Part 5.
The song is The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin
Vaughn glanced around the small cell, lost in his thoughts. His glance fell upon Will who was standing in the corner, staring at him as if he had gone mad. Vaughn ignored Will's glance and turned his focus back to Irina. She hadn't moved or said a word, she'd merely allowed him to formulate his thoughts.
She stood there looking at him calmly. He responded by hardening his expression. "We will do this my way first," he said.
Irina nodded.
"Your way? You're actually going to try and let her out?" Will raised his voice in anger and disbelief. "Are you mad?"
Vaughn continued to ignore him and turned back to Irina to speak again. Will grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn back. "Stop ignoring me! I've lost everyone I've ever cared about too! My family died in Los Angeles you know. I've also been grieving for Jack and Sydney. The world has stopped for me too, but I'm not going to suspend reality for a moment because some mad woman tells me that my father was in some twisted, made-up prediction." Will paused for a moment, to search Vaughn's face in a desperate attempt to make him see reason, his hand still tight on his arm. "You can't really be willing to suspend rational thought to accept the aid of this woman. I think she was telling the truth in this case, she probably did start this whole crazy thing and she probably intends to end it as well. You can't really believe that all of this was part of some prophecy?"
Vaughn lowered his eyes. Will thought for a moment that he had succeed in stopping this madness but then Vaughn spoke. "Sydney was in a prophecy as well."
Will's arm dropped to his side. Irina and Will turned to stare at Vaughn, Will with a shocked expression on his face, Irina with a look of horror on hers.
Vaughn reluctantly filled them in on the contents of page 47. "But the prophecy said 'The woman here depicted will possess unseen marks. Signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works...bind them with fury; a burning anger. Unless prevented, at vulgar cost, this woman
will render the greatest power unto utter desolation. This woman, without pretense, will have had her effect, never having seen the beauty of my sky, behind Mount Subasio. Perhaps a single glance would have quelled her fire.' Well, after we rescued Sydney, she climbed that mountain. That set her free of this prophecy."
Will stared at Vaughn shell-shocked but Irina turned away. In a parallel movement to what she had done moments before, Vaughn showed them both the changes that he had gone through. Without fear, he reached towards her, and using his hand on her cheek, turned her face back to him. His voice hard and brittle, "It might not have been Sydney in that prophecy, it might have been you."
Queen of Light took her bow, and then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom, and walked the night alone.
Vaughn allowed them a few moments to digest the complicated web that was being woven around them. "As I said, we will try this my way, first." He spoke to Irina again. "If it doesn't work, then you can improvise." He walked over to Will and moved aside his jacket so that Irina could see the gun in his holster.
Irina nodded again. Will looked at Vaughn, angry and confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Vaughn turned to him and forced his face to relax a little. "Well normally you don't go and see a prisoner armed. But it doesn't matter right now and in this case that might actually be able to help us."
"I'm not going to shoot anyone!" Will exclaimed, flustered at his error and still reeling in shock from Vaughn's previous statements.
"You won't have to." Irina said plainly, going up to him and unarming him with a single, smooth move. She tucked his pistol in the waistband of her pants, behind her back.
Vaughn watched them silently and then spoke again. "We are all just going to walk out of here. You are going to allow me to go first and Will you will go last. Just follow my lead." Vaughn waited a moment for Will to ask any dire questions, but it seemed that Will was still nursing the shoulder that Irina had just mistreated.
Oh, dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight, and time will tell us all.
Vaughn walked up calmly to the security desk with Irina and Will closely behind him in order. His face was impassive, like he had been dealing with an uncooperative prisoner. Irina was of course a fine actress and had shifted back into the shell of the woman she had been for close to a year. She shuffled along like her feet and hands were chained together. Will managed to look appropriately nervous. It was appropriate because Irina made everyone nervous regardless of whether or not she spoke. Vaughn reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope with the JTF logo in the corner and removed a white piece of paper.
