LEAPFROG
"Fear is the mother of morality." -Frederich Nietzche
Vecchiano, Italy circa 1486 (Earth)
Laurent L'Andre and Alec Derevko follow Milo Rambaldi out of Rambaldi's elaborate horse stables at his compound. Ahead of them are five servants of Rambaldi that are carrying their belongings inside Rambaldi's large seaside villa.
Between the gate guard Bernardo and these servants, Laurent and Alec both cannot help but be absolutely stunned at the amount of devotion that Rambaldi's helpers have. Even the stableboys were in a hurry to help Rambaldi and them off their horses and to make sure the horses were put in in the cleanest stables possible...which is pretty hard to figure out given the pristine condition the stables are already in.
Since becoming apprentices in Il Credo Divino, Laurent and Alec have seen so-called prophets come and go out of their compound in the Alban Hills. Some have even been forcibly removed, while others who felt a little too courageous for their own good met the wrong end of a hidden blade or short sword. But those instances were rare...rarer than a prophet's sales pitch actually passing the litmus test with the Council of Grand Assassins.
It's obvious to the both of them that whatever Rambaldi is prophesying, his followers and helpers have reason to really believe what he's saying. But above all else, there has to be some sort of proof that makes these believers want to devote their lives to working at his villa.
Among those things could be the front gate that is powered by some source that Laurent and Alec couldn't see...the power source that Rambaldi said was "inside the villa".
And now, Laurent and Alec are entering that very villa.
The large wooden front doors are being held by two more helpers that have appeared from inside. They both extend their hands for handshakes with the two new Rambaldi hires. Laurent and Alec decide it's best to oblige and shake their hands in return. Laurent and Alec immediately notice how cold their hands are. It's the middle of summer and it's very hot outside, but the followers hands feel like they just got out of the winter snow.
But what would really surprise them is when they walked inside and felt a blast of cold air hit their faces. The seasons literally changed the moment they stepped foot in Rambaldi's villa.
The hallway features tan walls stretching up to a tall ceiling. The walls feature various paintings from Italian artists. This is the thick of the Renaissance Era and quality artwork is becoming easier and easier to find. As if that wasn't lavish enough, the assassins see that they're walking on the finest Italian marble they've ever stepped foot on. That too is easily available this day in age.
Rambaldi keeps walking forward, then realizes that he's walking alone. He turns around and sees Laurent and Alec looking around the hallway for the source of this cold air. Rambaldi cordially asks "Gentlemen, is there something wrong?" Laurent replies "The cold air...this is July. I should not be feeling cold air."
Rambaldi chuckles and smirks. "I forgot to tell you. Most people that walk into the villa are surprised at my cooling system." Alec raises a curious eyebrow. "Cooling system?"
Rambaldi replies "Yes. The entire villa is cooled by a system based on evaporated ammonia. The vapors are derived from ammonia salts that can only be found off the coast of Sicily and parts of Libya. The chemical mixture of the salts between the two countries is a little different, but the results are ultimately the same. The vapors are created with the help of water and heat, then pass through a filter, leaving just the cold air to circulate throughout the house and the harmful toxins from ammonia in the filter. The Romans were actually the first ones to discover it, but for centuries, no one has been able to effectively secrete the ammonia from the salts, much less filter the vapors. But I have. The salts in Sicily are very cheap because no one knows what to do with them. I buy them in bulk, and they help cool this villa and keep my meat and wine cold." Laurent curiously asks "How did you discover how to secrete the ammonia?"
Rambaldi cracks a wide closed smile and says "How did I make that gate open without humans pushing it? More importantly, how was I able to convince your leaders to allocate you two, and not two other assassins, to my service?" Alec looks over at Laurent suspiciously, then turns back to Rambaldi. "Well, how?"
Rambaldi just replies "Dreams."
Laurent and Alec are both taken a bit aback by that. Most prophets they've heard say they have "visions". But to dream of everything that he's created? That's a new twist on a stereotype. Those dreams have hatched mechanical gates and the first air conditioning and refrigeration system known to man. What else has Rambaldi dreamt of? Somehow, the two assassins feel like they've only scraped the top of the iceberg here.
A servant of Rambaldi's comes running down the stairs to the left of Rambaldi. "Mio signore! Le camere sono pronte." ("My lord! The rooms are ready.") The servant, who's short and a little rotund, is breathing heavily from running. Rambaldi flashes his now-trademark kind smile and says "Ben fatto, Francesco. Andate e riposatevi un po '. Quando hai finito, ci vediamo in laboratorio, ma solo a vostro piacimento. Non ho fretta di oggi." ("Well done, Francesco. Go and rest a while. When you're done, meet me in the lab, but only at your leisure. I am in no hurry today.") Francesco gives Rambaldi a headnod and wanders off.
Rambaldi then turns back to Laurent and Alec and says "Your rooms are upstairs. Follow me, gentlemen." Laurent and Alec quietly do as instructed, following Rambaldi up the wooden half-spiral stairs.
When they get upstairs, they examine yet another regal-looking hallway that goes either left or right. The hallway features doors to many rooms, more fine paintings, and just an rich feel to it overall. The ceiling is just a little shorter than downstairs, but the feel of the hallway still is very open and airy.
Many of the so-called "prophets" that Laurent and Alec have seen look like they could easily be holding an empty glass jar and begging for money in their day jobs. Prophets aren't necessarily rich. But Rambaldi so far looks like he has enough fortune to put all the imposters combined to shame.
As Rambaldi heads left down the hallway, Alec finally feels the overwhelming need to ask him a question. "I have a question, Mister Rambaldi." Rambaldi stops, turns on his heels and says "Please, call me Milo." Alec pauses from asking whats to ask at first. "But everyone here calls you 'my lord'..." Rambaldi shrugs and says "Their choice, not mine. Besides, you two are going to be my right hand men from now on...you've earned the right to call me by my first name, as I would do unto you. You can ask anything at anytime. Please, ask your question."
Laurent and Alec both shift a little uncomfortably at being considered his 'right hand men'. Getting involved in his prophecy is something they didn't bargain for. They've been trained on the ways of being an assassin, not...whatever it is Rambaldi does.
But still, assassins are trained to not only help those that need their assistance, but also serve them. Little did they know, they were the western version of Japan's Samurai, whose name literally means "to serve". The main difference is that Il Credo Divino doesn't have a country it pledges allegiance to. Just the people it helps, wherever they may be.
Alec then clears his throat and asks "Milo...everything that you've obtained up to this point...the servants, the mechanical gate, the cooling system, the paintings...this mansion! How have you been able to afford all this?" Rambaldi looks down at the ground and kind of kicks at it a bit. "I have been under the employ of the Holy Catholic Church, starting when Pope Sixtus IV took power in 1471 and his replacements have retained my services ever since. They pay me very handsomely for elements of my research."
Alec asks "Why did they take an interest in your talents?" Rambaldi chuckles a bit and asks back "Have any of you two been to the Sistine Chapel before?" Laurent and Alec both nod. They're starting to realize that Rambaldi likes to answer questions with questions for some reason.
