The Genuine Article ch. 1 {JB}

by Victoria L. on April 09, 19100 at 15:01:04:

Hey you guys! I noticed that the previous chapters to this story are no longer on the board, so before I post a new chapter, I wanted to give some of you a chance to refresh your memory, and some of you to read this, because you didn't get a chance to before. As always, let me know what you think.
Victoria L.

Chapter One

Jasper “Jax” Jacks came into his penthouse and shut the door rather
loudly, the weight of the world on his mind. He tossed his briefcase casually
into his desk chair and shrugged out of his coat. He moved to sit down on the
couch and as he leaned back, he closed his eyes, ready to dream. But sleep
did not come to him quickly. Instead, all he saw was the back of his eyelids,
the city lights from outside and the shadows of his dark living room making
strange and magical patterns before his eyes.
Jax’s world was strange and magical, and getting more so day by day.
For the life of him, he couldn’t understand the strange happenings that had
been occurring in his life for the past few weeks. It had been just over a
month since he helped his brother Jerry disappear from the FBI. Jerry had
been up to some illegal business dealing, including laundering money for the
mob, and rather than see his brother go to prison, Jax had helped him escape,
and in exchange, he would never see his brother again.
On top of dealing with the loss of his brother, Jax had been grieving a
little over a year for his beloved Brenda. His wife, then not, then friend, then
fiancee again. Brenda and her mother had been involved in a freak accident
that had taken Brenda from Jax, just days before their wedding. Losing
Brenda had broken Jax’s heart, and quite frankly, it was still broken. But he
was a man, a healthy young man, and he had developed a tentative, though
not serious relationship with Chloe Morgan. He enjoyed spending time with
Chloe, for the fun that was in it, but she was no Brenda. He was too much of
a gentleman to tell her that all he wanted with her was a physical relationship,
so some days when his mood would tolerate it, he would take her out to
dinner or to a show. She was good company, and he wished he could open
his heart further to her, but a part of him could never and would never let go
of Brenda, so there was no sense in him ever trying to commit to Chloe. He
made it clear to Chloe from the moment he began seeing her that he would
never and could never love her, so if she wanted a commitment, then she’d
have to look elsewhere. Chloe was so in love with Jax, though, that she’d
have said anything to hold on to him. Part of him knew that, the other part
denied it. He wanted some company, some companionship, and if she was
willing to ignore his lack of genuine, sincere affection, then so was he.
Jax turned onto his side, his eyelids still closed. He tried to rest, but he
just couldn’t. He knew going to his bed would keep him up even later, and
his best bet for getting any rest would be to fall asleep on the couch and then
stagger to bed sometime much later tonight when he’d be much too sleepy to
know or care which bed he was in. But while he was awake and coherent,
there was no way he could go into that bedroom and face Brenda and all of
her memories, as she was a ghost now, haunting his apartment. Jax saw
Brenda in everything. He heard her laughter along with the tinkling of crystal
whenever he poured himself an after-dinner brandy or a celebratory scotch.
He felt her touch whenever he put on his robe, which she always used to
wear, or his T-shirts, which dwarfed her whenever she put them on to get out
of bed after they’d made love. Most of the penthouse was just as it was when
she disappeared from his life with her suicidal mother. Jax suddenly heard
Brenda’s screams.
“Jax! Jax! Jax!”
“Brenda! Brenda! BRENDA!!” He had screamed as he watched from the
helicopter above as Brenda’s mother, Veronica, snatched at the wheel and
sent their car plummeting into the icy waters of the Port Charles River. Jax
sat up with a start, not even realizing that he had fallen asleep so quickly on
the couch, underestimating his own exhaustion.
He could feel the sweat as it trickled down his collar and onto his back.
He looked around the room, as if to assure himself that he was there, safe and
sound, and not free falling through the sky, hitting the water with such an
impact that he thought he’d die on the spot himself. As Jax got up from the
couch, he felt the same sinking feeling he’d had when he saw the last rescuer
coming out of the water, bone tired, and unable to look Jax in the eyes. He
felt the weight of the water pulling down on his shoulders as he had that
night. He felt the same despair that he had then, when he’d come as close as
he ever would to ending his life for the notion of living a precious second
without Brenda was unimaginable.
Jax shook his head of all thoughts of that night and turned on the
bright lights of the living room. It was a shock to the system, and his eyes
began to sting immediately. Touching his face, he realized that he’d been
crying in his dream, and he was still crying, the tears were still flowing.
“Man,” he said, walking to the fire place mantle and picking up a
miniature yacht, “I have got to get out of this.” But how could he if he was
still surrounding himself with her. Of course she still affected him. Her
clothes were still hanging in the closets, her jewelry and belongings still on
the dresser alongside his own. He still kept a picture of her on his desk and
all around the penthouse, and he kept her wedding ring in his wallet. He
didn’t want to let her go, but the survivor in him told him that he had to. The
part of his mind and his heart that wanted to live, no matter what, was taking
over inside of him. The need to be with Brenda wasn’t so all consuming any
longer. He needed to let go, and for the first time since he watched her slip
beneath the icy waters, he wanted to let her go. The question was, could he?
“I’m going to have to,” he said to himself. “There’s no other way.” He turned
and picked up a photo of the two of them together. He visualized a moment
that had happened between them in that very spot, over a year ago. “Let’s
make a pact,” he’d said to Brenda. She nodded and smiled at him in her own
beautiful way. “Let’s promise, no matter what happens, that we’ll always try
again.”
“I promise,” Brenda had whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Jax said, touching the cool glass that covered the
picture with his index finger. “And I’m sorry about ‘Nobody Leaves’.” Jax put
the picture down and looked around for a cardboard box. He knew he kept
some in the closet in the guest room, so he went there as quickly as he could,
and returned with two large ones, ready to pack up each and every trace of
Brenda Barrett.
He moved about the penthouse quickly and efficiently. In one box he
put her belongings, pictures, gifts she’d given him, trinkets and baubles
they’d collected in their travels all over the world, to Malibu, Fiji, Ireland,
Mulholland, London, Europe, New Orleans, Australia, New York, and Alaska.
In the other box, he put her clothing and perfume. His heart got lighter, to
his surprise, as he put all the things together. He thought it was because he
was doing the right, healthy thing and moving on from her, but in reality, he
was feeling better because putting all these things together was making his
heart remember all of their moments of love and happiness before it all
ended.
When he was finished, he stacked both boxes by the front door with
the intention of carrying them downstairs to storage the next morning on his
way out to work. Speaking of work, he was expecting a fax in a few hours, so
he’d better get some rest soon. Jax went to his bedroom and got into his
pajama bottoms. He climbed into bed shirtless and sank down into the cool
sheets and rested comfortably for the next six hours, for the first time in
months.
The next morning, Jax was up and ready to start another day. He
showered quickly and ordered a quick breakfast from room service. When it
arrived, he shouted through the door for the wait person to come right in, the
door was open. Jax had his back to the door, reading a new fax fresh off the
machine. “Just leave it there, thank you,” Jax said, waving a hand. “There’s a
tip for you on the desk. Thanks again.” There was no sound. There was no
movement, not the usual,
“Of course, Mr. Jacks. Enjoy your breakfast and have a good day. I’ll see
you tomorrow.” And certainly not the usual thick Irish accent he heard from
Peggy, the Irish wait person that usually brought him his breakfast. Jax didn’t
really mind or pay attention, but when he didn’t hear the door close behind
him, he turned around suddenly, to find himself staring down the barrel of a
gun.
Jax wasted no time in trying to disarm the small woman that he had
never seen before in his life and knew full well did not work anywhere in the
Port Charles Hotel. After having lived there for over four years, he knew
every member of the Hotel staff, and she was not one of them. Jax was
well-trained in the martial arts, and he nearly succeeded in getting the gun
away from the woman, but this woman was trained beyond Jax’s
comprehension, and she obviously knew what she was doing. She
anticipated Jax’s every move and in moments she had him pinned to the
ground, the gun once again at his head.
“I won’t harm you,” she said, her breathing slightly labored, “But you
must promise to listen, and do not interrupt until I am finished. What I have
to say is of great importance and a matter of life and death.” The woman was
Asian, Jax could tell now that his mind was focusing on her and not
defending himself. She had long dark hair that was tucked into a bun and
small dark eyes and a beautiful, graceful face. “Will you do as I ask,” the
woman went on, “and listen to me with an open mind and heart?” Jax
nodded, afraid of what this lethal woman would do. “You know now,” she
said, getting up, “that I could kill you if I wanted, if I had the notion, and I will
not hesitate to do so if you push me. Do not push me, and no harm will come
to you.” Jax nodded and moved to sit down. The woman sat across from him
and kept the gun trained on him. “Close the door, please,” she said. “I’m
afraid I neglected to do so when I was--” she smirked slightly and looked Jax
up and down from head to toe-- “handling you.” Jax smiled slightly, the
international play boy he was, he had dealt with characters shadier and more
lethal than her, but he had never been so sure that his life could end at the
slightest wrong move, the smallest hint of provocation.
Once Jax had closed the door, he turned around and sat down slowly
and calmly, then smiled his most charming smile.
“Oh, I’d never have any intention of pushing a beautiful creature such
as yourself.” Suddenly, the woman began to smile and laugh a bit.
“She always did say that you were a charmer. Through it all.”
“She?” Jax said. “Do you know my mother? Is Lady Jane all right?” Jax’s
face was so filled with worry suddenly that the woman felt compelled to blurt
the entire story to him immediately, but she knew that wasn’t the way this
story had to be told.
“I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting your mother, Mr. Jacks,” the
woman said. Jax didn’t ask how she knew his name.
“Well then it’s V., isn’t it? I knew I should never have run off
with Simon--”
“I wasn’t sent by any of the people you’ve named.”
“But you were sent,” Jax said, “and the someone who sent you knows
me, as well as you.”
“Correct, very perceptive.”
“A little thing called context clues,” Jax said. “Look, will you please just
tell me what this is all about? If you know me, or someone that knows me,
you know I lead a colorful life, and not much surprises me, but I don’t like
being attacked in my own home.”
“I wasn’t attacking you, but I had to make sure you wouldn’t try
anything first.”
“Try anything? Why would I try anything, I don’t even know who you
are.”
“Exactly. And once you hear what I have to say, no doubt, you’ll trust
me even less than you do at this moment.”
“Well now you’ve really piqued my interest,” Jax said, sitting back and
folding his arms slowly. “Before you go on, would you mind telling me your
name?” The woman angled her head to the side, studying him. Her face
suddenly softened and she took a deep breath.
“You have the eyes of one that can be trusted. If you really want to
know, I’ll tell you, but then of course, I’d have to kill you.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Jax said, knowing that the woman probably
wasn’t totally kidding.
“Fine,” she said. “It’s Amy.”
“Amy?” Jax waited for her to give him her last name. “Amy what?”
“Amy. Just Amy. Where I come from, there’s barely enough need for
first names, let alone last.” Jax was listening intently as he mentally ran a track
list of nearly every person in his life that could have brought this woman to
his door. She must have read minds in addition to her other talents, because
she said with such certainty, “I can guarantee that none of the people you just
thought of, nor any the people you are going to be thinking of, sent me to
you.”
“You said ‘Where I come from,’ before. Where is it exactly that you
come from?”
“I’ll tell you everything you need to know, and if I decide that you need
to know that, then and only then, will I tell you. But now, there is another
issue of great importance, and we are running out of precious time, every
moment that I sit here and wait. I have something to tell you, Mr. Jacks, of a
highly sensitive nature, and it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to hear
it, accept it, and believe it, but for our sakes, for her sake, please, listen to me
carefully and calmly, let me finish, and don’t interrupt.” Jax nodded, not at all
sure that he liked where this conversation was going. “All right,” Amy sighed.
“Your fiancee, Brenda Barrett, did not die in that car accident on September
12 of 1998. Your fiancee, Mr. Jacks, is not dead, but alive, and well.”

