Having finished two giant serials (Death in Kashmir and The Di Regno Effect) I thought about doing another serial. Of course, I did leave my readers with a real cliffhanger of an ending. Therefore, letting my wild imagination perk a few weeks, I began to form another story involving our most famous spy family. Jack and Irina have resigned from the CIA and SVR in order to bring a sense of order into their incredibly chaotic lives. Sydney, after returning from Rome, fell in love with Major Jan Riffkovsky, a Russian Special Forces officer. He courted and wooed her. Oh yes, well, Vaughn is married to Lauren Reed and now lives in Virginia. Remember, dear readers, he made his bed and has to lie in it – at least in my Alias world.

Oh yes, some of you may recognize the prologues’ two “adventures” as two previously mentioned in my story “Moments in Time.” I just re-edited, fleshed them out and voila…they are now a part of my new serial!

JJ Abrams owns all the characters he developed. I own the ones I developed.


THE RAMBALDI STONE
by Lenafan

PROLOGUE
SOUTH AFRICA – 1996

DeVryk Diamond Mines in South Africa were located on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. A lean tall figure stood with binoculars focused on a road that led to a small cabin in the valley’s below. It was hot, very hot. Sweat poured off the face and from between the shoulder blades, darkening the light green safari shirt. Even the bush hat didn’t keep the heat away. Irina Derevko, also known as The Man, head of a deadly crime cartel that dealt in blackmail, murder, robbery, and anything that made money illegally, was waiting. She scanned the horizon for the sign of an approaching car.

Below her, on the other side and behind the cabin, crouched Alexander Khasinau armed with a .45 automatic. He was her second-in-command. He had been with Irina since her re-instatement in the KGB after her stay in prison. In 1991, Irina was recruited for black ops for the new democratic government that was struggling to survive. She was in charge of finding money for the government that could not be traced. Criminal elements were using Russia and its various commonwealth states as a hunting ground for drugs, robbery, gunrunning, prostitution, and other numerous criminal activities. It was Irina’s job to make sure Russia was not a victim—that nothing of value was taken; and only money brought into the country.

In five years, she had returned almost six hundred million dollars to her government and made extra millions for her own cartel. The money was used to run the organization. She, personally, slowly amassed a large fortune, hidden away in assets such as real estate, stocks, and bonds. The Russian government was not aware of her wealth. She told no one, not even Khasinau. She was also keeping in touch with the man she betrayed, but still loved, Jack Bristow, through photos of him and their daughter, Sydney. In rare moments of quiet, her thoughts usually turned to them.

Now she was here on the edge of the vast Kalahari Desert on a double mission. The first, of course, was for the cartel and Russia. The second one was for the Magnificent Order of Rambaldi. The Master had contacted her two days ago after she informed him she was going to South Africa to intercept the sale of diamonds to the Alliance.

“Irina, we have just learned the De Vryk miners stumbled across the burial site of one of Milo’s precious assets. It is a rough-cut diamond of great beauty and very large. It has not reached the De Vryk offices yet. I believe the manager is planning to sell all the diamonds including it to The Alliance without his employer’s knowledge. You must retrieve the stone and hide it where no one will find it.”

“Do you have any suggestions?

“No, Irina, when you see it, I think you will know what to do with it.”

She brought the binoculars up to her eyes, scanning the horizon. She saw it, a small fast moving cloud of dust heading in their direction. She moved the glasses again to the cabin and the car parked behind it. Evidently, the manager with the briefcase was inside waiting. Her own Mercedes was parked even deeper in the bush.

“Alexander,” she called on their Comlink.

“Yes, Irina.”

“Get ready,” she said, “there is a car coming.” She watched him release the safety on his automatic then moved down the slope to a patch of trees. She had to have a front view when the car stopped. Irina was going to take out any guards that came with Carson while Khasinau was to get into the cabin and do the necessary close work. She waited with the sniper rifle cradled in her arms, sights on the cabin.

The car drove up and Morris Carson, the Alliance man, stepped from the rear carrying a mid-size brief case. The Alliance was reputedly paying the manager a huge sum for the diamonds. Two guards also alighted, sub-machine guns in their hands. They were carefully looking around, but they saw no one.

Irina looked to her left and saw Khasinau behind the cabin. She turned and saw Carson enter through the doorway. She put the rifle to her shoulder, sighted, and pulled the trigger twice. Both guards dropped to the ground, dead from headshots. She heard two more gunshots. That meant Alexander had completed his assignment. Irina leapt to her feet and ran forward, across the front of the car, and into the cabin.

As she burst through the door, she saw Khasinau about to look in the satchel. He looked up, startled. “Irina!”

She had her hand out. “The diamonds!” She demanded.

He handed them to her slightly angry at her demanding voice. She took the satchel from him, motioning to the briefcase, which lay next to the manager. Carson was on the floor behind his desk, dead. She gave him no second thought, knowing Alexander had done his usual thorough job.

She knew she had caught Alexander with his hand almost all the way into the satchel. She was growing wary of him and he was becoming uncomfortable working for her. He was older and felt he should have been placed in charge. She had heard that one night when he had consumed too much vodka. However, Khasinau was a friend of her father and he had recruited her when she was eighteen to work for the KGB. She was hesitant to act on her feelings at this time, remembering she would not have had Jack and Sydney if not for him.

He bent down, picked up the briefcase, and flipped open the locks. Inside were negotiable bonds worth nearly one hundred million dollars. His eyes grew large when he realized the amount.

“Not a bad day’s work,” Irina said. “Let’s get out of here. The sweat is pouring off me. I want to get where there’s air conditioning.”

She let him carry the money to their car. Khasinau threw the briefcase onto the seat beside him and Irina got into the back. He started the engine and then drove over the land onto the road leading to the little town of Rienkenpo. Irina sat in the back seat, wiping her face.

She reached inside the satchel and brought out a handful of diamonds. They seemed to glow in her hand even though they were still uncut. She dropped them back and felt around. Her long fingers touched a larger stone. They folded around it. She had it and the Alliance would never find it. DeVryk never knew they had a magical Rambaldi artifact.

“Get us to the airport. We have a long journey ahead to Amsterdam.”

Fifteen hours later, Irina left Khasinau at the cartel’s offices and walked out into the city. She was exhausted, but she had more to do before she could sleep. She took a taxi to 1560 Schloopfen. The taxi pulled up in front of a jeweler’s shop. Inside, she waited for an old man to make his way slowly out of the back. She smiled.

“Good evening. I am from the Master. He sent me to see you. My name is Irina.”

His old face came alive. “Yes, of course, what can I do for you?”

Irina told him and he nodded, smiling. She pulled a picture out of her pocket, handing it to him. “This is the young woman you are to give the ring to and no one else.”

“Of course, Irina. I can see she is your daughter.” He nodded, answering his own observation. “Yes, she will get this when I see her.”

“In the mean time, make sure no one sees the stone. You will do the cutting yourself?”

“That will not be a problem.” He fingered the stone. “But how can you be sure she will come here?”

“Arvin Sloane will hear about some other artifact that Milo left. It will be rather insignificant to the others. Still he will want it as a piece to the puzzle. He will send Sydney to pick it up.” She shook his hand warmly. “Be careful, Johan. I would not like to hear you were harmed because of this.”

“Don’t worry; it will be waiting for Sydney when she comes. You take care of yourself, Irina.” He kissed her on both cheeks then turned and left the outer shop with the stone held in his right hand. Irina knew she had left it in good hands. She left the shop, walking to the nearest taxi stand.


AMSTERDAM – 1999

It was late April and Sydney Bristow, who had just turned twenty-four, was in the great Dutch city on a benign assignment for Arvin Sloane. He had sent her to pick up a Rambaldi artifact. An old friend, Johannes Strub, had found an antique box at a flea market. He had contacted Arvin who would pay him a hundred times the amount it cost him. Arvin said he was sending an SD-6 agent, Sydney Bristow, to pick it up.

As she handed the jeweler the money, he asked, “Are you going to be staying long?”

“Yes, overnight. I thought I would go sight-seeing.”

