Chapter 13

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Kudos and BBC. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

>>> <<<

There was no mistaking the two reports that Lucas held in his hands.  They both pointed to the same conclusion.   As he flipped open the first of the two folders, his eyes alighted upon the words on the bottom of the page.  

The probability of Lucas North being the father of Liam Nathaniel George is 99.999%. Therefore it is practically...

Lucas did not need to continue reading the line.  He knew what it said.  Lucas had read it three times since Harry handed the files to him in the car as they drove back to the Grid from Alexa’s flat.  They’d ridden in silence most of the way, as Lucas immersed himself into the file that was Alexa George’s history from the time she had returned from Moscow.  

Harry had not been idle as they had been driven back to the Grid.  He was deep in conversation with Ros about the events at St. Barnabas and Hammersmith station, learning about the kidnapping of Liam George.  

“It seems that someone else got to Liam before the two Russians and us,” Ros said.  “We’re running their identities now but I didn’t get a close look at the woman.”

Harry had also received a call from Malcolm, who told him that Arkady had made one last call to another number that night.  Only one word had been spoken.

“What was it?”

“Phoenix,” Malcolm replied.    

But all the new developments around him had not taken Lucas away from what lay before him.  His whole world had changed, and its contents were contained in the folders he held in his hand. 

According to the report, Alexa had been three weeks pregnant when she landed back in London nine years ago, but it would be three more weeks before the pregnancy would finally be confirmed.  Despite the standard medical tests to ensure Alexa’s overall health, from the complete check-up to the tests for any sexually transmitted diseases, of which none had been reported, there had been no tests administered for a possible pregnancy.  

It wasn’t till she started showing signs of  morning sickness that her pregnancy was confirmed by her own personal doctor and Alexa decided to keep the baby despite her father’s insistence for her to have an abortion.    

Yet it would be the paternity test that Harry himself requested without Alexa’s knowledge that revealed the truth of Liam’s birth father, results which had shocked Harry that he had had a second one performed using another set of Lucas’ DNA that MI5 had on file.  And though he used a different company for the second try, the results had been the same.  

Alexa’s history on paper seemed pretty normal - as long as one didn’t consider the additional reports from Adam Carter as part of the informal debriefing she was supposed to have received - but never did - with MI5.  Lucas felt a pang of jealousy mixed in with curiosity.  What would Adam have wanted to know?   They could hardly have been social calls.

After Lucas had been captured in Russia, Tom Quinn had succeeded him as Section chief.  And when Tom took early retirement, Adam had taken over, holding the position for almost four years.  He had recently perished in a car bomb explosion barely three days earlier, hours after Lucas had just worked with him to rescue a kidnapped soldier.  

According to the file, Adam had visited Alexa a few times to teach her how to use a gun, with all meetings occurring at the shooting range.  Adam had also recommended that she attend some self-defense classes at a dojo close to her home.  Other than the four pieces of paper that represented each interaction Adam had had with Alexa, there had been no other contact between them.  Yet the jealousy Lucas felt remained.  He wondered if there were visits that hadn’t been accounted for at all.  

Lucas found himself rereading a line Adam had written on one of the notes:  Took Liam to play rugby with Wes this afternoon while Lexi went to yoga.

While Lucas had been finding ways to end his life in Moscow, a new life, one from his own flesh and blood, had been blossoming in London without him.  And now that he had returned, Lucas could not understand why Alexa kept the news that he had a son away from him.  

Did she even know that Lucas was Liam’s father?  

Lucas opened the second file folder.  This time, the file was in Russian, and it caused a chill to run down his spine.  This paternity test had been run just a few months earlier, using Alexa’s and Liam’s records that had been hacked from a hospital computer.  

Lucas’ mouth turned dry as he read the same paternity results written out in a different language.    Someone else had known about Alexa and Liam.  

>>> <<<

Lucas looked up.  Through Harry’s office window, he watched as a doctor examined Liam for injuries as Harry looked on.  The sight of Liam for the first time had shaken Lucas to the core.  The familiar way Liam moved reminded Lucas of himself when he was the same age.  Back then, he lived in a small Northern England town, with its wide open spaces where Lucas could run and play.  

