CHAPTER 0NE: MISSION
Sydney crouched behind a large crate, panting lightly as three armed guards ran past, consumed in their hunt for the intruder; their hunt for her.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She placed the headset back in place; it had fallen from her head when she was attempting to escape.
"Vaughn! You there?"
~~~~~
"What in God's name is wrong with our Comm' link?" Vaughn was beginning to panic as he watched the technician fiddle with several wires before answering him.
"Nothing this end! It must be her headset. Maybe she broke it"
"How the hell do we contact her if her head-set is broken?"
Suddenly, her voice sounded through the room.
"Vaughn, pick up!" Her voice was trembling and she was short of breath. "Answer me!"
He grabbed the mike "Syd!" the relief was thick in his deep voice "what the hell happened?"
"Well, I got busted! Now they're trying to kill me. Nothing new!"
"Ok, do you think you can sneak out?"
just then he heard a male voice in the background "there she is! Don't let her get away!"
"Um… better be ready to leave quickly!" she panted as she ran again.
Vaughn flinched when he heard a loud gun shot, followed quickly by a short scream from Sydney.
"Syd! You hurt?"
"Shit. My leg. I'm shot" she growled through clenched teeth "go, get the team out"
"I'm not moving one inch until every single one of my agents is safe! So you better get your butt moving or we're all dead!"
"Yes sir!"
He listened carefully to her laboured breathing and painful moans as she tried to run from her attackers on her wounded leg.
There was another gun shot and a loud thud. "Syd?" she didn't answer "SYDNEY!"
~~~~~
Sydney ran as fast as she could, clutching her wounded thigh. She flinched when she heard another gunshot. A searing pain exploding in her left shoulder quickly followed it as she crashed to the ground.
She heard Vaughn calling her name over the Comm link but she couldn't answer right away.
"Syd. Answer me God damn it!"
"I can't do it!" she panted, beginning to cry as she dragged herself to her feet again.
"Yes you can Syd. You have to!"
"I can't, I'm shot!"
"Get out now!"
"I'm scared!" she confessed as she threw herself through a door on the right of the long corridor. She clutched her arm as blood flowed freely from the open wound in her shoulder.
"You'll be ok"
"Vaughn…"
"my name is Michael!"
"Michael I'm gonna die in here!"
"If you think like that then yeah you will. Believe in yourself Syd. You can do it. Believe me when I say that I believe in you!"
"You do?" she choked as she ran
"Damn right I do"
"Michael, I see the door. I see it."
"Run. As fast as you can. I'll be waiting for you" Sydney summoned all of the strength she had left and dashed for the door, pain tearing through her leg and shoulder. She heard the guards behind her.
"Stop her!" one shouted.
"SHOOT TO KILL!"
~~~~~
Vaughn put on a bullet-proof vest and jumped out of the van. He was in time to see Sydney burst through the door, Tears streaming down her blood splattered face as her eyes locked with his. She was limping badly and clutching her arm against her.
"Oh god" he hissed under his breath as he watched her stumble to the ground as a guard came up behind her.
~~~~~
Her legs went from underneath her and she hit the ground hard. "MICHAEL!" she screamed desperately as she tried to get back to her feet. Her legs were too weak and refused to support her.
~~~~~
His heart leapt when she called his name, her voice full of pain and fear. He grabbed his pistol, and began shooting the guards as they came out of the building. Starting with the one right behind her.
He ran at top speed, gun blazing as he grew closer.
when the other agents began to shoot the guards, he tucked his pistol back in its holster and scooped Sydney into his arms.
He ran back to the van as fast as he could. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as bullets ripped past him. He glanced at Sydney. She was clinging to his shirt with a white hand. Her face was deathly pale as she cried against his shoulder while he ran.
Finally he reached the van had climbed into the back, followed closley by the other agents. When the doors were closed, the van's tyres screeched and it moved away from the airfield at top speed.
He lay Sydney on the floor of the van as the three other team members watched with concerned eyes.
She was covered in blood and couldn't stop crying as the incredible pain surged through her body. Each sob making the pain more intense.
"It's ok" he spoke softly as he knelt at her side, stroking away hair that was stuck to the blood that had splattered onto her face from her shoulder.
"You're safe now" she looked deep into his eyes, knowing he believed every word he was saying. Then everything faded to black and she passed out.
~~~~~
"Agent Vaughn" one of the other team members spoke quietly "I know you don't want to hear it, but this has to be said…" he paused, looking at every other agent. "She may die. We can't take her to a doctor or hospital. We'll never be able to explain it. A lot of people would be put in dangerous situations."
Vaughn glared at him "don't you think I know that?" he growled "I'll figure something out" he turned his eyes back to Sydney. He couldn't let her die, he refused.
He couldn't help feeling like he was loosing her before she had ever been his.
"We'll take her to my place!"
"But sir…"
"what? You'd rather we leave her to die?"
"No sir. It's just if anyone finds out…"
"no ones going to find out!" he looked at each and every member of his team. "All I'm doing is keeping a good agent alive. Nothing more! Understood?"
"Yes sir!" they all answered at the same time. Each knowing what would happen if anyone did find out.
