First part of a story that I wanted to write about Jack and Irina and their burgeoning re-awakening of their relationship of thirty years ago...just before ADT, but after the FreeAgent episode. Or whenever...this, of course, led me to a short romantic story which will feature Sidney and Vaughn...but then you have to read this to get to that!!Damn tricky these writers.
As always, these characters belong to JJ Abrams and his stable of writers.
DEADFALL
The female coyote stood on a promontory high over the valley. She was listening, but heard nothing after the initial roar. Then there were noises she’d never heard during her short life. The air had a different smell. Something she had never sensed before this night. She glanced down. There was a wisp of smoke rising from the edge of the meadow below. Using her eyes, she spied a silver mass close to the smoke. Curious, she started down the mountainside, thinking about food and what might be in the strange object.
Five hundred feet below, at the edge of the meadow, the crumpled airplane was silent. The wings had been torn back when the plane plowed into the trees. The front of the airplane was smashed. It was almost certain the pilot was dead. There was a smell of jet fuel and a small leak from the right gas tank was visible. The tail had broken off and was tipped forward to the ground. This had happened when the plane smashed into the trees. The fuselage, however, seemed to be intact. The pilot had done a masterful job of bringing his aircraft down, even though the power was gone from both engines. Looking back in the direction it had come; the plane had torn a long path thru the meadow, scarring it for a half a mile.
The tall Douglas firs towered over the wreck. Looking up, the midnight sky was barely visible. The stars were bright and the suns in the heavens twinkled. The oily smell of jet fuel was strong and it permeated the inside of the plane. The crisp, sharp air and pine tree aroma soon overcame the smell. Moonlight covered the meadow, surrounding mountains and what was left of the airplane. Moonlight filtered through the windows.
“Irina! Are you all right?” Jack pulled her upright in her seat.
She opened her eyes, and then moved her hands and feet. She took deep breaths as though checking to see if her ribs had been hurt. “I think so.”
He reached in his pocket and took out a small set of keys. He used them to unlock the handcuffs on her wrists. “I’m taking these off. I think we’re going to need both of us to get out of this mess.”
Irina, rubbing her wrists, looked at him. “Where are we?”
He looked out the window, not seeing much. “We’re in the Rocky Mountains somewhere in Colorado. I wasn’t paying attention. You seemed to be meditating and I was dozing.”
Irina nodded. “Shouldn’t we see if the pilot is o. k.?”
Jack grimaced, “I did. He’s dead.”
“So what now?”
“I think we wait until it gets light. Stumbling around in the dark would be foolish. We need light to see what’s in the plane that we can use.”
“We’re in real trouble, aren’t we?” She said quietly and then shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“Well, the clothes I wear in the cellblock are not exactly the furs I would wear in Moscow.”
Jack stood up and walked to the front of the plane.
“Where are you going?”
“The pilot’s down jacket. It was hanging up behind the door. He won’t need it. You do.” Moments later he was back with a down parka. “Put this on now.”
She did, gratefully. She felt warmer almost immediately. “What do you think happened?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know exactly. However, I expect they’ll order search planes to rescue us. Langley expects us,” he glanced at his watch which he could barely see in the moonlight, “in another four hours, seven o’clock precisely. For the present we’re just going to have to wait.”
Los Angeles
Three days ago, Kendall had come to Jack with a request. Langley wanted Derevko to listen to some audiotapes for the purpose of identifying the speakers. Kendall had been to see her and told her she was needed in Maryland at headquarters. She had agreed to go.
“And you want me to do what?” asked Jack.
“Baby-sit her across the country. We’re going to send you with her on one of our small Lear jets.”
Jack stared at him. “Why me?”
Kendall stared right back. “Why not? You’re her husband, right?”
“Then I’ll have to insist she not go shackled.”
“Handcuffs are all that are required. We do recognize she has been invaluable, especially with the Echelon project. Is that acceptable?”
“Fine.”
Jack called Sydney. The time she had spent Sloane’s prisoner had been hard her. He wanted her to know where he would be incase she needed to talk. “Your mother will be at Langley for a couple of weeks, but I’m coming right back. I’ll call you.”
