Chapter 9
Agent Sidney Bristow hung up her call from Jarod. They had agreed on a time and place to meet. She just hoped that the man the Centre had referred to as a 'Pretender', would listen to what she had to say and maybe help. She handed the phone back to Sydney. He took it but watched her.
'What?' she asked him.
'Something about Jarod's call disturbed you?' he asked.
Sidney smiled at him. Oh, he was a shrink alright!
'No, not really. I'm sure the meeting will be fine. I guess I'm just thinking about how he's going to feel about those DSA's. I have no choice but to take him copies to see. Otherwise he will never believe me, Sydney.'
Sydney nodded sadly, looking away. Agent Bristow sat down across from him again.
'If you could tell me anything else from that time...anything that might help us find this boy that you claim is Jarod and Ms. Parker's son...and maybe help Jarod forgive you, you might want to tell me now.'
Sydney shook his head.
'What there to say? I had no idea anything was going on...though... Jarod's simulations became unfocused and sloppy. He was daydreaming a lot....I should've recognized the signs.'
Sidney smiled.
'Of a teenager being in love for the first time?' she asked.
'I was so afraid to let myself feel anything...after my brother died...then I lost the woman I loved...I just had forgotten what it felt like. I should've protected him...but after it was over...Jarod completely forgot the time he spent with Ms. Parker. And vice versa, though hers was a bit more difficult.'
'What do you mean?'
Sydney cleared his throat.
'I mean that Jarod was injected with the drug the minute Mr. Parker found out what was going on. If Jarod had not been so valuable to the Centre, I do believe Mr. Parker would've had the poor boy shot on the spot! But Ms. Parker....wasn't given the drug until after her baby was born. It is on the DSA's. The baby was taken from her immediately after is was born, then she was injected, fixed up, and sent away to school, as if nothing had ever happened.'
'And the baby was kept at the Centre?' Sidney asked.
Sydney nodded.
'Yes...although I didn't know that at first. It wasn't until the Gemeni Project was revealed to be an ongoing thing, and I saw the clone, that I suspected he really wasn't one. I have not only let Ms. Parker and Jarod down, but that boy as well. Jarod and his father, Major Charles, made off with the boy, some years back. I do believe he's with Jarod's father, but where he is, is anyone's guess. Mr. Lyle had a make on him a few days ago, but that lead did not pan out.'
'There is a lot I don't understand about this whole thing,' Sidney asked, 'one of them being, why there are so many DSA's of Ms. Parker and Jarod in the first place? I mean, surely after the first time they were together, Mr. Parker should've been told, right? But from the little I've seen, this became a relationship. Why was it allowed to go on as long as it did?'
Sydney closed his eyes and shook his head.
'Back then, Dr. William Raines and Mr. Parker ran the Centre. And they are both dead. Only they know the answer to that.'
Agent Michael Vaughn came into the room.
'I hate to interrupt, but Mr. Lyle and a sweeper team are nosing around the area. How do you want to play this?' he asked.
Sidney stood up.
'Sydney is dead, as far as the New Centre is concerned. I couldn't go back there if they didn't believe that. But, I do have a meeting with Jarod tomorrow, one that I plan to keep.'
Vaughn folded his arms.
'If you're out of circulation that long...'
Sidney nodded quickly.
'I know. They're bound to get suspicious.'
Vaughn looked thoughtful.
'We already got rid of the sweeper car, so they shouldn't hang around long. As soon as they leave, you hightail it back to the Centre.'
'Excuse me, but you're going to need a little more than that.' Sydney interrupted. 'Tangible proof of my death, to be exact.'
Sidney looked from Sydney to Vaughn.
'Let's get Marshall in here. Get him to make copies of those DSA's. I'll tell Lyle that you had these on you when I killed you.'
Vaughn nodded.
'I'll get on that right away.' he said, eyeing Sydney, before leaving the room. Sydney looked after him, before looking at Agent Bristow.
'I can see how Jarod and you are related now.'
Sidney turned to look at him.
'Excuse me?'