He smiled, “We have a very beautiful city. There are many sites to visit. It is Saturday and I close early. My wife and I would be happy if you would dine with us after you have seen our Amsterdam.”

“But I don’t know you,” Sydney was surprised by the invitation.

“I know. Arvin is an old friend of mine and I am sure he’d want you treated well. You won’t get the chance to eat real Dutch food at a hotel.”

She thought it over and then smiled as only Sydney could do with genuine feeling. “All right, I’d be happy to come for dinner.”

That evening was a pleasant interlude for her. Although she didn’t need Dixon on this trip, it had been lonely without him hovering nearby to see that all went right. Now dining with the elderly jeweler and his wife, she was glad she was alone with them. His wife was an excellent cook. The jeweler related many stories about Amsterdam and its past as they drank wine and talked. Finally, the jeweler got up, indicating it was time to go.

“I have a gift for you,” he said.

Sydney was surprised, “I hardly know you.”

“It is an old ring. Antique, in fact. You reminded me of it when you came into the store. It has been gathering dust in a corner. Nobody seems to want it. You are a beautiful young woman and I think this ring would glow if you wore it.” He took a small box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a large diamond in an antique gold setting. It was stunning!

Sydney looked down on it. “It is gorgeous!” She looked at him. “You say this was gathering dust in a corner?” she asked skeptically.

“Yes, I polished it up this afternoon after you left. That is why it looks so good.” His face had a genuine look of joy on it. “It would give this old man a great deal of pleasure if you would take it. This is not a real diamond, if that is what’s bothering you. It is actually a very good cut glass. It originally came from Venice.”

She looked at him and then at the ring. She took it out of the box and slipped it on her right index finger. It was stunning and because of the large emerald cut stone in the center, almost garish. “All right, I’ll wear it for you. If anyone asks where I got it, I’ll tell them to look you up.”

“Fair enough, young lady.” He smiled happily. “There is a story attached to the ring that I want to tell you.” He held her right hand softly. “This ring is now yours and yours alone. Do not sell it or give it away. I am giving it to you with the knowledge you will cherish and keep it safe.

“The ring is about a hundred and twenty years old and was once the property of a princess who lived in Estonia. He father gave her the stone on her tenth birthday. She wore it until she died at the age of one hundred and one. The minute she died, the ring fell from her finger. However, her son and heir took the ring and sold it with other jewelry since his wife did not love antique jewelry. The moment the ring left the ownership of the Princess’s family, they fell onto hard times and soon they lost all their money and property. From then on, it was thought the ring blessed whoever wore it with good luck and long life.”

“No one bought the ring?” Sydney, though charmed by the story, was still not totally satisfied.

“No, it was given to me with a lot of antique jewelry. I traced it back to the Princess in Estonia and gathered all the facts.” He chuckled. “Of course, it could be just a story without factual basis, but one never knows…” He looked up at her earnestly. “You will promise this old man not to give it away or sell it?”

Sydney bent down and kissed him on the cheek. “Never!”

He looked out the window and saw the cab his wife had called for, stop out front. “There’s your cab.”

“Thank you again for the wonderful evening, the ring and,” she paused, her own eyes laughing, “the story.”

“This will be our secret?”

Sydney nodded and left.

The jeweler walked into his office. He picked up the cell phone lying on the desk and punched in some numbers. He listened for a moment until someone answered at the other end. “She has the ring,” he said.

A hundred miles away in an apartment somewhere in France, Irina Derevko snapped her cell phone shut. She smiled. Taking the glass of wine she had sitting beside her, she lifted it to her lips, sipped, then said, “Happy birthday, Sydney, sweetheart.”

:reallyexcited: Wow! What a birthday present!
I loved this chapter, lenafan. From your last story I knew that the ring Sydney wore was given to her by her mother, but reading how the diamond came to become a ring was fascinating! Thank you for another brilliant start to a new, exciting story. Looking forward to next Sunday's entertainment. :D
EspionageFan
:ph43r:

very good start

next week huh?

I guess I can make do seeing as ther is no new alias and last summer your serials mad e the no alias season a lot of fun

Thanks

Brenda

Thanks fans :blush01:
I appreciate the remarks.
Happy Birthday EF...has it been a year already? Wow!
B)

What a wonderful birthday present.

I'm sure the wait for Alias won't seem as lonely now. Brenda was right in what she said about last summer and your serials.

yay another huge story to come, man this made my day. cool story behind the ring, but does the stone actually do something? seeing as it's Rambaldi related and all? well I guess we'll find out next sunday. really can't wait, but thanks for the pm.

Magic stone...

means magic ring. :unsure:

And if The Nibelungenlied and LoTR have taught us anything it's that magic rings are generally not conductive to their owners good health. :unsure:

Eep!

Ahhh, but this is the stone of Rambaldi. This one is different. :lol:
In LOTR, when it was removed from its rightful owner, things happened. Frodo returned the ring and all was right. :)
And happy birthday to AgentGill...my birthday is also in May. Great month.
No, I'm not going to give you any hints. You'll have to wait. :(
B)

Actually my birthday was on April 26th, but thanks anyways lenafan.

OK, but then 4/26 makes you a Taurus (excellent astrological sign). I also am a Taurus. B)

Great start. Thanks for the pm.

HERE WE GO, FANS, ON THE WILDEST RIDE OUR SPY FAMILY CAN HAVE... B)

CHAPTER 1
DISCOVERY

Jack and Irina drove up to the monastery in a jeep they had rented in Ufa. It was not the best transportation in the area, nor was it the worst. At present, as they stood together looking at the monastery, the jeep was definitely out of breath from the climb. The radiator was steaming in the cold and the engine had coughed to a stop when Jack turned off the ignition. He briefly wondered if they would make it back to the village.

Irina frowned. “What?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know, but…” she shivered, “something’s wrong.”

He put his arm around her waist. “Come on, let’s go inside.” He led her toward the big oak doors. There was a bell pull outside, which when pulled, alerted the monks inside that they had visitors. If they were doing what monks do many times a day—meditate—it was possible they wouldn’t hear arrivals until the bell inside rang. They walked to the door and Jack pulled the bell ringer.

There was no sound. He pulled it again, harder this time. Jack looked at Irina. Now, he was worried. “Maybe something’s happened to the bell. I’ll knock.” The knock didn’t get any response. He pounded. Still no one answered the door.

Irina was uneasy. She glanced around but saw nothing to justify her unease. Her head swung back as Jack pushed open the door. He stepped inside carefully after pulling his automatic pistol from his inside jacket pocket. She followed him, not saying a word, a Beretta in her hand. The entry way was dim. The only light came from the doorway behind them.

“Do you know how to get to their private rooms?”

“I believe they are upstairs. The Master’s room is the first one at the top of the stairs.” As her eyes became accustomed to the gloom, she looked around and slowly picked out the hallways: one to the right led to the chapel and meditation rooms, the one on the left led to the dining hall, kitchen and the large gardens that extended beyond. The hallway directly in front of them, led to the Master’s office and to the private guest area where Jack and she spent a night after leaving Lake Baikul.

“Let’s check the chapel first. They might be in there together.”

Irina led the way, her gun at her side. Ordinarily she would never have drawn a gun inside the monastery. However, she had a terrible sense of impending doom. This was not what she was expecting. Their footsteps echoed on the stone floor. Jack made her step back as he pushed the chapel’s door open quietly. They stood in the entrance. The chapel was as dark as the rest of the building. The only light came from a stained glass window that overlooked the small alter. Even in the gloom, it was easy to see no one was present. The room was empty of all life.

“I do not like this, Jack.” Irina whispered.

He put his arm around her. “Let’s see the office and the guest room next.”

The office was empty, silent. Irina walked to the desk and looked down. There was a fine patina of dust covering it. No one had used it for some time, at least a month or more. What had happened to her old friend and teacher? She pulled out the drawers, but found nothing of interest. Glancing about the room she found it was undisturbed and just as she remembered it. The silence was unnerving.

