AN: Same disclaimers Apply. I'm going to put up about three pretty big updates all within quick succession of one another. Although I wavered slightly, I finally decided to write this song into the story. It just works too well and says exactly what I want Jack to say but know his character never would personally. The song is not mine and is Fuck It by Eamon. Again, language is a factor in rating so do caution.
DAY 3 - GREECE
Jack had woken with a start and his morning had gone downhill from there. Showering and dressing for the day had done nothing to rid his mind of the disturbing images flashing with such vivid detail.
The evening before had ended on what Jack would consider a high note. He and Irina had retreated to their separate bed at the finale of the movie with only a goodnight between them. It was his dreams which had caused his distasteful mood.
Jack had dreamt of Irina, watching her stroll along the beach. Her face soft and open to what the day had in store for her. He had dreamt her as Laura. But all too soon the scene has vanished, replaced with the hardened glare of Irina's gaze.
He watched in stunned fascination as she was joined in his dream by a man. He was shrouded in darkness, stalking Irina with passionate motion. Jack was unable to move, cursed to bare witness to the inevitable.
Irina's face lit in a feral grin, anticipating the union of herself and her companion. The scene held Jack's rapt attention as the man plundered Irina's mouth with his own. Cloths were shed with abandon, Jack still unable to look away.
Nausea worked its way into Jack's senses at watching Irina whoring herself so unencumbered. The shadows had vanished suddenly to reveal the face of the man draped possessively over her.
Cuvee.
Bile had risen so far in his throat; Jack had rushed to the bathroom the moment his eyes opened. He shook with the effort to cast away the horrific vision of Irina withering beneath the euphoric man.
The dream had served to wake his memory to the despicable acts Irina had committed over the years. She had likely enjoyed pimping herself out to the highest bidder; the price had obviously been worth it. Her organization was an undisputable empire of success. The dream had not been a revelation to Jack but it had rattled him and recaptured his mistrust in Irina's truths.
Had his appointment with the lab not been for eight in the morning, Jack figured he might have remained in his room all day, unwilling and unfit to set eyes on the subject of his torment. However, his inherent curiosity urged him to descend the stairs and travel to the hospital.
"Are you sure? Demands? I agree. I'll take care of it; don't proceed until you've heard from me. It will receive my totally attention. You know I'd do anything for you. Promise me you won't do anything to jeopardize what I'm offering you. Good, take care and I'll talk to you soon."
Jack watched as Irina hung up the phone. She raised her hand to wipe away the moisture that had fallen to her cheeks. Her tone had been soothing and intimate toward the person on the other end, so different than how she spoke to him. The phone call was just one more nail in the coffin of her trustworthiness; she obviously had someone waiting for her after she was through making him suffer.
Pounding the floor steadily to announce his entry into the kitchen, Jack pushed the thoughts aside.
"Good morning." Irina attempted a tentative smile, not returned by Jack. "I didn't really make breakfast for myself but there is some toast and fresh fruit if you'd like." She indicated the table.
Jack's face was impassive, a cold mask of professionalism in place of expression. "I'm not hungry." His words were clipped.
Irina scrutinized him with a perceptive gaze. "You should eat something if you're going to get blood drawn today." She hoped to jar him from his bitterness.
"I'll be fine, no sense pretending to worry." Jack grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She stifled the crude retort to his words.
"No, the wrong side of the world." Jack downed the glass swiftly. "I'm wasting my time here; I should be working."
"And here I thought you were finding your time here enlightening." Irina's eye narrowed.
Jack let out a biting chuckle. "The test is today Irina. You can't keep this charade up for much longer. We both know the likelihood of the child being mine is undoubtedly low."
"So why are you even going then?" Indignation flood Irina's tone.
"Because unlike you, if there is even a slim chance the child is mine, I'm not going to abandon he or she with a cheap whore of a mother who would sooner drown her children than care for them."
The resounding crack of Irina's palm against his cheek was the noise Jack expected; instead he was bombarded by an eerie silence that swathed the kitchen. His mind jumped to the next angry words he was ready to spout, missing the pale wash to Irina's face.
"How much is your body worth Irina? A good f*** for the codes to one of the US weapons lockers? What about a blowjob for access to Echelon? I'm sure you would make it worth my act of treason."
Irina was sure the granite counter-top would give way under the strength of her grip. It was serving two purposes: the first was the keeping her hands from seizing Jack's neck, the second was to keep herself upright as her legs weakened beneath her.
"I got you a present." Jack smiled maniacally, turned and walked toward the living room. "I heard this yesterday while I was in town. I guess you could say it struck a cord, so I bought it. In the spirit of explanations through song, I thought this only fitting. Not my genre of music but it gets my point across." Jack placed the CD in the stereo and hit play. "I've got an appointment to get to. Enjoy."
