Little Child Lost

Chapter Sixteen

Forced

            Arvin Sloane wanted to toss his overpriced headset across the room.  He'd just received the news that his incompetent lackey had failed in killing Lazarey and preventing Mr. Sark and Sydney from taking him.  Now he was going to have to do damage control.  He honestly should have had Lazarey killed two years ago, when he became uncomfortable with the new change of command.  Irina had talked him out of it, claiming Lazarey was harmless.  'Oh, Sark doesn't even want to have any contact with his father.  And it's not like Sydney knows about him.'  Last time he ever listened to Irina Derevko.  They would probably go to Irina, after they learned of her involvement in The Covenant.  Or perhaps they would come after him, because inevitably they knew he was involved.  He doubted they would come to him first.  They would likely bide their time and go to find out everything else they could from Irina.  And she would likely tell them, simply because she wanted to see Sloane scramble to stop them.  Of course, she always wanted to take over The Covenant.  She was one of the Council, all she needed was for him to die and she could take it over.  Bomani probably wouldn't fight her on it.  Sloane called down for a plane.  "I need to go to Buenos Aires."

            Sydney and Sark decided to let Lazarey go.  Sydney sincerely believed Lazarey had told them everything he knew, and she said they didn't need the extra weight tagging along.  The Covenant would be looking for Lazarey, but not necessarily them.  Sark conceded, realizing the logic Sydney had presented him with.  On the upside, he wouldn't have to see his traitorous father anymore.  So he'd unhandcuffed Lazarey and let him go.  Then Sydney and he had hopped a jet to get to Buenos Aires.  There was always hope that Irina didn't know about Lazarey's kidnapping, though unlikely.  They both realized they were probably deluding themselves, because Irina seemed to know everything that went on around the world.  So they sat uncomfortably on the plane, Sydney still trying to digest the sudden show of emotions Sark had and Sark trying to digest the news about his mother. 

"Sark?"

"What?"  He snapped at her.  He rarely snapped.  He'd snip, banter, snark, just about anything but snap.  Sydney sighed and began to twirl her hair in a nervous, unconscious motion.

"Are you going to be able to do this?  Confront my mother?"

"Of course I will be able to."

"Well, you've been off-kilter since Lazarey talked to you."

"Wouldn't you have been?  I believed my mother was good this whole time.  I'd been so afraid she'd be ashamed of what I'd become, but apparently not.  She'd probably be proud, pat me on the back, and say it was in the genes."

"I understand what it's like.  The same thing happened to me four years ago.  And I was useless for a few days."
"I will not be useless.  I should be used to finding things out like this."

Sydney unbuckled her seat belt and scooted towards the couch Sark was sitting on.  She reached out tentatively, her hand touching his just slightly.  Sark flinched, as if the kindness hurt him.  He probably hadn't had many kind touches lately. 

"I don't think you ever get used to it.  I haven't.  And believe me, I've had some pretty shocking things done to me."

She interlocked her fingers with his and brought her other hand to cup his cheek.

"I suppose I'm not alone in that.  Project Christmas, mothers being evil, fathers being completely distant."

"You were a part of Project Christmas?"

"Not exactly."  Sark seemed to be closing off some.  She could see it happening, as if it were completely physical.

"No.  Don't do that, Julian.  Don't start something and then shut me down.  I won't use it against you, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm supposed to believe that, Sydney?"

She nodded earnestly and forced him to look her in the eyes.  His blue eyes were tumultuous and shockingly vulnerable at the moment.

"I went to boarding school in London after my mother died.  Irin Dero was an English professor there."

Sydney's eyes flashed as recognition hit her.

"My mother was your English professor?"

"Yes.  My father had me sent there, because of the woman.  I guess they'd been colleagues or something before.  Maybe my mother had wanted me to go, after all.  She must have known Irina.  Anyways, Irin Dero gave me some much special training and by the time I was fourteen, I was a first-rate spy.  So it was a version of Project Christmas."

