The Soul of Irina Derevko

AN: This part is rather benign…setting you all up for the next one entitled Kashmir.

Part 12 - Family

“Tell me, Irina, you said you had two sisters, Yelena and Katya. I know a little about them from what you have told me previously. Your parents have been mentioned briefly, but can you fill me in a bit more?”

Irina sat crossed legged on the sofa. She took a sip of the strong tea she brewed. “Family as you know it, Eunice, is usually a warm environment that you grow up in from the time you are born. We Russians are very family oriented, but I was born in a time when there was very little warmth in our country, physically and spiritually. Stalin was in power until he died two years after I was born. He was a monster. His own party was frightened of him. He demanded and- wielded great power. His weapon against the people and the party was the KGB.

“At that time, the KGB was run by Beria, a positively evil man, who had aspirations to be Stalin’s heir. The KGB recruited my father when he was eighteen. His marks in school made him worthy of their attention. You must remember, in Russia, you were told what job or career you would have. The government was crazy. They put people in farms who never should touch seed. Half of them never knew much about the earth and the food it could grow. Some were assigned to be mechanics, doctors, and lawyers, based on what grades they got in school.

“Fortunately, for my father, he was given a job in the operations directorate. He started as a clerk. He married Mama when he was twenty and she was the same age. She was at the University at the time, getting a degree in teaching. Mama was very smart woman and made excellent grades. The KGB was pleased that Papa found the right woman for his position.

“They married in 1949 and I was born two years later. As I told you, Papa had a small one-bedroom apartment that was theirs alone. There was not much food those days and besides the rent, his salary went for that...and food. Her small salary went for other items we needed, especially after I was born.

“The first three years of my life were good. I didn’t know about deprivation. I was growing up, accepting what we had as normal. Mama began teaching me English when I was two. Her job at the school was teaching English and Literature. She was smart enough to be teaching University students, but the government gave her the job in middle school. She also helped Papa a lot. He would bring memos and articles home from American and English magazines. She translated them for him. It gave him, how you would say, a leg up on his equals.”

“Your father was he as well educated as your mother?”

“No, but he had high school diploma. He could have gone to a University. KGB wanted him immediately because he was a detail man. He was really smarter than they thought. His grades were good, but he was bored at school. However, he organized well and his reports and analyses were the best.” Irina was proud of her father.

“When I was three, Yelena was born. I did not like her. My parents thought I was jealous because I was no longer getting the attention I wanted. That may be so, but as we grew older, it was obvious we were never going to like each other. Yelena was mean, vicious with a temper as well as being a liar. I knew this by the time she was four. She and I had some bad arguments and one day she kicked me. I think if I had fallen, she would have stomped on me.

“Then Katya was born. Now Yelena and I had a baby sister. Mama had to teach so she asked Papa’s sister who lived in the same building to watch the baby when she went back to work. I was seven and going to school. Yelena was four and I think it was good my aunt was in the house with Katya.

“I was beginning to grow tall. It somehow irritated Yelena that she was short, so one day she took my Komsomolets uniform and cut five inches from all around my skirt. That was mean and Mama spanked her because the uniform cost precious money. It also meant I couldn’t march in the parade. I was very angry.”

Eunice chuckled. “Sounds like sibling rivalry to me.”

“Humph,” snorted Irina. “Does it? By the time I was ten, we hated each other with a passion and it accelerated from there even more. She burned a favorite dress I had when I was eleven. Her lie to Mama was so plausible, she believed her. I was the oldest and I thought my word against that lying b*itch would be enough.”

“What was her lie?”

Irina’s face hardened. “She told Mama that I did it because I wanted a new dress. We could not afford new clothes all the time. I grew fast and was the tallest in my class. So, of course, Mama thought I wanted new dress because I had outgrown the other. I protested mightily, but it was no use. Papa whipped me after Mama told him what I did. It was the last time he did that to me.”

“Why was that?”

“Yelena tried to get Katya in trouble for something she did and I told Papa that it was not Katya, but Yelena. I told him Yelena lied. Fortunately, I had someone to back up my accusation this time and Papa punished her. I told her never to lie about Katya or me again or I would kick her butt. I was twelve inches taller than her and strong for my age.”

“So she never got even?”

Irina stared at the wall above the doctor’s head. “She killed a dog. It was just a stray, which hung around our apartment building. He was friendly and I fed it some scraps. It was friendly to me. She said it was an accident, but I knew she did it out of spite. From that moment on, I knew she could be dangerous even at a young age. I watched out for Katya.

“When I was fifteen, I graduated from high school…and then was when KGB make offer. I said I wanted to go to the University. They agree if I agree. So I was in Moscow University for two years, then to KGB academy for two years including one year at Central City.”

“Did you live at home?”

“Yes, until I go to Academy, and I watched Yelena every moment I could. She was busy in high school when I went to Central City. I told her that I would seriously injure her if she did anything to Katya. I was now six foot and very strong. I am sure she knew I meant every word.

“Katya was eleven then and already causing Papa and Mama headaches. She loved boys and was a giddy little mouse. She looked like Mama, more than Yelena did. Nadia reminds me of Mama and Katya too. Before I left, I told her to be careful of Yelena, that I could not help her once I graduated.”

“Did you know they were going to make you a spy?”

Irina shook her head, “No, that came as I progressed through the academy. I was the first woman to be number one. I was extremely competitive and earned the respect of my teachers and instructors. I was going to be the best spy in the world and…” she paused, looking at Eunice with something akin to sorrow, “best assassin.”

“When did you see your sisters again?”

“By 1991 when the KGB broke up, I had not seen Katya since I came home from Kashmir. She was member of the KGB. She came to visit about two weeks later. We hugged and cried a lot. She fed me and made things easy. I was not too big. I did not have a lot of fat.

“One day when Papa was gone to work, I told her some of what happened to me. I confessed that I missed my husband and daughter. I did not tell her I loved Jack. She was still KGB and Andropov was now General Secretary. She understood I missed my family and I don’t think she would tell them my true feelings for Jack. It was that I did not trust anyone anymore, even my own sister.”

Eunice nodded, “When did you see Katya next?”

“During the time I was running my organization. I ran into her in Vienna. She was SVR Major at our embassy there. She was cultural advisor, a post that all SVR agents take when sent out of the country. I was going to a meeting with my chief agent when we bumped into each other at Gerngross Department Store. We stared at each other in shock, because I disappeared after the break-up of the KGB.” Irina proceeded to tell about that day.

“Katya,” cried Irina, rushing forward to hug her sister.

“Irushka,” Katya’s eyes teared up immediately. She stood back. “Ti takAya obayAtel’naya!”

Irina was wearing a silk CoCo Chanel business suit. Her accessories included a gold necklace and bracelet, a Rolex watch and gold hoop earrings. She had a white blouse on under the black jacket and her shoes were stilettos which raised her height another two to three inches. She wore her hair up and that added even more height. She had on light make-up with eyeliner and mascara. The lipstick was a muted red. She indeed looked glamorous as Katya indicated.

Katya however was in a plain Russian made grey suit with flat-heeled shoes to match. She did however have on make-up that gave her a somewhat glamorous look. They stood hugging amidst the crowd of shoppers.

“Come have lunch with me,” said Irina. She would adjust her appointment if Katya agreed.

“Where?”

“Anywhere you wish. Can you get away?”

“Today is my day off. Let’s go to Palmenhous. You look wealthy enough to buy me a good Viennese meal and tell me everything. It’s also fun to go there.”

“Good. Let me make a call. I’ll meet you there.” Irina pointed to an exit behind her. “I’ll be ten minutes…the most.”

When they arrived, Irina went to the Maitre’d and spoke quickly. Katya watched with interest as the man bowed and quickly left. A minute later, he was back and leading them to a booth. The man bowed again, leaving menus.

“That was impressive, Irushka. Just what are you up to these days?”

“Business only,” Irina answered with a light laugh. “What are you doing?” She knew exactly, but she wanted to see if Katya would be truthful.

“You know very well what I’m doing,” Katya grinned.

“Papa?” Irina asked. She had not seen her father for over a year. She did not go back inside Russia unless it was absolutely necessary. She needed to keep herself aloof from internal politics. The money she made for her country was funneled through several accounts in Switzerland and the Bahamas.

“He’s well, but slowing down.” Katya eyed her sister. “When were you at home last?”

“I can’t remember,” Irina answered, but she remembered quite well. “I have businesses all over the world and am constantly on the go.”

The waiter took their orders and poured the wine Irina had ordered. When he was gone, Katya raised her glass to her sister. “Tell me, in your travels, have you been the U. S.?”

Irina laughed, “No, I do not plan to end up in prison.”

“So, you are no longer wishing to be the beautiful wife and mother?”

“…and how is your love life, Katushka?” Irina countered quietly.

Katya regarded Irina. There was an underlying warning in her sister’s voice. The tone was almost threatening. She decided she better not pursue the question. She smiled, “I am having the time of my life here. The men are so courtly but definitely sexy.”

The waiter came back with their order, poured more wine into their glasses and left.

“Have you seen Yelena,” asked Irina, her voice quiet. She picked at her salad.

“No, and not for years. Irushka, even Papa has not seen nor heard from her. For all we know, our devil of a sister is dead. I’m sure that would not cause you to mourn for her. We in the department,” by now Katya was enjoying her third glass of wine and was inclined to be talkative, “know she resigned the KGB and then disappeared. I think sometimes Papa even forgets her.”

“You say we should count her dead?” Irina smiled briefly.

“If she shows up, she’ll be arrested.”

Irina was surprised, “Why? I thought you said she resigned.”

“She did, but she also took four Rambaldi manuscripts with her.”

Irina gaped at Katya. “She did?”

Katya giggled, definitely under the influence, “yes. You know the KGB was interested in the works of Rambaldi.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know Yelena was…” Her voice trailed off speculatively. “When did that happen and how?”

