Night was falling rapidly. Though the day had been cool, an expanse of powered blue sky had stretched out over the land. The sun shone high, unable to warm the air, but as the glowing orb bowed gracefully into the horizon, it cast a spectacular tangerine glow into the atmosphere. A warm comfortable glow, reflected by the ocean, cast upon the two women travelling within the Maid of the Atlantic.

With tracking device in hand, Addison guided the small boat through an estuary and along a wide, winding river. Setting down the tracking system, Addison turned to Skyler. The doctor sat upon a wooden, slatted crate, resting her feet upon the deck. Skyler looked out across the river, it was bordered by high rolling hills on either side.

Unable to leave the helm, Addison turned back to guide their leased vessel. They were less than 1 mile from where Brodie's speedboat had docked.

"Would you take over for a moment?" Addison inquired. She looked to Skyler, and then indicated the steering.

"Sure," Sky replied, taking over. "I've done this before. It was a much bigger boat though, down the Nile when I was on a dig in..."

"Egypt!" Addison exclaimed. "You've been to Egypt!" Realising she probably seemed a little too enthusiastic she toned down her demeanour. "That... um... must have been interesting."

Skyler didn't reply straight away. She studied Addison for a moment in thought, as the agent picked up the duffel bag Quinton had left her, and slid open the zipper. Hearing no answer, the agent eventually looked up to Skyler. She noted the doctor's expression and arched her eyebrows in question.

"Oh yes, it was," Skyler admitted. She paused before asking. "So you have never been to Egypt? It is such a beautiful place. Steeped in history."

Addison looked up from her inspection of the duffel bag. "Egypt was a dream of mine as a kid. You know how you get that feeling that if you had lived before, it would have been in a certain time and place?"

Skyler nodded.

"Well Egypt was mine." She smiled, pulling a shotgun from the bag and stood it upon the deck so she could lean her weight upon it. "I used to dream of great adventures there when I was a kid. I put posters upon my bedroom wall of the Pyramids and Sphinx. Didn't last long though." Addison set down her new shotgun, internally thankful to Quinton for supplying her with her favourite Spas 12.

Turning away from Addison, Skyler steered the boat around a sharp bend in the river. It began to narrow. Without looking back at the agent, Skyler asked, "Why didn't they last long?"

Addison shrugged. "My parents ripped them off the walls. To put it politely," she smirked, "they called them hopeless aspirations."

Once again it took Skyler several moments to reply. "That must have hurt."

"Hurt me?" Addison laughed. "No... tough as old hobnail boots, me. It takes more than some ripped paper to get me upset!" Wanting to believe her own bluff, Addison turned her attention fully upon the carrier. "Okay, so what exactly do we have here?" She began pulling out the items. "Sh.e.l.ls for the Spas, torch, leather gloves, handcuffs, strap, two throwing knives and wrist sheath... and oh look at these, five grenades. My favourite toys!" She lined the items up along the deck, discarding the empty duffle and picking up her st.u.r.dy backpack.

Pus.h.i.+ng up her left sleeve, Addison attached the knives and sheath upon her forearm. Slipping out of her jacket she loaded the rucksack and shrugged it onto her back, followed by the shotgun.

"Well I'm ready to Rock 'n' Roll."

"Good because look," Skyler nodded towards the speedboat. It was moored beside a marshy bank, tied to a rusty, metal pole.

"Okay." Addison switched off the tracking system and slipped it into her backpack. As Skyler guided the boat to the bank, Addison grabbed a rope and jumped onto the marshy sh.o.r.e. She secured the boat, and then turned to Skyler. She held out her hand, a.s.sisting the doctor ash.o.r.e.

"This is the plan. I scope out the outer area, get a feel for the place. Then you wait while I go in there."

"What? No way!" Skyler shook her head adamantly. "There is no way you are leaving me out here... alone!"

With a sigh, Addison ran both hands through her s.h.a.ggy dark locks. "Listen, Skyler, if you want me to do my job; you must trust me and do exactly as I say. I will make sure you are safe." Addison readied her spas, loading it with sh.e.l.ls. "I don't know what I'll find. I never presume, but yours and your mother's safety is of the utmost importance. I will find somewhere safe for you to wait." Addison expression turned serious. "You don't want to be around when the penny drops, Skyler."

"Okay." Skyler looked up towards the sky where the first stars were making their appearance in the darkening expanse. "I trust you, Addison. I'm just," Skyler bit her lower lip. "I'm just scared."

