THE PRICE OF FREEDOM PART 2

aka "The All Nadia, All The Time" chapter!

Note: Another longer-than-usual chapter.


Tom and Nadia's Apartment

It's nighttime and Nadia buzzes around the kitchen, putting away groceries. In the past 11 months, Sydney was kind enough to throw away anything that might have spoiled by now. Unfortunately, that meant a very depleted cabinet when Nadia returned home.

When she got back, all Nadia had available to eat was some cans of corn, peas, and one lone can of clam chowder. There also was two lonely bottles of water in the fridge and some meat in the freezer that probably is still good...if they're not freezer-burned to death.

In her first full day back as a conscious woman, Nadia finds that she's feeling pretty well. She's still a bit achy from lying still all those months, but as she moves around, she finds that she's feeling better and better.

Tom called her first thing in the morning, not a half hour after she got home. He couldn't wait to talk to her and make sure she's home and ok. She didn't say anything to him about her plan...just in case someone else was listening to their conversation. Still, she was just as happy to hear his voice as he was hers.

Tom asked her not to come visit him in prison. This confused her at first, but Tom said that he didn't want her to see him in prison clothes, especially if what she has planned works out. After seeing her break down yesterday over his handcuffs, he didn't want to hurt her anymore if he didn't have to.

Sydney also checked on her earlier in the day and confirmed that tomorrow's plan at APO is indeed a go. Everything is set up and ready.

As Nadia finishes putting away the groceries, she thinks about what's going to go down the next day. Mike and David arrived in Los Angeles earlier in the day and they stopped by a while ago to go over the plan. They both seemed pretty comfortable with it. They also were happy to see Nadia alive and well.

Earlier in the day, Nadia was able to scout the hospice Sark is in. She was relieved to find that security, besides the two guards outside Sark's door, is minimal at best. She was also able to secure the outfits they'll need to pull this off: a white nurse's outfit for her and two janitor outfits for them.

Nadia tosses away the plastic grocery bags and decides it's time for bed. You would think with all the rest she's gotten in the past 11 months that she'd be up all night, but she's still somewhat fatigued. Plus, she's going to need all the energy she can spare tomorrow.

Nadia walks into the bedroom, turning off the lights in the apartment as she goes. Normally, she would change into a nightgown. However, tonight was different.

She opens up the drawer and pulls out an old St. Louis Blues hockey shirt that belongs to Tom. She wore this shirt the first night she stayed at Tom's place...the night of her blown birthday party at Sloane's, and she fondly remembers Tom's delight over her choice of shirt to wear to bed. In fact, Tom's caring treatment of her that night and the following morning almost makes her forget everything else that happened at her party.

Nadia takes off her shirt and jeans and puts the Blues shirt on while leaving her undergarments on. She smiles as she looks at herself in the mirror.

She remembered in Tom's letter that he enjoyed when she wore his old shirts. And as she looks at herself in the mirror, Nadia's imagining him in bed, looking at her and admiring her wearing his old shirt. She loves seeing him happy as well.

In fact, it still amazes Nadia that she has the effect she has on him, even when she's not trying to impress him. No one wanted her when she was an orphan, but now, Tom loves and values her more than anything in this world. Throughout her childhood, she had hoped that her father would feel that way about her, but she'll happily accept Tom's love. His love for her is never in doubt, unlike Sloane's. And even though he's in prison, just knowing Tom's out there, thinking about her, makes her feel warm inside.

As she looks at herself in the mirror, she grabs some of her hair and examines it. Her hair got really long while she was in a coma. She's still not sure if she wants to keep it this long or not, and Tom has yet to mention anything about it. She decides she'll talk to Tom about it first before doing anything to it.

She flips the switch to turn off the overhead light, and then turns and walks over to the bed. She turns over the covers and lies down on the left side of the bed, her usual spot.

She turns out her bedside light, the last light on in the apartment. However, she doesn't fall asleep right away. She faces the right side of the bed, where Tom would normally sleep.

The moonlight from outside shines in through the window on the empty spot in bed, making it particularly stand out. Nadia feels sad over the fact that Tom isn't there next to her. Something about being around him just always felt so comforting.

Maybe it's because of 'The Connection', that Rambaldi device in their bloodstreams that interacts with their pheromones, going to work every time she was in his presence. However, Nadia prefers to think that her feelings for him are 100% natural, and that maybe the 'The Connection' was only meant for when they first met.

For instance, she knew she still loved him before he walked in to her hospital room yesterday. And Tom didn't need to be in the room for her to know that.

In fact, she knew that she still loved him in her heart when she woke up from her coma. The very first thing she did when she regained consciousness was call out to Tom. And later, after she had a chance to read Tom's letter, it was Sloane's apparent desire to have Tom murdered that caused her to completely blow her stack at him and disown him.

