by Mike Ryan
“It took me a long time to realize what I wanted, what I needed, was standing in front of me all along. Now that we’re together I’m not gonna lose the most important person, the only person that means anything to me. I want you to know that if I’m gonna do this, that I need you, and want you to be by my side.”
“You never have to worry about me,” Heather sniffled.
“And I do love you. You’ve been the only thing in my life for the last year that’s been worthwhile. You’re what keeps me going, what makes life worth living. I want you to know that.”
“I do. And I love you too,” she replied, kissing him.
Cain managed to pull himself away from his beautiful girlfriend so he could get down to The Center. He walked over to the door and turned around to look at Heather before he left.
“Tell Ms. Lawson I said hello,” Heather told him.
“I will,” he smiled.
Once Cain arrived at the agency he immediately went to Lawson’s office, where she was sitting at her desk, sorting through some file folders. Lawson saw him enter and got up to greet him, giving him a big hug. He was a little uncomfortable with it at first, but knew it was a completely friendly greeting.
“You’re looking a little tan,” Lawson stated.
“A little bit.”
“No baby pictures yet, right?” she joked.
“Not yet,” Cain replied. “I do have a picture for you though.”
“Oh. Is it safe for work? Some young strapping man who’s barely covered.”
“Umm…not quite.”
“Well let me see.”
Lawson sat down at her desk again as Cain took the picture out of his pocket. He placed it on the desk for her to look at.
“Hmm. Not quite what I had in mind,” she told him, looking up at him, waiting a few seconds for him to explain what it was about. “So what’s this about?”
“I know them.”
“OK. So who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you sure you weren’t in the sun too long? Cause that doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense.”
“Those are the ones in my visions,” Cain revealed.
“Umm, wow.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t really know what to say to that.”
Cain sat down across from Lawson as they began to discuss the picture.
“Are you sure it’s them?” Lawson wondered.
“Positive. It’s them. It’s not similar, or almost, or just about…that’s them. Same hair, same eyes, same nose, chin, everything.”
“So I guess that means there’s a few possibilities.”
“A few?” Cain asked.
“Maybe you knew them before.”
“I just get the feeling that me going to Hawaii wasn’t an accident. Like it was already planted in my mind that I’d been there before and that’s why I wanted to go back. Like I subconsciously knew everything was there and finding that picture wasn’t just some fluke,” Cain said.
“That’s one possibility. There are others though.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe you were in Hawaii before and saw that picture while you were there. Maybe you never knew who they were and they weren’t part of your life. You stored the picture into your memory bank. Then you went back and saw the picture, remembered it, and now it’s starting to come back to you, revealing itself in your visions like you knew them when in reality you didn’t,” she told him.
“Why are you always such a downer?”
Lawson laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to be practical and realistic. Yes, it’s possible you actually knew these people. But it’s also possible you didn’t. I’m just trying to be honest with you.”
“I know.”
“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up so much that you get let down.”
“I have to go with the hunch that I know these people. At least until it’s proven that I don’t,” Cain informed her.
“I can understand that.”
“Can you help me?”
“You know I would if I could but I don’t know what I can do. All you have is a face. No name, date, nothing.”
“What about facial recognition software? We can match it against every DMV in the country and try to get a hit on it.”
“We can try it,” Lawson said. “But this isn’t the best picture to use for it.”
“It’s as clear as day.”
“I know, but facial recognition software does have limitations. Full frontal shots are best as well as pictures with neutral expressions. Her head in this picture is slightly tilted and her smile’s as wide as the Grand Canyon. We can try it; just don’t get your hopes up, OK?”
“Understood,” Cain replied.
They left Lawson’s office, photo in hand, and went down to the desk of an analyst. Lawson asked if he could run the software check on the picture they had.
“It’s gonna take some time,” the analyst said.
“How much?” Cain asked.
“Am I checking against known criminals or everybody?”
“Everyone.”
“I’ll scan it into my system and start running the check on it now,” he told them. “Should have a match for you, or not, later tonight or sometime tomorrow.”
“Wow. That’s pretty quick. I was expecting next week or something,” Cain responded.
“Maybe in the old days of last year,” the analyst laughed. “The software we run now can instantly scan thousands of pictures within a minute and automatically determine a possible match. So we can access up to seventy million pictures within twenty four hours depending on computer speed. Give or take a million.”
“Call me when the scan’s done,” Lawson said.
“Will do,” he replied, handing the picture back.
Cain and Lawson left to go back to her office to discuss the matter further when they ran into Sanders on the way.
“Mr. Cain, nice to see you back from your little vacation,” Sanders stated.
