Truth Belongs To Everyone

L

laxcharm224

Cadet
Truth Belongs To Everyone
Disclaimer: Just about everyone in here belongs to J.J Abrams and Bad Robot productions. Thanks for letting me borrow them (-;
A/N: I posted this at FF.net but am going to post all of my stories here as well. Takes place directly after Truth Takes Time {Great Ep.}

Emily Sloane's funeral was held within a day of the CIA team's arrival back in California. Dixon stood apart from his friends, his head dipped slightly, eyes hard and black as night. He felt his stomach clench with the first feelings of emptiness and longing that he had allowed himself to feel since the SD-6 take down.

His musings were interrupted by the movement of people around him. He watched as Sydney bent to place a bundle of yellow roses on her friend and mentor's casket. His guilt returned as though he was back in Tuscany watching as an innocent fell to her knees.

Michael Vaughn and Jack Bristow flanked Sydney on either side, offering their support. Amongst her turmoil the most clear and evident thought remained that Emily would now be at piece. No longer worrying over her husbands dealings, or looking over her shoulder for his assassin. Her pain had been silenced and for that reason alone Sydney was grateful.

From miles away, clear across the continent all the attendees thoughts and feelings at the funeral were clearly displayed. The satellite image, although grainy provided a picture like no other. An innocent had been lost, not the first, but hopefully one of the last. The image clicked off to be replaced by a computer screen of 'Stormy Night' and the room's only occupant dropped her head in a moment of remembrance.

Arvin Sloane's Private Jet--- Flying Over Aegean Sea

Irina sat back gently in her seat while Sark busied himself with his computer. Sloane sat still and stoic against the side of the plane. He had shed his tears and was now gearing up for the next battle. His missions had been compounded now. He would not only become the most powerful man in the world with his access and complete control over Rambaldi's work, but he would exact his revenge on those that had cost him the one decent thing in his life. Sloane was out for blood.

As the determination set into Arvin's eyes, Irina braced herself mentally for the new direction her plans would be taking. What she had seen as a simple mission had become a mountain to topple and claim. Sloane would no longer be easy to get rid of. She could no longer do this alone, and with that realization came the utter feeling of defeat and failure that she had managed to keep at bay for so many years.

Finally Sark spoke, not able to handle the silence amongst his companions any longer. "If you weren't able to bring the disk with you, than where is it now?"

Irina resisted the urge to glance sharply at him and instead titled her head to the side slightly and locked eyes with him. "The downloading process was interrupted by a fragmented file, and by the time the process could correct itself it was too late. The disk was not complete and I left without it."

Silence once again entrenched the cabin, until Sloane began his diatribe on the next move they would have to make. Irina watched him carefully and stopped him when it seemed he had taken complete control over the operations inter-workings.

"Arvin, I believe that it would do us all some good if we remained inactive for a short while. It will give us all a chance to regroup and reform our attack plan. It will also give you time to grieve properly for your wife."

As much caring and sympathy she could muster for the man in front of her was poured into that statement. "Irina, I have never known you to lay low as the case may be and your concern for me although quite dramatic does not become you." His persona was back to that of the man she had been on a plane with five days pervious.

"You're quite right Arvin, my concern for you is less than empathic; however, my concern for the operation is quite real and grounded." She steeled herself for any reaction. "I cannot be certain that due to your recent loss you may not do something that could potentially endanger the operation or myself."

"Your concerns are duly noted, but it appears as though you do well endangering yourself, or is the only danger you face a result of your own family?" His parley hit its mark and resulted in Irina's narrowed eyes. She did not allow herself any other outward sign that the comment had bothered her.

"I will tell you once more Arvin," His name slid distastefully through her lips. "you are never to speak to me of Sydney. She is off limits during conversations." The two eyed each other wearily. Sark looked between them, unsure of whom to side with.

Irina finally sat back favoring her left side and said in a smooth and gentle voice, "I could care less where you end up, but for at least a week I am going to let my shoulder heal and think of our current predicament. When we land in Turkey I will be leaving the two of you. Contact me in one week and we will determine our next course of action."

No one spoke again until landing when Sark merely confirmed their plans to contact each other at the weeks end. Irina left them in the airport knowing the two would remain together, which would ensure that her new plans were not hindered.

CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.

The funeral had been a quick and quiet affair, rushed by the CIA and their need to continue the search for Sloane, Derevko and Sark. The entire task force had gathered in the briefing room in order to once again plot out their next plan of action. The group had grown significantly since the meetings earlier this year. Agent Kendall sat at the head of the table along side Jack Bristow. Kendall was sullen and angry over the change in leadership, but unwilling to pull himself off the team.

Every person at the table looked pensive and on edge; their nervousness well hidden from each other. Jack began outlining the CIA's next move.

"Despite the failure in Tuscany, Agent Bristow was able to acquire a disk that was dropped by Irina Derevko while escaping from the house's grounds. On this disk we believe there to be sensitive and vital information on the whereabouts of Arvin Sloane's Rambaldi artifacts and manuscripts as well as the purpose for the genetic research he Derevko and Sark were attempting to acquire."

"Do we have a means of tracking any of them?" Kendall interrupted and stated with force.

"We no longer have the ability to track any member of their team, but that is no longer our primary objective. Right now the most important issue at hand is the disk we have in our possession. All our efforts will be directed at uncovering the information on the disk and utilizing it in future operations." Jack looked around the room for confirmation from everyone present.

"And what if the disk is empty? How do we know that there is anything worthwhile on it in the first place?" Kendall sat back in his seat waiting for Jack to answer him. Jack glanced quickly at Kendall then directed his attention to everyone else seated.

"It would stand to reason that any disk Irina Derevko is willing to risk dying for is of importance. Marshall will begin the process of obtaining the information from the disk." Marshall stared at Jack a second longer until realizing that was his cue.

"Um...thank you...um you look a little tired Mr. Bristow...are you getting...Sydney don't you think your father looks a little tired?...not that you don't look good...umm...yeah." The harsh stare Jack sent his way got Marshall back to the matter at hand. "The disk obviously has something good on it, cause its coded in a language more difficult to understand than Klingon...um you guys know...," he laughs but when getting no such response out of everyone else, he stops talking.

"And when do you think you will have the entire disk decoded" Jack asked trying not to smile at Marshall's annoying albeit humorous antics. "I couldn't tell you for sure...um it could take a week, or more. I won't really know until I...um can open it up and take a look." Marshall appeared to be ready to continue, but Sydney cut him off, knowing that there was a limit to her father's patients.

"Where does that leave the rest of the team?"

"For the time being, I would like all of you to investigate anything Marshall pulls from the disk, and regroup for the next time we get a lead on our three most wanted. The task force group has been asked by Langley to make themselves available for other missions, and I am prepared to use the team if we are asked." Jack looked around the room at the people he was now responsible for and sighed mentally. "If there are no more questions or concerns, you are all dismissed."

Shuffling of papers and chairs moved in the effort to leave the briefing room, until Jack called out in mild disinterest.

"Please remain Mr. Vaughn." Sydney and Vaughn caught each other's eyes silently asking what this was about, but Vaughn just nodded and re-took his seat while everyone else filed out.

"You were investigating Derevko, without anyone else's knowledge." He stated.

"Yes, I was. She was willing to work with the CIA too conveniently, and like you I felt she had ulterior motives." Vaughn was not sure where the conversation was taking them, but decided to play along.

"You didn't even tell Sydney what you were doing." This time Jack looked directly at Vaughn, letting him know that he was fine with their relationship for the time being.

"I didn't feel my suspicions should color any time Sydney got with her mother. It would have done her no good to sling conspiracy theories at her about a woman she wanted more than anything to trust." Vaughn returned evenly.

"I was conducting my own more detailed investigation of her activities." Vaughn appeared more shocked than he truly was, considering who was sitting in front of him. "I understand your need to appease your conscience; however in the future all investigations will be signed off by me, to avoid any unwanted attention." Jack's voice hardened as he finished.

"Yes sir. All of my further activities will first be okayed with you." Vaughn said as he stood. Jack followed his movements as he too stood.

"Don't get carried away Mr. Vaughn surely I don't want to know ALL your activities." Humor danced in his eyes, but did not present itself on his face. Vaughn smiled crookedly and left the room.

He walked into the central hub of the Task Force centre and sat disconnectedly at his desk. Sydney was quick to seat herself in front of him on it, leaning forward slightly. "What did my dad want?" She asked.

Vaughn looked up at her with lines evident in his forehead and appeared as though he was confused. "He wanted to make sure I was aware that my actions regarding my research were never to happen again..and I think he just gave us his blessing." They both smiled at that thought and reveled in the good that was able to come from such awful circumstances.

TCB

So what do you think???? Should I bother posting the rest or just leave it at that????? FEEDBACK!!!! :woot:
 
OMG, this is awesome. Are you sure that you don't work for the show? You don't wtrite any of the eps? You are such an amzing writer. I feel like I am watching the show when I read this. All the lines fit the charcters perfectly. You do such an awesome job, and your writing is excellent. I can't wait for more. May I get a pm when you update please? Thanks! And please update soon! (y) :D

Love ya,

Lauren :angelic:
 
CHAPTER 2

Irina had been flying non-stop for twenty-four hours. She had left Sark and Sloane for the solitude of her own plane and home. She had asked the pilot to detour into two different airports to ensure that no one was following her. Irina preferred to keep her homes a secret from those she did business with. She liked having them as a place of refuge.

As the plane made its final decent into Pearson Airport Irina breathed a sigh of relief. She needed to have the chance to unwind and treat her shoulder which was pathetically bandaged.

She glanced outside the window of the plane and watched as the last vestiges of sunlight danced and played against the melting snow. The plane taxied to an airport corridor and stopped.

The co-pilot left the cockpit to assure her that a car was waiting for her at the terminal and it was safe to disembark. Irina gave him a tight smile, thanking them for the flight and telling them to get home to their families.

The walk into the terminal was long but she quickly made it through the numerous check points and out to meet the car. As she passed by a window she caught sight of her appearance. She had taken the time to change her shirt, but the blood had soaked through the new one. She quickly covered herself with her jacket. She looked haggard and defeated in the glass. With determination she straightened herself up battling against the pain.

She threw warning glares at those that watched her as she passed and gingerly dropped herself into the waiting car. The trip to the house was quiet and soothing. The traffic was light through the streets of Toronto that evening. Irina leaned her head back against the leather interior and tried to forget the events of the past few days.

When the driver pulled into the circular drive of the house, Irina immediately noticed the lights on, signaling occupancy. The front door was locked but open easily upon the entrance of her numeric code into the computer panel.

Noise assaulted her senses as soon as the door was opened. The murmurs were heard coming from one of the studies adjacent to the kitchen. On her way she grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator and winced as she used her left arm to unscrew the cap. Upon entering the room she was able to better identify the sounds. The television was tuned to CNN and the computer terminal was playing music of it own while the room's only occupant typed furiously at the keyboard.

"Glad to see somethings don't change." The sound of her own voice startled Irina and the other person.

"Geez, you scared me half to death." The young girl said. "Where the hell have you been?" She turned fully in her chair to face Irina.

Irina rolled her eyes and took in the girl in front of her. Her medium brown hair was pulled up and away from her face. Her brown eyes were darker than usual, seeking and startled. Her full lips parted slightly in expectance. Her body, although seated was noticeably toned and fit. She was a sight for sore eyes.

"It's nice to see you too Jacquelyn." Her sarcasm was mixed with an actual happiness at seeing the girl.

"You disappear for almost a year and all you have to say is nice to see you? Are you cracked?" Jacquelyn said incredulously.

"I'm assuming you have been keeping track of my more recent activities and know that I have been in CIA custody for the last ten months. And I can assure you that I am not nor have ever been cracked." Jacquelyn nodded while Irina pulled off her coat.

"Gees mom, what the hell happened?" She exclaimed upon seeing the soaked left shirt sleeve on her mother.

"I was shot two days ago. I haven't been able to get it taken care of properly." She dismissed the injury and pain, instead surveying the immaculate room.

Jacquelyn was hurled into action when she realized the cover tactic her mother was using. "Sit down. I'll be right back with the medical kit." She left the room quickly. Irina finally sat but continued to look around the room.

"You've kept the place looking tidy and clean. I'm impressed." She yelled to her daughter.

"Yeah," she yelled back "a real surprise considering how rowdy I can be." Her facetious statement was finish with her arrival back into the study. "I'm going to have to cut your shirt away." She said.

"Fine, do what you have to." Irina returned.

"Did the bullet go all the way through?" She asked inspecting the wound.

"No. I think it is still lodged in my arm." Irina remained impassive.

Jacquelyn huffed. "You know how dangerous it can be if the bullet remains in your arm. Any movement could cause it to shift and do further damage to the tissue or nerve."

"I already told you, I didn't have a chance-"

"I know." Jacquelyn interrupted. "I'm going to give you a local anesthetic. Your arm should be numb in a second then I'll remove the bullet."

They waited in silence for the shot to take affect. Once the arm was numb, Jacquelyn went to work removing the bullet from her mother's arm. As she cleaned and stitched the wound she began the conversation once again.

"So how exactly did you get shot? Or is that line of questioning off limits?" Irina watched her as she cleaned the wound.

