Title: Glimmer
Author: Lisek16 (lisek16@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: With the reintroduction of an old nemesis; Sydney realizes that her relationship with Irina runs deeper than it seemed.
Spoilers: "Counter Agent" Season two: Episode 7
Disclaimer: If you think I own the rights to Alias you need to get your head checked. I also do not own Martha Stewart, Nor Santa. I also have no connections to the Publisher's Clearing House, because if I did I'd be a millionaire. References to 'the package" are not to be misinterpreted as something dirty, but if you do come to that conclusion I am not to blame for the fit of hysterics!
A/N: References to Season 1: Episode 11 "The Confession", this is my attempt at the Cover Me December Challenge. We are assuming it's a warm Christmas in Los Angeles (thank you Ambrose!)
-------*-------
It's the time of year when the world is decked out in rich greens and royal reds and glitter and twinkle lights cover every square inch of department stores. On the East Coast children are praying for a snow day while their parents are grumbling about shoveling the walkway. While on the West Coast we settle for fake snow. We settle for the powdery substitute that can be bought at the local supermarket for under a dollar. We settle for palm trees instead of evergreens and we accept the winter scarves covering tank tops.
It was also the time of year when Martha Stewart was plastered on cable showing the world how to create a Snowman tart or a Santa Claus Soufflé. It was that type of television that invaded our home until the wee hours of the night; Martha Stewart and the burning log with Christmas Carols playing in the background. The Christmas spirit didn't end there. We somehow assembled a fake tree and managed not to fry the circuits when we plugged in the twinkle lights. We baked gingerbread cookies and Will and I would always bite the heads off of a few just because we knew Francie would end up letting us eat the rest as she prepared to make a fresh batch with the heads intact.
It had been like that the past few years. It had been normal. It had become a tradition and it had never been a farce. I was once again looking forward to a traditional Christmas in my not-so-traditional world. I'd even have a family to visit. It was looking up to be a Christmas worthy of Santa and reindeer.
But not for long, it was only the calm before the storm.
Francie had gone out Christmas shopping, and I was catching up on homework. I was engrossed in Hamlet and didn't even hear her come in. She leaned over the couch and startled me.
"You'd never guess who I ran into at the mall." she said in a flat voice.
I looked up at her and said "Hey" As I offered her a warm smile. "I give up" I said, placing my book face down on the coffee table.
"You'd never guess in a million years…" she continued ignoring my response.
"I already gave up, Francie." I reminded her.
"Fine, I'll just tell you, but for the record this game is a lot more fun when you actually guess." She said.
"Who did you see Francie?" I asked her, "Elvis?" I joked.
"I saw Charlie." She blandly stated.
My face fell in an abrupt realization that my friend was in pain. This was after all the man that cheated on her… the man she was engaged to…and if it wasn't for me they'd be married already.
"Aren't you going to ask how he was?" she asked.
"How is he?"
"I have no idea." She declared, as she dropped her multicolored shopping bags and plopped herself next to me on the green couch.
"What do you mean...?" I questioned.
"I hid." She mumbled.
"You hid?" I asked.
"I was in the music store planning on buying…something…for… someone… and I saw him looking through the Jazz section." She elaborated.
"And?" I asked.
"And I ducked out of the store and ran to my car."
"Oh Fran!" I said.
"Syd, he was wearing a ring!"
"How could you tell, you couldn't have been that close…" I said
"I could tell. It was a ring."
"That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't have to wedding band… It could be the official sleazy-cheating-boyfriend club ring." She stifled a laugh amidst the tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.
"You know what?"
She shook her head.
"We need chocolate! Chocolate and movies."
"Syd?" She asked. "You are the bestest friend ever…" I smiled on the outside, but on the inside I was weeping because after I had had been through and all the lies I spewed to her she still trusted me, she still adored me. It made me feel so guilty, but I couldn't tell her the truth.
"I know." I joked, "But I might lose my title if I don't go out and pick up some munchies and movies." She stifled another laugh. "I'll be right…" I began, but was interrupted by the phone. I grabbed the nearest cordless.
"Hello?" I asked as I secretly prayed it wasn't who I thought it was. Here Francie was in her time of need and it would look just peachy for me to waltz out of town for a few days with no decent explanation.
"Joey's Pizza." I heard the voice on the other end say, and I sighed as I replied, "Wrong number."
I turned around and Francie asked, "Was that for Joey's Pizza?"
"No. It was for Frank the Florist. Someone wanted to send two dozen roses…but now that you mention it I could be in the mood for some pizza."
She hugged me and whispered into my right ear, "What would I do without you?"
"Get your own pizza?" I joked. "I'll be back." I said as I grabbed my cell phone and messenger bag and walked out the door. Before I pulled out of the driveway I called a local pizzeria and asked for a plain pie to be ready in an hour. I'd stop by the supermarket on my way home. I'd blame my lateness on an accident or traffic. I'd think of the exact lie as it rolled off of my tongue.
-------*-------
I opened the gate to the warehouse and looked down at my apparel. I was clad in gray yoga pants and a pink hooded sweater. It could be worse, I thought. But since duty called I continued into the warehouse silent as the wind courtesy of my sneakers. There was no familiar sound of heel to pavement, just silence.
"You rang?" I asked.
He turned around, "I didn't hear you come in..."
"It's the sneakers…" I explained.
He looked down at my footwear and laughed. Then his face grew serious.
"Do you remember Minos Sakkoulas?" He asked.
"How could I forget that jerk? He licked my face in his seedy club…CLUB PANTHERA… I thought he died in the explosion in Crete last year." I responded and grimaced at the memory of Sakkoulas.
