, now would we?" He nods. "She can come."

As Scott unfolds his legs and slides gingerly off the bed, Carson throws a warning glance to Hope. "I can't have any interferance," he reminds. "And I can't explain now, but this has gotten a whole lot more dire."

Scott turns, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Not now, Scott. We're gonna get through this first."

Carson leads the way, with Scott close behind, dragging his feet. One arm was tucked around his sore ribs, and he walked slow enough to feel Hope behind him. He was scared. He was scared of what he might remember. He was scared of experiencing yet another interrogation. He was scared of revealing just how bad of a traitor he'd become.


Gage looks up as he hears the door open - finally. His brain still felt a little foggy, but at least all his muscles seemed to be working again. The only thing that hurt at the moment were his hands that were still tied tightly to his chair. He saw two unfamiliar faces.... of two very tall men... one of which looked like a tank. He couldn't help but swallow a lump in his throat. Oh, great.

Con grabs a seat and sits down to the side, casually, making room for Nate. "Well... Gage... how are you?"

Gage narrows his eyes into a new glare. "How would you be stuck in a place like this?" Few would notice that his hands were shaking slightly, the first signs of his addiction coming through.

"I would hope I'd see an opportunity," Con counters.

"For what?"

"To stay alive."

Gage retreats just a little. He stares at Con, then at Nate. He had never been taken away from the Agency before, and he tried to mask the fear behind his eyes. He'd been trained to withstand questioning and brutality, but never having experienced it, he was afraid. "What do you want?"


Carson sets up the other interrogation room, not enjoying the task, but knowing full well how to do it. It was quite a while ago, but he had been in on several sessions during someone's assimilation, and also the extraction of data. The only hope they had to help Scott retrieve information was to rebuild the environment that might trigger the memory of being at the Agency.

Looking at Hope, his facial expression is not a happy one. Switching off the overhead lights, he turns on a warm spotlight that shone brightly on the chair against the wall. "Scott?"

Scott knows what he's being asked to do, and glances at Hope with hesitation. His swollen face just emphasized his feeling of helplessness. But he obeys Carson and goes to sit in the chair. He blinks in the light. Something about this felt familiar. But he'd been instructed by Carson not to reply to anything unless he knew the answer.

Carson leans back against the table, watching Scott for several minutes, remaining completely quiet. Finally he speaks. His tone was not mean, but it was not warm either. "Directive. File zero three one."

Scott swallows hard. It rang a bell. But nothing else surfaces.

Carson speaks a little more firmly. "Report. Removed agent three seventy-two."

Scott blinks. "I..."

"Report!" Carson raises his voice, sensing that Scott knew the answer.

Scott knew he knew.... but it hurt to remember.... the light... the screen... the information...

Carson slips beside Scott, and in one movement, has him on his feet in a rough choke hold. "Report!" he orders again.

Scott struggles, for a moment caught in a brief flashback, unsure if he was fighting off Carson or someone who had held him captive. "I don't know!"

"Removed agent three seventy-two!"

Scott winces and gasps for breath. "Banks... Carson... enforcement division. Security code one one three. Clearance level three."

Carson immediately releases Scott, letting him sink back down into the chair. He closes his eyes for a moment, hating every moment of this. Reaching to the table, he retrieves a glass of water and offers it to Scott.

Scott accepts, his hands trembling. A bead of sweat runs down his face, and he licks his lip where it had started to bleed again. He squints in the light, but can't see Hope beyond the bright beam. His blind eye hurt and he was exhausted. But he knew that each time Carson extracted information, not only was it further proof that Scott did know it, but they could only hope that it took them one step closer to being able to gain the information more readily... if he would only remember. It didn't help any that it had been so long since the assimilation.

Carson stands back again and runs a hand over his face before taking a deep breath. What he'd really like now was a shot of whiskey. But he had a job to do instead. Once he sees Scott is halfway recovered, he starts again. It was testing his own memory... he had to be able to come up with triggers he knew Scott might respond to... and his own recollections were somewhat foggy in a few areas.

"Code sixty-five."

Scott closes his eyes. He was trying so hard. But that number didn't mean anything to him.

Carson tries again, sternly. "Code seventy-three."