Rambaldi smiles at that. "Good, then I don't need to explain its magnificence to you. It is a large chapel with some of the most beautiful artwork you have ever seen. Sadly, I have nothing to do with that artwork, but I am the reason that artwork is there. I am the reason that the chapel has its shape. The Sistine Chapel was one of the very first things I dreamed of as a young boy. Every night, the chapel would take shape brick by brick. I could see how each particular brick would be arranged, I could see the artwork on the ceiling before it was even painted...and I saw how that artwork got there. Everything about the construction of the Sistine Chapel, outside of the exquisite work by the painters themselves, required engineering and equipment that had not been even conceived of until I dreamed of it."
Laurent lets out an incredulous "Hmph..." As Rambaldi raises a curious eyebrow at that, Laurent continues. "Dreams. I cannot count how many dreams I've forgotten. What makes..." Rambaldi cuts him off. "When I was young, doctors did not know what was 'wrong' with me. I never had many nightmares, but when I woke up, I would completely mystify my parents when I talked about my dreams. Once doctors realized that I was a prodigy and not a problem, I started talking to them about improving their jobs. See, with every single one of my dreams, Laurent, I have been able to remember every vivid, painstaking detail. Every little element of everything I have dreamed of is as clear as day when I recall them even today. I don't just dream of great things...when I dream of great things, I also know how to achieve them. I am thankful that the doctors let me be what I am, because the dreams I have feel so right, and I do feel a sense of blessing in that I'm able to share my dreams to the world."
Laurent goes to ask another question, but Rambaldi cuts him off again. "Gentlemen, I need to show you to your rooms. The good men that have arranged them are waiting so you can judge them for your approval. I do not wish to keep them waiting much longer. Please, once you are done in your rooms, meet me in my workshop. It's in the second to last door behind you and to the right. Then, I will be happy to answer all the questions you wish to ask of me."
Laurent and Alec both solemnly nod. They both have so much to ask now, but first things first. They find it interesting that the servants needs are of high priority to Rambaldi. They realize Rambaldi treats his followers well. In fact, he might be the nicest boss they've ever known. And yet, he still commands such respect from his followers.
They both follow Rambaldi down the left hallway and stop about halfway down. Two servants stand in attention outside of a room to their left. Rambaldi turns around and extends his right hand towards the open door. "Laurent, this is your room. Alec, you may enter as well, for your rooms are connected by a doorway inside."
Laurent walks in first, followed by Alec. Immediately, he is overwhelmed by the luxury that's in the room. Queen-sized bed with purple silk sheets in an elaborate four-post wooden bedframe, beautiful hand-crafted dresser drawers, a work table, and two windows to each side of the bed that face out to the Mediterranean Sea. Oh, and more exquisite Italian paintings.
The door that connects Laurent's and Alec's rooms is on the right side and is wide open. Alec peers in and sees his room is set up much like Laurent's.
But what Laurent is really in awe of is the view of the Mediterranean Sea. He slowly walks over to the right window and looks out at the blue sea that stretches out as far as the eye can see. From behind, Rambaldi says "I wanted to make sure your rooms had a view." Laurent, still studying the sea, remains in awe. All Laurent has known up until this point is his somewhat decrepit cabin that he grew up in in Tenay, France and his non-descript dwellings back at Il Credo Divino headquarters.
Laurent humbly says "This is too much, I cannot accept..." Rambaldi refuses to hear his humility, though. "You two will have big roles for me. I couldn't give you just any dwelling. I want to make sure you two feel comfortable as long as you're here." Laurent turns back to Rambaldi and, still feeling humble, gives him a headnod and sincerely says "Thank you, Milo." Alec, who's joined Laurent at the window, also nods at Rambaldi and says "Thank you from me, too. You've been more than fair to us so far."
Rambaldi just grins and says "I take it the rooms are to your satisfaction, I assume?" Laurent and Alec both just nod as they go back to studying the view. Rambaldi then turns to one of his servants, a small, energetic type, and says "Si può prendere il congedo ora. Voi tutti avete fatto un buon lavoro." ("You may take your leave now. You all have done a fine job.")
The servant cordially gives Rambaldi a headnod and a slight bow, then turns to Laurent and Alec. "Miei signori, il mio nome è Remo. Sono accanto alla stanza di Alec. Mi sarà di aiuto a voi due al vostro cenno chiamata. Avete il mio giuramento su questo." ("My lords, my name is Remo. I am next door to Alec's room. I will be of assistance to you two at your beckon call. You have my oath on that.") Alec gives Remo a smirk and says "Remo ... che significa 'veloce' nella tua lingua. Non vedo l'ora di mettere il proprio nome alla prova." ("Remo...that means 'swift' in your language. I look forward to putting your name to the test.")
Remo laughs and gives Alec a headnod and small bow. With a wide, almost giddy smile on his face, he tells Alec "Attendo con ansia la sfida, mio signore!" ("I look forward to the challenge, my lord!") Remo then walks off, with the other servants following his footsteps. Rambaldi, standing just outside the doorway in the hall, says "If you need me..."
Laurent cuts him off, now looking at something below him. "Before you go...what is this confection that you have next to the sea?" Rambaldi walks in and examines what Laurent's looking at for himself.
Laurent has spotted a crevice at the edge of the sea. It features a couple gates that swing open and closed, allowing sea water to flow down chutes until it smacks on the bottom, which has various metal receptors on the bottom. To the right of those receptors is a small tower, followed by another chute that allows water to flow back to the sea. Further off to the right, Laurent sees a couple more setups like this.
Rambaldi chuckles a bit and says "Gentlemen, you wanted to know what opened the gate and powered my cooling system. You're looking at it." Alec points and says "All of these water setups? What do they do?"
Rambaldi replies "I call them 'Hydro Energy Receivers'. Water flows at a fast rate from the sea down the chutes and into my receptors. There, friction created from water impacting those receptors, along with some churning inside once they pass the receptors, generate all the energy I will ever need to power my devices. You see those coming out of the towers?" Rambaldi points at some large wires coming from each tower, which run along walking paths back to the villa. "Those are copper wires. I've found that copper is an extremely efficient conductor of this energy that I create. Those wires carry the power back to the villa. They break into smaller wires and run into rooms where I have my devices. The gate, the heating elements designed to create ammonia vapors for that very cooling system, the fans that distribute the cold air you felt when you walked in this villa...the energy needed to power them comes from those wires. Those wires serve so many purposes.
Hydro electricity. Yet another one of Rambaldi's discoveries. Hydro power is something that French engineer Bernard Forest de Belidor didn't discover until about the time Americans declared their independence from England in the mid 1770's...almost 200 years later. But once again, Rambaldi beats the rest of the world to the punch.
Laurent and Alec study the devices in amazement. Rambaldi notices and steps back a bit. "I am pleased that you are amazed at my energy invention. Sadly, that is only my second favorite invention. Those hydro receivers fuel my greatest invention...the one that convinced your superiors to allocate you two to my service." Alec turns and says "What is this invention of yours?"
Rambaldi grins wider and says "Follow me." Rambaldi then walks out and heads towards his workshop. Laurent and Alec eagerly follow him. They both realize they're about to see something amazing.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Nadia Falk helps dress her 5 year old daughter Maria in her bedroom. She doesn't seem in any better of a mood than she was a day ago, when she stomped off after Julieta boasted about how fortunate Nadia was having Jack Bristow as her actual father.
