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CHAPTER 19

RED

He listened as Donald mentioned Operation Northwoods. He listened to Samar and Jacob as they offered what they knew. And he heard Lizzie, in her soft scared voice, say that she was the start of it. Leave it to the Cabal to try to give life to a failed attempt at constructing a war. It would not be Cuba this time. No, it would be Russia and they proved that they were beginning their plans. Red had heard about Operation Northwoods and all the horrible things the U.S. Government had planned to do to its own people all in the name of going to war with Castro. And now, the Cabal was going to use the same tactic.

A war with Russia would be no good for anyone. They had China and now more recently aligned themselves with Iran. And nuclear war could become a huge possibility. There was no way they could let the Cabal go any further in their plans. They couldn't be allowed to toss the world in to chaos all to make a dollar. Well, if they had their way he was sure the dollar would cease to exist.

"What do they have planned, Donald?" Red finally spoke.

"Besides what they already did?" Donald said and Red knew he meant Liz. When Red nodded Donald continued. "They decided that it would be effective to set the events in to motion themselves instead of instigating anything. They want a war with Russia. When Katerina told me the plans a lot of stuff was unknown. But, I know what the plan was for me. For Liz."

Red held his breath. Worried for what Katerina had planned for their daughter. What they had planned for Donald. None of it mattered now though because he saved them from that life. That future. Still, it was important because if Lizzie and Donald were unable to fulfill those duties someone else would have been tasked to do them. And that was very important. There were two people out in the world today who were living the life that was planned for them.

"There is going to be an international incident involving what appears to be a Russian fighter jet."

Red took a deep breath. The Russians were currently getting pretty bold in where they flew. He recalled a news article from just the other day where Turkey took down a Russian fighter jet when they flew over their airspace. It wasn't difficult to come to the conclusion that they were testing the limits and seeing what they could get away with. All the while showing they just don't give a damn about what other nations thought. Was that all part of the master plan?

"They didn't want to give us too many details. Things would naturally change given advances in technology and what not. Just basics. We would know what was to happen and it's possible something would change slightly." Ressler shifted uncomfortably. "What I was told…what my job was to be…was to fly the Russian jet. It would look like it was someone inside the Russian military giving the order but it would be me."

"Do you know what the target is?" Cooper questioned.

"A commercial passenger jet," Donald answered softly. "I would take it down just as it crossed out of US airspace and then I would bail out and I'd have someone waiting to pluck me out of the waters."

"How were you to be trained?" Red bit the inside of his mouth as he took in all the new information.

"Join the Air Force and become a fighter pilot. The family I was to be sent to live with would make sure of it."

"Pretty genius," Jacob spoke. "Have the US Government train the man who is to be behind the cause to war."

Red took in everything Donald offered. The Cabal was going to use one of their operatives, under the guise of it being done under the Russian flag, to shoot down an American commercial jet. That would cause outrage among the American people and set them on a direct course for war. If 9/11 taught him anything it was that the American resolve was strong. You attack her people, on her soil and she will fight back with a vengeance. It got hazy for a bit as to what information Katerina gave him and what additional information Anna did to aid Donald in taking down the Cabal but one thing was certain. Donald held a wealth of information in his head.

"And you'd get away with it? No one would figure it out?" Liz asked.

"I was a kid when they told me all this. Nothing is for certain. But, I wasn't going to be active duty at that time. They couldn't risk it. I was told that much. But, it was needed that I gain an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the US Air Force. By the time I shot down the plane I was to be deeply imbedded and on my way to becoming, if not already, a ranking officer. The plan was for me to be working in the Pentagon."

The Pentagon. That was it. Red had known they wanted to target a military installation and what better than the Pentagon. Red shook his head thinking about just how detailed they had been. How long they've waited. And he wondered what had changed since losing Donald. An attack on the Pentagon was probably still their end game. If the take down of a civilian airliner wasn't enough to outrage the public and garner support well a direct attack on the one symbol of all the country's military would.

Donald reached for Lizzie's hand and now was addressing her. "You were supposed to help me once secured there. We would orchestrate an attack on the Pentagon together. Katerina said we would learn more as we got older but I was the face and you were the brains she told me." He closed his eyes tight and let out a breath. "She really didn't like me. I remember her putting me down every chance she had. Anna said she was jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Liz questioned.

"Jealous of you," Red said addressing Donald. "She feared you were the favorite over Lizzie. That you would have a bigger role in all of this and her daughter would not take the back seat to someone who was of lower standing."

