joegoda | Nano Day 11 - Working Title: Cantata (edited)

It was a gloomy sort of summer day, and though there wasn't any sun, the wind was mercifully light. The forest green Capri umbrella added just a bit of ironic summer time cheer to the damp chill in the air. When the waitress brought out the cappuccinos, she was decidedly not happy that the couple at the table had decided to stay outside in the slightly soggy weather. It did not lighten her mood that the two were so obviously in love, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.

After waiting for the waitress to leave, Wells, fingers still entwined, leaned forward and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

In gently accented English, Laura replied, "and what would you have done? What would it have mattered? Kaylee was born after I imagined you were very much gone." She shrugged. "You know the type of life we have. What would it have been like, you always gone? At any moment you could have been sent on your last assignment."

"And if I had known, I might have..." Wells let the thought fade.

"You would have been torn between what you knew and raising a family. You would have taken a job in an office?" Laura smirked while she licked at her cappuccino mustachio. "I do not think that is in your nature, Richard. I do not think you could ever just settle down to doing the work of paper, while others are off running around the world."

"I've retired now, Laura." Wells gently stroked the back of her hand with his index finger. She arched one delicate eyebrow. "Well, mostly retired, anyway. And I do sit and watch as others run around the world. I'm the one that authorizes it."

"Oh?" she asked, smiling. "The great Richard Hannay? Sitting behind a desk? Perhaps there is hope for you after all. What is it you authorize, Richard."

He pulled his hand back and said, "That's what prompted me to get in touch. I'm the overseer of black ops." He sipped the sweet coffee mixture. "Your name came up in cross-reference. Kaylee's too."

"Oh?" Laura said, mildly interested. "In what way?"

"In combination with the Italian Chamber Orchestra," Wells explained. "When it performs in Catanzaro, August twenty-third."

"The twenty-third?" Laura thought for a moment. "That performance is a benefit for the orphanage. Of course Kaylee and I will be there."

"It's also the date for a training operation in the same town." Wells said, watching Laura's face. "I suspect it's not just a straight forward training op, Laura."

Now she showed a bit of surprise with the arching of her eyebrows. "So, it's a what, Richard? An assassination? A ... what is it that your people call it?"

"A takedown," Wells supplied.

"Yes, exactly. A takedown." She pondered. "And you do what in your job? You oversee the operations? You authorize them?"

"I verify the practicality of the operations, Laura," Wells answered. "I make the decision as to whether the operations are doable and if they have merit. If they do, then yes, I authorize them. If they have no viable reason, or if they will bring harm to the United States, then I decline them."

"Ah," she said, "so you have veto capability. Then just veto the takedown."

"It's not quite that simple, dear." Wells said. "This is an operation scheduled by one of the Directors of the company."

"I see." Laura gazed at the foam on her cappuccino. "Perhaps, Richard, you can tell me why this concerns you so?"

Wells started to answer, and then noticed an older couple sitting a few tables away. The man was talking to a woman, presumably his wife, and she was nodding. What interested Wells was the direction her purse was sitting. Unlike most women, she didn't put her black bag on the ground, where it would be out of the way. It was sitting on the table, with the top of it pointing in their direction.

"How bout we finish these coffees and we take a walk. Maybe change the topic for a bit?" He asked, imperceptibly nodding in the old couple's direction.

Laura's eyes flickered briefly that direction and she nodded. "I would like that." She sipped her drink and said, "You Americans do so many odd things. This cappuccino," she lifted the glass, "is not as sweet as what we have in Trieste. It has sugar, to be sure, and whipped cream, or something like it." She tasted it again, smacking her lips, "But it is machine made, I can tell. There is no soul, here, no heart."

"So," he asked, "you don't like it?"

"No, no," she said, nodding. "It's fine, it's just... not home." She shrugged. "I don't know... really. It's just... not home. I don't know how to explain it."

"What else do we do that's odd?" he asked.

"You rush around, never thinking about what the day is about. You eat like there is no food left in the word." She smiled. "Back home in Villa Opicina, we make the day what it is. We move with the world, not against it. There are days when Kaylee and I sit on the patio and gaze at the birds of the air, and sometimes when it is clear, we can see the waters of the Adriatic. It is very quiet and lazy there. I think you would like it, if you were there." She left that unasked question hanging in the air, knowing that she would not get an answer.

