Chapter 10

Flashback – Masha – At the apartment

I was more than shocked! I was furious! While I condoned the previous acts the twins had perpetrated on the Mossad as being justified, I could not condone the total destruction of the Mossad headquarters ... And where did the girls acquire or create the car bomb they used???

I sent them a scathing letter and demanded their return from Israel immediately. However, I was also aware that they paraded to the beat of their own drum and might possibly ignore the order. Seeing as Tatiana and I already handled the situation here, I rerouted the team I had coming here to Israel to 'assist' the twins – that is 'assist' in their departure from Israel.

I had just finished when I heard a noise at the door to the apartment. I placed my hand inside my purse and wrapped my fingers around my pistol but was surprised when...

Flashback – Jack – At the apartment

Hell, if Banzai was going to 'get lucky' I sure as hell wasn't going to be left out. He'd been the luckiest damn bastard on this assignment when we were in Moscow - before we met our girls. Hell, he had a steady stream of beautiful women coming through our apartment keeping me awake too damn much with the noises of great sex. I sort of wondered if Tatiana was going to slow him up some.

But I had bigger worries: The damn worry Banzai zinged me with when I left the hospital – was Masha on birth control and if she wasn't was I ready to be a daddy? Hell, we weren't even married yet.

I opened the door and noticed Masha at the desk with a computer. She looked worried so I questioned, "What's wrong honey?"

She jumped up from the chair, ran to me, gave me a big hug and said, "My Jack, with all that's gone on I thought you might be a Chechen intruder."

I returned the hug and questioned, "Would a Chechen torture you like this?" Then I gave her a hell of a kiss.

One thing lead to another and after a hot time of sex, as I was holding her I asked, "Masha I have a question for you and I'm not sure how to ask it."

She pulled away, sat up in bed, gazed into my eyes and suggested, "Jack, just ask me."

I took a deep breath and asked, "Masha, I was wondering if you were on birth control."

She gave me a funny look and answered with, "Please my Jack, don't tell me that you do not want children."

I replied, "Masha, that's not what I mean at all. I would love to have children with you but just not right away."

She got a big smile on her face and I 'got lucky' again.

Flashback – Tatiana – At the hospital

I discovered during the sponge bath just how 'frisky' Ben was and was overjoyed that 'things' functioned correctly - even if I had to do most of the work. We lay on his bed enjoying the post coitus afterglow when there was a knock on the door. I scrambled to get into my uniform as Ben yelled (in Russian), "Who is it?"

The banging increased on the door and we heard, "I am Doctor Andreievich and I am here to examine my patient's eyes. Open this door immediately!"

I replied, "I am his private nurse. We have just finished his bath and will comply."

I searched like crazy to find my underwear but once again they were missing. I glared at Ben and he pretended to laugh. I shook my fist at him, walked to the door, opened it and a very irate doctor bruskly entered the room and actually pushed me out of the way. I was amazed at Ben's response...

Flashback – Ben – At the hospital

Tatiana and I had a great morning then some son of a bitch doctor that thought he was god (with a very little g) came storming into the room, roughly pushed Tatiana aside and complained, "It's about time I am a busy man."

I held up my hand and threatened, "Don't you worry doctor, after my upcoming call to President Putin you won't be very busy at all."

He paused, looked at me and questioned, "What do you mean?"

I grinned, let it slip into an evil chuckle and stated, "You should really research your patients more thoroughly before you act like a total ass. Hell, I bet you don't even know my name."

He looked at me, glanced at the chart then his face totally changed as he stuttered, "You are ... You are ... You are... 'HIM!' Please forgive me!"

Since the table was turned I calmly declared, "Hell yes I'm 'him' as you said and do you know what your new name is? It's mud!"

He shook his head, "I do not understand."

Tatiana laughed and added the Russian saying, "Свинья́ везде́ грязь найдёт."

Literal: A pig will find mud anywhere.

I watched as his face flushed with rage while he declared, "I have never been treated in such a manner."

I added, "And if you don't get your fat ass out of here I'm going to show you how I treated the damn Chechens!"

He turned, began to leave and I shouted additional insult to injury, "Don't let the fucking door hit your fat fucking ass on the way out!"

The door no sooner closed, than Tatiana locked the door, jumped into bed with me and ... Hey I sure as hell don't kiss and tell!

Flashback – Glen

After sending the Colonel and the Major to Thule for an 'extended' assignment, things finally calmed down in Russia and I thought I'd finally taken care of the situation. Then my aide buzzes me on the intercom, "Sir, the SECNAV is on line one for you."

I thought, shit, what the hell did he want? I answered the phone, "Yes Sir!" and waited to see what sort of mood he was in.

