Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. Big Shocker there. Kudos to J.J. Abrams
and Co.-- Go them.
Author's Note: Since the Swiss Alps are just so special, their chairlifts are cooler than the ones we got here in America. They are these boxed-in little booths, like miniaturized train compartments, with little doors to keep out the wind. Cool, huh? Hope this provides a better visual for this piece. Thanks for reading, and please review!!!!
______________________________
"It's your basic smash and grab job, Syd." Sitting in a CIA conference room. Reviewing for yet another mission in search of yet another precious Rambaldi artifact. Same Bat time, Same Bat channel. Syd yawned, much to the dismay of Agent Kendall. He gave her a scolding look. Syd didn't care.
Ever since he had made the "Executive Decision" to send Vaughn to France for three years on location, Syd had basically lost all respect for the man. After the Alliance was destroyed, it was supposed to finally work out for us, Syd thought. Til Kendall decided to issue a company policy that included no dating between coworkers.
In the beginning, they hadn't cared. They just dated behind Kendall's back. But it was inevitable that hewould find out. Syd hadn't believed at the time that he would take such drastic measures. As it turned out, the CIA could be just as bad as SD-6 when it came to rule breaking. They banished Vaughn to France, and forbade any further contact between him and Sydney. It had been a year and a half, and she was still stuck in limbo, waiting for him to come back to LA.
It didn't even matter that she was forbidden to talk to him. She just wanted to see him again. Sigh . . . . . . . .
Syd looked up from her routine moping session to find had stopped talking and Kendall was glaring at her.
"Sorry," Syd said, faking a smile, "Just a little tired today."
"Agent Weiss, repeat the details of the mission for Agent Bristow please. I'm going to go get coffee." Kendall stormed out impatiently.
Weiss sighed. "Look Syd, I miss Vaughn too. But you've gotta get your head back in the game or else you might hurt yourself on a mission."
Sydney closed her eyes, massaging her temples with her fingertips. When did she become so jaded? When I realized that it doesn't matter what side I'm on-They're all corrupt, she thought, answering her own question.
"I'll be fine Weiss. What's the mission?"
"Like I said, your basic smash and grab job. You get to go skiing."
____________________________________________
Which is how Sydney Bristow ended up in a Swiss Ski Resort at midnight, looking for another lost scroll that would reveal the location of the last missing piece in Rambaldi's Ultimate Weapon. The helicopter dropped her off at the top of the mountain with her skis and poles and left her there with no backup. If Vaughn had been here, she thought, he would have insisted on backup. He would have insisted on my safety.
Life's a Bitch Syd, said the little cynical voice inside her. Either deal with it or get out of the game. Nobody cares about your problems. Suck it up.
That little voice had been getting louder in the past few years. She had been at the job too long, and it was taking it's toll.
Syd sighed, and began gliding gracefully across the snow, searching for the specific Latitude/Longitude point where Rambaldi had hidden his treasures. Ice began forming on her hair, crystallizing on her eyelashes. If I cried, would it turn to ice? Syd wondered.
But she never cried anymore.
At night on the Alps, temperatures normally range below zero; lifeless. Syd was certainly feeling that no.
Syd stopped at the spot. Momentarily checking her readings, she looked down once more. All that stood at the spot was a single pine tree. Syd was about give up, when she saw a symbol carved into the bark. The eye of Rambaldi.
Walking around the tree to examine it closer, she noticed a vibrant red orchid growing at the base of the tree-- A scientifically impossible occurence. Was this what she was supposed to retrieve? She had not been given many details.
"I'm assuming you'll know it when you see it." Weiss had said.
A bare spot of ground lay in the flower's shadow, completely devoid of snow. Sydney dug into the cold, hard earth searching for the constantly out- of-reach Rambaldi Vision.
There. Her hands struck wood. Pulling out the box, Syd grimaced as she realized it was a miniature coffin. Opening it tentatively, inside she found the perfectly preserved body of a white turtle dove, holding a small glass sphere in its beak.
How ironic, Sydney thought, that he used the symbol of peace when what he invented was a weapon of strife. Almost ceremoniously, Sydney closed the box once more. The dove seemed so peaceful and divine; she wanted to keep it that way. Letting out another sigh, she tried not to think of the desecration that awaited it back in LA.
A twig snap in the distance awoke Sydney from her dream. Her head snapped up sharply as she saw a flash of black move through the trees. She ducked low just in time as a gunshot rang out, echoing out through the silent snow. Silent no longer, Syd realized, as the echo ceased to fade. The rumble grew louder, growing closer. The other agent was trivial. She had bigger problems now.
