UNEXPECTED TENANT
"Fear makes us feel our humanity." -Benjamin Disraeli
Rome, Italy, circa 1494 (Earth)
The fiftieth year of Milo Rambaldi's life was productive. It was also probably the worst year of his life.
The odd and mysterious prophet, for years, defied aging itself. When he first discovered Laurent L'Andre and Alec Derevko, they thought he was in his early to mid 30's.
But pressure from the church as well as the stress to complete as much of his work and figure out how to preserve it from forces that would look to destroy it have aged him considerably in the past year or two. He shocked everyone when he announced that February 23rd, 1494 was his 50th birthday.
He finds himself feeling older of late as well. He gets tired easier and it seems to many that he's not as sharp as he once was.
Archdeacon Claudio Vespertini has led the crusade against Rambaldi's works, despite Rambaldi being in favor with Pope Alexander VI. There's a strong rumor that Vespertini is connected to a group rebelling against the Borgias (the Pope is actually Rodrigo Lanzo Borgia). This group, known in some circles as "La Crociata Giustizia" (the Justice Crusade), is known for their shady politics and even shadier people they associate themselves with. But they have been making some noise of late and it's believed that they have recruited some Roman police to be on their side.
And now, as Rambaldi walks defeated and somber towards Laurent L'Andre's jail cell, he can thank La Crociata Giustizia for making him feel like his end is coming soon, too.
It all started two days ago.
Michelle Moreau, the bold and spunky French wife of Laurent, took a trip down the coast from Vecchiano to Rome, despite Laurent's strong warnings not to. Rambaldi's villa has received threats from unidentified sources that, if Rambaldi does not stop his work immediately and leave his villa, those associated with him will be "dealt with". And with Rome being the epicenter of Vespertini's realm, Laurent didn't want Michelle to risk going down there for supplies...at least, not without giving Il Credo Divino's headquarters in the Alban Hills a request for backup.
Adding to Laurent's desperation was the fact that Michelle was pregnant with their first child.
But Michelle was stubborn and refused to go with an envoy. Before she got her way, she reminded Laurent "How would they even know me? I'm just another woman to them!"
But someone knew who she was. And if Laurent hadn't sent out a request for security behind Michelle's back, Michelle may have been killed.
Instead, she was roughed up considerably. Her right arm was broken and her face beat up pretty badly. A trio of Il Credo Divino assassins, shadowing her without her knowledge, jumped in to break up the assault that was started by local police who claimed Michelle stole something. The alleged stolen tomato was never found on Michelle.
When she returned to Vecchiano, the normally stoic and calculated Laurent snapped in a volcanic rage. He even scared Alec, whose own moments of rage were starting to become infamous amongst Rambaldi's followers.
Now, it was Alec's turn to cool down his best friend. Laurent relented and agreed to move Michelle into the villa and out of their home in Vecchiano they had moved into. The Il Credo Divino assassins that aided Michelle returned home and all appeared to be settling down.
Three mornings later, when everyone at the villa woke up, Laurent was nowhere to be found. A little later, a note was discovered. Laurent was off to Rome to get revenge on the people responsible for Michelle's beating.
After dispatching a rider to the Alban Hills to summon aid from Il Credo Divino once again, Alec Derevko rode through the night with great haste to Rome. He knew the food stands that Michelle liked to shop at, having escorted her there a few times before while Laurent was away. He knew Laurent would be nearby.
He'd get down the alley just in time to see Laurent being beaten and handcuffed. It took about 9 officers to subdue him. And the only the reason there were so many officers on the scene was because they had set a trap for him after he killed 12 of their own already.
Laurent had had about an 18 hour head start from when he left Rambaldi's compound to when he was getting the crap beat out of him. He got to Rome in record time, to the district where Michelle was assaulted. He wore a scarf over much of his face...he could get away with it since it was a little chilly today with fall weather moving in. He spent the first few hours tracking his targets. He used anything he could find to hide: haystacks, rooftops, crowds, vacant shops, crates, etc.
When he'd strike, he'd try to do it when there wasn't a crowd around. He killed a couple officers by yanking them into the alleyway and burying a hidden blade in their throat. The throat was the only place he could target since most officers wore armor.
After the first six kills, he started to notice police growing more wary and patrolling in pairs. That's fine for Laurent since, by this point, he was ready to start targeting higher ranks. Those would prove more difficult since they're more insulated, but also easier in that they don't usually wear armor like the patrols.
Since armored officers were easy to spot and track, he'd follow a pair on their route until they had to report back to their superiors.
The first attempt at this was successful. Laurent followed a pairing to their home office. He overheard them saying there was no sight of him. When they'd turn away and walk out, Laurent pounced from above the front door, where the officer was standing, and drove a blade into his neck as he dropped. When the armored officers turned, Laurent was already halfway down the alleyway to his right.
The next few kills went like this until they positioned officers near any possible alleyway they could find.
After kill #12, Laurent noticed that officers were beginning to patrol the roofs. That escape plan was foiled as well.
It was at this point that Laurent made a fatal error. He could have left the city with his life right then and there and lived to finish his revenge plot another day.
But he spotted Police Chief Carmine Mazzagotti right smack dab in the middle of the courtyard. Laurent knew Carmine was deep into La Crociata Giustizia. Orders to assault Michelle would have gone through him from Claudio Vespertini himself. And one thing Laurent learned early in life is that if you cut the head off the snake, the rest of the snake dies. Carmine wielded a lot of influence, and Laurent knew his death would be a major prize in his scheme.
