Potential sources for the messages:

Jase Hamilton FBI contact ProtoComm contact Unknown entity Notepad on Briel’s phone

Yeah, I was pretty shocked that you invited him on this mission. I wouldn’t have done it. – Nessa’s text to Briel after Liam arrived at the briefing.

As she immersed her mind in the mission's intel, Briel pushed the previous evening's date to the back of her consciousness. She had mostly enjoyed the excursion into society, but she had never lived for social life. She lived for her work.

For days, nothing had turned up to give Briel direction, but finally a break had come in the case of the diplomat's missing daughter. When Felicity Miller had effectively shut down the U.S. branch of ProtoComm, leads in Briel’s case had dried up, an effect Briel could not have predicted. Having spoken to her client for the past thirty minutes, however, Briel hung up the phone in her apartment with renewed hope.

Her client always managed to amaze her with his strength of character. In a largely corrupt country, surrounded by the fetid haze of evil in the Mexican government, how could a diplomat maintain such high moral and ethical standards? Raphael Alvares had proven unwilling to compromise with criminals, a fact that had led to his current unthinkable dilemma. After years of empty warnings by both the government and the drug cartels against himself and his family, one drug lord had followed through with his threats. According to the email sent by the cartel's representative, Mr. Alvares had caused them too many headaches, and the cartel intended to make him suffer.

Mr. Alvares had three daughters and two sons, and he loved them more than his own life. Against his better judgment, Mr. Alvares had allowed his middle daughter, a strong-minded, intelligent girl, to transfer to the Autonomous University of Morelos. The girl, Emilia, wanted to follow in her father's chosen profession and help eradicate the drug lords from Mexico. For the purpose of investigating drug activity, the area around Morelos had proven lucrative ground. While maintaining her studies, Emilia spent her spare time digging for information on some of the wealthier families of the region, hoping to provide leads for her dad. Shortly after a hurried message to her father regarding one of the local families, all communication from Emilia had stopped.

Using his government connections, Mr. Alvares had followed Emilia's investigations to an American telecom company – Brendon Miller's company, ProtoComm. Mr. Alvares could possibly have traced his daughter through the drug channels, but his ability to extract information ended when her captors had introduced her into human trafficking through ProtoComm. Rightly so, he had believed that since an American company had helped abduct her, he could best trace his daughter using an American company to find her.

Because of her admiration for Mr. Alvares, Briel felt compelled to solve his dilemma, whatever the cost. There were too few heroes in the world, and Briel worried that if she failed to find Emilia Alvares, the girl's father would stop being one. How could a man believe in honor when it had cost him his daughter? As Briel walked into the briefing room, she prayed that she could prevent that possibility.

“According to the information retrieved from ProtoComm's files,” Briel informed her team, “ProtoComm turned Ms. Alvares over to an Indian human trafficking company run by a man named Dev Nigam. Nigam is a newcomer to the Mexican market having usually limited his activity to areas -surrounding India: Bangladesh, Nepal and, inside India, Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In the last five years, his success has allowed him to branch out into the Middle East, Russia, and China. Through ProtoComm's other endeavors, Nigam encountered Jack Buckley, once vice-president of the Manhattan division of ProtoComm. Mr. Buckley mysteriously stepped down in April of this year, and no one had seen or heard of him since; until Mr. Alvares encountered him a few days ago during the investigation into his daughter's disappearance. Jack Buckley convinced Nigam to invest some resources in Mexico, take advantage of the nearby rich American clientele, and Nigam has transferred a large organization to Mexico. We are concerned that, with the crossover, Nigam might choose to export Ms. Alvares back to his native India. We need to act quickly. Those of you who worked with me last month in Phoenix know that Bill Henry, the CEO of ProtoComm, suffered a stroke of some sort last month in Banff, and he is reportedly in a hospital in Switzerland. The chaos resulting from his absence has rendered ProtoComm weak in the area of security, and we believe that if we are to find and extract Ms. Alvares, this would be the best time.

