Late next morning, I roused with a killer headache. Moaning and groaning, I grabbed my throbbing head as I attempted to pry open my leaden eyelids a slit. I caught sight of the nurse standing next to the monitor, noting my vital signs down on the chart. “Good morning Miss Miller. How are you feeling?”

“Lousy,” I mumbled grumpily. I blinked repeatedly to establish focus on my surroundings. “Where am I?”

“At the Medical Center. You were brought in early with a case of fume intoxication.”

“Fumes?” I coughed, cringing at the pain radiating through my skull. “What are you talking about?”

“Your house was gassed during the night,” Rudy informed as he walked into the room. He then addressed the nurse,” “How is she?”

“The vital signs have returned to normal. But the head is another story.”

“And the stomach,” I added with a grimace.

Rudy instructed his nurse to fetch the medication while he double-checked my vitals and corneal reflex. “I don’t understand whey the house would be filled with gas. Was there a leak?”

“No leak. Only people that snuck into the house through a basement window and filled the venting ducts with gas to render you both unconscious.”

The boldness of Rudy’s statement startled me, sending me into a panic as to what really occurred last night. “How’s Steve?” Rudy forlorn expression put the fear of God in me. With both hands I pushed myself into a sitting position and with a hunted expression, I reiterated, “Rudy, how’s Steve?”

“We don’t know. When Oscar and his men arrived at the house, he was already gone.”

“Gone? How is that possible? There were two agents posted in front of the house.”

“They were both chloroformed. Agent Fowler remembers being struck in the head and then nothing. Oscar has dispatched search teams to try and locate Steve. So far…nothing.”

I made an attempt at slipping out of bed but was quickly seized by a powerful dizzy spell. “Where do you think you’re going?” Rudy chastised.

With eyes shut tight, I drew in a few cleansing deep breaths to dispel the nausea and mumbled weakly,” I want to join in the search.”

“Not in your condition, you won’t.” With hands on both my shoulders, Rudy eased me back into a recline position. He picked up the two tablets that his nurse handed him and poured a glass of water. “Here. Take these pills. They will help against the pain.”

“They’ll make me drowsy. I can’t afford to have a addled brain right now,” I lamented, pushing Rudy’s hand aside. “ I need my wits about me.”

“Either you take the pills or I’ll make it an injection. It’s your choice,” Rudy threatened with a scathing look that made me wilted. With an annoyed sigh I nodded in agreement. I popped the two tablets into my mouth and swallowed them whole with three gulps of water. “Good. Now you rest. I promise to keep you up to date on the situation with Steve.”

“Thanks Rudy.”

He smiled his gratitude before he crossed to the door. After casting a last glance behind to ensure I was following doctor’s order, he exited the room.

Sleep was long coming as I fought the drowsiness creeping over me. Staring at the ceiling while twirling my thumbs, I racked my brains for a solution to speed up the search process. I wondered whether the engineers at home base had finally located the origin of the illegal terminal. On a whim I picked up the phone and contacted the chief of communication, Joe Canton. He reported that despite their best efforts they were unable to tap into the unauthorized link. He suspected that it had been removed given the fact that the hackers got what they were after.

As I hung up the phone, Jason sprung into mind. “I wonder…,” I mused to myself, meditating over the prospect of his computer skills coming to our rescue. I dialled Doreen’s number, hoping to catch Jason before he left for school. Luckily my call came just as he was leaving the breakfast table.

“Jason, hi!”

“Cassie! Are you back from your assignment?”

“Not exactly but I am still in Washington. Had a little accident.”

“Are you okay?” he asked with great concern as he turned to his mother with a worried frown.

“Yes I’m just fine. Just need a bit of rest.” I paused to yawn my head off before continuing. “Jason I have a huge favour to ask of you. We have a computer problem at my workplace that no one so far has been able to address, and I was wondering if you could be of some help.”

“That all depends. What’s the glitch?” He sat on the arm of the sofa and picked up a pen to jog down the information given. “I can see how that could be a problem. Hackers are known to use a firewall that prevents anyone from tracing their link. I designed a software aimed at reversing that process and enable anyone to gain access to the source of the terminal.”

“Even if the link has been severed?”

“Well that’s a bit more complicated but not impossible. That link left a trace and with the aid of the software I can sniff it all the way back to its origin, a bit like a photon trail in a time warp vortex.”

“You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I’ll contact my boss to let him know we may be able to solve the problem. Would you be willing to help us if he agrees to let you try?”

