Author's note: Hey, guys! This chapter is turning out to be much longer than I thought, so it's going to be split into two parts. Oh, and remember to review! Your suggestions are always welcome!
Infinity and Beyond
-Chapter 9-
Phoenix, Part Two
My cries start to quiet down a little when mommy starts to wake up. Mr. Harcourt is looking outside the window.
I see mommy's eyes opening. I touch her arm. "Mommy okay now?" I sniffle tearfully.
"I'm okay." Mommy says quietly before she looks out the window. A man walks past the window and into the house through the front door. 'Ari Tasarov.'
"Why are you crying, sweetie? Are you hurt anywhere?" Mommy asks worriedly.
"I wanted them to stop hurting you." I shake my head before grabbing onto her arm.
Before mommy can say anything else to me, Mr. Harcourt walks over to Ari. He seems a little nervous. "I thought she was FBI, but the way she fights… look what she did to Irena."
"And the child that's with her?" Ari asks.
"I think that's her daughter." Mr. Harcourt says.
They walk toward mommy as I hold onto her arm tighter. I'm scared as Ari crouches down in front of mommy. "You made a mess."
"Ask me." Mommy is looking at him in a way that computer mama would call a glare.
"Ask you what?" Ari says.
"Who I work for. You're wondering" She says
"Well, you see, I won't have to ask you anything, because you're just gonna tell me everything I want to know." Ari stands back up.
"You know, you guys should consider using more than one photo." Mommy says. "So, Anna was spying on Senator Jack Kerrigan, her parents were her handlers, and you work for Gogol."
"Gogol." Ari repeats. "You mean like the search engine?"
"No, like the Russian mercenary of which you're a highly ranked member, Ari Tasarov." Mommy tells him. "Former KGB, drafted by the GRU in 95, went private with Gogol in 97 after the Russian economy boomed."
"Did you buy one of my trading cards?" Ari smirks.
"You were my target once, 06." She answers.
"Division tried to kill me in 06?" Ari frowns.
"Ankara, basketball game. Kaisery Stadium up at the cat walks."
"Why didn't you take the shot?"
"Because your eight years old son was sitting next to you."
"A killer with a conscience, it's no wonder they cut you loose." Ari walks away before Mr. Harcourt pulls out his handgun and walks towards mommy. He crouches down as his gun is touching her knee.
I start crying. "No, don't."
"You should know two things." Mommy speaks up again. She doesn't sound scared. "First, your genius handler right here used a non-secure line, Division already knows you're in town."
"He's already been chastisized. Second thing?" Ari says.
"Before you pull the trigger, you should know my name." She says.
"Oh?" Ari raises an eyebrow. "And what is your name?"
"Nikita." She tells him.
I'm glad when Ari waves a hand for Mr. Harcourt to stop. Ari then crouches down in front of her again. "So, you're Nikita." Ari says. "Well, you should've just said so to begin with. Percy sent you to kill me five years ago. I gotta tell you, that's a bit of an ego boost."
"Then allow me to humble you." Mommy says. "You're here to ensure that Senator Kerrigan died with Anna."
"You know, I think Division did us a favor there." He says. "Anna got sloppy, fell in love with a civilian, a bartender, same as you, if the rumors are true. What is it with female operatives that draws them to weak, easily manipulated men?"
"You're very lucky that I'm tied up right now." Mommy sounds very angry as she leans toward him.
"I don't doubt it." Ari says. "But it's that rage that makes you perfect for this."
"Perfect for what?" Mommy growls.
"Rules of the game." Ari says. "Percy destroyed our assets, and now, I'm gonna destroy his. Senator Kerrigan dies tonight."
"You kill a US senator, you start a world war." Mommy says.
"That's why I'm gonna have to outsource the job."
"To who?"
"To a rogue American spy seeking revenge against the government that created her." Ari waves a hand at Mr. Harcourt again.
Mr. Harcourt pulls out a needle as he walks to mommy's side. He pokes the needle into her, making her grunt quietly.
"Kalitrol-226, nasty little toxin developed by Division." Ari tells her. "In twelve hours, the chemical will start a chain reaction that will liquefy your stomach. You get the antitoxin when the Senator's dead."
I whimper tearfully. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like he's going to hurt her. I cry even more.
Mr. Harcourt then takes out something and cuts one of her arms loose. "Go to hell!" She growls at Ari. "That could be saltwater for all I know."
