Elena looked bored, and Sydney could tell that the fact was evident to Irina as soon as she reentered the room. This seemed to worry her mother so much that she forwent her usual perch on Jack's lap to sit next to her oldest sister. They exchanged a few words quietly in Russian, and Elena laughed softly, shook her head, and tucked a strand of hair behind Irina's ear.
Thanks to the placing of the chair facing away from them, Lauren was doubtless unaware of the exact identities of the other people in the room… although she definitely knew they were there. Sydney had to give Lauren credit for standing up to most of her aunt's more unusual interrogation techniques, but it was beginning to look like she had finally cracked.
Lauren, that is, Sydney amended silently. Aunt Katya had definitely lost a few of her marbles sometime way back.
She made a note not to mention that aloud.
Katya abruptly whirled around and stalked towards the table where they sat. Weiss courteously abandoned his chair for her, which she immediately took.
"You go, Elushka," she growled, grappling with Irina over her almost full mug. "I need a short break."
Elena looked pleased, and as she stood she pulled a small pair of tweezers out of her pocket and winked at Sydney, who wondered where she had seen that particular instrument before. Katya and Irina continued fighting over the cup silently, the younger slapping at the elder's hands viciously.
Elena took a small chair with her, and seated herself next to Lauren.
"Hello," she said warmly, and Sydney began to wonder where her eldest aunt had gotten her personality, and why it rarely made appearances in her two sisters.
"I tell you, I work for the NSA!" Lauren pleaded. "I can give you information; anything you want. I-"
She paused. "Tweezers?"
"Your eyebrows could use a bit of shaping, dear," Elena told her, and patted the closest hand. "Keep going."
Lauren hesitated.
"Don't worry, Ms. Reed. I'm not the one you want to worry about at the moment." She expertly began plucking. Lauren winced, but after some of the previous techniques considered this a temporary reprieve. "Why don't you tell me about how you met your husband? Some nice girl talk would do you good."
Lauren drew in a shaky breath. "I met Michael Vaughn while wrapping up the case against Sydney Bristow's mother."
"Ah yes, whatshername." Elena nodded vaguely, managing to convey almost a motherly attitude towards Lauren. "How long after Sydney's death was this?"
"About a year. He was very hostile, at first."
"I'm sure he was." Elena pulled back. "They're looking much better already. So, he was hostile? Most men usually are."
Irina scowled at Katya, who had finally succeeded in stealing her tea. Weiss thought about asking Jack if this was the way this family always behaved. Sydney continued to ponder the mystery of the tweezers.
"Well, he had been through some very traumatic experiences less than a year before," Lauren explained. "And the case was close to the heart of matters for him, and he was naturally very upset at my proposals… probably because they went against the wishes of Jack Bristow."
"Men," Elena sighed. "So, what were your proposals?"
"Naturally, we already had a price on Derevko's head."
"Naturally."
"I proposed we up the price, and take measures to prepare for her capture and execution."
An icy chill radiated over Elena's face. "I see."
"Michael was still very much under the power of Sydney's memory, and loyal to her father because of it. Instead of agreeing with me as might have been expected, given what she did to his father, he chose to agree with Agent Bristow."
"I see." She scrutinized her handiwork. "Well, I'm done." She held up a small mirror so that Lauren could look, her movements slightly jerky.
Lauren gasped. "That's lovely! You're a master with those."
"Thank you." Elena put the small mirror away. "Tell me, Lauren. Why were you so in favor of the death penalty for Irina Derevko?"
"Common sense. In her file are dozens of murders and incidents that she has been behind. There is also, of course, her treasonous actions with Bristow, both with and without his knowledge."
"So you think she should be executed without qualm?"
Irina leaned forward in her seat.
"Definitely," Lauren replied. "If given the chance, I would shoot her myself."
"I see." Elena glanced over at Irina, who was interested at the obvious rage in her oldest sister's face. Elena picked up the tweezers almost idly.
"Do you know her?" Lauren asked, mildly interested.
"Certainly." Elena thumbed the side of the tweezers, stroking the catch with a slight amount of force. The long, thin blade that sprang into view was enough to make Lauren squirm in fear. "What would you say, Ms. Reed, if I told you that Irina was my little sister?"
She plunged the blade through Lauren's right hand, sending the blade deep into the padding and scratching against the metal of the chair's skeleton. Lauren's scream was more of a shriek, echoing around the large room. It finally trailed off into a low, keening sob.
"I thought so," Elena said coldly, and walked back to the table.
Sydney slammed her hand against her forehead. The tweezers! Marshall! He had made those tweezers for her when she had still been with SD-6! And then she had lost them in Moscow… while fighting a woman with dark, curly hair… oh hell.
Katya and Irina exchanged open-mouthed looks of shock. As Elena neared the table, Katya jumped up and bowed.
"Brilliant, darling, brilliant," she said crisply, pulling Elena into a rare hug. Elena smiled wanly at her, shaking her head.
She walked a few more steps and stopped in front of Irina, an eyebrow quirked questioningly.
"I'll forgive you for stealing my trick this one time," Irina finally said, clasping her hand fondly.
"That's nice of you, Rushka," Elena replied. "Katya, give me what's left of your tea."
Irina quickly snatched back her former cup and handed it to Elena. "Enjoy it while it's yours," she said darkly, and glanced over at Jack. "Dear, what about…" She waved her hand in Lauren's direction.