"Pretty much what I remember Anna telling me." Donald looked at Lizzie. "You were chosen because of who your father and mother were."

"Why were you chosen?"

Red knew Donald didn't want to answer Lizzie. He knew the answer but wanted to give Donald the chance to give it. Anna had offered up the reasoning when they agreed he'd take her son with him. Lizzie was chosen because her mother was a high level KGB agent who demanded it but the KGB went along with it because of Red. They could use her parentage later on when needed. It was very strategic and smart. Lizzie was chosen simply due to who her parents were.

"Why, Don?" Liz asked again he still didn't answer.

"He displayed traits at a very young age, Lizzie. Traits that made him very attractive to the KGB as a potential agent. He could figure out how to put things together spatially that most adults couldn't. He was extremely proficient in understanding codes. Donald could see what others couldn't," Red tried to explain so Donald didn't have to.

"Are you saying boyscout is a genius?" Jacob scoffed and winced when Eve jabbed him.

"What he's saying is Don is special. It's how you were able to keep two separate organization's plans separate and retrieve them when needed and not have them get swapped. Anna knew he would be perfect to take down the Cabal," Eve stated.

No one spoke after that. Just letting the information sink in. Everything Donald told them so far about the Cabal and why he and Liz were chosen was a lot to take in. Red knew Donald didn't have specifics for a lot of it as he and Liz would have learned more as they got older. He knew he was to fly a Russian fighter jet that would murder innocent civilians and orchestrate an attack on the Pentagon but the specifics were not clear as one would expect as the suggestion was given to him at such a young age. He knew the plan though and that was enough.

"Do you know anything else that the Cabal had planned?" Red asked hopeful that there was more.

"No. All Katerina would tell me was my role as a pilot and that after that the attack on the Pentagon. This would lead us directly to war with Russia," Donald offered. "I guess my joining the Army hadn't been free will after all."

"Everything you have chosen for your life was of your own free will since the day I brought you to the Ressler's, Donald. You made the decision because you are a good man. You wanted to help your Country after a serious blow was dealt to her. You were being patriotic. No one can take that from you." Red needed Donald to understand that his life was his. There was no way any programming or suggestions lead him to the man he was. He had done things once Eve found him that were not of his free will but his decisions regarding the man he would be were all him.

"It doesn't feel like free will." Donald licked his lips.

Red shook his head. An act of war on U.S. soil by the Russians would be just about the worst possible scenario. There was someone somewhere ready to take the place Lizzie and Donald were meant for. They needed to find them. Neutralize that threat. If that was even possible.

IIIIIIII

RESSLER

He was very uncomfortable with everyone staring at him the way they were. Ressler knew the information Anna unlocked in him was vital. So vital he couldn't waste time in relaying it but he still hated the attention. And the revelation that he was chosen to be a sleeper agent because he exhibited certain traits. All his life as Donald Ressler he had been horrible at puzzles. He didn't have the patience or desire to put things like that together. To find out what pieces fit. Sure, he could fix a car and put furniture together but that was it. And now he remembered clearly being in a room with Anna surrounded by a dozen or so blocks that needed to go back together. Liz had tried and failed. He did it in under a minute.

The anger on Katerina's face was unmistakable. And when they taught him how to encrypt and decrypt cipher text he took to that quickly. It was all so easy to him. Even the most complicated ciphers he had no trouble with. He remembered one day when another woman, older and severe looking, showed up and suggested he would be better suited as a cryptologist and not a sleeper agent. Anna refused and said his mind was also perfect for behavioral modification and that it was best for both he and Masha to do the mission.

"And what do you know about the Sentinels?" Eve questioned breaking him out of his thoughts.

"There was a day when Anna brought me to see a man. He had a German accent and I remember he wore the tattoo on his arm. She put me in a state of limbo I guess and left us alone. Once she was gone he began to fill my head."

"With what?" Liz asked as she rubbed her thumb on his hand in a soothing manner. "What did he tell you?"

"He gave me the locations of all the cells for the Sentinels. He said when the time was right I'd remember and I'd have to go to them. That we would work on a coordinated attack on the Cabal. I'd have to go to them because while I know where they are located I also know the major Cabal secret installations. Where they will all gather for important meetings and where they would go if something catastrophic happens."

