{A/N – Thank-you to all the people who review. Even one review motivates me to carry on so thanks!!!! The trip to las Vegas didn't go as well as planned. JJ saw straight through my bluffing and refused to bet Alias. He wouldn't even give me an hour with Victor (. So as you guessed, Alias still doesn't belong to me. P.S - AgentFlamingo - thanks for your reviews! i got my dvd's today and watched the scene. i forgot how sweaty jack gets when he's being electrocuted!! Syds emotion was great. our jen really can act cant she?!!}
Jack and Sydney accompanied by Vaughn had asked for some time off and were now on a plane to Irina's last known co-ordinates hoping the covenant hadn't moved her. They had no reason to. They knew as well as she did that the CIA wouldn't rescue her. They couldn't care less if she was tortured to death at the hands of the covenant. The three agents had sat in silence for the majority of the flight and Vaughn could no longer hold back.
"Sydney, are you ok? I mean after Lauren's outburst..."
"Agent Vaughn I don't think..."
"Its ok dad. We need to talk anyway. Can you give us a minute?"
"Sydney?"
"Dad, please." Jack reluctantly left the room after giving Vaughn a warning glare that clearly stated; 'upset my daughter and you wont even see me coming.'
"Listen Vau... Michael, yes I was carrying our baby and yes they took it from me but that gives you no right to think that you can come back into my life and neither does the fact that your wife was just pretending. I honestly don't care if Lauren was faking the feelings she showed for you. The only thing that I know is that you weren't. You loved... no... you love her and you married her. We were through the moment you and her started dating. I may have held on to our love for two years but I know you forgot about me... what... nine months after I went missing?"
"That's just it Sydney you didn't just go missing, YOU DIED. What did you expect me to do? Sit at your grave and cry for the rest of my life? I thought you would have wanted me to move on."
"Oh so that's what it was? Moving on?"
"NO. I never moved on... I didn't feel the..."
"I wasn't finished." Sydney took a breath to calm herself. She knew she would start crying soon but she didn't want it to happen before she was through.
"You may have cried at my funeral. You may have grieved and wallowed away for a while but I was put through nine months of torture, the only thing helping me through was the thought of you. Us. As soon as I got away, I went looking for you. I saw you alright. You'd already moved on. That's what made me go back, that's why I didn't come home. I had nothing to come back for." She wiped the fresh tears, she didn't think she had, away with the back of her hand. Vaughn sat there in shock and just stared. He had done this to her and he knew it was all his fault she was a shell of the woman she used to be.
Jack hadn't heard the muffled shouting of his daughter in a few minutes and he ventured back into the room.
"Is everything alright in here?"
"Yes dad. Were done now."
"No were not."
"Yes Agent Vaughn." Sydney replied sounding more like Jack than she thought she ever could.
"I think I'll stay. We'll be landing shortly so get ready. The warehouse isn't far from the airport." Jack sat down and began going over –for the millionth time- the blue prints to the building they were going to be breaking into.
Irina lay in the small room waiting for someone to come and either torture or kill her. She just wished she could see jacks face one more time or hear Sydney laugh. They were the two people she loved in the world and was glad that she would die for them and not some ulterior motive like she had always expected she would die for.
The door to the room opened and Sark entered. He dragged a chair over to the metal table she was strapped down to and reached forwards removing her gag.
"Do you recognise this Irina?" He asked holding up a small cell phone. She simply glared at him. "Well you should know. Its yours. I found it among your things." She continued to glare knowing that it was hers. "Lets see. The last number dialled... J? now who could that be? I know! I'll simply ring them and see if they know you." Sark pressed the button and held the phone to his ear putting his finger on his lips mockingly motioning for Irina to be quiet.
"Bristow." Jack answered not bothering to look at who was calling. Sark recognised the agents voice and laughed.
"Agent Bristow. Sark here. I just wanted to know if you recognised this groan." He pushed his fist into one of Irina's broken ribs and she let out a long howl.
