Hey all! Thanksfor all the feedback!
dandan: Cheers mate - you're a champ!
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vaughnloveralwaysandforever: Thanks for the kind words mate!
Cipher Text: Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias...
A/N: Oh, and this chapter is a bit different... If you don't understand, just read on :o) - - - Six years later - - -
"This is Boy Scout, do you copy?"
"Yes, Home base does copy."
Vaughn shifted uncomfortably in his seat and continued to flick through the large thick encyclopedia lying on the table. "Boy Scout is prepared, shouldhe proceed?"
"Cameras are ready. Proceed."
"Going radio silent to avoid interference." Vaughn discreetly fiddled with his ear , flicking the 'off'switch of a lodged contraption.
He reached intothe backpack beside his chair and pulled out what-looked-like a normal pen and a notepad. Inconspicuously, he pressed the clicker on the pen and sent a series of tiny projectile cameras to the surrounding walls, unbeknown to the other people in the library.
Flipping through the blank notepad, he reached the 47th age and saw the images of the newly surveyed hallways. Upon seeing them deserted ofworkers, Vaughn closed theencyclopedia on the desk in front of him and picked up his gear, preparing to return the book to the bookshelf that conveniently satnext to the library computer.
"Can I take that for you?"
Vaughn froze when a voice interrupted him. He looked up and saw a lady with greying hair andsmiled at her. "Thanks. That would be great actually."
"Did you get what you needed?" the lady asked, putting on her glasses in order to try andread the notebook that Vaughn held.
He tilted the notebook away and shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose. There's a little bit more to do but you know, there's always time."
"Uh-huh," the lady said, taking the book from Vaughn and heading for the shelves.
Reaching into his bag again, Vaughn pulled out a minute black object, and crept over to the library central computer system. Disguising his real actions, Vaughn pretended to drop his pen, sticking the black piece on the modem in the process.
Standing upright, Vaughn reached for his ear again and spoke into his shoulder. "This is Boy Scout checking in. Cameras and bugs are hot and ready to go," he said, "are we transmitting?"
"Yes, good job Boy Scout. C'mon home."
Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Vaughn walked to the exit, glancing over his shoulder at the other areas in the library. He paused only to stop and listen to a story being read to a group of toddlers in the children's section.
The young woman read animatedly and gestured wildly with enthusiasm, encouraging the kids to become involved in the story.
"What should she do?" she asked, "what should she do?"
Vaughn was instantly catapulted into the past, to when he'd played a part when someone had asked him a similar question, "What do I do?"
Not a day had gone by that he hadn't regretted the outcome of that day.
- - - Six years ago - - -
"What do I do?
"Are you sure you don't know him Sydney?" Mrs Vaughn had asked.
"I'm positively positive I don't know him," Sydney had said, clutching ever so tightly to Vaughn's hand and inching slightly closer to him and his mother.
"Sydney!" the stranger had called again, approaching them and removing his akubra hat, revealing a balding head of short spiky grey hair. "It's ok, your father sent me."
"Daddy sent you?" Sydney had asked him, dropping Vaughn's hand in the process. "What's happened?"
"Nothing to worry about Sydney. He called Tracey to tell you that he's going to be home a little bit later from his business trip, and he sent us to pick you up and take you home after he couldn't get through."
"Us? Where's Tracey?" Sydney had asked.
"She's waiting in the car for you," the man continued to say.
"But I walked here," Sydney had told him, finding a flaw in the man's explanation. "And Rex needs the exercise."
"There's no rush to go back, we can let him run around here a little more." The man reached down to pat the puppy and jumped back when the puppy growled at him.
Vaughn bent down to settle the dog and involuntarily shivered under the stare of the man. "It's alright mate," he whispered, patting the animal.
"Oh," the man began as if he'd just remembered, "my name is Arvin Sloane. I work with your father, Sydney."
Still busying himself with the dog, Vaughn had avoided shaking the man's hand but noticed that his mother shuddered and recoiled from the man's touch.
"But," Sydney had paused for a moment, biting her lip. "Dad would've called me if that was the case."
"Ah, but he did. He said he got your voicemail saying the phone was out of range," the man explained.
Sydney had reached into her back pocket and pulled out her mobile. Sure enough, there were no bars of reception.
Doubting the man, Vaughn had stood and checked his own phone and instantly become even more protective of Sydney, laying a hand on her shoulder as if to remind her that he was still there…
Vaughn trembled at the memory, and reminded himself of the vow he'd made – to give the man justice and to give justice to the man who he'd later found out had killed hundreds of innocent people, had killed his father, had killed Sydney's mother and, had most likely killed Sydney as well.
Seeing that the children had nowcome up with a satisfiableresolution for the character in the book thatthe library worker was reading, Vaughn drew a deep breath and slowly walked from the building...
A/N: It's different! I felt kinda inspired since I'm now on school holidays (WOOT! btw, Happy Easter!) and so I wrote an update. I hope it's explanatory enough, but if it's not - not to worry - because within the next few updates it'll hopefully pan out ok... fingers crossed.
Anyway, if you liked or didn't like, or if you need me to expand on anything, just let me know. Thanks for reading though, and till next time, Cheerio!
Next Chapter: What really happened that day at the park...
