Chapter 8: Scheming
AN: Just to avoid any confusion, Kate's real name is Tatiana. It's the name Irina and all the Covenant people know her by.
***
She had sobbed on the last night of her childhood, a sixteen-year-old girl held in her mother's arms. Her small suitcase was packed; the next morning she would leave to begin training as a KGB agent at the "request" of Agent Alexander Khasinau. That had been the last time that anyone had seen her cry, and the last time she had cried for herself.
She had cried six times since then. Once at Sydney's birth, for a child brought into a world of deception by a mother who would one day betray her. Once at Tatiana's birth, for a child who would never know her father or her sister. Once at Tatiana's death. Once at Sydney's death. Once, three months ago, at the news that Sydney lived. And now she cried again as she gazed at the rough piece of paper with smudged words written in charcoal. Merry Christmas, Mama. I love you. Come home soon, it said in Russian. A letter written, properly addressed, and sent by a four-year-old. She had never had a chance to respond to that letter, and she had never seen Tatiana's face again. Until last night.
She still wasn't sure that the woman she had seen was Tatiana. But she thought she had seen recognition in the other's eyes. It was possible, and it was enough to get her to begin to search.
But first, Jack had to be told. He was supposed to contact her tonight. She couldn't tell him over the computer, of course, so she would have to find a way to see him that wouldn't be impossibly dangerous for both of them. She looked at her watch. She had twelve hours to think of something.
***
"Two?" the waiter asked.
"Three," Sydney said. "Someone else will be joining us." She didn't look back at her father for the look of surprise she knew would be there. "We'd like a booth, please."
As soon as they were seated and the waiter was gone, Jack turned to Sydney. "Who else is coming, and why?"
"You remember Kate Brown, the new agent that you met yesterday?"
"Vaguely."
Sydney took a deep breath. She and Kate had agreed that she would tell Jack before Kate showed up, but she still felt strange. "Mom was pregnant when she left. Kate's my sister and your daughter."
Jack stared at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"She looks like you. And she's got a wedding picture of you and Mom." When Jack didn't say anything, she said, "She used to work for the Covenant. She's the one that saved my life in Munich." Sydney was quite sure that her father wouldn't be spying for the Covenant, so she had told him what happened in Munich.
"Godd*** it," Jack said. "How the h*** could Irina not tell me?"
"She probably thinks I'm dead," said a voice from beside the table. They looked up to see Kate standing there. She slid into the booth next to Sydney. "We were both working for the KGB for four years; since I didn't see her or hear from her at all, I can only assume that they made her believe I was dead."
Jack stared at Kate for a good thirty seconds without saying anything. Then he said, "You do look like me. How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"That would have made you about nine when the Soviet Union fell. How were you a KGB agent?" Jack asked.
"Project Medea. They were training children to be spies," Kate said.
Jack started to speak, but halted when the waiter showed up. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked. They all ordered water and waited for him to leave.
As soon as he was gone, Jack said, "I suppose your mother signed you up for Project Medea." As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. Sydney was glaring at him, no doubt thinking that it wasn't much worse than what he had done to her. Kate just looked confused.
"I'm pretty sure Mama didn't know about it," she said. "All the children in Russia were tested."
"I'm sorry," Jack said. "I was overreacting."
He blinked as identical expressions appeared on Sydney and Kate's faces, followed by identical shrugs. "I was pretty shocked when I found out, too," Sydney said.
The waiter appeared again with their waters and then asked to take their orders. They hadn't even glanced at the menu, but they didn't want him to come back, so they all just ordered the special.
Kate looked at her water glass, which had a lemon slice on the rim. "I could have sworn I said no lemon," she said. Then, while Jack and Sydney watched in confusion, she tore off a portion of her napkin, used it to remove the lemon, and wiped the rim of the glass where it had been. When she saw their expressions, she laughed. "I can't eat lemons," she said. "They make me throw up. Even a little bit of juice is enough to give me a really bad stomach ache."
"My mother had the same problem," Jack said. He took a deep breath. "Kate, I'm not saying you're lying or anything, but I really think we should run a genetic comparison, just to make sure. I'll need a hair sample from you, and Sydney, you should probably give me one too just so we can be really sure."