**********************************************************************************

“What did you just say to me?” Jax asked in a quiet voice, doing his best
to focus on Amy.
“Brenda Barrett is alive.”
“No,” Jax said in disbelief, “I saw her disappear into the water, I dove
and dove! I searched for DAYS, weeks, and there was never a trace!” Amy
continued on calmly, as if Jax weren’t speaking at all.
“Brenda Barrett never died in any car accident. She’s been in training
in a secret government agency. She was recruited by Veronica Barrett, who is
not her mother, and is not dying of any mentally degenerative disease.
Veronica Barrett is not, and was never, mentally ill in any way. I am also a
member of this agency and worked closely with Brenda on a number of
missions. It’s as a favor to her that I am here, explaining all of this to you.” Jax
sat in suspended disbelief as he listened to Amy’s story. He was hearing her,
and mentally recording everything that she said, but part of him couldn’t hear
anything but her voice repeating the words, ‘Brenda’s alive.’ Amy went on,
“This agency trains people from the outside and brings them in. After three
years of adequate service and good behavior, the operatives are released, and
more are trained. I’ve just been released, and Brenda asked me if I ever got
out, to find you and tell you where she was, and that she was alive. That’s
why I’m here now.” Amy stopped, indicating to Jax that she was finished.
“Is Brenda all right?” Jax asked.
“She’s in perfect health, the best she’s ever felt in her life.”
“Does she know about Veronica?” Jax asked.
“She does know, she knows everything.” Jax’s mind continued to reel,
and his heart was racing over the knowledge that Brenda was alive. He didn’t
know what to do with himself, he wasn’t even sure he could sit still.
“What do I have to do?” Jax asked. “Where is she? Why couldn’t she
come herself? How can I get to her?”
“You can’t.”
“Now wait just a damn minute! You’re not going to come in here and
tell me that my wife is alive and that I can’t be with her, that I can’t see her
again.”
“I didn’t say that. What I said was you couldn’t get to her. And right
now, you can’t. No one can.”
“YOU can,” Jax said. “Just tell me where she is, I’ll find her myself.”
“I can’t tell you,” Amy said, “because I don’t know myself.”
“You just said that you were a part of this--this agency.”
“I am. But when I was taken, it was from a street in China. I had no
idea where I was when I woke up, and when I was released, I was released in
a small Manhattan neighborhood. I have no idea how I got where I was, but
before I was to leave, Brenda passed me this information to go and find you. I
was to tell you she was alive, and I was to lead you to her, if you wanted to
come.”
“Of course I want to come, of course I want to find her! Oh my God, I
can’t believe this! This is incredible, I don’t think I can take this,” Jax said
weakly, suddenly falling back down onto the couch and passing out.

He woke hours later, the room empty and cold. He jumped up and
searched for Amy. “Amy!” he called, running into the hall way. “AMY!!” There
wasn’t a trace of her. Jax was startled as he realized that his phone was
ringing off the hook. He rushed to it and picked it up immediately. “Hello?!
Amy?” When no one said anything, Jax’s heart sank, and he thought he had
just experienced a very vivid dream. He was about to hang up the phone
when a voice said,
“It’s me. I’m here.” Jax’s heart filled his throat.
“Thank God,” Jax said, breathless. “I knew I wasn’t dreaming, I knew I
hadn’t imagined it. You came to me, didn’t you? You came to me and you
told me that Brenda was alive, and you could help me get to her.”
“I did, and I can still help you, but you must do exactly as I say. Will you
do that?”
“Yes,” Jax said immediately, “just tell me, anything.”
“Fine. Leave your penthouse immediately. Pack your things, enough
for several days, but pack lightly. Only what you can carry, the barest of
essentials. Meet me on the docks in one hour. I won’t lie to you, Mr. Jacks,
this may very well be the last time you will see anyone you love ever again. If
you want to follow where I’m leading though, you’ll do exactly as I say. Tell
no one where you’re going, or what you’ve learned. I’ve already taken steps
to remove every trace that I was in your apartment today, and should you tell
anyone what you learned today, I cannot be responsible for what happens to
them, do you understand?”
“I do,” Jax said, “I won’t tell a soul.”
“Don’t make excuses, don’t lie and tell anyone you’re going on a
different trip. Just leave, quickly, and don’t be seen. Remember this above all,
Mr. Jacks, you must not be seen!”
“I understand,” Jax said, “Just--can you tell me if Brenda’s all right?”
“The last time I saw her she was fine. I’ll see you in an hour, Mr. Jacks,
or you’ll never see me again. This is your only chance. Say your good-byes.”
Jax hung up the phone and his head began to spin. He couldn’t imagine not
seeing any one in his family again. But if this would bring him to Brenda,
there just wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do. Jax’s mind was running a
thousand different scenarios and had a million different questions. It amazed
him how someone’s life could change so dramatically in the span of five
minutes. As he scrambled to pack his things, he hoped he would be strong
enough to do whatever was required to restore Brenda to the safety of his
arms.
On the docks, Amy hung up her cell phone and immediately dialed
another number. She paused as the phone was answered. “Yes, this is Amy.
Mr. Jacks took the bait, sir, hook, line and sinker.”
**********************************************************************************

