Part Six
Base Ops : Car park
A figure walked across the car park, heading for a car in the far corner of the level. They took out a set of keys and unlocked the car, before climbing into the back seat. They slid out a laptop from beneath the seat, and logged on. They knew the sepcifications of their next meeting with the Covenant, and they were right on time. A chat room appeared on screen, and they began to type in a message under the name of meatloaf32 . Within seconds they had a reply, and a personal window was opened.
meatloaf32 : Why aren't you doing anything?
backinblack41 : We are doing the best we can to locate your partner. Does the CIA have any clue as to who is responsible?
meatloaf32 : A rebel group of some kind. The search is protected by a high level of clearance, i am not a part of the team.
backinblack41 : You were instructed to retrieve CIA files concering this kindnapping.
meatloaf32 : The clearance has been downgraded. If i access these files i will incriminate myself. I might as well prance around the office in a shirt saying "I'm a mole, ask me how?"
backinblack41 : My opinion of you has just dropped 10 points, I believe you shall make up for it. Access the files, and whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with accordingly.
They closed the laptop and replaced it in its original position beneath the seat, before getting out of the car. The figure walked away from the car and headed back to their office to do the job.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
Dixon sat looking down at the piece of paper in front of him. Both of the Bristows had been to see him, they both knew the identity of the mole. Only the two of them and himself knew. He watched his employees at work. The rotunda was in full swing. Every agent was doing something, and none of them knew of the traitor amongst them. But they soon would.
He picked up his phone, and made the appropriate call. The second mole would be taken away as soon as Dixon caught sign of him, as soon as he gave the signal. Dixon watched as the mole crossed the rotunda and entered their office. He picked up his cell phone, and entered in a code : 147. He sent it and stood from his chair, getting ready for what was about to take place.
Base Ops : Rotunda
Syd placed her phone back on its hook. She had been talking with Marshall. He wasn't doing that well. Syd knew it would be hard for him to deal with, she thought it would be easier for him if he wasn't living at home. She thought it would do him good to get out of the place full of memories, and stay at her apartment for a while. Besides, being worried about Marshall's well-being, Syd also knew that the Covenant would have bugged the house, like Alison had done to her. She decided that she would bring it up with Dixon, as soon as she had a talk with Jack.
Syd looked up as Vaughn entered the rotunda, and headed for his office. She watched him lock his door and take a seat at his computer. She found his behaviour odd, but didn't want to bother him. Instead she decided to ask Weiss about Vaughn. But he was also in his office, working at his computer. She looked around the room, everyone was either at their desks or in the offices, hard at work.
Jack passed by Syd. She grabbed his arm and led him to the side of the room. She looked up at her father, and looked around the room. She spotted Lauren watching them from her office. Syd looked back at Jack.
"I know who the mole is....It's.." Syd began.
Before she could finish a team entered the rotunda, dressed in stealth gear and fully equipped. The team leader yelled for everyone to remain still, as they passed across the rotunda. They spread out and looked for their target. The team passed the desks and started to look into the offices. Syd and Jack looked over to Dixon, who stood at his door with a grim expression on his face.
"Target spotted," one man said before another kicked in the door.
The team spilled into the office, surrounding the agent at his desk. Weiss looked up from his computer, and put his hands in the air.
"Stand, slowly." One instructed him, "Turn towards the wall, hands behind your head," instructed another.
Weiss followed their instructions as he was hand-cuffed. The team dragged him from the rotunda. He glanced at Vaughn, Lauren, Jack and Syd questioningly, before he looked over at Dixon, who was looking down at the ground. Weiss struggled, but the team, 12 men strong kept him in place. They took him down to the holding cell where he would later be questioned.
Vaughn approached Sydney and Jack. Out of the whole office, they were the only two besides Dixon who had no reaction to the event that had just passed. This was their secret, the thing they had kept him in the dark on, and he was angry. Weiss was...is his best friend. He deserved to know what was going on. Sydney looked up as Vaughn stopped in front of her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"We were instructed to." Jack replied, glaring at Vaughn. He had started to like Vaughn, but that was slowly going down hill.
"And you always follow the rules? I deserved to know, you both know that."
"We didn't know who the mole was until last night, until then everyone was under suspicion." Syd replied.
"We do not need to explain our actions to you, Mr. Vaughn." Jack said before leaving the discussion.
"Don't you trust me anymore?" Vaughn asked, looking into Syd's eyes.
Sydney looked down at her feet, "Of course I trust you, it's more complicated than trust..."
Dixon approached them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but there will be a briefing on the current situation in the briefing room in 5 minutes." Dixon looked at Syd then at Vaughn, he could tell he had interrupted something. He turned and went back into his office.
Vaughn looked away, and spotted Lauren sitting down at her desk. She noticed him looking at her. He left his conversation with Sydney and went to his wife. Syd watched as they hugged, and Lauren comforted him. Syd looked away, she couldn't handle watching the two of them together. She decided to go into the briefing room a few minutes early, and wait for the meeting to begin. But before she entered the room, she received a call from Marshall.
Part Seven
Base Ops : Briefing Room
Dixon stood at the front of the room, and looked at the agents seated in front of him. All of them were good friends with Weiss, all were shattered with the event that had passed. But he knew that they were entitled to a full briefing. He cleared his throat, and began.
"I know you all will have many questions that I will hopefully answer for you now. The only way i can even begin to explain, is to start from the beginning."
Sydney looked at Marshall's seat across from her. She frowned. He deserved to be there, but from her previous conversation with him, he wasn't in any condition to be in that briefing room with them. She turned her attention back to Dixon.
