Jack & Irina
Footsteps again. Cold and exhausted, Jack didn't even bother to look until the door opened, and Irina was hurled into the cell. Jack tried to catch her, to break her fall, but couldn't react in time. He grunted in pain as she landed on him heavily. The door closed and the guards silently walked back down the dark corridor.
Irina rolled off him quickly, almost as if scalded. Jack watched, in silence, as Irina busied herself with a hair clip. She struggled with it, but was defeated by the bound hands. She turned to Jack and said briskly "Here, you reach it. Twist it twice counter-clockwise." Jack silently reached over and, with numb fingers, struggled for several seconds before managing to twist the hair clip. "It's done," he said.
Sydney
The green light started flashing on the GPS. Thank goodness - her mother had at least made it that far. She leapt into the GOFER, programmed the coordinates, and closed the hatch.
Jack and Irina
Jack looked at Irina in silence for several seconds. "Of all the gin joints in all the world.," he thought to himself. "Where are we?"
"Tajikistan", she said. "It appears that Cuvee felt that he had some unfinished business with you. How'd you get here?" she asked curiously.
"Doped my drink," Jack said shortly. Irina raised an eyebrow.
"And you?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I walked in," Irina said casually.
"What??"
"The hairclip is a locational signal. Sydney should arrive in about 2 hours for extraction."
"And?"
"And what?"
"You mean that's the plan? Sydney is going to single-handedly infiltrate this facility, knock out all the guards, find us, and get us out? Oh, great plan," he said angrily.
Irina's eyes flashed dangerously. "Jack, I am not the same person who made your dinners and washed your laundry."
"No kidding," he interjected.
".and I am more than competent to put together an operational extraction plan. If you've got an alternative, go ahead and walk out," she said irritably, crossing her legs and leaning against the wall.
Jack would happily have throttled her instead. He knew he was struggling with the transition from Laura, the professor of literature, to Irina, his operational and strategic equal. He had almost compromised the mission in India because he would not listen to her.
Regardless of performance in India, he still did not trust her. Anyone capable of the betrayal she had perpetrated on him and Sydney for 10 years clearly knew how to be patient.
A thought occurred to him. "How do I know you haven't set this up with Cuvee?" he asked. Then, eying her smeared lipstick, "I'm sure you and he had a lot to *talk* about," he said nastily.
"Don't be an idiot, Jack," Irina said with some asperity.
"I was an idiot once. Never again," he ground out, and looked away.
Footsteps again. Cold and exhausted, Jack didn't even bother to look until the door opened, and Irina was hurled into the cell. Jack tried to catch her, to break her fall, but couldn't react in time. He grunted in pain as she landed on him heavily. The door closed and the guards silently walked back down the dark corridor.
Irina rolled off him quickly, almost as if scalded. Jack watched, in silence, as Irina busied herself with a hair clip. She struggled with it, but was defeated by the bound hands. She turned to Jack and said briskly "Here, you reach it. Twist it twice counter-clockwise." Jack silently reached over and, with numb fingers, struggled for several seconds before managing to twist the hair clip. "It's done," he said.
Sydney
The green light started flashing on the GPS. Thank goodness - her mother had at least made it that far. She leapt into the GOFER, programmed the coordinates, and closed the hatch.
Jack and Irina
Jack looked at Irina in silence for several seconds. "Of all the gin joints in all the world.," he thought to himself. "Where are we?"
"Tajikistan", she said. "It appears that Cuvee felt that he had some unfinished business with you. How'd you get here?" she asked curiously.
"Doped my drink," Jack said shortly. Irina raised an eyebrow.
"And you?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I walked in," Irina said casually.
"What??"
"The hairclip is a locational signal. Sydney should arrive in about 2 hours for extraction."
"And?"
"And what?"
"You mean that's the plan? Sydney is going to single-handedly infiltrate this facility, knock out all the guards, find us, and get us out? Oh, great plan," he said angrily.
Irina's eyes flashed dangerously. "Jack, I am not the same person who made your dinners and washed your laundry."
"No kidding," he interjected.
".and I am more than competent to put together an operational extraction plan. If you've got an alternative, go ahead and walk out," she said irritably, crossing her legs and leaning against the wall.
Jack would happily have throttled her instead. He knew he was struggling with the transition from Laura, the professor of literature, to Irina, his operational and strategic equal. He had almost compromised the mission in India because he would not listen to her.
Regardless of performance in India, he still did not trust her. Anyone capable of the betrayal she had perpetrated on him and Sydney for 10 years clearly knew how to be patient.
A thought occurred to him. "How do I know you haven't set this up with Cuvee?" he asked. Then, eying her smeared lipstick, "I'm sure you and he had a lot to *talk* about," he said nastily.
"Don't be an idiot, Jack," Irina said with some asperity.
"I was an idiot once. Never again," he ground out, and looked away.