“I don’t know when, but I do know the KGB put her into archives division. They were interested in keeping her in a position for the safety of her superiors. You know how vicious she can get when she’s crossed. She may have found out about Rambaldi there. Maybe she found more than the KGB’s own archivists did. Still I have no idea where she is or if she is?” Katya chuckled, looking at her empty glass. “Can we have more wine?”

Irina waved to the waiter and gave the order. Turning back to Katya who was eating her cutlet, she said, “how long has she been gone from the KGB?”

The waiter appeared and poured the wine.

“Twenty-five years, I think.” Katya drank more wine. “Thank goodness, because she was a b*itch.”

Irina nodded. They finished the meal in silence.

“That was the last time?” Eunice said.

“Yes, she was SVR and transferred to various embassies and I…well, I moved around the world doing business. I never did see Yelena until Sovogda, over thirty some odd years.”

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION

Ti takAya obayAtel’naya! – You look glamorous.
 
AN: This part is my version of what happened to Irina Derevko when she was sent to prison in Kashmir. I am sure there are others less than graphic and probably others more graphic, but the reader be warned, it isn’t pretty, nor was the revenge she exacted from her tormentors.
This is twice the length of most of the parts, but I saw no reason to break it up.

Part 13 – Kashmir

Irina awoke early. Her night wasn’t especially restful. It wasn’t as if she’d had nightmares, but it was just constant thoughts raising up from her subconscious. She showered, dressed, and went out to the living room and to the corner where she set up her computer. Logging on, she checked her encrypted email and found a message from Jack.

Sydney doing just fine. Doctors think she is about three months along. Vaughn is better and on the mend. His mental status is quirky to say the least. Doctors say it’s because of the concussion.

Irina snorted. She wondered if he would recover his memory totally. He needed to talk to Sydney before they got married. She continued reading.

How are you and Eunice doing? Have you made any progress? Please keep me posted. Love you.

Irina smiled and finished reading the rest of her email. She shut down the computer and walked to the kitchen. Eunice would be over soon.

The two women had breakfast and then retired to the living room. Irina sat cross-legged on the sofa. She had a cup of tea in front of her. She had removed the pictures from the coffee table and it was severely empty of everything else.

“Will you talk now of Kashmir?” Eunice said gently. “Your husband said you have refused to tell anyone about it.”

“Yes,” Irina whispered. “Give me a minute.” She closed her eyes, sorted her memories of the events in of the months from 1981 to 1982, and then began telling of Kashmir, of the terror, the pain, and brutality.


It was nighttime…darkness everywhere except the stars overhead. Irina had never seen such a wealth of bright stars. She only had a few seconds, before the guard shoved her across the small bridge. She staggered. Her ankles were shackled and there were chains on her wrists. She was furious, incensed and would kill Yuri Andropov if she got the chance. She heard he’d ordered her arrest and imprisonment.

She had come back, when they ordered her home. They debriefed her for eight days, but then she expected that. Every detail of her stay in America was discussed, dissected, and repeated over and over until they thought they had everything. She thought they would give her a promotion and a return to duty. Instead, when they said they were finished, two guards entered, shackled her, and dragged her away. She swore at them in English, even though there were far worse curses in Russian.

Now the guard was shoving her along a corridor. The place stank of feces, urine, and unwashed bodies. She wanted to puke, but that would do her no good, because they had not fed her for two days…only water and stale at that.

She stumbled and almost fell. The guard laughed. “Dura!”

He stopped at a closed door, shouting something she couldn’t understand. She wondered where he was from, but considering his dark skin, he was probably from Tajikistan. The door opened and another guard appeared. He grinned. Irina did not like that way he leered at her. The first guard turned away.

“This way, peshka,” said the other, pulling at her chained wrists.

She almost fell again. “Idiot, take your hands off me.” She snarled.

He responded by tugging hard on the chains, pulling her in such a way that she lost her balance and fell hard to the cement floor. He reached down and pulled her back up by her hair, eliciting another scream from his prisoner. He held onto her hair pulling her toward a cell. He opened it and shoved her inside. She fell against the bunk.

“Here I am boss, pizda.” he shouted and before she could defend herself, hit her on the jaw. She collapsed.

When she awoke, he was on her and in her, thrusting hard and ejaculating. He raped her. He rolled off, buttoned his pants, and, grinning, promised. “I will see you everyday, suka. I will help you forget whoring yourself to Americans.”

“You will regret…” she didn’t finish, as he backhanded her. She fell back onto the bunk stunned.

“That is what you get for speaking to me. You do not speak, pizda, until I say speak.” He took the chains off her wrists. “These will stay off only if you behave.” He turned and went to the door. He slammed it shut, locking it and disappeared.

She was angry, but Irina also realized she was in terrible danger. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at the cell. It was about six by six with bars on three sides. The bunk rested up against the only wall. There was a hole in the floor. She could smell the putrid waste of urine and s***…her toilet. The bunk was made of a rough-hewn plank of wood. She had a thin rag, which probably was to be her blanket. She rolled over, facing the wall and pulled the blanket over her. She made a promise to kill him when she was free.

The next morning, men yelling and doors slamming awakened her. She turned over in time to see a guard shoving bowls of food through the bars and as well as a cup. Irina walked over and found something that might resemble food and a cup of water. There were no utensils with the bowl. She knew better than to complain. She ate with her hand, scooping up the sorry mess, but eating. She sipped the water.

Irina drew her legs up and sat cross-legged on the bunk. She closed her eyes and withdrew from the present. She had mastered auto circadian meditation and used it to sleep or to make herself go away to a place where no one could reach her.

A key turned in the door of her cell. She opened her eyes slowly to see another guard approach. He pulled her off the bunk, snapping chains on her wrists. She said nothing. They were taking her to interrogation. She would not give them any reason to doubt her loyalty. He shoved her out the door and down two short, but connecting corridors. She passed numerous cells with prisoners in them all.

“A woman!” called one man in astonishment.

“I bet she gets f*ucked more than she wants,” cried another.

“Blad!” cried another insultingly.

Men stood at their cell doors, watching the guard and Irina. She didn’t look at them or respond. She knew, however, that she must be the only woman in this prison. She thought she was going to be sick to her stomach, but she managed to keep the meager food down. The guard rapped on a door, shoving her inside. Another man sat at a table. He motioned her to sit down facing him.

“You are Irina Annya Derevkova!”

“Yes!”

“You are KGB agent sent to United States to spy?”

“Yes!”

“For how long?”

“I was there ten years, four months and few days.”

He stared at her without emotion. “Ten years and you came back!”

She shrugged, “I was ordered to come back.”

He looked at the file folder and then at her. He said nothing as he scrutinized her, searching her face for anything that would give him reason to stop. He saw nothing, but a guileless stare.

“You came back?” He seemed astonished. “That is rare. No illegal comes back!”

“Nevertheless, I returned to my motherland.” She continued to show no emotion. “I am a loyal comrade.”

“I think you are lying. You are a spy. You are a double agent for those f*ucking Americans.”
His voice rose just slightly, but angrily.

“No, I am not.”

“Liar!” He yelled. She didn’t say anything, just stared at him. “The KGB knows you are a spy. That is why you are here. You will tell us everything about the CIA and who your contacts are and all your dead drops. By the time we finish with you, you will tell us everything.” He stood and hit her. She fell off the chair. “Guard,” he shouted.

The door opened. “Hang her!”

The guard pulled Irina up and to the wall where there was a spike driven deep into the thick cement. He pulled the chain on her wrists up and over the spike. Irina could barely touch the ground.

Her interrogator came close enough so she could see him out of a corner of her eye. “You are a stupid bit*ch, not worthy of my time, but the Colonel in charge of this prison has orders to see that you talk. He has given you to me and it will be my job to see that you talk.”

“I am not a spy.”

“We shall see.” Without warning, she felt a whip snap across her back and she jerked with the pain.

They dragged her back to her cell past those occupied and dumped her inside. A doctor was sent to see to her wounds. That night her rapist returned. Some nights there were two of them. She then learned her first rapist was selling access to her to his friends. The days seemed to be boring after awhile. She was interrogated, beaten, and every night, raped—once, twice or even three times by the guards.

One night the guard brought three prisoners to the door. Irina’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve brought these men to pleasure you while I watch. Of course, pizda,” he leered, “if you don’t want them just tell them to go away.” He roared with laughter while opening the cell door. “Get in you fu**ckers. Show her how long it’s been since you’ve had a woman.”

Irina looked at the three and knew she might have to kill them. “I will warn you once. Do not touch me.” Her eyes turned black as anger fueled her rage. She did not need to be raped by these filthy lice-ridden men and it was easy to see her rapist, whose first name she learned was Petr, was probably unable to continue his own raping. He probably couldn’t get it up; he’d been on her so many times. If she wanted a night off from his ministrations, she would have to do it herself.

The men did not know who she was nor did she think the guard knew exactly himself. The first man rushed her. She waited until the last possible second then grabbed his grimy shirt with both hands and threw him at the other two men who were almost on her. She stepped away as the three crashed to the floor.

Petr roared with laughter. “The pizda is tough, but worth it,” he urged.

Irina did not wait for them to attack. She pulled one man up and rammed him backward into the cell door. His head hit the bars and he collapsed, but she was already at the second man. She slammed her right foot at his jaw, sending him flying at the bars on her right. The third man had made it to his feet, but she rammed her left elbow hard into his jaw and followed it with a right fist into his nose, breaking it. He screamed.

She turned to the man at the cell door. He got to his feet weaving dazedly. The guard was roaring with laughter. “You earned your night of rest,” he said to Irina. His gun in his hand he motioned her back. He opened the door and pulled the man in front of it out.

“Hey you weak pisser, get yourself over to the door. Hurry before she kills you!”

The third man had pulled himself up and stumbled to the door. “Let me out. She’s a killer.”