"So did we, but he has since resurfaced and after meeting with your father earlier, the CIA has now confirmed that he has made an offer to Sloane. He claims he will find your mother and deliver her to Sloane."
"What does he get in return?" I asked.
"We don't know, but what worries the CIA is that he claims to know where Irina is. If this is true then we have a mole…"
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Well there have been further developments. It's not that cut and dry. Sakkoulas has partnered with Sloane and Sark. We don't know what they are up to…"
I shook my head. "It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas…" I mumbled.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm just used to a traditional Christmas. It seems to be the one day where I get a break… With this…just days before Christmas, well… that kind of spoils my plans."
He looked sympathetically at me and said, "I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to fill you in before Sloane did…"
"I appreciate that."
I was trying to keep my distance. Ever since I saw Alice at the hospital I had tried to keep our relationship as professional as possible. I wasn't doing very well but I was trying, and that had to count for something.
"Your father mentioned Sloane heightening security detail, so both of you need to lay low until things cool off, he's recommended that the CIA doesn't contact you until after the holidays." I inhaled a deep breath of cold air and nodded.
"Before I go, I just wanted to…" He began.
"Wanted to what?" I asked.
He frowned for a moment and elaborated, "Devlin has given me clearance to offer Will a job at a local front company, so pass along my congratulations, he should be hearing from me in a few days."
"Thank you." I responded.
"Oh and Syd? Merry Christmas." He said.
"Merry Christmas Vaughn." I choked out.
I left the warehouse and silently swore at my luck. It was Christmas time, a time of giving and getting…peace on earth… and All I'd be getting was a headache and a series of meetings with Sloane, Sark and Sakkoulas….Oh My!!!
-------*-------
Vaughn was dead on with his intel. The next day after Francie and I had our movie night, Sloane paged me. As I walked into the SD-6 conference room I could see Sakkoulas decked out in silver chains chatting with his new cohorts.
I pretended to look surprised as Sloane explained that Sakkoulas was agreeing to help SD-6 in its Rambaldi pursuit. I knew it was a lie, he had offered to hand my mother over for something…money, protection…or maybe Sark's note to Sloane that forged their relationship had something to do with it.
Sakkoulas was greasier than I remembered. He wore a half open red silk shirt and his thick oily chest hair was exposed. I suppose it was his attempt of being festive. It failed.
SD-6 on the other hand did not attempt to hop on the Christmas train. There was no one hint of red or green. Not one dash of a Santa hat or a Rudolph pin. There was nothing; except the glimmer of Sakkoulas.
After the brief meeting which only served the purpose of the reintroduction of a man- another man- I despised; Sakkoulas pulled me aside.
"You tried to steal my 'package'!" He said in a thick Grecian accent.
"You licked my face…" I responded.
His laugh was thick and sickening
"So, we are even?" he asked, I could tell he was amused.
"Not even close…" I mumbled, as I tried to walk passed him and out of the drab room.
"You have spunk." He said as he blocked my only exit. "If we had met under different circumstances, I might have…"
"We'll never know." I replied. He pulled a sprig of greenery, I assumed it was mistletoe, out of his pocket and dangled it above my head as I pushed through him and opened the door to escape his unwanted glances…
"You tasted like your mother." He said as I left the office. After quickly saying my goodbyes to the few agents I passed on my way to my car I sank into the driver seat and cried. I somehow gathered myself together and prepared to return home.
-------*-------
Who could I talk to? Not my father. Not Francie. Not Vaughn. That would be against protocol and against my father's wishes. I didn't want to burden Will, so I decided I would go for a jog and I found myself in my mother's cell.
"Sydney." Her voice was rich with emotion.
"I need to…" I didn't finish my sentence. I didn't have to. She could see something was bothering me.
"What has happened?" she asked.
"Do you know a man named Minos Sakkoulas?" I asked.
She looked down and nodded. "Has he harmed you?"
"I met with him last year in Athens and again in Crete. To make a long story short he licked my face last year and he's back and working with SD-6 in their pursuit to find you."
"I'm sorry to here that. How has Sloane presented their relationship?" she asked
"The CIA received intelligence that claims Sakkoulas is offering your location in return for something."
"And you believe he knows where I am..." She said shaking her head.
"Is there a reason to doubt him?"
"I didn't tell him or anyone else what my plans were. I didn't tell anyone I was turning myself in. This I promise." She said with sincere eyes.
"Why would he lie? Eventually he'd have to come through on his half of the bargain and if he was lying how could he?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." She said.
She looked me squarely in the eye and continued, "He needs to be dealt with because he is a threat."
"How is he a threat? I thought he doesn't know where you are?"
"Where I am and where I could be will pale in importance to what can be achieved. If Sakkoulas helps Sloane and Sark… the possibilities are endless. Without Sakkoulas, Sloane will have no reason to doubt you or your father. Sakkoulas is a threat to your cover, to your fathers and to your noble work extinguishing SD-6. If he bothers you again tell him you know about the fire."
"What fire?" I asked puzzled.
"He was once married and one night he left his wife and the children home alone and one of his cigars ignited and no one escaped."
"Wouldn't SD-6 be aware of this already?"
"Yes. But that isn't the whole story. The cigar that killed his family was… he ignited his home. He betrayed their trust."
"Why would he do that?"
She gulped and whispered, "Because I asked him to."
I must have looked as though I was one of the Publisher Clearing House winners. That shocked look on my face must have looked dumbfounded. I could hardly fathom that Sakkoulas actually had a wife, a women who took him as her legal partner in front of G-d and family. He had not only married, copulated to produce offspring but he had killed them without question.
