Miles and the other man sat in the front seat while Evans sat next to Jaxon in the back. Despite the hundreds of questions coursing through Jaxon's mind, he practiced restraint, opting to wait until they reached their destination. If he'd known the trip would take four plus hours, he might have disregarded the notion of self-discipline and bombarded Evans with all he had.

Instead, the road trip consisted of relative silence. The reticence caused Jaxon to doze in and out of consciousness most of the way, despite his efforts to remain cognizant of their location and direction. With each micro-nap, Jaxon ran through the last 48 hours in his mind. With every replay, the image of Gillette being murdered jolted him awake.

"We're close now, Jaxon," Evans said, looking out the window at a thicket of trees that dotted the edge of a single-lane dirt road.

Jaxon looked out his window, finding a similar view. They appeared to be deep inside a forest, and he cursed himself for not staying awake. Now, he was lost and in the dark, despite the shining daylight.

"How are you feeling, Jaxon?" Evans asked. "Having been off planet for so long typically has a drain on your energy. The gravitational differences between what's here on earth and what's simulated on a space station certainly will take its toll."

Jaxon hadn't paid any attention to the lag until Evans mentioned it. After a moment of introspection, he realized that despite his efforts to stay awake, it was a futile effort. He was exhausted.

"I'm doing okay," Jaxon lied. "A little discomfort but nothing that I can't handle."

Evans brow rose. "That's surprising. We've had people come back to Earth from extended space station excursions that have had to take nearly a week off, just to acclimate-"

"I'm not most people," Jaxon snapped. "So why don't you tell me why I am in the back of a dark van driving through an isolated forest heading to an unknown location? Why all the hush-hush?"

"It was a group decision actually. The director and I thought that keeping your reintroduction to society low key would be beneficial. As far as everyone at the company knows, Jaxon, you're still dead," Evans said. "Furthermore, we have reason to believe that there's a mole in the company, and only a handful of select people even know about this operation."

"That's understandable," Jaxon said with a slight nod. "But can you tell me this: why were you even on the moon base at the precise time that I was certain to die?"

"I'll admit, the timing of our arrival was exceptional. And once the director arrives, he'll be able to explain things much more clearly."

A look of surprise crossed Jaxon's face. "The director's actually coming here"-Jaxon paused to glance out the side window once again-"wherever here is?"

Before Evans could answer, the van slowed and turned onto a particularly rough dirt road that declined at a rather steep angle. A few moments later, the van pulled up to what appeared to be an abandoned mountain cabin.

The four men exited the van and Jaxon stretched his sore legs before following the other men up to the cabin door.

"This is one of the company's most remote safe house locations in the country. Only a select group of people know of its existence. You see, the director and I have been working in symphony all along and felt that this would be an ideal place to debrief you and fill you in on our current objectives.

Miles opened the door, and they all filed inside. Despite the rugged and deteriorated exterior, the inside of the cabin was far more modern than one would expect. Besides the plaid-patterned drapes at the windows, the rest of the decor was right out of an Architectural Digest spread. Fine wool rugs were scattered across the floor, and contemporary furniture filled the room. To one side, a hallway led to what were most likely a few bedrooms. On the opposite side, a modest kitchen sat next to a quaint dining area.

"So, tell me: why am I here?" Jaxon asked, slumping down onto a leather sofa.

"As I said, once the director arrives, all will be made clear."

Aggravation quickly took over, and Jaxon couldn't remain seated. He began to pace around the open floor plan, formulating his next question.

"Okay, then tell me this: at what point did you realize that I was still alive?" Jaxon asked.

Evans' eyes followed Jaxon as he paced. "We've known from the very beginning. Remember, we weren't very far off when the explosion occurred. A research team, led by yours truly, investigated, and when no bodies were discovered, it didn't take long for us to put things together."

Jaxon flinched at hearing his plan was actually a failure. "Then why didn't you come for me sooner? Or did it just take the company that long to locate me?