"Department four security." Scott's eyes fly open. "Level... two."

Though Carson was seeing an improvement and wanted to stop, he knew he couldn't. Not yet. "Report. Deceased agent thirty-four."

"Turner. Ashlyn. Clearance five. Enforcement division." Scott pauses. "Notes. Banks termination."

Carson works the muscles in his jaw, quickly moving on. "Location. File forty-B."

Scott swallows hard, trying to reach down... so far down. A horror had entered his veins as slowly, the fog was lifted and he began to remember gaining the information he was sharing now. But he had to respond. "Secured database three."

"Code two fifty-nine C."

"Division six. Clearance level nine."

"Report. Agent Billings. Ryder."

"Communication division. Enforcement termination." Scott squints a little. "Code seven five five. Security clearance level one."

Carson quirks an eyebrow. Ryder had had higher clearance then he'd had? That was interesting. No matter his interest in what Scott was pulling up now though, he would continue this interrogation. It was obvious they had broken through the memory barrier - a relief to Carson that force would no longer have to be used. He'd seen much worse - thankfully it hadn't taken Scott long. Now he would find out the truth of the circumstances.

"Do you remember?"

Scott frowns, not understanding.

Carson repeats, his tone not quite as harsh. "What did they do?"

Scott hangs his head. He didn't want the memories to come. A tear escapes to roll down his cheek. "They beat on me... they said everyone I knew was dead... they said they would stop the pain... if I joined them."

"And did you?"

Scott nods. Carson's mini-interrogation was exactly what they'd done to him in the Agency, and it had effectively triggered the event, just as hoped. But even so, it was a painful thing to remember. "They... they brought me to the lab... and asked me one more time... and... and I gave in."

"Why didn't they continue to hound you about TJY?"

"They... wanted me to write up a report... after the assimilation."

"And do you remember that process?"

Scott nods again, his lip quivering. "There were computers... and they had things I didn't recognize... and a big screen... and all the information..." He sniffs, feeling like a fool. "Seventy-two hours. They... they forced me to take all of it in... then they ran tests to make sure I'd remembered."

"Like what I just did?"

"Yes."

Carson folds his arms across his chest. He knew the way it worked... just like he'd told Hope... usually after assimilation, the victim wouldn't know how to retrieve the information on their own, so it had to be forced through a series of interrogations, similar to this. Once it was triggered though, it was like typing in a password to a database, and whoever it was could remember the information like remembering their best friend's name. It was just... there... and accessible. "Why did they leave you for dead then, Scott? Why didn't they finalize the process by placing you in a division?"

Scott shakes his head and stares at the floor. There was still a blank. "I... I don't know."

"Was it a trap? For TJY? Did they expect you to come back here and feed them information?"

"I don't know."

"Did you feed them?"

"I... I don't think so."

Carson raises his voice. "Have you given them information since you got back? Yes or no?"

"Um..."

"Yes or no?!"

"No!" Scott's pulse raises. "I... I can't... no... no... I couldn't have."

"Why didn't they kill you, Scott? If you weren't loyal to them, they wouldn't have taken you into the assimilation program to begin with and you know it. You said yourself that you gave in. Why then, did they leave you for dead?"

"I don't know!" All of the memories were swarming around Scott once again. He'd thought he'd gotten past the pain, but everything was resurfacing. Everything from the brutal beatings, to watching that girl die, to sharing a cold cell with rats. Leaning forward, he buries his face in his hands. "I don't know! I don't know!"

One more question. The file names were always the same. "Location and code. File zero zero six. Johnson."

Scott doesn't lift his head. "Database five, pathway six two five seven nine. Code three zero A. Password KJ859."

Carson lets out a long sigh. They were finished. Carson now knew the location of where the Agency stored the information about Scott's assimilation. Scott wouldn't know what was entered into it after the process had been terminated. As far as retrieving information, Scott was far enough along now that once calmed down, he'd be able to compile all of it himself in a form that might be able to help TJY. As far as why he was here though... that question remained unanswered. But Carson was determined to find out what had really happened, no matter how long it took.

He steps forward and lays a hand on Scott's shoulder. "You alright?"

Scott nods and straightens up, though he's really not sure. "Is it... is it over?"

