A WOMAN WITH A PLAN Eyghon

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 8: Mystery solved

The plane ride was even more awkward and uncomfortable for both Sydney and Irina than when they returned from Guatemala.

Sydney had tried to get her mother to open up, but Irina was withdrawn and she didn't dare to ask many questions. Mostly, Irina was ashamed, Sydney thought, and there was nothing she could do to get her mother to stop blaming herself for everything that had happened. She hoped once they found out why Irina had relapsed, she would be able to see past her guilt and move on.

Sydney knew her mother was no angel; she wasn't delusional, but she also knew the schizophrenia played a big part in her mother's past behaviour. Sydney surprised herself by her own willingness to share private details about her daughter and Vaughn.

"We're here," announced Irina as she parked in front of an old looking building across Moscow River, some five or six blocks from the Square.

The interior of the apartment contrasted with its outside appearance. It had been remodelled recently. Sydney was disappointed not to see any pictures of her and felt silly for thinking there would be.

"Nice," she commented. She could see St. Basil's Cathedrals onion spires from the living room window.

"Do you want something to drink?"

Sydney realised she'd never been in this kind of situation with her mother before. She suddenly felt awkward and out of place here in her mother's home. "Huh sure, water will be fine, thanks." Her mouth felt suddenly dryer than the Sahara desert. She was intimidated.

"I'll be right back," said Irina, after handing her a glass of bottled water.

"Have you been here recently?" Sydney asked, surprised to see the place was clean and neat.

"Yes, with Katya…before everything, I mean after Sovogda," Irina called out from the bathroom.

Sydney felt relieved her mother seemed at least as nervous as she was.

"Here they are."

Sydney took the bottle of pills from her mother and peered inside. "There's only a few left."

"Here is the refill." She gave Sydney a second bottle, this one full and sealed.

"Great, I'll send a sample of both bottles to Marshall. It will take more time than to have them analysed here but he'll be more thorough than anyone else."

"Good. We should go to the pharmacy before it closes. No need to take the car, it's only two blocks away."

"Okay." Sydney was pleased by her mother's initiative; she could see a small spark of interest in her eyes now, which was an improvement from the disinterested look she'd been given in Chawolo.

"Here." Irina handed her a gun and took one for her. "You never know."

They were the only two customers in the small pharmacy where Irina got her refills. The owner came to the counter from the back and broke into a sweat when he recognised her.

"Irina, it's been a long time, what can I do for you?"

She gave him a long, assessing glare. Sydney quietly observed the exchange; she too had noticed the man's nervousness. "Explain to me why you replaced my pills with placebo." Her voice was calm, controlled, and cold. She'd known Sydney was right the second she saw the man's face. He was petrified.

"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't seen you in months!"

"Ziproxa," she said, slamming the almost empty bottle on the counter. "At least, it is supposed to be Ziproxa. In addition, it's not. We've known each other for years, why would you do that to me?"

"Irina, I'm sorry…"

"I had a relapse because my pills stopped working, because you replaced them with a placebo. You know what schizophrenia can do to a person. You know me, what I'm capable of doing. Imagine that multiplied by a thousand. The things I did…"

"Irina, please…"

In a blink, Irina was over the counter, backhanding the man twice in the face, forcing him into the backroom, out of sight from the street. Sydney swiftly locked the door and joined her mother.

"Tell my why."

"He threatened my family!"

"Someone told you to do that?" Irina's dark eyes snapped with fury.

"Yes, yes!"

"Who?"

"I don't know! He came in one night, before closing; he said he'd kill my wife and my children! I'm sorry, please, please don't hurt me, Irina."

"What did you put in the pills?" She wanted to know now, but she was glad Marshall Flinkman himself would analyse the pills.

"I don't know! He gave me pills that looked like the Ziproxa to put in the bottle…"

"How long?" Asked Sydney

"What?"

"How long have you been switching my meds?" Irina demanded shaking him.

"Just this time! I mean, just this medication! The first you came for was the real Ziproxa, but all the refills after that was the man's pills. He came back to give me more and threaten me every month! I'm sorry!" He was screaming and crying at the same time, convinced this was his last day on Earth. He knew Irina would find out what he'd done someday and come for retribution. He chose the lesser of two evils. He knew she wouldn't hurt his family while the bad man promised he would.