Sydney raised a brow. The therapist in him, was curious about Ms. Bristow's true relationship with Irina Derevko. Surely, the young woman had to have abandonment issues? That and the fact that Derevko was a traitor to this country, had to have caused some emotional scarring, didn't it?
'I said,' Sydney repeated, 'that I can see how Jarod and you could be related. Surely, your mother told you?'
Sidney eased back into her chair.
'My mother told you that Jarod and I are related? In what way?'
'She came to me, claiming that she and Jarod's mother were sisters.'
'My mother doesn't have a sister!'
Sydney shrugged.
'That you know of. You were very young when you thought she died, Ms. Bristow. There is probably a lot about her life you know nothing about. In that, Jarod and you have a lot in common.'
Sidney Bristow looked away. Was that why Jarod had wanted to deal with her mother? She looked at Sydney again.
'Sloane hinted that my mother had been in touch with Jarod...that she might have been the one that helped Jarod, Ms. Parker and their baby get away.'
'Baby?!' Sydney cried, 'what baby?!'
Sidney almost flinched, at the shock and surprise she heard in the older man's voice. She covered his hand with her own.
'I guess someone forgot to tell you. Ms. Parker was pregnant when she had the accident and...'
'She was pregnant when whoever it was injected her with that drug?!'
Sidney began to feel a creeping panic filter throughout her system.
'I guess...I mean she had amnesia, Sydney. She probably had no idea Jarod was the father or where she came from herself or anything...'
Sydney squeezed her hand.
'Listen to me, Ms. Bristow. It is imperative that Jarod brings the baby back here!'
'Sydney, he calls, not the other way around. I'm meeting him back in Illinois tomorrow. He doesn't know to bring Abigail.'
'Abigail? That's her name?'
'Yes, Mr. Lyle found that all out when he spoke to Ms. Parker's husband in Chicago. ...what is going on here, Sydney?'
'Remember when I told you how Ms. Parker was not injected with that drug until AFTER she gave birth?'
'Yes. But I assumed that was because her father figured that if she was injected before, she might freak out at suddenly being pregnant and not knowing why...expecially at 17.'
'Mr. Parker was not the type of man to think of his daughter's welfare before The Centre. No, it was done because we proved, through various experiments, that a fetus exposed to this drug, would have 95% chance of not living past his or her third birthday.'
'You experimented on pregnant women?' Sidney asked with disgust.
'Look, there isn't time to rehash my sins! Your mother, and Jarod's brother, Ethan, are the only two people I know of, that know how to get ahold of Jarod. I will call Ethan.'
'If he's even using the same phone or number! And what would you tell him? Without those DSA'S...'
Sydney stood up.
'He knows that Ms. Parker was given this drug while she was pregnant. Jarod doesn't need to know now, about his other child, just that his second one won't live past her third birthday.'
Sidney Bristow stared at him, then nodded. Sydney began to punch numbers into his phone.
****
CICELY, ALASKA
Jarod watched, somewhat uncomfortably, as the pilot, Maggie O'Connell, pulled his luggage out of her small plane. He offered to help her, but she politely fluffed him off.
Jarod had already told Maggie that he would need her to fly him back to the airport tomorrow. She seemed puzzled by the quick turnaround, but he made sure she was compensated for her time. He got the impression money was not that important to her, but she stopped asking so many questions, and agreed to help him.
Jarod was curious and somewhat eager to meet his first cousin, Sidney Bristow. From the little he knew of her background and life, she had spent about as much time with her own mother, as he had his. While he was still a little wary of meeting her, Jarod sensed something good in her voice. He was 95% sure he could trust her. That, and she and the CIA claimed to be protecting Sydney.
The idea of the Centre going down, finally, gave him hope. Hope for the future.
Ethan had told him that there was no airport near Cicely, and in order to get in and out of the small town, one had to be piloted out to the nearest one.
Ethan had arranged for Maggie to pick him up in Anchorage. She was a very attractive and lively woman, with short, dark hair and lovely skin. She struck Jarod as very independent and sure of herself. Looking at her made him miss Ms. Parker all the more.
