Redemption
Chapter Thirty One
Jack passed Kat off to Weiss once they entered the cabin safehouse. "Get her settled on the couch, we've got to get that bullet out."
Weiss nodded and followed his instructions and set her down. He pulled off her pants and covered her with a blanket applying direct pressure to the gunshot wound.
Jack approached Irina who was just hanging up her cellphone.
"They'll be here in ten minutes," she informed him. Both turned to watch their daughters. Kat lying on the couch and Sydney sitting at the table, Vaughn tending to the knife wound on her stomach.
"Irina-"
"She's remarkable. Everything that I had hoped, everything I knew she would be. Strong, independent, loyal, fearless," Jack detected a sense of pride in her voice as she gazed at their youngest. "However, I don't remember her being so.so small."
Jack had to strain to hear her words. "Well she certainly didn't get that from my side of the family," he remarked an amused smile threatened to play on his lips.
"My sister," she said softly and it occurred to Jack that this was the first time he'd ever heard Irina speak of her family. Laura's parents had died when she was a teenager. She'd had two older sisters, no aunts or uncles or grandparents and he'd often wondered if any of what she'd said was true.
"Jack, you have to understand that if I had known-" Irina turned to face him. "I would never have allowed her to live like that."
"You could have prevented it all."
"Damn it Jack, I didn't have a choice." Irina spoke in a hushed whisper. "If I had told you about her-if the KGB had found out that she was even alive, she wouldn't be here. Sydney wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be here. I thought she was safe and I was wrong."
"We've all made mistakes where she was concerned-"
"Anything that I did was for her protection and I don't regret it." Irina turned and walked towards Sydney speaking with her for several minutes before she boldly approached her second daughter. She sat on the edge of the couch and reached for Kat's hand but she pulled it away.
"What do you want?"
"Katy-"
"Don't call me that. Now why are you here? What is it that you want?" she grimaced shifting her injured leg.
"Do you remember that time when you were five, I took you to this pool, I was teaching you how to swim but you were afraid to go under the water. Do you remember what I said to you-?"
"Why are you here? What is it that you want?" she asked angrily turning to face the woman. "Is this some kind of twisted ploy, God I don't know! What do you want!"
Irina shifted on the couch and took Kat's hand despite her attempts to pull away. "I need to know what you told them."
"God!"
"They questioned you about The Contessa, now I need to know Katarina, what did you tell them?"
"Why should I tell you," she smiled. "You would like to know wouldn't you. I'm sure you've got some trick up your sleeve. You want it all to yourself."
"This is not a game Katarina, this is your life you are playing with!" Irina said in a hushed whisper.
"Fine you want to know what I told them? Nothing! I don't know anything. I don't know what it is or where it is. Are you happy?" she shouted.
"Katy-"
"Leave me alone!" she shouted jerking her arm back. "Just leave me alone."
Irina stood and leaned over her daughter. "Give your father a chance Katarina, he deserves at least that."
She let out an irritated sigh.
"Katarina you have to accept that there are things about this, about you, about your life, about the severity of this entire situation that you do not understand. Your father and Sydney are your only allies."
"Leave me alone," she repeated.
Irina stood and looked down at her daughter. "When I was teaching you how to swim, I told you to trust me. You did and you learned how to swim that day. You need to do that again Katarina. In time, you will understand the truth. Truth takes time."
Jack approached Irina and took her arm. She could hear the helicopter in the distance. "You need to go now," Jack took her arm steering her towards the door.
She looked back the Kat one last time. "What I did, everything I did to protect you, I don't regret any of it." She left the cabin and left all the CIA agents behind her. Jack stood in the doorway. "Keep her out of this life Jack, you owe me that." Her gun drawn she approached the waiting helicopter and grasped an extended hand who helped her into it.
