Chapter 28
Sydney and Tatiana had gone back to the Rambaldi manuscript while waiting for the food; as they deciphered it, they both tried to ignore the noises coming from their parents' bedroom.
The doorbell rang, and Sydney got up to answer it, knowing that Tatiana couldn't be seen. She came back in a moment with the Chinese food. "Should we start without them?"
"Of course," Tatiana answered. "It could be hours before they come back down."
Sydney nodded, and they dug in.
Jack and Irina came down a few minutes later, and their daughters looked up in surprise. "We thought you'd be up there all day," Tatiana said with a grin.
"We smelled the food," Jack said as he and Irina found their orders.
Irina noticed the new additions to the Rambaldi notes. "Find anything interesting?"
"Yeah, Rambaldi says, 'My descendants shall be incorrigible sex fiends,'" Tatiana said with a grin.
Sydney rolled her eyes, Jack's ears turned a bit pink, and Irina just chuckled. "Be nice. It's been awhile for both of us," she said.
"TMI, Mom," Sydney groaned.
"TMI?" Irina asked.
"Too much information," Sydney and Tatiana said together.
Irina pointed at Tatiana with her chopsticks. "She was the one that brought the subject up."
"Why don't we change the subject?" Jack said. "Let's talk about chess. Tatiana, do you play?"
Tatiana shrugged. "I can."
"Want to play a game after we eat?" It was a good way to get Tatiana alone to talk to her about Sergei, Jack thought. He'd go easy on her so she didn't lose too fast.
"Sure." Tatiana turned back to her food. She hoped her father didn't mind losing.
***
Arvin Sloane answered his private phone line. "Yes?"
"This is Kresniev, sir. I have good news and bad news."
"Let's have the good news first."
"We've located Irina Derevko's private plane." That was good news, Sloane thought, until Kresniev continued, "It's been in the hangar at a small airport just outside Los Angeles since Friday afternoon." Sloane cursed silently. "Sir, the plane could be rigged to explode upon takeoff if you like."
Arvin gripped his glass tightly, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. Why the hell couldn't he get good help? He missed the good old days when Jack Bristow had been his right-hand man; Jack could actually get a job done right. "Mr. Kresniev," he said in a low-pitched, deceptively calm voice, "remind me of the conditions I set down for the death of Irina Derevko after that debacle in Prague two months ago."
"The body must be clearly identifiable, there must be little or no collateral damage, and you want to view the body personally," Kresniev recited. "But sir, this is a wonderful opportunity...it wouldn't be much trouble to plant a bomb..."
"Mr. Kresniev. First, we wouldn't want to make assumptions again. Second, if you can plant a bomb, you can plant a tracking device. And third, there is a distinct possibility that Irina will meet up with one or both of her daughters while she is in Los Angeles; it would be disastrous if you were to blow up one of them. Plant a tracking device, watch the plane by satellite, but take out Derevko only if you have a clear and certain opportunity. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. You said you had other news?"
"Robert Lindsey is dead. He was found in his hotel room with his Covenant contact; they'd both had their throats cut. The U.S. government is investigating Lindsey as a traitor."
"Who killed him?"
"No one seems to know that, sir. Unfortunately, with our U.S. information source gone, I was unable to get more specifics on his murder."
"I see. I believe it's time to activate our backup contact."
"Immediately?"
"Yes. Get information on Lindsey's murder, and have our new contact watch out for Tatiana, but nothing else. We want the CIA to believe that the leak has been plugged."
"Yes, Mr. Sloane."
Sydney and Tatiana had gone back to the Rambaldi manuscript while waiting for the food; as they deciphered it, they both tried to ignore the noises coming from their parents' bedroom.
The doorbell rang, and Sydney got up to answer it, knowing that Tatiana couldn't be seen. She came back in a moment with the Chinese food. "Should we start without them?"
"Of course," Tatiana answered. "It could be hours before they come back down."
Sydney nodded, and they dug in.
Jack and Irina came down a few minutes later, and their daughters looked up in surprise. "We thought you'd be up there all day," Tatiana said with a grin.
"We smelled the food," Jack said as he and Irina found their orders.
Irina noticed the new additions to the Rambaldi notes. "Find anything interesting?"
"Yeah, Rambaldi says, 'My descendants shall be incorrigible sex fiends,'" Tatiana said with a grin.
Sydney rolled her eyes, Jack's ears turned a bit pink, and Irina just chuckled. "Be nice. It's been awhile for both of us," she said.
"TMI, Mom," Sydney groaned.
"TMI?" Irina asked.
"Too much information," Sydney and Tatiana said together.
Irina pointed at Tatiana with her chopsticks. "She was the one that brought the subject up."
"Why don't we change the subject?" Jack said. "Let's talk about chess. Tatiana, do you play?"
Tatiana shrugged. "I can."
"Want to play a game after we eat?" It was a good way to get Tatiana alone to talk to her about Sergei, Jack thought. He'd go easy on her so she didn't lose too fast.
"Sure." Tatiana turned back to her food. She hoped her father didn't mind losing.
***
Arvin Sloane answered his private phone line. "Yes?"
"This is Kresniev, sir. I have good news and bad news."
"Let's have the good news first."
"We've located Irina Derevko's private plane." That was good news, Sloane thought, until Kresniev continued, "It's been in the hangar at a small airport just outside Los Angeles since Friday afternoon." Sloane cursed silently. "Sir, the plane could be rigged to explode upon takeoff if you like."
Arvin gripped his glass tightly, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. Why the hell couldn't he get good help? He missed the good old days when Jack Bristow had been his right-hand man; Jack could actually get a job done right. "Mr. Kresniev," he said in a low-pitched, deceptively calm voice, "remind me of the conditions I set down for the death of Irina Derevko after that debacle in Prague two months ago."
"The body must be clearly identifiable, there must be little or no collateral damage, and you want to view the body personally," Kresniev recited. "But sir, this is a wonderful opportunity...it wouldn't be much trouble to plant a bomb..."
"Mr. Kresniev. First, we wouldn't want to make assumptions again. Second, if you can plant a bomb, you can plant a tracking device. And third, there is a distinct possibility that Irina will meet up with one or both of her daughters while she is in Los Angeles; it would be disastrous if you were to blow up one of them. Plant a tracking device, watch the plane by satellite, but take out Derevko only if you have a clear and certain opportunity. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. You said you had other news?"
"Robert Lindsey is dead. He was found in his hotel room with his Covenant contact; they'd both had their throats cut. The U.S. government is investigating Lindsey as a traitor."
"Who killed him?"
"No one seems to know that, sir. Unfortunately, with our U.S. information source gone, I was unable to get more specifics on his murder."
"I see. I believe it's time to activate our backup contact."
"Immediately?"
"Yes. Get information on Lindsey's murder, and have our new contact watch out for Tatiana, but nothing else. We want the CIA to believe that the leak has been plugged."
"Yes, Mr. Sloane."