chp 2

Chapter 2

Jax was just about to leave his penthouse for perhaps the last time
when he realized that if indeed he didn’t return, there was one thing he didn’t
want to be without. He rummaged through the boxes of Brenda’s belongings
until he found the yacht that symbolized their time spent on The Isabella, and
Brenda’s official membership into the Jax’s family. He didn’t stop to look at
the yacht, he just stuffed it into his knapsack and opened the door wide to
find Ned Ashton standing there.
“Hello, Jax,” Ned said, “Going somewhere?” Jax’s face paled
momentarily, and then Jax covered.
“Actually, I’m not.”
“You’re not?” Ned asked, coming into the penthouse. “You certainly
look like you’re on your way somewhere.”
“Yeah, well a friend of mine wanted to borrow some luggage for a trip,
so I was just on my way to drop it off.”
“Some luggage? A friend? Do I know this friend?”
“Ned, is there something you want?”
“Yes, there is, if you can spare three seconds.” Ned’s tone indicated
that he was slightly annoyed and Jax sighed.
“I’m sorry, Ned. What was it that you wanted?”
“Well I have a business proposition for you where ELQ is concerned.”
“I’m not interested,” Jax said, knowing full well that the Qs had duped
him once before into thinking Ned was on his side. He wouldn’t be fooled
again.
“Jax, this is legit. Listen, I know that before, I wasn’t exactly, to be
trusted, but neither were you. Let’s not forget who YOU chose for a partner.
Am I really as bad as my mother?”
“Worse,” Jax said, opening the penthouse door and showing Ned the
way out. “Now if you’ll excuse me, aligning myself with the Quartermaines is
not a mistake that I am about to make twice. You’re a good friend, Ned, but
when it comes to business, I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, and I
suggest you take your business deal someplace else.” Ned stood in the
doorway, waiting calmly for Jax to finish.
“This is your last chance,” Ned said cavalierly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn
you.”
“Warn me?” Jax asked, staring at Ned peculiarly. “Warn me about
what? Your family? Thanks Ned, but I have all the warning I need.” Ned’s
face dropped the smile and got deadly serious. Ned took a few steps closer to
Jax and said in a low whisper,
“I can’t help you anymore after this,” he said. “I’m telling you, get out of
this, and get out of it now. Wherever you’re going, take an alternate route.”
Ned stepped back at Jax’s sharp intake of breath.
“You people are everywhere,” Jax said, no longer feeling surprise, but
feeling anger.
“Indeed we are,” Ned said, then he slapped Jax heartily on both of his
forearms and said more loudly than necessary, “You enjoy that trip.” Jax got
on the elevator while Ned pretended to make conversation with a maid
standing in the hallway with a cleaning cart. As the elevator doors closed, Jax
said to himself,
“I fully intend to.”
Once he reached the docks, he spotted Amy seated on a bench, staring
out at Wyndemere, a local castle of sorts, just off shore of the harbor. He
stood, waiting for Amy to acknowledge his presence. She looked up at him
and angled her head towards Wyndemere.
“It’s lovely,” she said. Jax barely glanced out there.
“Yeah, if you like the gothic sort of thing.”
“I do,” Amy said. Her demeanor changed immediately from pleasant to
serious. She stood and faced him, his height dwarfing her. “Were you
followed?”
“No.”
“Did you tell anyone where you were going?”
“No.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“No.” Amy paused and then smiled up at Jax.
“It wouldn’t do to lie to me.” Jax’s face didn’t betray what he was
thinking or feeling.
“No one saw me,” he stated plainly. “I’m ready to go.” She looked
behind him.
“You can follow directions I see, at least that’s something.” She nodded
in satisfaction, and then sighed. “We’ll go now. I can only take you so far,
Manhattan, and then you’re on your own.”
“Manhattan?” Jax asked incredulously. “If that were all, I could go
myself. You’ve got to help me, you’ve got to take me farther than Manhattan.”
“I can’t.”
“You won’t.”
“I can’t,” Amy emphasized, “and you’re right, I’m not so sure I would,
even if I could.”
“What do you mean?” Jax asked, as Amy started to walk away,
motioning for him to follow her to her car.
“I’m doing this as a favor to Brenda, I told you that before.” Jax nodded.
“Well she wanted me to tell you about this, but if I were her, and especially
knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t want anyone I loved to EVER know
about the Agency. It’s true what they say about bliss and ignorance,” Amy said
as she started the engine. “The Agency isn’t pleasant, Mr. Jacks.”
“Call me Jax, please. It’s what everyone calls me.”
“Your friends?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your friends, do they call you Jax?”
“Yes of course.”
“Well then, Mr. Jacks, I don’t think that I should do that. You wouldn’t
want to consider me a friend. I’m afraid I’m not a very good one.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m doing this for Brenda, risking my life, yours as well as hers,
because I wasn’t a very good friend. We were on a mission, somewhere in
Alaska,”
“Alaska?”
“Yeah. Alaska, and I wasn’t paying much attention, my time was almost
up, and I got a little cocky, and I wasn’t doing my job. It’s a good thing
Brenda was doing hers and watching out for me. There was a sniper, I
thought we’d gotten them all, but we didn’t. Brenda saw him and took a
bullet for me, right in the chest.”
“Was she all right?”
“Not for a while, but eventually, yes, she came out just fine. But from
that moment on, I knew I owed her my life, or at least a favor to show my
appreciation.”
“And that’s what this is?” Jax asked. “A gesture of appreciation?”
“Mr. Jacks, even if I had survived the hit meant for me, and there’s no
guarantee that I would have, I most definitely would have been killed once I
got back.”
“Back to the Agency? Why on earth would they kill one of their own?”
“In the Agency, you don’t make errors, Mr. Jacks. You do not make
mistakes. If you do, you pay dearly.”
“But surely, you couldn’t have known that you were going to be shot.
Was Brenda punished?”
“No, she was heralded. We were all proud, and I, most of all, was
grateful.”
“So let me get this straight, if you had been shot yourself, you would
have been killed in the Agency anyway? They wouldn’t have just let you die
there in the field for making a mistake?”
“It’s just the kind of sick people we work for,” Amy said, taking a right
turn. “They let you heal and then let you keep on going on missions, never
knowing when your time may be up. No matter how hard you work after
that, you can never improve.”
“Well didn’t they know that it was a mistake since Brenda took the
bullet for you?”
“Nope,” Amy said, shaking her head with pride. “Brenda made up a
story, said she saw the sniper coming up onto the roof after we had
eliminated all the others. She blamed the ‘tactical’ error on Communications,
and we got off, scot free. I owe her for that, and now I’m done with my end
of the deal. Once we get to Manhattan, you’re on your own.” Jax sat quietly a
few moments, just watching the old familiar places of Port Charles fade from
view, and then he asked,
“What did you mean before? When you said that your time was up?”
“Oh,” Amy said, arching an eyebrow momentarily. “The Agency’s
pretty complicated, but it’s not the difficult to understand a few key things
about how it works. See, they recruit you, no one knows why they were
picked. We’ve talked about our backgrounds, and they train everyone from
housewives to postal workers, to ex convicts. I can see postal workers, but--”
Amy paused and waited for Jax to laugh at her failed attempt at humor. “You
Americans, you don’t laugh at your own jokes?” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I
know this situation must be incredibly difficult for you.”
“It doesn’t seem to be bothering you much,” Jax said coolly, looking out
the window.
“On the inside, you get used to a lot of things, nothing else surprises
you when you wake up every morning and get out of bed, knowing that you
might not get back in that bed at night. Look, like I said, no one knows why
they’re picked. Our situations are all completely different. When I was
brought in, I didn’t speak a word of English, now I do. The Agency becomes
your home, your way of life, all you know, all you understand. They tell you
coming in exactly how it will be. Trained first in self defense, the martial arts.
They show you how to kill with your own two hands. Then, it’s weapons.
You learn to handle every kind of weapon known to man, including some
special tools most people don’t even know exist. You can’t even get this stuff
on the Internet, man.” Amy smiled a bit as she said this, and Jax could tell that
part of her probably liked some of the things the Agency had taught her.
“Anyway,” Amy said, “they teach you several languages, and a few other skills,
and then they tell you they own you, as if you didn’t already know, for the
next three years of your life. After three years, you’re back on the streets
again, free and clear, and you can do whatever you want--including go back to
your old life, as long as you don’t tell anyone where you’ve been and anything
about the Agency.”
“But don’t most families and friends think their loved ones have died?”
“Some do, some don’t, some don’t even care. It’s all assuming that one
gets out. Freedom isn’t guaranteed, you see. That’s what I meant before by
my time being almost up. I was on my way out of there with a clean slate. A
screw up like that--I’d never have gotten out. But by the same token, if I were
too good, the Agency would keep me, and I’d never get out.”
“So there’s a fine line to walk then,” Jax said. “How can you tell?”
“You can’t. That’s the hard part, that’s what drives most crazy. Some
deal and just make up their minds to be the best, and stay in the Agency
forever. I wasn’t about to do that though, I was going to get out if it was the
last thing I ever did--and that day in the field, I never saw it coming. Brenda
gave me my freedom, so I had to do something in return.”
“Brenda, how good an operative is she?”
“She’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Amy admitted.
“But doesn’t she worry about being too good?”
“Brenda? No, she doesn’t. Actually, until you get close to the end of
your three years, you never really imagine, no matter what they tell you, that
you’ll ever get out. It becomes about survival, and survival means a good
mission. Survival means surviving the game--winning the game.”
“But now that she’s seen that you got out, that there is hope, didn’t that
help her?”
“You would think it would,” Amy said honestly. “But it doesn’t. Never
helped me. I had been in about a year and a half when Brenda was brought
in. I’d watched seven people leave in that year and a half, and three of them
were dead within a month. Three others came back on their own, and one of
them--well one of them disappeared without a trace.”
“How do you know they didn’t make it?”
“Because the Agency checks in, once a month to the outsiders, to make
sure that they’re doing what they’re supposed to, and keeping quiet about all
we learn about this world. The Agency never checks in with this person.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because we’re all forced to read the monthly reports, some say to
shock us into place and not get any ideas about exposing anything or anyone
once we’re out on our own.”
“If this Agency is so tough,” Jax said, “how come they couldn’t find this
person?”
“Got me,” Amy said. “It’s the only case I’ve ever heard of where anyone
got out alive, and gave the Agency the slip.” Jax stared at Amy a few more
moments before turning to look out the window, the city of Port Charles
retreating completely from view.

