Even after so many years, Sam still hated walking into Herrison's old office and finding Harry there. As anticipated, the promotion hadn't been temporary and the son had stepped up to fill his father's shoes. Only that Harry was swimming in them.

His misguided sense of loyalty to the Agency stemming out of fear made Sam want to avoid his former best friend as much as he could. That and the fact that he'd slept with Christine behind Sam's back.

As it was, all Harry's presence ever did was remind Sam in a very unpleasant way of Herrison's death and the fact that he'd witnessed it firsthand. As much as he tried to repress everything that happened in Japan, he still had nightmares about it. And as he sat across the desk from Harry, he couldn't help but search for resemblances between him and the man who had been the closest thing they'd ever had to a mentor.

"So what brings you here, Sam?" Harry asked, leaning back in his leather chair.

Sam glanced from the folder on Harry's desk, which was most likely his report on the necessity of their new mission, and the guy's face.

"Take a wild guess."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm just making friendly conversation. Of course I read it and know why you're here."

Sure. Friendly conversation. "Can we get the business aspect out of the way first and then get to pleasantries?" Because then he could just walk out.

"Have it your way," Harry mumbled, straightening in his seat and opening the folder. "I did send this up the chain of command. You can only imagine how excited they were that you finally found something."

Sam could only imagine indeed because, even after all these years, he had no idea who the hell was in charge. He'd never seen past where he was now, and the rest of the Agency seemed to have built under them so, even if they were fairly high up the chain now, they were still basically in the same place.

"I think it's a likely place," he said with a shrug.

Harry nodded. "I think so, too. That big brain of yours isn't wrong often."

It would've been a compliment if it didn't sound so bitter, but Sam chose to ignore this. "So, are we greenlit to go?"

"Obviously, though the higher-ups weren't too thrilled with your desire to push this back another two weeks." Harry ruffled through the papers inside, throwing fleeting glances at Sam's careful lies.

"Yeah, well, they need to understand that we can no longer leave on short notice. Every journey needs attentive planning."

Harry smiled and it was strained. Sam was pretty sure their superiors didn't give a shit about their families or their need to plan ahead and find a babysitter. As far as he was concerned, Harry didn't give a rat's ass either.

"How's the fam?" he asked, leaning back again.

"Kids are doing great." Sam narrowed his eyes once Harry kept looking at him as if expecting more information. "Yes, Harry, I'm still married to Christine. And yes, I do have kids with her, which means I must've had sex with her at some point. I still do."

Harry huffed as if he couldn't care less, but Sam saw the tiny grimace. "Weird that you got back with her after what happened."

"No matter how many times you keep bringing that up, I'm not going to magically unmarry her. And yes, we talked about it." This was getting beyond old.

Harry's mouth twisted into a snarl. "Did you now? Did she mention why she did it? How she played me when I was honestly in love with her? How she thought she was so great, juggling two guys, two best friends?"

The last time Harry had brought this up, Sam had ended the conversation and walked out. But that had been before his wedding, before Christine got pregnant, and the subject had been much too sore. If he were completely honest, Sam wished Harry would just let it go. But apparently, taking the high road wasn't enough.

"If you were ever my best friend, you wouldn't have slept with her behind my back."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like you don't know what she does to men. She did it to you twice. And the second time, it actually worked. She got you good. Marriage and kids and everything."

Sam had never bothered to explain how much Christine had learned from everything, how much she'd changed. It was none of Harry's business anyway. He just wanted to fan non-existent flames and Sam had had enough.

"You know what? I agree," he said. "What you both did to me back then was beyond shitty. Do you know what the difference between you and Christine is, though? She's learned from it while you're still a piece of shit." Which was why Sam had to get out of there before he punched his teeth in. "We'll be waiting for our tickets and briefing folders then," he said, standing.

It took Harry a few seconds of gaping to come to his senses. "You don't have to be hostile," he said with an eye roll.

And he didn't have to be a dick, but hey, they didn't live in a perfect world. "I wouldn't be if you didn't keep trying to resurrect the past. Enough is enough. I made my choices, and so did you." He looked around the office since Harry's choices were a lot more problematic than beating a dead horse. "You refuse to share information, so why should I be friendly with you?"