And now, as she lies next to the empty spot in bed Tom would normally fill, she reaches over and puts her hand on Tom's pillow, imagining his head is lying there. As she does this, she smiles and whispers "Tomorrow night, your head is going to be right there. I can't wait until you come home and lie beside me again. I love you, handsome, and I'm going to set you free."

Nadia then closes her eyes and goes to sleep, fully confident that her plan is going to work.

Her hand remains on Tom's pillow throughout the night.


APO Office, the next day

Sydney and Nadia stand outside the entrance to APO. Sydney is flipping the switches in the right order while Nadia holds her box of office supplies, keeping up appearances. Nadia has her hair up in a basic ponytail, and she's dressed for work in regular business attire.

Sydney looks over at Nadia as she progresses to another switch and asks "How are you feeling?" Nadia looks over and nervously says "Good."

Sydney notices the nerves in Nadia's voice. "Are you ok to go through with this?" Nadia takes a deep breath and smiles. "Absolutely."

Normally, Nadia wouldn't be nearly this nervous going into a mission. But, this time she's not going on a mission for business. This mission is for the freedom of the man she wants to marry.

Sydney smiles and says "Ok. Here we go." Sydney flips the last switch and the door to APO opens. They walk through the entrance and down the hallway that leads to the office floor.

Sydney and Nadia round the corner to the office floor. Nadia surveys her surroundings as she walks side-by-side with Sydney. She notices immediately that there's been some changes and new faces at APO. In fact, too much has changed for her...

Sydney breaks up her thought process by saying "We gave Rachel Gibson your old desk and Tom Grace has Tom's desk. You can sit next to me." Nadia looks over and smiles. "That would be fine."

Sydney and Nadia walk up to Nadia's new desk. Nadia sets down her box on the desk. Sydney then says "Come on, Marshall's been wanting to say hi."

Nadia follows Sydney around the corner towards Marshall's office. Before they can get to the office, Jack Bristow walks up to them. He smiles, seeing Nadia looking well. "Good to see you, Nadia. I'm glad you're feeling better." Nadia smiles back and says "Thanks Jack. I understand you checked up on me a lot while I was out."

Jack nods his head. "Yes...I did. How are you feeling? Are you sure you want to come back so early?" Nadia nods her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't mind desk duty for a while. I just want to be around this place if I can."

Jack nods and asks "How is Tom doing? Sydney has been giving me updates..." Nadia cuts him off and says "He's fine. He's a little worried about his trial coming up. But no matter what happens, I'm going to stick with him. I hope you come to our wedding."

Jack smiles again and says "I wouldn't miss it. Anyway, I'm glad you're back. A little later, we'll go over some of the things you've missed since you've been gone. Take all the time you need to get settled." Nadia nods and smiles. "Great, thanks." Jack then walks back towards his office.

Nadia looks over at Sydney and gives her a bit of a smirk, reassuring her sister that she's fit to do this. She didn't skip a beat during her conversation with Jack. Sydney smiles back and the two then walk to Marshall's office.

Marshall notices them immediately and exclaims "Nadia! Welcome back! Nice to see you, well, doing anything, actually!" Nadia smiles and says "Thanks Marshall. Sydney tells me you escorted Tom during some of his hospital visits. I appreciate that."

Marshall gives Nadia a sheepish smile and says "No problem...I mean, the guy's been in solitary for, what is it, 10 months now? I just wanted to help brighten his day and all...I know I'm not the best at chit-chatting, in fact, I'm probably, um, quite bad at it actually...ok...anyway, how is he?" Nadia, a bit amused at Marshall's awkwardness, says "He's doing fine, and he appreciates you helping out."

Marshall asks "I bet he was real happy to see you when you were cured...I mean, he would always say stuff like how he misses you and...well, that was the main thing, really. Anyway, I have your computer ready to go, so if you have any questions..." Sydney cuts him off. "Actually, I need you to look at my computer. Some of my emails aren't going through."

Marshall looks surprised. "Really? Rachel was having the same problem...can I come over in a bit?" Sydney, very insistently, says "I really would like this taken care of now."

Marshall awkwardly smiles and says "Ok, follow me!" Marshall walks by the sisters and Sydney follows. Nadia starts to follow behind them, then stops and goes back in Marshall's office.

She quickly scrambles over to one of Marshall's computers and opens up the file log. She scans the folders until she hits "6-18-05" She opens the folder and finds one lone video file in it, titled "Falk-Sark".

She opens up the video and makes sure the speakers are down. She scrolls through the first part of the video, which is very choppy and garbled, probably from the corruption. It's hard to make out anything. She raises the volume just a bit and notices the sound is garbled as well. And then, she watches the video and audio clear up when Tom completely snaps on Sark. Something about the timing when the choppiness ends seems a little...too convenient. She stops the video before she watches the whole beating.

