Redemption
Chapter 8
Jack watched that slow smug smile spreading across Sloane's face.
Kathryn pulled away from him seeing the shackles, "Arvin, what's going on? Why are you here?"
"Everything is fine Katy," Sloane gave her a big smile. Sydney wanted to vomit and Weiss stood opened mouthed.
"Get him out of here!" Jack grabbed Kathryn roughly by the shoulders pushing her towards Sydney and Weiss. She fell down and Jack pulled her up.
"Wait!" Kathryn cried struggling with Jack but he was too strong, and she was too weak this time. "Arvin! Arvin!"
"How do you know Sloane?" Sydney asked.
" Sydney, your plane leaves in ten minutes," Jack reminded her.
"But Dad-"
"You're going to miss your plane."
Sydney stopped in the hall watching Weiss, Jack and Kathryn walk down the hall. "I'll be back in a few days Katy!" she shouted after them. Kathryn didn't even turn around. Feeling helpless she watched as Kathryn tried to squirm away from Jack but she was unsuccessful and he only gripped her arm tighter. Her father was still blind when it came to anything to do with her mother.
~ ~ ~
Stone, cold, silence; that was all Kathryn felt. She sat on the floor in her cell hugging her knees against her chest. She felt void, she felt nothing, not joy, pain, or even sorrow. The entire place echoed. Often she would hear the banging of metal--it was the guards, or laughter-the guards again. Shivering she hugged her knees closer. She'd left Jacks coat in his office, she felt like ice but didn't ask for anything. She doubted they would even give her a blanket if she asked. It was a prison. Cold, metal steele. Sterile. How had things come to this, she'd never done anything wrong, never even so much as shoplifted. Now here she was caught up in a world she knew nothing at all. Jack had left her here. He said he'd be back but that was hours ago. He'd lied, Sydney had lied, everyone was lying to her. She felt betrayed. In less than 48 hours her entire world had been turned upside down and the only person she'd ever trusted, the only one who had ever cared about her was a prisoner in the next cell.
Katy heard the doors opening and loud footsteps down the corridor. He was back. She ignored Jack as he entered her cell. The door echoed as it slammed shut and Jack positioned an aluminum chair right in front of her. He took off his jacket and sat down.
She was pissed. Jack sensed it the second he walked into the room, not that he blamed her. He felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees, she was as cold as ice. She stared right past him.
"Lets talk about Arvin Sloane," he pulled his chair closer to her. She didn't say a word, not that he expected she would. Getting any answers out of her the way she was feeling now was like pulling teeth.
"We have a deal Kathryn."
Silence.
"You're not one to break your word."
Kathryn looked at him, raised and eyebrow and then looked past him again. She could see right through him.
"You and I don't have to like each other, but we both want answers so we need to work together on this."
Silence
She knew he was right. Shivering she hugged her knees closer and rested her chin on her knees. She looked up hearing the scrape of metal on the floor as Jack stood up. He put his jacket around her shoulders and sat back down. "Sydney seems to care very much about you. I would not doing anything to intentionally hurt my daughter, but I can not help you if you won't talk to me."
"You put me in a prison!"
"It's not a prison, and it's for your own good."
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Kathryn, these people who kidnapped you, they will try to get you back and kill you!"
"Well then maybe I'd be better off dead."
"I find it hard to believe you would think that." Jack stood again and pulled her up off the floor and onto the other chair. He pushed it over to a small table welded into the wall and then brought his own chair over. He handed her a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of orange juice. "Sorry if you don't like it but I didn't know what you could eat." Kathryn didn't move. Reaching over Jack opened the orange juice and un-wrapped the sandwich for her but still she didn't move.
"How do you know Arvin Sloane?" Jack asked again.
"He's my friend."
"He's not your friend Kathryn, he's a very dangerous man."
"He's not dangerous," she laughed. "I've known him practically my whole life, he's the kindest person I've ever met -"
"Kathryn, I'm going to tell you some things that you're not going to like, but I have no reason to lie to you. Everything I tell you is the truth." Jack proceeded to tell Kathryn everything about SD-6 and the CIA, how Sydney was recruited by SD-6, land then worked as a double agent. He told her about how Danny was killed and that Sloane was responsible. She remained silent until he finished.
"Arvin is the only person in this world who ever gave a damn about me-"
"I've told you why he is here, now you tell me-how you know Arvin Sloane?"