Instinct and adrenaline seized her body, and Syd jumped up, speeding down the mountain in an effort to outrun the wave of white that was coming towards her, growing in speed and mass with every foot.
Syd bent over in an effort to become more aerodynamic, the wind whipping past her, almost louder than the avalanche itself.
Faster, Syd, faster. Don't look back. FASTER.
The thundering grew closer to her every second, a freight train heading towards her that was hopeless to outrun.. Don't look back, she told herself . . . Don't look back.
For a moment Syd saw the memory of her mother, in her mind's eye, cheering her on at a Little League Baseball game.
****************
She was running for homebase, just as the outfielder threw the ball in a high arc towards the pitcher.
She saw her mother, eyes watering with excitement, shouting-- "Run Sydney!!!! Faster! FASTER! GO!!!!!"
It had been a race between her and the ball, and the ball had won.
Snow cones after the game. Her mother saying-"It's alright Honey, you just weren't quite fast enough."
***************
Funny, Syd thought, how an entire day can flash through your eyes in an instant. I'll be fast enough this time.
Shards of ice sprinkled on the back of her neck. It was right behind her. Syd leaned forward, gaining speed, frost crystallizing on her goggles from the cold wind.
In the rush and haze, Syd could just make out the chairlift, growing steadily closer. She didn't stop to think of why it would be turned on. In a split second decision between an unmarked grave in the snow and the safety of the chairlift swinging above the chaos, Syd chose the chairlift.
A box had just begun its ascent into the clouds when Sydney grabbed hold of the open door, hanging on for dear life as the snow rushed past below her. it crashed into her dangling feet, ripping off her skis, beating at her legs and tattering her pants. A few more seconds and the Chairlift had risen higher, out of danger. Syd let out a breath. Safe.
Suddenly, fifty feet in the air, the chair lurched to a stop. Sydney just managed to catch herself as the chair jerked, then swung motionless. Glancing down the way she had come, she realized that the avalanche had knocked out the control tower. She was stuck.
With one last burst of strength, Sydney pulled her tired, battered body into the compartment and shut the door. Closing her eyes, she sank to the floor.
A coldly familiar voice echoed the through the compartment as Syd realized she wasn't alone.
"Fancy meeting you here, Miss Bristow."
Author's Note: Since the Swiss Alps are just so special, their chairlifts are cooler than the ones we got here in America. They are these boxed-in little booths, like miniaturized train compartments, with little doors to keep out the wind. Cool, huh? Hope this provides a better visual for this piece. Thanks for reading, and please review!!!!
______________________________
"It's your basic smash and grab job, Syd." Sitting in a CIA conference room. Reviewing for yet another mission in search of yet another precious Rambaldi artifact. Same Bat time, Same Bat channel. Syd yawned, much to the dismay of Agent Kendall. He gave her a scolding look. Syd didn't care.
Ever since he had made the "Executive Decision" to send Vaughn to France for three years on location, Syd had basically lost all respect for the man. After the Alliance was destroyed, it was supposed to finally work out for us, Syd thought. Til Kendall decided to issue a company policy that included no dating between coworkers.
In the beginning, they hadn't cared. They just dated behind Kendall's back. But it was inevitable that hewould find out. Syd hadn't believed at the time that he would take such drastic measures. As it turned out, the CIA could be just as bad as SD-6 when it came to rule breaking. They banished Vaughn to France, and forbade any further contact between him and Sydney. It had been a year and a half, and she was still stuck in limbo, waiting for him to come back to LA.
It didn't even matter that she was forbidden to talk to him. She just wanted to see him again. Sigh . . . . . . . .
Syd looked up from her routine moping session to find had stopped talking and Kendall was glaring at her.
"Sorry," Syd said, faking a smile, "Just a little tired today."
"Agent Weiss, repeat the details of the mission for Agent Bristow please. I'm going to go get coffee." Kendall stormed out impatiently.
Weiss sighed. "Look Syd, I miss Vaughn too. But you've gotta get your head back in the game or else you might hurt yourself on a mission."
Sydney closed her eyes, massaging her temples with her fingertips. When did she become so jaded? When I realized that it doesn't matter what side I'm on-They're all corrupt, she thought, answering her own question.
"I'll be fine Weiss. What's the mission?"
"Like I said, your basic smash and grab job. You get to go skiing."
