AN: this is the second chapter to "Breathe." I hope you guys like it.
The chapter titles for these chapters are based on the lyrics to the
Greenwheel song "Breathe" if you can I recommend downloading it. It's lyrics
really fit the Jack and Irina dynamic. Please Read and Review(if you can't get the
song let me know and I'll post the lyrics) The characters aren't mine, I wish I
could claim them.
Chapter 2
Playing the fool
Irina knew her eyes had betrayed her. Her emotional vulnerability
would have been completely unperceivable to anyone else, but she saw Jack
register it almost immediately. He just stood their studying her trying to
ascertain exactly what he had just seen in her eyes. She wanted to squirm, wanted
to hide from his penetrating gaze, but resolve, curiosities and years of
practice kept her rooted to the spot. She wished he would just say
something.
Jack had no idea with what he had just seen. He thought he was
prepared for anything but the strange look of remorse and openness in
her eyes caught him completely off guard. He mentally filed it away to
analyze later.
He was still just standing there, she decided she had to say
something or go crazy. She was pretty sure she had regained at least
some semblance of control and decided on something simple.
"Jack" she said allowing her accent to ooze through in order to disguise any accidental
display of emotion.
This word had the desired effect; Jack suddenly
became aware of the manila envelope in his hand.
"I don't know if anyone's told you" he began in his best all business tone, "but the Alliance
has been successfully destroyed"
This news brought strange unreadable expression to Irina's face. Jack
noted it and then continued.
"However when we raided the SD-6, both Sloane and Sark were MIA, we
where also unable to locate any of the Rambaldi devices the Alliance has
recovered throughout the past decades." Jack paused. "I seem to be the only one
who thinks this is odd. If you could provide us with any information as to
where Sark may have gone, I would greatly appreciate it."
He hadn't really meant to say "I" at the end of the last statement and
Irina knew it.
She didn't want to admit it but the news of the Alliance's
downfall had brought her a momentary rush of panic. She feared that
her information would no longer be viewed as relevant to the CIA and she
would be taken away from the people who mattered most to her. This feeling
was coupled with feeling of pride and happiness for Sydney and relief for
Jack.
She pushed these feelings aside, she was compartmentalizing so much
right now she didn't now how much longer she could keep this façade up. She
forced herself to focus on the question at hand.
"If Sark's in hiding he is most likely somewhere in the tropics. He
formerly had safe houses in both Bermuda and Fiji. I know because
footed the bill for both." She shook her head sardonically.
"As for the Rambaldi devices, that's a bit more complicated. Awhile ago Sark
stumbled upon intel that lead him to believe that Rambaldi's ultimate aim was immortality
and that elements of each of the devices combined to form a machine that
could manipulate the human genome. Naturally, I was interested, but Sark was
obsessed," She paused waiting as Jack processed all she had told him.
She could see his mind working over time.
"So, Sloane and Sark are obviously trying to collect the remaining
Rambaldi devices, where would they go next?" Jack asked more to himself than to
her.
"Well in order to assemble the various components, they need a
manuscript that Sark was working to obtain before I "disappeared" and they also
need the untarnished copies of all the Rambaldi artifacts, the CIA has
intercepted over the years."
At this Jack looked up sharply and met her eyes. "Do you suppose Sark
and Sloane would be that bold?"
Irina smirked "Would that honestly surprise you?"
"So there are two ways to prevent them from fulfilling there goals,
either prevent them form ever obtaining the devices we have acquired or obtain
their copy of the manuscript." Jack thought out loud.
"Precisely." Irina agreed a little more emphatically than she meant to.
Jack met her eyes again and paused. The realization that he was loving
this and that perhaps she was too, hit him and left him unsure how to end
the conversation. He decided on a curt nod and briskly turned and walked
down the hall; leaving Irina alone with her thoughts and an acute awareness
of how alone she felt.
AN: I know this chapter was a little slow, but it was necessary to
establish the plot. I hope you liked it and I promise all sorts of action to
come. Sorry this was slow in coming I got a bit bogged down with school. Read
and review, the more you do the faster I post.