She plugs her USB flash drive into the computer and copies the file onto the drive. As it's copying, she looks out the office at Sydney's desk and sees Marshall is focused entirely on what he's doing. Sydney looks back over and gives her a wink, which is returned by Nadia, confirming to each other that everything's proceeding ok.

Nadia looks back at the computer screen and waits until the file is finished being copied onto the drive. When it's done, she quickly pulls the drive out of the computer, closes all the windows and puts the drive in her pants pocket and casually walks out of the office.

She quickly looks around to see if anyone noticed her. No one has. Nadia continues to walk towards her desk as Marshall suddenly gets up from it, alarming her a bit, but not breaking her stride.

She hears Marshall tell Sydney "Ok, you should be good to go!" Sydney smiles and says "Thanks, Marshall." Marshall then turns to Nadia and casually asks "And where did you run off to?"

Nadia pauses and, a little irritated, says "That's none of your business, Marshall." Marshall stands there speechless. Finally, Sydney says "Marshall, that's woman code for 'I went to the bathroom'."

Marshall apologetically says "Oh...I'm so sorry...duh, I should have known...being married and all..." Nadia smiles a bit as she shakes her head. "No, it's ok. I sometimes have to remind Tom..."

And then suddenly, Nadia pauses. She grabs her chest and starts breathing heavily. She looks away and props her arm up on Sydney's desk, looking like she's trying to get her bearings.

As Sydney rounds the desk to tend to her, a concerned Marshall asks "Oh my goodness, are you ok?"

Nadia looks up at him, shaking and still breathing heavily and holding her chest, and then drops to the ground like a sack of flour.

It was a performance worthy of an Emmy.

Sydney squats over her and yells "Nadia!" This display now has the attention of the whole office. Jack comes racing out of his office and sees Nadia lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

Jack walks over quickly and asks "What happened?" Sydney frantically replies "I don't know, we were just talking and then she started losing her breath and fainted..."

As she says the word 'fainted', Nadia opens up her eyes slowly. She looks up at the ceiling and squints repeatedly, acting like she's trying to get her bearings again.

Jack stands over her and asks "Are you alright?" Nadia, sounding almost like a zombie, says "Yeah...what happened?" Sydney replies "You fainted."

Nadia forms a look of surprise on her face and says "Oh no..." She then sits up and looks around at the rest of the office looking at her concerned.

Sydney puts a hand on her back and says "Maybe you came back too soon. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital. Can you stand?" Nadia nods as she takes Sydney's hand and is helped up off the ground.

As she gets to her feet, she looks over at Jack and says "I'm so sorry..." Jack shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. Take all the time you need to get better." Jack then looks at Sydney. "Call me later, let me know how she is." Sydney nods her head and says "I will."

Nadia, still acting disoriented, turns and goes to grab her box. Sydney stops her and says "Maybe I should carry that." Nadia groggily nods as Sydney grabs the box for her.

With the rest of the office looking on, Nadia braces herself on Sydney as they walk out of APO together.

Once they're out of the office, Nadia uses the walls and railings to keep her balance, knowing that APO probably has cameras in the subway area. She slowly follows Sydney up the subway stairs and out to street level.

As they get to the crosswalk to go to their garage, Sydney stops and turns to Nadia. She smiles wide and says "We're clear now." Nadia breathes a sigh of relief and asks "Do you think they bought it?"

Sydney nods and smiles. "Yeah, good acting in there!" Nadia smiles back and says "You too! And nice improvisation carrying my box out."

Sydney then asks "Did you get the video file?" Nadia nods as she pats her right leg, showing Sydney where it is. "Yeah, no problem." Sydney sarcastically says "Go sit on that bench over there, I'll swing by and pick you up...I'd hate to see you collapse in the middle of the street!"

Nadia giggles a bit as she starts walking over to the bench while Sydney goes to get her car.


Compton, CA

Sydney and Nadia drive down a ramp, leading to a familiar looking aqueduct. Underneath the bridge ahead of them, they see a plain white cargo van parked underneath.

Sydney flashes her lights at the van. The van flashes back, confirming that whoever is in it is expecting them.

Sydney pulls the car up besides the van and gets out. As they do, the side door slides open and we see Mike Walcott and David Marston, Tom's friends from Storm Crew, inside the van and already in their janitor outfits.

Sydney smiles and says "I remember you guys!" Mike smiles back and says "Nice to be able to see you without having to pry you out of a coffin!" David, sitting behind him at a table with a laptop on it, says "Amen to that!"

Nadia walks around the car and Mike spots her immediately. "And there is Tom Falk's much better looking half! I forgot to mention this yesterday, but you look really good for someone that just got out of a coma!" Nadia, a little incredulously, folds her arms and replies "What are you trying to say?"

Mike, thinking quickly, replies "Well, I meant...you're up and about and all..." Nadia then laughs and says "I'm just teasing! It's good to see you. Thanks for coming out here, guys, this really means a lot to me."