"Oh no, we picked up on your location quite early on. In fact, we had a man on the shuttle you used to get to Taloo Station initially. The company had you monitored quite closely. At first, at least. Then, once we realized that there was no threat of you revealing any sworn secrets about your past missions, or the company, we left you alone for the meantime."

"The meantime?" Jaxon asked, picking up on the inference quickly. "And what now?"

"And now, we hope to introduce you back into the company as an active agent," said a new man just walking into the cabin.

25.

Jaxon froze and stared at the new man with a hint of recognition. He remembered possibly meeting him many years ago, maybe on one of his missions. But he couldn't be certain.

"Ah, you made better time than we did," Evans said, standing up to greet the new man. "Jaxon, this is the director of the GSA. Meet Alton Howe."

Howe stepped forward and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Rasner. Or should I call you Saber?"

Jaxon stared at the director's hand for a moment before accepting it. "Jaxon will be fine."

"All right, Jaxon. The assistant director here has briefed me on your most recent adventure in Luna City, and I first want to formally apologize that we didn't get to you sooner."

Assistant director? Jaxon mused. He made a mental note to ask Evans more about it later. "Apology accepted. Now, will somebody tell me what the hell I'm doing here?"

Howe moved to the sofa and motioned Jaxon and Evans to join him. "Please, let's sit and I'll try to fill you in as best I can."

Jaxon and Evans took the seats across from Howe and waited patiently.

"You see, Mr. Rasner ... er, I mean Jaxon, we've wanted to reach out to you for quite some time, but until now, you've been a relatively low priority. The company has maintained an unwavering approach to past and present agents. Our attitude toward any retired agent is that after a substantial debriefing of their missions, the agent is then processed through a memory altering program, wherein any classified information is coaxed out of their mind. The memories aren't erased, specifically, but they are ... overwritten through a process that our medical engineers have developed. When you and Gillette feigned your catastrophic deaths, my predecessor made the determination to leave you in play ... just as long as neither of you leaked any proprietary information. Trust me when I say this, Jaxon, we've had eyes on you the entire time."

Jaxon felt a pit in his stomach begin to grow. He knew Evans well, almost like a brother, but this character, Howe, concerned him.

"So, was it you that put out the kill order on me? There've been several attempts on my life over the past few days, and if the company knew about my location the entire time, it just seems a little ironic that-"

"Let me stop you here. I give you my word that the company has had no such orders in play. It's quite the opposite, really. We were about to approach you, to ask you to come back to the company. You see, there's a particular mission that's come along that warrants Saber's expertise."

Jaxon shook his head. "No. I walked away for a reason. I left because I was tired of being your private assassin. That's not why I joined the GSA."

Howe nodded. "Would it help if I told you that the GSA has become more of a kinder, gentler organization? Yes, the division you were associated with was notorious for covert assassinations around the globe. But, I assure you that each and every one of those missions were vital to the security of the world. If you can pardon my analogy, you were the rifle and your controller pulled the trigger. You were a mere tool for the GSA. Your record was particularly exemplary. As such, you were left to your own accord until you were needed. And here we are."

"Does this kinder, gentler GSA call upon me today to give someone a massage?" Jaxon asked sarcastically.

Howe laughed. "Not exactly. We'd like you to disable a particular drug production facility in the outer ring. You'll be authorized to use whatever force necessary to carry out your mission. If that involves killing one or two of the bad guys along the way, then so be it. The GSA has no preference on the matter either way."

Jaxon winced at Howe's cavalier attitude. Reading between the lines, he knew the directive was a sham because it left it up to him alone to determine whether or not someone should die. He almost preferred it when he was just given the directive to assassinate.

"I'm sorry. I'm not your man. Like I said, I left for a reason. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather take my chances on my own."

Howe frowned. Then his face contorted into an apologetic smile. "Perry thought you'd feel that way. So, we attempted to persuade you in with an alternative method. Unfortunately, that approach didn't quite work out as planned. Jaxon, I have a bit of bad news for you. You see, Assistant Director Evans and I formulated a plan that would enlist the assistance of Lily Abbott for your recruitment. As I understand it, you and Lily were quite an item while at the Academy. I'm also told that you and Lily produced a child, but never married. Are my facts straight?"