"We're done for now, mate. I won't hound you anymore."

Scott could hear the "but" in Carson's voice. "Then... what? Are they going to turn me in? Am I going to jail?"

"Naw, slow down." Carson shakes his head. He glances to Hope, giving her the signal that she could intervene now, and help calm Scott down. If anything, she was the sedative Scott needed. "There is more though."

Scott swallows hard, afraid. "What is it?"

"There's been a new development with the case. We need your help. I'm convinced that you're not going to purposely sabotage the mission. Technically, you'll still be considered a traitor until we can figure out just why the Agency didn't keep you. But I can see your intentions are only to help. And we need that. We'll have to have someone watch you at all times, but... it's worth the risk at this point."

Scott looks to Hope, worry flooding his eyes. Sweat continues to run down the sides of his face, and his mouth was parched. "What.... what do you need?"

Carson hesitates. But he knows he has to do it. He just put Scott through heck, but unfortunately, there was no time for him to sit and lick his wounds. "Phinox told us that there's a bomb connected to Katie. We may or may not need someone to disarm it."

If Scott's face could get any paler, it would have. They wanted him in the field. Terror seizes him and he finds himself shaking his head. "No... no.... I... I can't.... it.... no...."

"You have to," Carson states flatly. "Unless you're willing to let Katie die."

"I can't do it!" Scott blurts out. "I got put in the field one time, and look what happened! I can't do it!"

"You can!" Carson leans down to look him square in the eye. "You're the only one with the right skills. We may not need you. But if we do, we need you there and ready. You can stay here and be afraid, or you go help save Katie's life. Which will it be?"

Scott's lower lip quivers along with the rest of his body. He hadn't felt this afraid since coming home. And now he had nowhere to run. He was a traitor, he was beat up, and now he had to go back out into the field.

Carson backs away, ready to go check back in with Phinox and Reese. He looks at Hope again, giving her permission to stay here with Scott and do what she could. This was now her department.


Rick enters Jason's office slowly after having knocked. He looks at his young friend for a moment, tired of seeing such despair. But the day was just beginning.

He holds out a needle. "We need to get started."

Jason obediently rolls up his sleeve. "What's going to happen?"

"This isn't a cure from the antidote, but it'll speed up the process. Unfortunately, it's not going to be pleasant."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning you're gonna lose anything you just ate in the last few hours. You start feeling sick, you better find yourself down the hall and not in here."

Jason grits his teeth as the injection comes. "Not like I've never thrown up before."

"No... but I want you to drink as much water as you can too. You need to help your body flush out as much as possible. Then only time will take care of the rest."


Kyle looks up at Alice wearily. It took all he had just to sit here and not beg for a ride into down to the nearest pharmacy. His jaw muscles work out the tension, but it didn't do much good.

He gives Alice a little nod, knowing he wasn't alone. "I feel like a train ran over me," he admits. "Do I have rail marks on my head?"

Hunter can't help a wry grin. "Still got your sense of humor."

"It's all I got left," Kyle returns. His head had never hurt so much in his entire life, and his insides were churning. If he could just have one dose... just once more... He stares back at Alice, finding her eyes and piercing them with his own gaze. "Don't let me off this bus," he requests quietly. "If I get off, I'll find a way to fall."

Hunter's eyes narrow slightly as he listens. Illegal or not, he knew the signs... Kyle was coming down off of something. Pain meds? Sleeping pills? Now didn't seem the time to ask. But he wasn't going to leave Alice alone with him.


Mick grins. "Yeah, I think we can pick something up for mom too. You think she'd want some flowers?" He points towards a row of bridles. "She did have her eye on a nice set of braided reins down at the tack shop. What do you think?"

Over with

Alice gives a shake of her head and a small sigh that is followed by a smile. She felt bad for Kyle and new this had to be hard.

"Psht, you better not be dead. It's be pretty lonly without my best friend around."

Her hand findes Kyle's arm and gives it a gentil pat the smile still on her face as the tone in her voice was softer than normal.

"Not feeling to good this morning huh?"

Leaning in a little closer to Kyle Alice looks into his eyes studdying them for a long moment. She could see the longing for the drug he was addicted to but she could also see the will to be strong.