"It's not like that," Harry said, standing, too. "I don't know who my superiors are. I receive things by phone and email, just like you."

Kyle had called bullshit on that one, and Sam tended to believe his brother over the traitorous snake in front of him. So he just shrugged and walked out. There was no use wasting his time on this.

🧭

Kyle hated desk jobs, and with that came an inherent hatred for desks. That and the memory of how much Freider used to love them. Both having them and banging his fists against them. So maybe it was the object rather than the job. 

It was maybe strange, but even after five years since his death, Kyle couldn't let go of the bitterness he felt every time he thought about his father. And every time he sat in his office at the Agency, behind a desk of his own, he couldn't help but wonder what Freider would think about it. If he'd be proud in some sick sort of way, or have a laugh that Kyle had ended up in a place he despised. 

"Who the hell cares?" he mumbled to himself, plugging the wire into his laptop. None of that mattered. Freider was still super dead.

"Said anything, sir?" One of the newer kids stopped in front of his open door, obviously thinking he'd been spoken to.

Kyle gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the admiration on the young man's face, the hope in his eyes. Over the years, Kyle had done his damn best to become a bit of an Agency legend in terms of morals and proficiency. He needed it for their plan, but that didn't mean he enjoyed showing off and getting all moralizing and preachy when all he wanted was to set the damn building on fire and get it over with. Fortunately, it worked. Unfortunately, it got him a lot more attention than he wanted.

"I just asked if you could get me Flynn," he said, keeping his voice both calm and authoritative. It was a hard mix he'd mastered to perfection. He didn't even have to say please anymore, since he'd learned how to turn a plea into a polite order.

"Yes, of course." The kid actually bowed his head and sprinted off.

Kyle fought the massive eye roll, focused on connecting the folder to his laptop, and started on what he'd came there to do in the first place. The less time he spent behind a desk, the better. But he actually needed to be there for this. 

In their years as heads of the tech department, Jerry and Jimmy had developed the safest way to hold sensitive information. Surprisingly, the system didn't rely on heavily encrypted drives or computers, but paper folders with a special chemical lining and fingerprint zip lock.

The concept was simple, yet effective. Put the documents in, set the fingerprint as the key, close it, and never open it another way again. In case the lock was damaged or the folder cut or air got in any other way, the chemicals in the lining would release and destroy the documents inside.

At first, it destroyed a lot of sensitive Agency info, which was why most people avoided to use it. But Jerry and Jimmy never bothered to give their colleagues more than a prototype with the potential for greatness. They saved the good stuff for themselves. The system was fail-safe as long as the key was the correct one. So now, all Kyle had to do was hand over the key to someone else.

It took Corey Flynn two minutes to appear in the threshold, his brown eyes shining with a mixture of fear and excitement. He was one of the first recruits Kyle had ever trained and one of the most promising young agents. But what had made him Kyle's go-to man was his loyalty. Not towards the Agency, but towards the ideal it was supposed to stand for, the thing that had drawn them in as well when they were young. That and the fact that he'd started asking questions at precisely the right time.

Corey was curious, but he wasn't an idiot. It took him little time to figure out who he could trust and who was likely to snitch to the wrong people. And he was one of the few people who seemed to have Kyle's knack for detecting lies.

Kyle waved him in and signaled that he should close the door. The moment Corey had a seat in front of the desk, Kyle activated Harrison's former jamming apparatus. A low buzz filled the room.

"Code red?" Corey asked, sounding way too excited about the prospect of turning on the Agency.

"Nope," Kyle said, typing away. "But I'm updating the doomsday protocol."

Corey stared for a moment, then ran his hand through his dirty blond hair. "That bad? What's going on?"

"It's not necessarily bad." Kyle pushed the folder towards him. "I want your fingerprint right there."

Corey obeyed without question, placing his thumb on the allotted space, and Kyle pulled back the equipment and continued to modify the protocols to accept the new key.

"I'm sure you know by now that we'll be leaving to get the last jewel."

"Yeah," Corey answered, sounding slightly disgusted. "There's a lot of talk about how none of the newer recruits are going."