“Sure,” Jason shrugged.

“A life is at stake, but I need to clear it with my employer first.”

“I’ll be here for another hour. Then I have a class in math. After that my entire afternoon is free.”

“I’ll try to call you within the hour. Thanks Jason. That’s two dinners I owe you.”

Jason could feel the blood mantling over his cheeks in embarrassment and despite his best efforts to conceal the blush from his mother, he could not fool the parent who flashed an amused smile at the thought of her son’s first crush? “What did your best girl tell you to make you so crimson in the face.”

“Mooooooooom! He whined. “She’s not my best girl. She’s a good friend, that’s all.”

“Okay,” she humoured. “What did your good friend tell you?”

“They’re having a problem at her workplace locating an illegal link to their computer network. She asked if I could help and told her about my new software.” He heaved a heavy-laden sigh and his eyes took on a hunted look at the thought of failing in his task. “Mom what if I can’t do it? She said that a life was at stake.”

“Jas., since when have you ever failed? You do your best. That’s all anyone asks of you. Besides she called you as a last resort. I’m sure the computer technicians at her workplace tried everything. So don’t feel bad if you don’t succeed.”

“Thanks mom.” He leaned in to brush a light kiss on her cheek. Although his mom’s pep talk built up his confidence to some degree he was nevertheless filled with a sense of dread at the gamble he was about to wager. He could never bring himself to admit defeat in front of his special girl.

Oscar complied with my request to provide Jason temporary security clearance to the OSI. I contacted the young man to instruct him on the procedures to follow once the official car picked him up at his house. Owing to the fact that I was still feeling woozy I was not allowed to leave the hospital, and therefore would not be present to give him moral support. He would be on his own, which pleased him to some extent knowing that he could better hide his embarrassment from a total stranger in the event of a failure. He had confidence in his software, but a doubt lingered in the back of his mind as to whether it would work on a wide network.

In early afternoon, two agents showed up at the Albrights’ residence to pick up the computer wiz. Jason was slightly amused by their strait-laced appearance that was reminiscent of the movie ‘Men in Black’. They drove to the Pentagon, after which they escorted the young man up to computer engineering where MARK 9 was awaiting his commands.

Once the introductions out of the way, Jason sat behind the impressive computer and heaved a silent shuddering breath to quell the anxiety growing within him. He could sense close to a dozen people looking over his shoulder, spying on his ever move. He channelled all of his energy on the job at hand, discarding the scrutinizing stares that would otherwise disrupt his concentration.

Twenty minutes glided by before Jason hit jackpot. “I think I may have something.” The scattered group congregated around the young genius to peek at the monitor. He tapped in a few more keys to retrieve the phone number of the unauthorized link. “There it is: 555-6538.”

Oscar turned to Joe Canton and urged him to put an address to the number.

“The link is no longer active,” Jason added. “It was severed less than forty-eight hours ago.”

“How can you tell?” Oscar queried in utter amazement.

“It’s rather complex. It’s based on the same principle as photon trails, much like the ones that car lights leave on a busy highway at night. When you take a photograph you can still see the streaks even after the car is long gone.”

“That’s fascinating. And you designed this software by yourself?”

“I did. I must admit that it was a bit unnerving trying it on in your wide network considering the fact that it only worked on a single computer before. I never had the chance to test it outside my own PC.”

“I have it, boss,” Joe informed as he stepped up to Oscar to hand the information. “It’s an apartment building downtown. I know it because a friend of mine used to live there.” Oscar’s worried frown prompted him to elaborate. “Don’t fret. I never discussed my work with him. Besides that last I heard he was living in England.”

“I believe you wouldn’t divulge any confidential information, but what if managed to retrieve it without your knowledge?” Oscar surmised apprehensively, eager to find a clue as the identity of the vermin behind Steve’s abduction.

Joe scoffed Oscar’s assumption that he could have been drugged into disclosing any data that would have enabled his friend to easily hack his way into the computer system. Oscar wasn’t convinced. He dropped the subject for now, making a mental note to broach it again later should they hit a dead end with the address.

“Jason, my two associates will drive you back to your house. I will be in touch with you later regarding your software. I may have a proposition. But right now our main priority is to find our missing agent.”

“I understand sir. I was glad to be of some assistance.”

“More than you know, Jason. You may have saved a life.”

Soon after contacting me with the good news, Oscar and his men converged to the apartment building in question. He, Russ and two other agents went up to apartment 416 and knocked on the door. When no answer came, Oscar nodded to Russ to pick the lock.

