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Disclaimer: The title of this chapter comes from the song 'On Saturday Afternoons in 1963' by Rickie Lee Jones.

The Most As You'll Ever Go Is Back Where You Used To Know

Perturbed, Sydney made her way over to Vaughn's desk, hoping to find a note, or something indicating where he went. As she moved a few items, she knocked the mouse and the blank screen of the computer was replaced by the GPS navigation system. Taking a closer look, Sydney saw that Vaughn had been tracking Summer's car.

"Hey Syd," Marshall came hurrying over. "Carrie is in panic mode. I told her there was nothing to worry about, but she needs reassuring."

Sydney looked at him blankly, distracted by Vaughn's computer. Why Summer's car? "What?"

"Mitch, he stayed at your place last night, right?"

Marshall suddenly had her attention. "No, I thought Summer stayed at yours."

Marshall was shaking his head. "But…then where are they?"

"I have no idea," Sydney said, glancing at the computer. "But here's hoping that Vaughn does."

"He knows?" Marshall asked.

"Well, he was looking up Sum's car on the GPS," Sydney replied, opening the top drawer of Vaughn's desk, looking for a notepad to jot down the location of Summer's car. However, all that she found was the broken photo frame.

Staring down, Sydney had to grab Vaughn's chair to steady herself. Noticing the change in Sydney, Marshall peered over her shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Feeling numb, Sydney reached down and picked up the photo frame, along with the microphone. "I think that we need to talk to my father."

Summer was laying on the floor, curled up in the foetal position. She had had no human contact since being taken to this second room and had only her thoughts to keep her company.

How could she ever go back? How could she go back to her life with the memories of the awful things she had done. With the knowledge of who her mother was, that Lauren never cared for her at all.

The world that she knew was gone. How could she go back?

"Maybe Summer wasn't aware of the device?" Jack suggested, his heart not allowing him to comprehend what Sydney was telling him. Summer was a granddaughter to him. There was no way that she was a part of this mess.

"That's what I wanted to think," Sydney said. "But she asked Vaughn to put it on his desk. And think about this, all the leaks. She has access to mine and Vaughn's phones, our laptops...Vaughn must have realized this- that's why he went after her."

"And you haven't been able to contact him?" Jack asked.

Sydney shook his head. "Both his and Summer's phones are turned off."

"Ok," Weiss put in. "Let's just say that Summer is working for the Allegeance- why? How on Earth could they compel her to do their dirty work?"

"They would have their techniques," Jack mused.

"But to get a girl to turn against her country?" Weiss asked.

"What if she thought she was working for her country," Marshall suggested. "It's not as if it hasn never happened before."

"But then that means they convinced Summer that Syd and Vaughn weren't CIA- that is some damn powerful persuasion," Weiss pointed out.

Sydney had been following this conversation silently. Her mind was working frantically, trying to come up with some explanation for all of this.

"I mean, come on," Weiss was saying. "What would it take for Summer to doubt her own parents?"

It hit Sydney like a tonne of bricks. "Oh my god," she looked up, meeting Jack's eyes. "Dad."

He understood completely. "Sydney, no. That is impossible."

"People come back, we've seen it happen before. Mum, Allison..."

Weiss was looking between the two of them. "Please tell me that this isn't about who I think it is."

Sydney turned to him. "Lauren."

Marshall visibly blanched, the memory of being shot still prominent in his mind. "But-"

"It's the only link between the Allegeance and Summer that makes sense," Sydney said. "Lauren was Covenant. The Allegeance are all former Covenant. And she would be able to manipulate Summer. After all, she is her mother."

"But she died!" Weiss protested. "In one of our hospitals."

"We need to find Mitch," Sydney said, ignoring Weiss's protestations.

"What?!" Marshall sounded alarmed. "Do you think he is involved as well?"

"He's involved with Summer," Sydney pointed out. "He will know the most out of anybody."

The ringing sounded distant as Mitchell opened his eyes. His head was throbbing so hard he could hear it. Bringin a hand up, he gently touched his left temple and winced. Summer certainly packed a whallop.

His mobile still ringing, Mitch struggled up and grabbed it off the bedside table.

"Hello?"

"Mitchell, where are you? Your mother has been calling you all morning!"

"Dad. I, uh...I'm..."

"Never mind. I need you home straightaway."

"But-"

"Home, Mitch. Now."

"What is this about?"

"I'll speak to you when you get home."

Flipping his phone shut, Mitch knew perfectly well what this was about. Summer.

"Ok, thanks." Jack snapped his phone shut and then turned to Sydney as they appracohed the Flinkman's front door. "That was Dixon. Vaughn's car was discovered in the car park at V.O.J Insuracne, along with Summer's. However, there was no sign of the two of them."

Sydney's stomach churned. "If this is Lauren that we are dealing with, then...she has them. Vaughn would have gone to confront Summer, Lauren could have overheard...oh god, what-"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Jack interjected. "We'll just wait and hear what Mitch has to say before we decide our next step."

Mitchell looked between the faces of his parents and Sydney and Jack Bristow.

"What has happened to Summer?" he asked.

"That is what we are trying to figure out," Jack replied. "Have you seen her in the last 24 hours?"