"Yes. Get to the point."

"We sent a team of special agents to talk Lily into helping us persuade you to come back to the GSA. Unfortunately, Lily was killed hours before our initial contact."

The blood drained from Jaxon's face. He stood abruptly, nearly losing his balance from his fatigued muscles. He regained his composure and began to pace. "And what about Celeste?"

"Celeste is your daughter?" Howe asked.

"Yes. Is ... is she alive?" Jaxon asked, staring intently into Howe's eyes.

"The status of your daughter is unknown. When the team arrived at her residence, Lily's body was found lying on the living room floor, strangled to death. Your daughter was not on site. We assumed that she was fortunate enough to not be at home at the time of the invasion, but none of our efforts of locating her have panned out. For all we know, she could be simply staying at a friend's house-"

"How long ago?" Jaxon interrupted.

"This was two weeks ago," Evans said, chiming in for the first time since the director arrived.

Jaxon's head spun. "Two weeks? Two goddamn weeks and you're just now-"

"Listen, Jaxon. We're not sure who it was that killed Lily. We have a detachment on the scene. We have an additional team out looking for Celeste. Unfortunately, there is no trail to speak of, on either of their lifestyles. Lily, being a trained agent herself, knew how to cover her tracks. She and your daughter have lived for quite some time in obscurity. It took our internal investigators nearly a month to initially track them down."

Jaxon began to feel lightheaded. He retook his seat and rested his face on the palms of his hands. "Jesus. I've never even met my daughter. Well, I've seen her from a distance, but she doesn't even know who I am."

"Jaxon, I apologize for your loss. Sincerely, I do. I'm sure Lily was a great person and mother. But we're confident that Celeste is still alive, somewhere. She's a teen girl, and if she is anything like my own daughter, she'll no doubt turn up in a few days-"

"I've got to go find her," Jaxon said, more of a demand than a suggestion.

"I promise you, Jaxon, we have people on the task. The situation is being handled, and your expertise is needed elsewhere-"

"Right now, the only place I should be is looking for her. The rest of your plans can go to hell."

Howe smiled warmly. "I understand how you feel, Jaxon. I really do. But you have to realize that your assistance in the search would most likely cause more harm than good." Howe held up a hand, cutting Jaxon's interruption off. "Just hear me out. Although you are a highly trained agent, you've been inactive for the better part of a decade. You've been out of the public eye for nearly that entire time, at least down here on earth. In all that time, many things in society have changed. You'd be surprised how lost and disoriented you'd be if left to your own volition.

"The teams I have in place are earth-based and are highly trained. You have to trust me when I tell you that it's in everyone's best interest for you to let this be. Let them do their job, just like we let you do so many times in the past. You're too close to this, and your emotions would certainly cloud your judgment on your actions. Besides, there's still a kill order out for you, and until we know who's behind it, your life is still in danger. For all we know, Jaxon, whoever put the hit on you may have also killed Lily."

Jaxon sat in his chair, sulking. He hated to admit that Howe was correct, that he'd be completely useless if thrown back into the general population on earth. It pained him greatly to feel so lost and out of control.

"So, what? Do I just sit here and wait for you to find my daughter?" Jaxon asked.

"If we didn't have other pressing matters, that's exactly what we'd do. But there are circumstances in play that demand your attention. I offer you this, Jaxon. Agree to be read in on this highly sensitive mission and I am certain that you will understand the urgency. If you agree to the mission, upon its completion, you're welcome to return to the company and have the full resources behind you in investigating Lily's death and the location of your daughter, assuming we haven't found her by then."

Jaxon contemplated Howe's offer. He knew that his options were limited and that it was a slippery slope that he was on-risking the chance that they'd scrub his memory if he didn't agree. That's how they normally got rid of agents, as Howe himself said earlier.

