I wrote this after seeing A Dark Turn. Then I thought WHAT IF and another story made its way onto the page. So there are two stories that take place immediately after Jack is left standing at the pier. This is the first one. I called each the same name, but with a subtitle. Enjoy the spy family in action. By the way, these were posted earlier on two other sites, but by now are lost among the many thousands of stories posted. Some of you may not have read them, so that’s why I’m putting them up here at CIA Headquarters.
Remember, these are simply back-stories. They do not follow JJs plotline nor mine either for that matter.
And, of course, JJ Abrams owns these characters lives.

GOTCHA!
OPUS 1

PANAMA
Jack stood, the gun in his hand, looking off in the direction he last saw her. He wondered whether she thought of him, of their love-making last night. He could still feel her body next to his. He smiled. Did she think she had betrayed him again? Did she actually think he had fallen for it a second time? He had spent too much time thinking about her first betrayal of their marriage, of the ten years he had cherished her as his wife and as the mother of their daughter, Sydney.

She had given him a clue in Hong Kong. The passion she shared with Arvin about the Rambaldi notes and artifacts. He had seen the passion, but he had also seen the greed on her face. She had thanked him earlier after Bangkok, and that he knew was the truth, for raising their daughter, Sydney. He thought about that moment on board the plane. What had she been thinking after that intimate moment of parental pride?

“Jack?” He turned to look at the agent who stood beside him.

“Yes?”

“I’ve secured the driver. The helo has gone back to base. What next?”

Jack rearranged the features on his face as he turned towards the agent. He sighed. “Looks like we’ll need to make a report to L. A. She’s either a prisoner or—“ he left it unsaid. The man could imagine whatever he wished. Jack had other things to worry about first. “I doubt he’ll be able to help us, but let’s check him out, then if he’s clean, let him go.” He climbed in beside the limo driver who was handcuffed.

Jack reached into his pocket and took out a GPS point tracker. He flipped the switch. The box showed a flashing light. He looked at it carefully and smiled. It worked perfectly.


LOS ANGELES
Mitchell Yeager looked at Agents Vaughn and Bristow. They stood before him with papers and documents including bank statements. Vaughn had finished telling Yeager everything. He explained every document and answered all the questions. He had not flinched, nor backed down.

“Agent Vaughn, I am pleased that you came forward. It would have saved the agency a lot of my time and their money if you had been as straight forward earlier.”

“I know, but this was something I had to do for myself. I just couldn’t let it go, knowing we, the CIA, were working with Irina Derevko.”

“I hope I can understand, but since she didn’t kill my father…” He gave what seemed to be a smile, and that for a counter-intelligence threat analyst was hard. Given the work he did, it was not easy to show that emotion. “I’m going to take the documentation back to Langley to be sure what you say is true. In the meantime, both of you must stay in Los Angeles. I will notify Director Kendall of this. Do you both understand?”

They nodded. “And Agent Vaughn, this young woman is a keeper. Don’t let go of her.”

Vaughn grinned, then looked at Sydney, who smiled. They turned and left the room.

PANAMA
Jack went back to the room he and Irina had shared the night before. He packed his clothes into the carry-on and left. The room was clean. There were no fingerprints anywhere. He did not go down thru the lobby where he could be noticed and possibly remembered. Instead, he went out the back entrance and disappeared into the gathering gloom. It would be a few hours before anyone discovered he was gone. Vanished! His hand went to his inside coat pocket and he pulled out the tracker. It was flashing the whereabouts of his wife, Irina Derevko. He was glad he had the only monitor.

LOS ANGELES
Sydney and Vaughn entered the office from the briefing room to find it in an uproar. They both went to their desks. Before Sydney could sit down, Kendall was at her side. “Do you know where your mother is?” He was a bit snappish.

She blinked at him in surprise. “What? What are you talking about? Isn’t she with Dad?”

Kendall stood glaring at her, his hands on his hips, “I don’t think so. Now it seems Jack is also missing.”

Scared, Sydney almost didn’t want to hear more, but said, “Tell me what’s happened? Are they all right? Nothing’s happened to them.”

“We don’t know.” He bellowed. “We were tracking Irina with the KH11 satellite when it, without warning, shut down. We lost picture and sound. I told Jack to activate the tracking point and he said he couldn’t.” He was getting angrier. “I think he took it out of her for some reason. Now we don’t know where she is or where he is! Do you know where they are and don’t lie for them.”