“O. K.” There was a pause, “Where are you flying from – LAX or Burbank?”
“Burbank.”
“By the way, I’m going to take a few days off. Francie and I will go to the beach somewhere. Michael’s in Virginia already.”
“Then I’ll talk to you when I get back.” He said.
Rocky Mountains
Jack was half dozing, thinking about what he was going to do, when suddenly, he heard a sound at the rear of the plane near the tail section. It sounded like an animal of some kind. He glanced at Irina next to him. She had heard it too. Her eyes were open as she turned to look at him.
“What is it?” She whispered.
“Don’t know.” He stood up, pulling the gun he had found in the pilot’s jacket. “I’ll check.”
“Be careful.”
He walked back along the short aisle, through the debris, and looked around. Then he saw her, the coyote. She was nosing around the jagged edges of the tail and fuselage. He leaned down, picked up a piece of debris and threw it. The coyote yelped, turned and ran away. Jack glanced out the window and saw the sun was almost up.
“I think there’s enough light. You start back here and I’ll go through the cockpit and front of the plane. Bring anything you think we might use back here.”
Thirty minutes later the two of them looked at what they had found: two thermal sheets, two pillows with pillow cases, a small first aid kit, a flight map, binoculars, an emergency kit which included pliers, knife, screwdriver, 3 flares, matches, a small flashlight, some c- ration food and a canister of water. He also found a paper sack with two sandwiches, two apples and a bag of chips. Evidently the pilot had planned on having something to eat while they were asleep. They also located two cans of Pepsi. He found some paper and pens. Jack took these and stuck them in his pants pocket. The .38 gun he found held nine shots and was fully loaded and his search had not found any additional ammunition.
Jack and Irina looked carefully at the extent of their find, then at each other. “We’re going to have to be careful to ration the food and drink, although I think there is water in this valley. We can do without food, but not water.”
She nodded. “Have you a plan?”
“I checked and the plane is sort of under these trees. The tail section might be visible, but I don’t want to waste time waiting for someone to check on us.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve got to make time while it’s light.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t stay in case they send in helos or light aircraft to locate the plane?”
Jack grimaced. “The fuel from the right tank is leaking. I would ordinarily stay with the plane, but it’s too dangerous. If that fuel ignites…?”
Irina stared at him for an unbearable ten seconds. “What are you not telling me?”
“The plane was probably sabotaged.”
“Who told you that?” She knew the pilot died on impact.
“Kendall told me there might be trouble. That was the reason he sent me to escort you.”
“Someone’s after me?” Her eyes narrowed. “No one knows I’m here except the CIA. Are you telling me there’s a mole in the CIA?”
He nodded. “Sorry, but I didn’t want to worry you unless it became necessary. Now I think it has.”
“Let’s go,” she said.
“Irina,” he put his hand on her arm, “one thing more.” He looked at her guilelessly. “I remember Sydney telling me how you asked her to trust you and on the trip to Kashmir you said we need to trust one another. Now I need to know that I can trust you fully.”
She smiled, “Jack, I promise you can trust me. I won’t cause any problems. If I’m the target, then I have to since my life presumably is in your hands.” She began rolling her hair into a French knot. There would be less chance it would get tangled.
Irina picked up a thermal sheet and one pillowcase which had the food and water packed inside. Jack took the other one with the Emergency kit and First Aid Kit. At the door, he helped her down. A few steps later, they were on the edge of the meadow, looking back at the way the plane had come down. Then, with Jack leading the way, they walked out into the open heading for the sound of rushing water.
Los Angeles
Rick, the prime computer operator, walked over to Kendall’s desk, a worried look on his face. “Mr. Kendall?”
Kendall looked up. “What?”
“The Bristows are missing.”
“When?”
“Three hours ago. Langley copied me Intel that the plane never arrived at the field.”
“They know where it went down?”
“Not exactly. They have the flight plan. They’re going to use Satellite Spy to locate them if possible.”
“Keep me posted on any change, and I mean, any change.”
Rick nodded. “Should I call Sydney? She’s on a short vacation.”
“Not until we know something definite.”
