Disclaimer: All of this stuff belongs to a person or people who aren't me.
Author's note: Raina: Thank you for reviewing and I'm finally updating. Tasha: I hope you still like the way this story is going. I'm making it up as I go along. Fly: Well I don't know about originality, but I'm glad you like it.
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Sydney paused as she neared the object. Speed was essential, although she didn't think she would be out of here anytime soon, but a little stealth could go a long way. The thudding of footsteps coming down the tunnel in the opposite direction alerted her to the presence of another person and she flicked her light off immediately. Picking her way forward, even slower and with more caution than before, she edged towards the room where the Rambaldi object was being kept.
She froze as she stood in the entrance to the room and took it in with a sweeping gaze that searched for potential threats. The Rambaldi was on a simple pedestal in the middle of the room, but it was the person on the other side of the room that made Sydney's blood go cold. It was none other than her mother, Irina Derevko. Within an instant of catching site of one another both had their guns leveled at the other without hesitation. It had been amply proven that both of them would shoot if necessary. However, as it stood then, they both had a problem.
"It seems we have something of a stalemate," Irina stated with her usual lisping Russian accent.
Sydney remained quiet for the moment, considering her options. As it stood she really had none. Irina would shoot before she had a chance to get the artifact and there was no cover in the room which she could hide behind. However, at the same time Irina couldn't get the Rambaldi, either. Like she said, it was a standoff and Sydney didn't like it one bit.
"Looks like it," she said through gritted teeth. There was only one thing worse than facing her mother in her book and that was facing Sloane, but honestly right now this confrontation was the last thing she needed, especially after this past week. Elsa Caplan was a reminder that she hadn't needed and she had brought up many things, Sydney hadn't wanted to think about.
Like the fact that maybe her mother really did love she and her father, that maybe, just maybe not everything Irina Derevko had said and done as Laura Bristow was a lie. It was practically all that she had thought about on the plane ride to this forsaken place. Once again, however, she was being proved wrong. Here was her mother, able and apparently willing to shoot Sydney. She couldn't imagine being able to shoot her own child, no matter what the circumstances.
"Sydney," Irina said easily, "You shouldn't have come here."
Ignoring the fact that what her Mother was saying could reveal some valuable piece of intell that could help them find and take down Sloane, Sydney could barely keep her fury in check. This woman was trying to tell her where she could go and what she could do as if she were a teenager, not a fully grown woman, no thanks to Irina. It was almost more than Sydney could take not to rush at the woman in fury.
"Listen to me," Irina said urgently when she noticed that Sydney wasn't truly paying attention.
"Why," demanded Sydney, "Why should I listen to anything you have to say? All you've done for the past thirty years is lie to me and my Father. Everything you've said and done has been a line. In fact, you were so good at lying Russian Intelligence actually included some of your suggestions in the official rules for deep-cover missions like yours. Apparently you were groundbreaking." She said it with all the scorn and sarcasm that she could muster not really believing that her Mother cared enough about her for her words to pain Irina, but hoping they would at the same time.
The look Irina gave Sydney was the closest to surprise that she had ever seen on Irina's face, but that didn't dissuade her. If there was one thing the two women had in common it was their stubborn natures.
"Sydney I don't care how much you resent me or hate me," Irina said angrily, "You have to listen to me. If you don't, I can't help you I can't keep you safe."
Later Sydney would realize that at that moment she hadn't been thinking clearly like the analytical agent she had been trained to be even from a very young age. But at that moment all she could think about was not letting her mother get a hold of one more Rambaldi.
"Back off," she said harshly, wishing, hoping that Vaughn would get here soon with her back up because if they didn't she would face her mother.
"No, Sydney, you have to leave." She heard her Mother's urgent voice in hear ear in fits and snatches. The room started to spin around her and a cold shiver crept down her spine. She struggled to focus and keep her hands steady, as she pointed her weapon at her mother. She hardly even felt her knees buckle; the ground rushing up at her was simply one more blur among many.
Through her blurred eyes and hazy mind she saw her mother walk to her side and crouch down beside her. Brushing the hair back off of her daughter's fear and panic filled face; Irina said almost harshly, "You should have listened to me, Darling."