chp 3

Chapter 3

Amy pulled to a stop in front of a low key Manhattan hotel.
“Okay,” she said, taking the keys out of the ignition and dropping them
into Jax’s open palm. “This is where I get off. You’re welcome to keep the
car, I don’t need it where I’m going.”
“Where is it that you’re going exactly?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“But what if I need to contact you?”
“You won’t. From now on, you don’t know me, you don’t see me,
you’ve never even heard of me. If you ever need me again, don’t count on me
helping you, but IF I can, I might--but you mention my name we’ll never do
business again, you understand me?”
“I understand, but you’ve told me so little--I have no idea where to start
or how to go about finding Brenda.”
“You’re a smart man,” Amy said. “You’re a very resourceful man from
what Brenda’s told me. All you have to do is this--go get a room in this
hotel--use your real name, no aliases--use your own ID, it’ll get you into a lot
more places.”
“Okay, so then what? How do I get into the Agency? How do I find it?”
“You won’t, they’ll find you, believe me.”
“But what would they want with me at all?” Jax asked.
“Look, you really are full of questions, aren’t you? I told you, the Agency
recruits all types of people--experts in their field, normal people, people that
won’t be missed. Well,” she said smiling, and looking him up and down,
“There’s nothing normal about you, and you will definitely be missed, but
you are an expert in your field--corporate raider. So what you do is this--go
set a few fires, send a few thousand people to the unemployment line, all in a
day’s work.”
“Wait a minute, you want me to systematically destroy myself and
everything I’ve worked for since the FBI took it all away?!”
“You might say that.”
“I couldn’t possibly.”
“Well then it must not be worth all that much to you.”
“Brenda is everything to me!”
“Good. Then do as I say. Go in there and start making a red hot trail
that will send everyone in the business world up in a frenzy, and then leave a
clear paper trail right back to yourself. The Agency will get to you before
anyone else will, believe me.”
“So the Agency, seeing all my rogue activities will make them think that
I will be of some use to them, is that it?”
“That’s exactly right. You catch on fast. If they think they can convince
you to work for them and use your talents to infiltrate some overseas
operations, then they’ll recruit you ASAP.”
“But what goes into recruitment?” Jax asked.
“I don’t know, but some of the operatives in the Agency, they could
write the book. I was just walking down the street about three blocks from
my apartment, and I was buying a newspaper from a vendor. The last thing I
remember is the words spinning in front of me as I read them, and then
almost immediately waking up on the inside of the Agency. I have no idea
where the Agency is located. Hell, it may have been right across the street
from my apartment, it could be here in the United States, I just don’t know.”
“But when you went out on missions, you must have seen something to
clue you in on where you were.”
“I know this sounds ridiculous, but to keep us from knowing our
whereabouts, The Agency would lead us from a tunnel to the inside of a van,
car, truck, whatever we were using. The windows were tinted, and the
vehicles were on remote.”
“On remote?” Amy sighed as if she were answering a child’s questions.
“They drove themselves.” Jax raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth
to ask another question which Amy anticipated. “Yes, they really can do that,
and yes, they really are very cool. Look, Mr. Jacks, I like you, and I can
certainly see why Brenda loves you--but I’m risking my life for you, if the
Agency found out about this, I’d be dead before you got upstairs to your
room. Now look, as far as I’m concerned, this is the end of the line. I do not
expect to see your face ever again, and like I said, if I do, you don’t know me.”
“Where will you go now?” Jax asked quietly.
“Didn’t I tell you--”
“I only wanted to make sure that you’d be all right,” Jax said softly as he
put a gentle hand on Amy’s. “I didn’t mean to pry, I just wanted to make sure.
You’re right, you’ve done a lot for us, and I thank you for that. Brenda thanks
you to, I know she does.”
“Well I thank her,” Amy said, shrugging her shoulders and gently
removing her hand from Jax’s. “I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for
her. Good luck to you guys,” Amy said after a moment. “I hope you find her.”
“I will,” said Jax, getting out of the car. Amy got out as well and as Jax
leaned down to lock his door, he heard Amy’s car door slam, and when he
stood up, she had disappeared. He looked up and down the street, and even
sprinted to the end of the block. She was gone, without a trace.
Jax stood there for a few minutes, contemplating if he should try and
find her or go ahead and get a room as she had suggested. There was really
no point in trying to go after her, so he walked back to the car and parked it
in the hotel’s parking lot. He was walking back to the hotel when he
considered the type of hotel he was staying in. It was certainly below Jasper
Jacks’ means, and if he was trying to make these people, this Agency, believe
that he was just going about his normal business, he certainly wouldn’t be
staying in this hotel. Jax stood at the base of the hotel for about five minutes
and watched the type of people that came and went in that short amount of
time. Not one individual he saw looked like they could afford to spend the
night in any of his usual hotels, so for the first time, he decided to go against
what Amy had told him. He walked back to where he had parked the car, and
then drove to a hotel that was worthy of Jasper Jacks, he decided on the Ritz
Carlton.
Jax got a suite and then sacked out on the bed, trying to let everything
sink in. He was far too weary to try and understand everything that had
happened already, and he knew he had to have a clear mind for the business
dealings he was going to put into motion in a few hours. He looked at the
clock, it was almost noon. He decided to get some sleep and then attack this
thing with a new energy. He fell asleep thinking of Brenda.