The thought of being able to lead his own team again was appealing, and he knew the sooner that he completed the mission, the sooner he'd be able to be out there, looking for Celeste. The sooner he'd have his life back.

"Tell me about the mission," Jaxon said, leaning forward.

26.

Howe leaned forward excitedly. "Do you agree to our terms? I need to hear you say it."

Jaxon sighed deeply. "It doesn't appear that I have any other recourse. So, it looks like you've got your man, director."

"Extraordinary. I have no doubt you've made the right decision," Howe said.

"Fine. Whatever. Just get on with it," Jaxon said, standing to pace once again.

Howe stood as well and began to stride alongside Jaxon. "The reason we felt that you were the best choice for this mission was because of your ties to a previous assassination. I'm not sure if you can recall-"

"Trust me, director. I remember every single assassination that you've sent me on. Vividly."

"This one goes quite a ways back. If memory serves, this was your first live training mission, and you were sent to assassinate El Tonto. It was in Ixtapa, Mexico and it was the summer of-"

"Yes. I remember. I inadvertently killed two men on that day, Ignacio Guzman himself and his son."

Howe nodded. "Yes, I suppose you would recall that mission distinctly. If it's any consolation, you only killed one person that day. El Tonto. You only maimed his son, but his injuries were severe enough that it looked as if you had taken his life."

Jaxon stopped in his tracks. "The company knew this the whole time? And nobody had the decency to tell me that I hadn't killed an innocent boy?" Jaxon asked, sensing his anger build once again.

"Relax, Jaxon. That information was withheld for your own protection. Pablo Guzman was an asset himself. His identity remained a secret, and if you had been read in on the entire file, you'd understand why."

"Then, what's changed? Why bring me up to speed now?" Jaxon asked, his impatience building.

"Because, Jaxon. It's Pablo himself that has changed. Shortly after that mission, he decided to sever all ties with the company and follow in his father's footsteps. At that point, the company elected to monitor his progress and only react when it was deemed necessary. For many years, the son struggled to equal his father's production levels, and we watched him stumble and fall many times. There were rivalries with other drug lord families throughout the region, and we hoped that natural selection would take over, and one of the other families would eliminate the target."

"Obviously, that hasn't happened," Jaxon said, filling in Howe's rhetoric, "otherwise you wouldn't need me to go after him. Am I close?"

"Precisely. Now, after years of struggling to reorganize the family business, Pablo Guzman has done something that no other drug family has been able to do in quite some time. He's developed a new drug that is quite different from anything that anyone has seen in our lifetime. The drug gives the user a euphoric feeling that is highly addictive. So addictive, in fact, that just a single dose of Whitetail is all that's necessary to cause severe dependency. Oh, and there's absolutely no side effects."

Jaxon's eyes widened as he listened to Howe. "How is that possible? No side effects at all? And with nearly instantaneous addictive qualities?"

"That's right. To make matters worse, the Guzman family has made those facts known and that it is basically a safe haven drug," Howe said. "Initially, they started selling it at a cost substantially less than any other drug on the market today. Then, around six months ago, a sharp price hike took the market by surprise. They've continued to increase the cost ever since, pricing it nearly twenty times more than heroin or cocaine. It's virtually priced out of nearly everyone's budgetary constraints."

"Why would Guzman do that?" Jaxon asked.

"Because he can. He knows the addictive nature of the drug will force people to pay, regardless of the consequences. Now, violence and terror have broken out in virtually every drug community in the world. The demand has skyrocketed, and Guzman has now reduced his production levels, continuing to drive the cost up. Actually, the man has devised a brilliant marketing technique, and if it weren't for the narcotic nature of his business, he'd probably win some kind of an award for his process."

"And your so-called chemists haven't been able to reverse engineer the drug? Find out what makes it so addictive?" Jaxon asked.

"There've been many attempts by some of the highest-trained chemists in the world, but each has been an epic failure. We feel the only solution to the problem is to eliminate the drug at the source."

"Kind of like cutting the head off the snake?"