Petr laughed loudly as he herded them down the corridor. “I’ll see you tomorrow, pizda!”


Then one day, for some reason, the beatings stopped. She was taken to a room where the doctor examined her, put some type of salve on her back. Irina did not say anything just accepted what was done to her. He cleaned her up, giving her soap and a washcloth; then he turned on warm water in a shower for her to use. She sat leaning up again the cement, letting the liquid wash over her.

She had no idea why the doctor was doing this, until a guard pulled her out. She found out soon enough when she was thrown naked face down across a table in his living room and both her wrists were tied to a table leg. The guard left grinning. The doctor sodomized her. It was, he said, his favorite way to have sex.

The next morning her interrogator asked her how she enjoyed her evening. He smiled knowing the doctor had introduced her to the art of sodomy.

Irina spit on the floor in disgust.


Eunice stared at her. My God, she thought, she wouldn’t have told her husband that either. Irina stared at Eunice without seeing her, sipping tea. In all her years as a therapist, she had never heard of something so brutal.

“Go on,” said Eunice softly.


“We were taken to a room in the afternoons, made to kneel, while they re-educated us…that is, there were just five…four men and myself.” Her lip curled with disdain. “I did nothing but drown out the lessons. I focused on one thing. My baby inside me needed me to concentrate on keeping her alive and well as she grew.”

Irina thought the rest of the prisoners incarcerated in Kashmir were probably spies from other countries and murderous traitors. The days melted into one another and she did not know how long she had been there, just that it seemed forever. Irina was no longer beaten, nor was she raped. A big guard, who was a sergeant, had done something that stopped the rapists from continuing. She knew it had been a couple of months, maybe more because she was beginning to show her pregnancy.

The doctor knew she was pregnant. She made a deal with him. She would not resist letting him do what he wanted to do if it didn’t hurt the baby. He paid her well for his perversion by giving her vitamins and extra food. He also made sure there were no more beatings, telling the Colonel that she might die.



Irina looked at the doctor. “I didn’t fight him, because of the baby. I had to do it,” she said softly, tears running down her cheeks. “I had to. I knew, however, that one day he would die.” Irina said it calmly. “They all would.”

Eunice felt a chill run through her body. She didn’t doubt for one moment that Irina Derevko returned every ‘favor’ she received in prison.


“One day, there was a new prisoner was thrown in the cell next to her—an American. He didn’t tell her his name and told her, when he discovered she could speak English, Irina could call him ‘Gringo’ and he would call her ‘Russkie’. “That way,” he said, “we don’t have any personality other than our mutual one, prisoner.”

“I thought it was a good idea and that’s the way we handled our relationship until the last day of his life when I killed him.”

Eunice said nothing. What was there to say? She waited.

“He was a godsend,” continued Irina, “because not only did he talk about home, his family, but he knew I was going to have a baby. He gave me most of his food. He knew they would kill him. He had no illusions. He was right—they didn’t plan to let him go.”

“So how long were you there?”

“Six months, perhaps less. The baby was kicking, for which I was grateful. It meant she was alive.”

“They stopped beating you because you were pregnant?”

Irina nodded, “Yes, because I think the doctor told them it would do no good and there was Grigor…” She smiled.

“Grigor?”

“The big guard I told you about…”

“Your chauffeur?”

“He actually stopped the rapists. Grigor was the sergeant in charge of the guards in my cellblock. When he found out what was happening, he stopped it. I told him if I ever was released, I would see to it he had a good job when he left.” She laughed. “He mustered out the day my father came to get me.”

“Your father? He’s still alive. Why didn’t he get you released before…?”

“He tried, but Yuri Andropov was in charge. He had been elevated to First Secretary, which meant he ruled the USSR. Before his ascendancy, he ordered my…ummm…treatment. He was suspicious of my return. He was not an honest or kind man.” Irina’s voice was angry. “When he allowed my father to come to get me, he also made my father promise to turn the child over to the KGB to be brought up using the Project Christmas protocols I had stolen from Jack. He thought it fitting.”

“That’s awful, but what happened to make you kill the American?”

Irina rubbed her hands together as if to warm them, but her eyes were seeing that day in the interrogation cell as she sat down.


Grigor led her down a corridor toward the interrogation cells. Irina had not seen the inside of them for about two months when she was about five months into her pregnancy. Now seven months along, she moved slowly almost reluctantly.

“Come, I do not think they will interrogate,” growled Grigor. He was prepared, however, to fight them. He had come to admire and respect this woman. He had been in contact with her father once he knew who he was. It was difficult because he was not schooled in writing. However, by some miracle, he reached the general by phone in his office at Dzerzhinsky Square. Grigor told him about his daughter and that she was pregnant.

“Take care of her,” said the father. “I will get her released as soon as I can figure out a way.”

Now they were on their way to interrogation cells. He did not like it, but he did as he was told by his superiors. He stopped in front of the cell door, knocked, and pushed her inside. “You wanted Derevko,” he said. “She is here.”

Irina saw Gringo. He was in bad shape and had been for the last few weeks. Every day he was brought into a cell for interrogation and every day he was brought back. They broke a bone in his body everyday. So far, the bones in his feet, ankles, legs, hands, wrists, and arms were broken. He was looked grotesque and in great pain. Still, as far as she knew, he had not told them any thing. She admired him for his courage.

She stood silently waiting. Gringo raised his head slightly and saw her. “Russkie,” he whispered.

“Irina Derevko,” snarled one of the men, “you will be released today, but you must do one thing.”

“What?”

“Kill the American.” He handed her a pistol. “You go free.”

Gringo moaned, “Please do it,” he said. Irina gripped the gun, checking to be sure the safety was off. “Please, Russkie, please!” He was begging her to end his suffering.

She fired twice into the back of his head, very nearly blowing it off. She handed the gun to the first man, noticing the second had captured her picture with a camera.

“You son of a b*itch.” She snarled, and turning, left the room and the unnamed American dead behind her.



“So I left to go home to Moscow. Father gave me a pallet to sleep on in the apartment. Mother was dead; Katya and Yelena were also gone. He did the best he could and he brought Grigor home with us. He has been with either my father or me ever since.”

“They took your child?”

“Yes, the day after I gave birth to her.” Irina got up again and was pacing. “They also gave me a new job—teaching English at Central City where I trained to be a spy.”

“And those at Kashmir…” Eunice stared up into cold dark eyes.

”Dead…all dead, the rapists, the doctor, the two interrogators…all dead by my hand.” Irina almost smiled. “They were not happy to see me again! I shot the doctor so he did not suffer, but the others knew their killer and did not die pleasantly.” For a couple of minutes she remained silent, as her mind went back to the last one of her rapists she’d killed.

The black Mercedes pulled to a stop in front of a bar in the town of Muratinsk. The town had a small population of maybe two thousand and this late at night, only a bar or two were open. It was night. There was no moon. The street lamps were partially unlighted, but those that did work gave off a dim light.

A tall, slim figure stepped from the passenger seat. Another figure moved from the driver’s seat to stand with the woman.

“He’s here?” said the woman with cold intent in her voice.

“Yes, Irina, he drinks here every night according to our informant.”

She moved forward to the door and opened it. The conversation in the room stopped. There were at least ten men inside, a bartender, and one barmaid. Everyone turned to look at the newcomers. They blinked in astonishment when they saw the woman and gasped when the giant entered behind her. He stood at the door. It was obvious no one was to leave.

“Which one is he,” asked the slim woman who was looking at every patron. The man behind her was searching the room also.

“Second table in the rear on the right.”

She looked and then smiled coldly, “Yes, I see him.” She strode toward the table. The men stared at her as she stopped. Irina Derevko was dressed in a black leather jacket over a black tee and leather pants that fit her like a glove. She had black leather gloves on her hands. Her hair was drawn back in a single French braid. Her dark eyes were black and cold as she surveyed the four men sitting at the table.

“You!” She pointed at a man, who with the others, was gaping at her. No woman came to this bar. It was a men’s bar and the women in town accepted it as so. A knife suddenly appeared in her right hand. “Stand up.”

“Otebis!” He snarled and the others at the table laughed.

“You don’t recognize me, do you, Petr Ivanovich Gad!” She spat out the last insulting name, then slashed down with the knife, putting deep cut in his cheek. “You don’t remember me, do you, Zjelob?” Now she stepped back.

He clapped his hand to his cheek and stared at her without recognizing her. She reached down, grabbed a handful of his hair, and pulled him out of his chair, while he screamed obscenities at her. She did not stop until she had him over to the space between his table and the bar where there was more room.

“Remember me now, Petr Ivanovich, you sick son of a bit*ch.” She stood over him, smiling so coldly he backed himself up to the bar. He became afraid. His watery eyes stared up at her. She leaned down so no one could hear what she said. “Kashmir!” She hissed

“You are the last one. Every man who raped me, beat me, tortured me—did anything to me is dead, even the Colonel in charge, because I was not guilty of anything but believing in my country and doing my job. You are the last, Petr Ivanovich, to die.”

“They—they told me to do it. To—to break you, so you would talk,” he cried.

“You stupid ***hole. You liar.” The knife slid up the inside of his shirt, the blade so sharp, it cut like scissors. He wore nothing underneath and his hairy chest was visible for everyone to see.

No one in the room had moved since she pulled Petr from his chair and table. They couldn’t because the giant man at the door had an automatic rifle in his hand pointing it at everyone. They were not stupid men. Many in the room did not like Petr Ivanovich. He was a coward and a bully, but he had met his match and there was not one man in the room that didn’t believe he was a dead man.

Irina’s knife sliced through the belt on his pants; then sliced off each button. He wore no underwear. His genital hair was visible as was his penis. He was so terrified that it seemed to shrivel as her knife took off the last button. Irina squatted down, looking at it.

