Chapter 42
To J/I ers, sorry, had to throw some S/V in, they're cute anyways. It was sort of quicker. Hmmm, please review. Good chapter coming up.
Syd paced the hotel room. She was very, very upset. Her and Vaughn had checked in with every person on every criminal list that the CIA had for Victoria. They'd interrogated all of them and, while a few men had been helpful enough to throw flirting answers at Sydney, it was safe to say that no one had a clue where her parents were.
"How is this even possible?" she asked, doing her best to keep her cool.
"Honey," Vaughn was upset, albeit not as upset as Syd, but he was worried. "They'll be fine."
She glared at him and the power of her look was enough to make him step back, "Vaughn, the mere fact that no one knows where they are means that they are in a lot of trouble. I would be happier knowing that the Melbourne underworld had taken them hostage. At least then we'd know they were captives of someone who still made the mistake of letting that information loose."
Vaughn knew she was right. He sighed, grabbing her hand and leading her to sit beside him on the bed. He held her face, forcing her to look at him, "What do you want to do?"
She pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. A silent tear rolled down her face for what seemed the hundredth time in the last twenty four hours. "I don't know." Vaughn leaned in, gently kissing her and holding her close to him.
O
Irina sat, hands and feet secured in moulded cuffs on a metal chair which, in turn was bolted to the ground. Across the floor, in the opposite corner, Jack sat in a similar manner, head angled backwards as Cameron pulled on his hair to accentuate the seriousness of the knife he held across Jack's neck.
"Who are you?" he asked. Jack remained silent. "Last chance."
The trickle of blood the followed had Jack's eyes flickering to Irina whose expression told him, quite plainly to start cooperating. "You claim you already know," he spat out.
Cameron sighed in a seemingly bored way and let go of Jack's hair while removing the blade in a smooth movement that made sure there was still a cut but not enough to cause any real damage.
"I do know who you are." He countered, walking over to behind Irina and leaning against the back of her chair, his fingers playing with her shoulders. "I'm just interested to see if you know."
Jack's brow creased despite his decision to stay blank.
"What do you mean?" Irina asked.
"What do I mean?" Cameron asked flippantly. "Well, you see I have a problem. I have a lot of conflicting information on the two of you and I'm interested to see who you are at this very moment..."
Irina caught Jack's gaze, blinking rapidly, asking him for the plan through Morse only to be told there wasn't one. Ignoring Cameron's continued one- sided conversation, she fired back a question of how much information to divulge to which the two very quickly established a sketchy half truth which would provide answers to the questions they were being asked.
Thankful they were being questioned in the same room and that Cameron was self centered enough to continue talking for so long. The situation was looking up. The quick-fire of exchange was cut off as Cameron fluidly moved in front of Irina, shoving his face into hers and breathing the question. "Who do you work for Miss Derevko?"
She glared at him, seemingly defiant. He pulled out the blade and put it to her cheek, slowly drawing it down her face adding pressure until the blood began to ooze. He paused, giving her time to speak. "I am currently...advising...the CIA."
Cameron pulled back. "So the documents say."
He turned to Jack. "You...have always been faithful to the CIA. Yet, you were a double agent at one point. Not a nice job, being a double agent is it. Ever get tempted into just crossing over?"
Jack shook his head uttering a plain, "No."
"Hmm, shame, the pays a lot better." He turned back around, "You know, it's interesting..."
"What is?" Irina was getting a feel for the conversation and if one thing was obvious, Mr Black's weak spot was his own self-confidence, in himself and what he thought knew.
"It's interesting that the CIA has you and yet you're still alive. Better than that, you're on holiday in Australia. Sure, you're here to find a Rambladi artifact, but they've let you cross the Pacific."
She grinned though Jack couldn't see it, Cameron's body blocking his view, "I'm very persuasive."
"I can't help but wonder who it is you've been nice to in order to attain such freedom."
The irony hit her like a brick. This moron thought she was free. That she had freedom. That could only mean one thing. He thought she was still her own woman, that she had ulterior motives and that in the end she'd just turn and leave.
He was aiming for her, not Jack. Jack had indeed stayed loyal to the CIA through years of hell; he wasn't going to be persuaded. But Irina...
"What's your interest with us?" she queried.
