Chapter 22

UEO Headquarters, Pearl Harbor

Frank Thomas watched as the secretary general adjourned the meeting; the other brass members quietly left the room, looking more relieved than before. He lingered behind, however, sure Andrea needed to speak with him about something. She always seemed to, and even on the off-chance she didn't this time, he had questions for her.

Andrea crossed to her vid-phone and hit a button. "Myra, I'm stepping out of the office for a little while for an impromptu meeting. I shouldn't be too long, but please hold my calls."

"Yes, Madam Secretary," came Myra's reply.

As soon as Andrea turned to him, his brow rose in question. "What meeting are you talking about?"

She didn't reply immediately. Instead, she smiled at him, her crystal blue eyes dancing with delight.

Frank tried to gauge her reaction, but he couldn't. For as long as he'd known her, he rarely knew just what exactly was going on in that head of hers. He suddenly felt his pulse quicken. "Andrea, I-"

She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Frank, after all this time, I'd have thought you'd know how I worked by now."

"I...just didn't know about this meeting. Did I do something wrong?"

She placed a hand on his cheek. "Relax, Frank. You're not in trouble. I'm just surprised you can't figure out my next move."

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "You hadn't mentioned anything..."

"Do I really need to tell you for you to figure it out?" she asked with a sigh. "What just happened here?"

"Three people were arrested?" he guessed. "I thought we were done then. You sent everyone on their way."

"Because I know this is something I need to handle on my own." She paused. "Tell me, what happens to our three friends now?"

"Well, I'd assume NCIS takes it from here."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but that's not what I meant." She tapped the side of his head lightly. "Think, Frank. Who just arrested them?"

"Agent Martin Lynch?"

She nodded. "Who is involved in Project Kratos himself...but he still needs to follow proper protocol. So what does that mean?"

"Uh..."

Andrea sighed. "This isn't rocket science. In this country, when anyone gets arrested, they must eventually stand trial. But we can't have that, now can we?"

"No?"

She laughed softly. "You still don't get it, do you? If we let them go to trial, our good names get dragged through the mud, and who knows what they'd reveal about Project Kratos?"

Frank ran a hand through his thinning hair as he finally understood. "So you're going to nip it in the bud?"

She patted his shoulder. "I knew you'd catch on soon enough." She moved to her desk. "Watch and learn," was all she said as she took three purple pills from the pill packet that she'd gotten from Doctor Downs. She then placed them on a piece of paper and crushed them with the back of a spoon; after that, she emptied the contents into a glass and added a bit of water. After giving it a stir to ensure the pills had dissolved, she took out a syringe and filled it with the toxic concoction. She then held it out to Frank. "Could you hold this for a minute?"

He cautiously took it from her but continued to watch her in curiosity.

She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a bakery box of blueberry muffins. "They look good, don't they? I thought I'd bring them a little piece offering as well." She held out her hand. "I'll take that," she said as Frank handed the syringe back to her. She then filled each muffin with a bit of the liquid.

"Are...are you sure about this, though? It seems a little...extreme."

A brow rose. "Don't tell me you're suddenly getting a conscience after all this time? No, it isn't too extreme at all. Would you rather I do something a bit messier?" She shook her head. "Anyone who stands in our way is expendable. It needs to be done, and it'll be quick." She turned and moved towards the door. "Don't worry, I won't be long."

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Was Andrea right? Frank wondered as he watched her go. Was he suddenly getting a conscience? He thought for a moment.

"No, that's not it," he finally decided. "Besides, I can't back out now. If I ever did, Andrea would be stuffing one of her muffins down my throat." He shuddered slightly at the thought, knowing he never wanted to meet such a fate.

He sighed. He'd thought he'd had everything under control until Bourne swooped in, and everything had changed in an instant. Now, Andrea was off 'handling' things, and he was suddenly the one being left out of the loop. He hated not having control anymore.

Oh, Andrea always was the one calling the shots, but he was always standing by her side, knowing the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Only this time, he'd been the very last to know. He frowned, wondering why. Why in the world hadn't Andrea told him what she'd been planning until now? He'd always proven himself to be loyal, always willing to do whatever she'd asked. Hell, he'd gladly have brought the poisoned muffins to the others had she asked. He had no qualms about murder, and she knew it.

He suddenly realized what he was feeling: hurt. He was indeed hurt that Andrea hadn't told him about it, and that was what was bothering him. The question, again, was why. He suddenly worried there might be more than meets the eye about all this. Perhaps the three soon-to-be-deceased agents weren't the only ones in danger of eating some of Andrea's muffins.

