DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, so bugger off. I will not sell them because first of all, they are not mine. Okay? Okay…
CHAPTER SEVEN
The heels of her boots clicked soundly on the cement floor as she walked on the dimly lit corridor.
Two guards flanked her, one on each side. They had been in their company once or twice during her visits and she hasn't seen them do anything but to accompany her to her destination.
They smell horrible. Her perfume couldn't cover the odious smell and Katya could barely keep herself from wrinkling her nose. 'Breathe through your mouth… or your ears.'
She's really relieved that she only encountered them once or twice.
After a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a huge steel door. One of the guards took a key from his pocket and opened it. Another corridor stood in front of them.
She bit back a sigh. She knows the procedure, but the damn thing is just too tedious.
Finally they reached a wooden door. Not at all formidable like the first one they encountered.
"You can come out anytime." This is the first time he spoke to her and she noticed a German accent with his words. He pushed the door open.
Katya looked at him. "Thank you." A seductive smile played on her lips. She's sure that he wouldn't be able to see it because of the darkness but she flashed it anyway.
She sauntered into the room and the door slammed shut behind her. The room was better lit than the hallway, but it's still dark. As her eyes got used to the intensity of the light, she felt the drabness and the coldness of the cell.
And then she saw her. Sitting in a corner, chained to the wall. Her head is down, as if she's asleep. Katya slowly walked towards her sister. She seems not to have heard the slamming of the door.
"I was wondering when you'd visit me again."
Her tone was quiet, but Katya clearly heard the contempt in her sister's voice. She wonders how Irina could muster up those feelings when she is clearly powerless, weak. She hasn't been eating and the beatings she went through weakened her even more.
She took a rickety chair and sat on it. It creaked a bit, but was still stable enough to sit on. She crossed her legs and leaned towards Irina.
"Hmm… I was sidetracked once again."
Irina slowly raised her head, revealing scratches on her face and a busted lip.
"Sidetracked? By whom? Jack?"
Katya shrugged. Her indifference masked her concern for her sister. Irina's thinner than before. If they keep this up, she'll most probably die.
"They said you should be healing." Katya said nonchalantly.
Her sister managed a smile. "They thought I should suffer first." She moved a bit, thus making her chains clash noisily. Pain flashes through her every time she moves but she needs to feel it. It's the only thing that tells her she's still alive.
Katya stared at her. Irina kept quiet. If she talks to Katya, she'll get hurt more. Physical pain is enough. God and prayers can't even help her with the pain. And Katya is certainly not an angel sent by God.
But she couldn't help herself.
"So, how was it?"
"How was what?"
"Jack. And sex."
Katya was taken aback. 'How the hell did she know that?' she waited a beat before answering.
"Well, it was good. Great, actually. But it was like f-cking my nephew. You were right. They do look alike."
She didn't miss the fiery, murderous glint in Irina's eyes after she said that. She expected it, actually. But she didn't expect that unadulterated hate that came with it. She didn't think Irina will have the strength.
'Katya, come on. This is the sister who can kill a live chicken with her bare hands in the middle of winter. What do you expect?'
She stood up from the chair and turned away from her sister. She can hear Irina's breath becoming labored. Irina's angry. And she thinks that she can control it through breathing.
"You can't control your anger that way, Irisha." She looked at her again. "They all think you're dead. Jack Bristow was the hardest one to convince. Now, they are all wrapped up in their little world that they will not be able to remember who you are and what you are to them. Give us what we want and I promise you, you will be eased off this pain."
And she left. Only the whiff of her perfume lingered.
'Six months. I have endured this hell for six months. And for them, I am dead. What's the use of protecting them if that's the case?'
Tears started to roll out of her eyes. If she gives them the location of the Decoder, she'll still put all of them in danger.
'Oh, God… help me.'
x-x-x-
The amphitheater-inspired classroom didn't dull his nervousness. He is a bit uneasy. His cover is to be a Physics teacher and he's going to be making an impression on students, those young minds. What if he teaches them wrong? This is first and only class for Mondays and this class, 201-A is supposedly the best one in the sophomore batch.
As he understood the school's set up, the students (the undergrads) are placed in sections mixed together even when they are from different courses. But they only meet each other during homeroom and some classes. In 201-A's case, they meet during Physics, Art Appreciation and Math.
Jack looked around as he fiddled with the pen cum surveillance camera. When he checked the names of his students, he found out that Vaughn and Sydney's targets are all in 201-A.
