Chapter 11: The Trouble with Tyler

“Good grief.” David whistled as he tipped Tyler's head sideways with his hands. “Jay did a major number on your nose.”

“Shut up. Can you fix it?” Tyler snapped.

“Easy, easy!” David chuckled. “What's got you so worked up?”

“Like I would tell you.”

“Girl trouble. I thought so.” David smiled a little and picked up a cloth to clean up some of the blood.

“Hey!” Tyler stood up to leave. “It's none of your business.”

“Tyler, why won't you let me help you?” David spread his hands out. “Please.”

Tyler smiled a little as he looked at David's open position.

“Yeah....I don't think so.”

Tyler had been waiting for this opportunity. He thrust his full body weight into David at full speed, knocking the other man all the way down with his fist.

David flung his arms over his head and curled up.

“Come on and fight back, coward!”

David only moved defensively, using his arms to protect his head and body.

In his rage, Tyler could barely see straight. The only desire he felt was to keep hitting David.

Jay and Alice burst in from the kitchen, followed closely by Kim and Nel.

Nel screamed, and Jay ran forward.

“Stop, Tyler!” Kim yelled at him.

Jay dove into the fight and reached for Tyler.

“Come on Tyler. Cut it out!” he grunted.

Tyler swung his arm at an unexpected angle to hit Jay across the back of the neck. Jay was ready for him, and grabbed Tyler's arm, twisting it enough to knock Tyler off balance. Jay started to stand up and pull Tyler with him, but Tyler recovered and threw his weight onto Jay.

Together, they tumbled off of David and to the side.

The girls ran forward and dragged David out of the way. Alice shut out the noise around her. Kim was crying, and Nel was shouting awful things at Tyler.

Alice knelt next to David, slapping at his face and chaffing his hands.

“David, can you hear me?”

He jumped a little. “Yeah...let me get back in there.”

“No way.” Alice cried.

The fight behind them ended abruptly.

“No.” one of the other girls whispered.

Alice spun around just as the click of a gun ended the silence.

“Back against the wall.” Tyler yelled, pointing the gun at them.

“Go ahead, shoot me.” Kim said defiantly.

“No, I don't think I will.” Tyler said. “You're good friend, Kim. I guess...” he turned around.

“I can shoot him.” he pointed the gun at Jay, who was crumpled on the floor.

“You wouldn't.” Kim whispered.

“Oh yeah? After everything?” Tyler was shaking, and his voice was on the edge of breaking.

“Please.”

“Stay put.” Tyler grabbed a towel off the table and held it to his bleeding nose, while pointing the gun with his other hand; he was running from them again.

David reached across his brother's chest and strapped the seat belt.

“Call me when you get to Rob's house.” he told Alice.

She nodded and started the engine. Nel was sitting in the passenger seat, her face pale.

“Relax, it's going to be okay.” David tried to reassure her. He didn't dare to even mention Tyler's name.

“You have all the paperwork, right?” David asked.

Alice nodded.

“Be careful.”

“We will. Keep some ice on that bruise.” Alice directed, gesturing at her friend's face.

“Yeah...” David touched it gingerly.

Nel bit her lip as she looked at David's bruised face and forearms.

“Jay's okay, right?” she ventured.

“He's awake.” Kim said, walking up to Nel's open window. “He's not hurt much.”

Nel nodded. “Okay.”

Kim bit her lip and reached for Nel's hand. “Be brave, okay? I know you don't want to be brave for Tyler, but be brave for Jay and Will and me.”

Nel leaned out the window and hugged Kim hard, not saying a word.

The two of them hadn't been extremely close until now. When life was normal, they would see each other frequently on their double dates.

Then Nel and Tyler broke up, and Nel was suddenly left out of the lives of Will, Jay, Tyler, and Kim. The other girls in the sorority house moved out, leaving her feeling very alone. Very alone. Out of desperation, Nel had started arranging coffee dates with Kim. Sometimes Jay, and even Will, would come along.

Those were the times when the idea of a road trip for the guys One of their last dates, when all four of them were sitting at the corner table of their favorite coffee shop, Will announced that it was official.

Nel had been so excited for them, and very open to Will's idea of leaving some of the guys' stuff at her house.

She'd been furious and confused to discover later that she was part of Will's plan....he'd switched the boxes at her house to plant false evidence against Tyler and Jay; notebooks with Drexler and bomb plans in their handwriting.

When Tyler showed up at her door, Nel collapsed in a heap in his arms, sobbing and kissing him. The trauma had mended their relationship...temporarily.