"Don't take this the wrong way," Kyle said, finalizing the procedure and closing his laptop. "I do believe you're ready. And not just you. But we have to do this alone. We've started something and we have to finish it." Plus, they had to double-cross the Agency in ways Corey was maybe not ready for.

"You don't have to do this alone," Corey said. "There are loads of us who would love to see what it's like to go on a jewel hunt. They're legendary after all. And we don't-- I mean, it's risky for you."

Kyle gave him a strained smile. He knew what Corey meant. They were young and didn't have families yet. If they'd die, they wouldn't be leaving orphaned kids behind.

"Sweet, but it's a lot more complicated than searching through jungles and booby-trapped temples."

Because if Snitch Gravel was really there searching as well, he'd obviously have no issue shooting Agency lapdogs. They had a much better shot at surviving. But Corey did have a point. The mission in itself was crazy dangerous, which was exactly why he was updating the protocol and leaving him vital information.

"But you do have a point," Kyle said, his tone light. "It is dangerous, so there is a chance we might not come out of there."

Corey winced. "Don't say that."

"You know how it is, kid. In our line of work, there is no guarantee."

"Yeah, I know, but--"

"What's the status?"

The kid bit his lip. To his credit, he dropped the sappy act and went into business mode. "Not as good as I'd have liked. We have ten in the green."

Kyle quirked an eyebrow. "Just ten? Out of how many?"

"Thirty seven I think."

They'd never known the exact numbers in the Agency, but after he started recruiting and training, Kyle at least had an idea of what was underneath them. Thirty seven agents was a likely number, but the fact that only ten of them were loyal was a little concerning.

"We have another fifteen in the yellow," Corey supplied. "And Jordan thinks he can get Mason and Ezra as well."

Kyle scrunched his nose. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel with those guys, but there was strength in numbers. 

"Any chance for switching from yellow to green?"

"There's always a chance," Corey answered with a strained smile. "But it's also the hardest switch to make."

Of course it was. Because it implied fully trusting someone rather than giving them hints and clues. The risk wasn't worth it. It could blow the entire operation. So better to be thorough than fast.

"News on the Von Crooken situation?" he asked.

"Agency intel?"

"Is there Agency intel we don't have?" Not unbelievable, but Kyle honestly hoped they were past the point of parallel investigations on Snitch Gravel's right hand man.

"No, so I'm guessing you mean anything outside what you already know." Once Kyle nodded, Corey let out a deep sigh. "No. He's still going abroad fairly often, and when he's domestic, he's mostly here, in Chicago. Same gun dealings and drug dealings... They're opening Saint Agnes again this year, I've heard."

Kyle had no idea why the news unsettled him so much. Not like he had any connection with that school, except maybe that his father had died within its ruins. But he shook away the thought and focused on more lucrative matters.

"So Von Crooken is basically up to his old shit with no indication that anything has changed."

"Yeah..." Corey hesitated for a moment. "Look, if we could only start digging around about--"

"No." The word was out before Corey could finish, because Kyle knew what it was all about. Finding Snitch Gravel again, trying to bring him down.

Kyle had expressly forbidden that, even if his boys were much better than the other Agency grunts who were trying the same thing. But when Snitch Gravel had stopped stalking them and sending random goons at them, he found it only fitting that they replied in kind. His brothers agreed, even if their motivation wasn't a moral one, but rather just not to poke the sleeping dragon.

"But Kyle--"

"Corey, I said no. We have our reasons. I know you don't like it, but you have to trust me."

The kid huffed. "I don't like not knowing why."

Which was why Kyle liked him. He reminded him of Sam when he was younger. "It's not a matter of knowing. Let's just say there's a flimsy truce between us and just because the Agency wants him dead, it doesn't mean we agree."

Corey bowed his head to his logic, even if Kyle could tell he didn't like the outcome. But he did trust him. And not just him, but everyone. Which was why Corey, and everyone he trusted, were the best choice.

Kyle held up the folder. "I will be leaving this at ground zero. Should we not return, activate the doomsday protocol."

With a shaking hand, Corey reached out and took the folder. "What's in here?"

"Answers. But also disillusionment and a big ole headache I'm assuring you you don't want unless absolutely necessary." Kyle leaned back in his chair. "So my advice is not to open it, even if you now can."