The chapter titles for these chapters are based on the lyrics to the
Greenwheel song "Breathe" if you can I recommend downloading it. It's lyrics
really fit the Jack and Irina dynamic. Please Read and Review(if you can't get the
song let me know and I'll post the lyrics) The characters aren't mine, I wish I
could claim them.
Chapter 2
Playing the fool
Irina knew her eyes had betrayed her. Her emotional vulnerability
would have been completely unperceivable to anyone else, but she saw Jack
register it almost immediately. He just stood their studying her trying to
ascertain exactly what he had just seen in her eyes. She wanted to squirm, wanted
to hide from his penetrating gaze, but resolve, curiosities and years of
practice kept her rooted to the spot. She wished he would just say
something.
Jack had no idea with what he had just seen. He thought he was
prepared for anything but the strange look of remorse and openness in
her eyes caught him completely off guard. He mentally filed it away to
analyze later.
He was still just standing there, she decided she had to say
something or go crazy. She was pretty sure she had regained at least
some semblance of control and decided on something simple.
"Jack" she said allowing her accent to ooze through in order to disguise any accidental
display of emotion.
This word had the desired effect; Jack suddenly
became aware of the manila envelope in his hand.
"I don't know if anyone's told you" he began in his best all business tone, "but the Alliance
has been successfully destroyed"
This news brought strange unreadable expression to Irina's face. Jack
noted it and then continued.
"However when we raided the SD-6, both Sloane and Sark were MIA, we
where also unable to locate any of the Rambaldi devices the Alliance has
recovered throughout the past decades." Jack paused. "I seem to be the only one
who thinks this is odd. If you could provide us with any information as to
where Sark may have gone, I would greatly appreciate it."
He hadn't really meant to say "I" at the end of the last statement and
Irina knew it.
She didn't want to admit it but the news of the Alliance's
downfall had brought her a momentary rush of panic. She feared that
her information would no longer be viewed as relevant to the CIA and she
would be taken away from the people who mattered most to her. This feeling
was coupled with feeling of pride and happiness for Sydney and relief for
Jack.
She pushed these feelings aside, she was compartmentalizing so much
right now she didn't now how much longer she could keep this façade up. She
forced herself to focus on the question at hand.
"If Sark's in hiding he is most likely somewhere in the tropics. He
formerly had safe houses in both Bermuda and Fiji. I know because
footed the bill for both." She shook her head sardonically.
"As for the Rambaldi devices, that's a bit more complicated. Awhile ago Sark
stumbled upon intel that lead him to believe that Rambaldi's ultimate aim was immortality
and that elements of each of the devices combined to form a machine that
could manipulate the human genome. Naturally, I was interested, but Sark was
obsessed," She paused waiting as Jack processed all she had told him.
She could see his mind working over time.
"So, Sloane and Sark are obviously trying to collect the remaining
Rambaldi devices, where would they go next?" Jack asked more to himself than to
her.
"Well in order to assemble the various components, they need a
manuscript that Sark was working to obtain before I "disappeared" and they also
need the untarnished copies of all the Rambaldi artifacts, the CIA has
intercepted over the years."
At this Jack looked up sharply and met her eyes. "Do you suppose Sark
and Sloane would be that bold?"
Irina smirked "Would that honestly surprise you?"
"So there are two ways to prevent them from fulfilling there goals,
either prevent them form ever obtaining the devices we have acquired or obtain
their copy of the manuscript." Jack thought out loud.
"Precisely." Irina agreed a little more emphatically than she meant to.
Jack met her eyes again and paused. The realization that he was loving
this and that perhaps she was too, hit him and left him unsure how to end
the conversation. He decided on a curt nod and briskly turned and walked
down the hall; leaving Irina alone with her thoughts and an acute awareness
of how alone she felt.
AN: I know this chapter was a little slow, but it was necessary to
establish the plot. I hope you liked it and I promise all sorts of action to
come. Sorry this was slow in coming I got a bit bogged down with school. Read
and review, the more you do the faster I post.