“Jack! I know something’s happened to the Master.” She shivered. “He does not travel. He has lived here all his life.”

“Let’s search the guest room.”

They found no one and no clues. They hurried to the kitchen. It too was empty, but there they found something strange. A meal had been prepared. Fresh vegetables and fruit lay rotting on sideboards and a large butcher’s block. A pan sat on the stove and the food inside, obviously not yet cooked, and was moldy and uneatable. Water dripped from a faucet at the ancient sink. A thought flashed through Irina’s mind, remembering how long it had taken the monks to set up a system to bring water from the well into the kitchen. Jack walked over and turned the faucet to stop the drip.

“So far we haven’t a clue, do we,” he asked looking around. It was as though the monks had simply vanished.

She shook her head, “None!” She turned and led the way back to the stairway. Now she was a little more afraid. Their footsteps once more echoed as they climbed up to the private rooms of the monks. At the top, Irina stood staring at the closed door of the Master’s room. She was almost afraid to open it, afraid of what she might find. Jack touched her arm.

“Do you want me to open it first?” She nodded, following him. Jack opened the door and stepped inside. A terrible smell hit them both and they gasped then gagged.

“Moyo bog!” cried Irina.

Jack, who had been using a small flashlight in their search, slowly moved the beam around the room. It was on the bed. He kept the light on the unrecognizable thing that rested there.

“There,” he pointed, walking toward it. “Christ!” He swore.

“What is it?”

“At one time, I believe this was a cat. It’s been turned inside out. It hasn’t been here more than three or four days.” He stared incredulously at the thing. It was crawling with maggots. “You don’t need to see this.”

Irina, however, was at his side, looking down. “Sasha was his cat. Jack, something bad has happened here.”

“I agree, but what? So far, we have a very dead cat, but no Master and no other monks. I think we’d better look in their rooms.” He turned and walked out, Irina followed.

They searched the entire upstairs, but found no one. The monastery was empty of all signs of life: no monks and no Master. What had happened here? Where had they gone? What happened to the cat? How had its body been turned inside out? Who was responsible?

“I think we should leave now,” said Irina quietly. “I do not like it here.” Her voice had taken on a thicker Russian accent than usual.

She hurried down the hallway. The pair moved down the stairs and out the door quickly. Jack pulled it shut behind him. The sunlight was warm and they felt better out where they could see.

Jack opened the door to the jeep and sat down. “Get in,” he said, reaching over and unlocking the door.

Irina hurried around the front of the jeep. “Hell…” She cried disappearing right in front of his eyes.

Jack leaped out of the vehicle, gun drawn. He stared at the front of the vehicle where Irina had just been standing. Suddenly, he felt his own body grow warm. A light infused him with such brightness and heat as he had never seen or felt before and then he too, was gone.

The empty jeep stood in front of the empty, silent monastery. The sky was devoid of all life and the land around it stood silent, empty, and waiting. Inside the monastery lie a horrible mystery—the inside out cat.

<_< You're an evil, evil woman.

Frogboy_Lives Posted on Jun 7 2004, 03:03 AM

Yes, I'm twisted. :innocent:
My editor was totally floored when she read #15 thru 18. :huh: Still there is no Alias until January then, according to all reports (TV GUIDE MAG), we will have 20 straight episodes: no interruptions. :rockband01:
So until then, ALIAS fans have to have some sort of adventure to follow. Why not mine?<_<

Hang on though, it's gonna be a bumpy ride. :P

B)

What an interesting mystery? An inside-out cat.

evil evil thy name is lenafan

you are going to make us wait 20 weeks to read all of this

when you could post it all now? :wub:

sigh :wacko:

oh well

I will read and wait

brenda

wauw that was creepy, it was Sloane and his creepy time machine thingy wasn't it? anyhow great start and evil cliffhanger as always. hope the monks are okay they don't deserve to be hurt. sorry for the late reply, kinda occupied lately but thanks for the pm, can't wait till sunday!

brenda_wood Posted on Jun 7 2004, 07:52 PM

Actually, our family adventure will take more than 20 weeks... :lol: :lol: (evil laughter) I'm on 21 now. :rolleyes: (I'm trying to get this done, not posted, so I can return to creative writing class.
B)

CHAPTER 2
SURFING

Sydney was lying in Jan’s arms half-awake, reliving the past six days of their honeymoon. It had been glorious and she was deliriously, madly in love with this man who had turned her world upside down. She didn’t think she would ever be happy with anyone but Vaughn, but that thought was now gone.

They arrived during a perfectly gorgeous day. Jan was in awe of the soft blue skies, the ocean, and clouds that scurried through the sky with bright whiteness that made him think there was snow in them. He gawked at everyone and anyone who had not been on the plane. He tried to be cool, but it was obvious he was a tourist of the newest class: someone who had never been outside his country on a vacation. The smell of flowers permeated the open terminal. He took deep breaths as they hurried toward the baggage collection point.

Jan collected their bags and followed Sydney out of the huge open air terminal. They went to the Aloha Rental Car stand and Sydney signed for the car she had ordered when the original flight arrangements were made. It took the honeymooners over twenty hours to get from Moscow, via Hong Kong and Manila, to arrive on Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Jan was sleepy and so was she.

As they drove into town, Sydney laughed at Jan’s gawking at the buildings, the hotels, the people dressed in their gaudiest Hawaiian outfits: colors that cascaded repeatedly over many shapes and sizes. Palm trees rattled, bending in a breeze. Jan’s constant turning of his head to take in all the sights and sounds made Sydney smile happily. She loved showing off her country and Hawaii was one of the United States’ scenic attractions. Traffic was heavy, so they were slow in getting to the Moana Hotel on Waikiki.

When they arrived, the valet parking attendant took the car and a bellhop came out to get their bags. Inside, Sydney checked them into the cabana. The manager came out to greet her. It was the first time he had seen the daughter of the Bristows since he began working at the hotel. He graciously led the way to the cabana telling Sydney about her father’s first visit. As he left, he wished her and her new husband a happy and prosperous life.

“My Anna,” said Jan, folding her into his arms. “I have never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would see such a place.” He lifted her up and kissed her.

“Jan, it’s been twenty hours plus since the wedding.” She grinned, looking into his sharp blue eyes, which looked back at her with an equal desire. “I would love you to take me to bed and—ummm—just do with me what you want.”

He bent his head down and kissed her hard as he carried her into the bedroom. He held her face between his two large hands and gently kissed her forehead, nose, cheeks, ears, lips, and chin. As he kissed her, Sydney hurriedly stripped him down to his pants. By the time she had taken off his belt, Jan began to undress her. Their clothes were scattered around them on the floor and in the nearby rattan chair.

Naked at last, they slipped under the sheets. Sydney looked up at him as he stared down at her. “I love you, Jan.”

“I am luckiest man in the world, Anna, to love you so much.” His mouth covered hers as he put himself inside her.

They awakened the next morning late. Sydney showered, dressed in a blue bikini, and threw a lightweight terry cloth robe over her. She phoned room service and ordered a large breakfast for the two of them. Jan showered and put on his men’s bikini. When he walked out on to the patio, Sydney had the breakfast ready on the table. Both were ravenous and ate everything. Sydney, of course, had to explain some of what she ordered, including the pineapple and the papaya. Jan ate without comment and drank most of the coffee.

“So what should we do now?” He asked.

“I think we ought to go outside onto the sand for awhile. If you like, we can take a walk. See some of the sights from there.”

They were gone for about an hour, during which they caused many heads to turn. Jan was a magnificent specimen of a man: tall, blond, blue eyed with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and hips. His muscles rippled as he walked enticing every woman to take an extra long look. Most of the men stared at Sydney. Even at thirty-two, she maintained a figure a seventeen-year old would envy. The bikini showed off her long legs, broad shoulders, and full breasts to their best advantage.

“Would you like to learn to surf?” she asked. They stood looking out to sea watching the people riding surfboards.

“Would that be fun?” Jan asked back. “I have never done such a thing.”

“Do you ski?”

“Da, sure, many times…”

“Then you can learn to surf.” She made arrangements at the surf shack near the Moana. They would take lessons tomorrow.