"I'm not a big fan of Rambaldi, haven't heard anything good about him, all a bunch of bull-s*** if you ask me. However – "
"His artifacts are worth a lot," Irina interjected, finishing his sentence for him.
On the other side of the room, Jack stayed quiet, not sure if he held any sway at all with either of them any more.
"Indeed," a smile graced their captor's face as he narrowed his eyes and surveyed the woman in front of him. "This Dury box, how much is it worth?"
"Oh, it's priceless for sure. But I could offer you a fairly large amount." She grinned to hide the sick feeling at the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the plan her and Jack had just decided on and she couldn't see him. God she hoped he caught on.
"How?" Cameron asked forcefully. "You have no money."
"I'm surprised, I thought you of all people, with your endless knowledge of me and Agent Bristow, would know. I withdrew all my money only a couple of days ago. At the moment, I'm a very wealthy woman." Irina played the bluff, he should already know this. If he knew where that money had gone, where it had been accessed or why, she was a goner. If he hadn't known at all, he'd check and he'd probably ask for all the details. Hopefully, he knew the money had been taken out but the CIA had been intelligent enough to hide it well that she had not been the one to access the cash.
She watched the frown turn to a look of delight. He knew she was rich. Selfish and Greedy. Wonderful. He whistled and a moment later a guard dressed to the hilt in stealth gear appeared. The keys were passed through the metal bars and the man disappeared out through the door again. "I take it you already have the object of my desire?"
"God no, the two of you only evaded me for a day." Her face fell, this could cause problems. Luckily, this look earned her further trust from the idiot in front of her. "It should be here within a half hour. I sent some men out to get it a few hours ago."
She smiled as he unlocked he cuffs, careful not to look at Jack. She stood up, stretching like a cat and turned to Cameron who was offering his hand, she took it and they shook as business partners. It didn't matter that he already had a gun aimed at her.
"One thing I would like to know, she asked him, "How did you find so much out about us?"
"I cracked the CIA computer systems about a year ago. Being in Australia means they don't notice when I use their information because I so rarely need to."
Irina nodded, impressed. Suddenly Cameron was talking to her again, "Despite all of this, I do need to be sure that you're on my side." He glanced at Jack who was looking bewildered. "Put a bullet in him."
Hope you enjoyed it.
To J/I ers, sorry, had to throw some S/V in, they're cute anyways. It was sort of quicker. Hmmm, please review. Good chapter coming up.
Syd paced the hotel room. She was very, very upset. Her and Vaughn had checked in with every person on every criminal list that the CIA had for Victoria. They'd interrogated all of them and, while a few men had been helpful enough to throw flirting answers at Sydney, it was safe to say that no one had a clue where her parents were.
"How is this even possible?" she asked, doing her best to keep her cool.
"Honey," Vaughn was upset, albeit not as upset as Syd, but he was worried. "They'll be fine."
She glared at him and the power of her look was enough to make him step back, "Vaughn, the mere fact that no one knows where they are means that they are in a lot of trouble. I would be happier knowing that the Melbourne underworld had taken them hostage. At least then we'd know they were captives of someone who still made the mistake of letting that information loose."
Vaughn knew she was right. He sighed, grabbing her hand and leading her to sit beside him on the bed. He held her face, forcing her to look at him, "What do you want to do?"
She pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. A silent tear rolled down her face for what seemed the hundredth time in the last twenty four hours. "I don't know." Vaughn leaned in, gently kissing her and holding her close to him.
O
Irina sat, hands and feet secured in moulded cuffs on a metal chair which, in turn was bolted to the ground. Across the floor, in the opposite corner, Jack sat in a similar manner, head angled backwards as Cameron pulled on his hair to accentuate the seriousness of the knife he held across Jack's neck.
"Who are you?" he asked. Jack remained silent. "Last chance."
The trickle of blood the followed had Jack's eyes flickering to Irina whose expression told him, quite plainly to start cooperating. "You claim you already know," he spat out.
Cameron sighed in a seemingly bored way and let go of Jack's hair while removing the blade in a smooth movement that made sure there was still a cut but not enough to cause any real damage.
"I do know who you are." He countered, walking over to behind Irina and leaning against the back of her chair, his fingers playing with her shoulders. "I'm just interested to see if you know."
Jack's brow creased despite his decision to stay blank.
"What do you mean?" Irina asked.