Laurent tried to blend in with a pack that was walking in his general direction. He lowered his head and his robe over his face. The group was talking about winter harvesting, which Laurent couldn't care less about. With the direction they're going, Laurent knew he'd have to make up some distance to kill Carmine. But at this point, revenge was the only thing on his mind, and he'd be more than happy to die to get it at this point. By this point, he had rationalized not only getting vengeance for Michelle, but he also decided killing Carmine may reduce some of the heat on Rambaldi.
As Laurent walked laterally with Carmine, he made his move. He sprung out of the group and made a mad dash for Carmine. Carmine didn't even notice him coming.
His run would end five feet away from Carmine when a plain-clothed officer took him out at the legs. Before Laurent could get up, there were officers all over him, beating him mercilessly while Carmine watched and encouraged the flogging. It was at this point Alec finally discovered Laurent. And as quickly as he saw him, he ran away.
Laurent would be taken into custody, only at the request of Archdeacon Vespertini, to be hanged later. Vespertini wanted to make an example out of Laurent and decry Rambaldi's work at the same time in front of a captive audience. Alec would meet up with four Il Credo Divino assassins called into duty, and then head back to Vecchiano to give Rambaldi the terrible news.
With Alec and the four other assassins flanking him, Rambaldi sees Laurent sitting in his jail cell a beaten and broken man. The officers had done a number on Laurent, including Laurent's face, which was cut up and bruised. Blood is still dried and caked on his face from the officers refusing to clean him. He uses his hands to clutch the metal bars, mostly so he can prop himself up due to him having only one good leg.
When Rambaldi reaches the cell, the assassins all spin around to keep an eye on Rambaldi's surroundings. There's one assassin to each side of Rambaldi and three behind him. There are two prison guards in the cell room, but they're only looking at the assassins with a confused look on their face, like they didn't get the memo on what Laurent did and who he did it to.
The first thing Laurent asks is "Is Michelle ok?"
Rambaldi solemnly nods. "She is. Il Credo Divino has dispatched security to the villa. She is recovering from her injuries."
"Is the baby ok?"
"As far as I know. She hasn't complained of pain. I had a doctor look at her and he gave her a clean bill of health provided she takes it easy and allows her broken arm to heal."
Laurent hangs his head and winces in pain. But it's not just physical pain that's hurting him. "Milo, I failed you. I disobeyed your orders for the first and last time, I'm afraid."
Rambaldi, being the downright kind man he is, wraps his right hand around one of Laurent's hands that are clutching the iron cell bar. "You have never disappointed me, Laurent. Your help and friendship in the time we have known each other have been invaluable. If anything, this is the first time you've actually surprised me."
Alec, standing to Milo's left, turns his head. "You mean you did not see this?"
Rambaldi shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. But that could be because I'm foreseeing less and less as my days continue."
Laurent pulls his hand away from Rambaldi's. "I did what I did because I can't stand the thought of the mother of my child suffering. And my child!" Laurent suddenly clutches his ribs as he leans on the bars to keep himself standing. He got too animated for his body to handle. He takes a few deep breaths as Rambaldi and Alec look on concerned. He then continues. "...my child is everything to me, and he means everything to your prophecy Are you certain it is a male, Milo?"
Rambaldi nods. "I have foreseen it."
"My child...my wife...they will need to be protected. I can't do that anymore..." Laurent fights back some tears after that last part.
Alec tells Laurent "Michelle has already asked to go home to France. We will grant her safe passage back when she is well, I assure you."
Laurent nods. "Thanks Alec...you've always been a good friend. I need you to tell Michelle something."
"Anything."
"Tell her I love her. Tell her I always have loved her, from when we were children, and I always will love her and our child. And if she asks why I did this, tell her that..." Laurent wipes a tear away from his eyes. "...tell her she's the best thing that came into my life two times. Tell her that she's going to be a wonderful mother, that our child is going to be strong because he's going to have her as a mother, and that I will never leave her side after I am gone. She's not going to understand why I did this, but I need you to tell her that she is the number one thing in my life, and that nothing else matters to me as much as her. You fight to protect the ones you love, and the ones who love you. I did that...I did what my father told me over and over again. And if protecting her means ending my life...I would have done it all over again."
Alec nods and hangs his head. "It will be done."
"And I have one final favor for the both of you."
Rambaldi folds his hands and hangs them at his waist. "What will you have us do?"
"Don't go to my hanging tomorrow." Laurent uses all of his strength to lean back from the bars and stand up tall. It's hurting him something fierce to be standing upright like this, but he tries to stay strong. "I want your last memories of me to be that of a man that stood up tall and died fighting for what he believed in, not some fated man hanging at the end of a rope."
Alec just nods and tries to crack a smile at his doomed friend, but it's barely a smirk.
But Rambaldi has other ideas on his mind. Laurent's actions really did surprise him, as he's normally a stoic and downright obedient man usually. But something about seeing Michelle, the woman he loved and the woman carrying his child, beaten up like that must have really shook Laurent to his core.
And suddenly, his entire prophecy has been turned on its ear.
His prophecy involves one man finding immortality and controlling the human race. Greed would drive many men to this goal. But in the past year or so, Rambaldi's been wondering just what he has done. Archdeacon Vespertini and his La Crociata Giustizia have shown Rambaldi the dark side of wanton ambition and greed. And if someone like Vespertini were to get The Horizon...well, the thought makes Rambaldi's stomach turn. Rambaldi doesn't hate people at all. In fact, he'd tell you he "rather enjoys" studying them and watching people live their lives and wonder what they're doing and thinking.
And now, it was love that drove Laurent to defy who he is. He nearly succeeded. In fact, with a bit of help...he could have.
Love. Not greed.
Rambaldi steps forward to the bars. "I want to ask you one final thing. And I want you to be honest."