They walked back hand in hand. It was obvious to many on the beach they were newlyweds. As they walked silently, Sydney wondered what her parents had done that week they spent together thirty-two years ago. Irina had told Sydney the night before the wedding some things about the week she and Jack had together. They had been in Sydney’s hotel room, sitting on the bed side by side.

“I was so happy, Sydney, because there was nothing for me to worry about…no KGB, no spying, nothing, but your father and I together. That week was the best of my life.” She confessed. “I was falling in love and there was no one to say I could not.” She had looked at Sydney and then put her hand on her daughter’s cheek to reassure her that what she said was true.

“We made love every day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night. I know in my heart you were conceived our last night when we made love in the sand during a storm.” Irina smiled, reflecting on her memories. “I was happier than I could ever imagine until now. That is why I bought that cabana. I came back every year after I left you—to sit and remember.”

Sydney sighed. It was one of the best, but also the saddest story she had heard about her parents. If ever there were two star-crossed lovers, it was Irina and Jack. As she and Jan entered the cabana, Sydney wondered what the future would hold for her. Jan swept her up into his arms and carried her effortlessly into the bed. She chuckled knowing what the next few minutes would hold.

The next few days were a whirlwind of lovemaking and activity that most honeymooners to Hawaii do. They first learned to surf. Both were quite adept and had the hang of it in less than the hour’s lesson. Sydney and Jan had skied extensively and their experience made it easy. They surfed together for a couple of hours and it wasn’t long before they were surfing double on one board. By afternoon, they needed to rest. Sydney planned to drive them around the island a little before sunset.

The next day, they went to snorkeling school located at Hanauma Bay where they received instructions. Sydney already had a good working knowledge of not only snorkeling, but also scuba diving courtesy of the CIA. She helped Jan overcome his reluctance to get his head under water.

“Darling,” she put one hand on his arm as he bent over to look down into the water without getting under, “trust the instructor and me. You won’t be sorry. Get your head down. The fish are gorgeous.” He looked at her doubtfully, but slowly flattened himself on the water, floating with his head down. Soon he was lost in the visual sights beneath him.

The following day, they took a private cruise in a 42-foot catamaran, which sailed out of a harbor on the far side of the island. The snorkeling sail with a couple of marine biologists with them was one of the most satisfying adventures either had had. They saw a whale and lots of dolphin. They ended their day in a small, secluded bay where there was pristine water and where very few people had snorkeled. They saw huge schools of tiny bright fish, needlefish, and a turtle. Almost every known tropical fish indigenous to the island seemed to be in that bay. By evening, they were so tired that both fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed.

Their honeymoon was just what Sydney had dreamed it would be. They had gone dancing a couple of evenings. Jan was at ease on the dance floor and Sydney wondered where he had been to be so sure of himself. He told her when he was home on leave, he went out dancing with various girls.

“Are you jealous, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Not on your life! I’m thrilled you aren’t practicing on my feet.”

Now, Sydney sighed, it was almost over. They would be on a plane to Los Angeles in a few hours. She had made a promise to Will she would stop there to see some of her old friends. Will told her he was returning to the LA office of the CIA as the Senior Analyst. He also told her Dixon was still the Director and that Marshall was in charge of the Western regional operations technical staff. Marshall was also the father of another child, a girl he and Carrie had named Sydney.

“Oh my God,” Sydney groaned, “Sydney Flinkman?”

He had nodded grinning. “Yeah, quite a moniker for such a small baby, but both parents wanted to name her after you. Marshall had quite a crush on you remember?”

She nodded, “Okay. I’ll book us to Los Angeles. We’ll return to Moscow from there.”

Now it was time to pack and leave. She moved swiftly to the bathroom and started the shower. Five minutes later as she was soaping herself, the door opened and Jan stepped inside with her. He took the soap from her and began washing her. He kissed her neck and shoulders. Then he turned her around stroking her with the soap in one hand while he kissed her eyes, nose, and finally, her lips. As they kissed, Jan’s hands moved to her breasts, gently massaging them. His thumbs were busy at her nipples, which became so sensitive she moaned.

“Anna,” he said softly, but insistently, “I am adoring you.” He picked her up and carried her to the bed. The water ran in the shower another twenty minutes.

The flight to Los Angeles ended at LAX in the early evening. Sydney, with Jan’s help, located their luggage. He carried it out of the terminal where a black Ford Expedition SUV waited in a VIP zone. The driver helped with the luggage as Jan put Sydney into the back seat. In less than thirty minutes, they were parked in the CIA’s underground garage.

“You’re expected, Mam’m,” said the driver.

Sydney groaned. “Just call me Sydney, please.”

He laughed, nodding. “Here are two badges that will permit you upstairs. I’m sure you know the way.”

The elevator whisked the pair up into the rotunda where the CIA’s daily business was performed. As the doors opened, Sydney saw Dixon and Will waiting. She immediately went up to Marcus and kissed him. “You’re looking great, Dixon,” she said delightedly.

Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, and little Sydney were waiting in Dixon’s office. Sydney proudly introduced Jan, who was already acquainted with Dixon. The big man was an instant hit with everyone. His love for his new wife, their friend, was obvious to all. They heard the story from Sydney of the courtship and all about the wedding. Both Dixon and Marshall asked how Jack was doing, now that he was retired.

Sydney laughed, “My parents are totally in sync now that they both have retired from all this craziness. I think they are planning to live somewhere in the world where no one knows who they are or where they’ve been. The two of them are probably itching to get out of Moscow by now. Aleksey and his wife are expecting any day. She looks big enough to have twins and I’m betting she does.”

Everyone said his or her farewells, eliciting a promise from Sydney she would visit again soon. She hugged them all, but kissed Will. “You will always be my best friend, Will Tippin. We’ve been through a lot together. You are always welcomed in our home in Moscow.”

“Say that reminds me, I got a message from Moscow two days ago. It’s encrypted and is for you only.” Dixon walked to his desk. “I can have it routed here, but you have to do the work.”

Sydney sat at Dixon’s desk and looked at the message as it came up on his screen. She knew when she saw it. It was in a code her mother had devised. She smiled as she read it. Aleksey and Sophia were the proud parents of twins, Mikhail and Alexandria Bristow.

“Twins,” Sydney said to Dixon, confirming her own belief. She looked at the screen again and didn’t smile. “What the hell…?”

“What” asked Jan and Dixon together?

“Mom and Dad don’t know. They went to see an old friend of ours. They haven’t been seen or heard from in five days. No one has been able to reach them or their cell phones to leave a message.” Sydney felt a chill go through her body. Something terrible has happened. She had to return as soon as possible.

She had to see the Master, but even that thought filled her with foreboding.

***
Oh, Oh...

Lenafan,
I dont post often almost never but I have to tell you how much I enujoy you
writings and hope some day to meet you.
You have a special gift and I just wanted you to know how much we all
appreciate your sharing it with us.
wota :D mom

Thanks Wottamom1!
I appreciate the nice comment. Maybe someday we'll meet, but we'll never know since I'm lenafan and you're wottamom1. :huh: Maybe we have met but didn't know it. :( Two ships in the night and all that jazz. :innocent:
I hope you'll like the rest of this serial it's gonna be an exciting one. :reallyexcited: Lots of cliffies... B)

so much for retirement, and cute honeymoon. I take it Syd will go back in the field. great job, and 21 weeks are you trying to kill us? thanks for the pm.

so syd has t look for mom and dad

why do I get the feeling you are building to another big ole cliffie??

:wub:

Sydney's back in action ...

I wonder what on earth happened to Jack and Irina ....

LightTraveller Posted on Jun 13 2004, 12:05 PM

Ummm well yes Sydney does have some work to do. :rolleyes: The story isn't over yet and I'm on Chapter 25...(Well in a rough draft). :blink:

B)

Awesome chapters. I can't wait to read more.

Thanks for the pm.

