Blood Binds – But Betrayal Blinds
ONE – The Genesis of Life
Rating: G/PG
Setting: Prague, LA, Unknown Location in Eastern Europe
Characters: Sydney Bristow, Jack Bristow, Eric Weiss, Marshall Flinkman, Will Tippin, Michael Vaughn, Carrie Bowman, Sark, Lauren Reed, Abigail Michaelis (Jessica Alba) mentioned Marianske Kafka (Naomi Watts), Tomas Lazne (undecided), Emmy (Jessica Andrews) and Gerhardt (Anthony Hopkins) Novotna, Dr. Heyrovsky (undecided)
Length: 3,400 Words
A tight yet suggestive up-do paints the beauty of her face, with all of her auburn brown tresses pulled up and away. She looks eloquent and sophisticated in the black dress that vaguely resembles that of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's; only of course with a much more resplendent and captivating feel. She slips on one of the long black gloves which ends a little past her elbow. She smiles as a man in an expensive black tuxedo walks into her line of vision within the familiar confines of the mirror. She watches him cross the stiff and fanciful hotel room, picking up a set of expensive cuff links off the nightstand.
He looks up at her as he slips them on, returning her smile. A resistant breeze blows from the cracked window across the room, sending unsettling chills shooting through Sydney's warm body. The Czech Republic in early April is colder than a person would normally expect. And she suddenly wishes her shoulders weren't as bare as they are. He watches as she pulls her other long black glove up her lean feminine arm.
She dilatorily picks up the simple strand of pure white South Sea pearls, half admiring and half examining the precious jewelry. Jack is quickly standing before, taking the necklace from her delicate hands, placing it around her slender neck. "Sydney," he smiles he latches the clasp at the back of her neck. "I had a strand of pearls I wanted to give you when you graduated from High School," He sighs. "But when your mother left, I never relocated them." Sydney looks down for a moment. Then back up at her father, smiling, with her dimples well defined.
"This is just as nice, Dad." She leans in and kisses him on the cheek. "And," She reaches up squeezing one of the pearls. A slight click sounds in the air, only being heard by those who know what it is. At that moment, her mind travels back to the day prior.
"See, these - they - ya know, look like a normal strand of Pearls. That ya know... one might... buy umm, at Tiffany's. Might be like 'Oh Darling, how-um lovely'? And 'Oh yes, I will... what? These are $12,000 what?' Ya know?" Marshall shook his head slightly, watching Sydney's smiling face. "But, you see, these... when you clasp them, and press this pearl." He pressed a pearl near the center; A moderately excited look on his face, "You have a visual feed on a low level close-circuit frequency, sent to Weiss and then... back to us at the CIA. And when you want to take pictures, you use..." He squeezed a different pearl, causing a flash in his eye. "This... one."
Immediately a picture of Marshall's face appeared on the computer screen, and he looked at it for a little over a second. "Oh wow, that's better than my ID card," He rubbed his eyes, and Sydney laughed only lightly, offering her thanks for his help. "No problem - it is my job... and Mitchell kept me up so I had the time to make the second feature..."
Sydney feels the pearls resting on her bare neck. She raises her eyebrows, somewhat excited, like she used to when she was younger, receiving a gift from her father upon the return of one of his many business trips. "These ones are equip with a camera." Jack reluctantly smiles at his daughter, hiding the guilt he perpetually feels for the way her life has turned out. He blames himself, and always will.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt your whole sweet father-daughter moment; And it is sweet," They both hear Weiss's voice in their ears. "But I think you're about to pass the 'fashionably late' mark. I mean, just so you know." Sydney scoffs, shaking her head. They're in Prague, preparing to attend a large, banquet for a very well known medical and drug research organization.
Jack takes a preoccupied breath as he crosses back across the hotel room and pins his white rose boutonniere to his lapel, pressing the base of the flowers as he clips it on. He turns back to Sydney who is checking her indefectible make up in the mirror. "Alright," they hear Weiss's voice again, "I have a visual feed from both of you, and I'm patching it back to the CIA," they hear him type as he speaks, holding the last word out for a little while. "Now."