If that was the case, so be it, but he would be damned if he was going to be one of them. He knew full well that anyone involved with Project Kratos could get orders at any given moment, including Andrea herself. Frank Thomas vowed then and there to ensure those orders would not be against him. He'd wait for her to return and confront her. He didn't quite like being left out of the loop, especially when the project was in danger of going down.

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Australia

Going to see Alexander Bourne this late at night was not on her list of fun things to do, but this was a necessity. As soon as she knocked on Bourne's office door, Kristin suddenly felt nervous, wondering how kindly Bourne would take to her showing up at his door at such a late hour. Upon hearing approaching footfalls, her heart began racing, so she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.

Upon opening the door, he gave her a surprised smile. "Hello, Doctor. Is there a problem?"

"No... Well, not exactly, I mean." She bit her bottom lip. "Sorry, do you have a free moment? I have something I'd like to speak with you about."

He nodded and stepped aside to let her pass.

The office was small but tidy, with navy blue carpeting and grey walls. The walls were lined with file cabinets, and there was a bookcase in the far corner. Bourne sat behind a large wooden desk and motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him. "If you'll give me just one second..." he said, typing away at his laptop. "Admittedly, I was just finishing up for the night, and then I was going to turn in."

She blushed slightly. "I am sorry for showing up at such a late hour, but time is of the essence, like you'd said."

He typed a few more lines and then closed his laptop lid. "Indeed, and please know I'm not angry. So this is about the captain, I assume?"

Her mouth fell open slightly, somewhat taken aback by his demeanor. Why was he suddenly being so kind? "I'm glad to hear you're not angry, but..." She trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the question weighing on her mind: why the sudden change in attitude?

He laughed softly. "You want to know why I'm being so nice to you now?"

"Well...well, yes. Before, you'd said-"

He waved a hand. "I know what I said, but that was before I knew you could be trusted. And the fact you hold our lives in your hands is a bit of an incentive as well. I don't trust you completely, but there's one thing keeping you from trying anything stupid, and that's Bridger himself, am I right?"

"I promised I'd help all of you, and I meant it," she replied, looking him straight in the eye. "As long as you don't give me reason to retaliate, I won't."

"That's good. And if you are thinking otherwise, might I remind you that I wouldn't hesitate to retaliate either, hm?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less, but you needn't worry, I assure you."

He nodded. "As long as we have an understanding. I just wanted to clear that up. So...what about the captain?"

"Not just the captain. All of you, really. You see, I'm not sure there's much I can for you do right now."

His eyes narrowed. "You'd assured me you could, and now, you're telling me it was a lie? What sort of idiot do you take me for?"

Kristin help up her hands. "N-no, it's nothing like that. Let me try to rephrase. With the way we stand now, I'm not sure there's much I can do to help. All I've discovered from the blood samples is that you've all encountered the same gene alterations. I can't begin to fix it without the proper tools, and you know our resources are limited. Therefore, I was thinking... And I know it wouldn't be easy, but if you'll just hear me out-"

Bourne held up a hand. "Just get to the point, Doctor."

"We go to Indonesia and get more pills."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.

"I...I don't mean we exactly. I meant me...and perhaps one of you? Mr. Deon, maybe... You see, the pills are manufactured in Indonesia, and it seems to me if we get more, then the problem is solved...at least for now." She searched his eyes for an answer but couldn't quite gauge his reaction.

After a few moments, he shook his head. "Forgive me for saying, but I think that's a rather idealistic idea."

"Excuse me?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"How do we even know more pills exist?"

"How do we know they don't?" she challenged. "Look, if this doesn't work, the other options are either trying to find out the pill composition in order to create more or creating a new virus in order to make new gene alterations to get you all back to normal...but that would just mean a new set of pills...not to mention a huge amount of time we don't have. I know this could be a hit or miss, but this is, by far, the easiest solution. We need to try it, even if it's a lost cause."

Bourne's fingers peaked as he brought them to his chin, reflecting on what she'd just said.

"More pills would at least buy us more time," she added quietly.

He nodded. "While I'm not particularly confident there will be more pills, I agree with you about exhausting every option, starting with the simplest. How soon would you like to do this?"

"How soon could you arrange it?"

"Well, that's up to you. While I don't trust the UEO, Bridger says we can trust Admiral Noyce. Do you trust him?"

"With my life," she said confidently.

"You speak with him and see if he can secure a launch, and I'll handle the rest. Would you like to use the vid-phone now?"

"Please, if you wouldn't mind."