"We were first notified of a mole within this office recently. Agent Bristow," he began, indicating Sydney, "received a folder filled with documents that proved the presence of a mole. This was confirmed, and the mole was dealt with accordingly." He paused, and pressed a button on the remote in his hand.
A picture appeared on the screen behind him. It was the photo of Carrie with Sark. Everyone in the room was shocked. Several of them began to ask questions, but Dixon cut them off.
"Carrie Bowman, a loyal member of the Covenant was taken into custody earlier. Everyone was let to believe that she was kidnapped by the Covenant, when it was us who took her into custody. She helped us with our searches for a second mole. She confirmed that the second mole was Weiss, and as you know, was taken into custody."
He handed out folders to everyone except Jack and Sydney. The folders contained copies of the documents incriminating each mole.
"Read through them. These will hopefully answer all of your remaining questions. I have nothing more to tell you, so please, excuse me." Dixon left the briefing room and sat down in his office.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
"Sydney, come in," Dixon said as he watched her sit in one of the chairs.
"You wanted to see me?" Syd asked, concerned.
"Yes, I wanted to inform you that we are moving Agent Weiss to another location. We do not have the necessary equipment to begin a proper interrogation session." Dixon said, waiting for Sydney's response.
"Moving him, where? You can't be sure that it'll be safe, the Covenant will want to extract him."
"Camp Harris. We are taking extra precautions with the move. Four armoured cars will accompany the van to the facility. We will be taking no risks."
Sydney wasn't satisfied with the answer. She knew that the Covenant would do everything in their power to prevent the move. But she cleared the thoughts from her mind, and remembered what she wanted to discuss with Dixon.
"Marshall needs to know the truth, he wasn't in any shape to be in the breifing, but he does deserve to be informed."
"Yes, he does. And I think you should be the one to tell him." Dixon paused, "You have known him longer than anyone else in this office. He trusts you, and I'm sure he would appreciate it if you were the one to inform him."
Syd nodded. She agreed with Dixon, she should be the one to tell him...But it would be so hard for her to do.
"Here is Marshall's folder," Dixon said as he passed Syd a copy of the folder everyone else had received, "Give this to him, it may help him believe that it is true."
"Ok. Is it safe for Marshall to be staying in his house? It was swept for bugs, but other types of devices may have been set that cannot be picked up with our equipment." Sydney said, concerned.
"Yes, I have considered this myself. When you inform him about Carrie, ask him to stay with you, make it seem like an offer rather than an order."
"You want him to stay with me?" Syd asked, surprised.
"Will it be a problem?"
"No, no problem." Sydney stood, and began to leave.
"Sydney..." Dixon began, stopping her before she left his office, "Good luck."
LA : Marshall's apartment
Marshall opened the door to find Sydney standing on his front steps. She smiled, and he invited her in. Syd looked around, the place was a mess. Clothes were thrown everywhere, rubbish lay scattered across the floor and tables, and left-over food lay in various places around the room. He cleared a spot for Syd to sit down on the couch.
"Please excuse the mess, I'm not much of a housewife, my mum used to do everything before.." Marshall trailed off. "Would you like something to drink? I've got cocktails.."
"No, i'm fine, thank you." Syd replied. She was working up the courage to tell Marshall the truth about Carrie's disappearance.
"Any news?" He asked nervously, he was afraid that Syd's answer wouldn't be good.
"I need to talk to you about something." Syd said, trying to keep a happy face.
Marshall frowned and looked away, that sentence never meant anything good. He thought his fears were about to become reality. He took a seat next to Sydney, he was shaking. She took a deep breath, and began to explain.
"Marshall, we've known where Carrie has been all along..."
"What?" Marshall exclaimed, he was confused.
"Carrie wasn't kidnapped, it was only made to seem like she had been. It was a CIA operation, Carrie was taken into CIA custody."
"I, I don't understand..." Marshall looked around the room, he didn't understand what she was saying.
"Marshall," Sydney began, she took his hands into hers, "Carrie is a mole. She is loyal to the Covenant, not the CIA."
"No, no. She..Carrie wouldn't. I don't believe..."
"I know it's hard to believe, but it is true. She has betrayed the US Government, she has betrayed you, Marshall." Sydney looked down at the ground. She hated to be the one to tell him this.
Marshall disappeared down the hallway. Syd stood and began to follow when a loud crash came from the room on the left. Syd stood at the doorway as Marshall kicked his bass drum in. The rest of the drumkit lay broken across the floor. He picked up the cymbals and swung them around, knocking a lamp to the floor. He suddenly stopped, and looked around at what he had done. He rushed past Sydney, and went into another room in the hallway.
"Marshall.." Sydney began as she followed him into the room, and paused. Marshall stood in the middle of a room, decorated with neutral colours, lemons and greens. A cot stood in the far corner, a rocking horse and a cradle in the other. Toys laid scattered across the floorboards. Trains, cars, dolls, bears. Marshall bent down and picked up a teddy bear.
"I can't...how could she do this? To us, to the baby? What...what's going to happen?" He left the nursery and went back into the lounge room. Marshall turned to Syd, his eyes filled with tears. He moved towards her, as the tears began to spill down his cheeks. "Sydney what am i going to do?" Marshall fell into Sydney's arms, she tried to comfort him. He cried into Syd's shoulder. She'd never seen him like this before.
"We'll work something out, i'm sure of it, " Syd replied, still with her arms around Marshall.