“U tebia ochen malenki hui,” She laughed. Then without hesitating, she sliced off as much of his penis that was visible. He screamed. Irina held the knife just below his heart, plunging it about an inch deep. She drew it downward swiftly twelve inches to his belly button, opening up his gut. He screamed again, thrashing about, but Irina stood and stomped on the bleeding stump of his penis. He howled in agony. Blood poured out of his groin and out of the cut she’d drawn from his heart to belly button.

Irina stepped back and spat on him as he, in disbelief, watched his guts slither out of stomach. There would be no heroic saving of his life. He would be dead soon, but he would die a terrible painful death as the others had.

“Poydi k chertu!” She snarled and left.



While Irina was thinking back to Muratinsk, Eunice sat back in the chair exhausted and horrified by what she heard. No wonder Irina Derevko had demons chasing her. By Eunice’s own count, Irina had killed over two dozen human beings and her story wasn’t finished.

“You went to Central City then after all this? How could you keep your sanity and emotions intact? I mean, you were brutalized. What made them think you could do the job?”

“I had to do the job. I mean I lived here in Russia. It was not the same as in the United States. I could not pick or choose my job. The KGB was the Shield and Sword to all Russia. It protected the people…at least it was supposed to protect them. I had to do what they told me. So I compartmentalized my emotions again…shoved them out of sight so no one would know what happened.

“In Central City, no one did. The records on me were sealed if not destroyed.” She shrugged. “I could do nothing but comply.”

“How long did it take to heal?”

“Years but I don’t know how many. I ran, worked out, and taught. Days and nights melted into one another.”

“I take it that sex was out of the question,” said Eunice.

“No…” Irina hesitated, shrugged again, saying, “I had a woman lover.”

Eunice raised her eyebrows, “Interesting.”

“Why?” Irina’s dark eyes glistened. “She helped me heal myself. She was the best thing that happened to me after Kashmir.”

Eunice shook her head and then stood. “I must go. I need to sort things out, about what you’ve told me. I’ll come back for breakfast if that is all right with you.”

“Of course,” Irina stood and took her to the door. “Thank you for listening. You are the only person I have told.”

“Yes, and it’s understandable.” Eunice patted her on the cheek.

The doctor returned to Sydney’s apartment. She sat in the living room area without turning on the lights. She had to think about Irina and Kashmir. The woman was a survivor. What was so terrible to think about was her taking of multiple lives without showing any remorse. At least, it certainly seemed to be the case. She had been so conditioned by the KGB while being trained as
an assassin that she never thought about it.

Then she thought about the woman she knew as Laura Bristow, who was a talented and popular professor at UCLA. She visualized her at the faculty meetings they attended and the parties. It was incomprehensible they were the same woman. Beautiful, smart, and seemingly very much in love with her husband, Jack, Irina lived a double life. It was no wonder she had nightmares.

She wondered what tomorrow would bring.

:confused:

RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONS

Dura – Dumb b*itch
Pizda – Cu*nt
Peshka – Lowest thing in life
Blad – *h**e
Suka – sl** or b*itch
Gad – Ass*hole
Otebis – Fu*ck off
Gad - ***hole
Zjelob – Dickhead
U tebia ochen malenki hui – You have a very small dick.
Poydi k chertu – Go to Hell
 
Part 14 – The Man

Eunice Wong returned the next morning at seven. Irina had been out on her run and was ready to talk. The relief of telling what happened to her in Kashmir had been immense and somewhat cleansing. She slept deeply and there were no nightmares this time. She did feel better.

She was making cheese omelets when Eunice knocked. She led her back to the kitchen and indicated the teapot. “It’s ready, please pour yourself a cup.” Irina turned back to the stove.

“You sound, umm, upbeat,” said Eunice while pouring.

“Thanks to you and my finally letting someone else know about Kashmir.” Irina shook the skillet and then flipped half the eggs over some cheddar cheese from Wisconsin she had purchased at G.U.M. in the Imported Foods Department. She cut the omelet in half and served it up on two plates. From the oven, she took a plateful of toast and sat it between the two of them.

“Good, that’s a beginning.” Eunice started eating.

“What do you want to know about today?” Irina put some jam on the buttered toast.

“You told me you were re-assigned to Central City to teach after Nadia was born.”

“Not much happened. It was quiet and peaceful…almost boring.” Irina sipped some tea.

Eunice looked at her. “You told me you took a woman lover!”

“Yes, but I probably would not have let even Jack touch me after Kashmir. I was an emotional wreck and I was angry to the point I might have killed anyone who looked at me the wrong way. When I arrived there, the superintendent was interested in bedding me and chased me relentlessly. I had the feeling if I did not give in, he would take me by force. Of course, I would then kill him. Not a good way to start a new job for the KGB.”

“Would he really? Didn’t he know about Kashmir?”

“No one did, just those in charge including Andropov.” Irina forked another bite of the omelet into her mouth. “Unfortunately he died before I could repay his kindness.”

“Did you tell your lover?”

“No, she thought it was about my leaving Jack and my daughter.” She put her fork down. “I will be honest. She asked me to be her lover. She said she found no one at the city who she wanted to love, but me.” Irina had a small smile on her face. “Viktoria saved my life. She made me realize I was worthy of love and caring.”
“What about the superintendent? Wasn’t he angry and caused trouble?”

Irina laughed, “No, because the fool thought homosexuality was catching and decided there were easier women to screw at the city. He left us alone.”

“Where is she now?”

Irina didn’t answer right away as she finished her omelet. Then she looked directly into Eunice’s eyes. “Dead. I had her buried in a special military cemetery here in Moscow. A man who was jealous of my position at Central City killed her.”

“What was your position?”

“I was a Lt. Colonel and the Superintendent of Central City.”

Eunice realized that Irina had moved up in the KGB hierarchy, actually running the spy city. “Why would he do such a thing?” Eunice put jam on a piece of toast.

“He was a misogynist pig, so I killed him. I don’t know if his body was ever found.”

Eunice stared. “When was your lover killed?”

“While I was with my father and Mikhail Gorbachev just before the break-up of the USSR in 1991.”

“Ah, Grigor told me a little when he and I went to lunch.” Eunice sipped the rest of her tea. “Tell me, was it true, Gorbachev proposed a special business venture he thought you could handle?”

Irina chuckled. “Yes and it turned out to be profitable in many ways.”

“How is that?”

“The deal was the Russian government would funnel a certain amount of dollars to a bank account I would set up. I would pick a team of ex-KGB employees, not criminals, but men and women who were loyal to our country. There were many. I would set up organizations outside Russia to rob other criminals of their money and send it home.”

Eunice stood. “Let’s go to the living room. I have a feeling this is going to be interesting and long. My thin boney butt is not ready to spend the morning on these chairs.”

“Give me a moment to clean up and I will be with you.”

Later, Irina settled herself down on the sofa. “I take it you are now ready to hear about The Man?”

“Fire away,” answered Eunice. She opened her notebook.

“I found ten people I knew I could trust. They were team members from my days of training at the Academy and in Central City. I set up three operations in Germany, Rumania, and Spain. Each one was for a specific reason: Germany would give me access to the northern part of Europe, Rumania the eastern half and middle east; while Spain was known for its smugglers and there were many ‘loose lips’ in the provinces to provide names and locations.

“The money was spent in setting up those sites. However, we had to earn money to keep us going…become self-sustaining. Gorbachev made that clear before I took the job. So contacts were made and I learned that The Alliance had a bank in Prague that they owned…top to bottom. Since they were a target for us, I decided to rob their bank.”

“My goodness,” Eunice’s eyes widened.

Irina’s eyes sparkled as she began telling of The Man’s first strike. That had been a fun day with huge profits.


Irina was dressed as a wealthy woman who was looking for a new bank to deposit her inherited money. She wore an expensive black Chanel suit with solid gold Rolex watch, gold bracelet, necklace, and earrings. Her nails were a bright red, matching her blouse and lipstick. She had her hair piled high on her head and wore four-inch heels. She knew she made an imposing sight. She also had a hat on that hid her face. Her men had cased the bank and noted where the cameras were positioned.

She introduced herself to the bank’s manager as Magda Zolova. “I am here to make a deposit in your bank.”

“Yes, Madame, please take a seat. How much?”

“If I am pleased with how you run this bank, it will be somewhere around fourteen million dollars.”

The man swallowed. “I think you will find we run an efficient, financially solvent, bank with assets of one billion dollars.”

“My, that’s a lot of money to have in your vault.”

“No, no Madame, it is spread in real estate, bonds and other items.”

“So you keep only a little cash?”

“Oh we have about a hundred million in liquid assets here most of the time.” He went on about the videos, guards, and safety precautions throughout the bank.

“I would like to see for myself.” She stood. He followed and then led the way.


“So you robbed the bank?” Eunice jotted notes down.

“Two days later.”


The bank was getting ready to close. The security guard was ready to lock the front door. The two tellers had counted the cash and were ready to take it to the vault There was just one customer left and he was putting cash into his wallet.

Just as the guard was reaching for the lock, five masked men pushed the door open. The guard fell to the floor and was fumbling for his gun when he was killed and the door locked. The tellers froze as the one customer turned, dropping to the floor with his hands covering his head.

The five robbers spread quickly through the building. A tall skinny man ran for the manager’s office, burst through the door, firing two shots. The manager was in the act of pushing a button to notify not only the police, but also The Alliance. He was half a second late.

The bank was looted within minutes of nearly three million in cash in the vault along with a hundred million in negotiable bearer bonds. The Alliance was hard hit.

The five robbers were gone in less than ten minutes.


“The manager...why did you kill him? He didn’t see you, did he?”

“Yes and no. Yes, he saw me, but did not know it was Magda. He was a member of SD-7. I didn’t want him giving any kind of description; especially if he had any suspicion Magda was involved.