"Why?" I quietly asked, not really wanting an honest answer because it would just alter by perception of her again. It would blur the lines between mother and monster once more.
"We set conditions for possible associates. In order to work for "the Man" you had to prove your allegiance. For some it was murder, others stealing, it depended. It tested trust and it divided the boys from the men."
"Why kill his family? Was it your idea?" I choked out.
"No. Khasinau created the tests. He'd then use the test as blackmail for allegiance if trust was later compromised."
"That was what was on the disc that I retrieved in Rabat. Blackmail from tests…"
"Yes." She said as she looked down.
"Isn't there another way to break up Sakkoulas, Sark and Sloane? Without Blackmail?"
"If you went on a mission that Sakkoulas designed and failed because Sakkoulas didn't make proper provisions Sloane would be inclined to dispose of him." Irina stated.
"How?" I asked.
"Sakkoulas should have Sloane send you to Belgium to retrieve some documents from an office he owns, if the CIA was there and posed traps and security you were not briefed on, it would appear that Sakkoulas was not holding up his end of the bargain. He would be endangering Sloane's assets."
"I'll bring it up to Kendall. Thank you."
"You're welcome Sydney…" she responded with a small smile.
"Sakkoulas made a lude comment to me earlier."
"What did he say?" she asked with concern.
Did I really have to heart to repeat his gross commentary? Was it necessary? Would it achieve anything? Either way she was still trapped behind glass and couldn't do anything.
"He just reminded me that he licked me in Athens."
"Try not to think about it. Sydney, focus on taking him down…"
"I will. Merry Christmas Mom." I responded.
"Merry Christmas." She said. "Good Luck."
And with that I went to find Assistant Director Kendall to inform him of all my mother had divulged. All the proper arrangements would have to be made; it would have to be flawless on our part. And if it did go without a hitch Sakkoulas would be once less name on my list of enemies.
-------*-------
3 days later and 2 days before Christmas Eve, Sloane paged me. Once again I saw Sakkoulas, Sloane and Sark. And once more I sat across from them and pretended I bought into Sloane's "G-d and country" spiel. I listened as Sloane detailed the operation.
"Mr. Sakkoulas has come to us with much needed intel and connections. He has personally designed a mission to his headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp is relatively near Brussels where you will be landing." Sloane said as he looked to Marshall. After clearing his throat he caught his attention.
"Hmmm…. Oh…uhhh…Now, Antwerp is one happening place. There were these guild houses built during the Middle Ages… which is sometimes called the dark ages… which isn't politically correct if you think about it because it wasn't dark out and the art work wasn't dark either. Talk about colors…there was this one piece…"
"Marshall!" Sloane yelled.
"Sorry ….Right…. Antwerp has a marketplace. It's the second largest city in Belgium after Brussels. Antwerp was developed as one of Europe's foremost trading and manufacturing centers during the 15th and early 16th centuries. And today the city is Belgium's principal seaport. Which is pretty cool. You'll be going into a factory on the port itself. There should be virtually no security but I'm going to give you lock picking devices and other tech just in case…"
"Thank you Marshall! Mr. Sakkoulas assures us the top floor of the factory holds some crucial Rambaldi findings. If all goes well you should be back by Christmas Eve. You leave tonight." Sloane finished.
He handed me a folder to review the mission specs and left the room with Sark who wished me luck as I fought the urge to gag.
-------*-------
I met with Marshall to retrieve my Op Tech.
"Your sobriquet on this mission will be…" he began
"Sobriquet?"
"Oh, I'm sorry...I got this word of the day calendar and last year I made a resolution to… and…it means an assumed name or an Alias…"
"I knew what it meant...it's just…" I said.
"unusual? Yeah….I know. I thought it was …."
"…continue!" Sloane bellowed from his office. He was obviously knew Marshall had a tendency to go off on a tangent and forgetting the actual reason why he was explaining something.
I offered Marshall a smile and thanked him for my tech. I was off to Belgium…
-------*-------
Kendall had convened with my father and Vaughn and created my counter mission. As I was waiting to board my plane to Belgium, Vaughn gave me my counter mission or rather the details to foil Sakkoulas' mission. So much for avoiding the CIA or trying to lay low…
The plan entailed Vaughn, Weiss and several other CIA agents creating a failsafe for when I entered the code. While I'd be attempting to retrieve the documents I'd radio Sloane and inform him that the security pin Sakkoulas gave me activated a fail safe. Sloane would pull me out and Sakkoulas would no longer be a threat.
-------*-------
Several hours later I arrived in Brussels and took a train to Antwerp. I found the factory relatively easily and radioed Sloane that I was going in to retrieve Sakkoulas' documents.
"Good." He gruffly stated.
Then he added, "You'll meet Sakkoulas outside the door…."
"What? I thought I was going in alone." After all Dixon was away for the holidays and I had a counter mission planned.
"Mr. Sakkoulas has generously offered his time to ensure the mission goes without a hitch. You'll meet him at the door."
I told Sloane I was going Radio Silent as I approached the factory. I radioed Vaughn and began to explain that he and the fellow CIA officers needed to abort the operation but a warn wet sensation danced upon my cheek, it penetrated my train of thought. I turned around and I saw Minos Sakkoulas.
He smiled and looked me up and down.
"If I thought you were my 'taste' as a red head I was mistaken. I prefer blondes…" He said in a rancid tone, as he referred to my blonde tresses.
I stared at him hoping my glare would express my heightened disgust. It seemed to solely turn him on.
"I can make this mission easy for you…" he began as he licked his lips and eyed his briefcase, "or difficult."