"As per Director Kendall's orders we are taking Ms Derevko up to Psych for an analysis. We will be returning with her in an hour." He waved the white paper in the guard's face but the guard waved him through; he had seen Kendall's signature.
"Do you want an armed escort, Agent Vaughn?" the guard asked him.
Vaughn looked at him, amused. "No, I don't think Ms. Derevko is going to be a problem."
The guard nodded in understanding and regarded the agent with a new measure of respect. Anyone that could handle the prisoner with that much confidence had to be respected. The guard waved them through to the elevator.
In the elevator Will turned to Vaughn. "What was on the piece of paper?"
Vaughn tried to suppress an ironic twist to his mouth, but he failed. "It was a letter from Kendall authorizing me to sign out an aircraft to rescue Sydney from the Cook Islands." Vaughn took it back out but this time he moved his thumb so that the date was visible. The letter was dated nine months ago. On closer inspection Will also noted that the creases in the folds and the dog eared edges made it look well read.
Side by side we wait the might of the darkest of them all.
Vaughn pressed the button for the seventh floor. Psych was on the third. They stared in silence as the elevator rose from the depths of the underground headquarters. Vaughn replaced the folded letter to the inside pocket of his jacket. Next to it, he felt the small package that he always kept with the letter.
I hear the horses' thunder down in the valley below,
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon, waiting for the eastern glow.
Vaughn entered Op Prep by himself. Inside the room was a tech working on a mold casting. "Hi Tracy" said Vaughn casually, his shoulders slightly drooping.
The petite blonde saw him and waved him in with a small smile. "Hi Mike! How's it going?"
Vaughn shrugged noncommittally. "I was wondering if you could do me a small favor?"
Tracy noticed his somber mood and nodded. "Of course. What's up?"
Vaughn slumped down in the chair and put his head in his hands. "It's been driving me nuts, thinking about Sydney but I can't help myself. She was so many people, she had so many aliases, you know I can't even remember them all. I was awake all night, last night, trying to remember them."
Tracy smiled in sympathy. She had known Sydney as well and she had helped put together a dozen or so disguises for her.
Vaughn looked up at her, the pain in his eyes real. "I was wondering if you could get me the file of all her aliases. I know it's not going to make a difference with anything, but maybe I will at least be able to get some sleep tonight. I want to be able to remember all of her."
"Sure, Mike. No problem." Tracy agreed quickly, eager to help an old friend. "But some of the older files are down in storage, they will take me a little while to find."
"That's no problem Tracy, I'm really in no hurry. Is it ok if I just wait here, that way Kendall won't find me to give me some menial task?"
Tracy smiled in understanding. "Of course. It shouldn't take me more than twenty minutes or so. Relax here, put your feet up, try on a wig or something. Pretending I am someone else always makes me feel better."
Vaughn gave her a friendly smile and watched her leave the room. He waited a few minutes after she left and then went back into the corridor. He opened the janitor's closet and rescued Irina and Will. Will looked about ready to have a nervous breakdown while Irina had a small smile on her face. He showed them into the make-up room and let her go to work.
"What lie did you have to tell to get Tracy out of here?" Will asked disapprovingly, trying to work the kinks out of his back.
Vaughn looked at Will and silently acknowledged his recent poor treatment of his friend. With pain mirrored in both their eyes, Vaughn replied. "What makes you think I had to lie?"
The apples of the valley hold, The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care, Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Vaughn watched as Irina transformed herself from wanted terrorist to next door neighbor with quick and precise movements. She used a blond wig, but instead of going for a younger look she tried to add ten years to her face. Will stood in the doorway keeping an eye out for anyone.
"Hi Tracy!" Will called out in a friendly manner, while warning his companions.
Irina glanced at Vaughn through the mirror with a concerned look on her face and made a move to take out Will's gun. Vaughn stopped her with a quick gesture. Instead she turned and hid under the desk. Tracy came back in to see Vaughn where she had left him, his head still in his hands.