Jack reentered the cabin. He checked his watch; their extraction team would arrive in approximately thirty minutes, enough time for him to adequately tend to Kat's wound. He knelt beside the couch and doused his hands in alcohol before injecting her leg with a topical anesthesia; in her present state he couldn't risk putting her out completely. Will and Weiss stood on either side holding lights watching as Jack skillfully dug the bullet out of Kat's leg and cleaned and irrigated the wound before stitching it up. "Done," he wiped his hands on an available towel. "Stay off it for a bit and you'll be fine. How's your mouth?" he asked.
"I lost three teeth, how should it be."
"Sore?"
"That would be an adequate description then yes."
"We'll get you to medical services once we get back to LA."
She nodded. "Thank you for coming to get me."
He said nothing.
~ ~ ~
"Thank you for the quick extraction," Irina twisted her hair pinning it up and sat down on the couch of the private plane across from her companion.
"I trust the information was accurate and your mission was successful."
Irina nodded, "we got there just in time, she'll live."
"I find it hard to believe that none of those agents took you into custody."
"This operation was about finding Katarina, and nothing else. Everyone involved was there for one reason only."
"You never said anything about another daughter," he took a sip of wine.
"Her existence is best kept in confidence and I trust you will do the same?" She waited for his acknowledgement before continuing. "Tell me Mr. Sark, how did you come to know my daughter."
"Haven't we been over this?"
"Indulge me."
"I was trading information Melnikov wanted about an arms dealer in Bulgaria. She was attempting an escape; I found her and mistook her for Sydney. She's a lot like her, like you. Fearless, stubborn but with a certain lack of regard-"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"What is the Contessa?" he asked switching topics and leaning forwards in his seat.
"What do you know about it?"
"Nothing, only the name. It's what Melnikov was torturing her for information about," Sark shrugged refilling his glass. "What is it?" she repeated.
"I don't know," Irina shook her head. "I asked Katarina but she doesn't know. It seems that Melnikov's employer believes she does know what it is, he believes she is the only one who knows what it is."
"She does know-'
"Excuse me?"
"Melnikov gave her a lie detector test. She failed. Her results clearly showed that she does know what it is."
Irina leaned back in her seat drumming the tips of her fingers just above her upper lip, "She lied to me."
~ ~ ~
The plane taxied onto the private airstrip and Sydney leaned over and gently shook her sister awake. She'd done her best to clean up the cuts on her face, but Katy still looked as if she'd been through a war zone. She'd slept the entire trip home but not peaceful. As always she cried out in dreams and tears stained her cheeks.
"We're here," she whispered as Kat opened her eyes.
"Home?"
"Home," she nodded giving her a reassuring smile.
Jack was the first off the plain followed by Sydney, Vaughn and Weiss. "Do you see what I see?" Vaughn whispered to Weiss staring straight ahead.
"Yeah," he grimaced watching as Kendall and Lindsey stepped out of two black sedans neither looking any too pleased as they stood under umbrellas in the pouring rain. "We're toast."
"Might as well face the music," Sydney sighed and the four walked up to their superiors.
"Agents Bristow, Vaughn, Weiss, just what did you think you were doing?" Kendall nearly exploded the veins in his head popped out in frustration. "Your actions were reckless and endangered the credibility of this agency."
"What were you going after-" Lindsey stopped short and they all turned and followed his gaze watching as Will crouched down on the steps down from the plane and Kat emerged slipping onto his back. With the aid of Marshall they walked towards the others splashing through puddles on the way.
Both Kendall and Lindsey eyed her open mouthed.
"Gonna catch flies," she smirked.
"You certainly know how to come back from the dead; an accomplished Derevko trait I believe," Lindsey recovered first and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I should I take that as a complement I suppose, but I'd much rather you didn't compare me to a terrorist."
"Take it any way you want," Kendall opened the car door. "I'm placing you under protective custody, you'll be out of the US within the hour."
"What? No! You can't do that," Sydney shouted. "She's safer here, with us."
"And where was she when she went missing-"
"That was my fault," Kat interrupted sliding off Will's back. "I took off and got myself into trouble, this wasn't their fault, please-"
"It's already been decided," Kendall shrugged. "Devlin gave the order before she disappeared. When none of you reported to work, I did a trace on your phone records and found that you'd rented a plane. I certainly didn't expect this," he nodded to Kat.
