The information didn't compute for Sam. Why was Herrison there? Or, better yet, how did he know they were there? But as their coordinator scanned the restaurant, it was clear he was looking for them. The moment he spotted them, he headed right over.

Sam wanted to scream in frustration. He didn't want this now, not when he'd just texted Christine to come over and take the house keys so she could pick up Sammy from his mother and take her to his place. Had this basic communication revealed their location? And if it had, why? All the questions in the world couldn't stop Herrison approaching.

Kyle seemed to grow in size as he fought to contain his anger. Tom and Jerry also stiffened, his twin not even trying to hide his displeasure.

"Why Herrison," he said the moment their coordinator came into hearing range, "how nice of you to stalk us."

"How or who?" Kyle growled.

Herrison bit his lip, seeming concerned with being the target of Kyle's anger. Wise and justified.

"We need to talk," he said, sitting next to Sam without waiting for an invitation.

"That seat is taken," Jerry said on the cold tone he only reserved for people he despised but had to tolerate.

Herrison looked from Jerry to Tom, then Kyle who seemed ready to smack him, then finally turned to Sam.

"I'm alone," he said, as if it wasn't obvious.

"You mean you're not wearing a wire," Tom clarified for everyone. "Why would you be wearing one in the first place, Herrison?"

Herrison ignored him again and stayed silent since the waiter chose that precise moment to come over and dispatch the empty glasses and cups on the table. It was like the calm before the storm.

They had to be civil while this innocent third party was there to clean the dishes. But once the scrawny teen would leave, it was free game.

He was a bit of a fumbler and there were a lot of glasses on the table, so it took him a while to gather them all on a tray and shuffle away, the glasses clattering together on the shaking tray.

All eyes returned to Herrison, but further conversation was delayed by the appearance of Christine. She stopped next to their table, looking rightfully confused. Sam instantly hated himself for pulling her in the middle of this. It felt too much like sinking her into Agency business.

"Hey, everyone," she said.

The response to her greeting was a lot warmer and Sam realized how odd it was that they all appreciated Christine being there and wanted to bite Herrison's head off. A year ago, the feelings would've been the exact opposite.

Herrison turned to Christine with wide eyes. "What are you doing here, Christine?"

"I have business with Sam," she said, her voice cutting, as if he'd insulted Sam in some way. "You?"

"Yes, Herrison," Tom pressed on. "Do tell what you're doing here."

"I actually wanted to ask you the same," he said.

"No." Kyle banged his fist against the table and everyone jumped.

The chills bouncing off him had Christine retreating behind Sam and placing her hand on his shoulder. His own hand covered hers in a desperate attempt to provide the least bit of comfort.

"Tell us, how you're tracking us," Kyle continued, his voice a lot more controlled and Sam guessed that Kay had taken his hand under the table to calm him down.

Herrison let out a sigh. "Your phones. They've been keeping tabs of you ever since you became inactive. Understand, we needed to know where you were."

"No, we don't understand," Jerry said, folding his arms over his chest. "And you showing up unannounced, using tracking information, is just rude."

Rude was the least of their issues. Was the Agency also using their microphones to listen in on their conversations?

"Why are you here?" Sam asked again.

"Because you all gathered in a place you don't usually go, and it looked suspicious," Herrison finally answered. His mellow tone clearly showed he didn't want to fight them.

"Suspicious?" Kay asked between her teeth, for a moment looking almost as frightening as Kyle. "We're family. We can all meet whenever and wherever the hell we want."

"You've all been here for hours," Herrison pointed out.

"So what? We have a lot of catching up to do," Sarah said, pushing her chest out and challenging Herrison to combat her very sound reasoning.

Herrison titled his head at her, and Sam realized he was assessing her presence there. Unfortunately, it was very obvious that she knew exactly who he was.

"Jerry," he said, his eyes not leaving Sarah. "Does your girlfriend know who I am?"

Jerry just huffed with uncharacteristic rudeness. "Take a wild guess."

"You can't just go around--"

"I can go around and do as I please. We're in a serious, committed relationship where there will be no lies or hidden truths." Jerry leaned forward, actually looking threatening for once. "I will not be taking relationship advice from you."

"You've just made her a target," Herrison said, sounding exasperated.