Nadia's long black hair is back in a ponytail and her appearance today is non-descript, as it was a day before. She doesn't want to feel weighted down by anything more than the burden she's carried since she learned Jack's her father, so she wears just a simple white tank top and short jean shorts.
Meanwhile, she's dressing up Maria in a plain white shirt and athletic shorts. Underneath that shirt and shorts is a swim suit. Maria's going swimming today, and she's going to have company.
But Maria's mood is dampered a bit by her mother's damp mood. As Nadia just goes through the motions of putting her clothes on, Maria sees Nadia's sorrow all over her face. Maria doesn't know the truth that Nadia learned, and she's found her mother's moodiness a bit surprising, since she's usually positive around her.
When Nadia finishes putting on Maria's shorts, she lifelessly tells Maria "Sit down, I'll put your sandals on." Maria sits down on a small plastic Kim Possible chair behind her.
Nadia rips the velcro on Maria's sandals open hard, another sign that things aren't going well for her. Finally, Maria can't take it anymore, she wants to know what's wrong with her mother. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Nadia, perhaps anticipating that question for some time, quickly shakes her head and says "Nothing. Lift up your foot."
Maria does as instructed, but is not satisfied. "You look angry, Mommy. What did I do wrong?" Nadia stops putting the sandal on Maria and looks up at her surprised. "Nothing! No, sweetie, you've been a very good girl. That's why I'm letting Emilio come over and play with you on the beach today!"
Oh Emilio. Maria's best friend from the orphanage, 6 year old Emilio Ortega, is going to have a playdate while Mommy and Daddy go away for a while. Nadia made the mistake of telling Maria this last night, after a phone call from Jack Bristow. Maria could hardly sleep, and neither could Nadia. Unlike her daughter, Nadia couldn't sleep because of the phone call.
Nadia resumes putting Maria's sandals on. In a very sullen voice, she tells Maria "Sweetie, your Mommy's been going through a tough time these past few days." Maria suddenly remembers something. "When you screamed in the hospital room?" Nadia nods, then lifts Maria's left foot up to put her sandal on. "Yes. Your mommy learned something that hurt her very much." Maria curiously asks "What was it? Was it bad?"
That last question is one loaded question. The fact that Jack is her father isn't the bad part. Julieta was right yesterday, that is actually a very good thing. But what makes it bad is that information would have been helpful a loooooooong time ago.
Knowing that any answer she gives will just completely confuse Maria, Nadia just forces a smile on her face and says "It's nothing you have to be worried about. It doesn't change anything for us. But it does make me a little sad."
When Nadia finishes putting on Maria's sandal, Maria gets up and gives a still-kneeling Nadia a hug, not knowing what else to do, being five years old and all. Maria just wants to help, and little things like that do help Nadia out.
Nadia gives Maria a hug in return and says "Your father's been worried about me too and I'm telling him the same thing I'm telling you. I've been through worse. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Maria leans back in Nadia's arms and grins. "I know you will, Mommy! You're bulletproof!"
Nadia laughs and says "No, that's your Daddy! Remember?" Maria shakes her head and starts squeezing her mother's left arm. "Nuh-uh! Nothing can hurt my Mommy, either!"
Nadia laughs again, but inside, she only wishes that were true. She'd like to think that she was invulnerable to pain with all the turmoil she went through in life. But she isn't. Still, she's happy that Maria still thinks the world of her. It's good to have at least one person that believes in her. Actually, her husband's family and Julieta provide a pretty good support system for her...if she'd stop ignoring them in her moments of woe anyway.
The doorbell rings. Immediately, Maria forgets her mother's plight and screams "EMILIOOOO! HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE! YAAAAY!" The fact that her best friend has apparently arrived causes Maria to jump up and down a few times out of excitement. She even busts out a little dance at the end, which causes Nadia to laugh and roll her eyes. "Come on, let's go say hi!"
Nadia follows Maria quickly to the front door. Maria's the one that does the honors of opening the front door because she's the one that gets there first..
Her hunch was correct. Emilio is here and he looks ready to swim. He's dressed in a little wifebeater tanktop and swimming trunks. He's also carrying two plastic buckets in his hands. But above all else, Emilio looks overjoyed at the prospect of a day on the beach with his 'girlfriend'.
Standing behind Emilio is Julieta Romero. She's dressed in a plain white shirt and very short jean shorts that you can barely see from the shirt. She's carrying a couple beach towels in her arms, a purse on her shoulder and a big smile on her face. No egg shell hat today, but she does have some nice brown sunglasses that fit right in on a beach.
Maria waves at Emilio and loudly says "Hi Emilio!" Emilio, a little more modest than Maria, saves back and simply says "Hi!" Maria points and asks him "What's that?" Emilio grins and holds up his sand castle buckets. "Julieta says we should try to build sand castles!" Maria looks up at Julieta quickly, then back down at Emilio. "Ok!"
Julieta lifts her sunglasses up to her forehead and looks down at Maria with a smile and says "We're going to have a contest to see who can build the biggest sand castle without it falling over. Think you can win?" Maria gives Julieta a big toothy grin and says "Yeah!" Emilio shakes his head quickly and says "Nuh-uh! Mine's going to be bigger!" Maria yells "Is not!" Emilio fires back "Is too!" "Is not!" "Is too!" "IS NOT!" "IS TOO!" They go back and forth for a couple rounds before an astonished Nadia says "Hey! Right now, no one's winning because you haven't built your castles yet!" That settles the kids down a bit.
Julieta then reaches into her purse and pulls out some sunscreen. "Ok kids, I'll need to put some sunscreen on you two and then we'll be ready to build!" Maria then excitedly tells Emilio "I want to show you my new Leapfrog game!" Emilio beams and says "Alright!" Maria and Emilio then run off to Maria's room.
Julieta and Nadia both share a laugh at that. Julieta tells her "What a society we live in when kids are more excited about video games than a few hours on the beach!" Nadia giggles and says "I know! When we were young, the beach was everything! And now I live on a beach and Maria wants to play video games! Ugh!"
Julieta notices Nadia's candidness just now. It didn't seem as forced as it was yesterday. "Nice to see you feeling better." Nadia frowns a bit. "I'm not that much better. And now Jack wants me and Rambaldi to meet to talk. He wouldn't say what it was about...but I'll bet my life that he got the letter that I got. It's got to be the reason Rambaldi's involved." Julieta puts a comforting hand on Nadia's left shoulder. "Naddy, everything's going to be ok. Just be strong. You're probably the strongest person I know. You can do this." Nadia puts her right hand on Julieta's and says "Thank you. Tom's going to be there for support, too. I told him he didn't have to come, but he insisted."
Nadia then notices something about Julieta's clothes. "You look like you're ready for the beach yourself!" Julieta laughs as she looks down at her very casual attire. "Yeah! These legs can use some sun!" Nadia curiously asks "Did Eddie agree to relieve you at the orphanage?" Julieta grins and says "Nope! Eddie will be joining me and the kids in a little while." Nadia looks aghast. "Julieta! Who's taking care of the orphans?" Julieta doesn't break her smile. "Your mother-in-law is again."