"She needs a doctor, not protective custody," Jack interrupted.
"Come on Miss. Sullivan," Lindsey took her arm urging her into the car. She winced as he pulled on her bad shoulder and stumbled to her knees as she was forced to put weight on her injured leg.
"Be careful," Will scolded Lindsey as he helped Kathryn to her feet. "She's hurt."
Kendall gave her a once over noticing for the first time her present state of attire. Her black tanktop was smeared with dried blood. She was barefoot, the grey cotton pants she wore were darkened with blood and missing a leg revealing her bruised and battered limb and the gunshot wound that was bleeding through the bandages.
Lindsey took her arm once more this time gently leading her to the car.
"I'll get this sorted out," Jack said gruffly seeing the fear in her eyes. "You'll be back in LA soon."
"Wait-" she cried as Lindsey tried to force her into the car. "Wait, please, we have to go to the JTF first."
"Why is that?" Kendall asked.
Kat's eyes met Jack's as she spoke. "Because. because I know what The Contessa is."
There was silence among the group as they took in and processed her words. Lindsey was the first to speak and his words sent a shiver down Kat's spine making her feel sick to her stomach. "Let's get our girl home."
'Our girl,' his words made her cringe and the presence of his hand on her shoulder made her want to vomit. He was sleeze. Now he wanted her, or rather wanted her knowledge.
"Get in the car Kat," Jack held the door open wider and took her hand helping her slide into the backseat. Vaughn and Sydney followed and Marshall, Will and Weiss and Lindsey got in the second car.
"Jack-" Kendall put out his arm stopping Jack from entering the car. He looked in at Kathryn who sat in the middle seat her resting on Sydney's shoulder her eyes closed. "If that's your daughter in there, than who did you bury?"
Jack didn't have a moments hesitation before speaking. "Kathryn Sullivan."
A/N( Please hit that little purple button and give feedback if you want more.
Chapter Thirty One
Jack passed Kat off to Weiss once they entered the cabin safehouse. "Get her settled on the couch, we've got to get that bullet out."
Weiss nodded and followed his instructions and set her down. He pulled off her pants and covered her with a blanket applying direct pressure to the gunshot wound.
Jack approached Irina who was just hanging up her cellphone.
"They'll be here in ten minutes," she informed him. Both turned to watch their daughters. Kat lying on the couch and Sydney sitting at the table, Vaughn tending to the knife wound on her stomach.
"Irina-"
"She's remarkable. Everything that I had hoped, everything I knew she would be. Strong, independent, loyal, fearless," Jack detected a sense of pride in her voice as she gazed at their youngest. "However, I don't remember her being so.so small."
Jack had to strain to hear her words. "Well she certainly didn't get that from my side of the family," he remarked an amused smile threatened to play on his lips.
"My sister," she said softly and it occurred to Jack that this was the first time he'd ever heard Irina speak of her family. Laura's parents had died when she was a teenager. She'd had two older sisters, no aunts or uncles or grandparents and he'd often wondered if any of what she'd said was true.
"Jack, you have to understand that if I had known-" Irina turned to face him. "I would never have allowed her to live like that."
"You could have prevented it all."
"Damn it Jack, I didn't have a choice." Irina spoke in a hushed whisper. "If I had told you about her-if the KGB had found out that she was even alive, she wouldn't be here. Sydney wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be here. I thought she was safe and I was wrong."
"We've all made mistakes where she was concerned-"
"Anything that I did was for her protection and I don't regret it." Irina turned and walked towards Sydney speaking with her for several minutes before she boldly approached her second daughter. She sat on the edge of the couch and reached for Kat's hand but she pulled it away.
"What do you want?"
"Katy-"
"Don't call me that. Now why are you here? What is it that you want?" she grimaced shifting her injured leg.
"Do you remember that time when you were five, I took you to this pool, I was teaching you how to swim but you were afraid to go under the water. Do you remember what I said to you-?"