LA : Highway
The CIA convoy, consisting of one van, and four un-marked cars headed south towards the facility. The roads were quiet, compared to the usual amount of traffic. The agent seated beside the driver of the van kept a lookout for any unusual vehicles. Every agent was on full alert.
The van began to slow down, as a road-block came into view. Four police cars were parked across the road, and road blockades had been put into place.
"We are approaching a police enforced road block, what are our orders?" The passenger in the van said over the comm system.
"Proceed with caution." An agent stationed in Base Ops replied.
"Copy that," replied the several agents in each vehicle.
The van came to a complete stop, metres before the police cars. The four cars pulled up around the van, forming a protective wall from any imminent attacks. Two police men began to approach the van, and stood outside the driver's window.
"I'm sorry sir, but i'm going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle," the policeman said to the driver.
The driver pulled out his CIA badge, and showed it to the officer. The officer studied the badge, and nodded. He turned to his partner, and nodded. He pulled out his gun from his holster, and shot the driver and the passenger within seconds of each other. Every agent exited their vehicles and crouched to the ground, guns drawn. More officers began to emerge from the police cars and surrounding area, all Covenant members. The CIA agents were cleary out-numbered.
"Base Ops we're being fired at, two agents down, I repeat, two agents down." One agent said into his comm.
"Copy that. Re-inforcements are on their way."
Both sides fired at each other, hoping to weaken their defences. The Covenant had the upper hand, and were advancing towards the van. Within minutes the gun battle was over. Every CIA agent lay dead beside their vehicles. One Covenant member searched the men from the van, and found a set of keys. The van was unlocked, and a surprised Weiss was lead from the vehicle.
The sound of a helicopter could be heard approaching from the north. The Covenant members cleared the roads and got into their cars. They drove off road onto a concealed road, and away from the scene. CIA backup arrived, but they were too late.
LA : location unknown
"The operation was successful, Weiss is with us now," a man said confidently.
Sark nodded and put his phone down. He smiled. He had once again successfully taken someone out of custody. He couldn't believe how stupid the Americans were. He smiled to himself. Sark stood and left the room.
He entered another room, equipped with surveillance equipment. He took a seat in front of a monitor, and watched the screen. The equipment monitored Carrie's house which she happened to share with a CIA agent.
"Nice of you to comfort your colleague Miss Bristow," he said to himself, as he watched Sydney comforting Marshall.
Part Eight
LA : Marshall's apartment
Marshall looked down at the folder that Sydney had given to him. Tears filled his eyes. The words were a blur. He couldn't make anything out. He looked down at the six pack in front of him. Marshall wasn't much of a drinker, he was told to steer clear of it, and his mum knew best. Music was blaring from his stereo, but for some reason he couldn't hear anything. He stood, knocking the food wrappers and bottles that surrounded him onto the floor, and turned up the volume. The Joni Mitchell song played over and over on repeat. Marshall couldn't come to terms with what Syd had told him the night before.
He wiped the tears away, and looked through the folder. Weiss and Carrie, in it together...he was still in denial about it all. But in the back of his mind he knew it was true. He flicked to a photograph of Carrie and Sark. A rage came over him, he wanted to kill her. But he knew that it wouldn't solve anything. He couldn't hurt a fly let alone the woman he loved. He took out a beer and cracked it open. He skulled down the beer in his hand, and opened another bottle. he disregarded his mother's warnings. Marshall's situation was different. His father was an alcoholic, Marshall was just looking for a way to drown his sorrows. A fire in his fireplace raged before him, but he couldn't feel the heat. He felt numb. He pulled out the photograph and looked at it. A piece of paper fell from behind it. It was a note from Sydney. He began to feel the warmth..
LA : location unknown
Sark picked up the phone beside him and dialled in a number. He leaned back in his chair and counted the number of rings that passed. As soon as the count hit 6 he hung up. He sat patiently, and waited for his call to be returned. It was the protocol he must follow, in order to talk to this contact.
The phone began to ring. He watched the receiver and waited, 3 rings passed, and he picked up.
"Hello," Sark said into the receiver.
"Mr Sark, nice of you to call. It has been a while." The woman replied with a heavy European accent.
"Yes, it has. We need to meet."
"Of course."
"I will email you the specifications of the meeting." Sark said before hanging up.
Sark began to type on the laptop in front of him. He sent the details on the meeting, and clicked send.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
Dixon looked up as Vaughn entered his office.
"We have located the files, but we do not know whether or not we are able to recover them." Vaughn said.
"Good. As soon as we have an I.D. on the shooter, report back to me." Dixon replied, his mind was somewhere else.
"Everything ok?" Vaughn asked, concerned.
"Yes, fine..." Dixon said as he sighed. He was lying, and Vaughn knew it. Vaughn's expression grew more concerned.
"The Covenant has Weiss...."
"What?!"
"They managed to intercept the vehicles, there was nothing we could've done." Dixon said, knowing that there was so much more he could have done to ensure Weiss' arrival at the facility.
Vaughn turned and left the office.
LA : Syd's apartment
Syd could smell something burning. "Marshall!" She yelled, noticing the smoke pouring out of the toaster.
Marshall jumped up, and began to freak out. Sydney turned off the power and opened the kitchen window. She smiled.
"I'm the tech guy that can't handle a toaster." He smiled, hoping that Syd wouldn't be mad with him. He shrugged. "Maybe i could fit a complex timing system onto it, relay the wiring so that the toast will cook for the right amount of time without being burnt." He said as he took out two pieces of burnt toast, and threw them into the bin.
Syd smiled. Marshall seemed to be happier.
"Sure, why not?" Syd wanted to keep him occupied.