"What do I mean?" Cameron asked flippantly. "Well, you see I have a problem. I have a lot of conflicting information on the two of you and I'm interested to see who you are at this very moment..."
Irina caught Jack's gaze, blinking rapidly, asking him for the plan through Morse only to be told there wasn't one. Ignoring Cameron's continued one- sided conversation, she fired back a question of how much information to divulge to which the two very quickly established a sketchy half truth which would provide answers to the questions they were being asked.
Thankful they were being questioned in the same room and that Cameron was self centered enough to continue talking for so long. The situation was looking up. The quick-fire of exchange was cut off as Cameron fluidly moved in front of Irina, shoving his face into hers and breathing the question. "Who do you work for Miss Derevko?"
She glared at him, seemingly defiant. He pulled out the blade and put it to her cheek, slowly drawing it down her face adding pressure until the blood began to ooze. He paused, giving her time to speak. "I am currently...advising...the CIA."
Cameron pulled back. "So the documents say."
He turned to Jack. "You...have always been faithful to the CIA. Yet, you were a double agent at one point. Not a nice job, being a double agent is it. Ever get tempted into just crossing over?"
Jack shook his head uttering a plain, "No."
"Hmm, shame, the pays a lot better." He turned back around, "You know, it's interesting..."
"What is?" Irina was getting a feel for the conversation and if one thing was obvious, Mr Black's weak spot was his own self-confidence, in himself and what he thought knew.
"It's interesting that the CIA has you and yet you're still alive. Better than that, you're on holiday in Australia. Sure, you're here to find a Rambladi artifact, but they've let you cross the Pacific."
She grinned though Jack couldn't see it, Cameron's body blocking his view, "I'm very persuasive."
"I can't help but wonder who it is you've been nice to in order to attain such freedom."
The irony hit her like a brick. This moron thought she was free. That she had freedom. That could only mean one thing. He thought she was still her own woman, that she had ulterior motives and that in the end she'd just turn and leave.
He was aiming for her, not Jack. Jack had indeed stayed loyal to the CIA through years of hell; he wasn't going to be persuaded. But Irina...
"What's your interest with us?" she queried.
"I'm not a big fan of Rambaldi, haven't heard anything good about him, all a bunch of bull-s*** if you ask me. However – "
"His artifacts are worth a lot," Irina interjected, finishing his sentence for him.
On the other side of the room, Jack stayed quiet, not sure if he held any sway at all with either of them any more.
"Indeed," a smile graced their captor's face as he narrowed his eyes and surveyed the woman in front of him. "This Dury box, how much is it worth?"
"Oh, it's priceless for sure. But I could offer you a fairly large amount." She grinned to hide the sick feeling at the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the plan her and Jack had just decided on and she couldn't see him. God she hoped he caught on.
"How?" Cameron asked forcefully. "You have no money."
"I'm surprised, I thought you of all people, with your endless knowledge of me and Agent Bristow, would know. I withdrew all my money only a couple of days ago. At the moment, I'm a very wealthy woman." Irina played the bluff, he should already know this. If he knew where that money had gone, where it had been accessed or why, she was a goner. If he hadn't known at all, he'd check and he'd probably ask for all the details. Hopefully, he knew the money had been taken out but the CIA had been intelligent enough to hide it well that she had not been the one to access the cash.
She watched the frown turn to a look of delight. He knew she was rich. Selfish and Greedy. Wonderful. He whistled and a moment later a guard dressed to the hilt in stealth gear appeared. The keys were passed through the metal bars and the man disappeared out through the door again. "I take it you already have the object of my desire?"
"God no, the two of you only evaded me for a day." Her face fell, this could cause problems. Luckily, this look earned her further trust from the idiot in front of her. "It should be here within a half hour. I sent some men out to get it a few hours ago."
She smiled as he unlocked he cuffs, careful not to look at Jack. She stood up, stretching like a cat and turned to Cameron who was offering his hand, she took it and they shook as business partners. It didn't matter that he already had a gun aimed at her.
"One thing I would like to know, she asked him, "How did you find so much out about us?"
"I cracked the CIA computer systems about a year ago. Being in Australia means they don't notice when I use their information because I so rarely need to."
Irina nodded, impressed. Suddenly Cameron was talking to her again, "Despite all of this, I do need to be sure that you're on my side." He glanced at Jack who was looking bewildered. "Put a bullet in him."
Hope you enjoyed it.