“So that's the plan.” Alice said.

“I'm sorry, were you talking?” Nel murmured, shaking the fog out of her head.

Alice smiled compassionately. “I know this is a lot to handle. And I'm so sorry about Tyler.”

Nel frowned. “No, I'm the one who should be sorry. My boyfriend beat up yours.”

Alice laughed. “How did you know that David and I were an item?”

“Come on, I'm not stupid.” Nel grinned.

“Anyway, you can't take Tyler's blame for him. It's not your fault.” Alice focused on the road.

“David's going to be okay, right?”

“He'll be completely fine.” Alice reassured her.

“And Jay?”

Alice almost hesitated. “I'm...sure Jay will be just fine. I didn't see him after the fight, but I trust Kim. Now, stop worrying about the guys and focus on our assignment. We're going to get Will to the hospital.”

It didn't take long to get to Robert Hanson's house. Alice parked in the driveway, jumped out of the pickup, and turned to Nel.

“Stay with Will. I'm going to get Rob to help me bring him into the house.”

Moments later, Alice ran out of the house with the man who Nel knew must be Doctor Hanson.

Nel got out and shook his hand quickly, and then the three of them worked slowly and carefully to carry Will into the house and onto the doctor's sofa.

“What do you want me to do?” Robert asked, kneeling and examining Will. “It looks like he's had this gunshot wound for about a week.”

“He has.” Alice said.

“And the bullet didn't exit? Why didn't you bring him sooner?”

“I didn't know where he was. He showed up at one of our secure locations a couple days ago.”

Robert nodded.

“Who is he?”

“Rob, you know I can't tell you that.”

“Oh, right.” he said. “Sorry.”

“We need your medical expertise.” Alice said earnestly. “We have his alias medical paperwork, his id, everything. And we need you to help us keep his presence at the hospital as secret as possible. How many people will need to see him?”

Robert frowned and shook his head. “My surgical team, a couple nurses...”

“That's too many.”

“It's the best I can do.”

Alice sat on the edge of the coffee table. “What if he never had to go into the hospital?”

“What do you mean?” Nel wondered.

“Can you take the bullet out in the ambulance?”

“Alice, no, that's too risky.”

Nel shook her head. “I'm not a doctor, and even I don't see how that could be a good idea.”

“I have a plan.” Alice said slowly. “But you're not going to like it.”

Robert swallowed and took Alice's hands.

“I trust you, sweetheart. I know that whatever you do is in the best interest of national security and patriotism.”

Alice threw her arms around her “boyfriend” and, over his shoulder, winked at Nel.

This guy was willing to do anything.

Chapter 10: Feelings

The clock and Jay were at war. He would go to the window, come back and stare at the clock, and repeat. Kim still hadn't come. 

“Jay, sit down.” David said wearily.

“I can't.” He protested. “What if they don't make it?”

“They will! And even if something happens, your pacing isn't going to fix it. Sit.”

There was a knock at the door, and Jay jumped back up.

“No!” David hissed quietly. “Stay here. I need to check.”

David pulled a gun from his waist and left the room.

Jay held his breath, not realizing that he was doing so until his chest got uncomfortably tight. The clock seemed to count off the seconds like they were years.

“Jay?”

With that one word, all the tension inside him washed away.

He spun around, and at the door, the dearest person in the world was standing, her hair rumpled, a large bag over one shoulder, a suitcase in one hand. It was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

Kim's eyes were full of tears, and she dropped her bags and ran to meet Jay. The moment they touched, their heavy hearts were raised.

Jay felt Kim's breath on his neck, and with her breath he felt his own come back to his chest. A wave of relief washed over him, and passionately, he kissed the top of her blonde head.

“Kim.” he whispered, holding her as tight as he could.

Kim squeezed him back. He pushed her away and held her at arms length.

“Are you alright? How have you been?”

She just nodded and threw herself back into his embrace. They stood there in silence, just taking in the bliss of each others company.

Jay buried his face in Kim's hair and closed his eyes. She snuggled closely against him.

Painfully, Jay remembered that they weren't the only people in the room, even though it felt like it.

“Hi, Nel.” he said, smiling at her.

“Hi, Jay. I'm glad you guys are okay. Two of you, anyway. Sorry about Will.”

Jay nodded, swallowed hard, and turned to face the other person.

Tyler shrunk away as Jay faced him.

