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Jack took the phone warily and struggled to raise it with cuffed wrists. "Jack Bristow." He spoke into the receiver. Jack was silent signaling Devlin's occupation of the line for several seconds.
"No Sir he does not." Pause. "I believe it has." Another Pause. "At this point full disclosure would be in our best interest." Everyone is the room stood anxiously. "A new strategy will be necessary and I do understand the position you were in." Kendall seemed to be in a state of disbelief. "Understood." Jack handed the phone over to a tense looking Kendall. "Director Devlin would like to speak with you."
Kendall took the phone and held it to his ear. His facial expression quickly turned from anger to disbelief. "Yes Sir, I will."
The call ended and Jack watched Kendall expectantly. "Devlin just handed over operation control to you." He looked directly at Jack. Sydney and Vaughn turned to each other hoping to garner an explanation as to what was going on. "What the hell is going on here?" Kendall boomed.
"The key Mr. Flinkman." Jack held up his wrists. Marshall glanced back and forth between Kendall and Jack before undoing the cuffs. "My wife as well please." Marshall walked across the room to unclasp Irina's wrists. "I assure you that everything will be explained momentarily."
Before Jack could continue, Irina was free and began speaking. "But first there is something I need to do."
Every face showed uncertainty with her words and were all quite surprised when she took rapid steps toward Sydney. Irina's hands framed Sydney's face gently. "Your father and I were very worried about you. I'm happy to see you're safe, my precious girl."
Warmth surrounded Sydney as her mother dropped her hands and enveloped her in the casing of her arms. Everything seemed surreal as Sydney clung to her mother; the most memory she had of the woman was of her falling from the roof. The two eventually pulled apart and Sydney noticed the tears gathering in her mother's eyes.
"Devlin said you found yourself in Hong Kong two weeks ago." Jack placed a hand on Sydney's shoulder.
"I did, but I don't know how I got there, or where I have been." Pain resurfaced in Sydney's eyes however she was determined to focus on the issue at hand. "What is going on Dad? The CIA believed you had joined Sloane."
"Joining Sloane was a ruse much of the last two years has been. I suppose the beginning would be during the time of the Rambaldi Heart Script. Your mother didn't escape CIA custody, she was given permission from the highest ranking officers in U.S. Security." Jack paused and Irina took over.
"Just before the mission to Panama, Jack and I had a meeting with Devlin. We were sanctioned to do covert work by infiltrating Sloane's organization. I was the double agent and Jack was my handler." A small smile graced Irina's lips. "The passive tracking device was planted to make Sloane and Sark believe Jack still did not trust me, nor was I working in league with him."
Jack began speaking again. "It worked and Irina was working directly with Sloane while handing over information to the CIA. However, Sloane was much more cautious with his operations and little was being divulged with time for Irina to warn us. When Sydney disappeared everything fell apart. Sloane became consumed with finding her, to no avail." Jack turned to Sydney with apologetic eyes. Hoping she understood he was sorry he had not been able to stop whoever had taken her.
"When the CIA stopped their search for Sydney it provided Jack with the perfect opportunity to join me in uncovering what Sloane was trying to accomplish. We played the whole thing out quite convincingly, even allowing Sloane to believe he was in part responsible for our reconciliation. Devlin was appointed our contact to the CIA when Jack left in part because he was one of only ten people who were aware of our mission." Irina turned to Jack to finish.
"We're now in a precarious position. In a matter of days Sloane will be given information detailing the interruption of our mission and our covers will no longer be affective."
"What are you going to do?" Sydney asked.
"There are a few options available to us. Irina and I will confer in order to determine which will be the best course of action." Jack scanned the room of people.
"You mean to tell me that from Panama and beyond, everything that has occurred was carefully orchestrated to bring Sloane down." Kendall paused looking for a response from Jack or Irina but began speaking again once he realized they were not going to answer. "Why would I not have been informed of the mission you were undertaking? At the time I was your superior officer."
"And if you remember correctly, it was upon Jack's return from Panama that you were removed as director of operations for the task force, with Jack as a replacement." Irina looked stonily at Kendall.