"You can beat this you know, your gonna be ok."

Phinox looks around the room at all the faces the Reese had assigned to go thinking to himself quickly if these were the best people to go for the job and he agreed that it was.

Thinking for a moment Phinox remembered something that has him a little worryed. He didnt know if anyone had delt with this before.

"There is something else, and it might answer a few questions of why I didnt get Katie out when I knocked Gage out."

Phinox is silent for a moment before looking up and around at all the faces once more.

"..if you look closly on the moniter behind Katie you will see a box. Its easy to over look at first but when I bent down to whisper to her I noticed it was connected to the ropes around her wrists. Its a bomb set up that if anyone was to mess with the ropes or pressure on it was taken away it would go off."

BJ gives a big toothy smile to Mick as he continues to help him with the saddle. The little boy loved helping out and enjoyed even more spending time with Mick.

"Tan we get somehting for mom when we are in town too?"

Excitment could be seen in his eyes as he looked to the man who was the most of a father to him as anyone had ever been. The boy had taken to Mick so fast one would think he has spent all his life with him.

"Oh Scott, you will be normal again. Once we get this all stratend out you will be ok. I just know it, your a stronger man than you think my friend."

Leaning back in the chair Hope let out a small sigh. All he wanted was peace, He wanted his friend back and he wanted all this horrar to end.

THough Hope couldnt say she new how it felt she new it must hurt because it did just thinking about it.

Giving a small sigh she new Scott wanted to get it over with and though she had stoped it for a little while she new she couldnt forever.

"As soon as Carson gets a free moment, we will get it over with."

Disturbing the Dead

Hunter is quiet for a moment, just searching Alice's face, but finally he gives a little nod. He would trust her. He didn't like what he'd been seeing, but if she said it was nothing like the conclusions he'd drawn, then he believed her. Though not knowing why she couldn't say anything else to him, or why Kyle would be embarrassed, he respected the privacy she'd promised.

"Okay." He cocks his head towards the bus. "Come on while the others are stretching their legs."

He leads Alice to the bus and up the steps. It was amazing that the team had enough room on the bus to live while they were on the road, but everything inside was surprisingly compact, allowing for much more space than one might think possible.

Hunter makes his path to the back end of the bus where everyone had their own private space with narrow beds. Sliding doors along the small walkway opened into their mobile "bedrooms" with just enough space to have a few private belongings and a bed, while the larger cubby in the back was reserved for Jordan and Myla.

Reaching Kyle's space, the door is open. He's lying on his back in bed. He'd managed to get dressed at some point, though anything else just required too much energy. One arm was draped over his forehead, shielding his eyes from any extra light. His hair was a little matted along the sides of his face, signs that he'd been sweating, even though the bus was kept cool.

Hearing someone approach, he pries open his eyes just enough that he could see who it was. A slight, tired smile quirks his mouth and he gives a little wave, though his head hurts too much to sit up or move. "Didn't you know it's impolite to disturb the dead?" he mumbles.

Hunter leans on the doorframe behind Alice, more solemn and still trying to figure out just what was going on.


Scott eventually lifts his head again, resting his chin on his knees, his arms still wrapped around his legs. It hurt his ribs to sit like this, but at least he felt protected.

"I know how it feels," he comments quietly. "Every second, the pain just gets worse, and you just wish you could die, but your body keeps fighting even when your mind has given up. So you just suffer more."

He shifts his head to use his knees as a pillow, studying Hope for the longest time. It was so quiet in the infirmary. Everyone had left - he assumed it had to do with the case for Katie. How could there be so much peace and turmoil at the same time? He can feel the emotions starting to well up inside of him again as reality weighed heavier and heavier on his mind.

"I feel like I'm never going to be normal again," he admits. "Every time I'm one step ahead, I get knocked down again. I can't do anything for myself anymore... I'm constantly relying on others. While I'm not as scared anymore, I'm a bundle of nerves and I don't even know why. Am I just still recovering? Am I a traitor? Could I have helped this mess? Have I made things worse?"

The questions beg for answers, yet he knows that there really were none. He sighs, wincing a little as his ribs remind him not to move too quickly.

Closing his eyes again, he manages a slight nod. "I'm ready to talk to Carson... as soon as he can. I want to get it over with... please."


