Chapter 11

Jack ran hard and fast.  Dawn had broken and he could now see where he was going.  No longer constrained by trying to be stealthy, he was able to maintain his distance from those that chased him.  He dodged and wove, knowing that it would confuse them and make it harder to be outflanked.  At one point, he stopped and carefully picked off the two lead pursuers.  They were much more careful after that. 

Jack heard a crackle of static to his left, then a crackle to his right.  His heart sank.  The pursuit was becoming more coordinated.  He could see the outskirts of the city in the gaps of the foliage ahead of him, but it seemed impossibly far.  The pursuers now followed and flanked him, but were not attempting to close the gap.  Almost as if…

He crashed through the underbrush, into a clearing, then skidded to a halt as he saw the guns.

…he was being herded into a trap.  He was surrounded.  Chest heaving painfully, he felt a grim satisfaction.  He had bought Irina another hour.  He had foiled Sloane again.  It was enough.  Slowly, for the second time in 24 hours, he raised his hands. 

Jack scanned the faces of the gunmen surrounding him, but couldn't pick out Sloane.  Jack wasn't surprised.  Sloane was a cautious man, and caution dictated that he shouldn't be in the same area as Jack while Jack was carrying a loaded gun. With regret, he allowed himself to be frisked and cuffed.  The gunmen looked confused and angry that only one person had been caught.  One of them approached and snapped with menace, "Where's the woman?"  Jack shrugged noncommittally.  The longer he could draw this out, the more time he could give her.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of metal the second before it crashed into his jaw.  He staggered, but remained upright.  He didn't see the second hit, a rifle butt to his kidney, and crumpled to the ground in pain

As he lay there gasping, readying himself for the next blow, he heard another set of footsteps approach.  "Don't waste your time," he heard Arvin Sloane say drily.  "By the time you get any information out of him, she'll be halfway around the world."

Sloane stepped away briefly to confer with his men. "Form a perimeter around this area and seal it off so that she won't escape," Jack heard him snap.  "She can't have gone more than a few miles.  Use whatever resources you need."

Jack tensed.  How many resources did Sloane have in this god-forsaken country?

As the gunmen scrambled into their vehicles and roared off, Sloane turned back to Jack.  Jack's vision was slowly clearing and he could see Sloane leaning down in front of him, his face framed by the sun, so that all he could see of Sloane's face was a black shadow. 

"Well, Jack, has she left you again?" Sloane taunted.  "You gullible fool.  Do you have any idea how many men she's used as dupes?  Of course, most of them don't fall for it a second time," he sneered.  Sloane paused, to let his words sink in.  To let the poison slowly eat away at him.  Laura/Irina had always been Jack's Achilles heel.

Jack's hands flexed convulsively against his restraints.  He wished, more than anything else, for a chance to strangle this man with his bare hands.

"Of course, Jack, the irony is that she'll eventually join me anyway.  The power she'll gain will be too great for her to pass up.  And then this pathetic sacrifice of yours will be meaningless."  Sloane cocked an eyebrow at Jack.  "However," he hissed softly, "I'm sure we could come to an arrangement if you'd be willing to reconsider and tell us where we might find her now."

Sloane thought he knew him so well. 

"F*ck you," Jack said, slowly and precisely.  What a pleasure it was to thwart him one last time.

Sloane's face momentarily contorted with rage, then smoothed back out.  "Fine Jack, have it your way," he said coldly.  Jack tensed as he saw the pistol rise, aimed at his head.  He closed his eyes, saw Irina's face, felt her touch, heard her voice.  Take care of Sydney, he thought.