"Sydney shot me." She said simply, no emotion filtering into her voice. Jacquelyn's head snapped up, momentarily distracted from her task and stared at her mother. Finally Jacquelyn smiled, followed quickly by a laugh. Her mirth was tame but evident none the less. Irina smiled, but tried to hide it.

"It is not funny. Would you please stop laughing." She was exasperated.

"I'm sorry, it's just...Sydney's got guts, shooting her own mother. You gotta have respect for someone who's moral principles are that high." Jacquelyn's laughter had ceased but her smile remained.

"I must say, I was shocked, but slightly proud at the same time, that she would take charge like that." Irina said, her smile winning the internal battle and appearing on her lips. "She is a very strong girl. Both my girls are." Irina sighed in relief as Jacquelyn finished taping the bandage over her newly acquired stitches.

"I don't think there is any tissue damage, but you'll have to favor your left shoulder for the time being. I think the bullet missed the bone as well, but if you feel any additional pain besides the stitches, tell me and we'll get an x-ray." Jacquelyn said while replacing the supplies into the kit and removing her latex gloves.

"Does this mean you've finally decided to go to medical school?" Irina asked hopefully.

"Nope, still not done having fun." Jacquelyn smiled.

"Jacquelyn, most people would not consider additional degrees in political science and psychology as fun." She said while taking a drink from her water bottle.

"I thought we had established a while ago that I'm not like most people." Jacquelyn said, then stood to leave the room. Irina followed dwarfing her daughter's five-foot-six frame with her towering height of six feet. Jacquelyn smiled at the discrepancy, not for the first time wishing she had inherited the family height.

"You're so much better." Irina finally said taking her youngest child into her arms.

Jacquelyn hid her face against her mother, reminiscent of her younger years and said quietly, "I missed you."

Irina sucked in a breath hoping to be able to keep the tears at bay. "I missed you too Jacqui A." Irina hugged her a little tighter, wishing that in order to be with one daughter she need not sacrifice the other.

Mother and daughter finally pulled apart and moved into the kitchen.

"How were they?" Jacquelyn was the first to break the silence between them.

"They who?" Irina asked while searching through the fridge

"Don't be coy mother. Jack and Sydney, how were they?" She asked while pulling ingredients from the cupboards.

"Sydney was good. She is healthy and beautiful and in love." Irina indulged in a smile thinking of the man that had stolen her daughter's heart.

"Oh anyone I'd know?" Jacquelyn asked

"Michael Vaughn." Her mother returned.

That stopped her cold, and she smiled at her mother's obvious happiness. "Really! Well that is an interesting but nice little development." She went back to helping to prepare something that resembled a meal.

"And Jack?" She prompted.

"Your father is well. He is as sharp as ever, and even managed to pull one over on me." Her smile remained thinking about her time in CIA custody. Jacquelyn looked at her mother questioningly, so she elaborated. "While we were in Panama, waiting to meet Sloane and Sark, I had Jack remove a transmitter the CIA had placed behind my shoulder to track me. Without my knowledge Jack placed a passive transmitter in me to replace the one he had taken out. The transmitter wouldn't be picked up until activated." Her smile disappeared as she remembered the defribulation used to overload the device.

"How did Dad manage to put another transmitter in you without your knowledge?" Jacquelyn asked innocently. When she got no response from her mother she looked up and caught the guilt and satisfied glint in her eyes. "You didn't!!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. Irina opened her mouth to speak, but Jacquelyn raised her hand. "I don't want to know. It's more information than I will ever need." She shook her head to rid herself of the thought.

"Over twenty years Jacqui. There wasn't really any hope in stopping the inevitable." Irina said her attention back on the meal.

"No mother, the inevitable is me putting a knife through both my ears if you continue to discuss your activities with my father in Panama."

Irina laughed out loud for the first time in ages and continued making dinner.

"But then you had to leave him again." Jacquelyn finally said, sobering both of them quickly.

Irina said nothing in return. A rebuttal was not needed, and she put all her energy into making dinner. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get her mind off the two people that were missing from the events in the kitchen, and tried to ignore the look of longing in her daughter's eyes as thoughts of a father and sister she didn't know flitted through her mind.

TBC
 
Chapter 3

Sydney's Home - Los Angeles

Sydney and Vaughn were relaxing after a trying day at the Task Force. Marshall was no further on the disk than when he started and to top it off the missions were bound to start up again with the endless flow of information running through Echelon.

Sydney's feet were propped comfortably in Vaughn's lap and both were leaning back, only paying sporadic attention to the King's game playing across the television screen. Their conversation had ended with their meal on hour before, but with the quick glances Vaughn kept sending her way Sydney would bet it wasn't finished for the evening.

"So are we going to talk about all that has happened recently or continue to sweep it under the carpet?" Sydney looked up at him, taking note of the blunt and serious tone he had taken.

"I.Vaughn I'm feeling so many things that I don't know where to begin, but the most difficult to deal with are the emotions that I can't catalogue. I just lost someone I cared about greatly and who cared about me." She paused and Vaughn moved to speak but was stopped when she began again. "Yet I can't get the image of my mother's face out of my mid after I shot her. Just days ago I told Dixon I wished she had been killed in Panama, but when faced with the possibility of her dying..and by my hand. I just...I feel ill, and wish I could be sure she was okay." She finished her thought with pain and apology in her eyes. She always felt guilty for discussing her feelings for her mother with Vaughn, knowing that he would never have the opportunity to see his father again because of her.

"Hey," Vaughn took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckle. "I told you before that you're allowed to feel and care about your mother Syd. That is who you are and who I fell in love with. You have an amazing capacity for seeing the good in people and believing their never beyond redemption." He smiled at her and linked their hands.

"I know but." She stopped short and watched him carefully. "Did you just say you fell in love with me?" Her dimples tried desperately to not be seen.

Vaughn smiled. "If that is what you heard than it must be what I said Agent Bristow."

Sydney moved to stand then leaned down in front of him. "I love you Michael."

"I love you too Syd." They kissed then she pulled him to his feet and drew him in the direction of the bedroom. Vaughn said in a distant and distracted voice, "You called me Michael." Sydney just laugh and kissed him again.

Irina's Home- Toronto

The week flew by quickly for Irina. Her idea of a peaceful vacation from the fast moving train she considered life was shattered upon seeing all the reports making their way through Eshlon. A self satisfied smile made its way to her face as she thought of the look Agent Kendall would give her now, knowing that she was taped into Eshlon. Truthfully that statement wasn't entirely accurate. Jacquelyn was the one to gain access to the network. The CIA had been slightly misinformed where the program's origins were concerned. Jacquelyn had played a large roll in the development of the technology, and used it to oversee the activity in the Program.

Irina didn't like what she was seeing coming through the Eshlon channels. The CIA was gaining information on the Rambaldi front and were likely to act on it. She was mulling over the options she had available to keep them away from the artifacts and manuscripts. But kept coming up with the one possibility she refused to consider.

Her musings were interrupted by her cellular phone ringing from beneath the papers scattering her desk. She pressed the 'talk' button on the cell and sat back in her brown leather high back chair.

"Yes." She spoke into the phone while staring ahead at the Monet tacked to the opposite wall.

"Irina, darling. I trust you have enjoyed your vacation." Arvin's voice was blusterous and condescending on the other end.

"Arvin, you and I both know there are no vacations in our business." She said evenly.

"So I can assume you are ready to begin work once again."

"I would have never ceased working, if I hadn't questioned your ability to make competent decisions." She bit out.

"Good, I want to move up the time table." His tone had lost its patient quality.

Irina didn't allow herself the chance to panic, but fear gripped her suddenly and left just as quickly. "I foresee more problems with moving the time table up-"

Arvin cut her off , "I'm tired of waiting Irina. We have an agreement, and I would hope you continue to honor it." Gone was the façade of caring husband and father-figure, in his place was the dark and power hungry man Irina knew him to be.

"Our business agreement stands Arvin. I merely wanted to ensure that everything we've worked so hard for would not be for nothing by moving to fast." She had a lifetime of placating people to draw from for the conversation she was currently having.

"I've already got Sark working on the details, all I need from you is assurance that your contacts will indeed come through." Sloane had masked his voice once again with gentle concern.

"My contacts are totally reliable. When would you like to meet again?" She asked, her accent slipping into the last sentences with her eagerness to finish the conversation.

"We'll meet in Oslo on Wednesday. Enjoy the rest of your vacation Irina." With that Sloane was gone.

Irina hit end on her cell and dropped the object to her desk as though it had burned her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. In one swift move she was out of her seat and stalking toward the screening room. As she suspected, she found Jacquelyn there. She was reading a book on China's Geopolitical influence and watching television.

"Do you feel like sparing?" She asked her daughter. Jacquelyn looked up from her book and gave her mother a quick nod before moving the book off her lap and standing.

The two moved into a spacious room at the other end of the house. The ceilings followed all the way to the roof and a large glass dome in the center allowed outside light to filter in from above. All the equipment was placed on the outside of the room and a training mat was secured to the floor in the center.

Once both were change they faced off against each other employing a multitude of martial arts techniques as well as variations on street fighting movements. Neither was able to gain the upper hand; both using the other's age and inexperience against them. Irina finally opened her body enough for Jacquelyn to cease the opportunity and connect the top of her foot with her mother's ribs. Irina dropped to her knees and was unable to make it back to her feet before Jacquelyn's round house collided with the side of her head.

Irina was forced to accept defeat. Jacquelyn helped her up commenting, "Your arm seems to have returned to full strength." The stitches had almost entirely disintegrated and all that remained was a small pink scare that was raised in its infancy.

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't have beaten me." Her eyes still held the fire Jacquelyn saw when her mother first extended the invitation to spar.

"You lost because you were angry and it distracted you." Jacquelyn said matter of factly. They both drank from water bottles they had placed at the side of the floor.

"I just got off the phone with Sloane. He wants to move up the time table on our operation."

"You know during this past week you have explained about turning yourself into the CIA, Kashmir, and your realization that Sloane and Sark had gathered intel that you were in CIA custody. But you haven't explained to me what it is Sloane is after and how Sark is involved." Jacquelyn eyed her mother critically.

"Sark wants to play with anyone he thinks is winning. His skills are impressive, but he doesn't have the intelligence it takes to make it in this world without someone giving him directions. Sloane is after Rambaldi's work. He wants to once and for all uncover what he was working on. He wants what every megalomaniac wants. Immortality."

"And what is it you get from this deal?" Jacquelyn asked.

"I reap the financial benefits of Sloane's immortality and absolute power." The exasperation in her voice was accompanied by the rolling of her eyes. "Because the thing I need most is more money." There was a long standing joke between them that they could never fathom spending all the money they possessed in either of their lifetimes.

"So what is it about the time shift that has you so worked up?" Jacquelyn took another drink.

"The CIA is able to locate a number more Rambaldi artifacts and manuscript pieces with access to Eshlon. Sloane is going to be tracking them and waiting for all the work to be done then swoop in and steal the artifact from the CIA. If he wants to move up the time table, it means that he is going to use excessive force to get the artifacts. Possibly even begin using genetically targeted weapons." Jacquelyn had only ever seen her mother look so defeated once before and it remained an occasion she never wanted to relive.

"So where does that leave you?" Jacquelyn continued to question.

"In a position I never wanted to be. I swore to myself that I would never ask, but I'm afraid that if I don't it will be too late and everything we've sacrificed and been through would be for nothing. Jacquelyn waited expectantly. "I need you to beat the CIA to the artifacts and take them to a secure location. If Arvin knows the CIA doesn't have the Rambaldis he will be forced to re-evaluate his methods of obtaining them. But the CIA must not be able to obtain them. Arvin will have them before they can board a plane back to base ops." Her eyes pleaded with her daughter to understand that there was no other option.

"What about the disk you dropped after being shot and left for Sydney. Wouldn't the information give them a clue as to the importance of leaving the artifacts where they are?" Jacquelyn asked working out all of the other options herself.

"I was hoping they would be able to pull all the information from the disk and see how truly delicate the matter is, but I'm afraid the database may be too heavily encoded for them to get to the information in time." Irina waited until Jacquelyn came to the same conclusion she had hours previously.

"I always swore I would never take a side in this game you all play. I don't agree with the actions of either side entirely and never wanted to take part. But I guess I wouldn't really be taking a side, just acting as an unknown meteor that does more stealing than solving." She smiled. "I would put my three championship fighting awards to good use and I've always loved a challenge."

Mother and daughter smiled at each other. Irina walked out of the training room with her youngest calling after her, "And who knows maybe I'll get to meet Sydney."

TBC
 
Awesome, awesome, awesome. I still feel like I am watching the show. So bravo to you. Thanks for the fast update! You are really good at this. Thanks for the pm, and can't wait for your next update! :D

Love ya,

Lauren :angelic:
 
I've been reading this at ff.net for like ever so mabye u will update the story faster over here(said with love lol) I love all ur stories, ur an amazing writer and I can never wait for updates!!
 
Here is the next chapter. This is a really long story :eek: so hope everyone is interested in it. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

CIA Task Force Headquarters - Los Angeles

Sydney and Vaughn arrived together for the meeting her father had called an hour previously. They met Weiss in the hall outside the briefing room and exchanged greetings. Weiss looked at the two of them and shook his head, chuckling.