He watched Liz's eyes grow wide and heard the breath hitch in Red's lungs. The room remained silent for a few minutes. As if everyone was trying to digest the bomb he just dropped. Ressler realized he perhaps should have started it all off with 'hey I know where the Cabal hangs out' but it didn't occur to him until just now. He had never seen Red so shell shocked. It was almost as if he had just given Red the key to the world. Eve reached out and touched his hand then wiping a tear away with her other hand. He couldn't figure out what would make her cry. This was a good thing. Knowing this was good.

"My father said a day would come when I found you and all the signs aligned. He told me you'd tell me what my role is. That I have a greater role than just protecting you." She looked him in the eyes. "Please, Donnie."

"No. Absolutely not." He refused to look away. There was no way he would ever tell her.

"Who gave you that right?" She pulled her hand away from him. "She wanted you to tell me. You know that." Eve stood straight with her hands balled in to fists. "You tell me!"

"Eve," Jacob said softly trying to soothe her. "Let's go outside for some air."

"No. I want to know. You promised me we'd do this together."

He hated seeing her anger but if he told her what her role was, if he gave her the code to remember the things her father had programmed in her, then there was no way he could protect her. Her ignorance would keep her safe. Well, as safe as possible. What needed to be done…what was to be done by her…was dangerous. Deadly. No, it was better she didn't know and hate him for it.

"It's bad enough you had a crap life because of all this. I'm not ruining your future. I have no choice anymore but I have this one I can make. And that's to keep you in the dark." He was getting angry. Not at Eve but at the injustice of the whole thing. Ressler was trying to sit up. He couldn't sit still. "You can hate me. Curse me. Hit me. Do whatever but I won't tell you."

"You're a prick," she growled before storming off.

"I suppose I deserve that." Ressler fell back on the bed, refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"I'll go after her," Jacob offered before heading out.

"Don." Liz broke the tension. "What is so bad?"

"She's an explosive expert for a reason. I'm not risking her life. Someone else can do it." Ressler nodded to Red. "You know people."

He closed his eyes. This was her father's idea but Anna went along with it. The Sentinels needed someone to be proficient in explosives so not only was Eve groomed to find and protect him but her whole life was pre-planned. It was unfair to say the least. He at least had free will to do what he wanted. It just so happened when he joined the Bureau Red fixed things for him get on his case. But the rest of his life was his. Eve didn't need to know that even her specialty wasn't of her own choosing. She didn't need to know exactly the shit hand she had been dealt.

IIIIIIII

LIZ

Don tired himself out by spilling every single secret he had in him. Liz could see the relief in his eyes when he was done. But behind the relief she recognized the fear. The work ahead of them was dangerous and it was possible some of them may not make it. She already fought him and Red when they suggested she go in hiding with Charlene. They had her stashed away on Red's private island and everyone agreed she'd be safest there. Liz hadn't agreed to it yet but it sounded like a done deal with Red and Don.

He was sleeping and while Liz would love to get some sleep as well she really wanted to check on Eve. She was upset and Liz needed her to understand that Don was doing what he thought was right even if it may not be in her eyes. She didn't know what made Don tick. So, Liz was going to help her. She opened the door to the kitchen and could hear Tom…Jacob…she kept reminding herself. She stopped and listened before making her presence known.

"Come on, Eve. Give the man a break ok. Besides Liz and the baby you are his only family. If I were in his shoes I wouldn't tell you either. Not if it was something that could get you hurt."

"That's such a load, Jacob. I'm not stupid. I understand how this all works. People like you and me…we aren't good for much to others. We have a mission and we complete it. If we make it we move on to the next. I've had this feeling since I was a kid that I wasn't going to survive this. I accepted it long ago. My mission has always been to keep him safe. Then once it's time I help him take down the Cabal." Eve held back a sob. "I'm strong. I can take a lot Jacob, but sometimes…dammit, it's not fair. They get the happy ending. The baby. The family. He had the ideal childhood with them. He has always been the golden boy and as much as I love him…," she trailed off.

"You're jealous of him," Liz said from the doorway. Jacob and Eve looked up at her and she instantly felt guilty for intruding. "I'm sorry. I came to check on you and I didn't want to interrupt."

"It sounds petty," Eve offered.

"No, it doesn't. It's natural to feel the way you are. Hell, I'm not going to lie. I find myself being jealous of him. We all started out on the same path, right? I mean we all had a place in this big plan. We were all torn from our families and while you and I had people who loved us Don somehow managed to end up with two people who did everything in their power to keep any of this away from him. They gave him the American dream anyone would kill for."

