{A/N - wow!!! i'm lovin the reviews people... please keep it up and continue to assist with advice and opinions!!}

As jack entered the rotunda, several agents ran up to him and enquired as to the health of his wife. They had all met her at various functions and warmed to her immediately. It had been part of her mission for everyone close to Jack to like her. He ignored them all and made his way to the Directors office.

As he entered, William Vaughn looked up and immediately pressed a button underneath his desk to shut the door and seal the room from all noise escaping. "Bill, have you heard anything about her loyalty?" He asked careful not to expose the identity as to whom they were discussing. He knew that enemy agents could easily tap in to the CIA's systems. After all they had tapped into his life.

"Yes. I had a word with my contact this morning. Apparently there's a very large contract out on her head. She was to be extracted, tortured and executed for treason the day before you came to me. Now the KGB just want her dead. They discovered that she was giving them false information and a transcript sent to your house shows how they threatened you and Sydney's lives. She was forced to leave you. After which, they would take her to their own version of Camp Harris."

The immediate relief was evident on jacks face and in his posture as he leant against the desk.

"How did you find all of this out?"

"I'm the Director of the CIA Jack. I didn't get this far with out my connections. He was one of the best."

"Was?"

"He was snipered on the way out of the warehouse. I managed to slip out. Whoever it was probably thought that his meet hadn't happened yet. They certainly didn't want the information getting out. He said that it was extremely hard to come by and he wouldn't have been able to get it if he hadn't been owed a favour by someone inside."

"Thank-you. I don't know what I would have done without your help Bill. Your wife and son are very lucky to have you." He suddenly stood up straight and walked over to the window. "My daughter might be ill now as well..."

"Its ok Jack. I know. Anything to do with Rambaldi is forwarded to me straight away. So how's Laura taking the news?"

"I didn't tell her. I came here to find out about my mission."

"Ok then. You and Arvin are going to infiltrate a KGB oriented control lab. You'll pose as analysts wanting to form alliances with the lab technicians there. When you're in, you'll find some way to down load their research database and bring it back here. They have been working on this virus for almost two years and they may even have an antidote."

"If they may have one, why are they still working on it?"

"They're into the whole illness aspect more than they're into curing it... they plan to make it into a weapon."

"A weapon? Then why haven't we tried to stop them before?"

"The CIA saw no reason to when they could just wait until they had a complete weapon then we could steal it."

"How would we know?"

"We have a man inside."

"Why cant we use him now?"

"They weighed up the potions... loosing nearly two years worth of work... or..."

"One insignificant woman." Jack finished, sighing. "Well I guess I know what I'm going to do." With that he left for the hospital to ask his wife if there was anything she knew about this so called prophesiser.

He knocked gently on the door to see if she was awake.

"Come in."

"Laura?"

"Oh Jack. Where have you been? The doctors haven't told me anything. They say that it was classified. How can me being in here be classified?" She looked paler than when he had last seen her but the doctors said that she would begin to deteriorate over the next few days. There were bags under her eyes and she had a small bruise on her left cheek that he hadn't noticed before.

"Its ok. I'll explain everything in a while. Where did you get that bruise?"

"When I fell. Now tell me what's going on."

Jack mouthed the word 'Rambaldi' to her and she was quiet so as to hear the rest of the conversation and possibly decode it.

"You have contracted a rare bone marrow disorder and the doctors are working on a way to cure you but I have to go away on a business trip while they try to do it." This was getting them no-where.

"Jack, pass me my purse." He did so and she pulled a small hair clip from the side pocket. She flipped a small switch on the side and waited. It gave a long beep and she continued. "It's a transmission cutter. We have three minutes." Jack looked at her. "I used to use it when I wanted us to be alone. When we first got married, there were bugs all over the house... it was only later on when Sydney was born and they disliked the crying that they limited them to the study and phones."

"Oh." He was stunned at her ability to deceive yet carried on. "Ok then. Do you know who Rambaldi is?"

"Of course I do! Who doesn't?"

"Well... he has some sort of link to your illness. The scientists working on your blood found tracers of his DNA within the compartments of the virus. I have to go out to a KGB facility in Russia somewhere and steel files containing research on it. I'll be gone for a few days at most."

"Jack we have thirty seconds but I have a warning for you. Watch out for Arvin. When it comes to Rambaldi, he's not what he seems."

Jack was intrigued and somewhat worried by this revelation but as the last beep sounded he realised to his dismay that he could not ask more.

"Ok then honey." She said as she saw the questioning look in his eyes. She simply shrugged and lay back as she was feeling more tired than usual.

Jack walked over to the bed and kissed Irina softly on the forehead while stroking her hair back out of her face. He left the room and headed for the airport.

{A/N – I know that this one was boring but it was necessary for the plot to be able to thicken so there!!! Thank-you for the reviews and comments, I live for them and squeal with joy every time I get a new one so please... make me squeal!!!}