"What?" Vaughn asked

"You two, you're comical really. You're practically attached at the hip." Weiss replied.

Sydney smiled and Vaughn moved closer to his girlfriend, "You're just jealous." Vaughn teased.

"Sorry Syd, you're great but a little too adventurous for my taste." Weiss said in faux seriousness.

"You mean I don't have a chance with you?" She feigned disappointment. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep Vaughn."

"Thanks, both of you, I feel my level of appreciation reaching new heights." Vaughn directed his attention at Sydney.

Sydney smiled at him and said, "I'd kiss you to show you how appreciated you are if we weren't-" The arrival of her father outside the briefing room stopped her.

"If you weren't what?" He asked. His eyes bore into all of them while Weiss, Vaughn and Sydney looked at each other guiltily for their unprofessional thoughts.

"Sydney recovered first saying, "If we weren't at work waiting patiently for the meeting to begin." She finished, satisfied her answer had pleased her father.

"Well, don't let me or the CIA keep you from doing as you wish." He issued the challenge and relaxed his shoulders slightly. Jack happily watched as the three looked at each other in terror, wondering if they should call his bluff. When none of the younger agents made a move Jack smirked and walked through the briefing room doors.

"Syd, your father is a scary man." Weiss said, watching as Vaughn nodded in agreement. Sydney just smiled and took her seat at the table.

Dixon, Marshall and Kendall arrived soon after and the meeting commenced.

"We've been receiving hits on locations through Echelon, of numerous Rambaldi artifacts and pieces of manuscripts. There has been no activity from Sloane, Sark or Derevko in the past two weeks and therefore I feel confident that we can turn our attention to this matter." He paused to ensure everyone was following him so far. "There is a good possibility that the team will encounter one of our most wanted while executing the missions. The first recovery will occur in Santiago, Chile." On the screen a picture of the artifact appeared. "Sydney your primary directive is to get in, get the artifact and get out quickly. There is no need to replace it with a fake. The artifact itself has little security, but the room surrounding it is heavily guarded with both men and a locking system." He turned his attention to Marshall as the screens changed again to show a computerized blue print of the room.

"Um...hi...you look like you umm...got some rest Mr. ah anyway. The room is protected by a...well a computer virus. Basically the lock on the doors is easy enough to override, but if you first don't disengage the computer fire walls a nerve gas is released the moment you step into the room." He looked nervous at everyone at the table. "Syd because you wouldn't be able to break through the firewalls on the computer panel beside the room...that's not to say that you aren't good with computers, its just this one is really complicated and...I." Marshall came up short, but began to speak again after Sydney sent him a gentle smile of encouragement. "So you'll just attach this monitor to the computer terminal and it will send the information to me back here. Then I'll break through the firewall and you'll use a standard code sequencer to open the doors." Marshall sat back down happy that he no longer had to speak to the group. It was bad enough when he had worked for Mr. Sloane, but now there were more people in the room that were watching him, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

"You're set to leave at 1800 today. That is all people." Jack said, dismissing everyone from the room. Sydney hung back and waited until everyone had left to speak to her father. "What is it Sydney? I have things to do to prepare for the mission." He said while gathering his papers. Sydney touched his hand to get his full attention and was shocked when he pulled away quickly. Jack was forced back to the plane when Irina had grabbed his hand and thanked him for raising the young women that stood before him.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She said softly. "Mom ripped through your life as well as mine."

"I knew Irina had ulterior motives the moment she walked through the door. I was not able to prove them until it was too late; however, I never expected anything but deception from her Sydney." Her father's stance turned more rigid and his jaw set firmly. Sydney nodded her head curtly and left the room hating what her mother had done, setting the relationship between her and her father back again.

Santiago, Chile

The Santiago sun had begun to cool as mid April was fast approaching. The Southern Hemisphere would soon be experiencing their winter. Jacquelyn was waiting patiently for night fall to retrieve the artifact from the museum. With three hours to kill Jacquelyn decided to visit some old friends.

Her travels took her to a small town on the outskirts of the city. The landscape was beautiful and the home modest. She recognized the home she was searching for instantly and knocked on the solid wood door. She heard shuffling within the house and the door swung open to reveal a familiar face. The man in front of her was surprised at seeing her then smiled and hugged her warmly.

“Jacs, what are you doing here?” He questioned.

“I am in town on business for my mother and thought I would drop by for a visit.” She returned both the hug and the smile.

The man moved an arm’s length away and held her there. “Now, let me get a look at you. You’ve turned out to be absolutely beautiful, not that we ever doubted it.” They both moved into the house.

“Thank you Vinecio, I always forget what an ego boost I get when I come here. Or to any of the Program houses for that matter.” She said.

“Come, Maria well be so happy to see you. She has been begging your mother to bring you for a little stay for some time.”

Jacquelyn stepped out onto the back porch and caught sight of a blond haired women playing badminton with two equally blond children. *“Look who finally came for a visit Maria.”* Vinecio had spoken in Spanish and hoped Jacquelyn would follow suit.

*“Jacqui!”* Maria came running and greeted the young woman with much the same gusto as her husband had. *“You look wonderful dear, how is your mother?”* Maria asked.

*“Oh you know Mom, still playing the intelligence game. And you’re looking well yourself.”* Jacqui returned the compliment.

*“The kids have been keeping me in shape.”*

Both Maria and Vinecio Sanz wore their age well. Vinecio had turned fifty earlier in the year and if memory served Jacqui correctly, Maria would be forty-seven in two months. *“My, the kids have gotten big. The last time I was here was after you had Thomas. Katie was barely two and that was oh --- seven years ago.”*

The kids ran to their parents having grown bored from their game and interested in the new arrival.
*“Who are you?”* Katie asked.

*“My name is Jacquelyn but most people call me Jacqui.”* She said.

*“How old are you?”* This from little Thomas.

*“I’m twenty years old, but will be twenty-one soon. How old are you?”* Thomas stared hard at her.

*“I’m seven and I know how to multiply by two.”* He stated proudly.

*“Wow, that is pretty impressive.”* Jacqui smiled at him.

*“Kids, why don’t you go next door and see what the Costis children are up to.”* Maria said. The children dutifully marched next door, eager to see what their friends were doing. *“Let’s go inside for some coffee.”* Maria addressed her husband and Jacqui.

“So how are you guys doing?” Jacqui asked, reverting back to English.

“Really well, Morgan still slips and calls me Mark sometimes, but we’re truly happy with our lives here.” Vinecio sat at the table as he spoke.

“I only call you Mark when we’re alone, and you just called me Morgan.” She challenged her husband. “But we have really worked on keeping our new identities and are happy.” She assures Jacqui.

“I’m glad, not everyone is as happy as the two of you, but I guess you two got luckier than everyone else.” Jacqui said.

“Well we have your mother to thank for being together and safe and despite how upset some of the people in the Program are with their situation, they are grateful to your mother and you for everything you’ve done and continue to do.” Vinecio said assuring Jacqui that nothing went unnoticed.

“And it’s not as if you and your mother haven’t given up your fair share of happiness for all of us.” Maria emphasized.

Jacquelyn watched the people before her, happy with her decision to visit. It had been a while since she had seen how wonderful life could be even coming from dyer situations. Maria and Vinecio Sanz had once been Morgan Hall and Mark McCullen. Both had done undercover work for the CIA during the Cold War. Like so many others, they had been discovered by the KGB and forced into hiding. Since then the two had gotten married and seemed to have fallen easily into their new life in Chile. It was one of the success stories that Jacqui loved to hear and draw strength from.

The three chatted for an hour more before Jacqui took her leave, promising to speak to them soon. The time had come to see what she was really made of. She dressed for her mission and double checked her equipment. Once she was certain she was prepared headed out.

Jacqui was familiar with the building the artifact was stored in and made the decision to travel the ventilation system. She knew the path to take to ensure she would not alert the guards to her presence by the noise from the metal tubing. She made quick work of the security on the ventilation grate by short circuiting the power cells and dropped easily into the room.

The artifact was showcased in the far left corner of the room. She smiled thinking of the potential a mere wooden flute possessed and grabbed it from its resting place. As she made her way back to the grate she caught sight of a secondary panel on the wall beside the door. Within seconds she had ascertained its purpose.

If someone attempted to hack the initial security controls the secondary system would kick in and release the gas after the lock had been decoded. Jacqui was impressed with the sophistication of such a system, but feared what it meant. She had not been aware of its existence and therefore it was likely that the CIA was nor aware of it either.

After re-entering the ventilation shaft Jacqui went about disconnecting the nerve agent from the gas dispensers. She dropped out of the shaft and made her way to the least guarded exit; however, her timing was off slightly due to her delay and she was forced to incapacitate a guard. "Well, the mission was almost perfectly executed." She shrugged her shoulders, determined to do better next time.

15 minutes later

Sydney entered the museum and followed the predetermined path. The first guard she encountered went down fast but she struggled a little more with the next two. Once she had made sure they would not be a problem she started work on the door. She was making good time so far but didn't slow down. When she finished connecting the computer to the wall panel she signaled Vaughn. "Okay, I'm done. Tell Marshall to go ahead." She said quickly.

"Do you have it yet Marshall?" Vaughn asked a short while later.

"Not yet, almost." He paused. "Got it. Good luck Syd." Marshall said.

"Thanks." Sydney replied. The coded lock was simple but time consuming and Sydney felt herself becoming more anxious by the second. It finally clicked into place and the doors opened easily when she pushed on them. Sydney made a beeline for the artifact only to find it was missing.

"Vaughn, it's not here." She said.

"What do you mean? It should be right where you're standing." He replied perplexed.

"It should be but it isn't. It looks like it was here but now is gone." She inspected the surrounding area. It was then she heard the sound of a gas pump opening; the sounding alarm followed right behind. Panic seized her and she heard Vaughn yell in her ear.

"What's happening?" In his effort to conceal his fear for her, his voice came out more harsh than usual.

"I don't know. There must have been a back up system that detected the hack, but there is no gas coming from the pump." She relaxed marginally at that thought.

"Syd, you have to get out of there, they know you're here." Dixon's voice cut through from the pick up location outside.

"The doors have sealed again. There is no way out." The panic had returned until she caught sight of a white cloth blowing slightly while tied to the ventilation grate. She realized that had the sensors been activated on the grate the cloth would have set the alarm off long ago.

She removed the grate and pulled herself into the shaft. Syd crawled until she came to another white cloth tied to a grate and jumped out. There was an unconscious guard lying on the ground and an obvious exit around the corner. She told Dixon where she was and to meet her three hundred yards from the obscure exit. Sydney jumped into the car and they sped away.

CIA Task Force Headquarters

The next day marked one of questions and confusion with very few answers. There were no accounts of Derevko, Sark or Sloane in Santiago, yet it had been confirmed that two hours before Sydney had arrive at the Museum the artifact had indeed been there.

Obviously someone had gotten there before them and gone so far as to protect Sydney from potential danger. The team had gathered around the briefing room table to discuss the failure of the last mission and receive orders for the next.

"It doesn't seem to add up. Who would take the artifact but stop to ensure my safety while at the expense of their own." Sydney asked.

"Your mother did call out to you in Stuttgart to get you out of an exploding building, maybe she helped you again." Dixon suggested.

Sydney scoffed at the thought but Jack addressed it. "It is possible Irina could have taken the artifact and tried to protect Sydney, but she would have left an obvious indicator to ensure Sydney was aware of who had helped her." Jack concluded. Sydney looked down at the table and away from the eyes of her colleagues.

"Whether it was Derevko and company or not, there is still a potentially more damaging situation at hand." Kendall jumped in. "Whoever was in that room, not only knew where the Rambaldi piece was and how to get to it, but they knew that we would be going after it as well." Kendall paused and waited for everyone to pick up his train of thought. "Someone out there knows exactly what we know and are obviously capable enough to utilize the information." Kendall's mood had improved since the last meeting. Despite wanting to complete their missions successfully he couldn't help but be pleased over the failure. Jack's deception was still a sore spot and he wanted the man taken down a peg or two.

"We have already established that our Intel is not exclusive to the CIA. The next few missions will be executed in close succession; we've obviously got competition to beat to the Rambaldi locations, so over the next few days the operations will be non-stop."

Jack chanced a glance at Sydney knowing how taxing such ops would be for her, but instead caught a determined look. He smiled mentally at the competitive streak in his daughter. She did not like to fail at anything, especially when it involved her job.

TBC
 
God, I just can't get over how well this story is written. You are such a great writer, and this chapter was fantastic. Thanks for the fast update, you rock. Post more soon, can't wait! :woot:

Love ya,

Lauren :angelic:
 
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Chapter 5</span>

Oslo, Norway

Irina arrived at the meeting place ten minutes early. She was surprised when Sark told her to be at a city café at 1500. Sloane was not one to make his presence obvious, which worried her. He had nothing to loose anymore, and his behavior was bound to become increasingly more daring.

"Irina, you're early." Sloane said as she took her seat.

"Early bird gets what she wants Arvin." Irina replied with a tone dark and smooth.

"I don't believe that is the correct expression." Sark told her.