"I would've been a target either way," Sarah pointed out, perfectly reasonable. "Just a more clueless one. So get over it. That's not why you're here."

Herrison jutted out his chin. "Maybe you should go," he said. "You're not involved in this." His eyes drifted towards Christine. "That goes for you, too, Christine."

Even if it was outrageous and there was no chance in hell Sarah was leaving, Sam had to agree he wouldn't have minded to know Christine out of harm's way. Because Herrison had a point. She wasn't involved in this, not yet. And he needed her to be safe, to be there for Sammy in case he couldn't be. But keeping her away felt too much like the past.

But as if guessing his intention, she tightened her grasp on his shoulder and he recognized the stubbornness and determination he had always found attractive. The thought startled him a little.

"I'm in this already. And you have no right to throw me out." She glanced at Sam, her amber eyes filled with uncertainty, as if asking him if he wanted her out.

He didn't. Her presence and her stance were giving him a weird form of strength. Sort of like the one Skye used to give him. The thought of Skye tightened his stomach and he focused on Herrison again. He still felt like he was betraying Skye every time he had any thought or feeling towards Christine.

That's silly, Snowflake. I'm dead. It's not like I'm coming back and expect you to pin for me. Be happy.

Mental Skye made a good point, but he was still stubborn and refused to admit that she might be right, that she was okay with this. It was too soon. Much too soon and he couldn't even entertain the idea of replacing her.

"Are you here because of Jimmy?" Herrison asked, apparently giving up on throwing Sarah and Christine out.

"And what if we are?" Tom ask. "Can't we talk about our brother? About what a swell job you're doing to make him better?"

Herrison fumbled inside his jacket pocket, pulled out his tiny jamming apparatus and pressed the on button. A low buzz filled the room.

"Jimmy's not responding well to the treatment."

"No shit," Kyle mumbled, leaning back in his seat.

"Yes, I know it's frustrating, but don't do something stupid."

"Like what?" Tom asked, feigning curiosity.

"Like planning to get him out of the facility illegally."

Sam felt like banging his own fist on the table. "Oh, please. Don't bring the law into this."

"You know what I mean."

"Not quite. Because we're not exactly aware at which point Jimmy's commitment turned into imprisonment," Jerry said. "If it is as you claim and there is no ill intent, we should be able to discharge him whenever we consider appropriate. "

Herrison sighed. "You know that can't happen."

"Ah, so there is ill intent."

Herrison winced. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

"No, it's not," Kyle said. "He's either free to go or he's not. It's that simple."

"They've been ready for you ever since Jimmy was committed," Herrison said with a slight subject shift. "They expected you to try and get him out much sooner. That's why they might find this reunion suspicious."

"Do they know you're here?" Sam asked. He'd half-suspected it was the case, that they hadn't truly been left alone, that their peace came with a price. He wasn't glad he'd been right, but at least they'd been cautious.

"Yes," Herrison said. "They sent me to defuse the tension."

"How sweet," Kyle said. "So what are you going to do?"

"Depends on what you're going to do."

Sam wanted to point out that it didn't matter. Herrison had to pick a side. He couldn't continue to walk the line between them and the Agency. They needed to be sure they could trust him.

They were saved an answer by the gangly waiter who had returned with a tray filled with fresh drinks. He'd even brought some for Christine and Herrison which was quite thoughtful of him.

Christine took advantage of the interruption to hop over the back of the couch and slide in the small space between Sam and Sarah. It felt odd to have her this close, but he couldn't say he minded.

"You've been here so long, we got you some lemonade on the house," the teen said, his teeth clattering as he spoke. "It's an original recipe, perfected in our restaurant."

"Thank you," Jerry said, ever the polite soul.

The kid didn't get the message to haul ass out of there and kept looking at them expectantly.

"What?" Tom asked, a lot less polite.

"I just wanted your thoughts on it so I can pass them on to my Nana."

Oh, right. Someone's grandma was involved. Sam picked up his glass and took a deep sip. It was good, but a little too sweet for his taste. He noticed the others drinking, too, Kyle actually making a face, though discreetly enough for the waiter not to see.

"It's good," Sarah said, her voice all honey, just like the lemonade. "You can thank your Nana for us and tell her you did a great job."

"Is it really?" the kid asked, somewhere between panic and excitement.

