Stripped Bare

I am Re-covered

A/N: Dante is in for the shock of his life, as Damien takes his charge on board a stealth plane...

Captain Samantha Grenley led the men into the General's quarters. The General had been in deep conversation with the two rather impressive-looking men who were both clothed in fatigues, with berets slanted to one side upon their heads. The two men, striking silver foxes, stood smirking as the young agents and their charges entered.

"Hi da...Good afternoon, sir. Grey Rabbit reporting on the success of our mission, as..." Damien commenced, clearing his throat after realizing that he should have formally addressed his father but...at this point Randy cut in, grinning from ear to ear.

"As we have made sleeping beauties of the royals and their entire entourage, sir. They're as cushy as babes asleep in the woods and will rest in peaceful slumber for approximately 56 hours, sir" Randy heartily concluded, seemingly proud of his own accomplishments.

"And furthermore, we have secured the custody of these two men, who have been confirmed as our operatives by Commander Hobson and Chief Stanton of the local police force, sir" It was Damien's turn to butt in.

Darius shot a knowing look to Bry, who crossed his arms and looked at the two men seated in front of Marcus' desk. The burly one seemed wily and aloof, scanning the room for any means of escape. But who could escape at twenty thousand feet? Bry chuckled silently.

Dante was near tears thinking that he had seen a ghost from his past come to life once more as he perused the General's face, seeking answers. Who is this man who looks so much like the man known as Officer Madsen, the man he grew to love as a father? He thought, chewing on the inside of his cheek nervously.

"No, Dante. I swear you haven't seen a ghost. Detective/ Officer Madsen was my brother...my twin brother to be exact. He had mentioned a remarkable young man for whom he had taken a liking to as that of a son, and that he had eventually legally adopted. Due to his illness, he was leaving me in charge in the hopes that the boy would be looked after, without interference.

I made good on that promise. I kept my distance, but I still watched over you like a hawk, enough to know exactly what you've been up to, detective..." Marcus Adams chuckled as the man stared at him in total disbelief.

At those words, Dante blushed profusely, knowing the kind of high kinks he'd been up to, especially with the royals. He felt extremely embarrassed now, as all eyes fell upon him from those present in the room.

"Don't be embarrassed, Dante. There's no need to be. I understand too well how good you are at covering up your tracks, and playing your role to the hilt, which is what made you a great undercover cop in the first place" Darius reiterated carefully, easing Dante's discomfort.

"Here are Dante's medical history records and current health reports, sir. As you can see, the implant is fully disintegrated, and the membrane has dissolved as predicted..." Captain Grenley carefully set the open files upon the General's table.

"Yes, indeed...Son, have you been experiencing strange sensations lately?" Marcus asked the young detective as he perused the information set before him.

"It all depends on what you mean by strange, sir. I sometimes feel as if I'm walking in a fog, unable to distinguish between the real and the unreal, sir. Certain incidents have happened due to these sensations, and by the time they end, something horrible has happened to the person I have envisioned having these incidents..." Dante explained the very extent of the knowledge of what he had been experiencing.

"And what happens to these people you've envisioned?" Commander Bryant questioned him.

"They end up dead, sir" Dante whispered in somber tone.

"Then it's true! You're the one they've been seeking! Let's see...you're roughly twenty-six years old, aren't you?" Bry asked, to which Dante nodded. He then continued, "Are you aware that you're a foreign national, Dante? Your parents, were two well-known scientists from Romania who sought asylum here, precisely twenty-four years ago, when you were just two years old. Unfortunately, both your parents perished in a car accident, leaving you orphaned..." Commander Bryant continued.

The memories came rushing back into Dante's psyche as he gasped in silent shock, rendering him speechless, as he instinctively buried his face in his hands, crying from grief. A gentle hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, as Captain Grenley held out some tissues to the young detective, who could no longer control his emotions.

"Hey buddy, are you okay?" Walid asked his friend, placing an arm around him as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"I think we'd better let you two rest for a bit. It's been quite a day..." Darius looked to everyone as they agreed to give Dante some time to absorb all this information.

"No sir, I'm fine. But what you've told me has confirmed some of the thoughts that I've had, dwelling deep in my mind for a very long time. But the pieces were jumbled; the faces and memories distorted, and that I was getting more and more confused...I want to know more...about myself..." He broke off, wiping his face out of worry and fear.

"You will...all in good time, son. But for now, I suggest you get some much-needed rest. We'll be setting down in 48 hours, so you both had better make use of the time to rest and recover...We'll speak more later..." The General suggested.

Dante and Walid both nodded, anxious to take a breather, as Dante still reeled from the news. There was so much to absorb, and even more to learn of his own family history. But also, there were still many unanswered questions regarding his parents' deaths

"Randy, Damien please stay. I'd like to have a word with you both, in private" Darius leaned towards the two young operatives once Dante and Walid stepped out, led by Captain Grenley to their quarters down the corridor, as the plane hovered above.

Captain Grenley led the two men to her work chambers, where the men would enjoy some deep, uninterrupted sleep each ensconced in a hyper-baric chamber. She and her team would monitor the men's breathing, and sleep patterns for which she was quite fascinated, especially with Dante's own erratic readings on his previous reports.

"Screens up..." She commanded, as her team observed the images that were being projected continuously from both men, while in deep REM sleep. Everything seemed pretty normal, when she took Walid's reading.

But when it came to Dante, it was another matter entirely.

As she looked closely at the screen, she could not believe her eyes when she exclaimed, "Oh...My...God!" 

A/N: And what do you think Captain Grenley discovered? Please vote  if you're enjoying the story so far, and feel free to leave a comment, thank you!