With guns drawn the three men proceeded circumspectly inside the apartment with Oscar following close behind. Instead of surprising the hackers, they found an empty apartment. Only a few pieces of furniture and kitchen appliances remained. They combed every inch of the apartment, rummaged through every closet, even the cupboards for clues as to a possible lead on the hackers’ identities. Oscar ordered Russ to call on the forensic lab to send technicians to dust for fingerprints and if fortunate, pick up some strands of hair for analysis.

Later in the afternoon in my hospital room, I was slipping on my clothes when Oscar dropped in for a visit. I noticed his hands were in his pockets, a sign that usually signified bad news. Barely had I caught a glimpse of his forlorn expression that my shoulders sagged and my heart sank. “You didn’t find him,” I asked gloomily. He simply shook his head and lowered his eyes as if in shame of having failed in his task. “You caught the hackers, didn’t you?” His vacant stare was self-explanatory enough. I flumped down on the edge of the bed in utter prostration.

“I have two dozen men combing the state. I’ve alerted airports, harbours, bus terminals to be on the lookout for him.”

“Did you find any clue at their headquarters? Anything substantial that can help with the search?”

“The forensic team did find a few fingerprints and stands of hair. The lab is analysing them right now. We hope to match the results with the ones on the list of wanted criminals.”

“And what if they are not on that list?” I asked rather cynically, my temper flaring up at the lack of progress in the investigation. “It’s been more than twelve hours. Odds are they’re no longer in Washington. We’ve wasted too much time as it is.” I bounced off the bed to grab my sweater draped over the bed rail. “I’ve got to do something. I can just sit idly by and wait for the results”

“And just where do you expect to start looking?”

“I don’t know!” I lashed out, flinging my arms in the air. “I just got to go. I feel responsible for what happened. You entrusted me with his life. I was supposed to protect him,” I quavered, striving to suppress my emotion in front of Oscar.

“Hey! You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.”

“Yes!” I shrieked angrily. “I should have. I should have slept with one eye open at all times.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Oscar scoffed with contempt.

“Am I?” I retorted icily. “I’ll just drive around. Maybe I’ll get lucky and pick up a trail. It’s better than sitting around, waiting. I’ll be in touch.” On that caustic tone I marched out of the room leaving Oscar in my wake.

The trail grew colder as the search for Steve intensified, blighting our hopes of finding him alive. Jim’s birthday was only two days away and I yet had to pluck up the courage to contact him with the news of Steve’s disappearance, which I knew would push him over the edge as he still grieved the lost his wife. I had to feed him an inventive story as the reason for our not being able to attend his birthday party. I thought of going by myself and pretend that Steve was on a mission that took longer than expected. But I needed to be in Washington to keep abreast of the latest developments.

I would concentrate on Steve’s voice, conditioning my brain to be receptive of any sort of telepathic forlorn cry. I would fall asleep with the hopes of hearing him calling out to me in dreams but nothing but a deathly silence would echo in the walls of my mind and I’d rouse feeling more dejected than the day before.

Two weeks had worn on since the abduction. The head of the NSB summoned Oscar to a private meeting to discuss their options. Seeing how every man was on stand by pending further instructions, I decided to use my time to seek out intimate little places that might hold clues, like Steve’s old stomping grounds. I visited the park where he and I would tread nearly every weekend. While scanning his favourite spots I observed Jason sitting at a picnic table with his nose buried in a book. A smile crossed my lips at the friendly face and walked over to him.

“Hi there! You never take a break from your studies, do you?”

“What can I say? I’m a computer freak.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“Any word on Colonel Austin?” he asked solemnly, closing his book.

I gave a woeful shake of the head and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the emotion rising to my throat and my eyes stinging from unshed tears. “No,” I breathed out. “But we’re not throwing the towel yet. I get frustrated at the lack of progress, wishing I could do more but we must proceed accordingly or we might lose him for good. Thanks to your help we may be able to get him back safe and sound.”

“I hope so. I’m looking forward to that dinner you promised us,” he said on a light teasing tone that elicited a flicker of a smile and prompted a friendly arm to be wrapped around his shoulders.

“And I will cook you the best meal you ever tasted. It will be a celebration.” I tried sounding cheerful but Jason could see my eyes betraying my true feelings. “I heard that Oscar has offered you a summer job at the OSI?”

“Yeah. He even offered to cover the cost of my studies at MIT.”