Addison internally cursed herself. Of course she's scared, she admonished. You have to be cold, dead on the inside to be able to do this. Addison ignored the chill her thoughts wrapped around her heart. She placed a comforting hand upon Skyler's shoulder.

"Trust me, Skyler, that's all I ask." The blonde nodded and Addison added a rea.s.suring squeeze. "Thank you." She smiled softly. "Now, lets go."

Taking lead, the soldier jogged towards Brodie's speedboat. She knelt to the ground, her eyes scanning the earth. Two sets of footprints stretched out from the boat; they headed northwest. Addison rose to her feet.

"Two sets of prints. I recognise Brodie's but the indentations are deeper, like she is carrying something. She was with a man, short and heavy set." Addison smirked, "by the size of these footprints I'd say this guy is lucky with the ladies!" She chuckled but her joke didn't seem to lighten Skyler's disposition. Addison pulled out her torch. "The night has all but fallen, Skyler. We need to move." Handing her torch to the blonde doctor, Addison readied her shotgun and they began.

The evening was fair and clear. A subtle aroma of moist earth permeated their surroundings. It was, however, the foreboding sense of approaching danger that kept Addison's senses alert.

"Move the torch over there," Addison indicated, pointing to the right.

Skyler did as requested, highlighting footprints that stretched out towards a valley between hills. "What do you expect we'll find, Addison?"

"What's the worse you could possibly imagine?"

Confused by the question but none the less considering Addison's words, Skyler searched her imagination. "The worst I could expect is ... a whole army of men guarding my mom, surrounded by a twenty foot high fortress. Wild dogs guarding the boundaries; towers with great guns and a mine field."

Addison nodded. "Okay, well I expect nothing, yet something thirty times as frightening as that."

"I don't understand," Skyler responded with a frown. "What do you know that I don't?"

"Nothing... and that's the point." Hearing a s.h.i.+ft to her right, Addison swung around with a speedy reflex. A rabbit hopped frantically away from them. She continued to follow Brodie's tracks. "The point is to never have any preconceptions about what you are going to find... but... at the same time, be prepared for the very worst. I don't know what will happen around the next corner. I won't presume but I will be ready for anything. It is the only way to stay alive, Skyler." Addison stopped walking. She turned to face the doctor and Skyler stood still. "If you are going to stay one step ahead of your enemies, never underestimate them."

"That is what you were taught?" Skyler shone her light away from Addison. The women gazed intently into each other's shadowed features.

"No," the solder responded. "That is what I learned the hard way. That lesson was a life changing jolt in my life."

Skyler stepped closer. "What happened?"

Swallowing hard, Addison recalled the night in question, the night that changed her from a common street criminal to a solder in Her Majesties Armed Forces. It was a period in her life that she had never before shared with another soul. She never intended to. "Maybe later," the agent relented. "Right now we have a mission to complete." Turning, Addison resumed tracking the sets of prints. She sensed more than heard Skyler's unspoken question and decided to change the topic.

"So, Doctor Skyler Tidwell, tell me something?"

Skyler increased her pace and walked beside Addison. "What's that?"

"In a way I suppose you are an adventurer like me... travelling the world due to our occupations."

"I guess..."

"Do you have a home; a retreat of your own?"

"I have an apartment back in Pennsylvania. You?"

"A place down south." Approaching a hill, Addison noticed the footprints veered around it. She reached out to take the torch from Skyler. Her fingers found the cool digits of the doctors as she slowly slid the object from Skyler's hand. Redirecting its beam, she followed the prints.

"Why?" Asked Skyler as she followed Addison.

"Just making conversation."

"Hmm," Skyler looked to Addison intently. "Maybe making conversation or maybe trying to steer the conversation from uncomfortable topics?"

Addison refused to take the bait. "Tell me honestly, you really do have some kind of qualification in psychology, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

The solder grinned. "You see... I knew it! You have a very a.n.a.lytical mind, Doctor, it must be highly beneficial."

Skyler shrugged. "You do too."

"Nah," Addison re-clasped her Spas with both hands, holding the torch against its barrel. "I'm a shoot first, ask questions later kind of girl. You on the other hand, your mind... your words... are your weapon."

"What does that mean?"

Addison turned to face Skyler, holding the shotgun diagonally across her chest. "I happen to think that must mean you have pretty good oral skills!" She took a step closer to Skyler. "I just hope you find time, in that busy life of yours, to keep up the practice."

"I..." Skyler's mouth worked silently as she tried to respond to Addison's words. She was unsure whether that remark was in anyway flirtatious or simply a compliment on her behalf.