Sydney suddenly was very frightened. “I don’t know! I swear.” She looked at Vaughn who had come up behind Kendall and was listening to their conversation. In fact, Kendall was so loud, that several people couldn’t help listening.

Then Kendall gestured to the conference room. “GO there now.”
He motioned to Vaughn to accompany them.

Moments later, the three were inside, ready to resume the conversation.
Sydney tried to stay calm. “Tell me what happened and where?”

“Your parents went to Panama to lure Sloane into a trap using Irina and the Rambaldi manuscript as bait. The KH11 satellite was photographing everything and the last thing it picked up was your mother, who, as she was getting into Sloane’s car, looked up. The limo took off. Jack called Delta Force to follow. Two Delta Force guards went with her acting as her bodyguards. The limo disappeared into a tunnel, but came out again. When it was brought to a stop finally, there was only the driver, no passengers, no Derevko and no Sloane.” He took a deep breath.

“Then our agents found the limo your mother was in and she was gone, along with Sark, who Jack identified before the picture went out. The two Delta Force men were dead.”

“Jack called,” he continued, “to say the original limo driver was clean. He had been asked to drive the empty limo to the spot where he was taken down by the helo. Jack said he was going to pack and come home.

“However, he did not take the jet home. It’s on its way back without Jack, your mother, or the manuscript.”

Sydney was horrified. She looked at Vaughn who was staring at Kendall. “So no one knows where either of them are?”

“We checked and no one answering her description or Jack’s has left the city. Of course, that means they did. Jack is far too good an agent not to have contacts who could get him out without anyone else knowing. The point is, do you have contacts there?”

She shook her head. “No, I haven’t had an assignment in that area. SD-6 didn’t operate in Central America.” She looked at Vaughn. He shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Well it seems we have a bit of a problem. Two Delta Force men murdered. Jack missing. Irina missing. And no manuscript here.”

Sydney had a thought. “What happened to the satellite. Why did it go off line?”

“Marshall’s working on that now.” Kendall said. “I understand you two are also supposed to stay close to home. Mitchell Yeager says it will take three days to verify everything you told him. You can stay here and work to help us find Jack and Irina Derevko.” He turned and left the room.

Sydney sat down. She felt sick. What had happened? Had her mother betrayed them again? Oh God, she cried inside, and after Irina had told her she loved her. Sydney’s eyes began to tear up. Vaughn, sitting down, held her hand.

“Syd,” he said quietly. “Don’t shut down. We’ve got to help them. We don’t know what happened yet. Let’s analyze everything we know after we get all the facts.”

They stood up. Sydney moved into Vaughn’s arms. He held her tight never wanting to let go. He could even hear her heart. It was beating hard and fast. He bent down and kissed her gently. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ll find them.”

ATLANTIC OCEAN
The plane took off from the Canary Islands airfield after filling up with fuel. There were five passengers on board: Sloane, Sark, Irina and two bodyguards, as well as a pilot and co-pilot. Irina and Sloane sat facing each other, looking at the manuscript. Their faces were almost glistening with excitement.

“You know, Sydney took the flower back to the CIA. They found it to be about four hundred years old.” She was studying the page on which Milo Rambaldi had drawn a heart in detail.

“Your daughter is as good an agent as you were,” he said, his eyes not leaving the page.

“Probably better!” Irina said. “She hasn’t been corrupted by her government. But give them time. They’ll do something to mess her up and then what?” She looked out the window at the ocean and sky.

“Then we’ll recruit her again,” said Arvin.

Irina’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so. You have me and that’s enough Bristow in this organization.”

Arvin smiled with oily pleasure. “I would think you’d like to have her around after all these years.”

Those dark eyes met his without guile. They never left his face. He suddenly decided she was a better accomplice than enemy. He would drop the subject. However, in the back of his mind, the thought of having Sydney with them was exciting. Still they had not left each other as friends. He knew Sydney Bristow was his implacable enemy now. He knew Jack was. He did not need the mother against him either. She was too valuable to his quest. He had better be careful not to be too possessive, else the mutual interest might be forestalled. He needed her expertise and the artifacts she had hidden away.

OMG

this is awesome

i wish this had been on the show but alas is not part of alias

however i anticipate more from you lenafan

Brenda

WOW! That is great!! Keep it coming. Loved the Slone comments.

I loved this chapter lenafan. Keep it coming!!!!