Corey studied the folder, a crease between his eyebrows. "What if I do?"

"Then what you find is on you." Kyle stood and pressed the button on the jammer to stop it. "You'll be needing a lot more training, so I want you to pick that up while I'm gone. If there are any questions or you're not sure what to do about something, you can always ask William."

"William, right." Corey nodded, his eyes still on the folder in his hand. "What can I say? Good luck."

"Thanks. We all know we're going to need it." Kyle walked to the door and held it open for the kid.

He got the message and stepped out, but stopped in the threshold to give him a mournful look. He was just twenty-three and so eager for affirmation. And even if Kyle was aware that by his age, he'd already been on four missions and Sam had been on them all, it still felt like Corey was so young. All of them were.

"I really..." Corey bit his lip again.

"Don't get all mushy and sentimental on me, kid," Kyle said with a laugh. "We'll see each other again. You won't get rid of me that easily."

"Yeah, you're right," Corey said, his tone filled with hope and false cheeriness. "You're indestructible."

The words plunged a weight in Kyle's stomach for some reason, but he waved and headed for Jimmy's office down the hall. They really needed to leave already, even if that meant getting into danger. But the wait was killing him and he got all jumpy around the kids.

As expected, Jimmy was inside the office he shared with Steve Turner, working on some gadget. Steve instead was tossing a ball against the wall.

"Hey, how's it going?" Kyle asked.

"Fabulous, as always," Steve answered, changing targets and tossing the ball at Kyle.

He caught it with ease and threw it back. "Nice to see you're as jolly as ever."

"With the prospect of code red so near? Who wouldn't be?" Steve grinned, turning back towards the wall.

"I'd keep it down if I were you," Jimmy muttered, turning from his gadget to his laptop. "People might think you're having your period early."

Kyle huffed while Steve burst into full blown laughter, spinning on his chair.

"I'm almost done," Jimmy said to Kyle, squinting at the screen and typing away. "Surveillance should work for us even there and I've updated the proximity sensors and all the house protocols for a much quicker lock down."

"Let's hope we won't need a lock down," Kyle said. "Maybe, just maybe, seventh time's the charm and we'll get lucky this time."

"Either that or we'll get to see some very impressive fireworks at one point."

Impressive fireworks was an understatement. A part of Kyle actually wanted to see that killer satellite blow up. But he had a feeling that, if that happened, they'd be right in the middle of it.

"Yeah, but they'll probably make us go up there and do it and we'll end up blowing ourselves up as well."

"Not out of the question." Jimmy closed his laptop and let out a sigh. "I know you're worried. Jessie's worried, too. She does not like the idea of leaving our kids with Mom."

"I can help," Steve said, continuing to spin on the chair.

"Our mother doesn't need another child to look after," Kyle retaliated and turned to Jimmy again. "I know what you mean. I'm not comfortable leaving the kids with Sarah either. It will just exhaust her." 

Plus, Kay was really restless and cranky about leaving and he couldn't blame her. They were all wondering if maybe they should just drop this and focus on their families. But Kyle felt like he couldn't abandon it. They were the ones who started it, and now they had to finish it.

Plus, a part of him was sure that if they didn't rush at the problem, it would come knocking on their door regardless. So, better to be proactive.

"Unfortunately, it's the best we have," Jimmy said. "We'll just have to be fast. Two weeks won't damage the kids in any way."

Yes, he was right. Two weeks was nothing. Except in their case, it could be everything. Kyle didn't even want to think what would happen if they never came back. But Corey was right. They were indestructible. They just had to prove it one last time.

🧭🧭🧭

Things are finally getting a little more... interesting. It appears that our favorite people have been hard at work trying to secure everything. We have a doomsday protocol and a code red which have been hinted at.

We also have a lot of kids to be distributed in sketchy places. But maybe Kyle is right. Maybe seventh time is the charm and they'll get back fast and resume their lives. Maybe this book will not be about a jewel but about taking down the Agency.

Isn't it fun that you have no idea where I'm going? Well, be prepared for many throwbacks in the next chapter.

Don't forget to vote and comment for much needed support.