His parting words were so controlled Irina almost forgot his previously ruthless utterances. The front door shook the foundation of the house with the furry of Jack's exit, startling Irina from her motionless state. The base of the song beat unforgivably in her ears, causing her to stain to hear the resentful lyrics.
See, I don't know why I liked you so much
I gave you all, of my trust
I told you, I loved you, now that's all down the drain
Ya put me through pain, I wanna let u know how I feel
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out
F*ck all those kisses, they didn't mean jack
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back
You thought, you could
Keep this s*** from me, yeah
Ya burnt b*tch, I heard the story
Ya played me, ya even gave him head
Now ya askin' for me back
Ya just another hag, look elsewhere
Cuz ya done with me
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back
Oh oh
Uh huh yeah
Oh oh
Uh huh yeah
Oh oh
Uh huh yeah
Oh oh
Uh huh yeah
Ya questioned, did I care
You could ask anyone, I even said
Ya were my great one
Now its, over, but I do admit I'm sad.
It hurts real bad, I can't sweat that, cuz I loved a hoe
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back
The hate was palatable; Irina wavered, catching herself on the counter to stop herself from an ungraceful descent the floor. Making it just in time, Irina emptied the contents of her stomach into the kitchen sink.
Dry heaves kept her leaning over the sunken basin. Her heart beat furiously against her chest, desperate to legitimize the heartbreak her soul felt. With a shaky hand, she turned on the tap, watching with fascination as her breakfast swirled down the drain.
Careful to hold tight to the edge of the counter and pieces of furniture, Irina made her way into the living room. Her steps were slow and calculated, trying to orient herself within the dizzying space; her vision blurred behind the glassy sharpness of her tears.
Taking a shuddering breath, Irina grasped the vase from the living room table, weighing the crystal in her hands. She closed her eyes against the torrent of emotion slipping through her lashes. The vase flew through the air with a quick twist of her body. The sound of it contacting the wall was met with a startled sob from its executioner.
Three shelves of decorative plates, collected from Asia drew her attention next. Irina reached out with a gentle grasp, caressing the surface of the ornate piece before hurling it to its death. One by one, the rest of the plates joined the burial site, followed by the crystal candle sticks on the mantle.
With nothing left to shatter in the living room, Irina made for the stairs. Her growing girth didn't bother the precision of her stride as she stalked into Jack's room. The closet doors heeded to her force, revealing Jack's clothing. She grabbed a handful of the different fabrics and walked through her own bedroom and out the patio doors.
From her position a storey above the pool, one by one each item was tossed over the side of the patio and into the water below. When the closet no longer housed Jack's clothing Irina's smooth maneuvers took hold of his toiletries. Stepping back to allow herself a windup, Irina heaved the heavy bag over the edge of the cliff, narrowly missing the highest point of the electric fence.
Satisfied with the results of her emotional tirade, Irina took two deep breaths and wiped her eyes. Her shoulders set with determination as she moved into her bedroom. Sitting on the side of her bed, she picked up the phone and dialed a memorized number.
HOSPITAL, SYROS
Jack arrived at the hospital high on anger and low on patience. The walk through the front doors transformed him into a worried and anxious husband, hopeful to discover something that could save his life.
The young woman at the front desk directed him to Dr. Maridakos' office and lab. She had not given him a second look which was understandable considering the tourism the island experienced.
Jack knocked on the open lab door politely, crossing the threshold when he heard the invitation. The lab was quite an amazing sight. Every station was organized and carefully laid out, displaying the many pieces of state of the art equipment.
"Dr. Maridakos?" Jack walked further into the room.
"Ah. Mr. Bristow, I've been expecting you." Jack bit the inside of his cheek to halt the cringe from appearing on his face when he realized Irina had used Bristow as her 'alias'. He had to grudgingly admit it was likely the one name the CIA would not think to investigate.
"It's nice to meet you and very kind of you to allow me to be present during the procedure." Jack shook the man's hand pleasantly.
"I am happy to have the company. And please call me Peter." Jack recognized the slight New York accent to his English. "Well, let's get started right away." He motioned for Jack to take a seat and prepared his arm for the needle.
"You're not from Greece originally?" Jack inquired as Peter drained the blood into a vile.
"No, I was born in New York and educated there but I decided to practice here. The weather is much nicer here." He said with a smile.
"You weren't fond of the US?" Jack watched the dark red fluid as it filled the forth tube.
"I love the US but there was something about Greece that called to me. I still have a home in New York. My wife and I usually spend August and part of the spring there." Peter withdrew the needle from Jack's arm and placed a cotton patch over it to quell the bleeding.
"Are you familiar with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test? We'll use a DQ alpha locus to determine the length and location of the polymarkers." Peter took Jack's blood to the station farthest from the door.
"I'm familiar with the test but I've never done it myself. I've watched the RFLP done." Jack's eyes followed the lab technician. "As I understood it, the RFLP was more accurate than the PCR."