“The specs of the mission are on your tablets. We leave tonight, half an hour after sunset. Today, that is 7:04 p.m. See you then.”

As she watched the seven operatives file out of the room, Briel had trouble keeping her eyes off of Liam. What had possessed her to include him on her team? She knew him; he would consider the inclusion an invitation, some form of reconciliation. In the professional sense, that was true. She hoped that she could continue to work with him, and by choosing him for her own team, she made a powerful statement about her opinion of his ability. In the personal sense, though, she worried that he would interpret her request for him as proof that she really still wanted him around. His ego is just about big enough to think so.

Though she should not have felt guilty, she couldn't suppress her self-condemnation entirely. She had slapped him with the break-up out of the blue, and he had taken the news surprisingly well. Such a strange reaction made Briel curious again about him, and she could not allow herself curiosity about him. Like a shark, he could smell blood, and Briel may have just given herself the fatal wound.

Instead of Liam, Briel should have asked Jase on the mission. Sure, she couldn't trust him, but for what Briel needed, Jase would prove far more useful than Liam. Not only that, but Briel saw little opportunity for Jase to sabotage the mission, and it would give Briel more opportunity to observe him. He needed only disable some alarm systems, and if he sabotaged her, the rest of the team were more than equipped enough to manage without him.

“Should we pack more ammunition than normal this time?” Nessa interrupted Briel's moment of regret. “I assume we may encounter some drug cartel personnel.”

“Just maybe an extra firearm. I don't expect heavy resistance. With ProtoComm's part in exposing so many corrupt Mexican politicians, Jack Buckley will have few allies south of the border. He'll probably have limited resources and few if any competent associates. I expect a routine extraction. And, of course, we’ll have the van for backup.” Nessa turned and followed her teammates out the door of the small conference room, and within five minutes, Briel had crossed the parking garage to her car and begun her drive home.

If Briel deduced correctly, she would spend a couple of days gathering intel and an hour or two retrieving Emilia. Briel actually regretted the simplicity of the mission – she needed something to keep her busy. Instead, she would finish her mission and return to her colorless life in less than 96 hours.

Maybe including Liam had been a smart choice, Briel grinned to herself. She could not afford to lead Liam on, but she began to think that his presence served some purpose. At least she wouldn't find herself bored with him around – which was kind of her whole dilemma with him.

Without incident, Briel arrived at her apartment, and she turned her Saab into her long narrow drive. Rather than turn off the car and enter, she sat, car idling, at the mouth of her garage. The idea of returning to her empty apartment turned her stomach. Without the promise of even Liam's annoying nightly phone call, the prospects for the evening appeared dull. I'm a masochist, she chastised herself.

Her sudden remembrance of the computer, however, opened her car door and placed her feet on the path to her house. After her discussion with Nessa and Jase, Briel had heard nothing from her mysterious computer friend, but merely two hours before the mission briefing, he had contacted her once again. The message had been simple, but it had piqued her curiosity.

Sorry I couldn't talk to you earlier. I had some weird hits on my computer and had concerns about security.

Since Briel had been away from the computer when her correspondent had sent the message, she could not be sure if he had gotten her response.

Why would I regret that? she sassed. You act as if you're not a deranged stalker I need to stay away from.

The clock had forced her to quit watching for a response, but she hoped now that he had answered her during her absence. He did not disappoint, though she could not figure out how he had guessed what he had guessed. The screen name Kernal.ted had entered a message.

Where are you going?

The words flashed on her screen. Checking the time stamp, she saw that he had answered her only five minutes earlier, and he still appeared to be online. Her heart sped in anticipation.

How did you know I was leaving?

His answer made her want to slap herself for her own stupidity.

Your calendar says “Mission briefing, 2 p.m. Depart 7:04 p.m.”

Of course, a computer hacker would have easy access to her computer files, including her calendar. Still, she would not acknowledge her foolishness, instead going on the offensive. Hopefully, very offensive. You haven't answered my question, stalker. Why should I regret that you didn't contact me for three days?

