London near the river Thames

The blueish green water of the river Thames was still, almost as quiet as Octavia Kassoff’s heart. She could hear Big Ben ring out the hour and noted the various cars crossing the bridge each making their distinctive clunking sounds.

Sometimes she would come here to think, other times she just wanted to be alone and this was the only place that felt peaceful enough and isolated enough where she could let her guard down.

The entire last year had been one strain after another. She finally completed development on her pride and joy, the artificial intelligence chip. And this wasn’t any chip. It would help the world. It would help their military troops, their agents and their spies to set aside their emotional baggage and do their job properly.

Octavia had done extensive research on the subject and the one thing that made a mission fail was fear or the need to help. Inserting an operative with an AI chip would make them a better agent. Officially, she was creating this chip for the famous Scotland Yard but unofficially, she was planning on testing the chips on various members of the Legacy.

She had no qualms about doing this. When had they ever really cared about her and her research? All they wanted her for was her expertise and her brain. Sometimes it didn’t pay to have two doctorates and a paper that said you were a certified genius. To tell the truth, there were times when she didn’t feel smart at all. Look at her track record with men. Not one of them had stayed around long enough to get to know her. But they weren’t the only problems in the relationship. A shrink would say that since she had issues with her father in the past that she was making the same problems in her current relationships. Even her assistant Dexter Vargas was more trouble than he was worth.

At that moment the calm was broken by the ringing of her cell phone.

"What?" she said, harshly. She didn’t like being interrupted when she was trying to have quiet time.

"Inspector Graves, from Scotland Yard called again. He wants to know when he can expect to see a working prototype of the AI device. He didn’t sound very happy at the new delays."

"Dexter, we are field testing the device as we speak. I’m going over the right now to check on our subject and make sure the device was implanted correctly." Octavia focused on the water as she walked down the bank toward her car.

"I know. But... what should I tell him? He’s a rather intimidating man."

"And I’m a rather intimidating woman," she said in clipped tones. "Make up an excuse – a good one this time – and I’ll see how well our investment is doing."

Octavia KassoffShe snapped the cell phone closed and glanced back toward the Thames River. "Sorry our visit was so short. Next time it will be longer, promise."

***

Most people didn’t wonder why she hated her father. Many people hated their fathers just because they were their biological sperm donors. But Octavia Kassoff had a real reason to hate her father. He was responsible for their mother’s death. Alexi never seemed to think Isidor was involved but she knew that he was a low down and dirty man. His alliances with the Black Council only proved her suspicions correct.

But she also hated Ethan Fairchild for an equally heinous reason. He had killed her brother Alexi. Ethan tried to deny it but in her heart, Octavia knew it to be true. This was the main reason she was field testing the AI chip on him. He was not only the best but if the chip failed, at least there would be one less monster on the earth.

Ethan tried to make her believe the rumors of the Russian mob putting a hit out on Alexi but she could never see how that could be possible. Alexi was a loving brother and citizen. He would never get involved with the mafia, especially the Russian mafia.

The lab was quiet as she entered through the white double doors. Her office was only a few blocks from Legacy Headquarters so if the need arose she could make it back to work in record time. Dexter sat where Dexter always sat, opposite a large computer with one of the new slim monitors he had insisted on buying himself. His blond hair was not quite the white blond she’d seen on surfers but also not the dark blond most considered almost light brown. It was the color of wheat with streaks of white here and there.

He was too young for premature gray but the highlighting effect did make him stand out in a crowd.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pushing up a pair of black chunky glasses farther up on his nose. "I thought you were going to check Ethan.

"I am. I just stopped by to pick up the remote in case anything goes wrong. If he acts up, ‘click’ and I can turn him off even without the code word."

Octavia riffled through a drawer next to Dexter. She could feel his eyes on her.

"What are you staring at?"

Dexter seemed flustered that she had caught him ogling her.

"I’m just nervous about this whole procedure. We’re not ready for field testing yet."

"Excuse me? Since when did I give you the authority to have an opinion?" Octavia located the remote control device and slipped it into her purse.

"Since never, but..." Dexter took a breath which seemed to give him more confidence. "But.. We should do more testing."