Mike replies "Hey, anything I can to do to get my brother from another mother out of jail!" Sydney looks at him funny. "Brother from another mother? Really?"

Mike laughs and replies "We called each other that in the Anti-Cartel. Eduardo Munoz really wanted us to operate like a Mexican gang, and that includes the whole brotherhood thing." Sydney shrugs and says "Ok...I just thought you said that because we were in the 'hood..."

Nadia cuts her off and asks "Why are we meeting here, of all places?" Mike replies "Me and Tom would meet here back in the Anti-Cartel days. The CIA has no interest in Compton gang activity, and I can say from experience that the DEA and ATF don't really communicate with the CIA very well. So, we thought this place was inconspicuous enough."

Sydney nods. "I see. But, Compton has cleaned up a bit over the years, are you sure..." Mike nods his head. "Me and Tom met here when Mitch Hayes showed his face again last year. It's safe."

Sydney looks surprised at that. "You were involved in that? I thought Tom killed Mitch by himself!" Mike smirks and replies "Thank you for making my point about how private this place is." He then looks over at Nadia and asks "She's not going to rat me out, is she?"

Nadia shakes her head. "No. Besides, no crime took place, right? Mitch was already dead, according to the CIA." Mike nods and says "You're right. With all that's going on with Tom, I'm just being paranoid, I guess."

David then emerges from the van and asks Nadia "Do you have the video file?" Nadia nods and reaches into her right pocket and gives David the USB drive. Sydney and Nadia then follow Mike and David back into the van.

David plugs the USB drive into his laptop and opens the file. The four of them watch the first few minutes, which is nothing but a garbled mess. Suddenly, the video and sound clean up when Tom yells "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" at Sark and charges at him.

David pauses immediately and says "Yeah, this was deliberate. Someone wanted to hack this thing up like that for one reason...to make Tom look bad." Nadia intently asks "Can you fix it?"

David opens up another window and says "Let me just look at the sectors and see how cluttered the file is..." David examines the various bits of files on his screen. After a few seconds, he starts laughing and shaking his head. Nadia notices and asks "What is it?"

David then turns to Mike and asks "Does Eduardo Munoz have a bunch of grade schoolers working on technology issues for him?" Mike shrugs. "I don't know, why?"

David looks back at the screen and says "This is child's play! How couldn't he fix this?" Before Mike can answer, Sydney says "I take it you can fix it, then."

David sarcastically chuckles and says "I almost don't know why I'm here. Look at all these files..." David points at the screen. "...think of these like a puzzle. These files are scattered around in their little box, but it's as if they left step-by-step instructions to get it back together! All of these files piece together like a puzzle, and when they're all in place, the video should be crystal clear."

David then opens up a new window. Mike asks "So, how do you fix it?" David looks at him and smirks. "Just another one of my patented computer programs that I created. I could piece this thing back together manually, but that would take hours. This program should zap things back into place in about 10 minutes...maybe less."

Nadia smiles wide and says "That's great! Sydney needs to take this to Director Chase and I don't want to tie her up..." Sydney looks over and holds up her hand. "No, it's ok. Take all the time you need."

David clicks on a few things on his laptop and we see a progress bar pop up. He exclaims "Ok, she's working!" Nadia then looks over at Mike and, with a concerned look, asks "Can I talk to you in private for a bit?" Mike nods and says "Sure."

Mike and Nadia walk out of the cargo van, leaving Sydney and David inside. Nadia walks off to the other side of the aqueduct with Mike, dodging the shopping carts and other litter scattered about.

Finally, seeing as she's out of earshot from the van, she stops and turns to Mike. "I need to ask you something about Tom, and I know what I'm going to ask is be a sore subject for you."

Mike shakes his head dismissively. "It's ok, what's up?" Nadia sighs and says "The whole Matt Aguero thing...Tom told me everything."

Mike turns away and starts pacing. "He did, did he?" Nadia says "He wanted to tell me before we got married, so there's no secrets between us. He was so afraid if he told me that I'd walk away from him."

Mike stops and shakes his head. "I don't know what Director Chase has on him in regards to that. But, you're the only person besides me and him that knows everything about what he did." Nadia quickly says "He told Sydney, too."

Mike looks up at the bridge above him and sighs. "What did she think?" Nadia, noticing that Mike has trepidation over talking about this subject, replies "The same thing I did. I mean, yeah, he's aggressive in the field, but the man he described in the letter he wrote to me...I didn't recognize him. Cutting off limbs, throwing acid on people's faces..."

Mike intently cuts her off. "Please, I don't need the memories." Nadia, now worried, says "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just...the man Tom described isn't the Tom I know. You were with him during that time period. What was he really like?"