But instead of seeing a boy running freely and happily, Lucas saw a boy running for his life in the middle of London, with tourists and Parliament guards chasing after him.  It had taken all of Lucas’ willpower to stop himself from hurting anyone who dared lay a hand on Liam as he raced towards the child, catching him before he was about to cross a busy intersection.  

It had been pure luck that they had come upon him the way they did, as they drove towards the Grid.  It had been Malcolm’s call that had alerted them to Liam’s arrival at Westminster station, their eyes scanning the sidewalks for a sign of the boy and the unidentified companion.  

“The station cameras have picked them up and they’re not alone,” Malcolm had said.  From the different cameras, Malcolm had been able to spot the car that had driven up alongside them, and the men who had attempted to kidnap Liam.  

One of them had emerged from the station behind them, while the other had been driving the car.  

“The man emerging from the station is a high profile assassin, Harry,” Malcolm said, the urgency in his voice unmistakable.  “It’s Anatoly Rubiev.”

During those tense seconds, Harry’s throat had gone dry, wondering why he hadn’t anticipated an attempt on Liam at all.  But why Liam?  

Malcolm’s voice returned on the phone.  This time, there was relief in Malcolm’s voice.  “Liam just managed to get away.  He’s heading north.”  And as they drove past Westminster Bridge, that was when Harry saw him.  

The sight of Liam running through the crowd of tourists had torn Lucas’ heart into two.  The boy’s fear had been so palpable, his heart beating so loudly within his little body that Lucas could feel it against his own after he caught the boy.  Lucas never wanted Liam to feel that scared ever again.  

Safe at the Grid, Liam was being checked by a doctor when Lucas asked Harry why he had requested the paternity test.  Did he suspect it was Lucas all along?

“When her father insisted that she get an abortion, and Alexa refused, it made me wonder - at least for her sake - why she wanted to keep the baby,”  Harry replied.  “And when Liam was born, he looked just like you, it was so uncanny.” Harry added.  “So I had the tests done without her consent.  Someone had to find out.”

“Anyone can have black hair and blue eyes, Harry, ” Lucas said.  

“But not anyone can have your black hair and blue eyes, Lucas,” Harry interjected.  “But there’s no point in arguing about this now, is there?  The tests confirmed all my suspicions.”

“You’re worse than that old woman you’ve assigned surveillance on me,” Lucas said.  Then he paused, a frown creasing his brow. 

“Does Elizabeta know about him?” He asked, his voice low.  “About Liam?”

Harry shook his head.  “I don’t think so.”

The door to Harry’s office opened and the doctor walked out with Liam next to him.  Liam walked towards Harry, and together they headed towards one of the conference rooms where Malcolm had requested a cot to be brought in for the boy to sleep in.  

“I suggest Social Services be called in to take over from here,” the doctor said and Harry stopped, turning to face him with an annoyed expression on his face. 

“There’s no need for Social Services, John,” he said.  “His father will take care of him.”

“Have you called the father then?” the doctor asked.  “Until he arrives, I’ll still have to call Social Services.”

Lucas got up from his desk, the sound of the chair legs scraping the floor causing the doctor to look up at him sharply.  “I’m his father,” he said.  “I’m here.”

Liam looked up, his eyes wide, and he stared at Lucas but did not say anything.  He turned to look up at Harry, a questioning look on his face, but Harry only nodded briefly towards him.  “We’ll all talk in the conference room,” he said to Liam.  “I’ve got a cot waiting for you, in case you’re tired.”

From his desk, Malcolm raised his eyebrows but kept his thoughts to himself.  He was busy scanning the street cams for any sign of the car that had been spotted at the Westminster station.  The doctor eyed Lucas warily but shrugged and showed himself out of the Grid.

Just then, Lucas saw Ros and Jo walk in.  

“Where’s Harry?” Ros asked Malcolm and Malcolm gestured towards the conference room.  She looked up at Lucas and gave him a brief nod before walking away.  Jo walked towards her desk, which faced the one that Lucas was currently using.  

“How are you holding up?” She asked. 

“I’ll survive,” Lucas replied.  “What did you find out about the two men at St. Barnabas?”  

