Hong Kong, Time Unknown
"W-what?"
"Syd. . . .you. . ."
Sydney Bristow could only stare at the man she loved as he struggled to find the words. She didn't blame him. She couldn't find the words.
Michael Vaughn finally looked up, and she could clearly see the pain and grief in his green eyes. He shook his head. "You've been missing for almost two years."
Inwardly, she winced. He said that already. She was hoping that had been a dream.. .a joke. . .something. . .anything. This didn't make sense. How could she have missed two years of her life? The last thing she remembered was that horrific battle with Francie's double. Oh, God. Francie. And Will. Her father. Her mother.What had happened to them all during those two years?
She felt compelled to look at Vaughn's left hand again. At the small band of gold on his ring finger. Clearly he had gotten married in the two years that she had been. . . .missing. She shook her head, hoping the action would clear the swarming thoughts in her brain.
"N-no. . .that's. . " She stood up abruptly and her movement startled him.
"Syd-"
"This is. . .wrong. I-I wasn't gone. I didn't go anywhere! I was in L.A.! And it wasn't two years ago! It was. . ." She unconsciously glanced at her left wrist but saw no watch there. "I don't know how long ago that was but it wasn't two years! I can't have been missing for two years with no memory of it! It's impossible! I-"
And then blackness enveloped her and she welcomed it. At least when she was unconscious, things could be exactly as she remembered it.
Hours later. . . .
Consciousness prodded at her until she was forced to open her eyes again. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting. At first she didn't recognize the room, and that gave her hope. As if that whole scene with Vaughn had been nothing more than a bad dream.
"She's. . .well, physically she appears fine. Mentally and emotionally, I don't know."
His voice was coming from the other end of the room. She looked around, trying to locate him, and as she did so, that miniscule shred of hope died. She was in the CIA safe house in Hong Kong. The same room. Only now, instead of sitting on the hard, wooden chair, she was lying on the bed. She felt tears pricking behind her eyes and fought against it.
Oh, God. Please. This can't be true.
"Yes, that's fine."
She turned towards the sound of his voice and found him in the corner, nearest the door, talking on his cell phone. How many times had she seen him do just that? Yet, this time it was different. Everything was different now.
She began to rise and felt the room begin to spin. She groaned softly and sunk back down into the pillow.
"I'm not. . .I've got to go."
She sucked in several deep breaths of air, and could feel the dizziness settling down with each breath.
"Syd?" She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at her in concern, his forehead knotted with those familiar lines. "You okay?"
Despite herself, she smiled. There was such a comforting familiarity in hearing him ask her if she was okay. "You ask me that a lot."
His concern turned to confusion. "I do?"
She nodded. "All the time."
"I guess," he said, sounding confused. "Do you think you can sit up?"
"Yeah," she said softly and slowly eased herself into a sitting position. "Can I. . .is there any water?"
He nodded and went over to the desk and retrieved a bottle of water. He uncapped it and handed to her. She took it and gulped down nearly the entire bottle. He watched her in silence, even after she was finished drinking.
"Vaughn?" she prompted.
He sighed. He picked up the wooden chair and placed it in front of her. Slowly, he sat down and even then he didn't say anything right away. "I. . .I'm not sure what to say or do here."
"You could start by explaining what happened in the last two years."
"Syd, I don't think-"
"Vaughn, I'm fine. I think I'm over the shock now." Her voice didn't sound convincing, and she could see that he didn't believe her.
He shook his head. "We should wait until we get back to L.A. so that you can be debriefed properly."
"No!" She looked at him pleadingly. "Vaughn, please. I can't wait for another day or two to find out what's going on. I mean I'm apparently missing two years of my life. I think I have a right to know what's happened in those two years."
"Syd, there are protocols that-"
"Screw protocol!" she cried. "Protocol didn't just wake up in some alley in Hong Kong missing two years of its life!" He shook his head and looked down at the floor. She could see the play of emotions across his face as he struggled to decide. "Vaughn. Please."
He looked up and for the first time since they saw each other in Hong Kong, they made full eye contact. Neither was prepared for the naked emotions they saw in each other's eyes and both hurriedly looked away. After several minutes, she heard him sigh before he said softly, "Okay."
"Thank you," she said softly.
He rubbed his hand across his face and the ring flashed in the light. She ignored the sharp stab of pain she felt at the sight of his wedding band and forced herself to concentrate on the issue at hand. "Um, why don't you tell me what your last memory was? Before you fainted, you mentioned something about L.A.?"
