A/N: Ok, so I've been gone almost as long as Syd at the end of Season 2 (embarrassed look) but I'm here with a shiny new part. Please read and review and let me know what you think (the good, the bad *and* the ugly :o) . . . For those who don't remember this story (understandably since it's been so long since I posted), there's even a summary, of sorts, between the lines . . .
Ok, here goes:
Part 13: Fear
The only sound in the empty, dust-filled warehouse was the rap of Jack's shoes as he briskly strode down the hall. The hall went on for about 20 feet and ended in an abrupt turn. As he turned the corner, from a doorway, a gun cocked next to his ear...
...the action seemed to make no impression as Jack turned only slightly, his eyes skimming over the barrel to meet the eyes of the man that just yesterday had tried to kill his only daughter...
Koreshnokov froze, a cold ball of fear unfurling in his stomach as he recognized Jack Bristow.
He glimpsed a slow, deadly blink...
"At approximately 10:16 this morning Agent Sydney Bristow was shot . . ."
...then Jack struck.
Hand snapping from and back to his side quickly, he caught Koreshnokov under the chin, connecting with a knife strike...
"The bullet missed her major arteries . . ."
...the gun clattered to the ground as a choking sound emerged from Koreshnokov's lips. As he staggered, Jack bent low, twisted his hips for power, and smashed his fist into Koreshnokov's kidney...
". . . but fractured her ribcage . . ."
...the blow landed like a sledgehammer and Koreshnokov slammed into the closed door behind him then crumbled to the ground, unable to breathe, only achieving painful wheezing. Between gasps for breath, he reached for a hidden weapon...
". . . a bone fragment punctured her heart . . ."
Jack struck again, hard and fast. There was the cracking sound of bone breaking...
". . . there was internal bleeding . . ."
...Koreshnokov did not reach again.
". . . she made it through the surgery . . ."
Jack Bristow was a ruthless man. This was known by many. A lot of whom could claim firsthand knowledge.
Only a few knew he was also capable of mercy...
". . . but she slipped into a coma soon after . . ."
...Koreshnokov's gasp of pain echoed throughout the warehouse halls...
Now was not a time for mercy.
"Agent Bristow" crackled in Jack's earpiece.
Koreshnokov let out a gurgling gasp as Jack straightened.
"What are her chances of waking up?"
The agent speaking in Jack's ear turned the corner. He seemed unsurprised with the scene that greeted him but he stopped a respectable distance away. "Agent Bristow, there's a call at the transport . . . It's about your daughter . . ."
"She sustained major damage to her chest cavity and severe blood loss . . ."
Koreshnokov, with his right arm cradled uselessly at his side, numerous broken bones throughout his body, and though he could draw only the shallowest of breaths, still felt relief wash over him...
...until he heard the chamber of a gun being snapped into place...
"What are her chances? . . ."
Jack reached down and yanked Koreshnokov by his shoulder, causing him to gasp and then choke on a wet cough, even as newly broken bones shifted to accommodate Jack's grip.
"About 40 percent . . ."
Jack spoke to Koreshnokov quietly and the agent watched as Koreshnokov's pain-filled eyes widened with fear...
"We repaired the damage the best we could . . ."
Jack let go and stood, aiming the gun that only moments before had been pointed at him...
"Borov Koreshnokov, working as an agent of the Covenant, has been confirmed as the man that attempted to take Sydney Bristow's life . . ."
Jack pulled the trigger, shattering Koreshnokov's kneecap.
His receding footsteps were the last thing Koreshnokov heard before he passed out.
The agent left behind looked down at the mess that was Koreshnokov and shook his head, radioing for assistance and that Agent Bristow was on his way.
What the agent didn't realize, what few would, really, was that he had just borne witness to a rare phenomenon...
Some would call it Revenge, others would call it Justice . . . But the truth was that this . . .
...Koreshnokov, still unconscious, groaned as he was moved onto a stretcher...
"What has happened to my daughter?"
. . . this was how Jack Bristow grieved.
~silence~