“I’m so happy for you Jason. You truly deserve this opportunity.”

“It’s all thanks to you,” he mused with a twinkle in his eyes that quickly faded at the sight of my faint smile. “Hey cheer up!” he said, placing his hand on my arm, “You’ll find him.” In a spontaneous gesture he pulled me to his arms in a warm hug. I tapped into his strength to replenish mine that’s been waning for the past few days.

I returned to the OSI to be stricken by a bombshell.

“What do you mean Hanson is calling off the search?” I blasted at Oscar who had already braced himself for my reaction.

“Sit down, Cassandra.”

“I’d rather stand if you don’t mind?” I replied bitterly. “So?”

“So Hanson feels that it’s a waste of time and money for he believes that whoever took Steve wanted him for study purposes and therefore must be…” Oscar faltered at the word he couldn’t bring himself to utter.

“Must be what? Dismembered? Is that…is that what you were going to say?” I insisted sternly, making Oscar wilt under my withering glare. “Was it?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe this. I just don’t believe this!” I stammered with rage, striving to suppress the bile gushing to my throat. “He’s ready to forsake his six-million-dollar wonder boy? I don’t care if he’s…he’s,” I myself couldn’t bring myself to say the word, “He can’t do that. I know Steve’s alive.”

Oscar rounded the desk to come stand by me. He took a firm hold of my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. “The NSB may be giving up but the OSI isn’t, you got that?” he emphasized with a light shake.

I heaved a shuddering breath at his reassurance and nodded my understanding. As he made his way back to his desk to peel off his jacket from the leather chair, his private line rang. He cast me a puzzled glance before picking up the receiver. His face lit up at the voice on the other end. “Steve? Is that you?”

My heart skipped a beat at the name. I stepped forward to beg Oscar to hand over the phone. “Steve? Where are you?”

“In Nantucket. I have no idea how I got here nor where I am exactly,” he explained with an edge of panic about his voice.

“Okay now you listen to me. You keep the line open so we can trace your call.” I motioned Oscar to get on the other phone to Danny down in the computer room. “Then you stay put and we’ll come and get you.”

“No need. I’ll hail a cab and get to the nearest airfield. I’ll charter a Cessna and fly to Washington. I can’t waste any time waiting for you guys. They’ll soon find out I’ve escaped and we’ll be out looking for me.”

“Are you in any condition to fly?” I asked with concern, waving to Oscar to cancel previous instructions.

“Yeah. The sedative they gave me wore off an hour ago. My mind’s not addled, just confused as to how I got here.”

“We’ll discuss that when you get here. And Steve…be careful.”

“I will.”

“We’ll be waiting for you at Andrews.” I waited for Steve to hang up before I put the receiver back in its cradle. “He’s going to charter a plane and fly his way back. Oscar, “ I paused to let my face break into wide beam before I enthused, “our boy is alive! I knew it. I just knew Steve Austin was not lost forever.”

“How did he sound to you?”

“Lost and confused but I assume that’s normal after what he must have gone through. He said he escaped his captors and fears they are already hunting him down.”

“Well let’s go.”

Nearly six hours had elapsed and still no Cessna in sight. I was nursing my fifth cup of coffee while striding up and down the sitting area, making people nervous. Dizzy from my constant pacing Oscar finally took me by the shoulders and forced me to sit on a chair. “What time is it?”

“Only five more minutes than the last time you asked me,” Oscar exasperated.

“Something happened. I can feel it. He should have been here over two hours ago.” I sprung up from my chair and made my way to the reception desk. “Excuse me. There’s a small Cessna coming in from Nantucket. Was supposed to arrive two, three hours ago. Is there any way you can check if it’s approaching?”

“I’ll call the tower to see if it registers on their radar screen,” the young clerk obliged.

“Thank you.” I ambled back a few feet to where Oscar was standing stock-still, his terrorized expression fasten on the television screen hanging in a corner of the room. “Something wrong?” He just motioned with his head towards the set.

My heart caught in my throat at the news report of a small Cessna exploding in midair just after take off from Martha’s Vineyard. “That’s not Steve’s plane,” I denied vehemently. Oscar responded with a forlorn glance that chilled me to the bone. I hurried to the counter just as the clerk was hanging up the phone. “So?”

“They don’t have anything on radar yet.”

As I closed my eyes in despair and heaved a heavy-laden sigh I felt Oscar wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulders. “Is there anyway you can get a full report of the plane that went down off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard just now? It’s on the news.” Oscar asked.