"Why are you so suspicious about this Vargas? Do you know something I don’t?"

Octavia laughed at her own question. "Of course you don’t know more than me, *I* am the genius in the group. Or have you forgotten that?"

"No, I didn’t forget that Dr. Kassoff. I just think we should error on the safe side. Remove the chip from Ethan. Test it some more."

"Sorry, no can do. I have only a little over two weeks before I have to display this at Scotland Yard. Testing cannot wait."

Octavia slammed the drawer closed and marched out of the office.

The phone next to Dexter rang and he picked it up on the first ring. "If you don’t provide the information we require, you dear Mr. Vargas will be wallowing in your own self-made misery."

The caller didn’t reveal their name but Dexter knew what they meant by self-made misery. He couldn’t let anyone know his secret. He had struggled for weeks about transferring the information to the hollow voice on the phone, but as each day slipped away he found he couldn’t. But if worse came

to worse, he didn’t know what he would do.

****

Jeffrey Sogard wasn’t used to being suspicious of his friends, but Faith Fairchild was acting strangely. He watched her from the command station as he lead a team of operatives into the field.

"Team one approach target," he said, calmly.

Faith walked into the weapons area and was having a casual conversation with Boswell Chapman. The older Indian man was busy and only had a moment to speak with her. Jeffrey wondered what they were talking about.

"Pay attention, Sogard," said a disjointed voice from high above him. Jeffrey looked up to see Philip Lancaster glaring at him.

"Sorry, sir."

He put his concentration back to the mission at hand and tried to put Faith’s presence in Legacy Headquarters out of his mind. He successfully accomplished this for about an hour.

When he managed to make his way to the weapon’s area both Faith and Boswell were gone. He couldn’t help but wonder what had transpired. He heard about Faith’s encounter with the thought to be dead Ian Fairchild. Jeffrey still had a hard time believing that psychopath was on the loose again. But Chandelor Knight himself had seen the man and that was good enough for Jeffrey.

Being the curious sort and one who couldn’t leave a mystery alone, Jeffrey pulled up the internal security tapes from the weapons area. Everything was business as usual until Faith appeared. Boswell chatted with her pleasantly about the weather and how he couldn’t believe she didn’t have a boyfriend.

Boswell trusted Faith and left her alone in the weapons arsenal. That was a big mistake. As soon as the Indian left, Faith hacked her way into one of the holding bins and got her hands on a very big gun.

Jeffrey stopped the tape and stared at the expression on her face. That was a girl on a mission – a very deadly mission. He wondered what she needed a gun for. Then the answer came flooding into his consciousness. Ian Fairchild. She was going to kill him.

***

Kevin Fairchild had been in a fowl mood ever since Michela dismissed him in the hospital a few weeks ago. How could he have been so stupid, he wondered. How could he have possibly believed that she had suddenly fallen out of love with his brother and into love with him. He must have truly lost his sanity in the Bulgarian underground.

He stalked through the halls of Legacy Headquarters. His mood was not only apparent in his expression. It was also clear by what he was wearing. A dirty, white t-shirt that had been through the ringer and back. Smudges of dirt painted a haphazard pattern across his chest. The jeans were just as dirty and had gaping holes in the knees.

Boswell passed Kevin in the hallway. He obviously was in a hurry but he threw him a humorous stare and shouted, "Going to a job interview?"

It was that way with them. Kevin would wear the most unprofessional garb he could find and Boswell would tease him about looking for another job – like there was another job for a man with weapons skills, espionage training and an entire closet full of t-shirts.

He didn’t even bother to wave as Boswell disappeared into a secure area beyond a pair of white doors.

Gia Doyle was the next to cross his path. She was wearing a suit in a bright yellow. The skirt came to mid-thigh and her matching pumps clicked down the hall in a set pattern. It was the most vivid outfit he had ever seen her wear. Usually she stayed in the family of dark red, brown, gray and black. Although most becoming it was an unusual choice for her. He guessed the ice around the queen’s heart must be melting a bit.

"There is just something wrong with this picture," Kevin said as Gia passed him.