Ari takes out a tiny glass thing. "Go ahead, get it tested."
"I'm not working for you." Mommy hisses at him.
"You don't have a choice." He tells her. "Because you can't just walk in to Division to grab the antitoxin, and you don't have enough time to get it manufactured, so the only way you go on living, is to play nice and obey. Cause if we walk out that door, you'll never see us again. And what would your precious daughter think of you being dead?"
Ari's eyes land on me as I'm sitting on the floor. I cry louder and push myself further back. I don't like him, he's very, very scary. "Oh, look, the poor girl's already in tears." He says in a scary tone as he walks toward me.
He bents down and reaches out a hand toward me when mommy stops him. "Don't you dare touch her." Mommy snarls scarily at him as she jumps in the chair a little, making the chair move a little bit toward him.
"Ohh… such a protective mother." Ari stands back up and smirks before walking away.
"Shut up!" Mommy hisses at him before looking over at me softly. "It'll be okay, sweetie."
"Wait." She calls out just as Ari and Mr. Harcourt are by the front door. "My tools, my way."
"Corner of Sixth and Redcliff." Ari smirks. "Eight O' clock, Vladimir will meet you there."
Ari opens the front door before saying one last thing. "She's a pretty child, must take after her mother." The way he says it makes me think that he's not saying it to be nice.
Mr. Harcourt… or Vladimir hands mommy the thing that he used to free her arm. Mommy takes it and starts cutting her other arm loose.
By this time, I can't stop crying anymore and my body won't stop shaking. I start coughing and chocking when my throat feels as if knots are being tied.
"Sweetie?" Mommy sounds worried as she rushes over to me and picks me up. "Shh, take a deep breath, in and out, okay?" She rubs my back lightly.
I try to do what she says, but I'm crying too hard, and I can't stop. "That was scary!" Mommy sits back down in a chair and puts me on her lap.
She hugs me warmly. "Shh, I know. It's gonna be okay." She takes my face in her hands and kisses away my tears, patiently waiting for me to quiet down.
"But… but they hurt you!" I whimper tearfully.
Mommy looks at me, a little surprised, but she's smiling a little. "You're worried about me?"
"I don't want you to be hurt." I cry.
She kisses away the last of my tears. "I'm not hurt." She says. "See? I'm okay."
I look at her and tilt my head. "Really?" I sniffle.
"Really." She smiles.
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I play with a big, peanut-shaped thing that has a face painted on it and there are also lots of colors. It can open up and there is a lot of the same peanut-shaped thing inside it. It just gets smaller and smaller. Wait, am I gonna get smaller too? I frown; but I'm already smaller than a lot of people.
I feel something inside my stomach roll into a tight ball. I try my best not to cry, but I can feel my eyes getting warmer as it gets watery. I don't want to grow smaller, I want to grow bigger.
Just then, mommy walks into the room. She quickly comes over to me when she sees my face and crouches down. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to grow smaller, I want to grow bigger." I start crying.
Mommy pulls me into a hug. "Oh, sweetie, of course you're gonna grow bigger."
"But… but why do they get smaller?" I point to the peanut-shaped thing.
Mommy looks at it and smiles. Then, she sits down on the floor with me. "They can get smaller, but they can also get bigger."
"How?" I tilt my head and sniffle.
"I'll show you." She picks up the smallest one and puts the bottom and the top together before she takes the bottom of the second smallest one and puts the smallest one in it, then she puts the bottom and top together, and so on.
"Yay!" I cheer and clap happily when she's done. I wrap my arms around her in a big hug. "I love you, mommy!"
Mommy laughs before kissing my cheek. "I love you too."
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Mommy's holding my hand as we're standing on a sidewalk in the middle of the night. Mommy's phone beeps before she checks it. 'Alex's put the antitoxin on Thom's lower right jacket pocket.' I don't know what an antitoxin is, but it sounds icky, like medicine.
A black car drives up to us. I've to jump back to avoid the big splash it makes. Mommy opens the back car door to see Vladimir. "Now I'm your handler, get in."
Mommy straps on my car seat and climbs into the car before lifting me up into the car seat. She straps on my seat belt before doing her own.
"This is how I monitor you." He tells mommy as he hands her a black laptop and a black thing that grown-ups put in their ear and uses it to talk to each other. 'Earpiece.'
"Check, check." Mommy sounds bored. "Big Russian bear has a boo-boo." Her words make me giggle. Mommy smiles at me as she brushes my hair out of my face.
