Chapter 9

"Irina, wait!"  Jack struggled uselessly against the knots tying him to the chair, frustrated that he couldn't run after her.

"What is it, Jack?" she said, turning back, drained.

"You still haven't told me why you're working with Sloane."

"Jack, I can't," she said sadly.  The loneliness that she had fought, seemingly her entire life, surged through her.  She turned to go.

"Irina. Trust. me."  Jack's voice, pitched low, pulsed through her.  "Please," he begged.

Irina stood, unmoving, in the doorway, the inner struggle she was waging visible in her eyes.  In truth, she had trusted no man for more than 40 years.  Jack held his breath, then expelled it slowly as she moved back into the room.

"The flower's genetic code gives us a fingerprint.  A fingerprint for a gene that creates cell regeneration at a rate which, in effect, creates immortality.  Sloane believes that when he matches that against the genetic database that we stole a couple of months ago that he will be able to find Rambaldi."

"Rambaldi's alive?!"

"No.  But Sloane believes he is, which is just as good."  Jack looked at her quizzically.  "Sloane has, hidden away, a device which he is planning to bring to Rambaldi.  I need to get access to that device."

"Why?"

Irina hesitated.  "Jack, this isn't the time or the place."  Her glance swept the dim room, Jack still tied to the chair.  "I promise I'll tell you everything.  Just not now.  But it affects Sydney."

"How important is it to Sydney?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed.

Irina opened her mouth, then closed it again.  "More important than you could possibly imagine," she said finally.

"So you need the flower's genetic code to get this device?" Jack queried.

"Yes."

"Then why are you letting me go before I give Sloane the encryption key?"

"Were you planning to give it to him?" she inquired, smiling.

"Of course not," said Jack.  "I didn't know what he was going to use it for.  What are your alternatives if you don't have the code from the flower?"

"There may be…another way to get the thumbprint.  It will take us several months.  And it's a little messy."

"That's too long," said Jack flatly.  "I can't leave Sloane on the run for that much time."  He thought for a while.  "What if I gave Sloane the encryption key?"  Jack looked up at Irina to gauge her reaction.  He watched with interest as her expression shifted from surprise, to relief, to…anguish.

"Lost him!" said Marshall.

Vaughn swore behind him.  "Did you narrow his location down any further?"

"Mexico City."

"Great," said Vaughn sarcastically.  "Someplace nice and small." Vaughn picked up a telephone and asked to be connected to the Mexico station chief.  "This is Agent Michael Vaughn.  I am authorizing a Code Charlie, location Mexico City.  Put a team on standby and wait for the exact destination.  I'm hopping on a plane now.  I'll radio you the coordinates as soon as we have them."

"No, Jack.  Activate the transmitter."

"Let me make my own decisions, Irina."

"Jack.  You know you can't just give the encryption key to Sloane.  He'd suspect immediately."

"Of course he would."

"You're suggesting that you would cough it up…realistically?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"Jack.  Give me two more months," she pleaded.

"Two months of Sloane casually murdering people across the globe on his quest.  Two months of my not lifting a finger to stop him so that you can obtain this device.  Two months of Sydney sitting in a room in a safe house somewhere while Sloane tries to find her.  I don't think so."

"This is what happens when I trust you?" Irina said with exasperation.

"Mr. Sloane is coming, senora," said Juan, poking his head through the door.

"This device is worth it?  To Sydney?"

Irina bit her lip and nodded.

"Then this is the best option."

"Jack, there's got to be another way."

"I'm waiting."

Irina sighed with resignation.  "I'll try to get him to use sodium pentothal."

"No," Jack said quickly.  "No pentothal.  I need control.  I can't tell him where Sydney's hidden."  His stomach twisted.  "No electroshock, either, if you can avoid it."

"It's not room service, Jack.  I'll do my best.  Tell me how to activate the transmitter.  In case…," Irina looked away, not meeting his eyes, "you can't.  I'll trigger it as we leave."

"Right.  Thanks," said Jack. Irina stepped over to where he sat and leaned over behind him as he showed her which fingers to place together.  As she bent over him her perfume enveloped him, subconsciously triggering memories of other times, other places.  He closed his eyes and swallowed, opening them to see that she was still standing in front of him, eyes dark, regarding him intently. 

The sound of Sloane's approaching steps snapped her out of her reverie.  Irina met Jack's eyes and grimaced.  "I'm ready," he said softly.  She quickly stepped back and slammed Jack across the jaw with the butt of her gun.  Jack's grunt of pain was audible down the hall.