"That's true, I suppose," Wells said. "I've certainly slowed down, but I'm no happier. Perhaps it's time I thought about a change of pace."

Laura laughed, a musical note in the damp air. "I'll believe that when I see it. You changing pace? Leopards changing spots is more likely."

He drained his glass, and ignored the jab. "Tell me about Kaylee. Where did you come up with her name?"

"It was the name of my great aunt," she explained. "It was how I came by most of my money, Richard. I promised I would name my first daughter after her."

"Yeah, okay," Wells said, "but Kaylee? Not very Italian, Laura."

"It is Irish, I believe." She blushed a bit. "We are not all what we seem to be, yes?" She finished her drink and stood. "Show me a part of this city, Richard. You know I am here for only a short time."

Wells stood and took her hand. "It is wonderful to see you, Mi Amore. You know it is." He led the way back to the street, keeping the old couple in his peripheral. They stayed seated, engaged in some discussion. "I'll need your eyes as well, Laura. Just look for any odd attention."

"Richard," Laura slapped him playfully on the shoulder, "I may have been out of the game for a while, but I do still know how to play."

Half a block from the coffee shop, Wells asked, "Kaylee is... twenty four, right?" Laura nodded. A few steps later, he asked, "Laura, is she mine?"

Laura stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to look directly at him. She gazed up from the depths of her deep brown eyes. Her mouth quivered a bit and there seemed to be a battle going on. "Richard..." she began. A bit of moisture escaped from one corner of her eye and she said, "Yes, she is." She quickly wiped the tear away, turned and walked swiftly ahead of him. "There has never been another since you," drifted back to him.

Wells, caught off guard by her response, hurried after her. He caught her elbow, but she angrily pulled away.

"You men!" she spat, still walking, her eyes flashing Italian ice. "You are so stupid. You want us to be the only ones, the only women. You are so stupid. Is she yours?" Abruptly she stopped and hit at his shoulder, hard. "Of course she is yours, you stupid, stupid man." She hit at him again.

"If you had called, if you had written, just once, in twenty-four years, you would have known it. You would have found that you have a funny, bright, beautiful daughter named after my great aunt. You would have found she is as smart as you, and how quick she is." Tears ran down her cheeks.

"If you had made one effort you would have found a girl that grew into a young woman full of the world. It was her idea for the orphanage, Richard. I was content to let the money gain interest and live from what it earned."

She stared at him accusingly. "I was fired from the service because I was pregnant. Thanks to God that I had the money from my aunt. That's why she is named Kaylee, Richard. Because I needed the money and YOU weren't there for me." She turned away from him. "I did not like you very much for a very long time, you know. At times I hated you."

Wells caught her arm again. She whirled and said, "And now you call me here? For what? Because some of your shadows are playing war games? Because you found our names on a list? Is that why you called me here?"

Wells didn't know what to say, so he just did what all men do in a situation like this. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Of course you're sorry," she spat back. "You're a stupid man. All men are sorry in times like this."

Wells was unaccustomed to being called stupid, and he was starting to get a bit angry. "Laura, I'm not sorry that I left. I had my duty to do. I left before even you knew you were pregnant." He reached for her other arm, and held her so she could not turn away, so he would not lose her again.

In a soft voice, he said, "I'm sorry that it took me this long to find you again. I'm sorry that I never had the chance to see Kaylee take her first steps, say her first word, grow up. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to warn her about getting involved with the Yugoslavian Underground." He let go of both of her arms and shoved his hands into his pockets. "And let's not forget," he gently added, "you didn't contact me either. Nobody is innocent here, Laura."

At the mention of the Underground, Laura's eyes opened wide. "You know about that?" She looked at Wells face for her answer. "Of course you know. It's your business to know." She sighed. "I tried to tell her, to warn her about joining a business like that." Looking around, she saw the same old couple that were sitting at the coffee house. Cautiously, she nodded in their direction.

Wells saw them and said to her, "Might be coincidence, might not. There's a park about a quarter of a mile away." He pointed north. "Places we can sit, talk, and watch. It's an easy walk." He took her arm, gently.