The hour of day was quickly becoming morning, and each minute that slipped by was another minute that worry grew.

Everyone in the room pays attention to what Phinox is saying. Though Jason isn't present, he's listening in, so at least he knows what's going on.

Reese looks around at the agents, weighing their reactions. He looks to Jay and Derek. "What say you?"

Jay is still emotional enough that it is hard for him to speak, so Derek takes over. "We're ready." He purses his lips grimly. "We both have families back home that don't even know why we're here. We've got other kids and wives to think about. But we're willing to give up what we have to, in order to bring Katie back. At the very least, we can't let the Agency win."


Listening, Jason blinks and wipes his eyes again, now halfway impressed by his father's words. He really was willing to risk his life for Katie. That said something about his character, didn't it?


Reese nods slowly, then turns to Phinox. "This is what I propose. We should prepare Derek and Jay and get them ready for an exchange. I want tracking devices placed in their shoes - something small that will go unnoticed. Hal?"

Hal is writing on a notepad and looks up. "Yeah.... I got a couple devices the size of a thumb tack. We can even put them in the lining of their shoes or something so at least no one would ever be able to see them. Hopefully the Agency will be anxious enough to get the men that they won't take the time for a full-body scan at least not right off." He glances towards Dalton. "I'll need help configuring the trackers - Scott used to do that."

Reese continues. "This is a security measure. If anything happens and we can't get Jay and Derek straight out again, we can at least know where they are. Next, I agree and want a team onsite or at least near it. I know that this is risky because we can't let the Agency think that we're planning something. But I want a team as close as possible so that they can move in if anything goes down."

He scans the face. "I think it best if we send Nate... Con... Wyatt... and I'd like to be there as well. While I'm gone, Hal, you will be in charge here, while you and Dalton stay on the monitors."

Jason's voice comes through the phone's intercom. "I want to go too."

Reese sighs deeply. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Please?" Jason pleads. "I want to be there..."

"We have yet to work on getting the meds out of you, Jase," Rick reminds.

"But we still have time... Phinox hasn't gotten the call yet."

Reese interrupts. "Jason... when the times comes to leave, if I find you emotionally stable, and if Rick will release you, then I will allow it." He nods with the decision. "Carson, you listening?"

"Yeah, I wondered if you were going to count me in or not."

"I want you to stay here. You've got three jobs - keeping an eye on the monitor and letting us know what happens with Katie. You also need to interrogate Gage - hopefully that will come before the team leaves, so get ready. And you also need to finish your task with Scott. We still don't know if he knows anything about this or not."

"Right." Though Carson's voice is confident, in reality, he was dreading all of this.

Reese turns to Misty. "I also want you with the team, but in the background. Katie will need medical attention, and I Rick needs to stay back here for all the other emergencies we got going. Most likely, Katie will need to be taken to the hospital immediately, but I trust you to assess the situation and do all you can on the way."

He pauses, heaving a sigh. "And now.... we wait. Phinox, is there anything we need to try to get out of Gage specifically? Alterior plans? Motives? Carson should have something to go on while we wait for your call to come through."

Better Plan

Alice's eyes search Hunter's face for a moment as she can see the worry in his eyes. She new why Kyle was like this right now. He had also trusted her not to say anything and it hurt to think she would break her trust in him.

"No, No Hunter its nothing like that. Kyle wasn't on illegal drugs. I...promised him wouldnt say anything because he was embarssed. You need to ask him about this not me."

Getting out of her jeep Alice lets out a small sigh as she jingles the keys in her hand for a moment. She couldnt betray Kyle's trust in her.

"I'd like to go see Kyle please to make sure he is ok."

Dropping the keys in her pockets Alice looks to Hunter hoping he would understand the reason for her silence and trust her.

Giving a small smile Hope gives a nod as she continues to sit with Scott.

"I am not here because I have to, I am here because I want to. At least for a little while longer untill Carson talks with you."

She new he was hurting and couldnt blame him. Not just from the beating he had taken and the though of being a trator but alot that his friend was dieing, and there wasnt anything he could do.

Nate followed close behind Laura gives a small sigh and composing himself. Finding a seat and sinking into a chair he pulls Laura down next to him keeping her close to him.