Laurent nods. "Of course."
"If Michelle had died..."
"Don't say that..."
"It's merely a hypothetical question. Say Michelle died, and you were given something to drink that would give you immortality for 20 minutes...enough time to get vengeance on the person responsible...before that very drink took your own life...would you drink the drink?"
At this point, Laurent forms an angry, determined smirk eerily similar to the one his centuries-later progeny Tom Falk would often form. "I'd drink it quicker than a heart would beat. But Michelle didn't die."
"I know. But this could have implications for the roles to be played in the future. Perhaps I have misjudged The Caretaker's role. Maybe even The Passenger's..." Rambaldi closes his eyes as a sudden wave of thoughts and images cascade over his mind.
He's never had an image come to him while conscious. But he's seeing images of the future flashing right in front of him.
He's seeing Tom and Nadia. He's seeing everything that happens with the two of them unfold in front of his eyes.
Laurent asks "Are you alright?"
Rambaldi doesn't immediately answer as the images flash at him a million miles an hour. Finally, he mutters "I'm a fool."
Alec gives Rambaldi a surprised look. "What?"
Rambaldi opens his eyes and starts to back off. He looks back and forth at Alec and Laurent. "Everything has changed..." He then stops at Laurent. "Thank you for being a loyal friend. And thank you for making me realize the error of my ways. You have done me a valuable service in our time together, but perhaps nothing more valuable than what I have realized just now."
Laurent hangs his head. "Even as my death approaches, I am still honored to serve, even in my last act."
Rambaldi shakes his head. "Our dealings together have only begun. Life is but another step on the journey. I look forward to seeing you stand tall and healthy again, my friend." Rambaldi then turns to Alec. "We must go. There is much work to do." Rambaldi then looks back at Laurent. "Farewell. Tell Marcus Aurelius hello for me."
"Excuse me?"
Rambaldi smiles. "You'll understand this time tomorrow."
Alec says his final goodbyes as well and they all leave Laurent in his cell. Rambaldi's words about "the error of his ways" and Marcus Aurelius dominate his thoughts...
...right until the floor goes out from under him the next day and the noose goes tight around his neck as he drops below and a crowd cheers in the courtyard.
After Laurent breathed his last breath, he found himself back home in Tenay, France. His father, mother, and brother Tremont were waiting for him.
To Laurent, they never looked better. And Rambaldi was right. The journey on Earth was over. The journey in Elysium had only begun.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Nadia likes the dark.
Growing up, she learned the value of meditating, even if she didn't know that's what she was doing. On more than one occasion, Elena would find her sitting all by herself in a dark room, staring off into space. Every time, she was doing her own form of meditation. It made her feel better in the end.
While some would be scared of the dark, Nadia embraced it as a child. In the dark, there's no Soviet doctors prodding her with needles, no strangers looking to take her away from the parents she longed for, and no other kids that would pick on her for being aloof.
But as she's gotten older, she's learned that she likes the dark because the dark helps her sort through whatever crap is going on in her life.
As she lies on her bed at home, the darkness is doing its job.
She's still getting over the fact that she has a son now. For the longest time, it was just her, Tom, and Maria. But Tom finally agreed that Maria needed a brother and selected Emilio...although it was more like Maria choosing Emilio for them. So now she has a boy that looks up to her as a mother. And while that's great, it's another child to be a mother for, which comes with its own challenges. But she's up to the task. After all, it's what she wanted.
But as Emilio and Maria snooze down the hall, that's not the biggest thing on Nadia's mind.
Today was the second day of the adoption drive at the San Felipe orphanage. Today wasn't as busy as the first day, but her, Jack, and Julieta all feel the program is successful so far. She's met a lot of prospective parents and some kids have even gone home already. Handing an adoption drive as well as keeping up with her administrative duties with the North American Orphanage Program has its own stresses with it.
But that's not the biggest thing on Nadia's mind, either.
Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears her closet door opening. She asks in the darkness "Tom?"
"Yeah, go back to sleep, I'll be there in a bit."
No, he's not getting off this easy. Nadia's wide awake and wants to talk to him. Tom wanted to come home after taking care of Sloane's Los Angeles house, but also said that Owen Schroeder and the rest of the True Irish wanted to celebrate. Even though he said he'd come home for the family's sake, Nadia actually encouraged him to head to Belfast for a celebration. That way, Nadia would get some much time to herself.
Nadia reaches over and turns on the lamp next to her. She sees Tom in the process of taking off his clothes and getting ready for bed. He actually looks sober and doesn't appear he had a whole lot to drink. That's surprising, given his tendency with alcohol and considering how snockered he got the last time he celebrated with the True Irish. "How'd it go?"
Tom tosses his shirt into the laundry hamper and shrugs. "Sloane's Los Angeles house is no more. Everything went to plan." He then starts heading for his side of the bed, but looks at Nadia glumly as he does. "I really wish it was you that hit the detonation button. It was yours to press."
Nadia shakes her head as she lies back down. "Too many bad memories. Even though the house is gone, the foundation and trees around it are still there to remind me of what happened." As Tom starts getting into bed, Nadia looks over at him. "I'm glad it was you that took care of it. You had as much right as I did to destroy that place."
Tom, lying on his side to look at Nadia, leans over and gives Nadia a kiss. Tom could argue the point of who deserved to destroy that place more, but Tom knows that Nadia's been weighed down of late and he didn't want to agonize her anymore. "So, how did the adoption drive go today?"
A satisfied Nadia says "Good. Two more went home today, and I think a few more parents are strongly interested, but they're going to think about it before coming back."
"If they're not sure about adopting a kid, why did the show up in the first place? Isn't that kind of cruel to the kids?"
