"Sound check?"
"Fine," said Irina, impatient to get on with it. "Jack, there's nothing to worry about. This is going to be straightforward. He gets the artifact, then I'm sure he'll head straight for the vault. The biometric sensor will trigger the timer, and then 30 minutes later...I hope Sloane's still in the vault," she finished maliciously. "It would be fitting, somehow, for him to end it with Rambaldi."
"Nothing with Sloane is straightforward," said Jack matter-of-factly. "I'm just trying to cover all the options. I had them place a tracker in the artifact, just in case the explosive fails. At least we'll know where the vault is."
Jack looked up. "We're close." Close to shutting down Sloane. Close to destroying Rambaldi. Close to...a life together. He swallowed. "Be careful."
**
Irina placed the missing artifact in Sloane's hands. He paled visibly at the sight of the piece, which was just as Irina had described. His hands, Irina noticed, were shaking imperceptibly. Sloane's look at her was almost one of awe.
"Irina, I really don't know what to say. I am amazed at your ability to understand the interrelationships between the artifacts. Frankly, it would have taken me considerably more time to have reached the same conclusions." It had been all there, staring him in the face. But only she had seen it.
"I just approach Rambaldi...from a different angle than you," Irina replied. For starters, she thought to herself, I don't want to rule the world.
"I think you've earned the right to place this in the collection yourself," said Sloane, generously. "We'll leave now."
Irina heard a loud curse in her ear. "Find some reason not to go!" Jack hissed.
"Arvin, I-," Irina began to demur.
"No, my dear, I insist. I need your opinions on the remaining pieces." Sloane looked at her curiously as she hesitated.
"Very well," she said. "But my time is short." They were so close now. She couldn't afford to have him start questioning her motives. She wasn't sure how well the modifications to the artifact would stand up to close scrutiny. She tuned out Jack in the background. She was the field agent. It was her call.
Still cursing, Jack scrambled from the back of the van to the driver's seat and activated the tracking software. He waited until Sloane's car exited the parking garage, then followed some distance behind. He didn't see Irina in the car; he assumed she was in the trunk, as last time. He heard only engine noise from the microphone. "Irina?" he tried. "Can you talk?"
"Yes," she said in muffled tones. She must be speaking through the hood.
"Are you crazy?" Then realizing that recriminations weren't going to be of much use, "I'm following in the van."
"I'll try to get out of the vault as soon as possible. Help me keep track of the time."
30 minutes, thought Jack to himself. Plenty of time. Or not nearly enough. He gripped the wheel tighter, throat suddenly tight. Time. So much time had already slipped through their fingers. 20 years wasted. He had kept track of the time for 20 years, marking each dawn, each birthday missed, each anniversary uncelebrated. 30 more minutes. Waiting for Irina to emerge from the vault. Or not.
"Irina-," he said in a choked voice.
"I know, Jack. I love you too," he heard through the headset. There didn't seem to be anything else to say.
"Fine," said Irina, impatient to get on with it. "Jack, there's nothing to worry about. This is going to be straightforward. He gets the artifact, then I'm sure he'll head straight for the vault. The biometric sensor will trigger the timer, and then 30 minutes later...I hope Sloane's still in the vault," she finished maliciously. "It would be fitting, somehow, for him to end it with Rambaldi."
"Nothing with Sloane is straightforward," said Jack matter-of-factly. "I'm just trying to cover all the options. I had them place a tracker in the artifact, just in case the explosive fails. At least we'll know where the vault is."
Jack looked up. "We're close." Close to shutting down Sloane. Close to destroying Rambaldi. Close to...a life together. He swallowed. "Be careful."
**
Irina placed the missing artifact in Sloane's hands. He paled visibly at the sight of the piece, which was just as Irina had described. His hands, Irina noticed, were shaking imperceptibly. Sloane's look at her was almost one of awe.
"Irina, I really don't know what to say. I am amazed at your ability to understand the interrelationships between the artifacts. Frankly, it would have taken me considerably more time to have reached the same conclusions." It had been all there, staring him in the face. But only she had seen it.
"I just approach Rambaldi...from a different angle than you," Irina replied. For starters, she thought to herself, I don't want to rule the world.
"I think you've earned the right to place this in the collection yourself," said Sloane, generously. "We'll leave now."
Irina heard a loud curse in her ear. "Find some reason not to go!" Jack hissed.
"Arvin, I-," Irina began to demur.
"No, my dear, I insist. I need your opinions on the remaining pieces." Sloane looked at her curiously as she hesitated.
"Very well," she said. "But my time is short." They were so close now. She couldn't afford to have him start questioning her motives. She wasn't sure how well the modifications to the artifact would stand up to close scrutiny. She tuned out Jack in the background. She was the field agent. It was her call.
Still cursing, Jack scrambled from the back of the van to the driver's seat and activated the tracking software. He waited until Sloane's car exited the parking garage, then followed some distance behind. He didn't see Irina in the car; he assumed she was in the trunk, as last time. He heard only engine noise from the microphone. "Irina?" he tried. "Can you talk?"
"Yes," she said in muffled tones. She must be speaking through the hood.
"Are you crazy?" Then realizing that recriminations weren't going to be of much use, "I'm following in the van."
"I'll try to get out of the vault as soon as possible. Help me keep track of the time."
30 minutes, thought Jack to himself. Plenty of time. Or not nearly enough. He gripped the wheel tighter, throat suddenly tight. Time. So much time had already slipped through their fingers. 20 years wasted. He had kept track of the time for 20 years, marking each dawn, each birthday missed, each anniversary uncelebrated. 30 more minutes. Waiting for Irina to emerge from the vault. Or not.
"Irina-," he said in a choked voice.
"I know, Jack. I love you too," he heard through the headset. There didn't seem to be anything else to say.