Maggie handed him his last piece of luggage, just as Ethan drove up in a jeep. He was talking on a cellphone. Jarod frowned. He had, on occasion, drove and talked on a cell, but all in all, he thought it was dangerous. He was uneasy with Ethan doing it, while Abigail was in the vehicle. Abigail was in the back of the jeep, in a car seat. It looked as if Ethan had also splurged and purchased his niece a pair of baby sunglasses. Jarod's heart swelled at the sight of her. She smiled at him, and he knew, that his daughter was beginning to know him as someone important in his life.
Maggie smiled, as she walked with Jarod to the jeep. Ethan got out and walked up to Maggie.
'Thanks alot for doing this. I know you said you weren't doing any pick ups today.'
'No problem. You said it was an emergency.' Maggie answered looking from Ethan to Jarod.
Ethan looked at Jarod, who had unbuckled Abigail out of her seat and picked her up. He was bouncing her up and down.
'Did you miss Daddy? Did you? I missed my little princess! Yes I did!'
Maggie smiled at the scene. Ethan looked a bit embarrassed. Yes, he did play with his niece like that, but not in public!
Ethan moved over to Jarod.
'Jarod, Sydney's on the phone here.'
Jarod eyed Ethan, then shuffled Abigail to one side, holding her with one arm. He then took the phone from Ethan and moved away from his brother and Maggie.
'Sydney? What's wrong? Agent Bristow told me that the CIA had you in a safe place...did she lie? Is something wrong?'
'Yes, Jarod. Something is wrong, but not what you think. When you meet Agent Bristow tomorrow, you'll need to bring Abigail.'
'No.' Jarod said firmly. Abigail pulled on his jacket collar.
'This is a matter of life and death now. You really should have told me about the baby before, Jarod.'
'I'm sorry if you're hurt, Sydney, but, you know I couldn't. The Centre would love to get their hands on her!'
Maggie O'Connell stood some distance away, but, sensed that something was wrong. Jarod's features and mannerisms were agitated.
'Yes, they would, Jarod. But this is not about the Centre. This is about your daughter's life! Ms. Parker was given that drug that caused her amnesia, when she was pregnant. The effects on your daughter are deadly. She may not show any signs now, but I'm telling you, she will not live to see her third birthday...not unless you let me help her.'
Jarod began to feel something in between shock and anger! Sydney had just told him that he would never get to see Abigail grow up. And not because he may end up imprisoned at the Centre, or even because his daughter may end up there. But because Abigail may die?! The concept was inconceivable!
'Why are you the only one that can help her, Sydney?' Jarod asked. A quiet fury was beginning to build, as he listened not to Sydney's words, so much as his tone. It was one of pure guilt.
Sydney was silent. Jarod pressed on.
'I mean, why can't I take her to a local hospital and get this taken care of? Damnit, Sydney, you answer me!'
Ethan took Abigail from Jarod, and Maggie moved closer to the fray. Ethan, seeing that Ms. O'Connell was just a wee bit too curious about what was going on, engaged her in conversation about Abigail.
'Jarod,' Sydney finally answered, 'it was my drug. I invented it...Raines and I...'
Jarod then heard the unbelievable sounds of Sydney weeping violently. His crying was soon replaced with Agent Bristow's voice.
'Jarod, it's Sidney Bristow...your first cousin...at least, according to my mother. I know this is so unfair and horrible...but I want you to keep your meeting with me tomorrow. Bring Abigail and Ms. Parker, and we will protect you within the walls of the CIA. Sydney will do what he can to reverse what's been done. But you have to trust me!'
Sidney didn't hear anything on the other end for a few moments. She wondered if Jarod had hung up on her.
'Jarod?'
'I'm still here. Ms. Parker, however, is not.'
'What? Why?'
'She, is who I wanted to talk about, Agent Bristow. Ms. Parker got the insane idea in her head, that if she just sold herself into a marriage with Arvin Sloane, she could get the Centre to forget about Abigail and me. She's probably back there as we speak!'
'Okay, okay. I'm going to get back over there then. You meet me back in our arranged place tomorrow, Jarod! I mean it! I know you're angry, but the only way to save Abigail right now, is for you to bring her to Sydney, and the CIA!'