He sighed and placed the pen on the pencil holder. He went to the classroom too early. Jack fixed the papers on the table, the course outline and the overview of the lessons.
The door to the classroom opened. Jack looked at his watch. There are ten minutes left before the class bell rings. He looked up and saw a girl walking down the steps, reading a book and wearing earphones. A light blue backpack is slung on her shoulder and she is dressed simply, in jeans, a white top and a navy blue jacket. Her black hair is up in a ponytail and this kept it from covering her glasses, which are perched on her nose.
From Jack's position, he can see her holding an iPod in her left hand. She seems to be enjoying the music she's hearing since she's bobbing her head up and down. She also didn't seem to notice him.
He watched as she made her way toward the front row and sat on the desk in front of the teacher's table. He noticed the girl as Alexia Vadison.
'British, nineteen, raised practically by nannies. One brother who is studying in Harvard' Jack thought. He looked at his watch again. Still ten minutes before the first bell rings.
He took a chalk from the chalk box and stood up. He turned towards the blackboard and wrote his name.
MR. JAMES BRENNEN
"Good morning, Mr. Brennen." The voice clearly resonated in the room. The speaker has a pleasant voice. Her accent isn't as heavy as he expected.
Jack turned towards her and acted the way James Brennen would have acted. He smiled.
"Good morning, Ms. Vadison."
The girl cocked a brow, a bit surprised that he knows her. Mr. Brennen held up a folder and she realized that it was a seat plan. She took off the headphones from her ears and kept her book in her bag.
She looked at him interestingly. Actually, the glint in her eyes can be likened to a cat cornering a mouse in a corner. A predator cornering a prey.
'Why do I have the feeling she's the one we're looking for? But from what the surveillances have seen, she'll touch the computer when it's really, really important for her. Which is one in every one hundred assignments.' Jack thought. He can see the criss-crossed scar in her right jaw.
She stared at him. There is something familiar about his face.
"Is Mrs. Patterson, the Literature professor, a relative?" she asked, scrutinizing his face.
Jack is a bit taken aback at her observation. "Uh, yes. She's my daughter. Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "There's a resemblance."
Mr. Brennen looked at her and raised a brow. "Ms. Vadison, I had heard some stories about you. I expect that you'll be passing assignments in my subject. They will be your grade. If you fail to pass fifty percent of the works I'll be asking you to take home, you will most probably fail my class."
She gave him a small smile and raised a brow once again. He is the first teacher to tell her that.
"I'll try, Mr. Brennen."
The first bell rang. Their conversation was cut short.
Alexia fixed her things and readied her notebook and pen. She removed her bag from the aisle and waited for her classmates to come for class.
After a while, people started to stream in, chatting like birds. As the door close and the second bell rang, it was the signal for Jack to start.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Mr. Brennen."
x-x-x-
Her students were still milling around when Sydney left the room. She's going to see how her father is doing in his first class since the Physics lecture room is only a short walk from hers.
When she reached the doorway, she found several girls hovering around the teacher's table, clustering around Jack. And he is clearly uncomfortable with the attention.
"Uh… ladies, I will not be able to give remedial sessions since this is the start of the semester. And besides, you all know that I am not a permanent teacher here."
"Yes, we know that sir. But we really suck in this subject." Sydney recognized the voice as Atessa, who also belongs in her class.
"We haven't started the lessons, ladies." Jack tried not to show his exasperation.
Sydney smiled as she went down the steps. The girls were more than half of the class but she counted them still. For every class has twenty two boys and twenty three girls. Forty five students, one teacher.
Ninety eight percent of the girls are smitten with her father.
Sydney found two girls immune to her father's irresistibility. Both are seated at the third aisle.
Her father hasn't seen her yet, so she decided to sit for a while and enjoy the show. She also wants to strike a conversation with the two girls.
She sat down in behind them and tapped both of them in the shoulder.
Alexia Vadison and Deia Treadcliffe faced her.
"How long have they been staring at him?" Sydney asked. Alexia shrugged and then looked at her watch.
"They've been staring at him for the last fifty five minutes, but questions about the tutorials started eight minutes ago."
Deia nodded her head. "I think Mr. Brennen is a bit afraid of the mob."
"Why aren't you with them?" she asked teasingly. Alexia made a face while Deia blushed.
"I can study on my own. And Deia's too shy to go with them." Alexia answered. "Actually, I don't see why you're shy. Eoclin, Dylan and Genny are there."