"He came to see me in the hospital after my mom died. He said he knew my dad." Kathryn began picking at the sandwich Jack had given her. "He wrote me and called every once in a while when I was in the foster homes. He sent me and he always came and visited me on my birthday or near Christmas. I used to ask him all the time why he couldn't just adopt me, but he always said he couldn't, he was always out of the country and he couldn't take care of me. Sometimes I hated it, the presents and classes, the other kids always bothered me about it, but I liked the classes, because I always had something to do."
"What kind of presents? Classes?"
"Lots of books, about languages and ancient writings, and puzzle books- codes, word searches, stuff like that and tapes and CD's a computer, games anything I could ever want. Some of it I liked some of it I didn't, but he thought they were interesting, so I read them anyways." The bread crust was crumbling in her fingers creating a mess over the table.
"And the classes?"
"Swimming, ballet, dance, languages, riding, karate, piano, violin, acting and drama workshops, kick boxing, a gym membership, boxing, self defense. He always said that a girl should be able to defend herself-"
Jack stood up abruptly, "I'll be back." He left her cell striding towards the hallway. "Get me Sloane!" he ordered the guard.
"Jack, you promised!" Kathryn shouted. She stood up, knocking over her chair. "Jack!" she screamed pounding the glass window with her fist. "Get back here!"
Jack opened the door to Sloane's cell and grabbed him. He slammed him up against the wall pressing his face to the glass. "You Son of a Bitch!" He let him go and Sloane fell back in his chair. "She's a child!"
"Smart isn't she," Sloane settled in his chair straightening his shirt. "And stubborn, I'll bet she makes your blood boil." He smirked. "She would have been a great asset."
Jack turned and left the room; he'd heard all he needed to.
Kathryn didn't look up as he entered her cell again. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door. Finally he spoke.
"Arvin Sloane was not your friend." As per usual his voice was cold emotionless. "He was training you. Eventually he would have recruited you to work for SD-6 as a super spy. He's been training you since you were six years old." Jack shifted his position and Kathryn finally looked up at him. She had no words. "I'm transferring you to a safe house, you'll leave later tonight." He was gone.
Abandoning her crumbled sandwich Kathryn laid down on the thin mattress. Tears flooded her eyes and she winced every time she heard the clang of the doors slamming one by one and Jacks faint footsteps slowly fading. It felt like a prison, it was a prison and there was no one in the world that she could trust anymore.
Chapter 8
Jack watched that slow smug smile spreading across Sloane's face.
Kathryn pulled away from him seeing the shackles, "Arvin, what's going on? Why are you here?"
"Everything is fine Katy," Sloane gave her a big smile. Sydney wanted to vomit and Weiss stood opened mouthed.
"Get him out of here!" Jack grabbed Kathryn roughly by the shoulders pushing her towards Sydney and Weiss. She fell down and Jack pulled her up.
"Wait!" Kathryn cried struggling with Jack but he was too strong, and she was too weak this time. "Arvin! Arvin!"
"How do you know Sloane?" Sydney asked.
" Sydney, your plane leaves in ten minutes," Jack reminded her.
"But Dad-"
"You're going to miss your plane."
Sydney stopped in the hall watching Weiss, Jack and Kathryn walk down the hall. "I'll be back in a few days Katy!" she shouted after them. Kathryn didn't even turn around. Feeling helpless she watched as Kathryn tried to squirm away from Jack but she was unsuccessful and he only gripped her arm tighter. Her father was still blind when it came to anything to do with her mother.
~ ~ ~
Stone, cold, silence; that was all Kathryn felt. She sat on the floor in her cell hugging her knees against her chest. She felt void, she felt nothing, not joy, pain, or even sorrow. The entire place echoed. Often she would hear the banging of metal--it was the guards, or laughter-the guards again. Shivering she hugged her knees closer. She'd left Jacks coat in his office, she felt like ice but didn't ask for anything. She doubted they would even give her a blanket if she asked. It was a prison. Cold, metal steele. Sterile. How had things come to this, she'd never done anything wrong, never even so much as shoplifted. Now here she was caught up in a world she knew nothing at all. Jack had left her here. He said he'd be back but that was hours ago. He'd lied, Sydney had lied, everyone was lying to her. She felt betrayed. In less than 48 hours her entire world had been turned upside down and the only person she'd ever trusted, the only one who had ever cared about her was a prisoner in the next cell.
Katy heard the doors opening and loud footsteps down the corridor. He was back. She ignored Jack as he entered her cell. The door echoed as it slammed shut and Jack positioned an aluminum chair right in front of her. He took off his jacket and sat down.