"I apologize for jumping topics, but what does Sloane want with the codes we retrieved tonight?" Vaughn entered the conversation in hopes of avoiding fireworks between Irina and a frustrated Kendall.
Irina's shoulders seemed to relax when she turned to address the younger man. "The codes are necessary for the Rambaldi machine that Sloane built twenty-two months ago. According to him, the machine will not work without the number of code sets. This was the last set of codes; however, we have been unsuccessful in locating the Rambaldi machine. Sloane has it well hidden and avoids making trips to it in an effort to maintain its secrecy."
"You mean he -uh- hasn't even informed the two of you?" Marshall sounded surprised. "Why doesn't he trust you with that? I mean- its obvious he shouldn't trust you cause you were both lying to him but he didn't know that and well he should have told you and I - I'm just gonna stop talking."
Jack would never admit it but he quite enjoyed Marshall's ramblings at times and had missed them the last ten months. He had teased Irina years before when she had mentioned that Marshall was darling, during the Panama mission. He had told her that Sydney seemed to feel the same way for which he received an hour long diatribe on the charm of intelligence and bashfulness.
"So what happens now? Devlin did put you in charge of the operation Jack." Dixon spoke. He had felt relief at knowing Jack had not abandoned his country and more specifically his morality. The idea that a man he respected and held in the highest regard was capable of working with his wife's murderer had been the source of a great deal of angst in Dixon's life.
"Now we leave. By my estimation it is just after four in the morning. We won't be as safe here when day breaks. Send the rest of the team home; they'll be useless here. Devlin has suggested we all work together to outline an affective plan to find the Rambaldi machine and neutralize Sloane once and for all."
They began to file out of the room in and organize the extraction of the rest of the team. Irina walked along side Jack as the flurry of clean up began around them.
"So much for going to bed like normal people." She was grinning.
"Normal is a mask we just weren't meant to wear Sweetheart." Jack's use of the endearment made his wife's smile expand.
"We should split everyone up into two groups. I'll go with Sydney, Vaughn and Weiss in our vehicle. And you can take Dixon, Kendall and Marshall in theirs." Irina stood with Jack outside the present CIA facility. She caught Kendall watching them carefully from the other side of the building. Despite the darkness that still shrouded the early hour.
"I know what you're trying to do." Jack glared at Irina accusingly. "You just want Sydney to yourself in hopes of asking her questions about her disappearance."
"That may be true but I also don't think I will be able to sit with Kendall in a car and not attempt to strangle the man." Irina's sweet smile was Jack's undoing causing him to agree to the plan that was clearly benefiting her.
"The rest of the team had assembled itself and is about to get underway." Dixon announced drawing nearer to Jack and Irina. Sydney, Vaughn, Weiss and Marshall had not strayed too far while Kendall kept a distance to the group.
"We've decided to split up as we won't all fit into one Hummer. Sydney, Weiss and Vaughn you'll go with Irina. Everyone else will come with me." It did not take Jack long to regain his authoritative tone and stance.
Kendall seemed reluctant to separate but was unable to come up with a better solution resulting in him intelligently keeping his mouth shut.
IRINA'S CAR
For the first few minutes of the ride the car had remained silent but that all changed when Irina opened her mouth.
"Your father and I found leads on a woman matching your description traveling through Viet Nam, Myanmar, Laos and Bangladesh. We didn't want to get our hopes up but I we thought it was you."
Sydney didn't know how to replay at first. "It is likely that all of those sightings were of me but I am not able to remember anything before waking up in a Hong Kong street." She sighed. "With the exception to all of the flashes I get. The doctors assure me that my memory will reappear but when can not be determined."
"The memories will come back to you eventually. Don't try to rush them or it will likely cause more damage. And try not to be scared of them. They can't hurt you unless you let them." Irina reached over toward her daughter and grasped her hand tightly.
