A/N This Fic was written for 2013 Leverage Exchange Gift Christmas Edition.
It takes place between S4 and S5 of Leverage and post episode 100 of Alias
The Mystery of Atlantis Job
Somewhere in a port along the West Coast of the U.S.
Nathan Ford had just exited a local shop, a brown paper bag secured in his arms, and was walking through the characteristic small streets of the port town. He had stopped in for supplies for his journey on his boat. Two months had passed since he had said goodbye to the rest of the team. Two months since he had nearly killed Dubenich and Latimer and nearly become a killer. He needed this trip. He needed to make order in his messy life and become the man Sophie deserved.
He went up the steps leading up to his boat and then put the bag on the deck. He had a strange feeling. Something wasn't right; he knew that he wasn't alone. He quickly turned around when he heard movement behind him.
"Mister Ford" said a husky voice.
Nate studied the men standing in front of him. They were both well-built and they had a distinctive stance. He mentally chuckled wondering when he had started thinking like Eliot.
"Gentlemen" he nodded at them.
"Would you please follow us?" the same man told him, his voice leaving no way of interpretation. Nate knew that at least another couple of men were waiting for them down at the dockside.
"And what does the C.I.A. want from me?"
The two men raised their eyebrows in surprise, wondering how had Nate figure out they were agents.
"The man who sent us told us to tell you the word Nightingale. He said you would know what it meant"
Nate nodded and followed the two agents without hesitation. "What about my boat?" he suddenly asked turning around.
"Don't worry sir. We'll take care of it"
Kentucky
"Are you sure we really need all this for our barbecue?" Alec Hardison complained for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was carrying a big box full of what Eliot thought was essential for their 4th of July barbecue.
"It's not my fault you've invited all the neighbourhood to the ranch" His teammate and friend Eliot Spencer was also carrying a heavy box.
"Well, it was nice for Aimee to invite us for the weekend and I thought it would have been cool to extend the invitation to all her friends and co-workers"
"Well then stop complaining and move along" the hitter grunted.
The blonde woman walking beside them just rolled her eyes at their bickering. "Sophie is right, you two sound worse than a married couple"
"Hey" they both exclaimed, insulted.
"Talking about Sophie, will her and Nate be able to make it for the barbecue?" the long haired hitter inquired.
"Sophie said she will try to catch a flight tomorrow," Hardison answered "but I can't get in touch with Nate. When he said he needed time alone, he really meant it."
"Are you sure he's okay?" Eliot asked, concerned. It was his job to make sure they were all right. He didn't like it when the team had to separate after a big con, but he knew it was necessary. That weekend was going to be an exception. Parker had insisted that they spent the
American holiday all together. Then Aimee arrived quite unexpectedly and it seemed like the perfect occasion.
"Sophie said she heard from him three days ago. He is still travelling down the West Coast. He stopped at a port this morning."
"How do you know that?"
The hacker smirked. "You really think I wouldn't install a GPS tracker before he left, did you?"
Eliot shook his head with a half grin on his face. The young man could be annoying at times, but he was a genius. A car parked on the other side of the street caught his attention. He recognized the type of car and it usually meant trouble. He looked around and saw two men leaning against a building far ahead on his right. Another one was following behind them.
He could hear Parker and Hardison babbling.
"Guys" he muttered, but they hadn't heard him. "Guys" he hissed again, a little bit louder.
"What?" Hardison turned his head around, annoyed.
"Be ready"
"Ready for what?"
Then suddenly Eliot threw the box at one of the men leaning against the wall right as they were about to walk past them, knocking him down. The second man, who was standing beside them, jumped, but soon recovered from the shock and bounced towards Eliot. The hitter leaned towards his left and raised his right leg so that the man would land directly on his bent knee, knocking the wind out of him. He put his hand on his shoulder and used him as leverage so he could extend his right leg and kick the man behind them who has been running towards them. His foot landed on the man's face and he grunted in pain.
Parker and Hardison finally realized what was happening and they both threw their box and bags on the floor, ready to join the fight. The taller dark-suited man that Eliot had knocked down at the beginning slowly got up, holding a hand on his aching stomach and charging towards Parker, thinking that she was the weaker link. The thief raised her hands up like Eliot had taught her and punched the guy right on his nose, making him bleed.
"We need back- up" the second man muttered against his wrist and three suited men got out of the black car and walked towards the group with their guns raised.