He nodded to the vid-link on the wall. "Go right ahead. I assume you know how it works," he said, standing up and moving towards the door.

Her brow furrowed in question. "You mean you're leaving?"

He turned back to her. "I thought you'd like some privacy...unless you need me to stay."

"N-no, I'm grateful. I just thought..."

"That trust thing, Doctor, remember? I'll be back in twenty minutes or so, give or take?"

She nodded. "That should be plenty of time, thank you."

"Again, just don't make me regret it," he said before leaving the room.

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seaQuest

Since things were running smoothly, Admiral Noyce took a few minutes to slip into the ward room and give Janet a call. He smiled when he saw her face on the screen.

"I was wondering when you'd call," she said.

His smile faded. "You heard? I didn't think the media had caught wind of it yet."

"They haven't; Lucas called. He figured someone ought to tell me what was going on and knew you probably wouldn't have time to do it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "At least someone took the time to tell me."

He searched his wife's face, trying to decide if she was being serious. "Janet, sweetheart, I had wanted to call. Things were just so busy, I-" He stopped short when he heard her laugh.

"Please, Bill, after thirty years of marriage, I'd think you'd know by now when I was really mad or not." She sighed. "I know how things were. Lucas told me everything."

"I need to remember to thank him."

She smiled. "Well, I think he may have had ulterior motives for calling me. He had concerns, but I tried to help ease his mind." After a pause, she asked, "How is everyone else taking it? How are you taking it?"

"I should ask you the same thing." He shrugged. "It's a shock, but I'm...relieved. I'll be better once everything goes back to normal, but I'm glad to know my best friend hasn't passed away after all. You?"

"I'm happy, really. And I'm sure Kristin is ecstatic, though I've heard you let her go halfway around the world now. So much for looking after her."

"At the end of the day, she was the most qualified. Not only that, she wouldn't have taken no for an answer. But of course, she's as happy as the rest of us are. I know she'd taken it hard, but now that we know Nathan is alive and well, she seems in better spirits. Well, what I saw of her anyway. She is supposed to call sometime soon. I was hoping I'd have heard from her by now..."

Janet's brow furrowed in worry. "You don't think they're in any trouble, do you? They are in the company of some not-so-nice people now."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Bill assured her, though he wouldn't admit he'd been thinking the same thing. Since he'd let Kristin go, he'd been having second thoughts about the entire situation. And the fact she wasn't calling now... He shook his head slightly, trying to rid his mind of such thoughts, and turned back to his wife. "You know Kristin; she won't take any guff from anyone. If she's handled the likes of Rubin Zellar and Milos Teslov, she can handle Alexander Bourne as well."

"Be that as it may, I-"

At that moment, Tim O'Neill's voice came through the vid-link. "Admiral, I am terribly sorry for interrupting, but Dr. Westphalen is on a link from Australia."

Bill looked at Janet, who simply nodded her permission. "Patch it through, Lieutenant."

"I'll talk to you later," Janet said before blowing him a kiss and cutting her link.

When Bill saw Kristin's face, the first thing he did was search her eyes for signs of distress. Thankfully, though she looked a bit tired, she seemed to be well. "I was hoping to hear from you. How are things going there? Are they treating you and Nathan well? How long do you think it will be before we'll have you both back where you belong?" He felt somewhat guilty for bombarding her with so many questions right away, but they all just slipped out.

She didn't seem too upset with him, though. "We had a bit of a shaky start, but things are going...better than I expected, actually. As soon as I got here, I insisted Nathan be moved out of the deplorable conditions, and now he's mending well and in a very comfortable bed. As far as us getting back...that's part of why I'm calling. I've hit a bit of a wall, since I don't have the tools to be able to do much for Nathan or the others. However, there is an alternative, but we need your help."

"You know I'll do anything I can...especially if it means it will bring you two back sooner. What do you need me to do exactly?"

"Well, could you find out what the lab situation like...mainly the labs in Indonesia?"

"Indonesia?" he repeated. "Why Indonesia?"

"The pills they're taking are manufactured at the lab there, and if we had more, it would give us more time, which is what we need. But I don't even know if they have more...or if they've met the same fate as..." She shuddered slightly as she trailed off.

Bill knew exactly what she meant, however. They hadn't spoken much about what had happened at the labs or about the corruption within the UEO itself. Everything had happened so fast, there wasn't much time for them to discuss it. He didn't even know if there were more lab problems. Andrea said she'd handle it, but he was starting to wonder if giving the reins completely over to her had been such a good idea after all. He should have taken measures in order to find out more, he decided. "I am sorry to say I honestly don't know, but I will find out."