Please
do!!

More definitly. I have read this before but it never hurts to read such a good story more than once, so please keep pm-ing me if you intended to if not that's fine too i'll be sure to read it anyways. I really love this story, like all your other ones, lol.

As promised

PART TWO
JAMAICA
Jack hefted his bag from over his shoulder to the ground. There was time for him to make a satellite call. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out the phone Marshall had given him after modifying it to his specifications. He had told him that Sydney would need it for a mission he was sending her on to Switzerland.

He punched in the number. “Hello!” He frowned. He was hoping Sydney would answer. “Is Sydney there?”

“No, who is this?”

Jack thought a moment, then said “Tell her that the CD she ordered has come in and she can pick it up anytime.”

“OK.”

Jack cut the connection. Why hadn’t Francie recognized his voice? Odd? He frowned again. Something bothered him in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite get it to surface.


LOS ANGELES
Marshall had just left the conference room after talking to Sydney and Vaughn. The KH11 satellite had been accessed by a number of CIA operatives and analysts. He had provided them with a list of names. Syd looked at the list and then handed it to Vaughn looking worried.

“Will?” He looked at Sydney. “He could have done that as a part of his assignment,” he explained.

“The problem is,” said Sydney, “it’s all about family close and extended. I am definitely having weird feelings.”

Vaughn frowned, suddenly remembering, “Will told me about a strange dream he had the other night.” He told her. “I just told him the dreams would go away after he had worked for the CIA for awhile.” He looked at her. “I think we’d better check this out.”

A cell phone rang. It was Sydney’s. “Hello.” She listened for a moment. “Yeah, thanks.”

He looked at her as she put the phone on her belt. “Something wrong?”

“That was Francie. She said some guy called to tell me to pick up the CD I’d ordered.” She looked at him. “I didn’t order one.”

“Your father!” He guessed. “Why didn’t she tell you it was Jack?”

She frowned. “Yes, she should have, but…” she stared off into space thinking about two seemingly unrelated events. She kept her face calm, but she was scared and her body felt cold. The probability she was right was high and that she was being foolish extremely low. She had been working SD-6 and CIA long enough to put facts together to make the scenario work.

Sydney put her hand on his, facing him. “Vaughn, I think something might be terribly wrong at home. I’m not sure I want to continue living there.”

“What is it?”

“I’m scared that Francie, the real Francie, is dead and that Will may too!”

“Sydney, that’s crazy!”

She turned away, looking at the wall ahead of her. It was a crazy thought, but what other answer did she have. Will had accessed the KH11 satellite and that meant he had the guidance codes. Francie had been weird ever since she and Vaughn had been together. It couldn’t be jealousy. It was something else. The helix! Of course, there was a second double out there somewhere. She had to find Jack.

“I’m going home to pack.”

“For what?”

“I’m moving in with you for the time being. It’s safer. Will you come with me?”

“Yeah, sure.”

JAMAICA
It was nearing midnight. Jack sat at the bar drinking a coke. He had thought about having some heavy stuff, but the bout he had with alcoholism had been enough to deter his drinking. He checked his watch. Sydney could be out of the office. He punched in her number on the satellite phone.

“Dad?” She answered almost immediately.

“Sydney, you heard about your mother?”

“Yes! Where are you?”

“At Mitchell’s Bar. I’ll wait until twelve tomorrow for you.” Then he told her what to bring with her. “We’re going after her.”

SWITZERLAND
Irina stared out the window. Her eyes seemingly saw nothing. In her mind, however, she was thinking about the last time she saw her daughter. She did love her. She leaned against the windowpane sucking her breath in, fighting back the feelings that were surging, raging inside her. To talk to Sydney for the first time in twenty years had been worth every moment in the cell. To be with her on assignment, to talk to her, to tell her something of herself, had been worth every moment she had spent in handcuffs and shackles. There had been so few times she had been able to touch her, to hold her. Irina bit her lips.

Jack, what he must be thinking…the worst, no doubt, and she didn’t blame him. Betrayed twice! Damn it, she wanted him to be obsessed as she was with the Rambaldi mystique and he, saying with wisdom, he had something she and Arvin didn’t have. She wondered if Jack had ever told Sydney about the Christmas Project and what he had done to her. Probably not, but she had never received an answer from him.

