At Liberty, Part 2

lenafan

Cadet
:cool: Part Two has Irina disappearing to where??? ANd Sudney is sent to Moscow to rob the Hermitage of???Just read it.
Hope you like it.
As always the characters belong to JJ Abrams, but we get to have fun with them!!! :D


Part 2
AT LIBERTY

“Michael!” Screamed Sydney. She rolled her mother’s body off her, trying to get to her feet. Tears were running down her face.
A hand with the strength of steel kept her on her knees. “Don’t be foolish.” Irina pulled her down to face her. “We have very little time. We have to go.”
“But—“
“That wasn’t him,” Irina hoped, but made it sound positive. “It will do him no good if you get caught here with me. You’ve been taught to think, so think!”
Sydney realized her mother was right. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
They ran back down the stairway. “I want a gun,” Irina shouted. “Where do they keep them?”
“Look in the Marshals office. They were always armed.”
Moments later, both women now armed, ran to the rear entrance of the center. They had heard noises from the front of the building and figured the strike force from SD-6, was getting ready to bust in the doors.
Sydney led the way to the rear door, pushing a button, releasing the lock. The door opened and both slipped out, disappearing into the chilly black night. Minutes later, they heard a huge explosion.

Jack was almost beside himself. He and Sloane were watching the action on his monitor. He saw the helicopter crash and burn. Men ran up to the building, setting a small C4 charge at the lock. The doors slammed open when the C4 went off.
The building was black and it was empty. Sloane cursed as they showed room after room, empty of people and files. “What about Derevko?” he snarled.
“Not here!”
Jack saw the men were not in the cellblock. “Did you think she was there?”
“Yes!”
“Well if she was, she would have been removed,” Jack said thoughtfully. “The helicopter could have been a decoy.”
“Expensive decoy,” was Sloane’s response? “Destroy the building,”

“We’ve got to get far from here. When they find the place empty they may check the area for stragglers or anyone who might have seen us.” Sydney jogged along the empty street, Irina right beside her.
They went on a zigzag course that led them away from the center toward the downtown area. They slipped by groups of homeless people, whores and an occasional drunk. Neither said anything to the other, lost in thought. Syd was agonizing the possibility Michael had been in the helicopter. Irina was thinking about the direction they were going and where they were in the city.
“How far away do you live?”
“Miles!”
“Do you have any money?”
Sydney nodded, “but not enough for a taxi!”
“No, how about metro, bus?” Irina said.
“Yes, but you want to go to my apartment?”
“Yes. You have to be there in case Sloane calls. He must not suspect you know anything.” She gripped Syd’s arm. “You have to go to work as though nothing happened.”
“Do you suppose he’ll have my apartment watched?” Sydney said thoughtfully.
“Possibly, but not right away.” She smiled. “I need to get rid of these,” she said holding up her handcuffed wrists. “I need to get a good night’s sleep.
Sydney chuckled. “Well, I have some very good burglary picks at home. I’ll do it when we get there.”
Two hours later, Sydney led her mother into the alley behind her home. The rooms were dark, which meant Francie and Will were still out at the party. Once they were inside, she went to her bedroom and returned with a small black kit.
“Let me take those handcuffs off. Then I’ve got to call them.”
“Be careful what you say,” admonished Irina rubbing her wrists. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Sydney smiled, “Down the hall.”
When Irina returned, Sydney said, “There’s some coffee,” she indicated the kitchen. “I made you a turkey sandwich. I hope you’ll like it.”
The cell phone rang. Irina went to the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee before picking up the sandwich. Syd took a deep breath and answered, “Sydney!”
“Hey!” It was Vaughn.
‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe.” The relief in her voice was audible.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She could see the grin on his face.
“Where are you?”
“At the CIA office in L. A.”
Suddenly Syd realized that he didn’t know where Irina was. “Where’s Mom?”
There was sudden silence on the other end. “Why I thought Kendall was seeing to her transfer.”
“I haven’t heard. Dad called and told me not to go anywhere near the center.”
“I’ll call you back,” and he was gone.
Irina finished the sandwich. She had been starving. She picked up the coffee cup and sipped, watching her daughter. She had a smile on her lips, unseen in the dark
“I need some sleep.” She looked at Sydney. “Where can I?”
“In my room, it’s safer than on the couch. I could give you a nightgown if you’d like.”
Her mother shook her head, “No.” She removed the gun from her waistband and walked into the other room.
A few minutes later, Sydney went to her bedroom and found Irina fast asleep. It had been quite a day.
It was shortly after two when someone sobbing awakened Sydney. “Papa, why? Why am I here?” It was Irina who was in a deep but troubled sleep and talking Russian. She moaned. Sydney placed her hand gently on her shoulder. “Mom? It’s O. K.” She kept her voice low in case Francie and Will were home.
Irina turned to find Sydney leaning over her. “You were dreaming.” Sydney touched her again.
Irina pulled her daughter to her, holding her. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you up.” For a moment it was as if the last 20 years had not happened. Irina was a mother holding her daughter comfortingly. Both were quiet with their thoughts thinking about the last few months. Finally, they both fell asleep.
When Sydney awoke, her mother was gone. She put on a robe and hurried out to the kitchen. She wasn’t there. Any evidence that she had been there was gone. Sydney guessed that there were no fingerprints anywhere either. She re-entered her bedroom and looked around. Sydney looked on her dresser and found a piece of paper.
“I am leaving, but I promise to return to CIA custody. Your grandfather is at (she had written a number) this number. Memorize and destroy this. Call him only if I am dead or in prison here. He will know what to do.” The note continued. “Memorize the following number. It is my account in the Swiss General Bank located in Zurich. The contents are yours only in the case of my death. Love, Mom.”