"Good idea. In fact, I was thinking the same thing," Kate said. She removed three tiny plastic bags and a small pair of scissors from her purse. They took turns cutting off bits of each other's hair and putting them in the bags. The waiter came with their food just as they were finishing up; he probably thought they were rather strange, but he didn't say anything. As they started eating, Kate said, "Sydney said you know how to contact Mama?"
Jack nodded. "I'm scheduled to contact her tonight. I'd rather not discuss this over the computer, but arranging a meeting could be difficult. It's easy enough to slip my surveillance to go somewhere in L.A., but a trip out of the country is out of the question."
"They're watching me too," Sydney said.
"Me three," said Kate. "But I bet they're not watching your houses when you're not there. She could come in while you're at work, and you just go home; you don't even have to slip your tail."
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I can't believe I never thought of that," he said. "If we'd been doing that two years ago instead of meeting in various cities, I might not have gotten caught."
Kate nodded; Sydney had told her about how Jack had been imprisoned for being in contact with Irina. "I'm still staying in the hotel Dixon sent me to, so that's probably not a good idea."
"Weiss lives right underneath me, so my apartment's out," Sydney said. "But Dad, your house would be perfect." Jack still lived in the house where Sydney had grown up; it was close to the city, but secluded enough that someone could sneak in without too much trouble. "But do you think she'd be able to get into the country?"
"She's never seemed to have a problem before," Jack said. "I'll set it up with her tonight. But how are you two going to get their without arousing suspicion?"
Sydney looked at Kate. "I can take you apartment hunting," she said, "or shopping if you've found a place by then. I'll make sure Dad's house is between us and your hotel when we're done and say I need to stop by and pick something up."
"And if anyone asks why you were there for so long, I'll say I invited you for dinner," Jack said. "It's so simple it just might work."
The waiter showed up with their check and took their plates. Once again, they all sat in uncomfortable silence while he was there. Once he was gone, Kate said, "We should get going."
The others nodded and got up to leave. As they stood up, Sydney happened to glance out the window to see an unpleasantly familiar face. "Sh**," she said. "What's Lindsey doing here?"
Kate looked up and bit back a gasp of shock. Sydney had told her of his rather obsessive behavior in sending their father to prison and trying to hunt down their mother; now it suddenly made sense.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon," Jack said before paying the bill.
"I'm just going to stop in the restroom," Kate said. "You two go on without me." A few minutes later, on the way out of the restaurant, Kate surreptitiously swiped a lemon slice from a table waiting to be cleared. Once on the street, she sucked down a mouthful of lemon juice, then threw the slice in a nearby trash can before heading back to CIA headquarters.
***
A phone call was placed from Berlin to Zurich on a secured line. "Tell me you have good news, Mr. Kresniev," said Arvin Sloane when he answered.
"I'm afraid not, sir. Irina Derevko got away again."
"How, exactly, did that happen, Mr. Kresniev?"
"The CIA showed up. They captured Kosovich. They're looking for Derevko in Brazil, but I rather doubt they'll find her."
"I have no doubts that Irina Derevko is long gone from Brazil. May I remind you, Mr. Kresniev, that you are working on borrowed time? You assured me two months ago that Derevko was dead. I want her head on a platter. If I don't get it soon, I might settle for yours," Sloane said.
"I understand, sir," said Kresniev.
"I suppose you are also going to tell me that you have made no progress in locating Tatiana Derevko."
"I haven't, sir. My asset in the U.S. government is watching for her, but he's seen no signs."
"Your asset in the U.S. is completely incompetent. I have no doubt that the CIA suspect a leak due to his flagrant manipulations. I would suggest you find another method of looking for her. You have your work cut out for you, Mr. Kresniev." Sloane hung up the phone and sighed. Things were not going as well as he had hoped. He wasn't terribly concerned about Tatiana-she would show up soon, most likely in Los Angeles, and figure out her relationship to the Bristows. Irina was another matter entirely. Had he not been assured that she was dead, Sloane would never have allowed Sydney and Tatiana to meet. Kresniev had better eliminate Irina soon. If the three women got together, they could very well ruin everything.
***
Next: Due to the fact that this chapter turned out really long, the throwing up and dying have been postponed to the next chapter.