"We have visual." They hear Marshall's voice almost immediately, over the radio as well. Sydney smiles at herself in the mirror, before sighing.
"So Marshall, Weiss and whomever else is watching..." She trails for a moment. "How do I look?" She watches herself in the mirror. And in response she hears Marshall begin to stumble over his words about how she looks, as well as mentioning the visual flaws from the pearl-cam as he's so cleverly named it. She mentally groans as Vaughn's voice tells them they need to get to the banquet. Sydney turns to her father as he holds her coat out for her. Vaughn makes a comment in response to her very apparent eye roll. And with that Jack locks the door, and the two make their way to the elevators.
Marshall looks up at Vaughn for a moment, who just shrugs. He sits at the computer, waiting for Jack and Sydney to arrive at the banquet. Vaughn looks tired, Marshall thinks to himself, as he types a few commands into the computer. He's testing out the various settings for the pearl-cam, as well as the boutonniere-cam. He already knows the settings, and their capabilities, but at the present he truly wants to avoid speaking with Agent Vaughn. He never knows what to say to the man, and they don't exactly have any real camaraderie - it's all based on their common connection to Sydney.
Vaughn exhales heavily, almost dramatically, adjusting his headset. He stands behind Marshall, looking around the main room of the Joint Task Force building. It's fairly early - a little past 6 AM - and the building is not exactly empty - It's never empty, for these people don't sleep. He looks up, watching Dixon walk through room in the direction of his office. He turns back to the computer screen, observing the view from the chests of both Bristows. He takes a deep breath, waiting for the two to arrive at the Banquet Hall in the IVAX Pharmaceuticals building. He drifts back to the meeting the day prior as his psyche does a mental checklist of the mission.
Everyone listened intently, per usual, as Dixon informed of the latest news. "The CIA has known for a few years that IVAX Pharmaceuticals in Prague has a group of rogue scientists working within the organization," He stated, making eye contact with various agents. "They are working for The K-Directorate and have many trade ties with the Covenant." Will Tippin quickly stood and crossed to the head of the room. His shoes made soft sounds on the tile floor as he walked. He didn't really blend in with the other people occupying the room, lacking a sleek black suit jacket with the sleeves on his oxford shirt rolled up. He smiled graciously at Dixon, taking his position at the head of the group.
"Alright," He started, with a deep, nervous breath. Simultaneously five headshots of moderately well dressed men and women appeared on the screen. Will took a deep breath. "Franz Heyrovsky" Will's accent wasn't exactly on point with the words, but it didn't exactly stand out either. The first image quickly blew up and appeared larger and in front of all the others. The man in the black and white candid photo had a slightly bushy beard, large nose, and small beady eyes. He held a cell phone to his ear, smoking a large cigar. "He's basically the ring leader of this group - and has many ties with nuclear scientists in the Middle East. Heyrovsky calls all the shots."
He waited a moment as two more images were enlarged, this time a man and a woman. "Gerhardt and Emmy Novotna. They're a married, have been for well over three decades and quite frankly the money behind this operation." The man had very delicate salt-and-pepper colored hair, while the woman had retro-framed glasses and a very tailored hair-do. Both images were simple head shots; probably taken from ID cards. Will continued to speak. "Both are former OB-GYN's... and have been known for supporting and/or participating in stem cell research." Will looked down as the images on the screen changed.
He looked back up at the group, business savvy features spread across his normally friendly face. Two more images appeared on the screen - one of a man probably in his late thirties, and the other of a woman probably in her early thirties. "Finally Tomas Lazne and Marianske Kafka" Will stated, taking a deep breath. Jack watched the man as he prepared to speak about the next two subjects. Lauren looked around the room, before letting her eyes land on Will once more. The screen clicks over to only focus on the man.
"Lazne is the brains of this group. He has various degrees in medical science, and has been working in the research community for over a decade." Will explained. Sydney nodded, taking in the words. Vaughn glanced at her for a moment, and then turned back to the younger man standing at the head of the rotunda. The screen revealed a man with a weathered face, yet soft look. "We don't know of any Terrorist or Intelligence ties. We assume he has none and was brought in on this project for the money, and opportunity to do what has been classified as illegal research."
