The Ties That Bind
Chapter 1: Spy in the making
Paris 4 Days before Christmas Early Afternoon Nathalia walked along the streets of Paris. She was tall and thin, with long, dark brown hair, pulled in a tight bun. She had a black leotard underneath her white parka with matching earmuffs and was wearing simple black pants. Christmas was fast approaching and everyone around her seemed happy and excited, but she was not. She had not seen or heard from her mother in months. She had tried to hack into the computers of the CIA, but the encryption was too high. Her program was not yet strong enough, but that would soon be remedied. The truth be told, Nathalia knew where her mother was and why she was there. But she did not dare speak of it to anyone because if she did so, she could be killed. If her father had known what she knew, there was no telling what he would do. So for the moment, she kept herself buried in the guise of exam preparations and rehearsals for the winter concert at the Paris Ballet. She adjusted her bag as she approached the café. She was supposed to meet her father before going to rehearsal. She entered the café and smiled as she saw two people a little older than herself kissing under the mistletoe.
"Nathalia," said a voice behind her.
Nathalia turned to see her father facing her.
"Hello father," she replied kissing him on both cheeks.
"Come, we are late," he said as he led her to the limousine. He was none other than Khasinau.
Los Angeles Irina's Cell 5 days before Christmas Early evening
Irina sat in meditation; she tried hard to focus but was distracted. Just then she heard the sound of the gates opening and footsteps approaching. A few moments later, Vaughn came into view.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked.
"Thank you for coming so promptly. I need to ask a favor of you-" Irina started.
"Let me remind you Ms. Derevko that you are in no position to ask anything of me."
"I am aware of that, but this is vital. It has to do with my daughter."
"If this involves Sydney-"
"Not Sydney Agent Vaughn, I have another daughter. Her name is Nathalia, Nathalia Khasinau."
"Khasinau is her father?"
"No, Agent Vaughn, he only thinks that he is for the safety of her and myself. Nathalia is a very intelligent young woman; she has all the makings of a good spy. However she is also very knowledgeable about computers. She created some of the programs that I've used over the years. But since I turned myself in she has been left at the hands of Khasinau."
"I think I've heard of her, isn't she a ballet dancer?"
"She is, under the name of Nathalia Bretov. I am deeply worried about her, Khasinau knows what she can do and I don't want her to get involved in something she knows little about."
"I will check on her as soon as I can."
"Thank you."
Vaughn simply nodded and left the room. Irina crossed back to the bed and put her head in her hands. She hoped that Nathalia was all right.
SD-6 Headquarters The Conference Room The Next Day
"Jack, thank you for coming so quickly," said Slone as they sat down at the conference table.
"No, not at all," Jack replied.
"I have a mission for you," he said pulling an image up on the screen. "This is Nathalia Bretov. She is the youngest member of the Paris Ballet and a computer programmer, one of the best. She was hired by Irina Derevko to secure her systems and Sark already talked to Nathalia's father Khasinau and he has agreed to let Nathalia come here. Your assignment is to kidnap Nathalia and bring her here. She is performing in the winter concert there tomorrow night. Your cover is as a wealthy executive from Jennings Aerospace, John Herring, and he is there to enjoy the ballet. Ms. Bretov's cover will be as Jamie Herring his daughter. You will be on the 1am concord back here and she will stay with you until the next morning, where she will be introduced to all of our top-level agents and will begin her work.
"Good, I'll see you when I get back?"
"Yes, and Jack be careful, she's feisty."
"I will."
The Warehouse A few hours later
"Agent Bristow," said Vaughn.
"Agent Vaughn" said Jack. "I've been assigned to kidnap and girl named Nathalia Bretov, she's a computer whiz and Slone wants her to secure SD-6's systems.
"Ok, your mission is to bring her back to headquarters, we'll debrief her and recruit her. But there's something you need to know."
"Yes Agent Vaughn?"
"Nathalia Bretov is really Nathalia Derevko, she's your daughter."
"Excuse me?"
"Jack it's all right here," said Vaughn handing him a folder.
Jack opened the folder and started to read.