While he had been perusing Alexa’s files in the car, Lucas had overheard that both men had been shot dead.  The first man had been shot by Jo on the rugby field at St. Barnabas after he had fired a series of shots towards Ros while civilians were all around him.  Ros had shot the second man dead just before he made it into Hammersmith station where he could have caused so much harm.

“Both weren’t FSB as we originally thought,” Jo replied.  “They had extensive Russian criminal records and just recently arrived in the UK a few days ago.”

“What types of criminal activities are we talking about?”

Jo shrugged.  “Petty theft, drugs, human trafficking.”

“They’re Lubienko’s then,” Lucas said, rubbing his hand against his chin as he sat back down on the chair.  “That means they’re taking orders only from Lubienko.”

Harry emerged from the conference room, Ros walking next to him.  He glanced at Lucas and as their eyes met, Lucas got up and headed to the conference room alone.  As Lucas closed the door behind him, Ros turned towards Harry.

“How did he take the news?”

“Quite well, I think,” Harry replied.  “Though I wonder why Alexa didn’t tell him herself.”

Ros arched an eyebrow.  “Quite interesting, Harry - Lucas and Alexa together so soon after he returns from Russia.”

Harry shrugged.  “You can’t control these things, Ros.  Sometimes it just happens?”

“How is Liam holding up?”  Jo asked.  

“I don’t think he’s processed it that far yet,” Harry replied.  “But I hope they can finally begin the process of establishing a relationship right now.”

“Who was the woman with Liam at the train station?  The one who got taken?”  Jo asked.

“We’ve finally identified her.  Her name is Nadia Ravin,” Harry replied.  “She works for Alexa.  I don’t know how she got to be at St. Barnabas this morning, but Liam said that she was taking him here, to the Grid.”

“So you think she knew about the plan all along?” Ros asked.  “And she was trying to save Liam?”

Harry shook his head.  “We don’t know yet.  What we do know is that she told Liam that Alexa sent her to pick him up for lunch, and when the men arrived, she told him that the bad men were coming to take him.”

“So she knew,” Jo said.  “How did she find out about it in the first place?” Jo said.

Harry turned towards Malcolm.  “Any news of the car?”

“Not exactly.  I think I’ve got the right car,” Malcolm said as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard, various windows of traffic cams popping on his screen.  “But I’m not even fifty percent certain.”

“You need to be 100% certain before we can do anything,” Harry said.  “What about her phone?  Is it online?”

Malcolm shook his head.  “No, it’s not.  But as soon as it goes online, I’ll let you know.  We should be able to track it then.”

Harry’s phone rang and he answered it, turning away from them as he spoke in low tones.  When Harry turned to face them again, Jo had returned to her desk and was pulling up Nadia’s file on her computer.  

“Ros, I want you to take over from here,” Harry said.  “That was the Home Secretary.  He wants to meet me now.”

As Harry walked towards the door, Ros followed him.  “I won’t be able to allot any of Section D’s resources for Alexa if anything happens on the Grid,” she said.  

Harry stopped and faced her, nodding.  “I’m afraid you’re right.  And as it is, there is a situation brewing.  Anatoly Grubiev is not here for a vacation.”  He sighed.  “I’m afraid we’re going to be tied up in the next few hours, Ros.”

“What about Lucas?  Should I still put him on the team?”

Harry shook his head.  “He’s got enough to deal with.  If anything comes up with Lubienko, Lucas will be on his own.”

Harry’s lips tightened in a straight line, and he took a deep breath.  He hated leaving Lucas in a lurch like this, but national security had a higher priority over any of their own personal agendas, even though Harry himself had overstepped that rule when it came to dealing with Arkady Kachimov the night before.  

“If you can spare it, then do it,” Harry said.  “But if you can’t, Lucas will have to deal with Lubienko alone.”

>>> <<<

The boy’s ordeal that morning had left him exhausted.  And within five minutes after Harry had lain him down on the cot, Liam fell asleep.  As Lucas watched the boy, observing the rise and fall of his chest, his slightly parted lips, and the thick lashes resting on his cheeks, Lucas found himself overwhelmed with the many emotions that rose from deep within him.