____________________________________________
Which is how Sydney Bristow ended up in a Swiss Ski Resort at midnight, looking for another lost scroll that would reveal the location of the last missing piece in Rambaldi's Ultimate Weapon. The helicopter dropped her off at the top of the mountain with her skis and poles and left her there with no backup. If Vaughn had been here, she thought, he would have insisted on backup. He would have insisted on my safety.
Life's a Bitch Syd, said the little cynical voice inside her. Either deal with it or get out of the game. Nobody cares about your problems. Suck it up.
That little voice had been getting louder in the past few years. She had been at the job too long, and it was taking it's toll.
Syd sighed, and began gliding gracefully across the snow, searching for the specific Latitude/Longitude point where Rambaldi had hidden his treasures. Ice began forming on her hair, crystallizing on her eyelashes. If I cried, would it turn to ice? Syd wondered.
But she never cried anymore.
At night on the Alps, temperatures normally range below zero; lifeless. Syd was certainly feeling that no.
Syd stopped at the spot. Momentarily checking her readings, she looked down once more. All that stood at the spot was a single pine tree. Syd was about give up, when she saw a symbol carved into the bark. The eye of Rambaldi.
Walking around the tree to examine it closer, she noticed a vibrant red orchid growing at the base of the tree-- A scientifically impossible occurence. Was this what she was supposed to retrieve? She had not been given many details.
"I'm assuming you'll know it when you see it." Weiss had said.
A bare spot of ground lay in the flower's shadow, completely devoid of snow. Sydney dug into the cold, hard earth searching for the constantly out- of-reach Rambaldi Vision.
There. Her hands struck wood. Pulling out the box, Syd grimaced as she realized it was a miniature coffin. Opening it tentatively, inside she found the perfectly preserved body of a white turtle dove, holding a small glass sphere in its beak.
How ironic, Sydney thought, that he used the symbol of peace when what he invented was a weapon of strife. Almost ceremoniously, Sydney closed the box once more. The dove seemed so peaceful and divine; she wanted to keep it that way. Letting out another sigh, she tried not to think of the desecration that awaited it back in LA.
A twig snap in the distance awoke Sydney from her dream. Her head snapped up sharply as she saw a flash of black move through the trees. She ducked low just in time as a gunshot rang out, echoing out through the silent snow. Silent no longer, Syd realized, as the echo ceased to fade. The rumble grew louder, growing closer. The other agent was trivial. She had bigger problems now.
Instinct and adrenaline seized her body, and Syd jumped up, speeding down the mountain in an effort to outrun the wave of white that was coming towards her, growing in speed and mass with every foot.
Syd bent over in an effort to become more aerodynamic, the wind whipping past her, almost louder than the avalanche itself.
Faster, Syd, faster. Don't look back. FASTER.
The thundering grew closer to her every second, a freight train heading towards her that was hopeless to outrun.. Don't look back, she told herself . . . Don't look back.
For a moment Syd saw the memory of her mother, in her mind's eye, cheering her on at a Little League Baseball game.
****************
She was running for homebase, just as the outfielder threw the ball in a high arc towards the pitcher.
She saw her mother, eyes watering with excitement, shouting-- "Run Sydney!!!! Faster! FASTER! GO!!!!!"
It had been a race between her and the ball, and the ball had won.
Snow cones after the game. Her mother saying-"It's alright Honey, you just weren't quite fast enough."
***************
Funny, Syd thought, how an entire day can flash through your eyes in an instant. I'll be fast enough this time.
Shards of ice sprinkled on the back of her neck. It was right behind her. Syd leaned forward, gaining speed, frost crystallizing on her goggles from the cold wind.
In the rush and haze, Syd could just make out the chairlift, growing steadily closer. She didn't stop to think of why it would be turned on. In a split second decision between an unmarked grave in the snow and the safety of the chairlift swinging above the chaos, Syd chose the chairlift.
A box had just begun its ascent into the clouds when Sydney grabbed hold of the open door, hanging on for dear life as the snow rushed past below her. it crashed into her dangling feet, ripping off her skis, beating at her legs and tattering her pants. A few more seconds and the Chairlift had risen higher, out of danger. Syd let out a breath. Safe.
Suddenly, fifty feet in the air, the chair lurched to a stop. Sydney just managed to catch herself as the chair jerked, then swung motionless. Glancing down the way she had come, she realized that the avalanche had knocked out the control tower. She was stuck.
With one last burst of strength, Sydney pulled her tired, battered body into the compartment and shut the door. Closing her eyes, she sank to the floor.
A coldly familiar voice echoed the through the compartment as Syd realized she wasn't alone.
"Fancy meeting you here, Miss Bristow."