Nadia lets out a surprised and sudden gasp. "Mary is watching the orphans again? Oh no, she already pulled an overnighter just yesterday..." Julieta laughs and says "It's ok! She called me when she heard Eddie was going to help out and she volunteered. She wants me and Eddie to have fun together. Plus...Bill's chipping in again. Naddy, I think you're right. Something's going on between Mary and Bill." Nadia agreeably nods. "I think she still has feelings for Bill, after all this time..."
From behind Julieta, Tom rounds the corner. "Hey! I was chatting with Charlie and Jerome and didn't see you walk up! How's it going?" Julieta turns to Tom and smiles. "Good! Just ready for nice day on the beach with the kids and your brother!"
Tom raises an eyebrow at that. "My brother's coming over? I thought he was watching the kids!" Julieta shakes her head and says "Nope! Mary and Bill are." Tom looks up at the sky, realizing what that means. "Ooooh geeeeez...the two vagabonds are back together again..." Julieta interprets Tom's response as disappointment that Mary's leaving his father behind and says "I'm sorry. I know your father..."
Tom looks down at her quickly and tersely says "...is an idiot. He's reaping what he sowed." Nadia concernedly asks "It doesn't bother you that Mary could be romantic with Bill again?" Tom slowly shakes his head. In about as dismissive of voice as he can produce, he says "Nope. My mom's a grown woman, she can make her own decisions."
Tom looks over at Nadia and cracks a small smile. "You ready to go, babe?" Nadia worriedly nods. "I think I'm about as ready for this as I'll ever be."
Tom holds out his hand, and Nadia takes it gently. She looks at Tom's hand, then back up at Tom. "Ok, let's go." Tom gives her a headnod and closes his eyes and teleports away with her.
Julieta stares for a moment at where Tom and Nadia and lets out a deep breath. She hopes for Nadia's sake that this goes well. She then walks inside and yells out "Alright! Enough gaming! Let's hit the beach!" As she goes to close the door, Maria yells "But Emilio wants to play my game!"
Julieta closes the front door behind her. Across the street, in the empty house on the second floor, Irina Derevko watches Julieta's arrival go down. Tom and Nadia are gone, and it's just Julieta and the kids now.
She lowers the binoculars and thinks about the situation. She doesn't have a microphone nearby, so she doesn't know what's going on. She did see Nadia feeling somewhat down...is she still affected by what Cesar Martinez tried to do to her almost a week ago?
But then she remembers what Sloane wants her and Mitch to do. Tom and Nadia both leaving will complicate things, and she knows that Sloane's getting an itchy trigger finger on this operation. The call to greenlight the plan could come at any moment if she doesn't act first.
She makes a visual note on Nadia's friend. Outside of being noticeably taller than Nadia, she notes that they look similar enough from a distance. Anyone looking at the back of her head would probably think it's Nadia.
It's at this point that Irina pulls out her cell phone. She goes to her preset for "Mitch" and dials the number. On the other end, Mitch picks up after a couple dial tones. "Irina? What's going on? Where are you?" Irina cooly replies "I need you to scout the Falk residence. Tom just left. We may have an opening here. Get here, and I'll finish preparations back at the rendezvous point. We'll proceed when I'm done." Mitch replies "Got it. I'll be there in five." The click Irina hears tells her that Mitch has hung up the phone.
No mention of Nadia leaving. She's sending Mitch in under the impression that Nadia is still there. Why would she do that? As usual, only Irina knows.
Irina looks up at the ceiling and takes a deep breath. She's not one to show off her nerves, but what she now has planned is something that's going to need to be carefully executed. A lot of her own hopes hinge on this working out smoothly.
To no one in particular, Irina mutters "Mitch, you better not do anything stupid..."
Los Angeles, CA (Elysium)
Tom and Nadia walk into one of their favorite hangouts back in their living days: the Kitchen 24 diner. It was the site of their first date since they both joined APO, many breakfasts on the way to work, and it was where Nadia learned that Sloane was moving on The Horizon...ok, that last one is not such a fond memory for what ended up happening afterwards.
The diner is much as it was in life. A deceased brother of the owner decided to keep the place open and in service in the afterlife. Some businesses don't make the transition to the afterlife, but this one did. It's an average day business-wise. A few customers...and a few assassins in off-white robes.
One of those assassins walks over from the row of booths to the left. It's Laurent L'Andre, and he's glaring at Tom Falk with his icy cold blue eyes. Tom's own blue eyes are staring a hole at him right back. There still is no love lost between the two since there was nearly a throwdown between the two after Laurent saved Nadia from Cesar.
Laurent comes up to them and instead focuses his attention on Nadia. "Milo and Jack are ready for you." Tom flatly asks "What's with all the assassins?" Laurent turns to Tom and just as flatly replies "Milo goes nowhere nowadays without security detail. Certainly you have not forgotten why."
Tom doesn't respond to Laurent's sarcasm. Instead, he looks over to the far corner booth near the left side exit of the diner. He sees Milo and Jack drinking coffee, along with a couple other Il Credo Divino assassins nearby, including Alec Derevko, keeping watch. Looking at Alec, it's hard to believe that he was once a fresh-faced 20 year old. Now, he's in his 40's, bald, grizzled, and almost always cranky.
Tom puts a hand on Nadia's shoulder as he turns to her and says "I'll be at the bar." Nadia just nods a couple of times, but doesn't say anything. She's now very nervous at the sight of Jack and Rambaldi. This is going to be a tough conversation for her.
Nadia starts walking their direction, with Laurent flanking her. As she walks towards them, she hears Tom behind him tell the bartender "Coffee and danish for me. Make sure my wife and her company's cups don't go empty." She also hears the bartender say "Their arrangements have already been made. I'll be back with your order."
Nadia cautiously makes her way towards the corner booth. She's trying to not look afraid at the conversation that's taking place. She thinks she's doing an ok job of it.
Jack is seated with his back somewhat turned towards her. He sees her come up and stands up. In his usual subtle demeanor, he cracks a faint smile and kindly says "Hello, Nadia. It's good to see you." Nadia cracks a faint smile of her own and, trying to be friendly, says "Good to see you too, Jack."
Nadia turns to Rambaldi, who's also standing and in the middle of the booth, and gives him a timid half-head nod, half bow. "Hello, Milo." Rambaldi smiles wider than Jack or Nadia, almost as if he was oblivious to Nadia's nervousness. "Thank you for coming, Nadia. Please, have a seat.."
Nadia sits across from Jack, but she does so very timidly, setting her purse on the booth seat to her left. A waitress immediately walks over to the table and fills Nadia's empty coffee cup. Nadia gives her a quick "Thank you" as the waitress finishes. She walks off.
Rambaldi shifts his body to face Nadia and asks "Nadia, I know these past few days have been hard on you. I was curious if you've had a chance to work on the adoption program. We haven't talked in some time." Nadia replies "You've been a hard person to get a hold of." Laurent, sitting across the aisle from them, says "Hopefully that will be changing soon. We don't anticipate on being in the Isle of Skye cavern for much longer. Some councilmen have started to get...what is it..." Jack fills in the blank. "Stir crazy?" Laurent snaps his finger and says "That was what I was looking for. I'm sorry...I'm still getting used to modern vernacular."
