Looking down at her phone, she re-read the message. What exactly did it mean? Swallowing hard, Bevis moved toward the garage; it had been a close call, having barely made it out the window when Chelsea came bursting in. Stopping at the garage's side door, Bevis looked through the panes of glass. Josiah was working on something in the corner; if she went in now, he would see her and probably talk her out of what she had decided to do. She was being impulsive, but for some reason, it felt right, like something she needed to do and get done.

Josaih's head came up with a suddenly alert expression, one Bevis knew she would get nothing by if she encountered him now. She waited, ducking slightly as he looked around. Looking over the rim of the window, Bevis watched as he quickly wiped off his hands and dashed upstairs. Silently entering the garage, she activated the large garage door and took a set of keys from where they hung; pressing the alarm button, she located the car as the alarm flashed off by way of the indicators. Thankfully everything about this place ran silently. She slipped into the driver's seat and put her backpack beside her. She started the engine, not waiting to see if anyone else discovered her Bevis floored the accelerator and left the safest place she had ever known.

Following the road toward the tunnel, Bevis activated the onboard GPS and instructed the device to find a route to the address her parent's storage unit was located. While the device advised her it was mapping the quickest way, Bevis pushed the button Caroline had previously activated and entered the tunnel. Speeding wasn't an issue on these lands, nor was driving fast. Right now, it was a good thing .... an excellent thing. Especially when there was a time limit and answers needed to be found.

Right now, she needed to get to the storage unit and find whatever the text referred to as the holding company information of the eight thousand two hundred. Was it something or someone, or did it pertain to an amount? Shaking her head, Bevis couldn't make it out.

"What does that number mean?" she whispered as she followed the direction the GPS advised her, "Guess it's time to face whatever that is," shaking her head, she turned the corner onto an external main road, glancing both ways to ensure no one was following her, "time to dive back into the life I could never navigate or understand."

Listening to the commotion of the rest of the family in the living area, Josiah watched as Bevis drove out of the garage; her natural skills were beginning to come to the foreground. Skills that ran in her blood, skills her parents had hoped would never come alive, but here they were. Moving to Chelsea's laptop, he opened an app and punched in a password bringing up a map and GPS tracker.

"What are you doing, Jo?" Caroline asked.

"Something in her activated those very skills her parents were hoping would never live," Josiah said, "she's just taken a car and is going somewhere. I need to get into the navigation system to see where."

"She left," Jason said, moving toward the stairs, "I need to follow her."

"Jason," Josiah called, stopping his son's progress, "she is already on the main road. She has driving skills ... that's for sure."

"Where is she going?" Jason asked, looking at Chelsea, "oh no ..." he shook his head, pacing away.

"She's going to the storage unit," Chelsea said, "I got the same text she did," pulling her phone out, she handed it to Josiah and Caroline, who looked at each other with concern in their gaze, "what? What is it?"

"It's the number," Caroline said, "I just got an email back from the company with the same number in it."

"Meaning?" Josiah asked.

"Angie and I have been called to the storage unit," Caroline said, "as has Bevis ..." she sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head, "... after all these years, it seems all the players and information are in place, and it's time."

"Time? For what?" Jake asked.

"Everything that has been brewing to come to a head," Caroline said, "you need to keep digging, and I need to pack a bag ..." she glanced at her phone, "Angie will be here in a few minutes ..." looking around her family Caroline smiled tightly, "then its time for Angie and I to head into whatever is there ... whatever is waiting for us and face the music ... or the outcome ... or whatever may be."

"Not on your own," Josiah said, "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," Caroline said, "the instructions are clear ... no line of your family is to be involved."

"Does it say anything about my family?" Chelsea asked.

Caroline looked down at her phone, "No, nothing about your line," Caroline sighed, "if you come, I cannot guarantee your safety."

"No," Chelsea said, glancing around the family, "but I can guarantee yours."

Caroline frowned, "Chelsea, that is very generous, but I'm not sure your father would agree."

"My father isn't here," Chelsea said, "and I'm trained to do just this."

"For once, I'm in agreement with my mother," Jake said, frowning, "who is going to have your back?"

"If that number means what I think it means..." Chelsea said, glancing at Jake, "I'll have many people having my back."

"What does that number mean?" Jake asked.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"That is for you to find out," Chelsea said, "Caroline and I need to pack."

The women moved toward the stairs as the men silently watched them disappear. Jake shook his head.

"I don't like any of this," he whispered.

"You're not alone," his father replied.

"I'm with both of you," Jason sighed, "what did mom mean by "no one from your line"?"

"It means we have to remain here and guard the people and property," Josiah said, "and they are correct. We cannot forget our mandate."

"I'll start digging on that number," Jake said as his fingers moved quickly over the keys.

Caroline stopped in front of Chelsea's door, laying a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "A moment," she whispered, waiting until Chelsea turned to look at her; she took in the steady gaze, the determined expression and sighed, "you know what that number means ... don't you?"