Focusing his gaze silently on his friend, Jay wished he could burn holes through Fog's skin with his eyes. Tyler wouldn't look at him.

Jay looked approvingly at a fist shaped bruise on Tyler's cheek.

“Nel? Where did he get that nice bruise?”

“Alice.” She smirked a little.

Tyler looked down. Jay didn't move.

“I think we'll leave you two alone.” Kim said, taking Nel's hand and walking out.

Tyler looked pleadingly after them, silently begging them not to leave him.

Jay stepped towards Tyler as the women exited the room. Kim gave him one warning look over her shoulder as she shut the door, but Jay didn't doubt what needed to be done.

“Jay...” Tyler trailed off.

Jay put up his hand calmly.

“I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself. Don't waste it.”

Tyler looked away.

“Come on, start talking. I have no patience for you.”

“I'm sick.” Tyler said finally.

“What?” Jay asked, concerned. “Why didn't you say something?”

“Not that kind of sick, Jay. I'm sick of trying to get our names cleared. I'm sick of having to put up with Will. I left to hide.” he shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “I gave up.”

Jay stared at him in disbelief.

“So you were just going to hide in Nel's basement forever?”

Tyler nodded slowly.

“You weren't trying to clear your dad's name?”

“I gave up on him, too, Jay, what did you expect?” Tyler shouted.

Kim stood up and hurried to Jay as he came out of the living room.

“Did you leave him alive?” Nel asked.

Jay just nodded. “You can go in, now.”

Kim looked up at Jay's face as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“How bad did you hurt him?”

“His nose is probably broken. He's out cold.”

Kim sighed. “Jay...”

Jay just held her tighter.

Nel was at Tyler's side when he regained consciousness. He was still lying on the floor in the makeshift hospital in David's house, exactly where Jay had left him.

His own blood was sticky on his face and neck.

“Hey you.” Nel said.

She had a damp rag in her hand. Carefully, she began washing Tyler's face.

“Do you have another shirt? This one's covered in blood.”

“Yeah, I've got a few in my bag.”

They were silent for a few minutes.

“You know,” Nel said quietly. “You probably need to reconsider some of your life choices. Your face isn't taking your choices too kindly.”

“I know, Nel. I can take a hint.” he groaned. “Is it broken?”

“Yep.”

“I'm going to kill Jay.”

“You didn't hear what I said, did you?” Nel moaned in exasperation.

“Nel.” Tyler said earnestly, sitting up and grabbing her shoulders. “Jay and David are wrong. I don't even have to tell you how wrong I think Will is. They're all wrong. I know it...”

“Slow down.”

“This isn't being handled right. We just need to leave the country. Disappear. Change our names, buy fancy houses and good food with the money we've got left.”

He laughed warmly and touched Nel's hair. “We have so much money, Nel. I have my dad's emergency money. I withdrew it all, so it's in cash. We have Will's cash that we found in the Yale library. We have Jay and I's money for the road trip that we were going to take. You and Kim have some money, am I right? Think about how we could live. And we're living like this? Jay and I can't go out on the street without the danger of someone recognizing us and landing us in jail or dead. Kim is getting hassled to no end by reporters and the FBI. You haven't had too much trouble yet, but I can guarantee it's coming.”

“Tyler...”

“Run away with me, Nel. Even if Kim and Jay won't come. I don't care. I just want you.”

Nel stood up and dropped the bloody rag on Tyler's chest.

“You coward. You unbelievable coward! You know, deep down, that this is right. It's not easy. I will grant you that. But it's the only way.”

Tyler's eyes blazed.

“Tyler, Jay is working so hard at solving this that he barely sleeps or eats. He's killing himself to do the right thing. Will saved you from the bombing and took a bullet for you. What have you lost? They have more reasons than you do to back out and leave. Step up and be a real man, for once in your life!”

“What have I lost?” Tyler was shouting now. “I lost everything. I lost my livelihood, I lost my peace of mind...I lost my father. My father! Nel!”

Nel shook her head and clenched her fists. “No.”

“No?” he taunted her. “No?”

“You already lost your father, Tyler. Or did you forget that he disowned you? You didn't lose him over this incident. You just finally saw the truth.”

She spun on her heel and stalked out, leaving him speechless and alone.

Marlowe tugged at her earring, like she always did when deep in thought. Her earrings had been through a lot of tugging lately.

The small scrap of paper in front of her was the reason for her contemplations. It simply had ten digits written on it, in one of the secretaries' painfully legible writing.

Marlowe's fingers reached out and touched her phone. She knew she had to call that number.