Nadia, not overly interested in that part of the conversation, turns to Rambaldi and says "I've been working on it these past few days. We will roll out the program in San Felipe. We'll let it go a week, and then spread it out week by week and grow the radius until it's available everywhere. I anticipate it being in effect in North America by this time next year. I think it will work...but I can slow the progress down if interest isn't as I predict. I'm just sure when I'll be ready to launch..." Rambaldi cordially nods and says "I am glad to hear it's progressing. And don't feel rushed. We don't even need to go that fast..."
Jack holds up his hand, a little impatient at the chit-chat. "With all due respect, Milo, I'd rather discuss the reason I've called this meeting." Rambaldi sullenly nods and leans back, letting Jack take over the spotlight.
Jack rubs his hands a little nervously, which Nadia picks up on. Very few things cause Jack to show his nerves openly. Jack then takes a deep breath and says "Nadia, I received something in the mail yesterday. Something that..." Jack loses the words. He wants to be careful with how he words things.
Meanwhile, Nadia decides to pick up where he left off. "Jack, I know what you received." As Jack and Rambaldi both look at her a little surprised, Nadia opens up her purse and pulls out a letter. She hands it to Jack. "You received that."
Jack opens up the letter, and lets out a deep sigh when he sees its contents. He sets down the letter on the table, but still keeps a thousand yard stare on the letter. "You knew about this." Nadia looks down at the table herself a little nervously. "When I was attacked a few days ago, my doctor in San Felipe received that via fax."
Jack looks up at Nadia and frustratedly asks "And you chose to keep it a secret from me?" Nadia defensively replies "I was afraid, Jack! Do you know how I felt when I saw that letter? I couldn't even bring up the issue around Tom or Maria or anyone because it made me feel so...so horrible!"
Nadia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She then takes a drink of coffee, not looking up at Jack, afraid that she offended him by saying the news made her feel bad. Instead, a now calmer Jack asks "What part of it made you feel bad?" Nadia shakes her head and says "The fact that my life was destroyed by a man who lied about being my father. I spent so much time, effort, and energy in just getting Sloane to love me! And he never truly did. He was too self-absorbed in his own wants. He hurt me, Jack. He hurt me so bad that he killed me! And now, it was all a lie! I thought what Elena did to me was bad...but this hurts worse than anything anyone's ever done to me!"
Nadia folds her trembling hands and rests her forehead on them. She's finding it very hard to control her emotions on this subject.
From across the table, Jack reaches a hand out and gently takes a hold of Nadia's folded hands. "Nadia, look at me." Nadia lifts her head up, lowers her hands, and Jack sees a few tears have streamed down her face. This troubles Jack somewhat, but he keeps his cool. "Sloane lied to me, too. He lied to Sydney...he lied to all of us. But during the time we were looking for you, he was convinced that you were his daughter. The timeframe of your conception...it made sense. Maybe it wasn't a lie so much as him just claiming ownership..."
Nadia plops her hands on the table and hangs her head very disappointingly. "I never questioned it. I just accepted it like an idiot. I just wanted SOMEONE to come up and say 'I'm your father'. In the orphanage, I wanted my father to come and rescue me away from that awful place. And even though I was in Argentine Intelligence at the time he found me...I still dreamed that my father would eventually come for me." Nadia then looks up quickly. She just realized that she just accused Jack of not coming to her rescue. She remorsefully says "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you just now..."
Jack shakes his head quickly and says "You have nothing to be sorry about. Nadia, I had no idea that Irina had another daughter. That time of Irina's life was when she was starting to become more and more foreign to me. But when I think back to that time period, there were some times when we were still romantic. They were getting fewer and far between, but..." Nadia cuts him off, realizing an awful truth. "I was a mistake! I wasn't even planned! Sydney was because the KGB asked Irina to give you a daughter but me...I was a mistake!"
Jack thinks about that statement for a moment, and then says "You were a mistake only in the fact that I didn't know about you. I wouldn't have loved you any less than you deserved. Nadia, if I knew you were my daughter, and I knew what you endured when you were a child...I would have come for you. Nadia, I swear to you...I would have and rescued you. And I would have loved you because you were my daughter." Nadia lets out a few whimpers and more tears fall down her face. "Jack, I know you would have! It's ok!"
Jack leans forward and holds Nadia's still-trembling right hand. "I would have enjoyed the opportunity to raise you. In fact, there were so many times that I wished Sydney had a brother or sister growing up. I raised her as a single parent, and I did the best that I could, but both of you would have been better off if you two grew up together. And she could have had you all along. But I didn't know you were out there..." Jack lets go of Nadia's hand and uses it to slam down on the table hard. This rare outburst by Jack is followed by his face contorting to fight the tears that are welling up in his eyes. That last fact really is bothering Jack something fierce.
Nadia sees Jack's sorrow and can't help but feel bad for him as well. "Jack, it's not your fault. There was no way you could have known..." Jack shakes his head quickly and says "When you were lying in a coma after what happened in Sovogda, I visited you frequently. Sometimes, it was just for a moment, but other times it was longer. Every time I went, I studied your face. You definitely took after your mother a lot. But over time, something...jumped out at me." Nadia asks "What was it?"
Jack points to his nose and replies "Your nose. Your nose didn't curl up like Irina's, nor is it pointy like Arvin's. But it was familiar. I looked in the mirror and it was close to mine, but not exact. Finally, I looked at pictures of my mother. She was short, like you. But her nose was exactly like yours. It was then, I realized you took a lot of features your grandmother Maybelle." Nadia studies Jack's face a little bit, and then slowly nods. "Yeah...I see what you're saying about your nose. And you never talked about your mother..."
Jack continues, not wanting to talk about his mother anymore. "It was a small detail, but it did get me wondering years ago. Was there any chance...any chance at all that you were my daughter? I kept asking myself that, but I always kept talking myself out of it. You were shorter than me, your personality reminded me more of your mother at the time. And yet...you never took any of your fath...Arvin's traits. His scheming, his constant need for more...you never had any of that. But I could never move forward with a paternity test while you were out." This confuses Nadia a bit. "Why?"
Jack replies "I...wanted to make sure you were alright. I wanted you to get out of your coma. I wanted you to marry Tom. But I couldn't search for a cure for you because there was no intelligence that stated there was one. The only chance you had were to be through the avenues that Sloane would explore...avenues I couldn't pursue as Director of APO. And if I had a test done and you were revealed to be my daughter...Nadia, I didn't want to risk Arvin aborting his plans. If he knew you were not his daughter, I'm not certain that he would have kept fighting for a cure for you. So I backed away. I let Arvin do what he needed to do. And when you were eventually cured, you kept a distance from me because you didn't want to get tied back into what led you to your coma in the first place. I respected that, and because of your desire for peace and happiness, I let my curiosity remain only that. With the way things turned out...maybe I should have forced the issue. But you said you were afraid when you received the letter. Believe me, back then, I had similar fears that you told me about just now."