"Laura, twenty-four years have passed," he said as they walked, "and there's no getting them back. I will tell you this, though; I love you, and I have always loved you. You talk about there not being anyone else in your life. The same could be said for me, my life is work, sleep and work. There isn't anyone else in my world either."

"I live in a six hundred square foot apartment by myself and a goldfish. I don't have many visitors and months go by without anyone dropping by. I work in an office alone, a small little cracker box of an office, in a department that I created because you're right. I couldn't leave the company, Laura. It was all I had. Except for the time I spent with you, the company is the only home I have known since I was eighteen. Except for you, it's the only family I have ever known."

He glanced behind; the old couple had fallen far behind. They stopped at a crosswalk and they waited for the light to change. Once on the other side, he continued.

"I was surprised to see you had a daughter, Laura... That I had a daughter. Do you not think for one second that if I had known that I would not have dropped whatever I was doing and been there? Do you think that I wouldn't have cared?"

"I...," she replied quietly, "I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me?" Wells spat out. A few moments passed and then he barked a sarcastic laugh. "Perhaps we're both the stupid ones, dearest. I didn't write you because I didn't want to get in the way of your career. How was I to know that you didn't have one with the ISS anymore? You didn't write me either."

They reached the park and Wells selected a spot in the middle of the park, with easy view of the entire area. The old couple were nowhere to be seen. Wells directed Laura to a small bench and helped her sit. "I think it's safe here," he said.

The two of them sat quietly on the bench in the dim, damp sunlight, filtered by cloud and mist. There were few people in the park, it being a workday and a school day. Yards away, there was a mother, pushing her daughter on a swing. Two dogs were running along a fence line, chasing whatever their noses told them was there.

Wells broke the silence. "Laura, regardless of how this brought us together, we are together. I have a daughter." Wells smiled as he repeated, "I have a daughter. A family. Huh." He sat there, smiling as the impact built up. To have known, academically, was one thing, but to have evidence sitting next to him in the form of the woman he loved, the mother of his child, well... that was quite another.

Laura watched his smiling face until she too, smiled and reached out a hand to touch his arm. "Yes, Richard, you do. And a woman that loves you too." She turned to face him on the bench and turned his face toward her. She leaned over and kissed him, gently on the lips.

Wrapping his arms around her, he could smell White Diamonds in her hair, on her shoulders, and he inhaled strongly. "It's what kept me alive, I think," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry we argued," she said, stroking his cheek.

"I seriously doubt it will be the last time," he replied, kissing her hair. "We need to talk about the Yugoslavian Underground and Kaylee."

"I agree," she said, "but let us enjoy this little time together, shall we? Before we get into the nasty and dark business?" She turned again on the bench and laid her head on his shoulder. "I just want to be here, right here, for just a minute or two."

Snuggled together on the bench, the two looked like any other pair of lovers, sharing each other's time.

Laura began. "When she was sixteen she started talking about the plight of the refugees from the Kosovo conflict. It was a big topic at her school, and some of her friends had family that had come from Serbia and Albania. It was not an easy time for anyone." She looked at Wells and smiled. "Kaylee was such a compassionate child. There was a time we had fourteen stray cats and eight stray dogs in the house. That was quite a mess, let me tell you."

"That was when we started the orphanage. It was her idea, and I was surprised I didn't think of it. There were many children that had no home, thanks to the conflict in Kosovo. There were babies born that had no fathers, babies that had lost their mothers. I created a trust and a foundation and the La Casa Orfanos di Trieste, the Orphan House, was born. We did some great good there, Richard. I was, and am, very proud of the work we do. For years, I took life or ran operations that took life. It was my turn to give life back." She gripped his arm and smiled at him, tears in her eyes.

"When Kaylee was eighteen," she continued, "she started talking about the Yugoslavian Underground. I tried to explain to her that it was not something she should be doing, that it was very dangerous, but you know how teenagers are. Always so sure they are doing what is right. Always so sure we old folk do not know what we are talking about."

"She started to spend more and more time away from home. She would grab a bite of breakfast and be gone for two, three days. She would come home exhausted. I explained to her that the running of the foundation and the orphanage was not easy for me. We argued. She told me that she was doing something important, though she wouldn't tell me what it was, just that it was more important that some stupid foundation. I told her that the foundation wouldn't run itself, that it, that I, needed her youth and energy."