"Describe him!"

"I don't know! American! They all look the same!" He whimpered.

"Think harder! Was he old, young, what was he wearing…" Sydney prompted.

"Old, glasses, uh…costume…"

"That could be anybody," muttered Sydney.

Irina sharply turned to her, as if she'd forgotten her daughter was there. She lessened her hold on the pharmacist. "What did you think the first time you saw him?"

"What?"

"What was your first thought when you saw him?" She amended.

"Huh…rat…"

"Rat?" Irina was puzzled.

"Yes, yes, rat!"

Then Irina turned to her daughter, "Sydney, do you have a picture of Sloane on you?"

"What? No, I don't carry his picture around, Mom! Why, you think it was him?"

"Yes, but we need to be sure. He's dead, he can't do anymore damage but if it's not him…"

"Hold on." She phoned Marshall and asked him to send a picture of Sloane on her cell phone, which he promptly did.

Irina yanked the pharmacist's head by his hair so he could see Sydney's phone.

"Yes, it's him, it's him!"

Irina pushed him away from her, disgusted. "God…"

"Sloane…Too bad Dad blew him up, I would have enjoyed killing him again."

Irina thanked the pharmacist for at least telling the truth about her Ziproxa, She warned him never to tamper with prescriptions ever or she would keep Sloane's promise. She and Sydney left the store with a shaken, but relieved pharmacist.

"Again?" Irina asked Sydney, when they were outside.

"Long story. He shot Dad. I shot him and he died. He probably came back to life the way you did, and when I got back to the cave, it looked like there had been an explosion. When I left Dad, he had explosives on him, so I just assumed."

"Your father? Sydney, what exactly happened?"

"Katya really didn't tell you anything?"

"I only asked if you were alright; that's all I truly wanted to know."

"I see. Well, as I told you, Sloane shot Dad. I had to get to Hong Kong to stop the missiles and he was…" she cleared her throat, voice heavy with emotion. "…he was dying; there was nothing we could do. He told me I had to stop whoever was behind this. I left him there. Sloane was dead, but he fell in the pool, I guess the water in it regenerated his cells as it did yours. Dad probably went him to finish him off and died with him."

"So there is no way to bring him back." She didn't try to hide her sorrow at the idea of losing Jack forever. There was no need, Sydney would have seen through her lie.

"He and Sloane's bodies were disintegrated by the explosion he triggered. From what Katya told me, Rambaldi's little trick only revives a body's dead cells; it can't rebuild them from scratch. You were lucky your…body was in…good condition."

"I see. What do we do now?" She glanced at Sydney who had a troubled look on her face. "Sydney? Are you alright?"

"What? Oh…huh…yeah, fine."

"Could I…" Irina cleared her throat. "I'd love to see a picture of Isabelle if you have one on you."

"Oh, sure, yeah, here." Sydney grinned, handing it to her.

"My daughter has a daughter of her own! She's beautiful. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Sydney smiled broadly. "She is..." They'd started to walk back to the apartment when Sydney suddenly stopped.

"Sydney? What's wrong?"

"I…I just wanted to say…despite what you did, what you'd planned…I was glad you were there with me, I…" She took a deep breath. "I'm glad you were there to help me when Isabelle came. I don't know what I would have done without you…I mean, Dad wasn't far, but my muscles were locked, and I was so scared, and doing it all wrong and something could have happened to her…"

"Sydney, Sydney, stop. I'm sure you would have done just fine if I hadn't been there. You're strong; you would have pulled through. And your father is a very capable man." Her eyes widened in realization of what she'd just said. "Was…a very capable man," she corrected, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. He was."

They didn't talk for the next few minutes, both lost in their memories of happier times with Jack, or so Irina thought. Sydney stopped them again, barely a block from Irina's apartment.

"Mom, I have to ask you something…"

"What is it?"

Sydney hesitated and finally blurted out, "would you come with me to Argentina?"

"Argentina? Why?"

TBC