Disclaimer: See past chapters for this. Or just make up one and tell it
to yourself. They're fairly standard.
"Bastard," Irina hissed in fury, her eyes flashing as she thought rapidly. Arvin had changed the rules. He was probably betting that she and Sydney wouldn't find the explosives and use that to force Jack's hand. Irina knew beyond a doubt that he would do anything for their daughter. If it was anyone else, she would have held out hope that they trusted her enough to keep Sydney safe. She had no such confidence in Jack's trust in her.
"Mom," Sydney spoke up quickly, after only a second of intense examination. "I think I can disarm this."
"No," Irina held up a hand to stop her daughter. "Not yet." She glanced at the man she had shot and then back at the detonator. "Let me know if the status starts to change. I have a plan. Arvin has over played his hand this time. Dimitri," she called, walking over to the door to open it wide as she called to the old man.
Sydney didn't see the man approach, but a moment later she heard her mother. Irina's voice was filled with a strange mix of anticipation, the thrill of the huntress with prey in sight, and resignation. "Dimitri, get everyone out, now." She looked back into the room, "Oh, and get someone in here to deal with this man. He has a gun shot wound and I may need him later."
After a moment, two burly men appeared at the door and after giving Irina respectful nods, unceremoniously picked the man up and walked out of the room. The moment they were gone, Irina looked up at Sydney. "You don't have to help me, but there are a few things here of sentimental value to me. Would you mind helping me carry them out?"
Sydney looked at her mother, bewildered. "Mom what are you saying? Listen to yourself! We can't just let Sloane win this."
Irina smiled. It was an expression Sydney recognized. It was the same look she, herself, got when she thought about what finally stopping Sloane would feel like. "We're not letting them win," Irina said. "We're just letting him think that. Now will you help me?" She pointed to a bookcase across the room, "There's a first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice over there." She smiled, it was wistful and almost out of character for her. "It was a present your father bought me to celebrate our six month anniversary as a couple. It's the only book your father ever bought me that came without orders."
Sydney smiled at her mother's wistful memory, and distracted and somewhat satisfied for the moment with her mother's answer, she picked up the book. Casually she flipped through it. "I know. Dad gave me all of your books, when I moved out- most of your things actually."
Irina looked up from the papers she was rapidly rifling through on her desk. "I had wondered what Jack had done with everything after I died."
Sydney's smile twisted into a half-grimace, "He kept most of it for me." She paused as if considering what she was going to say next and then added, "He never told me that you were alive until I forced his hand."
Irina looked up quizzically. "How did you discover that I was alive? I managed to escape Jack's, and for the most part the CIA's, notice for the past twenty years. They were under the impression that I was dead."
Sydney shook her head at the irony of the situation, "I retrieved a Rambaldi manuscript for the CIA. As I'm sure you know there was a picture on the page that looks a lot like me. Based on that and several other facts, the FBI was trying to take me into custody. I got involved in a car chase with several of their agents, that resulted in me driving into the Pacific." She smiled ruefully, "I had quiet a bit of time to think down there before I called Dad. I realized that if I had done it, you could have, too."
Irina met her eyes. "Sydney," Irina started off slowly, "I'm sorry you had to find out I was alive like that, but, Sweetheart, I'm glad you did. I.."
A quick rap on the door startled them, and both looked up to find Dimitri standing in the doorway. "Everything's ready."
Irina glanced around taking in her sanctuary and shooting one last glance out at the view that she treasured. Resolutely she looked at her daughter, "Let's go. It's time for this at least to end."
Sydney followed her mother as Irina walked out of the house, head held high. When they reached the same Limo that they had come in, Irina turned to look at the knot of men standing a little ways away from them and called, "Dimitri." Once again the older man made his way to her side. "The cars have been checked for explosives?" Sydney got the distinct impression, that while her mother had asked, the question was mainly rhetorical.
He nodded, quickly. "Yes."
"Good, bring me that bastard." Dimitri spoke into a concealed mic for a moment and soon two more men approached, almost dragging the man between them. Still when he stood in front of Irina, he was full of defiance.
Irina looked down at him and asked smoothly, "What was Arvin's plan? Was he the one that was going to detonate the explosives or were you?"
He simply stared at her and for a moment Sydney thought he was going to answer her. Instead he spat at her, a mixture of blood and saliva falling at her feet. The guards yanked him back roughly and Sydney almost expected her mother to hit him. In the end she simply laughed. She half-turned, "Dimitri take care of him," she said easily and ducked into the open door of the limo.
Sydney took one last look at the man before slipping in behind her mother. She wasn't sure what "taking care of him" involved exactly, with her mother it could mean anything from temporary disappearance to his death, but she wanted to ensure that if she did ever meet this man again, that she would recognize him. After all, he worked for Sloane and that in itself was enough to make him the enemy, not to mention the fact that he had tried to blow she and her mother up.
She looked over at Irina and to her surprise, now that they were back in the car, Sydney could see the edge of tension in her mother's features. Alone in the car, Sydney almost surprised herself by reaching over and laying a hand on top of her mother's.