AN: Just to avoid any confusion, Kate's real name is Tatiana. It's the name Irina and all the Covenant people know her by.
***
She had sobbed on the last night of her childhood, a sixteen-year-old girl held in her mother's arms. Her small suitcase was packed; the next morning she would leave to begin training as a KGB agent at the "request" of Agent Alexander Khasinau. That had been the last time that anyone had seen her cry, and the last time she had cried for herself.
She had cried six times since then. Once at Sydney's birth, for a child brought into a world of deception by a mother who would one day betray her. Once at Tatiana's birth, for a child who would never know her father or her sister. Once at Tatiana's death. Once at Sydney's death. Once, three months ago, at the news that Sydney lived. And now she cried again as she gazed at the rough piece of paper with smudged words written in charcoal. Merry Christmas, Mama. I love you. Come home soon, it said in Russian. A letter written, properly addressed, and sent by a four-year-old. She had never had a chance to respond to that letter, and she had never seen Tatiana's face again. Until last night.
She still wasn't sure that the woman she had seen was Tatiana. But she thought she had seen recognition in the other's eyes. It was possible, and it was enough to get her to begin to search.
But first, Jack had to be told. He was supposed to contact her tonight. She couldn't tell him over the computer, of course, so she would have to find a way to see him that wouldn't be impossibly dangerous for both of them. She looked at her watch. She had twelve hours to think of something.
***
"Two?" the waiter asked.
"Three," Sydney said. "Someone else will be joining us." She didn't look back at her father for the look of surprise she knew would be there. "We'd like a booth, please."
As soon as they were seated and the waiter was gone, Jack turned to Sydney. "Who else is coming, and why?"
"You remember Kate Brown, the new agent that you met yesterday?"
"Vaguely."
Sydney took a deep breath. She and Kate had agreed that she would tell Jack before Kate showed up, but she still felt strange. "Mom was pregnant when she left. Kate's my sister and your daughter."
Jack stared at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"She looks like you. And she's got a wedding picture of you and Mom." When Jack didn't say anything, she said, "She used to work for the Covenant. She's the one that saved my life in Munich." Sydney was quite sure that her father wouldn't be spying for the Covenant, so she had told him what happened in Munich.
"Godd*** it," Jack said. "How the h*** could Irina not tell me?"
"She probably thinks I'm dead," said a voice from beside the table. They looked up to see Kate standing there. She slid into the booth next to Sydney. "We were both working for the KGB for four years; since I didn't see her or hear from her at all, I can only assume that they made her believe I was dead."
Jack stared at Kate for a good thirty seconds without saying anything. Then he said, "You do look like me. How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"That would have made you about nine when the Soviet Union fell. How were you a KGB agent?" Jack asked.
"Project Medea. They were training children to be spies," Kate said.
Jack started to speak, but halted when the waiter showed up. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked. They all ordered water and waited for him to leave.
As soon as he was gone, Jack said, "I suppose your mother signed you up for Project Medea." As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. Sydney was glaring at him, no doubt thinking that it wasn't much worse than what he had done to her. Kate just looked confused.
"I'm pretty sure Mama didn't know about it," she said. "All the children in Russia were tested."
"I'm sorry," Jack said. "I was overreacting."
He blinked as identical expressions appeared on Sydney and Kate's faces, followed by identical shrugs. "I was pretty shocked when I found out, too," Sydney said.
The waiter appeared again with their waters and then asked to take their orders. They hadn't even glanced at the menu, but they didn't want him to come back, so they all just ordered the special.
Kate looked at her water glass, which had a lemon slice on the rim. "I could have sworn I said no lemon," she said. Then, while Jack and Sydney watched in confusion, she tore off a portion of her napkin, used it to remove the lemon, and wiped the rim of the glass where it had been. When she saw their expressions, she laughed. "I can't eat lemons," she said. "They make me throw up. Even a little bit of juice is enough to give me a really bad stomach ache."
"My mother had the same problem," Jack said. He took a deep breath. "Kate, I'm not saying you're lying or anything, but I really think we should run a genetic comparison, just to make sure. I'll need a hair sample from you, and Sydney, you should probably give me one too just so we can be really sure."