From the next table over, Alec seems a little perturbed at something. "Leave it to Irina to keep a secret like having Jack's second baby." Jack turns to him and snarls "Maybe she didn't know I was the father, either. In fact, I'm sure she assumed Nadia was Arvin's child like we all did." Alec gives him a curious look. "Are you honestly defending your treacherous ex-wife?" Jack fires back "No, but we do not have all the facts either. I didn't think you assassins were the type to jump to conclusions without proof."
Alec pops up to his feet quickly and angrily. "Proof? What proof do you need? Look at what the woman has done in her life. She betrays you, she betrays Sydney by nearly killing her, she betrays Nadia by not even looking for her..." Nadia shakes her head and sullenly says "You don't know that." Alec turns to Nadia with still frantic eyes. "Irina could find anything she wanted to." Nadia nods and says "I know. But what good would it have done to find me? What would my life been like had she found me? Maybe I would have fallen under the same madness that drove her to chase Rambaldi's prophecy all her life."
Rambaldi disagreeably shakes his head. "I don't think she would have done that." Now everyone's attention turns to Rambaldi. Alec, not wanting to give up his wanton attack on Irina's credibility, tersely says "You don't know her." Rambaldi frowns immediately. "You forget who I am and how I built my prophecy. But more importantly, you know that the chase for my prophesy clues was something that was of utmost interest to me, especially when things really started moving towards the end. You may think you know Irina Derevko...but you don't know her as well as I do. I've seen her in action more than you. In fact, I'd venture a guess that you don't even know her as well as Jack does. When you put your hate for the woman aside, you'll see that I'm right, and you're wrong."
Alec shuts his mouth. Rambaldi is right. Jack knows this too, for he feels he knows Irina, although how well is uncertain, since she still was always full of surprises after she left him. Jack now asks "Why do you think that Irina wouldn't have had Nadia by her side, learning her trade?" Rambaldi calmly turns to Jack and replies "Irina was a woman that wasn't without mercy for her family. So many times, she had the drop on Sydney. And every time, except for the last, she didn't make a move. Why do you think that is?"
Jack sighs and says "I never said Irina was heartless..." Rambaldi shakes his head. "But you asked why she wouldn't have taken Nadia with her. If I were a betting man, I'd say that she would have waited until after Nadia made it to the orphanage, killed or took her from Elena, and then dropped her off at your doorstep while vanishing without a trace. You would have run a DNA test to see who her father was...and when it was determined that she was yours, you would have raised her as your own. And eventually, probably when Irina initially turned herself in to the CIA, you would have learned the truth about who Nadia's mother was. And perhaps what ended up actually happening would still have happened, but Nadia would have had a better upbringing. Irina would have wanted that. But, that's just my opinion based on my knowledge of the woman."
Jack digests everything that Rambaldi said. His theory makes a lot of sense, and it's amazing that Rambaldi thought it out this far. Even Alec can't argue with the logic, even though he'd probably like to.
Nadia also soaks in Rambaldi's theory. She agrees that her life would have been so different had Irina known that she was Jack's daughter, and therefore comes to the conclusion Jack and Alec have come to: Irina had no idea that she was Jack's daughter, and probably just assumed like everyone else that she was Sloane's.
Nadia takes her copy of the paternity test letter and puts it back in her purse. As she does, she asks "When you received the letter, how did it make you feel...knowing that you were my father?" Jack clears his throat and replies "My first feeling was anger..."
Jack then slowly turns his head to face Rambaldi. After Jack stares very angrily at Rambaldi for a few seconds, Rambaldi finally responds. "I take it you would like to know why I ordered a paternity test behind your backs." Jack sternly replies "That would be nice."
But as Rambaldi was starting to spill the beans, something was happening down south...
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Mitch Hayes got there as quickly as he could. Irina had already gone, and now it's him staring out the second story front window with binoculars at the Falk residence.
He's clad in a tacky beach shirt, white cargo shorts, and tan fishing hat. He's the only member of The Nine that doesn't have any facial scars from his death or time in Hell, since Tom Falk decided to plunge a knife in the back of his head, inside his hair line. And whatever he did in Hell didn't cause any visible scars.
So if he's trying to hide in plain sight, it's working. He looks no different from the next tourist. Pale white skin, bushy brown beard...yes, he fits the tourist profile perfectly. And he, like the rest of The Nine, have noticed that there isn't any wanted signs for them. Makes sense that a peaceful realm wouldn't want to draw attention that something wicked has come their way.
He's looking through the front window of Tom and Nadia's home. He sees a woman sitting on the couch, watching TV. He can only see the back-left side of her head. Is that Nadia?
The only memory that Mitch has of Nadia was back in 2001. It was from the Conquistadores mission, as everyone else in Storm Crew deemed it. He remembers how flirty Tom and Nadia were to each other back then. He remembers how bent out of shape Tom was about leaving her, even though Tom tried vainly to hide it.
But it's been over ten years since he actually saw Nadia's face. He wanted to try to scope her out like Cesar tried to do, but ever since Cesar tried to take matters into his own hands, Tom and Nadia have mostly been on lockdown. So Nadia's face isn't exactly fresh in his mind.
Is that Nadia inside? Irina seemed to think it was, and she'd know.
His cell phone rings in his right shorts pocket. He lets his binoculars hang and picks up the phone, not even bothering to look at who's calling. "Irina?"
It's not Irina. It's Sloane. "Mitch, it's Arvin. Are you at the house?" Mitch looks at the phone a little funny. How did Sloane get his number? He only deals with Irina.
Mitch puts the phone back on his ear. "Yeah, I'm here. Where's Irina?" Sloane replies "She's getting things ready here." That doesn't sit right with Mitch. "So, why are you calling? She's supposed to call me at any time so we can proceed together."
Sloane coughs and says "Irina will be coming along as soon as I tell her that I'm giving you the go-ahead to proceed on your own." Mitch turns away from the door surprised. "What is going on? Me and Irina had a plan..." Sloane cuts him off. "A plan that is horribly flawed. She doesn't want you to harm Tom's security, but we both know not going to work. You told me that yourself. One whiff of you and they're gone. So I'm authorizing the use of deadly force. You still have Irina's gun, right?"
Mitch reaches behind his shirt and pulls out the black Glock pistol. "I do. And quite frankly, I think this is the best course of action myself, sir." Sloane then asks "Is everyone present?" Mitch shakes his head. "No, Irina tells me the kid and Nadia are inside. Tom left."
After some silence, Sloane then says "That's good. We want to lure Tom to us once his loved ones are missing. Can you confirm that Nadia and the child are inside?" Mitch looks into his binoculars again. Maria has since walked out to the living room with her Leapfrog gaming device. The woman that he thinks is Nadia still has her back turned to him. But Irina said it was her, and Mitch seems convinced enough that it's her. "Yes, they're both inside."
A convinced Sloane says "Good. Proceed immediately. Irina will be there shortly to assist." The line then clicks dead. Mitch lowers the binoculars and takes a deep breath.
And then he smiles. He's going to shatter Tom's heart with what he's about to do. And then...he's going to kill him. Just what he wants. He loved the plan when Irina first pitched it to him.