He unplugged the toaster and sat down with it at the dining table. He began to pull it apart, and examine its contents. He suddenly stopped what he was doing. He put down the various tools he had in his hands, and looked up at Syd.
"I want to see her."
Part Nine
LA : Warehouse
Irina looked down at the bodies surrounding her. They were the bodies of five armed guards, guards that were put into place to protect the warehouse in which Carrie was being held. She bent down and searched their pockets for a set of keys. She found what she was looking for, andstepped over them. She unlocked the opened the door and crossed over to the cell. She stood at the door, and watched Carrie, who was sleeping.
Irina unlocked the cell door and crept towards Carrie. She took out a knife and stabbed Carrie in the stomach. Carrie was now awake, and looked down at her stomach, and then back up at Irina. Irina withdrew the knife and looked down at the blade....it was clean. Carrie leant against the wall, there was nothing she could do to stop her.
"Interesting," Irina said. The roller door behind her began to open, she ignored it, and drew back the knife again.
Sydney stood outside the warehouse, the door open. She knew that something was wrong. There weren't any guards around. She looked back at Marshall, who was close behind her. Syd looked towards the cell to see Irina with a knife.
"Call Dixon, let him know that we need to take Carrie to a facility with a higher level security. And wait here," she said before she took out her gun, and made her way to the cell.
"What? Why? What's going on?" Marshall said nervously, but Syd was at the cell door. He wanted to avoid seeing Carrie. He was afraid, he still loved her, and he couldn't stand to see her locked up like that. He couldn't see why she was being so cautious, he left the doorway, and went for a walk.
"Drop the knife," Sydney said, her gun aimed at her mother.
Irina ignored her. She grabbed Carrie by the hair and yanked back, exposing her neck. Irina wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Syd was now behind her, but Irina was paying no attention to her.
"You kill her, I kill you." Sydney said slowly, her gun aimed at the back of Irina's head.
Carrie looked at Syd, fear in her eyes. Syd knocked the knife out of Irina's hand, and got her in a lock. Carrie backed up against the wall and watched the two of them struggle. Irina gave in, she knew that she wouldn't get her revenge on Carrie. Not today at least. She allowed Sydney to place a pair of cuffs on her, and lead her from the cell.
"She deserves to die..."
Before Syd could lead her out of the warehouse, Irina stopped and looked back at Carrie. She glared at her menacingly, and Carrie knew that she would be back. Sydney tried to lead her away, out of the the warehouse, but she wouldn't budge.
"You might want to check on her baby, I'm surprised you didn't notice the stab wound..."
Sydney looked at her in disgust. How could she harm an innocent baby? She knew her mother was cruel, but not that cruel. She left Irina tied to a railing, and went back to the cell. She slowly approached Carrie, who was sitting on her bed. She looked up suspiciously at Sydney. Carrie knew what she wanted. Sydney looked for a wound, but could see no blood. She lifted up her shirt, and Carrie looked away, tears filling her eyes.
"Oh my God," Sydney gasped, and looked back at Irina. "How could you?"
Part Ten
LA : Warehouse
Irina watched as Carrie began to fall apart. Syd stood and walked away from her, her hand covering her mouth. Carrie was crying.
"What about Marshall? He thought he was going to be a father. You let him believe...How?" Sydney asked her angrily.
Carrie took in a deep breath, "I didn't mean to hurt him..." She looked down at her stomach. She half wanted her pregnancy to be real. She undid the fake stomach, and put it next to her. "Please, don't tell him, let me.."
Sydney glared at her. Carrie had already broken his heart. She had taken his happiness away from him...This would only shatter him. But Syd knew that he had to be told. She nodded.
"Fine, you will get the chance to soon."
Syd left Carrie sitting alone in her cell, still crying. She guided Irina out of the warehouse. She was confused, but didn't want to question her mother, not yet anyway. Marshall wasn't where she had left him. Syd knew that something was wrong.
"Marshall?" She yelled out.
"I believe he is searching for the missing guards.." Irina began, "....trying to impress someone."
Syd dismissed it. Marshall wasn't the type to investigate. She knew that Irina had taken out the guards, but they weren't at the top of her priorities right now, she was worried about Marshall. They walked the perimeter of the warehouse, but no sign of Marshall.
"I would be searching for him in that warehouse," Irina said indicating the warehouse opposite from them.
Syd looked at her mother suspiciously. What did she have set up for her? She led her over to the warehouse's door, and pushed Irina in first.
"Marshall?" Syd yelled, her voice echoing.
They could hear footsteps. Marshall came out of a small office at the other end of the warehouse. Irina smiled. She had been right. He motioned for Syd to make her way over. He seemed weirder than usual.
Marshall was still in shock, he'd never discovered bodies before. He re-entered the office and looked down at them. Syd and Irina joined him in the room.
"Oh God," Syd said as she looked down at them, five in total. "You did this."
Irina looked away. Syd heard two cars pull up outside the warehouse. Marshall looked at the two of them, and left the office. Syd looked at her mother.
"Sydney you have to let me go..I can't explain why, i just need you to trust me." Irina pleaded. Sydney had never seen her like this.
"After you did this, after Carrie, you expect me to trust you?"
"Yes."
Thoughts began to run through Syd's head. If Irina wanted to escape, she would have by now. Unless she was just buying Syd's trust long enough to save herself. She'd done it to her before, why not again? Syd knew she was possibly about to make a mistake...
Sydney unlocked the hand cuffs, and looked at Irina.
"I want an explanation," She said as she watched Irina leave the warehouse from a back entrance, just as three agents entered the warehouse from the front.
