by Mike Ryan
“Syria? Aren’t they having a lot of problems over there?”
“Yes. That’s one of the reasons he was there.”
“How long’s he been missing?”
“Over a week.”
“Oh my God,” Heather said, starting to breath heavily.
“Just relax,” Lawson responded, putting her hand on Heather’s arm to calm her down. “We will find him.”
“I’m gonna lose the only good thing that’s in my life,” Heather cried, tears rolling down her face. “Seems silly, huh? Shedding tears over someone you love that doesn’t love you back? We’ve never even had a picture taken together. I can’t help it though.”
“What makes you think he doesn’t love you?” Lawson asked, trying to console her.
“He’s never said anything, or done anything. In the year we’ve known each other he’s never even tried to kiss me,” she revealed, dabbing at her eyes. “Not like you two,” she added.
“What?”
“I know you two have been intimate before. I’ve smelled your perfume on him.”
Lawson was taken aback by her claims. She wasn’t expecting to hear that, though she wasn’t going to deny it either.
“Yes, we have been. Not in a long time though,” Lawson stated.
“Do you love him?” Heather asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“No. I mean, I care about him a lot. But I don’t love him the way you do. After the first couple times we were together, I thought maybe those feelings would turn into love.”
“But they didn’t?”
“No, they didn’t. I always felt like he was resisting for some reason. Like maybe there was someone else he was yearning for,” Lawson insisted.
“I was jealous of you for a long time.”
“Why?”
“Because you had what I couldn’t.”
“But I’ve never had his heart. That belongs to someone else,” she said, Heather looking surprised at what she was suggesting.
“I have to admit I was kinda surprised that you wanted to meet with me, knowing how you feel about me,” Heather stated.
“I know you think I hate you, but I don’t. I never have. I maybe disagreed with some of your lifestyle choices but that’s about it.”
“That’s all in the past. I gave all that up when I met Matt. I have a real job now.”
“I know.”
“I guess I thought leaving all that behind would increase my chances with him,” Heather added. “But it didn’t.”
Lawson’s phone then started going off. It was Sanders. He had some information on a different case she was working on for another agent. She told him she wasn’t able to take the information at the moment and would come into the Center for it.
“Well, I need to get back to the office,” Lawson said.
“Wait. What can I do?”
“For what?”
“If Matt’s in trouble out there I need to help somehow. What can I do?” Heather offered.
“There’s nothing you can do. Go home. If I hear anything I’ll let you know,” Lawson told her.
“I have to do something.”
“There is something.”
“What?” Heather asked.
“Pray.”
Syria—Cain blinked his eyes quickly, finally waking up, trying to get his wits together. He tried to move but his arms were restrained by the ropes that were wrapped around his wrists. His arms were spread out above his head as the ropes were nailed into the wall. He looked around the room but it was empty, with just one window, as he sat on a dirt floor. He sat there wondering what was going on and where he was. The sun was shining brightly into the room. As he sat there reflecting on what would probably be his fate, he started having a vision. It was an older couple, probably in their fifties, setting up a Christmas tree. Though he couldn’t hear, he could see they were smiling and laughing, having a great time putting up their decorations. Then the blonde haired woman entered the room with that little boy that he always dreamed about. They started helping put ornaments on the tree. They had hats on with their names written in glitter across the white strip in front. Cain struggled to see their names, wishing they’d come closer to him so he could get a better look.
Noises from outside his door rattled Cain, breaking his concentration, making the visions slowly fade away. Though he could hear voices and people walking, nearly half an hour went by before he received any visitors. Two armed men walked in, followed by a man Cain was familiar with. The man sent the guards away so the two men could be alone.
“Mr. Cain, I’ve been waiting for you to come around,” the man said.
“So what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Raines?”
“I just wanted to stop in and say thank you for helping me disappear in Indonesia.”
“Why thank me? I didn’t do anything for you. If I recall correctly I shot you,” Cain said. “We were hoping you were dead.”
“Shoulder,” Raines responded, patting his left shoulder. “Hurt like a bitch, too.”
“Shame.”
“Since that day, I told myself if I ever had the chance, that I would thank you properly.”
“For?”
“You could’ve killed me but you didn’t,” Raines said.
“Missed my shot.”
“Did you? Somehow I doubt that. You seem to be an expert marksman. You can hit a man from a few hundred yards but miss from a few feet? Seems somewhat dubious to me.”
“I was rushing.”
“Or maybe it was because you know what I was saying was true, or at least got your curiosity aroused, thinking it might be true. You had doubts and deliberately missed your shot, didn’t you?” Raines asked. “You weren’t sure I was the enemy were you?”
“What about you?” Cain asked, ignoring his question.
“What about me?”
“I could say the same for you,” Cain said. “You’re just as deadly as I am yet you fired two shots at me that weren’t even close and a shot at Shelly that missed by just as much. How do you account for that?”