"It didn't end well." Laura clasped her hands in her lap. "She packed a bag and left, not a word of where she was going. She was gone two weeks, Richard. I was losing my mind with worry."

"I searched her room to try to find clues. I found documents about slave trade. Sex slaves. The documents were very inflammatory, and linked the NATO peacekeeping forces to it."

Laura looked up into Wells eyes. "The slave trade had been a hidden topic of discussion for years. Even before NATO got involved, it was something that everybody knew about, but nobody could prove. There were rumors of payoffs and bought politicians."

She clapped her hand on top of his. "Understand, this wasn't Italy... this was Yugoslavia. This was Kosovo and Serbia and Albania. We heard the rumors because the port at Trieste is so close to Yugoslavia. There were, and are, whispers that the port is used for transport of the slaves."

"Is it true?" Wells asked.

"Of course it's true. I'm not completely out of touch with the Service. If anyone should know, you should, that you never truly retire. The trade is a real thing. It is just more... convenient to... diplomatically ignore it. The truth should never be confused with the reality. It's irrelevant to my story anyway."

"Oh," he said. He wrapped his arm tighter around her and she snuggled closer. He kissed her hair again, breathing in the Laura that she was, and said, "Go on."

"I could have called in some favors," Laura said, "but that would have spent those favors. I was sorely tempted, many times." She turned so he could see her eyes. There were tears there. "You see, Richard, she had gone on trips before. She would wave goodbye at the breakfast table and off she would go, to explore France, or Switzerland, or some other far place she had never seen. Kaylee is like that, quite the adventurer, always curious as to what is over the next hill. You'd be proud of her; she has not a bit of fear in her."

"I had no evidence she was doing anything other than expressing her independence. She was nearly a grown woman and if I had someone follow her and she discovered them, it would have told Kaylee that I was watching her. She is very bright, Richard, very aware, and I didn't want her to think I did not trust her; I just wanted her back and safe. So I waited."

"Two weeks after she left, she showed up at breakfast. She ate like the starved. I didn't ask her where she had gone, just sat there and watched. She was very upset, very angry at something. I let her eat in peace. When she was done, she told me that she was done with the Underground, that they were a bunch of fakes."

Laura leaned in and said, "Richard, we both know the Underground is not fake. We both know that they do some incredibly good things, and some things that are not so good. They bring us some of our orphans, and we help them get some of the refugees jobs and homes. So, for Kaylee to say they were fakes, I knew she was lying. There must have been something else involved, something that she saw or was involved in that turned sour, but I let it be. Maybe I should have pressed the issue, but I didn't. I was just glad to have my daughter back."

"How old was she when she disappeared?" Wells asked.

"She was twenty. Why?"

"Just looking at the time line, looking for patterns," he said. "She was involved with the Underground for about two years before then, do you think?"

"Possibly four," Laura answered, "if she started when she was sixteen. You know that the Underground likes to get their recruits as young as possible."

"True." Wells said. "That would mean that whatever happened at twenty was four years ago. If we go with the assumption that she started when she was sixteen, that would be eight years total. That about right?"

"It would be, give or take a few months, but yes, eight years. As I said, I don't know what brought her back to me, I never asked and she never talked about it. Since that time, though, she's been by my side most of the time. She occasionally goes out with friends, and when she does, she lets me know where she's going and always gives me a phone number to contact her."

"Hmmm," Wells pondered. "Could that be a red herring? Have you ever called the number she gave you?"

Laura shook her head. "No, I never did. I never had a reason to. You don't suspect she continued..." Laura's eyes got wide.

"Four years is a pretty long indoctrination period, Laura. And like you pointed out, nobody really retires." Wells stroked his chin. "Sarah says that Laura has no emotional attachments other than you. Is that true?"

"Who is Sarah?" Laura asked, quickly curious.

"Um," Wells began, "Sarah is my computer. A very smart, very sophisticated computer. I'll introduce you to it someday."

Laura was quiet for a bit. "She sounds like a very well educated computer."

"Sarah is not a she," Wells defended. "Really Laura, it's just a piece of hardware. I designed part of it myself."