Base Ops : Car park
A figure walked across the car park, heading for a car in the far corner of the level. They took out a set of keys and unlocked the car, before climbing into the back seat. They slid out a laptop from beneath the seat, and logged on. They knew the sepcifications of their next meeting with the Covenant, and they were right on time. A chat room appeared on screen, and they began to type in a message under the name of meatloaf32 . Within seconds they had a reply, and a personal window was opened.
meatloaf32 : Why aren't you doing anything?
backinblack41 : We are doing the best we can to locate your partner. Does the CIA have any clue as to who is responsible?
meatloaf32 : A rebel group of some kind. The search is protected by a high level of clearance, i am not a part of the team.
backinblack41 : You were instructed to retrieve CIA files concering this kindnapping.
meatloaf32 : The clearance has been downgraded. If i access these files i will incriminate myself. I might as well prance around the office in a shirt saying "I'm a mole, ask me how?"
backinblack41 : My opinion of you has just dropped 10 points, I believe you shall make up for it. Access the files, and whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with accordingly.
They closed the laptop and replaced it in its original position beneath the seat, before getting out of the car. The figure walked away from the car and headed back to their office to do the job.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
Dixon sat looking down at the piece of paper in front of him. Both of the Bristows had been to see him, they both knew the identity of the mole. Only the two of them and himself knew. He watched his employees at work. The rotunda was in full swing. Every agent was doing something, and none of them knew of the traitor amongst them. But they soon would.
He picked up his phone, and made the appropriate call. The second mole would be taken away as soon as Dixon caught sign of him, as soon as he gave the signal. Dixon watched as the mole crossed the rotunda and entered their office. He picked up his cell phone, and entered in a code : 147. He sent it and stood from his chair, getting ready for what was about to take place.
Base Ops : Rotunda
Syd placed her phone back on its hook. She had been talking with Marshall. He wasn't doing that well. Syd knew it would be hard for him to deal with, she thought it would be easier for him if he wasn't living at home. She thought it would do him good to get out of the place full of memories, and stay at her apartment for a while. Besides, being worried about Marshall's well-being, Syd also knew that the Covenant would have bugged the house, like Alison had done to her. She decided that she would bring it up with Dixon, as soon as she had a talk with Jack.
Syd looked up as Vaughn entered the rotunda, and headed for his office. She watched him lock his door and take a seat at his computer. She found his behaviour odd, but didn't want to bother him. Instead she decided to ask Weiss about Vaughn. But he was also in his office, working at his computer. She looked around the room, everyone was either at their desks or in the offices, hard at work.
Jack passed by Syd. She grabbed his arm and led him to the side of the room. She looked up at her father, and looked around the room. She spotted Lauren watching them from her office. Syd looked back at Jack.
"I know who the mole is....It's.." Syd began.
Before she could finish a team entered the rotunda, dressed in stealth gear and fully equipped. The team leader yelled for everyone to remain still, as they passed across the rotunda. They spread out and looked for their target. The team passed the desks and started to look into the offices. Syd and Jack looked over to Dixon, who stood at his door with a grim expression on his face.
"Target spotted," one man said before another kicked in the door.
The team spilled into the office, surrounding the agent at his desk. Weiss looked up from his computer, and put his hands in the air.
"Stand, slowly." One instructed him, "Turn towards the wall, hands behind your head," instructed another.
Weiss followed their instructions as he was hand-cuffed. The team dragged him from the rotunda. He glanced at Vaughn, Lauren, Jack and Syd questioningly, before he looked over at Dixon, who was looking down at the ground. Weiss struggled, but the team, 12 men strong kept him in place. They took him down to the holding cell where he would later be questioned.
Vaughn approached Sydney and Jack. Out of the whole office, they were the only two besides Dixon who had no reaction to the event that had just passed. This was their secret, the thing they had kept him in the dark on, and he was angry. Weiss was...is his best friend. He deserved to know what was going on. Sydney looked up as Vaughn stopped in front of her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"We were instructed to." Jack replied, glaring at Vaughn. He had started to like Vaughn, but that was slowly going down hill.
"And you always follow the rules? I deserved to know, you both know that."
"We didn't know who the mole was until last night, until then everyone was under suspicion." Syd replied.
"We do not need to explain our actions to you, Mr. Vaughn." Jack said before leaving the discussion.
"Don't you trust me anymore?" Vaughn asked, looking into Syd's eyes.
Sydney looked down at her feet, "Of course I trust you, it's more complicated than trust..."
Dixon approached them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but there will be a briefing on the current situation in the briefing room in 5 minutes." Dixon looked at Syd then at Vaughn, he could tell he had interrupted something. He turned and went back into his office.
Vaughn looked away, and spotted Lauren sitting down at her desk. She noticed him looking at her. He left his conversation with Sydney and went to his wife. Syd watched as they hugged, and Lauren comforted him. Syd looked away, she couldn't handle watching the two of them together. She decided to go into the briefing room a few minutes early, and wait for the meeting to begin. But before she entered the room, she received a call from Marshall.
Part Seven
Base Ops : Briefing Room
Dixon stood at the front of the room, and looked at the agents seated in front of him. All of them were good friends with Weiss, all were shattered with the event that had passed. But he knew that they were entitled to a full briefing. He cleared his throat, and began.
"I know you all will have many questions that I will hopefully answer for you now. The only way i can even begin to explain, is to start from the beginning."
Sydney looked at Marshall's seat across from her. She frowned. He deserved to be there, but from her previous conversation with him, he wasn't in any condition to be in that briefing room with them. She turned her attention back to Dixon.