Author's note: Raina: Thank you for reviewing and I'm finally updating. Tasha: I hope you still like the way this story is going. I'm making it up as I go along. Fly: Well I don't know about originality, but I'm glad you like it.
________________________________________________________________________
Sydney paused as she neared the object. Speed was essential, although she didn't think she would be out of here anytime soon, but a little stealth could go a long way. The thudding of footsteps coming down the tunnel in the opposite direction alerted her to the presence of another person and she flicked her light off immediately. Picking her way forward, even slower and with more caution than before, she edged towards the room where the Rambaldi object was being kept.
She froze as she stood in the entrance to the room and took it in with a sweeping gaze that searched for potential threats. The Rambaldi was on a simple pedestal in the middle of the room, but it was the person on the other side of the room that made Sydney's blood go cold. It was none other than her mother, Irina Derevko. Within an instant of catching site of one another both had their guns leveled at the other without hesitation. It had been amply proven that both of them would shoot if necessary. However, as it stood then, they both had a problem.
"It seems we have something of a stalemate," Irina stated with her usual lisping Russian accent.
Sydney remained quiet for the moment, considering her options. As it stood she really had none. Irina would shoot before she had a chance to get the artifact and there was no cover in the room which she could hide behind. However, at the same time Irina couldn't get the Rambaldi, either. Like she said, it was a standoff and Sydney didn't like it one bit.
"Looks like it," she said through gritted teeth. There was only one thing worse than facing her mother in her book and that was facing Sloane, but honestly right now this confrontation was the last thing she needed, especially after this past week. Elsa Caplan was a reminder that she hadn't needed and she had brought up many things, Sydney hadn't wanted to think about.
Like the fact that maybe her mother really did love she and her father, that maybe, just maybe not everything Irina Derevko had said and done as Laura Bristow was a lie. It was practically all that she had thought about on the plane ride to this forsaken place. Once again, however, she was being proved wrong. Here was her mother, able and apparently willing to shoot Sydney. She couldn't imagine being able to shoot her own child, no matter what the circumstances.
"Sydney," Irina said easily, "You shouldn't have come here."
Ignoring the fact that what her Mother was saying could reveal some valuable piece of intell that could help them find and take down Sloane, Sydney could barely keep her fury in check. This woman was trying to tell her where she could go and what she could do as if she were a teenager, not a fully grown woman, no thanks to Irina. It was almost more than Sydney could take not to rush at the woman in fury.
"Listen to me," Irina said urgently when she noticed that Sydney wasn't truly paying attention.
"Why," demanded Sydney, "Why should I listen to anything you have to say? All you've done for the past thirty years is lie to me and my Father. Everything you've said and done has been a line. In fact, you were so good at lying Russian Intelligence actually included some of your suggestions in the official rules for deep-cover missions like yours. Apparently you were groundbreaking." She said it with all the scorn and sarcasm that she could muster not really believing that her Mother cared enough about her for her words to pain Irina, but hoping they would at the same time.
The look Irina gave Sydney was the closest to surprise that she had ever seen on Irina's face, but that didn't dissuade her. If there was one thing the two women had in common it was their stubborn natures.
"Sydney I don't care how much you resent me or hate me," Irina said angrily, "You have to listen to me. If you don't, I can't help you I can't keep you safe."
Later Sydney would realize that at that moment she hadn't been thinking clearly like the analytical agent she had been trained to be even from a very young age. But at that moment all she could think about was not letting her mother get a hold of one more Rambaldi.
"Back off," she said harshly, wishing, hoping that Vaughn would get here soon with her back up because if they didn't she would face her mother.
"No, Sydney, you have to leave." She heard her Mother's urgent voice in hear ear in fits and snatches. The room started to spin around her and a cold shiver crept down her spine. She struggled to focus and keep her hands steady, as she pointed her weapon at her mother. She hardly even felt her knees buckle; the ground rushing up at her was simply one more blur among many.
Through her blurred eyes and hazy mind she saw her mother walk to her side and crouch down beside her. Brushing the hair back off of her daughter's fear and panic filled face; Irina said almost harshly, "You should have listened to me, Darling."