Mitch nodded. "She called me last night, asking to borrow money. When I met up with her she said that she was in trouble and had to leave...she also said that she hadn't really been working for an insurance company."

"Ok," Jack said. "Apart from last night, have there been any other incidents where Summer has been acting oddly?"

"She has been acting differently ever since she started working that damn job...whatever it is," Mitch replied. "Stressing over little things, asking strange questions out of the blue, asking me to look up ancient history-"

"What do you mean by 'ancient history'?" Marshall asked.

"I mean her mother. She got me to look into hospital records to find out how she died- hey, did you know that she was shot? I mean, Sum thought it was a car accident and-"

"Mitch," Sydney cut in. "Did you look into anything else about Lauren?"

"We tried," Mitch replied. "Summer wanted all the info that she could get on her mother and so I, uh, kinda got into the CIA database-"

"Wait a minute," Marshall broke in. "You hacked into the CIA without being detected."

"Yeah, though it was just agent profiles-"

"That is incredible!" Marshall exclaimed. "How did-"

"Marshall!" Carrie cut in, her expression less than impressed.

"Oh right," Marshall cleared his throat, attempting to put on his 'stern' face. "Mitchell, you did a very bad thing and there will be severe consequences."

"Why?" Mitchell turned back to Sydney and Jack. "Why are you asking me all of this? Do you know who Summer is running from?"

"Mitch, we believe that Summer's mother is still alive," Sydney started. "She is a enemy of this country and extremely dangerous. There is a very good chance that she has Summer and Vaughn captive."

"So she is who Summer was running from?" Mitch asked.

"Not exactly," Sydney explained. "Is there any other information that you could give us that would help?"

"Well...there is," Mitch replied. "When Sum rang asking for money, my gut told me that she was going to do a bolt- I mean, why else would she be asking for cash? Not wanting to take any chances, I sort of snuck into your workshop, dad, and stole a tracking device."

Jack sat forward. "Did you plant it on Summer?"

Mitch nodded. "I slipped it under the insole of her shoe while she...uh," he paused, coughing. "I just put it in her shoe."

"If we can activate it, we've got them," Jack said, standing up. "Marshall, do you have the code for it?"

"What did it look like, Mitch?" Marshall asked his son.

"Um...small, round and silver...it looked like one of those tiny batteries."

Marshall jumped up. "I'll have them located in half an hour."

After, who knew how many hours, Summer strated as the door flung open. A second later Lauren storde in and grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" Summer asked as she was yanked upwards.

"Giving you a few last precious moments with daddy," Lauren replied, dragging her down the darkened hallway.

"Before what?"

Lauren stopped in her steps and looked Summer directly in the eyes. "Before I break his neck...or put a bullet in his brain...or cut him open with a knife. I tell you what, Summer, how about I let you decide which method to kill your father with."

"Why are you doing this?" Summer asked, her voice trembling. "I thought...I though-"

"Thought what, Summer?" Lauren hissed. "Tell me, were you even thinking when I got you to turn against the Boyscout and the Homewrecker so easily?"

Summer felt a bubble of anger rise beneath her skin. "Don't talk about them that way."

Lauren let out a cold laugh. "Trying to tell me what to do, darling daughter? Just how are you going to stop me?"

"With my help." Sydney stepped out from behind a corner, pointing a pistol directly at Lauren.

Lauren reacted in a split second, pulling Summer into her hold and removing her gun from her holster, pressing it to her daughter's temple.

Sydney took a step towards the two of them. "Let her go."

"Like I am going to follow your orders," Lauren snorted.

"The choice isn't yours, Lauren and your game is up," Sydney shot back. "We've found Vaughn and we've got your little minions. You may as well give up now."

"I didn't wait nineteen years to give up," Lauren snapped and then cocked the gun, causing Summer to whimper.

Sydney took another step forward. "I swear, if you hurt her, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Lauren cut off. "Do I sense a little bit of misguided motherly protection here? In case you have forgotten Summer is my daughter."

"You are nothing more than an incubator," Sydney shot back.

"Yes, and poor Summer has just discovered that, hasn't she? So what will that mean if I let her go? That you can just take her back to that perfect little life she knew before? Just how is she supposed to deal- oomph!" Lauren stopped short as Summer shifted slightly, driving her elbow into her gut. In the moment that it took Lauren to react, Sydney has already fired, hitting her in the shoulder. Rushing forward, she pushed Summer out of the way and then pinned Lauren to the ground, driving her knee into her back.

"This," she said, leaning in towards Lauren's ear, "is how you stop people like you." And with that, she ploughed her own elbow into Lauren's temple, rendering her unconscious.

At the sound of pounding footsteps both Sydney and Summer looked up. Seconds later a frantic Vaughn appeared, followed closely by Weiss and Nadia.

"We heard a shot. Are you ok?" he asked breathlessly.

"We're fine, Vaughn," Sydney replied.

Relief washed all over Vaughn's features as he stepped, almost hesitantly, towards his daughter. "Summer?"

"Don't," Summer said sharply, holding up a hand. "Just don't."

As she turned on her heel, all Vaughn wanted to do was chase after her. But he couldn't. After hearing the tone in her voice and the look in her eyes, all he could do was watch as for the first time in her life, Summer, both literally and metaphorically, walked away from him.

A/N: Only one more chapter to go...