"We were first notified of a mole within this office recently. Agent Bristow," he began, indicating Sydney, "received a folder filled with documents that proved the presence of a mole. This was confirmed, and the mole was dealt with accordingly." He paused, and pressed a button on the remote in his hand.
A picture appeared on the screen behind him. It was the photo of Carrie with Sark. Everyone in the room was shocked. Several of them began to ask questions, but Dixon cut them off.
"Carrie Bowman, a loyal member of the Covenant was taken into custody earlier. Everyone was let to believe that she was kidnapped by the Covenant, when it was us who took her into custody. She helped us with our searches for a second mole. She confirmed that the second mole was Weiss, and as you know, was taken into custody."
He handed out folders to everyone except Jack and Sydney. The folders contained copies of the documents incriminating each mole.
"Read through them. These will hopefully answer all of your remaining questions. I have nothing more to tell you, so please, excuse me." Dixon left the briefing room and sat down in his office.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
"Sydney, come in," Dixon said as he watched her sit in one of the chairs.
"You wanted to see me?" Syd asked, concerned.
"Yes, I wanted to inform you that we are moving Agent Weiss to another location. We do not have the necessary equipment to begin a proper interrogation session." Dixon said, waiting for Sydney's response.
"Moving him, where? You can't be sure that it'll be safe, the Covenant will want to extract him."
"Camp Harris. We are taking extra precautions with the move. Four armoured cars will accompany the van to the facility. We will be taking no risks."
Sydney wasn't satisfied with the answer. She knew that the Covenant would do everything in their power to prevent the move. But she cleared the thoughts from her mind, and remembered what she wanted to discuss with Dixon.
"Marshall needs to know the truth, he wasn't in any shape to be in the breifing, but he does deserve to be informed."
"Yes, he does. And I think you should be the one to tell him." Dixon paused, "You have known him longer than anyone else in this office. He trusts you, and I'm sure he would appreciate it if you were the one to inform him."
Syd nodded. She agreed with Dixon, she should be the one to tell him...But it would be so hard for her to do.
"Here is Marshall's folder," Dixon said as he passed Syd a copy of the folder everyone else had received, "Give this to him, it may help him believe that it is true."
"Ok. Is it safe for Marshall to be staying in his house? It was swept for bugs, but other types of devices may have been set that cannot be picked up with our equipment." Sydney said, concerned.
"Yes, I have considered this myself. When you inform him about Carrie, ask him to stay with you, make it seem like an offer rather than an order."
"You want him to stay with me?" Syd asked, surprised.
"Will it be a problem?"
"No, no problem." Sydney stood, and began to leave.
"Sydney..." Dixon began, stopping her before she left his office, "Good luck."
LA : Marshall's apartment
Marshall opened the door to find Sydney standing on his front steps. She smiled, and he invited her in. Syd looked around, the place was a mess. Clothes were thrown everywhere, rubbish lay scattered across the floor and tables, and left-over food lay in various places around the room. He cleared a spot for Syd to sit down on the couch.
"Please excuse the mess, I'm not much of a housewife, my mum used to do everything before.." Marshall trailed off. "Would you like something to drink? I've got cocktails.."
"No, i'm fine, thank you." Syd replied. She was working up the courage to tell Marshall the truth about Carrie's disappearance.
"Any news?" He asked nervously, he was afraid that Syd's answer wouldn't be good.
"I need to talk to you about something." Syd said, trying to keep a happy face.
Marshall frowned and looked away, that sentence never meant anything good. He thought his fears were about to become reality. He took a seat next to Sydney, he was shaking. She took a deep breath, and began to explain.
"Marshall, we've known where Carrie has been all along..."
"What?" Marshall exclaimed, he was confused.
"Carrie wasn't kidnapped, it was only made to seem like she had been. It was a CIA operation, Carrie was taken into CIA custody."
"I, I don't understand..." Marshall looked around the room, he didn't understand what she was saying.
"Marshall," Sydney began, she took his hands into hers, "Carrie is a mole. She is loyal to the Covenant, not the CIA."
"No, no. She..Carrie wouldn't. I don't believe..."
"I know it's hard to believe, but it is true. She has betrayed the US Government, she has betrayed you, Marshall." Sydney looked down at the ground. She hated to be the one to tell him this.
Marshall disappeared down the hallway. Syd stood and began to follow when a loud crash came from the room on the left. Syd stood at the doorway as Marshall kicked his bass drum in. The rest of the drumkit lay broken across the floor. He picked up the cymbals and swung them around, knocking a lamp to the floor. He suddenly stopped, and looked around at what he had done. He rushed past Sydney, and went into another room in the hallway.
"Marshall.." Sydney began as she followed him into the room, and paused. Marshall stood in the middle of a room, decorated with neutral colours, lemons and greens. A cot stood in the far corner, a rocking horse and a cradle in the other. Toys laid scattered across the floorboards. Trains, cars, dolls, bears. Marshall bent down and picked up a teddy bear.
"I can't...how could she do this? To us, to the baby? What...what's going to happen?" He left the nursery and went back into the lounge room. Marshall turned to Syd, his eyes filled with tears. He moved towards her, as the tears began to spill down his cheeks. "Sydney what am i going to do?" Marshall fell into Sydney's arms, she tried to comfort him. He cried into Syd's shoulder. She'd never seen him like this before.
"We'll work something out, i'm sure of it, " Syd replied, still with her arms around Marshall.
LA : Highway
The CIA convoy, consisting of one van, and four un-marked cars headed south towards the facility. The roads were quiet, compared to the usual amount of traffic. The agent seated beside the driver of the van kept a lookout for any unusual vehicles. Every agent was on full alert.