“Thank you.”
“You look well rested. Ready for another mission soon enough I take it?”
“I am.”
“Glad to hear it. What do you have there?” Sanders asked, seeing the picture in Cain’s hand.
“Just something I found in Hawaii,” Cain said, handing him the picture.
“Pretty woman,” Sanders said, looking troubled. “I was under the impression you went there with Heather though.”
“I did.”
“So who is this lovely young woman then?”
Cain hesitated before answering, not sure he wanted to tell him. “I’m not sure.”
“You’re carrying a picture of a woman you don’t know? Come now, I’m sure there’s more to this story.”
Cain glanced at Lawson, wondering if he should tell him, who nodded back at him.
“For the past year I’ve had visions of people. People I couldn’t identify. When we were in Hawaii I saw this picture. These are the people in them. I was hoping to find out who they are to find a link to some of my missing memories,” Cain informed him.
“I see. Have you had any luck with them?”
“Not yet. We’re running it through facial recognition now.”
“Well hopefully we get a match on it,” Sanders said. “However, if there is not, do you have contingencies?”
“No,” Cain sighed.
“Then perhaps I could be of assistance. If you allow me to keep this picture for a few days I can put the full power of this agency behind finding out who this woman and child are.”
“You would do that?” Cain asked.
“Of course. You are one of the best agents we have. When we recruited you I told you we could assist you in getting your memory back. I meant that. I meant every word,” Sanders told him. “So if we can support you in that pursuit then I will use every power I possess in order to do so.”
“I appreciate that.”
“It’s
the least we can do.”
Sanders went back to his office while Cain and Lawson went to hers. Once Sanders sat down at his desk he immediately picked up the phone.
“Are you running the facial rec software for Michelle Lawson and Matthew Cain?” Sanders asked.
“Yes sir, I am,” the analyst answered.
“I want to be advised of the results as soon as they come in.”
“I will.”
“You’re not to call Lawson or Cain with the results. I will tell them.”
“Understood.”
Sanders hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, thinking of his next move. He stared at the photo on his desk and then picked up the phone again to make a call.
“This is Mr. Specter calling,” Sanders said.
“One moment,” the woman responded.
“You’re a few days ahead of the usual schedule,” the man told him.
“We may have a situation.”
“With what?”
“Matthew Cain.”
“I assume this has to do with his Hawaii vacation?”
“Yes. He found a picture of…” Sanders started.
“You told me it was nothing to worry about.”
“And I still believe that to this point. It’ll be taken care of but I just wanted to keep you informed of the situation.”
“How do you plan to take care of it?” the man asked.
“I have a couple ideas. I need to work out some of the details first before I put them into action. Once I flesh them out I’ll inform you of them,” Sanders told him.
“Do I need to remind you of the importance of this and what we’re doing?”
“No you do not.”
“You better take care of this. Don’t let it escalate,” the man warned.
“I will have it contained within a couple of days.”
“Good. But let me remind you that the organization is bigger than the individual pieces. If he becomes a problem, then you eliminate it before it gets to become a major problem that we can’t contain.”
“I understand.”
Sanders put the phone down and rubbed his forehead before resting his hand over his mouth, thinking about what needed to be done. He logged back onto his computer, adjusting details in some files. He stayed there working on the information for several hours, planning to stay in his office until the results of the facial scan came in. He didn’t expect it to take much longer than that.
Cain didn’t wait around very long and discussed a few things with Lawson before leaving to go home. He spent the rest of the night with Heather, the two of them trying to enjoy a romantic night together, having a candlelit dinner and movie. Though he was eager to know the results, he tried not to appear too anxious, mostly for Heather’s sake. They fell asleep on the couch together, Heather waking up around one. With her eyes barely open, she reached out for Cain, but she felt nothing but air. She sat up, wiped the sleepiness from her eyes, and scanned the room for him. The room was pitch black and she didn’t initially see him. She got up to search the apartment for him, starting with the bedroom. Even in the darkness she noticed a figure sitting in the corner of the room, not moving. Heather rushed over to him and knelt down in front of him. She put her hands on his knees and was startled to see a gun in his left hand, resting on his thigh.
“Matt, what’s wrong?” she asked.
He continued staring ahead, not looking at her, her words bouncing off him. Cain seemed like his mind was in a different place, alarming Heather about his well being. She tried for a few more minutes to snap him out of his funk though she was unsuccessful in doing so. She placed her hand on his, hoping to be able to slide the gun out of his fingers, but he tightened his grip upon feeling her touch.
“Matt, you’re scaring me,” she shouted, starting to cry. “Please.”
