Author's notes: Gosh it's been such a long time! I'm really sorry, I've been busy, but I'm free now and we're getting closer to the end.
Summary: Katya is not happy about her sister's death, something that should have never happened. She's going to make things right again. She is a woman with a plan.
Chapter 7: LostSydney left her 4x4 at the entrance of the village known as 'Chawolo' and waved a couple of kids over. One of them ran the other way, probably scared of strangers. She smiled at the four boys in front of her and gave each of them a candy bar before showing them a picture of her mother. She didn't speak the local language, but they hesitantly pointed toward the centre of the village where two dozens or so people were building something.
Sydney thanked them with another smile, this one more forced. She'd flown thousands of miles to find Irina and now that they were only a few meters away, she dreaded seeing her. She tried not to think about it on the way over. She didn't have a plan or any idea of what she would do once she was face to face with Irina. What worried her most was her mother's reaction to her. Katya had sworn Irina was on a new treatment and that she was doing fine when she left. It did nothing to alleviate Sydney's fears and she promised herself to be extra cautious around her mother. The fact remained she was going in blind and unarmed.
Finally, Sydney spotted her. She paused, pondering her choices. She could still walk away and forget about her mother being alive but at the same time, she couldn't. She wanted to see her mother and talk to her. Not trusting her voice, she calmly came around Irina until she was face to face with her.
"Sydney!" The woman gasped in surprise, unable to take her eyes off her daughter.
"Hi." Her voice was a whisper, but she couldn't keep a small smile from forming on her lips.
"What…" Realising everybody was staring at them, Irina motioned for Sydney to follow her.
"Are…are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Sydney said.
"Good, fine, okay."
Sydney was surprised by Irina's attitude, which seemed almost shy. "The new meds are working for you? No nasty side effects?"
"What…how…"
"Katya told me everything that's happened and where to find you."
"She had no right."
"She was trying to help. I'm glad she went to all that trouble to get me to listen to what she had to say."
"Did she hurt you?" Irina asked worriedly, knowing how 'devoted' Katya could be.
"Just scared the crap out of me."
"I'll talk to her, she won't bother you again."
"No it's fine, we came to an understanding of sorts."
"I'm glad you two are getting closer." Irina had a warm smile on her face, one that comforted Sydney in the idea her mother was fine, or at least, back to normal. Irina started to walk way, but Sydney called out to her.
"Mom! I didn't come here to tell you I put Katya on my Christmas list."
"What do you want from me, Sydney?
Sydney sighed. "I don't know. I got all the explanations I didn't want to hear from Katya."
"So why are you here?"
"Katya said you bailed."
"You were worried I had relapsed and would come after you." Irina nodded pensively.
"No! No that's not it…"
"It's okay, I understand." She sighed. "Sydney, I can't say how sorry I am for what I did to you…"
"You don't need to apologize, Mom. I know now it wasn't your fault."
"But it was! I should have…checked myself into an institution as soon as I found out about my illness. None of this would have happened if I'd assumed my responsibilities."
"That's bulls!" Irina gave her a surprised look. "Thousands of people live with that illness everyday and they don't go nuts."
"But I did. I had predispositions and I snapped. I allied myself with Prophet 5. The things I did to you…" She trailed off, tears in her eyes. "Vaughn…"
"He's just fine. Katya didn't tell you?"
"No…I don't understand…"
"Remember Hong Kong, the roof?"
"Yes." Irina's answer was crisp and the pain in her eyes was unmistakable.
"I told you I wasn't alone."
"Vaughn…"
"Was kicking Sark's ass to convince him to give up the codes to the satellites while we were fighting."
"But…in your apartment, you said he was killed…"
"What can I say, I can lie my ass off too."
Irina chuckled, relieved to learn she hadn't killed her daughter's fiancé. "I'm glad you lied to me. But that doesn't excuse what I did."
"You're right, it doesn't. You are going to have to work to get my forgiveness. The question is, are you willing to even try or are you going to stay here and hide like a coward?"
"Sydney!" To say that Irina was shocked was an understatement. She knew Sydney was baiting her though. "I am trying to protect you."
"From what? Prophet 5 is gone, I'm out of the business…"
"From me."
"Your new meds are working. You look fine to me."
"I looked fine too when you got back to your apartment and I was there waiting for you. You didn't suspect a thing, I could have killed you right there."
The innuendo chilled her but she bit back nonetheless. "Schizophrenic people don't just go off on a rampage unless they're off their meds. Are you telling me you stopped taking your pills on purpose, knowing what you were capable of?"
"No! God no! Never! I would never endanger you, Sydney."
"Then what happened? Why blame yourself? Did you even wonder why you relapsed?"
"I…no, I just…I didn't know what I was doing. I was diagnosed shortly after coming back from Sovogda. I made it a few weeks and then…Prophet 5 approached me, Vaughn was becoming a nuisance. I don't know exactly what happened, or how and when it happened, Sydney."
"Mom, those meds you took, they don't just stop working. What if something was wrong with your pills? Did you have them checked?"
"No…I had no reason to…when I started my treatment, I was on a neuroleptic called Ziproxa. It made me drowsy sometimes, but my doctor assured me I would experience side effects from any other medication, so I kept taking the Ziproxa, but after a while, it stopped. I never felt drowsy anymore. I just assumed I'd gotten used to the treatment, but now I'm starting to question that."
"Could someone have messed with your pills?"
"Why would somebody want to do that?"
"Just…is it possible?"
"Well, I got my refills from a pharmacy close to my apartment in Moscow. I've known the owner for years…"
"Everybody can be bought, Mom. What if someone replaced your pills with a placebo so you would get back to the business of Rambaldi?"
"That's ridiculous."
"I don't think so. I think it's worth checking into."
"Well…I'll give you the name of the pharmacy, if you feel it's something you have to do.."
"No. We're going together, and we should look for your old pills, if you still have them."
"Sydney, I'm sorry, but I won't go on a wild goose chase with you. I'm staying here."
"No you aren't. This isn't up for discussion. You're going, period. My car is over there, pack your stuff, I'll be waiting for you." She retraced her steps back to her car, all the while keeping her fingers crossed that her little speech would have its effect on Irina.
Five minutes later, her mother was in the passenger seat, a backpack containing the few clothe she'd brought with her.
TBC
