Redemption

Chapter 23

Viktor Melnikov stood over her body keeping his gun locked on her. He kicked her several times and used the top of his foot to lift her head. She didn't move and he bent down moving aside her long dark hair. He checked for a pulse, there was none and her head fell back against the concrete, into a dark pool of blood quickly forming. "She's dead." He stood and wiped the blood of his hand using a cloth one of the guards handed him. He walked to his superior. "It's over," he glanced back one last time at teenager.

"Take care of it," was all he said before turning on his heel and walking away.

~ ~ ~

Four days, five hours and counting. That's how long it had been since Kathryn had disappeared and there was not a damned thing Jack could do about it.

It was a waiting game. Wait for her abductors to send them intel, wait to find her alive or wait to find her dead.

The CIA had tapped every asset they'd had. Jack had paid off every informant he could get his hands on but everything led to a dead end. They couldn't even confirm that The Covenant was responsible for Kathryn's abduction. Jack couldn't even confirm when and how she'd been taken. His daughter had dropped off the face of the earth. She'd run out of the CIA building ten minutes after leaving Jack's office and no one had seen or heard from her again.

It was long past midnight when he'd left the office normally he'd have gone home to drown his sorrows in a glass of scotch but not tonight. Tonight he had scheduled to make contact with his ex-wife. Sitting in his car, parked at the old fairgrounds he opened his laptop and logged onto the chat room. He entered the designated room and waited.

Russian Babe I saw your ad in The Times

JB620 I got your book

RussianBabe I know you're upset with me just please understand that I had my reasons. I was trying to do what I thought was best for her.

JB620 You could have told me sooner, should have told me as soon as we found her.

RussianBabe I tried

JB620 In Panama?

RussianBabe Yes, I won't deny that I should have told you sooner, that I feel responsible for what has happened but I had reasons for doing what I did.

JB620 Madrid in 85 you were there.

RussianBabe I was, you were pretty sick.

JB620 None of that matters now. Kathryn is missing

RussianBabe Missing?

JB620 Four Days now, we have no idea who has her, no intel, no leads, nothing. Have you heard anything? I would assume that it has something to do with The Contessa but I'm not entirely sure The Covenant is responsible.

RussianBabe I haven't heard anything but I'll check in to it. Jack I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner, perhaps this could have been prevented. You need to talk to Sydney

JB620 What aren't you saying

RussianBabe Talk to Sydney, I told her not to tell you, I was afraid that word would get out and Katarina would be in more danger. It seems rather irrelevant now.

JB620 What have you done?

RussianBabe Just talk to Sydney. I will begin my own investigation into her disappearance and upload any info to our FTP drop site.

JB620 We'll find her

RussianBabe We have to find her. I'm sorry that I kept her from you. I miss you

JB620 miss you too. I'll contact you when I hear something

Jack closed his laptop and sat in silence for a few moments contemplating everthing Irina had just told him before he started the engine and he sat there even longer. He'd suspected that Sydney had been lying to him when she said she'd had no contact with her mother and now he knew she had. Putting the car in drive he pulled out of the parking garage and sped all the way to Sydney's home.

"Dad?" Sydney let him in. "Is it Katy did you find her?"

"Sydney, I contacted your mother and I need to know everything she told you about Kathryn," he looked up at her stunned face. "Everything."

"Dad, it's not that I didn't want to tell you but, she-mom was afraid that Katy would get hurt if anyone found out."

"Sydney, I don't care what her reasons were, I just need to know word for word what she told you."

Sydney nodded and they sat down as she relayed to her father everything her mother had told her about Kathryn and the vague reasons as to why she'd left her all those years before.

"I really think mom was trying to protect her," Sydney said finally after Jack had sat in silence for several minutes. "Whatever her reasons were, I think she thought she was doing what was best."

"Agreed," Jack nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "I doubt even Irina knows the extent to which Khasinau trained your sister."

"If she'd known, you know she wouldn't have allowed it, despite her history, I know she wouldn't have allowed it."

"I know," Jack stood and reached for his coat. "I should go now."

"Dad wait, it's late and you're tired, you should just stay here."

"Sydney, I'll be fine-"

"Please, since Katy's been gone, it's just been empty here-"

"I'll sleep on the couch-"

"You can stay in her room-"

"The couch is fine Sydney."

"Dad it's not your fault you know that." Sydney stood taking his hand.

"Sydney if I had allowed you-"

"If you'd allowed me to go after her than there is a chance that she'd be here yes, but they would have come after her again. It would only be a matter of time before they found her, before they took her. It's not your fault."