Following Con Jamie stayed close. Jamie couldnt help but think back to her own capture and felt so bad for Katie she just wanted to cry all the more.

Pacing across the floor Phinox is silent for a long moment as everyone gathers into the the meeting room. Gathering his own mind and thoughs he continues to pace.

Finally looking up as the last few enter into the room Phinox just eyes everyone untill finally he takes out a small peace of paper with some folds in it to fit into a envilope.

"This is the map of the building where Katie is. I drew it out myself to the best of my memorie."

Phinox is silent for a second letting everyone take a look at it before starting again.

"I think our best bet would be when the Agency contacts me and I know they will, to offer Jay and Derek like they want in exchange for Katie. Now we know they wont let Katie go that would be way to easy. But if I do the drop off they will want to have as well for betraying them I will be able to get close once again with Jay and Derek close range and you guys close by as well."

Phinox new it would be risky and so much could go wrong but if someone new something better to do he would be all ears to try.

Clean?

Reese takes a deep breath, trying to maintain some control of the situation, though he hardly felt in charge at the moment. His eyes watch Phinox leave, then he looks back at the small group of agents. It hurt just seeing their faces.

Moving slowly, he positions himself in front of the screen to end the torture of seeing Katie. "I know this is a difficult time for all of us," he states strongly. "But now more than ever, we need to keep our heads. If any of you think you can't handle this case, then no one will think less of you, and you are free to leave." He pauses, leaving opportunity for anyone to excuse themselves. No one does.

"Phinox is putting together a plan that we should hear. I don't know how many of us will be needed, but we should all know what's going on at least. So... please... we need to go to the meeting room now to discuss this case. Thank you."


Laura sniffs and finally backs away from Nate, wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself. She looks up at him for a moment, mustering up her courage. She was stronger than this... and even if she wasn't, she had to be. Simply giving a little nod, she follows Reese down the hall.

Con slips his arm around Jamie, giving he a squeeze. He appreciated her presence... the comfort she was trying to offer. She knew how special Katie was to him. He leans down to kiss the top of her head before turning her to walk with him to the meeting room. He wasn't going anywhere. He'd started with this and wasn't going to leave anyone high and dry, even if they wound up not needing him.

Once the group has moved down the hall, Ryder stares after them, lost in his own thoughts for several moments. His mind wanders to many places, finally landing on Australia. Sometimes he wished he were back home... apart from all of this turmoil. Finally shaking his head, he follows the others.


Jason was far from having himself together in a state to think, but he has to. He might not have an assignment at this point, but if there was anything he could think of... any way he could help, he had to do it. He knows the others are going to have a meeting, and Derek had just left his office to go as well. But he sat alone, trying to recover from seeing Katie and receiving her words to him.

Getting up to get a drink of water, he hears voices outside of his office and stops, listening for a moment.

"I think you should tell him."

"Not now. He's already going through enough."

"But he has a right to know!"

"I just don't think it's a good idea!" Rick shakes his head at Derek. "It's been hard enough keeping him stable without this."

Derek frowns. "Jason should be told. He has just as much right to know as the rest of us."

"It's not wise! We'll tell him when he's more stable."

"Tell me what?" Jason comes around the corner and leans on the doorway, folding his arms across his chest. He looks back and forth between his father and Rick, with an expression of annoyance mixed with question. His eyes were bloodshot from tears and he was hurting too much to care about protocol. The hall became quiet.

Rick looks down, then to Derek, then back to Jason, finally sighing in defeat. The meeting was waiting. He had to talk quickly so as not to waste time. "We noticed that they haven't been giving Katie any more shots."

For a moment, Jason doesn't understand why this is such a big deal. Then it hits him. His eyes widen. "But... but I've still got my last dose in me. I'm not due for hours yet."

Rick purses his lips grimly. "I know. It appears Katie has already lost consciousness."

"Well, we have to get it out of my system."

"We can't. Not easily anyway." Rick shakes his head. "Drink a lot of fluids and I can give you something to flush your system. Isn't going to be fun, but it will help speed up the process. It will still take several hours though."

Jason's emotions start to churn. "I shouldn't have taken the antidote in the first place."