Shoot! she worried silently. Noticing the passing of time meant that she had paid attention, and if she paid attention, it meant that she cared.

I miss that attitude, Kernal.ted mocked. Always one of my favorite things about you.

Why don't you come say that to my face?

Again, an unusually long pause. I’d love to see your face in person again, but…no can do, he finally offered, much to Briel's disgust. Again? Apparently, he knew her – or at least he was faking it well.

Who are you?! She yelled at the screen as she typed the words. When he didn't respond, Briel stood up, slamming her hand on the desk. I don't have time for this right now. I'll deal with you when I get back from my mission.

So, you’re leaving for a mission?

Uh, mission briefing? So yeah, a mission usually comes after. And if I die, you won't be able to stalk me anymore. So if you want to shock me with your identity, you'd better do it now.

Is your ex going on the mission?

Briel wanted to punch the screen. Was Ted just a jealous creeper? He seemed unnaturally concerned about Liam. My ex, the guy who has five black belts, is weapons certified with seven types of firearms, trained in knife battle, and could probably bench press two of you? Yes, he is going with me, and he is still highly protective even though we broke up.

Another of those maddening pauses, and Briel almost turned off the computer in protest.

You are not making me feel any better about his mental state after the breakup. Someone like that, if you pissed him off?

I can handle him. Just like I can handle you.

That’s probably pretty accurate.

When heat rose to her cheeks, Briel bit her lip to keep from making a sound. Was he mocking her?

I'm not a stalker, he interrupted her thoughts, but if you have to know who I am today, you'll just have to die disappointed. I can't tell you who I am. It wouldn't be safe for me or you, not to mention some other people who need my protection.

As if Briel needed his protection. Tell me who you are or you'll regret it.

I can't. Another long pause. But you can ask me some questions. I’ll start: your ex definitely couldn’t bench press me.

An ego stroke or a reference to his weight? Briel couldn’t quite restrain a laugh as she imagined a nerdy, soft-bodied man with a secret crush. The thought almost made her less judgmental of Ted, though since she didn’t know for sure, she wouldn’t relax. He was obviously smart, so it was worth finding out his identity if she could. Well, okay. So with that in mind, are you male or female?

That would be an unusually large woman. I am a male. So far so good.

You said we're acquaintances. Where do I know you from?

Can't say, but I will tell you I work in the computer industry.

Not particularly helpful. Government or civilian?

For a moment, she thought she had scared him off, but he finally offered, I’d have to be crazy to do what I have done if I worked for the government.

Of course, Briel thought he was crazy for daring to hack her system, but they were two different kinds of crazy. If he worked in the computer industry, that excluded Jase. If he didn’t work for the government, Briel could not imagine another source. ProtoComm, but she had not encountered anyone on that mission. The ops were hers. Brendon Miller was in jail, and though he was brilliant, he was not a computer guy. But how could Briel have any idea if anything Ted told her was even true?

Suddenly, she realized how crazy she was being. If he actually was a computer specialist, she was playing his game on his turf! If it were someone from ProtoComm, it must be a company move, which would mean a lure and hacker working together to trick her into revealing something. She just didn’t believe it. There was none of the smooth manipulations that usually accompanied a professional op.

Are you just some punk kid hacker who lives in his mom's basement?

Her basement? No.

Somewhere else in her house, then, kid?

I'm less a kid than you, but I really can't say anymore.

Whoever he was, he possessed enough self-control not to engage her in battles of sarcasm. She couldn't decide if she liked that about him or hated it. Still he had given her something. Older than Briel and in the computer industry. How many people had she encountered in the last decade who fit that description?

If you’re telling me the truth, what you've said narrows you down to a short list of people in my circle of knowledge. Only a few people I have to kill if anything goes wrong with my mission.

Briel, came the unlikely reply, I know it is pointless for me to say, but you can trust me. I would never do anything to compromise your safety. If anything happened to you because of something I did, I would never forgive myself. If this compromises your safety, I’ll sign off and never contact you again.