Mike looks down and takes a deep breath. "He became an animal. In the hotel room, when Matt returned to us on the brink of death, you could literally see the rage build up in him. I was upset myself, but Tom...he really took it personally. That rage didn't subside until he was finished hacking Alvarado to bits weeks later. It was like he was possessed and was almost compelled to do the things he did. When it was all over, Tom knew that what he did was wrong on so many levels and he hated himself for a while. Still, he was smart enough to use his newly-acquired notoriety to get a lot done afterwards, but he never went back to the mindset he was in after Matt died. Well, actually, he took the death of our friends in Storm Crew very hard, but he was still recovering from Project Alloy and by the time he was back at Dark Cover months later, the Covenant fell apart, or so we thought, so there was no one to vent his rage at. So instead, he attacked himself and his own faults. Until he reunited with you in APO, he was still broken up about what happened in Torino to the rest of our team. And now, it sounds like he was going down the same downward spiral after what happened in Sovogda."

Nadia nods and says "I remember how he broke down when he told all of us about Project Alloy and the Torino mission. He was devastated, but mostly over his friends." Mike replies "That's the guy he is. Sometimes, I think he cares about his friends more than himself. But if you're worried about the man Tom is because of what he did after Matt Aguero died, don't be. I wouldn't be his friend if I thought he was a maniac. Plus, since he arrived in prison, just about all he would talk with me about was you. He wasn't NEARLY as devoted to his ex-wife as he is to you, and I thought he was loyal then. He really thinks you're his soulmate."

Nadia looks down and smiles. "I think so, too. That's why I'm doing all this. And speaking of which..." Nadia looks back up at Mike. "...we need to talk about our approach when we go after Sark." Mike folds his arms. "Yeah, that was the one thing you left out when we talked yesterday."

Nadia takes a deep breath and says "We're going to have to attack and disable the guards. When we're done, I'll go in to his room, and you need to get out of there. I'll deny any knowledge that you were there." Mike raises his eyebrows. "When Director Chase hears you assaulted Sark's guards to get to him..."

Nadia cuts him off. "I'll lose my job. But that's ok, because I've decided that I'm done being an agent. So is Tom. We've both endured too much, and we're both ready to move on." Mike nods his head understandingly. "I don't blame either one of you, actually. And quite frankly, I might be right behind you guys."

Nadia, a little surprised, asks "Why do you say that?" Mike, a little worried now, replies "I haven't been asked about my involvement in Tom's rampage after Matt Aguero died, and I think it might be a good idea to walk away before they get curious. I don't want to have to go through what Tom has had to endure the past 11 months, and it's pisses me off so much to see my friend dragged through the mud like this." Mike then forms a smile on his face. "Looks like the three of us will be unemployed pretty soon. Maybe the three of us can get together and figure out what we're going to do with our lives, and maybe do something together. I'd like to work with Tom again and you as well. How does that sound?"

Nadia smiles wide at that, but before can respond, Sydney yells from the van "It's done!" Nadia and Mike quickly make their way back to the van.

As they walk in the side door, Nadia tells David "That was fast!" David looks back and smirks. "As I said, child's play. Even my program saw that." David goes to play the video, but Sydney asks Nadia "Are you sure you want to see this, Nadia? Tom told me what Sark said, and he doesn't want you to hear..."

Nadia looks at Sydney and cuts her off. "I need to know what Sark said when I talk to him later." Nadia then looks down at David. "Play it."

David does as instructed and the video plays perfectly from the beginning. They get to the point right when Sark makes his comments about Nadia and David immediately stops the video after Sark says the word "erotic."

David shakes his head and looks angry. Meanwhile, Mike and Sydney look over and try to gauge Nadia's reaction. Nadia looks over at them and, trying to hide her anger, blankly asks "What?" Sydney says "I'm sorry you had to hear that." Nadia looks back at the paused video and, still trying to hide her anger, blankly responds "It's alright. David, play the rest of the video."

David then presses play, and the rest of the video plays. Once again, we see Tom giving Sark a major beatdown and completing the attack with the curb stomp on the vent. And then, the video suddenly stops.

Nadia notices and asks "What happened?" David says "That's it. There's no more. Whoever recorded this stopped it at this point."

Sydney looks at Nadia and says "This proves that Tom was provoked. But, this doesn't prove that Tom didn't want to kill Sark." Nadia nods. "I know, but it's a start. Can you deliver that to Chase?"

Sydney intently says "Done." David pulls out the USB drive and hands it to Sydney. Sydney then looks at Nadia and says "You left your nurse's outfit in the car." Nadia looks at Mike and David and says "Let's get ready to go. I'll be back in a bit." Mike nods as he goes up to the driver's seat. Meanwhile, David starts disassembling his laptop.

Nadia follows Sydney to her car. Sydney opens the back driver's side door and grabs a plastic bag. She then hands it to Nadia. "I'll head right to Chase's office from here. Good luck with Sark." Nadia smiles and says "Thanks. Now, the easy part is over."