"Then I'll trust you and let it be, Richard." Laura smiled weakly. "But I won't forget to ask you for that introduction sometime later." She sighed deeply. "It's true that Kaylee has no boyfriends, as far as I know. There have been a few dalliances, but nothing serious."

"Are there any consistent friends? Male or Female?" Wells asked.

Laura thought for a bit. The sun had started to drift to the horizon. "Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, "I am running out of time."

She turned on the bench to face Wells. "There has been one, a girl, a woman, Bleri..." She closed her eyes in concentration. "Carnesi. Bleri Carnesi. She has been hanging around for..." her eyes got wide again, a sight that melted Wells' heart, if it had not have been for the concern showing in them. "Richard, she has been a constant companion since Kaylee came back from her disappearance. You don't think she's Underground, do you? I never thought to check."

Wells hugged Laura close. "I'll have Sarah run a check on the name tomorrow, Laura. If she is, we'll find out, as long as she isn't using an alias. I suspect that Sarah can find her, even if she is." He turned his face to her. "Should I look deeper for signs of Kaylee? Sarah has found non-incriminating evidence that links Kaylee to the Underground and the white slavery and NATO, and there may be more." He paused. "I won't if you tell me not to."

"Which means you will if I don't say anything," Laura replied. She nodded, briefly. "Yes." Then she nodded again, more strongly. "Yes, please. Let's find out what our little girl is up to. Maybe we can figure out what this has to do with your training operation." She looked up at the sun again. "I need to get to the airport, Richard." She stood up, as did he.

"Listen," he said, "I don't suppose I could convince you to say longer?"

"I should get back, Richard," she said. "Kaylee is running the foundation by herself. I wouldn't want her to worry. Besides, wouldn't it look suspicious if I was gone for any great length of time?" She patted his hand. "I would like to stay, you know I would. But..." she let the rest of her comment fade into nothing.

"I suppose you're right." He sighed and looked around. The park was clear of anyone suspicious. There were a few kids throwing a Frisbee around, and a man was walking his dog, but none displayed any signs that caused him concern. "I'll call a cab from the payphone at the post office." He grew a smile. "In fact, I have just the company." He fished a business card from his pocket.

The cab door opened. "So," said a familiar voice. "Is this her? It better be, or I'll kick your ass."

"Sharon, this is Laura," Wells introduced the two women. "Laura, this is Sharon." He helped Laura get into the cab.

"Where to this time?" Sharon asked.

"The airport, Sharon," Wells said.

"The airport?" Sharon asked, surprised. "Didn't you just fly in? And you're leaving already?" She looked out the windshield and said, "It's not night yet. It's just a bit after six-thirty."

Both of the passengers said "Yes." together.

Sharon turned around in her seat. "Okay. I'm a bit confused." She pointed to Wells. "You said you just flew in last night, and that you were meeting her." She pointed at Laura. "You, I assumed lived here, and he was meeting you before he flew back out." She pulled her hand back, before she said, "So, what's the real deal?"

Laura said, "No. Richard lives here. I'm flying out tonight."

"Uh huh," said Sharon. She looked accusingly at Wells. "I think you have a bit of explaining to do."

Laura looked at Wells and said, "You know this person?"

Wells nodded, reached over to hold her hand, smiled and said, "Yes, love. We met this morning. She's the one that brought me to meet you." He nodded in the direction of the waiting cabbie and continued, "Sharon had some very good advice on the trip. Since I was already working to be as discreet as possible, I had to tell her a lie about myself, to keep her safe."

Sharon's eyes got round. "To keep ME safe?"

Laura smiled and said, "Ah, Richard. How many times do you have to learn that a lie will always be found out, when the unbelievable truth will work so much better." She sighed and said, dramatically, "Do you think she can be trusted?" She winked.

Wells smiled back and returned the wink. "Let's ask her." He turned to Sharon and said, with a dead serious look on his face. "Sharon, we both, Laura and I, work for government agencies that are so secret, almost nobody knows they exist. She works across the ocean, and mine is centered here. The one I work for is very good at tracking down where I am."