Sydney was conflicted. She didn't know how she was supposed to respond to her mother. This was the woman she had thought betrayed her and her father, only to find out that not only had her mother and father been working together the entire time but they had also reconciled. The thought blew her mind with its implications. Sydney was also torn between understanding and hurt that her parents had not included her in their plot to take down Sloane. As an agent she was able to see the logical reasons not to tell her: her realistic reaction, the possibility of a leak and the danger to herself. But as their daughter it pained her to know they had allowed her to hate her mother once again.
"How did you and Dad convince Devlin to allow you to leave CIA custody for an undetermined amount of time in order to employ the operation?" Sydney asked.
There was still silence from the back of the car as Vaughn and Weiss wanted to allow the two women time to talk.
"Moreover, how did you convince Dad?" Sydney was staring directly at her mother.
Irina only moved her eyes from the road sporadically in favor of her daughter's direction. "The plan was essentially an amalgamation of ideas from Jack and myself but the initial plan had been Jack's." Irina paused and looked in the rearview mirror at the car's other occupants. "We had been spending quite a bit of time together, while working out Sloane's next steps. We came to the conclusion that Sloane would be needing a partner that was better connected and more experienced than Sark. However, between our work sessions we found quite a bit of time to talk. By the time we were on our way home from Bangkok it was obvious that we were beginning to put the past behind us."
"There was still no way for Dad to be sure you weren't going to betray him again." Sydney said and mentally slapped herself when she saw her mother wince.
"Your father gave me a gift over two years ago that I have cherished. He gave me his trust and I was not willing to lose it." Irina relaxed in the driver's seat as she began to recognize land marks that signified the nearness of their destination.
"Where exactly are we headed?" Weiss asked hesitantly. Irina had always unsettled him and two years had done nothing to alter such a fact. They had all kept quiet when they had crossed the boarder to Morocco but the longer the drive was, the more curious they became.
"We're almost there." She told him. The sun had risen in the sky and the clock read seven. Irina had been keeping more regulated hours after Jack had joined her. She was no longer used to staying up all night executing a mission.
"When did you and Dad get remarried?" Sydney changed the subject.
"Just over six months ago. Your father asked if I would be interested in marrying him again. We had two witnesses Priest. It was very quick but delightful." Sydney took note of the smile that had claimed her mother's face and found it difficult not to smile as well.
The car drove up a hill and eventually met with a gated property. There had been houses positioned on either side of the hill but none of them matched the size of the house at the hill's peak. The car came to a closed iron gate with a security guard posted. Irina rolled down the window of the car and stopped in front of the gate.
"Hello Mrs. Bristow, it is good to see you on this fine morning." The man's English was heavily accented, seemingly adding to his charm.
"Mr. Gooskif, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Sydney and her two friends Michael and Eric." Irina saw Jack pull in behind her as she punched in her code to open the gate.
"It is very nice to meet you. Have a lovely day to all of you." With that he stepped back and allowed Irina to drive through. He wave Jack through as well, before the gate closed again.
"Where are we?" Vaughn asked.
"Home." Irina answered easily. The drive way was lined on either side by large tropical plants that were sharply manicured. The stone house that sat before them, made everyone do a double take. Irina parked the Hummer with several other cars to the side of the house and got out.
Vaughn, Sydney and Weiss took their cue from her and exited the car as well. The other vehicle was soon emptied and Irina and Jack were escorting everyone into the house. The awe of all continued when they saw the beautifully decorated home. The elegant French country design was made even more effective with the obvious feeling of a home that had been lived in.
"I'm not sure how long we will be staying here, but I should warn you that in about two hours the only places you'll want to be are inside the house or in the pool. The heat can be a bit much during this time of the year." Irina informed them. "Would anyone be interested in something to eat?" Irina asked cheerfully.
Jack found it hard not to laugh at the show she was putting on, likely for the benefit of Kendall.
"I-uh-I could eat something if it isn't too much trouble because if-" Marshall was cut off by Irina.
"It won't be any trouble at all; Oovrum is working today." Before Irina could even finish speaking a middle aged woman appeared in the living room.
"Good Morning Mrs. Bristow. Are you interested in breakfast?" Her accent closely mirrored that of the guard at the gate.