"I prefer to do things the easy way, you give me the documents and I don't tell Sloane about the fire…." I said. There was no use trying to take the moral high road. This creep had licked me ear to chin twice, there was no reason not to play hardball.
"The fire… the fire… the flames and glimmer of ashes. That was really something. Irina must have told you…"
"It doesn't matter how I know. All that matters is that I do. So let's do this the easy way. Hand me the briefcase, and your indiscretion remains a secret, or would you prefer for me to radio Sloane and tell him…"
"Tell him." He said unworriedly.
"What?" I asked.
I was slightly shocked. My mother had implied that this was a deep dark secret that he'd do anything to conceal. Here he was suggesting that I should follow through on my threat.
"See if Sloane cares, he killed his wife!"
I suppose Sakkoulas had a point. Sloane had killed his wife; he'd probably kill his own mother if the situation arose. Sloane was heartless but he would care that Sakkoulas had broken his family's trust, he was a cold-bolded murder…
But come to think of it, he was no different than Sloane. You ask him to kill, he asks who, no further questions he just robotically follows orders, much to the same effect that Sloane followed the Alliance's orders to execute Emily.
"Go on your radio and tell him. Tell him I set a fire to kill my wife and 4 children. Tell him I followed orders and complied with my superior…tell him."
"Superior?" I asked.
"Irina Derevko was my superior. I was sure you knew that, then this might come as a shock… we were also lovers….love..ers…." He said as he flicked his tongue in my direction.
I tried to hide my disgust and surprise, but the pig could see straight through me.
"She was my taste…" he began.
I took in a deep breathe and in the corner of my eye I could see the CIA cavalry trooping towards Sakkoulas, but he didn't notice. He just stared at me with his steely black pupils focused on the parts of me that my skimpy dress refused to cover. He once again licked his lips.
"Salty." He murmured.
I cringed, but I heard the backfire of a gun and saw Sakkoulas fall in front of me. His red blood dotted the pavement and his slicked back black hair reflected the sun's rays.
"You okay?" Vaughn asked.
I nodded. Though I was confused how Vaughn knew I was in trouble. I remembered I hadn't shut off my comm. to Vaughn because Sakkoulas had interrupted me.
Weiss opened the briefcase easily and it was filled with surveillance photos. Hundreds of snapshots of…. Me.
"Vaughn…" I quietly stammered.
"let's go…" Vaughn quickly responded.
Weiss gathered the briefcase and we headed for the heliport for our extraction.
----*----
"Miss Derevko, I expect you to answer when you are addressed." Agent Kendall persisted.
It has been a week since we had returned home and we had shown my father and Kendall the photos we found in Sakkoulas' possession. My mother had become taciturn. She hadn't spoken a word. Not a single sound had she uttered, not even to me.
She simply sat on the floor one leg curled under the other dazed of into space. She had stared at me in such a way I felt as though she was telepathically sending me a message. She was silently asking for the half dozen CIA officials to go back to their desks. She wanted to privately speak to me. The only thing was… did I want to speak to her?
"Can I have some time alone with her?" I asked. Kendall glared at me and reluctantly retreated along with his gaggle of agents.
When they were gone she blinked several times.
"Why?" I asked her.
"You could have shot me in Taipei, or had Sark kill me when he infiltrated SD-6… why did you set me up?" I asked her in an angered tone.
She looked back at me, but refused to respond.
"ANSWER ME!" I yelled as I slammed the glass wall with my fist.
"I did not set you up." She responded.
"Your mission was a success. You retrieved the surveillance photos and Sloane didn't get his hands on them. Sakkoulas is no longer a threat." She explained.
"Who took the photos?" I asked.
"Steven Haladki. Who else?"
"Why?" I asked.
"If you look closely all those photos are from the beginning of last year. I assigned him to spy on you; he sent me pictures, information. He informed me of your failures and your successes…"
"Why?" I repeated, not understanding her answer.
"Don't you understand? I wanted to know what you looked like. I wanted to know your favorite color and what your everyday patterns were. I wanted to know you. 21 years is a long time to be apart…."
"You didn't have to leave. It was a choice you made."
"If I hadn't complied, they would have killed you. Point blank range as you walked into school or while you were swinging in the park…. I sold myself for you."
"You sold yourself to Khasinau, to Sakkoulas… to G-d Knows what else…"
"Yes, but no. Please understand, I did what I had to in order to secure your safety. It was a labor of love." She said as she tried to reason with me.
"or rather a labor of lust…"
She scoffed at that.
"Think what you want, you will no matter what I say. But consider this, if I was only interested in myself and my gains why would I repeatedly save you, why would I devote all my time, and money into destroying the agency that stole your life. Why would I send lilies to the grave of your slain fiancé? Why would I subject myself to be locked here day after day, when I could be anywhere with anyone else. I did it all for you."
I could feel the tears searing the corners of my eyes I looked away and didn't respond.
"I knew Sakkoulas would use my possessions for his gain that's why I told you to distrust him and to retrieve the documents for the CIA. Arvin Sloane would kill you if he knew you were conspiring with the real CIA…." She quietly stated.
"I have to go…" I said.
"What will you tell Kendall?"
"I'll tell him you took the necessary precautions and decided if was safer for us not to know about your relationship with Sakkoulas or the true contents of the documents."
"I appreciate that."
"I know you do. GUARD!"
"Sydney." She said. I turned around.
"I do love you…"
And with that I left. I looked back though, if only for a second; and with that glance she knew that I loved her too.
Maybe there was a glimmer of hope for us. After all it was a new year and a new beginning.