Sydney crouched behind a large crate, panting lightly as three armed guards ran past, consumed in their hunt for the intruder; their hunt for her.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She placed the headset back in place; it had fallen from her head when she was attempting to escape.
"Vaughn! You there?"
~~~~~
"What in God's name is wrong with our Comm' link?" Vaughn was beginning to panic as he watched the technician fiddle with several wires before answering him.
"Nothing this end! It must be her headset. Maybe she broke it"
"How the hell do we contact her if her head-set is broken?"
Suddenly, her voice sounded through the room.
"Vaughn, pick up!" Her voice was trembling and she was short of breath. "Answer me!"
He grabbed the mike "Syd!" the relief was thick in his deep voice "what the hell happened?"
"Well, I got busted! Now they're trying to kill me. Nothing new!"
"Ok, do you think you can sneak out?"
just then he heard a male voice in the background "there she is! Don't let her get away!"
"Um… better be ready to leave quickly!" she panted as she ran again.
Vaughn flinched when he heard a loud gun shot, followed quickly by a short scream from Sydney.
"Syd! You hurt?"
"Shit. My leg. I'm shot" she growled through clenched teeth "go, get the team out"
"I'm not moving one inch until every single one of my agents is safe! So you better get your butt moving or we're all dead!"
"Yes sir!"
He listened carefully to her laboured breathing and painful moans as she tried to run from her attackers on her wounded leg.
There was another gun shot and a loud thud. "Syd?" she didn't answer "SYDNEY!"
~~~~~
Sydney ran as fast as she could, clutching her wounded thigh. She flinched when she heard another gunshot. A searing pain exploding in her left shoulder quickly followed it as she crashed to the ground.
She heard Vaughn calling her name over the Comm link but she couldn't answer right away.
"Syd. Answer me God damn it!"
"I can't do it!" she panted, beginning to cry as she dragged herself to her feet again.
"Yes you can Syd. You have to!"
"I can't, I'm shot!"
"Get out now!"
"I'm scared!" she confessed as she threw herself through a door on the right of the long corridor. She clutched her arm as blood flowed freely from the open wound in her shoulder.
"You'll be ok"
"Vaughn…"
"my name is Michael!"
"Michael I'm gonna die in here!"
"If you think like that then yeah you will. Believe in yourself Syd. You can do it. Believe me when I say that I believe in you!"
"You do?" she choked as she ran
"Damn right I do"
"Michael, I see the door. I see it."
"Run. As fast as you can. I'll be waiting for you" Sydney summoned all of the strength she had left and dashed for the door, pain tearing through her leg and shoulder. She heard the guards behind her.
"Stop her!" one shouted.
"SHOOT TO KILL!"
~~~~~
Vaughn put on a bullet-proof vest and jumped out of the van. He was in time to see Sydney burst through the door, Tears streaming down her blood splattered face as her eyes locked with his. She was limping badly and clutching her arm against her.
"Oh god" he hissed under his breath as he watched her stumble to the ground as a guard came up behind her.
~~~~~
Her legs went from underneath her and she hit the ground hard. "MICHAEL!" she screamed desperately as she tried to get back to her feet. Her legs were too weak and refused to support her.
~~~~~
His heart leapt when she called his name, her voice full of pain and fear. He grabbed his pistol, and began shooting the guards as they came out of the building. Starting with the one right behind her.
He ran at top speed, gun blazing as he grew closer.
when the other agents began to shoot the guards, he tucked his pistol back in its holster and scooped Sydney into his arms.
He ran back to the van as fast as he could. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as bullets ripped past him. He glanced at Sydney. She was clinging to his shirt with a white hand. Her face was deathly pale as she cried against his shoulder while he ran.
Finally he reached the van had climbed into the back, followed closley by the other agents. When the doors were closed, the van's tyres screeched and it moved away from the airfield at top speed.
He lay Sydney on the floor of the van as the three other team members watched with concerned eyes.
She was covered in blood and couldn't stop crying as the incredible pain surged through her body. Each sob making the pain more intense.
"It's ok" he spoke softly as he knelt at her side, stroking away hair that was stuck to the blood that had splattered onto her face from her shoulder.
"You're safe now" she looked deep into his eyes, knowing he believed every word he was saying. Then everything faded to black and she passed out.
~~~~~
"Agent Vaughn" one of the other team members spoke quietly "I know you don't want to hear it, but this has to be said…" he paused, looking at every other agent. "She may die. We can't take her to a doctor or hospital. We'll never be able to explain it. A lot of people would be put in dangerous situations."
Vaughn glared at him "don't you think I know that?" he growled "I'll figure something out" he turned his eyes back to Sydney. He couldn't let her die, he refused.
He couldn't help feeling like he was loosing her before she had ever been his.
"We'll take her to my place!"
"But sir…"
"what? You'd rather we leave her to die?"
"No sir. It's just if anyone finds out…"
"no ones going to find out!" he looked at each and every member of his team. "All I'm doing is keeping a good agent alive. Nothing more! Understood?"
"Yes sir!" they all answered at the same time. Each knowing what would happen if anyone did find out.