"Don't be so literal Sark." Irina said. "Creativity is a very useful virtue." She smiled and Sloane followed, enjoying their interplay.

"The CIA went after a Rambaldi yesterday." Sloane told Irina.

"And did they succeed?" Irina asked evenly. She had not heard from Jacquelyn after the mission and now that she had rejoined Sark and Sloane, communication would be near impossible.

"No, they didn't. Apparently someone beat them to it." Sloane shifted in his seat.

"Someone else is going after the artifacts. How do you think that will affect our goal?" Irina said it as though she was thinking aloud as opposed to searching for an answer.

"It merely provides us with a little more of a challenge." Sark answered with a sly grin.

Both Sloane and Irina glared at their young companion. Despite all his talents his inexperience showed through at times. "This brings a new element into the scenario; our plans will be greatly affected." Sloane said correcting Sark's naïve statement.

"Our best bet may be to wait and see what transpires over the next few days. The CIA may flush out the group that is behind the Rambaldi theft and what they want with the artifacts." Sark seemed to be trying to redeem himself.

"No." Irina spoke; her hands came together and twined the bottom three fingers in thought. "If the CIA does not find the group responsible, then we may find ourselves out more Rambaldi pieces. With the use of some more funds and in-depth investigating, we would be better equipped to find the culprit." Her eyes shifted every which way sometimes coming to rest on Sloane or Sark, but never staying long as they illustrated her minds' rapid thoughts.

"Actually Irina, Sark may have a decent idea. If we leave the investigation up to the CIA we can focus on obtaining research contracts to begin work on the pieces we already have. It will also allow us the opportunity to translate more of the manuscript." Sloane paused. "I have faith the CIA will do their job." He smiled at his pathetic attempt at humor and irony, while Irina remained impassive.

Internally she was reeling with joy at the success of her psychological manipulation and hope that Jacquelyn would complete her task.

CIA plane - en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sydney was exhausted. In the last week she had traveled to five cities around the world. Athens, Greece was her first disappointment after Chile. The ops team had been hours behind their mysterious thief.

Singapore had been next, although they had come significantly closer to catching their felon. The third operation took them back to Europe where they encountered some difficulty in the form of Swedish security guards. Sydney was still nursing the bruise on her shoulder curtsey of her time in Stockholm. The fourth expedition had been her favorite. Once again 'shadow man' as Weiss had begun to refer to the thief, had gotten away and left the team stranded in Lusaka, Zambia overnight. The next day base ops had managed to get a transport to them.

Finally the mission they just finished continued to weigh on her mind. Sydney was positive she had caught a glimpse of 'shadow man' but was unable to give any detailed characteristics. What stayed with her now was the state of Phnom Penh, Cambodia they had just left from. Even twenty-five years after the horrific events in the country, and the air still had a sense of death and unrest.

Their op had taken the to the rice patties that were once the grounds on the killing fields. Despite the lack of bones that had rested there years before the soil remained the resting place of millions of Cambodians.

Sydney shook herself form her depressing thoughts and instead focused on the 'shadow man' that had managed to resist capture. She cringed at the thought that she may have past by him on any number of streets they had been on over the week and never known it. She had to wonder at the few occasions that he had left some form of help for her at the artifact's locations. None of it made sense and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

Her attention turned to her right where Vaughn was watching her. "What are you thinking about?" He asked gently.

"Nothing - everything." She smiled at him. "Thinking about all the time we have to make up for when we get home." They both smiled and joined hands.

"It has been a long week." Vaughn looked thoughtful. "Speaking of home, I was thinking - well how do you feel about going home together?" Syd laughed softly,

"I kinda thought that was implied."

"No, I mean go home together every night, our home." She was watching him with a confused expression. "I'm not saying this right." He sounded exasperated.

"Vaughn, are you asking me to move in with you?" Syd asked a little surprised.

"Well actually I was thinking we could move into a new place that was just ours, not mine or yours." His excitement at sharing the idea was tempered by her lack of response thus far.

"You don't think it's a little soon? I mean, just a few weeks ago you didn't even want to give me a key to your apartment because you thought I didn't trust you." She said evenly.

"That's true, but if I were honest with myself, you were not questioning me of your own accord. The thought didn't enter your mind until Yagar started intimating such. They laid proof out in front of you and it was accurate. The reasoning surrounding it was off base, but you did have a good mind to question my motives." Vaughn rationalized.

Had the conversation not been so serious, Sydney was tempted to laugh at Vaughn's ability to put her argument into perfect perspective.

"I mean, we spend every night together that we're in town as it is." He finalized.

"That is true, and I guess if we're looking for a new place, it will take some time. We could get used to the idea a little more." Almost as an afterthought she said, "I just hate to leave Francie alone."

"Her business is doing well, I'm sure she can afford the place alone and she has Will." He kissed her hoping to close the deal.

"I know but lately I feel as though something is up with her that she's not telling me. It almost feels uncomfortable to be around her sometimes." Syd said seriously.

"She may be feeling the pressure of her new relationship with Will. I'm sure they both want it to work. And now that you and I are together you spend less time together." Vaughn kissed her again and Sydney giggled.

"You're such a problem solver Mr. Vaughn."

"That's why they pay me the big bucks." He smiled. "So is that a yes?"

Sydney took a deep breath in and exhaled in a sign. "Yes, when we get back to L.A. we will start looking for an apartment." Her terrible week had suddenly begun to look up.

"Actually," Vaughn paused. "I was thinking at maybe looking at houses." At this Syd's shock was evident. "I know how much you like to garden and you've talk about starting one. You wouldn't be able to if we were living in an apartment. There is also equity in owning a house, so." He trailed off.

Sydney nodded her head and a slow and glorious smile crept across her face, lighting her eyes. "I think it's a great idea." They kissed passionately for a while, then turned theirs heads to the side as Eric Weiss dropped into the seat across from them.

"So you ask her yet?" He directed his question at Vaughn.

"Yes, and the answer was yes, but what would you have done if I hadn't asked yet?" Vaughn asked in mock irritation.

"Oh don't worry, we've all been listening from the other end of the plane, so I knew that you had asked her." His cheeky smile did nothing to ease the shocked look from his friend's faces. He stood again and clicked off the intercom button over their heads. "For trained spies you two get distracted real easily." He shook his head in playful disappointment. "Just be more careful next time kids, and remember safety first." He left before Sydney or Vaughn could retort.

Dutch Embassy - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The entire embassy was lit in dramatic fashion as people in expensive outfits milled about. Sydney walked purposefully toward the bar aware of the appreciative stares being sent her way. Her mission was to make contact with Mirsa Dorsja, an eastern European business man currently a guest at the embassy. According to Intel his office was location of the latest piece of the Rambaldi manuscript. Sydney was determined to get to the piece first and make the grab. As she worked Dorsja she scanned the ballroom. People were holding dramatic conversations with those around them. Dorjsa ignored her presence when two men appeared in expensive suits. Her presence was unimportant to the men who immediately began discussing their recent business ventures. Sydney paid close attention to the conversation and rejoiced silently when Dorsja made statements indicating that he was in fact in possession of the Rambaldi. She saw her opportunity to get away and excused herself, following Vaughn's directions to the office.

5 Minutes earlier

Jacqui loved to act, she excelled at fighting, her computer technology was inferior to none, but her stealth was in need of vast improvement. She needed to render three guards unconscious just to make it the short distance to the embassy office. She wasn't really a fan of mingling with the party goers and chose the more covert entrance instead. She grabbed the manuscript and high tailed it out of the embassy. Jacqui set herself up with her laptop in the park across from the embassy and waited. The night heat was sweltering but felt good on her tense body.

Six successful missions and she still got extremely nervous until she was out of the country. Jacqui hacked into the CIA's communication's net that linked with Sydney to monitor her progress in the embassy.

"I'm in Vaughn. Dixon, are you holding position?"

"Yeah Syd. Dorsja is answering his cell phone and is on the move, I suggest you hurry." Dixon replied.

After a few minutes of silence Syd came back on. "We didn't get here soon enough. The manuscript is gone already." Sydney's anger and frustration caused her to miss the sound of approaching footsteps outside the office.

The door burst open and six armed guards rushed in ordering Sydney to raise her hands and submit to their apprehension. Dorsja entered the room seconds after, his eyes were on fire but he looked satisfied. Syd stood still and watched him as he move about his office.

"It's gone." He stated finally. "Where is it?" He addressed Sydney.

"I don't know what you're talking about-" She was cut off by Dorsja's open palm making solid contact with the side of her face. The resounding slap caused Vaughn and Jacqui to wince on both ends of the comm.

"I do not have time for your American attitude." The com was cut out after that last exchange, but it was assumed that Dorsja would be taking Sydney for further 'questioning'.

12 Hours Later

Sydney was sore and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but her survival training began to kick in. She listened carefully to any voices outside her present prison. The room was concrete and windowless, which may have been a blessing considering the heat permeating the air outside.

She had been visited by Dorsja and three of his men hours before. When she was unable to give them the information they wanted the men did a good job of working her over.

Sydney heard voices yelling outside the door and the loud sound of quick paced footsteps. She hastened her efforts to loosen the restraints around her arms and had almost gotten herself free when the door swung open. She was instantly blinded by the harsh light from the hallway, and when her eyes adjusted she noticed a piece of paper and a gun on the floor in front of the open door.

Upon inspection she found the gun to be loaded and ran to the hall to catch sight of her would be savior, but the hall was empty. She looked at the piece of paper and discovered a miniature blueprint and an outline indicating an escape route. She had no time to second guess her escape and took off down the hall.

Once she exited the compound she continued to run to the CIA safe house set up in Malaysia. She found Dixon waiting for her there. "Syd, how did you get away?" Dixon and she began moving in the direction of their transportation to take them back to base ops with the rest of the team.

"Dixon is Sydney there?" Vaughn asked through Dixon's com.

"She's here and we're coming in." Dixon said satisfied to let Sydney tell her story once to the rest of the team.

Jacqui watched from her point on the roof across the street as Dixon and Sydney left. She was drained but pleased with herself. She had entered the compound using brut force and made quite a clamor doing so. The facility was not heavily guarded due to its supposed secrecy, but remained a test of her skills. The events of the week, if she were honest with herself the month, were finally catching up with her and caused her to sign deeply. Echelon had not seen any more Rambaldi action over the last few days, so Jacqui decided to head home and finish her political science paper.

Syd had recounted her mysterious escape to the rest of the team while traveling back to L.A. None of them were able to make heads or tales of it. The 'shadow man' had never gone so far to help Sydney before. The mystery continued to grow amongst the CIA team.

Sydney was sitting in her seat on the plane and watching the empty sky out the window when Dixon sat down across from her.

"So, you and Agent Vaughn are pretty serious." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It appears that way." She said smiling. "I've fallen in love with him Dixon, and I couldn't be happier about it."

"Just make sure he treats you well. You're a wonderful person Sydney; he is luck to have you." Syd just smiled at him.

"Anything change with you and Diane?" She asked.

"No, she and the kids have been living with her sister for the past few weeks." His shoulders slumped and his eyes saddened. "I don't know how to fix things, without giving up my work. I would like to think that I could give it up, but if I'm realistic with myself, I know that I would never be able to quit completely. It's so much a part of me."

Sydney felt bad for Dixon and sympathized with his position. "Maybe she just needs some time to get used to the idea of what you do for a living." Sydney said optimistically. Dixon just nodded slightly and looked out the plane window, signally the end of the conversation.

TBC
 
I've read this at ff.net and I just wanted to tell everyone (who hasn't read it) that it is fabulous!!! (y)
You're in for a great ride!!! LOVED this fic!! :love:
One of the best, so read on!!!! :D
 
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Chapter 7</span>

Toronto

Jacqui was surprised to arrive back in Toronto to the sight of her mother's Porsche outside the house; the hood of the car warm from recent use. She opened the door and called out to the house.

"Mom!" She heard a faint 'Hi' from within the house. "Where are you?" More faint sounds from somewhere. "What? I can't hear you. Where are you?" Jacqui asked again as she wondered through the house, finally ending up in the kitchen with her mother.

What were you saying? I couldn't hear you." Jacqui asked.

"I said to stop yelling through the house and use your legs to walk." Irina's peeved tone was hard to mistake.

"Sorry. What are you doing home?" Jacqui grabbed a glass of juice and a bun from the fridge.

"I was in Montreal meeting with one of my contacts and I don't have to meet Sloane and Sark again until Monday, so I have two days here." She looked at her daughter eating. "Don't eat too much now; I'm making dinner."

"What are we having?" Jacqui sat at a stool placed at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Mediterranean chicken, spinach salad, potatoes and broccoli." Irina replied. "How did you make out with the artifacts?" Irina's attention varied between Jacqui and the vegetables she was chopping.

"Great. I got all the pieces, but Sydney does have a knack for getting herself into sticky situations. I'm sure she could have handled most of them but I helped her out. I didn't want to take any unnecessary chances." Jacqui popped a piece of bread into her mouth.

"That's wonderful Jacquelyn. I knew you could handle the job." Irina said.

"Not like you had much of a choice." Jacqui replied around her bread.