“I’ll speak with my supervisor.”

Much as I tried to yank that grim thought out of my mind I couldn’t deny that the coincidences were too great. I nourished a glimmer of hope that Steve hadn’t been aboard that doomed plane. While waiting for the clerk to finish his call, Oscar and I reluctantly continued to watch the breaking news report.

“Ma’am?” The clerk called out to get my attention. “ A small Cessna took off from Nantucket just a little after one o’clock, eastern time,” The clerk informed as he hung up the phone. “The tower said it disappeared off the radar screen minutes after take off. The search is on right now. The pilot was confirmed as Colonel Steve Austin.”

I stifled a gasp of horror at the name. Bordering on tears I averted my gaze from the two men and quickened the pace to the ladies’ room where I quickly splashed water onto my face. I was in complete turmoil; my insides twisting in knots and my heart throbbing at my neck. I looked at the terrorized countenance staring back at me in the mirror and shook my head in dismay. “Blue Eyes, please be alive,” I beseeched in a quavering whisper.

It wasn’t long before Oscar and I were airborne. Upon arriving in Nantucket, the head of the NTSB delivered the grim news. The search and rescue teams had found pieces of the torn fuselage that were scattered around for miles, evidence that the Cessna exploded in midair. So far there were no sign of the pilot. Very slim were the chances of locating Steve and therefore we were advised not to nurture high hopes of finding him alive.

Following a week of fruitless results, the search for the missing pilot was called off. They had enough fragments of the plane to possibly determine the exact cause of the explosion. The black box was retrieved and analysed. The voice on the tape was confirmed as Steve’s. At that moment the energy drained out of me. I felt so empty inside. Never before had I realized how strong a hold on my heart Steve Austin had. I was powerless in retaining the flow of tears that would stream down my cheeks. My beau Richard Hayden had flown to Nantucket to offer moral support but little did he know that his presence brought small comfort.

Hours before Oscar, Richard and I were to fly back to Washington, I found myself wandering on the beach. The soothing sound of the waves were lulling me into a faraway world as I stood completely numb with grief and stared out to sea, hoping to see Steve swimming back to shore. I nourished that crazy notion until a friendly hand on my shoulder yanked me back to reality.

“Hey, you ready?” Richard asked in a soft tone. Failing to get an answer he folded his arms around me and pulled me to him. He rested his chin upon my shoulder and spoke lightly. “You miss him, don’t you?”

The question triggered a flood of tears to my eyes. I bit my upper lip and shut my eyes tightly to keep the torrent of emotion from gushing out. “They killed him, Richard. That was no accident. They killed him! Oh why couldn’t he have hidden and waited for us to get him? I should have insisted.”

“Now, now Cassie, don’t start blaming yourself for what happened.”

“Who else am I going to blame?” I answered on a crushing tone. “I was supposed to be his watchdog and I let them take him.”

“Don’t be silly!” Richard spat. “You were rendered unconscious. Besides there were two agents posted outside the house and even they couldn’t prevent the kidnapping.”

“Lord knows what they put him through before he escaped.” I trembled at the mere thought of my Blue Eyes having been tortured. “He sounded so frightened on the phone.”

“It may be a small comfort to know that he didn’t suffer. They say the plane exploded in flight. It happened quickly. No pain,” he reassured to appease my qualms.

“What if the force of the explosion propelled him out of the cockpit and he saw himself plunge to his death?” I countered with a conviction that left Richard mute. “Listen, you go back with Oscar to Washington. I’d like to remain here a while longer”

“Alone?”

I gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and placed a light kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be fine. I just need time to myself. You understand?”

He smiled responsively and returned the kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Thank for being a friend.”

“Anytime, Lovely Lady.” He enlaced me in his arms, holding me in a soul-stirring hug. He pulled back and placed a feathery kiss on the top of my nose before making his way back to his car. I watched him walked away for a few second, then turned back to gaze at the ocean.

“Oh Steve. I feel so empty,” I cried. “A part of me has died with you. Where am I going to find a friend like you? Richard is nice but he doesn’t compare to what you were to me. You were my brother; my best friend; my confidant and my protector.” I lowered my head and let the tears dribbled onto the sand. “What am I going to do without my 34 to argue with?” I shut my eyes tightly to squeeze out the excess of tears and biting my upper lip to dam up the other torrent threatening to spurt out, I raise my head heavenwards and said, “I’ll never forget you, Blue Eyes. Never.”