As if to prove it to him, Sarah downed the rest of her glass and gave him a smile. Sam did the same, just to make sure the kid left them alone. It worked. The moment all glasses were empty, the teen piled them on his tray and headed away, his knees shaky.

"Wonder how many trays he drops per day," Tom mumbled. "Right, now that we're done drinking disgusting lemonade, can we get back to business?"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Christine said. "A little bitter, but okay."

Sam turned to her. "Bitter? I should've given you mine. It was so sweet I think I got a cavity already."

"Why does it matter what we do?" Kyle asked, bringing the conversation back on track. "Why are we such a ticking time bomb to you?"

"Aren't you, though?" Herrison insisted. "Should I really believe that you're here to catch up with each other?"

"I don't care what you believe. The point is, we don't have to justify ourselves to you, Herrison," Jerry said.

"Please, guys, I'm trying to help you!"

"Are you though?" Sam asked. "Because if you really are, you know what that means."

Herrison's eyes widened. "No, I don't know what it means."

"Seriously?" Kyle growled.

"So you're truly planning on going rogue?"

"Are these the only options? Blind obedience or going rogue?" Sam asked, hoping he sounded at least half as threatening as Kyle. "We're not idiots, Herrison. I think that's one of the reasons you recruited us."

Herrison winced and something clicked inside Sam's head. Something that had to do with Tom's claims about family ties being involved.

"Or is it?" he asked. "Were our skills even a part of the reason?"

"That's silly. Your skills are, of course, very appreciated."

"But they're not what led you to us." Tom leaned over the table, squinting at Herrison. "Tell us, was it only because our uncle was in the Agency too and royally screwed up?"

Herrison's eyes widened so much it would've been comical if not for the implications. Tom had hit the nail on the head.

"How do you even know about that?"

"You should cover your steps more carefully." Tom leaned back in his seat, a victorious smirk on his face.

Sam opened his mouth to add to the subject, but the moment he did, he completely forgot what he wanted to say. The world was strangely blurry all of a sudden.

"That's not..." Herrison swallowed with some difficulty. "That's um..." He looked at them, his eyes glazed over.

"Sam," Christine whispered, leaning closer to him. "I don't want to interrupt, but I feel a little... I think..." Her words trailed off and she slumped against him.

Sam frowned, trying to process what was going on. He jumped when Sarah fell on the table with bang. He desperately looked towards Kay, but she too was leaning her head against Kyle's shoulder, her eyes closed, a frown on her face.

Even if he wanted to ask what was going on, his brain refused to send the order to his mouth. No one was speaking anymore. Either that, or his hearing wasn't working properly, just like his vision. The more he glanced at Tom, his features became unrecognizable until Sam was sure he was actually dreaming, that none of this had happened and he was about to wake up.

But instead of the comforting image of his bedroom and the photo of Skye he would usually open his eyes to, this time there was nothing. Which made absolutely no sense. Why was this happening? What was happening?

Just as he was trying to figure out a reasonable answer, a splitting headache silenced everything inside him. His entire body felt numb and bile rose to his mouth.

Poison?

The word was the last coherent thought before darkness took him.

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Darkness, numbness. Pins and needles stabbing every inch of his body. It was odd enough that he could feel in the darkness, think.

But as soon as he tried to focus, it was as if something pulled him back into nothingness, forcing him into submission.

A raging pain in his chest reminded him there was something else there, fighting, not accepting to be forgotten, silenced.

The beast would not be contained. The beast inside was sleeping, not dead. Never dead. But now when he actually wanted to let it out, he couldn't.

Drugs.

Knocked out, taken. So sloppy. So, so sloppy. Had the Agency sent Herrison as a decoy and taken them out?

The thought gave Kyle his sense of self back, even if his body was still unresponsive and his pulse thundered in his ears.

Kay. He remembered her falling against him. He remembered everyone falling one at a time until he subsided to the darkness himself.

What the hell had happened? And what the hell had they been thinking, accepting free suspicious drinks from strangers? He remembered Christine's comment, how the drink had seemed bitter to her. Sweet to Sam. Sour to him. That should've been a clear indication that something was wrong.

They'd just been too focused on Herrison. He'd drank the stuff too, his head had hit the table fast and hard. But why would the Agency care when he was a potential traitor anyway? When they no longer needed him to rein them in because they decided to eliminate the problem all together?

