Chapter 14
"Bristow, wake up!" He was being slapped, none too gently. He opened his eyes and tried to focus, shaking his head to clear the fog. As his vision cleared, he saw Sark's face looming above him. Instinctively bunching his muscles, he got ready to lunge.
"Jack, stop it!" Startled, Jack turned towards the sound of the voice. Irina was standing on the other side of the room, looking faintly amused.
Sark stood back and smirked at Jack, then addressed Irina. "We need to clear this place fast. The plane leaves in 30 minutes. I've got clothes and fake passports for you both-"
"What the hell is going on?" Jack interrupted angrily. "Where are we?"
"Your gratitude is touching. I've just liberated you from a prison cell. A thank you might be in order," sneered Sark, enjoying Jack's confusion.
"Sark, that's enough," said Irina firmly. "Stop baiting him."
Turning to Jack, Irina explained, "When I turned myself in to the CIA, I couldn't be sure that things would go the way I planned. With my record, they might have decided to just lock me up in prison and throw away the key. Sark was my backup plan. He infiltrated SD-6, and we sent signals back and forth. If, for some reason, he didn't receive a signal from me, he was to extract me."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "There is no way you could have sent signals to each other when you were in your cell."
Irina gave him a patient look. "Did it never seem odd to you that SD-6 kept launching missions that Sark initiated, only to have them foiled by intelligence I provided to the CIA? Sark's signals were the missions, my signals were their failure. As long as SD-6's missions kept failing, Sark knew I was fine."
Jack closed his eyes briefly. The CIA had underestimated her again.
"Last night I asked Sydney to pass a message to Sark that told him that I wanted out, and to extract you as well. Sark gassed the facility and removed us. We are currently in an abandoned building in the warehouse district. The alarm will have been raised by now. They'll be looking for us both."
"Oh, thanks," Jack snarled. "I'm a fugitive now, on top of everything else."
"Okay, Jack. Have it your way. We'll drop you off by the Ops Center on the way to the plane and you can just walk back in there. And spend the next 20 years in prison. Or," Irina paused, returning Jack's glare, "You can come and work with us."
"Bristow, wake up!" He was being slapped, none too gently. He opened his eyes and tried to focus, shaking his head to clear the fog. As his vision cleared, he saw Sark's face looming above him. Instinctively bunching his muscles, he got ready to lunge.
"Jack, stop it!" Startled, Jack turned towards the sound of the voice. Irina was standing on the other side of the room, looking faintly amused.
Sark stood back and smirked at Jack, then addressed Irina. "We need to clear this place fast. The plane leaves in 30 minutes. I've got clothes and fake passports for you both-"
"What the hell is going on?" Jack interrupted angrily. "Where are we?"
"Your gratitude is touching. I've just liberated you from a prison cell. A thank you might be in order," sneered Sark, enjoying Jack's confusion.
"Sark, that's enough," said Irina firmly. "Stop baiting him."
Turning to Jack, Irina explained, "When I turned myself in to the CIA, I couldn't be sure that things would go the way I planned. With my record, they might have decided to just lock me up in prison and throw away the key. Sark was my backup plan. He infiltrated SD-6, and we sent signals back and forth. If, for some reason, he didn't receive a signal from me, he was to extract me."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "There is no way you could have sent signals to each other when you were in your cell."
Irina gave him a patient look. "Did it never seem odd to you that SD-6 kept launching missions that Sark initiated, only to have them foiled by intelligence I provided to the CIA? Sark's signals were the missions, my signals were their failure. As long as SD-6's missions kept failing, Sark knew I was fine."
Jack closed his eyes briefly. The CIA had underestimated her again.
"Last night I asked Sydney to pass a message to Sark that told him that I wanted out, and to extract you as well. Sark gassed the facility and removed us. We are currently in an abandoned building in the warehouse district. The alarm will have been raised by now. They'll be looking for us both."
"Oh, thanks," Jack snarled. "I'm a fugitive now, on top of everything else."
"Okay, Jack. Have it your way. We'll drop you off by the Ops Center on the way to the plane and you can just walk back in there. And spend the next 20 years in prison. Or," Irina paused, returning Jack's glare, "You can come and work with us."