"It's not that, Tom. You that you took a long time before finally deciding to adopt. Remember?"
"I guess, but I didn't get a poor child's hopes up."
"Neither did they. None of the potential parents that left got to interact with a child directly. They were just there for informational purposes."
"So, you don't line the kids up like they did to you in Argentina?"
Nadia shakes her head and laughs. "Oh my goodness, no! That's terrible for the kids." Nadia then turns back to Tom. "I hear my dad is going to be joining you at the next target house."
Tom nods. "Yeah, we're going after Sloane's house in Tuscany next. It's not going to be for a couple days, though."
"How come?"
"Some boxing event the True Irish have had planned for a while is tomorrow night."
"Boxing? Who do they fight? Themselves?"
"Yeah, it's a thing they do every month. If you ask me, it's another excuse to drink. Anyway, they also want to see what other materials they can use on the Tuscany house. This is giving them a good chance to experiment with the equipment they have. Day after tomorrow, we'll be in Tuscany clearing out the house."
"Did Dad say why he was going along with you?"
"He knows where the house is and can take us directly to it. None of us or you have been there. Apparently it's a bit bigger than the Los Angeles house."
"I see." Nadia then looks away and stares at the ceiling.
Tom's noticed something's weighing heavily on her mind in the past couple days and he's pretty sure he knows what it is. "You talked to your mom again today, didn't you?"
Nadia turns at Tom with an offended look. "So what if I did? It's none of your business."
"Nadia, my mom says..."
"Mary? Suspicious over something? How shocking..."
"Why are you being so snappy?"
"Because I just want what goes on between me and my mom to stay between us! Is that so difficult to understand? Don't you and Mary have things you talk about amongst yourselves?"
"My mom's not facing a death sentence from her cranky ancestor."
"You still don't trust my mother."
"No, I still don't trust Irina Derevko. The moment you put your trust and faith behind her is the moment she breaks your heart."
Nadia shakes her head in dismay. "You and your mother have been talking..."
"What's there to talk about? Irina won't tell my mom anything, either!" Tom then sighs to try to relieve some tension. "Listen, I understand that Irina is your mother. I understand there are things that stay between mother and daughter. I'm just asking you to be careful.
"I am careful!"
"Nadia, I'm just trying to help..."
"You can't help me here. This is my problem to bear."
"It's not just your problem. We're all involved here. Why do you have to bear her burden?"
"BECAUSE SHE'S MY MOTHER! NOT YOURS! NOT MARY'S! MINE!"
Tom starts waving his arms. "Shh! The kids are sleeping!"
Nadia falls back into her pillow. She waits to see if Maria or Emilio wake up. They don't apparently. "Look, I don't trust my mother entirely, either. But she's shown me enough that says she could be trustworthy. Why else would she willingly go into my dad's and Alec's custody and get an explosive tracking device implanted..."
"Wait, what?"
Nadia snickers. "Oh yeah. My dad implanted a tracking chip in my mother's neck that can explode if she comes up missing." Nadia turns back to Tom for one last time. "Why would she do that if she didn't want to prove to everyone that she can be trusted?"
"Nadia..."
"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Just think about what I said." Nadia rolls over and turns out her lamp. "Good night."
Now, it's Tom's turn to sink into his pillow in dismay. He lets out a feeble "Good night." No kisses. No cuddling. And when there's no kisses or cuddling, Nadia's angry. This much Tom knows.
Like Nadia a few minutes ago, now it's Tom's turn to stare into the darkness to sort out his thoughts. Tom still doesn't trust Irina. That much is certain. But he also realizes that Irina's got enough targets on her back right now and it's best he stay on the outside.
What isn't certain is what the two most important adult women in his life will do about her.
His mother is starting to have second thoughts about allowing Irina to seek redemption from the Elysian Council. And Tom knows that Mary's always got something up her sleeve or something working in the background. Nadia was right to wonder about Mary. Tom's also doing the same.
And then there's Nadia, who's getting awfully defensive about her dealings with Irina. Tom knows there's smoke there as well. This isn't a simple matter of a daughter believing in her mother. Mary sniffed it out yesterday, and Tom caught a big whiff of it just now. Something is going on between Irina and Nadia. And Tom is starting to wonder if it's going beyond the trust Nadia has for Irina.
Three women in Tom's life. And the one he trusts the most may very well be the woman that's so untrustworthy, her head could explode with the slightest misstep because she's so untrusted.
After all, of all three women, Irina Derevko has been the most straight-forward with Tom on the subject of Irina Derevko.
Los Angeles, California (Elysium, the next evening)
The smell of pan-roasted lemon and garlic chicken cooking in the oven is easily the most pleasant smell that Irina Derevko has smelled in the last five years.
She forgot how much she enjoyed cooking until the sudden urge hit her while she was sitting bored at Jack's house. She's already learned that Alec's not one for idle chit-chat...well, she learned that awhile ago, but his specter looms wherever she goes and he doesn't say much to her at all except commands to move or get going. His concentration on her is remarkable, although Irina knows it's partly fueled by an obsessive hate over her.
Standing at a stove and watching the chicken cook inside gives Irina an excuse to not look at Alec's grim face. And that right there is a bonus.
But it was also fun for her to prepare this meal. She did everything by scratch: slicing up fresh green beans, squeezing lemon on the chicken, cutting the garlic, and then coating the chicken before setting it on top of her green beans and red potatoes and tossing it in the oven.
She picked the items at the grocery store with Alec escorting her, which drew some curious looks. She even picked out the wine that will be served: a nice French Pinot Noir. Irina actually asked Alec if Laurent, the native Frenchman, knew of any quality wineries to make for some conversation Alec didn't respond with words, but in the store, he did point at a bottle and mention that Laurent drinks that sometimes.