She bit her bottom lip, nodding. "When do you think you'd have an answer? And if the answer is yes, we need a launch."

"You'll be going there yourself?"

"Yes...but not alone. Actually, Bourne mentioned he'd send Mason Freeman with me. I know it's not ideal, but it's-"

Bill held up a hand. "When the time comes, I'd like someone from seaQuest to accompany the both of you, just in case. Give me some time, and I'll get back to you. What time is it there?"

"Nearly eleven PM," she replied.

"I'll contact you tomorrow then. It might take me a little while."

She nodded. "Thank you so much for your help, Admiral." She paused. "How is everyone? Lucas? The others? You?"

He smiled. "I'm fine, Kristin, and so are the others. We miss you, but I'll pass it on to everyone you called. Do you want to speak with them?"

"I do, but I don't think now's a good time. It's late and... Tell them I'll call soon.

"You're welcome. We'll speak soon."

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NCIS Headquarters, Pearl Harbor

When Andrea Dre walked through the front doors of the building, she was greeted by the secretary, a petite, older woman with short curly grey hair. She'd met her a few times before but couldn't remember her name. She honestly didn't care, but she knew she'd have to make niceties for a little while. She plastered on a smile in order to fake it.

"Madame Secretary, what a surprise. I didn't know we'd be graced with your presence today." She motioned to the bakery box in Andrea's hands. "And you brought muffins. How thoughtful."

Andrea had thought to bring two boxes of muffins, one with the special ingredient and untainted. "I thought you'd like a nice treat for all your hard work," she said, passing the box to her as she glanced around the woman's desk, hoping there was some clue that would give her name away. Then she saw an envelope marked 'Lorraine'. That had to be it. "Also, it is so lovely to see you, too, Lorraine. It's been too long. How are you?"

The older woman laughed, slightly her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink, apparently happy she'd been remembered. "Well, I'm just fine, thank you. And yourself?"

"Busy, but fine, thanks."

"Glad to hear it...well, the fine part, that is. But you didn't come all the way over here to ask about me. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm here to see Agent Lynch. Is he available?"

"He happens to be downstairs, but I can let him know you're here," she said, moving to pick up a communication device.

Andrea held up a halting hand. "No, that's not necessary. I can go to him." She looked down at the other box of muffins. "I wanted to deliver these personally, you see. He'd bought me breakfast recently, and I wanted to return the favor."

Lorraine's mouth fell open slightly. "I understand, but, Madame Secretary, downstairs is where our holding cells are."

"I am well aware of that, but I actually need to speak with the detainees myself. I've been down there before, if you recall. Not to worry."

Her brow seemed to furrow slightly in question, but she nodded a second later. "Of course, Madame Secretary. I'm sure it's not a problem."

The secretary general gave her a nod before walking down the corridor to the stairwell. As she neared the holding cell, she heard voices.

"Martin, please, you know you don't have to do this. You're one of us. Are you really going to treat us like common criminals?" she heard Dr. Downs say.

"Look, it's nothing personal," came Martin's reply. "It's just the principle, and I'm putting three kids through college right now. I can't really afford not to comply with the secretary general's wishes."

"So you'd rather save your hide over your fellow man?" Agent Reid asked.

"Don't put this back on him," Andrea said, moving to stand alongside Agent Lynch.

Dr. Downs narrowed her eyes at Dre. "She's right; don't kill the messenger."

Andrea smiled. "I'm glad to see you've had a change in attitude now." She moved closer to the cell, leaning on the bars. "It's all just business, like I said before. We could have you out in three to five...or even sooner."

Agent Collins perked up. "So you'd make sure we wouldn't be detained too long?"

With a wave of her hand, Andrea instructed Agent Lynch to unlock the cell. After he obliged, she nodded. "Of course I would," she said, her voice saccharine sweet, as she stepped inside. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I want you three to know how deeply sorry I am for that." She held up the box of muffins and handed it to them. "I thought I'd bring you a little treat, something to show how sorry I am."

Agent Reid accepted the muffins and took one for himself. "Thank you," he muttered before taking a bite. "These are good."

Agent Collins followed suit, but Dr. Downs wasn't so eager.

"Come on, Maureen," Andrea said. "Don't you want a muffin?"

"As if a muffin will make the fact you're putting us in jail all better," Dr. Downs muttered with a roll of her eyes.

For a split second, Andrea worried the special agents would expire first, leaving them to have to deal with Dr. Downs alone, but much to her surprise, the doctor accepted a muffin.