Sydney looks at Nadia concerned and says "Look, I know Sark, and I don't think he meant what he..." Nadia cuts her off. "Sydney, I don't care about Sark. This time tomorrow, I'm going to be in the next phase of life with the man I love, and everything I've gone through will be in the past. Me and Tom just want to live a normal, happy life from now on. Sydney, when this is over, and Tom is freed, I'm not coming back to APO."

Sydney looks down and looks a little disappointed. "I thought you might say that. That's why you were so willing to take this risk." Nadia puts her hand on Sydney's shoulder. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to be in your life! I want to see Isabelle grow up, and if you ever get called away for work, I'd love to babysit her, and I'm sure Tom would want to as well."

Sydney suddenly looks up, smiles and says "I know he does. He felt bad that he wasn't able to help me during my pregnancy, and he said he wants to repay that by being Isabelle's on-call babysitter!" Nadia laughs and says "Well, you now have two on-call babysitters, how about that?" Sydney giggles a bit and says "That's great, actually!"

Sydney then gives Nadia a hug. "Good luck. I hope you can get Sark to change his story. He might come off as cocky and arrogant, but you can handle him." Nadia, still hugging, says "Thank you so much for everything you've done today. I'll never forget this."

The two then release the hug and Sydney says "No problem. Call me when it's done, I'll give you a ride back to your apartment." Sydney then gets in her car. Nadia waves at her as she starts pulling away. Nadia then walks back to the van to go to the hospice.


Grace Hospice, Los Angeles

Nadia and Mike stand in their positions, both looking a little anxious. Nadia is in an empty hospice room in her white nurse's outfit, holding on to a rolling metal stand that is used to hold IV bags. Meanwhile, Mike stands in a small janitor's closet, holding the wooden handle of a mop that is in a mop bucket.

Meanwhile, David sits in another empty hospice room, his laptop hooked up to an ethernet port. Through his earpiece, he tells Mike and Nadia "Just give me a little bit, I'm looping the feed..."

On his screen, we see a camera shot the hallway outside Sark's room, with the two guards standing outside. David waits for foot traffic in the hallway to clear out, and then starts recording the video of just the two guards standing there.

After 10 seconds, he saves the image and clicks on another screen, which features multiple security camera screens, presumably what the security officers see.

He clicks on one of the screens and, after inputting some things on the keyboard, starts playing the camera shot he recorded through the screen, looping it every 10 seconds.

He clicks on yet another screen to reveal what's actually going on in the security cameras. Satisfied, he says through his earpiece "Ok, you're both clear. Strength and honor."

Mike and Nadia, in their separate rooms, say "Strength and honor" back, then walk out of their rooms.

From the guards vantage point, Nadia starts approaching from their right, rolling the metal stand down the hallway inconspicuously. At about the same time to their left, Mike starts approaching as he pushes a mop bucket.

What the guards don't notice is that, as they walk down the hall, Nadia and Mike are unscrewing their handles to use as staffs. They both listen to get the call to abort from David if anyone approaches.

As they get within striking distance of the guards, and after hearing no call to abort, they spring into action.

Nadia whips her metal rod and nails the right side guard in the head. She delivers a few more head shots and body shots before guard collapses in a defeated heap, not really knowing what hit him.

At the same time, Mike nails the other guard with the wooden mop handle. It takes him a few more shots to take out his guy, but he gets the job done as well.

Nadia looks over at Mike and frantically says "Get out of here! Go!" Mike nods and starts walking the other direction. As he does, he touches his finger to his earpiece and says "The guards are down, let's get out of here!" David says "Affirmative" and quickly puts away his computer equipment and bails.

The two are able to escape the facility and bolt in the cargo van undetected.

Meanwhile, Nadia opens the door to Sark's room and finds him looking at the door with an astonished look, wondering what all the commotion is about.

We see that Sark has acquired some scars on his now-bald head. He's got a couple on the left side of his skull, presumably from his surgeries to alleviate the bleeding on his brain and post-op from his stroke. His left eye isn't fully open and it likely never will be after his orbital bone was shattered. But, it does seem that time has healed his other facial wounds.

Nadia shuts the door behind her and locks it. Meanwhile, Sark sarcastically says "I guess you couldn't just knock, could you?" Nadia says nothing, but notices Sark's speech pattern is slower than it was on the video...probably from the stroke.

Sark then starts studying Nadia's appearance and smiles. "I can see now why Falk fancies you so much. Do you have more outfits like this at home?" Nadia is unamused as she walks towards Sark. "We need to talk about the story you're feeding to prosecutors about his assault on you."

Sark's confident look disappears. "A man with a titanium right fist beats me silly and then, gives me a curb stomp on a vent, turning me into a walking medical bill for the next year of my life, all over what I may or may not have said about you..." Nadia cuts him off. "I heard what you said about me."