"Irina." Jack whispered. "No."
"Oh yes Jack and I'm guessing your not far from here being the resourceful man you are. And I bet you have Sydney and her little pet with you too. I knew he didn't really love Lauren. All the times she attempted to reassure me that she had him around her little finger, I knew that as soon as Sydney escaped, he'd be straight back into her arms. I was right too. It's a shame I wont get to gloat to her about it. We don't really need her now she's been found out so your welcome to keep her."
He let out a sigh as his hand trailed up and down Irina's toned stomach.
"Get your hands off of me you perverted bastard." She spat disgusted by his sensual touch.
"Sark?" Jack seethed as he heard Irina's demands.
"Oh I'm just having a little fun. You know I've always been attracted to older women." Sark winked at the woman lying helpless and beaten on the table.
"You dare touch her you son of a bitch" Jack yelled as the line went dead. Sydney and Vaughn had watched Jack from the front of the van as he shouted into the phone.
"Dad?" Sydney asked as she turned to face him. Vaughn kept his eyes on the road as he drove but listened to what they were saying. "Dad what happened, was he hurting mom? you know she can withstand any torture. She has a high pain tolerance. Just like me."
"Sydney you don't understand. She was yelling for him to get his hands off her. he said he liked older women. I heard struggling and then the line went dead. I don't know what he was doing but we have to get to her. Vaughn... STEP ON IT."
Sark put the phone down beside Irina and laughed. He exited the room leaving Irina lying dazed and confused.
A while later he reappeared. This time he was carrying a small case. He set it down on the table and turned to look at the woman the covenant had given him.
"You were my mentor Irina. I idolised you. I did anything I could to please you. Even things normal people wouldn't like messy executions and clean ups... until you fell back in love with that man. You became weak." He slammed his fist down on the table beside her. Irina didn't even flinch. The drugs were wearing off and she was beginning to regain some sense of awareness.
"You risked getting caught because you needed to see him. It was pathetic." Sark began to unzip the case he had bought in with him and he pulled out a syringe. Flicking the side, he injected Irina in her lower arm and waited. She soon became weak and dazed once more. Sark continued his speech.
"Then you joined our cause and I thought you were back. Next you risk your own life just to help that... how did Lauren put it? Oh yes, to help that little accident of a daughter you have." He trailed his fingers down towards her thighs and caressed the soft skin underneath.
Irina wished she had worn trousers and cursed herself for enjoying the sun on her legs as she had sat in her car. Sark leaned in and kissed Irina softly while running his hands up her arms. He got more engrossed into the kiss and punched down onto her side. She cried out into his mouth and Sark bit down onto her lip drawing blood. As he pulled away, he heard her whisper.
"Please just stop." He knew she was weak. The torture and drugs they had given her were taking more of an effect than he would have thought possible.
"I think its about time we gave your husband another call don't you?"
Jack jumped as the phone rang.
"Yes?" "Ah Jack, you don't mind me calling you that do you? After all I think we've reached a first name basis don't you?"
"What do you want Sark?"
"I thought that was obvious. I want for you to hear me torture and eventually kill your wife."
"I'm going to kill you. You hear me? Your dead." Jack listened as Irina struggled and cried. He had never heard her so... so... weak. Jack ran down the corridor of the facility towards the only room he had redeemed would be closed off enough to muffle his wife's screams. Sydney and Vaughn followed guns drawn as Jack slammed the door open. He walked into the room but the only thing occupying the space was a small shimmering object in the middle of the floor. He moved closer to find a pair of rings.
"What is it dad?" Sydney asked as he picked them up.
"Your mothers wedding rings..." He trailed off putting the phone back to his ear. He had given them back to her a few months ago and Irina had been wearing them around her neck. The chain that they had been on lay cold and broken on the floor.
{A/N – Did you think Sark wouldn't know that Jack and Sydney would come to rescue Irina? Yes? Gosh have you been watching the show at all?! As always I need my wonderful muses to motivate me so please review!!!}