"You know there was no chance I would have let you do it, if I didn't have confidence that you could take care of yourself Jacqui." Irina said sternly, putting down the green pepper.

"I went to see Maria and Vinecio while I was in Santiago." Jacqui changed the subject.

"How are they doing? I haven't heard from them in a while." Irina resumed working.

"They're good. The kids have grown and they're happy." Irina smiled without looking up. "I was thinking of visiting Jean-Michele in a few weeks." Jacqui posed the idea to her mother.

"I think that would be nice. It has been a few years since you were last in Southern France. I know he was hoping you would come and give him a hand on the vineyard." Irina agreed. Jacqui eventually excused herself to do homework and left the kitchen.

Next Day - Toronto

Jacqui came back from her run to find her mother pacing her office from wall to wall, swearing in Russian.

"What are you doing?" She asked Irina.

"Stupid CIA, I can't believe how incompetent some agents are there." She continued to pace as she muttered.

"Would you stop moving for a second and tell me why you look as though you're going to take someone out." Jacqui said calmly.

"The CIA still hasn't broken the encryption on the disk I left them in Tuscany." She replied.

"So what do you propose to do?" Her daughter spoke.

"The longer they go without the information on that disk the longer Sloane has to reach his objective." Irina had stopped pacing and instead sat on the edge of her desk. "I've run out of ways to help them get the information. I thought Tuscany would be a success, instead an innocent woman died and the CIA is no further then they originally were." Irina closed her eyes in search of serenity.

Ideas raced through Jacqui's head at an alarming rate, until only one remained even slightly plausible. It also happened to be the one she liked the best.

"What it I infiltrated the CIA and helped to decode the disk." Irina looked sharply at her daughter.

"And how do you think you'll manage that?" She challenged.

"General Conners works at the NSA and could issue an order for an NSA analyst to be transferred to CIA headquarters in L.A. to assist the task force." Jacqui spoke slowly while working the details out in her mind at the same time. "He could produce fake documentation of my employment with the NSA. I've done work for them before, simple security upgrades but it Conners could vouch for me..." Irina looked thoughtful.

"Are you doing this to have an opportunity to meet Sydney and Jack?" She asked finally.

"I would be lying if I said that played no part in why I would be willing to do this after making it clear I wanted no part in any of your dealings." Jacqui paused. "Since I was young I've known that any contact with them would be dangerous. I have spent most of my education at boarding schools on the east coast, with only a short plane ride between us, but now I have the opportunity to meet and interact with them. I would take all the necessary precautions."

"You know they can't be told who you really are." Irina was covering all her bases before agreeing.

"No, I thought I would take out an ad in the L.A. Times and then wear it on my chest." Jacqui said sarcastically.

"Well then, get in touch with General Conners and see if he can help you. And please remember to be careful, stay in the task force headquarters and work on the disk. Don't try anything dangerous, more specifically no operations." Irina's tone was strict and not to be disregarded.

"Yes mother. I promise to be careful and stay out of trouble." She smiled at Irina in silent thank you for agreeing with her plans.

Jacqui spent the next few days organizing all of her affairs so that she could disappear. She handed in her final paper and thanked her luck that she had finished writing the only two exams she had earlier in the month. Everything was set up with General Conners and she began at the CIA in two days. In those days Jacquelyn Derevko Bristow would vanish and Madison Jackson analyst would take her place. Jacqui was nervous over the prospect of meeting the rest of her family, and excited over the work she would get to do.

Irina had left to meet Sloane and Sark the day before. Jacqui knew that for the next little while her mother would be stationed in Tel Aviv with her two business companions but after that there would be no way to contact her and she worried over the lack of communication with the closet person to her. She had just spent almost a year in a constant state of panic that she would receive a phone call from someone in the Program to confirm her mother's death.

Jacqui took one final look at the house and grabbed her bags. She would arrive in L.A. today and spend her two free days settling in. She was determined to find out everything she possibly could on the task force team, so she would be prepared for anything they threw at her. She was especially interested in reading her sister and father's files. Her mother had told her a lot about them, but it was never enough to fulfill her curiosity. She figured that by the time she was done at the CIA she would know everything about them she could ever wish to.

CIA Task Force Headquarters - Los Angeles

All members of the task force were seated around the briefing room table. Jack had finished his recounting of the events of the last few operations and where the team encountered difficulty. If Jack was angry or frustrated at the lack of success the team had, he was careful not to show it. He enjoyed a good mystery and felt his skills could serve to be tested. Whoever was getting to the artifacts first posed no physical threat to the CIA at present time.

He was prepared to finish the meeting and had only one more item to address.

"Marshall has spent the better part of the last few weeks working on decoding the disk we recovered in Tuscany, with no advancement. The disk appears to be more heavily guarded than we originally anticipated." He paused and let his eyes rest on Marshall for a second in silent apology. "CIA headquarters in Virginia have issued an analyst to work with us in decoding the disk." Everyone at the table appeared surprised at that announcement and shot Marshall questioning looks. Marshall's face fell slightly uncomfortable with someone taking over part of his job. "She comes highly recommended from the NSA and has experience with matters such as these."

"She?" Sydney questioned. Jack clicked a button on the consol in front him and all the screens in the room filled with information.

"Madison Jackson. 23 years old. She graduated top of her class from University of Waterloo in Canada. While there she did work for NSA and Interpol." There was no accompanying photo with the information, but the file did give the agents her physical profile. "She will be arriving here tomorrow afternoon. Devlin has made it clear that will are to utilize her in any capacity possible. If you are in need of research assistance or computer upgrades do not hesitate to ask her." Jack finished.

"Where do we stand on the Derevko, Sloane issue?" Kendall asked.

"There has been no action of any kind that indicates they are furthering their arsenal of weapons or information." Vaughn piped up.

"They may have all the information and weapons they need to carry out their plans, and we are still unaware of the location of the Rambaldi pieces. They could have bought them off of our mystery person." Jack said tersely.

"Speaking of which," Everyone's attention turned to Will. "whoever the mystery thief is, they're good. He left absolutely no trail and there is no video or audio feed that even suggests he was anywhere near the buildings items were stolen from." Amazement was evident in Will tone.

"umm...why are we assuming it's a guy, I mean Syd can do all that stuff, couldn't another girl...I mean woman...ummm...I yeah." Marshall said once he got over the shock of someone stepping on his territory.

"Mr. Flinkman is correct. There is no evidence to support the theory that the thief is a man or a woman; therefore we must not count out either possibility." Jack sat in his seat. "If anyone has any comments or concerns regarding our current status or the team's newest addition please voice them."

When no one spoke Jack nodded his head shortly signally the meeting adjourned. The team filed out while Jack remained seated. Before the door closed entirely he heard Weiss speaking quietly.

"I wonder if she's hot?" Jack merely rolled his eyes as he was sure Sydney was doing on the other side of the door.

Tel Aviv

Irina, Sloane and Sark all arrived at the warehouse together. None were interested in holding a conversation as they would not be secure. Their arrival was not a grand affair and they walked quickly toward the center of the facility. Once there Irina saw what was laid out before them and caught Sloane smile with pride.

"The manuscripts." She breathed. Irina reached out with a slim hand and caressed the aged pieces of paper.

"I have been able to retrieve most of them; however translating them has taken some time as I am only one man." His bravado remained.

"I assume that the process will be much quicker now that there are two of us." Irina's tone stayed soft.

"While you two catch up on some reading, it is quite possible that the CIA could begin to close in on us. Do you not think it best to just get rid of the threat." Sark said hastily.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Sloane asked darkly.

"As Sydney and her companion Michael Vaughn pose the greatest threat to our security, I propose we take them out of the equation." He said calmly.

"Sydney will not be harm yet." Slaone said decisively. Sark did not question this.

"Then why not get rid of Agent Vaughn? Sydney will no doubt be distracted by such an action." Sark's shoulder's straightened as he developed a plot in his mind.

Sloane surprised him by raising his voice. "Neither Sydney or Agent Vaughn are to be touched. Do I make myself clear?" Irina watched the play between the two and took in Sloane's demanding tone. He knows she thought.

"Why is it so important that they stay alive, you were the one that issued the kill order on Sydney's fiancé." Sark tried to defend himself.

"Almost a mistake on my part." Sloane had begun to relax. "Sydney and Mr. Vaughn are instrumental in the future of our operations."

"How so?" Sark's curiosity was peeked.

"The third Bristow woman will bring the strength to win the battle for the side who's company she is in." Irina stated evenly. "I am the first Bristow woman. Sydney is the second and her daughter will be the third." Sark looked at a smiling Sloane for confirmation. "Rambaldi prophesied it; it is all right here in the manuscripts."

"I wasn't sure if you were aware of the power your granddaughter will possess." Sloane said then turned back to Sark. "So now you see why their survival is of the utmost importance. Sydney must not die until the third Bristow is in my possession."

Irina smiled inwardly thinking of the third Bristow woman that was currently adjusting to life in L.A. Jacqui's existence was one of her best kept secrets and surely her most rewarding one. Sloane didn't realize that the battle was already lost for him, and it was only a matter of time now.

Four Seasons - Los Angeles

Jacqui was just getting out of the shower when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it and her suit case searching for cloths for the day.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello Jacquelyn." A deep male voice said on the other end.

"Cameron! It's good to hear from you." She said while deciding between her black or pink underwear. "How are things in Prague?"

"The weather could be better, but other than that everything is wonderful."

"Well, small talk is great, but why don't you tell why my mother asked you to call me and we can both move forward with our days or nights as it may be across the pond." Jacqui returned.

"You always were too smart for your own good. Yes, your mother did ask me to call you. She said that you have been helping her recently and you may need someone to speak to about things you did or saw." He said evenly.

"I can't believe this. My mother called an ex-CIA shrink on me. I did like seven jobs for her it was no big deal. I mean I only tortured and kill eleven people." She said calmly.

"Jacqui, you didn't actually think I would find that funny did you?"

"Not really, but I enjoyed saying it." Her tone was teasing. "But if you really want to delve into my psychie, let's take a mental walk through my life. My mother never hid anything from me. I always knew what her occupation entailed, the events surrounding my conception. I have always known that my father was CIA and that I have a sister that I was never able to meet. I know that my mother tried to redeem herself by helping you and all the others. By the way I still find it funny that despite you and many of the others having been in the Program for at least twenty years, you continue to call each other Agent. But getting back to what I was saying; I swore I would never take a side in is distorted game you all play. My mother even went so far as to send me to boarding school and hiding my birth certificate to keep me away from it, yet I now find myself in the centre of it all. Everyone in the Program had to give up something to keep themselves and their families safe. They had to give up their lives, everything they ever knew, and I had to give up on ever getting what I've always wanted. I'm twenty-[EDIT]ing-years old. I should be out getting drunk with my friends, not playing a part in a [EDIT]ing global intelligence war." Jacqui had talked quickly and slightly slurred. She sat on the edge of her bed in the stark hotel room wishing she could be anywhere else.

"Well, that was further than I thought we would get." Cameron said. "There have been times over the years when I have wanted to talk to you about everything that has gone on in your life, but sometimes your mother was enough to analyze." He said dramatically.

"What times were those? During my mother's endless nightmares, how about during her addiction to pain killers, oh no, even better how about when she tried to commit suicide. I bet you really wanted to talk to me then didn't you." Jacqui felt the weight of the world closing in on her. Her policy over the years was to push aside her feelings and move on before they could bury her. The bottom was finally falling out from beneath her and her head swam with the effort to stay on the phone.

"Jacqui your life has been anything but normal; however you have managed to keep your feet on the ground and stay as far away from your parent's world as possible. I think every one of the people that currently stay protected because of your efforts in your mother's pseudo Witness Protection Program are proud of you and even more are impressed." Cameron had been one of the first to be saved from the grips of the KGB twenty years ago by Irina Derevko. He would feel indebted to her for the remainder of his life and felt that was a small price to pay for what she had done for him and so many others. "I always got the feeling from you Jacqui that you were interested in being part of operations and playing the game as you so gentle put it." Cameron said wanting to keep her talking for as long as he could. Jacqui was not a very open person, and her pervious unleashing of emotions was a surprise.

"It has always held a certain appeal to me, but I'm not a fan of human suffering or angst. I prefer people to be happy." Her ironic smile could be heard through the line.

"Well, then in my professional opinion I suggest you go out today and do something that you believe ends human angst and pain. I'm sure you can find one good deed to complete before you go to bed tonight." He said. "And we will discuss the other topics on another day, but don't think that I'm going to forget them." Cameron finished.

"Thanks for calling Cameron. And if you speak to my mother tell her that she was right, just don't tell her I said so. Take care of yourself." Jacqui spoke quietly, winding down from her emotional release.

"You too. Goodbye Jacquelyn." Cameron hung up the phone hoping that she would be okay.

When Jacqui hung up the phone she was at a loss of what to do to make herself feel better. She finished getting dress and moved to the hotel desk where files of her future co-workers were strewn about. The sight of Marcus Dixon's file caught her eye and she immediately began forming a plan.

L.A. Park

It was late afternoon by the time Jacqui had found the location of Diane Dixon. She was seated on a park bench watching her daughters play with the other children. Jacqui made her way over and sat down beside the older woman. Diane smiled at her and Jacqui returned it, then they both turned their heads forward again.