Sydney went to work at SD-6 later in the morning. She was doing some analysis work, when Jack, looking extremely haggard, walked into the room and to her desk. “Morning, Dad!” She had to pretend she had not seen Irina since early yesterday.
“Did you see her?”
“Who?”
“Your mother was at your graduation!” He replied.
“WHAT!” Sydney was shocked.
“Yes, Arvin spotted her. She was on stage, wearing her doctorate cap and gown.”
“I didn’t see her,” Syd said emphatically.
Jack was about to continue the discussion, when his pager went off, as did Sydney’s. He grimaced and turned around to head for the conference room. Sydney followed.
Dixon and Sark were in the room, along with Marshall, the tech guy. Their Intel screens were on and were showing a picture of a building. Syd thought she had seen it before.
“You’re looking at The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, probably the richest art museum in the world. Sark has found information that leads us to believe one of the Rambaldi artifacts is in the museum.
“Your mother,” started Sark, “has a penchant for hiding things in plain sight.” He moved the mouse that seemed to pan the inside of one particular room. “We had an agent visit the museum and he was told to film all the rooms, especially those that were visited by tour groups.” He paused as the camera focused on a pedestal. “On this is a beautifully carved box done in the sixteenth century. It is reputed to have belonged to one of the Dukes of Florence, a Medici, but it is, in fact, one of Rambaldi’s puzzles.”
“A puzzle for what?”
“We don’t know until we open the box. According to the report we received, it has never been opened because no one knows where to start. Your assignment is to bring the box back and replace it with this.” Sark handed her a box that looked identical to the one on the pedestal.
“Isn’t the museum well guarded, a watchman in every room?”