"Mom," she asked quietly, "Are you okay?"
Irina looked down at their hands for a second and then looked up to meet Sydney's eyes. She put her other hand on top of Sydney's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She nodded, "Of course." Then she asked in a sudden change of topic, "You still have the detonator?"
Sydney nodded and readily handed it over to Irina. Irina stared out the window of the limo towards the house as the driver got in and they began to move away. She took a deep breath and pushed the button on the detonator without any hesitation. The house exploded instantly, shattering into pieces of flaming debris and caving in on itself. Within seconds the entire building was covered in rapidly growing flames. Irina gave Sydney's had one last squeeze, this one more painful than the first squeeze and sat back in her seat. She looked over at Sydney, "We're not going to let Arvin get away with any of this," she said firmly. "I have a plan."
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Jack Bristow laughed in his face. He couldn't help it. He had no doubt that Arvin was genuine in his threat to kill Sydney and Irina, but Jack found it hard to believe that he thought he could actually succeed. Neither Irina nor Sydney were likely to sit patiently around and wait for Arvin to blow them up.
"You don't believe me Jack," Arvin's voice was cold and deadly, a tone Jack recognized easily. Jack's lips twisted into a grim ghost of a smile. "No, Arvin I do not. Whatever my feelings may be towards Irina, I have confidence in one thing. She is an expert in survival above all else and I have no doubt that she will absolutely destroy you when you least expect it."
"Is that the voice of experience speaking, Jack," Arvin taunted.
"Well, at least I'll be able to enjoy watching her make you suffer, Arvin."
Sloane paced easily, but after years of supposed friendship Jack could see the anger lurking in Sloane's eyes. "Very well, Jack. I never thought you would choose your Russian whore of a wife over our friendship, but I see now that I have no choice." Sloane gestured to one of the guards outside of the cell.
The man who entered a moment later was dressed in a clean cut suit and looked to be slightly more intelligent that the rest of the thugs that Sloane seemed to have employed here. Jack thought he even recognized the man as one of the former members of the Sd-6 security section.
"I want the bomb detonated now." He looked back down at Jack. "Perhaps then our friend here will be more convinced when he realizes that I'm not bluffing."
The younger man who had come in looked slightly less confidant than Sloane. He turned half away from Jack and said quietly, "Sir, we have a problem. The bomb was detonated prematurely and we've lost contact with our agent."
Despite the front he struggled to maintain for Sloane, Jack could feel the blood drain from his face.
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"Bastard," Irina hissed in fury, her eyes flashing as she thought rapidly. Arvin had changed the rules. He was probably betting that she and Sydney wouldn't find the explosives and use that to force Jack's hand. Irina knew beyond a doubt that he would do anything for their daughter. If it was anyone else, she would have held out hope that they trusted her enough to keep Sydney safe. She had no such confidence in Jack's trust in her.
"Mom," Sydney spoke up quickly, after only a second of intense examination. "I think I can disarm this."
"No," Irina held up a hand to stop her daughter. "Not yet." She glanced at the man she had shot and then back at the detonator. "Let me know if the status starts to change. I have a plan. Arvin has over played his hand this time. Dimitri," she called, walking over to the door to open it wide as she called to the old man.
Sydney didn't see the man approach, but a moment later she heard her mother. Irina's voice was filled with a strange mix of anticipation, the thrill of the huntress with prey in sight, and resignation. "Dimitri, get everyone out, now." She looked back into the room, "Oh, and get someone in here to deal with this man. He has a gun shot wound and I may need him later."
After a moment, two burly men appeared at the door and after giving Irina respectful nods, unceremoniously picked the man up and walked out of the room. The moment they were gone, Irina looked up at Sydney. "You don't have to help me, but there are a few things here of sentimental value to me. Would you mind helping me carry them out?"
Sydney looked at her mother, bewildered. "Mom what are you saying? Listen to yourself! We can't just let Sloane win this."
Irina smiled. It was an expression Sydney recognized. It was the same look she, herself, got when she thought about what finally stopping Sloane would feel like. "We're not letting them win," Irina said. "We're just letting him think that. Now will you help me?" She pointed to a bookcase across the room, "There's a first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice over there." She smiled, it was wistful and almost out of character for her. "It was a present your father bought me to celebrate our six month anniversary as a couple. It's the only book your father ever bought me that came without orders."
Sydney smiled at her mother's wistful memory, and distracted and somewhat satisfied for the moment with her mother's answer, she picked up the book. Casually she flipped through it. "I know. Dad gave me all of your books, when I moved out- most of your things actually."
Irina looked up from the papers she was rapidly rifling through on her desk. "I had wondered what Jack had done with everything after I died."
Sydney's smile twisted into a half-grimace, "He kept most of it for me." She paused as if considering what she was going to say next and then added, "He never told me that you were alive until I forced his hand."
