Title: Elements of Hell

Pairing:?

Summary: When Irina and her sisters receive letters threatening their children, the truth of Rambaldi’s prophecy is revealed among them. If the threats are carried out, four kinds of hell will be unleashed and all of them will be named Derevko.

Author’s Notes: Everything in this story is made up according to my imagination. This has no place in canon except that this is the spy world and Nadia exists under the same circumstances. Irina has three sisters: Yelena, Ykaterina, and Fayina. I have no idea the ages or even the age difference between them, so feel free to call me on the errors. Everyone is called by various names, but they’re recognizable.

Don’t worry; most of these will only be used in the sole company of the sisters. Think you can handle it.

AN2: Also I speak no Russian, but I can do English and proficient Spanish, so here we go to Spain

~~~~

Irina had been wary about this meeting from the beginning. They had all been, truly. They were sisters by blood and by trial, and yet they didn’t trust each other as far as they could toss one another. It’d been that way for years. Distance, lies, and international espionage had assured them that they no longer shared the same confidence. Decades of watching out for themselves had left little room for compromise or change. They were strangers with the same blood and the same middle name.

Irina drove leisurely down a deserted road over the rolling countryside of Salamanca, Spain that just brushed up against the borders of Portugal. She was in no rush to reach her destination despite the urgent circumstances of their meeting. No one knew where she was. She had taken careful and arduous steps to be sure of that. She even had a double with a mark on her back taking a trip to Mozambique just in case.

It was odd to have no one pursuing her for a moment, a moment that was only hers and belonged to no one else. Of course, the moment was also being lived by others, but in another place. A place that wasn’t where she was, a place far away. Yes, this moment belonged to Irina Derevko and she couldn’t remember how long it had been since that was true.

After nearly two hours of driving, she came upon a grand, but secluded estate nestled at the foot of the rising hills. She was wordlessly admitted into the statuesque rod iron gates and pulled into to a circular drive, surrounding a fountain of two modest angels frolicking guilelessly. A little much for her taste, but nice. The entire property screamed Spanish Royalty. If she didn’t know better, she’d say this was the home away from home of La Familia Real.

A man came out of the front doors and offered in Spanish to take her car to be parked. She was hesitant, concerned at the possible hindrance to a quick getaway.

“No, muchas gracias. Yo voy a necesitarlo esta tarde.” He nodded and disappeared around the side of the house. It was true; she hopefully wouldn’t be staying longer than the afternoon. She parked her car around the bottom of the sloping driveway, near to the entryway. It turned out that she wasn’t the first to have that idea or the first to arrive.

She climbed out of her car and ran her hand over the hood of the one car that had snagged her desired spot. It was cool. It concerned her that someone else had managed to be that far ahead of her. She never cared to have more than one of her sisters alone without her. God only knew what they could’ve planned in that time. She could be walking into an ambush. It was a good, she decided, that she wasn’t the only one. Whichever of her sisters had yet to arrive, would be she just as screwed as she. And that brought a smile to her face.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but my sisters shall surely kill me.

How true it was. She lost her smug expression when massive wooden doors opened and another raven-haired beauty stepped out. To Irina, she hadn’t changed a bit, aged a day, or suffered at all. She was the perfect 17-year old she’d been the day Irina left over twenty years ago. Their little Faya was all grown up now.

“Fayina.” She nodded and descended the short steps to her sister. They paused before one another and allowed time for perfunctory evaluations. It had been so long since they’d seen each other face to face. “You look the same.”

“You don’t,” she uttered dryly and waited for Irina’s reaction. She had none. “You look more beautiful today than when you were truly young. I’ve missed you, Irinka.” She finally smiled and they went to one another in a swift and fiery embrace. Irina’s joy was so strong that she lifted Faya off the ground as she spun her around.

They finally stood still and pulled away from the hug. As they looked into each other’s eyes, Rina brushed a dark tendril from her sister’s flushed face. She couldn’t stop herself from hugging her again. Her presence now made her absence so much stronger. How long it had been.

“Oh, Faya. Look at the life you’ve made for yourself. It’s so wonderful. You’ve done well.” Her younger sister hid her face in her neck as she relaxed into her sister’s welcomed praise. Even as an adult, she’d idolized Irina. To have her approval was amazing.

“I had a good role model, hmm?”

“I suppose so. If I could be considered good in any way, I will take this way.” They smiled at each other again before a rather rude noise broke up their reunion. It was Katya waiting at the door, looking unhappy to be left out of the festivities.

“Well, what have we here? Is it little Irinochka? Could it be?” Irina’s eyes became like daggers on her older sister. Older only by two years maybe, but Katya seemed to enjoy acting like it was forever. She always liked to pretend that Irina had stolen her shine. That is, if she’d had any to begin with. She would never be her sister and less than her would never do. She’d learned that in her dealings with Jack and his penchant for calling the name of a certain ex-wife of his during mind-blowing sex with her. Hell yes, she was bitter. It should’ve been her. She was the oldest.

“Katya. I see you’ve managed to arrive early for a change.” She stood up straight at the younger woman’s admonishment.

“I see you managed to arrive at all. With your sense of direction, how surprising.” Fayina moved to stand between them with a stern expression likening –frighteningly so, in fact—that of their mother.

“And you both will be leaving right now, if you don’t stop this. This is not why we’re here. Now, we will go inside, wait for Yelena, and have something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“And I don’t care.” Her unusually hazel eyes began to shine darkly. “This is my home and you will do as I say or you will leave and you won’t know what comes next. It’s your choice, mis hermanas.” They looked at her oddly as she walked back inside. Feeling their confounded glances, she turned back to explain. “We’re in Spain, so we will speak Spanish. Otherwise, we will stand out. Do you understand me?” She grinned and disappeared into the foyer. Glaring at one another, they followed her.

Unnoticed by either of them, another car rolled in. Sister Dear had arrived.

Oh, God, this was going to be an unbearable day.