Jarod hung up. He then looked over at Maggie, Ethan and Abigail. There was much more to what Sydney had been trying to tell him. Much more.
****
Ms. Parker walked into Sloane's office before him. He was using her father's former office!
She began to sit down in the nearest chair, when she noticed that they were not alone. Irina Derevko was standing in the corner, smiling.
Sloane noticed her, but did not look pleased or displeased to see her. Ms. Parker took out another cigarette and helped herself to the chair.
'Well, well, well! If it isn't 'Auntie Irina'? I had no idea you would be joining us?' Ms. Parker asked in a sneering tone.
Irina Derevko gave her a glib look, before eyeing Sloane. Sloane sat behind his desk and cut to the chase.
'Look, I know about Jarod and your daughter. I sent Irina Derevko to you, to bring you out of your amnesia.'
Ms. Parker glared at him.
'Amnesia that you were responsible for?'
Sloane fluffed her off.
'Look, we can discuss that later. What I want to know is, do I take it that you're being back here, means that you're willing to accept my marriage proposal? I mean, I can't tell you how hurt I was, when Mr. Lyle made you aware of my undying love for you, only to have you go running off and sleeping with one of the Centre experiments.'
Ms. Parker glanced over at Derevko. Her face was expressionless. Ms. Parker then inhaled.
'What I'm telling you, is that yes, I'm willing to marry you, give you the proper amount of obligatory sex, and maybe some extra, if I feel like it, if you stop hunting Jarod and my daughter.'
Sloane smoothed his tie.
'I know that you find me somewhat repulsive...'
'More than somewhat.'
'Anyway, how would you plan to give me this 'obligatory sex', since you hate me so much. Are you planning on pretending that I'm Jarod?'
Ms. Parker burst out laughing!
'Oh my! I haven't had a such a good laugh since...oh since I stopped having amnesia! No, Arvin dear, I plan on 'pretending' that I'm dead, you know, like how one can do when a bear is about to attack. You let it sniff you or whatever, until it finally goes away. Otherwise, the best I could do is think of someone that's the same height as you, which would be a good five feet shorter than me, that turns me on! But at this moment, I can't think about of anyone. So, do we have a deal?' Ms. Parker asked blithely. Irina Derevko turned away. Ms. Parker was good with those zingers, she had to give her that! She just couldn't see what Jarod and Ms. Parker saw in one another, since they were complete opposites.
Sloane grinned at her!
'Then I guess that will have to do...for now. I would want us to be married right away.'
'And I want your assurances that Jarod and my daughter will be left alone.'
Sloane nodded.
'Ms. Parker, I plan on leaving Irina here in charge of this place. It was always a little too small time for my tastes in the first place. I have many businesses and more exciting ventures going on in Zurich. I would like for us to make that our home.'
Irina spoke.
'I have no interest in keeping my nephew, or your daughter, prisoners here. You have my word.'
Ms. Parker stood up.
'I'll need a little more than that from a traitor and a woman who knows nothing about the joys of motherhood. When I am satisfied that my requirements have been met, I am all yours, Arvin. Until then, I'm going to go catch up with Broots and Sydney.'
Sloane eyed Irina, as Ms. Parker walked out of his office. Once in the hallway, she then stopped and leaned against a wall.
'I can do this. I can do this.' Ms. Parker said to herself, breathing in deeply. She then walked off towards her old office.
Meanwhile, back in Sloane's office, Irina Derevko asked Sloane if he wanted the DSA's she had found in Sydney's office, destroyed.
Sloane smiled again.
'No. I think they may give me some future leverage with my wife to be. Turn them all over to me by the end of the day.'
Irina eyed him.
'I'm curious, Arvin, as to how you think that what we saw on those DSA's, will help you control your future wife?'
'That's my concern, Irina. But now let me ask you a question: what makes you think that Jarod knows where his mother is?'
Irina gave him a grim look.
'I don't think he does. But what little he has found out, probably means more to me than him. If I could just get that from him, I could take it from there and find Marina.'
'And then what?' Sloane asked.
'And then kill her.' Irina said coldly.
