Alter-Native

Chapter four

Jensen wished he could cover his ears while Chase lectured him about being careless and letting Mark get away. Even over a hologram the guy could be intimidating and yet it only succeeds in making Jensen feel worse.

"How could you just let him get away?! This could have been our chance to catch him!" Chase exclaimed.

"I know!" Jensen exclaimed keeping what really happened a secret, he believed that if he told Chase the truth, he'd get even angrier than he already was, and Jensen really didn't want to know the consequences. "He outsmarted me, you know how he is!" Chase sighed and wanted to lecture Jensen some more but the second he saw a young girl run into the room he stopped talking.

"Daddy, Mommy told me to come and save you." JJ said. Chase looked between the young girl and Jensen realizing the truth.

"Tell your mother that I'll be there, I just need to get something done okay?" Jensen reassured her. She nodded and gave him a quick hug before leaving the room.

"That's how Mark got away." Jared said to himself.

"I see," Chase responded. "I'm guessing this is part of the life you two don't tell me about," he continued. "Jared, I need to speak with your partner alone," Jared gave a reassuring glance at his friend before leaving the room. Jensen waited for the onslaught of a lecture and yelling, he'd been mentally preparing himself for this and was ready for Chase to say something. "I see you have a lovely family," Chase said. "But given this situation you can't let your emotions cloud your judgment, Mark could easily try to use them against you."

"Don't start this up again Chase," Jensen said. "I know the risks, I've kept them safe this long, and with twins on the way, I'm trying to make sure I make it out of these missions alive."

"But you don't..." Chase began but stopped himself as he didn't want to push Jensen too far when he lost his family. Jensen interrupted believing he knew what his boss was going to say.

"Let me stop you right there," Jensen said. "I don't want to hear any of this lecture on focusing on the mission, I've been focusing on the mission! Done everything in my power to keep them out of this!" he continued. "I brought them here the day that I joined! Knowing that they would be kept safe! But at the end of the day, I want to make sure that they have a life that I never got! So quit thinking that you know everything and anything about me! I don't see you going up against Anti!" Jensen exclaimed. "You just stay in that stupid locked room assigning missions to others in Golden Dawn, the last time you came face to face with Anti was when you were trapped in IRIS! So don't think you know everything!" Chase remained silent and the accusation hung heavy in the air "What no comment? Or did I touch a soft spot"

"Enough of your ranting Jensen, you're not the only fighting in this war!" Chase exclaimed. "Now get out before I decide to fire you and replace you, I know a ton of other hunters who wouldn't show me such disrespect." Jensen went silent, but simply nodded his head and out of respect he bowed before leaving the room and walking into the hallway where Jared was standing. Jared wanted to say something but realized that Jensen looked tired. He nodded his head as Jensen walked back to the family unit that he and his family had been assigned to when they first arrived. The compound itself had at least thirty floors not counting the level reserved for Golden Dawn training and mission assignments. All of the members lived in the compound as each one had their own room, as Chase wanted them to have personal lives. But the rules were that if a member had a family they had to live in the compound, and because Chase never left his room he never knew anything about his bounty hunters lives. JJ had been sitting with Jared waiting for her father to be done and turned to her uncle asking if she could get up.

"Go ahead, I think he needs some comfort." Jared told her. Instantly she beamed and ran to embrace her father.

"Daddy you look sad," JJ said, clinging to her father. "Are you okay?"