Jack saw Sydney sitting with Deia Treadcliffe and Alexia Vadison. He sighed in relief as he tried to go towards her. "Ladies, my daughter, Daniela Patterson. You've met her already in your literature class."
Almost all of the girls turned to look at her.
"Well then, we'd better be going for lunch." Jack said and gathered his things. Sydney had to stifle a giggle when her father took her wrist and almost dragged her out of the room.
"See you on Wednesday." Sydney said and disappeared from view.
A murmur went through the girls before they scattered around and left.
"You five are so pathetic."
Deia Treadcliffe, Guinevere Wellington, Dylan Xavier, Nasha Ysidro and Eoclin Zagmun looked at their friend with an eyebrow raised.
"Especially you, Eoclin. And you Genny. You're good in Physics and you're… pretending to be…" Alexia sighed "Never mind." She said and started to go up the steps.
"How can you say that? The man is gorgeous!"
Alexia wrinkled her nose. "Yes. But he's old. Deia seemed to be praying the rosary so that he'll look at her direction. Come on, people. You have suitors your own age!"
"Yes, he's old. But he's still… yummy. That's the appeal, girl!" Guinevere said.
"Wow, Mr. Brennen has an effect on you, Genny. Didn't you tell you us before that men are either bisexuals or homosexuals?" Nasha said as they walked towards Alexia.
"Haven't you heard of the expression, there's always an exception to the rule? He's the exception. And Mr. Patterson, of course."
Deia and Dylan laughed.
"Nash, Genny has a point." Eoclin ribbed Alexia. "Let's ask her why she doesn't find Mr. Brennen attractive."
"Alexia, why don't you find Mr. Brennen attractive?" Dylan asked.
"First of all, he's attractive if he's thirty years younger. Second, don't call me Alexia." She wrinkled her nose. "He just reminds me of… our butler back home."
Her friends laughed.
"Oh, god, Lex." Eoclin said, looking at Guinevere, who is laughing so hard.
"What's the name of your butler?" Nasha asked.
Alexia rolled her eyes. "Martin."
Dylan slapped her back. "I'm going to ask this for Genny. Is he gay, or bi?"
More laughter.
"He's neither. Are you coming or not? I'm hungry."
They went out of the room, laughing and talking. By the teacher's table, the pen slash surveillance camera recorded their conversation and will be watched and listened to by the CIA agents in LA.
x-x-x-
"So, how was your first day?" Vaughn asked Sydney and Jack as they sat down for lunch in the quadrangle. He is wearing a shirt that matches his blue contact lenses and casual trousers.
"I still have classes after lunch." Sydney said. Vaughn smiled at her and pulled out the chair for her.
"But it's fine. I think I saw the founding members of Dad's fan club."
Vaughn looked at Jack. "Really?"
Jack looked back at him. "That's because they don't know who James Brennen really is."
Sydney gave him a warning look when she saw his students pass them by. The students waved hi to them and she smiled. Jack just nodded, and went on to eat his sandwich.
"Are the surveillance online?" Jack asked in a low voice.
Vaughn nodded his head. "They went on after you went to school."
The chatter and the laughter of the students drifted to their ears as they ate their lunch. It was so surreal. College life is full of worries, stress and deadlines but the students still have fun. They have time to have fun. But the three of them… their job is to protect the country while at the same time pretending to be easygoing, fun loving teachers. Sometimes, it doesn't feel satisfying.
Jack noticed that Sydney and Vaughn's uneasiness are fading away; unlike the first time they went on mission pretending to be husband and wife. Oftentimes, genuine smiles are plastered on their faces.
I'm happy for you…
He looked at his watch and then turned to Sydney.
"Classes start in fifteen minutes."
Sydney looked at her watch and hurriedly stood up. "Oh, thanks for reminding me." She kissed her father and then Vaughn. "See you guys later."
The two of them watched her go. Vaughn then turned to Jack.
"Don't you have a class?"
Jack just looked at him. "I only have one class on Mondays." He answered and gave him a look that seemed to see his very soul.
The stare Jack is giving is unnerving Vaughn a bit. He flashes that stare once in while, but most of the time towards Sloane.
Vaughn cleared his throat and tried to ease the tension between them. "Uhh…"
He didn't get any reaction from Jack.
"Uhh… when will the Benson's be inviting you for dinner?"
TBC
