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Based on an original series and alternate future by Sonny & Ais called In the Company of Shadows.

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Slash (M/M), het (M/F) and graphic language, violence and sexual situations. Not intended for anyone under 18!

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Book One: Evenfall See Evenfall chapter list.

Book Two: Afterimage
See Afterimage chapter list.

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Book Three: Fade
See Fade chapter list.

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Interlude 3.10

Uploaded on 7/5/2009




It was five o'clock in the morning and Carhart stood in front of his apartment door, staring at it wearily as his keycard hovered just above the electronic lock.

His head was pounding and a heaviness weighed on his shoulders-- not just from exhaustion but also from a night spent working nonstop in his office, falling asleep in his chair; and having the brief bouts of restless sleep interrupted early on by the sound of Morgan's cold, deprecating e-mails chiming in his inbox.

Carhart took a slow deep breath and swiped the card, chastising himself for continuing to even bother making contact with the woman. She'd made it quite clear that she wouldn't be with him as long as he associated with Emilio and he couldn't really blame her, so the attempts at squaring things with the Training Captain were fruitless and nothing more than a headache.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the dim living room, closing the door silently behind him.

He wasn't entirely surprised to see Emilio sprawled on the pull-out couch, completely naked with only a sheet half-covering his lower body. Carhart was even less surprised by the fact that his ex-partner's body was still mildly glimmering with sweat and that the room smelled like sex.

Carhart sighed inaudibly and moved further into the living room, his eyes falling on the kitchen area where a woman was facing away from him as she stood on her tiptoes to reach a mug from the top of one of his cabinets.

She was naked except for thong underwear and a tiny black tanktop that appeared to be ripped or cut in half because it exposed her smooth sand-colored back almost entirely and the tattoo of demonic wings that adorned it. The woman had long, nearly waist-length black hair and the toned, athletic body of a field agent.

"Need some help?" he asked, although his tone was sharp and nothing near helpful or friendly.

The woman cried out in surprise, her hand knocking against the dishes in the cabinet as she jerked around to face him. The dishes came clattering down out of the cabinet loudly, slamming down on the counter and breaking-- shards of glass flying about the room and slashing into the woman violently.

"Shit!" she hissed in a low pained voice, her hands moving to yank a large plate fragment from her arm as she hurriedly backed away from the kitchen, brown eyes on him as she ignored the blood that was gushing out of the wound. "I'm so sorry, General Carhart. I'll pay for everything. I'm really sorry."

Carhart stared at her. "Calm down, Agent Guerrera."

Elaine Guerrera was a level 8 field operative in Terrorism; she was strong, determined, and typically had a good head on her shoulders. Except, it would seem, when it came to sexual partners.

Carhart glanced at Emilio but he continued to sleep or at least pretended to since he didn't show any concern for his injured lover.

"Just stay there," Carhart said wearily, pointing at her.

"N-no, it's okay, I have a briefing in an hour and I was just trying to make some coffee for myself and we only just woke up a bit ago but Emilio went back to sleep so I don't know where everything is and he told me last time that--" Elaine broke off, wincing at her own babbling, and crossing her arms awkwardly over her chest, possibly trying to shield the fact that the lower half of her full breasts were exposed by the short length of the tank top as she wilted under her superior's stare.

"I'm really sorry. I'll go."

Carhart made a face and walked further into the kitchen, putting his hand against her shoulder as he pushed her down into a kitchen chair. "You're not leaving my apartment bleeding like that. It's bad enough you're here at all but I don't need excessive questions asked about when and where this happens if you go to the med wing," he said flatly.

Elaine looked up at him, ashen and ashamed, and nodded before dropping her gaze. He stared at her for a moment, unconsciously admiring her features, her full, naturally down-turned lips and heavy-lidded, thick-lashed eyes, before shaking himself and opening a drawer to extract a small first aid kit.

He looked over at Emilio again, not really believing that the man had slept through such a loud ruckus but not doubting that Emilio was capable of almost instantly falling asleep again once he'd determined the sound had not been a threat.

Carhart looked down at Elaine and knelt beside her, narrowing his eyes slightly at the deep gash in her arm. He touched her arm and examined the wound, noting that it likely needed stitches but knowing she would be fine as long as it was patched up tightly for now to stop the bleeding.

She refused to look at him, her eyes downcast, even when he began applying thick, tight bandages to her likely sore arm. Through it all she didn't show even the slightest indication of pain and Carhart couldn't help feeling a vague sense of pride over that fact. When she'd first been initiated as a high-ranking agent, they'd wanted to give her valentine status due to her good looks but she'd adamantly refused and he'd advocated for her until they'd revoked it. They'd argued that they had plenty of other female agents who were valentine designated and it was only due to that fact that Connors had finally agreed.

Carhart dragged his eyes away from her face again and he began removing smaller shards of glass from her arm. He had the mind to let her do it herself but she looked so embarrassed that it was more likely she'd bolt out of the apartment bloody and disheveled, leaving a trail of questions in her wake by the guards who'd likely seen her come in with Emilio.

He wiped her arm and neck clear of the blood that trickled against her smooth skin and applied smaller bandages to the wounds. Her skin felt good against his fingers and Carhart couldn't deny that the proximity to a half-naked beautiful woman who was still flushed from an undoubtedly wild bout of sex stirred something in him.