She dramatically turned around, she did everything curtly and dramatically, and gave him a large unnatural smile. When she smiled she was actually sort of beautiful. In all his years with the Legacy he’d never seen this side of her before. The smile edged farther across her face.

"Do you have a problem with contentment, Fairchild?" she asked, with a sharp but warm tone to her voice.

"No, but I figure if you’re smiling – one of us Fairchild’s is soon to be frowning."

Kevin regarded her with a contempt that bordered on maniacal. What right did she have to be happy when he was wallowing in misery?

"Why don’t you stick to throwing jibes at the real object of your depression. Is it my fault Michela came to her senses before making the biggest mistake of her life?"

Kevin considered throwing a punch at her but she must have read his mind and stepped closer and whispered, "Don’t ruin this beautiful day for the rest of us. Go home."

Kevin’s eyes narrowed. He was in no mood to be verbally sparring with a black belt like Gia. He’d gone down for the count one too many times trying to keep up with her mind games. Today, Gia found some sick pleasure in torturing him about Michela. One day he vowed to return the favor.

"Revel in it while you can because before you know it, you’ll be the one eating humble pie, mine!"

***

"What was that all about?" Philip Lancaster asked, indicating he had over heard part of her conversation with Kevin. She stepped into his office and closed the door.

"Ignore him. He’s fallen off the wagon again. I’m surprised he could even find his way to work this morning." Gia sat in one of the burgundy chairs opposite Philip.

"That bad?"

"Worse. A few operatives saw him thrown out of three different bars last night. He isn’t taking Michela’s rejection well."

"Maybe we should assign him something out of the country. You know, to take his mind off of it."

"That just might be the only option," she said lighting up a cigarette. She blew out a long stream of smoke and stared at Philip. "He’s definitely a loose cannon."

Gia left Philip’s office and walked down the long passageway that lead to the surface. Some days she liked to walk the streets just to connect herself with the human race again. Pulling her collar up, she melted into the flow of bodies.

All that consumed her mind was what had happened back in the Bulgarian underground lab. She had made what she thought was a deal with the devil to ensure Faith Fairchild’s safety. She could have cared less about the other kid, but Faith was Ethan’s sister and saving her meant going up a few notches in his eyes. She was willing to risk what an act of kindness would do to her reputation as a cold-blooded ice queen if it meant getting Ethan back into her life.

She was literally blown away when Ian revealed that he had Ethan’s memories. No one knew about her rendezvous with Ethan except the two of them. Everyone else plied the rumor mill with "did they" or "didn’t they" questions but no one really new for certain. That’s when the idea came into her mind that if Ian had Ethan’s memories, he was sort of like Ethan himself. Suddenly her elicit suggestion to Ian became a desire she had to experience.

The gamble had eventually paid off. Ian took her bait and Faith left with Chandelor Knight and his pilot, Stone. Julian Black seemed upset at the prospect of leaving his niece, but he had no other choice. Letting her leave with his father was better than leaving her with a self-confessed serial rapist. Gia knew that having Faith leave with Mr. Knight held even more advantages because Ethan would never forgive her if she left Faith with either Ian or Black.

But surprisingly, Gia found the upside to making a deal with the devil. It was virtually impossible to tell Ian and Ethan apart. So when she agreed to have sex with Ian, she pretended it was Ethan she was talking to. She pretended it was Ethan she was making love with. A few times during the heated moments she almost yelled out Ethan’s name but she managed to control herself. She didn’t want Ian knowing that she was constantly thinking of his brother while making love with him.

Even though she knew she was beginning a relationship with Ian, in her mind, she believed it to be truly with Ethan. Ian was an agreeable substitute. She had only made love to Ian one time but she hoped he was eager for a repeat performance.

The dark murky streets made way to a drab apartment. The decorations were modest at best. Gia wasn’t one to put her memories out in the open like the rest of the world. The dim lights barely lit up the room. One bulb was out and she hadn’t had time to replace it. She made a mental note to get one soon.

As she walked into the next room, a blue cast from the television flickered across Ian Fairchild’s face. He was staring at the screen but he wasn’t watching. Absently he flipped betwen channels as if it was a sort of Zen meditation. She guessed he was making himself at home.

