BLISSFUL IGNORANCE
Eyghon Chapter 5: Q and A"They are taking you back to Los Angeles as agreed," interrupted Irina, businesslike, before leaving the room as well.
She was outside now, walking on the beach alone, not anxious to go back to her house and start packing. She was glad her daughter was cured, but it meant Sydney had to leave and it was hard.
In the beginning, it had been strange to see Sydney so different, so vulnerable, and fearful. She had wondered if her daughter would have turned out, as she was now if she had not been sucked in this business. This particular question would never be answered but she wasn't sure she wanted it answered anyway. She liked Sydney the way she was before being infected with the Rambaldi fluid. No matter how messed up their relationship was, she admired her daughter for her principles, her strong will, her devotion and her stubbornness too.
That being said, Irina had gotten used to seeing Sydney everyday, eating, watching TV, reading…doing normal things. She had grown quite fond of their little talks too, the meaningless anecdotes and jokes they shared. It gave her a feeling of normalcy that was foreign to her. They had developed a relationship of sorts, which would have never happened under normal circumstances if her daughter had been herself.
Right now, she didn't feel strong enough to deal with Sydney, with her questions and accusations that she was sure would come. She knew she had done the right thing and that's all that mattered. Now the next right thing on the list was return Sydney to her home without further delay, as promised. She didn't want Sydney to feel obligated to thank her or anything of the sort. She had to let go and move on, go back to her business and forget anything had ever happened. It was too painful already, to think 'what if'. What if neither of them had chosen the life they led; what if Sydney could see past her mother's flaws. What if…what if...
The man on Sydney's right held a walkie-talkie to his mouth and asked for a car to come to the laboratory. They tied a black cloth around her eyes and she scolded at herself for not paying attention to the scenery on her way here. She didn't resist and soon found herself in the same jet she had come in. The men took off her blindfold and handcuffs before leaving the plane.
She was still a little groggy from the shock of everything rushing back to her. The guards cuffing her had forced her spinning mind to concentrate on what was going on around her so she still had a lot to process. Her mother was with her less than one hour before she left. Her mother had come to her home in Los Angeles; had basically kidnapped her right under the CIA's nose and had brought her to God knew where, only to give her back her memory.
She remembered everything from talking to her mother about the SD-6 takedown to waking up confused in Italy and then leading an awful 'normal' life for weeks until she was abducted. Then there was a week spent in her mother's not so unpleasant company and now this: She was cured and apparently being sent back to where she belonged. Her mother had vanished without bothering to say goodbye, though she had been quite the perfect host, if not the 'perfect mother' during their time together.
That was something she was not used to seeing everyday. Irina had been very pleasant and accommodating to her. Kind and gentle, even when she had pulled her out of her house. She had a whole seven days to think back on and analyse now. She had learned so much about her mother, and yet so little. It was as if she didn't want Sydney to know too much.
Sydney guessed playtime was over and now that her mission accomplished, Irina wanted nothing more to do with her.
A man in a pilot's uniform poked his head out of the cockpit and glanced nervously at her, as if assessing if she would jump on him or not. She merely glared back and he eventually scurried outside the cockpit long enough to close the door.
She never moved from her seat. She didn't even think of trying to determine which airport they were taking off from and it was useless anyway. That kind of Jet could take off from any kind of road as long as it was long enough. She didn't have the heart to try and act like an agent. Her mother would probably never again set foot back in the house anyway.
An unknown number of hours later, Sydney awoke from her slumber as she felt the plane's wheels hit the runaway. The cheerful voice of the pilot came over the speaker. "Welcome to LAX, it is 6 o'clock in the morning local time. The temperature outside is 68 degrees Fahrenheit." Apparently, the fact that he was locked away behind a two-inch steel door had rendered him more talkative than before. "You can open the door by pulling on the red lever as indicated on the door. A cab is waiting for you beside the plane and has already been paid for."
Sydney made her way to the door and sure enough, she spotted a yellow cab approaching the jet. She made her way down the steps and smiled tiredly at the driver who greeted her. The forty-something man was awfully chatty, probably exited by the amount of money he had been given for such a basic course. Sydney ignored him and focused on the scenery outside. It felt good to be home.
It was still early so Will and Francie were probably not up yet. Sydney didn't want to wake them by ringing the doorbell so she located the key hidden under the dwarf's foot and let herself in. Hungry, she decided to start breakfast for her friends, but first, she needed to call her father.
"Bristow," he replied gruffly to his cell phone.
"Hey Dad, it's me."
There was a pause, Jack processing the fact that his missing daughter was calling him from her house, judging by the number showing on the screen, and that she had called him 'Dad' instead of Jack.
"Sydney! Where were you?"
The young woman smiled wryly. Count on her father to ask practical question instead of the classic 'how are you doing?' or even 'are you okay'. Some things never change. "It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it over the phone but I'm cured now. I remember everything."