CHAPTER 3
SLOANE

Jack tried to stand up but found he couldn’t. His head was swimming, rocking, and throbbing all at once. Where was Irina? He closed his eyes and tried to get things to stop moving. Christ, he thought, it’s hot. Where the hell am I? Slowly he turned his head trying to get his bearings. To his right he saw a plain wall, no window. To his left he saw another wall and, he blinked, Irina sprawled on her side nearby, her face turned away from him. He looked down toward his feet and there was a door in the plain wall. The room was windowless.

He took a deep breath. His head seemed to stop its spin and the throbbing was lessening. He took another breath. Slowly he pushed himself up, so that he could turn in Irina’s direction. She seemed to be unconscious, but breathing slowly. He pulled himself over to her. Jack put his hand on her shoulder and gently turned her so she lay on her back.

“Irina, sweetheart, wake up.” He gently shook her shoulder.

Her eyes opened to look up into his. She groaned, closing them for another moment. Opening them again, she managed a weak smile. “Are you all right, Jack?”

“I seem to be for the moment.” He looked around the room again but nothing had changed. It was unfurnished and had only one exit or entrance, the door. There were no windows of any kind. The room was stifling, heat soaked. “I wonder where we are.”

Irina slowly sat up noticing the heat for the first time. “We must be near or in the tropics.”

They moved to the wall and sat facing the door. “What happened to us,” said Jack.

“Sloane and that damned machine.” Irina snarled. “What else could it have been?”

“I’m sure you are right,” said Jack quietly. He put his arm around her. “At least we’re together. The last time…” he remembered Kashmir a few months ago. Irina had been pulled from the Kashmir prison as she fought Vaughn. She had a heart attack at the other end and Sloane, in his arrogance, had his surgeons remove her heart and replace it with the DI Regno heart, then he snatched him from the airfield at Srinigar.

Irina’s eyes closed as she too remembered what happened. She was just beginning to accept the fact she had a mechanical heart designed and built by a man in the fifteenth century. At least now, she didn’t dwell on the possible ramifications of living with it. That picture at the Vatican had made her wonder if Jack was somehow involved more than he knew or even understood. They had not taken time to verbalize their feelings. They had wanted to see the Master first. Then Sydney had fallen in love with Jan Riffkovsky and married him. Everything else shelved for the happy event. Now, however, they were prisoners some place where it was very hot.
“Jack, do you suppose he plucked the Master and the other monks from the monastery?” She did not look at him, but studied her hands.

“I think he did.” He answered. He took her strong hands in his, rubbing his thumb along her palm.

Irina pulled his hand to her lips. “Jack what is he up to? Do you think he knows about the…” She decided it would be better not to say anything definite. She knew Jack would be discrete also.

“No, but I also don’t know what he is after.”

As if to answer his musing, the door opened and two huge black men stood there staring at them. One of them motioned for them to stand up and come with them. Jack helped Irina to her feet and they half-staggered, half-walked out of their windowless prison. One guard fell in behind them as they followed the guard in front. Minutes later, they entered a large, airy room and forced to sit in two chairs positioned in front of the desk. A guard stood behind each of them, silent and waiting.

Another door opened to their right. Arvin Sloane nattily dressed in khaki shorts and shirt, long socks, and heavy shoes entered grinning.

“Jack, Irina, how nice to see you again. It’s only been a few weeks, hasn’t it?”
He sat down.

Jack thought it would be better to get to the point. “Why have you brought us here and where the hell is here?”

“Ah, well, I tinkered with Rambaldi’s machine and found I could extend the range. You are in Africa and more specifically in the Sudan. My place is somewhere northwest of Khartoum.”

Both Bristows stared at him dumbfounded! Thousands of miles from Moscow and Sloane was able to whisk them here. The Sudan was literally a huge sand pile in the central part of Africa.

“Why here,” Jack asked, voicing his thoughts.

“Safety! With the Rambaldi travel machine, I can get whatever I want without having to buy it. I can pick up my—er so-called friends to visit and send them back again.”

Irina stared at the man she had at one time been friendly with, had dealings with although that ended when he raped her—it seemed a thousand years back, even though it was probably only thirty plus. He was aging out here in the dry heat. His close-cropped hair was white and the wrinkles more pronounced. Evidently having so much money did not prevent that process from happening.

“By any chance, did you pick up our friends from the monastery?” She did not want to tell him about the cat yet, if at all.

He grinned and then laughed aloud. “Of course! I knew you would be back to see them so I brought them here. They are hard at work in my garden. Now that you and Jack have joined us, they will help me get what I want.”

“How is that,” asked Jack quietly, fearing he knew the answer.

“If you don’t help me get Sydney here, I will kill them one by one.”

“What do you want with her?” Irina had a feeling that Sloane did not know Sydney was no longer in Moscow, but on her honeymoon. Out here in the Sudan, local news was probably not available and he certainly wouldn’t be interested in wedding announcements from St. Petersburg.

“Sydney is the key to my Rambaldi calculations. Really, Irina, did you think I wouldn’t figure it out by now? If she’s here, she cannot interfere with my plans. Suppose you save me the trouble and just tell me where she is.”

“We actually can’t tell you where she is at this moment.” Jack said quietly. He was keeping his emotions in check. Sloane was dangerous and Jack was already planning to get out of his clutches. Irina nodded. They really didn’t know.

“Then I will have to persuade you by other means.” He smiled, looked up into the two guards’ faces. “Take them to the room we prepared. We’ll see if I can’t get the information tomorrow after you’ve spent the night in that special room.” He waved them off.

The two guards pulled the Bristows roughly out of their chairs and held onto their arms, almost dragging them down the hallways. They went past the door that opened into the room they had spent unknown hours in earlier. Jack had a feeling the minimal comfort of that room would now seem too comfortable. One guard pulled open a door, shoving Irina in first. She fell. He picked her up, dragged her to a wall, and shackled her. They put Jack next to her with his wrists also shackled. The chains went through an eyebolt screwed into the wall above their heads. The two guards surveyed their work and were satisfied the pair could not escape. Turning off the light, they slammed the door shut, locking it after them. Their footsteps receded down the hall, leaving the two Bristows in darkness, chained and helpless.

Jack had surveyed the room when they entered and the walls were clean. He didn’t see anything to indicate the room was wired. They could talk at this point. It was very hot in the room and he knew it would get even more so as the hours wore on into the night. He stood and felt the eyebolt above him. He tried pulling it. It didn’t budge or move. He tried turning the bolt to the left. He felt it move or at least he thought so.

“We have to get away before morning,” he said matter-of-factly, trying another turn at the bolt.

“Ummm,” Irina murmured, “I take it you have a plan?”

“Yes. See if you can reach the bolt above you.” He kept working the bolt over his head. It had moved a quarter-inch already.

“Barely,” she answered. “Now what?”

“Try turning it to the left. I think they screwed it into the wall. I’ve moved mine about a quarter-inch or so.”

Irina felt the bolt. She tried turning it to the left but it didn’t budge. She was strong. Her years of running and working out had given her more strength than the average woman, but she was not able to budge the bolt. She wiggled the middle three fingers of both hands into the open area and pulled. Unlike Jack’s, hers seemed to move slightly. She kept trying. She knew it moved. She could hear Jack working at his bolt. She stopped for the moment and tried screwing the bolt to the left. Now it did turn. In less than a half hour, she had the bolt pulled out of the wall. Jack had succeeded a few minutes before her success. Both were sweating profusely because of the heat. Jack turned and slid down to sit. Irina joined him.

She turned her head so her mouth was close his ear. “Now what?”

“First, can you try to contact the Master?”

“Yes, but my head needs to be clear. Let me be quiet for a few minutes.”

Jack turned his head, putting his left hand on her cheek. Holding her there for the moment, he kissed her gently. “We will get out of here, sweetheart. I love you.” He kissed her again.

Irina felt strangely comforted by his action and words. She relaxed into a meditative position. She let all thought go out of her mind as she searched for her old friend. “Master, are you near?”

“Is that you, Irina?”

“Yes, Master. Are you and the others all right?”

“Of course! Mr. Sloane has allowed us to work in his garden since our arrival. Are you the guests he has been expecting?”

