Perhaps because of this, both of their relationships with their loved ones suffer. Nik finds himself growing impatient with his girlfriend, resenting her very presence. The fact that she did not like all the new cooking he had been doing only furthered his resentment. He's doing a decent job of hiding his anger with her, but Debbie seems to understand that something has changed between them, and is a little distant.
Vanessa may have it even worse. The horrors of the equation combined with being experimented on at OUTLOOK has left her shattered and her relationships in tatters. For a few weeks it looks as though Malcolm may just move out; even worse, he may take their dog with him, as Vanessa is skipping more and more of their walks and leaving him to take care of the animal. But something inside of her rebels, and she is not willing to give into despair yet. She takes Malcolm out for a few date nights and offers him an edited version of her last case being difficult, and it seems to satisfy him. He tells her once again he's there for her, but only she knows if she believes him. As for Rex, Vanessa makes herself walk and play with him more often, even when she finds it daunting, and gradually, her relationship improves with him as well. However, it's not a perfect fix in either case; Malcolm has stopped dropping hints of marriage, and Rex now seems to go to him more for comfort. The wounds she suffered in the last opera may never fully heal, but she tries her best to go on.
May 3rd, 2000
The agents are called into McRay's office early in the day.
"You've got another assignment. I won't be part of it this time, however; Your handler will be from another cell. This is likely for operational security reasons. After your last op, they probably don't want us tied together too closely.
"All I have been told is for you to head to Meadowbrook, New York. It's a modest suburban community about an hour upstate. You're to grab a coffee at Joe's Java a local eatery in the heart of the town. Once there, your handler will brief you. I'm not to know anything about this assignment; however, I've been informed that I will be pulling strings to get you assigned up there in an official capacity. Other than that, I can't help you.
"One final thing. According to the report I received, you'll be getting two new members to your cell, perhaps permanently. I don't know anything about them or their history in the organization, so you'll have to figure that out for yourselves. But if A-Cell is sending them in they're reasonably certain they're trustworthy. And they're also sure this operation needs some additional support, whatever it is, so be cautious. This assignment may be very dangerous."
