After The End

Coffee

Jared had finally given us the information we needed on how to track Mitch and Max got straight to work on reprogramming an old phone that Jared had on him. The rest of us can do little but wait for him to get done. We have little else to do, we are putting all of our faith into finding Abigail when we find Mitch, and if we find Abigail, we find Jackson. Soon, after what feels like hours Max lifts his head from the table. "Okay. That ought to do it."

"Is it gonna work?" I ask stepping up next to Max.

Jared sighs, "It'll work. This thing was specifically designed for tracking and maintenance of the original bio-drive test subjects."

I roll my eyes and look over to Jared, "For your sake, it'd better work."

Max looks back to the group than to the device, "Shall I do the honors?" Max starts up the device and it begins to beep rapidly. As we look up to the computer it is connected to, it is founding on Copenhagen. "Ah!" Max exclaims.

"Copenhagen?" Abe questions.

Jamie smiles over to Max, then to me, "We'll be wheels up in five."

Once we are up, it doesn't take us long to get to Copenhagen. While we are in the air I look over myself in on of the mirrors. "What is it?" I hear Jamie ask from the doorway.

I turn to her, "Just waiting to see how long it'll be before someone recognizes me."

"Kat, you were working with hundreds of people for years and no one recognized you or Jackson."

I nod, "Yeah, but we are moving traveling all over and I'm going by my real name again. There aren't that many blondes by the name of Katherine Oz, out there."

"Yeah, I guess, you've got a point."

I turn back to the mirror, "I don't know, I think after over ten years with the same look I just need something different."

"Running around the world again isn't enough of a change for you?"

I shake my head, "Given what Jackson and I were doing, the only things that changed is locations."

"I guess you're right about that too." Jamie crosses her arms and leans against the door frame, "What are you thinking then?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Once everything calms down I'm thinking of changing my hair. What would you think of me going back to my natural color?"

"What is your natural color?"

"I'm naturally a brunette."

Jamie looks around and nods, "if you want I can always dye your hair. We don't have any hair dye, but when I was a teenager I used coffee to dye my hair brown once." I chuckle softly and shake my head. "Come on, it'll give us something to do. I promise I won't destroy your hair."

I cave and let Jamie do my hair, I don't know if it was to keep my mind busy or to help keep her busy. But either way, we are both distracted while we fly to Copenhagen. By the time Jamie is done, we have landed, and I have brown hair. I haven't been a brunette since I was sixteen years old, but I loved the blonde so much I found a way to keep it, even when living in Africa, trying to save the world, and being on the run in Portland. When Jamie and I come down to get ready to head out, Abe is a little shocked by my change in look, and come to think of it, I don't think Jackson's ever seen me as a brunette, other than in some old photographs.

Once we land and locate the compound Mitch is in, we go in guns blazing. Storming into the compound, forcing doors open or shooting them open, whichever we had to do. Once we walk into a room, we see a revealing a mixed-race young man tied to a chair, his hood up and tape over his mouth. I walk over and slowly take the tape off. "Who are you?" the young man asks.

"Who are you?" I ask as I step back.

"My name is Sam Parker. Please, you have to help me out of here."

"Sam Parker? Clem Lewis' Sam Parker?" I look to the man a little confused.

"You know Clementine? Is she here?"

I shake my head, "Is there anyone else here?"

"Uh, just the, uh, the crazy lady who grabbed me. I think her name is Abigail."

Jamie steps up next to me, "Was there anyone with her?"

"Some other guy."

Jamie and I move our gaze to Abe, who is standing behind Sam. "I need to take him to the plane. Clementine is with us. She needs your help."

"What's wrong?" Sam stands as Abe cuts his bonds.

"I'll explain on the way." Abe looks to Jamie and I, "Are you sure, you're going to be okay with..."

Jamie cuts him off, "Yeah, we'll be fine."

Abe nods before he and Sam head out the way we came in, and the rest of the group heads further into the building. As we head down the hall, Jamie and I leading, with Jared and Max behind us, I hear Jared complain, "Watch where you're pointing that thing, please."

"Oh sorry," Max replies.

"Hey," I snap at the two of them, "Focus." The device Jamie is holding starts to beep, rapidly. When we walk into a rather large room I turn to my right and see Jackson laying on the floor, "Jackson." I gasp and hurry to his side, "Jackson, Hey."

Jackson opens his eyes slowly, "Kat?"

I nod and smile, "Yeah."

"You changed your hair."

I chuckle, "Yeah, I did."

"I like it." Jackson sits up. "Why do I smell coffee?"

"We can talk about it later," I help him up, "What happened?"

"The beacons. Abigail's gonna activate them."

Jamie takes a deep breath, "have you seen Mitch?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I've seen him, but it's not Mitch."

I nod, "Yeah, we know."

Jamie looks around, "Macavey. Where's Macavey?"

Jackson looks over to me, "Who's Macavey."

I shake my head, "We have to go."

Jamie nods and we head out. As we walk through the compound, still looking for Mitch, Jamie's device keeps beeping rapidly. "What the hell is that thing?" Jackson asks.

"It's tracking Mitch's bio-drive." Max comments.

As we turn down a long hallway a man steps out at the other end and starts shooting. The four of us duck down, turn, and run, back to the end of the hall. Jamie leans against the wall, shouting, "Mitch? Mitch, I know you're in there. Please, don't do this."

Jackson sighs, "Okay, we need a new plan."

"Here," Jamie hands me the device.

"Ja... Jamie!" Jackson shouts as she rounds the corner. "Don't do it, Mitch. Don't do it." Jackson shouts again as he, Max, and I step out to see Jamie walking toward him with her hands up.

"You think I won't shoot you?"

Jamie shakes her head, "I think you're out of ammo. I counted 17 rounds. Unless I'm mistaken."

I cringe as I see Mitch pull the trigger one more time, but to my surprise, I hear a dry click, followed by Jamie grunting as she knocks Mitch to the ground. Jackson, Max, and I walk over to her, "that was amazing."

Jamie sighs, "I never thought he'd pull the trigger."

Jackson hands a cylinder to Jamie, "I was trying to tell you that Abigail used this to activate the bio-drive. I'm pretty sure it turns it on and off."

I look over to him, "Then why didn't you press it."

As Jackson goes to answer, Jamie cuts him off, "So we can get rid of Duncan."

"I hope so," Jackson sighs. "Look, we have to find Abigail now."

Jamie nods, "Yeah, Kat, go with him we can cover more ground that way."

Max nods, "And I'll help you with Mitch."