“Yes. He is using you to threaten us. If we don’t tell him where Sydney is, he plans to kill you one by one. Jack and I have to escape before that happens.” She went on to explain where they were and how they had freed themselves.

“You must go, Irina. Follow Jack. He knows more than he realizes. Did you find the picture in Rome?”

“Yes! Sydney found it.” Irina paused. “It was a man who looked just like Jack.”

“Ah, I wondered about him. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Irina looked at Jack although she couldn’t really see him. “He wants to know if he can help. Do you know what we’re going to do?”

“Roughly. I think it best we keep him and the monks out of this. I would not like to be responsible for anything happening to them, like what happened to Sasha.” Jack didn’t want to imagine what a human being would look like if turned inside out. If they escaped Sloane, he would probably keep their friends busy in the so-called garden whatever that might be in this God-forsaken place.

Irina gave the Master the answer. “He said he might be able to do something to facilitate our escape.”

“I don’t want them put in any danger,” Jack said, pushing himself up. The chain rattled.

“He understands, sweetheart.” She also stood up. “What next?”

“We’ve got to get the door open with very little noise.” They careful stepped across the room, holding their hands out to touch the wall when they came up to it.

When they did, Jack felt around with his hands, finding the door. He put his head up against the door and listened. He heard nothing. He brought his hands down until he felt the doorknob. He tried to turn it but nothing moved. It was locked, as he knew it would be. Suddenly he heard a click. The knob now turned in his hands and the door was open. They were free—at least for the moment.

He took her hand and they stepped out into the dark hall.

***
Oh,oh another dark hall.. :unsure:

a lot of detail in this chap :D

i was feeling the heat and the hot eerie calm that comes befoer whatever you have planned for the next chapter

bren

Good story, lenafan...but, of course! After all, you're the master of writing the best Alias stories. Wish the series would hire you to join the writing team. :D
Will Jack and Irina EVER get any peace? That blasted Sloane! And now he's after Sydney. :angry:
Looking forward to Chapter 4 and beyond!
EspionageFan
:ph43r:

EspionageFan Posted on Jun 21 2004, 12:38 PM

Yes, well, they feature Sydney more, although this series is going to have a lot more of her. She is headed for deep trouble. :unsure:

If they did, we'd never hear about them again. :rolleyes:

B)

wow. :blink:
First off..so sorry for not responding before.....I do remember getting the very first post about this new fic...but since then I"ve gotten a new web server cause Internet Explorer went beserk for me....didn't get this site bookmarked as friendly...but it is now! :reallyexcited:
This is sooo good! I'm an S/V shipper to the core...but Jan seems soo sweet and he loves Sydney so anyone who can make her happy is cool with me. :P
But what is this ring she got about? And how the bejeezus is Sydney gonna find them now? I hope they can get out of there without getting the Master of any of the monks hurt. :unsure:
Sorry for the late responding...love your stuff! :wub:
Can't wait for more! :D

Colly E. :bunny:

Finally Sloane comes full circle or part way ... and we know who kidnapped Jack and Irina presumably.

I'm waiting for the 4th enstallment of this exciting serial.

they can't just walk out of Sloane's building can they, I mean it's probably guarded right? well either way I hope they make it out...alive hehe. sorry for the late reply, the site was giving a hard time or maybe just my internet. but I haven't faith in one of my favorite stories. so thanks for the pm and update soon!

CHAPTER 4
COUNCIL

Sydney opened the door to her parents’ apartment and stepped inside, followed by Jan and Grigor. The bigger man was upset. It had been five days since Irina and Jack left Moscow. They told him to tell Sydney they were going to see the Master and to tell her not to worry. Sydney walked to the big family table sitting between the living room and the kitchen. There was a white envelope leaning up against the salt and peppershakers.

She ripped it open and took out a sheet of paper. “Dear Sydney and Jan, We’re going to see our friend in the Urals. (It was evident Irina still did not trust her letter would only be read by Sydney.) We hope to be back in a few days, probably before you return, which makes this letter unnecessary. Still one never knows. We will tell him about our trip to Rome, what we found, and his interpretation.

If you are reading this letter, it is because we are overdue. Our plans were to spend only a couple of days at the monastery and return home, especially since Sophia will give birth soon. Anyway, you should be careful before following too closely. Be sure you take Grigor with you.” Irina signed it for both of them.

Jan had a worried look on his face. “Your friend in Urals…Who is he?”

“A very great monk,” she answered. She told him briefly about her long recovery at the monastery. “Mom took me to him after I was wounded in Kashmir. It took a few months for the wound to heal. He is a teacher also. As I was healing, he taught me to meditate. I suppose I could have returned home, but I didn’t. I learned so much.” She reached up with one hand to his face and kissed him. “Trust me, Jan. We must go to Ufa as soon as Grandfather can arrange it.”

Sydney took the cell phone and punched in the code. She waited as it rang. “Hello, Grandfather?” She listened. “I need you to come to Mom and Dad’s apartment. Do you suppose Aleksey can come too?” Again, she listened. “Good, then I will see you or both of you within the hour.”

General Probukov was at the apartment in thirty minutes. Sydney gave him the letter to read. Aleksey was almost on his heels and he too, read the letter. They looked at Sydney.

“What do you plan to do,” asked the General.

“Jan, Grigor, and I are going to the monastery. We’ll need transportation to Ufa as soon as you can arrange it, Grandfather.”

“May I go?” asked Aleksey. “I can bring some—er,” he looked at his grandfather, “men to help in the search.”

Sydney reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Aleksey, you have a wife and twins to take care of now. Mom and Dad would not want you to put yourself in any danger. Grandfather can arrange for transportation, but you can help us in other ways. Mom isn’t with the SVR anymore, so she doesn’t have access…” she left it unspoken. Aleksey nodded understanding.

“My Irina is not SVR anymore, but Katya and Elena are.” Mikhail said.

Sydney smiled, “Can they leave their duties?” She answered for him. “I think it would not be wise unless we find serious problems we did not anticipate.”

“How serious is serious,” asked Aleksey.

“Missing without a trace,” she said. “I hope that is not the case.”

Jan and Grigor had stood back, listening to the family council taking place. Grigor was more familiar with the Bristows than even the General was at this point. He had been with Irina since the KGB threw her into the secret Kashmir prison. They put her there because they thought she might be a double agent. Grigor protected her after that first night when a prison guard raped her. When finally released, he had helped her locate that guard. Irina killed him. Grigor had been her personal bodyguard ever since whenever she was in Moscow. Not even Khasinau could get past him if Irina said no.

Now Grigor was Sydney’s personal bodyguard while she was in Moscow. He adored the younger woman. She reminded him of Irina when he first met her in that Kashmir prison. He would do anything she asked of him, especially if it involved her parents. He was listening carefully to every word spoken.

Sydney saw him watching intently. “Grigor, did you ever go with Mom when she went to the monastery?”

“Da, many times. She visit three, four times a year” He spoke in Russian as he was more comfortable doing so than in his poor English. “I know how to go there. We need strong car like jeep.”

Sydney looked at Aleksey. “Can you arrange for a fully loaded jeep?” Her dark eyes spoke volumes.

“Of course. When do you plan to leave?”

“Grandfather, how soon can you book us a flight?”

He glanced at his watch. “This afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The flight should take almost three hours. Ufa is about a thousand miles from Moscow, I think. Can you be ready?”

Jan spoke up then. “I must report for duty tomorrow. My time off is up.”

“Do not worry. Officially, you will be liaison to SVR. I call your commander as soon as I return to office.” He kissed and hugged Sydney, then shook hands with Jan and Grigor and put his arm around Aleksey. “All of you work together. We find Jack and Irina soon.”

The small party, which included Jan, Sydney, and Grigor, left the airport at Ufa about 5:00 p.m. In addition to a map, Aleksey had supplied a large wooden box, approximately four feet by two feet. “Inside is everything you might need.” He winked at her. Sophia wants to show off your niece and nephew as soon as possible and to be sure you bring their grandparents with you.”

