While Kristen rode in the transport plane from Washington D.C. to who knows where they were taking her, she had to give Agent Bishop some credit. The man had remained true to his word, and as a result, Kristen was no longer confined to a ten by ten foot concrete cell in the basement of some federal facility.

The opportunity for her slightly improved situation was based solely on how she had cooperated with Agent Bishop, and how the intelligence which she provided had been a significant aspect in proving the guilt of those within the organization. As a reward for that recognizable effort, Kristen had received a partial, albeit secretive, pardon from President Harwell. However his leniency was contingent upon a set of conditions. First, the identity of Lieutenant Kristen Royce would still be categorized as an individual who had died in the early morning hours of January first. Her military record as an officer in the Navy would reflect no specific achievement or shortcoming, but would instead read as nothing more than a generic and mundane career. In addition, any funds which might have been paid out to a beneficiary of her insurance policy and limited pension would be forfeited. Of course the reality of the situation made such discussion moot anyway, as Kristen was also made to understand that no one would have ever received either of those financial benefits. Had it not been for her fictitious classification as deceased, Kristen would have most absolutely been dishonorably discharged in disgrace for her active participation in the treasonous acts against the United States. That finding would have stayed on her record permanently, while also rendering Kristen exempt from any future benefits. However no family member or other individual had been identified within her file as a beneficiary, and upon her announced death, no one had come forward to dispute an oversight of her intent to do so. Therefore those funds would be added to an intended future pool of capital which would be earmarked for the rebuilding of Syrian infrastructure.

As another condition of the leniency toward her, Kristen would be required to leave her former identity behind and accept an invented false substitute. That particular need would not be a stretch for Kristen, as she had playacted in the role of many different women throughout the years. However the precaution of a new identity would serve as an added measure for her safety while in prison, and after she was released.

That in turn led to the fourth and final condition, which dealt specifically with the length of her incarceration. Under the name of her new and permanent identity, she would remain in a federal maximum security prison for twenty years. During that time her contact with other inmates would be limited, but based on what level of good behavior she exhibited, she could earn the privilege of running on a track within the high security courtyard.

After the transport plane landed at the Ellsworth Municipal Airport and rolled slowly into a hangar, the woman formerly known as Kristen Royce was transferred into an awaiting van with tinted windows. Then she, along with her heavily armed escorts, were driven the short distance over to the nearby federal maximum security prison. Once unloaded from the van and taken inside for processing, she learned of the established rules which would need to be adhered to if she expected any measure of decent treatment.

As the door to her cell was about to closed, the warden standing in front of her said, “If you behave, then your long stay with us can be somewhat comfortable.”

With a nod, she replied, “Yes ma’am, I understand and I will act properly.”

“Good, now do you have any questions?”

“Yes ma’am, only one at this time.”

“And that is?”

“Where are we?”

“You’re kidding. Didn’t they tell you where you were being transferred to?”

“No ma’am. I was just loaded into a van like the one that I just got out of and taken to a plane. Other than the fact of being in your facility, I have no idea where I am.”

“I see. Well this facility of mine as you call it is in Ellsworth Kansas.”

“Kansas? You’re telling me that I’ve been sent back to Kansas?”

“That’s correct. Is that a problem for you?”

Without saying another word, she dejectedly turned back into her cell and sat on the bunk. Kansas was the one place that she never wanted to see again for the entirety of her life, and although she didn’t know it at the time, Ellsworth was almost directly in the center of it. As the door was locked behind her, she vowed that even if it took well beyond her release in twenty years, somehow she would locate Agent Heath Bishop.