**********************************************************************************

Brenda Barrett walked into the Agency after a mission, bone tired as
usual. She wasn’t feeling very well either. She didn’t know why, but she
thought she might be coming down with something. Escaping the hostiles
that she had been trying to eliminate had exhausted her, and she knew she
was capable of so much more. Brenda headed into the weapons area and
checked in her gun and then debriefed the mission and the members of her
team that she had lost on this mission to Hong Kong. Usually Brenda as team
leader kept her people together and it was rare that she suffered a loss. But
today had been different, she had let things get out of hand and now three
members of her team were dead.
Brenda was clad in black, a black knit cap and black long sleeved shirt
and black pants. Her usual attire when she went out on missions. A few of
the members of her team that had survived gathered around her once she
was finished debriefing and going over the mission.
“Hey,” Megan said, Brenda looked up at the tall blond that had been on
the mission with Brenda, “you never saw them coming, no one did, not even
the Agency.”
“They must have intercepted our lines of communication some how,
the Agency will have to look into it.” Megan nodded.
“Of course. Brenda, everyone knows how good you are, no one thinks
today was your fault. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Communications, they
should have had all the bases covered.” Brenda stared down at the table for a
few minutes, and then she looked up at Megan.
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, I appreciate it, but I think
I’m just going to go ahead and go to my room. I’m kind of tired.”
“Sure,” Megan said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“You’ll see me in a few hours,” Brenda said, her voice suddenly taking a
slightly commanding tone. “We have a briefing in three hours.”
“We’re going out again?” Megan asked.
“Yes,” Brenda said. “Since Hong Kong didn’t go quite as expected, we
have to do damage control, get the other hostiles that we missed today, and
hopefully they’ll lead us to their headquarters, but we’ll go over all of that at
the briefing, all right?” Megan nodded and Brenda stalked away to her room.
It wasn’t much of a room, she thought to herself as she entered it, but it
was all she had in the world that was her very own. White and gray and black.
Those were the colors of nearly every item in the room. Her bed was flat, and
there were no sheets. Temperature was kept moderate at all times, so there
was never any need. Brenda almost didn’t remember what being hot or cold
even felt like--if it weren’t for the missions and occasionally going on the
outside, then she may forget altogether. She laid down flat on her back and
stared up at the white, spotless ceiling. She then rolled onto her side and
tried to sleep, but all she could do was think about where Jax was and if Amy
got to him, if she told him that Brenda was alive. Even if he couldn’t get to
her, even if she never saw him again, at least she could have comfort in
knowing that HE knew she was alive.
The hours passed instantly as Brenda lay there, thinking of Jax,
thinking of her old life, and how he could come in at any moment and rescue
her, sweep her away. But she didn’t need rescuing anymore. She smirked to
herself thinking of how she would have been completely useless before in
the situations she now daily found herself in. She never imagined a person
could learn as much as she had, and there were still people in the Agency
who knew even more than she did. Jax would fit in well, she had always
thought so. She often wondered, if they wanted her, why didn’t they want
him? Or even Sonny? If they researched her, as they obviously had, then they
must have known that Jax and Sonny would have made better operatives than
she did, they already knew much more than she ever would. But Brenda had
given up hope of ever understanding the Agency or their motives. She didn’t
know who she was working for, “the government” was all she ever heard.
She did have someone that gave her mission assignments and orders
and someone that she reported to. A woman, Davis, that sat in the same chair
and was always there, whenever Brenda went to see her. She tried to catch
her at moments when she thought she wouldn’t be there, but she was
ALWAYS there. The going joke between operatives was that she slept at her
desk and took all of her meals there, forever staring at her computer screen.
It was Davis that Brenda would have to explain the mission deaths to. Davis
who would watch and review the mission tapes, make some kind of a phone
call, and dole out Brenda’s punishment. It may be an accelerated mission
load, it may be the thing that Brenda feared the most--the permanent loss of
her chance at freedom.
It made Brenda feel even worse to think of herself inside the Agency
forever. There was nothing she could do about it now, though, except wait
and see, and that was the greatest torture of all. Brenda glanced up at the
clock, but she really didn’t have to, she could already tell what time it was, she
had been trained so thoroughly. Three hours from when she had come back
from the mission in Hong Kong. She hurried out of her room and down an
endless hallway until she got to an elevator. Hitting three, she headed down
to the meeting hall where everyone involved in the Hong Kong mission
would be updated on the mission status and they’d be given their
assignments. Riding in elevators had always made Brenda queasy, but she
knew she shouldn’t be feeling like this. As the doors opened, Brenda felt her
knees buckle underneath her. Her hands went out to steady herself, but
when she felt her stomach lurch, her hands flew to her mouth and she ran to
a nearby bathroom and emptied her stomach, making it to the toilet just in
time. No one came to her rescue, no one made sure she was all right, though
likely they all saw her nearly pass out.
Brenda kept her head face down in the sink as she splashed cool water
on her face. When she felt the water in her hands grow warm, she opened
her eyes, thinking she had turned on the hot water faucet instead of the cold.
She didn’t turn on the wrong faucet, her hands were filled with blood,
coming from her own nose.
**********************************************************************************

Jax woke up three hours from noon, it was three o’ clock, and
something made him jump up in bed, though he didn’t know why. He looked
around the room, remembering all at once what he had learned and why he
was here. He shook his head and sat in the bed, wanting to cry like a lost little
boy. But then he thought of Brenda, thought of what she must have been
going through every day since the Agency brought her in. He knew she
needed him, and that he couldn’t afford to sit around, he had to find her as
quickly as possible. He showered and changed quickly, and ordered room
service. While waiting for it, he started to light several fires in the business
world that would make people think he was losing his mind. He sold dozens
of lucrative businesses he owned and broke down the ones that weren’t
making any money, and made ridiculous sales pitches to his competitors. He
knew what he was doing was career suicide, but he just didn’t care anymore.
All he was concerned with now was finding Brenda and bringing her home.
Just then, he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and a kind
gentleman brought in his room service cart. The man looked to be in his mid
60s and had hair that was almost completely white rather than gray. The man
wore a green vest over his shirt and reminded Jax of his grandfather for some
odd reason.
“Thank you,” Jax said, handing the man a tip.
“Ah, no lad, that’s fine,” the man said, his Irish accent thick. Jax put the
money back into his pocket and asked,
“That accent, Ireland?”
“Ah, yes lad, indeed it is, and yours, from the country down under as
they say, eh?”
“Australia, yes,” Jax said, shaking the man’s hand. The man held on to
Jax’s hand for a moment, and didn’t let go.
“They’re on to you by now, lad, already they’ve found you and tested
you, but they don’t know, do they?”
“Know what?” Jax asked. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking
about.”
“I’m talking about you, lad, and the Agency.” Jax’s eyes grew wide and
the man smiled. “There’s no need to pretend with me, lad, I’ve been in much
too long. Listen to me when I tell you, they think they know you, they think
they’ve got you pegged don’t they? But they don’t. They think they know
your next move, but they’ve no idea!” The man spoke in hushed tones and Jax
could tell he was very excited for some reason. “You’re like me when I was
your age, young and full of life! Listen, you’ve already shown that you’ve got a
good head on your shoulders by making a smart decision.” Jax pretended to
be clueless, and then the man sighed. “All right, if that’s the way you want to
play it, but I’ll say this--it was right smart of you to not stay in that hotel. Come
to one befitted your station, that’s what I always say.”
“If you know about the hotel,” Jax said, “Then you know about the girl
that helped me, Amy,”
“Och,” the man said, as if in pain, “aye, I do indeed. Poor thing, trying
to help, ended up dead where she stood.”
“Dead?” Jax asked. “Already? When? How?”
“A few minutes after she dropped you off at that hotel. Poor girl went
around the corner, straight to her death.”
“Oh no,” Jax said.
“Aye, lad, but there’s no use in worrying with that now, is there?
You’ve got quite a job to do, haven’t you? And you’ve already shown how
smart you are by coming to this hotel. And if you don’t believe me, then you
just turn on the news there, lad.” Jax turned on the television, and there, on
the local news, as the hotel that he was to stay in, completely ablaze with
flames.
“What’s your name?” Jax asked, without taking his eyes off the
television.
“Name’s Malachy,” the man answered. “And I’ve seen it all. Believe me
lad, if you want to play this game and be a winner, trust no one, think for
yourself. If you ever need me, I’ll be around. Be a good lad and bring that girl
of yours home. She’s a good one, that’s for sure. The two of you, you’ve got
the luck of the Irish with you know.” Jax turned around to say thank you, but
the man was gone.
Jax got up and went to the door, and he peered down the hall to see if
he could catch the man. Once again, he was gone without a trace. “Why do
you people keep disappearing?” Jax asked in annoyance. He was about to
slam the door, but when he looked down on the floor, he found something
that he had always searched for as a boy but never found--something entirely
appropriate considering the man that had just been there--a four leaf clover.