Agent Sidney Bristow hung up her call from Jarod. They had agreed on a time and place to meet. She just hoped that the man the Centre had referred to as a 'Pretender', would listen to what she had to say and maybe help. She handed the phone back to Sydney. He took it but watched her.
'What?' she asked him.
'Something about Jarod's call disturbed you?' he asked.
Sidney smiled at him. Oh, he was a shrink alright!
'No, not really. I'm sure the meeting will be fine. I guess I'm just thinking about how he's going to feel about those DSA's. I have no choice but to take him copies to see. Otherwise he will never believe me, Sydney.'
Sydney nodded sadly, looking away. Agent Bristow sat down across from him again.
'If you could tell me anything else from that time...anything that might help us find this boy that you claim is Jarod and Ms. Parker's son...and maybe help Jarod forgive you, you might want to tell me now.'
Sydney shook his head.
'What there to say? I had no idea anything was going on...though... Jarod's simulations became unfocused and sloppy. He was daydreaming a lot....I should've recognized the signs.'
Sidney smiled.
'Of a teenager being in love for the first time?' she asked.
'I was so afraid to let myself feel anything...after my brother died...then I lost the woman I loved...I just had forgotten what it felt like. I should've protected him...but after it was over...Jarod completely forgot the time he spent with Ms. Parker. And vice versa, though hers was a bit more difficult.'
'What do you mean?'
Sydney cleared his throat.
'I mean that Jarod was injected with the drug the minute Mr. Parker found out what was going on. If Jarod had not been so valuable to the Centre, I do believe Mr. Parker would've had the poor boy shot on the spot! But Ms. Parker....wasn't given the drug until after her baby was born. It is on the DSA's. The baby was taken from her immediately after is was born, then she was injected, fixed up, and sent away to school, as if nothing had ever happened.'
'And the baby was kept at the Centre?' Sidney asked.
Sydney nodded.
'Yes...although I didn't know that at first. It wasn't until the Gemeni Project was revealed to be an ongoing thing, and I saw the clone, that I suspected he really wasn't one. I have not only let Ms. Parker and Jarod down, but that boy as well. Jarod and his father, Major Charles, made off with the boy, some years back. I do believe he's with Jarod's father, but where he is, is anyone's guess. Mr. Lyle had a make on him a few days ago, but that lead did not pan out.'
'There is a lot I don't understand about this whole thing,' Sidney asked, 'one of them being, why there are so many DSA's of Ms. Parker and Jarod in the first place? I mean, surely after the first time they were together, Mr. Parker should've been told, right? But from the little I've seen, this became a relationship. Why was it allowed to go on as long as it did?'
Sydney closed his eyes and shook his head.
'Back then, Dr. William Raines and Mr. Parker ran the Centre. And they are both dead. Only they know the answer to that.'
Agent Michael Vaughn came into the room.
'I hate to interrupt, but Mr. Lyle and a sweeper team are nosing around the area. How do you want to play this?' he asked.
Sidney stood up.
'Sydney is dead, as far as the New Centre is concerned. I couldn't go back there if they didn't believe that. But, I do have a meeting with Jarod tomorrow, one that I plan to keep.'
Vaughn folded his arms.
'If you're out of circulation that long...'
Sidney nodded quickly.
'I know. They're bound to get suspicious.'
Vaughn looked thoughtful.
'We already got rid of the sweeper car, so they shouldn't hang around long. As soon as they leave, you hightail it back to the Centre.'
'Excuse me, but you're going to need a little more than that.' Sydney interrupted. 'Tangible proof of my death, to be exact.'
Sidney looked from Sydney to Vaughn.
'Let's get Marshall in here. Get him to make copies of those DSA's. I'll tell Lyle that you had these on you when I killed you.'
Vaughn nodded.
'I'll get on that right away.' he said, eyeing Sydney, before leaving the room. Sydney looked after him, before looking at Agent Bristow.
'I can see how Jarod and you are related now.'
Sidney turned to look at him.
'Excuse me?'