For a moment, Briel couldn't think of a response. Such a cheesy claim almost seemed beyond manufacturing. Jase would try to charm her, manipulate her, not throw her off by looking naïve. Who was this guy? Devin Torres would try to impress her with his prowess. Ted? Just gushed sentimentality, a tactic far outside a standard SOP. But if she wanted to find out why Ted had contacted her, she couldn’t let him cut off contact. Not to mention that she was kind of enjoying the game.

Well, then, I suggest you don't do anything to screw things up for me, and you won’t have to worry about it.

Of course not. In fact, if you need anything while you're gone, use your phone to contact me. I'm pretty resourceful. I might be able to help.

Briel rolled her eyes. As if she were dumb enough to seek help from a stranger when she had a trusted team around her! Or, at least, a known team. Her mind couldn't escape the whirl of processing that began to churn in her thoughts when she considered Ted’s identity. In her circle of acquaintances, Briel knew about thirty computer specialists from the bureau, and probably fifteen from the Team. The others she knew stemmed from the rogue internet community of hackers. After she had filtered through the possibilities, Briel held only a handful of hackers on her list who could even have managed the hack. Though not a hacker, Jase’s proximity could theoretically give him better access, as could Liam’s. Both of them knew their way around a computer, though maybe not to the level of forcing their way through the team’s firewall. Still, Jase could get access – maybe that was why he befriended Nessa. And Liam held all the resources of the team at his behest if he decided to use the, But it’s not Liam, she assured herself, determined not to include him. Nothing about Ted carried the same intensity as Liam, and there was no way he could have hidden a subtle sense of humor under his rough exterior.

You do realize, she informed the computer, that you've given me enough to figure out within a pretty near range who you are.

Good. I figured you'd be smart enough to glean something from what I've said. It's not like I'm trying too hard to keep my identity secret from you – I plan to tell you eventually. I just need to hide my identity from anyone monitoring either of us. Though I've probably revealed more than I should have, which may mean I have to erase my computer identity so no one can trace us.

Briel's stomach did a flip, and she had to think for a minute before she recognized the sensation. He wanted her to know his identity – or at least he claimed he did. If she decided to believe him, that meant he was holding off the revelation for his own safety instead of to torment or trick her. Was it possible it was true? Seriously? she asked herself. Why aren't I taking this guy as a threat?

Most likely, he had hacked her computer to mess with her mind. Instead of indulging him, she should track him down and have him locked up. She couldn't make herself want to, though. Something in her gut didn't suspect the guy, and that fact actually scared Briel. Under what circumstances would she lose her rationality?

More than anything right now, more than solving her mission, she wanted to find out who had hacked through FBI computers just to find her. Especially since he claimed to have done it for personal reasons rather than professional ones. A man, an acquaintance from her past. If not Jase, then someone who had known her before and still liked her enough to go through so much trouble.

You'd better get that, her screen flashed, and the words drew her out of her reverie.

Briel turned to the ringing phone next to her left hand, but Nessa could wait.

How did you know my phone was ringing? I uninstalled my mic.

Uninstalled, not disconnected. It's incredibly easy to reinstall. Don't worry, though. I have no access to your camera because it was external and you unplugged it. Plus, I wouldn't want to impose on your privacy that way.

The thrill of the mystery managed to mute her rising indignation. Because eavesdropping is so much better, she accused.

Just be careful, he replied, undaunted. If you're about to go on a mission, I'm the least of your concerns right now. You have your ex to worry about, plus whatever you’re planning for the mission. I promise not to bug you again before you leave. Promise me you'll send me a message when you get back.

The audacity of this man! For a moment, Briel could not think of a response. Like hell she would. At least that's what she told herself for about two minutes until she considered the possibility of never solving the mystery. She would definitely contact him again. Plus, she couldn’t escape the concern the request implied.

I probably won't, she sassed. I owe you nothing. I've got to go.

You do, he agreed.

So, goodbye...Ted, she prodded. She wasn't sure if “you do” meant that he was agreeing she needed to go or that she did owe him.

For now, he agreed.

Goodbye for now? Or Ted for now?