His fingers actually stilled against her arm for a moment and his eyes caught on her nipples, hard and protruding through her thin tank top, and he felt his breath catch slightly. It'd been almost four months since he'd had sex and it was difficult to not think about it when he could smell it on Elaine.

The musky scent of female arousal was thick around her, a constant reminder of what she'd been doing likely only a few moments before Carhart had arrived. For a moment, the fleeting thought crossed his mind that it'd be so easy to pull her down to the floor, push her underwear aside and have her-- slide into her body that was still wet from fucking Emilio.

Carhart's fingers tightened slightly. He glanced at her, disturbed by his own thoughts, and he noted that she'd been looking at him. When their eyes met, she jerked her eyes away and bit her lip-- shoulders hunched forward.

He knew she knew what he was thinking.

Women had an uncanny ability to know immediately when a man wanted them, and Carhart was sure that his intense gaze did nothing to rebuff the idea. He also knew by her uncharacteristically submissive posture that she would let him do what he wanted, not because she wanted to fuck him-- but because he was General Carhart and she would do what she was told.

Carhart stood up abruptly, his posture tense as he balled the bloody towel up. "Put some clothes on."

Elaine's eyes rose to him in surprise but she looked almost grateful and stood up, hurrying into the other room.

Carhart exhaled quietly, closing his eyes for a moment, before shaking himself and closing up the first aid kit. The only sound in the living room was the rustling of Elaine's clothing and she returned to the kitchen after barely a full minute, a long black sweater hanging off one shoulder and cinched at the waist by a thick metal belt that turned the oversized shirt into a dress.

"I'm sorry," she said again, more seriously this time, as she laced her knee-high black boots. She finally hissed in pain, wincing when the movement of her arm likely pulled at the deep wound. "Really, General Carhart, if I'd known you would be returning I would have left last night. Emilio said you weren't coming back until later."

Carhart looked at her expressionlessly. "It is later."

Elaine looked up at him through a curtain of shiny black hair and said nothing, although there was a distinctly troubled look in her eyes. "General, I know this is an awkward situation but I hope you don't... I hope you don't think negatively about me now."

There was a brief silence between them and Carhart was beginning to feel annoyed that she was still in his apartment, still talking to him. Now that the brief haze of sexual attraction had drifted away, Carhart was beginning to feel annoyed by the entire situation.

The fact that she'd agreed to accompany Emilio here knowing full well whose quarters it was, was blatantly disrespectful in his eyes. She should have known better-- she should have taken Emilio to her place instead. The fact that she was still here, still trying to talk it out with him and-- what? Ensure that he still held her in high regard after she'd used her commanding officer's home as a motel?

"I have two bits of advice for you," Carhart said in the curt, emotionless tone he reserved for field operatives who were officially on his shit list. Elaine looked down instantly, obviously familiar enough with his manner to see where it was going.

"First, don't listen to Emilio. He gets away with his behavior because he is a highly talented and rare-to-come-by operative with a wide variety of contacts that we value. You are a level 8 agent who has achieved no such accolades; your behavior will have far more severe consequences than his."

Elaine nodded, still looking at the floor in shame.

"And two," Carhart went on, narrowing his eyes. "Don't try to excuse behavior that is inexcusable. I don't care if you think you're in love with Emilio. I don't care if your apartment was on fire and you thought there was no other place to go. You committed a gross infraction by coming here and you did so for the sake of sex. If that's your main concern in life, I never would have fought so hard to keep you off valentine status."

She looked up at him quickly, her face drawn and frightened. "Please--"

"Leave," he ordered her and indicated the door.

Elaine nodded quickly and grabbed her bag, hurrying out the door without looking back.

Carhart stared after her for a long moment before shaking himself and moving to the kitchen tiredly, kneeling to start picking up the broken bits of flatware that now littered the floor. His entire body ached due to the night spent hunched over his desk and his already pounding head seemed to be thrumming more intensely.

"Well, you sure told her," Emilio's voice rang out abruptly.

Carhart paused and he looked up to see that Emilio had sat up on the sofa bed. The sheet was pooled in his lab but it was obvious that he was completely naked. His gaze was on Carhart but his expression wasn't readily identifiable.

"She deserved it," Carhart replied curtly, just as annoyed with Emilio as he'd been with Elaine, especially since he suspected that Emilio had begun bringing women back to the apartment for the sole purpose of getting under his skin.

Emilio's eyes followed Carhart as he stood up in the kitchen and when Carhart glanced over again, he saw that Emilio's gaze was hooded, his mouth drawn and expression wrought with the dark moodiness that he lapsed into at varying occasions in the years that they'd known each other.

Carhart often found himself going back to their partnership, their youth, and examining these moments in his mind as he tried to figure out what had been plaguing Emilio in the past.

Had he been thinking of Sin when he'd looked so serious and intense? Or perhaps he'd been worrying about the target that he'd pinned to his own chest the moment he'd found out about Connors' secrets?

It could have been either of the two back then but now Carhart had no idea what could be bothering his phenomenally secretive friend. He didn't believe that Emilio's reinstatement evaluation with Vivienne later that morning would darken Emilio's gaze in that manner, especially when Emilio seemed quite unconcerned with the whole affair.

So what could it be? What could cause that look of displeasure-- that narrowed-eyed and shadowed expression?

"What?" Carhart asked when Emilio just looked into his eyes.