Three days earlier, she and Borjes had visited the home of Joseph; the man that had been referenced in Jay Burchell's evidence tape. Burchell had begged Marlowe to trust him and look into it, then he had run.

Marlowe couldn't blame, Jay, really. Unless he was guilty. She still doubted that he was guilty.

This Joseph guy appeared to be some sort of boss to Will Traveler. When Marlowe and Borjes had gone to talk to him, he'd tried to kill them.

Marlowe would never forget how cold the trigger was when she pulled it and ended Joseph's life. She wished she could have gotten some sort of information from him.

The number she was about to call was the one that had alerted Joseph. From the way he'd reacted, she guessed that the person on the other end of the phone conversation had warned Joseph of Marlowe's knowledge of the tape that documented his conversation with Will. Marlowe had to know who this mystery man was. The excitement and terror sent chills up and down her spine.

Finally, Marlowe picked up the phone and dialed, standing to pace around as the phone rang.

“Hello?” the voice said.

Marlowe's blood ran so cold that she couldn't move.

“Hello?” the voice repeated.

Slowly, Marlowe forced her numb body to turn towards the neighboring office.

Fred Chamber's windows were uncovered, clearly displaying him and his activities.

He was on the phone, speaking the corresponding hello that was echoing in her ears.

She punched the end key, and the phone tipped and toppled out of her fingertips onto the floor. She pressed herself against the wall and tried to breathe and convince herself that it was all in her head.

She knew that it wasn't.

Chapter 9: To Save A Life

Jay paced across the floor, his steps pounding with the intensity of a mad bull in the fighting arena.

His face, though, although it was drawn with anxiety, was eager; almost as if he was a nervous young child waiting for a Christmas gift.

In the corner, Will was tossing uneasily in his bed, his fever continued to rise while his strength was fading, just as quickly as his temperature was rising.

David sat down at his brother's side with a cup in his hand.

“Drink this.”

Will raised his head and swallowed some of the cold water.

“Thanks.”

Jay didn't notice the interaction. He paced without losing a beat, clenching and loosening his hands as his brain raced.

David looked up from his brother's bandages and medicines. He knew that Jay wasn't about to stop pacing...he looked like he had a mind to wear holes through the carpet.

“Jay, help me with Will, please.”

Jay quickly focused into the task, like David knew he would. As he replaced the damp cloth on Will's hot forehead, Jay's blue eyes darkened with concern.

“Is he doing any better this morning?”

David pounded his fist in his hand. “This is killing me. My brother is dying, and all I can do is sit here!”

“No, don't think like that. He's not dying. Alice will bring help.”

The sunlight smiled sorrowfully at the pathetic group as it slipped down the wall and tiptoed across the floor. As it reached up to the windowsill to depart for the night, the sunlight glanced back at Jay and David, wishing that it could stay longer and keep them company.

The night came in without paying attention to them.

Jay was finally sick of the silence.

“David, I need you to tell me everything. All about the Drexler, who's behind this...”

“Jay, let me stop you right there. Do you trust me?”

The question confused and startled him.

“Yeah, I trust you.”

“Okay. Listen to me very carefully. I don't know. About any of it. Will wasn't allowed to tell anyone anything on pain of death. He hinted a couple times at his upcoming tasks, but he was never allowed to reveal anything concrete. I was actually led to believe that you were other agents that he was stationed with.”

“So he lied to you, too.”

“He didn't lie. He just implied a lot of things. I didn't know.”

“You're not lying about this?”

“I'm not lying.”

Jay slammed his fist down.

“You don't know; Will won't tell me. Why won't Will tell me?”

David laughed.

“You would not believe the insane, crazy streak of loyalty he has. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing when he started out. I'm sure that if he'd gotten a call to eliminate you, you wouldn't have lived for more than five minutes after that.

“That was at first. One of the things Will hinted at, more than anything else, was how, um, how do I say this...he was losing his trust and assurance in his mission and authorities. You guys definitely grew on him as well, he talked about you all the time.”

Jay ran his fingers over his lips and chin in contemplation.

“I guess when the date of the bombing came around, his loyalty was fiercely fixed in your direction. At the same time, he was still connected to his job. He won't give you the information you need, because you're safe for now. For now, no one knows where you are. He can stay loyal to his mission and keep you safe at the same time. At least, I think that's how he sees it. I guarantee that the second you absolutely need that information, Will Traveler will tell you.”