The image then quickly switched to the woman. She has long blonde hair, and isn't looking at the camera. "Marianske is the one you need to stay away from." Will explained. "She is the brute force behind this group. She has various known terrorist ties and is trained in practically every form of torture known to man." Vaughn watched as Weiss quickly glanced at Sydney with a concerned look on his face. "She's generally dangerous and doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who crosses her path." Vaughn took a deep breath, looking at his wife.
Will then sorted through a stack of papers, handing two stacks to Weiss and Dixon, who quickly got them passed out to everyone in the room. "Now here's the deal, these people work for IVAX Pharmaceuticals, only as a front. They have recently created a new prototype for a truth serum which actually causes paralysis to the part of the brain controlling your ability to keep from saying whatever it is that you're wanting to lie about." Will explained, adjusting his chrome wire-framed glasses slightly. "And it just so happens that the organization is having a banquet Friday evening, at their building where the labs are." Dixon nodded at Will who quickly sat down.
"Sydney and Vaughn - you will be attending this Banquet as researchers for an organization known as MediFam." Dixon explained. Vaughn looked up at Sydney to make eye contact, but found that Jack was looking at him. He quickly diverted back at Dixon. "Your mission is to break into the labs and retrieve a sample of the prototype for the CIA as well as take pictures of the lab." Sydney nodded. "Marshall will have cameras prepared for you by this afternoon. Weiss, you're on comm. You will be leaving for Prague in 18 hours." And with that everyone stood from the tables, leaving the room.
Vaughn exhales heavily continuing to stand and look over Marshall. He's quite perturbed that he isn't on the mission - however Jack received Intel that a man he had encountered in a prior mission would be in attendance. And Jack then, of course, expressed concern that his involvement might jeopardize the mission. He knows, however, that it was all a power play to keep Vaughn from attending the mission with his daughter.
"Alright." They hear Weiss in their headsets. His role on the mission, aside from transmitting to the CIA and doing comm work, is actually to be Sydney and her father's driver in a black town car. "We're approaching the building."
Sark's icy blue eyes shoot open as he hears the low comforting ring of a cell phone. He takes a deep breath, and leans over the side of the tall four post cherry wood bed, holding on to the lavish blankets. The muscles on his back contract as he reaches over the side of the bed for his black pants which lay in a pile on the floor. And he swiftly pulls his black phone from the pocket, turning it on at the same time. "Yes?" He states into the phone, easing himself back into the bed where he's been laying. The darkened room is dressed with rich reds, accented by soft gold hues. His head rests upon soft cream colored cotton sheets.
"Oh - No sexually degrading pet name this time?" He hears Lauren Reed's soft voice on the other end, and smiles. Sark scratches his head for a moment, letting his eyes hold shut for longer than a blink. He takes a long deep breath, breathing in the intoxicating scent of musk and fresh strawberries lingering in the air.
He lets a grin rest on his smug face. "Not this time, darling." He answers. Their banter is probably one of the highlights of his day. However, lately it seems to have become tired, mundane even. The point of the banter - the reason he likes it so much - is to bother Ms. Reed. But now that she's grown accustomed to it, now that she likes it, it truly lacks the same appeal it had before. He doesn't appreciate it when things he enjoys become tainted.
He waits for her response, not really wanting to talk to her at the present. But then again, he never really wants to spend a lot of time talking to her anymore. "I'm at the CIA." She states. And Sark nods, knowing she can't see him. "Sydney and her father are set to arrive at IVAX within the quarter hour." Sark grins once more, knowing the strained communication is coming to a blistering halt.
"Very well," He responds, and quickly hangs his phone up. He doesn't want to prolong this conversation any longer than it has to be. And he's thrilled that it's over. He looks to his right, seeing the long dark brown tresses strewn about the plush pillow next to him. And he takes a deep breath turning his phone on and dialing a different number. He waits until the line is activated. "They're arriving, so you're on." He states. And he waits a moment, hearing the person on the other end respond. He hangs up almost immediately.