----*----
Author: Lisek16 (lisek16@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: With the reintroduction of an old nemesis; Sydney realizes that her relationship with Irina runs deeper than it seemed.
Spoilers: "Counter Agent" Season two: Episode 7
Disclaimer: If you think I own the rights to Alias you need to get your head checked. I also do not own Martha Stewart, Nor Santa. I also have no connections to the Publisher's Clearing House, because if I did I'd be a millionaire. References to 'the package" are not to be misinterpreted as something dirty, but if you do come to that conclusion I am not to blame for the fit of hysterics!
A/N: References to Season 1: Episode 11 "The Confession", this is my attempt at the Cover Me December Challenge. We are assuming it's a warm Christmas in Los Angeles (thank you Ambrose!)
-------*-------
It's the time of year when the world is decked out in rich greens and royal reds and glitter and twinkle lights cover every square inch of department stores. On the East Coast children are praying for a snow day while their parents are grumbling about shoveling the walkway. While on the West Coast we settle for fake snow. We settle for the powdery substitute that can be bought at the local supermarket for under a dollar. We settle for palm trees instead of evergreens and we accept the winter scarves covering tank tops.
It was also the time of year when Martha Stewart was plastered on cable showing the world how to create a Snowman tart or a Santa Claus Soufflé. It was that type of television that invaded our home until the wee hours of the night; Martha Stewart and the burning log with Christmas Carols playing in the background. The Christmas spirit didn't end there. We somehow assembled a fake tree and managed not to fry the circuits when we plugged in the twinkle lights. We baked gingerbread cookies and Will and I would always bite the heads off of a few just because we knew Francie would end up letting us eat the rest as she prepared to make a fresh batch with the heads intact.
It had been like that the past few years. It had been normal. It had become a tradition and it had never been a farce. I was once again looking forward to a traditional Christmas in my not-so-traditional world. I'd even have a family to visit. It was looking up to be a Christmas worthy of Santa and reindeer.
But not for long, it was only the calm before the storm.
Francie had gone out Christmas shopping, and I was catching up on homework. I was engrossed in Hamlet and didn't even hear her come in. She leaned over the couch and startled me.
"You'd never guess who I ran into at the mall." she said in a flat voice.
I looked up at her and said "Hey" As I offered her a warm smile. "I give up" I said, placing my book face down on the coffee table.
"You'd never guess in a million years…" she continued ignoring my response.
"I already gave up, Francie." I reminded her.
"Fine, I'll just tell you, but for the record this game is a lot more fun when you actually guess." She said.
"Who did you see Francie?" I asked her, "Elvis?" I joked.
"I saw Charlie." She blandly stated.
My face fell in an abrupt realization that my friend was in pain. This was after all the man that cheated on her… the man she was engaged to…and if it wasn't for me they'd be married already.
"Aren't you going to ask how he was?" she asked.
"How is he?"
"I have no idea." She declared, as she dropped her multicolored shopping bags and plopped herself next to me on the green couch.
"What do you mean...?" I questioned.
"I hid." She mumbled.
"You hid?" I asked.
"I was in the music store planning on buying…something…for… someone… and I saw him looking through the Jazz section." She elaborated.
"And?" I asked.
"And I ducked out of the store and ran to my car."
"Oh Fran!" I said.
"Syd, he was wearing a ring!"
"How could you tell, you couldn't have been that close…" I said
"I could tell. It was a ring."
"That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't have to wedding band… It could be the official sleazy-cheating-boyfriend club ring." She stifled a laugh amidst the tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.
"You know what?"
She shook her head.
"We need chocolate! Chocolate and movies."
"Syd?" She asked. "You are the bestest friend ever…" I smiled on the outside, but on the inside I was weeping because after I had had been through and all the lies I spewed to her she still trusted me, she still adored me. It made me feel so guilty, but I couldn't tell her the truth.
"I know." I joked, "But I might lose my title if I don't go out and pick up some munchies and movies." She stifled another laugh. "I'll be right…" I began, but was interrupted by the phone. I grabbed the nearest cordless.
"Hello?" I asked as I secretly prayed it wasn't who I thought it was. Here Francie was in her time of need and it would look just peachy for me to waltz out of town for a few days with no decent explanation.
"Joey's Pizza." I heard the voice on the other end say, and I sighed as I replied, "Wrong number."
I turned around and Francie asked, "Was that for Joey's Pizza?"
"No. It was for Frank the Florist. Someone wanted to send two dozen roses…but now that you mention it I could be in the mood for some pizza."
She hugged me and whispered into my right ear, "What would I do without you?"
"Get your own pizza?" I joked. "I'll be back." I said as I grabbed my cell phone and messenger bag and walked out the door. Before I pulled out of the driveway I called a local pizzeria and asked for a plain pie to be ready in an hour. I'd stop by the supermarket on my way home. I'd blame my lateness on an accident or traffic. I'd think of the exact lie as it rolled off of my tongue.
-------*-------
I opened the gate to the warehouse and looked down at my apparel. I was clad in gray yoga pants and a pink hooded sweater. It could be worse, I thought. But since duty called I continued into the warehouse silent as the wind courtesy of my sneakers. There was no familiar sound of heel to pavement, just silence.
"You rang?" I asked.
He turned around, "I didn't hear you come in..."
"It's the sneakers…" I explained.
He looked down at my footwear and laughed. Then his face grew serious.
"Do you remember Minos Sakkoulas?" He asked.
"How could I forget that jerk? He licked my face in his seedy club…CLUB PANTHERA… I thought he died in the explosion in Crete last year." I responded and grimaced at the memory of Sakkoulas.