“One more thing, then.” Jay said, his head reeling a little bit. “His name isn't Will Traveler, is it? And is your name really David Crubell?”

“Actually, I can't confirm or deny that. Sorry.”

Jay smiled a little. “That's okay. I'm just glad that you're telling me the truth.”

“Good.”

They were silent again for a while. Jay fingered wearily through the stacks of paperwork for the millionth time. When he looked up an hour later, David was nodding off.

Burchell rose quietly and shook his new friend's shoulder.

“Hey, David.”

Crubell jumped into wakefulness. “Sorry.”

“Don't apologize. I can watch Will for a while. Go get some sleep, man.”

Agent Marlowe gripped the wheel of her car until her knuckles felt like they were going to pop. The leather was worn and cracked around her fingers from this habit. She squeezed the wheel whenever she was stressed, like right now.

Her best friend was dead. She had never seen it coming. She and Borjes had been partners and best friends for almost nine years, they'd each saved the others' life on several occasions.

Borjes was dead. She had felt so empty that morning when she only brought one cup of coffee to work, passing by his desk without stopping to set down another cup and receive a cheerful “good morning”.

Marlowe fought back tears; she was an FBI agent. She was not going to cry, at least, not now. Not in the middle of this big case.

Chambers had pulled her gently into his office after the coroner's van drove away only the day before.

“What happened?” she had choked.

“Jan, I'm sorry. Please sit down.” he'd said gently.

It was the first time Marlowe could remember him using her first name.

“We found that man; the one that escaped. Borjes and I were chasing him, but you know Borjes is much faster than me. He chased our mystery man into an abandoned apartment building. Not ten seconds later, I heard a shot.”

He had paused.

“Promise me you won't do anything rash, Marlowe.”

“I promise, sir.”

“Tyler Fog was standing there with his gun out.”

“Did you catch him?” she had managed to whisper.

“I'm sorry.” He had placed a gentle, sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “I truly am. Why don't you take 12 hours and go home.”

Now Marlowe was fresh and alert and driving back to headquarters. She was running it all through her head. She was still in disbelief that Fog had been the one to kill Borjes. He didn't seem like a killer to her. Then again, he didn't seem like a bomber.

Yet here he was, one of the top two most wanted men in New York. Wanted for killing at least one man and destroying a historical piece of New York City.

Marlowe slammed on the brakes as the red light she hadn't really noticed was suddenly straight ahead.

“Get a hold of yourself, Jan.” she muttered.

Chapter 8: Moving Day

            Alice jumped out of the truck, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and exhaled slowly. She was outside Nel Peterson's home, and she could see the woman peeking through the filmy curtains.  

“I can do this. This will work.” Alice whispered.

She breathed slowly and relaxed herself. She cleared her head and tried to look bored as she opened the back doors of the truck.

The moment she put down the cardboard box and cart and rang the door bell, Nel flung the door open.

“You aren't...”

Alice gave her a quick look.

“Act normal.” she whispered. “Please let me in.”

Nel nodded and opened the door.

Alice stepped cautiously into the apartment and leaned the cart on the wall. Nel closed the door casually, and in a split second, she had spun around and reached out to seize Alice by the wrists.

The blonde was ready for her.

Will had spent a whole month of one of his vacations, which were few and far between, training herself and Maya.

When Nel reached to grab her, Alice ducked quickly to the side and pinned Nel's arms with a few quick moves. 

With a powerful thrust, she shoved Nel's cheek against the cart's handle.

“Listen to me, Nel. My name is Alice. I'm with Jay. He sent me to bring you, Tyler, and Kim to safety. Promise not to hurt me or call anyone, and I'll give you proof.”

“Okay, okay.”

Alice released her and held out Jay's ring.

“Recognize this?”

Nel pushed back a strand of brown hair and took the ring, examining it carefully.

Slowly, she nodded.

“This couldn't have been anyone other than Jay. Besides the fact that his name is carved in it, Kim and I are the only one who know about this dent in the front. The dent here...Kim and Tyler are the only others who know about it. Jay punched a wall. Dented ring, two broken knuckles...yeah. Like you wanted to hear that, right? This is totally Jay's.”

“Okay, so where's Tyler?”

“Ty, you can come out.” Nel called.

Tyler came around the corner, looking around like a frightened child who knew he'd done something horribly wrong.

“Mr. Fog.” Alice said curtly, spitting the words through her teeth.

“Hi.” he came around the corner and stood still as a stone, obviously aware of what would happen if he moved.