She walked over to the bed, remembering the passion they had shared last night. It had been a long time and there was no denying neither had lost the ability to give the other sexual pleasure. Her heart skipped a beat. Damn it! She picked up the jacket Arvin had purchased with the rest of the clothes she had needed. She put it on, admitting he had taste.

There was a knock at the door and Sark’s voice called out, “Time for dinner.”

JAMAICA
Sydney, carrying a duffle bag, walked into the dingy bar in Kingston. Her father was sitting at one of the few booths. There were a few patrons, most of whom stared at the pretty girl who had entered. They seemed to have momentary hope, but it was dashed when she slid into the booth next to the older man.

“How did you get away?” Jack said.

“I left Vaughn telling him I was going to visit a friend in San Dimas, 50 to 60 miles from his home. He had to work. He expects me back this evening. By the way, why didn’t you tell Francie who you were instead of the story about the CD?”

“She didn’t recognize my voice. She always recognizes it.”

The waiter came to the booth. Sydney looked up and asked for a beer. Then she turned to Jack. “There is something weird going on at home. I’ve moved out for the time being in with Michael.”

Jack thought a moment, “Probably was a good idea. The KH11 satellite went down in the midst of the meeting. We lost all contact visually.”

She stared at him. He took the tracker out of his pocket. The light was flashing. She looked at it carefully. “Zurich!”

He touched a switch. The light flashed as a locator homed in on Irina. “They must be at Arvin’s secret hideout. Did you bring everything?”

She nodded. “Have you a plan?”

“First we get to Zurich.”

ZURICH
Arvin looked at Irina and smiled. Twenty years later and she was still good looking. She towered over him at six feet, but he could appreciate the charisma of the woman who had always been an enigma for him. Even the years before when she was Laura Bristow, he had felt drawn to her, not loving her as he did Emily, but loving the power she seemed to exude every time she entered a room. There was not another woman like her, he thought. Now she was here having brought him the pages of the Rambaldi manuscript. He was hoping that between the two of them they could figure out Rambaldi’s puzzle about everlasting life. He wondered what it would take to get the artifacts she owned.

“Sit down,” he motioned to the chair across from him. It was a small table, big enough for four, but large enough to hold several serving dishes.

”Help yourself.” His plate was filled, so he started eating.

“Arvin,” she said, putting food on the plate, “are we safe here?

“Of course! No one has been here except my men, Sark, and a certain Dr. Caplan. No one knows where we are.”

She shrugged, “Just thought I’d ask. I do not want to be surprised.”

He laughed. “The CIA never, until I want them to find it.”

“Can we look at the manuscripts tonight?”

“Of course, right after dinner.”

NEW YORK
Jack and Sidney took their seats on the plane. Sydney’s duffle sat between her feet and under the seat in front of her. They were settling in, fastening their seat belts, when someone sat down. Sydney glanced to her left and almost cried out.

“Michael!”

“I really like it when you say my first name.” He grinned at her and then nodded at Jack.

“What are you doing here?” asked Syd, her eyes beaming with pleasure.

“I’m not about to let you two have all the fun. You need as much help as possible and, although Sydney, you and I are going to be in the Agency's dog house for leaving Los Angeles, I’m hoping it will be worth it. What did you have in mind, where, when and most importantly WHO.”

“Mom,” answered Sydney. “She’s with Sloane and they’re in Zurich.”

Vaughn frowned. “How do you know?”

Jack answered, “Irina suggested I remove the tracker in order to preserve her safety. However, I deemed it prudent not to do so. I took it out, but later, put in a passive one."

“Wasn’t that risky?”

Jack smiled, shaking his head, "No, it wasn't set to go off for 12 hours. Plenty of time for them to check her with a scanner."

Vaughn chuckled. “You were covering all bases I take it.”

“I hope so.” His eyes were cold. “Now, since you dealt yourself into the game, let’s get the plan set.”

LOS ANGELES
Francie stood looking at Syd’s bedroom. Everything seemed in place, but there was something missing. She took at the cell phone and dialed Sydney. The message indicated the phone was off. She shut the cell down for a moment, still looking at the room. Then bingo, the missing item was her makeup. Francie walked to the closet, looked inside. Some familiar clothes were missing and the duffle bag she used.

Where had she gone? She walked out to the kitchen. There was a note propped up against a canister. Opening it, she read, “Am spending a few days at Vaughn’s. He’s just given me a key and I want to use it.”

Francie smiled. Then she turned on the cell again, punching in the number for her employer. “This is me. Sydney’s moved out for a few days. Going to live with her boyfriend.”

