As a quick recap, Jax had saw Brenda, deathly ill, but Davis had kept their reunion short. Brenda had made Jax leave, and
acted strangely angry with him. Jax met Carly, who works in communications in the Agency, and Taylor, who helped Jax refine
his manners, and may just be the help he needs to get himself and Brenda out of the Agency.

Now, on with the chapter! Happy reading, and please leave a reply.

Victoria L.

Chapter 7

Jax turned and slowly went down the hall, the weight of the world on
his shoulders. Already getting used to the path from his room to the main
hall, Jax looked at the floor as he made his way back to his room. In those
moments, everything that had happened over the past few days flashed in his
mind. Amy finding him, and leading him to the Agency. Malachy, and his luck
at the hotel, and then coming here, meeting Davis, seeing Brenda in her
condition, meeting Carly, and finally, Taylor. This place was becoming more
and more of an enigma to him, especially why they wanted or even bothered
with him or Brenda.
It seemed to Jax, the Agency would want people much more qualified
than the two of them. Sure, he knew his way around computers, but there
was nothing special about himself or Brenda, that the Agency couldn’t find in
hundreds of men and women all around the world. Something was going on,
and he was determined to find out.
When Jax came into his room, he was surprised at how welcome it felt
to him. He undressed and put his clothes away neatly, not wanting to risk any
kind of unnecessary wrath from what Taylor had referred to as
‘housekeeping’. He fell into bed, the cool sheets a comfort to his aching
muscles. Jax looked around the room in the darkness, and wondered if they
could see him now. If what Taylor said was true, and that they were watching
all the time. And who was they, anyway? Taylor seemed to have a pretty
important position here in the Agency. Who did she have to be afraid of? She
and Davis seemed to be friends, or at least they had some kind of a history, Jax
was sure of that, if nothing else. He racked his mind trying to come up with
someone that he could get answers out of. The only likely candidate was
Carly. She seemed relaxed and at ease, at least more so than anyone else. He
couldn’t talk to Brenda right now, and though he was worried out of his mind
about her, she would have to wait. He was no good to her or himself if he
didn’t plan this exactly right.
Satisfied that he had made enough of a plan for tonight, Jax turned
onto his side, and grimaced a little as his arms and legs continued to feel the
effects of his strenuous workout. Carly. That’s who he would talk to. He’d
get as much information as he could on Davis and Taylor, and the Agency
itself. That is, if Davis didn’t have any plans for him the next day. Jax drifted
off to sleep, thinking of Brenda, and what seemed to be their desperate
situation.
 

The next morning, Jax woke early, and was up, finished with his
breakfast when Davis made her appearance. He had decided to regard her
with the same detached emotion that she seemed to regard everyone else
with. He was too emotional, too predictable, he’d considered that a lot this
morning as he ate his breakfast. Anyone watching him could see what his
next move would be, he had realized. So now, he was going to play the role of
servant to her. He would be at her beck and call, he wouldn’t react to any
provocation, and he would be an exemplary operative. It had occurred to
him that the Agency’s security was beyond anything that he had ever seen,
and until he learned his way around, until he learned to beat the system, there
was no way he was going to get out. He was in this for the long haul, and he
might as well get used to it.
“Good morning,” Davis said coming into the room and smiling at its
neatness.
“Good morning,” Jax replied, standing to face her and giving her an
expressionless look.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked, with mock concern. Jax wanted to ask
her if she really cared, but decided against it.
“Yes,” he said simply. Davis seemed a little surprised, but she seemed
to catch on to his game immediately, and in those few seconds, Jax could see
that she had already completely adjusted her game plan. He had to make a
mental note to be extremely careful around Davis. He couldn’t express any
outward interest in Carly or Comm, where she worked, because she would
probably clam up just like Taylor did.
“Good then,” Davis said. “Well, this is your agenda for the week. I have
some work to do, so I will be out of the Agency for a few days.” Jax looked up
at her in surprise. “You don’t need me here,” she said, smiling at the fact that
she had managed already to break his facade of a cool exterior. “This list tells
you exactly where to go and what to do, everyone is expecting you. I’ll be
keeping up with your levels, and I already know that you will do well. I am
counting on you Jax. The Agency is counting on you.” Jax just nodded and
folded the paper and put it into his pocket.
“Thank you,” he said, when she looked at him expectantly. Satisfied
with herself, she turned to leave.
“Oh,” she said, her voice affected with a delicate softness that Jax knew
was not there by nature. “I have some other news. Last night, I’m afraid
Brenda’s condition took a turn for the worse.”
“Is she all right?” Jax asked frantically.
“She’s fine,” Davis said, putting up a hand. “And she will remain that
way, she just has to be kept under strict isolation. You’re not to see her while
I’m gone, is that understood?” Davis asked, plainly.
“As long as she’s all right,” Jax said, swallowing the tears that came up
in his throat. “I love her, you know,” he said, as Davis turned again to leave.
She paused and said, with her back still facing him, and her voice very low,
“I know.”