Alice nodded at him. “Hi.”

She turned to Nel and smiled grimly.

“Nel, understand that this is not in any way a sign of rebellion against Jay, you, or...Tyler.”

Ten seconds later, Tyler was on the ground, pinching his bleeding nose in his fingers.

“I deserved that.” he groaned.

“Yeah, you did.” Nel told him, taking his face in her hands and looking at the damage.

She looked up and called out,

“Kim, it's okay.”

“Wait, Kim's here, too?” Alice exclaimed eagerly, rubbing her sore knuckles.

Kim Dowry walked into the room, her arms crossed. She bent down and helped Tyler to his feet, then turned to Alice.

Alice was impressed by the collected, tough look in Kim's eyes. Burchell had a strong woman.

“Can I have Jay's ring?” Kim asked calmly.

---

Five minutes later, the four of them were sitting in Nel's living room. The curtains were tightly closed, the doors were locked, and the smell of fresh coffee wafted through the house.

“Why are you here?” Tyler asked.

Alice wiggled her hand and rubbed it a little.

“I wish I was here to break your face...maybe a couple ribs... but for now I can't afford the trouble. I have a letter from the guys for you.”

Kim leaned forward.

“This doesn't sound good.”

Alice shook her head.

“It's not. Basically, we need to get the three of you to David's house. You're not safe here anymore, thanks to Tyler.”

“What's the plan?” Nel asked, handing Tyler a dish towel full of ice, which he applied to his bloodied face.

“It all depends. Do the police know that Tyler's here?”

“Nope.”

“Kim, what about you? Where does the FBI think you are?”

“They think I'm at my dad's house. I ran out the back a couple nights ago. My parents sent me here; they're telling the police that I don't want to see anyone. It won't be long until they find out the truth, though.”

“That's all I need to know.” Alice said. She stood up and went the box that she'd parked in the corner.

“This is your way out.”

She hesitated.

“This is the tricky part. We'll be making a stop at a nearby hospital. Nel, You're going to act as my partner.”

Nel sat back down. “What are you talking about?”

“I have a relationship with the hospital staff...only, I'm not myself there.”

Alice smiled proudly and pushed her hand through her hair.

“Everyone at the hospital knows me as one Dr. Robert Hanson's girlfriend. I make an effort to call into the main office and ask to speak to him on a regular basis. I also drop in and visit, bring him lunch, stuff like that.

“That's only the surface of my cover, though. This is one of my better cons, I think.

“I've made Robert believe that I'm an undercover agent for NYPD. He think that I'm investigating one of the other doctors there. This has been very successful; Hanson is always focused on that doctor, leaving me to work uninterrupted in my real task there.”

She hesitated.

“Which is?” Kim prompted.

“It's complicated and touchy...” Alice sighed. “Listen, the American government approved the organization that Will and I work for. David Crubell works for them too. You girls haven't met him yet; Jay and Will are staying with him.

"Anyway, the government didn't go any further than approving us. We practically have to beg for our supplies.

“Fortunately, quite a few of the big names in this country have seen our potential and are supplying us with what we need. I don't always like the way it happens, but it happens. I'm in charge of directing funds and filling requests for our organization's medical needs from this hospital.”

“Okay.” Nel said slowly, thinking it through. “So what are we going to do?”

“I'm going to get my 'boyfriend' to help us out. We're going to take Will to the hospital.”

“Will's hurt?” Kim asked, bewildered.

“Tyler didn't tell you.” Alice sighed.

“It slipped my mind.” Tyler mumbled.

“He was shot a few days ago. David has medical training, but Will needs some more professional care.”

“So how are we going to pull this off?” Nel asked.

“You and I are going to bring Will to Robert's house; we can't call the ambulances from David's house. His location is heavily protected and off limits to the public knowledge. We'll call for the ambulance from Robert's place.

'I can almost tell him the truth; Will is an agent who was hurt in the line of duty, and we need to get him proper care without revealing his true identity. David has some fake paperwork that we can use, and we'll make up stories beforehand so that everything matches.”

“So, you'll have Robert help you confirm Will's story and make sure he gets taken care of at the same time.” Nel said thoughtfully.

“Yes.”

“Why do you need me? Why not Tyler or Jay, or even Kim?”

“I know the answer.” Kim answered, pushing a wave of blonde back over her head.. “Our faces have been plastered all over the news. No one has really bothered you yet. You won't be recognized, but the rest of us will.”