"You know, it seems to me that a man can only lie so much." Jacqui said suddenly catching Diane completely off guard.

"What did you say?" She asked in a breath.

"Men aren't very good at lying about their feelings and who they are. Granted they could lie about where they've been, who they were with and even what they do for a living, but after that you can usually see right through them." Jacqui continued thoughtfully.

"Who are you?" Diane said inching away.

"No one important, but it has come to my attention that you left your husband because he lied about the work he did."

"Did Marcus send you?" Diane asked wearily.

"Marcus," Jacqui drew out his name. "doesn't know that I exist. I'm here because I have a habit of doing good deeds and that often entails me sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. I can understand that you are hurt because your husband kept something from you in a relationship you thought was built on trust. I can even understand you wanting to walk out on him, but you cannot ask him to give up his career." Jacqui shifted her eyes to catch Diane's.

"I married a banker not a spy." Diane whispered.

"You did marry a spy, you just weren't aware of it. Do you think that now that you know, things are going to change that drastically? Your husband got up and went to work every day that you knew him, to a job that could get him killed. You hugged him and kissed him goodbye every one of those mornings, never forgetting to tell him you loved him I bet. The only thing that has changed now is that you can savor the time you get with him more. You now know the danger he puts himself in for the good of his family and his country."

"If he wanted to be good to his family he would quit." Diane had started to loose her patients.

"You're not listening to me. The life your husband leads is the only one he has ever known. Asking him to give that up would be asking him to leave a piece of himself behind. With you unwilling to forgive him you are risking precious time WITH him." Jacqui grabbed her hand softly. "I've seen people die and I've seen them live. I'm telling you to join your husband again and enjoy your life together, because until you do neither of you will be living." Jacqui smiled at her and walked away. She just hoped that Diane would find her way back to her husband.

TBC

Okay so Feedback?????? Really what did you think????
 
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Chapter 8</span>

Sydney's House - Los Angeles

Sydney was in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Vaughn took his shower. She reflected on the past few months with a smile. She would never have thought she could be so happy with someone. Sydney knew she would never forget Danny, but she felt something for Vaughn that made those feelings pale in comparison.

Vaughn hugged Sydney from behind placing a kiss on the back of her neck when he walked into the kitchen. She smiled deeper and moved further into his arms.

"Good Morning." She said.

"Mmmmm, morning. You should have waited for me before you had your shower." He proceeded to open the fridge door and grab the orange juice.

"If we had done that we would have been late for work this morning and we have an important meeting. I'm sure my father would be less than pleased and more than likely able to deduce our reasons for being absent." Sydney looked at Vaughn over her shoulder.

"What do you think this Madison girl is all about?" Vaughn asked opening the paper and scanning its contents.

"I don't know, I don't think my Dad is too impressed with the addition though." Sydney walked over to the table with two plates of omelets and placed one at her place setting and the other in front of Vaughn.

Vaughn looked up from the paper and smiled at the breakfast then pulled Sydney into his lap. "Now this is what I call morning service." He kissed her sweetly, then deepened the kiss when he got no rejection from her.

"Morning." Will said as he walked into the kitchen, hair all over the place. Sydney and Vaughn pulled away looking embarrassed at being caught.

"Morning Will." "Morning." They both returned.

"Anything of great interest happening today?" Will asked indicating the paper Vaughn was reading.

"I haven't gotten to that section of the paper yet. Your welcome to have it, I'm looking at the real estate pages." Will looked thoughtful and Sydney looked shocked. She had no idea that Vaughn was already looking for a house.

"Oh, you thinking of buying a house?" Will took a drink of his water.

Sydney piped up in answer. "Actually we're looking at buying a house."

Will looked like he was about to choke for a second then regained his composure. "Really!!?" He said. Sydney and Vaughn just nodded at him.

"Hey Syd, listen to this one." Vaughn indicated an ad in the paper. "Three bedroom, two story, two and a half baths, full kitchen, living room, dinning room and study. Twenty minutes to downtown L.A." He voice held excitement over his find.

"It sounds expensive." Sydney returned.

"We could at least go take a look. It would give us a starting off point. The asking price is a little steep, but we’re both working and I have some money saved for a down-payment." Vaughn looked pleadingly at her.

"It sounds pretty nice to me." Will said from the kitchen.

"Okay, we’ll go take a look. Set up an appointment with the realtor as soon as possible." Vaughn kissed her in thanks. "Now I have to go finish getting ready for work." She jumped off his lap and raced to the bedroom.

"So, you're buying a house together." Will said slowly.

"Yeah." Vaughn nodded his head.

"Do you think you'll ask her to marry you eventually?" Will asked, careful of the ground his was on.

Vaughn took the question in stride and was happy that Sydney had friends that would look out for her interests. "I'm hoping Sydney will eventually agree to marry me, but for now I would just like to spend some time together and wait for things to slow down at work." Both men nodded at each other but were interrupted by a loud bark.

Will was so startled he spilled what was left of his water down the front of his T-Shirt. "What the hell was that?" The shock was plastered across his features.

Vaughn began laughing at Will's expression and found it difficult to answer. "That was Donovan, my dog. Syd and I went over to my place early this morning to pick him up for a run. He's just mad that no one is paying attention to him."

Will walked into the living room and around the couch to find a dog, presumably Donovan, lying comfortably on the floor. "Oh, well then could you ask him to announce his physical presence before barking next time. I thought my heart was going to stop." With that he smiled and left the room.

CIA Task Force Headquarters - L.A.

Everyone sat around the briefing room table for what was to be a quick meeting. Jack had not arrived yet, nor had their newest agent. When Jack did arrive he looked sharply around the room and noticed the absence of the analyst.

"I assume our new addition has yet to make her appearance." His displeasure was obvious. The door opened suddenly and with an air of confidence Madison Jackson (Jacquelyn) strode into the room.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I have never battled traffic as horrendous as L.A.'s." Her control was unwavering as she took in the faces around the table. She recognized Jack and Sydney instantly, studying their facial features. She was surprised at the emotion she felt by just being in the same room as them. Her sister looked so much like their mother is was remarkable; she had always considered herself much more of a mix of Irina and Jack.

Jack watched the young woman enter the room and his breath caught in his throat. There was nothing overly outstanding about the girl outside her natural beauty, but something nagged at him that she was of greater importance to him than she should be. She truly was a beautiful girl he recognized. She held herself with a confidence that compensated for her lack of height.

Sydney was having much the same reaction as her father. The girl in front of her felt familiar and Sydney immediately felt comfortable in her presence. She hoped her first impression would ring true and that the young woman in front of her would prove to be a wonderful addition.

"You must be Agent Bristow. I'm Madison Jackson. It's a pleasure to meet you Sir." She stuck out her hand. Jack grasped it tightly and they shook. He kept his eyes locked on hers trying to size her up and determine what her character was made of.

Jack got a hold of himself and spoke. "I would appreciate if you would arrive on time for work tomorrow Ms. Jackson."

"Yes Sir, I'll be sure to be on time from now on. And please call me Jacks I have no affinity for my first name and no need for formalities." She looked around the room to see Sydney, Vaughn, and two agents she identified as Dixon and Weiss trying to cover their smirks. Jack looked less than pleased but chose not to comment.

"I would like to introduce you to the people on the task force. Agent Sydney Bristow." He gestured to Sydney.

"I've heard great things about you Sydney." Jacks smiled slyly.

"Agent Michael Vaughn." Jack continued. Jacks nodded at him.

"Agents Marcus Dixon and Eric Weiss."

"Nice to meet you." Weiss said quickly drawing looks from everyone in the room.

"Agent Kendall." Kendall did little to acknowledge her existence.

"And this is Marshall Flinkman. He is our tech expert; you will be working most closely with him."

"I look forward to working with you Marshall." Jacks smiled at him.

"I- um- well - I mean - I-uh- look forward to- uh working with you -to- ah. If you need anything just ask me - Marshall -ah." His eyes moved rapidly and Jacks tried to keep up.

"Thank you Marshall. I'll keep that in mind."

"You will have to be briefed on our objective and the progression of the disk." Jack said.

"I was under the impression that you had made no progress with the disk. Isn't that why I am here?" Jacks tone held no malice.

"Now that you have been introduced to everyone, I expect that you will begin work on the disk immediately. Mr. Flinkman will show you to your desk. Dismissed." Jack had done well not to get too irritated by Ms. Jackson. He hadn't yet formed an opinion of her. He was trained to read people at their most basic level yet Madison Jackson had stumped him.

If she served to aid them in their search for Derevko and Sloane he could care less what her character consisted of. He left the briefing room to find Marshall standing over 'Jacks' he thought with a mental grimace. She was sitting and listening to him ramble politely, but appeared anxious to get to her work.

"Marshall you have helped Miss. Jackson to her desk, now is there not some work you could be doing?" Marshall looked wide eyed at Jack and scurried away tripping over his tongue in apology.

Jacks smile at the man before her. He seemed taller than she expected and held quite the presence. She was definitely looking forward to getting to know him better.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Irina worked tirelessly at translating the manuscript. She found the work had a calming affect on her. Sloane had been helping her on and off, but showed a noticeable disinterest with the work he seemed so intent on weeks before. Irina didn't like the effect Emily's death was having on Sloane. He had withdrawn into himself more than usual and had begun taking more drastic measures to expedite the plan. She also did not like the attitude that Sark was taking on. He was playing the role of spoiled child pitting his sole providers against each other in order to get what he wanted. His actions left Irina feeling even more uneasy about the remainder of her operation, but she was able to adjust and mold her plans to fit the situation at hand.

She watched as Sloane entered the room appearing lost in thought, another difference to the man she had joined weeks before.

"I'm uncomfortable with Sark's actions of late. He seems to have an agenda of his own and intends to use us to help him accomplish it." Irina said carefully; she wanted to test the waters of Sloane's judgment.

"I've noticed his behavior as well and have issued someone to watch him carefully for the next while. His youth and eagerness will get him killed if he is not careful." Sloane took the seat opposite Irina and established eye contact.

"I agree. He seems to have little regard for the rewards what we are trying to accomplish will reap. He is too ignorant to recognize what greatness we are embarking on." Irina dropped her voice to pull Sloane into the picture her words were painting.

"It is disappointing Sydney was not more inclined to see the good that can come from what we are doing. She would have made a much better addition than Sark, and it would have simplified obtaining her future child." Sloane developed a smile that shook Irina to her core. His comments regarding Sydney had served to raise her blood pressure instantly but she held her calm exterior.

When she looked at Arvin Sloane, Irina could easily justify the well kept secret that was her second daughter. Jacquelyn and Sydney were Irina's hope for the future. They were everything she could attribute to the wonderful things in life. She had done everything in her power to ensure that none of her associates were aware of Jacquelyn's existence and made sure to project an unfeeling nature towards Sydney's. Her life depended on the continuation of her children's. She could not fathom loosing one of them to the life their family was pulled into.

Her thoughts were suddenly thrust in the direction of Jack. She wondered what he was planning in way of capture of her. She had gotten through the last few weeks with the remembrance of his touch and the expression in his eyes during their night in Panama. She had missed those eyes and longed for that touch for twenty years. Sitting now, miles apart she allows herself to wonder if the night had all been for the purpose of implanting the chip in her; if Jack had used her as he thought she had used him during their marriage.

She remembers the pain, both physical and emotional she felt when Jack injected the second chip into her chest. She had not been fully asleep, merely in a blissful state somewhere between dreams and reality when she felt him looming over her. Her first instinct had been to open her eyes and participate in what she thought was going to be another round of slow seductions and pleasure. Instead she decided to feign sleep and make him work for her participation. But it was not the tender feel of his lips that met with her chest; rather it was the quick sharp pain of the tracking device entering her body. She waited until she was certain Jack was asleep then left the warmth of the bed. She sat on the couch for the rest of the night, staring unseeingly at the hotel walls. She was out of the shower and dressed by the time Jack woke up and pulled her trusted mask on to act as though everything was splendid.

"I think you've been at this desk too long Irina." Sloane's insidious tones snatched her from her revere. "You've been paying me little attention for a while now. Maybe you should think about getting some rest." Sloane continued.

"No, I'd rather continue to work. The sooner I finish here, the sooner we can move ahead." Irina tried to appear completely interested.

"While you were apparently not listening I told you that we were going ahead with the plan whether the manuscripts have been fully transcribed or not." Irina's mind worked quickly to catch up to Sloane. "In four days we are going to infiltrate the research facility on Brunei, there we will begin development of the next weapon."

"I may have some experience with biological science Arvin, but none of us have the abilities needed to find one genetic structure apart from millions of others and develop a weapon to target it." Irina felt uncomfortable, she was unsure what had provoked such a decision in Sloane but she was not interested in analyzing his motives yet.

"The facility has a handful of biologists that could be affective, but it also houses an advanced geneticist that has the promise of being very useful." Sloane's sly smile caused Irina to see red.

"Who is this geneticist? How easily do you think we’ll be able to guarantee his cooperation." She asked while keeping her temper in check.

"His name is Azan Dolby. And I'm sure we can ensure his cooperation Irina." His smile remained in his excitement he missed the flash of recognition that flashed through Irina's eyes.