She nodded. "Right. I was at home and-" She felt her voice quaver as she recalled the fight she had with Francie's double. She squelched the rise of emotions she felt and took in a deep breath before she continued. "I found out that Francie was the one doubled. And. . .we fought. I-I shot her and then I blacked out. Next thing I know, I was waking up in the alley here."
Vaughn didn't say anything after she finished. In fact, he was quiet for so long that she had to force herself to look at him. He was staring at some spot over her right shoulder, his face a mixture of concern and confusion.
"Vaughn?"
He shook his head. "I-I. . .your last memory was of you fighting Francie and shooting her in your house in L.A.?"
"Francie's double," she corrected. The distinction was important. She could never in a million years fight and shoot the real Francie like that.
"Syd, that's. . ." His voice trailed off and he shook his head again. "That makes no sense. What do you mean 'Francie's double'?"
She looked at him to see if he was joking. Of course he wasn't. Now was definitely not the time for jokes. But why the confusion over the double? "Vaughn. . .you know what I mean. Project Helix and Dr. Markovic. There were two subjects doubled remember? One was Markovic himself. The other was who we first thought was Will but was really Francie."
If it were possible, Vaughn looked even more confused. "W-what!"
She felt an odd sense of déjà vu. It felt exactly like when she had first woken up in that alley. Nothing had made sense. All she had felt was confusion. . .and fear. And then when Vaughn had shown up. . .some of that confusion had dispersed. Only to be replaced by a more heightened level of confusion. And now? She had the distinct feeling that she and Vaughn were engaging in two very different conversations. She was genuinely scared about going any further with this. Who knows what else he would tell her? Yet what choice did she have?
"Vaughn? Why do you look like this is the first you've heard about Project Helix? About Markovic?"
He slowly turned his gaze back to her. "It is."
Oh, God. I had a feeling he was going to say that. "How can you not have heard about Project Helix before? You were on the assignment with me! It wasn't even that long ago. . .even if you figure in the two years that I've apparently lost!"
He stared at her, as if deciding how best to proceed with a highly agitated subject. "Syd, I-I don't know what you're talking about. Project Helix and whatever assignment we were supposedly on. . .that. . .it never happened. It couldn't have happened."
"Why not?"
"Because the last time I saw you was on the pier in Santa Monica."
"W-what?"
"Syd. . . .you. . ."
Sydney Bristow could only stare at the man she loved as he struggled to find the words. She didn't blame him. She couldn't find the words.
Michael Vaughn finally looked up, and she could clearly see the pain and grief in his green eyes. He shook his head. "You've been missing for almost two years."
Inwardly, she winced. He said that already. She was hoping that had been a dream.. .a joke. . .something. . .anything. This didn't make sense. How could she have missed two years of her life? The last thing she remembered was that horrific battle with Francie's double. Oh, God. Francie. And Will. Her father. Her mother.What had happened to them all during those two years?
She felt compelled to look at Vaughn's left hand again. At the small band of gold on his ring finger. Clearly he had gotten married in the two years that she had been. . . .missing. She shook her head, hoping the action would clear the swarming thoughts in her brain.
"N-no. . .that's. . " She stood up abruptly and her movement startled him.
"Syd-"
"This is. . .wrong. I-I wasn't gone. I didn't go anywhere! I was in L.A.! And it wasn't two years ago! It was. . ." She unconsciously glanced at her left wrist but saw no watch there. "I don't know how long ago that was but it wasn't two years! I can't have been missing for two years with no memory of it! It's impossible! I-"
And then blackness enveloped her and she welcomed it. At least when she was unconscious, things could be exactly as she remembered it.
Hours later. . . .
Consciousness prodded at her until she was forced to open her eyes again. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting. At first she didn't recognize the room, and that gave her hope. As if that whole scene with Vaughn had been nothing more than a bad dream.
"She's. . .well, physically she appears fine. Mentally and emotionally, I don't know."
His voice was coming from the other end of the room. She looked around, trying to locate him, and as she did so, that miniscule shred of hope died. She was in the CIA safe house in Hong Kong. The same room. Only now, instead of sitting on the hard, wooden chair, she was lying on the bed. She felt tears pricking behind her eyes and fought against it.
Oh, God. Please. This can't be true.
"Yes, that's fine."
She turned towards the sound of his voice and found him in the corner, nearest the door, talking on his cell phone. How many times had she seen him do just that? Yet, this time it was different. Everything was different now.
She began to rise and felt the room begin to spin. She groaned softly and sunk back down into the pillow.
