Sydney and Sark sat curled up together on the bed, enjoying the post engagement bliss that had come over them. Sydney laughed.
"I wonder what my Dad, Lexei, and Sergei are going to have to say about this." Sark smiled.
"Well your Dad already knew I was going to ask you. I asked his permission."
"You did?!?"
"Yeah. While Alexei was up here. I pulled him aside and asked him if it was okay. It's a tradition."
"And he said yes?"
"He said it was up to you."
"You're kidding me."
"I'm not kidding you. And whatever Sergei and Alexei have to say, I can take. I doubt they'll give us to much trouble." Sark leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Sydney put her arms around his waist and gently pulled him over on top of her. Her tongue gently licked his lips and he immediately parted them.
"Ahem," said a voice from the doorway. Sark groaned.
'Not again,' he thought to himself. He rolled off of Sydney, and looked into Alexei's face. To his surprise, his face wasn't angry. His eyes were dancing and his eyebrows raised.
"We need to leave," he said.
"All right. Good bye love." He kissed Sydney's lips and whispered "I love you. I promise I'll be back," into her ear. Then he walked past Alexei and downstairs.
"What's up with you, sis?" Alexei asked.
"Nothing. Why?" she answered innocently.
"You're grinning like a fool." His eyes flitted to the ring on his finger, but Sydney didn't notice and he said nothing. He just kissed her soberly on the forehead, said goodbye, and went downstairs.
"You didn't eat your lunch," said Irina, picking up a full tray from her daughter's bedside table.
"I can't. I'll throw it up." Irina smiled knowingly and took her daughter's hands in hers.
"They'll be fine, Sydney. You know your father and brothers know what they're doing. And Julian certainly does." She felt something on a very important finger on her daughter's hand, so she turned her hand to take a look. "Ahh. This is why you're so worried," She smiled. Sydney returned the smile nervously.
"You're not angry? You're not going to lecture me?"
"Of course not. I've been wishing for this for many years. Your brothers..."
"Will be furious. I know."
"I don't know. They might be. But they might surprise us a little bit. They've put Julian through all their tests. He seems to have come out of it all right. In this family, that means something if you live through the interrogation. You know that."
"I know. And he did live through it. Maybe you're right Mom, but I don't know." Suddenly Sydney got up and ran to the bathroom. Irina followed her, waited until she was done throwing up, then put her in the shower. She shook her head worriedly.
"Please hurry boys," she whispered.
"There was a ring on her finger Sergei," Alexei said to his brother next to him. They were on a commercial flight, flying coach. Sark was seated on the other side of the plane, four rows back.
"On her finger or on the finger."
"The finger. They're engaged. I'm sure of it."
"Is that so bad?"
"Well he could have asked at least Jack first."
"I think he did. He pulled him aside while you were upstairs with Syd. They went into the other room for a minute and when they came back, Julian looked as happy as a teenage boy in a strip joint."
"I'm going to ignore that comment because Sydney asked me to." Sergei grinned.
"I'll have to thank her when we get back."
"I know this is a hard one for you to comprehend Serg, but could you please try to be serious about this? Please?"
"I'm serious about it. This is my sister's life. She has six days left. I'm serious."
"Good. As for Mr. Lazarey, I suppose he passed everything we threw at him."
"Yes. And he stuck by her through this."
"Good point. We'll have to give him a little bit of a hard time, but only after all this is over. I don't want that messing with how we work together. We'll give him hell when they tell us."
"Sounds like a plan."
The boys landed in Copenhagen International Airport about two hours later, around five p.m. They met up in the parking lot and all climbed into the white, unmarked van Irina had rented and had waiting for them. Sergei, while driving, pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it back to Alexei. He read it to him.
"Eighth street on the left. Twelfth house down. McKennas Cole." Sergei followed his brother's directions, and pulled in a block from the designated house. "All right. The plan's very simple. We go in. We corner Cole. He tells us where the lab is. Irina had one of her contacts slip a little something into the security's coffee this morning. It should have taken effect about ten minutes ago. Questions? Good." All three piled out of the van and headed for the house. They found Cole seated at his dining room table, eating dinner alone. Sergei kept his gun trained on him while Alexei and Sark dragged him out of his chair and into the living room.
"Well I wasn't expecting visitors, but I guess this is cool." Sark promptly punched him in the face.
"Where's the antidote lab you son of a bitch?"
"Antidote lab...hmmm... I can't really say I know what you're talking about Jules," he answered. Sark took a hold of his arm and twisted...hard. There was a snap and a yelp of pain, but no answer. Sark drew the gun from his shoulder holster and shot him in the leg.
"Know now?" When he didn't get an answer, Sark stepped on the gunshot wound.
"YES! I know! I know! You want to know where the antidote to the Lacienda Strain is."
"Knew we'd get somewhere soon," said Alexei, who'd taken a place next to Sergei, his gun also trained on Cole.
"Bad news boys," said Cole. "I don't know where the lab is. They just gave me the injection to give her. I had a wire on the doctor and heard Pigtails wanted a birth control shot, nice catch by the way Jules, so I switched the doctor's vials. I'm not high enough up to know where the lab is."
"Well," said Alexei, "you can tell us who does."
"Actually brother, I tell you, the Covenant kills me. I'd rather not thanks."
"Well, lets put it this way shall we. You don't tell us, we kill you. I know Julian over there would just love that. I can't say I'd not enjoy it myself. At least this way you have a chance to run."
"Again, rather not. What, are you three all buddy-buddy now? So how's that work, he screws your sister and you turn into The Three Musketeers?" Alexei nodded to Sark. He grinned and pulled out his gun, leveling it at Cole's face.
"You're making this all to easy for me McKennas. You know how much I would love this." Sark clicked the safety off his gun.
"Frances Holloway. Geneva. 3215 82nd Street."
"Knew we'd get somewhere soon," said Alexei. He winked at Sark. Sark hit him over the head hard with the butt of his gun.
"Well mates, it seems we're off to Geneva," Sergei said.