“That’s a fair question. One in which I would answer that I was thrown off by the fact I had two targets to hit in a matter of seconds. I didn‘t exactly have time to aim properly.”
“You know as well as I do you could’ve hit me then easily shot Shelly. She’s no match with a gun and she probably wouldn‘t have fired at you anyway with your history.”
“Yes, well, hindsight is twenty twenty as they say,” Raines said.
“You deliberately missed your shot, didn’t you? It was a big risk you took, letting yourself get shot in order to escape.”
“One that apparently paid off, did it not?” Raines replied, acknowledging the truth.
“I suppose so. For a while anyway,” Cain stated. “What if I shot you in the chest?”
“Then I guess my plan would have failed, wouldn’t it?”
“Why didn’t you just try to kill us instead?”
“For a myriad of reasons. One is that although the belief is that I betrayed the agency, and perhaps I did, and in spite of my now mercenary status, is that I loved Shelly. Maybe I even still do. No matter her feelings for me now, I don’t wish any harm to come to her and would never allow it to be at my hands.”
“And me?”
“You remind me of someone,” Raines told him.
“Who’s that?”
“Me.”
“I don’t see a connection,” Cain said.
“Of course you don’t. You haven’t lived through it yet.”
“You talk in a lot of riddles.”
“I was once in the same position you’re in. The young “it” agent that the agency decides it can’t do without. You get the top assignments, plenty of money, girls when you want. You go along with their game until you slowly discover that you are not the person you thought you were.”
“How’s that?” Cain wondered. “How’s that pertain to me?”
“That’s only
something that you’ll be able to answer. It’s happened to us all. What that is for you specifically is only for you to say. In time, you’ll discover the answers to questions you haven’t even asked yet. Then one day it’ll all fit together.”
“Assuming I get out of here.”
“You will.”
“You seem pretty confident of my abilities,” Cain stated.
“Well, I am, but that has nothing to do with it in this situation. You will get out of here because I will help you,” Raines revealed.
“Why would you do that?”
“Self preservation, Mr. Cain.”
“How do you figure?”
“I’m well aware there is a KOS order out on me. I will help you out of this predicament on the condition that you are to never execute that order should the chance arise,” Raines said.
Cain looked at his opponent with a confused look on his face. He was sure there was some ulterior motive behind his statement. Raines could see the distrust in Cain’s eyes and sought to reassure him.
“I assure you this is no trick,” Raines said. “I’m offering you a deal.”
“I’m still not sure what you gain from this.”
“I’ll put it in simpler terms. My only goal is survival. If I let them kill you now, the agency will simply send someone else in your place to terminate me when possible. If I come to terms with you, and they send you, I’m at a significant advantage. We both win. You get to leave here and go home to Heather, and I get a reasonable assurance I won’t be killed…at least by you.”
“How do you know Heather?” Cain asked, concerned about her safety.
“Relax,” Raines replied, trying to ease Cain’s anxiety. “She’s perfectly safe and will remain that way.”
“Then how do you know her?”
“Well, she’s sent you over fifty text messages and called you several times in the last week,” Raines responded, pulling out Cain’s cell phone from his pocket. “She seems quite concerned about your safety.”
“How do you know you can trust me? What makes you think if I line you up again I still won’t pull the trigger?”
“You can pull the trigger, as long as you hit someone other than me. The man next to me, a goat, the wall, whatever you like. If I’ve misjudged you then it’s a gamble I will lose. But there’s little risk for me. If it’s not you pulling the trigger, it’ll be someone else. At least with you, there’s the chance you’ll miss,” Raines told him.
“How will you explain my escaping to Kurylenko?” Cain wondered.
“That’s the least of my worries. Kurylenko trusts me implicitly. I could tell him a spaceship came down and beamed you aboard and he’d believe me.”
“If I agree to your terms when would I leave?”
“I have a man stationed in back with a jeep ready to take you to Israel,” Raines replied.
“And if I don’t agree?”
“Then there’s nothing else I can do for you. Kurylenko will torture you to extract any information he can and then he will kill you. It will be a long, painful process.”
“Seems I don’t have many options,” Cain stated.
“It would appear not.”
“Then I guess I accept your terms.”
“Excellent. Guards,” Raines yelled.
The two armed guards came in as requested. Raines asked them to untie Cain. As soon as they did, Raines shot both of them, giving them two bullets each in the chest. Raines reached behind him and pulled out a gun from his belt, handing it to Cain.
“I believe this is yours,” Raines said, handing Cain his Glock.
“Thanks,” Cain said, accepting his gun, checking to see if there were bullets in it.
“It’s loaded,” Raines said with a smile.
“Just checking.”
“My man will take you within a few miles of the Israeli border. After that you’ll have to walk in,” Raines added, handing Cain his phone. “The Israeli guards would most likely shoot him if he goes further.”
“That’s fine. I’ll call Shelly to let her know I’m coming.”