"You're gonna wear that?" Vladimir says. "It'll be easier if you wear next to nothing."
"Vladimir, if I need mission advice, I'll ask a real agent." Mommy tells him. She sounds a little like Grumpy the dwarf.
For the rest of the car ride, Mommy doesn't talk to him. Mommy lightly draws circles on the back of my hand with her finger, making me smile, because it tickles a little.
Vladimir stops the car in front of a very, very big white house. Mommy unbuckles her seat belt before helping me do the same. She climbs out of the car and picks me up into her arms before shutting the car door.
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Mommy silently lifts me up onto a big tree branch. "Sit here and wait, okay?"
"Okay." I nod before mommy grabs a bald man in a black suit and presses him onto the very, very big tree. I swing my legs happily and hum quietly to myself as mommy does her thing.
Mommy pulls out her handgun and point it at him. "You wanna live? Do what I say."
"Station three." He starts as he's wearing an earpiece too. Mommy takes her earpiece out of her ear and breaks it with her hand.
"I've got an SUV, someone inside, looks like there's monitoring equipment, thought I saw a movement, possible armed agent." He finishes.
Then, mommy knocks him down before pulling me into her arms again. She takes his earpiece and puts it into her ear. Ew! Cooties!
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Mommy and I get into the house through the kitchen window. She kicks another bald man down onto the floor. I frown; she must really not like bald people, I'm glad I'm not bald.
Mommy jumps down from the kitchen table and knocks him out with her gun. Then, she turns around and points it at Thom. "Hey, I remember you, bathroom at the Wyckland Hotel."
"Yeah, I own you one." He says as the Senator's standing behind him. I stay on the kitchen table and hide behind the wall.
"Feeling cocky in that suit?" Mommy smirks.
"We're gonna stand right here, and when I don't check in, back up will come." He says.
"You know what?" Mommy says. "You're right." She walks toward him and the fight starts. When she finally knocks him down, she grabs something from his jacket pocket, puts it into her mouth, and swallows it.
"Now you own me twice." She says to a sleeping Thom. "Congratulations, by the way."
Then she turns to Jack. "Your turn, get up!" She grabs his shirt and pulls him up while pushing him onto the table.
"Please! What did I do to you?" Jack sounds scared.
"You killed someone, and that someone had friends." She growls.
"Please, please don't." He says.
"Turn around!" Mommy yells scarily.
"Listen to me, I didn't know they were gonna kill her." Jack shakes his head.
"Lie!" Mommy says angrily. "I know how far you and Percy go back. You knew… how many other girls were there?"
Jack continues shaking his head. "They knew what they were getting themselves into."
"Except this one was a Russian spy, and she had friends with guns. You finally got bitten in the ass."
"I didn't know she was a spy, and I didn't know she was pregnant."
"Would that have made a difference?"
"Please, please don't."
"Turn around."
"Please don't."
"Turn around!" Mommy shouts at him angrily. It's weird, I don't know why I'm not scared of her anymore.
Jack continues muttering "please don't" as mommy's taking off her jacket. She's wearing a red dress underneath the jacket. 'Michael's coming.'
"Mommy, Michael's coming." I smile happily. I miss Michael.
Mommy quickly runs over to me. "Put your arms on my shoulders." She pats her shoulder.
I do as she says as she picks me up with one hand before she grabs Jack. "If you wanna live, do as I say." She growls at him.
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Mommy laughs as she's listening to an old man talk. "If there's true evil in the world, authority demands –"
"Authority, based on what?" Mommy says. "Where you happen to be born? Or what you happen to be born with?" I stop listening after that because it sounds boring.
I smile when I see Michael walking toward us. I run to him and give him a big hug. "Hi, Michael!"
"Hey kiddo." He smiles and picks me up before he walks over to mommy.
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." Mommy says as she looks at Michael. Then she turns to Jack, who she's linking arms with. "This must be the protection detail you told me about."
"Protection detail?" The old man frowns.
"To uh… make sure we're not disturbed this evening." Jack says.
"Senator." Michael speaks up. "May I speak with you?"
"Can it wait?" Jack asks. He sounds nervous.
"Not really." Michael says.
"This is the bodyguard you mentioned?" Mommy asks as she claps her hands together quietly and reaches her arms out toward me. I reach my arms out too before she steps forward and takes me from Michael's arms.
"Bodyguard?" Michael raises an eyebrow.