Emilio shrugged his broad shoulders and his mouth turned down even more, his shoulders tense. "Nothin'."

Carhart shrugged, trying not to become too preoccupied with his former partner's peculiarities but as soon as he looked away he felt Emilio's gaze return.

"You could have her if you want her," Emilio said finally in a dull, flat voice. "I wouldn't care."

The comment startled Carhart so much that he paused before dumping the broken glass into the trash. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Emilio continued to stare at him, his gaze hawk-like and intense just like his son's. "Don't lie to me, Zachary. I was watching y'all. I don't give a shit so just stop frontin'. It gets old."

Carhart dumped the bloody shards into the trash with a clatter. "It was a default male response to having an attractive and half-naked woman in front of me who happened to reek of sex. I'm not trying to infringe on your territory."

Emilio scoffed and got up finally, unashamedly naked and facing Carhart without an ounce of bashfulness in his frame. His body was powerful yet sleek in the dim light of the room, his seemingly naturally tanned skin smoothing over the hard muscles of his body like caramel, the impressive length of his dick hanging between his thighs even as Emilio made no effort to cover himself.

"I don't get territorial over random bitches."

Carhart made a face and looked away. "Then why have you had her here on more than one occasion?"

Emilio shrugged and after a pause, grabbed a pair of boxer briefs that fit snug against his body. "She reminds me of someone I know. A girl from 4FF."

"Ah." Carhart looked at Emilio and raised an eyebrow. "Someone you actually cared about?"

"Someone I fucked over," Emilio corrected with little inflection, although his eyes narrowed.

"Well that can be a number of people on a long list," Carhart scoffed in a more judgmental tone than was necessary. He didn't know why that was except for the fact that the entire conversation-- the entire situation, was increasingly annoying to him.

Emilio's dead silence spoke volumes and when Carhart looked over again, Emilio was staring at him with a hard and angry expression, his eyes flashing and jaw clenched. "Fuck you, General Carhart."

Carhart said nothing in response and Emilio turned away, stalking into the bathroom angrily. Carhart stared at the door and before he could even turn away, it opened with a slam against the wall and Emilio reappeared, still in his boxers and looking even more pissed off.

"You're a real condescending motherfucker, you know that?" Emilio demanded, stalking towards Carhart as his eyes glittered furiously. "Don't you fucking dare talk down to me about ruining people's lives, you fucking hypocrite. Who are you to judge me?"

Carhart stared at him evenly, not entirely surprised by the reaction. "Well--"

"Well, nothing," Emilio barked, his mouth twisted in a sneer. "You're going to judge me about shit I've done but what about you, huh? What about great fucking General Carhart who slaps collars on men to keep them in control and locks them in a cage when they're bad? What about General Carhart who fucking rats out his allegedly closest friend to Connors and could have gotten me fucking killed?"

Carhart scowled and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "I didn't rat you out, Emilio."

"You fucking did!" Emilio shouted, shoving Carhart furiously, causing the other man to stumble backwards a step. Carhart grit his teeth and forced himself not to react, although anger began to seep into him slowly.

"Even after all of your bitching about how I didn't trust you to tell you during all of these years-- when you realized it was me down in Mexico you went fucking running to Connors and Vivienne with the information."

Carhart looked away, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes briefly as frustration started to mix with the anger. "It wasn't intentional. I planned to just look into it myself but when I enlisted an R&D agent to help me investigate, Connors noticed it and demanded why we were looking into information around Monterrey. He had red flags and notifications for any data collected from that area because of that whole fuck up mission of Sin and Boyd's," he explained tightly. "I had no choice but to tell him."

Emilio's breath hissed between his teeth as he made a sound of disgust. "You had no choice. More like you have no fucking backbone. I guess it's a good thing Connors got capped before he could send another hit squad on me," he said coldly.

Carhart's looked at the other man sharply but when Emilio just glared hostilely, Carhart shook his head. "What would you have had me do?"

"I would have had you fucking be a real friend and stop using them as an excuse for the fucked up shit you did to my son and that you fucking almost did to me," Emilio growled, clenching his hands into fists and finally looking away. "And you wonder why my attitude towards you has been so fucking different since I got back? It's because the Zachary I knew is dead and this General-Carhart-so-faithful-to-the-Agency shitbag is in his place."

"That is not true." Carhart combed his fingers through his hair although he had to look away for a moment as he realized that from Emilio's perspective, it probably was true. But from his own point of view, he was just surviving and trying to do the best he could to not be completely consumed by the Agency in the process.

"It is," Emilio replied stonily. "You act like you were never my fucking smoking buddy, my drinking buddy, the only person I ever really fucking trusted-- you're just some by the book Agency bitch now and I can't stand it but I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. I could see glimmers of it even back then," he added bitterly.

Confusion clouded Carhart's expression and he shook his head. "What the hell are you on about now?"

Emilio speared him with a withering glare. "You don't remember the last thing you said to me? The last conversation we had before I disappeared?"

A distinct feeling of discomfort tightened Carhart's chest, clenched his stomach, and he narrowed his eyes at Emilio but said nothing.

"You said," Emilio started, walking closer to Carhart until he was right in his face. He glared up at Carhart challengingly, as if daring him to dispute it. "You said if I ever mentioned the shit that went down in Brighton, you'd fucking write me off completely, that our friendship was over."

Carhart didn't flinch away but he still said nothing.