ZURICH
Arvin glanced at Irina, holding his hand over the phone. “Sydney’s moved in with her boyfriend.”

Irina smiled. “She needs to get married and have children.”

“Yes, don’t worry. Continue with the hypnotism. Get as much Intel as you can from him.” He nodded. “Report on time, as usual. He snapped the phone shut. “I take it you approve.”

“Anything that makes her happy.” She said. “And I think that would include your death.”

Arvin laughed. “Yes, probably, but that won’t happen. I’ve told her if she gets in my way, I’ll kill her.” This was said in a manner challenging Irina’s roll as Sydney’s mother.

Her eyes caught his and held. “Then, I would have to kill you.” She didn’t smile.

They finished and walked to his large office. There, he went to the safe and punched in a combination. The large doors clanked, creaked and then swung open. Behind it was another combination to run. He waited as the numbers came up on the grid and when they all matched, the door swung open silently. He pulled out some manuscript papers and handing them to her, closed the safe doors, both of them.

Irina had taken the papers and turned to the desk, spreading them out. Milo Rambaldi had written them in Italian and, fortunately, they both could read the language. She had a knack for languages and it didn’t take much reading and talking to know what Rambaldi was describing
.
By two in the morning, however, both of them still couldn’t figure what Rambaldi was planning. The actual biological formula didn’t make sense. Finally, Arvin suggested they take a break.

“I’m going to see Emily for a couple of days.”

“Should I continue to work on this?” Irina said.

Arvin looked at her. “No, we do it together or not at all. You have our notes, go over them, and see what we missed. But no manuscript!”

“What’s the matter? I brought it to you.”

“My dear, I don’t trust anyone.” He smiled, putting the books back into the safe.

The next day Irina sat at the desk pouring over the notes she and Arvin had gathered. Sark was in and out of the room, checking on her. However, she did not even go near the safe. She knew exactly what he was thinking. If he caught her at the safe, Sark probably had orders to dispose of her.

At dinner that night, they ate in silence. Irina pushed the plate away and looked at Sark.

“How do you like working for your new boss?”

“He’s not my boss,” he snarled, “we’re partners.”

“Ummm!” She stared unwavering at him. “So far, I’ve seen nothing to indicate that. You done nothing, but fetch for him.” She stood up. “I’m going to the library to read. Please check on me as often as you wish.”

He watched her go, eyes narrowed, his face angry. “B*tch,” he thought. “When Sloane is through with you, he’ll toss you in the trash can like a piece of crumpled paper.”

It was two in the morning, when someone entered the office. Heat sensors that helped secure the site did not trigger any alarms. The figure dressed in black and wearing a head and face cover, walked over to the safe. Taking a piece of equipment out of a duffle bag he carried, the masked figure stood for a few moments looking at the meter reading. Two safes! That was unexpected. Now what? The figure kneeled reaching into the bag again for something else.

Without warning, a gun was cocked, hammer pulled back. The kneeling figure turned toward the sound and saw the barrel of a .45 automatic pointing directly at his head mere inches away.

***
The finish in two or three days. B)

Wonder who it is. Its a boy cause it says his. But i dont know who if the person holding the gun is a guy or the person the gun is pointed at is a gun.

Great job!

Looking forward to more.

brilliant another part to make me more happy, lol. very good and thanks for the pm.

Thanks for the update lenafan . . .

I'm wondering who are in there too . . .

AgentGill Posted on Oct 5 2003, 03:55 PM

Someone that will be revealed next part. Stay tuned. B)

OOOH!! :reallyexcited:
That was great!! :lol: How cute Vaughn is that he came, just like at the trainstation!! :D
Glad that SOMEONE wrote somewhere Sydney picking up on the evil Francie's slip ups!!! :)
Can't wait for more!! :innocent: Thanx for the PM!! :wub:
Colly E. :bunny:

As promised, Part 3

Part 3
ZURICH

“Don’t move,” hissed Sark, “and take off the head covering.” He turned on his flashlight

His adversary slowly pulled it off, revealing Sydney Bristow. “Sark!”

He grinned. “Ah the lovely Sydney. Too bad you didn’t want to be better friends. Now we’ll wait for Mr. Sloane’s return. I promise it won’t be a pleasant reunion.”

“I see you’re still wagging your tail in his wake.”