Sydney reached up and kissed him on both cheeks. “I’ll do my best. We’ll keep in touch by phone, okay?”

“You’d better. Tell our parents to stop giving us problems. They’re worse than the teenagers we were if that was possible.” He hugged her. “Be careful,” he added. He looked at Jan and Grigor. “Take good care of my sister.”

Now they were on their way to the monastery. The jeep was one of the American SUV’s that Aleksey had acquired and used in the family business. He had brought it along with the box and it had been loaded on the transport. Jan drove it off the plane and helped Grigor put the box in the rear. They would open it later, out of sight of anyone who might be interested.

Two hours later, they were at the small village where Irina had first learned about the Master. Sydney, dressed in a black tee, boots, black pants, and tight fitting jacket, entered the small church, followed by Jan and Grigor. The priest knew her from the two years she had spent at the monastery. He smiled his greeting, kissing her lightly on both cheeks. “Is it really you, child? It has been a long time.”

“Yes, Father. I’m married now.” She pulled Jan to her side. “My husband, Major Jan Riffkovsky.”

They walked into his small office. “What brings you here, Anna?” He also had trouble with her first name.

“My parents are missing! They were at the monastery and we have not been able to reach them. Their cell phones are either not turned on or…” She left the rest unsaid, as she did not want to think the unthinkable. Still there was always the possibility they were spending more time than they had planned.

“Moya bog!” The priest cried. “I knew something was wrong. Your mother stopped here on the way up five days ago.”

“They haven’t returned then?”

“No. I do not have phone and they would only stop on way back.” He stood up and moved toward the door. “You must hurry. I must know what has happened.”

“Of course,” she answered. “We will return as soon as we have news.”

The trip up the mountain on the narrow road was easy in the SUV. It was big and powerful with big tires. As they took the last switchback leading to the flat area in front of the monastery, they saw the jeep. It must have been the one Irina and Jack had driven up the mountain. The left door, the driver’s door, was open. Jan parked their vehicle fifty yards away, turning it so the headlights covered the area around the Bristows’ jeep.

Sydney got out, a small but deadly automatic pistol in her hand, held shoulder high. Grigor exited from the rear seat and Jan was just ahead of him. They covered the smaller jeep but it wasn’t necessary. There was no one around.

“We need flashlights,” said Jan. Grigor turned and walked back. He pulled two large halogen flashlights out and handed one to Jan. The three turned and walked toward the monastery. Jan led the way inside. The front door had been open slightly, as though someone had left in a hurry.

They searched the buildings from top to bottom. Sydney found the remains of the cat and by this time, there was very little left of the creature to identify. There was evidence of animals being inside. They were somewhat relieved to find no other dead bodies, meaning everyone had been removed, including Irina and Jack.

Sydney, using her satellite phone, called Aleksey and told him what they had found or rather what they hadn’t found. “I’m going to try to reach Mom another way.” She then confessed to him that they had learned to use deep meditation to contact one another.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then Aleksey laughed, “Why the hell didn’t you try before now?”

“I am right now. I’ll let you know if I reach her.” She smiled. “She has to be able to ‘hear’ me. If her mind is not in a receptive mode, I won’t get through to her. I’ll let you know as soon as I have reached her and we’ll go from there.” She hung up, knowing he would pass the information onto their grandfather.

“Now what we do,” asked Grigor, who had been listening?

“I need to go somewhere quiet for a little bit.” She walked toward the Chapel. The two men followed, holding the lamps and their guns. The place was getting darker as the sun fell westward.

Sydney found a comfortable spot behind the altar where she could be all alone. She sat cross-legged, her hands resting comfortably at her sides. She had not wanted to tell Aleksey and the others that she tried to reach her mother before they left Moscow, but had not been able to find her. She began to empty her mind of everything. She was finding it hard, but finally she felt herself slip away onto a higher mental level.

“Mom!” She felt the word, visualizing her mother. There was no answer even though she repeated it several times. She kept her mind free. There was another possibility.

“Master!”

“Yes, is it you, Sydney?”

“Yes! We are in the monastery. No one is here. Mom and Dad are missing. Their car is in front and empty. There is no sign of them or anyone. Where are you?”

“Be calm, Sydney. I believe they may be here even though I have not heard from your mother.”

“Where is here, Master?”

“I believe we may all be in Africa somewhere…somewhere with much sand and it is very hot.”

“Africa?” She almost lost contact as her mind wanted to snap into the problem of where.

“Yes. A most unpleasant man using Rambaldi’s travel machine brought us all here. I believe he is your Mr. Sloane. He wants you, Sydney, desperately. You must be very careful. This machine can bring only one person at a time. Do not stray away from those who are with you.”

“Can you give me any more information? I mean more than sand and Africa.”

“I believe we are near or on the equator. That is about all I can do, my daughter.”

“Master, you be careful too. Sloane is not above using you if he thinks you are knowledgeable about Rambaldi. Let him believe you are a teacher of meditation and a healer, nothing more.”

“I will be careful.” He broke off communication.

Sydney rose and walked back down the short aisle to where Jan and Grigor were waiting. “The Master believes they are in Africa!”

“Son of a bitch,” rumbled Grigor. “That—that is far away, little Anna.”

“The problem is where and that is the bitch of it.” She bit her lip.

Jan took her into his arms. “We can find them, sweetheart. What else did your friend say?”

She repeated everything. Jan’s face brightened a little. “They could be somewhere in the Sahara. Maybe a satellite could spot unexpected people.”

Sydney kissed him. “Of course, dear. We’ll get the CIA and SVR involved, along with any military sats we can use.”

The threesome moved outside to the SUV, shutting the door behind them. They wanted the monastery intact when the Master and the monks returned. Jan drove back down the mountain to the village. Sydney reported what she had not found. She did not tell the old priest where everyone had gone. He would not understand how the monks had ended up in a country thousands of miles away.


** And now you are asking why the Master didn’t tell Sydney that Jack and Irina were in Sloane’s hands? Because he doesn’t know yet. The timeline has overlapped now in the story. B)

I was just about to ask that too, very interesting. I hope syd doesn't have an extremely difficult time trying to find out where in africa they are. if only it was next sunday now, great update and thanks for the pm.

this is getting quite good m'dear

Bren

CHAPTER 5
GETAWAY

“He opened the lock,” whispered Irina. The Master was very good, she thought.

“I must learn that trick,” muttered Jack, turning the knob carefully. The manacles he was wearing rattled slightly. He let go of the knob. “Irina, we have to think about this carefully. Sit down.” Jack took her hand and slowly let himself slide down the wall beside the door.

“We have to get rid of these,” she added, making a small movement, causing her own chain to clink.

“In order to get away, we have to destroy the travel machine. He can use it to find and re-capture us. We also have to deactivate all the vehicles he has here. Third, as you said, get rid of these chains.” Her hand felt warm in his. He absently stroked it with his thumb. He loved touching her. Even though they were in terrible danger, being close to her, touching her, gave him a sense of being alive and young again.

Irina, sitting next to him in the dark room, was confident they would find a way. She too felt herself getting excited and, she thought, young and in love. They did work well together and had done so several times in the past. She knew it had to be their genetic code relationship to Rambaldi. Having discovered their relationship to each other gave her a sense of belonging she never had before. Hate and disinformation nearly destroyed their lives. Sydney was their only lifeline for so many years. She compressed her lips, forcing back a desire to kiss Jack.

“I say we need to take out those two guards first. They may have a key to our chains. Perhaps they can be persuaded to tell us where that infernal machine is located.” Her voice had an edge of steel to it. She forced herself to concentrate on the problem in front of them.

“Yes, we’ll start with them.” Jack stopped, thinking. “I would suggest we use our chains to persuade them.” He explained. Then he pulled her up to stand behind him while he opened the door until a small crack appeared. Obviously, there was very little electricity in this desolate part of the Sudan as the hallway was dimly lit with small candles. It appeared to be empty.

He pulled the door open wide enough to look out in both directions. There was no sign of anyone, but he could hear the murmur of voices speaking in Arabic. He motioned for Irina to follow him. As they drew nearer to the voices, Jack could hear the two guards talking about some woman in the village.