"Good idea. In fact, I was thinking the same thing," Kate said. She removed three tiny plastic bags and a small pair of scissors from her purse. They took turns cutting off bits of each other's hair and putting them in the bags. The waiter came with their food just as they were finishing up; he probably thought they were rather strange, but he didn't say anything. As they started eating, Kate said, "Sydney said you know how to contact Mama?"
Jack nodded. "I'm scheduled to contact her tonight. I'd rather not discuss this over the computer, but arranging a meeting could be difficult. It's easy enough to slip my surveillance to go somewhere in L.A., but a trip out of the country is out of the question."
"They're watching me too," Sydney said.
"Me three," said Kate. "But I bet they're not watching your houses when you're not there. She could come in while you're at work, and you just go home; you don't even have to slip your tail."
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I can't believe I never thought of that," he said. "If we'd been doing that two years ago instead of meeting in various cities, I might not have gotten caught."
Kate nodded; Sydney had told her about how Jack had been imprisoned for being in contact with Irina. "I'm still staying in the hotel Dixon sent me to, so that's probably not a good idea."
"Weiss lives right underneath me, so my apartment's out," Sydney said. "But Dad, your house would be perfect." Jack still lived in the house where Sydney had grown up; it was close to the city, but secluded enough that someone could sneak in without too much trouble. "But do you think she'd be able to get into the country?"
"She's never seemed to have a problem before," Jack said. "I'll set it up with her tonight. But how are you two going to get their without arousing suspicion?"
Sydney looked at Kate. "I can take you apartment hunting," she said, "or shopping if you've found a place by then. I'll make sure Dad's house is between us and your hotel when we're done and say I need to stop by and pick something up."
"And if anyone asks why you were there for so long, I'll say I invited you for dinner," Jack said. "It's so simple it just might work."
The waiter showed up with their check and took their plates. Once again, they all sat in uncomfortable silence while he was there. Once he was gone, Kate said, "We should get going."
The others nodded and got up to leave. As they stood up, Sydney happened to glance out the window to see an unpleasantly familiar face. "Sh**," she said. "What's Lindsey doing here?"
Kate looked up and bit back a gasp of shock. Sydney had told her of his rather obsessive behavior in sending their father to prison and trying to hunt down their mother; now it suddenly made sense.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon," Jack said before paying the bill.
"I'm just going to stop in the restroom," Kate said. "You two go on without me." A few minutes later, on the way out of the restaurant, Kate surreptitiously swiped a lemon slice from a table waiting to be cleared. Once on the street, she sucked down a mouthful of lemon juice, then threw the slice in a nearby trash can before heading back to CIA headquarters.
***
A phone call was placed from Berlin to Zurich on a secured line. "Tell me you have good news, Mr. Kresniev," said Arvin Sloane when he answered.
"I'm afraid not, sir. Irina Derevko got away again."
"How, exactly, did that happen, Mr. Kresniev?"
"The CIA showed up. They captured Kosovich. They're looking for Derevko in Brazil, but I rather doubt they'll find her."
"I have no doubts that Irina Derevko is long gone from Brazil. May I remind you, Mr. Kresniev, that you are working on borrowed time? You assured me two months ago that Derevko was dead. I want her head on a platter. If I don't get it soon, I might settle for yours," Sloane said.
"I understand, sir," said Kresniev.
"I suppose you are also going to tell me that you have made no progress in locating Tatiana Derevko."
"I haven't, sir. My asset in the U.S. government is watching for her, but he's seen no signs."
"Your asset in the U.S. is completely incompetent. I have no doubt that the CIA suspect a leak due to his flagrant manipulations. I would suggest you find another method of looking for her. You have your work cut out for you, Mr. Kresniev." Sloane hung up the phone and sighed. Things were not going as well as he had hoped. He wasn't terribly concerned about Tatiana-she would show up soon, most likely in Los Angeles, and figure out her relationship to the Bristows. Irina was another matter entirely. Had he not been assured that she was dead, Sloane would never have allowed Sydney and Tatiana to meet. Kresniev had better eliminate Irina soon. If the three women got together, they could very well ruin everything.
***
Next: Due to the fact that this chapter turned out really long, the throwing up and dying have been postponed to the next chapter.