He laughed, I breathed a sigh of relief and he chuckled, "Glen, you sly old fox! You have all of America watching for the next report from Russia - hell it's like a soap opera over there. So what are your next plans?"

I fumbled for something because I didn't have anything when my aide timely walked in and handed me my salvation. I quickly read it and asked, "Sir, how would you like a televised wedding from Russia?"

He exclaimed, "Don't tell me Sgt. Blaine is going to marry that blonde bombshell?

I filed that away to see if I could somehow pull that off but replied, "Not yet Sir, but I have a request directly from President Putin asking permission for Sgt. Reynolds to marry a Russian woman."

He questioned, "Do you think she's the one we've seen in the background?"

I speculated, "Sir, I believe you're correct."

He suggested (more like ordered), "Well, let's see what we can do to give them a hell of a wedding."

I shook my head and wondered where I would find the money out of my budget to do this. I replied, "Yes Sir! We will do our best." But I sure as hell didn't know how I was going to pull this rabbit out of my hat. I affixed my signature to the document, called my aide and stated, "Fax this back to Russia."

Then I pulled up my budget and tried to figure out how I could justify paying for a wedding...

Flashback – Jens

School was boring for me, even though I was so far ahead – in fact that was the problem. I had no one my age that I could talk with. I learned early that if the older girls tried to be my 'friend' it was usually so they could copy my homework or cheat off me during tests.

I was sooooo thankful Daddy had sent me to martial arts because sometimes the older girls tried to force me to do things (and I don't mean homework this time - other nasty things). It seemed like I had to kick someone's rear every couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I still had to take the darn ballet lessons and now with school over for the day I rode to the lesson with the parent of one of the older girls (who Daddy had to pay) to take me to ballet lessons.

Tammy (the girl whose mother drove us) said, "Mom, I'm so excited today because it's tryouts for Swan Lake parts."

Ellen (her mother) replied, "You've really worked on this and I'm sure you will get the part of Odette¹."

¹ Odette – the prima ballerina and main character: An evil sorcerer cast a spell on her and turned her into a swan during the day but she transforms back into a princess at night."

Tammy giggled, "I would love if I did because Robert (the same one from before that pronounced his name Rooh-bear), is sure to be Prince Siegfried². He is so handsome and sexy."

² Prince Siegfried is out hunting, sees Odette in her swan form and he takes aim to shoot her when she transforms back into a Princess before his eyes. Odette tells him of the evil spell that can only be broken if a virgin prince swears eternal fidelity to her. She tells Prince Siegfried, who happens to be a virgin prince, that if he refuses her she must remain a swan forever.

They both giggled like the village idiots they were. I'd had problems with Robert's hands earlier and kicked his rear (you do all remember that, don't you?) and since then he'd left me the heck alone. However it did bother me that he seemed to follow me from ballet school to ballet school – it almost felt like he was stalking me.

I looked out the window and tried my best to ignore the inane babbling, fell asleep and had the most wonderful dream...

Flashback – Todd – On the island

I found some footprints leading from the beach and followed them right up to a tree, where they disappeared - so whoever helped me climbed the tree. What the hell were they, some sort of Tarzan? I scanned the trees, didn't see anyone so I sat down and contemplated a huge problem. I was hungry as hell and how the hell could I eat with my throat fucked up the way it was? Every time I swallowed it felt like my throat was being ripped out...

I took a little of a survival bar, crushed it in the bottom of my canteen cup, put water on it until it was mush and slowly tried to swallow it. I coughed like crazy, my eyes watered and I damn near passed out before I spit it back out again. Yeah something was seriously fucked with the way my throat worked. I decided to see if I could drink some water and had the same damn problem. Hell if I couldn't drink or eat, I had about two or three days at the most to live.

Son of a bitch! Something bit the hell out of the side of my neck! I reach up and fuck no...

Flashback – Alexi – At school

Even though it was my birthday, it was still like every other day – I had to go to school at the laboratory with my 'parents'. So after my party, I dressed in my uniform and our driver took us to the laboratory. Once there, the day proceeded typically: First there were the vitamin injections – I had them every day. I remembered when I was younger, I cried after each injection, but now I was a big boy, it was normal and it no longer bothered me.

Then it was cognitive training. It was a machine that when I was younger was a 10 by 10 grid of different pictures that I had to match. If I missed one I received a nasty little electric shock. Now it was a 100 by 100 grid. Again when I was younger the worst were the first guesses because they were exactly that – a guess and precipitated a shock. But now, there were many times that I somehow knew in my mind where the matching tile was. Today was a good day, I completed the grid with no errors and I would receive praise from my 'parents'.