Sydney stood before he could reply. "I will," she said clearly, loud enough for Lauren to hear. Jack sighed at the folly of the young, and Weiss rolled his eyes at Jack's sigh.
Sydney pulled out of her bag a small box, and after a detour at the sink to wash her hands went to take Elena's former seat. Lauren's look was nothing short of triumphant I knew it!, even through her obvious distress.
Sydney smiled sympathetically, and quickly set up the small table next to her with the contents of the box. She carefully pulled the small knife out of Lauren's hand (which, judging by her whimpers, was a very painful experience), and set to work sterilizing the wound and staunching the flow of blood.
"Listen," she whispered, expertly cleaning the blood away, "we know you're Covenant, and we have proof. This is an unfortunate complication," she continued, gesturing at the wound, "but-"
"Sydney," Lauren interrupted sharply, "I just had a knife slammed through my hand. It is more than a complication." She was almost straining for breath. "I should have known you were working with your mother, that your father was too."
Sydney sighed. "Working with mama was a very attractive option for him." She pulled out a length of medical gauze, and began wrapping Lauren's hand. "Lauren, this doesn't have to end as badly as you think."
"I'm going to get you fired for this," Lauren hissed. "Possibly killed."
"I hardly think the NSA would spring for the death sentence just for this."
Lauren seethed. "I could make it happen."
"And be arrested yourself?"
"It would be in the public interest. Your whole family is batshit crazy."
"Thank you," Sydney chirped in reply. "My aunts make life fun, don't you think?"
"I don't envy your relations." Lauren stoically tried to ignore the sight of new blood staining the white gauze. "I don't know where the lot of you got this insane idea that I'm Covenant, but-"
"Oh, Julian told me," Irina offered from across the room.
Lauren paused. "Julian?"
"Yes," Katya replied. "He also gave us some lovely pictures that I'm sure Michael would be highly interested in."
"I… see." Lauren looked contemplative. "What do you want from me?"
"A confession," Jack told her. "And your cooperation."
"In what?"
"In everything." He shrugged. "Otherwise, Agent Vaughn will be receiving copies of our lovely photographs within the next half-hour."
Lauren's gaze fixed on the wall. "No."
"No?" Elena questioned, strolling up to her with the unsheathed tweezers still in her hand. She met Lauren's gaze.
Lauren's eyes widened, and she shrunk back against the chair. "Yes. I confess."
"To being what?"
"A Covenant agent."
"Good." Elena walked away.
"Thank you for confessing," Sydney said crisply. She had a few of her own knives to grind. "Was seducing and marrying Vaughn completely necessary?"
"For our purposes, yes."
"Why?"
Lauren hesitated. "I don't know."
Sydney shot her a disbelieving look. "Uh-huh." Then paused, the look on Lauren's face sheepishly embarrassed. "You really don't know."
Lauren shrugged, slightly pale. "I'm sorry it hurt you, Agent Bristow. But, know… I had nothing to do with your abduction." Her voice was strained from pain.
Irina slammed a chair next to Sydney's. "Would you be willing to sign papers in your own blood testifying to that fact?" she asked, sitting.
Lauren smile was weak and quivering. "I think there is plenty here for that purpose."
Irina looked pleased. "Very well," she said, waving a sheaf of papers in Lauren's face and pulling a small syringe out of the box on the table. She paused and evaluated the job Sydney had done with the bandaging. "My former KGB instructor would have given you an A on your technique, Sydney," she noted, "but then he would have reprimanded you for doing it before he collected a proper blood sample."
Sydney scowled and watched silently as her mother quickly drew the blood sample, and handed the syringe to Katya, who set to work on filling the ink chamber of a sturdy black pen.
"You're really having her sign with her own blood?" she asked, perplexed.
Irina shrugged. "You were the one complaining about the lack of drama." She rummaged around in the box, and pulled out a similar syringe. "That was the drama. This is the insurance. This," she began seriously, "contains a tracking device. Ms. Reed, it will capture your every movement. It cannot be neutralized without our express permission- which will never come- and it will be with you until the end of your natural life." She paused. "You do not get a choice."
Suddenly Sydney realized why her mother had been such an excellent university professor- she had scared the hell out of all of her students.
They must have really loved her, she reflected sincerely, remembering her own professors.
Irina brushed Lauren's hair away from her neck and poised the needle. Abruptly she pulled away. "Why don't you do this, Jack?" she asked innocently, waving the needle at him.
He looked away from Elena, who was still pacing across the other side of the room. "Why?"
She smiled darkly at the needle. "Considering you have such experience with implanting tracking devices of all kinds on me, I thought you would appreciate the offer to hone your skills with other women."
Jack grinned wryly. "No thank you, Irina. You should know by now that I only place transmitters on you."
She returned the sardonic smile. "Thankfully." She turned back and injected the small transmitter into Lauren's neck.
Lauren winced, smiled weakly, and accepted the pen Katya handed her. "So glad to be working with you."
"Oh no, Ms. Reed," Irina replied. "The pleasure is all ours." She leaned closer as Lauren signed, and pointed out the different spots where she should initial and inscribe her name.
"As a warning, Ms. Reed," she whispered, smiling grimly, "if you betray any of us… I will send Elena after you."
She left Lauren to consider this, taking the papers with her.
Sydney leaned back in her chair, displeased.