Azan Dolby was formally Charles Doherty. He had work on the biological weapons project in the United States during the Cold War. He was tied to the CIA and NSA and when the KGB gained Intel on his purpose within both agencies they issued a kill order. The order included his wife and three children, but before the KGB could get to Charles Doherty he was shot point blank in the head by Irina Derevko. At least that is what CIA records say, but in fact like a phoenix Charles Doherty rose from the ashes to assume the identity of Azan Dolby, a lonely geneticist that worked in seclusion in the small country of Brunei.

Irina knew the potential the Dolby held and she hoped with everything she had that Jacquelyn would decode the disk at the CIA so that they might stop Sloane before he got to Brunei.

CIA Task Force Headquarters

Five days had passed since Jacquelyn had joined the CIA team under her alias Madison Jackson. She had kept mostly to herself but found that she enjoyed interacting with Sydney, Vaughn, Marshall and Weiss. She had also been introduced to a researcher named Will Tippin that was a good friend of Sydney's. Jacqui had found her work slow going, being out of her usual relaxed element.

Yesterday had been the most interesting of her days yet with the CIA. Jacqui had finally become fed-up with working so slowly at decoding the disk and decided to introduce some music into her atmosphere.

As the first notes of 50 cent's 'In Da Club' filtered out of her desktop computer terminal all eyes turned on her. She was quickly listed reason upon reason for NOT disturbing other agents while they work and propriety of the work place.

Some agents had been upset at her blatant disregard of their work's importance while others tried to hide their bemusement. She had caught the slight smile capture Sydney's lips when she had been called into Agent Bristow's office.

So it was with mixed feelings that she entered the central hub of the task force that morning. She had already deflected the stares of security when she entered at seven, just five hours after leaving the night before. Jacquelyn signed as she made her way over to her desk. Before she left the office the night before she had promised herself that the disk would be decoded within the next week and she was determined to keep that promise.

Jacqui's steps slowed as she caught sight of a plain brown box sitting on her desk. Her eyes stayed glued to the package as she approached. She sat down at her desk, pulled the lid off and found a set of headphones nestled inside. With them was a short note that looked hastily written. 'For a more productive and pleasant work day', it said. The note was not sign but upon glancing around the sparsely populated room so early in the morning she mad eye contact with Jack. He nodded faintly then turned and walked briskly to his office. With Jack's back to her Jacqui smiled widely then plugged her headphones into the back of the computer terminal and set to work.

Time seemed to fade into the background as Jacqui made progress on the disk. The initial firewall was the most difficult to brake through as it was a series of mathematical paradoxes as equations set in an intricate design. Once she had worked out the first problems the disk became more systematic and much more routine to crack.

She felt the tension begin to build between her shoulder blades and the letters and numbers start to blur on the screen. Jacqui felt eyes on her and turned to see Sydney and Vaughn watching her carefully from his desk. She turned back around and saw that Jack and Kendall were watching her from the other side of the room. All four moved toward her, flanking her on all sides. She stood up to address them.

"Miss Jackson, when did you come in?" This from Kendall.

Jacqui looked at them confused. "Seven o'clock."

"What day was that?" Vaughn asked.

"Tuesday." She answered. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed just enough to make them seemed even larger than already were. "Why?"

"It's Friday today Miss Jackson. You have not left the office in three days." Jack said confused at the concern he felt for the young woman in front of him.

"I hadn't realized so much time had passed. I was making such progress with the disk that everything else just seemed to fall away." She saw the disbelief and concern on their faces and hurried to reassure them. "I sometimes get so immersed in my work that I go without sleep, it is nothing to worry about; my body is quite used to it." She smiled in addition to her assurances.

"We didn't know that you had made any headway with the disk." Sydney piped up, finally contributing to the conversation.

"Mmmm - once I got passed the initial firewalls the disk began revealing pieces of information. Most of it was biological in nature; however the information has been in at least seven different languages." Jacqui responded.

"Had you let us know that you had access to some of the information we could have assigned people to begin analyzing it." Jack had pulled the demanding and stern mask back on.

"I've got a double major in chemistry and biology. I've been translating the data as it revealed itself." Jacqui said easily. She handed over three CDs that would seem to hold the data she spoke of.

"I thought you said that the information was in an array of languages." Vaughn stated perplexed.

"I'm fluent in a few different languages and was able to translate it." Jacqui looked at the four people standing in front of her.

"Madison Jackson's file does not state linguistics as an area of expertise, or biology." Kendall challenged.

"No one ever asked if I could speak more than one language, and a biology degree has little to do with what I was initially sent here for, therefore making it knowledge of little consequence." She shot back at Kendall.

"What languages do you speak?" Jack asked with a touch of bitterness,

"Well, English, French, German, Spanish, Greek and Italian." She stopped and looked at the four agents. Jack looked about to speak again, so she interrupted him. "And um - Chinese - both the Singapore and Taiwan dialects, Sindhi, Russian, Nepali, Farsi, Arabic - the Saudi Arabian and Kashmiri dialect, Japanese and Afrikaans." She finished looking uncomfortable. Jacqui had never liked divulging what knowledge she had; she felt it put her at a disadvantage.

"And none of this is in your file?" Sydney asked incredulously. She was amazed at the intellect of the young woman standing in front of her, but then figured that many people may think the same of her.

"I'm a contracted analyst. The NSA did a background search on me but I don't have a detailed profile like any of their active agents."

Jack blinked his eyes and seemed to shift gears in the conversation. "You seem to have gotten further with the disk in a week than we got in almost three. When do you estimate you will have it completely decoded?"

"It's like peeling back the layers of an onion. With every block I lift, information is revealed. I'm not sure how many more layers are left, but an educated guess would be, not many. I would like to have it completed by the end of today." Jacqui returned.

"That quickly?" Kendall voiced the surprise that all the agents seemed to be feeling from the conversation with Madison Jackson. Jacqui nodded at them.

"I think it may be a good idea if Jacks went home for the day, to rest and finished with the disk tomorrow." Sydney said slowly gaining the attention of everyone present.

"It is really kind of you to worry, but I'll be okay. However if the CIA has a gym, I would love to spend an hour there. My shoulders and back are beginning to cramp up." Jacqui asked smiling.

"There is one up stairs. You're welcome to use it." Vaughn answered.

Jacqui smiled graciously at the four people surrounding her and made her exit. "Thank you. I'll be there if you need anything."

Once she was gone Kendall spoke to the others. "I wonder what else is not present in her file?"

Vaughn, Jack and Sydney looked thoughtful. "There are cameras in the gym upstairs, and a viewing console on the other side of this floor." Syd told the others easily. They all walked in the direction Sydney indicated the surveillance consoles were located.

Jacqui arrived in the CIA gym to find five other occupants, only one being another woman. She had changed from her black business suit to a pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra. Jacqui was impressed with the quality of the gym facilities the CIA built and moved further into the room. She immediately noticed the lack of music and rolled her eyes. There was a stereo system in one of the corners so she pulled out a CD she favored working out to from her bag and placed it in the player.

The music was not commented on by the other occupants but Jacqui knew they were watching her. Paying them no attention she stood in the middle of the matted floor and stretched out her back. The agents using the other equipment in the room stopped to gawk at Jacqui when they witnessed what she was doing.

She had lifted her body up on her toes in a perfect point position. Her arms were circled out in front of her for balance and she then began to move. Her movements were graceful and precise as she moved on pointed toe and exacted pirouettes and fully extended leaps across the mat. In a short amount of time Jacqui felt revitalized as the endorphins pumped through her bloodstream. She stopped once she was adequately warmed up and stretch the rest of her body. It was at this time she became aware of the quiet laughter of her male coworkers and snippets of their conversation.

Jacqui turned to look at them unaware of the audience she held in another end of the CIA building. "Are they laughing at the fact that she was doing ballet?" Sydney asked the three men in the room.

"I think they are." Vaughn answered.

"I attended ballet classes for the better part of my childhood and I can attest to the fact that nothing Jacks just did was easy." Sydney defended her new acquaintance.

"There is a big difference between CIA fighting style and ballet. I don't believe the mats have ever had a dancer on them." Kendall tried to suppress his own laughter but his comment held a derogatory undertone. They all turned back to the screens to see how the events would play out.

"Do you employ moves like that in the field?" One of the male agents asked Jacqui with a smile.

Jacqui's eyes narrowed at the agent. "I'm sorry; I don't believe I know you're name."

"Agent DeLuca. This is Agent Thomas." He pointed to his left. "And Agents Kropman and Dover." He indicated to his right. "They're all real interested to find out how you take people down while on your toes." They all stifled a laugh.

"I'm not an active agent. I'm merely an analyst. But I do have some training in defense strategy." Jacqui straighten her spine and played up to the four agents.

"Agent Dover here would like to see those 'defense strategies'." DeLuca said.

"Does Agent Dover speak for himself, or are you the only one able to translate Neanderthal into English." Jacqui shot back.

"I speak just fine thank you. And I would love to see you in action, Madison is it?" He spoke snidely.

"I would appreciate if you addressed me as Miss Jackson." She paused. "Well then which one of you is going to join me on the mat to give a demonstration?" She asked innocently.

DeLuca was the largest of the four and stood to join Jacqui on the mat.

"Look kid, I don't want you to get hurt. How old are you anyway? 19?" He turned back to look at his friends smiling.

"I'm 23 actually," Remembering her alias' age. "and you won't hurt me. Unless of course you don't think you can defeat me." Jacqui moved a few steps closer DeLuca.

"Okay, fine. But I want it to be perfectly clear that you agreed to fight me." DeLuca said turning this time to look at the only other female occupant in the room.

"Lets go." Jacqui said seriously.

The four Agents watched the monitor in front of them in disbelief.

"Is Agent DeLuca actually going to fight her?" Vaughn looked around the room.

"I believe so." Jack returned.

Jacqui and DeLuca circled each other on the mat. "Are you going to make a move or just watch me all day?" DeLuca asked chuckling.

Jacqui moved in with a slow right hook. DeLuca moved out of its path and returned with a sharp jab to Jacqui's abdomen. She reeled back from its force then altered her stance just slightly. One of the habits her trainers were never able to break her of was forcing her opponent to strike her first in order to assess their strength and center of gravity. Jacqui like the strategy and felt that she was able to defeat her opponents quicker by using it.

This time DeLuca came at her with quick left jabs. With a series of perfectly timed moves Jacqui had not only deflected all of DeLuca's advances but had him bent at the waist in pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry did the added height of being on my toes throw you off?" Jacqui's tone had turned dark and mocking.

DeLuca seemed angry and made himself get up. Jacqui's feet barely moved as she tired DeLuca then kicked him square in the chest. DeLuca fell to the floor unceremoniously. His three friends had move to stand around him and help him up. He shook them off.

"What the hell was that?" Dover asked Jacqui.

"I thought we were fighting, but I must say I was expecting a little more of a fight." Jacqui smiled at them. "How about we make things more interesting, you four against me."

"You're on." DeLuca got up trying to salvage his ego.

Jacqui took a deep breath to calm her anger. She had been trained to fight up to six people at the same time and had no doubt that she would teach her 'coworkers' a lesson. The fight lasted only a few minutes as Jacqui targeted the weakest points on the agent's bodies.

When it was finally over Jacqui stood over them. "Two things you should know as CIA agents. One: NEVER underestimate your opponent's strength and ability."

"And two?" One of the other agents asked.

"Never piss off a ballerina." She smirked at them then left the gym.

Back in the surveillance room Sydney, Vaughn, Kendall and Jack all watched in shock. Madison Jackson seemed to have more secrets then they had originally thought. And Jack was going to make sure he found out every single one.

CIA Task Force Headquarters - Los Angeles

Jacqui looked down in the corner of her computer screen and notice the disk percentage that was still decoded was at 4%. Relief spelled out in her mind at the thought that her work was almost complete. It was already four o'clock on Friday but after her exercise in the gym she felt better than she had in a while. As the material on the last portion of the disk began to reveal itself, Jacqui sat up a little straighter in her chair. Her eyes widened to show her shock and her lips parted just a fraction of an inch. Eyes moving rapidly over the screen she took in what she was seeing; none of it made sense. The disk was completely decoded and the information didn't seem to mean anything important. The words CHROMOSOMAL EXPOSURE and GENETIC RESILIENCE jumped out at her. Her face dawned a look of confusion and thought as her mind tried to make sense of the information.

Jacqui began getting anxious and her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes and tried to slow it and her racing heart. Seconds passed and all of a sudden Jacqui's eyes flew open and she sat forward in her seat. Vaughn looked up at the quick movement and notice Sydney had as well. He tilted his head to the side in silent question, Sydney merely shrugged her shoulders.

Marshall had been on his way over to Jacqui and was startled by her jolt. He moved slowly toward her and spoke.

"Hey Jacks, um-did you need me? Um, that's not what I mean - I um - Um would you like some help with something? I was just wondering cause you've been here like forever and um - even Vulcans have to sleep- although they can go without sleep longer than humans - but I'm just as-" Jacqui cut him off with a quick smile.

"Marshall does the CIA have wipe boards?" She asked.