"Why are you here? What is it that you want?" she asked angrily turning to face the woman. "Is this some kind of twisted ploy, God I don't know! What do you want!"
Irina shifted on the couch and took Kat's hand despite her attempts to pull away. "I need to know what you told them."
"God!"
"They questioned you about The Contessa, now I need to know Katarina, what did you tell them?"
"Why should I tell you," she smiled. "You would like to know wouldn't you. I'm sure you've got some trick up your sleeve. You want it all to yourself."
"This is not a game Katarina, this is your life you are playing with!" Irina said in a hushed whisper.
"Fine you want to know what I told them? Nothing! I don't know anything. I don't know what it is or where it is. Are you happy?" she shouted.
"Katy-"
"Leave me alone!" she shouted jerking her arm back. "Just leave me alone."
Irina stood and leaned over her daughter. "Give your father a chance Katarina, he deserves at least that."
She let out an irritated sigh.
"Katarina you have to accept that there are things about this, about you, about your life, about the severity of this entire situation that you do not understand. Your father and Sydney are your only allies."
"Leave me alone," she repeated.
Irina stood and looked down at her daughter. "When I was teaching you how to swim, I told you to trust me. You did and you learned how to swim that day. You need to do that again Katarina. In time, you will understand the truth. Truth takes time."
Jack approached Irina and took her arm. She could hear the helicopter in the distance. "You need to go now," Jack took her arm steering her towards the door.
She looked back the Kat one last time. "What I did, everything I did to protect you, I don't regret any of it." She left the cabin and left all the CIA agents behind her. Jack stood in the doorway. "Keep her out of this life Jack, you owe me that." Her gun drawn she approached the waiting helicopter and grasped an extended hand who helped her into it.
Jack reentered the cabin. He checked his watch; their extraction team would arrive in approximately thirty minutes, enough time for him to adequately tend to Kat's wound. He knelt beside the couch and doused his hands in alcohol before injecting her leg with a topical anesthesia; in her present state he couldn't risk putting her out completely. Will and Weiss stood on either side holding lights watching as Jack skillfully dug the bullet out of Kat's leg and cleaned and irrigated the wound before stitching it up. "Done," he wiped his hands on an available towel. "Stay off it for a bit and you'll be fine. How's your mouth?" he asked.
"I lost three teeth, how should it be."
"Sore?"
"That would be an adequate description then yes."
"We'll get you to medical services once we get back to LA."
She nodded. "Thank you for coming to get me."
He said nothing.
~ ~ ~
"Thank you for the quick extraction," Irina twisted her hair pinning it up and sat down on the couch of the private plane across from her companion.
"I trust the information was accurate and your mission was successful."
Irina nodded, "we got there just in time, she'll live."
"I find it hard to believe that none of those agents took you into custody."
"This operation was about finding Katarina, and nothing else. Everyone involved was there for one reason only."
"You never said anything about another daughter," he took a sip of wine.
"Her existence is best kept in confidence and I trust you will do the same?" She waited for his acknowledgement before continuing. "Tell me Mr. Sark, how did you come to know my daughter."
"Haven't we been over this?"
"Indulge me."
"I was trading information Melnikov wanted about an arms dealer in Bulgaria. She was attempting an escape; I found her and mistook her for Sydney. She's a lot like her, like you. Fearless, stubborn but with a certain lack of regard-"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"What is the Contessa?" he asked switching topics and leaning forwards in his seat.
"What do you know about it?"
"Nothing, only the name. It's what Melnikov was torturing her for information about," Sark shrugged refilling his glass. "What is it?" she repeated.
"I don't know," Irina shook her head. "I asked Katarina but she doesn't know. It seems that Melnikov's employer believes she does know what it is, he believes she is the only one who knows what it is."
"She does know-'
"Excuse me?"
"Melnikov gave her a lie detector test. She failed. Her results clearly showed that she does know what it is."
Irina leaned back in her seat drumming the tips of her fingers just above her upper lip, "She lied to me."