"You had to," Rick states flatly. "We would have lost you if we hadn't."

"Then I should have hung on for longer!" Jason snaps.

"It wasn't an option!"

"How do we know?! Now Katie's life is on the line and it's because I couldn't handle it without the antidote! I should have done something different!"

"You didn't have a choice!"

"Yes I did!" Jason's eyes fill with fresh tears all over again. "I should have been stronger!"

"Jason..." Derek's quiet voice interrupts. He waits until Jason looks at him. "You're only human. You may have a gift, but in the end, you're still just a man. If you hadn't taken the antidote, you'd probably be dead by now... then who would be here for Katie once she gets home?"

One she gets home... Jason's hope was slowly dwindling. Calming down, he looks back to Rick. "Give me whatever you need to give me to speed this thing up. Even if it only speeds it up by an hour, that's an hour more than we had."

Rick takes a deep breath, and nods, knowing better than to argue. "Stay in your office like Reese wants. After we have a plan, we'll get you taken care of."


...As everyone gathers in the meeting room, they all take their seats, looking to Phinox expectantly. Derek and Jay exchange glances, knowing that they might very well be put at risk, but both willing. They look to Phinox as well, as their only connection to the Agency and ultimately, to Katie. Everyone wondered why he hadn't not rescued her when he'd been able to bring back Gage.


Carson sinks back down into the chair, his tired eyes staring back at the screen once again. Oh how he wanted this to be over. He was beginning to loath this job. All he wanted to do was break down. But he couldn't... not yet.


As Hope's words hit Scott's ears, he just stares at her. At first, no emotion is present, just a confusion. Then reality hits him. There was only on reason Katie would say something like that to him. Finally the tears start to form. Katie didn't know he was a traitor... it was best that way.

He tries to swallow the lump in his throat. Feeling Hope's hand on his, he doesn't move, not really sure what to do or what to say.

Eventually, he moves away from her touch, rolling over, then pulling himself up to sit, tucking his legs up close to his chest to hide his face in his knees. His body hurt all over from the recent beating, but his heart hurt even more. And there was no medicine for that kind of pain.

"You don't have to stay, you know," he mumbles without looking up.


Mick's eyes glance up as the small figure enters the tack room, though he keeps on working. As BJ reaches up to help, a grim spreads on his face.

Hearing about the apples and the tooth, Mick chuckles. "How about when you "have" more money?" He ruffles the young boy's hair, giving him a teasing correction on the grammar he'd been working with him lately.

He lets BJ share the saddle soap he was using, then returns to gently rubbing the leather. "A quarter won't get you too many apples there, bud. How about you and I take a ride to town and get a whole bag of 'em? I know some other horses that would like a treat too."


It was early afternoon, and the sun was warm. The road had been a long one today with few stops. Rising early, they'd barely conversed over breakfast, then had hit the road once again. Before the team reaches their destination though, the bus pulls off into a small rest area with bathrooms and a picnic area. As they come to a stop, Hunter is the first out of the bus, and he jogs over to Alice's jeep, motioning for her to roll her window down.

He flashes her a smile and leans on the door. "Hey, Shadow. We just got a call from the school we were headed for, and they've canceled programs for tonight. I guess the building had a major water leak and they just can't get everything together in time. So... we're gonna take it easy and just grab a hotel in the next town. Without this stop, we got a couple days now."

Hunter glances back to the bus, then to Alice again. "It's just as well, Kyle's not in great shape. I didn't think he looked so great this morning, and him being quiet wasn't exactly normal. I guess he's had a major headache all day. Got bad enough he threw up about an hour ago. Chloe was worried to the point that she wanted to take him to the next ER we came across, but that just made him mad. He wouldn't take anything, but he's down in his bunk. I'm kind of glad our event was canceled."

He pauses, lifting one eyebrow slightly. "When Chloe asked him if he needed anything, he um... muttered something like 'Alice threw it away.'" Hunter searches Alice's eyes. Over the course of their trip, he'd noticed a few things about Kyle that he'd never mentioned. They were all used to Kyle's ups and downs, but Hunter had seen more. "You gonna tell me what he meant, or do I have to tell Jordan that Kyle hasn't been totally clean?"