"Well, yeah - that wasn't what I thought you would ask-" He looked at her and interrupted himself. "why?" He asked.

"Could you please get me three of them and four different colored markers to go with them. I would really appreciate it." Marshall walked away to get the boards while Jacqui went back to work on her computer.

Her printer began spewing out paper with different chemical and mathematical equations on some and a foreign script on others. While her printer was running Jacqui looked around headquarters searching for empty space of any kind. The boardroom was out of the question because the desk sat in the middle, she could go to the gym but that would mean taking the boards upstairs. Jacqui made a decision to work at one end of the task force hub, for it was the only floor space available to her.

She grabbed the papers that had been printed and moved to stand in the middle of the floor. She started spreading out the pages on the empty floor as quickly as she could. Marshall came back with the boards and saw her on the floor. He looked around at everyone else in the room who was watching the strange analyst in yet another interesting situation.

"Um- Jacks, what are you doing?" Marshall asked carefully.

"That damn disk is not making sense, and I am determined to find out what it really means. Thanks for getting me the boards Marshall, you can just leave them there." She smiled at him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Marshall questioned for the second time in minutes.

"I may need a second pair of eyes to look over some equations, so stay close." Jacqui's smile seemed strained, as she was desperate to get to work. Marshall moved to Vaughn's desk where Sydney had planted herself upon seeing Jacks moving like a whirlwind.

"What is she doing?" Sydney asked Marshall.

"I'm not sure, but she's kinda scaring me." Marshall said with a quick smile and laugh.

Everyone in the Task Force watched from their various stations as the quiet, and different analyst worked. Jacqui looked at the floor where all of her papers were spread out then at the wipe board and began writing furiously. Everything around her disappeared and she became consumed with finding out what Sloane was planning. Her thoughts were moving too quickly for her right hand so her left joined in her mad writing. Some eyebrows were raised when they saw Jacks begin using both hands simultaneously. She moved quickly through all the boards, covering them in formulas and questions. She flipped the first board and filled the other side. As quickly as her activities had begun they ceased and she looked down at the floor. Jacqui squatted down to the ground and began rearranging the pages. Once she was satisfied she stood again and slowed her writing on the board. This time she wrote out what appeared to be an organic chemical compound, then moved to the last board and wrote down a sequence of letters. The first line was a sequence of 'Ts', 'As', 'Cs' and 'Gs'. The second lined differed slightly and the 'Ts' seemed to be replaced by 'Us'.

She stopped suddenly and moved away from the boards, seeming to see them for the first time. The Task Force was utterly silent as everyone seemed to holding their breath along with Jacqui. Finally Jacqui swallowed hard and recognized what she was looking at. Agents looked at each other in concern when Jacqui's face transformed into a picture of disbelief then horror.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jack stormed into the Task Force and asked forcefully.

Most agents raced back to their work, but Jacqui remained staring at the work littering the boards in front of her.

"Miss Jackson, how do you explain the state of the office?" Jack was furious.

"Mr. Bristow, I believe now would be a good time to call a briefing." Jacqui answered tearing her eyes from what she had written.

"We have a briefing set for tomorrow morning, in light of your expectation to complete the disk today." Jack had calmed slightly and found his sight drifting to the material that was surrounding the analyst.

"I've completed the disk and uncovered all of the information and I do not believe that postponing a briefing until tomorrow to be in our best interests." Jacqui looked desperately at the man that stood before her, hoping he would recognize her angst.

"Be prepared to brief everyone on your findings in fifteen minutes." With that he turned on his heels and went to inform the rest of the team.

Tel Aviv

Irina looked out the window from her dark bedroom to see a partially lit city. The clock read 4:30, and the bed looked as though it had seen a restless sleep. Irina's legs were drawn tight to her chest and she rocked very so slightly. She thought back over the dream she had just woken from and pulled her hair away from her damp neck and forehead.

In the dream she and Jack had been sitting on the beach in California that they had frequented while married. They were sitting close together on beach towels and watching their two young girls playing in the water. Upon seeing both Sydney and Jacquelyn together Irina realized that she was not experiencing a memory. Irina was completely content and relaxed sitting with her husband. The scene shifted to the room in Panama just as Jack had kissed her the first time.

He had laid her down on the bed then pulled away, keeping his face just inches for her. Jack's eyes bore into Irina's and she tried to pour her very sole into them for him to see. They kissed again more hesitantly this time, and Jack looked at her once more. This time her lips turned up slightly at the situation they had found themselves. Jack tried to restrain his expression but a smile slowly appeared on his face.

Soon both were smiling fully and kissing sweetly. Irina had slipped her hands underneath Jack's shirt and pulled it up over his head. They struggled slightly with it which caused Jack's smile only to grow and Irina to giggle very quietly. Irina's shirt was already off and her bra straps had been pulled off her arms but the garment remained clasped around her back.

Smiles remained on both their faces while Jack pretended to have trouble undoing the clasp on Irina's bra. When it finally came apart he threw it to the side and placed slow luxurious kisses on her chest.

Irina quickly flipped them both over and sat up slightly over Jack. He looked at her above him and his expression turned heated and passionate. The two explored each other slowly, learning all the new contours that had been twenty years in the making. Their love making had been so slow and sweet. With the first touch on Jack's lips on hers, Irina felt as though she had come home.

Irina was not one for analyzing her dreams, but didn't have a hard time figuring this one out. She ached hold and be held by Jack. She missed her daughters dreadfully and was feeling more alone than she had in twenty years. She wondered how Jacqui was making out at the CIA and what she thought of Jack and Sydney. She had always dreamed of introducing Jacqui to her father and older sister, but her dreams had rarely come to pass. Irina sighed just being grateful that Jacqui was finally able to meet her father and sister, despite it being masked in the lies that seemed to control all their lives.

Tomorrow was the beginning of the end for them all. Irina sat in her darkened room thousands of miles from ever person she loved, hoping that she would be able to stop Sloane.

CIA Task Force - Los Angeles

Fifteen minutes later Jack had assembled everyone around the briefing room table. Jacqui was seated and staring a nothing in particular.

"Miss Jackson, you had something to share with us." Jack raised both his eyebrows in expectation.

Jacqui stood from her seat and ran her hands down her fitted black Armani suit jacket unconsciously. "None of the information on the disk made any sense until I got to the last firewall. It was all just a jumble of biology and chemistry research that didn't connect in any fashion, until I applied the Rambaldi scripture to it." Jacqui paced back and forth in front of the circular desk, seemingly unaware of her coworker's surprise at her mention of Rambaldi. "It seems that Rambaldi prophesized a human that was resilient to most anything. They could withstand torture measures, poisons and a slue of other things." Jacqui passed but continued to pace.

"How is that possible?" Dixon asked when Jacqui didn't begin speaking again.

Jacqui stopped pacing and looked up at Dixon. She almost smiled at him remembering him telling Sydney, quite happily, that Diane had returned home with their two girls a few days ago. He said she had told him that she was in love with him and she didn't want to waste precious time together over something as insignificant as a job.

Jacqui mentally shook herself and got back to the matter at hand. "There is a theory," She paused again, looking at everyone at the table. "it is based in the idea that an unborn child that was exposed to different toxins, tortures and biological agents would build its own genetic immunity. Assuming it was not aborted by the body due to the stress. The child would produce resilient RNA in coloration to its DNA. The agents introduced to the unborn child would act as chemical mutagens and result in modifications to the DNA bases. The agents would then remove or re-pair amino groups to create a nucleotide base that would protect the child from the agents that had been used on them. All of this would occur in-utero. The child would then be born not only healthy but with chromosomal perfections." Jacqui finished, only to see many confused faces before her.

"The perfect baby." Sydney said slowly as understanding lit her eyes.

Everyone looked at her in understanding but were thrown when Jacqui said, "No". Jacqui eyed them all carefully and took a deep breath. "The prefect soldier."

"How-how did you figure all that out with just the print outs you had?" Marshall asked.

"More important yet, how did you translate the Rambaldi scripture?" Jack leaned back in his chair.

Jacqui realized that while she had been so preoccupied with the information she had uncovered and what it could mean she had made a large blunder in her cover. She wanted to kick herself for making such a stupid mistake, but instead tried to cover it quickly.

"I'm fluent in sixteen different languages. At such a point you begin to recognize similarities in tongues. In the case of Rambaldi, his writing has a very specific mathematical sequence to it and once I figured it out, I was able to understand what he was writing." Jacqui locked eyes with Jack, daring him to question her further. Jack got the distinct feeling that Madison Jackson was not telling the truth, but felt that in this case the truth would not change the outcome of her findings.

"How is Sloane going to use the information to his advantage? Is he going to start kidnapping pregnant women?" Vaughn asked, a little unclear on what was happening.

"No, there will be few children that would be able to withstand what Sloane- " she almost forgot to mention her mother in addition to Sloane but corrected herself. "and Irina are preparing, and they will not waste their time on the ones that will not. Rambaldi vaguely makes mention of the carrier of the child, but they are going to want to cross reference the DNA sequence they have against all those in the international database to ensure that they have a match before going forth." Jacqui explained.

"That is why they were trying to contract the bio genetics company in Stuttgart, until we interrupted their negotiations." Sydney added. Jacqui nodded along.

"Sloane's ultimate goal had been immortality, why would he need a soldier?" Kendall sat up in his chair and contributed for the first time that day.

"The soldier is one of the fringe benefits where Sloane is concerned. When every child is born, they have an umbilical cord. Housed within that umbilical are stem cells. The medical community has yet to even determine all the possibilities that stem cells could create, but enough is known that they are recognized as having amazing medical potential. In the case of the 'perfect baby' as Sydney dubbed it, if Sloane were to be given treatments of the child's stem cells he could quite possibly reach his goal of immortality." Everyone was stunned into silence. "Theoretically speaking, of course." Jacqui added.

"Where would Sloane and Derevko find someone that was able to do this for them, or even know what the hell they were talking about for that matter?" Will looked around the table after asking his question, still unsure why he was brought into this meeting.

"The answer to that also happens to be the answer to Marshall's question. When I was fifteen I spent a summer working with the top geneticist in the world at his research facility in Brunei." She got more raised eyebrows from around the table. "His name is Azan Dolby and he remains the best in his field, despite his low profile. I never would have figured out what the information on the disk meant had I not spent time with Azan. He was actually one of the first to share Rambaldi's theory on the in-utero conditions being used to create a resilient child, although his ideas ran more toward eradicating disease not immortality. If Sloane and Derevko were going to get help from anyone they would go to him." Jack took all of this new information in, while keeping his eyes on Miss Jackson.

"Will watch Echelon for anything related to Brunei. In the meantime, we will prepare in every possible way for a departure as early as tomorrow. Agent Vaughn, you will be running ops from within Brunei, however I will be accompanying you. Agent Dixon you will stay with me during the mission and scout departure sights. Marshall please prepare anything that may be of use during the operation. Agent Kendall will be staying here at the ops center and organize the information streamed to us in Brunei. Sydney and Madison," Jack bit out the name. "you will be leading the team infiltrating Azan Dolby's facility."

The faces around the table would have been comical if Jack were so inclined.

"Sir with all due respect I am not a field agent." Jacqui returned nervously. She had promised her mother that she would not take any chances with her life and stay at her desk.

"You may not be Miss Jackson; however, you proved yourself more than physically capable today in the gym," Jacqui looked down and cursed herself for not realizing that there were most likely cameras in the gym. "You also happen to have a great advantage in the operation. You are familiar with the facility having spent a summer there and will be able to help coordinate our efforts more precisely." Jack had an ease to his form that unnerved Jacqui. She realized that she was not going to be able to talk her way out of this one. Her own father had gotten her, game, set, match she thought with a smile.

"Then I guess the most logically course of action would include my participation." Jacqui said. Oh, would her mother be mad when she found out her father had 'made' her go on the op. Jacqui smiled mentally at the idea of her mother's reaction.

"Dismissed." Jack said. "Mr. Tippin please remain." Jack made notes in a file and waited until everyone had left the room.

"I have a special assignment for you Mr. Tippin." Jack began. "You are not to discuss this with anyone, not even Sydney." Jack eyed Will carefully.

Will nodded his head and sat forward, completely intrigued. "I want you to pull up everything you can on Madison Jackson. Dig if you have to. I want to know everything there is to know about her as quickly as possible. Use any means necessary."

Will knew better than to ask questions. "Yes Sir, I'll begin right away." Jack nodded and watched Will leave the room.

Once again he was alone with his thoughts. Only this time he was unable to stop thinking about Madison. She seemed to have made a good impression on Sydney, Vaughn, Dixon and Weiss. Marshall seemed slightly terrified of her but he would be more concern if he wasn't. Jack had to admit that the young woman was bright and very talented. But there was still something that was not sitting right with him.

Her face seemed familiar to him as though he had met her before. He went over the details of her face again in his mind, trying to pull something of use from them, but nothing jumped out at him. Her mannerisms were very similar to Sydney's, but there was something else. Suddenly the picture of Madison disappeared in his mind, only to be replaced by Irina's form. His lips burned with the remembered touch of hers only weeks before. He got up quickly from the table and gathered his things. He was determined to forget about the night he spent with Irina and the mystery of Madison Jackson was just the thing to do it.

TBC
 
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