She was pissed. Jack sensed it the second he walked into the room, not that he blamed her. He felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees, she was as cold as ice. She stared right past him.
"Lets talk about Arvin Sloane," he pulled his chair closer to her. She didn't say a word, not that he expected she would. Getting any answers out of her the way she was feeling now was like pulling teeth.
"We have a deal Kathryn."
Silence.
"You're not one to break your word."
Kathryn looked at him, raised and eyebrow and then looked past him again. She could see right through him.
"You and I don't have to like each other, but we both want answers so we need to work together on this."
Silence
She knew he was right. Shivering she hugged her knees closer and rested her chin on her knees. She looked up hearing the scrape of metal on the floor as Jack stood up. He put his jacket around her shoulders and sat back down. "Sydney seems to care very much about you. I would not doing anything to intentionally hurt my daughter, but I can not help you if you won't talk to me."
"You put me in a prison!"
"It's not a prison, and it's for your own good."
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Kathryn, these people who kidnapped you, they will try to get you back and kill you!"
"Well then maybe I'd be better off dead."
"I find it hard to believe you would think that." Jack stood again and pulled her up off the floor and onto the other chair. He pushed it over to a small table welded into the wall and then brought his own chair over. He handed her a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of orange juice. "Sorry if you don't like it but I didn't know what you could eat." Kathryn didn't move. Reaching over Jack opened the orange juice and un-wrapped the sandwich for her but still she didn't move.
"How do you know Arvin Sloane?" Jack asked again.
"He's my friend."
"He's not your friend Kathryn, he's a very dangerous man."
"He's not dangerous," she laughed. "I've known him practically my whole life, he's the kindest person I've ever met -"
"Kathryn, I'm going to tell you some things that you're not going to like, but I have no reason to lie to you. Everything I tell you is the truth." Jack proceeded to tell Kathryn everything about SD-6 and the CIA, how Sydney was recruited by SD-6, land then worked as a double agent. He told her about how Danny was killed and that Sloane was responsible. She remained silent until he finished.
"Arvin is the only person in this world who ever gave a damn about me-"
"I've told you why he is here, now you tell me-how you know Arvin Sloane?"
"He came to see me in the hospital after my mom died. He said he knew my dad." Kathryn began picking at the sandwich Jack had given her. "He wrote me and called every once in a while when I was in the foster homes. He sent me and he always came and visited me on my birthday or near Christmas. I used to ask him all the time why he couldn't just adopt me, but he always said he couldn't, he was always out of the country and he couldn't take care of me. Sometimes I hated it, the presents and classes, the other kids always bothered me about it, but I liked the classes, because I always had something to do."
"What kind of presents? Classes?"
"Lots of books, about languages and ancient writings, and puzzle books- codes, word searches, stuff like that and tapes and CD's a computer, games anything I could ever want. Some of it I liked some of it I didn't, but he thought they were interesting, so I read them anyways." The bread crust was crumbling in her fingers creating a mess over the table.
"And the classes?"
"Swimming, ballet, dance, languages, riding, karate, piano, violin, acting and drama workshops, kick boxing, a gym membership, boxing, self defense. He always said that a girl should be able to defend herself-"
Jack stood up abruptly, "I'll be back." He left her cell striding towards the hallway. "Get me Sloane!" he ordered the guard.
"Jack, you promised!" Kathryn shouted. She stood up, knocking over her chair. "Jack!" she screamed pounding the glass window with her fist. "Get back here!"
Jack opened the door to Sloane's cell and grabbed him. He slammed him up against the wall pressing his face to the glass. "You Son of a Bitch!" He let him go and Sloane fell back in his chair. "She's a child!"
"Smart isn't she," Sloane settled in his chair straightening his shirt. "And stubborn, I'll bet she makes your blood boil." He smirked. "She would have been a great asset."
Jack turned and left the room; he'd heard all he needed to.
Kathryn didn't look up as he entered her cell again. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door. Finally he spoke.
"Arvin Sloane was not your friend." As per usual his voice was cold emotionless. "He was training you. Eventually he would have recruited you to work for SD-6 as a super spy. He's been training you since you were six years old." Jack shifted his position and Kathryn finally looked up at him. She had no words. "I'm transferring you to a safe house, you'll leave later tonight." He was gone.
Abandoning her crumbled sandwich Kathryn laid down on the thin mattress. Tears flooded her eyes and she winced every time she heard the clang of the doors slamming one by one and Jacks faint footsteps slowly fading. It felt like a prison, it was a prison and there was no one in the world that she could trust anymore.