They pulled the trigger and Parker and Hardison went down. Eliot was read to fight all of them, but then he felt a small pinch on his neck. He quickly pulled a dart out of his neck, hoping to have stopped its effect, but he soon felt dizzy and started swinging on his feet until he passed out on the street.
Paris- France
Sophie Devereaux stopped in front of shop window on the Champs-Elisées. Her hands were already full of shopping bags with expensive brands written on them, but she wasn't satisfied. She loved shopping in Paris and since she was going out of her mind from boredom, she needed to shop and go a little crazy. She looked at the silk negligées on display, wondering which one would Nate like best to see on her.
Their new relationship was complicated… very complicated, but she missed the man and she couldn't wait to see him again. She hadn't been very happy when he had told her that he wanted to take a solo trip on his boat for three months. She would have preferred to join him, but she understood his need to take care of himself. He had been through a lot that year, with his father dying right in front of him and losing himself to the dark side. It had made him question what kind of man he wanted to be. She only hoped she was going to be part of his future. His parting words gave her some reassurance, but still… you never knew with Nathan Ford.
"Personally I prefer the red one" a woman's voice startled her. "It goes better with your skin tone, but then it all depends for whom you're buying it for"
"What?" Sophie chuckled in surprise. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"It's been a long time, Sophie" the brunette woman smiled.
"Too long"
"I need your help" she told her and Sophie could see the fear in her eyes. The woman she remember from her past wasn't afraid of anything.
"Okay" she nodded.
Somewhere in Los Angeles
Nate looked around him. The room was very sterile. Nothing in it except for a table and some chair. It looked a lot like an interrogation room and he wondered what he had done to deserve such treatment.
Suddenly the door opened and he saw Hardison, Eliot and Parker being pushed inside. The hitter had a black eye, indicating that they hadn't arrived there voluntarily.
"Hey" he gave them a half wave.
The three studied him. "I see we're not the only one who they have dragged here" Hardison complained and sat on a chair. He felt vulnerable without his equipment.
Parker suddenly leaned down and quickly gave Nate a half awkward hug. As fast she approached him, she was gone, taking a seat on his left.
"I've missed you too Parker" he smirked.
"Do you know what's going on?" Eliot asked the mastermind.
"No," he paused. "but I know who is behind it"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the door opened again. "Hello Nate" a grey haired man greeted him.
"Jack" he nodded. "Is this how you treat old friends?"
Jack Bristow chuckled. "Sorry about that, but your team did put up a fight. I have three agents with broken bones"
"They're lucky it wasn't more" Eliot grunted. "Using dart guns… that's cheating, typical of C.I.A."
"They could have asked more nicely" Hardison put his hands up "just saying"
"Jack, why are we here? And where is Sophie?" Nate crossed his arms. "I'm sure you got her too"
The C.I.A. agent nodded. "She'll be here shortly." He sighed. "Look Nate, I need your help. There's something going on and I don't know who else to ask, you and your team are the best at what you do, and I need the best"
"Hell no" Hardison forcefully shook his head. "The last time we helped someone we nearly blew up. Sterling? Does it ring any bells?" he turned his head towards the mastermind.
"I'm with Hardison with this one. Why should we help him? What's in it for us?"
But Nate and Jack just looked directly at each other, ignoring the others.
"A lot of my superiors think I'm crazy to bring you in, especially after the stunt with Conrad. It took a lot of convincing for him to agree to leave you alone."
"So what? We owe you now?" Eliot shouted at him. He could still vividly remember that con. Those kids brainwashing and torturing veterans left him with a lot of nightmares.
The door opened again and they saw Sophie happily walking in followed by a brunette woman and a second younger one who decided to stay behind everyone.
"Sophie!" Parker exclaimed excitedly.
"Hi everyone!" she smiled at them. She seemed to be the only one glad to be in the situation. Her eyes landed on Nate and she gave him that special smile she reserved only for him. The one that made him fall for her even more.
As much as they wanted to greet each other properly, they knew that was not the right time and place. She sat on the chair closer to him and laid a hand on his knee.
"So this is the famous Nathan Ford you've been talking about" the older brunette woman studied the man "Yes, I guess I can see why you're attracted to him"
"Irina!" Sophie gasped shocked while Jack raised his eyebrow surprised.
Eliot looked at her curiously. "I think I know you. You're Irina, Irina Derevko"
"Wait!" Hardison gasped "THE Irina Derevko, super baddy KGB spy. Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." She shrugged.