Sydney raised a brow. The therapist in him, was curious about Ms. Bristow's true relationship with Irina Derevko. Surely, the young woman had to have abandonment issues? That and the fact that Derevko was a traitor to this country, had to have caused some emotional scarring, didn't it?
'I said,' Sydney repeated, 'that I can see how Jarod and you could be related. Surely, your mother told you?'
Sidney eased back into her chair.
'My mother told you that Jarod and I are related? In what way?'
'She came to me, claiming that she and Jarod's mother were sisters.'
'My mother doesn't have a sister!'
Sydney shrugged.
'That you know of. You were very young when you thought she died, Ms. Bristow. There is probably a lot about her life you know nothing about. In that, Jarod and you have a lot in common.'
Sidney Bristow looked away. Was that why Jarod had wanted to deal with her mother? She looked at Sydney again.
'Sloane hinted that my mother had been in touch with Jarod...that she might have been the one that helped Jarod, Ms. Parker and their baby get away.'
'Baby?!' Sydney cried, 'what baby?!'
Sidney almost flinched, at the shock and surprise she heard in the older man's voice. She covered his hand with her own.
'I guess someone forgot to tell you. Ms. Parker was pregnant when she had the accident and...'
'She was pregnant when whoever it was injected her with that drug?!'
Sidney began to feel a creeping panic filter throughout her system.
'I guess...I mean she had amnesia, Sydney. She probably had no idea Jarod was the father or where she came from herself or anything...'
Sydney squeezed her hand.
'Listen to me, Ms. Bristow. It is imperative that Jarod brings the baby back here!'
'Sydney, he calls, not the other way around. I'm meeting him back in Illinois tomorrow. He doesn't know to bring Abigail.'
'Abigail? That's her name?'
'Yes, Mr. Lyle found that all out when he spoke to Ms. Parker's husband in Chicago. ...what is going on here, Sydney?'
'Remember when I told you how Ms. Parker was not injected with that drug until AFTER she gave birth?'
'Yes. But I assumed that was because her father figured that if she was injected before, she might freak out at suddenly being pregnant and not knowing why...expecially at 17.'
'Mr. Parker was not the type of man to think of his daughter's welfare before The Centre. No, it was done because we proved, through various experiments, that a fetus exposed to this drug, would have 95% chance of not living past his or her third birthday.'
'You experimented on pregnant women?' Sidney asked with disgust.
'Look, there isn't time to rehash my sins! Your mother, and Jarod's brother, Ethan, are the only two people I know of, that know how to get ahold of Jarod. I will call Ethan.'
'If he's even using the same phone or number! And what would you tell him? Without those DSA'S...'
Sydney stood up.
'He knows that Ms. Parker was given this drug while she was pregnant. Jarod doesn't need to know now, about his other child, just that his second one won't live past her third birthday.'
Sidney Bristow stared at him, then nodded. Sydney began to punch numbers into his phone.
****
CICELY, ALASKA
Jarod watched, somewhat uncomfortably, as the pilot, Maggie O'Connell, pulled his luggage out of her small plane. He offered to help her, but she politely fluffed him off.
Jarod had already told Maggie that he would need her to fly him back to the airport tomorrow. She seemed puzzled by the quick turnaround, but he made sure she was compensated for her time. He got the impression money was not that important to her, but she stopped asking so many questions, and agreed to help him.
Jarod was curious and somewhat eager to meet his first cousin, Sidney Bristow. From the little he knew of her background and life, she had spent about as much time with her own mother, as he had his. While he was still a little wary of meeting her, Jarod sensed something good in her voice. He was 95% sure he could trust her. That, and she and the CIA claimed to be protecting Sydney.
The idea of the Centre going down, finally, gave him hope. Hope for the future.
Ethan had told him that there was no airport near Cicely, and in order to get in and out of the small town, one had to be piloted out to the nearest one.
Ethan had arranged for Maggie to pick him up in Anchorage. She was a very attractive and lively woman, with short, dark hair and lovely skin. She struck Jarod as very independent and sure of herself. Looking at her made him miss Ms. Parker all the more.