One of my team members was an expert in computers and finances. I gave him instructions on how to move any assets he could find in their other bank. I moved it all into a Swiss account. Then I moved it later to Russia via the Bahamas. My men scooped up the liquid assets. We got nearly three million in cash and close to a hundred million in bearer bonds from the vault as well as some loose bonds which I later burned.

“The Alliance took a big hit with that robbery. I managed to get the negotiable bearer bonds hand delivered to my father via a member of the team who was able to move from country to country without suspicion. The cash I kept to run my organization.

“Three million meant another four areas to set up and money to run all of them. So in less than four months we were in business.”

“The Alliance never suspected?”

“Never! I gutted them five times over the next nine years. However, they were a powerful group and had huge investments all over the world. I didn’t want to get them too interested in me, although they certainly became more and more so as the years passed. By the time they suspected The Man, it was becoming evident they needed to be destroyed.”

“Tell me, Grigor mentioned you personally had to eliminate three or four competitors. None of them were The Alliance then?”

“No, there were two Russian crime leaders: FTL, K-Directorate. One was located in Taipei where I ran an experimental lab, another in Egypt, and another in Spain. I personally eliminated the FTL leader. He found out about me after capturing one of my men who being tortured told him about me. Fortunately, it was not one of my team leaders, but an underling.

“The man had the balls to tell me he was taking over, but before he could demand any more, he and his two bodyguards died.”

Eunice stared. “Three men…just like that?”

“I could not afford to let a man tell me he was taking over my organization.” Irina was not smiling. “It was unfortunate for him that he did not know me. However, “she smiled., “I let his driver live. I wanted him to spread the word that The Man was not to be crossed or challenged.”

The other woman jotted some notes. “Wasn’t it dangerous when you personally were in charge of jobs?”

“Of course, but these became addictive because of the danger involved. It was like having an adrenaline rush. I went on several jobs. I never failed to end the lives of those who would prey on my country. I sank a ship in the Mediterranean that was on its way to the Black Sea and would be delivering enough heroin to addict half the population. That cargo was worth nearly a half a billion dollars.

“I blew up the ship and its contents when I learned the destination. That was the first time I began to suspect Khasinau was becoming a little too enamored of money. He wanted me to keep the filthy drugs and sell them. I had to make him leave the ship while I set the charges.”

“Any victims?”

Irina stared at the doctor. “The Captain. He was stubborn. The rest of the men were put on lifeboats and sent away before the ship went down.”

“Did you ever hear of Sydney while you were The Man.?”

“I didn’t know it was her, just that SD-6 had a female agent who was one of the best they ever encountered. K-Directorate hired Anna Espinosa, a Cuban who was trained in Russia as an assassin and agent. They were out to get as many of the Rambaldi artifacts as was everyone else who knew there was a powerful secret yet to be revealed. Anna clashed with Sydney three maybe four times.

“I didn’t know Sydney had become an agent for Sloane’s SD-6, but Sark, one of my lieutenants, did…in Moscow. I ordered him to kill K-Directorate’s immediate boss if he did not agree to my terms. Sydney saw him have the man killed. Then one of the outside guards saw her and fired at her. She barely escaped, but Sark saw it was a woman.

“Then Khasinau, who had a mole in the CIA’s Los Angeles office, was told that Sydney Bristow and Jack were double agents. Jack killed the bastard. That ended our having inside knowledge about CIA activity.

“I still did not see Sydney until my men caught her and put her into the back room on Khasinau’s orders. He didn’t know for sure except she looked a lot like I did when I was young. I had brought him to my apartment one day and he caught a glimpse of a picture I had. So he put her and the picture together and knew she was my daughter.”

“My dear,” Eunice said, “wasn’t that a shock?”

“Yes, but what was worse, I had to shoot my own daughter whom I hadn’t seen for twenty years.” Irina stared at Eunice. “It was the worst thing I’d ever done, but it was to save both our lives.”

“Did Sydney find out?”

“Yes, but I’m sure she had many angry moments before I was able to tell her why.”

Eunice looked at her notebook. “So we’re up to the point where you saw her next?”

“Yes, in Barcelona. I’ve told you about that, but needless to say, she was shocked by my killing Khasinau.”

“Why did you?”

“He was becoming greedy and wanted to run the organization. He also knew Sydney was a double agent. He was dangerous to her safety.”

“Are you sure,” Eunice said.

Irina smiled enigmatically, “He made a deal with Sark, but the young man was loyal to me for the time being. He told me what Khasinau planned, so I killed him and disappeared from the crime scene. No one but Sark knew where I’d gone.”

“Where did you go?” Eunice was not familiar with everything having to do with Irina.

“I turned myself into the CIA.”

:thinking:
 
Part 15 – Custody

“You shot your daughter?” Eunice placed her hand over throat. “What were your feelings about that?”

“I about died,” confessed Irina again, tearing up as she remembered. “Khasinau would have loved to take over as The Man and Gerard Cuvee, who was once my supervisor in the KGB was in the other room.” She stood and began pacing.

“If I hadn’t been tough, both Sydney and I would be killed. I lost the red ball device because of her and Cuvee had offered to buy it. However, since it was destroyed and she was the cause, he wanted to see how I reacted. I was interested in finding out who sent her. If she was really working as a double agent, which one of the organizations sent her on this mission?

“My daughter had courage,” continued Irina. “When I asked her who sent her and I was holding a gun in my right hand, she retorts ‘What, I’m grounded’ as though we’d been interacting as mother and daughter for her lifetime.”

“She obviously escaped,” Eunice commented, smiling at what Irina said about Sydney.

“I was counting on it. She had to get away without involving me; otherwise, I would have to find another way.”

“So when did you see her next?”

“In Barcelona,” Irina answered. She sat again retelling the story.


Irina moved cautiously up the inner stairs of the warehouse and crossed over to the dry dock. She expected Ishmael to bring her bible to Khasinau and wanted to make sure they both were close to each other. She would rid herself of both so no one would know she had recovered her operations manual. She planned to burn it as soon as it was in her hands. There were too many names and places in it to be safe. She knew every name and fact in the book anyway.

Kneeling, she quickly put the sniper rifle together. She sighted and made adjustments. It would only take seconds to rid herself of trouble. A minute later, she heard a car and saw Khasinau’s black Mercedes drive up below her. Moments later, the black Hummer made its way between warehouses. It pulled up close to the Mercedes. Ishmael stepped out with the briefcase in his hand.

“Now,” she whispered, as Ishmael put the briefcase on the doorframe after Khasinau put the window down. She took aim.

“Hands up! Don’t move! Hands up!” Voices echoed in the space between the buildings.

Irina raised her head. “Sooksin” Her eyes took in the scene. Someone was interfering. Glancing down, her eyes widened when she saw Sydney with a gun pointed at Khasinau.

Irina wasted not another moment. She fired and Ishmael was down. She fired at the Mercedes’ windshield, shattering it. The attackers scattered in every direction. She fired again. She then fixed the rifle so it would fire automatically. One glance downward told her Khasinau was gone. The fool was heading toward another warehouse with her manual. Sydney was following. Irina ran toward the stairs and down inside.

As she entered the warehouse, she saw Sydney and Khasinau fighting. She paused as first Khasinau and then Sydney gained the upper hand. She dropped Khasinau with a hard slashing kick. Sydney had her back to where Irina stood.

“Drop it!” Irina ordered.

Sydney stiffened, recognizing her mother’s voice. She dropped her gun and turned around slowly to face her. She stifled the sob in her throat.

Irina’s gun was pointing at her and she had a smirk on her face. Behind Sydney Khasinau slowly stood up, believing Irina rescued him. Then he learned his fate as Irina moved the gun a fraction and fired. Sydney gasped, touched her own chest, and finding it bullet-free, turned to see blood trickle out of the bullet hole in Khasinau’s chest. He had a look of disbelief on his face as he fell.

“Get to your knees…Hands on head…Head to the floor.” Irina’s voice was threatening. Sydney did as she as ordered. She twisted her head, wondering if her mother was going to shoot her again.

Irina picked up the briefcase and whispered softly, “Truth takes time.” Moments later, she was gone.



“What did you mean by that…truth takes time?”

“I was hoping she would figure that all truth takes time to reveal itself. I wanted her to think and believe there was more to me than what she’d been told or seen. I was trying to find my youngest daughter, Sydney’s sister. Then, afterwards I thought that was stupid since Sydney had no idea, as did Jack, that there was even a Nadia somewhere in the world.”

“So what happened next?”

“I designed an elaborate scheme to get close to Sloane. I took an immense chance, because not only did I want to do that, but also I wanted to see Sydney, up close and without a gun in my hand. I had Sark put in motion certain actions, which would lead us to find Sloane. I knew now Sydney was a double agent, working for Sloane and the CIA. I was hoping to gain her love so I might persuade her from continuing to work for either organization.” Irina smiled softly, “I had hoped she would be married and have children…not this.”

“Don’t all mothers?” Eunice said in agreement.

“Naturally. I never wanted Sydney to be anything else. I wanted her life to be happier than mine had been.” Irina sighed. “However, now I knew Jack had taught Sydney the Project Christmas protocols.”

“So what happened?”

“I walked in to Langley, turning myself into the CIA. I used to be high on their wanted list, but years had passed and I was not on it any longer. I believe they thought I was dead.

“Anyway they were shocked and my offer to help destroy the Alliance and SD-6 were too good for them to pass up. I signed an immunity agreement to answer all questions, but also told them I would only talk to Sydney Bristow, my daughter. That certainly surprised a lot of them, but Director Devlin agreed.

“So they did all the preliminary interviews, body searches, put me in chains, and flew me to L.A. where Sydney was stationed.”

“Chains?”

“You know…shackles on the ankles and handcuffs on my wrists.” Irina laughed. “I just told them I would help get rid of The Alliance and they still shackled me. It was raining in L.A. when I arrived so by the time they put me in their prison cell, I was damp. I didn’t see Sydney right away because she,” Irina sighed, “…she didn’t want to see me. Jack was adamant about her coming near me.”