Irina looked up quizzically. "How did you discover that I was alive? I managed to escape Jack's, and for the most part the CIA's, notice for the past twenty years. They were under the impression that I was dead."
Sydney shook her head at the irony of the situation, "I retrieved a Rambaldi manuscript for the CIA. As I'm sure you know there was a picture on the page that looks a lot like me. Based on that and several other facts, the FBI was trying to take me into custody. I got involved in a car chase with several of their agents, that resulted in me driving into the Pacific." She smiled ruefully, "I had quiet a bit of time to think down there before I called Dad. I realized that if I had done it, you could have, too."
Irina met her eyes. "Sydney," Irina started off slowly, "I'm sorry you had to find out I was alive like that, but, Sweetheart, I'm glad you did. I.."
A quick rap on the door startled them, and both looked up to find Dimitri standing in the doorway. "Everything's ready."
Irina glanced around taking in her sanctuary and shooting one last glance out at the view that she treasured. Resolutely she looked at her daughter, "Let's go. It's time for this at least to end."
Sydney followed her mother as Irina walked out of the house, head held high. When they reached the same Limo that they had come in, Irina turned to look at the knot of men standing a little ways away from them and called, "Dimitri." Once again the older man made his way to her side. "The cars have been checked for explosives?" Sydney got the distinct impression, that while her mother had asked, the question was mainly rhetorical.
He nodded, quickly. "Yes."
"Good, bring me that bastard." Dimitri spoke into a concealed mic for a moment and soon two more men approached, almost dragging the man between them. Still when he stood in front of Irina, he was full of defiance.
Irina looked down at him and asked smoothly, "What was Arvin's plan? Was he the one that was going to detonate the explosives or were you?"
He simply stared at her and for a moment Sydney thought he was going to answer her. Instead he spat at her, a mixture of blood and saliva falling at her feet. The guards yanked him back roughly and Sydney almost expected her mother to hit him. In the end she simply laughed. She half-turned, "Dimitri take care of him," she said easily and ducked into the open door of the limo.
Sydney took one last look at the man before slipping in behind her mother. She wasn't sure what "taking care of him" involved exactly, with her mother it could mean anything from temporary disappearance to his death, but she wanted to ensure that if she did ever meet this man again, that she would recognize him. After all, he worked for Sloane and that in itself was enough to make him the enemy, not to mention the fact that he had tried to blow she and her mother up.
She looked over at Irina and to her surprise, now that they were back in the car, Sydney could see the edge of tension in her mother's features. Alone in the car, Sydney almost surprised herself by reaching over and laying a hand on top of her mother's.
"Mom," she asked quietly, "Are you okay?"
Irina looked down at their hands for a second and then looked up to meet Sydney's eyes. She put her other hand on top of Sydney's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She nodded, "Of course." Then she asked in a sudden change of topic, "You still have the detonator?"
Sydney nodded and readily handed it over to Irina. Irina stared out the window of the limo towards the house as the driver got in and they began to move away. She took a deep breath and pushed the button on the detonator without any hesitation. The house exploded instantly, shattering into pieces of flaming debris and caving in on itself. Within seconds the entire building was covered in rapidly growing flames. Irina gave Sydney's had one last squeeze, this one more painful than the first squeeze and sat back in her seat. She looked over at Sydney, "We're not going to let Arvin get away with any of this," she said firmly. "I have a plan."
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Jack Bristow laughed in his face. He couldn't help it. He had no doubt that Arvin was genuine in his threat to kill Sydney and Irina, but Jack found it hard to believe that he thought he could actually succeed. Neither Irina nor Sydney were likely to sit patiently around and wait for Arvin to blow them up.
"You don't believe me Jack," Arvin's voice was cold and deadly, a tone Jack recognized easily. Jack's lips twisted into a grim ghost of a smile. "No, Arvin I do not. Whatever my feelings may be towards Irina, I have confidence in one thing. She is an expert in survival above all else and I have no doubt that she will absolutely destroy you when you least expect it."
"Is that the voice of experience speaking, Jack," Arvin taunted.
"Well, at least I'll be able to enjoy watching her make you suffer, Arvin."
Sloane paced easily, but after years of supposed friendship Jack could see the anger lurking in Sloane's eyes. "Very well, Jack. I never thought you would choose your Russian whore of a wife over our friendship, but I see now that I have no choice." Sloane gestured to one of the guards outside of the cell.
The man who entered a moment later was dressed in a clean cut suit and looked to be slightly more intelligent that the rest of the thugs that Sloane seemed to have employed here. Jack thought he even recognized the man as one of the former members of the Sd-6 security section.
"I want the bomb detonated now." He looked back down at Jack. "Perhaps then our friend here will be more convinced when he realizes that I'm not bluffing."
The younger man who had come in looked slightly less confidant than Sloane. He turned half away from Jack and said quietly, "Sir, we have a problem. The bomb was detonated prematurely and we've lost contact with our agent."
Despite the front he struggled to maintain for Sloane, Jack could feel the blood drain from his face.
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