Always so clever...

She would have made another snarky comment, but she missed her chance for the last word. In his now-established, annoying manner, he went away without another word. “Kernal.ted is offline,” the message flashed before she could respond.

One thing for certain, anyone in her vicinity – save egotistical Jase – would know better than to cut her off like that. If Ted knew her as he claimed, he couldn’t live close. Still, what could she do about it now? “Ted” currently held all the power, a situation which she would remedy once she got back. She gritted her teeth. If nothing else, Ted did not seem to be afraid of her, and the fact made him even more interesting – and irritating.

Rather than give in to her frustration, Briel forced herself into motion. Better to pursue a distraction than obsess over an unsolvable conundrum. As little as she wanted to, she turned off her computer and concentrated on the task that should have held her focus for the past half hour. She called Nessa back to seal up the plans for proceeding with the mission, and Nessa's calm confidence soothed Briel's rising frenzy of emotions. Before the sun set, Briel and her team would board a plane for Mexico, and Briel would have to forget everything but Emilia Alvares.

A little while later, Briel strolled to the door, opening it to Nessa, Liam, Adam, and several other team members. Only moments before, Briel had finally succeeded in suppressing the conversation with Kernal.ted and relegating it to the back burner of her brain. Looking around at her teammates, Briel noted with satisfaction that they all sported unobtrusive black t-shirts and black jeans or pants. Individually, none would seem notable, but as a group their presence looked intimidating.

“Are you all ready?” Briel began.

“Mostly,” Nessa replied, her brow crinkled in thought.

Adam continued for her, “Who exactly is going to get us past the security systems we run into? You didn't bring a specialist.”

Briel bit her lips in frustration, “I don't expect to run into anything high tech, and I can get us past any standard system. Besides, we can call back to headquarters, and they can help us with anything I can't solve myself. I doubt that with ProtoComm's current state of operations Jack Buckley has the resources to install a high-dollar security system.” Briel downplayed her team's concerns, but the reminder made her again irritated at herself for choosing Liam over Jase, or at least over one of the electronics specialists from the greater Team.

She sometimes wished she were a man so she wouldn't have to deal with feeling bad. Just break up and go on with life – that's how it seemed that most men acted. Instead, she had called the last person on earth whom she wanted in her presence and offered him a position on her Team, partially because he promised to bring excitement with him, but mostly because she couldn't escape feeling guilty for the breakup. I really am a masochist, she sighed silently.

“Let's go,” she commanded aloud into the expectant faces of her team.

A moment later, they all piled into Liam's jeep and Nessa's sedan, heading through the deepening twilight to the private airstrip northwest of town. The military transport planes from the nearby air force base droned loudly overhead, drowning out the hum of the team's small jet from curious ears. Fortunately, the military launched so many transports in San Antonio airspace that no one noticed the small ten passenger plane as it took off into the dusk.

As the plane made the four-hour trip to Mexico City, the sky deepened into a rich indigo blanket sprinkled with stars. Briel loved flying at night, and she forcefully cleared her mind of all the stress that had built up over the past few weeks. As she rose above the clouds, the expanse of the sky seemed to grow exponentially. Her constant suppression of emotion rendered her all the more susceptible to beauty when she allowed it to touch her. Soaring above the sky was one of those few places where she relaxed her control.

As if in accord with Briel's thoughts, the rest of her team either sat quietly staring out the windows or closed their eyes in apparent sleep. Briel closed her own eyes and willed herself not to be rational, not to think at all. Before she had entered the plane, she had planned her entire course of action, so she need waste no time on it now. In reality, the team had managed a simple extraction so often in the past that everyone felt complete confidence in his own ability to carry it out.