Eunice chuckled, “Seems like he had some serious issues with your being close.”

“I told them I would talk only to Sydney and so first thing I knew, Sydney’s fiancé to be…I didn’t know it at the time…came to see me about Sydney’s going after one of my blackmail disks in Rabat. I told him the secret to opening the safe. However, she did not believe me and the alarms went off.”

“She didn’t complete the mission for the CIA, and because she didn’t, she came to see me the next day.”

“That must have been emotional.”

Irina nodded, “I tried to be calm, but inside I was shaking. She is a beautiful young woman and I was proud of her accomplishments. However, I had to be careful in order to gain her confidence. I gave her the information and told her she could trust me.”

“Why should I do that,” she asked.

I, in turn, said, “Because I’m your mother.”


“What do you think was her reaction?”

“I don’t think she had one until she was out of my sight.” Irina rubbed her arms with her hands.

“I know you interacted with her several times. How was her attitude toward you as time progressed.”

“It seemed to get better…until Jack interfered.” Irina sat back on the sofa, crossing her long legs. “He almost succeeded in getting me executed.

“It seems Klaus Richter, a trusted original member of my organization, was caught by Sark and tortured. I told Klaus that it would happen and that it was important he give no information. I also knew Sydney would bring me a map of where Klaus had hidden the Bible for me to decipher. I wanted her to find the book. I did and told her the place was safe. However, Jack had other ideas.

“Once he learned where it was hidden, he arranged for one of his underworld contacts to wire the house with Semtech, a powerful explosive. When Sydney and Vaughn arrived, Jack stopped them and advised they check under the house. They, of course, found the explosives. Sydney believed I betrayed her…again.

“I was removed from the CIA’s custody immediately.”

“They sent you to Federal prison?” asked Eunice.

“No, first I was sent to their Camp Harris for unrestricted interrogation.”

“What does that mean?”

“A euphemism for torture” Irina said dryly.

“We torture prisoners?” Eunice was stunned.

“The United States intelligence agencies do what they have to do to get information. So yes, I was tortured.”

The doctor was silent and then asked tentatively, “How?”

“First they put me against a stake in the quadrangle. Camp Harris is located in a desolate part of the Mojave Desert. The man in charge left me there for one and a half days. I had no water and no protection other than the clothes I wore. I guess they thought I would be ready to talk after that many hours in the sun, without water and the chill of the night.

“They threw me in a cell for a few hours and then took me to one of their interrogation rooms. I was shackled to a table that was wired for electricity. When I wouldn’t answer their questions, the man in charge threw a switch for five seconds and I was jolted with electricity of maybe one volt. This happened several times during the session. I was also beaten and almost drowned in a special room they had for prisoners who would not talk.

“I did not tell them anything. They sent me to the Federal Prison in San Pedro where I would go on trial.”

“I never heard of it?”

“You wouldn’t. I pled guilty to all charges. I did not want a trial where Sydney would learn everything about my job as a KGB agent. I was sure the prosecution was primed with dates and statistics, but I wasn’t going to allow it. The years I spent with Jack and Sydney were the best thing ever to happen to me. I could not destroy the illusion. I would rather her know I was guilty without hearing the facts.”

“That was commendable,” said Eunice, making notes. “How did you escape?”

“Michael Vaughn finally got through to Jack and told him he knew he had set me up to take the blame. He promised to tell Sydney everything, but he gave Jack the chance to make it right. Agent Vaughn and I had issues, but he was fair-minded enough to see through Jack’s manipulations.”

Irina sighed, “So Jack confessed. Before we both knew it, I was still going to be executed and Jack was going to prison…again…for lying to the Senator who held the hearing.”

“Well you’re here and he’s free…what happened?”

“Sydney told the Senator we were working together to find the Senator who was in The Alliance’s pay and if he went ahead with my execution and Jack’s imprisonment, she would have to turn everything over to the FBI. That was waving a red flag in front of the Senator, who immediately arranged for me to be returned to CIA custody and Jack stayed out of prison.”

“She lied!”

“Yes,” Irina grinned. “My daughter is a superb actor. She has to be to be the agent she is.”

“What happened next?”

“Well, we all went to Kashmir to find six suitcase nukes. Remember my telling you about Gerard Cuvee?” Eunice nodded. “Well, he acquired them and a Rambaldi artifact. I knew about the missing nukes. I told Sydney she had to persuade the CIA to let me out with a security escort and ask no questions. Of course, I didn’t expect it to happen.

“Sydney went to find the access codes on assignment from SD-6. She got them, but it turned out they were for the nukes. They did not know prior to her obtaining them what they were for, so I faced Kendall, Jack, Sydney, and Agent Vaughn to explain. By the time we were finished, Sydney told me she was going after the nukes whether I went or not. I went. I did not want her harmed.”

Irina continued with the story and ended with her returning to her cell. “Kendall kept his promise. I had my mattress, blanket, and pillows…all the comforts of my home away from home.”

“The artifact was a flower which was supposed to be four or five hundred years old?” Eunice’s eyes were like saucers.

“Yes, but I never heard the end result of testing. Sydney told me the preliminary assessment.” Irina looked at her watch. “Let’s go out for a walk to the Kremlin. Being cooped too long isn’t good for you. I’ve had my run, but you haven’t exercised.”

“That would be fun.”

“Would you like to see Lenin’s tomb?”

“I thought it was destroyed?”

“No. Get you coat and the hat you bought at GUM. It’s a bit chilly even in the middle of the day.”

Irina led the way to the stairs and out into the street. The pair walked the three blocks to Red Square. Irina walked to the ticket booth and purchased two. She led Eunice inside to one of the strangest mausoleums on earth.


That evening after an early supper of borscht, Irina poured Eunice a glass of wine. She took a bottle of iced Stoli from the freezer and poured herself a glass of it neat. Eunice watched surprised as Irina threw the shot down in a swallow. Irina tucked her legs under her and smiled.

“What happened after you went back to Kashmir? What did you feel returning to the scene of such brutality and terror?”

Irina shrugged, “I really had no time to contemplate my history there. I had compartmentalized my memories and decided I must keep them away from Sydney and Jack.

“The next day I was given permission for a fifteen minute walk on the roof. There were six guards.” She shook her head. “Incredible that they thought I would break out.”

“So the first time you had a chance to be out of your cell, other than Kashmir?”

Irina nodded. “Sydney came to see me. I told her how I felt about the ideology that kept me from my daughter. I was eighteen when I became a KGB agent. Sydney was nineteen. I told her that for me it was an honor to be employed as I was because it meant empowerment and money. I’m sure she thought the same.

“We hugged each other. It was the first time we were without the glass wall of my cell or with Jack near by. I cried because I remembered hugging Sydney when she was little. I think she remembered it too…but then, the guards interfered.” Irina’s eyes moistened now as she spoke.

“Did you ever get the money? I mean you said you spent ten years working for your country.”

Irina laughed. “By the time they gave it to me, it was nearly worthless. Inflation had eaten up its value. It was ten thousand rubles a year. Of course, once I was imprisoned, they confiscated the bank account, because I was believed to be a traitor and a double agent.” She laughed again. “However, as the Man, I made up for it.”

“So how did you get Jack to let you out again?”

“Sloane was on the run, supposedly, hunting for all the Rambaldi artifacts he could find and a man who was Russian mafia was killed in Russia in an elevator.” Irina went to explain she and Sark had worked this out earlier before she turned herself into the CIA. “I knew the CIA would want to know what that Russian had. I told Jack that he once owned a manuscript that Rambaldi had written on the human heart. I also told him he was amiss to not get Sydney to leave the CIA.”

“You really wanted her out, didn’t you?” Eunice made a quick.

“With all my heart. I don’t want her to end up like Jack and I. I’m fifty-four and Jack is a year older. It’s a miracle that neither of us is dead.

“Anyway Jack got permission and after they put a tracker in me, we left for Bangkok where I knew Ilya Stuka was based. I found him in his *h**ehouse. To make it short, I found out he’d sold the manuscript to a Chinese General in Hong Kong. Jack and I flew there and obtained the book, bringing it back to Langley.” Irina allowed herself a tiny smile. “I got Jack to let me go to Panama, under his supervision, of course, to trap Sloane. That didn’t happen as you know, but that was the hardest week I’d had in several months.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew I wouldn’t see Sydney again…or Jack.” She stood and went to the refrigerator, pouring herself another double shot of iced Stoli. “You want some more wine?” Eunice shook her head. Irina turned to look out the window into the darkening blue-black sky. She downed the double shot neat.

Eunice could see her gripping the glass so tight her knuckles looked white. “You did, though.”

“I know, but at the time, I did not. I had not interviewed with Sydney ever since she wanted to stay on with the CIA because…because of me. She told me after SD-6 and the Alliance were destroyed that she’d resigned, but Kendall said if she did that she would not have clearance to see me.”

“Oh my dear,” Eunice empathized.

“I told her that if she stayed because of me I would not talk to her.”

“But you did,” the doctor said.

“Yes, because I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again…after Panama. So I asked her to see me and I told her that I hadn’t been much of a mother, but I wanted her to know that I loved her.”

“She knew I was going to Panama with Jack and said she knew I’d come back.”

“That hurt, because I knew I wouldn’t if all went as planned.” Irina sighed. “There have been a couple of moments since that I wished I had come back. However…”

“You wouldn’t have continued your search for Nadia…”

Irina nodded slightly, “…and that was not an option.”

“When did you see Sydney again?”

“When she shot me…in Italy. I did escape, but Sloane’s wife, Emily, was killed. I think when that happened he became so angry, that he didn’t care who or how many he killed to obtain Rambaldi’s secret of everlasting life. He was a madman after she died. He told her once he had done it all for her.”