She hated herself for the jealousy she had. Don deserved the family he had. The life they gave him but she deserved it too. Eve deserved it. Hell, Jacob, who wasn't even a part of this until he made himself a part deserved it. She loved Sam with every fiber of her being and he gave her a great life but Don was given the dream.

"How's he doing?" Eve asked.

"Sleeping. He's pretty exhausted. And worried. What needs done next…," Liz trailed off.

"Your mother," Eve started then looked at Jacob who simply nodded. "She threatened Donnie with drugs. And she let Red speak with him and the fear in his eyes." She shook her head sadly. "She wanted to break him. And if given the chance she will. She said he was an addict."

Liz took a deep breath and dropped her head. She had been naive to think his addiction was in the past. She knew it would always be with him but part of her forgot about it. It was an unpleasant thought of the man she loved having to struggle. She hadn't been a part of his kicking the oxy but he had done it on his own. That was his choice and she admired him for it. But, she scolded herself for forgetting the struggle he may always have. Now, her mother was going to use that as threat or even as tactic to get him to cooperate and that made Liz furious.

"He had a problem a while back. There was a lot he had to deal with in such a short period of time after getting shot by Garrick."

"Audrey?" Eve asked. "And the death of Agent Malik?"

"He never wanted to talk about it and I…I got caught up in my own problems and never pushed him. And I'm almost positive it was Audrey and Meera's death that were contributing factors. But, I know he quit." Liz finally took a seat across from Jacob and Eve. "He's a proud man. He stopped abusing on his own. I can't imagine what would happen if she forced this on him."

"She won't," Jacob spoke up. "They won't win." He pushed his seat out and moved to the freezer. He placed a pint of ice cream down and threw two spoons on the table. "You ladies enjoy." He threw them a smile before headed out of the kitchen.

Liz gave him a small smile as he left and when she turned back to Eve she smiled even wider as she noticed the look on her soon to be sister-in-law's face. Oh, the girl had it bad. Eve's eyes didn't leave Jacob's until he was out of the room and only then did she look away. She dropped her eyes to the ice cream and tried to hide a smirk. Yeah, Eve definitely felt something for Jacob but Liz couldn't be sure if the younger woman even knew yet. And if she did would she even acknowledge them?

"You and Jacob did some major damage on the Cabal." Liz pulled the lid of the ice cream.

"Yep." Eve smiled as she cleaned her spoon.

IIIIIIII

JACOB

He knew Ressler was sleeping but he didn't care. There were things they needed to discuss and hopefully tempting Lizzie and Eve with the ice cream would keep them away for a while. Jacob hesitated at the door for a second before knocking. He didn't wait for a response. Ressler was awake.

"Lizzie said you were sleeping," Jacob said as he sat down in the chair that was by the bed.

"I was. Too much up in here," he said tapping on his head "to stay asleep."

"It's all pretty messed up huh?"

"Messed up is an understatement."

Jacob chuckled and they fell in to an awkward silence.

"What is Eve supposed to do?" There. He asked.

"Why so you can just go tell her?" Ressler snapped. "No."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this. I kind of feel like I'm going to vomit," he joked making light of what he was about to say. "I respect you enough to not tell her. If it's something you feel so strongly about there is good reason. I just need to know."

Jacob listened as Ressler explained how her father led her to her career expertise. Led her to becoming an explosives expert. And how he didn't want her to be devastated when she learned just how much of her life was not of her own choosing. But most importantly, he listened as Ressler explained how it was her job to set up explosives in the North American Cabal installation and build the bombs for the European one. And just how difficult that would be and how dangerous.

"It's pretty much a suicide mission, huh?" Jacob lowered his head for a brief moment then looked up. "She won't be alone. I'll stick with her. We made a good team on our own before."

"About that," Ressler slid in. "You kept her safe. Most importantly, when you found out she was kidnapped you went after her. Thank you."

"That was hard, wasn't it?" Jacob was trying to make light of the situation. He was uncomfortable being thanked.

"More than you know," Ressler laughed. "I'm not telling her. Not yet. Let her think she chose some parts of her life for a little longer."

Jacob nodded before standing up and heading out of the room. He wandered down the hall to his room but instead of entering he continued on down the hall, around the corner and out the side door to the outdoor patio. He needed to think. Jacob knew this was going to be dangerous but he thought he'd be fighting beside Liz. And now he found himself with someone else he cared about it in way he wasn't sure he knew. He would kill to protect Eve now, just like he would for Liz. And if Eve had a role to play that could get her killed well then, he'd be by her side. She needed it. She deserved someone to finally stand up next to her so she didn't go it alone.