The van began to slow down, as a road-block came into view. Four police cars were parked across the road, and road blockades had been put into place.
"We are approaching a police enforced road block, what are our orders?" The passenger in the van said over the comm system.
"Proceed with caution." An agent stationed in Base Ops replied.
"Copy that," replied the several agents in each vehicle.
The van came to a complete stop, metres before the police cars. The four cars pulled up around the van, forming a protective wall from any imminent attacks. Two police men began to approach the van, and stood outside the driver's window.
"I'm sorry sir, but i'm going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle," the policeman said to the driver.
The driver pulled out his CIA badge, and showed it to the officer. The officer studied the badge, and nodded. He turned to his partner, and nodded. He pulled out his gun from his holster, and shot the driver and the passenger within seconds of each other. Every agent exited their vehicles and crouched to the ground, guns drawn. More officers began to emerge from the police cars and surrounding area, all Covenant members. The CIA agents were cleary out-numbered.
"Base Ops we're being fired at, two agents down, I repeat, two agents down." One agent said into his comm.
"Copy that. Re-inforcements are on their way."
Both sides fired at each other, hoping to weaken their defences. The Covenant had the upper hand, and were advancing towards the van. Within minutes the gun battle was over. Every CIA agent lay dead beside their vehicles. One Covenant member searched the men from the van, and found a set of keys. The van was unlocked, and a surprised Weiss was lead from the vehicle.
The sound of a helicopter could be heard approaching from the north. The Covenant members cleared the roads and got into their cars. They drove off road onto a concealed road, and away from the scene. CIA backup arrived, but they were too late.
LA : location unknown
"The operation was successful, Weiss is with us now," a man said confidently.
Sark nodded and put his phone down. He smiled. He had once again successfully taken someone out of custody. He couldn't believe how stupid the Americans were. He smiled to himself. Sark stood and left the room.
He entered another room, equipped with surveillance equipment. He took a seat in front of a monitor, and watched the screen. The equipment monitored Carrie's house which she happened to share with a CIA agent.
"Nice of you to comfort your colleague Miss Bristow," he said to himself, as he watched Sydney comforting Marshall.
Part Eight
LA : Marshall's apartment
Marshall looked down at the folder that Sydney had given to him. Tears filled his eyes. The words were a blur. He couldn't make anything out. He looked down at the six pack in front of him. Marshall wasn't much of a drinker, he was told to steer clear of it, and his mum knew best. Music was blaring from his stereo, but for some reason he couldn't hear anything. He stood, knocking the food wrappers and bottles that surrounded him onto the floor, and turned up the volume. The Joni Mitchell song played over and over on repeat. Marshall couldn't come to terms with what Syd had told him the night before.
He wiped the tears away, and looked through the folder. Weiss and Carrie, in it together...he was still in denial about it all. But in the back of his mind he knew it was true. He flicked to a photograph of Carrie and Sark. A rage came over him, he wanted to kill her. But he knew that it wouldn't solve anything. He couldn't hurt a fly let alone the woman he loved. He took out a beer and cracked it open. He skulled down the beer in his hand, and opened another bottle. he disregarded his mother's warnings. Marshall's situation was different. His father was an alcoholic, Marshall was just looking for a way to drown his sorrows. A fire in his fireplace raged before him, but he couldn't feel the heat. He felt numb. He pulled out the photograph and looked at it. A piece of paper fell from behind it. It was a note from Sydney. He began to feel the warmth..
LA : location unknown
Sark picked up the phone beside him and dialled in a number. He leaned back in his chair and counted the number of rings that passed. As soon as the count hit 6 he hung up. He sat patiently, and waited for his call to be returned. It was the protocol he must follow, in order to talk to this contact.
The phone began to ring. He watched the receiver and waited, 3 rings passed, and he picked up.
"Hello," Sark said into the receiver.
"Mr Sark, nice of you to call. It has been a while." The woman replied with a heavy European accent.
"Yes, it has. We need to meet."
"Of course."
"I will email you the specifications of the meeting." Sark said before hanging up.
Sark began to type on the laptop in front of him. He sent the details on the meeting, and clicked send.
Base Ops : Dixon's Office
Dixon looked up as Vaughn entered his office.
"We have located the files, but we do not know whether or not we are able to recover them." Vaughn said.
"Good. As soon as we have an I.D. on the shooter, report back to me." Dixon replied, his mind was somewhere else.
"Everything ok?" Vaughn asked, concerned.
"Yes, fine..." Dixon said as he sighed. He was lying, and Vaughn knew it. Vaughn's expression grew more concerned.
"The Covenant has Weiss...."
"What?!"
"They managed to intercept the vehicles, there was nothing we could've done." Dixon said, knowing that there was so much more he could have done to ensure Weiss' arrival at the facility.
Vaughn turned and left the office.
LA : Syd's apartment
Syd could smell something burning. "Marshall!" She yelled, noticing the smoke pouring out of the toaster.
Marshall jumped up, and began to freak out. Sydney turned off the power and opened the kitchen window. She smiled.
"I'm the tech guy that can't handle a toaster." He smiled, hoping that Syd wouldn't be mad with him. He shrugged. "Maybe i could fit a complex timing system onto it, relay the wiring so that the toast will cook for the right amount of time without being burnt." He said as he took out two pieces of burnt toast, and threw them into the bin.
Syd smiled. Marshall seemed to be happier.
"Sure, why not?" Syd wanted to keep him occupied.