Heather then reached up and touched his face, hoping her gentle touch would break his trance. She stroked his cheeks for a few minutes without having the desired effect. She put her head down and just started bawling uncontrollably. It was enough to get Cain to break his staring of the wall. He looked down at Heather sobbing and put his hand on top of her head. She managed to stop crying enough to look up at him and saw an incredible amount of sadness in his eyes. Cain released the grip on his Glock and let it fall off his leg. A slight smile crept over Heather’s face, hoping that Cain’s condition had changed for the better.
“Are you OK?” Heather sobbed.
“Fantastic.”
“What are you doing?”
Cain wiped his eyes before tears could start forming. “I was just thinking about things.”
“Like what?”
“Like the boy’s life that I ended,” Cain replied, shaking his head.
“I know it’s hard, but you can’t let it eat away at you.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to live the rest of my life without thinking about it constantly. I had a dream that instead of me shooting him, he shot me.”
“It was just a dream,” Heather said, rubbing his face.
“I just can’t stop thinking about what I did.”
“What were you planning on doing with this?” Heather asked, picking up the handle of the gun with her thumb and index finger, almost afraid it’d go off.
“I don’t know.”
Heather walked over to the bureau with it and opened a drawer, placing it inside. She closed the drawer and went back to Cain, grabbing his hands.
“Let’s go to bed,” she told him.
“I’m not sure if I can sleep.”
“Just try. For me.”
“OK.”
Cain stood up and let Heather lead him to the bed. They laid down and Heather wrapped her arms around him, hoping she could get him to fall asleep. They faced each other and looked in each other’s eyes for a while, without saying a word. She had the magic touch for him as he fell asleep half an hour later. Heather worried that he might have another incident before the night was over but luckily there was none as Cain slept straight through.
They woke up at eight o’clock to the sound of Cain’s phone ringing. Thinking it might be news about the facial scan; he jumped out of bed and raced into the living room to grab his phone off the table. It was Sanders calling. He actually had gotten the results a little after midnight, but wanted to sleep on them, and decided to hold off on telling Cain until the morning.
“Yeah?” Cain answered.
“I got the results of the facial rec scan,” Sanders told him. “I thought it best you heard it from me.”
“OK?”
“There was no match.”
Cain sat down and closed his eyes, frustrated that there was no progress made. He put his hand over his head and let out a sigh.
“How is that possible?” Cain asked. “It was such a good picture.”
“Well, it was a good picture. Too good as it turns out.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, her head was slightly moved to the side and she had a big smile on her face. Those small movements distorted her facial features to the point that the scan didn’t pick up the necessary points. Most people in their DMV shots are looking straight at the camera and don’t show much emotion on their face. Apparently it was just enough to throw the scan out of whack,” Sanders informed him.
“I understand.”
“I know it’s a big blow for you but I don’t want you to get too down about it. I’m still working on some other leads. I told you I’d help you out as much as I could and I still intend to do that.”
“I appreciate it.”
“I have some other news for you as well,” Sanders said. “I’ve just had it verified within the last hour.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I think it’s best you come into the office to hear it.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Cain responded. “What’s it about?”
“It stems from your trip to Russia. There’s been a few complications that’ve come
up.”
“What kind of complications? I made sure everything was buttoned up.”
“There’s a whole package I need to present to you. I’m gonna call Shelly in as well. You need to come in to get the full deal.”
“When?”
“As soon as possible. Let’s make it for ten.”
Chapter 7
Cain rushed down to The Center and quickly hurried into the meeting room, wondering what the big problem was. He got there ahead of schedule by about twenty minutes but Lawson was already waiting, fiddling around on her tablet. He sat down across from her and tried to get some details.
“Do you know what this is about?” Cain asked.
“I have no idea, do you?”
“No. All I know is it’s about what happened in Russia.”
“Russia? What about it? We wrapped that up,” Lawson said.
“I know. I don’t understand what could’ve come up,” Cain told her. “What’d Sanders say to you?”
“Nothing. He called me this morning and said he wanted to go over mission details.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Did he tell you it was about Russia?” Lawson asked.
“Yes. He said there were some complications,” Cain informed her.
“He didn’t say that to me.”
They kept talking, wondering what kind of problems could have possibly occurred. Sanders showed up about ten minutes later.
“Nice to see you both got here early,” Sanders stated.
“What’s this about?” Lawson asked. “Cain said something about Russia.”
“Yes,” Sanders said, tossing some file folders down on the table.
“I took out everyone that was there,” Cain chimed in.
“I know you did,” Sanders replied. “Unfortunately, someone found out about it.”