"After everything we went through," Emilio went on, his lips turning down in a frown as his eyebrows drew together over his pale green eyes. "You was just gonna give me the big fuck you over an undercover mission that completely fucked with both of our heads. Just 'cause you wanna put on a certain act for the Agency-- just 'cause you want them to think you're a certain way. Because that shit was more important."

"This discussion is over," Carhart said finally, his voice cold and unyielding. He turned away from Emilio, his body tense and movements stiff.

"Our friendship is over," Emilio retorted in a black, hateful tone.

Carhart faltered and he looked at Emilio uncertainly, some of the cold resolution dissipating in the face of such a claim. "You don't mean that."

"I do." Emilio didn't look happy about it, though. There was no sarcasm in his tone, no sense that he was making light of the situation, no sign of his joker persona. His face was etched with disappointment and his pale green eyes actually looked pained. "I fucking hate you for turning out this way."

"What do you want from me!" Carhart demanded with an angry shout, gesturing his hands helplessly. "They wanted to either dump Sin in the incinerator or fucking keep him locked in a box forever. I only suggested the collar so he could live-- so he could be free-- so they'd give him another chance! I know how wrong it is but what the fuck else could I do, Emilio? I know you think he's better off dead but I'm fucking sorry, I value his life more than that and I think in the end, he's turned out okay."

Emilio didn't have a retort to that so he said instead, "That may be true, but you're still a spineless little bitch who has to put on a front so everyone will keep scraping down to great General Carhart who is so fucking respectable and perfect and never went into deep cover at Brighton and--"

This time it was Carhart who shoved Emilio backwards. "Shut the fuck up, Emilio!"

Emilio laughed at him darkly, his eyes narrowed in distaste. "You can't even stand to hear it, you fucking pussy. You're so pathetic, I seriously just want to fucking kill you and put you out of your stupid pathetic misery for caring so much about what the Agency thinks. I should make a big banner that says General Zachary Carhart modified his cover and--"

Carhart's fist slammed into Emilio's face before he even gave himself the chance to seriously think through the action and before he knew it, they were rolling around in his living room, fighting and effectively wrecking the place.

It wasn't anything that hadn't happened dozens of times in their past-- Emilio had the ability to bring the worst out of Carhart and make him respond more furiously than any person Carhart had ever met. Emilio had an uncanny way of making his temper flare out of control quickly and dangerously but in the past despite any physical confrontation, it was usually just out of frustration and they'd never really tried to hurt each other permanently.

This time didn't appear to be any different.

They hit each other, but not hard enough to seriously injure and even when Emilio chomped down hard on Carhart's ear with his teeth, Carhart slammed his elbow into Emilio's chest instead of his throat which would have been more painful for the other man.

Emilio released Carhart and stumbled back, rubbing his chest with a scowl as Carhart scrambled backwards and glared at his former partner as he breathed heavily from the scuffle.

"You're a dick," Carhart managed finally, narrowing his eyes at Emilio.

"Well, so are you," Emilio retorted, still tense and appearing ready to fight but after a moment of staring at each other, he seemed to deflate and just leaned against the wall, bringing his hands up to cover his face briefly.

Carhart reached up to gingerly touch his ear and noted that it was actually bleeding although at least it was still entirely intact. He glared at Emilio but when the other man continued to stand against the wall in a nearly defeated manner, as if he was giving up on the situation, some of Carhart's doubt returned.

Despite everything, despite the fact that Emilio pissed him off and deliberately goaded him into situations like the one that was occurring, Carhart couldn't forget that Emilio had been the one to breathe life back into him when Carhart's entire life had been bleak and empty after the deaths of his wife and child.

He couldn't forget that in his own way, Emilio had been his best friend and Carhart especially couldn't forget that in the very mission that Emilio was talking about, the mission that caused so much distress in Carhart because of the things he'd done and witnessed in Brighton Community Prison during their seven month long undercover operation-- Emilio had saved Carhart's life on more than one occasion.

"I'm sorry for everything," Carhart said finally, when he'd caught his breath again. "But you did what you had to do to survive and I do what I have to do. I may seem like a spineless coward to you but I would never intentionally hurt you and especially not Hsin."

Emilio dropped his hands finally and he looked at Carhart queerly but didn't reply.

"The means... the means I use are harsh, and can be problematic, but in a place like the Agency," Carhart tried to explain, shaking his head and wincing slightly. "In a place like the Agency, after being here for twenty years, the ends always justify the means, even if the means are considered deplorable by society's standards. You should know that, Emilio. You more than anyone."

This time Emilio frowned uncertainly and didn't bother trying to hide that from Carhart. He didn't brush off the comments, or the fact that something akin to regret made its way into his formerly harsh expression. He was being real with Carhart and Carhart appreciated that fact.

"You're right," Emilio said finally, almost dejectedly. "I'm a hypocritical dumb fuck just like you."

Carhart made a face. "Thanks."

They looked at each other silently for a moment and Emilio turned away finally, holding his shoulder which was likely sore from where it'd slammed against the edge of the coffee table when Carhart tackled him. "You're still a poser, though."

Carhart glared at Emilio and continued glaring even after Emilio once again slammed the bathroom door shut. Carhart could only imagine what the agent who lived below him was thinking about the variety of bangs and shouts that had begun to occur since Emilio's arrival.




