"Nathaniel? Are you okay?" Lina's voice broke him out of his scrambling thought.
"Hum? Oh, yes I am."
"You're sure? You seem a little lost for a second." Lina asked with a hint of worry.
"Yeah yeah, I'm good. Do you have an address for me?"
"I do! They are close! they lived in a little town called Edison in New Jersey!"
"Of course she is." Nathaniel grumbles unintelligently before clearing his throat. "That was an excellent job Lina. Don't do any more research than that on her but put a flag on that identity, the baby and their house. If anyone made a search online or if they appear on the news or on radio, I want to know about it right away, alright?"
"Of course, a piece of cake." She answered with a desinvolte attitude that brought a smile to his lips.
"Thanks Lina, you're the best." He complimented her, ruffling her hair quickly before going back inside the office.
Being faced with the looks of curiosity from the members of his team, Nathaniel nodded in their direction.
"Please, clear the room guys, I need to have some privacy with her. Lina will bring you up to speed if you choose to know."
Having some reservation about leaving him here alone, they still exit the office quickly, confident in his abilities and his judgement making. Closing the door once they had all left, He walked back to the desk but simply leaned on it this time, looking at her with a piercing stare.
"What is going on?" She asked.
Wordlessly, Nathaniel just gives her the file that he had in his hand. Taking it hesitantly, her face became white as a sheet upon reading it. Nathaniel could see something he had never seen on her before, vulnerability.
"How did you find out this fast?" She asked in a little, defeated voice.
"I have very competent people working with me and I know where to look for. Is this true? Is Marc really the father?"
"Yes. He was the only one I was sleeping with for the last five years so it's easy to be sure."
That was true with Marc also and they had in fact a little 'rendez vous' that was consistent with the date of birth of that baby.
"And you called your son Nicholas." Nathaniel said, looking at her.
"Yes, Marc was raised by his grandfather who had that name and he always spoke fondly of him. I just thought it would be a fitting name." She answers.
"It is, more than you know." Nathaniel nodded, his eyes and thought far away.
Even if Nathaniel was and will never become Marc, he will also never go back to become like Nathaniel from the past. Having Marc memories and experiences had changed him to the core of who he was and what he wanted to become in his life. Like that, even if he could never look at that child as his own, he could also not think about him without any feeling in his heart.
"What are you going to do with me and my child?" She finally asked with worry and fear in her voice.
"Honestly? It depends a lot on your answers to my questions. Why did you take a mission after becoming a mother?"
"Believe me or not but it was supposed to be the last. I took this one because it was near home, the money offered was good and the risk appeared minimal. Obviously, it didn't turn that way but in my defense, no one could have predicted the truth."
"That is my point exactly, you know better than anyone else how everything can happen on a mission. This is not about yourself anymore, there is someone who needs you now like never someone needed you before." Nathaniel said, staring at her angrily. "Get up." He ordered coldly.
"To go where?" She said back with anger, not appreciating the fact to be spoken like that by a kid at least twenty years younger than her.
"Where do you think? My mother wants her office back, preferably without a trained killer in it. While you're at it, drop back the thing you stole from the desk. We are going to my office."
"I wasn't aware you had an office." She answers, putting back the letter opener and the pair of scissors on the desk.
"On this floor, I don't." He responded quickly before pushing the door open, revealing everyone waiting for him. "We are going to the bunker, she's coming with us."
"Nathaniel, are you sure about this?" Lucie asked, walking swiftly to be by his side.
"Yes, I'm tired of choosing carefully what I'm saying and how I say it. Everyone in the elevator now! Scott, take us there." He ordered.
"Yes sir." He answers, sliding his key card into the reader and pressing the button to the underground parking.
While the elevator was making its way down, Nathaniel suddenly chose to speak.
"I know what you have in mind, Ivania. You are currently thinking that it's now or never to flee. You already have your plan of attack ready. You identified Lina as the weak link among us so you will hit her fist with a jab to the trachea, take her gun and then start shooting hoping for the best. You know I will not kill you but if you choose that path, I promise you that I will have no calm in breaking both of your legs and arms, if that's what it takes from refraining you to do something stupid, I will do it. I'm already pissed at you, don't test my patience even more." He said with a voice so cold that it made everyone in the elevator shiver.
Looking with surprise in her eyes at Nathaniel who had his back turned on her, Ivania didn't know what to say. It was almost exactly what she had in mind but she had no idea how he did figure it out. The doors of the elevator opened in that moment, showing a huge reinforced door in steel.
"This is not underground parking." Ivania remarked offhandedly.
"No, it is not." Nathaniel answers, taking the time to enter his personal password after having his retina scanned. The system confirmed that he indeed belonged there, the huge door opened, letting them inside.
"No governmental logo on the screens?" Ivania asked again, looking with professional eyes the entire space. It was not her first time going into place like this. She had even worked for the US on some occasion in the past.
"We are not working for the government." Lucie answers, going to the armory to secure her weapon, followed closely by Lina who was eyeing Ivania warily.
"Than from whom you are working for?" She asked. "None of this is cheap to construct and even more to maintain."
"Let's just say that we are concerned citizens and leave it at that. Follow me Ivania."
Walking to his office, Nathaniel let her in before shutting the door behind her. Sitting behind his desk, he made a movement to invite her to sit in the chair in front of it.
"I expected your office to be more extravagant." She said, looking around.
"Well, I like simplicity and most of the time I'm on the other side with them. I use this office when I have something to say to someone in particular that does not concern the others."
"How very… military of you. So, what am I doing here exactly?"
"You are here because I wanted to speak freely. I'm going to tell you what I expect of you and what I'm going to give you in exchange for that."
"I'm listening."
"Alright. I'm going to ask you to give me every contact you have and a detailed accounting of every operation you took part for the last twenty years. I also want the name of every person you worked for and in what government or organisation. Finally, You will never be allowed to go back to that line of work ever."
"WHAT? You're crazy! You don't understand what you are asking!" She shouted, alarmed.
"I do in fact. In exchange, you will be given Marc personal stuff and the money that he had in his bank account and stashed in various places will be placed in a new account at Nicholas' name that he will be able to use when he turns eighteen. I will also cancel the three differents arrest warrants for you here in the US and help legitimate both of your identities. You will also be allowed to walk out of here like nothing ever happened today, completely free."
Hearing the offer, Ivania lay back on her seat. Seemingly considering the offer seriously.