chp 4

Chapter 4

Jax took the four leaf clover into his palm and studied it. It seemed
real, and he couldn’t believe he was actually looking at one, an elusive piece
of treasure that had his brother and himself on all fours at the beginning of
every spring. Jax placed the clover on a empty ashtray and reached for his
coat, which hung on a nearby chair. He glanced back at the television as he
watched the fireman milling around after having put out the blaze. He shook
his head, grabbed his bags and checked out of the hotel. One thing was for
sure, if these people were going to be looking for him, he wasn’t going to be a
sitting duck, waiting for them to come in and pick him up. He wanted to do
things his own way.
As he stepped onto the elevator, he thought of the old man, what was
his name? Malachy, that’s it. It was a nice idea, the man helping him out, but
he was in his 60s already, and really what could he do for Jax? And now that
Amy was gone, he was on his own in this thing, and it’s a terrible thing to feel
alone.
Jax made it to the lobby and checked himself out of the hotel. Once he
was on the street, a cool breeze made him shudder. He looked around,
wondering how many people on the street knew exactly who he was, and
were watching him for this Agency, and how many of them had never laid
eyes on him before. As he made his way to the car Amy had left for him, he
didn’t even trust that anymore. He’d hail a taxi to a car rental place and get a
car of his own. Jax bought a newspaper from a stand and then hailed a taxi.
Once inside, he directed the driver, who was conspicuously silent, he began
to read over the front page. The words he read caused his throat to close and
his heart beat to accelerate. “MULTI-BILLIONAIRE JASPER JACKS MISSING;
STILL NO LEADS.” Immediately, Jax looked up and saw that the driver was
taking him down an alley rather than into the main stream traffic. Jax tried to
find his voice,
“Hey, mister--what are you--?” Jax looked back down at the paper as
Amy’s voice echoed in his mind,
“The words just started spinning in front of my eyes,” and indeed, the
words did begin to swim and bleed together. Jax felt himself passing out, and
try as he might to fight it, he couldn’t.
**********************************************************************************

Jax’s nightmare had never before been so vivid.
“Brenda! Brenda! Brenda!” He called, more loudly and frantically than
he ever had before. He tried to reach out for her, as he had in reality, all those
months ago, but something was holding him down, something was keeping
him from getting to her. He could feel the dread beginning to wash over him,
as he watched her, for the hundredth time, slip beneath the waves.
Suddenly, Jax felt a sharp pricking in his left upper arm. He was awake
immediately. The light from the room was blinding, and he shut his eyes
again against the light and pain. He tried to move his arms, but they were tied
closely to the bed, or gurney, that he was lying on. He tried to sit up and pull
against the ropes, but he couldn’t. He finally let his head fall back in defeat.
He opened his eyes again, now adjusted to the bright lights. He looked
around the room, there was nothing on the walls, just a gleaming white.
Then, his eyes found his captor. A beautiful woman with long brown hair.
She must have been in her mid 30s, Jax thought to himself. She smiled at him,
but it seemed to be an affected smile, almost like one she had learned to put
on her face, one that didn’t come naturally. Her voice was quiet and mild,
almost soothing in an odd way. Jax tried to listen to her, but the pain in his
arm was getting worse.
“My name is Davis,” she said. “You are dead to the world, no one will
ever find you.” She came to stand beside him and held a black and white
photo in front of his face.
“What--what is that?” Jax asked frantically, seeing all the people in his
life whom he loved--his parents, some old friends--was that--was that Ned? And
the rest of the Quartermaines? And Robin? Why was she crying so? And then
his eyes found it--the grave that read “Jasper Jacks.”
“Row 8, plot 30,” Davis said.
“Where am I?” Jax said. “What do you want with me?!”
“You’re in a place called the Agency,” Davis said calmly, as if his yelling
had no effect on her. “This is where you’ll train, this is where you’ll learn.
After two years, if all goes well, you will work for us.” She paused and
allowed the news to sink in. Jax’s jaw dropped, and he just stared at her.
Then she gave him another half smile and reached down to untie him. Then
she stood again and stared for a moment. “You start tomorrow morning,
5:00am, get some rest.” She turned then and started to open the door. Jax
was on his feet in moments and tried to attack her. She whirled around and
in a half second, had him pinned to the floor. She wasn’t winded at all. “When
you attack from behind, go for the kidneys, it disables, and they can’t fight
back. Consider that your first lesson.”
“I don’t want them,” Jax said angrily. “I don’t want lessons.”
“That’s too bad,” she said, getting off of him. “You start tomorrow
morning.”
“And if I don’t want to?” Jax asked, seething. Davis turned and smiled
and pointed to the photograph that was lying on the bed.
“Row 8, plot 30.”

Author’s Note: This was just a filler chapter, the rest is coming shortly though.
Part of this dialogue was taken from the Season One Premiere of the USA
Network’s series, La Femme Nikita.
**********************************************************************************