Vivienne's office was pristine and remained almost completely unchanged from the moment she'd made it hers over a decade ago. The same low-lying desk sat in the same position; spotless, with necessary items perfectly in order. The bookshelves behind her only held a few more books than before but otherwise looked untouched. The floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall remained so clean that they almost seemed invisible; it almost seemed as though the floor simply ended and a gaping hole opened up to the half-destroyed city beyond.

The only difference today was that Aisha had replaced the single chair in front of the desk with two, one each for Carhart and Emilio.

As Vivienne watched them, her back was straight and her fingers were interlaced as her hands rested on her desk. Despite the relatively hot day, she wore a skirt suit as usual. Today, her black jacket drew in at the waist with a thin silver belt, a turquoise blouse peeking out from beneath as she shifted. Her pale blond hair was pulled back in a low-lying bun and she wore the same subdued makeup as usual; just enough to enhance her ice blue eyes and her full lips which were currently tightened slightly, but not enough to be distracting.

Her expression was as utterly unreadable as ever; that same cool mask that sometimes seemed less alive than a statue's. She studied Emilio closely, flicking along the entire length of him dismissively before settling on his face. Not a hint of her thoughts made it to her eyes or body language; she would probably make a phenomenal poker player with how little she gave away.

Emilio just stared back, a smirk twitching at the corners of his well-formed mouth as though he found something incredibly funny about the entire situation or perhaps about Vivienne herself.

Carhart couldn't help narrowing his eyes at Emilio slightly, willing his former partner to take the situation more seriously and not fuck himself over by being as disrespectful as he'd been on his first meeting with Vivienne.

The General had warned Emilio not to speak unless Vivienne specifically addressed him and not to be sarcastic if that were to happen, not to ogle her just for the sake of being obnoxious and not to, for the love of God, make references to drugs and alcohol.

In essence-- Carhart had told Emilio not to be himself.

He had a strong feeling that Emilio would do the exact opposites just for the sake of being a royal pain in the ass.

"As you can see," Carhart started as he nodded toward the computer monitor. "He passed all of his final training tests with flying colors."

Vivienne's gaze did not so much as flicker toward the screen; she was watching the two of them intently but as soon as Carhart spoke, she focused on him. "He passed the tests but did not pass all the training," she corrected evenly. "He received a poor evaluation in deportment."

Carhart nodded, having expected her to mention that. "This is true. However I know first hand that even though he would not comply with deportment training,--"

"Maybe because I don't need it?" Emilio asked rhetorically, his eyebrows lowering over his pale green eyes as if the mention of the attitude adjustment classes offended him.

"--his personality is adaptable and he can change aspects of it depending on the situation at hand," Carhart continued as if the other man had not spoken.

Although Vivienne's eyes did not narrow, her gaze intensified slightly on Carhart. She seemed to have ignored Emilio entirely. "Is this current information or are you basing it on your interaction or personal opinion from his previous employment with the Agency?"

"I'm basing it on the fact that we were partners for a number of years," the General replied calmly. "And we were assigned to numerous missions that required undercover activity. What you see is what he wants you to see and if he wants us to see a clown, he will act like one. However, his capabilities aren't limited to that."

"That is fortunate, as we have little need for an insubordinate child who cannot be serious even to his superiors," Vivienne said coolly.

Her ice blue eyes shifted to Emilio and narrowed slightly in distaste; she scrutinized him and paused very briefly, probably taking into consideration what Carhart had said. She addressed Emilio directly when she spoke. "Even if you are capable of being a phenomenal actor, I have no use for you if you cannot be trusted to take orders. Can you?"

Emilio smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you don't think you can trust me, why would you expect me to answer that truthfully?"

She did not break eye contact and did not move, although the brief silence that passed made it unclear whether she was weighing his response or if she was simply unsurprised by the answer. "It is not your place to ask questions; it is your place to answer. I suggest you begin doing so when you are spoken to by your superior or I may yet deem your existence unnecessary."

Emilio scoffed softly. "If that's supposed to scare me into submission, it don't. I don't kiss anyone's ass. If that makes me unnecessary, oh well, go ahead and deem it."

Vivienne watched Emilio for another long moment before she finally looked away, reaching toward the computer's touch screen and selecting a link to the side. She pulled it into the center of the screen and it expanded, revealing a list from Emilio's medical records.

"You have a lengthy history of dissent and a criminal record that exceeds many of the hostiles we deal with on a regular basis," Vivienne said briskly. "In addition, your medical records indicate an extensive history of narcotics and alcohol in your bloodstream."

She pressed her finger on one of the more recent lines, which expanded into notations from a doctor regarding the amount of cocaine in Emilio's system at the time of the report. She did not look at the screen, however; she watched Emilio instead. "Even at the point that you cooperated with your apprehension, knowing full well in advance that you would be returning to the Agency, you had cocaine in your system. I did not locate concrete proof that your addiction affected missions in the past; however, I find it questionable that it would not interfere with anything."

Carhart didn't say anything but he did look at Emilio, awaiting his response. He was thankful that Emilio just nodded and appeared serious this time.

"It depends on what you count as interference," Emilio said with a shrug, studying what he could see of the computer and his profile. "I smoke pot and I snort coke but I don't do it on missions and I don't have a dependence more than a dirty habit. If I let it be more than that, my reflexes and response time would be shot."

He paused for barely a moment before adding, "I really don't like that picture of me. Can we do it over?"