"Some people believe so, but I don't subscribe to that brand of reasoning. In fact, the degradation of the sample in the RFLP over the time it takes to get the results could corrupt the findings. But I'll do which ever one you choose." Peter looked up as Jack came to stand behind him.
"What is the time factor for both?" The doctor was easily the same age as Jack if not a few years old, his hair white with age but his skin mark only by the occasional wrinkle. The man had an enormous amount of energy that seemed to ebb from him with ever move.
"The PCR can be done in eight hours but the RFLP will take at least until the end of next week." Peter had already begun preparing Jack's sample and the amniotic fluid to be tested by PCR.
"Is it possible to do them both? Cost isn't an issue." He assured the man.
"It's fine. I'll start work on the PCR right now." Peter went to work, aware of Jack's vigilant presence in the room. "If you don't mind my asking, why did you and your wife move to Greece and more specifically the island?"
"We both have a tendency to overwork. When we found out my wife was pregnant, we both thought it best if she avoid the stresses of our work by getting away. I stayed in the states and continued to work until I found out I might be sick. My wife insistent I join her here and look into the possibility of stem cells as treatment. I'll have to go back in just under two weeks though." Jack tried not to think too much about the lies he was perpetrating.
"Would I be correct in assuming this pregnancy was a surprise to both of you?" Peter smiled gently.
"To me definitely, my wife, I'm not sure." Jack's mouth tightened when he realized his slight blunder. Hopefully Peter would not question him further about Irina's knowledge of the pregnancy.
"I can sympathize somewhat. Two weeks after I turned fifty-four my wife who was forty-eight at the time announced she was pregnant. Even as a doctor I could wrap my mind around becoming a father again in my mid fifties." Peter shared a smile with Jack. "I never told my wife but I was terrified I was going to make a mess of the child; I felt like a first time father all over again."
"My wife and I had some rough times during her pregnancy. I was terrified of being a tired and awful father, and what I didn't know was that she was just as scared. She didn't think she was going to have the energy to keep up with the baby, nor did she think she would be around long enough for her." Peter caught Jack's eye in understanding.
"But as soon as our baby girl arrived in the delivery room all my fears disappeared. Everything flooded back and although some of the worries remained as they do with most fathers of little girls, I was able to relax a little more. I don't work as much as I used to and I am able to enjoy my children more than I ever had before." Peter was beaming at Jack as he thought of his family.
"I can understand the tension and problems in the marriage. My wife and I can't seem to communicate at all. I don't know where she stands where the baby is concerned or me. Although fear is the last thing she is feeling." Jack stated resolutely.
"I think the mind of a woman is surprising sometimes, they feel fear more acute than anyone else but are more adapt at hiding it." Peter suggested.
"You don't know my wife." Jack grinned, and found himself meaning the comment.
"This has to sit for a while. We can get started on the RFLP. I'll mix the restriction enzymes and then we can sort the strands according to size in the gel. The electric current will have to run through it for a while." Peter explained. He moved to the other side of the lab with Jack hot on his heels.
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS – L.A.
The briefing room filled quickly, five minutes after Kendall had called the impromptu meeting. The CIA had received an anonymous call through several channels, alerting them to a dangerous situation brewing.
Marshall was the last to arrive, taking his seat in a flurry of brown and green. The look Kendall tossed his way told him spoke volumes of annoyance, causing the nervous man to sweat.
"Well, now that we're all here we can get started." His twitched on the files before him. "It was brought to our attention one hour ago that a Sudanese militia group has kidnapped Kofi Annan's wife, Nane and three children. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Annan, he is the Secretary General currently sitting on the Security Council of the United Nations."
"Were there any demands made?" Sydney inquired.
"The group has demanded all interest be waved on their debt by the IMF and the World Bank." Kendal rubbed his scalp in frustration.
"What about the principle amount?" Weiss looked up from the files in front of him.
"They haven't asked it to be lifted. As far as we can tell, they are still willing to pay it." Kendall looked dismayed at the thought.
"So what's the big deal? Why doesn't he just agree to have them lift the interest payments and allow the Sudanese to pay their principle debt?" Sydney wondered aloud.
"The Security Council is not in the habit of negotiating with kidnappers. A special request has come down from the Director at Langley that we are to find and retrieve the Secretary's wife and children. Nane is a lawyer, originally from Sweden; she has been influential in the education of women and the state of African countries. It seems to be one of the reasons she and the children were targeted." Kendall passed out the remaining files in front of him. "Our intel indicates the group may have taken their prisoners to a small facility in Botswana." A satellite image of the facility appeared on the large screen in the briefing room. "Sydney, you have been selected specifically for this mission, by the director and by Mr. Annan."