St. Petersburg
It was cold, black and windy. Sydney dressed all in black was hiding in a building nearby. Dixon had been given the job to kill the lights for a ten-block radius. Sydney would then climb up the outer wall to the roof, make her way to the right skylight and lower herself into the room. Everyone agreed that when the lights went out, the guards would probably move to their break room where they had candles. Lights going out seemed to happen a lot in their country.
“Dixon, I’m here, “ she said in the mike located on her shirt. “Okay. Be careful. You should have about twenty minutes to locate the artifact and return. As soon as you are on the ground, let me know. I’ll get their lights back up again.”
“Copy that.” She dropped a rope thru the skylight and then followed it swiftly to the floor below. She took out a small pencil flash. According to the Intel, the box should be to her left only a few feet. She turned on the flashlight. It caught the pedestal and box immediately. She turned off the light. Syd took three steps to the pedestal, checked to be sure the box was the right one. She opened the small carrier she had looped to her belt, took out the duplicate one, putting the artifact inside.
She was about to turn back, when a hand gripped her shirt and the microphone. Another hand went around her mouth so she couldn’t yell or say anything. The hand at the miniaturized microphone ripped it off. Then a moment later, the tiny hearing aid was taken out of her ear. She was out of Dixon’s care.
“Don’t make a sound. Move straight ahead.” The voice was muffled, low and very menacing. Sydney did as she was told. She heard something slide open, like a wooden door panel. She was shoved through it. The panel slid shut. Now she was cut off from her partner.
A small flashlight went on, catching her in the face. Sydney blinked, then squinted. “Don’t you know it’s not nice to steal from your Mother?”
Sydney gasped, as Irina turned the flash on herself so Sydney could see her. “Mom?”

Los Angeles
Sloane, Jack and Sark were listening intently to Dixon who was talking to them from St. Petersburg.
“You don’t know what happened to her?”
“No Sir. One minute she was talking about being in the room, the next no sound at all. I don’t even know if she could hear anything I said.”
“Have the police taken her away?” asked Sark, thinking she had been caught.
“Not yet.” Dixon paused.
“Could they be interrogating her. They might want to know what she was after before taking her to jail.”
“How long can you stay to observe,” said Jack really worried.
“Not too long, sir. It’s beginning to get light.”
“Stay as long as you can,” said Sloane. “Call us back when you have to leave the area. We’ll have some decision for you when you do.”
The three men looked at each other. “What happened to her?”

St. Petersburg
Irina leaned forward and shook her daughter who seemed in shock.
“Sydney!”
Sydney blinked. “Mom? Where, where did you come from? What are you doing here?”
Irina smiled thinly, “Protecting my assets! Come with me.” She pulled Sydney to the other side of the room. She pulled a decorative panel to one side and stepped through. Sydney followed. Irina put on the flashlight to full strength. They went down a narrow stairway, through two long passages and down some more stairs. Sydney had no idea where they were going.
“ How did you get here?” Sydney’s mind was bursting with questions.
“That’s only for me to know.” She answered. “Are you on a SD-6 mission?”
“Yes.”
“Sark?”
Sydney nodded, then said, “Yes, he received Intel that the box on the pedestal was a Rambaldi artifact.”
Irina grunted, pushing through another secret door. She led Sydney across what seemed to be a large ballroom. She stopped at another panel, pushed on it and pulled Sydney through. Again there were more stairs and another long passage.
“Where are we going?”
“To safety,” she answered. “Is your partner Dixon outside?”
“Yes, but he’s going to be worried when he doesn’t hear from me. He’ll contact Dad and Sloane.”
“That’s fine.” Irina chuckled. “I’m sure they think you’ve been arrested.”
Sydney considered the remark. “Won’t they be checking soon?”
“You’ll be held incommunicado. No one will find out anything for the simple reason you won’t be there, yet.”
They went through another door that led out into a large courtyard. Sydney blinked. Looking across the immense space, she saw the Hermitage. She looked at her mother. “How, how did you--?”
“Sydney, this is my country. I know more secrets than some give me credit for.” Irina took her arm. “You have the box?”
Sydney nodded and opened the carrier on her belt, looking at the box. In the dim light, the box was magnificent. The pictures did it no justice. The carvings were pure simple but intricate. She studied it for a moment, then almost in a trance, she moved, pushed and pulled at certain pieces, and the box opened. She looked up at her Mother. “How did I do that?”
Irina took the box from Sydney and closed it. “Now, only two people have been able to open this puzzle, you and I.”
 
I am so happy you started another fic, I think I have read the first part before, but I don't recall where :blink: But this is great, I am really enjoying this. As I have told you before, you have a great understanding of these characters, Irina is wrapped around your little finger ;) . I can't wait for more....I hope :D
 
Thanks :blush:
I did post this thru CHarlie. It was my first one and I did it all in one piece which made it very, very long. So in order to regain my status, I re-posted it. I hope to do Part 3 tomorrow. :cool:
 
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