He had to get out of there, escape. If only he could feel his surroundings and figure out just where the hell he was.

With great effort, he forced his eyes open. There was nothing but darkness. The air was stifling, barely enough to breathe. There was something in his mouth. And as his senses returned a little, he realized he was gagged, lying down on his side, brushing against someone else, though he couldn't turn and check who it was.

Please let it be Kay. Because as long as they were together, there was still hope, still a chance to make things right.

All of a sudden, his surroundings jolted and his entire body hit against something hard before crashing back down.

That meant something. Think, damn it. This entire thing felt familiar, but not like he'd lived it before. Maybe seen it somewhere?

Another jolt and he hit what felt like metal again. This time, he could hear muffled voices arguing. He moved his hands and realized they were tied behind his back.

Yes, drugged and taken, apparently. Why not poisoned and killed if the Agency wanted to get rid of them anyway?

What if it's not the Agency? But who else?

Another jolt and bump and Kyle suddenly realized he was in the trunk of a car. No wonder it was so hard to breathe. He closed his eyes and forced calm upon himself. There was too little oxygen in there to permit panicking.

Where were they taking him?

The thought stirred something else inside him. Jessie. She hadn't come. She was safe. She could find them.

Holding on to that tiny shred of hope, he forced his hands to move. His fingers were numb and unresponsive. After what felt like hours, he managed to touch his watch. All he had to do was activate the distress signal on it. It would automatically provide Jessie with their location. Fortunately, Jimmy had designed the watch with capture in mind, so he could easily work the controls with his hands tied behind his back.

Or at least he would have, if he wasn't still half knocked out. But the buttons were there, and all he had to do was press them.

In a matter of second, an ominous red blinking light filled the tiny space. He'd done it. But, oh shit, he had to stop it because it was now giving them away. The code to deactivate them without also signaling safety escaped him.

Come on, come on...

The car was slowing down as if the people who'd taken them could sense something was wrong.

Jimmy's face appeared in front of his eyes.

"Hopefully we'll never need this, but knowing our luck... We can deactivate the distress signal even if we're not safe. Just hit the distress sequence twice, fast."

Right. Hit it twice. Hitting it fast was the problem.

The car stopped. Even if Kyle pressed the distress sequence twice, the blinking didn't subside. He could hear footsteps from outside. He pressed again and again, faster and faster.

"I'm telling you there's no trouble," a muffled voice said.

The blinking red light stopped just as the lock of the trunk clicked. Blinding light had Kyle shutting his eyes tightly. Fortunately he managed to keep in any sound.

"See? Knocked out and lovely."

He didn't know the voice and couldn't risk opening his eyes or turning. But at least they were getting more air in the trunk.

"Anything else?" the guy asked, his voice snide. "Or can we get going already?"

Even if his senses were still pretty much fried, Kyle forced himself to focus on his surroundings. There was a light breeze, a bit warmer than what they'd left behind, and the air felt crisp and strong, as if they were up in the mountains. Where the hell were they?

"Hmpf," the other voice said. "I don't trust this. Not at all."

There was no sound of other cars or people. But on the other hand, who would open up a trunk filled with hostages in a crowded area? It was just two of them. He could knock them out and drive away. Maybe the others were in the back.

Come on. Talk some more.

They didn't, but one of them stepped forward to close the drunk. It was good enough.

With his eyes still closed, Kyle kicked out. His foot caught flesh and one of the men grunted and stumbled back. Kyle twisted to his back and opened his eyes to gauge the location of his second target.

The moment his eyes adjusted to the light, his heart skipped a beat. In a fraction of a second he took in the clear blue sky and the shaggy haired man in front of him. His features were a blur and remained that way.

Before Kyle could make another move, the butt of a rifle struck him in the forehead and everything went black.

End of Part I

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Aaaand... This happened. What is this? 😱 Who did something so devious? Is it the Agency? Is it Snitch Gravel? And what about Jessie? Where is she? What happened to her?

With this marvelous chapter, we end Part I. I will randomly post the Part II divider sometime before the next update to keep you on your toes.

All thoughts are greatly appreciated. Vote and comment for the support. I fell down a hole and writing be rough.