Colorado
Jack and Irina reached the small running stream in the middle of the meadow. They turned and started in the direction the water was running. It was cool, but comfortable while wearing their jackets. At the end of the meadow, the stream began to drop off. They were lucky to be on the right side. On the other side, the brush, rocks and trees were thicker. It would have been impossible to get through. Jack was hoping they did not have to deviate from their course. He wanted to believe they would have no trouble other than discomfort during their trek to find help.
Suddenly a wind came up. He glanced at the sky. It was getting darker. In the distance behind him, he heard a crack of thunder. He looked around. There was no cover other than up under the trees. He pulled Irina to his side. “I think we’d better see if there’s cover. Looks like a summer storm is about to break.”
It did. Thunder and lightning ripped through the meadow and small canyon. A huge explosion overwhelmed the sound of rain and rushing water.
“What was that?” Irina cried.
“The plane. Lightning must have struck it. Fuel just exploded.” He yelled back in her ear.
They were deep into the forest. The rain barely penetrated. He put his arm around her as they stood underneath a tree. “This is not the safest place to be, but it’s drier here.”
Then as suddenly as it began, the rain stopped. The thunder and lightning moved on down the canyon. They moved back out into the open. “Let’s keep going.”
Langley, Virginia
Vaughn sat at a computer running some files he had been requested to pull up. Irina Derevko had promised to listen to some tapes and she had asked if it were possible for her to have access to the files of those voices she recognized. They might help her give a more definitive answer. So he was gathering some of the suspects’ files so they would be on hand.
There was a knock on his door.
He looked up to see Director Devlin. Vaughn jumped up. “Sir?”
“You can sit. I came to tell you some bad news. The Bristows are missing.”
Vaughn felt a chill, “how?”
“We think their plane crashed somewhere in Colorado. The plane’s GPS signal was lost there. We have not been able to get a plane or helos into the area because of weather.”
“Does Sydney, I mean, their daughter know?”
“I don’t think so. She’s supposedly away with a girlfriend.” Kendall had told Devlin about the vacation.
“Francie,” Vaughn filled the name in for Devlin. Then a sudden thought struck him. “You know, I haven’t heard from her for a couple of days and she usually calls.” Everyone knew the two had fallen in love.
“Give me twenty-four hours to find the plane,” said Devlin. “If we don’t locate it in that time, then give her a preliminary report. Until we see dead bodies, we cannot be positive about anything.” Devlin left the office and a very worried Michael Vaughn.
Colorado
Jack kept to the left of the stream. He didn’t want to cross it if he could help it. Irina stayed close to him and silent. He smiled inside. She was unlike most women, he thought. No talking when it wasn’t necessary. He put out a hand, stopping her. Using the binoculars, he checked the area ahead. It was clear. He started forward, glancing back at her. She smiled at him, giving him a thumbs-up sign. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was nearing three thirty and the sun was already beginning to disappear behind the tall mountains. He calculated they had walked about five or six miles over some fairly tough terrain. Irina hadn’t complained nor asked for anything to eat. They both had drunk water, filling up the bottle again from the stream.
Suddenly Irina stopped, “Jack, you have to do something.”
He turned to look at her. “What?”
“I’m still wearing the GPS tracer. I want you to take it out.” She started for the tree line a few yards away.
“Irina, are you sure?” He walked after her. “They could use that to find us.”
“And if you’re right about the mole? What’s to prevent him or her from doing the same?” She shook her head. “Take it out.” At the first line of trees, she stopped, putting her pillowcase down. She spread the thermal sheet quickly.
Then, to Jack’s astonishment, began disrobing the lower half of her body. “Good grief, where is it?”
“Here,” she looked at him pointing. “Use the knife.”
Minutes later they were on their way. Jack had smashed the tracking device against a tree and then stomped on it with his heel. He used a dressing from the first aid kit to cover her wound.
They made good time. He was glad he had insisted on Irina being given a pair of walking shoes. Darkness began to melt into the twilight. He began searching for some cover. Suddenly Jack’s right foot slipped on a loose rock and he fell about fifty feet down a steep slope. He was stopped by some deadfall; several logs that had formed a pile near a stand of pine.
When he came to a stop, he hit his head hard enough to lose consciousness.