Vivienne ignored the question, watching Emilio. "You have not been on missions for nearly twenty years," she pointed out. "Your dependence could have changed in the interim without you specifically being aware of it. Are you basing your assertion on the time with your gang as well?"

"It's not a gang," he retorted, making a face. "We didn't exactly get into scuffles over street turf and shit. It's a highly organized smuggling group that dealt with major players internationally. Now how would I run such a group if I was a complete fuck-up? I would have gotten dethroned by my own men or killed by a competitor."

Vivienne seemed to consider the response, her gaze flicking briefly across Emilio's face as if determining whether he was lying. "According to the intel I have thus far been advised of, your second-in-command has not yet mentioned dissension among the ranks or any issues regarding your cover," she observed after a brief moment. "Do you believe this will remain true and you will be able to retain your position as leader despite your absence?"

Emilio narrowed his eyes slightly and reached up to rub one stubble-covered cheek. The question seemed to irritate him but the irritation didn't seem directed at her and Carhart theorized that the idea of betrayal was what irked the senior Vega. As of now, 4FF believed the agents who'd apprehended Emilio were feds and he was sitting in a prison in America. It was entirely possible, at least to Carhart, that someone else would eventually try to take over.

"My men are loyal," Emilio said finally, looking back at her. "But they're still human. If my cover isn't modified in the next couple of years, loyalties might change and you'd lose your connec' to one of the biggest smuggling groups in the underground if they don't see me on a more frequent basis."

"You are proposing an extended undercover mission in the future to reconnect with your group? Or is this a proposal for short visits between regular missions?" Vivienne clarified, her tone even and not giving away what she thought either way.

Emilio shrugged, still staring out the window with slightly narrowed eyes as if he were going over different scenarios in his mind. "Short, more frequent visits would make more sense with the occasional prolonged stay. But I'd need a good cover as to why I can't be there all the time no more."

Vivienne leaned back slightly in her chair, an unreadable gaze trained on Emilio as her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. Even so, she seemed to be taking the information in and the cool displeasure she'd shown earlier in the conversation was currently absent. She rested her interlocked hands on her lap. "And you believe the current cover would withstand scrutiny for approximately two years before it must be changed?" She seemed to be verifying the information as she understood it, judging by her tone.

Emilio returned his gaze to Vivienne and shrugged again. "My people fear me but they also respect me and the heart of the crew knew me before the Agency did. It would take time for them to want to fuck up that bond, and they know if I wanted to, I could have them all murdered even from jail with the connections I got. I've left 4FF up to my second before, once for over a year, and the notion of dissent never came up. After two or three years... well, people might start getting ideas if they think I'm never comin' back."

Carhart considered that silently, his mind automatically supplying different alternatives to Emilio's cover but he didn't say any of them out loud. He was hesitant to interrupt the first surprisingly serious dialogue that Emilio had had with Vivienne since he'd arrived at the Agency. Carhart suspected it was mostly because the topic was Emilio's pet project, 4FF. Whatever the case, the General was pleased that Emilio wasn't putting on his joker routine.

"That will be taken into consideration." Vivienne said with a curt nod, then paused briefly. "What of your other contacts? Thus far, your information regarding Di Zhi has been successful but we will not be revealing to them that the Emilio Vega they knew is alive. However, will they continue to supply information to your 4FF identity if they believe you are in federal prison?"

"For sure," he replied without hesitation. "They get 80% of their merch from 4FF. Even if they decided to try goin' to someone else, it'd take them a long ass time to find someone else with the resources and even longer to find someone they'd trust."

She nodded again and studied Emilio at length, learned forward and resting her forearms on the desk in front of her once more. "In effect, you speak of loyalty with both groups. One would assume that, with your history of antagonism toward authority and having escaped termination, after returning to a group that you yourself have noted predated your involvement with the Agency, you would have wanted to stay there. Instead, you cooperated and returned to the Agency."

Vivienne raised her eyebrows slightly. "I have read your statements regarding your response; that you wanted to return anyway but did not feel safe until Connors was gone." She trailed off leadingly, clearly waiting for Emilio to respond.

He stared at her. "Point being?"

"Such a statement would imply your primary loyalty is to the Agency, above even previous," she paused very slightly, using Emilio's own term, "bonds."

Carhart couldn't help agreeing with the undertones of the statement; he often wondered who Emilio actually allied himself with, especially since Emilio implied indirectly that he'd really only come back because of Sin. Carhart didn't have problems with that-- in fact he found it admirable that Emilio had grown that much as a person and cared enough about his son even though he tried to pretend he didn't. But for the Agency that wasn't enough because that meant Emilio's loyalty to the Agency didn't exist.

"It does," Emilio said easily and if Carhart didn't know any better, he'd swear the other man was being honest. "With 4FF I'm making money but believe it or not, even if I'm kind of a douche-- I always did have a thing for playing hero and fighting for a greater good and shit."

Vivienne quirked an eyebrow slightly and there was a flash in her ice blue eyes that made it clear that she found that difficult to believe. However, the expression was not overt and she didn't immediately comment on his explanation.

Instead, she asked calmly, "What of Hsin Vega?"

"What of him?" Emilio replied, his tone unimpressed.

"Clearly, you have had no qualms with leaving your son to the Agency for nearly twenty years," Vivienne observed, watching Emilio steadily. "However, would you lead me to believe you have no loyalty toward your family at all?"