“Exactly. I'll follow the ambulance in the moving truck, with Kim and Tyler in the back.” Alice gripped Nel's hands earnestly. “You have no choice, Nel. If you fail, Will is going to die.”

Nel's hands shook, but she bit her lip and sat up straight.

“When do we leave?”

“Good girl. We'll leave first thing in the morning.”

---

Kim kicked the box open and climbed out into the belly of the moving truck.

“I hope this works.” she muttered, helping Tyler and Nel out of their respective boxes.

Alice had the three of them climb into cardboard boxes inside the house and loaded them into the truck, so that they wouldn't be seen by neighbors, or any unfriendly and prying eyes. Now they were on their way to David's, where Nel and Alice would leave Tyler and Kim.

“It's brilliant! Of course it will work!” Tyler exclaimed.

The three of them sat against the wall of the van as it jostled down the road. Tyler stole a few glances at Nel, then reached out and squeezed her hand.

Nel pulled away from him.

“Leave me alone, Tyler. You and I are through. You know that.”

“What?” Kim exclaimed.

Nel nodded. “When he showed up at my house, I agreed to shelter him, but he hasn't earned my love.”

Tyler protested with his eyes as he stared sadly at her.

“Nel...”

“I don't want to talk to you, coward.” she snapped.

Kim cradled her chin in her palms, lost in fantasizing about the approaching moment when she would see Jay's face.

She put her hand to her chest, where she'd hung Jay's ring on a gold chain under her blouse. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her suitcase. She painfully imagined that Jay was holding her hand again, telling her that it would all be alright.

“Kim, are you okay?”

Kim leaned into Nel's comforting embrace. Her friend stroked her blonde hair and kissed her forehead.

“I can't wait to see him. It's been so long; what if he's different?” Kim blurted.

Nel squeezed Kim closer to her.

“Don't be ridiculous. Jay? Change?”

“I know he's going to be the same man he always was...but I want him to be happy.”

Tyler looked at her soberly.

Kim got up onto her knees and stared at him. “He's the same, isn't he?”

“I've never seen him so serious, and he's got a lot on his shoulders, but I know...” he crawled to her and patter her hand. “I know that the minute you walk through that door, he's going to be the happiest man on earth.”

Chapter 7: Alice

        Jay Burchell leaned against the wall of David's makeshift medical center and opened a manila folder. It seemed like days since Tyler had left, when in reality only four hours had passed. 
The short rest Jay had taken had worked wonders for his aching head; but his ribs still screamed at him with every movement, so he sat relatively still.

Watching Will was his only other task for the moment. David's firm direction had made it clear that Will was not to get up. 

It was about five in the evening, Will was resting in a fitful sleep. Jay sat in a comfortable chair, a few of the much puzzled over files in his lap. Somehow, he wished that a clue would fly off the page and present itself. 
Knowing nothing about a situation had always been a hard thing for Jay. He spent hours of time in school studying every topic he could find; it had taken him years to control his habit of asking prying questions. His mind always needed to know. 
This, the Drexler, Tyler and himself, Will....it was all too much. He had no information. He had no help. He'd pored through the files a million time and come up short. 
In disgust, Jay tossed the files onto the floor and put his head in his hands.

"What's going on, Jay?" Will's voice asked.

Jay looked up at him. “Hi.” he pulled his chair a little closer to the bed. “How are you?”

Will shut his eyes. “I've been better.”

Jay almost laughed. “I'm sure.”

"Will you let me get up? I'm sick of being stuck in the bed."

"David doesn't want you up." Jay hesitated.

"Jay. Just for a few minutes."

Jay shrugged. "I won't stop you."

Will stood up and took the chair next to Jay.

"Will, I need you to tell me everything you can about these files." Jay thumped the stack of paper with his hand. "I need to know why the Bellman Law Firm has references to the Drexler. I need to know everything."

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about this. I only had the information I needed to do my job. Plausible deniability and all."

Jay ran his hands violently through his hair in frustration.

"The information to do your job. What did you think you were protecting by bombing a museum? What was the point?"

"Again, further up in authority. I only knew what I needed to know for the job. Trust me, I wish I had reasons. All I had was trust in my bosses."


Jay clenched his jaw and stared at Traveler. He couldn't read Will, but he seriously doubted that the spy was being honest with him.

Will gasped a little bit, and Jay helped him put the oxygen mask over his face. Traveler looked uncomfortable and almost scared. Nervously, Jay tried to reassure him.

"We're going to get you some help, okay? You're going to be fine."

"I know." 