His eyes narrowed. “You are, after all, your mother’s daughter! Any more of those smart remarks will earn you my disrespect!”

“Where is she?” Sydney said.

“Asleep, I would judge.”

UPSTAIRS
Jack moved stealthily along the hallway. He was checking each room, making sure Arvin wasn’t here. He finally came to a door that was closed. He used slight pressure on the door to ascertain whether it was locked. It was. He smiled. Irina! Ever cautious!
He pulled the small spray bottle from his pocket and pressed the button. A spray hit the lock. He put a pick inside, moved it back and forth, and heard a click. He heard it quite audibly and hoped it wasn’t loud enough to wake her.

He pushed against the door and it opened silently. He slipped inside and closed it. The bed was to his left. Someone was in it. Irina! He wasn’t smiling. Jack stood looking down at her. She was naked, as usual. He could still feel her body next to his when they were in Panama. Damn her! Was he ever going to be free of his feelings for her? He’d tried for so many years! Then she came back into his life. Even as he stood looking down at her, he felt the stirrings of the attraction he couldn’t get out of his blood.

He kneeled down, gripping his gun in his left hand, leaned over and kissed her.

Her eyes flew open, staring at him in the darkness. Jack!! Then she felt the gun, laying along side her cheek.

“Don’t move and don’t say anything,” he whispered coldly. “You’re going back to L. A., so when I say so, get up, and dress in the clothes you wore in Panama. Nod if you understand.”

She nodded. The gun moved from her cheek. Then she heard him hiss, “Do it!”

Irina moved to the closet, found the clothes she’d worn and quickly dressed. She pulled the boots on her feet. She sensed the gun pointing at her. She knew not to say a word at this point. Her heart was beating a thunderously. How had he found her? Then she knew! He hadn’t removed the tracker as she thought he did.




DOWNSTAIRS
Sark put Sydney into a chair. He was about to secure her with some rope he had brought with him, when he heard a noise from upstairs. He couldn’t quite place it, and being that it was early morning, he thought Irina might be getting up.

“Your mother will not be pleased to see you,” he said.

“My mother,” she snarled, “is a two-faced,” she searched for the words she wanted to say, then, “opportunistic sociopath.” That was what her father had called Irina early on when she had turned herself into the CIA.

“My, my, what brought that to mind?” He laughed. “Well, I must agree with you. She does have a way with her. I think I heard her. She may be down presently and you can tell her these things yourself.” He reached over and ran his finger down Sydney’s right cheek.

“Take your hand away.” The voice was not Sydney’s. A click of the gun’s hammer being pulled back warned Sark not to move.

A fist came from out the darkness, smashing into Sark’s jaw. He fell to the ground, out. Vaughn appeared and pulled Sydney out of the chair. “You all right?”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t touch me.” She smiled into those great blue eyes. She turned to the safe. “I was about to open this before being rudely interrupted.”

“Do you think you can?” said Vaughn

“The combination,” said Irina, who was being led into the room by Jack, “is a double one.” She gave them the numbers. Sydney heard and the first safe opened. Then she placed the “safe-cracker” as Marshall had called it over the lock and entered the numbers her mother had given her. In moments, the door swung open. Sydney reached inside and took out both manuscripts. She handed them to Vaughn. There was nothing else in the safe. Would Arvin have a fit? She thought it a wonderful possibility.

“Let’s go,” said Jack, after nudging Sark with his boot. The younger man was out. He must have a glass jaw.

OVER THE ATLANTIC
Irina sat alone, handcuffed, in a seat in front of Jack, Sydney and Vaughn. They had not spoken to her since leaving Zurich. Only Jack had said anything to her. Sydney had said nothing. She could feel the loss of contact between them. Crazy, this obsession she shared with Arvin Sloane. Still the contact with Sydney, and Jack, had meant so much. Now what? They probably would take away all the privileges she had earned. It could even mean the immunity agreement would be forfeited. Then what prison or death?

What about her father? What would he think, after giving her so much in the past ten years? She could hear them turning the pages of the manuscript they had taken. She wanted to see it, but she had forfeited that too. She gripped her hands hard, trying not to give into her feelings. Well, she only played the hand she had been dealt. She laughed silently and looked out the window at the clouds below. Those games she played had finally ended and she was the loser.

Irina closed her eyes and rubbing her thumbs together, trying to keep her emotions from spilling out.

Someone sat down in front of her. She opened her eyes. It was Jack. He stared at her coldly.