Sark breathes heavily as he places his phone on the nightstand. He then turns back to his right, a sly smile spreading across his thin lips. The woman is asleep, and looks quite peaceful lying on her back with her face turned toward him. Her left hand rests on her chest. He grins, remembering the moans made by the woman a matter of minutes before. She truly is a vocal lover, gasping his name and grasping his back. He loves that feeling - the feeling that she needs his every move and thrust as her well manicured nails dig into his strong flesh.
She seems so very peaceful and idyllic that he really doesn't want to wake her. A part of him simply wants to let her sleep, enjoying her slumber. He wants to just watch her Adonis like body move only slightly as she breathes. He wants to feel the comfort that she feels as well. But he knows that must end, considering the tasks at hand, and the patrons to arrive within the next few minutes. He never knew that demanding a job as senior management in the Covenant would involve actually managing operatives. But he should have figured such - the Covenant, falling only second to SD-6, is far more orderly than most other organizations he's worked for.
He gently places his hand on the sleeping woman's shoulder and suddenly is met with the painful grasp she has on his wrist. She is forcefully pulling him toward her and pushing him onto the bed. In an instant she is on his back, her gray silk nightgown bunched up around her smooth thighs. And she holds him there, his wrist behind his back and his face smothering into the pillows as she gets a mental grasp on the situation.
Sark smiles when she lets him go, realizing what she's done. "Abigail." His voice is soft and sweet. She eases off of him, slipping back to her side of the bed. He rubs his hand up her collarbone, her skin the pleasant color of sepia toned photography. And he leans in, pressing his lips to hers. "We've got to work on this waking thing." She rolls her eyes, kissing him back, feeling as his hands run through her hair, massaging her scalp.
Vaughn glances up at Will as he enters the room. He has that bright trademark Will Tippin smile spread across his face. And he looks far too awake, carrying the cup of coffee in his left hand. "Good morning," He leans in, greeting Carrie and giving her a swift kiss on the cheek. "You're glowing." He gives her the compliment and she shrugs. Vaughn watches as Will then approaches them, placing the cup of coffee on computer table. "Marshall, how's Prague?" He questions.
"Umm, well all I've seen is the inside of the car, so not sure yet." The man answers. And Will nods. His clothes are neat and pressed. His shirt is a maroon and merlot color, with a matching dark red tie. His hair, though shorter than usual, holds its customary and pleasant tousled style. He looks up at Vaughn for a moment, giving him a friendly smile. Vaughn responds with a nod.
Will's attention then returns to Marshall who is rechecking the settings on his computer. "This coffee is for you." Marshall quickly looks up at him, a reasonably surprised expression painted upon his face. "So drink it, I'm sure you need it."
"Thanks, actually... I kinda do." And Will smiles, walking over to Vaughn. He rubs his eyes behind his glasses just before approaching the agent.
"So, everything going smoothly?" He asks. Vaughn finds it insanely discouraging to hate the man. He's never actually hated Will, but he doesn't exactly like him anymore; especially upon his discovery about the experience between the other man and Sydney in Poland.
For the rest of his life, Will is going deny coming back to the CIA because of that encounter with Sydney. But he knows it's true. He still remembers vividly the look on Sydney's face as she entered Dixon's office, following the mission in which she and Vaughn ran into Sark on the boat in Lisbon. She was both shocked and thrilled at the same time. Her face - specifically her smile - is what sealed the deal for him. After Sydney saw him, and they went to Poland, all he could do was think about her. Yes, he went back to Wisconsin. But he couldn't stay away.
"Patching the surveillance video now." Vaughn hears Weiss's voice in his ear. He motions to the computer, Will spinning on his heal, grabbing a headset of his own. He revels in the heightened clearance he now has within the CIA. Marshall masterfully glides his fingers across the computer keys, typing commands.
"There's a corridor leaving from the southeast corner of the Banquet Hall - and at the end of that is a bank of elevators. Once inside you'll need to remove the panel and access the security keypad - there you'll use the device I gave you so I can fabricate the code, granting you access." Marshall explains in a hurried voice. They all hear as Sydney gives a positive response, watching the video feeds. Father and daughter enter the lavish room, arm in arm.