He unplugged the toaster and sat down with it at the dining table. He began to pull it apart, and examine its contents. He suddenly stopped what he was doing. He put down the various tools he had in his hands, and looked up at Syd.
"I want to see her."
Part Nine
LA : Warehouse
Irina looked down at the bodies surrounding her. They were the bodies of five armed guards, guards that were put into place to protect the warehouse in which Carrie was being held. She bent down and searched their pockets for a set of keys. She found what she was looking for, andstepped over them. She unlocked the opened the door and crossed over to the cell. She stood at the door, and watched Carrie, who was sleeping.
Irina unlocked the cell door and crept towards Carrie. She took out a knife and stabbed Carrie in the stomach. Carrie was now awake, and looked down at her stomach, and then back up at Irina. Irina withdrew the knife and looked down at the blade....it was clean. Carrie leant against the wall, there was nothing she could do to stop her.
"Interesting," Irina said. The roller door behind her began to open, she ignored it, and drew back the knife again.
Sydney stood outside the warehouse, the door open. She knew that something was wrong. There weren't any guards around. She looked back at Marshall, who was close behind her. Syd looked towards the cell to see Irina with a knife.
"Call Dixon, let him know that we need to take Carrie to a facility with a higher level security. And wait here," she said before she took out her gun, and made her way to the cell.
"What? Why? What's going on?" Marshall said nervously, but Syd was at the cell door. He wanted to avoid seeing Carrie. He was afraid, he still loved her, and he couldn't stand to see her locked up like that. He couldn't see why she was being so cautious, he left the doorway, and went for a walk.
"Drop the knife," Sydney said, her gun aimed at her mother.
Irina ignored her. She grabbed Carrie by the hair and yanked back, exposing her neck. Irina wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Syd was now behind her, but Irina was paying no attention to her.
"You kill her, I kill you." Sydney said slowly, her gun aimed at the back of Irina's head.
Carrie looked at Syd, fear in her eyes. Syd knocked the knife out of Irina's hand, and got her in a lock. Carrie backed up against the wall and watched the two of them struggle. Irina gave in, she knew that she wouldn't get her revenge on Carrie. Not today at least. She allowed Sydney to place a pair of cuffs on her, and lead her from the cell.
"She deserves to die..."
Before Syd could lead her out of the warehouse, Irina stopped and looked back at Carrie. She glared at her menacingly, and Carrie knew that she would be back. Sydney tried to lead her away, out of the the warehouse, but she wouldn't budge.
"You might want to check on her baby, I'm surprised you didn't notice the stab wound..."
Sydney looked at her in disgust. How could she harm an innocent baby? She knew her mother was cruel, but not that cruel. She left Irina tied to a railing, and went back to the cell. She slowly approached Carrie, who was sitting on her bed. She looked up suspiciously at Sydney. Carrie knew what she wanted. Sydney looked for a wound, but could see no blood. She lifted up her shirt, and Carrie looked away, tears filling her eyes.
"Oh my God," Sydney gasped, and looked back at Irina. "How could you?"
Part Ten
LA : Warehouse
Irina watched as Carrie began to fall apart. Syd stood and walked away from her, her hand covering her mouth. Carrie was crying.
"What about Marshall? He thought he was going to be a father. You let him believe...How?" Sydney asked her angrily.
Carrie took in a deep breath, "I didn't mean to hurt him..." She looked down at her stomach. She half wanted her pregnancy to be real. She undid the fake stomach, and put it next to her. "Please, don't tell him, let me.."
Sydney glared at her. Carrie had already broken his heart. She had taken his happiness away from him...This would only shatter him. But Syd knew that he had to be told. She nodded.
"Fine, you will get the chance to soon."
Syd left Carrie sitting alone in her cell, still crying. She guided Irina out of the warehouse. She was confused, but didn't want to question her mother, not yet anyway. Marshall wasn't where she had left him. Syd knew that something was wrong.
"Marshall?" She yelled out.
"I believe he is searching for the missing guards.." Irina began, "....trying to impress someone."
Syd dismissed it. Marshall wasn't the type to investigate. She knew that Irina had taken out the guards, but they weren't at the top of her priorities right now, she was worried about Marshall. They walked the perimeter of the warehouse, but no sign of Marshall.
"I would be searching for him in that warehouse," Irina said indicating the warehouse opposite from them.
Syd looked at her mother suspiciously. What did she have set up for her? She led her over to the warehouse's door, and pushed Irina in first.
"Marshall?" Syd yelled, her voice echoing.
They could hear footsteps. Marshall came out of a small office at the other end of the warehouse. Irina smiled. She had been right. He motioned for Syd to make her way over. He seemed weirder than usual.
Marshall was still in shock, he'd never discovered bodies before. He re-entered the office and looked down at them. Syd and Irina joined him in the room.
"Oh God," Syd said as she looked down at them, five in total. "You did this."
Irina looked away. Syd heard two cars pull up outside the warehouse. Marshall looked at the two of them, and left the office. Syd looked at her mother.
"Sydney you have to let me go..I can't explain why, i just need you to trust me." Irina pleaded. Sydney had never seen her like this.
"After you did this, after Carrie, you expect me to trust you?"
"Yes."
Thoughts began to run through Syd's head. If Irina wanted to escape, she would have by now. Unless she was just buying Syd's trust long enough to save herself. She'd done it to her before, why not again? Syd knew she was possibly about to make a mistake...
Sydney unlocked the hand cuffs, and looked at Irina.
"I want an explanation," She said as she watched Irina leave the warehouse from a back entrance, just as three agents entered the warehouse from the front.