Name: Derevko, Nathalia Danielle Age: 16 Birth date: January 30, 1986 Birthplace: Paris, France Height: 5'6 Weight: 95 Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Brown Blood type: AB Occupation: Student/Computer Programmer/Ballet Dancer Alias: Bretov, Nathalia Sign: Aquarius Mother: Derevko, Irina Father: Khasinau, Vladimir Siblings: none Languages: English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Japanese, Hebrew Education: Primary School Graduation Date: June 9, 2000 Training: Linguistics, martial arts, ballet, fencing Identifying Marks: A mole on her lower back
"Damn her," he whispered. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow," he says before rushing out to see Irina.
Irina's Cell 20 minutes later
"Does this look familiar?" He asks holding Nathalia's picture up against the glass.
Irina paled noticeably and stood up from her sitting position.
"Jack I-"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't bring myself to tell you. With everything that was going on it was too much."
"Who is her father Irina?"
"You are, I didn't find out until after I left."
"Khasinau made a deal with SD-6 and is letting them use Nathalia's expertise to for their systems. Slone wants me to go get her."
"I knew that this was going to happen. You can let that happen Jack, I don't want her to be a spy!"
"I don't either. But it's too late for that; I'll be exposed if I don't. I'm bringing her back for de-briefing. I'll sign her for her."
"Just be careful ok and don't sneak up on her she could attack you."
"I will."
"And tell her I love her."
"I will."
"And Jack, could I see her when you come back?"
"Of course."
Paris The Paris Ballet 3 Days before Christmas Early evening
Jack was amazed, absolutely amazed. He stood up after the lights came up. Nathalia was very very talented. The winter concert was ok in itself, but she had a solo, which was unusual for a girl of her age, but she was absolutely fabulous. But he had to keep his focus. Jack made his way backstage and saw Nathalia alone. He went up to here and smiled.
"Ms. Bretov? My name is John Herring," said Jack shaking her hand, pressing a piece of paper in her palm. "You were absolutely wonderful."
"Thank you," she said removing her hand. "I must be going," Nathalia said smiling before going back to her dressing room. She opened the piece of paper:
I have information on your mother. Meet me by the backstage door in 10 minutes.
Nathalia changes quickly and gathers her things and leaves. Once she arrives outside she sees John already there. He leads her to a car and they drive off.
"Nathalia, my name is Jack Bristow. I work for the organization SD-6. Your father has signed you on to secure our computer systems. But I know your mother."
"Is she ok?"
"She's fine. I'm going to take you to your home to get your things ok? Is your father home?"
"No, he was called away on business. I know who you are. Mom didn't forget you."
"What do you mean?"
"I know that you are my real father and that I have an older sister named Sydney."
"Did Irina tell you this?"
"Yes, she showed me pictures and I know how dangerous Khasinau is. He's almost killed me twice. Yes, he knows that I'm not his. I'm too smart and I don't look like him."
"I'm taking you back to the United States tonight, we have a plane to catch at 1:00AM. Take only what you absolutely need and you'll get the rest in the states."
"Can I see my mom?"
"Yes."
They arrived at the house and Nathalia ran inside and got rid of her ballet stuff, except for her point shoes and gathered up her cell phone, some cds, her cd player, clothes, some pictures and a couple of stuffed animals. Luckily she ran into no one and returned to the car.
"Your alias is Jamie Herring," said Jack. "You are my very spoiled daughter."
"That shouldn't be a stretch."
"Here's your passport."
Nathalia opened it.
"That doesn't look like me she's got short blond hair."
"There's a wig in the back."
"Cool."
They boarded the plane without any problem and arrived back in L.A. at 3:00AM PST. Jack drove Nathalia back to his house for the night. She had fallen asleep in the car from exhaustion and Jack couldn't bear to wake her. So he carried her into the house and tucked into bed in the guestroom and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, grateful that she was alive.