Chelsea smiled and nodded, "My father used it on everything he sent to the office; all his communication, it was the forerunner of his employee number," Chelsea said, "one day I asked him why he always used it, and he said it was a way of them to identify who he was and the right people would get the information."

"Who did your father work for?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know," Chelsea said, "but when I started at the Agency, I researched that number and was contacted almost immediately by an .... intelligence agency not run in our country but is definitely in our area."

Caroline sighed, "You're brilliant," she smiled, "you never told anyone, did you?"

Chelsea shook her head, "We have to move," she said, "can you pack in ten minutes?"

"I can pack in five," Caroline said, moving past her and entering her room.

Chelsea watched her go waiting until her bedroom door was closed before pulling out her phone and dialling a number; stepping into her bedroom, she closed and locked the door, "Connection required 8200-7946-4455-3789," while she waited, she pulled out her backpack beginning to pack, pausing when the connection came through, "we're tracking her on this end," she said without greeting or identifying herself, "yes sir, she is incoming and still in the dark," pausing in her packing she listened, "no, she will need a full detail," sighing she rolled her eyes, "you don't understand ... Bevis is still very much in the dark and running on instinct she doesn't have all the information yet and is struggling with the little she has uncovered ... a full detail is required," she sighed letting out a breath of relief, "thank you ... I'm bringing the other two players in."

She continued packing while listening to instructions on the other side, "Yes sir, I agree, it is time to finish this and bring the truth to light..." she sighed, "... all of it, no matter how distasteful it may be."

Cancelling the call, she pulled on a set of crisp black fatigues. She pushed her weapons into her utility belt around her waist, pulled on her kevlar-lined jacket and zipped up her backpack. Looking around the room, she checked if anything had been left there; it had become a habit in the last few years; checking under the bed and in the drawers, she couldn't see anything.

Opening the door, she came face to face with Jake, who paused with his hand raised, meeting her gaze before travelling down her black fatigue-clothed form.

"That isn't our gear," he said, taking in the weapons and clothing, "who do you work for?"

"Right now ..." Chelsea said, shrugging, "the side that will save your mother's life."

"Chelsea, you ready?" Caroline called as she moved down the passage toward the pair, "Wow, you are dripping in ... what's the word .... ordnance."

Chelsea chuckled, "Not really, but I'm hoping I have enough of everything to get us through all this and come out alive at the other end."

"Who is your backup?" Jake asked, striding with the women as they moved through the house toward the garage, "who is going to have your back?"

In the garage, Chelsea indicated for Caroline to drive, "I'll need to stay vigilante and free in case we have any problems," pausing as Angie appeared at the open garage door, "welcome aboard, back seat," Chelsea turned to Jake meeting his gaze and seeing the blatant worry, "we will be okay," she whispered, cupping his cheek with her hand, "I will see you on the other side ..." smiling tightly she sighed, "I want you to concentrate on your mandate as I shall on mine."

"Your mandate?" Jake suddenly frowned, "what do the numbers mean?"

"They mean ..." she paused before continuing, "protection, family, loyalty and intelligence."

Jake's gaze sharpened at the last word, "Let me come with you," he whispered, "...please."

"The instructions were clear," Chelsea said, "you are to remain where you are needed."

Pushing onto the balls of her feet, she rose, meeting Jake's lips with her own; his arms snaked around her, pulling her against him with an urgency that surprised her. A cough behind them had her breaking the kiss and smiling gently into his intense gaze.

"I'll see you on the other side," she whispered, pulling away, turning and moving toward the vehicle, glancing back as she prepared to climb into the passenger seat, "we will take the quickest route."

Jake nodded as she pulled the door closed, and the vehicle moved forward, leaving the safety and protection afforded them.

"Please come back to me," he whispered as the vehicle disappeared from view and the door closed on him, leaving him in a cold dark room, alone and battling conflicting thoughts and emotions, "dammit," he turned, punching into the stone wall.

"Feel better?" Josiah asked from the stairwell.

"Not really," Jake said, turning toward the stairs, "I just don't like this at all."

"You think I do?" Josiah asked, 'You think your brother does?"

"What am I supposed to do now?" Jake asked, stopping a stair below his father.

"Fulfill your purpose, son," Josiah answered, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder, "it is time to do what you were meant to. We have work that needs attending, and Candy is here to help us."

"She didn't go with?" Jake asked, surprised.

"She is not permitted," Josiah said, "she is of my line as well ... remember."

Chuckling, Jake nodded, following his father into the living area where Candy laid out food and drink again as Jason worked feverishly on Chelsea's laptop.

"What have we got so far?" Josiah asked, looking at his children, "It is time for the family to do what it was meant to ..." he paused, clapping his hands together, "Come on, I'm calling you all to fulfil your mandate. Let's get to work."

The trio looked at each other, grinned and took their places around the table, all talking at once, and Josiah watched, smiling.

"We were born for such a time as this," he whispered, glancing toward the stairs heading to the garage; he sighed, "We were all born for such a time as this."

Swallowing the rising emotion, he joined his children at the table, listening to each as they spoke over each other or to the other.

Everything would be okay.

Everything had to be okay.