"Good morning Oovrum. Jack and I have company this morning and throughout the day. Would you be able to prepare breakfast for all of us?" Marshall and Weiss looked back and forth between each other, surprised at Irina's kind manner toward everyone she encountered. It was a vast difference from the woman the CIA had built her up to be.
"Monroy called me from the gate and told me your daughter and friends would be here. I have already begun to prepare the meal." Oovrum smiled, pleased with herself.
"Thank you. We'll be eating on the terrace this morning." Jack spoke to the woman.
"Of course Mr. Bristow." The woman smiled before taking her leave.
"You have a cook." Kendall crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Oovrum comes in on the days that I know will be busy. That way Jack and I don't have to worry about meals or cleanup. But she is a treasure to have." Irina moved closer to Jack causing Kendall to roll his eyes discreetly.
"Would you like to give them a quick tour?" Jack asked his wife. She nodded in affirmation.
"Most of the house has access to the terrace. The kitchen is through there." She pointed to her right. "The gym, formal dining room, billiard room and entertainment room is down the hall directly in front of us and the study is in the opposite direction." Indicting the stairs Irina continued. "Upstairs there are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. There are also laundry facilities if the need arises."
Irina began walking toward the open French doors across from the stairs. "This is the terrace." She said walking through them. "The garden is lovely this time of year and there is a tennis and basket ball court further down the property. The pool is on your left." Irina finished with her tour at a large table set for breakfast. "We may as well sit, I doubt breakfast will be too long."
Everyone sat down, even more awed than before. No one had thought Irina would have been a gracious host and yet they were having to quickly reevaluate their initial assessments.
With the arrival of the food came the arrival of conversation. Talk of Sloane's actions, happenings at the task force since Jack's departure and the mystery of Sydney's disappearance were all covered during the meal. Just as the sun began to threaten heat exhaustion, Oovrum appeared.
"Mr. Bristow, Mr. Sloane has just called to say that he will be arriving here soon." Faces around the table were stunned.
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Jack took the phone warily and struggled to raise it with cuffed wrists. "Jack Bristow." He spoke into the receiver. Jack was silent signaling Devlin's occupation of the line for several seconds.
"No Sir he does not." Pause. "I believe it has." Another Pause. "At this point full disclosure would be in our best interest." Everyone is the room stood anxiously. "A new strategy will be necessary and I do understand the position you were in." Kendall seemed to be in a state of disbelief. "Understood." Jack handed the phone over to a tense looking Kendall. "Director Devlin would like to speak with you."
Kendall took the phone and held it to his ear. His facial expression quickly turned from anger to disbelief. "Yes Sir, I will."
The call ended and Jack watched Kendall expectantly. "Devlin just handed over operation control to you." He looked directly at Jack. Sydney and Vaughn turned to each other hoping to garner an explanation as to what was going on. "What the hell is going on here?" Kendall boomed.
"The key Mr. Flinkman." Jack held up his wrists. Marshall glanced back and forth between Kendall and Jack before undoing the cuffs. "My wife as well please." Marshall walked across the room to unclasp Irina's wrists. "I assure you that everything will be explained momentarily."
Before Jack could continue, Irina was free and began speaking. "But first there is something I need to do."
Every face showed uncertainty with her words and were all quite surprised when she took rapid steps toward Sydney. Irina's hands framed Sydney's face gently. "Your father and I were very worried about you. I'm happy to see you're safe, my precious girl."
Warmth surrounded Sydney as her mother dropped her hands and enveloped her in the casing of her arms. Everything seemed surreal as Sydney clung to her mother; the most memory she had of the woman was of her falling from the roof. The two eventually pulled apart and Sydney noticed the tears gathering in her mother's eyes.
"Devlin said you found yourself in Hong Kong two weeks ago." Jack placed a hand on Sydney's shoulder.
"I did, but I don't know how I got there, or where I have been." Pain resurfaced in Sydney's eyes however she was determined to focus on the issue at hand. "What is going on Dad? The CIA believed you had joined Sloane."