Sark smirks. "What all did Tom tell you?" Nadia shakes her head. "He didn't have to tell me anything." Then, Nadia forms a look of repulsion on her face. "I saw the video...the WHOLE video, you sick son of a bitch. My ordeal with the Rambaldi Fluid was EROTIC?"

Sark looks up at the ceiling, a little surprised at this development. "You know, when Gordon Dean approached me with this job, do you know what he told me?" Nadia doesn't say anything as she awaits a response. Finally, Sark says "He told me that I could insult Falk all I wanted, but he probably wouldn't attack me unless I antagonized you. Turns out Gordon was right."

Nadia walks closer to Sark and intently asks "What did he promise you?" Sark looks at her blankly and says "1 million dollars to take a punch. He told me he'd oversee the interrogation and send in security if things started got rough. I thought it'd be the easiest money I'd ever make." Nadia then gets a confident look on her face and says "A couple days ago, I received confirmation that it was actually my mother, Irina Derevko, that told Gordon Dean to have you beaten. You were set up to take a beating because she knew that would get Tom into serious trouble and his absence would cripple APO at the time. And she didn't care one bit about your well-being."

Sark chuckles a bit. "I guess that would make some sense. After all, I haven't seen Dean or Irina since the attack..." Nadia cuts him off. "Dean is dead, and my mother is going after The Horizon, the last piece in Rambaldi's prophecy."

Sark looks back up at the ceiling. "Figures. I guess that would be more important than checking up on your patsy. It would seem that me and Tom were both set up." Sark then turns back to Nadia. "But, you're really not telling me anything I don't already know. And when the CIA discovers you assaulted those two kind men guarding my door, you're going to really find yourself in a pickle, won't you? Your man will still be facing a long time in prison and you will be out of a job for interfering with a criminal investigation."

Nadia then turns and starts pacing. Time to start bluffing. "We have the complete video of the attack. At no point did Tom make any threats on your life. He just wanted to defend my honor." Sark thinks for a bit, then says "If you had the complete video, then you wouldn't be here."

Nadia then quickly looks at Sark, catching him in a 'gotcha' moment. "So, you do admit that you didn't hear Tom make any death threats?" Sark slowly cracks a smile. "Maybe. Some things are a little...fuzzy from that day. I did suffer a stroke, as I'm sure you heard."

Nadia quickly says "You're lying." Sark smiles wider. "Maybe, maybe not. But, ask yourself this: Why should I help this man? And this is not a rhetorical question, either, there is an answer."

Nadia replies "Because you have nothing to gain by continuing to lie." Sark shakes his head. "My attacker remains in prison if I hold up my story. What do I get out of telling the truth?"

Nadia takes a deep breath and tries to hide her frustration. She's hit a snag. She doesn't have anything to offer him. As she's vexing, Sark finally says "Believe it or not, I do respect what you're doing here. I once shared a love like you two share..."

Sark then looks away and starts staring at the ceiling blankly, as if he's getting an idea. Nadia notices and asks "Sark?"

Sark then slowly forms a wry smile on his face and turns back to Nadia. "You've gone this far for Tom. Let me ask you: How much further are you willing to go to get me to change my story?" Nadia puts her hands on her hips and asks "I take it you have a suggestion?"

Sark quickly replies "I will make you a deal. In exchange for the correct testimony...the testimony that makes the attempted murder charge more than a stretch for the CIA...I need you do one small favor for me. You can take care of it right now, and it'll be rather quick and painless." Nadia, both worried and curious over what he's going to ask, replies "What?"

With a serious look on his face, Sark says "Kiss me." Nadia raises her eyebrows at that and looks at Sark repulsed. "You want me to do what?"

Sark quickly replies "I envy Tom. He has a woman willing to go to these lengths in order to help secure his release. As I said before, I loved Lauren like you love Tom, and I miss what that kind of love feels like. Kiss me like you would kiss him, and I'll see the CIA gets the proper testimony."

Nadia quickly asks "How do I know that you won't go back on your word?" Sark takes a deep breath and replies "You have the word of a man who no longer has any reason to keep lying."

Nadia looks at him confused. "But, you just said you're doing this to spite Tom..." Sark quickly replies "I have yet to see a dime of the million dollars I was promised. I find this fact very upsetting to me, so spiting Irina by telling the truth seems more practical. So I lied to you...I really don't have anything to gain anymore by lying...but, I could gain what I'm sure will be one fantastic kiss if I tell the truth."

Nadia turns and starts pacing, mulling over Sark's offer. What Sark's asking is quite despicable, but really, she shouldn't expect anything less from him. But, does she want to demean herself for this guy's pleasure?

The answer comes quick: If it means Tom's release, absolutely.

Nadia looks back at Sark and says "Deal." She then walks over to Sark's bedside. Sark closes his eyes, then opens them quickly and sits up a bit. "Remember, kiss me like you were kissing..."