"I'm not. . .I've got to go."
She sucked in several deep breaths of air, and could feel the dizziness settling down with each breath.
"Syd?" She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at her in concern, his forehead knotted with those familiar lines. "You okay?"
Despite herself, she smiled. There was such a comforting familiarity in hearing him ask her if she was okay. "You ask me that a lot."
His concern turned to confusion. "I do?"
She nodded. "All the time."
"I guess," he said, sounding confused. "Do you think you can sit up?"
"Yeah," she said softly and slowly eased herself into a sitting position. "Can I. . .is there any water?"
He nodded and went over to the desk and retrieved a bottle of water. He uncapped it and handed to her. She took it and gulped down nearly the entire bottle. He watched her in silence, even after she was finished drinking.
"Vaughn?" she prompted.
He sighed. He picked up the wooden chair and placed it in front of her. Slowly, he sat down and even then he didn't say anything right away. "I. . .I'm not sure what to say or do here."
"You could start by explaining what happened in the last two years."
"Syd, I don't think-"
"Vaughn, I'm fine. I think I'm over the shock now." Her voice didn't sound convincing, and she could see that he didn't believe her.
He shook his head. "We should wait until we get back to L.A. so that you can be debriefed properly."
"No!" She looked at him pleadingly. "Vaughn, please. I can't wait for another day or two to find out what's going on. I mean I'm apparently missing two years of my life. I think I have a right to know what's happened in those two years."
"Syd, there are protocols that-"
"Screw protocol!" she cried. "Protocol didn't just wake up in some alley in Hong Kong missing two years of its life!" He shook his head and looked down at the floor. She could see the play of emotions across his face as he struggled to decide. "Vaughn. Please."
He looked up and for the first time since they saw each other in Hong Kong, they made full eye contact. Neither was prepared for the naked emotions they saw in each other's eyes and both hurriedly looked away. After several minutes, she heard him sigh before he said softly, "Okay."
"Thank you," she said softly.
He rubbed his hand across his face and the ring flashed in the light. She ignored the sharp stab of pain she felt at the sight of his wedding band and forced herself to concentrate on the issue at hand. "Um, why don't you tell me what your last memory was? Before you fainted, you mentioned something about L.A.?"
She nodded. "Right. I was at home and-" She felt her voice quaver as she recalled the fight she had with Francie's double. She squelched the rise of emotions she felt and took in a deep breath before she continued. "I found out that Francie was the one doubled. And. . .we fought. I-I shot her and then I blacked out. Next thing I know, I was waking up in the alley here."
Vaughn didn't say anything after she finished. In fact, he was quiet for so long that she had to force herself to look at him. He was staring at some spot over her right shoulder, his face a mixture of concern and confusion.
"Vaughn?"
He shook his head. "I-I. . .your last memory was of you fighting Francie and shooting her in your house in L.A.?"
"Francie's double," she corrected. The distinction was important. She could never in a million years fight and shoot the real Francie like that.
"Syd, that's. . ." His voice trailed off and he shook his head again. "That makes no sense. What do you mean 'Francie's double'?"
She looked at him to see if he was joking. Of course he wasn't. Now was definitely not the time for jokes. But why the confusion over the double? "Vaughn. . .you know what I mean. Project Helix and Dr. Markovic. There were two subjects doubled remember? One was Markovic himself. The other was who we first thought was Will but was really Francie."
If it were possible, Vaughn looked even more confused. "W-what!"
She felt an odd sense of déjà vu. It felt exactly like when she had first woken up in that alley. Nothing had made sense. All she had felt was confusion. . .and fear. And then when Vaughn had shown up. . .some of that confusion had dispersed. Only to be replaced by a more heightened level of confusion. And now? She had the distinct feeling that she and Vaughn were engaging in two very different conversations. She was genuinely scared about going any further with this. Who knows what else he would tell her? Yet what choice did she have?
"Vaughn? Why do you look like this is the first you've heard about Project Helix? About Markovic?"
He slowly turned his gaze back to her. "It is."
Oh, God. I had a feeling he was going to say that. "How can you not have heard about Project Helix before? You were on the assignment with me! It wasn't even that long ago. . .even if you figure in the two years that I've apparently lost!"
He stared at her, as if deciding how best to proceed with a highly agitated subject. "Syd, I-I don't know what you're talking about. Project Helix and whatever assignment we were supposedly on. . .that. . .it never happened. It couldn't have happened."
"Why not?"
"Because the last time I saw you was on the pier in Santa Monica."