With gun in hand, he rushes out the back door of the house. He goes around the right side of the house slowly and carefully. He checks the front of Tom and Nadia's house and sees that both members of Storm Crew patrolling today, Charlie and Jerome, are not guarding the front of the house. This will make things easier for him.
Mitch quickly runs across the street and hides behind a bush that's on the front corner of the home across the street next to the Falk residence. It's the same house that Laurent camped out in to keep hidden surveillance on Tom and Nadia before Cesar's attack.
Knowing that his gun will probably cause a lot of sound if he shot it now, he reaches into his left pocket and pulls out a silencer that Irina was smart enough to take from the Elysian Council weapons cache. He screws the silencer to the end of the barrel and pulls the hammer back to get it ready to fire. He's relieved that Sloane authorized the use of force...this will make things much easier for him.
Mitch steps out from the bush and walks over to the side of Tom and Nadia's house. He creeps along the exterior of the home until he reaches the beach-side. He peeks around the corner and sees Jerome sitting on a chair next to the patio, reading a newspaper. He's about 10 feet away from Mitch.
Jerome wouldn't have a chance to even flinch. That's because Mitch wastes no time in shooting Jerome in the side of the head. Jerome groans a split second before falling out of the chair in a heap, knocking over a cooler of drinks next to him.
The crashing of the cooler and Jerome's groan get the attention of Charlie, who's on the other side of the house. "Jerome? What's going on?"
As Charlie turns the corner from the other side of the house to check on his fallen friend, Mitch pins his back to the wall. He takes a few deep breaths to lower the adrenaline from his first kill. He hears Charlie yell in his Irish accent "Oh shite! Where'd you go?"
Mitch peaks around the corner and sees Charlie squatting down with his back turned to him, looking at the part of the ground that Jerome was lying on just a few seconds ago and trying to figure out what happened to Jerome. He then spots the blood puddle nearby.
Mitch lightly walks behind Charlie and puts a bullet in the back of his head at point blank range. Like Jerome, Charlie didn't know what hit him. As Charlie falls lifelessly in a heap, Mitch just smirks and says "Sorry Charlie."
Mitch tiptoes over to the patio door and peeks in. The woman he thinks is Nadia is no longer in the living room. There's no way she could have seen Charlie and Jerome perish. They were both away from the window and his gun made no sound. She must still be inside.
Mitch slides open the patio door and sees it's not silent as it slides open. He steps in anyway and closes the door. Perhaps hearing the door, he hears a woman say "Charlie? Jerome? We'll be out in a bit!" The accent even sounds similar to Nadia. Mitch can't remember Nadia's voice exactly, but it's close enough to what he remembers.
Seeing as she thinks it's one of the two men he killed, he casually strolls across the kitchen and walks up to the sink. He pulls out a hand-written note he had folded in his pocket and opens it up. He then sets it next to the sink so that Tom will see it. He then walks over the hallway.
That's when Julieta emerges from Maria's bedroom. Mitch quickly points the gun at her, causing her to scream LOUDLY in terror since it's the first thing she sees.
Mitch's jaw drops and he gets a dumbfounded look on his face. "You're not Nadia..." Had Irina lied to him?
Julieta's breathing heavily, panicking over the sight of this man pointing a gun at her. Soon, she takes a step back to the bedroom. Mitch cocks his gun and yells "DON'T MOVE! And don't you even think about teleporting or..." From her bedroom, Maria shouts "Julieta, what's wrong?" Mitch grins after hearing the voice of his nemesis's daughter. "Don't even think about teleporting or Tom and Nadia's little angel will get one right between her eyes!"
A terrified Julieta now is a sobbing, shaking mess. "Don't kill us please! We didn't do anything..." Mitch just replies "I won't kill you as long as you do as I say." Julieta quickly asks "What do you want from us? Tom and Nadia aren't here, but I'm sure..." Mitch laughs and says "You just answered what I want right there. I want to break the heart of the man that ruined my life, and my boss also wants Nadia, too. And Tom's heart will just break when Maria vanishes into thin air."
As he says that, he hears a car screech its tires outside. Mitch looks left and sees that Irina has arrived in a white van. He smiles at that...she didn't keep him waiting.
Mitch turns back to Julieta and says "Ok, here's what we're going to do. You're coming with us. End of discussion." Julieta nods quickly. "Emilio's going to have to come with us, too." That came out of left field for Mitch. "Who the hell is Emilio?" Julieta replies "Maria's friend. He's six. Please don't hurt him."
Mitch steps forward, which causes Julieta to jump back a bit. "Only if you quit jacking around and get them right now. Comprende?" Julieta nods quickly, then turns into Maria's bedroom. Her face is fearful, and her voice is trembling now that she has to give commands she doesn't want to give. She's fully convinced that Mitch will shoot her if she screws this up. "Ok kids, we have to go. Come on!" Maria whines "Can I take my Leapfrog?" Julieta turns to Mitch for an answer to that. Mitch lets out an irritated sigh and says "NO!"
Maria and Emilio emerge in the clothes they originally had on. They see Mitch pointing a gun at their general direction and immediately cling to Julieta's legs in fear. Mitch tells Julieta "Let's get moving." Maria yells "I don't wanna go! I'm scared!" Before Mitch can shout another angry command, Julieta pulls Emilio and Maria away from her legs and holds their hands. "We have to go, Maria! We have to do what this man says!"
Mitch motions with his gun to have Julieta walk his way. Julieta does just that, holding Maria and Emilio hands as they follow Mitch to the front door.
Mitch opens the door and quickly looks outside, making sure there's no other members of Storm Crew hanging out. He looks over at a very angry Irina in the van and gives her a wave. She just stares a hole into his forehead for a bit before waving him over.
Mitch turns to Julieta, Maria, and Emilio and says "Come on, let's go!" He ushers them ahead of him and closes the front door behind him. He escorts them to the van and opens the side door.
He angrily commands them "Sit down and buckle yourselves in! No moving around!" The three terrified hostages take their seats. Maria sits in the back bench seat while Emilio takes the right seat. Julieta nervously helps them with their seatbelts, then takes the seat closest to the sliding door and buckles in herself.
Mitch closes the door once they're in place and goes to walk around the front of the van, but Irina grabs his arm HARD. "Mitch, I told you to wait for MY orders!" Mitch defensively says "Sloane's higher in command! He pulled rank and told me to use force..."
A seething Irina asks "He's not higher in command! We ended that, remember? And where are the two men that were guarding the house?" Mitch sheepishly shrugs and says "Uh, Hell?"
Irina slams her hand on the steering wheel. She wanted no casualties in this mission, despite whatever wishes Sloane had. Mitch asks "What's the big deal?" Irina replies "I didn't want them killed. They are not on our target list..." Mitch cuts her off. "They had to go! They were in the way! I had no choice..."
Julieta starts crying in the backseat over the death of Charlie and Jerome. Just a day ago, they were so nice and flattering to her. And now, they're gone...erased from this plane of existence.
Irina checks up on Julieta in the back mirror and lets out a disappointed sigh at the fact that Julieta isn't Nadia. She then shakes her head in disgust. "And you didn't even get Nadia." Mitch sighs and says "I thought it was her! They looked alike from the side...YOU said it was her!"
