help even more.
“Thank you again for trying, but we really will be fine. You know where the door is,” Bridgette said and left the room.
He heard her stomping footsteps rush back upstairs and into the master bedroom. When the door slammed, he cringed. The pain, fear and uncertainty she must be experiencing had to be overwhelming, he thought. Knowing that insisting on helping would only backfire, he grabbed his things and left.
Outside the driver’s door of the SUV, he stopped when he felt eyes on him. He turned and looked back towards the house; his gaze found the source. Noah was standing in a window on the second floor. He didn’t wave or move, he just stood staring. Vincent knew whatever Bridgette was feeling, Noah felt tenfold. A child looks to their parents for strength and protection, and when that’s not there, it throws them off and leaves them in a place that is dark. He was sure Noah must be there and Vincent had to find a way to help, but timing was everything, as was his approach.
With a smile on his face, Vincent raised his arm and waved at Noah, and just before he lowered his arm, he mouthed the words, "I’ll be back."
Undisclosed Bunker Facility, Superstition Mountains, East of Apache Junction, Arizona
Michael had asked for the chance to go outside and get fresh air, and Anatoly had granted it. The warmth of the desert sun felt good on his face, and the smell of the dry air made it even better. He loved the desert but especially loved the Sonoran Desert above all he had ever visited. Its rugged terrain, reddish brown colors and unique fauna made it so beautiful to him.
Once outside he could see that their location was remote, and nothing around him looked familiar. His trip outside also gave him confirmation on his assumption that the facility was desolate. He counted three men guarding the entrance, but besides them he saw no one as Karina escorted him through the maze of hallways and stairwells to the exit. This gave him mixed feelings. If he wanted to escape, he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting an army to leave, but if he needed them to protect him against Viktor, there weren’t many of them to put up a defense.
He had spent most of the night thinking about the information Anatoly had disclosed to him. Again, he found it all odd but at the same time strangely familiar. It was this familiarity that he clung to. He eventually passed out from exhaustion but woke only to continue the frustrating process of remembering. As he tried to take a moment to enjoy himself, he quickly went back to trying to piece it all together. Unable to do so, he began to recite what he did know.
He distinctly remembered being in the military; he had a clear vision of his years as a Ranger. He knew he had been a CIA operative and even remembered his early years of training. Only when it came to recent memories did he have issues. He knew he had been on that ship, the very one that was the launching pad for the EMP. He knew some man named Viktor was trying to kill him; he had memories of that. He had distinct memories of Karina and felt they were more than colleagues. His mind then went to family, maybe there he’d be able to put it together, start from the last time he talked to or had seen his brother, Nicholas. He recalled that Nicholas and his family lived in the San Diego area, but he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been there.
Frustrated that most of his memories were a blur or, worse, blank, void of anything, he stopped his pacing and sat on the ground and rested his back against the rough concrete wall. He placed his face in his hands and squeezed. Maybe he could forcibly press his memories out.
The sound of hard soles on tiny pieces of gravel snapped him out of his futile exercise. He looked up and saw Karina, which brought a smile to his face.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Nothing new, I was just sitting here, trying to force my brain to work.”
“Anatoly and I were talking,
“Thank you again for trying, but we really will be fine. You know where the door is,” Bridgette said and left the room.
He heard her stomping footsteps rush back upstairs and into the master bedroom. When the door slammed, he cringed. The pain, fear and uncertainty she must be experiencing had to be overwhelming, he thought. Knowing that insisting on helping would only backfire, he grabbed his things and left.
Outside the driver’s door of the SUV, he stopped when he felt eyes on him. He turned and looked back towards the house; his gaze found the source. Noah was standing in a window on the second floor. He didn’t wave or move, he just stood staring. Vincent knew whatever Bridgette was feeling, Noah felt tenfold. A child looks to their parents for strength and protection, and when that’s not there, it throws them off and leaves them in a place that is dark. He was sure Noah must be there and Vincent had to find a way to help, but timing was everything, as was his approach.
With a smile on his face, Vincent raised his arm and waved at Noah, and just before he lowered his arm, he mouthed the words, "I’ll be back."
Undisclosed Bunker Facility, Superstition Mountains, East of Apache Junction, Arizona
Michael had asked for the chance to go outside and get fresh air, and Anatoly had granted it. The warmth of the desert sun felt good on his face, and the smell of the dry air made it even better. He loved the desert but especially loved the Sonoran Desert above all he had ever visited. Its rugged terrain, reddish brown colors and unique fauna made it so beautiful to him.
Once outside he could see that their location was remote, and nothing around him looked familiar. His trip outside also gave him confirmation on his assumption that the facility was desolate. He counted three men guarding the entrance, but besides them he saw no one as Karina escorted him through the maze of hallways and stairwells to the exit. This gave him mixed feelings. If he wanted to escape, he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting an army to leave, but if he needed them to protect him against Viktor, there weren’t many of them to put up a defense.
He had spent most of the night thinking about the information Anatoly had disclosed to him. Again, he found it all odd but at the same time strangely familiar. It was this familiarity that he clung to. He eventually passed out from exhaustion but woke only to continue the frustrating process of remembering. As he tried to take a moment to enjoy himself, he quickly went back to trying to piece it all together. Unable to do so, he began to recite what he did know.
He distinctly remembered being in the military; he had a clear vision of his years as a Ranger. He knew he had been a CIA operative and even remembered his early years of training. Only when it came to recent memories did he have issues. He knew he had been on that ship, the very one that was the launching pad for the EMP. He knew some man named Viktor was trying to kill him; he had memories of that. He had distinct memories of Karina and felt they were more than colleagues. His mind then went to family, maybe there he’d be able to put it together, start from the last time he talked to or had seen his brother, Nicholas. He recalled that Nicholas and his family lived in the San Diego area, but he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been there.
Frustrated that most of his memories were a blur or, worse, blank, void of anything, he stopped his pacing and sat on the ground and rested his back against the rough concrete wall. He placed his face in his hands and squeezed. Maybe he could forcibly press his memories out.
The sound of hard soles on tiny pieces of gravel snapped him out of his futile exercise. He looked up and saw Karina, which brought a smile to his face.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Nothing new, I was just sitting here, trying to force my brain to work.”
“Anatoly and I were talking,
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