Stay tuned
Next on The Ties That Bind:
*Nathalia is de-briefed and welcomed into the CIA *She sees her mother for the first time in months *She meets Slone and is signed into SD-6 *Sydney meets her little sister
Chapter 1: Spy in the making
Paris 4 Days before Christmas Early Afternoon Nathalia walked along the streets of Paris. She was tall and thin, with long, dark brown hair, pulled in a tight bun. She had a black leotard underneath her white parka with matching earmuffs and was wearing simple black pants. Christmas was fast approaching and everyone around her seemed happy and excited, but she was not. She had not seen or heard from her mother in months. She had tried to hack into the computers of the CIA, but the encryption was too high. Her program was not yet strong enough, but that would soon be remedied. The truth be told, Nathalia knew where her mother was and why she was there. But she did not dare speak of it to anyone because if she did so, she could be killed. If her father had known what she knew, there was no telling what he would do. So for the moment, she kept herself buried in the guise of exam preparations and rehearsals for the winter concert at the Paris Ballet. She adjusted her bag as she approached the café. She was supposed to meet her father before going to rehearsal. She entered the café and smiled as she saw two people a little older than herself kissing under the mistletoe.
"Nathalia," said a voice behind her.
Nathalia turned to see her father facing her.
"Hello father," she replied kissing him on both cheeks.
"Come, we are late," he said as he led her to the limousine. He was none other than Khasinau.
Los Angeles Irina's Cell 5 days before Christmas Early evening
Irina sat in meditation; she tried hard to focus but was distracted. Just then she heard the sound of the gates opening and footsteps approaching. A few moments later, Vaughn came into view.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked.
"Thank you for coming so promptly. I need to ask a favor of you-" Irina started.
"Let me remind you Ms. Derevko that you are in no position to ask anything of me."
"I am aware of that, but this is vital. It has to do with my daughter."
"If this involves Sydney-"
"Not Sydney Agent Vaughn, I have another daughter. Her name is Nathalia, Nathalia Khasinau."
"Khasinau is her father?"
"No, Agent Vaughn, he only thinks that he is for the safety of her and myself. Nathalia is a very intelligent young woman; she has all the makings of a good spy. However she is also very knowledgeable about computers. She created some of the programs that I've used over the years. But since I turned myself in she has been left at the hands of Khasinau."
"I think I've heard of her, isn't she a ballet dancer?"
"She is, under the name of Nathalia Bretov. I am deeply worried about her, Khasinau knows what she can do and I don't want her to get involved in something she knows little about."
"I will check on her as soon as I can."
"Thank you."
Vaughn simply nodded and left the room. Irina crossed back to the bed and put her head in her hands. She hoped that Nathalia was all right.
SD-6 Headquarters The Conference Room The Next Day
"Jack, thank you for coming so quickly," said Slone as they sat down at the conference table.
"No, not at all," Jack replied.
"I have a mission for you," he said pulling an image up on the screen. "This is Nathalia Bretov. She is the youngest member of the Paris Ballet and a computer programmer, one of the best. She was hired by Irina Derevko to secure her systems and Sark already talked to Nathalia's father Khasinau and he has agreed to let Nathalia come here. Your assignment is to kidnap Nathalia and bring her here. She is performing in the winter concert there tomorrow night. Your cover is as a wealthy executive from Jennings Aerospace, John Herring, and he is there to enjoy the ballet. Ms. Bretov's cover will be as Jamie Herring his daughter. You will be on the 1am concord back here and she will stay with you until the next morning, where she will be introduced to all of our top-level agents and will begin her work.
"Good, I'll see you when I get back?"
"Yes, and Jack be careful, she's feisty."
"I will."
The Warehouse A few hours later
"Agent Bristow," said Vaughn.
"Agent Vaughn" said Jack. "I've been assigned to kidnap and girl named Nathalia Bretov, she's a computer whiz and Slone wants her to secure SD-6's systems.
"Ok, your mission is to bring her back to headquarters, we'll debrief her and recruit her. But there's something you need to know."
"Yes Agent Vaughn?"
"Nathalia Bretov is really Nathalia Derevko, she's your daughter."
"Excuse me?"
"Jack it's all right here," said Vaughn handing him a folder.
Jack opened the folder and started to read.