Nadia doesn't give him a chance to finish. In her trademark move that she likes to pull on Tom, she grabs the back of Sark's head and jerks it toward her quickly and closes her eyes...and starts giving him a deep kiss.

As she's kissing Sark, he's imaging it's Tom on the other end, which helps makes it a little better, although Sark's lips feel nothing like Tom's. She also notices the lack of energy coming back from Sark, perhaps because of his medical condition. Tom's kisses are much more passionate.

Then, about 10 seconds later, she releases the kiss and opens her eyes. Her first reaction after seeing Sark again is relief over the fact he didn't try to slip in his tongue.

Sark keeps his eyes closed for a while, reveling in the moment. Nadia, meanwhile, turns away and wipes her mouth, a little disgusted with herself.

As she's looking away, she hears Sark say "You really do love this man." Nadia looks back at Sark and says "More than anything."

Sark opens his eyes and says "I believe that now." Nadia, with a serious tone in her voice, asks "Does this mean you're going to change your testimony?"

As she says that, she hears the door to Sark's room unlock. The door then flies open and in steps Director Chase, along with a pair of CIA agents. We see the unconscious bodies of the guards still lying on the ground behind her.

With a look of anger in her face, Chase asks "What the hell do you think you're doing, Agent Santos?" Before Nadia can respond, Sark casually says "Excuse me, Director?"

Chase keeps her glare at Nadia for a bit, then looks over at Sark. "What is it?" Sark replies "This lovely woman was here to hear the truth about what happened between myself and Tom Falk. Some facts are starting to become more...clear as I continue to recuperate."

Chase looks at Sark with her mouth agape, not believing what she's hearing. She then asks "Did this agent threaten you in some way?" Sark looks at Nadia, smiles, and looks back at Chase. "Quite the opposite, actually. Our chat was actually rather enjoyable." Nadia closes her eyes and looks disgusted with that statement.

Chase takes a deep breath, then looks over at the agents that accompanied her. "Two of you, take Agent Santos out to the hallway, make sure she doesn't leave before I talk to her again. One of you, go out to the van and get the video equipment, we have a testimony to record."

Nadia is then escorted out of the room with the agents and is ordered to sit on a chair just outside the room.


20 minutes later, Nadia remains seated, flanked on each side by two CIA agents under the employ of Director Chase.

She stares off into space, wondering if this approach was indeed the right one. Success relies on the trustworthiness of Julian Sark. It's not much to hang her hat on, but there's really no other options.

She didn't get any confirmation that Mike and David were able to escape. She hopes they did. But more importantly, she hopes all of her efforts will result in the release of Tom Falk, the love of her life.

Suddenly, the door to Sark's room opens, and Director Chase walks out. She motions Nadia to stand up, and she does.

Nadia immediately asks "Did Sark change his testimony?" Chase sighs and says "It would seem that Sark was lying all along about the death threats. He now says Tom made no such statements. He also admitted to being set-up by Irina Derevko through Gordon Dean."

Nadia breaths a sigh of relief and says "So, this means that Tom's attempted murder charge can't stick, right?" Chase, with an irritated look, says "You should worry more about yourself! You assaulted two federal employees..."

Nadia quickly blurts out "I resign." Chase stops in her tracks, surprised to hear that. "You what?"

Nadia replies "Because of my actions, I resign from the CIA, effective immediately. I know I went rogue to do what I did, and I offer my resignation to compensate for that. I acted alone in an attempt to secure my fiance's release from prison." Chase looks at her blankly, still a little stunned. "You would throw away your career over a man?"

Nadia quickly replies "Yes. I promised Tom I would marry him, and he's waited almost a year for me to come out of my coma, when others might have just abandoned me and lost hope. I just want the love of my life back." Chase thinks for a bit, then says "Your sister approached me not an hour ago with the uncorrupted video of Tom's interrogation of Sark. She says that she found it in her mailbox this morning from an anonymous source. Do you have any knowledge of this?"

Nadia shakes her head, acting bewildered. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I remember Sydney told me that Gordon Dean had made another copy of the interrogation...that must be it." Chase sighs and, appearing to buy it, says "I guess that would make sense."

Nadia, with a hopeful determination on her face, says "Look, you have all the evidence you need to drop the attempted murder charge! Please, PLEASE, let Tom go!"

Chase looks away and doesn't say anything at first as she digests all the information she's received today. Nadia looks on, hoping for some good news to come.

Chase then looks back at Nadia and says "Your resignation from the CIA is accepted, effective immediately. We'll forget this incident happened." She then looks down at her watch. "It's now 1 in the afternoon, and Tom's pre-trial hearing is in two hours."

Chase then looks up at Nadia and says "If I were you, I'd be at that hearing." Chase then looks at the agents flanking Nadia. "Let's go." Chase then walks off with the agents, leaving Nadia behind.

As she watches Chase and the agents walk away, she can't help but smile wide.

This might have just worked...

TO BE CONTINUED