“Did he?”

“I doubt she was the only reason.” Irina rubbed her eyes. “Sydney and I met for the last time for several months in Mexico. Jack had been captured by Sloane who was going to use him…I don’t how…as a part of Rambaldi’s machine. I knew Sark would know, because by now the young man changed allegiance over to Sloane. He was going to Stockholm on an errand, so I told Sydney he would know where to find Jack.

“Anyway I followed. I wanted to be sure Jack was found before anything happened to him. I heard a gunfight happening on the fortieth floor. I interfered, killing two men who had Sydney and Agent Vaughn under fire. Of course, Vaughn went after Sloane, but Sydney took after me.”

Irina laughed remembering the daring stunt she pulled to escape. She set up the necessary equipment in advance just in case. “She chased me to the roof and stopped me when I was standing on the edge. Believe me when I say I did not look down. I had affixed a bungee cord to my belt and was about to leap off…”

“Are you serious,” gasped Eunice.

“I told Sydney she was the Chosen One and she would be the one to stop the Rambaldi Prophecy from coming to pass. I wished her good luck, told her I loved her, and I jumped.”

“You…you obviously survived.”

Irina explained how it happened. “I was bruised for three weeks after that jump. I made my way back to London. I was not eager for either Sloane or the CIA to find me. I kept looking for Rambaldi artifacts. It was three months after that that Jack contacted me through a newspaper ad to tell me he wanted to see me about something important and it had to be in person.”

“That was when you met him in Vienna.” Eunice remembered her telling about that encounter.

“I saw Jack about three more times after that and each time we did not have much to tell one another. Sydney, if she was alive, was buried in a new identity.”

“Did you ever get caught…I mean, you were a wanted criminal and Jack was a Federal officer?”

“No, but about a year later Jack dropped out of sight. He never contacted me again. I didn’t learn until later he’d been imprisoned for interacting with me. The fact that we, as her parents, were both hunting for some sign Sydney was alive didn’t matter.”

Irina explained how she learned about another powerful criminal organization, calling itself the Covenant, was building an empire of crime straddling all of western and eastern Europe, including Russia. The Covenant had its roots in former KGB men and women who were not a part of the new Russian Intelligence agency, the SVR.

She slipped back into Moscow to hunt for a certain Rambaldi manuscript she heard about and finding it, read it and then destroyed it. Sydney Bristow, she learned one day, had reappeared and had obtained the release of her father from prison.

“I was happy my daughter was alive, but I was not privy to what happened to her. Then one day, my sister Yelena appeared. We had not seen each other for thirty years. I was so startled that I was not on my guard and was taken prisoner. She wanted to know about the manuscript I destroyed. I refused to tell her. I also didn’t know that Sydney had found Nadia…” she paused for effect, “in a Russian prison. She rescued her, they went back to the United States, and they lived together. Sydney and the CIA used the disk I dropped to locate her.

“Yelena wanted the manuscript I destroyed. It described what the Mueller Device would be used for…the Flood. I remembered everything in it and then burned it. She told me I would tell her everything I read.” Irina described the torture. Yelena told her she’d set Jack up and he killed me, only it was a double. She said no one would care whether I lived or died. It was hopeless for me to wish for anything more than what she gave me.”

“Oh dear,” said Eunice. She glanced at her watch. “Then that led up to Sovogda and what happened.”

Irina nodded. “After it was over, Jack freed me, rather than take me back to prison.” She smiled. “He, as you know, wanted me to see someone who would listen.”

Eunice stood. “It’s late. I want to get some sleep. Tomorrow I’d like to talk about some more about your own feelings about what has happened and how you might think you can rid yourself of these nightmares.”

“Then I’ll see you when you knock.” Irina stood and went to the door with her.

:asleep:

RUSSIAN TRANSLATION
Sooksin – Son of a b*itch
 
Part 16 – Endings

Eunice Wong stood at the window looking out on the street below. She knew there was a similar view just across the hall in Irina’s apartment, that of the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral. She could not see Red Square as the apartment house was three blocks away, but she could imagine it. There wouldn’t be crowds yet, but as the cold day wore on there would be hundreds.

She tried to imagine it as it was like when Irina Derevko was a child growing up in a Communist regime that begat terror and brutality against its people. She thought about the country that her parents had left a hundred years ago. China, which even now bowed under the yoke of Communism, albeit somewhat less than when Mao Tse Tung was alive, was ruled by a weak dynasty of Emperors and Empresses. Her parents were lucky to immigrate when they were very young and had relatives who would vouchsafe for them with immigration.

She was lucky and Irina was not, at least for the most part of her life. Irina lived in a time where life was not held dear in her country and she was given a chance as she said for empowerment and money. Instead, she found love and happiness in a country far from hers, the United States.

That love happened was amazing. Although she believed what Irina told her, she found it hard to fathom the conditioning that occurred in her training. It kept her following orders for ten years; completing assassination after assassination, continuing to spy for her country on the man she loved and even giving birth to a child she loved so much. Yet she was able to leave her daughter and husband to return.

What happened to her was disgusting, brutal, and de-humanizing.

Eunice sipped at the cup of tea she held in her hand. She glanced at her watch. It was very early, but then she had had very little sleep. She looked down into the street and straightened. Irina was walking up the block toward the apartment building. It was very cold and her breath was visible even from here. She was wear tight-fitting black track pants and a matching jacket.

The street cleaners were out and one of them waved at her. Irina stopped and spoke with her for a moment and then turned, waving good-bye, started up the steps to the apartment building. She looked up and saw Eunice. Irina smiled and pantomimed eating. Eunice nodded. She would go over in a half hour when she was sure Irina was showered and dressed. Eunice had time to make a phone call.

They ate breakfast in relative quiet. Irina knew Eunice had probably spent hours going over the notes she’d made the past few days. She wondered if she had any suggestions. Inwardly Irina’s stomach churned nervously. She’d bared her soul with this woman, because she needed to spew out her life as she lived and felt it. She sighed.

“Penny for your thoughts,” said Eunice wiping her hands on her napkin.

“Wondering what you would be telling me,” said Irina.

“My dear, I won’t give you the answers. You are going to tell me. Shall we go to the living room?”

Irina stood gathering the dishes. “Let me clean up. Do you want some more tea?”

“No.” She smiled, turned, and walked away.

Irina stood at the sink for a few minutes, her mind busy with what might be ahead. This was her first experience with a psychologist and even though she knew Eunice Wong from long ago, she was not sure how this was going to end. Finally, she stacked the few dishes in the dishwasher and wiped her hands. She turned and saw Eunice busy reading the notes she had made as Irina told her story.

“I’m finished.” Irina sat down. “You said I was going to tell you. I’m not sure what you meant. Am I supposed to give you the answer to my nightmares?”

“In a way, yes,” Eunice answered. “Your life has not been easy and that may be an understatement. You have the ability to compartmentalize your activities: wife, spy, mother, assassin, crime boss, and prisoner.

“Tell me your worst moment.” Eunice’s black eyes caught those of Irina.

Irina didn’t hesitate. “Leaving Jack and Sydney.”

“Not your prison experience?’

She shook her head. “I could heal from that, but that night when I left them…when I was extracted was the worst, because I didn’t think I would ever see them again. I know I broke Jack’s heart and Sydney’s too, although I was supposedly killed in an accident. I thought she would eventually heal from that.” There were tears in her eyes.

“I suppose you want to know my happiest moment?” Eunice nodded. “It was being pregnant with Sydney and her birth.”

“Not Nadia?”

“There was no joy during my pregnancy as you know. To have her survive to be born was a miracle…at least to me, but it was not the happiest.” Irina sighed. “I’ve hardly had the chance to sit and talk with her. I want to very much and I hope Sydney will bring her to Moscow when she is herself again.”

“What will you do?”

Irina smiled. “I want to hold her. To tell her how much I hoped she was alive and that I love her very much.”

“Will you ever tell her what you went through to have her?”

“No, I cannot.” Irina bit her lip. “I cannot.” She repeated softly.

“Do you love her as much as Sydney?”

Irina studied Dr. Wong’s face. “That is a terrible question. One is my first-born and the other, my baby. I cannot measure the love for them, one against the other. I love them equally. Please I would prefer not to discuss it anymore.”

Eunice nodded understanding. “Then tell me, what are your nightmares?”

“Some times I dream of what they did to me in Kashmir. However, more times than I’d care to admit, I dream I’ve been left alone in a room without a door and there is no one to answer my calls for help. They’ve taken my clothes and I’m naked. It is pitch black and I cannot see, not even my own hand in front of my face.

“I pace off the measurements of the room and it is always the same—six by six. There is nothing but me in the room…no furniture or any kind…nothing. I’m six feet tall and when I reach up, the ceiling is about eight inches above my head.” Irina stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes fixed on an unseen spot above Eunice’s head.

“I call out time and time again, but there is no answer except a deepening silence. I want to get out, but I cannot. I am panicky, scared and totally at the mercy of whoever it is that is out there, beyond the walls. The air is stale and when I slide my hands over every inch of the wall, there are no openings of any kind. I am running out of oxygen.

“My heart pounds and my breathing is so fast, I am almost hyperventilating. I begin to cry, tears run down my face onto my body. I want to stop, but I cannot. No one comes and I hear nothing.

“It is the same dream over and over. I wake up crying. I’m covered with sweat and shaking with terror. Even Kashmir seems tame in comparison.”

“What do the walls feel like?”

“Cold steel.”

“Did you consider what the measurements of the room mean?”

“A cell.” Irina answered.

“Any symbolism occur to you?” Eunice folded her hands in her lap as she listened.

“I suppose I thought of it once, maybe…I’m not sure.” Irina ended lamely.

“Of course, you did. You are extremely intelligent. You must have thought about it and not just once!”

Irina sighed and walked to the couch, collapsing onto cushions. She smiled. “I can’t get away with it, right?”