Was that a good-faith gesture by a cold-hearted man? Or was it simply a man who just didn't want to risk drinking subpar wine? Irina couldn't get a read on that, but guessed the latter. Her judgment on what's a good wine nowadays may be subpar itself.
As Irina stares at the chicken, she realizes that she's forgotten something. It's been a while since she's cooked dinner for more than herself. She turns back to Alec, who's standing on the other side of the kitchen with his arms folded and a look of stone on his face, and asks "Do you want to set the table or should I?"
Alec doesn't break his stare for a few seconds, unsettling Irina a bit. Finally, Alec stands away from the counter he was leaning his back on and walks to the kitchen cabinet without saying a word.
"You don't trust me with sharp objects?"
As Alec opens a cabinet door to where the plates are, he replies "I like my chances with a sharp object better than yours."
Irina smirks at him and doesn't push the issue further. He's probably right. Irina has training with handheld weapons, but it falls well short of the hand to hand training Alec has learned in the past 500 years. Oh, there is the whole experience thing that makes her fall well short. But still, Alec's proven that he's not all as sneaky as her. If Alec doesn't know she's there, she's got a chance. If he does know she's there, maybe not so much.
As Alec walks over some plates and utensils to the table, Irina grabs an oven mitt to use as a pad for setting the pan that the chicken, potatoes, and beans are roasting in. She heads to the table, but is cut off by Alec, who sees what she's got planned with the mitt and takes it from her. He flops it in the middle of the table.
Irina turns back and grabs two more oven mitts in time for the timer to go off. Her creation is done, and for a moment she forgets that she's basically a captive. She forgets that she was in Hell for the past five years. She forgets the people she crossed the portal with.
Her face turns pleasant. And as she opens up the oven, she starts humming a song. In mid-breath, she pulls the pan out and takes a smell. The food smells fantastic and looks just as good.
Irina walks right by Alec without breaking her tune and sets the pan on the kitchen table. She then grabs a fork on the table and starts putting food on the plates.
"What in the hell is this?"
Irina looks up surprised to hear Jack Bristow's voice. She sees he's standing near the front door, looking completely appalled by what he's seeing.
Alec also seems a little surprised to see Jack back, apparently not hearing him enter.
Irina gives Jack a smile. "Welcome home. How did the adoption drive go today?"
Jack ignores her question. "I asked you...what in the hell are you doing?"
Irina looks down at her pan-roasted chicken, then back up at Jack blankly. "I made us dinner."
"Why are you...no." Jack then looks at Alec, expecting him to be the one to give a straight forward answer. "Why is Irina making dinner?"
Alec flatly replies "Because she wanted to. She said she wanted to feel useful while she was here."
Jack turns back to Irina, who's looking back at him innocently. Jack's not happy Irina did this. He's used to cooking his own meals. "I did not ask for you to cook dinner, nor would I ever."
Irina hides a sigh and keeps her cheery appearance. "Jack, it's been years since I had a home-cooked meal. And I thought with you being busy today, you'd like to come home to a nice meal. I just wanted to help."
"I don't need your help. I don't ever need your help."
"We all need help sometimes, Jack, even when we don't ask for it."
"Why are you doing this?"
Irina looks down at the ground. She wants to blurt out "you know why I'm doing this", but she holds off. She doesn't want to make it too obvious that she'd like to win his affection again. Irina still respects Jack something fierce, and she's always had a soft spot for him, even after she was called away by the KGB. Irina loved everything Jack was and everything he stood for. Tall, handsome, strong, and an amazing father. Jack was her perfect perfection.
But this is not the time or place to push that agenda. Instead, she goes another route, but still an honest route. "Because I'm trying to prove to you that I'm not this wretched woman you think I am." Irina fixes her gaze on Alec, who snickered at that comment. "That goes for you as well. I'm sure there's some skeletons in your closet, too."
Alec's eyes turn almost possessed for a moment, but then he relaxes right away and says nothing. She hit a nerve with him, it's obvious.
Jack studies her for a moment. She seems sincere, but looks can always be deceiving with her. He just can't trust her, not even in the slightest shred. "I'm sure you've poisoned the food somehow."
Alec breaks out of his anger trance. "She did no such thing. She never left my sight while she prepared the food. Besides, no poison can kill a person in this realm."
"But I'm sure you can still ingest something that can make you sick."
Alec nods. "Yes, you can. But I swear that she fixed our food properly."
Jack lets out a sigh. He accepts the fact that the food does smell good and he could eat a whale right about now. But as he approaches the kitchen table, he also realizes that Irina selected lemon and garlic pan-roasted chicken with red potatoes and green beans for a reason.
It was his favorite meal while they were married.
Irina tells Jack "Sit down, I'll grab the wine." She then cheerily turns away to the kitchen counter and grabs three glasses. She sets them on the counter and grabs the bottle of Pinot Noir she picked out. She searches the drawers and finds a wine bottle opener. She screws it through the cork, then pops the cork out with a loud pop. All the while, she's actually enjoying how normal this feels, just the basic act of getting dinner ready.
Irina pours two glasses of wine and heads to the table, where Jack is seated to her left and Alec has taken a middle seat with his back turned to her. Irina heads to Alec's left and sets the glasses of wine next to their plates, which have been filled since Irina went and got wine.
As Irina turns away, Jack snatches her left wrist. As Irina turns back to him a little surprised, Jack tells her "Drink."
"I'm sorry?"
Jack points at his glass and sternly tells her "You're going to drink out of my glass before I do."