Jack tried not to roll his eyes at his ex-wife, or wife, since they were still technically married. "If you're all done." He said with irritation. "Nate, if you could just listen to what we have to say. Sydney, here…" he pointed at young woman standing behind him.
"Julia?" Eliot interrupted him shocked.
Sydney shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Hi Eliot"
"Hey, how do you two know each other?" Parker asked.
Flashback
"You know I can't let you leave with that" the blonde woman was pointing a gun at him. "Give me the flash drive!"
"And who is going to stop me? You?" Eliot gave her his flirty smile that he knew worked with women.
A shot rang and Eliot felt the bullet had missed him only by inches.
"Next time I'm not going to miss"
Eliot soon looked at her seriously. After a few quick movement, he had her pinned against the wall, his face close to hers. "I think we can work something out" and quickly covered her lips with his.
"You're not Julia Thorne." He stated simply. "You work for the C.I.A." it sounded like an accusation.
"It's really complicated. My father will…"
"You're his daughter?" things were getting better and better.
"Yes, and Irina is my mum. Like I said, really complicated." Her phone rang and she check the message. "My daughter needs me" she looked up. "Dad…"
"Wait? Daughter?" Eliot exclaimed.
Sydney turned quickly towards him blushing. "Oh no, she's just a couple of months old, nothing to do…" she looked away embarrassed and rushed out the door.
"Well," Hardison interrupted the awkward silent "I guess now we know how you two knew each other" earning a glare from Eliot and two very angry parents.
Nate cleared his throat. "Jack, you were saying?"
"Right. Have you heard of Prophet Five?"
"Of course, they were a secret organization in the 1970s, dealt mostly with mathematicians, linguists, scientists, and cryptologists." Hardison explained. He had read a lot about it in various chat rooms and websites. "It was shut down, but actually the people involve with it died in mysterious accidents"
"Well, it's back again. Prophet Five is now led by a group of twelve people who have infiltrated various organization across the world. They are interested in Milo Rambaldi's work…"
"Not Rambaldi's crap again" Eliot grunted. "Many people hired him to retrieve manuscripts, artefacts and so on all from Rambaldi. Never believed in it" he shrugged.
Irina just glared at him. "Many people believe in Rambaldi's prophecies. They spend lifetimes studying his work."
"Do you really believe that he found a formula for immortality?" the hitter looked at her sceptically.
"Immortality?" Parker's interested perked up. "As in super powers?"
"As in you can't die." Hardison clarified.
"Oh, just think of the things you could accomplish." Parker's eyes lit up.
"Parker," Sophie warned. "Don't get drag into it. Once you start, it's difficult to get out." Her eyes landed on Irina. She remember how she had tried to cultivate an interest in Rambaldi's work, and for a brief period Sophie had been fascinated by it. But then she saw how it became an obsession for Irina and got scared of it. She wondered if Irina was really free from it or if she was just playing a con on all of them.
"I know what you're thinking, little one" Irina said. "I'm not interested in Rambaldi's end game, not if it costs my daughter's life"
"Is she really the Chosen One?" Sophie asked surprised.
"So it seems" Jack replied brusquely. He had never been happy that his family was involved in the Rambaldi prophecies, it had only caused them pain.
"That leaves only one question" Nate intervened "What do you need from us?"
"We've got the name of the twelve, but we don't know their face or where they are. We need you to identify them and help us arrest them"
"That sounds too easy"
"Arvin Sloane, remember him?" Jack continued after seeing Nate's nod. "He is working on a plan himself. He has completely lost it. Nearly killed his own daughter over Rambaldi."
Irina shifted in her feet. She still couldn't believe it that her second daughter was in a hospital bed yet again because of Rambaldi. The injury to her neck was going to heal nicely in time. Thankfully, Jack had found her in time and managed to save her life.
"He has become extremely dangerous. We need to get to whatever he wants before he does. If we believe it or not, it's not important. But if Rambaldi's immortality serum is really true and Sloane reaches it," he paused. "Well, the consequences will be devastating"
Nate looked like he was assessing all the information and deciding what to do.
"Nate?" Sophie patted his leg, making him look at her. "Please, we need to help them. They're my family"
That definitely caught Nate's interest. "What exactly is your relation to Irina?" He did notice that, unlike the others, she hadn't been taken with force, and she was acting friendly towards them.
"She's my Godmother" Sophie smiled, looking up at the older woman. "We were really close when I was younger. She taught me most of the things I know as a grifter."
"Well, she was trained by the KGB to make a CIA agent fall in love with her and play the biggest con on him" Jack muttered under his breath.
