Chapter 24
Irina stared at her daughter for a moment. She'd been afraid of this. "Sydney, sit down. Let's talk."
"No!" Sydney yelled. "I want to know why the hell you didn't tell me that we were in contact! Did you do this, make me forget? Are you responsible for what happened to me? I was just starting to think that maybe I could finally trust you!" She burst into tears and turned away, leaning against the doorframe.
Irina started to get up, but Jack grabbed her shoulder. "Is this true? All the time we were working together, you knew?"
Sydney must have remembered something to bring this on, Irina thought. She decided she would have to give Sydney at least a sketchy outline of what had happened to her, even though it meant breaking her promise. She turned to Jack first, since he wasn't currently hysterical. "No, Jack. I didn't find out she was alive until after you were in prison."
Tatiana hurried in, drawn by Sydney's shouts. She glanced briefly at her parents, then turned to Sydney. "Sydney?" She put a hand on her sister's shoulder.
Sydney turned to Tatiana, tears streaming down her face. "She knew. Mom knew. I saw her, talked to her."
"What happened? Did you remember something?" Tatiana asked.
Sydney nodded. "I was in her office, and there was a picture of you. I asked her about it. She told me about you. But that's all I can remember!" She turned to Irina. "Why, Mom?"
"I didn't tell you because you asked me not to," Irina said.
"What? I.I don't understand." Sydney stumbled over the words.
"Sit down, Sydney."
Sydney went to the table and sat down somewhat reluctantly. "I asked you.I knew that I was going to lose my memories?"
"Yes. You chose to have your memories erased."
"Why would I do that?"
Irina frowned and considered for a moment. "Let me start at the beginning." Sydney nodded. "About a year after your apparent death, before I knew that your father was in prison, you and I were brought together by an old friend of mine. You told me what had happened to you." She took a deep breath. "The Covenant captured you that night, after you discovered Allison Doren. They." Irina broke off and swallowed hard. "They tried to brainwash you. They tortured you for nine months."
Sydney's hand went to her mouth. She had expected something like that, but hadn't really wanted to have it confirmed. Tatiana took one of Sydney's hands and squeezed it. "They brainwashed me?"
"They tried. You were able to resist while convincing them that they were successful." Irina glanced at Jack. "Most likely because of your father's use of Project Christmas when you were a child."
"Dad, you brainwashed me so that I couldn't be brainwashed?" Sydney asked. Jack nodded.
Everyone looked at Irina again. She continued, "After nine months the Covenant believed that you thought of yourself as a freelancer named Julia Thorne. They gave you some freedom, and you contacted Kendall."
Sydney gasped. "Kendall knew? Who else?"
Jack clenched his fists. "Kendall didn't bother to tell me about it."
"Kendall told you that he would tell your father and Agent Vaughn that you were alive. He didn't tell your father, obviously, and presumably he kept Vaughn in the dark as well, but you didn't find that out until you met with me three months later. In the meantime, you were basically a double agent in the Covenant for the U.S. government."
"And after I found out that Kendall had been lying to me?"
"You kept meeting with Kendall, but you didn't tell him you were in contact with me. I helped you carry out your assignments."
"What kind of assignments?" Sydney asked.
"Most of the time I was in contact with you, you were working on finding a Rambaldi artifact. The Covenant wanted you to give it to them, and Kendall wanted you to give it to him. I helped you find it, and we destroyed it."
Sydney raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You destroyed a Rambaldi artifact? What was it?"
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"Mom!"
"Sydney, let me finish." Sydney frowned, but nodded. "We found the artifact about a month before you woke up in Hong Kong. Those two years were.very difficult for you, to say the least. And we couldn't think of a way to get you out and away from the Covenant." She paused. "You found a doctor who had been doing research on memories. He believed that he had found a way to erase someone's most recent memories, as far back as they chose. It was very risky, and I tried to talk you out of it, but you decided to go through with the procedure. Before you went, you made me promise that I wouldn't tell you anything about that time."
"So why tell me now?"
"You remembered something, so obviously the procedure didn't work perfectly. You're likely to remember more. Now you'll at least be able to place what you do remember."
Sydney was silent for a moment. "Why didn't Kendall tell me he knew?"
"I don't know. I suppose you must have asked him not to tell you as well."
"I.I need some time to think about all this. I'll be in my room."