He shrugged. "I figured if I told you that I was here on business and was flying out tonight, it would make for a better story. Something you would believe, and you did. If the company came asking questions, the most you could tell them is that you picked up a businessman who was here for a short time." He reached forward, placed his hand on Sharon's. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. Really, it was to protect you."

"Uh huh," Sharon said after considering what she had heard. "I've heard better tales, bud. Then again, I've heard worse. Let's say I buy it this time." She thought a bit then asked, "So... the part about her being your long lost love? About not having her seen her forever? Was that a lie, too?"

Laura answered, "Oh, that part is very true. I live in Italy, and we haven't seen each other for twenty-four years. He got in touch with me because he just found out he has a daughter, my daughter."

"Uh huh. Okay." Sharon turned back to her job. "Too much detail, kids." She started the car. "The airport it is." She pulled out into traffic. Looking into her rear view, she asked, "Twenty-four years?"

"Yes," Laura answered.

The ride went on for a few minutes while Sharon wove her way into and out of the traffic. "Do you mind an opinion from a total stranger, Laura?" she asked.

"No," Laura said, "Please."

Taking a deep breath, Sharon asked, "Are you crazy? You haven't seen each other for... a quarter of a century!" She paused to move around a large truck. "And he just found out he has a daughter by you? And you're leaving? Now?" Sharon turned right at a green light. "If you ask me, that's like offering a steak to a starving man, and then saying, 'Sorry... I'm shipping it to Botswana land.' At least spend the night together."

"Sharon," Laura said, "You don't understand. I have a business to..."

"Business?" Sharon interrupted. "What was it Marley said? 'Mankind is my business!' Will the business fail if you aren't there tomorrow? If you miss work for one day?"

"Well," Laura admitted, "no."

"And?" Sharon continued. "You do realize that this man, and even though he lied through his teeth to me, he's a good man, you do realize that this man has taken the day off from HIS job, don't you?"

"But..." Laura protested.

"Oh, please. But me no buts." Sharon turned to Wells. "Hey! You! Mister 'I lied to the cab driver'." She squinted an eye at him through the mirror. "You married?"

"What?" Wells asked, surprised.

"I asked you if you are married. Attached? Cheating on anyone?" Sharon sighed. "What is so hard with the question? ARE YOU MARRIED?"

"Well...," Wells said, "no, I'm not."

"Laura? You married?"

"No." Laura answered.

"Well hell." Sharon said. "If you two ain't the saddest pair I've ever seen." She stopped at a red light and turned around to Laura. "Look. It was twenty-four years from the last time you two got together. And we all know what came of that." She winked at Wells. "Now, whose to say it won't be twenty-four years before you meet again?" She looked at Laura. "Or never? Planes fall out of the sky all the time."

She pulled through the intersection, and swerved to avoid an errant motorist turning right just a few feet from her bumper. "My point exactly." She saluted her fellow driver with one finger and said, "Would you two look at each other? And think about what you are doing?" She changed lanes. "I'm just gonna drive here for a second, traffic is a bit thick this time of day."

Laura and Wells looked at each other, just as Sharon directed. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. "Your friend is very wise, Richard. A bit on the bossy, mouthy side, but wise"

Wells just smiled and said. "That's why I called her."

"You pick good people." She replied, before turning and tapping the seat in front of her. "Sharon, can you recommend a good hotel?"

"Hell yes I can." Sharon answered. "In fact, we're half a mile from it."

"Not only good, but prepared, too. Maybe we should hire her." Laura said. She turned back to Wells. "There is just one more question I have before we get to the hotel, Richard."

"What's that, love?" Wells asked.

"What name are you using now?"

Sharon snorted, chuckled and said, "I don't even want to know what that's about." She pulled into the hotel parking lot and dropped them off at the door. Wells paid her what she said was on the meter, plus an extra ten. "Pleasure doing business with you, 'Richard', or whatever your name is." She tucked the bills in her bag. "Now, I don't expect to hear from either of you before ten o'clock in the morning, so don't even try. And if you call any other cab company, I'll know about it, so don't. You hear?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Wells said. Laura nodded agreement.

"Good! Now... Go on! Get to know each other again." Sharon blew them both a kiss, put the cab in drive and pulled away.

"What an excellent idea," Laura said as the two of them walked into the lobby.