“Did you really think you could betray me twice?”

“I didn’t!” She stared back and never flinched as he sneered at her.

“Well, if you don’t call it that, what do you?”

She shrugged. “I had to play the game the way it was dealt. Sloane was not about to be caught so easily.”

“And the night before?” His voice grated. He looked past her at Sydney and Michael who had leaned back in their seats, holding hands and were talking. Neither was paying any attention to the other two.

She looked at him, she hoped, as honest as she could. “For me, it was the best. It was obvious that after twenty years, you still hadn’t lost your touch. You were wonderful.”

Jack saw that she meant it. “Then why did you do it?” She couldn’t answer him. “It’s that damned obsession with anything Rambaldi, isn’t it?” He laughed. “You know, Irina, it was the obsession that tipped me off.”

She looked at him

“Yes, your obsession. I saw it on your face in Hong Kong. I knew then there might be a problem.”

“You set me up?”

“You,” he asserted, “took the bait.”

“And that means?”

He chuckled, “I’m thinking about it.”

She thought she might negotiate. “Remember, I gave you the combinations to the safes. Without them you might still be there.”

“I’m fully aware of that. How did you manage to learn them in so short a time?” He was curious.

“Does it matter?” She answered. “I had them and you got both manuscripts in return.”

He leaned back in the seat, looking at her. Then suddenly he made up his mind. “Very well then, when we get back, you’ll go back to your cell as though nothing has happened. I’m sure the CIA will be happy to have not only both books, but you also.

“However, I doubt Sydney will be interested in continuing interacting with you at this point. I will become your conduit. In order to keep your immunity agreement intact, you will continue to provide us with anything and everything we ask of you. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” she answered, but then she had more to offer than he suspected. However, that could wait.

“When we get to Los Angeles, they will debrief you extensively. I suggest you tell them honestly, what happened to the two Delta Force guards that were killed. And tell them everything you and Sloane talked about.”

“Jack, he won’t be in Zurich. As soon as he learns you were there, he will be gone. Where no one will know until he re-surfaces.”

“I’ve known the man for thirty years and I wouldn’t expect anything else from him. However,” he looked at her, “we have three things he wants badly: the two Rambaldi manuscripts,” he paused, “and you.”

LOS ANGELES
The van came to a stop. The four people inside got out. The two U.S. Marshals stepped forward and took Irina Derevko by the arms. Her wrists were handcuffed. Sydney and Vaughn didn’t stay to watch, they had other plans. Jack did, however, follow the Marshals and Irina into the op center. They marched her along the corridor to the stairway, down the stairs to the cellblock. Cells doors opened and closed behind them. Rick, Weiss and others had caught a glimpse of the parade, but continued working.

The Marshals escorted Irina inside. They unlocked the handcuffs. She turned to face Jack. She searched his face. It had resumed its coldness.

“I have something for you,” she said, walking to her bunk. She lifted up the mattress, turned it, pushed her hand into a slit, and pulled something out. She turned, walked to window and the box where she had received her meals. She opened her side and put it inside.

Jack opened the box. He looked down and then up at her. “What’s this?”

“The real manuscript. You don’t think I’d risk Sloane getting it, do you?”

***
Will be posting a second Gotcha! in a couple of days. After ADT, I had two ideas and wrote both of them as Opus 1 and Opus 2. B)

dying once again for part four, seriously. i read this a long time ago and can't exactly remember what happened next, but i'm absolutly willing to find out soon. andthank you for the pm.

gotcha

is right on

loving this

brenda

Oh wow. what a great twist. Lets see some s/i scences. Poor Jack. he thought she betrayed him again.

That was great. Cannot wait until the next one.

Well s**t howdy!!?? :wacko: I'm all mixed up now!! :blink: You TOTALLY had me fooled, that's for sure!! :huh: Now I wonder what they're going to do with her!! :)
Great job, can't wait for more!! :innocent: Thanx for the PM!! :reallyexcited:
Colly E. :bunny:

I just read the whole thing it's great. You are a really talented writer. I can't wait to read more of your stories.

Your story was great!! I really liked the twist at the end with Irina having hidden the real manuscript!! It really made me think!

Gotcha! Opus Two is up, with parts 1 and 2. Part 3 will be posted tomorrow. This is a different one with a couple of "twists".
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you've read my other stories. They are all here at CIA.
B)

Nicely done as usual.