~~~~

This being her house, Fayina had grabbed control of this meeting of the minds with both hands. She had also been the one to have to keep it in hand, seeing as her sisters were determined to let decades-old grudges come between them. The bickering had already begun to get on her nerves.

They ate, they drank wine, and now they were arguing. Pissed would be the best description of Fayina’s mood now. They had much more important things to worry about. She stood and slammed her glass on the brass table in her dining room. It shattered on impact and silenced her feuding siblings.

“We are not here for this. We are not children; we are not little girls anymore. Let us stop acting like we are.” They dropped their gazes guiltily and kicked at each other under the table. She slammed her hand down again. “Stop it. We all know why we’re here.”

“I don’t,” Elena chimed in snidely. Fay closed her eyes and counted down in her head. There were times when she wished she herself had never been born. Really, her parents would have done well to stop at three.

“Shut up, Yelenushka.” Irina smirked. “And don’t let me begin, Irinka.” Her smile fell. She did not like to be chastised. “We all received letters; letters that threatened the lives of our children. Am I right?” There was a silent consensus. “I know that we haven’t seen each other in a while and I know that we often don’t get along, but you must believe that there is something greater at stake here. Our children are at stake and that must take precedence. We have to come together for that purpose. That is why this meeting was arranged. Once the matter is settled, we can all go back to our separate lives if we wish,” she looked sideways to Irina. She did not wish. “Irina.” She retook her seat as she rose.

“Last week, an letter was hand-delivered to me with no return address.” She took it out of her jacket and tossed it onto the table. Lena got it first and stuck her tongue triumphantly. Both Irina and Fay closed their eyes in frustration. Was it possible that she was adopted? “It, as you can see, states and proves that the writer knows exactly where Nadia and Sydney are and their routines. They say that if I do not produce the object of Rambaldi’s Prophecy that my children will pay. That, of course, means certain death for them.”

“So they don’t think Sydney is the One?”

“Apparently not, but she will do in a crunch.”

“Then, let them have her.”

“No!”

“It’s better one child than all of our children, no?”

“No, Katya. Not one.” Irina leaned forward on her hands. “All. Once they realize that she is truly not the One, they will kill her and come after whomever they decide is next.”

“Which will probably be Nadia.”

“Which doesn’t matter. Have either of you seen the scrolls?” She looked to Elena and Katya, knowing that Faya had.

“We’ve all seen them, Irina. Reach your point.” She ground her teeth to stifle a growl. She was in charge and yet her sister continued to disrespect her. She would never get used to that.

“I’m asking whether you have seen all of the scrolls.” Silence enshrouded their group as the other two shared a wary look.

“What do you mean all of the scrolls? There are 47. I have seen all 47.” A triumphant smirk crossed Irina’s lips and only Fayina’s disapproving expression dissolved it.

“There are 50.”

“That’s not possible. It is written that there are only 47.” Katya was outraged, Elena was nervous, and their sisters were amused to say the least.

“The prophecy containing the woman is brief, too brief. Three pages are missing. They were removed long before my…quest began, possibly even centuries ago. That’s why their absence has not been publicly noted. No one knows they exist except Faya, you two, and myself.”

“What are you saying, Irinka?” Having faded deep into the background near the back of the room, Fayina made herself heard again.

“She’s saying that the Prophecy is about more than one woman.”

“You’re lying,” shouted Elena, anxious and outraged. “You’re out to make us look like fools.”

“Like you honestly need any help with that,” Irina muttered under her breath.

“I heard you.”

“I know you did. I wasn’t trying to keep you from hearing me. Now, are we going to talk about this like adults, or are you going to do what you always do and run away?”

“I do not run - -”

“Oh, please.”

“Irinka, stop now. Lenochka, stop being a nuisance. I’m the youngest, that’s my job. Katya… do something. You’re the oldest, act like it for a change.” She took offense at the too true statement.

“I’ll do something,” she said as she rose. “Goodbye, sisters. This has been fun. Thanks for lunch, let’s not do it again in the near future.” She turned her back to them and started to leave.

“Where exactly are you going, Katenka?” She faced her baby sister with a melodramatic look.