Emilio smirked again, with half his mouth. "You answered your own question, babe."

Carhart kept his expression completely neutral, knowing that Emilio was lying through his perfect teeth and not doing a thing to expose it. What Vivienne would see as a flaw, Carhart saw as one of the best aspects of Emilio's personality that he'd seen in the entire time he'd known the man.

Vivienne's expression turned a hint colder at the usage of the word 'babe.' "You will not use that term with me again," she informed Emilio coldly.

She did not give Emilio a chance to respond before she continued, "So when he is terminated for failing a mission or otherwise becoming a liability, it will not bother you." Vivienne said it as a calm statement of fact but it was clear she expected a response, her ice blue eyes scrutinizing Emilio.

"It will bother me as much as it will bother you when Boyd dies tragically 'cause he ain't level 10 material," Emilio agreed with a wink.

Her eyes narrowed and although her expression didn't specifically change, there was tension in the brief silence that passed, as if she were irritated or otherwise displeased. She leaned back in her chair, her head tilted forward and gaze intense on Emilio.

"And your other son?"

Carhart went cold and his gaze jerked to Emilio automatically as his heart skipped a beat. He'd always wondered if Emilio had ever found out about his other child and judging from the look on Emilio's face, it was safe to say he hadn't.

Emilio's green eyes narrowed and his full lips curled down into a frown, his expression skeptical even as a flicker of something darker glinted in his eyes. "Say again?"

"So you truly were unaware," Vivienne observed, tone cool with a hint of something undefinable; yet her gaze was emotionless as she watched him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Emilio demanded flatly as he shifted in his chair, shoulders tense.

"Gemini Perry had a son," Vivienne said calmly.

Emilio shook his head as if dismissing the claim. "She aborted it. She told me she did."

"Then apparently your wife lied to you."

There was a long silence and Carhart had to look away from Emilio's face for a moment, had to focus on Vivienne instead because her cool countenance helped to ground him unlike the brewing storm behind Emilio's vivid green eyes.

The General couldn't help feeling the nagging burn of guilt over the fact that he'd known this since their youth and had never told Emilio. He'd rationalized it as thinking there was a good reason the Agency had kept it secret all along or telling himself that Emilio wouldn't care anyway but judging by Emilio's obvious anger, he clearly would have appreciated being told.

"Well then she's a cunt," Emilio said finally, loathing for Gemini oozing off his words.

"You seem unusually agitated for someone who claims to not care about his family," Vivienne observed. She shifted in her chair as she crossed one leg over the other, placing her interlocked fingers on her knee.

It was not clear from her voice what she thought about this, but the way her gaze intensified and the way she did not seem overtly displeased seemed telling to Carhart, who had been around her long enough to be able to read some parts of her expressions.

He almost got the feeling that the undefinable emotion from before had been some sense of satisfaction due to how Emilio was so caught off guard. Of course, it was possible he was misinterpreting this and he was reading emotions in her statue-like expression that didn't exist.

"I don't appreciate being lied to," Emilio snapped, glaring at her and then casting a suspicious glare at the silent Carhart. "That doesn't mean I have a desire to go play daddy to some kid I never knew existed before now. For all I know he's a fucking moron just like his cunt mother."

"You have no desire to see either of them at all, regardless of the current status of their lives, no matter how terrible it may be?" Vivienne's eyebrows raised just slightly. "Even were you to have the chance to, I believe your term was 'play hero,' and save them?"

Emilio rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest again. "If you're waiting for some kind of reaction that will prove I'm more loyal to whoever for whatever rather than the Agency, it's gonna be a long wait so stop wasting my time with these stupid questions."

"Do not presume to tell me what to do," Vivienne said coldly, staring evenly at Emilio. She continued speaking as if her reprimand had been part of normal conversation. "Your marriage to Gemini Perry occurred shortly prior to your recruitment to the Agency. Given her profession and the fact that you married her in Las Vegas, you are saying that it was an unimportant decision on your part and that you feel no particular connection toward this woman or your son. That the reason you never divorced was due to simple laziness." She said it as a statement and paused, waiting for verification.

"It's got nothin' to do with laziness," he replied uncaringly, seeming to have lost interest in the subject now that his initial annoyance had faded. Although for all Carhart knew, Emilio could be feigning disinterest. "I never plan to get remarried so what's the point of getting divorced? Besides, it wasn't legal anyhow since I wasn't legally an adult yet."

Vivienne studied Emilio for a long moment before she looked over at the screen, closing down the list that was on the screen and returning it to the overview of Emilio's file.

"Even if you felt the need to contact them in the future," she informed Emilio calmly, "should any contact compromise the Agency, we would terminate you, the woman and son, and anyone else we deemed necessary."

"I'm so saddened by this decision that I cannot even begin to find the words to express the extent of my despair."

Carhart sighed and shook his head. Sometimes Emilio and Sin's sarcasm seemed to come from some genetically shared repertoire.

Vivienne seemed entirely unimpressed and she watched Emilio as if he were meaningless to her.

"If he is to be reinstated," Carhart began, deciding that it was finally safe to get to that point, "is he going to be an official part of the unit or a regular field operative who provides a source of intel?"