"Finding everything okay?" she asked. This was the awkward point in a relationship where one wrong word could have catastrophic results.

Ian didn’t tear his gaze away from the set.

"You’ve ruined my surprise," he bit out harshly.

Gia balked. "I could come back in again and act surprised. If that’s what you want."

Ian bound out of the chair and grabbed Gia by the throat. His eyes were two dark menacing slits. She made a gurgling sound as she tried to breathe.

"You knew I had Ethan’s emotions as well as my own. And you used that against me." Ian squeezed harder.

Gia’s eyes bulged and she tried unsuccessfully to get out a strangled "no".

He read her lips and growled. "Yes! You knew, slut. You’ve always known!"

Ian released her throat and backhanded her to the face. She flew across the room and crashed into the wall face first. Blood trickled down her lips.

"No," she said, wiping the blood away. "I didn’t know. Franklin tricked me."

"Liar! You will not side track me again. I came back for Faith and I intend to have her!"

Gia reached for her gun which was holstered in the small of her back. Ian noticed the slight movement and cracked his hand against her nose, breaking it. She gasped at the sudden rush of pain. Ian grabbed the gun away and leveled it at her.

Neither heard the intruder come in through the open door. Faith Fairchild heard the commotion and cautiously approached the scene. She raised the large gun she had stolen from the Legacy arsenal and aimed at Ian. Her hands shook furiously.

Ian continued to scream at Gia. "You are an obstacle I can no longer tolerate. That means, unfortunately, you have to die." He said the words with an emptiness in his voice. "I hope there are no hard feelings about this."

A shrill "NO!!" sounded from behind Ian. He turned sideways making himself a smaller target while still holding his gun on Gia. The gun jerked in Ian’s hand as it discharged. Faith’s gun also fired.

Gia could only stare at both of them. She saw the guns lurch. She saw Ian grab his waist, but some how both bullets pummeled into her torso. Her eyes blinked back the pain causing her eyes to see a flash of random images. The images moved across her field of vision like a strobe light. She saw Faith drop the gun and heard it hit the floor. Then she screamed and ran from the room.

Ian glanced back at Gia, picked up the gun Faith had dropped and placed Gia’s gun onto a nearby table. He was very calm in his actions. He didn’t flinch when Gia’s body convulsed and fell to the floor like a broken rag doll. Her eyes glazed over and blood oozed from her wounds and seeped into the white carpeting.

With his work done, Ian donned a pair of designer Oakley sunglasses. He had to look perfect when he caught up to Faith. She had shot his enemy for him.

She wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. He had to find her.

Ian turned and looked at the dying woman. "I’d say, ‘see you later,’ but I don’t plan on it."

As he left he closed and locked the door. He didn’t want any would be heros coming to Gia’s rescue.

He reveled at the prospect of the chase. Faith wanted to play hide and seek. He truly loved that game and he intended on winning this time. This was going to be even better than his previous encounter with the young Fairchild.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he called, racing down the hallway.

***

Three hours later Kevin Fairchild was downing his fifth beer in an hour. Usually when he was drunk he sang folk songs but tonight he couldn’t think of any.

"One more!" he told the barkeep.

The bartender looked to a blonde woman at the end of the bar. She nodded and held up one finger.

"This is your last one, buddy," the bartender said.

"Aw! Come on. I’m a paying customer."

"Sorry kid. Boss says only one more."

Kevin leaned on the bar and took a huge gulp of the pale liquid. Two threatening looking figures entered the bar and Kevin regarded them. Definitely two operatives. He could tell that even when he was drunk. As they drew closer he could see they were Pete and Juan. Two Legacy clean up men.

"Pete. Juan. Sit down. Have a beer on me."

Juan Martinez was a intimidating Hispanic man. He slapped Kevin’s beer away from him and grabbed one of his arms. Pete latched onto the other.

"Where are we going?" Kevin said between hiccups."

Pete Bain scowled like he thought Kevin should know what they were there for. "Kevin Fairchild, you’re being charged with the attempted murder of Gia

*****

Octavia awoke with a strange feeling of exhilaration that morning. Today was the day she would see the fruits of her labor. First, she had to see how the implant was functioning, then she would test it. Grabbing the remote control from her purse, she glanced at it cautiously. This was not an item to take lightly. This was an item that would make or break her career. She had to handle it carefully. Octavia pulled on her customary black slacks and turtleneck, then wrapped a long velvet cape around her slim body. It was a dramatic outfit, well fitted for a dramatic day ahead.