“No, my dear, I’ve learned a lot about you the past few days.” Eunice crossed her legs. “You are a survivor of course and probably the best I’ve ever listened to. Tell me.”

Irina put both hands up to her temples and briefly massaged them. “I’m in a box with no way out. I’m trapped and I don’t know who did this.”

“Yes you do, my dear.”

Irina groaned. Damn it, Eunice is good, she thought. “I did it. I put myself into the box. I hear those cries for help, at least a part of me does. I’m trapped, because that part of me wants me to do something.”

“And what is that part of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Irina you know exactly what part of you it is. Say it!”

Irina paused as she was forced to reveal her innermost thought. “My soul.”

“What is it then that you have to do?” Eunice kept prodding.

“I’m not sure, but I think I have to…I have to talk to Jack. I have to ask his forgiveness.”

“For what?”

“For everything I think and I need to tell him about Kashmir.”

“Do you think he will forgive you, however you say it?”

Irina studied her hands that now lay flat on her legs. “I don’t know. Perhaps that is what really frightens me.”

“Are you afraid of his rejection?”

“No…maybe…” Her voice faltered, then she continued, "You said I was strong and I am not afraid of anything. I am that, and more. Jack, however, is the one person I respect and love. I am not sure he thinks of me..." Her voice trailed off.

There was silence in the room. Eunice said nothing. She waited watching Irina who was deep into what she told the doctor. Irina looked up, giving her a weak smile. “If I do it…” Her voice trailed off again.

Eunice said nothing. She stared at Irina quietly without emotion, waiting.

Irina sighed, “I want to rid myself of the nightmares, so I must talk to him…tell him.”

“Make the call,” said Eunice quietly. “That is, if you are sincere.”

“Yes,” Irina said and stood up. “I’ll see if he will come.”

“Do you suppose I could have Grigor this afternoon? I’d like to go see some of historical sights in the city.”

“Of course. I’ll have dinner ready about eight if you want to eat with me.”

“Well, it depends how tired I am.” Eunice stood up, but smiled.


Irina was fixing chicken Kiev for dinner along with salad and potatoes. Eunice had told her that Grigor had eaten the chicken dish and it did look delicious. Irina had not been able to reach Jack. She wondered where he’d gone, since he was no longer CIA. Well, that wasn’t her business anyway.

She set the table with a couple of candles and wine glasses. Tonight she would forego her vodka and have some French Chardonnay with dinner. It would almost be a celebration now that she’d unburdened herself and decided what she had to do to get out of that steel box.

Everything was almost ready when she heard someone at the door. It must be Eunice. She hurried over and threw the door open. It was not Eunice. It was Jack, who was smiling as though he had pulled something over on her. She didn’t care. Irina took a step forward, put both hands on his shoulders, and kissed him.

“Jack, sweetheart, I tried to reach you…”

“I know. Eunice called me yesterday and said she thought you would want to see me.” He put his arm around her waist and pulled her inside, shutting the door. “Do you?”

“Oh yes, sweetheart, I most certainly do.” She helped him off with his coat and took it as well as his gloves and hat. “Can you stay?”

He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “I did not come to Moscow just for dinner.”

“Oh, dinner. Come to the kitchen. I’ll fix you a drink while I finish it. I need to put another plate on for Eunice.”

“Don’t bother, she isn’t coming. She said to tell you the Grigor invited her to dine with him and the family and she wouldn’t miss the opportunity for the world. She said she already had dinner with you several nights already.”

Irina laughed the deep-throated laugh he knew so well. “Good. I can have you to myself.”

“Totally.” He sat down at the table, watching Irina take a bottle of Chivas out of the cupboard. She poured him a double shot knowing he liked to drink it neat without soda or water.


It was nearly ten when they went to the bedroom. They spent a couple of hours over dinner, talking about Sydney and Vaughn and their impending wedding. It seems too that Vaughn was telling Sydney something when the SUV struck them and Sydney won’t marry him until he remembered. Jack asked Irina if she knew what it was. She said she did, but she did not want to tell him. It was Vaughn’s duty to tell Sydney…and Jack. They also discussed Nadia’s possible return to normal. Doctors were busy with finding an antidote.

Irina stripped off her clothes and slipped into bed. Jack followed her puzzled. She did not complete her usual nighttime routine.

“What’s wrong,” he asked.

“I must tell you about Kashmir and the worst nightmare I have experienced repeatedly. Just listen, please,” she said, “and hold me.”

He nodded, pulling her and the down comforter to him.

She began with the day she learned the KGB was going to extract her. It was the day before she ‘died’ in the accident. All staged, of course, and there was no going back. She could not give herself up. They would kill him and Sydney. She returned to Moscow for debriefing. Eight days later, they put her in chains and sent her to Kashmir. Andropov was responsible. Paranoid, he didn’t believe she was anything but a double agent and ordered her interrogated until she confessed.

Irina told him of the rapes, the sodomy, the beatings, and foot tortures. She told him how Grigor rescued her from her rapists, but could not do anything about the doctor or the beatings.

“I made a deal. Nadia was inside me and I knew she was growing. I let him do anything he wanted as long as he didn’t hurt the baby. He gave me extra food and vitamins. He even told the Colonel in charge of the prison not to beat me anymore. I might die and my father was in the KGB operations department. He would retaliate.” Tears formed in her eyes. “The doctor used me three times a week for four months, but Nadia was growing and kicking. She was alive. That was all I cared about then.”

Irina felt his arm pull her close to him. He said nothing, but with his other hand, stroked her head. He leaned his head against hers, listening to the horror she experienced.

“When I left the prison I was more than seven months along. Papa took me home and five weeks later, he put me in the hospital. The doctors performed a caesarean on me and the KGB took Nadia from me the next day. I never saw her again until she came with you and Sydney to rescue me.”

She went on detailing her life and left nothing out including her woman lover, the deaths of the men who had tortured and raped her in Kashmir, the meeting with Gorbachev and how she became The Man.

“Then I learned about you and Sydney from Khasinau who had a mole inside the CIA. I was furious at you for bringing our daughter into this business.” She had told him this already, but she had to say it again. “Yes, I know it was Arvin who recruited her first, but still if you…” she sighed and stopped. “Sorry, Jack, it has taken me time to forgive you for that, but I do forgive you. I realize how hard it was on you to find out…to find out what I did.”

“It was,” he whispered softly.

She twisted slightly, putting her left hand on his cheek and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I’m sorry too about what I did to you and Sydney.” She turned her head putting it on his chest again.

“Irina, after all this time, I do understand. You and I have too many years in the intelligence game not to know that we look back with cynicism at the work we did for our countries. Neither of us have had an easy time. Although I would say yours was the worst.” His voice was soft and he sighed. “Is there anything else?”

She told him about the box and the continuous nightmare about being trapped, with no air, no light, and no sound except her own breathing and the terror of not being able to leave. She had not been able to shake the dream for the past twenty years. It was a constant companion.

“I think I know where you’re going with this confession.”

“Ummm,” she mumbled. She wondered if he would give her what he thought she needed.

“I want to think about what you’ve told me. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

Irina’s heart sank a little. Still she could understand his reticence. She extricated herself from his arms and twisted a little to look at him.

“I love you, Jack. Even if you cannot do what I hope, that won’t change…ever.”

Jack leaned over and kissed her. “Me too! Get some sleep.”

The next morning Eunice joined them for breakfast and announced she secured a return reservation on an early afternoon flight out of Moscow. Irina said they would take her to the airport. Grigor, of course, would drive them.

Jack had not communicated his answer to Irina in the morning. He was thinking about that answer even as they entered the Mercedes with Eunice.

Then he knew.

The car had entered Red Square on its way to the airport.
“Stop here,” said Jack to Grigor, surprising both Irina and Eunice.

“Why?” Grigor stopped the car and looked back at him.

“Irina and I are getting out. You take Dr. Wong to the airport and make sure she gets on the plane alright.” Jack pulled Irina out.

“Wait. I want to say good-bye.” Irina wasn’t going to argue with Jack when he spoke with that tone of voice. She bent down as Eunice moved over to the window. “Thank you. I can’t begin to tell you how much it meant to me.”

Eunice leaned out and touched Irina’s arm. “You are a remarkable woman. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you again.”

Irina kissed her on both cheeks. “Have a safe trip back.”

“I will.” Eunice glanced up behind Irina and Jack who was standing with a smile on his face. He winked at her. She laughed softly, sitting back in the car. “Go Grigor.”

“Now what is so important…?” Irina turned to Jack and gasped. St. Basil’s Cathedral faced her. “What…?”

“Time to go to church, Irina.” He grasped her arm and moved her along the street.

“Wait, Jack…I…” She could not pull from his hold on her arm.

“We’re getting married and it’s for real this time.”

“You…wait, is this a proposal?”

“It is your answer.” He stopped, pulling her around to face him. “After everything that has gone on between us…after your betrayals, lies, and manipulations, I have come to know that you and I are destined to be lovers, even soul mates if you wish. I am no longer with the CIA and, I hope, you are not a part of the SVR?”

“No,” she said. “ You truly want to marry me?”

“In every sense of the act.” His eyes took on a roguish look.

“We have to get a license. We can’t get married today. Why are we going into the cathedral?”

“We’re going to church to replenish our souls. It is sorely needed, I believe.” He pulled Irina close, bent down, and kissed her. Holding her tightly, Jack stared into her eyes and whispered, “I forgive you.”

FINI

Author’s Note: I know, you want more…but in their world that I’ve created, there is no more. Jack and Irina get married, legally. Where they start their new lives is up to them.
 
okay, what a wonderful story!

Sorry i wasn't able to finish it until now, but I'm slowly catching up on my pm's.

I really liked how Eunice was used to tell Irina's life story. Such a great and innovative way of doing it. and simple too!

Loved it of course!
E
 
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