She smiled in sympathy at him. "Here you go Mike. Sorry it took me a few extra minutes but they had split my files up and of course they didn't use any logic in doing it."
Vaughn forced a small smile onto his face. "Thanks Tracy." He took the manila file folder that she offered him. He couldn't stop himself from opening it.
Unfortunately he wasn't prepared for the picture of the perky redhead that greeted him on the first page. He felt the air being knocked out of him as he stared at her face. Caught in a moment in time, she looked sophisticated yet innocent. She had a half smile on her face like she was amused at having her photo taken, which she probably was at the time. His hands shook slightly as he picked up the photo. He was surprised. It was actually much harder to see her untouched by the events that had unfolded than it was to see the footage of her sitting like an animal at Sloane's feet. He hardly noticed the silence that had fallen as Tracy and Will watched him.
Finally, Will spoke quietly to Tracy. "Do you want to go get a coffee? I think we should just leave him alone for a few minutes." When Tracy agreed, Will came up to Vaughn and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen we're just going down to get some coffee. I'll catch up with you later, if we're still going to visit Jack today."
Vaughn looked up, the anguish visible in his eyes. "Sure Will. Why don't I meet you at your car…I just need a few minutes…"
Will nodded and turned to leave with the blonde.
Vaughn didn't hear Irina come up behind him until she spoke in a quiet voice. "We need to go." Vaughn quickly flipped through the file and found no other pictures of her. He tucked the one in his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket with the letter and the package.
Dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light.
Irina and Vaughn rode the elevator silently until it stopped a few floors up. One of Vaughn's coworkers entered the elevator, and gave him a quick greeting. "Are you going to the briefing room Vaughn?"
Vaughn shook his head. "Why would I be?"
"You haven't heard? Sloane is giving another telecast. Come on, we're running a few minutes late" his coworker said as the elevator door opened. Vaughn shot Irina a glance of panic but she smiled sweetly and motioned him forward. She followed him off the elevator and into a room full of CIA agents.
The apples turn to brown and black, The tyrant's face is red.
So many people were pressed into the room that no one spared a glance for the older woman walking after Agent Vaughn. Instead, Sloane's face on the television screen commanded their attention.
"…glad that we could come to an agreement in our last discussion. I have sources that tell me that you have finally developed a particle accelerator that is able to accelerate molecules past the speed of light. Congratulations, that is an amazing discovery. I am interested in obtaining this accelerator. To show my good intentions toward this country I will offer fifty million dollars to the University in Florida in compensation. The accelerator will be delivered by tomorrow to these coordinates…
Vaughn had heard enough. The air in the room was suffocating him and all the people pressed in close were making him claustrophobic. He had no clue whether or not they would follow his demands, but that's what they were - demands. The fifty million dollars might as well be fifty cents for how much the American currency was worth these days. He was still shocked that the government had agreed to his previous demands to stand down all the nuclear warheads. He shook his head. This was one problem he didn't have to deal with. He grabbed Irina's arm and attempted to make their way out of the room before someone really saw them. Unfortunately, such a large group had gathered that by the time they made it to the edge of the crowd, it was already starting to disperse.
Oh the war is common cry, Pick up you swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know.
"Agent Vaughn!" Vaughn tried to ignore the call as he picked their way through the crowd. "Agent Vaughn!" He felt a hand pulling on his arm, turning him around. He came face to face with Kendall.
"Sorry Sir, I guess I didn't hear you." Vaughn said quickly, anxious to move on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Irina trying to make herself less conspicuous.
"Well, I need you back in the briefing room. We're assembling a team to go over some new intel that we've just received."
Vaughn looked at him, trying desperately to figure out a way out of this that didn't include connecting his fist to Kendall's nose. To his shock Irina spoke.