Name: Derevko, Nathalia Danielle Age: 16 Birth date: January 30, 1986 Birthplace: Paris, France Height: 5'6 Weight: 95 Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Brown Blood type: AB Occupation: Student/Computer Programmer/Ballet Dancer Alias: Bretov, Nathalia Sign: Aquarius Mother: Derevko, Irina Father: Khasinau, Vladimir Siblings: none Languages: English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Japanese, Hebrew Education: Primary School Graduation Date: June 9, 2000 Training: Linguistics, martial arts, ballet, fencing Identifying Marks: A mole on her lower back
"Damn her," he whispered. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow," he says before rushing out to see Irina.
Irina's Cell 20 minutes later
"Does this look familiar?" He asks holding Nathalia's picture up against the glass.
Irina paled noticeably and stood up from her sitting position.
"Jack I-"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't bring myself to tell you. With everything that was going on it was too much."
"Who is her father Irina?"
"You are, I didn't find out until after I left."
"Khasinau made a deal with SD-6 and is letting them use Nathalia's expertise to for their systems. Slone wants me to go get her."
"I knew that this was going to happen. You can let that happen Jack, I don't want her to be a spy!"
"I don't either. But it's too late for that; I'll be exposed if I don't. I'm bringing her back for de-briefing. I'll sign her for her."
"Just be careful ok and don't sneak up on her she could attack you."
"I will."
"And tell her I love her."
"I will."
"And Jack, could I see her when you come back?"
"Of course."
Paris The Paris Ballet 3 Days before Christmas Early evening
Jack was amazed, absolutely amazed. He stood up after the lights came up. Nathalia was very very talented. The winter concert was ok in itself, but she had a solo, which was unusual for a girl of her age, but she was absolutely fabulous. But he had to keep his focus. Jack made his way backstage and saw Nathalia alone. He went up to here and smiled.
"Ms. Bretov? My name is John Herring," said Jack shaking her hand, pressing a piece of paper in her palm. "You were absolutely wonderful."
"Thank you," she said removing her hand. "I must be going," Nathalia said smiling before going back to her dressing room. She opened the piece of paper:
I have information on your mother. Meet me by the backstage door in 10 minutes.
Nathalia changes quickly and gathers her things and leaves. Once she arrives outside she sees John already there. He leads her to a car and they drive off.
"Nathalia, my name is Jack Bristow. I work for the organization SD-6. Your father has signed you on to secure our computer systems. But I know your mother."
"Is she ok?"
"She's fine. I'm going to take you to your home to get your things ok? Is your father home?"
"No, he was called away on business. I know who you are. Mom didn't forget you."
"What do you mean?"
"I know that you are my real father and that I have an older sister named Sydney."
"Did Irina tell you this?"
"Yes, she showed me pictures and I know how dangerous Khasinau is. He's almost killed me twice. Yes, he knows that I'm not his. I'm too smart and I don't look like him."
"I'm taking you back to the United States tonight, we have a plane to catch at 1:00AM. Take only what you absolutely need and you'll get the rest in the states."
"Can I see my mom?"
"Yes."
They arrived at the house and Nathalia ran inside and got rid of her ballet stuff, except for her point shoes and gathered up her cell phone, some cds, her cd player, clothes, some pictures and a couple of stuffed animals. Luckily she ran into no one and returned to the car.
"Your alias is Jamie Herring," said Jack. "You are my very spoiled daughter."
"That shouldn't be a stretch."
"Here's your passport."
Nathalia opened it.
"That doesn't look like me she's got short blond hair."
"There's a wig in the back."
"Cool."
They boarded the plane without any problem and arrived back in L.A. at 3:00AM PST. Jack drove Nathalia back to his house for the night. She had fallen asleep in the car from exhaustion and Jack couldn't bear to wake her. So he carried her into the house and tucked into bed in the guestroom and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, grateful that she was alive.
Stay tuned
Next on The Ties That Bind:
*Nathalia is de-briefed and welcomed into the CIA *She sees her mother for the first time in months *She meets Slone and is signed into SD-6 *Sydney meets her little sister