"So did we, but he has since resurfaced and after meeting with your father earlier, the CIA has now confirmed that he has made an offer to Sloane. He claims he will find your mother and deliver her to Sloane."
"What does he get in return?" I asked.
"We don't know, but what worries the CIA is that he claims to know where Irina is. If this is true then we have a mole…"
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Well there have been further developments. It's not that cut and dry. Sakkoulas has partnered with Sloane and Sark. We don't know what they are up to…"
I shook my head. "It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas…" I mumbled.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm just used to a traditional Christmas. It seems to be the one day where I get a break… With this…just days before Christmas, well… that kind of spoils my plans."
He looked sympathetically at me and said, "I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to fill you in before Sloane did…"
"I appreciate that."
I was trying to keep my distance. Ever since I saw Alice at the hospital I had tried to keep our relationship as professional as possible. I wasn't doing very well but I was trying, and that had to count for something.
"Your father mentioned Sloane heightening security detail, so both of you need to lay low until things cool off, he's recommended that the CIA doesn't contact you until after the holidays." I inhaled a deep breath of cold air and nodded.
"Before I go, I just wanted to…" He began.
"Wanted to what?" I asked.
He frowned for a moment and elaborated, "Devlin has given me clearance to offer Will a job at a local front company, so pass along my congratulations, he should be hearing from me in a few days."
"Thank you." I responded.
"Oh and Syd? Merry Christmas." He said.
"Merry Christmas Vaughn." I choked out.
I left the warehouse and silently swore at my luck. It was Christmas time, a time of giving and getting…peace on earth… and All I'd be getting was a headache and a series of meetings with Sloane, Sark and Sakkoulas….Oh My!!!
-------*-------
Vaughn was dead on with his intel. The next day after Francie and I had our movie night, Sloane paged me. As I walked into the SD-6 conference room I could see Sakkoulas decked out in silver chains chatting with his new cohorts.
I pretended to look surprised as Sloane explained that Sakkoulas was agreeing to help SD-6 in its Rambaldi pursuit. I knew it was a lie, he had offered to hand my mother over for something…money, protection…or maybe Sark's note to Sloane that forged their relationship had something to do with it.
Sakkoulas was greasier than I remembered. He wore a half open red silk shirt and his thick oily chest hair was exposed. I suppose it was his attempt of being festive. It failed.
SD-6 on the other hand did not attempt to hop on the Christmas train. There was no one hint of red or green. Not one dash of a Santa hat or a Rudolph pin. There was nothing; except the glimmer of Sakkoulas.
After the brief meeting which only served the purpose of the reintroduction of a man- another man- I despised; Sakkoulas pulled me aside.
"You tried to steal my 'package'!" He said in a thick Grecian accent.
"You licked my face…" I responded.
His laugh was thick and sickening
"So, we are even?" he asked, I could tell he was amused.
"Not even close…" I mumbled, as I tried to walk passed him and out of the drab room.
"You have spunk." He said as he blocked my only exit. "If we had met under different circumstances, I might have…"
"We'll never know." I replied. He pulled a sprig of greenery, I assumed it was mistletoe, out of his pocket and dangled it above my head as I pushed through him and opened the door to escape his unwanted glances…
"You tasted like your mother." He said as I left the office. After quickly saying my goodbyes to the few agents I passed on my way to my car I sank into the driver seat and cried. I somehow gathered myself together and prepared to return home.
-------*-------
Who could I talk to? Not my father. Not Francie. Not Vaughn. That would be against protocol and against my father's wishes. I didn't want to burden Will, so I decided I would go for a jog and I found myself in my mother's cell.
"Sydney." Her voice was rich with emotion.
"I need to…" I didn't finish my sentence. I didn't have to. She could see something was bothering me.
"What has happened?" she asked.
"Do you know a man named Minos Sakkoulas?" I asked.
She looked down and nodded. "Has he harmed you?"
"I met with him last year in Athens and again in Crete. To make a long story short he licked my face last year and he's back and working with SD-6 in their pursuit to find you."
"I'm sorry to here that. How has Sloane presented their relationship?" she asked
"The CIA received intelligence that claims Sakkoulas is offering your location in return for something."
"And you believe he knows where I am..." She said shaking her head.
"Is there a reason to doubt him?"
"I didn't tell him or anyone else what my plans were. I didn't tell anyone I was turning myself in. This I promise." She said with sincere eyes.
"Why would he lie? Eventually he'd have to come through on his half of the bargain and if he was lying how could he?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." She said.
She looked me squarely in the eye and continued, "He needs to be dealt with because he is a threat."
"How is he a threat? I thought he doesn't know where you are?"
"Where I am and where I could be will pale in importance to what can be achieved. If Sakkoulas helps Sloane and Sark… the possibilities are endless. Without Sakkoulas, Sloane will have no reason to doubt you or your father. Sakkoulas is a threat to your cover, to your fathers and to your noble work extinguishing SD-6. If he bothers you again tell him you know about the fire."
"What fire?" I asked puzzled.
"He was once married and one night he left his wife and the children home alone and one of his cigars ignited and no one escaped."
"Wouldn't SD-6 be aware of this already?"
"Yes. But that isn't the whole story. The cigar that killed his family was… he ignited his home. He betrayed their trust."
"Why would he do that?"
She gulped and whispered, "Because I asked him to."
I must have looked as though I was one of the Publisher Clearing House winners. That shocked look on my face must have looked dumbfounded. I could hardly fathom that Sakkoulas actually had a wife, a women who took him as her legal partner in front of G-d and family. He had not only married, copulated to produce offspring but he had killed them without question.