"Why you must be Michael's boss!" she said in a slightly accented voice. Kendall turned around to face her as she threaded her arm around Vaughn's.
He raised his eyebrow. "Yes, and you are…..?"
"Why I'm Mrs. Vaughn. Michael's mother."
Vaughn heard the words and thankfully the rational side of his brain told him not to flinch. Irina smiled sweetly at him before continuing. "Since everything that's happened I just want to be with whatever family I have left. Michael's helping me move up here."
Kendall stared at her face in confusion. To keep him from thinking overmuch on it Vaughn was forced into the charade.
"Sir, I just have to drop my mother off at my car and then I will be back for the meeting."
Kendall turned his attention back to his agent. "Fine. Be quick though. We need this intel."
Vaughn walked back to the elevator with Irina on his arm. So Kendall wanted intel did he? Vaughn shook his head. He had enough intel to shock Kendall's hair back onto his head. He looked around at the makeshift office one last time, the irony of his life almost overwhelming him. It was scary how much the office looked like the old SD-6 offices with all the desks laid out in an open room and no windows. All the agents scurrying around, believing that they were doing something useful for their country, when the very key to it all was what was forcing him from here. He shrugged to himself and turned his back on his life.
Oh, well, the night is long the beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the eastern glow.
Irina and Vaughn waited for Will by his car. The garage was still deserted.
"I haven't seen a guard here yet. Is that normal?" she asked.
Vaughn shook his head. "You have your ex-employee to thank for that. He removed the guard from the front and the shift change is until another hour. Then you can rest assured that all hell will break lose. Until then, this is the calm before the storm."
The stood together in silence, leaning against the car.
Finally Vaughn spoke. "Did Jack know?"
Irina paused a moment before answering. "No."
"Why?" Vaughn asked tentatively, not eager to ask a personal question.
"I never told him because I wasn't able to speak freely in the old cell and I didn't want the CIA to know." She paused another moment before continuing. "But I also didn't tell him because I didn't want him to have to deal with it. I didn't think he would be able to deal with it. Of the two of us, I'm the stronger one."
Vaughn looked at her curiously.
Irina saw the look and attempted to explain. It seemed to him that ever since she had told him about his father a lot of the barriers between the two of them had come down. It was almost like she found it a relief to talk to him. "Jack could have been brutal when the situation called for it, but he could never have been vulgar. He could have been cruel, but he couldn't have been malicious. He had a vulnerability about him that, though nobody else may have understood, I did. There was no need to make him bear more than he was already."
"I'm sorry." Vaughn said, his voice full of sorrow for truths that could now never be spoken.
Irina nodded. "Don't be too sorry. Jack was his own man, he made his own decisions." Irina's voice got quiet almost like she was talking to herself. "Besides, he knows the truth now."
Vaughn looked a little surprised. "I never thought you were a religious person."
"I'm not. Not in the typical sense. Organized religion was illegal in Russia when I was growing up but there were many underground churches. I remember how my mother would take me with her when she went to her secret Masses… I picked up the basics but I never found any peace in it. The priests tried to teach me to be repentant but it wasn't me" she said with a short laugh at herself. "I am accountable to myself alone. I cannot ask someone else for redemption for the mistakes that I have made. I was given life and the ability to think and so I am responsible for my own actions."
"Do you think you will be with Jack again, one day?"
Irina looked carefully at the young man questioning her. "I believe so."
Sing as you raise your bow, shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold.
"And what about you Mr. Vaughn. Do you believe in life after death?"
Vaughn thought about the events of the last year and hardened his voice. "No."
Oh dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.
The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back. Bring it back.
As Will approached them he felt the heavy silence hanging in the air. No one said anything as he unlocked the doors and they entered the car; Irina sat up front, while Vaughn sat in the back.
Will looked around one last time, knowing that regardless of what happened, none of them would ever be returning here. The garage was gray and cold and empty.
At last the sun is shining, The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness, the sunlight blinds his eyes.