Vivienne watched them silently for a long moment, long enough that at first it seemed like she wasn't going to reply. There was no way of reading what she was thinking, not in her expression and not in the perfectly straight way she held herself; the way her fingers did not so much as twitch on her knee. The silence was disturbing in a way because Carhart wasn't certain what it meant and it seemed possible that she was still debating Emilio's fate, that there was still a chance he would be terminated.

But then she finally reached over and minimized the overview of Emilio's file. She met Carhart's gaze and responded to him, although it was clear she was also informing Emilio at the same time. "As of today, Emilio Vega is reinstated as an official level 10 field operative assigned to your unit. He is expected to provide the additional intelligence from the contacts that he has gained in his time away from the Agency and his cover will remain for his smuggling group until he is notified that it has changed. He is immediately available for missions and is no longer confined to the compound."

She speared Emilio with a calm but firm look, "This is predicated upon the assumption that he does not cause problems for the Agency. His location and status will be reconsidered the moment he becomes a liability or causes unnecessary attention to the Agency or its operations."

Emilio have her the same unimpressed stare he'd already been gracing her with and shifted as though he were impatient to leave the office and be done with the entire meeting. He didn't seem intimidated by her or worried about the stipulation; if anything he just seemed like he wanted her to stop talking.

Carhart nodded briskly. "Understood. Is that all?"

"Yes." Vivienne was already turning to look away from them, her attention focusing on the computer as she reached out to touch the screen and pull up other files. "You are dismissed."

They left her office and Carhart watched Emilio closely as the other man strode past the outer lobby, not even bothering to stop and flirt with Aisha this time. Emilio's back was stiff and he was clenching and unclenching his hands repeatedly.

Carhart was certain that Emilio was seething at the moment and he had no doubts that as soon as they hit the courtyard and escaped the watchful gaze of the cameras, the anger would once again be unleashed onto him. He spent the next several moments preparing himself for it but to his surprise, the outburst never came.

They left the Tower and Emilio just stuck a cigarette between his lips and sucked on it moodily as they walked across the compound. The silence was tense between them and it left Carhart feeling wary and mildly uncomfortable. Perhaps Emilio didn't realize that Carhart had known but instead of that being a relief, Carhart felt disturbed by the possibility. He wanted Emilio to know -- he didn't want to move on with a charade of playing ignorant.

"I found out about Damian before our mission to Brighton," Carhart said quietly, glancing at Emilio. "Remember that day-- well you probably don't. But it was when I was with Bree."

Emilio didn't react strongly; he lifted his shoulders. "Great."

"I wanted to tell you," Carhart added. "But I didn't know what to do."

Emilio didn't respond immediately and they kept walking. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and for the first time in years the sunshine was strong enough to warm Carhart's face. It was a weird feeling and it almost disturbed him to think of it in terms of the decades that had passed since the bombs, since the war.

He was getting old.

A cloud of smoke fogged out in front of them as Emilio exhaled and finally looked over at Carhart. "I could tell you knew, by the way. Those baby blues don't hide guilt so well."

Carhart frowned slightly and stopped walking. There weren't very many people around them and he wanted the moment to talk candidly without their lips being read and expressions analyzed by whoever would be watching the tapes of their conversation. "You're not angry?"

Emilio frowned slightly and took another drag of his cigarette but this time as Carhart breathed in some of the smoke, he realized that it wasn't solely nicotine in the stick. "Not really. It don't matter. That kid ain't like it was with Hsin. He has a mom-- she was a gogo dancer but still a good lady even if she hated my ass after the first week. He don't need someone like me."

Carhart nodded slightly and he couldn't help the curiosity that forced its way to the surface about a topic he'd always been intrigued by. "So this Gemini-- she must have been something special for you to marry her."

Smoke poured out from Emilio's lips as he studied the General with slightly narrowed eyes, as if he were analyzing Carhart's expression and tone, trying to figure out if he was speaking frankly or holding anything back. After a short pause, Emilio just looked away but not before a disappointed scowl sunk his mouth.

"Not really. She was hot but nothing special. Typical white girl shit with big breasts and a tramp stamp. I was drunker than usual and she was stoned out of her mind and we decided that gettin' married would be hysterical. 'Course the next morning I let her know the real deal and she didn't like that too much. I gave her my cell phone number but she only used it to let me know she was aborting my kid."

Carhart scratched the back of his head and looked away from Emilio. "Beautiful story. Obviously that was one of the great romances of the century."

Emilio nodded and sucked on his cigarette, speaking around it, "Jane Austen woulda loved that shit."

A chuckle escaped Carhart's mouth and they began walking again. "And you really don't want to see this guy? He's probably another clone of you just like Sin."

Emilio just shrugged noncommittally and changed the subject in his typical abrupt fashion, latching on to Carhart's last word instead. "Why the fuck does everyone call him that?"

"What?" Carhart raised an eyebrow at Emilio. "Sin?"

Emilio just made a face as if he should be obvious what he was talking about.

Carhart shrugged. "I don't know. I guess... he never objected and it just sticks in my mind now."

There was another brief silence between the two before Emilio shrugged and seemed to slip back into carefree, or pretend carefree, mode. "Well Sin sounds cooler, anyhow."

"Obviously his top priority," Carhart replied dryly.

Emilio scoffed and flicked his cigarette butt away before shoving his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket. "Well he ain't got shit else going for him these days."

Carhart's eyes flicked down to the ground briefly as his lips turned down into a frown. He couldn't really argue with that.




Continue to the next interlude: 3.11, Forfeit