A/N - Operation Chaos was a real operation of the CIA.
~~~~~~~
While Sydney was reading the newspaper article, Don arrived home from his meeting. Sara called to him and asked him to come over. His first instinct was to not go. He'd seen his son for the first time in twenty five years and it was a disaster. Why would he walk back into another argument? Sara could see her brother's hesitation, but she insisted that he come over. He had the rest of her medication with him so he decided he would just give it to her and leave.
His gait was slow as he walked across the street, and climbed the porch steps. He was wearing a VFW baseball cap which he tipped the brim of as he said hello to Sydney. Sydney smiled as she responded with a hello. She studied Don as he talked to Sara. He was tall, but not as tall her father. His shoulders were sagged in, but she could tell that at one time they were probably as broad and strong as her father's. However, it was his hands that grabbed her attention. Although they were covered with wrinkles and liver spots they had the same appearance as her father's. They were large, long, powerful and but at the same time there was a gentleness to them.
While Don was talking to Sara, about her prescription and the meeting he had just come from, he could tell that Sydney was studying him. Out of the corner of his eye he tried to observe her as well. It was clear that they wanted to talk to each other, but Sydney was afraid that talking to this man could possibly be a betrayal to her father and Don was concerned that Jack would tell him he had no right to associate with his daughter.
"Well, I guess I should be going," he said. Tipping the brim of his cap again he looked at Sydney and said good-bye.
Sara was not about to let this visit end with the two of them just saying hello and good-bye to each other. "I was just showing Sydney some pictures," she said in an effort to prevent him from leaving.
"I see that. Has Jon been looking at those too?" Don asked, as he was curious to know where his son was.
"No. He's not here." Sara informed him. "He left right after you did. We haven't heard from his since."
"Oh, I see." he responded as he turned and looked down the street.
"Yes, I figure he'll end up there eventually," Sara said, as she noticed Don looking down the street.
"End up where?" Sydney asked.
Sara sighed as she told Sydney, "Down at Parker's Bar. That's where all the men in the neighborhood end up when they can't handle the truth about their life."
Sydney consider if she should try calling her father again, but her thought was interrupted by Carolyn. She wanted to know where the flowered bowl was for the salad. Sara could easily have told her that it was in the cupboard to the left of the sink, but she decided to leave Don and Sydney alone for a few minutes. She indicated that she wasn't sure where she had put it. She asked to be excused for a minute while she went to look for the bowl. "You stay here and keep Sydney company for a minute," she instructed Don, as she got up and went into the house.
Once Sara disappeared into the house, Don once again attempted to excuse himself. As he started to walk away, Sydney called to him, "Grandfather...."
Don turned and gave her a startled looked. Grandfather was a term he never expected to hear.
Sydney was also surprised that the word came out of her mouth. She actually liked the sound of it. "You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" She asked.
"No, not at all. I'm not sure how your father would feel about it though."
"Don't worry about Dad. I think seeing everyone just kind of overwhelmed him this afternoon. I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind," she said giving her grandfather the invitationn he needed to sit and talk to her.
Don sat down in the chair that Sara had vacated. He picked up the photo album and started to looked through it. "I see Sara has been boring you with these old pictures."
"She hasn't been boring me. She's been very.... Sydney tried to think of the right adjective. She settled on, "informative."
Don stopped at a picture of his wife. "You know you have eyes just like your grandmother's."
As this was the third time today, that she has been told this, Sydney smiled and with a little laugh she said, "So I've been told."
Then noticing the newspaper article that Sydney was reading, he said, "That was another one of those things I didn't handle very well."
By the few facts in the newspaper article Sydney concluded that her father was part of what turned out to be an illegal CIA operation. It had a variety of names, but in the end it became known as Operation Chaos. The CIA defended the program as being a domestic security operation. The fact that they obtained their security information through illegal means, was not an issue for them.
Jack's job was to monitor select student groups. He was to gather as much information as he could, regarding their mission, as well as the private lives of their members. How he obtained the information was not important to his CIA handler.
Clayton Stewart was making a name for himself, in the CIA. He knew that the young recruit, recently assigned to him, had the potential to make his reputation flourish even more than it already had. As a result, whenever Jack made noise about how many invasion of the privacy laws he was breaking, Stewart would throw the patriot card at him.
He learned during their initial meetings how important the memory of Sean Bristow was to Jack Bristow. He used this memory as a means of manipulating Jack. He pointed out that these radical student groups, that he was infiltrating, were anti-American. Their sole reason for existing was to bring down the government of the United States of America. "Our fight is on the home front," he would tell him. "You chose to stay here, rather than go to Viet Nam, not because you're a draft dodger, like they are, but because you knew someone had to keep the Red threat of Communism out of this country and off college campus'."
"Don't let your brother's death be for nothing," he would tell him as he wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder. "We're doing this for Sean and all those other men who died. We're doing this for the ones that are over there dying everyday while these long haired, drugged out, freaks call Sean and his men baby killers."
Jack had already had enough guilt, to deal with, regarding how he treated his brother's memory. In 1968 the look on his fathers face, when he told him he wasn't going to West Point, still burned bright in his memory.
Not only did he have to deal with his sense of betrayal to his family, he also knew the neighborhood was gossiping about him. They were calling him a coward and not always behind his back. They talked about how he would never live up to Sean's reputation.
In 1968 Jack was still young and naive. He trusted Clayton Stewart. He believed everything he told him. He made a commitment to himself and Clayton that even though no one would ever know how much he was willing to sacrifice, for Sean's memory, he was going to be a loyal patriot and service his country, as he was instructed.
During Jack's CIA carrier their would be three major betrayals. Clayton Stewart would be the first. Arvin Sloan and Irina Derevko would be the other two. All of these people would play a role in forging how Jack would live is life.