Irina was horrified. “Jack!” She cried slipping and sliding down the slope. He didn’t move. She checked the back of his head. There was a little bit of blood, mostly from the small rough patch of skin and hair that had hit the log. Checking his pulse, it seemed steady.
Now what? She sniffed. There was an animal smell near by. She checked the deadfall. There was an opening on the other side. She crawled inside. Big enough, she thought. She stored their stash from the plane and then she pulled Jack inside. She was glad he didn’t weigh more than he did.
She wondered if they could be seen from the outside of the deadfall. It was going to be dark in a matter of minutes. Well, for sure, she wasn’t going to light any matches or use the flashlight. She hurried up to the spot where Jack had slipped. She used a fallen pine branch to sweep the area of any prints or gouges that would provide a clue of their whereabouts to anyone following.
Irina looked around and listened. There was nothing, but the sound of the forest and its animal inhabitants. She looked up into the lighter sky then at her own watch. It was five o’clock. Tossing the pine branch on top of the deadfall, adding to the detritus already there, she slipped inside.
Jack was still out, but his breathing was regular and steady. She put two fingers on the jugular. He had a good pulse. He was going to wake up with a splitting headache, she thought. She spread the thermal sheet across his body. She thought about the last time. Irina smiled, thinking how wonderful it felt being close to him.
Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps above them. She froze. It was heavier than most night prowlers were and definitely human. She tried looking between the logs, but couldn’t see anything. She glanced around. Jack’s legs began to move. He was waking up. Irina turned and lay down beside him, pulling the other thermal sheet up and over them both. Then gently she put her hand over his mouth.
Putting her mouth close to his ear, she murmured, “Quiet!”
He stirred again. She rolled over on top of his body to keep him still. She pressed her hand harder across his mouth. Lifting her head, Irina turned a little toward the place she had heard the first sound.
Her heart nearly stopped. There was someone standing near the deadfall.
Colorado Sky
The two parachutes opened and the pair dropped out of sunlight and into shade. The sun was now below the line of mountains behind them even at this early hour. They landed in the meadow. The parachutes were discarded. They opened the canvas bags and brought out lightweight rifles that were quickly assembled and fitted with scopes. Clips of ammo were stuffed into their pockets after the rifles were loaded. The two then turned on their mini com-links.
The Deadfall
Irina was staring into the shade. The figure was talking on a com-link, but she was too far away to hear anything. Dressed in dark fatigues, battle helmet fitted with night glasses, the figure was scary. Her intuition was to keep quiet for the present.
Jack’s eyes opened and he was aware of a hand over his mouth. It was Irina’s hand. “What the devil?” he thought. He tried moving. Almost immediately, Irina, while still keeping her hand over his mouth, leaned close to his left ear, the furthest away from the dark figure nearby.
“Quiet. Don’t move. We have a visitor.” Her voice sounded like it was coming over a loud speaker.
He froze. His ears picked up a soft murmuring. Someone was using a com-link. His heart beat so loud he thought anyone would hear it even the person outside. So he said nothing more and didn’t move although that was impossible with Irina holding him down. He closed his eyes feeling the warmth of her body next to his.
“Stop,” he thought. “We’re in danger.” But he couldn’t help the thoughts intruding into the situation. Then he realized Irina would never leave his mind again. No matter where they were, separated or not, she was his destiny. There had been no illusion when he first saw her in the cell at the op center. He had kept his distance, making outrageous statements to both Sydney and to Dr. Barnett. He had hidden his feelings for so many years. He both hated her and now, God help him, loved her again. He looked at her in the dim light, barely able to discern her head. She had turned it to her left looking out of their hiding place.
“Jack,” she whispered, moving off him. “He’s gone. How do you feel?”
“Not bad, although I might have a headache in the morning.” He reached his hand up to her cheek and stroked it. “Thanks. Where are we?”
“Some animal’s den, I think,” she whispered. Her breath stopped for a moment. What was he doing? She took his hand in both of hers. “The man outside is armed with a scoped rifle and God knows what else. Funny equipment to have when on a rescue mission. And they have remained silent – no calling our names.”
“Look, we’d better stay here tonight.” He was comfortable in spite of lying on the ground. “We’ll see what happens in the morning.”