A normal woman would have gotten defensive. Irina keeps a neutral expression, however. She knows how to keep her cool in these situations. So, to prove that she didn't poison Jack's drink, she leans over and takes a sip out of his glass. She smacks her lips and nods approvingly. She looks down at Alec with a smile. "Laurent knows his wine." Irina then looks back at Jack with that same smile as she sets his glass next to his plate. "I appreciate you being cautious, Jack. But if you were on a quest to offend me, you succeeded."
"Good."
"But not for the reason you think I am." As Jack raises a curious eyebrow, Irina continues. "See, poisoning a dinner would be too obvious if I were here to kill you. I'm concerned you think too little of me now."
"I never said you were here to kill me. I'm just..."
Irina cuts him off as she heads to her seat to the right of Alec. "Come on, your dinner's getting cold."
Jack gives her one cold look, but says nothing and starts diving into his meal. Alec, seated in the middle of the two, does the same.
Irina goes back to pour her own glass of wine. She then heads to the table, sets her wine glass down next to her plate, and sits down. She grabs her fork and asks Jack "So, how was the adoption drive today?"
Jack tersely replies "Fine."
"I think it's just so wonderful what Nadia..."
Jack swallows his food quickly and looks up at her the moment she mentions their daughter. "You listen to me. I've accepted your offering of dinner. But that's all I'm accepting tonight. I will not engage you in a conversation...especially when it comes to our daughter. Don't even go there."
"Jack, I..."
"Enough. Not another word." Jack then goes back to his meal without saying another word. All the while, Alec didn't even give the aborted conversation the least bit of attention.
So Irina started eating her food. She smiled after she had taken a bite out of everything. She had done a very good job cooking. Not only did it feel good eating a home-cooked meal again, but it felt good eating something that she created.
For the next few minutes, the three would eat in awkward silence. Alec worked diligently on his food. He made no faces good or bad throughout, but Irina read on his face that he was generally satisfied.
As for Jack, he did appear to somewhat enjoy his meal. To most people, you couldn't read him one way or the other. But Irina can read Jack very well and based on body language and some subtle facial movements, she can tell he's actually enjoying his meal.
Mission accomplished.
The three finish at around the same time. Irina is the first to stand up. "Can I take your plates?" Neither Jack nor Alec protest.
Irina starts grabbing plates, but for the second time tonight, Jack grabs her wrist. Irina looks up at Jack with a similar surprised look she had before. Only Jack's not disgruntled like before. He's got more of a neutral expression on his face as he studies his plate.
What Irina didn't know is that, to Jack, no one could pan-roast lemon and garlic chicken like Irina could. This was his favorite meal for a reason. And for a few moments while he ate, he felt like he was having dinner with his wife Laura again.
Jack slowly looks up at Irina and does something Irina didn't expect. "It was good, Irina. Thank you."
Irina gives Jack an almost flattered smile in return. "Anytime."
Being able to read Jack like she can, she can see the beginnings of a smile starting to crack on the left side of Jack's mouth. No one would be able to notice but her.
But just as quickly as she starts to see the smile, Jack stands up quickly and, almost disappointed with himself, says "I'd like to be alone for a while." He then storms away and the sound of his bedroom door closing is heard from the kitchen.
Irina knows what she's doing to him. She thought she got an idea when she showed up the other night to be put under his protection and he hesitated to insert her with the explosive tracking device. But now that she could see his face, she realizes that Jack hasn't completely let go of her either, no matter the stern statements he was giving before dinner.
"You have a peculiar effect on that man."
Irina turns back to Alec and plays dumb as she grabs Jack's plate to add to the stack. "How do you figure?"
"I'm not sure yet. He is a complicated man."
Irina changes the subject, not wanting to dwell on the subject of Jack to Alec. "How was your meal?"
Alec grunts. "It went down."
Irina chuckles at Alec's stubborn terseness and walks away with the dishes towards the sink.
"Unlike Jack, don't think compliments from me will be easy to come by. I still have not forgotten who you are."
Irina stops in her tracks and spins around to face Alec. His consistent venom towards her is starting to irritate her. "You know, Alec, you have not told me just exactly why you hate me."
"Because my name is attached to a wretched woman like you."
"No, it's not that. You don't ever let a moment pass without sharing with me your opinion of me. You hate me like I've done something personally to you and I have no idea what I did! If there's one thing or one event that makes you hate me so much, I'd like to know. Maybe if I understood you, I could learn something about myself in the process."
Alec just glares at her from his chair and doesn't respond.
Irina rolls her eyes and turns back to the kitchen sink. "Oh forget it." Irina steps up to the kitchen sink...
"I raped a woman because of you."
Irina lets the dishes drop into the sink with a loud crash. She turns back and sees a morose Alec staring at the ground, as if he's wondering why he's saying what he's going to say.
Irina walks towards Alec slowly. "When did this happen?"
Alec slowly looks up at Irina. For the first time, he's not looking at her with anger in his eyes. Instead, he looks humbled. "If you want to know why I despise you so much, sit down."
Irina takes her seat next to Alec. This is something that she didn't expect from Alec, who wears his honor on his sleeve. She feels genuinely concerned. "Alec, what happened?"
Alec pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again and turns away. He shakes his head in dismay, then looks back up at Irina. "Laurent L'Andre was hanged for murdering corrupt Rome officers after they beat his pregnant wife. She survived and her child, a boy named Tristan, did as well. After Laurent's death, Rambaldi finalized some genetic modifications to me and Laurent's child that he can carry on through the generations."
"What changes?"