Sydney leaned forward suddenly, kissing him.  She'd been ecstatic he was sharing a bit of his past with her and after seeing him so vulnerable and confused, she'd given into what she'd been wanting to do for a while.  Sark's lips were warm and sweet, tasting like wine.  He returned her kiss with as much passion as she'd put into it, but then suddenly pulled away.  He didn't look at her, he couldn't.  "I need to get back to work."  He pulled out his laptop without another glance to Sydney.  She didn't force him to talk to her anymore.  She skulked back to her seat, almost ashamed that she'd kissed a wanted assassin.

            They arrived in Buenos Aires around one in the morning.  Neither seemed to be tired, in fact, they seemed wired.  Sark led Sydney to Irina's house and instead of ringing the doorbell like they had previously, they decided to sneak in.  Unfortunately, they didn't realize they were being watched.  The man stood above the house, on a small hill.  He pulled out a phone.

"Mr. Bristow?  They've arrived at Ms. Derevko's house.  Do you want me to go in?  All right, Sir.  I'll let you know if anything changes.  I'd hurry, though.  They may be gone before I realize it.  No, I'm not raising my price, I'm simply basing my opinion on past experience I've had with Mr. Sark.  Thank you, Sir."

            Irina had already crawled into bed.  She was reading a book peacefully when she heard a noise come from the kitchen.  She smiled to herself as she knew that it must be Sydney and Sark.  She'd been expecting them to come any minute.  They wouldn't announce their presence, since they apparently thought they could sneak up on her.  Sark should know better.  She was always hyperaware of her surroundings and if anything seemed off, she would investigate.  She waited there, placing a bookmark into her book.  Sark appeared in the doorway, Sydney close behind.

"I was wondering when you'd make it back here, Julian.  You're a bit later that I'd predicted."

"Family reunions can be a bit draining, Irina."

Irina lowered her eyes, "You know, then."

"About my mother?  Yes.  My father was very informative on that front.  But that isn't why we came."

Irina shook her head as she slipped out of the bed.  She wrapped a robe around her body before continuing the conversation.
"No, I didn't think it was."

"How long have you been working for The Covenant?"

"Several years, dear boy.  I was 33 when I was recruited by your mother's father."

"And you decided to worship the work of Rambaldi."

"I don't worship anything.  I simply acknowledged that Rambaldi was a genius and a prophet and decided to join The Covenant to bring forth his works."

"Sounds like you worshipped him to me."  Sydney said from the background.  Irina didn't respond, simply waited for the next question.  Sydney brushed past Sark, leaving an awkward tension between the two.  Sydney gazed at Sark for a moment, Irina picking up on it immediately.  He shot her a look, a mixture of heat and ice, confusing to Sydney and Sark both.  Irina allowed the satisfaction of knowing she'd been right about the two wash over her before Sydney continued the questioning.

"You knew where I was the last two years!"

"I knew you were the woman in The Prophecy, Sydney.  I knew that Arvin planned on using you for it.  I wasn't aware that you were to be brainwashed, though, until after it had occurred.  I couldn't change it after that, so I simply let things play out the way it was told."

"And you pretended that you didn't know about me being Julia Thorne."

"Yes.  What did you want me to tell you, Sydney?"

"Maybe why I was kidnapped and brainwashed.  What this unreal Prophecy is.  How you could let it happen.  How you were a member of The Covenant.  I could continue if you would like, but I believe you understand my point."

"Yes, I do."

Sydney turned to Sark.  "Did you know she was a Covenant member this whole time?"

Sark seemed surprised at her sudden turn on him.  She hadn't even asked him about it before.  She hadn't even let on that she suspected he was in on it.  Now she decided to do it in front of Irina.

"No, Sydney, I didn't.  I didn't know about The Covenant at all until you were ready to ship me off to them."

Sydney bit her lip so hard it drew blood as she considered what Sark had said.  She didn't know if she should believe him.  She wasn't even sure why she'd decided to ask Sark if he'd known about Irina.  She'd just been asking Irina about all the betrayal she'd put Sydney through and suddenly Sydney wondered if Sark was in on it.  For all she knew, he was part of The Covenant as well.  But he proved a point.  He hadn't looked forward to being given to The Covenant, so he mustn't have known.  Sydney nodded at him and turned back to Irina.

"You mentioned The Prophecy a lot, Mom.  What is it?"

A noise from the doorway alerted all three inside the bedroom. 

"Yes, Irina, do tell us what The Prophecy is."