"Joining Sloane was a ruse much of the last two years has been. I suppose the beginning would be during the time of the Rambaldi Heart Script. Your mother didn't escape CIA custody, she was given permission from the highest ranking officers in U.S. Security." Jack paused and Irina took over.
"Just before the mission to Panama, Jack and I had a meeting with Devlin. We were sanctioned to do covert work by infiltrating Sloane's organization. I was the double agent and Jack was my handler." A small smile graced Irina's lips. "The passive tracking device was planted to make Sloane and Sark believe Jack still did not trust me, nor was I working in league with him."
Jack began speaking again. "It worked and Irina was working directly with Sloane while handing over information to the CIA. However, Sloane was much more cautious with his operations and little was being divulged with time for Irina to warn us. When Sydney disappeared everything fell apart. Sloane became consumed with finding her, to no avail." Jack turned to Sydney with apologetic eyes. Hoping she understood he was sorry he had not been able to stop whoever had taken her.
"When the CIA stopped their search for Sydney it provided Jack with the perfect opportunity to join me in uncovering what Sloane was trying to accomplish. We played the whole thing out quite convincingly, even allowing Sloane to believe he was in part responsible for our reconciliation. Devlin was appointed our contact to the CIA when Jack left in part because he was one of only ten people who were aware of our mission." Irina turned to Jack to finish.
"We're now in a precarious position. In a matter of days Sloane will be given information detailing the interruption of our mission and our covers will no longer be affective."
"What are you going to do?" Sydney asked.
"There are a few options available to us. Irina and I will confer in order to determine which will be the best course of action." Jack scanned the room of people.
"You mean to tell me that from Panama and beyond, everything that has occurred was carefully orchestrated to bring Sloane down." Kendall paused looking for a response from Jack or Irina but began speaking again once he realized they were not going to answer. "Why would I not have been informed of the mission you were undertaking? At the time I was your superior officer."
"And if you remember correctly, it was upon Jack's return from Panama that you were removed as director of operations for the task force, with Jack as a replacement." Irina looked stonily at Kendall.
"I apologize for jumping topics, but what does Sloane want with the codes we retrieved tonight?" Vaughn entered the conversation in hopes of avoiding fireworks between Irina and a frustrated Kendall.
Irina's shoulders seemed to relax when she turned to address the younger man. "The codes are necessary for the Rambaldi machine that Sloane built twenty-two months ago. According to him, the machine will not work without the number of code sets. This was the last set of codes; however, we have been unsuccessful in locating the Rambaldi machine. Sloane has it well hidden and avoids making trips to it in an effort to maintain its secrecy."
"You mean he -uh- hasn't even informed the two of you?" Marshall sounded surprised. "Why doesn't he trust you with that? I mean- its obvious he shouldn't trust you cause you were both lying to him but he didn't know that and well he should have told you and I - I'm just gonna stop talking."
Jack would never admit it but he quite enjoyed Marshall's ramblings at times and had missed them the last ten months. He had teased Irina years before when she had mentioned that Marshall was darling, during the Panama mission. He had told her that Sydney seemed to feel the same way for which he received an hour long diatribe on the charm of intelligence and bashfulness.
"So what happens now? Devlin did put you in charge of the operation Jack." Dixon spoke. He had felt relief at knowing Jack had not abandoned his country and more specifically his morality. The idea that a man he respected and held in the highest regard was capable of working with his wife's murderer had been the source of a great deal of angst in Dixon's life.
"Now we leave. By my estimation it is just after four in the morning. We won't be as safe here when day breaks. Send the rest of the team home; they'll be useless here. Devlin has suggested we all work together to outline an affective plan to find the Rambaldi machine and neutralize Sloane once and for all."
They began to file out of the room in and organize the extraction of the rest of the team. Irina walked along side Jack as the flurry of clean up began around them.
"So much for going to bed like normal people." She was grinning.
"Normal is a mask we just weren't meant to wear Sweetheart." Jack's use of the endearment made his wife's smile expand.
"We should split everyone up into two groups. I'll go with Sydney, Vaughn and Weiss in our vehicle. And you can take Dixon, Kendall and Marshall in theirs." Irina stood with Jack outside the present CIA facility. She caught Kendall watching them carefully from the other side of the building. Despite the darkness that still shrouded the early hour.