"When Laurent did what he did out of love, he realized that his theory of greed being the most powerful force in humans was wrong. That's what he based his prophecy on, and when he realized his folly, he wanted to put that theory to the test. He wanted to see if his prophecy could be defeated. He sent his followers to the far reaches of the world to hide the documents designed to create his giant sphere in Sovogda and The Horizon, along with other elements of his study. He wanted his prophecy to be hard to piece together. But the elements that would defeat his prophecy, he left with me and Tristan. Unfortunately, I lost my parts."
"What happened to them?"
Alec lets out a depressed sigh. "I just lost them in my travels. They were the documents about the Lifeforce in our bloodstreams, along with other notes. In fact, it was me that told Elena that Nadia's blood can cure Tom during his Project Alloy surgery."
Irina turns away. She remembered Nadia talking about that earlier today.
Alec continues. "When we escorted Laurent's wife and child home to France, we then departed for Mongolia. He had pictured a place where he'd die after making the fluid that created The Horizon. Not long after we got there, he died. And that left me with one final mission: to find a woman to have a child with. I wanted to go back to Il Credo Divino in Italy, but Rambaldi said he foresaw me having a child with a Russian woman and asked I go back to my home. So, I went home. When I got back, I nearly was flogged for simply being a Derevko. My father had done some dishonorable things a few years earlier and was killed for it, along with my mother. So I fled town. I drifted for a few years after that, taking mercenary jobs just to have money to stay alive. I had no skills other than combat and killing, so that's what I did. For over a decade, I was one of the most notorious mercenaries in southwest Russia. That was, until I failed to kill a target that I fell in love with."
Irina leans forward, curious about this part. "Who did you fall in love with?"
"Her name was Alisa Mishkyn. She was a thief that had pissed off the wrong person. He contracted me to kill her. So I tracked her from town to town until I made my move. I caught her trying to steal tomatoes from a farmer's market. She looked up at me with the most beautiful hazel eyes I had seen and told me that she was stealing to feed her village, which was embargoed from trade because of corrupt leadership. Alisa would go from town to town, stealing here and there, and returning home and giving out the food to the village."
"She was the Robin Hood of her time."
"A fair comparison. And fair she was. She had hair like yours, Irina. A little shorter than you, but not by much. When she told me her story, I felt sorry for her, and felt I'd be doing a disservice by following through with my mission. After all, our motto at Il Credo Divino was "Suppress Oppression and Promote Progress", and Alisa's mission supported our motto. I didn't kill her...I couldn't kill her. But that also meant I had to hide from my contractor. Alisa offered to escort me to her village and live on her property in a stable. In exchange, I'd ward off anyone that tried to do the village harm."
"What village was this?"
"It doesn't exist anymore. In fact, I've forgotten its name. I do know it was a little west of where Volgograd is today, downstream on the Don River. I was there for a few months and got to know Alisa well. I was falling for her, but she wasn't falling for me. By then, I was almost completely bald and not handsome at all. In fact, I was pretty much what you see today. By the time she had started dating this putz named Igor, I had started to fall ill. I knew it was bad whatever it was because I would cough up blood on a nightly basis." Alec closes his eyes and hangs his head. "It was at this time I realized that I was about to fail Rambaldi. I hadn't found a woman to procreate with and I knew my time was running out."
At this point Alec stops and starts to tremble a little. Irina, feeling empathetic for Alec, wants to console him, but is afraid he may lash out at her if she tries to touch him. She instead says "Alec, you don't have to..."
"No, I do. It's bothered me even more since you showed up."
"Ok...do you want some wine to help..."
"No. Please, let me continue."
"Go ahead."
"Alisa knew I was in a bad way. She came out to the stable one night with some homemade soup she made. But all night, in between bloody coughs, I'd dwell on the fact that I was going to fail Rambaldi. I couldn't do it. I made a vow to him that I would fulfill my oath to him." Alec slams his fist on the table after that and continues. "So, with me dying soon anyway, I decided to throw away my honor. I got to my feet, swatted the soup away, and threw Alisa to the ground. I was so angry that she wouldn't accept my love and I told her that before I came down on top of her. I held her mouth shut while...while I passed my seed into her. She hated every second of it. I hated it too because it was not who I was. But I had to do what had to be done."
"Oh my God..."
Alec looks back up at Irina. "Is it starting to make sense to you now?"
Irina doesn't say anything, but Alec's hate for her is starting to make some sense.
"When I was done with her, I ran off into the woods. She told the village magistrate what had happened and I was a hunted man. When they found me, I was hanging on the end of a rope overlooking the Don River. I couldn't bear to live with myself after what I had done to her." At this point, a lone tear falls down Alec's cheek. He quickly turns away and tries to wipe it off. "God dammit...anyway, they found a letter that I wrote in my pocket. It was addressed to Alisa. In it, I apologized for what I had done and explained why I was desperate to rape her. She didn't know about Il Credo Divino or Milo Rambaldi or anything like that. I begged her not to kill the child that would come months later. I watched her read the letter. I watched tears fall out of her eyes. In the end, she actually felt sorry for me. She arranged to have my body buried on her property. Nine months later, she gave birth to my son, Pavel Derevko. She even let Pavel have the Derevko name. In the rest of her years, she kept apologizing to me for not understanding me. But I never could forgive myself for doing what I did to her."
"Alec, I had no idea you did that."
Alec looks back at Irina with familiar anger in his eyes. "And do you understand why I hate you so much? I raped an innocent woman who went out of her way to take care of me all so I could make sure that YOU were born! You, a lying and scheming wretch! You look a lot like Alisa, and I watched someone that looked like the best woman I ever knew betray her own family and lie and scheme her way through life."