"I'm on my way, You'll tell me over breakfast."
He hung up before she could protest. So much for breakfast between friends. Sighing, she finally made her way to the kitchen and briefly wondered what had happened of the evil cucumber. She started by preparing the paste for the pancakes and a pile of them started to take shape.
Francie and Will walked in just as she was turning over her fifth pancake. The smell of cooking had stirred them from their sleep. Now fully alert they seemed surprised, but thrilled to see their lost friend standing in the kitchen, making pancakes as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Hey guys," she said, offering them her fully dimpled Sydney Bristow smile.
"Sydney! My God we were so worried!" Cried Francie, launching herself in her friend's arms. Neither Will nor she needed Sydney to tell them she was back to her normal self. She was oozing confidence and had that spark in her eyes. They made small talk while they set the table and she continued flipping pancakes. She avoided talking about how she had recovered her memories, knowing that she would have to repeat the process of explaining for her father's benefit.
Everything was ready by the time Jack rang the bell. He made a cursory examination of his daughter as he stepped inside. He was not pleased when he found out her friends would stay for breakfast and that she would share her story with them.
"What happened?" He asked as soon as Sydney was seated.
She sighed. "Mom broke into the house through my bedroom window. I was in the kitchen. She grabbed me from behind and dragged me outside. Her car was parked in the alleyway behind the house." Sydney knew her father would want the details of everything that happened.
"And you just went with her? You didn't try to fight back?" Asked Jack, reproachful.
"I was scared, I wasn't myself. I didn't know what to do so I just obeyed!" She concluded lamely.
"Did she have a gun?"
"Yes. No, she only took it out when we were outside and never pointed it at me. I guess it was in case one of the agents assigned for my protection decided to actually do his job and check the perimeter."
He nodded, filing away her every word for later analysis. "She never used any weapon of any sort to coerce you into doing her bidding?"
"No. She didn't need to. She was stronger than me…I think I sort of panicked. I kept remembering stuff you told me about her, mainly that she could kill with her bare hands."
"How was she acting?"
"I don't know. I mean, I'm used to her ambushing me, talking to me and then knocking me out or shooting at me, but…she was different then."
"How so?" Prompted Jack.
"She was friendly, I guess. You know, not violent or harsh or anything. I was holding a knife when she jumped me. She could have easily knocked it out of my hand but she chose to ask me politely to let go of it. She never actually threatened to do anything to me, she never snapped at me when we talked, she never hit me either…"
"So she acted like you weren't a threat to her?"
"Yes, but it was more than that. She treated me fairly well. She was kind of…reassuring and so patient. She told me she didn't want me to be scared. I think it pained her to see me like that."
"Scared?"
"Scared and defenseless without any idea of who I was or who she was. It pained her that I saw her as a monster even though I didn't know her. If only you had told me she was my mother, it would have made things easier for me. Don't you think it was worth mentioning when you told me about the big bad Irina Derevko possibly coming after me? You practically gave me nightmares!"
"I didn't want to further complicate the situation…"
"Yeah, right."
"I didn't want you to be tempted to go with her, is that so bad? She is a dangerous and manipulative woman even you can see that. But apparently it was useless to deprive you of that particular information, seeing how willing you were to come with her," snapped Jack.
"How can you say this? I've never been so scared in my whole life Dad! Because of you!" It was true. Sydney vividly remembered practically wetting her pants when she realised she was faced with Irina Derevko. "She tried so hard to be nice to me, to get me to chill out, but I was intimidated anyway, because of everything I had heard about her. And even if I had been crazy enough to try anything, don't you think she would have easily overpowered me and knocked me out and taken me away anyway!"
"You could have alerted Mr. Tippin," retorted Jack, convinced Sydney could have defended herself better.
"She had a gun! She would have shot him or killed him on the spot!"
"But you didn't know that at the time," argued Jack.
"Why can't you understand? I was not Sydney Bristow super-spy! I was Sydney Bristow average thirty year old woman being kidnapped by an ex KGB agent and wanted terrorist! I didn't know how to fight back, I was so afraid I couldn't even think straight!" Sydney was on the verge of crying. She had felt so helpless, surprised in her own kitchen, with Irina's arm around her, dragging her away from her home. "After everything you had told me about her I was convinced she would hurt me or just kill me if I tried to resist her," she added lamely, taking her head in her hands. She wasn't so hungry anymore.
She felt Francie's hand squeezing her shoulder in comfort. She snapped her head up, having forgotten about her friends. She was grateful for their presence and support. It felt so good to be able to share the job related aspects of her life with someone other than her colleagues.
"What happened after you were outside the house?" Resuming his line of questioning, not sparing a supportive look for his distraught daughter.
"We got in her car…"
"Model? Licence plate?"