"I know what you're trying to do." Jack glared at Irina accusingly. "You just want Sydney to yourself in hopes of asking her questions about her disappearance."
"That may be true but I also don't think I will be able to sit with Kendall in a car and not attempt to strangle the man." Irina's sweet smile was Jack's undoing causing him to agree to the plan that was clearly benefiting her.
"The rest of the team had assembled itself and is about to get underway." Dixon announced drawing nearer to Jack and Irina. Sydney, Vaughn, Weiss and Marshall had not strayed too far while Kendall kept a distance to the group.
"We've decided to split up as we won't all fit into one Hummer. Sydney, Weiss and Vaughn you'll go with Irina. Everyone else will come with me." It did not take Jack long to regain his authoritative tone and stance.
Kendall seemed reluctant to separate but was unable to come up with a better solution resulting in him intelligently keeping his mouth shut.
IRINA'S CAR
For the first few minutes of the ride the car had remained silent but that all changed when Irina opened her mouth.
"Your father and I found leads on a woman matching your description traveling through Viet Nam, Myanmar, Laos and Bangladesh. We didn't want to get our hopes up but I we thought it was you."
Sydney didn't know how to replay at first. "It is likely that all of those sightings were of me but I am not able to remember anything before waking up in a Hong Kong street." She sighed. "With the exception to all of the flashes I get. The doctors assure me that my memory will reappear but when can not be determined."
"The memories will come back to you eventually. Don't try to rush them or it will likely cause more damage. And try not to be scared of them. They can't hurt you unless you let them." Irina reached over toward her daughter and grasped her hand tightly.
Sydney was conflicted. She didn't know how she was supposed to respond to her mother. This was the woman she had thought betrayed her and her father, only to find out that not only had her mother and father been working together the entire time but they had also reconciled. The thought blew her mind with its implications. Sydney was also torn between understanding and hurt that her parents had not included her in their plot to take down Sloane. As an agent she was able to see the logical reasons not to tell her: her realistic reaction, the possibility of a leak and the danger to herself. But as their daughter it pained her to know they had allowed her to hate her mother once again.
"How did you and Dad convince Devlin to allow you to leave CIA custody for an undetermined amount of time in order to employ the operation?" Sydney asked.
There was still silence from the back of the car as Vaughn and Weiss wanted to allow the two women time to talk.
"Moreover, how did you convince Dad?" Sydney was staring directly at her mother.
Irina only moved her eyes from the road sporadically in favor of her daughter's direction. "The plan was essentially an amalgamation of ideas from Jack and myself but the initial plan had been Jack's." Irina paused and looked in the rearview mirror at the car's other occupants. "We had been spending quite a bit of time together, while working out Sloane's next steps. We came to the conclusion that Sloane would be needing a partner that was better connected and more experienced than Sark. However, between our work sessions we found quite a bit of time to talk. By the time we were on our way home from Bangkok it was obvious that we were beginning to put the past behind us."
"There was still no way for Dad to be sure you weren't going to betray him again." Sydney said and mentally slapped herself when she saw her mother wince.
"Your father gave me a gift over two years ago that I have cherished. He gave me his trust and I was not willing to lose it." Irina relaxed in the driver's seat as she began to recognize land marks that signified the nearness of their destination.
"Where exactly are we headed?" Weiss asked hesitantly. Irina had always unsettled him and two years had done nothing to alter such a fact. They had all kept quiet when they had crossed the boarder to Morocco but the longer the drive was, the more curious they became.
"We're almost there." She told him. The sun had risen in the sky and the clock read seven. Irina had been keeping more regulated hours after Jack had joined her. She was no longer used to staying up all night executing a mission.
"When did you and Dad get remarried?" Sydney changed the subject.
"Just over six months ago. Your father asked if I would be interested in marrying him again. We had two witnesses Priest. It was very quick but delightful." Sydney took note of the smile that had claimed her mother's face and found it difficult not to smile as well.