"This doesn't make up for it," the doctor replied between bites, "but it's a start."

"Glad to hear it," Andrea said with a smile before leaning towards Agent Lynch. "This shouldn't take long," she whispered.

He quirked an eyebrow in question, but Andrea didn't need to explain, since the muffins worked quicker than she'd imagined. Agent Reid dropped first, holding his chest before Agent Collins followed. Both men convulsed for a few moments before ceasing to move. Besides a slight trickle of blood from their nostrils, they looked almost peaceful.

Dr. Downs, however, had a bit of time to react, realizing the muffins had been poisoned. "I...I can't believe..." she muttered, approaching the secretary general with her hands stretched towards her Though Andrea had backed away, she could see the woman's attempt was feeble, since she was already weakened. The younger woman suddenly dropped to her knees, her body reacting the same way as her fellow agents, and then it was over.

Andrea heaved a sigh, turning to Agent Lynch. "Well, that was easy."

"You could have warned me," Agent Lynch replied.

"I'd told you I was going to handle it, and I did. I didn't think I needed to say much more than that," Andrea said with a shrug. "Or would you rather I have used a gun?"

"No, this was a better option, I agree." He paused and motioned to the uneaten muffins. "Are they all like that?"

"The ones upstairs are safe to eat." She nodded to the tainted ones. "I'd get rid of those before anyone else decides to eat one. You'll have to make it look a suicide of some sort, though. Oh, and get rid of the bodies, hm?"

"Don't worry," Agent Lynch replied. "I know what to do."

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Australia

After informing Bourne that the admiral would be calling about the details tomorrow, Kristin made her way back to her room. She made a point to be quiet, in case Nathan had fallen asleep, but he was still awake. She gave him a gentle smile and walked towards the bed. "I'm sorry I ran out the way I did. I know you've been wondering what that was all about."

He returned the smile. "Yes, but you did promise you'd explain." He patted the bed. "So, what what was the big emergency?"

"It's just that I needed to speak with Bourne as soon as I could," she replied, sitting down on the bed. "You see, the pills are manufactured in Indonesia, and I thought if we could arrange a trip there, we could get more, and it would at least buy us some more time. It's not the most ideal solution; I know you'd rather have a permanent cure, but it's something for now. Anyway, Admiral Noyce is working on hammering out the details as we speak."

A brow rose. "My, you have been busy." He paused. "How are things on the boat?"

"Bill had said they were fine, but there wasn't much time for him to elaborate. Besides, he was more concerned with us." She sighed. "I really should make a call there tomorrow at some point. I'd promised Lucas I would, but things have been so hectic..."

"I'm sure Lucas understands. I'm sure the others are keeping an eye on him."

She nodded. "Oh, you're right about that. You'd be surprised at how everyone pulled together after you-" She stopped short, giving a shake of her head. "I mean... I shouldn't have... I'm sorry," she muttered, lowering her gaze to the floor.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "There's no need to apologize. It happened, and there's no reason to pretend it didn't. I'm actually glad to hear the crew supported one another while I was away. If I had actually... Well, it's good to know you can depend on one another in tough times."

She nodded quietly, her gaze still fixed in the floor. Even though he was here with her now, the pain of the situation was still fresh, and part of her worried it was one of those cruel dreams she'd been having. Any moment, he could disappear, and she'd be all alone again. She swallowed hard, hoping to stifle them. The last thing she'd wanted was to make him feel guilty. She was sure he'd felt enough guilt as it was, and she didn't want to add to that.

"Look," he said, "I know it's been a long day, so why don't we just turn in and-?"

"But I thought you'd wanted to talk?" she asked, finally looking at him. "I mean, I... I think I'd like to talk, if you don't mind. It would be a nice end to the day, don't you think?"

"I do, but aren't you tired?"

"Not too tired for you," she replied. "Honest."

He smiled softly, placing a hand to her cheek. "I'm glad. I've missed so much. Where would you like to start?"

She bit her bottom lip, thinking for a moment. "Well, I suppose the best place is at the beginning, isn't it?"

A/N: Okay, as you can see, I'm not dead. I know it's been ages since I've updated, and I am so very sorry. Real life and work have crept up. I promise I won't stop writing, but I cannot update like I used to. While I know that is very frustrating for you, I hope you can forgive me and will continue to read. There is still more of the story to go, and I have other stories in my head that I plan to write when I can. I cannot thank you all enough for the support, and I hope my lack of updates has not soured your opinion of me. Thank you for reading!