He had returned from Russia believing he had nothing.  But as Lucas gazed at Liam’s sleeping face, he knew now how wrong he had been to believe that.  

The first night he had spent alone at the safe house, Lucas had been unable to sleep, his mind wrought with memories of Russia that he wanted so much to forget but couldn’t.  Russia was written in every cell of his body, the tattoos on his skin only telling half of the story.  Deep inside, within his bones and sinews lay the horrors that he had seen and experienced first hand, the loneliness and the despair that had at times pushed him to the brink of taking his own life.

But in Russia, something had also been borne out of a fleeting moment he spent with a woman he’d been sent to find.  A woman he barely knew.  And out of that moment came a beautiful boy who now lay sleeping before him.  If his time in Russia had imprinted itself in Lucas’ very soul, tainting him and cursing him with its vitriolic memories, it had also given something to live for.  

It had given him a son.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned back against the chair, breathing in and out slowly.  His vision grew dark and he felt himself turn cold, as if a fog had somehow made its way into the room and slipped right through every pore of his body.  

His breaths came, shallow and fast now.  Sweat gathered on his brow.  When he shut his eyes, Lucas saw himself bound to a chair, the sensation of electricity coursing through every nerve ending in his body, making him scream in agony every time the electrodes touched his skin.  He got up from his chair and began pacing back and forth, fighting hard to keep himself calm.  

He shut his eyes tighter, bringing his hand to his face as he rubbed his chin absently, the feel of his hands distracting him from what he was seeing and feeling deep inside.  He stood with his back towards Liam, not wanting him to see him like this in case the boy awoke.  Liam could never see him like this.

After a few minutes, the memories receded and Lucas sighed as he leaned his hand against the desk.  As he opened his eyes, he noticed a lone file sitting at the head of the table.  

“Are you really my dad?” Asked a small voice behind him and startled, Lucas turned to face Liam who was now sitting up on the cot, rubbing his eyes.  How long had Liam been watching him?

Lucas sat down next to the boy and smiled.  “Yes, I am.”

“Mum said my dad was working in another country once,” Liam said, his eyes watching Lucas intently, studying his face.  

“She’s right,” Lucas said softly.  “And now I’m back.  I’m sorry I didn’t get to visit you sooner, Liam.”

Liam shrugged and absently he began to run a hand against the top of his thigh, back and forth as if rubbing a spot.  “It’s alright,” he said.  Then he looked up at Lucas.  “Should I call you dad then?”

Lucas laughed.  “Of course, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Lucas brought Liam closer to him as he sat down next to the boy, the cot creaking beneath the added weight.  He felt Liam lean against him, his head against the crook of his shoulder.  Lucas bent down to kiss the top of Liam’s head, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of his son for the first time.  He fought back the tears that threatened to well up in his eyes and concentrated instead in the knowledge that Liam was safe with him.

“Is mummy going to be alright?”

Lucas took a few seconds to say the answer, his jaw tightening as he wondered where Alexa was at that moment, and whether she was still alive.  “Yes,” he whispered.  

“I heard her inside the car,” Liam said slowly.  “She was screaming my name and I almost went inside.  But she was screaming for me to run, not to get in.”

Liam looked up at Lucas, his eyes welling with tears.  “So I ran away, instead of helping her.”

Lucas held him closer against his body.  “You were very brave to run away from those bad men, Liam.  Did you recognize them?  Had you seen them before?”

Liam’s brow furrowed.  “I remember seeing the driver before.  He has scars on his face and he was at the school yesterday, watching us play rugby.”

“What about the car?  Do you remember seeing anything else inside the car?”

“There was something on the floor,” Liam said slowly, as he saw the images flitting in and out of his mind, replaying the moment where the man had nearly succeeded in getting him into the back seat of the car.  “A list of sorts.  Numbers.  I saw it fall on the floor when he pushed Nadia aside.”  Liam glanced up at Lucas again.  “Is Nadia going to be alright?  She often babysits me.”

“I hope so,” Lucas replied.  “Liam, I want you to remember what that piece of paper contained.  Can you do that for me?”

Liam nodded and for a few moments,

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