"You should get some rest," he cupped her cheek in his hand and she brought her hand up to his. "Sweet dreams."

"Good night Dad." Sydney made her way down the hallway but stopped turning to watch him for a moment. He looked so broken, pained. He blamed himself for Kathryn's kidnapping even though it wasn't his fault.

~ ~ ~

Vaughn threw his headset down in frustration. "Weiss did you find anything with SVR?"

He shook his head, "nothing. No mention of Kathryn or The Contessa. I tried Sydney's contact and he tried his contact and nothing. Honestly man, it's like Kat went up in pool of smoke. We can't even find so much as a witness who saw them take her."

"The only thing we've got is her fingerprints in the bathroom at the airport in Mexico City. I pulled the security cameras; she's not on them. I'm beginning to wonder if she was ever in Mexico City in the first place-"

"Agent Vaughn, I want you to look into Project Christmas with the KGB 1989-1991, Pay particular attention to the testing on children especially girls in 1990." Jack stopped by Vaughns desk dumping a stack of files. "Check with your contact in Moscow see if he has any intel regarding a training facility."

"Does this have something to do with Kathryn?" he asked curiously.

"This has everything to do with Kathryn. During her time spent in Russia when she was four, Alexander Khasinau tested an advanced version of Project Christmas on her-"

"Jack," Kendall called out to him, he stood in front of Dixons office. "I need to see you and Sydney now."

He nodded and looked over at Sydney who stood up from her desk and walked to Dixon's office. There was something in his voice.

"Jack why don't you sit down," Kendall motioned to the chair beside Sydney.

"I'd rather stand," he looked around the room. In addition to Kendall and Dixon, Bob Lindsey and Devlin were in the room. "What's going on?"

"Jack-"

"Tell me."

Devlin stepped forwards, "approximately twenty five minutes ago we received intel regarding Ms. Sullivan, more specifically a video tape and photographs."

"I want to see them."

"Jack, I don't-"

"I want to see them now."

"What aren't you saying?" Sydney asked standing.

"Analysis has been over the video several times, they've found no anomalies, no editing, no animation, nothing. It's authentic." Dixon stood next to Sydney his hand resting on his former partner's shoulder. "It's a video of Kathryn's death."

"I need to see it," she whispered in disbelief.

"Agent Bristow, I would advice against it," Lindsey spoke up.

"Just show us," she cried out. "I have to see it for myself."

Nodding slowly Devlin turned the computer monitor to face them and pulled up the video file.

"Oh God," Sydney covered her mouth stifling a cry and her father squeezed her shoulder lightly. The camera showed a close up of Kathryn's face, it was covered in cuts and bruises, and she'd definitely put up a fight. She watched as her sister was led over to a man, forced to her knees. She begged for her life but it was to no avail as the man raised his gun to her temple and pulled the trigger.

"What do you think is going on in there?" Marshall pulled his chair over to Vaughn's desk and nodded to Dixon's office, Carrie joined them as well.

"I don't know," Vaughn shook his head and looked at Weiss. "But whatever it is, it can't be good-"

He'd barely been able to get the words out when a scream from Dixon's office shattered the silence. The entire rotunda grew quiet all eyes on Dixon's office. Vaughn stood to go to the office but Weiss held him back as they listened to Sydney's strangled sobs.

Suddenly the door opened and Sydney burst through sobbing, she headed for the bathroom but never made it and found the nearest garbage can to be sick in. Vaughn rushed to her side and held her hair back. He looked up at Jack who stood in the doorway to Dixon's office; he was visibly shaken.

"Syd?" Vaughn put his arms around her as she stood. He walked her over to her desk located parallel to his. "Syd what happened?"

"She's gone," Sydney said in a hoarse whisper. She looked up at her father momentarily before looking back to Vaughn. "They killed her, Katy's dead."

Vaughn could do nothing but wrap his arms around her and hold her as she cried. Silence deafened the room. Many agents were discussing in hushed whispers, some cried others sat stunned. In her comings and goings Kathryn had gotten to know many of the agents by name and often assisted them when needed with code deciphering, computer programming, and language translation. She'd just become a constant pleasure, full of life and reminding the agents exactly what they were working for. Marshall had his arm around Carrie who was dabbing her eyes with a tissue her hand resting lightly on her protruding belly. Weiss sat in his chair stunned unable to move or say anything at all.

Jack surveyed the room momentarily before turning to Devlin. "Find out where that video was taken. I want an ID on the man who murdered my daughter."

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