The car drove up a hill and eventually met with a gated property. There had been houses positioned on either side of the hill but none of them matched the size of the house at the hill's peak. The car came to a closed iron gate with a security guard posted. Irina rolled down the window of the car and stopped in front of the gate.
"Hello Mrs. Bristow, it is good to see you on this fine morning." The man's English was heavily accented, seemingly adding to his charm.
"Mr. Gooskif, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Sydney and her two friends Michael and Eric." Irina saw Jack pull in behind her as she punched in her code to open the gate.
"It is very nice to meet you. Have a lovely day to all of you." With that he stepped back and allowed Irina to drive through. He wave Jack through as well, before the gate closed again.
"Where are we?" Vaughn asked.
"Home." Irina answered easily. The drive way was lined on either side by large tropical plants that were sharply manicured. The stone house that sat before them, made everyone do a double take. Irina parked the Hummer with several other cars to the side of the house and got out.
Vaughn, Sydney and Weiss took their cue from her and exited the car as well. The other vehicle was soon emptied and Irina and Jack were escorting everyone into the house. The awe of all continued when they saw the beautifully decorated home. The elegant French country design was made even more effective with the obvious feeling of a home that had been lived in.
"I'm not sure how long we will be staying here, but I should warn you that in about two hours the only places you'll want to be are inside the house or in the pool. The heat can be a bit much during this time of the year." Irina informed them. "Would anyone be interested in something to eat?" Irina asked cheerfully.
Jack found it hard not to laugh at the show she was putting on, likely for the benefit of Kendall.
"I-uh-I could eat something if it isn't too much trouble because if-" Marshall was cut off by Irina.
"It won't be any trouble at all; Oovrum is working today." Before Irina could even finish speaking a middle aged woman appeared in the living room.
"Good Morning Mrs. Bristow. Are you interested in breakfast?" Her accent closely mirrored that of the guard at the gate.
"Good morning Oovrum. Jack and I have company this morning and throughout the day. Would you be able to prepare breakfast for all of us?" Marshall and Weiss looked back and forth between each other, surprised at Irina's kind manner toward everyone she encountered. It was a vast difference from the woman the CIA had built her up to be.
"Monroy called me from the gate and told me your daughter and friends would be here. I have already begun to prepare the meal." Oovrum smiled, pleased with herself.
"Thank you. We'll be eating on the terrace this morning." Jack spoke to the woman.
"Of course Mr. Bristow." The woman smiled before taking her leave.
"You have a cook." Kendall crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Oovrum comes in on the days that I know will be busy. That way Jack and I don't have to worry about meals or cleanup. But she is a treasure to have." Irina moved closer to Jack causing Kendall to roll his eyes discreetly.
"Would you like to give them a quick tour?" Jack asked his wife. She nodded in affirmation.
"Most of the house has access to the terrace. The kitchen is through there." She pointed to her right. "The gym, formal dining room, billiard room and entertainment room is down the hall directly in front of us and the study is in the opposite direction." Indicting the stairs Irina continued. "Upstairs there are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. There are also laundry facilities if the need arises."
Irina began walking toward the open French doors across from the stairs. "This is the terrace." She said walking through them. "The garden is lovely this time of year and there is a tennis and basket ball court further down the property. The pool is on your left." Irina finished with her tour at a large table set for breakfast. "We may as well sit, I doubt breakfast will be too long."
Everyone sat down, even more awed than before. No one had thought Irina would have been a gracious host and yet they were having to quickly reevaluate their initial assessments.
With the arrival of the food came the arrival of conversation. Talk of Sloane's actions, happenings at the task force since Jack's departure and the mystery of Sydney's disappearance were all covered during the meal. Just as the sun began to threaten heat exhaustion, Oovrum appeared.
"Mr. Bristow, Mr. Sloane has just called to say that he will be arriving here soon." Faces around the table were stunned.
Please Review (-:
****You're just too good to be true; you've sent me lots of reviews. Your kindness reaches new heights; it gives me power to write. At long last I have renewed a chapter just for all you. You're just too good to be true; you've sent me lots of reviews.