The next morning, Jax was awake and waiting for Davis to come back
for his second “lesson”. He didn’t know what to make of this place, and he
was more concerned than ever about Brenda and what she must be going
through if she had been in a place like this for so long. He couldn’t imagine
anyone having to stay here and be the same type of person they were when
they went in. He didn’t know how much of Brenda had changed, but he
hoped and somehow knew that she was still the woman he loved. Just then,
Davis appeared.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“You don’t really care if I did,” Jax said, standing up and coming to face
her. “So let’s just skip the salutations and get down to business.”
“A driven man. That’s very good, it’ll help you here.”
“Don’t pretend as if you didn’t already know that about me,” Jax stated
angrily. Once he said that, he knew he had made a mistake. A cold and cruel
look crossed Davis’ face.
“This is a military organization Mr. Jacks, and you do have a rank, and at
the moment, mine is HIGH above your own. You will maintain respect for all
superior officers at all times, is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Jax said through clenched teeth.
“Good. Then follow me, for your guided tour.” Davis opened the door
and motioned for Jax to follow her down the hall. He watched her gait, it
exuded confidence and power. Jax guessed by the way people stopped and
let her pass in the halls that she was in a position of extreme power. Most
averted their eyes until she was speaking directly to them. “You know,” she
said, not bothering to turn around, “you’re a very lucky man. To have me give
you this tour--well normally it would fall to a level three operative--”
“Level three?” Jax asked.
“Yes.” Davis stopped, and took a thin remote control from her pocket.
She turned and pointed it towards a wall. The wall suddenly disappeared and
Jax could see that he and Davis were standing on some sort of catwalk,
overlooking a gym of sorts, where all sorts of training activities were taking
place. “Level one operatives,” Davis said, moving her arm back and forth in
pride. “Here in the Agency, we choose only the very best. Take a good look,”
she said when she noticed that Jax was intrigued, “You’ll be joining them very
soon. We have to make sure that you are up to par.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Oh, I’m quite sure that you are. You will train there,” Alexis said,
pointing to a karate class, “for the martial arts. And there, you will be trained
in computers, though you are quite efficient already, no doubt. And there,
that is where you will learn several languages, and how to communicate.”
Just then, Jax saw a man being wheeled from behind a nearby wall below in
the training area on a stretcher. The man looked near death.
“What’s behind that wall?” Jax asked, looking back and forth between
the man and Davis.
“That,” Davis answered as she hit the button on the remote and made
the wall reappear and continued to walk away, “is where you will learn to
withstand modes of interrogation, including torture.” She didn’t wait for
Jax’s reaction, and he got the distinct impression that she didn’t care in the
least. He caught up to her quickly and maintained her rigorous pace. “This is
Communications,” she said. “We like to call it Comm. for short. These people
are the true back bone of the Agency. They are who you communicate with
on missions, they keep up with records, everything that runs the Agency
comes from right here. And there, just beyond that corridor, is weapons.
Fully stocked in most up to date weaponry in the world. I can assure you that
you’ve never seen anything like that, but in two years you will know how to
efficiently use every weapon in our arsenal.”
“You expect me to learn that, languages, computers and martial arts in
two years? No one can do that.”
“Anyone that wants to live can do that, Mr. Jacks, but if it’s going to be a
problem for you, we can remedy that right now.” Jax didn’t argue, he simply
closed his mouth, and Davis nodded and smiled.
“Does everyone get the grand tour like this?” Jax asked, once Davis had
shown him every inch of the Agency, and he was weary from walking.
“You’re a very special man, Mr. Jacks, your talents, reputation, and
inquisitive nature precede you. There is no need to have concern for anyone
else inside the Agency and you will soon come to learn that. Now, we have a
few rules that I must make clear right now. We discourage attachments in the
Agency.”
“Attachments?” Jax asked. He knew somewhat what she was referring
to, but he had already learned never to make assumptions.
“Physical relationships are frowned upon heavily. Now we can’t watch
you all the time and if you chose to have relations outside of the Agency,
that’s certainly your prerogative, but entanglements between operatives, we
believe, decreases the performance level, slows the operative down, makes
them vulnerable and makes them more inefficient.”
“And inefficient is something one should never be in the Agency,
right?”
“You are a fast learner. That will only benefit you here. Now then,”
Davis said, quite satisfied with herself, “I’m sure you’re hungry, it’s almost
lunch time, so why don’t you join me in my office?”
“In your office?” Jax asked. Now he knew something was up. He was
pretty sure, just by the number of people he saw in the training room, that
Davis couldn’t possibly have all of these people and other new operatives in
her office for breakfast on their first day. But he knew better than to
question her, so he let her lead the way.
When they reached her door, she simply kept walking, and Jax noticed
motion sensors on the sides of the door and above it that opened the door for
her when she got within a foot of her door. He walked and the door closed
behind him. She turned her computer screen away from him as he sat down.
She sat at her desk and folded her hands on the desk in front of her. She
smiled at him, and stared, Jax thought she must be having a very interesting
conversation with herself. Out of nowhere, she said, “Yes, I think you will do
just fine.”
“Do just fine at what? You still haven’t told me what you want with ME.
There are hundreds, thousands of men in America who are just as strong as or
stronger than me with more computer knowledge.”
“That’s certainly true, Mr. Jacks, but you have a special love for your job
which allows you to think in ways that are not obvious to the trained eye. In
any scenario, one must use their knowledge of history itself, human nature,
and the situation at hand. One must make connections that are not there, not
just move from A to B to C, click, click, click. No, Mr. Jacks, much, much more
is required.”
“And these skills, you’ve found them in me?”
“We have indeed, and it is our intention to harness those skills and
make you the best operative that you can be.”
“But there must be something more to this than just my skills,” Jax said.
“I ask again, why do you want ME?” Davis sighed and reached over to hit an
intercom button.
“Will you send in some scones? I believe Mr. Jacks likes those. We’ll be
having a light lunch, but until it’s been prepared, have the kitchen bring those
up, please. Thank you.” Davis released the intercom button and folded her
hands neatly in her lap. Jax didn’t hear anyone on the other end of the line,
there had been no response, and he wondered how she could even be sure
that anyone heard her. Jax was no longer up to the staring game, so he
looked at the floor, the room, anything to keep from staring into her
penetrating eyes.
Moments later, a woman arrived, dressed in gray, with a tray of scones
for Davis and Jax. She came and went without a word to either of them, but
Jax detected a light ‘Thank-you’ from Davis. She ignored his questions as she
ate quietly, and when she finished, she placed her napkin on her plate, hit the
intercom button and then when the tray was gone, she got up from her chair
and went to the other side of her desk. She looked down on Jax like a
reprimanding school teacher. “It is never polite to discuss business of any
kind while eating. I’ve found,” she said, smiling as if being terribly witty, “it
interferes with the digestive process. Now that we’re done, I’ll be happy to
discuss anything with you that you like.” Jax considered blurting out a
question along the lines of ‘Where is my fiancee and what have you done with
her?’ But he didn’t know how much they knew, how much they knew that HE
knew, and he didn’t want to take any chances, so he just returned her stare,
and asked again,
“Why did you choose me? What do you have against me? What does
my family think happened to me? Will I ever see them again?”
“Because you are an expert in your field, and for reasons that will be
made clear to you shortly, we have nothing against you, you will become an
asset, your family thinks you died in a car accident, and likely not.” She smiled
again, as if she had just given him good news and part of him wanted to
strangle her, the other part of him wanted to understand her, and yet another
part of him was already telling him that he wasn’t going to ever understand a
single thing about this place.
Davis saw that he looked troubled, and she looked as if she wanted to
quell his fears. “Come with me,” she said, getting up and leaving the room.
He followed her into a room just down the hall. She entered and the room
looked similar to the one they had just been in, her office. “Have a seat,” she
said, motioning to the comfortable looking chair behind the desk. “I wasn’t
sure if you were ready to see this, but I think that you are. You can handle it,
I’m sure.”
“Who’s office is this?” Jax asked. Davis didn’t answer him.
“Come,” she said, motioning for him to get up. “I just wanted to see if
you could handle it, if you had the look.”
“The look?” Jax asked, following her down the hall.
“Yes, the look of leadership. But never mind about that now, everyone
has to rise among the ranks.”
“Look, I think it’s time you just came clean with me about all of this. If
I decide that I don’t want to do this, then what? You said yesterday that you’d
kill me, but I’m not so sure about that anymore. The way I see it, you need
me. You need ME, and not just anyone. There’s something special about me,
perhaps something I’m not even aware of, and you need that special talent,
whatever it is, you need to harness it and use it for whatever it is that you do
here.”
“We keep things going, Mr. Jacks, as you will soon see. We keep wars
from happening every day--we save lives--thousands of them, now if you want
to keep up with this interrogation, then I’m sorry to say we’ll have to end this
conversation right now. You are a smart man, but you have a lot to learn.
The situation isn’t as complicated as all that. You will do what we ask for
several reasons, the most important one being that we have something that
you want, something that you would be willing to do anything for--or rather,
someone.”
“Who?!” Jax asked quickly, stepping forward to Davis. She backed up
from him and walked to an elevator. She got on, and so did Jax, and they
stood silent for five minutes. When Jax felt the elevator stop and saw the
doors open, he was shocked to his core. There, lying on a gurney, was his
beloved Brenda. Brenda’s skin was paler than Jax remembered, and she
looked to be on her death bed.
“You will do as we say,” Davis said coolly, “because we have HER.”