"The one who served his country." Mommy says. "A true patriot."
"Well, where'd you serve, son?" The old man asks Michael.
"Uh… all over, Middle East mostly." Michael says. He doesn't sound comfortable.
"Korea, that was my war." The old man says.
"You two should swap stories." Mommy says to them before turning to Jack. "Should we get some air?"
"I really need to speak –" Michael starts as mommy grabs Jack and walks toward the door. Michael doesn't get to finish as the old man keeps on asking him questions.
"Are you going to let me go?" Jack asks quietly.
"I'm thinking about it." Mommy says.
When we get outside, mommy has a hold on Jack by the top of his shirt as she runs to the car with me still in her arms. There are men chasing after us.
Mommy opens the back car door and puts me onto the car seat before quickly strapping on my seat belt. Then, she closes the back car door and opens the driver's door. She pulls out Vlad, who's either fallen asleep or… 'He's dead.'
"Stay right there." Mommy tells Jack as she gets onto the driver's seat. She pulls him onto the side on the car as she shuts the car door.
I see Michael as he steps forward and points his gun towards mommy as she starts the car. He lowers his gun after a few seconds as mommy backs out the car. "Get off." Mommy pushes him away.
I quickly fall asleep as she drives away. I dream of a very, very big singing pizza…
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"We know that the audio file was leaked around midnight last night…" The man on the TV screen says.
"That doesn't match up with what you said." Oliver says to mommy as he presses a button on the remote that makes the TV silent.
"Right now, Kerrigan's people are doing damage control." Mommy tells him. "But once the audio file comes out…"
"Everyone will know that Anna the intern was really Anna the spy." Oliver finishes for her as he hands me a glass of apple juice with a straw.
"Won't be enough to save Kerrigan, though." Mommy says.
"You don't work for the Justice Department, do you?" Oliver smiles.
Before mommy can say anything, a small bark and whine is heard. Oliver bents down and picks Yoshi up.
"Custody of the innocent bystander goes to you." Mommy smiles.
"Yeah." Oliver nods. He pauses as Yoshi licks him. "Just tell me one thing, was there anything real about her? Or was I just like… part of her cover?"
"Oliver, you were the only thing that was real to her." Mommy tells him. "Look, we all wear masks, everyone, everyday, and sometimes, we wear them so much, we forget who we really are. And sometimes, if we're lucky, someone comes along and shows us who we really want to be. Who we should be. You were that for her."
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Mommy holds my hand as she leads me out of Oliver's place. Mommy slows down when she sees a black car across the street. 'Ari Tasarov.'
Mommy picks me up as she crosses the street and walks toward him. "I don't want to go over there, mommy." I whimper and hug her. Ari scares me.
"It'll be alright." Mommy rubs my back softly before knocking on his car window.
"We're not nervous?" Ari asks after he rolls down the window.
"You wouldn't take me out here, it's not your style." Mommy says.
"See, that's what I love about you, your instinct."
"You love me? I took out two of your agents, and I didn't let you get back at Percy."
"And you neutralized the toxin. How'd you pull that off?"
"Trade secret." Mommy shrugs.
"Well, in the grand scheme of everything, you and me, it doesn't really matter."
"There's no you and me."
"Don't be so sure." Ari says just as mommy turns around and is about to leave. "We know about the Container… and the black boxes."
That got mommy's attention as she turns back around. "Don't EVER call my daughter that." She growls at him with scary anger as she hugs me tightly.
"You know Gogol will provide you with unlimited cash, weapon, and safe houses all around the world. It's what you need to take them on." Ari smirks.
"You tried to kill me."
"Ancient history."
"It was last night."
"Rules of the game. Fighting this world on your own must be exhausting, especially when you've to protect your daughter."
"Alright, let's play this forward. I join you, we coordinate strikes, we find all the black boxes, we take down Division, and then we put a bullet in Percy's head. Then what?"
"You win."
"No, you take over. Bastard step-child kills his father and then takes his place. Remember, I know where Gogol came from."
"Well, let's play this forward another way, Division goes down, from you, from us. Gogol will come to power, it's inevitable. Besides, that daughter of yours will one day become a part of Gogol."
"As long as I'm alive, you're not touching her." Mommy narrows her eyes at him before she turns around and walks away from him.
"If it doesn't end with Division, when does it end?" Ari calls out.
"I'll let you know when I get there." Mommy says.
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Author's note: hey guys, here's another chapter, please review!