As she followed Jack, Irina extinguished the candles that lit the hallway. Finally, it was pitch black. Jack made sure Irina was on the other side of the door, took a deep breath and cried in Arabic, “The prisoners have escaped. Sound the alarm.”

There was a scraping sound as the two guards stood up and rushed to the door. They came through it, one after the other. Without warning, a chain was wrapped around their necks, and their heads were slammed against the wall. They were thrown to the floor, a knee pressed against the back of their necks, and the chain pulled tight.

“Move,” hissed Jack, “and Allah will have you both tonight and there will be no handmaidens to greet you.” As he tightened the chain, a strangled cry came from the guard.

Irina sensed her man did not believe Jack’s promise as he continued to struggle. He was bigger than she was and he was going to toss her to one side if she did not act. She pressed her knee down, twisted, and yanked the chain hard. There was a loud crack and the man beneath her was dead from a broken neck. “He’s dead,” she said quietly.

Jack relayed the information to the man he controlled. “Two pieces of information is all that I need. Give it to me and you may live. Fail and your fate will be that of your friend. Do you understand me?” He leaned forward to speak into the man’s ear.

“Yessss…” said his prisoner gasping for air.

“Where is the machine of the devil?” Jack knew these men were not from a sophisticated group of servants that Sloane had imported. They were natives from the surrounding area.

“Down there,” the guard waved in a direction Jack could only sense.

“Left hand or right?” The guard motioned with his left hand. “Good. Now, where are the trucks and other vehicles kept?”

“Behind this building. There are four trucks, two cars and a motorcycle. Can I go?”

Jack chuckled. “Sure!” With a swift, deadly twist, he too broke the man’s neck.” I see no reason why you cannot join your friend. Search their pockets for keys.”

“I have them,” Irina had been busy during the exchange. She leaned over and used the key to unlock Jack’s chains. “Let’s keep them handy. They’ll make a good weapon until we get guns. I found another set of keys. We might need them to get out of here.”

Jack pulled the two bodies inside the room and shut the door. Irina was already searching the room. There wasn’t much in it, other than a small square wooden table and two dilapidated chairs. They found two flashlights but no weapons. A search of the two bodies also was futile. They were now dependent on their stealth and the chains as weapons.

“Jack, should we split up? I can disable the travel machine while you disable the vehicles.”

“I don’t like to leave you. How long will you need do you think?”

“Minutes, I know exactly what I’m going to do.”

The two hurried down the hall to their left. Irina found another door on the right and opened it. Jack saw a door to his left that lead to the outside. “Follow me when you finish. We must hurry.”

Irina found the machine in a locked room. She tried the keys she had tale from the guards. One fit and she turned the lock, opening the door slowly. She found a light switch that turned on a small forty-watt bulb. The travel machine was as she remembered it. Sloane had found a way to extend the range and now she had to disable it. She lifted the cover off the drive mechanism and discovered the direction guide was also inside the box. She found the part she wanted and put it in her pocket, returning the cover to its original location. Sloane would waste a lot of time trying to determine why the machine was not working properly.

As she walked out the door, Irina thought she heard voices from a distance. She reached up with the flashlight and smashed the light bulb in the room. The flashlight broke apart. She hurried back through the door and out the door Jack had used moments ago. It was dark outside and it was only seeing the light from his flashlight that she was able to locate him.

“I have the part,” She whispered as she pulled it from her pocket.

“Hide it.” He handed her his flashlight. “Sloane won’t know we don’t have it. He’ll try to find us first.” Jack had removed three distributor caps from three of the trucks. He rushed to the next vehicle, the motorcycle, and took the key, which was in the ignition as well as the cap. He had one truck and two cars to go. Irina disappeared and five minutes later was back. Jack had finished. There was only one car left and they were going to leave in it.

He started the engine. Irina jumped in beside him. They moved slowly and quietly out of Sloane’s encampment. He didn’t turn on the lights until they were down the track a ways. When he did, Jack saw the track was not as well defined as he had hoped. They had no choice; they had to continue as best they could.

“Where are we going?” Irina was watching the track as well.

“Sloane said we were northwest of Khartoum. I want to go south.”

“Jack! Where?”

“Tanzania and Kilimanjaro.”

“My God,” she stared at him, “that’s over two thousand miles or more from here. Why are we going there?”

“I’m not sure.” He lied. “I just know we have to go there.”

Irina said nothing. The Master had said Jack knew more than he realized. She would follow her husband without question now. The road was hardly visible, but Jack could see faint tire tracks. He knew he should be hitting a road soon. Half an hour later, they found a dirt road of sorts. Jack didn’t hesitate, but turned south. He still had to be careful so he accelerated slowly. The road was dirt and deeply rutted.

“Look in the glove box. See if there’s a map of any kind.” He wanted to give Irina something to do besides look apprehensive.

“Son of a bitch,” she snapped, as the car hit a deep dip. It rattled from bumper to bumper.

“Sorry. The shadows are making it difficult to see clearly.”

She opened the glove box. “Hello, there’s a gun in here.” She removed a .32 caliber pistol. She checked and found it was loaded. Searching further, she found a screwdriver and a broken pair of pliers. Finally, beneath everything was a map. She opened it and happily discovered it was a map of the Sudan, circa 1999. Using the flashlight, she studied it.

“Can you estimate how long it will take us to get to Khartoum?” Jack asked.

“Jack, how can I? I don’t even know where we are exactly.”

He grinned. He knew Irina liked to be in control of situations and neither of them had control now, even though they had the only running car from Sloane’s compound. He squinted at the dashboard and the odometer. “I think we’ve gone about seven kilometers. I remember noticing the mileage when I jumped inside. I hope we can find the main road south. We seem to be traveling on an angle southeast.”

“What time is it?” Irina asked. Her flashlight was in pieces at the door leading to the travel machine. Jack took the flashlight from between his legs and handed it to her. She glanced at her watch. “Almost two in the morning,” she said, handing it back to him.

“Arvin did not stray too far off the beaten track,” Jack mused. “He had to be close enough to get supplies. This dirt road is rough, but I’m also betting it will end soon on the paved road to Khartoum. We’ll try to get into the city before dawn. I have an idea that might keep Sloane from finding us.” He looked at her. “It means you will have to wear an
Abaya and Hajib. I have a contact in Khartoum who will get us the necessary clothes and disguises.”

Irina groaned. She was aware the Sudan was ninety percent Muslim. Women were expected to keep themselves covered with appropriate clothing. She also knew their chances would increase expedientially if they were in disguises that Sloane’s men would not expect them to wear. She had to agree looking like a native would get them further than if they kept moving as themselves.

It was noon when a dark skinned Arab strode toward the boat dock. His woman walked behind him a couple of paces. She was clad in a white abaya and white hajib that covered her entire body and most of her face. She too was dark skinned, although a shade or two lighter than her husband. The Arab stepped into an office to purchase for a boat traveling south to Wad Madani. Providing proof of citizenship and the money to buy tickets, the Arab and his woman were shown the path that led to a small dock and the boat that would go south.

They found seats that were secluded for the moment. The Arab spoke softly to his woman. “Stay put. I will see if they have food and water” Jack kept speaking in Arabic and although Irina could not, she nodded as if she understood.

“Don’t leave me alone too long,” she whispered.

“I won’t,” he replied. Then he disappeared up the stairs.

Suddenly Irina heard a small commotion behind her. She turned enough to see the cause. There were two burly men looking at the passengers. They were not pleasant as they tried removing the veils to look at the one other woman who was in the area. They were heading down the aisle. It would not be long before they were next to her.

**
Oh, oh, Jack better hurry back. :unsure:

OH NO.

Will Jack hurry back in time?

Lol.

Check here next Wednesday...but there's plenty more excite ahead for our favorite parents. B)

evil cliffy witch, this isn't fair hurry with the update please. did they take the gun? cause if Irina has it she should just kill the guys. anyhow thanks for the pm and happy holiday!