Jax spent the entire day working as hard as he could at every task that
Davis had laid out before him. He impressed all of his instructors with the
diligence with which he worked, and the fact that unlike most operatives, he
was not full of questions, rebellious, or difficult to teach. He made fast friends
with nearly everyone there, and they all seemed to know something about
him that he himself didn’t know. They treated him with a certain respect that
his attitude and the way he carried himself demanded. Of course, Jax didn’t
realize that he was doing that. He finished several hours early, and after
showering in his room and changing, he went in search of Carly.
He found her hard at work at her Comm station, just as she had
informed him. He leaned over her and whispered in her ear,
“Workin’ hard?” She didn’t jump at his voice as he expected her to, nor
did she stop her work. In fact, her slender fingers didn’t even stop as they
danced over the keys as she typed. Jax stood back up, chuckling to himself
that his charm didn’t work on every female he came in contact with. He sat
down on a nearby chair, and waited for her to finish, busying himself with a
computer game at a nearby computer.
During the minutes that she worked, several people came through
Comm, and Jax realized that it really and truly was the nerve center of the
Agency. In far corners of the room, operatives that were obviously of a
higher rank were leading their missions from Comm, giving orders and
keeping track of movements all over the world. Some who walked past Carly
gave her a pat on the back, or a smile. Jax could see that she was well liked.
But, like everyone else, he was coming to see, she was all business and all
about her job. When she finally stopped typing, Jax’s ears perked up, and he
turned to face her.
“Yes,” she said, sighing. When Jax raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled.
“You asked me if I was working hard. I am. Is there something that you
need?”
“Yes,” Jax said, after looking at her for a moment, trying to figure her
out. He put down the joystick of the computer game and scooted his rolling
chair closer to hers. She smiled beautifully at him, and then faced her
computer, making the occasional adjustment as he watched her. She spoke to
him then, but kept her eyes on the computer screen. “I know what you want,
and I’m sorry I can’t help you. It would be wise of you to pay attention to
your tasks, to why you’re really here.”
“I’m only on one mission,” Jax said finally. “And that’s to get Brenda the
hell out of this place.”
“You don’t leave the Agency,” Carly said. “Not by choice, anyway.”
“Everyone has a choice,” Jax said. “It just may not be the one that you
like.” Carly sighed deeply, and faced Jax, looking exasperated.
“Listen. Don’t you think I’ve been where you are, before? I had
someone I loved once. He was going to be great, he was even better at this
stuff than I am. But he had too much heart. And as you know,” she said, her
voice bitter, “Davis doesn’t encourage anything resembling heart, here at the
Agency.” Jax looked down, not wanting to be swayed by her arguments.
“Look, just do what you’re told, all right? And maybe in a while, you’ll be one
of those precious few that gets the choice to get out of here. There’s only
been one to ever make it, so if I were you, I’d choose to stay inside. You’ve got
the protection of the most powerful people in the world. Play your cards
right, you’ll grow old here. Out there, you haven’t got a chance.”
“I have a bit of luck on my side,” Jax said quietly, thinking of Malachy.
“Luck’s got nothing to do with it. Why don’t you think about how easy
it was for them to get you in here? The world thinks that you, the high
profile, multi-billionaire Jasper Jacks, is dead. These people took you off the
street in the middle of the day, on one of the busiest streets in New York City.
They are EVERYWHERE. And you’re crazy if you think you can get away from
them.”
“I have to,” Jax said. “Because I love her, and I can’t let her stay here. I
can’t let these people control my life. I won’t.”
“Then you’re dumber than I thought,” Carly said. “Either way, go or
stay, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If I were you, I’d get used to
it.” Carly returned to her work, trying very hard, Jax could tell, to hold back
the emotions that their conversation had stirred in her.
“What was his name?” he asked softly, finally.
“What?” she asked, looking at him in annoyance. When Jax just stared
back at her, she softened and smiled. “Jason,” she stated. Jax nodded.