Irina hangs her own head. "Alec, there is not a day that goes by that I'm sorry for the person I was. But Alec, you have to understand that I was the way I was because it was the only choice I had. The moment I was basically forced to join the KGB, and from the moment I was assigned to Jack Bristow, I was not allowed to live life on my terms. I had to BECOME the person I became, Alec! Just like you had to become a killing mercenary after Rambaldi died! We both did what we had to do to survive! Search your heart, Alec."
Alec glares at her for a few seconds. "I have. I hate myself for betraying the closest thing I had to family. And when you betrayed your family, I hated your guts. I hated that I did what I did so you could make a similar mistake I did. And what you did after that..."
"Alec, you didn't do what you did just to create me. Your actions also helped Sydney and Nadia join this world. And they're not bad people, Alec. I'll admit I was a bad person, but don't pass your malice to my girls."
"I respect Sydney and Nadia very much. I just assumed they got their good qualities from their father."
"Sydney for sure. She's definitely got her father written all over her. But I think Nadia takes after me, and besides being misguided for a while, she's become a wonderful mother and a truly compassionate person. I'm proud of her for what she's doing with the orphans."
"It is a noble thing she is doing."
Irina reaches over and holds Alec's hand, something she wouldn't dared do a few minutes ago. Alec looks at their hands, and then looks back up at Irina. He's not yanking the hand away, but looks more curious over why she's doing that. Irina tells Alec "I'm here to redeem myself and be the woman that I should have been in life. But I'm not just trying to restore my honor anymore. By redeeming myself, I will restore your honor as well. And in the process, I will restore the faith in me that you once had. You have my word on it."
"But what is that word worth?"
"My life."
Alec pulls his hand away. He stands up and closes his eyes. The last words before he teleports away to solitude is "I hope you succeed."
And for the first time in a couple days, Irina was alone. Alec's story was a sad one for her, but she now understands why he hates her so much. He put his own hate for dishonoring those close to him on her. Irina was Alec's failure in life. Irina felt Alec's pain throughout that entire story. She still feels it now. And as she sits alone at the kitchen table, she thinks about what she said about restoring his honor as well as her own. She nods her head after letting that statement sink in. Irina will restore his honor, too.
Irina looks down the hallway to Jack's bedroom. Suddenly she wonders if Jack was listening all along...
Tuscany, Italy (Elysium...the next evening)
Tom Falk, Jack Bristow, and Owen Schroeder stand facing a half-circle of True Irishmen outside the front of Arvin Sloane's large Tuscany house. Some members of the True Irish are holding blunt objects like lead pipes and cricket bats.
Tom starts off. "Alright, I didn't get shot when I explored the outside, so there's a chance that the lights are on, but no one's home. But be careful, because Sloane's still a sneaky bastard."
Jack then warns "But keep your cool. Because there may be innocents living in this home, and if there are, then we move on from this home. Is that understood?" The True Irishmen nod their heads collectively and say their approval.
Owen then addresses his men. "Remember, you're not just here to make sure the coast is clear. You're also here to survey what kind of explosives we'll need to blast this lovely home into the ether. I'll be inside making sure this is on the up and up. We good? Good. Let's get to it." Owen then leads the dozen men into the house, leaving Tom and Jack outside.
Tom folds his arms and looks over at Jack. "What do you think?"
Jack shakes his head. "I think this place has been lived in recently. Did you notice the garden out back?"
Tom nods. "Yeah, and it's been picked recently. Question is...who's been picking the veggies?"
Jack shrugs. "It could be anyone."
Tom's noticing something about Jack today. Jack's notorious for being emotionally distant, but he seems...conflicted. "You alright, man?"
Jack looks at Tom strangely. "Of course. Why would you ask me that?"
"Because you almost look like you're sick."
Jack shakes his head. "No...it's not that."
Then it hits Tom. "Is everything alright with you and Irina..."
Jack's face tenses up as he cuts Tom off. "What on Earth do you mean by that question?"
Tom backs off a bit from Jack's temper. "Whoa! I didn't mean it like THAT! I was just asking if she's been causing you any trouble."
Jack takes a deep breath and visibly calms down. "No, she hasn't been a problem so far. She's being well looked-after."
"Yeah, I heard about that thing you implanted into the back of her neck."
"From who?"
"Nadia. Apparently they've been having some mother-daughter chats lately. You know what that's about?"
Jack looks almost surprised at the news. "I had no idea Irina and Nadia were having conversations. Alec never told me."
"Alec's not the chatty type. Say, does her tracking device keep a log on the places she's gone?"
Jack nods. "Yes. I'll check when I get back."
"Good, because something's not right..."
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Tom and Jack break up their conversation when they see a brunette woman in her 20s being dragged out of the front door of the house by two large Irishmen. One of the Irishmen is bleeding from his forehead. "This bitch tried to cut my damn forehead!"
The woman squirms and tries to break free from the man's grip. "Let me go! I didn't do anything!"
Tom holds up his hand. "Don't let her go, she'll leave the second you do." Tom steps up to the woman. "Who are you?"
The woman replies "My name is Jacqueline. My mother is inside."
The mention of the name "Jacqueline" makes Jack look like he just saw a ghost. Is this...
Jacqueline yells "Don't hurt my mother! She's inside!"
Owen is heard yelling outside. "I got her!"
Jack yells back "Bring her out and don't hurt her!"
A few seconds later, Owen and another Irishman escort a woman in her early 50s out of the house. She's got short curly blonde hair and has an unmistakable "motherly" quality about her as well as looking very intelligent.
Jack can't believe his eyes.
Tom turns and looks at Jack. "You know this woman?"
Jack keeps his eyes locked on the woman. His face is frozen. He can't believe who he's seeing.
"Jack?"
"Yes. I know this woman. She's Emily Sloane."
END OF CHAPTER