Eyebrows were raised around the table, directed at Sydney and Kendall. Sydney sat up a little straighter as the information washed over her. The head of the United Nations was entrusting her to find his family; failure was not going to be an option.
"You're team has been assembled, Vaughn, Weiss you're on base ops. You'll have time to finish briefing yourselves on the plane to Botswana. Time is of the essence people and if we fail the strength of the Security Council could be at risk." Kendall made sure to never understate the importance of success to the agents.
"Plane leaves in forty minutes." He dropped his head to scrutinize the files on the desk, dismissing the people in the room.
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION – BOTSWANA
Sydney pressed herself against the wall of the facility, hoping the darkness would offer her cover from the roaming guards. The facility was barely five thousand square feet, which meant fewer guards went a long way.
She waited for the signal from Dixon that the five guards patrolling the perimeter had been tranquilized, before moving into the building. The inside was a maze of staircases and narrow hallways, all twisting in an effort to confuse her.
Feeling the air shift behind her, Sydney move quickly to the right and dodged the butt of a guard's gun. In response, she delivered a kick to his solar plexus and a roundhouse to the side of his head.
The second main level guard turned the corner from one of the rooms, only to encounter the toe of Sydney's shoe. A crack echoed off the hallow walls, indicating his broken nose. He was able to hit her twice in the stomach but her strength and agility overpowered him, sending him to the floor.
The trip up the many short flights of stairs calmed her adrenaline rush marginally but the tow guards waiting for her at the landing, didn't have a chance either way. The first one had gone down pretty easily; however the second had gotten time to raise his gun and fire. Sydney used the unconscious guard to shield her while grasping the end of her own.
Two shots were fired: the first to his hand and the second at his abdomen. The door to the only room on the top floor was locked but Sydney blew through it with little effort. A sudden scream from inside confirmed the victims were being held in the small room.
"It's okay. I'm here to help you." She tried to placate them. She wasn't able to see their faces well in the darkness, but she could make out a blonde middle-aged woman and three young adult children.
"Don't untie us." The woman rushed to utter, her English slightly accented. "They attached the bonds to explosives."
"Mountaineer to Boot Camp. I need an explosive expert in here now. Repeat, the package is wired." Sydney called into her radio.
"Check that Mountaineer, sending in the expert now."
Dixon had already been headed into the building, after hearing Sydney's call to Vaughn. He raced up the stairs and took in the scene quickly.
"Syd, the charges are sent on simultaneous detonation. We'll have to disconnect the fuse at the same time." Dixon indicated the explosives set on the other side of the room. "One the count of three we go." He stated to which he received a sharp nod in return.
"One." He said.
"Two." Sydney counted.
"Three." Dixon and Sydney both broke the circuits on the charges without a problem.
"Help me get them untied." She urged Dixon. Sydney crouched down in from of the older woman and untied her bonds.
The woman took in Sydney's features carefully, cataloguing and identifying each one. "I had a feeling she would send someone but I never would have guessed it would be you." She spoke to Sydney softly. "Kofi wouldn't have been able to organize this kind of rescue."
Sydney stopped for a moment and considered the woman's words. She was sure she had never met her before yet she spoke with a certain familiarity.
"His position in the UN wouldn't allow this kind of force to be used on our behalf and it would have taken the Council weeks to agree on a plan of action." She continued.
"We received an anonymous tip from a reliable source. The UN may not have been able to execute this mission but the CIA could." Sydney finished releasing the ties.
The woman jumped up and raced to her three children, holding them tightly in her arms. She and Dixon watched the scene with satisfaction. A moment later the fair woman had turned and pulled Sydney into her embrace.
"It is an honor to finally meet you. You're even more beautiful than she described." Sydney looked wide-eyed over her the woman's should at Dixon. "Thank you for helping us."
"We have to get you home to your husband." Dixon stifled a chuckle at Sydney's dumbfounded expression.
"Kofi will be so pleased to meet you." Dixon and Sydney helped the four family members out of the building and into their waiting transport.
Dixon and Sydney spoke in hushed words, trying to make sense of Mrs. Annan's reaction to her presence and why there had been recognition in her tone.
HOSPITAL – SYROS
It had taken eight hours but finally Peter had announced the completion of the PCR. He promised to phone Jack as soon as the RFLP was complete but he doubted the results would differ any.
Turning Jack toward the large monitor in the corner of the lab, Peter put the samples on the screen. As the images appeared Peter explained the similarities he had been looking for between the two samples.
"I found something a little surprising in the results, but I think it would help the explanation if I showed you." Peter glanced sideways at Jack, in measured concern.
The results streamed out on the side of the screen as the samples were pushed over top of one another on the monitor. The results Peter was talking about were apparent suddenly, knocking the wind out of Jack.
Composing himself enough for a hateful and acidic curve of his lips, Jack spoke the resentment he felt. "Surprise, surprise."
~TBC~
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