Maggie handed him his last piece of luggage, just as Ethan drove up in a jeep. He was talking on a cellphone. Jarod frowned. He had, on occasion, drove and talked on a cell, but all in all, he thought it was dangerous. He was uneasy with Ethan doing it, while Abigail was in the vehicle. Abigail was in the back of the jeep, in a car seat. It looked as if Ethan had also splurged and purchased his niece a pair of baby sunglasses. Jarod's heart swelled at the sight of her. She smiled at him, and he knew, that his daughter was beginning to know him as someone important in his life.
Maggie smiled, as she walked with Jarod to the jeep. Ethan got out and walked up to Maggie.
'Thanks alot for doing this. I know you said you weren't doing any pick ups today.'
'No problem. You said it was an emergency.' Maggie answered looking from Ethan to Jarod.
Ethan looked at Jarod, who had unbuckled Abigail out of her seat and picked her up. He was bouncing her up and down.
'Did you miss Daddy? Did you? I missed my little princess! Yes I did!'
Maggie smiled at the scene. Ethan looked a bit embarrassed. Yes, he did play with his niece like that, but not in public!
Ethan moved over to Jarod.
'Jarod, Sydney's on the phone here.'
Jarod eyed Ethan, then shuffled Abigail to one side, holding her with one arm. He then took the phone from Ethan and moved away from his brother and Maggie.
'Sydney? What's wrong? Agent Bristow told me that the CIA had you in a safe place...did she lie? Is something wrong?'
'Yes, Jarod. Something is wrong, but not what you think. When you meet Agent Bristow tomorrow, you'll need to bring Abigail.'
'No.' Jarod said firmly. Abigail pulled on his jacket collar.
'This is a matter of life and death now. You really should have told me about the baby before, Jarod.'
'I'm sorry if you're hurt, Sydney, but, you know I couldn't. The Centre would love to get their hands on her!'
Maggie O'Connell stood some distance away, but, sensed that something was wrong. Jarod's features and mannerisms were agitated.
'Yes, they would, Jarod. But this is not about the Centre. This is about your daughter's life! Ms. Parker was given that drug that caused her amnesia, when she was pregnant. The effects on your daughter are deadly. She may not show any signs now, but I'm telling you, she will not live to see her third birthday...not unless you let me help her.'
Jarod began to feel something in between shock and anger! Sydney had just told him that he would never get to see Abigail grow up. And not because he may end up imprisoned at the Centre, or even because his daughter may end up there. But because Abigail may die?! The concept was inconceivable!
'Why are you the only one that can help her, Sydney?' Jarod asked. A quiet fury was beginning to build, as he listened not to Sydney's words, so much as his tone. It was one of pure guilt.
Sydney was silent. Jarod pressed on.
'I mean, why can't I take her to a local hospital and get this taken care of? Damnit, Sydney, you answer me!'
Ethan took Abigail from Jarod, and Maggie moved closer to the fray. Ethan, seeing that Ms. O'Connell was just a wee bit too curious about what was going on, engaged her in conversation about Abigail.
'Jarod,' Sydney finally answered, 'it was my drug. I invented it...Raines and I...'
Jarod then heard the unbelievable sounds of Sydney weeping violently. His crying was soon replaced with Agent Bristow's voice.
'Jarod, it's Sidney Bristow...your first cousin...at least, according to my mother. I know this is so unfair and horrible...but I want you to keep your meeting with me tomorrow. Bring Abigail and Ms. Parker, and we will protect you within the walls of the CIA. Sydney will do what he can to reverse what's been done. But you have to trust me!'
Sidney didn't hear anything on the other end for a few moments. She wondered if Jarod had hung up on her.
'Jarod?'
'I'm still here. Ms. Parker, however, is not.'
'What? Why?'
'She, is who I wanted to talk about, Agent Bristow. Ms. Parker got the insane idea in her head, that if she just sold herself into a marriage with Arvin Sloane, she could get the Centre to forget about Abigail and me. She's probably back there as we speak!'
'Okay, okay. I'm going to get back over there then. You meet me back in our arranged place tomorrow, Jarod! I mean it! I know you're angry, but the only way to save Abigail right now, is for you to bring her to Sydney, and the CIA!'