~ ~ ~
The plane taxied onto the private airstrip and Sydney leaned over and gently shook her sister awake. She'd done her best to clean up the cuts on her face, but Katy still looked as if she'd been through a war zone. She'd slept the entire trip home but not peaceful. As always she cried out in dreams and tears stained her cheeks.
"We're here," she whispered as Kat opened her eyes.
"Home?"
"Home," she nodded giving her a reassuring smile.
Jack was the first off the plain followed by Sydney, Vaughn and Weiss. "Do you see what I see?" Vaughn whispered to Weiss staring straight ahead.
"Yeah," he grimaced watching as Kendall and Lindsey stepped out of two black sedans neither looking any too pleased as they stood under umbrellas in the pouring rain. "We're toast."
"Might as well face the music," Sydney sighed and the four walked up to their superiors.
"Agents Bristow, Vaughn, Weiss, just what did you think you were doing?" Kendall nearly exploded the veins in his head popped out in frustration. "Your actions were reckless and endangered the credibility of this agency."
"What were you going after-" Lindsey stopped short and they all turned and followed his gaze watching as Will crouched down on the steps down from the plane and Kat emerged slipping onto his back. With the aid of Marshall they walked towards the others splashing through puddles on the way.
Both Kendall and Lindsey eyed her open mouthed.
"Gonna catch flies," she smirked.
"You certainly know how to come back from the dead; an accomplished Derevko trait I believe," Lindsey recovered first and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I should I take that as a complement I suppose, but I'd much rather you didn't compare me to a terrorist."
"Take it any way you want," Kendall opened the car door. "I'm placing you under protective custody, you'll be out of the US within the hour."
"What? No! You can't do that," Sydney shouted. "She's safer here, with us."
"And where was she when she went missing-"
"That was my fault," Kat interrupted sliding off Will's back. "I took off and got myself into trouble, this wasn't their fault, please-"
"It's already been decided," Kendall shrugged. "Devlin gave the order before she disappeared. When none of you reported to work, I did a trace on your phone records and found that you'd rented a plane. I certainly didn't expect this," he nodded to Kat.
"She needs a doctor, not protective custody," Jack interrupted.
"Come on Miss. Sullivan," Lindsey took her arm urging her into the car. She winced as he pulled on her bad shoulder and stumbled to her knees as she was forced to put weight on her injured leg.
"Be careful," Will scolded Lindsey as he helped Kathryn to her feet. "She's hurt."
Kendall gave her a once over noticing for the first time her present state of attire. Her black tanktop was smeared with dried blood. She was barefoot, the grey cotton pants she wore were darkened with blood and missing a leg revealing her bruised and battered limb and the gunshot wound that was bleeding through the bandages.
Lindsey took her arm once more this time gently leading her to the car.
"I'll get this sorted out," Jack said gruffly seeing the fear in her eyes. "You'll be back in LA soon."
"Wait-" she cried as Lindsey tried to force her into the car. "Wait, please, we have to go to the JTF first."
"Why is that?" Kendall asked.
Kat's eyes met Jack's as she spoke. "Because. because I know what The Contessa is."
There was silence among the group as they took in and processed her words. Lindsey was the first to speak and his words sent a shiver down Kat's spine making her feel sick to her stomach. "Let's get our girl home."
'Our girl,' his words made her cringe and the presence of his hand on her shoulder made her want to vomit. He was sleeze. Now he wanted her, or rather wanted her knowledge.
"Get in the car Kat," Jack held the door open wider and took her hand helping her slide into the backseat. Vaughn and Sydney followed and Marshall, Will and Weiss and Lindsey got in the second car.
"Jack-" Kendall put out his arm stopping Jack from entering the car. He looked in at Kathryn who sat in the middle seat her resting on Sydney's shoulder her eyes closed. "If that's your daughter in there, than who did you bury?"
Jack didn't have a moments hesitation before speaking. "Kathryn Sullivan."
A/N( Please hit that little purple button and give feedback if you want more.