"Jack" Irina rolled her eyes. "Again? Seriously? Do we really need to have this talk again?"
"No, of course not"
When she came back to them, after she had stolen the Horizon from them while Sydney was giving birth to their granddaughter, she explained how it was all part of her plan to try to infiltrate Prophet Five and get Sloane's trust. It was thanks to her that they had the names of the Twelve and the manuscript that Marshall Flinkman, the APO personal geek, was analysing.
Nate was still looking at Sophie, they were always communicating with their eyes, and after a while Nate silently nodded, knowing that Sophie was going to stay anyway, and he preferred to be there too, just to make sure she was going to be okay.
"Okay" Jack gave a small nod in thanks. "Well, let me show you where you're going to work" He opened the door and the team followed him.
Sophie laced her arm around Nate's and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as a thank you.
"Welcome to APO" Jack gave them the tour of the offices hidden beneath the Los Angeles subway system. He stopped in front of a desk where a frenetic and eccentric man was working on a computer. "Marshall, how is it going?"
"Sir… I… I've tried all types of basics algorithms… and also not so basics…. Nothing, nada de nada." He rambled.
His work got Hardison's attention. "What are you working on?" he looked from behind him.
Marshall looked at his boss, uncertain whether to proceed. After Jack nodded, he explained. "This is the document Miss Derevko, or is it Mrs Bristow? I'm not really sure what I should call her? I mean…"
"Marshall!" Jack snapped.
"Oh right, back on track. So this is the document Miss… well it's one of Rambaldi's document and it should tell us where his last and final device is, but I can't solve the decryption, nothing is working."
"Can I have my phone and laptop back?" Hardison raised his eyebrows towards Jack.
The man nodded and signalled to another agent to give the hacker his instruments back. Hardison connected his computer to Marshall's terminal.
"Hey, what…" the tech agent didn't like people touching his computer and electronic equipment. Hardison started typing on his keyboard and soon the words on the screen started to make sense. "How…" Marshall looked shocked.
"I've used one of my algorithms" the hacker smirked. "It says here something about an island… wait… it's called Atlantis"
"Atlantis?" both Jack and Nate exclaimed. "As in the legendary underwater island?"
"But isn't it just that? A myth?" Sophie asked.
"Believe me, after the things I've seen in over the years, nothing surprises me anymore" Bristow told them.
"Wouldn't it be cool if it turns out to be an alien spaceship? Ancient human beings that arrived thousands of years ago." Marshall commented.
"Stargate Atlantis?" Hardison added.
"Of course"
"Age of the geek, baby!" The two geeks high-fived.
"Oh my God, now there's two of them," Eliot muttered. "Does it by any chance give you a set of coordinates too?"
Hardison kept reading the document. "Yep, it does. Inserting them in the GPS system… Wait, this can't be right?"
"What?"
"It ends right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean"
"What's there?"
"Nothing…absolutely nothing… just water… you don't think…?"
Nate smirked "Let's go steal an underwater island!"
Jack and Nate came up with a plan, and a couple of hours later, the team went two separate ways. Eliot, Parker and Sydney went to Atlantis to discover the last Rambaldi device while Irina, Sophie, Nate and Jack went to find the Twelve and stop Sloane.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
"Who thought it was a great idea for us to be on the ship?" Hardison complained from his post. He was feeling slightly seasick.
"Do you want to trade?" Eliot snapped back. "We're the ones who have to go under water to find who knows what!" He was finishing putting on the underwater equipment.
"Not really, no" Hardison muttered. "And according to the document you'll find a panel that will help you get inside."
"Inside?" Sydney asked, confused.
"Yes, according to these schematics, Atlantis is a small island with only a lab. The building is surrounded by a force field that prevents water from passing through."
"So we just have to find the door that makes us go through this... force field?"
"Practically!" Marshall confirmed.
"What exactly do I have to steal?" Parker asked, excited about stealing something buried under water.
"I don't know," Hardison answered. "It doesn't say here. You might have to hack into the computer system"
"How come this island is so technological advanced? How did Rambaldi find the equipment in his time?"
"I guess that's why it's called the mystery of Atlantis"
Sydney, Eliot and Parker got ready to jump underwater.
"Well, see you in a bit... I hope"
Berlin- Germany
"Okay, so we've already identified eight members of the twelve" Jack got off the phone with the agency.
"Are you planning to arrest them now?" Sophie asked from her seat. All four were sitting in a car, spying on one of the marks.