The gentle jarring of the landing sent the team into motion, each grabbing his weapons and communicator. Unlike on her typical mission, Briel decided to take not just her communicator, but also her phone. She didn't let herself ask why. If someone had enough desire, he could track her GPS, but Briel doubted that anyone would go to the trouble. Maybe if her hacker turned out to be Jase, especially with his opinion of her choices in Banff, but for one, she didn’t think it was him, and for another, she had noticed a distraction in him when he had spent time with Nessa and her. One thing Briel knew about Jase, when he schemed, he was the most alert, intentional human she had ever encountered – like a lion on the prowl. Maybe she was engaging in wishful thinking, but something had changed about Jase Hamilton. She forced herself back to the task at hand.

As on Briel's previous trips to Mexico City, a variety of choking scents filled her nose when she steered the black van toward the center of the town. The pungent smell of rotting garbage from the dumps that doubled as shanty towns gradually surrendered to the musky fumes from the buses. Despite the apparent liveliness of the city, few brave souls ventured out into the darkness. A recent spate of violent cartel crime prevented the general excursion of the average person at night, and flashing neon signs lit the entrance to nearly uninhabited establishments.

Stepping to the edge of a pool of light, Briel signaled her team to commence their searches. She had established a rendezvous in six hours at the appointed location about eight miles further into town. Though she felt little hope that she would find Emilia immediately, Briel engaged in a thorough and diligent search. She knew she would likely need research and interviews to determine her target's location, and interviews would need persuasion. In a town where people had accepted the monolithic dominance of the cartels, brave souls did not last long. All intel would come under cover of darkness. Six hours later, Briel rounded up her team to catch two to three hours of rest.

“We ran into a couple of people who had some promising information. It seems a 'gringo,' drunk and loud, had made the rounds of the neighborhood bars,” Adam informed Briel. “The phrase 'Indian moneybags' also came up several times. This pretty much proves our hypothesis. Nessa had no trouble encouraging the men to talk. I think we should proceed in our sector in the morning. It doesn't sound like our targets are going overboard to cover their tracks. I think you're right about their lax security, Briel.”

“He's right,” Nessa stated with confidence, “and I think our proceedings should go pretty smoothly. According to the time frame when they saw Mr. Buckley, he should still be in the area. Given his difficult position, he would most likely need at least twelve hours to develop viable terms with Mr. Nigam, plus more time to implement them. The bar patrons saw him less than twenty-four hours ago.”

Their logic seemed accurate. “Then that's where we start in the morning. Normally, I would suspect such an easy find, but Buckley has no reason to hide his actions in a town where the cartels own the government. Not if he is working with the cartels, as I'm sure he was when Henry ran the show. Obviously, the bars will prove more sparsely populated in the mornings, so we'll have to bribe the local population with more than cerveza if we want any information. Liam, you and Ginny sweep the perimeter of the area and see if you find any evidence that Mr. Buckley has left town and when. The rest of us will concentrate inside the circle where we have direct evidence of Buckley's movement. For now, let's get some rest.”

Fortunately for them, plenty of indigents inhabited the numerous abandoned buildings in the city. No one would consider the presence of eight unknown people unusual in one of these dwellings. Briel had picked her team based on several factors, obviously including competence, but also including fluent Spanish and a complexion capable of blending in with the local populace. Only Briel and Liam had anything but brown hair and eyes, and Briel's olive complexion made up for her green eyes and lighter hair. She did not appear American, just unusual for a Mexican. Liam’s irises were almost black against his pupils, and no one would mistake his hair for a natural color.

“Callate!” Briel yelled forcefully at the drunken cohabitants of her temporary residence; their grumbling would keep the team up all night. Within moments, silence reigned inside the building. For some reason, Briel possessed the ability to command respect, even from those who did not know her. She heard chuckles from her teammates as quiet blanketed the room. Settling into a relatively comfortable position, Briel pulled out her phone, shielding her team from the glare of its light.

What would happen, she wondered, if she contacted Kernal.ted? Would he offer her some form of help in his presumptuous way? Would she betray her position to him and find him an enemy? Or would he just serve up some obnoxiously sentimental expression like “I miss you”? The last thought brought a smirk to her lips, but she just turned the phone dark and stuck it back in her pocket. If she jeopardized her mission, she would never forgive herself. No matter her curiosity, she would just have to wait for another day.