"By the way, why didn't you tell us that the bullet was still in you?"

Will shook his head. "Tell me if there was anything you and Tyler could have done, or would have done...besides Tyler wanting to kill me."

“Did he ever threaten you?” Jay asked furiously.

“Of course he did. I didn't tell you because you two need unity to survive." Will winced. "Believe me when I say that I'm your friend. I made sure you didn't get hurt."

"You framed us, Will. I don't think I could talk Tyler out of hating you."

Jay passed the back of his hand angrily over the back of his eyes and took a shaky breath.

“This is so out of control.” he growled, embarrassed that he was crying again.

“Tell me about it.” Will agreed, pretending not to notice. 

"Do you still trust your bosses?"

"After what happened? Did I mention that they killed Maya and tortured me when I didn't follow the orders to the letter? They killed Maya, Jay. We were in love. She never hurt them."

“Jay.” David's voice said from behind.

Jay stood up quickly when he saw the look on David's face.

"What's going on?"

 “Kim called your phone five minutes ago, from a payphone.”

 “What? Where is she? Is she okay? What's going on?”

David put the phone on the table. “Tyler is at Nel's house.”

“We should have guessed he would go back there eventually.” Will sighed.

Jay sank back into his chair. “What are we going to do?”

“What we should have done a week ago.”

Jay raised his eyebrows.

“We should bring Kim and Nel here.” David said.

"Don't play with me." Jay demanded.

“It's too dangerous, David.” Will cautioned.

“The FBI is watching Kim day and night. She can't escape. If we go to the girls, we'll get caught.” Jay said.

“No we won't.” David protested smugly.

“Do you have a plan?”

David smiled and said one word.

Alice.

---

Alice Patterson, David explained, had been Maya's best friend. She helped to preserve Will's identity and mission, and had often proved herself as a reliable resource.

“How do we get in contact with her?” Jay wondered.

“I'll call her." 

“That can't be safe.” Jay cautioned.

“It's not.” David admitted.

Jay threw his hands in the air and turned to walk away.

“But we have a secret code that can keep it safe.” David added.

“So you want her to come pick us up, and take Will to the hospital.”

David smiled as he and Jay set some food on the table. “No. I have a better idea.”

“Why didn't we talk to this lady before?"

“There was no need to involve Alice and risk her life. Now, she's our only option.”

“Okay, so what's the plan?” Jay asked.

“That's the fun part, actually."
he paused and glanced at Jay's face.
"Really, Jay. Try to find something good in all this.
"Alice is a master of disguises. She also has access and connections to hundreds of resources. She always had a knack for pulling strings that none of the rest of us could reach.

“This plan could be tweaked as needed, but basically, she'll disguise as some sort of delivery service or moving company and pick up Tyler, Kim, and Nel in boxes. After that, we'll take advantage of her hospital resources and get Will the care he needs.”

“I don't like this idea.” Jay groaned.

“Why not?” David bent and opened the fridge.

“I won't be involved in a kidnapping again.”

“Who do you think we're kidnapping?"

Jay looked at him curiously. "Hospital staff?"

“There will be no kidnapping of any type. Just let Alice work her magic.”

---

Hours later, Jay helped Alice up into the high seat of the moving truck and smiled.

“Be careful, Alice.”

The woman nodded and touched his hand reassuringly. 
Her wavy blonde hair framed matter-of-fact brown eyes; her face was sweet and honest, and her strong jaw complimented the unusually powerful arms and shoulders.

“Alright, let's hear your 'Queens'.” David prompted.

“Why in Pete's name do you want to know?” she demanded in her accent.

David laughed. “You'll do great.”

“What's the accent for?” Jay wondered.

Jay felt like his life was revolving around the unknown answers to all his questions. He wanted to know something.

“Just in case I get caught,” Alice answered. “It just makes my profession more convincing.”

Jay looked up at her.

“Here's the letter,” he handed it; “and here's my ring.” he looked pleadingly at her. “Bring her back safe.”

Alice nodded.

“Tyler was stupid.” Jay spoke with regret as Alice drove off. “Nel and Kim wold have been safe if he hadn't run to them.”

“What are you thinking about doing to him?”

“I think...” Jay contemplated for a long moment. “I think right now I have to be merciful. I need to hear from his own mouth why he left.”

David nodded approvingly as they walked back into the house.

“You're smart, Jay. I'm glad we've got you here to help us out.”

Jay laughed. “I haven't really done anything to help.”

“You will. I know it.”