“Home, dear. This has been tiring to say the least. I need to get my rest before I have to get back to work. You know, some of us do work.” She looked over Faya’s shoulder to Irina. “We don’t just pay minions to do it for us.” Rina’s face narrowed sourly and only her decorum saved Katya’s life.

“Yes, because some of us aren’t nearly that good. I wonder which of us that is?” She didn’t look at Katya as she made the cutting remark.

Faya cut off Katenka’s angry response. “It doesn’t matter, because she is not leaving.”

“Excuse me.”

“I said, you are not leaving, Katenka. You don’t come to my home uninvited and you don’t leave until you are dismissed.”

“You cannot keep me here. I won’t allow it.”

“And again, I don’t give a damn. The guns in this house, work for me and my orders are the only ones they’ll follow. They could care less that she,” she pointed over her shoulder, “is Irina Derevko, or that you are her sister. To them, you are a guest and until I say otherwise, someone that should be watched closely. Until I tell them to let you leave, you don’t leave. Sit down, Ykaterina.” The seriousness of the woman’s tone forced her acquiescence.

“I don’t like to be ordered around, Faya.”

“Good for you. However, remember that you’ve surrendered the option of being in charge with your childishness and immaturity.” Unwisely, she went to slap Faya.

“How dare y--” She caught her hand and squeezed her wrist in her fingers. A sudden chill came over Katya. God, she was so cold. Her teeth chattered noisily in the dead silent dining room and her skin began turning a startling bluish-white

“Stop, Fayushka. Stop, now!” Irina rushed over to put a stop to her show of force, yanking their hands apart and steadying an unsteady Katya. “Lean on me, Katushka. You shouldn’t have done that, Faya. You are never to use that against one of us again. You understand me?” She nodded and left the room. Suddenly, it was too hot in there. She had no doubt that it was Irina’s doing.

It was beginning to look as though there were too many women in this Prophecy.

~~~~

Eventually, Katya’s ‘cold’ subsided and they found themselves congregating in Fayina’s office for another attempt at this damned meeting. Faya was determined to get right down to it.

“There are three missing pages. There was more than one woman. The woman that all know is Fire. He refers to her as such: "This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks. Signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works. Bind them with fury. A burning anger, unless prevented. At vulgar cost, this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation.

“We all know it says that, Fayina. This isn’t news,” answered Elena annoyingly.

“Yes, but you should pay special attention to the reference to fire. She is Fire.” Finally intrigued, the second-to youngest Derevko leaned forward.

“What do you mean, she is Fire?”

“The women prophesied. Their powers are the elements. They think that all of this is one woman. It cannot and is not one woman. That power living in a single being is impossible. That is why Rambaldi himself did not possess it. It would destroy one human being. He was far too valuable to take the risk. He saw more than one woman. The powers: fire, water, earth, and wind.”

“Then, why is Sydney’s picture shown if she is not the one?”

“Maybe you have noticed that the women in our family bear an incredible resemblance to one another. That woman could be any one of us.”

“She could be you.” She nodded rationally.

“She could be, but there is more than one face pictured. Ironically,” she spared another look to Irina, “all of the pictures are similar.”

“I don’t understand,” said Katya slowly. She didn’t understand, but she was beginning to.

Faya went around her desk and pulled out the center drawer, placing four pieces of parchment on the desktop. “These women here depicted will possess similar unseen marks. Signs that they will be the ones to bring forth my works.”

“It doesn’t say that.”

“I summarized. Here are the pages. See the women. Tell me they aren’t familiar. Please, tell me they aren’t and I will prove you wrong.” Katenka and Elena looked shrewdly over the drawings before seeming to come to similar conclusions.

“That’s us.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Both of you, are you sure? Do you agree?”

Irina nodded sagely. “We agree.”

“So, who has what power?” Katya didn’t sound like she believed she was asking.

Faya sighed and began to hand over each parchment respectively. “Lenochka, you are water. Katenka, you are earth. Irina is fire, and I am wind.” Katya’s eyes snapped to her and she instinctively flexed her hand. It suddenly made sense. Fayina had frozen her, her very own sister. How chilling.

“How long have the two of you known?” They said nothing. “How long!” Irina nodded for Fay to go first.

“I’ve known for a couple of years, but I told Irina once she called me about the letter. Then, guessing you’d all received such a letter, we decided that a meeting would be necessary. It seems that we were correct.”

“It does seem so, doesn’t it?” Lena perched herself on the edge of the desk with a contemplative expression. “We have powers. Funny. We could control anything. We are the prophesied.”

“We are,” Irina admitted as she watched her younger sister worriedly. She was concerned about what she would do with her newly-realized superiority. She herself hadn’t wanted to tell her at all. Fayina had insisted and she had bowed to her judgment, though she was regretting it now.

“We could take the people threatening our children out. We don’t have to bow to them. We can take them down. It’s that simple.”

“No, it’s not simple. We don’t know where the children are and we won’t find out without them. Besides, we don’t know where these people are. We can’t simply unleash ourselves on the on the world and expect all the pieces to fall in our favor.”

“Why not,” Katya asked.

“Because that’s not how the world works.”

“How would you know? You’ve spent most of your life hiding from it.”

“That’s why I hid.”