"I was getting to that! It was a blue BMW but I don't know which model or the licence plate. I didn't pay much attention at the time. I was too busy being scared." She paused, remembering Irina telling her the very same thing when Sydney had scolded herself for not seeing her resemblance to her abductor. "And before you give me a lecture on how an agent should act, let me remind you again that I had no memory of my training or anything else for that matter. The only thing I cared about at the time was my safety and to not piss her off. And while I'm at it, I can't believe you told me such horrible things about her. You knew she would never hurt me and yet you let me believe she would kill me without the slightest hesitation. She was so angry when I told her about it…"
"You repeated our conversation?" Boomed Jack reddening.
"Well…yeah, kind of. She made me tell her everything I knew about her. I guess she was feeling the ground, to see if I knew I was her daughter. If you ask me, next time your paths cross, lay low because you're in the doghouse where she's concerned. But then again, I guess that's nothing you're not used to."
His face turned back to the blank mask she was so used to see and he ignored her last barb. "Continue please."
"We drove to LAX, a private hangar. There was a jet waiting. Hers I suppose. I didn't see its ID either. I don't know where we landed and I don't know how much the flight lasted. The same goes for the ride home, but I think the pilot voluntarily took his time to fly back to LA. Anyway, we landed and drove to this big house on the beach. It was isolated but near enough to civilisation that you could see the village from the house."
"So she is the one who gave you back your memory? Did she know how you lost them?"
"Yeah, she told me how it happened, and she also told me you knew she could help and you blew her off. I guess that explains why she escaped CIA custody."
"Of course, I didn't believe her. You had a medical condition and needed a treatment, not some Rambaldi belief of hers," replied Jack, frustrated with his daughter's blindness where her mother was concerned.
"Well you're wrong. I was infected with what she referred to as 'a solution that wiped clean my memory'. Now I know it's the truth because I remembered that the guy that killed my team injected me with a green liquid. I heard them call it 'the Rambaldi fluid'."
"Rambaldi? Are you sure?"
Will and Francie exchanged a confused look, never having heard that name before, but they knew not to interrupt and continued to listen to the conversation going on. They were getting a glimpse at the crazy world of Sydney Bristow and it was not pretty.
"Certain."
"Why? Why would someone want to erase your memory, with something of Rambaldi of all things?"
"That's exactly what I asked her, minus the Rambaldi part, as I didn't know about him at the time. She never actually mentioned Rambaldi, guess she didn't want to spook me. She stayed rather vague about the whole thing."
"She probably knew you would remember everything and repeat it to the CIA. She's smart and didn't give you much information."
"Yeah, I guess it holds. She told me she had nothing to do with the people that infected me in the first place, so what I'm about to say is only her theory…"
"Or that's what she want you to believe. Everything could have been an elaborated scheme to get to you," cut off Jack.
Sydney rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Well, I did recover my memory because of her, didn't I?" She snarled sarcastically, still upset that Jack had simply ignored her mother's offer to help. It could have been all over much sooner and her mother would not be on the run, away from Sydney again.
He nodded curtly, admitting that it was not smart to interrupt someone during a debriefing. It made them lose their concentration, their train of thoughts and they might omit information. "Go ahead."
"She told me the green fluid was supposed to be given to someone else, someone able to handle it. I was not that someone so instead of doing whatever it is supposed to be doing it erased my memory. She said she had the cure. Or that she could at least fabricate it. It was based on the greenish solution itself, some of my blood and other stuff that I don't know about. It took a few days for her people to create it but in the end it worked and here I am."
"She just let you go? Immediately after giving you the cure?"
"Yeah. I lost consciousness right after that doctor gave me the injection, but as soon as I woke up two of her bodyguards took me to the airport and put me in her jet. Before you ask, I was blindfolded and cuffed. I had no way of knowing where we were. She had even paid a cab to wait for me on the runaway and take me home."
Jack nodded, listing the points he wanted to clarify. He caught Mr. Tippin and Miss Calfo exchange a look. He had almost forgotten about them. He was still annoyed at their presence but was thankful for their support to Sydney.
"Is there anything else you remember that could help us understand? Something she said maybe?"
"We actually didn't spend much time together, beside sharing meals, and then we would only talk about random things. Oh, and she kept me company during the testing sessions also, but we didn't talk then either. Our longest conversation was about why she had shot me, and it's a little fuzzy because she got angry that I didn't want to listen to her. In the end it was very similar to the one we had while she was in CIA custody though, now that I can actually remember having it."
"And you never asked questions?"
"No. I mean, yes, a few, but nothing pertaining to Rambaldi. Nothing that would interest the CIA or at least, nothing we don't already know. She gave me just enough information so I wouldn't feel the need to ask questions. She told me she could cure me and give me back my memory. I didn't care about details"
"You will have to come in to be officially debriefed and type your report. I'll have a few more questions for you then."
"Okay. Just let me grab a shower and I'll be there. Two hours tops."
TBC