Mitch is telling Irina something she already knows. She knew that Nadia wasn't there, she saw her leave. But yet, she still mislead Mitch into thinking she was there. There was a good reason for that. She knew Nadia might have fought back. But that wasn't the only reason. That reason only she knows.
Irina just shrugs and says "We'll just have to hope they both come for their daughter and the others now. Nadia will be worried, too. Now give me my gun back." Mitch hands her the Glock with the silencer still attached to it. Irina clicks the safety on and tucks the gun in the storage compartment on the driver's side door.
Maria yells from the back "I want my Leapfrog!" As Irina turns to the back, she sees a still tearful Julieta turning back in her seat and frantically saying "Shhh!" to Maria. Julieta hopes to survive this ordeal and outbursts like that won't help.
Irina, not actually offended at all by the question but unsure of what Maria asked, asks Julieta "What's a Leapfrog?" Julieta turns to Irina and says "It's a portable game...machine. They play it all the time." Irina turns forward, gets and idea, and turns back to Mitch. "Go back inside and get their Leapfrog."
Mitch gives her one incredulous look. "WHAT? They're hostages, we're not going to cater..." Irina grabs the front of Mitch's shirt and pulls him in to her face. "GET...THE DAMN...LEAPFROG!"
An offended Mitch stomps back towards Tom and Nadia's house.
Meanwhile, now that Mitch is gone, Irina lifts up her right armrest and squats down in between the front seats so she can face the hostages. She turns first to Julieta. "Who are you?" Julieta gulps and says "Julieta." Irina then asks "Why were you and that boy at Tom and Nadia's house?" Julieta takes a deep breath and, trying to cooperate with her captor, says "I'm an orphan mother to Emilio and...other kids at the orphanage in town. I've known Nadia all my life, she's my best friend! We were just going to have a day at the beach while Tom and Nadia were away!"
Irina just nods. She's satisfied with that answer for now. She wants to know more about this woman and what she's about, but this will do for now. She turns to the house and sees Mitch still hasn't emerged. This is a good thing for her.
Irina then turns back to the three hostages. In her calmest, most motherly voice possible, she says "I am not here to hurt you. Mitch might, and so might the man that planned all this, but it is not my intention to hurt any of you. If everything works out the way I want it to, you'll be back right here this time tomorrow unharmed."
Julieta then pleads "But you're going to hurt Tom and Nadia! That's the whole point of this, Mitch told us!" Irina shakes her head defensively. "No. Mitch and Sloane might want that, but I don't." Julieta gasps at the mention of Sloane. She knows that Sloane was Nadia's supposed father. She also knows that Jack's really Nadia's father. Irina asks "What is it?" Julieta replies "Sloane! He ordered this?"
Irina studies her for a split second. Julieta's story about being Nadia's best friend now has truth behind it, since Nadia's best friend would certainly know about Sloane.
Irina calmly replies "He did. But I'm not going to oblige him. He still has a lot of hatred for his daughter..." Julieta blurts out "He's..." But she doesn't complete the sentence with the nugget about Jack being Nadia's father. She bites her tongue instead, knowing it's not the best of ideas to reveal all the cards to her captor. Irina asks "He's what?" Julieta thinks for a bit for an answer, then says "He's...insane! Why would he do this?" Irina snarkly replies "Like you said, he's insane."
The word "insane" strikes fear into Emilio. He quickly unbuckles his seat and gets up. Julieta goes to grab him, fearful that he might be making a run for it, but instead he wriggles free and goes to the backseat with Maria. Irina watches with intrigue as Emilio takes a seat next to Maria, buckles in, and hugs her. In a worried voice, he tells Maria "I won't let them hurt you, Maria. I promise." Maria hugs him back, but doesn't say anything because she's too choked up out of fear.
Irina hangs her head a little bit, as if she's touched by the display among the children. She looks back up to them and says "I won't let them hurt you, either. I'll also make that promise." Julieta, confused by Irina's humility, asks "Who are you? Why would you make that promise if you're still going to take us?"
Irina turns to Julieta, thinks about her answer for a few seconds, and says "My name is Irina. And I made that promise to someone else that cares about Tom and Nadia very much. I won't hurt their family or friends. That includes you three. But I have to do this...otherwise Sloane might have taken things into his own hands. I'm trying to protect..."
Mitch slams the front door behind him. He storms to the van in an angry huff, carrying a plastic bag that presumably contains the Leapfrog and games. A power cord hangs out of the side of the bag. Irina gets back in her seat and, still looking at the hostages, says "Not a word of what I just said. Just follow my lead from here on out."
When Mitch gets to within earshot of the van, Irina angrily says "Now sit down and shut up! Not a word until we get to our destination! I still have a gun up here!" Irina then gives them a wink with her head still turned away from Mitch, letting them know she wasn't serious, just keeping up appearances.
Meanwhile, it just now sinks in to Julieta how familiar Irina's name sounded. She didn't place it at first, partly out of fear and partly because Nadia never talked about her all that much. But Irina is Nadia's mother! Julieta holds her hand up to her mouth to hide her shock over this fact. She should have guessed because Irina looks an awful lot like an older, brown-haired version of Nadia. The frostbite scars on her face hid that fact from her at first, though. Nadia's mother is a part of this...and not only is she a part of this, but she wants to make sure they're protected, too. But why? Does Irina still have maternal feelings for Nadia?
Mitch opens up the front passenger's door and takes his seat. He turns to the three and yells "I have your damn game, but you're not getting it until we..." Irina puts her right hand on Mitch's face and shoves him back into his seat. As Mitch looks at her angrily, Irina fires back "Hey! I already told them that! They're not stupid. And just like them, I don't want to hear a word from you, either."
And with that, Irina drives off. Mitch gives Irina another frustrated look, but then goes back to focusing on the road. He dealt with some hostage situations in the Anti-Cartel, but he never took any hostages himself until now. He guesses that Irina knows what she's doing: the good cop, bad cop routine maybe. Either that or Irina is still just really pissed off that Sloane broke rank on her and Mitch chose to follow his orders instead.
Emilio and Maria are just focused on surviving this ordeal. The Leapfrog will help. Julieta still is not 100% sure what to make of Irina yet. But the possibility that Irina's being a protective mother is still out there. Still, she'd much rather be on the beach, and so do the kids.
As for Irina herself, she's angry that Sloane ordered Mitch to use force, but is relieved that Mitch didn't completely go batshit and kill Julieta, Emilio, and Maria. She knows Mitch has been toeing the line between sanity and lunacy since arriving from Hell. She still thinks she can keep him under wraps, though.
But she also knows she still has to be careful with how she handles Julieta, Maria, and Emilio. Any more deaths, and...she doesn't even want to think about the consequences of that. But she still thinks she can salvage what she wants to accomplish with this.
She turns to Mitch as she comes up to a stop sign and gives him a stare. He just keeps his gaze on the road, looking for anyone that might be following or seeing them.
But what Mitch doesn't know that Irina's looking at him like he's a dead man walking.
END OF CHAPTER