“Well listen, if you’re willing to tell me that, could you tell me a few
more things?”
“You won’t listen to reason, good common sense, why should I tell you
anything else?”
“Because maybe this time I will listen to you, and maybe you’ll be able
to give me something I can use to get out of here.” Jax watched her profile,
and saw her jaw line clench tight. She was waging war within herself, and
from what Jax had already seen, he knew he probably wasn’t going to get
anything else out of her. He cleared his throat, and got up to leave, when she
said,
“That doesn’t mean you can’t ask me anyway.” He sat back down,
satisfied with himself.
“Tell me about Davis,” he started. “And Taylor. You’ve been here for a
while, is there some sort of history between them?”
“History?” Carly snorted. “Yeah, you could say that. You’d never guess
that they were the same age, would you?”
“No,” Jax said, “I thought Davis was a few years older.”
“So does everyone else,” Carly said. “So did Paul.”
“Paul?” Jax asked. Carly raised an eyebrow at him.
“No one’s told you about Paul?” Jax shook his head. “Well, this story is
getting better and better. It’s the classic triangle, really. Paul, Taylor and
Davis have been in the Agency for years. Much longer than anyone else here.”
“Why are there so many young people?” Jax suddenly asked. “Doesn’t
anyone here stay longer than a few years?”
“Precious few,” Carly said. “But they’re on other levels anyway, so you
wouldn’t see them.”
“What happened between Taylor and Paul and Davis?”
“Well you’d never take Davis for the type to get hurt, or Taylor for the
type to hold grudges, but they’re exactly that. Both of them. Back in their
day, which wasn’t all that long ago, they were the Agency’s best. Top of their
field. But there were only two top positions.”
“Meaning that obviously all three of them couldn’t advance.”
“Exactly,” Carly said, looking over her shoulder, and then continuing
her story in a low whisper. “See, the thing is, Davis and Paul were in love.
The real thing, everyone says. But he had an eye for the ladies, and he kept
his eye on Taylor. She loved some other operative, I’m not sure what his
name was. Anyways, to make a long soap opera short, he was killed in the
line of duty.”
“That’s terrible,” Jax said, thinking of how devastated Taylor must have
been. Carly just nodded, knowing all too well what it was like to lose the man
she loved to the Agency.
“Taylor was inconsolable, but you can bet that Paul was there to pick
up the pieces.” Jax nodded.
“That explains Davis’ animosity towards Taylor.”
“Apparently, Taylor was the better operative, all around. And because
Paul was a guy, obviously, he’d get the other position. But when Davis found
out about the affair, she kicked into high gear, did what she could to become
the better operative. Some say she slept her way to the top, but who knows?
Either way, she blew Taylor, and her chances for advancement out of the
water.”
“So how’d Taylor get the position she has now? I mean obviously she’s
held with almost as much esteem as Davis around here.” Carly just nodded.
“It was a position created especially for her. She has some friends in
high places, and after her lover died, she didn’t want to go back to being a
field operative, so she created a place for her. She dropped Paul like a bad
habit, but he wasn’t satisfied.”
“I thought he loved Davis,” Jax said.
“Not enough to stay away from Taylor,” Carly said. “And Davis has
ALWAYS hated Taylor for it. But she can’t do anything about it, because
although Davis earned her place in the Agency, she doesn’t have the
connections Taylor does. She can’t get rid of her, the consequences would be
too high. So they just deal with each other.”
“How do you know all this?” Jax asked.
“You learn to listen at the right times, ask the right questions to the
right people.” Jax nodded as Carly spoke. “Plus,” she said, “it doesn’t hurt that
I used to be a romance novelist.” When Jax raised an eyebrow, Carly smiled.
“I can spot the drama from a mile away.” Her easy going tone turned serious
all of a sudden. “I better get back to work, and so should you. And I’d get any
visions of escaping out of my head until you know your way around, and you
can anticipate any unforeseen roadblocks. Even if you do get out of the
Agency, NO one gets out by just walking out the front door. It’s going to take
some work.”
“I can appreciate that,” Jax said, getting up. “Thank you for your time.”
“No problem,” Carly said.
“One more thing,” Jax said. “I’m sorry about Jason.” Carly nodded.
“And could you tell me please, what happened to Paul?”
“Don’t you get it?” Carly asked. “You’re him.”