Irina
Irina watched Jack look up, and was rocked by the blaze of hate from his eyes. It's over, she thought to herself numbly. He will never believe me.
Wearily, she looked over at Cuvee. He was not done with her yet.
"You're lying!" he hissed. "He was put in prison for what you did!"
"Yes, he was," she said sadly. "There was no other way."
"What do you mean, no other way?"
"It was the only way I could think of to protect Jack and Sydney."
Sighing, she looked over at Jack. The shuttered look again. Probably just as well that she could not see what he was thinking.
Addressing herself to him, she continued, "It all came crashing down when Moscow decided that you had become too valuable. They wanted more than just updates - they wanted you captured and interrogated, then eliminated. We had scheduled a trip to Cozumel for that June. They were going to have an extraction team waiting, to kidnap both you and Sydney. You, to torture and kill; Sydney, to ensure my good behavior."
Jack
Jack snapped back to attention. He remembered the Cozumel trip - he'd had to arrange to get it cancelled from prison. He watched her closely.
"I was panicked. There was no way I could fake compliance with this order, and no way I could halt it once it was underway. I considered everything. Even suicide," she said quietly. "But my being gone would not have protected you - they still would have come for you."
"I know you thought the FBI found me out, and that's why I fled. Didn't you wonder how, after 10 years, I could have made a blunder like that? I leaked the information myself. And this time, since the information was going to the FBI and not Moscow, I made sure the intelligence was as damaging as possible. I needed to get their attention."
You certainly did that, Jack thought grimly. Wait. What had she said about he information she leaked to the FBI? 'As damaging as possible'? Those must have been the intercepts he was shown. He felt a small surge of hope.
"Blowing my cover did two things, Irina continued, unaware of Jack's reaction. "It shut down the Mexican extraction operation, and it," she paused, stumbling for words. She took a deep breath, "It put you in prison, where they could not reach you."
Jack saw her look imploringly at him, begging his forgiveness. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I had been careful to do nothing that implicated you, but I knew it would take them a while to be convinced. "It was the only thing I could think of."
"I faked my death. I was afraid you might guess what had happened and try to find me. I hoped my death would give some closure to you and Sydney, let you move on with your lives."
Jack bowed his head. It was the truth, he thought with relief. All of it. What an idiot he'd been. But how could she have ever thought he could just move on, after what they had had? After what they still might have, he realized, with dawning hope. Was it too late? He looked up and across at her, willing himself to knock down the barriers so that she could see straight through to his soul. Irina looked back, wearily at first, then with widened eyes as she read his message.
Irina watched Jack look up, and was rocked by the blaze of hate from his eyes. It's over, she thought to herself numbly. He will never believe me.
Wearily, she looked over at Cuvee. He was not done with her yet.
"You're lying!" he hissed. "He was put in prison for what you did!"
"Yes, he was," she said sadly. "There was no other way."
"What do you mean, no other way?"
"It was the only way I could think of to protect Jack and Sydney."
Sighing, she looked over at Jack. The shuttered look again. Probably just as well that she could not see what he was thinking.
Addressing herself to him, she continued, "It all came crashing down when Moscow decided that you had become too valuable. They wanted more than just updates - they wanted you captured and interrogated, then eliminated. We had scheduled a trip to Cozumel for that June. They were going to have an extraction team waiting, to kidnap both you and Sydney. You, to torture and kill; Sydney, to ensure my good behavior."
Jack
Jack snapped back to attention. He remembered the Cozumel trip - he'd had to arrange to get it cancelled from prison. He watched her closely.
"I was panicked. There was no way I could fake compliance with this order, and no way I could halt it once it was underway. I considered everything. Even suicide," she said quietly. "But my being gone would not have protected you - they still would have come for you."
"I know you thought the FBI found me out, and that's why I fled. Didn't you wonder how, after 10 years, I could have made a blunder like that? I leaked the information myself. And this time, since the information was going to the FBI and not Moscow, I made sure the intelligence was as damaging as possible. I needed to get their attention."
You certainly did that, Jack thought grimly. Wait. What had she said about he information she leaked to the FBI? 'As damaging as possible'? Those must have been the intercepts he was shown. He felt a small surge of hope.
"Blowing my cover did two things, Irina continued, unaware of Jack's reaction. "It shut down the Mexican extraction operation, and it," she paused, stumbling for words. She took a deep breath, "It put you in prison, where they could not reach you."
Jack saw her look imploringly at him, begging his forgiveness. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I had been careful to do nothing that implicated you, but I knew it would take them a while to be convinced. "It was the only thing I could think of."
"I faked my death. I was afraid you might guess what had happened and try to find me. I hoped my death would give some closure to you and Sydney, let you move on with your lives."
Jack bowed his head. It was the truth, he thought with relief. All of it. What an idiot he'd been. But how could she have ever thought he could just move on, after what they had had? After what they still might have, he realized, with dawning hope. Was it too late? He looked up and across at her, willing himself to knock down the barriers so that she could see straight through to his soul. Irina looked back, wearily at first, then with widened eyes as she read his message.