Jarod hung up. He then looked over at Maggie, Ethan and Abigail. There was much more to what Sydney had been trying to tell him. Much more.
****
Ms. Parker walked into Sloane's office before him. He was using her father's former office!
She began to sit down in the nearest chair, when she noticed that they were not alone. Irina Derevko was standing in the corner, smiling.
Sloane noticed her, but did not look pleased or displeased to see her. Ms. Parker took out another cigarette and helped herself to the chair.
'Well, well, well! If it isn't 'Auntie Irina'? I had no idea you would be joining us?' Ms. Parker asked in a sneering tone.
Irina Derevko gave her a glib look, before eyeing Sloane. Sloane sat behind his desk and cut to the chase.
'Look, I know about Jarod and your daughter. I sent Irina Derevko to you, to bring you out of your amnesia.'
Ms. Parker glared at him.
'Amnesia that you were responsible for?'
Sloane fluffed her off.
'Look, we can discuss that later. What I want to know is, do I take it that you're being back here, means that you're willing to accept my marriage proposal? I mean, I can't tell you how hurt I was, when Mr. Lyle made you aware of my undying love for you, only to have you go running off and sleeping with one of the Centre experiments.'
Ms. Parker glanced over at Derevko. Her face was expressionless. Ms. Parker then inhaled.
'What I'm telling you, is that yes, I'm willing to marry you, give you the proper amount of obligatory sex, and maybe some extra, if I feel like it, if you stop hunting Jarod and my daughter.'
Sloane smoothed his tie.
'I know that you find me somewhat repulsive...'
'More than somewhat.'
'Anyway, how would you plan to give me this 'obligatory sex', since you hate me so much. Are you planning on pretending that I'm Jarod?'
Ms. Parker burst out laughing!
'Oh my! I haven't had a such a good laugh since...oh since I stopped having amnesia! No, Arvin dear, I plan on 'pretending' that I'm dead, you know, like how one can do when a bear is about to attack. You let it sniff you or whatever, until it finally goes away. Otherwise, the best I could do is think of someone that's the same height as you, which would be a good five feet shorter than me, that turns me on! But at this moment, I can't think about of anyone. So, do we have a deal?' Ms. Parker asked blithely. Irina Derevko turned away. Ms. Parker was good with those zingers, she had to give her that! She just couldn't see what Jarod and Ms. Parker saw in one another, since they were complete opposites.
Sloane grinned at her!
'Then I guess that will have to do...for now. I would want us to be married right away.'
'And I want your assurances that Jarod and my daughter will be left alone.'
Sloane nodded.
'Ms. Parker, I plan on leaving Irina here in charge of this place. It was always a little too small time for my tastes in the first place. I have many businesses and more exciting ventures going on in Zurich. I would like for us to make that our home.'
Irina spoke.
'I have no interest in keeping my nephew, or your daughter, prisoners here. You have my word.'
Ms. Parker stood up.
'I'll need a little more than that from a traitor and a woman who knows nothing about the joys of motherhood. When I am satisfied that my requirements have been met, I am all yours, Arvin. Until then, I'm going to go catch up with Broots and Sydney.'
Sloane eyed Irina, as Ms. Parker walked out of his office. Once in the hallway, she then stopped and leaned against a wall.
'I can do this. I can do this.' Ms. Parker said to herself, breathing in deeply. She then walked off towards her old office.
Meanwhile, back in Sloane's office, Irina Derevko asked Sloane if he wanted the DSA's she had found in Sydney's office, destroyed.
Sloane smiled again.
'No. I think they may give me some future leverage with my wife to be. Turn them all over to me by the end of the day.'
Irina eyed him.
'I'm curious, Arvin, as to how you think that what we saw on those DSA's, will help you control your future wife?'
'That's my concern, Irina. But now let me ask you a question: what makes you think that Jarod knows where his mother is?'
Irina gave him a grim look.
'I don't think he does. But what little he has found out, probably means more to me than him. If I could just get that from him, I could take it from there and find Marina.'
'And then what?' Sloane asked.
'And then kill her.' Irina said coldly.