"No, not until we identify everyone." He looked out of the window. "Plus, it looks like something is about to happen. They're all making arrangements to meet somewhere"
Nate didn't look convinced. "Why take a risk now?"
"With Irina stealing the document and Sloane going AWOL, they might feel trapped"
"No," Nate shook his head. "Someone is behind this."
"What are you thinking Nate?" Sophie recognized her lover's stare and knew he was working on a plan.
"Let's not waste time traveling around and finding out who are the unknown members. If eight of them are moving, it's safe to say that so are the other four. Let's follow who we know and arrest them all together when they'll meet"
Atlantic Ocean
"We haven't heard from them in over twenty minutes. Should we alert command post and Dixon?" Marshall was worriedly looking at his screen. They had lost communication with the team. Five minutes earlier, they had seen on the radar screen another ship approaching their coordinates.
"Give it another 10 minutes"
Suddenly they heard shots fired above deck.
"That doesn't sound good" Marshall and Hardison looked at each other, scared.
The hacker picked up his laptop and closed it quickly. "I ain't gonna stay here. He went to open the door only to find himself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun.
"And where are you going?" The man holding the gun waved them back inside, and Hardison and Marshall sat back down with their arms raised.
Down Deep in the Atlantic Ocean
Eliot, Sydney and Parker continued to go down and search for the lab. The pressure was getting heavy and the oxygen levels were getting low. They needed to find this sunken island, and fast, if not they had to go back up and try again later.
Parker started waving her arms and pointing down at their left. Eliot saw what she was pointing at and his eyes were wide. There, in the middle of the ocean was a small island with a building. Like Hardison said, something surrounded the building keeping the water outside, but it looked more like a glass sphere than a force field.
Sydney Bristow went to search for the panel that led inside, but while she was looking for it, Eliot saw some movements on their right. A light was quickly coming towards them and something hit him with a bang. It took him a while to focus again on his surroundings. He saw three other divers with them, one was approaching Sydney from behind while another was fighting with Parker. The third one got closer to him with a knife. He slowly managed to block the arm and then kick the man in the stomach. It was easy fighting at that depth and the oxygen in his tank was nearly finished. With the last strength he had left, he fought with his attacker and then snatched the tubes from his tank. His attacker was slowly drowning and then he went limp. The hitter shook his head. He didn't like killing, but he had no other solution. The turned around and saw that Parker managed to make subdue her attacker while Sydney was still fighting and looking for the panel. Then Eliot saw it, the door leading inside. He signaled the other two women and they all swam there. Sydney unlocked the door and they went inside and sealed the door, leaving the last man outside banging on the glass.
"Are you all okay?" Eliot asked taking his mask and tank off.
"Yeah" Sydney answered, out of breath. "Have you guys made contact with the ship?" Her comm wasn't working.
"No" Eliot shook his head. "But those men came from somewhere"
"So what do we do now?" Parker asked. She was worried about Hardison up on the ship.
"We continue with our mission. We have no choice. We don't have enough oxygen to go back to the surface right now."
Parker and Eliot nodded and they explored the building.
Prague- Czech Republic
Nate and Jack were waiting outside the majestic hotel while Irina and Sophie were inside as guests for the banquet. It had been a cover up for the twelve to meet. Sophie was wearing a beautiful backless evening gown while Irina opted for a long-sleeved red gown. They were certainly getting the attention of some males in the reception, and the two men waiting outside weren't that happy.
"Jack," came Irina's voice through comms. "We've got a problem"
"What?" he sounded alarmed.
"Kelly Peyton. She's here," she whispered.
Kelly Peyton initially worked under Gordon Dean for Prophet Five, but now she allied herself with Sloane.
"What is she doing here?"
"I think for the same reason we're here, but I bet her intentions are not as noble as ours."
The twelve began leaving the reception to gather in a room upstairs.
Irina saw Kelly Peyton follow them with two guards.
"Irina, she can't kill them." Jack told her.
"Leave it to us!" Irina and Sophie smirked, already knowing what to do.
"Those two are scary together."
"You have no idea!" Nate agreed watching Irina and Sophie work their magic as they distracted the guards and captured Peyton.
Meanwhile, Jack gave the order to his team to secure the building and arrest the members of the twelve. The four were celebrating their success when Jack's phone rang.
"Hello Jack."
"Sloane, what do you want?"
"I see you've managed to save the twelve, congratulations, Jack. But that won't stop me. Tell me, have you heard from your team in the
Atlantic recently?"