Holding back a grin, Addison stepped away from Skyler. She looked down at the prints then ahead seeing a light in the dusky distance. "I do believe we are here!" She crouched down and motioned for Skyler to do the same. Reaching for her backpack, Addison pulled out a pair of binoculars and switched them to night vision. She zoomed in on the green imaging.

Placing her hand upon Addison's back, Skyler whispered, "What do you see?"

"An old stone building," Addison replied. "Looks pretty derelict and abandoned but that's Brodie's preference. Four stories high, quite large and strangely medieval in appearance. There are several vehicles around the area that I can see and so far four visible patrolling guards. They're armed." Addison studied further. She zoomed in onto a small door, half built into the ground, and made a mental note to check it out."

"What now?"

The agent handed her binoculars to Skyler. "You stay here a moment." She then handed over her shotgun and pulled out a single pistol and screwed a silencer onto its barrel. "I'll be back in just a second. Wait here."

Skyler watched as Addison moved cautiously toward the fortress and kept watching until the agent melted into the blackness. Emotionally, she was torn. On one hand she was impressed with Addison's courage and willingness to risk her life for Skyler's mother. On the other hand, Skyler resented Addison for leaving her behind after promising to bring her along when they liberated Marlene.

The American didn't think "bringing her along" should only consist of letting her take a ride on "The Maid of the Atlantic" and then leave her behind at the crucial moment. Besides, she might be able to help the agent in some way. Her clinical experience alone might prove invaluable. The longer Addison was gone, the greater was Skyler's urge to go after her.

The American reached behind her and a.s.sured herself the gun she had been given earlier was still in the holster attached to her waistband, then moved forward from her hiding place holding Addison's shotgun in a ready manner. She slipped ahead stealthily but had only taken a few quiet steps when a hand was clamped over her mouth and a strong arm wrapped around her body. Skyler struggled briefly until Addison's voice spoke low in her ear.

"I thought I asked you to stay put." Skyler's reply was m.u.f.fled by Addison's hand so she relaxed and grunted to let the agent know she wouldn't move or make any noise. The iron grip loosened and the hand covering her mouth was removed.

"I couldn't help it," Skyler whispered. "You were gone for a long time and I thought you might need my help."

Addison turned to Skyler and peered at her closely with a sceptical look. "One, I was gone possibly five minutes and two, what would you have done if I was in trouble?"

Skyler became annoyed at Addison's superior att.i.tude. "Well, one, it was seven and a half minutes and two, I don't know, but I would have thought of something."

The agent's eyes narrowed and her voice took on a deadly tone. "I brought you along to keep you safe, but G.o.d help me, if you don't do as instructed again, you won't need to worry about Agnes because the mayhem will be started by me. Am I making myself clear?"

Skyler's jaw worked and Addison readied herself for an argument. She was surprised when Skyler merely said, "Perfectly. I'm sorry."

The American could see the anger leave the agent at her meek reply. Addison gave her a small grin and a wink. "One, it's okay and two, shut your gob and follow me."

Skyler knew by the teasing tone that she was forgiven and whispered back, "One, right behind you and two, lead on." Addison gave a small snort of laughter at the joking, but sobered immediately.

"I found an old door next to the end of the building. It looks like an old tradesman's entrance. It's chained shut, but I'm sure I can get past that. Quiet now." Addison slid her night vision specs back on and crept toward the fortress walls with Skyler trailing behind her. Only once did she have to motion Skyler to be perfectly still as a guard pa.s.sed by on a parapet overhead.

They crossed a depression in the turf and slipped up to the door Addison described. It was solid appearing, the ancient timbers thick and st.u.r.dy. A new chain hung through an iron hinge and was closed with a large lock. The agent reached over to Skyler and removed a thin strip of metal from the collar of her jacket that the American still wore. The flexible skewer was slipped into the key slot and in seconds an audible click was heard as the lock popped open. Addison removed the lock and slid the chain soundlessly through the iron hinge.

Opening the door slowly, Addison whispered, "We're in."

Brodie opened the door to the small lab. She remembered the earlier treachery of Skyler Tidwell and hesitated at the portal a.s.suring herself that no traps had been set by the currently captured Tidwell family member. Confident the way was clear, Agnes entered and walked over to Marlene who had resumed a seat on the lab stool.

"Professor Tidwell, it's nice to see you again. I'm sorry to bother you, but the gentleman who was with me earlier, Dr. Pickering, has a few questions of clarification for you."