It was early as she pushed the accelerator and sped down the deserted London streets. Only the occasional late-night reveler, stumbling home in a drug-induced haze, was witness to the black Jaguar with the stunning blonde sitting inside. Octavia fingered the remote with one hand as she used the other to negotiate a corner. She had been up late programming the remote with Ethan's first assignment. Soon she would use it, but not until she knew the implant was functioning correctly.

At least that had been the plan.

She screeched to a halt outside Ethan's flat only to see him, looking grizzled and worn, slipping into the back of a cab. Strange, Octavia thought. The procedure should have left him unconscious longer than that. She pulled her seatbelt back over her chest, hearing the snap as it fastened, and swung her car around to follow the cab.

It had been a merry chase up and down the empty London streets but Octavia was an excellent driver and knew she could keep him in range without being spotted. Ethan exited the cab looking even more worn than before. Something was wrong, she sensed. Seriously wrong.

As as she snuck through the Legacy infirmary, she tried not to call too much attention to herself. Rounding a corner, Octavia saw Ethan just as he turned and ambled down another hallway. Quickening her pace, she hurried to catch up with him. There was something different about the way he was moving. Ethan was inherently careful, always watchful for an adversary who might leap out of a dark corner. He was always on edge. Always ready to strike.

When they had been lovers during his time in Russia, Octavia often watched him as he slept fitfully and wondered what demons so taunted him in his sleep? What enemy was attacking him as he recovered from the previous day's mission? She had learned after only a few nights with him that she had to get out of his way when his dreams woke him in a panicked sweat, and he reached out to find an imaginary enemy holding a gun that wasn’t there.

The way he was walking now, the determined stride, the total disregard for his surroundings, was different. It could be the familiarity of the Legacy halls, a place where Ethan had practically grown up, but Octavia's well-trained senses told her that something was wrong. Something else about his movements wasn’t kosher. This was the main reason why she hesitated to use the remote. This was why she followed him, gliding silently behind like the specter of his conscience.

As she rounded another corner she stopped, staring down the long, empty hallway. Her eyes narrowed, scanning every detail. Every hair on her body rose to attention at the tingling of danger. The muffled curse wasn’t as noticeable as the sound of the firearm as it engaged an opponent. She knew

Ethan had such a weapon on his person and in his current state of mind, if she was indeed correct, he could be capable of anything.

No longer concerned with stealth, she leapt forward, pushing the door open farther.

Oh, my God! Her mind cried. Now she knew there was definitely something wrong. Ethan Fairchild was holding a gun, steady and straight, to a woman's forehead. His hand over her mouth like an assassin, ready to attack. But the thing that struck Octavia was the woman’s eyes. So expressive, so needful so terrified. Octavia knew she would never forget those eyes. They were the eyes of her best friend and confidant, Michela Forsythe. How had it come to this, she wondered still standing stoic in the doorway gaping at the sight of them. Michela was scared. That much she knew for certain. Who wouldn’t be frightened in a situation such as this. Here was your lover, the man you loved, holding a gun to your head. Octavia couldn’t contemplate how her friend must have felt. She’d never loved anyone enough to be terrified of them.

Shaking the shock out of her system, Octavia flipped back her cape and felt for the gun she always wore by her side. Legs planted shoulder length apart, ready for anything, she took a deep breath. Before she could adequately formulate a plan, Ethan turned towards her, and she felt her body turn to ice. The look on his face was one she'd seen before, but only on the face of the monkeys in her lab that had been the unfortunate recipients of the AI implants. It was a cold, detached stare with no trace of Ethan Fairchild in their dark depths. The coldness in Ethan's eyes, the lack of humanity, sent a strange wave of exhilaration and dismay through Octavia.

He'd been activated.

The only problem was that Octavia hadn't activated him. Someone else had control over Ethan Fairchild!

Continued in Episode Six. Read on!