Jack made a gesture to Nate telling him to call the away team. Nate tried Hardison's phone, but he received no answer. He shook his head and looked worriedly towards the others.
"I don't know how you have convinced Irina to betray me. She has always been such a faithful Rambaldi follower. Such a believer. Do you really think I could have found the coordinates in any other way?"
"I'll repeat again: what do you want, Arvin?"
"Sydney and her friends have managed to enter Rambaldi's lab, but I have the ship, and if you want to see them alive again, you will do exactly as I tell you. I think it's time we met each other again, face to face… oh, and bring your new friends too." He hung up.
"We need to go to the ship"
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
Hardison and Marshall were tied to their chairs.
"Do you think we'll make it out of this alive?" Marshall asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Hardison nodded. "My team will save us."
"I just hope they've managed to get inside and that they can make it work."
They heard the sound of a helicopter approaching the ship.
"Something is happening."
Above, on the top deck, Sloane was waiting for Jack and the others to get off the helicopter.
"Hello Jack," Arvin Sloane smiled. "Irina, I was happy to hear that our daughter Nadia is still alive."
Irina took a menacing step towards him. "If you hurt one of my daughters again…"
"So you really are for them and here I thought you were just lying and playing Jack, like you always do. Do you really want to give up the opportunity of eternal life?"
"What is eternal life if I have no one to live my life with?"
"So much sentiment, you disappoint me, Irina"
"Why are we here?" Jack looked around. Sloane had the ship under control, but he knew if he could get to Dixon and Marshall, they could easily take it back.
"We haven't heard from Sydney and the others for a while now. We know they made it inside. They killed one of my men and the others came up to inform us."
"Well, how do you think we can contact them?"
"You can be very resourceful with the right motivation." Suddenly, the guns were pointed at Irina and Sophie. Nate took a step in front of Sophie, trying to shield her.
"We have Marshall and one other hacker, I'm sure you can find something…"
The ship started to shake abruptly. Big waves were hitting the vessel like a seaquake coming out of nowhere. People were trying to hold anything they could so they wouldn't be thrown off the boat. Jack and Nate took advantage of the opportunity to hit some of the guards.
Arvin looked to his right just in time to see something emerge slowly from the sea.
"It's Atlantis," he whispered, but that was the last thing he saw before Jack knocked him down with a punch.
Los Angeles
Sydney and her husband Michael Vaughn, who returned to L.A. as soon as it was safe, organized a barbecue and party for the 4th of July. Nadia was also out of the hospital, and Sydney helped her push the wheelchair over to the picnic table in the garden.
Eliot was in charge of the food while Marshall and Hardison were discussing the latest Doctor Who episode. Parker had mysteriously disappeared, but Nate had the feeling that she was going to come back as soon as she stole at least one of Rambaldi's artifacts as a souvenir.
The CIA had now an entire lab to analyze and more mysteries to solve.
"Nate," Jack Bristow stood next to the mastermind and they clinked their beer bottles. "Thank you for your help. I guess I'll owe you one."
Nate chuckled. "Don't think I won't take advantage of it when I'll need it."
"I just hope you'll take less of the top jobs. Moreau, Conrad, Latimer..."
"Well, since the CIA goes around chasing artifacts someone has to take care of them."
Jack just glared at him, then he turned his head towards Irina and Sophie, who were laughing while playing with Isabelle, his granddaughter "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Nate followed his line of sight and smiled. "I have known Sophie for over 10 years. I know exactly what I'm getting myself into. I guess the heart wants what the heart wants."
"Make sure to invite us to the wedding."
"How...?"
"You've bought an engagement ring."
"You've checked my finances?" he raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"Of course... and you'll might notice a small payment. The bosses insisted. Apparently they're not convinced you'll keep your mouth shut."
"How exactly do they think they'll be able to hide the island from the rest of the world?"
"Marshall is studying some of Rambaldi's technology. He might have brought only misery to my family, but that Rambaldi was a genius."
"Have you thought what you're going to do with Irina?"
"I don't know... I'll guess for Sydney's sake and for our granddaughter's future, we should try to work things out."
Nate patted his back. "Like I said, you can't choose who you love"
Irina and Sophie started walking towards them. Irina still had baby Isabelle in her arms and smiled up to Jack. Sophie put her arms around Nate and leaned up to kiss him.
Suddenly fireworks were in the sky and they looked up to watch the display.
THE END