~~~~~~~
While Sydney was reading the newspaper article, Don arrived home from his meeting. Sara called to him and asked him to come over. His first instinct was to not go. He'd seen his son for the first time in twenty five years and it was a disaster. Why would he walk back into another argument? Sara could see her brother's hesitation, but she insisted that he come over. He had the rest of her medication with him so he decided he would just give it to her and leave.
His gait was slow as he walked across the street, and climbed the porch steps. He was wearing a VFW baseball cap which he tipped the brim of as he said hello to Sydney. Sydney smiled as she responded with a hello. She studied Don as he talked to Sara. He was tall, but not as tall her father. His shoulders were sagged in, but she could tell that at one time they were probably as broad and strong as her father's. However, it was his hands that grabbed her attention. Although they were covered with wrinkles and liver spots they had the same appearance as her father's. They were large, long, powerful and but at the same time there was a gentleness to them.
While Don was talking to Sara, about her prescription and the meeting he had just come from, he could tell that Sydney was studying him. Out of the corner of his eye he tried to observe her as well. It was clear that they wanted to talk to each other, but Sydney was afraid that talking to this man could possibly be a betrayal to her father and Don was concerned that Jack would tell him he had no right to associate with his daughter.
"Well, I guess I should be going," he said. Tipping the brim of his cap again he looked at Sydney and said good-bye.
Sara was not about to let this visit end with the two of them just saying hello and good-bye to each other. "I was just showing Sydney some pictures," she said in an effort to prevent him from leaving.
"I see that. Has Jon been looking at those too?" Don asked, as he was curious to know where his son was.
"No. He's not here." Sara informed him. "He left right after you did. We haven't heard from his since."
"Oh, I see." he responded as he turned and looked down the street.
"Yes, I figure he'll end up there eventually," Sara said, as she noticed Don looking down the street.
"End up where?" Sydney asked.
Sara sighed as she told Sydney, "Down at Parker's Bar. That's where all the men in the neighborhood end up when they can't handle the truth about their life."
Sydney consider if she should try calling her father again, but her thought was interrupted by Carolyn. She wanted to know where the flowered bowl was for the salad. Sara could easily have told her that it was in the cupboard to the left of the sink, but she decided to leave Don and Sydney alone for a few minutes. She indicated that she wasn't sure where she had put it. She asked to be excused for a minute while she went to look for the bowl. "You stay here and keep Sydney company for a minute," she instructed Don, as she got up and went into the house.
Once Sara disappeared into the house, Don once again attempted to excuse himself. As he started to walk away, Sydney called to him, "Grandfather...."
Don turned and gave her a startled looked. Grandfather was a term he never expected to hear.
Sydney was also surprised that the word came out of her mouth. She actually liked the sound of it. "You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" She asked.
"No, not at all. I'm not sure how your father would feel about it though."
"Don't worry about Dad. I think seeing everyone just kind of overwhelmed him this afternoon. I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind," she said giving her grandfather the invitationn he needed to sit and talk to her.
Don sat down in the chair that Sara had vacated. He picked up the photo album and started to looked through it. "I see Sara has been boring you with these old pictures."
"She hasn't been boring me. She's been very.... Sydney tried to think of the right adjective. She settled on, "informative."
Don stopped at a picture of his wife. "You know you have eyes just like your grandmother's."
As this was the third time today, that she has been told this, Sydney smiled and with a little laugh she said, "So I've been told."
Then noticing the newspaper article that Sydney was reading, he said, "That was another one of those things I didn't handle very well."
By the few facts in the newspaper article Sydney concluded that her father was part of what turned out to be an illegal CIA operation. It had a variety of names, but in the end it became known as Operation Chaos. The CIA defended the program as being a domestic security operation. The fact that they obtained their security information through illegal means, was not an issue for them.
Jack's job was to monitor select student groups. He was to gather as much information as he could, regarding their mission, as well as the private lives of their members. How he obtained the information was not important to his CIA handler.
Clayton Stewart was making a name for himself, in the CIA. He knew that the young recruit, recently assigned to him, had the potential to make his reputation flourish even more than it already had. As a result, whenever Jack made noise about how many invasion of the privacy laws he was breaking, Stewart would throw the patriot card at him.
He learned during their initial meetings how important the memory of Sean Bristow was to Jack Bristow. He used this memory as a means of manipulating Jack. He pointed out that these radical student groups, that he was infiltrating, were anti-American. Their sole reason for existing was to bring down the government of the United States of America. "Our fight is on the home front," he would tell him. "You chose to stay here, rather than go to Viet Nam, not because you're a draft dodger, like they are, but because you knew someone had to keep the Red threat of Communism out of this country and off college campus'."
"Don't let your brother's death be for nothing," he would tell him as he wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder. "We're doing this for Sean and all those other men who died. We're doing this for the ones that are over there dying everyday while these long haired, drugged out, freaks call Sean and his men baby killers."
Jack had already had enough guilt, to deal with, regarding how he treated his brother's memory. In 1968 the look on his fathers face, when he told him he wasn't going to West Point, still burned bright in his memory.
Not only did he have to deal with his sense of betrayal to his family, he also knew the neighborhood was gossiping about him. They were calling him a coward and not always behind his back. They talked about how he would never live up to Sean's reputation.
In 1968 Jack was still young and naive. He trusted Clayton Stewart. He believed everything he told him. He made a commitment to himself and Clayton that even though no one would ever know how much he was willing to sacrifice, for Sean's memory, he was going to be a loyal patriot and service his country, as he was instructed.
During Jack's CIA carrier their would be three major betrayals. Clayton Stewart would be the first. Arvin Sloan and Irina Derevko would be the other two. All of these people would play a role in forging how Jack would live is life.