Raines led Cain out the back of the building where a jeep was waiting to take him away. A few seconds later the jeep sped off, Raines watching as it rode into the distance. Kurylenko and the rest of his men were away on business which made it the optimal time for him to get Cain out of there. Once Kurylenko returned he’d just explain to him how a rescue mission must’ve been launched to help Cain escape. As Cain raced for the border, he called Lawson as they were en route.
Lawson was heavily involved in gathering information for an agent in Switzerland but dropped everything when she saw Cain’s name pop up on her screen.
“Cain,” Lawson said, hoping it was him.
“Hey.”
“Thank God, are you OK?”
“Don’t have time to talk. I was able to escape and I’m on my way to Israel. I should be there in a few hours.”
“I’ll contact the Israeli government and the American Embassy to let them know you’re coming so there‘ll be no problems,” she told him. “Are you being chased?”
“No, I don’t think they know I’m gone yet. I’ve got a good lead, I’ll be OK.”
“OK. Hurry up and get back.”
Lawson immediately called Sanders to let him know about Cain’s escape. She then contacted the appropriate government officials in Israel to let them know an American who worked for the U.S. government would be approaching their border. Cain reached Israel a few hours later and had no trouble entering the country since they were expecting his arrival. They got him a hotel room so he could relax for a few days before he flew back to New York. He sat down and looked through his phone, listening to his voicemails. There were fifteen on there from Heather, some just asking where he was and if he was OK, but each one increasing in the concern heard from her voice. He then scrolled through the text messages from her, also heavily laced with her worrying about his safety. He then laid on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about everything he’d been through. He thought about Raines, Heather, the visions he was having, and started lamenting that he couldn’t remember things. He felt like these visions were trying to give him clues and he just couldn’t understand what they were trying to tell him.
Lawson called him to see how he was doing and get a report on what happened in Syria. He told her how he blacked out and woke up a week later.
“How were you able to escape?” she wondered.
“Oh, I was able to bribe one of the guards,” he lied.
“With what?”
“I told him I had some money. I was surprised how well it worked.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it out. I spent a week looking for you but everywhere I turned I came up empty,” Lawson told him.
“It’s OK. I know you did what you could. I didn’t expect a rescue mission. I know the drill.”
After he talked with Lawson, Cain wanted to call Heather before he went to sleep for the night. There was a seven hour time difference between Israel and New York so he knew she’d probably be home. From her messages he could tell she was almost sick with anxiety and worried about his safety. Heather was sitting on the sofa eating a sandwich when her phone started ringing. Every time her phone rang for the past couple of weeks she jumped at it, hoping it’d be Cain, telling her he was OK. This time was the same as the others. She eagerly lunged for the phone, sitting on the coffee table. Once she saw Cain’s name, her eyes lit up, almost not believing it was actually him calling.
“Matt!” she shouted.
“Hey, you.”
“Oh my God, I’m so glad to hear your voice,” Heather said, wiping away some joyous tears.
“It’s good to hear yours too,” he replied, smiling at the happiness he could hear in her voice.
“Where were you?!”
“I can’t really say.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re OK,” she said. “You are OK, right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.
I’ll be coming home in a few days.”
“That’s great. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I got all your texts and messages so I just wanted to let you know I was OK so you’d stop worrying.”
“I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have sent you so many but I was just so worried. You said you’d be back in a few days and then it’s a week later, then two weeks and I still hadn’t heard from you,” Heather said, trying to justify it to him.
“It’s OK. I’m glad you missed me.”
“Well, I did.”
“Maybe you can make me some of your world famous spaghetti when I get home. Haven’t had much to eat lately,” Cain said.
“One spaghetti dinner coming up.”
“Thanks. Well, I’m gonna try to sleep. I’m really tired out from everything.”
“OK. I lo…” Heather started to say before catching herself.
“What’s that?” Cain asked, not sure what she was trying to say.
“Umm, I was just gonna say I’ll be waiting for you.”
“OK. I’ll text you when I get up in the air.”
Chapter 2
Once Cain arrived back in New York he was met at the airport by both Sanders and Lawson, both eager to hear about what happened in Syria. Cain knew the debriefing would take a while and sent Heather a text, letting her know what was going on. He told her it was likely to take a while and he’d probably be home really late and not to wait up for him. Even though they knew Cain would be tired, it was important for him to tell them his story while it was still fresh in his mind. They whisked him away back to The Center to talk to him. Cain was careful not to give too much information away and stuck to his story about bribing one of the guards to let him go. He wasn’t sure about what was going on with the agency and Raines but he made a deal and wasn’t about to go back on it. Plus, he knew without Raines’ help, it was unlikely he would’ve ever made it out of Syria alive. Cain knew he owed him his life and wasn’t about to help Sanders end Raines’. Once Cain’s supervisors were satisfied that he had nothing else to tell them they told him to go back home to get some rest. After his ordeal Cain was told he’d have the next week or two off to just relax.