"Why?" I quietly asked, not really wanting an honest answer because it would just alter by perception of her again. It would blur the lines between mother and monster once more.
"We set conditions for possible associates. In order to work for "the Man" you had to prove your allegiance. For some it was murder, others stealing, it depended. It tested trust and it divided the boys from the men."
"Why kill his family? Was it your idea?" I choked out.
"No. Khasinau created the tests. He'd then use the test as blackmail for allegiance if trust was later compromised."
"That was what was on the disc that I retrieved in Rabat. Blackmail from tests…"
"Yes." She said as she looked down.
"Isn't there another way to break up Sakkoulas, Sark and Sloane? Without Blackmail?"
"If you went on a mission that Sakkoulas designed and failed because Sakkoulas didn't make proper provisions Sloane would be inclined to dispose of him." Irina stated.
"How?" I asked.
"Sakkoulas should have Sloane send you to Belgium to retrieve some documents from an office he owns, if the CIA was there and posed traps and security you were not briefed on, it would appear that Sakkoulas was not holding up his end of the bargain. He would be endangering Sloane's assets."
"I'll bring it up to Kendall. Thank you."
"You're welcome Sydney…" she responded with a small smile.
"Sakkoulas made a lude comment to me earlier."
"What did he say?" she asked with concern.
Did I really have to heart to repeat his gross commentary? Was it necessary? Would it achieve anything? Either way she was still trapped behind glass and couldn't do anything.
"He just reminded me that he licked me in Athens."
"Try not to think about it. Sydney, focus on taking him down…"
"I will. Merry Christmas Mom." I responded.
"Merry Christmas." She said. "Good Luck."
And with that I went to find Assistant Director Kendall to inform him of all my mother had divulged. All the proper arrangements would have to be made; it would have to be flawless on our part. And if it did go without a hitch Sakkoulas would be once less name on my list of enemies.
-------*-------
3 days later and 2 days before Christmas Eve, Sloane paged me. Once again I saw Sakkoulas, Sloane and Sark. And once more I sat across from them and pretended I bought into Sloane's "G-d and country" spiel. I listened as Sloane detailed the operation.
"Mr. Sakkoulas has come to us with much needed intel and connections. He has personally designed a mission to his headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp is relatively near Brussels where you will be landing." Sloane said as he looked to Marshall. After clearing his throat he caught his attention.
"Hmmm…. Oh…uhhh…Now, Antwerp is one happening place. There were these guild houses built during the Middle Ages… which is sometimes called the dark ages… which isn't politically correct if you think about it because it wasn't dark out and the art work wasn't dark either. Talk about colors…there was this one piece…"
"Marshall!" Sloane yelled.
"Sorry ….Right…. Antwerp has a marketplace. It's the second largest city in Belgium after Brussels. Antwerp was developed as one of Europe's foremost trading and manufacturing centers during the 15th and early 16th centuries. And today the city is Belgium's principal seaport. Which is pretty cool. You'll be going into a factory on the port itself. There should be virtually no security but I'm going to give you lock picking devices and other tech just in case…"
"Thank you Marshall! Mr. Sakkoulas assures us the top floor of the factory holds some crucial Rambaldi findings. If all goes well you should be back by Christmas Eve. You leave tonight." Sloane finished.
He handed me a folder to review the mission specs and left the room with Sark who wished me luck as I fought the urge to gag.
-------*-------
I met with Marshall to retrieve my Op Tech.
"Your sobriquet on this mission will be…" he began
"Sobriquet?"
"Oh, I'm sorry...I got this word of the day calendar and last year I made a resolution to… and…it means an assumed name or an Alias…"
"I knew what it meant...it's just…" I said.
"unusual? Yeah….I know. I thought it was …."
"…continue!" Sloane bellowed from his office. He was obviously knew Marshall had a tendency to go off on a tangent and forgetting the actual reason why he was explaining something.
I offered Marshall a smile and thanked him for my tech. I was off to Belgium…
-------*-------
Kendall had convened with my father and Vaughn and created my counter mission. As I was waiting to board my plane to Belgium, Vaughn gave me my counter mission or rather the details to foil Sakkoulas' mission. So much for avoiding the CIA or trying to lay low…
The plan entailed Vaughn, Weiss and several other CIA agents creating a failsafe for when I entered the code. While I'd be attempting to retrieve the documents I'd radio Sloane and inform him that the security pin Sakkoulas gave me activated a fail safe. Sloane would pull me out and Sakkoulas would no longer be a threat.
-------*-------
Several hours later I arrived in Brussels and took a train to Antwerp. I found the factory relatively easily and radioed Sloane that I was going in to retrieve Sakkoulas' documents.
"Good." He gruffly stated.
Then he added, "You'll meet Sakkoulas outside the door…."
"What? I thought I was going in alone." After all Dixon was away for the holidays and I had a counter mission planned.
"Mr. Sakkoulas has generously offered his time to ensure the mission goes without a hitch. You'll meet him at the door."
I told Sloane I was going Radio Silent as I approached the factory. I radioed Vaughn and began to explain that he and the fellow CIA officers needed to abort the operation but a warn wet sensation danced upon my cheek, it penetrated my train of thought. I turned around and I saw Minos Sakkoulas.
He smiled and looked me up and down.
"If I thought you were my 'taste' as a red head I was mistaken. I prefer blondes…" He said in a rancid tone, as he referred to my blonde tresses.
I stared at him hoping my glare would express my heightened disgust. It seemed to solely turn him on.
"I can make this mission easy for you…" he began as he licked his lips and eyed his briefcase, "or difficult."