chp 5

Chapter 5

Jax couldn’t believe his eyes. Brenda was right there in front of him,
after so much time. He hadn’t been expecting to see her--not this soon, not
like this. He could barely register her presence at all, let alone the state she
was in. Davis stood calmly beside him, waiting for his reaction.
“May I go to her?” Jax asked. “Please?”
“I’m sorry,” Davis said coolly, “But you can’t touch her.”
“Can’t touch--why, what’s wrong with her?” Jax asked frantically. “Has
she been beaten? Was she hurt?”
“No,” Davis said plainly, “She wasn’t hurt, but on a recent mission to
Nigeria, she contracted a disease.”
“What disease?” Jax asked. “Is there a cure?”
“Yes, and she’s being treated right now for it and she should make a full
recovery.” Jax breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned against the wall for
support.
“I just can’t believe that she’s alive,” Jax said, his hand on his heart.
“The doctors, they must touch her, they have to, they treat her, couldn’t you
bend some kind of rule and let me go to her? Please?”
“I’m sorry,” Davis said, “but it’s just not possible. You’re far too
valuable, and we can’t risk you getting sick.”
“Can’t risk? Now look, I’m tired of these games. If you know so much
about me, you know how very much we loved each other. And you should
also know that you aren’t going to get anywhere with me if you hurt her--not
anywhere.”
“We’re well aware of that,” Davis said. “We have no intention of
harming her.”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you maintain that you will not do as we ask.”
“Which is to become an operative and work for the Agency.”
“Among other things,” Davis said. “Now I’m sorry, but you cannot
touch her. You can see her later on today, after orientation is complete, but
until then, you need to come with me. I’m going to show you to your room,
and get you settled.”
“I don’t want to see anything,” Jax said, stepping out of the elevator,
and moving towards Brenda’s bed. Two guards were at his side in moments,
holding him, and there was no chance of him being let go.
“You will be trained in the future to get out of situations such as these,
but for right now, Mr. Jacks, you are at quite a disadvantage. Now please, do
come with me.” Davis waited patiently for Jax to come back onto the
elevator.
“I love you,” he whispered to himself. Davis only said,
“She knows.”
Jax returned to Davis’ office, while he waited for her to return. He had
been waiting for about fifteen minutes when she returned. “Well now,” she
said, “Your room is ready. I do hope you like it, it’ll be your home from now
on.” Jax got up without a word and followed Davis down the hall. She
showed him to a room that was completely unlike Brenda’s. It was spacious,
as nice as any hotel sweet he’d ever been in, but with much more technology.
There were phones everywhere, as well as intercom buttons on nearly every
wall, from what he could see. On the farthest wall were several monitors, but
Jax didn’t notice any cameras.
“I haven’t seen any of the other rooms,” Jax said, still standing in the
doorway, “but from what I can tell of the structure of most of the rooms we
passed in the dormitories, none of the level one operatives have places like
this. Why am I being treated this way?”
“The room isn’t to your liking?” Davis asked.
“Oh it’s beautiful,” Jax said, “but why is it mine?”
“All will be explained shortly. I should tell you though, that some of
our better operatives, though they have rooms and suites here inside the
Agency, they still maintain homes and apartments on the outside.”
“Really? Now why would they do that?” Jax asked. “For some missions?”
“Exactly,” Davis said. “And this,” she said, holding up a picture of a
beautiful palatial home, “is where you will live when you’re not here in the
Agency.”
“All right,” Jax asked, “We really can stop with all of the games. I’m
getting rather tired of all these cryptic answers. Please, just be straight with
me.”
“All right, if it’s answers you want, it’s answers you’ll get, but first, we
have to have your agreement to do what we ask.”
“Or you’ll stop the treatments on Brenda that could save her life.”
“Exactly.”
“Well that’s rather barbaric, don’t you think, for such a civilized group
of people.”
“Don’t condemn what you don’t understand,” Davis said, the chill on
her voice. “You’ve no idea, no idea at all, what you’re in for, and this group of
people, as you refer to them, are going to become like family to you. Brothers,
sisters, children, fathers and mothers. You will develop every kind of
relationship with these people, and they will depend on you for their lives, as
you will depend on them. We work very well, Mr. Jacks, but only together.
Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, I understand,” Jax said. “All right. You have my word. I will agree
to become an operative for the Agency, just please save Brenda.”
“You don’t want any time to think about it?” Davis asked, raising an
eyebrow.
“As if I would come to any other conclusion,” Jax said incredulously.
“You people are very hard to figure out, but if there’s one thing I can tell
already, every move that you make, every word from your mouth, you think
about first. Every move you make is so calculated. You probably don’t know
your true selves from the mirror images you put up for one another.”
“It’s a characteristic you will learn to apply to all areas of your life as
well,” Davis said, completely unaffected. “It will be invaluable to you. All
right then, thank you for agreeing to work with us.”
“That’s it?” Jax asked. “Nothing to sign or anything?”
“Well what were you expecting,” Davis asked, a smile disappearing
almost as quickly as it had appeared.
“I don’t know,” Jax said, shrugging his shoulders. “A secret handshake
or something?” Davis sighed and took a step closer to him.
“Look,” she said, “I know that things appear one way to you here, but
you’ll soon see things in a whole new light, I promise you.”
“What is it that you do here?” Jax pleaded with her. “Why do you want
me?”
“I’ve told you already,” Davis said. “It’s a small matter of saving the
world.” She paused, and Jax took a step back from her. He bumped into a
nearby table. “Have a seat,” she sighed, walking around him and pulling a big
black box from a drawer. “I am going to enjoy working with you, I can
already tell.” She turned and placed the black box on the table in front of him
before delicately taking a seat next to him. “Go ahead,” she said, “open it.” He
did, and what he found inside was astonishing. A driver’s license, credit
cards, identification, a library card, even, and a few thousand dollars, from
what he could see, in American money. Jax registered that particular clue in
the back of his mind. “You have here,” Davis said, “any and everything that
you could possibly need if anyone were to ever stop you outside of the
Agency. This says that you are Benjamin Harris, a stock broker from New
York.”
Davis folded her hands in her lap and let Jax continue rummaging
through the boxes. “We have a lot to discuss,” she said, “so please listen to
me.” Jax put the box down, and dropped his head into his hands.
“We have a lot to discuss? Lady, I have to tell you that I don’t think I can
process another thing that you have to say to me. I really don’t. I mean I’m
plucked off the streets, my family and friends are told lies about me, I’m told
I’ll never see them again, and I’m supposed to just deal with that. The woman
I love, my fiancee, the woman I’ve felt lost without for the past year and a half,
is suddenly alive and back in my life again, and just how long she stays alive
hinges on my turning over myself completely to you people. I’m now
working for the most covert group of people in the world, and in the next
two years, I’m going to cram a dozen languages into my head, learn even
more than I already do about computers, and the martial arts. I have to tell
you, I really think I need a nap before you tack anything else on to this
sentence of yours.”
“Try not to think of it as a sentence,” Davis said. “I’m quite sure that
you will enjoy your time here, once you get used to it.”
“Enjoy my time?!” Jax asked, standing up. “Oh, that’s really rich? I’ve
seen poor people recuperating from torture, just for the heck of it, your
operatives, who are so well trained, come back from missions deathly ill, and
you give people absolutely no choice about whether or not they want to be a
part of all of this. Oh yeah, I can already tell, I’m going to have a keen time.”
“Mr. Jacks,” Davis said suddenly, standing up to face him. “I’ve had
enough. Stop complaining this instant and listen to me. This, none of it, is up
for debate. If you do not agree to this, then Brenda will die, and so will you.”
“I’ve already told you that I agree.”
“Good! Then sit down, and shut up. What I have to say to you requires
your full attention. You are being groomed, it’s true, to become an operative.
Yes, you will learn all of those things and you will do it in two years. It can be
done, we wouldn’t be here right now, if it couldn’t. And I will not continue
to insult your intelligence.”
“Oh, well thank you very much,” Jax said sarcastically, turning his back
to her. He heard Davis taking her seat on the couch and sighing deeply.
“You must cease to making this difficult, believe me, you are lucky to
have me here, explaining this to you. Yes, you are special, but much more
special than you could ever know or hope to understand.”
“What does that MEAN?” Jax asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t go into it with you right now, because I frankly don’t
know yet if you’re up to the task. Now, I’m going to leave you and allow you
to think about what you’ve learned. In an hour, change into the clothes that
are laid out for you on your bed in the other room. You will go down for
your first lesson in the martial arts. Your level of physical fitness will be
assessed, and we will proceed from there. Understand this, at the end of these
next two years, if you do not meet our standards, you will be eliminated. No
matter what.” Davis turned to leave just then.
“When can I see Brenda?” Jax asked, stepping forward.
“You have the next hour, to do as you please, I just hope that you will
use your time wisely. It is not on your side. Whatever you decide to do, just
be ready in an hour. Brenda is on the 7th floor, if you do decide to go to her.
It’s fine to be around her, but remember, you mustn’t touch her.”
“I understand,” Jax said. Davis nodded. “Davis, wait!”
“What is it?”
“This room,” Jax said, “why doesn’t it have cameras?”
“This is a private room,” Davis answered.
“Well then what are the monitors for?” he asked.
“Those are for you--for watching--but right now, there is nothing that
you need to see.” Jax nodded, and then waited for her to leave. Jax knew that
he’d want to spend as much time as possible with Brenda, so he quickly
showered and changed into the clothes that had been laid out on the bed for
him. White draw string pants and a white tank top shirt, as well as some
white shoes that had no laces. He found his way to the elevator with ease and
was surprised that no one attempted to stop him or question him. They
probably assumed that if he had gone this far, he must belong here. Or
perhaps Davis had cleared the way for him without his knowledge. This place
was certainly a maze, he thought to himself as the doors closed. He hit the
button that would take him to the 7th floor, and was relieved to see Brenda
still lying there, as she had been moments ago.
He went to her, resisting the urge to take her in his arms. She was
hooked up to a monitor, and the beeping was the only noise in the room. Jax
nearly broke down in tears at seeing her again, and this time, being able to
have a reunion with her away from the prying eyes of anyone else.
“Brenda?” he said cautiously, risking waking her up. “Brenda, love,
wake up sweetheart.” She stirred, and when he said her name again, she
opened her eyes to see him standing over her bed. Her eyes got as wide as
saucers and she opened her mouth to speak.
“Get away from me,” she rasped out. Jax was shocked, but he tried to
tell her,
“It’s fine, I know I’m not supposed to touch you. Davis explained. I
had to see you though. Oh my God, Brenda, baby I can’t believe you’re alive.
Oh I’ve missed you so much. What have they done to you?” Jax asked, looking
worriedly at all the equipment that surrounded Brenda.
“Leave me alone,” she said, giving him a hateful look.
“Brenda,” Jax said, stepping closer to him. He noted the painful look
on her face, before she rolled over onto her side with much difficulty. He
hurried to the other side of the bed and looked into her face. It was vacant of
emotion.
“I said, get the h#ll away from me! Stay away, and don’t come back!
Ever! I never want to see you again!”