"I've given you everything," Marlene said in a dejected manner, not looking up at the Irish woman. "Isn't that enough?"

Brodie tried for a genuine smile, but failed. "Now, now, Professor, don't be like that. You've done well and to show our appreciation we've made a gesture of good faith. At this very moment, your daughter is being transported to the nearest large city where she will be deposited quite unharmed on a city street. When you have cleared up a few minor details, it is our intention to take you to that same city. I daresay that if you continue to cooperate, you'll be reunited with your daughter within twelve hours."

Marlene did look up then. "Skyler is being set free? And she hasn't been hurt?"

"I swear on my sainted mother's grave, the last time I saw her she was headed for freedom. Now, shall we join Dr. Pickering in the main lab? He seems to be a bright man, but your work is quite advanced apparently and he needs your help." Marlene made no reply, just shrugged and stood up.

Brodie motioned with her head for Marlene to move ahead of her toward the door. As the American pa.s.sed by her, Agnes said nonchalantly, "I suppose it was like that at the University? You needed to provide the guidance for Project Gemini?"

"I guess so," Marlene agreed, "But it's probably not that the other researchers weren't intelligent. It was just that the difficult part was my discovery and is my area of expertise. Probably until this point when I gave you all the information," The American said as she got to the door, "I've been the only one who has understood all of the project."

"The only one," Brodie said thoughtfully. "Imagine that." To Agnes's mind, Marlene had just sealed her own fate.

Pale light poured from the open door as Addison and Skyler slipped inside and into an empty corridor.

"That was simple," Skyler observed quietly. "You'd think they would have more guards here."

"They did," Addison confirmed as she took the shotgun back from the American. "There were three more patrolling the grounds outside."

Three guards in seven and a half minutes the American thought. Skyler watched as Addison rechecked her weapons and realized once again that she was in the company of a very dangerous woman. That image clashed with the tiny glimpses of humor and humanity Skyler had been allowed to see and the American couldn't decide which aspect was the real Addison Black. Though she knew it was unlikely, Skyler wondered if Addison might be interested in seeing her after they rescued her mother. The scholar was intrigued by the agent and was curious about what Addison might be like in a situation not filled with stress and danger. She was also somehow certain that no matter how formidable Addison was, she would never hurt Skyler. These thoughts flowed through her mind in a matter of seconds and by the time Addison had completed her weapons check, Skyler was focused again on their task.

"Ready," Addison stated. Skyler could feel a palpable change in Addison's presence. It felt a little like a coil being tightened and held in check, waiting for the opportunity to be released into action. If Skyler hadn't hated Agnes Brodie to the core, she might have felt a little sorry for her having Addison Black as an enemy.

"I have a little experience with coastal fortifications," Addison said. "Since the time of the Viking raiders, the most secure place would be the center of the keep. It makes sense that it would still be the same now."

"Agreed," Skyler said. Her amazing recall sent her mind through several relevant course and cla.s.ses. "That sunken area outside was probably a moat at one time. We should definitely go up as we work toward the middle." Addison looked at the American, but her "game face", as Skyler thought of it, was firmly in place and her expression unreadable.

"Lets move out." Addison led the way down the corridor they had stepped into. It was apparent they had entered a little used area of the fortress. There were only a handful of doors in the corridor and most of them were empty or mundane storage rooms. Addison was thorough though and searched each one quickly but efficiently. They progressed steadily, finding a second corridor that moved perpendicular to the one in which they entered. It was obvious this pa.s.sageway led toward the center of the fortress.

It was only a matter of yards before the sound of an agitated voice reached them. Addison raised two fingers to her lips in a gesture of silence. Skyler nodded her head in understanding as Addison moved toward the voice soundlessly. Skyler followed a few paces behind, studying the agent's movements and mimicking them.

The black haired woman moved to the nearest point to the voice where she would still be un.o.bserved. Reaching down into her black combat boot, she removed what appeared to be something like the foil wrapper from a piece of chewing gum. She bent the foil and moved part of it around the corner, studying the image reflected back at her much like a dentist using a mirror in a patient's mouth.

Bringing the foil back, Addison glanced at Skyler. She raised one finger and mouthed the word, "radio". The man in the next corridor raised his voice just then and they could hear his end of the conversation clearly.

"I can't believe it! d.a.m.n, who is responsible for this? How did they get past our defences? They've got to be stopped!" Skyler looked at Addison in alarm. She wondered what the agent would do now that their presence had been discovered. She could tell the Brit was processing the information she was hearing and weighing her options. The guard's voice rang out again. "Go, Rangers!"