Irina stared at her daughter for a moment. She'd been afraid of this. "Sydney, sit down. Let's talk."
"No!" Sydney yelled. "I want to know why the hell you didn't tell me that we were in contact! Did you do this, make me forget? Are you responsible for what happened to me? I was just starting to think that maybe I could finally trust you!" She burst into tears and turned away, leaning against the doorframe.
Irina started to get up, but Jack grabbed her shoulder. "Is this true? All the time we were working together, you knew?"
Sydney must have remembered something to bring this on, Irina thought. She decided she would have to give Sydney at least a sketchy outline of what had happened to her, even though it meant breaking her promise. She turned to Jack first, since he wasn't currently hysterical. "No, Jack. I didn't find out she was alive until after you were in prison."
Tatiana hurried in, drawn by Sydney's shouts. She glanced briefly at her parents, then turned to Sydney. "Sydney?" She put a hand on her sister's shoulder.
Sydney turned to Tatiana, tears streaming down her face. "She knew. Mom knew. I saw her, talked to her."
"What happened? Did you remember something?" Tatiana asked.
Sydney nodded. "I was in her office, and there was a picture of you. I asked her about it. She told me about you. But that's all I can remember!" She turned to Irina. "Why, Mom?"
"I didn't tell you because you asked me not to," Irina said.
"What? I.I don't understand." Sydney stumbled over the words.
"Sit down, Sydney."
Sydney went to the table and sat down somewhat reluctantly. "I asked you.I knew that I was going to lose my memories?"
"Yes. You chose to have your memories erased."
"Why would I do that?"
Irina frowned and considered for a moment. "Let me start at the beginning." Sydney nodded. "About a year after your apparent death, before I knew that your father was in prison, you and I were brought together by an old friend of mine. You told me what had happened to you." She took a deep breath. "The Covenant captured you that night, after you discovered Allison Doren. They." Irina broke off and swallowed hard. "They tried to brainwash you. They tortured you for nine months."
Sydney's hand went to her mouth. She had expected something like that, but hadn't really wanted to have it confirmed. Tatiana took one of Sydney's hands and squeezed it. "They brainwashed me?"
"They tried. You were able to resist while convincing them that they were successful." Irina glanced at Jack. "Most likely because of your father's use of Project Christmas when you were a child."
"Dad, you brainwashed me so that I couldn't be brainwashed?" Sydney asked. Jack nodded.
Everyone looked at Irina again. She continued, "After nine months the Covenant believed that you thought of yourself as a freelancer named Julia Thorne. They gave you some freedom, and you contacted Kendall."
Sydney gasped. "Kendall knew? Who else?"
Jack clenched his fists. "Kendall didn't bother to tell me about it."
"Kendall told you that he would tell your father and Agent Vaughn that you were alive. He didn't tell your father, obviously, and presumably he kept Vaughn in the dark as well, but you didn't find that out until you met with me three months later. In the meantime, you were basically a double agent in the Covenant for the U.S. government."
"And after I found out that Kendall had been lying to me?"
"You kept meeting with Kendall, but you didn't tell him you were in contact with me. I helped you carry out your assignments."
"What kind of assignments?" Sydney asked.
"Most of the time I was in contact with you, you were working on finding a Rambaldi artifact. The Covenant wanted you to give it to them, and Kendall wanted you to give it to him. I helped you find it, and we destroyed it."
Sydney raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You destroyed a Rambaldi artifact? What was it?"
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"Mom!"
"Sydney, let me finish." Sydney frowned, but nodded. "We found the artifact about a month before you woke up in Hong Kong. Those two years were.very difficult for you, to say the least. And we couldn't think of a way to get you out and away from the Covenant." She paused. "You found a doctor who had been doing research on memories. He believed that he had found a way to erase someone's most recent memories, as far back as they chose. It was very risky, and I tried to talk you out of it, but you decided to go through with the procedure. Before you went, you made me promise that I wouldn't tell you anything about that time."
"So why tell me now?"
"You remembered something, so obviously the procedure didn't work perfectly. You're likely to remember more. Now you'll at least be able to place what you do remember."
Sydney was silent for a moment. "Why didn't Kendall tell me he knew?"
"I don't know. I suppose you must have asked him not to tell you as well."
"I.I need some time to think about all this. I'll be in my room."