"I prefer to do things the easy way, you give me the documents and I don't tell Sloane about the fire…." I said. There was no use trying to take the moral high road. This creep had licked me ear to chin twice, there was no reason not to play hardball.
"The fire… the fire… the flames and glimmer of ashes. That was really something. Irina must have told you…"
"It doesn't matter how I know. All that matters is that I do. So let's do this the easy way. Hand me the briefcase, and your indiscretion remains a secret, or would you prefer for me to radio Sloane and tell him…"
"Tell him." He said unworriedly.
"What?" I asked.
I was slightly shocked. My mother had implied that this was a deep dark secret that he'd do anything to conceal. Here he was suggesting that I should follow through on my threat.
"See if Sloane cares, he killed his wife!"
I suppose Sakkoulas had a point. Sloane had killed his wife; he'd probably kill his own mother if the situation arose. Sloane was heartless but he would care that Sakkoulas had broken his family's trust, he was a cold-bolded murder…
But come to think of it, he was no different than Sloane. You ask him to kill, he asks who, no further questions he just robotically follows orders, much to the same effect that Sloane followed the Alliance's orders to execute Emily.
"Go on your radio and tell him. Tell him I set a fire to kill my wife and 4 children. Tell him I followed orders and complied with my superior…tell him."
"Superior?" I asked.
"Irina Derevko was my superior. I was sure you knew that, then this might come as a shock… we were also lovers….love..ers…." He said as he flicked his tongue in my direction.
I tried to hide my disgust and surprise, but the pig could see straight through me.
"She was my taste…" he began.
I took in a deep breathe and in the corner of my eye I could see the CIA cavalry trooping towards Sakkoulas, but he didn't notice. He just stared at me with his steely black pupils focused on the parts of me that my skimpy dress refused to cover. He once again licked his lips.
"Salty." He murmured.
I cringed, but I heard the backfire of a gun and saw Sakkoulas fall in front of me. His red blood dotted the pavement and his slicked back black hair reflected the sun's rays.
"You okay?" Vaughn asked.
I nodded. Though I was confused how Vaughn knew I was in trouble. I remembered I hadn't shut off my comm. to Vaughn because Sakkoulas had interrupted me.
Weiss opened the briefcase easily and it was filled with surveillance photos. Hundreds of snapshots of…. Me.
"Vaughn…" I quietly stammered.
"let's go…" Vaughn quickly responded.
Weiss gathered the briefcase and we headed for the heliport for our extraction.
----*----
"Miss Derevko, I expect you to answer when you are addressed." Agent Kendall persisted.
It has been a week since we had returned home and we had shown my father and Kendall the photos we found in Sakkoulas' possession. My mother had become taciturn. She hadn't spoken a word. Not a single sound had she uttered, not even to me.
She simply sat on the floor one leg curled under the other dazed of into space. She had stared at me in such a way I felt as though she was telepathically sending me a message. She was silently asking for the half dozen CIA officials to go back to their desks. She wanted to privately speak to me. The only thing was… did I want to speak to her?
"Can I have some time alone with her?" I asked. Kendall glared at me and reluctantly retreated along with his gaggle of agents.
When they were gone she blinked several times.
"Why?" I asked her.
"You could have shot me in Taipei, or had Sark kill me when he infiltrated SD-6… why did you set me up?" I asked her in an angered tone.
She looked back at me, but refused to respond.
"ANSWER ME!" I yelled as I slammed the glass wall with my fist.
"I did not set you up." She responded.
"Your mission was a success. You retrieved the surveillance photos and Sloane didn't get his hands on them. Sakkoulas is no longer a threat." She explained.
"Who took the photos?" I asked.
"Steven Haladki. Who else?"
"Why?" I asked.
"If you look closely all those photos are from the beginning of last year. I assigned him to spy on you; he sent me pictures, information. He informed me of your failures and your successes…"
"Why?" I repeated, not understanding her answer.
"Don't you understand? I wanted to know what you looked like. I wanted to know your favorite color and what your everyday patterns were. I wanted to know you. 21 years is a long time to be apart…."
"You didn't have to leave. It was a choice you made."
"If I hadn't complied, they would have killed you. Point blank range as you walked into school or while you were swinging in the park…. I sold myself for you."
"You sold yourself to Khasinau, to Sakkoulas… to G-d Knows what else…"
"Yes, but no. Please understand, I did what I had to in order to secure your safety. It was a labor of love." She said as she tried to reason with me.
"or rather a labor of lust…"
She scoffed at that.
"Think what you want, you will no matter what I say. But consider this, if I was only interested in myself and my gains why would I repeatedly save you, why would I devote all my time, and money into destroying the agency that stole your life. Why would I send lilies to the grave of your slain fiancé? Why would I subject myself to be locked here day after day, when I could be anywhere with anyone else. I did it all for you."
I could feel the tears searing the corners of my eyes I looked away and didn't respond.
"I knew Sakkoulas would use my possessions for his gain that's why I told you to distrust him and to retrieve the documents for the CIA. Arvin Sloane would kill you if he knew you were conspiring with the real CIA…." She quietly stated.
"I have to go…" I said.
"What will you tell Kendall?"
"I'll tell him you took the necessary precautions and decided if was safer for us not to know about your relationship with Sakkoulas or the true contents of the documents."
"I appreciate that."
"I know you do. GUARD!"
"Sydney." She said. I turned around.
"I do love you…"
And with that I left. I looked back though, if only for a second; and with that glance she knew that I loved her too.
Maybe there was a glimmer of hope for us. After all it was a new year and a new beginning.
----*----