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A/N: Thanks to tine for reviewing chapter 34! By the way, the song I used in that chapter was "Close Yet Far" by CKY. Sorrythat I forgot to tell you that - I was just so happy about finally getting to update that I got a little ahead of myself! Anyway, here's the next chapter for you all - enjoy!
OOOOO
After receiving a clean bill of health from Medical Services at the Rotunda – and only after a lot of convincing and insisting that I felt fine and didn't want to go over the whole mess in my folder right now – I spent the night on Weiss's couch. I knew he must have been curious about where I disappeared to, or why I set my own house on fire, but was nice enough not to start pestering me with questions until I got some actual sleep.
Eventually, I told him our plan. I knew it was useless to try and hide it from him, as he would find some way to get in on it anyway. And, I also knew that the more people we had on our side, the better. We needed all the allies we could get, especially considering we contended with at least two different black-ops divisions of our own agency, without knowing who was involved.
The following afternoon, the two of us returned to the Rotunda for a meeting with Dixon. Will and Sydney were already there, waiting in Dixon's office to stay away from Director Newman. I didn't see Jack Bristow anywhere, but imagined he was close by. Newman did mention he would return that morning, so I knew he was there somewhere.
"I told Weiss the plan," I stated, though I figured that was perfectly obvious already. Sydney nodded a little.
"I'm in," Weiss stated. "There's no way I'm letting you guys just go off and do this without me."
"What happened to 'retiring fully vested'?" I asked, smiling a little. Weiss looked at me seriously for a moment, breaking into a grin when he realized I was just joking around.
"Very funny," he shot back. "You know, you should consider a career in comedy. You might be able to get one person to laugh before they drag you off the stage and start throwing things." I grinned, shaking my head a little.
"I'm glad you're all here," Dixon said as he stepped into the room, closing the door. "I just spoke with Director Newman. He and Jack are in debrief for a little while longer, so if we're going to get out of here before having to deal with them, we'll have to do it now."
"Do we know where we're going?" Weiss asked, looking at Dixon in question. Dixon glanced over at him, apparently surprised by his presence, but didn't make any comment.
"I think we start looking for Cole," Sydney stated matter-of-factly. "With my mother absent, he's running operations for the Covenant now. He's probably our best shot into their organization."
"What about Sark?" Will asked.
"We don't know who Sark really works for," Dixon stated. "You said he was with your father and Sloane in Italy?" he asked, looking over at Sydney in question. She nodded a little.
"Yeah, he was. But, I have no idea if he's really loyal to them or to the Covenant," Sydney replied. "It's hard to tell with Sark. Plus, I don't think we can trust him."
"And we can trust McKennas Cole?" Weiss questioned, looking a little worried.
"No," Sydney answered. "But I think we stand more of a chance with him. He hasn't been such a player in all of this. Sark's too close to my parents, to Sloane and Nadia. We need a real outside influence in this one, so Cole's a better option."
"If Sark plays loyal to the Covenant, he might double cross us and turn us in to Jack," I added. Sydney nodded in agreement.
"Exactly," she said.
"Then we'll go to Algeria," Dixon stated. "He was at that Covenant facility there."
"He could be anywhere by now though. Right?" Will asked.
"Once we start looking, I'm sure we won't have a problem tracking him down," Sydney replied. "We might not find him, but if he knows we're looking, he'll find us for sure."
"Right," Dixon agreed. "So, we'll go back to Algeria, start looking there for Cole. Hopefully, he'll have some information for us."
OOOOO
We left the Rotunda before Newman and my father got out of their 'debrief' session. I had a feeling that it was more a meeting for the two of them to discuss my knowledge of their organization, and that I gave my father the wrong code for the Sphere of Life in Rome. I imagined it wouldn't be long before he took another drastic action to stop us from getting away, trying to coerce me into giving him the right code.
The group of us split up at the airport, wanting to take several different flights so that the CIA couldn't track us. I knew we stood a good chance of getting de-commissioned over what we planned to do. Maybe even end up in prison for conspiring against the United States government.
It seemed ironic, really, the position I took suddenly. I started working with SD-6, going to the CIA when I found out the truth. I helped bring down one of the agency's biggest enemies. Now I was looking to join up with an organization that was arguably worse than the Alliance, all to bring down a couple of radical groups inside the CIA. It was like going right back to the starting gate of the whole thing, and this time playing for the other side.
Especially considering that the same people were involved.
I ended up on a flight with Dixon, Weiss insisting he could fly on his own, leaving Vaughn with Will. Dixon suggested that the two of us pose as business partners from another country, allowing us to spend the entire flight looking over documents and speaking in a different language. After some debate, I ended up selecting Russian.
"So, we have to try and find out where Cole might be," Dixon began, looking over some quick notes he scribbled in the same language we spoke. His Russian wasn't as good as mine, but I didn't have any trouble understanding him.
"He was at the facility in Algeria," I replied. "I imagine he's still there, considering that we broke in. He'd stick around to do damage control."
The conversation continued as such for a good portion of the flight. Everyone around seemed perfectly content to ignore us for the most part. I imagined that, if anyone there could speak the language and translate, they would remain confused by the actual content of our conversation and let it go after a few moments. I didn't think anyone would be trying to listen in, though I supposed it was possible.
Finally, we landed in Algeria and met up with the others. Dixon made the suggestion that we break up into two groups, one to operate out of the same safe house we stayed in before, just outside the Covenant facility. The others would infiltrate the facility itself, looking for Cole and attempting to strike some sort of a bargain.
It didn't take long to decide that Vaughn and I would infiltrate the facility. After all, both of us were held captive there, and we did make a good team. I also figured that, because of the conditioning Lauren put him through, I stood a better chance to reason with him than anyone else, should something happen. I didn't say any of this to the others, however.
"You actually think this is going to work?" Vaughn asked me, looking over at me in question from our position on the hill just above the facility. Dixon managed to get some basic computer equipment, and the gear and tech we needed in case something went wrong. I figured that going in and trying to cooperate with Cole would probably pique his interest, and we wouldn't face any immediate danger.
But one could never be too sure.
"I almost wonder if finding Cole would be easier if we just go in the front door," I said suddenly. Vaughn looked over at me, smiling a little at my statement.
"I'm sure Dixon would love that," he stated. I smiled as well. "Still, you've got a point. Going in the back way is more likely to get us shot. Walking right up might be risky, but we stand more of a chance to find Cole."
"Okay. Straight-and-direct it is," I replied with a nod. I glanced over at him again, and we started moving. I hoped that Cole didn't tell his operatives to shoot us on sight, especially since we planned to walk right up to his front door, unarmed and unassuming.
I took the lead, out of habit, Vaughn automatically falling into place behind me. I walked, rather calmly, up to the main entrance of the facility. I saw that several guards already had their assault weapons trained on us, but didn't open fire. That could only be a good sign.
"Well, well, well." I looked up at the sound of that familiar voice, seeing Cole standing at the front door of the facility, still wearing his tailored suit and grinning as always. "This is a bit of a twist. Miss Bristow, Mister Vaughn. The two of you cost me four guards and one security computer on your last visit. So, I'm wondering, why back so soon?"
"We want to make a deal," I stated simply. Cole rose his eyebrows, the smile disappearing from his face.
"Really?" he questioned. "Things just went from interesting to bizarre. I must really have something you want to risk something like this. 'Two CIA agents seek out impromptu leader of international terrorist faction' sound like front-page to you?"
"We need information," I replied.
"Ah, of course. The eighth deadly sin – espionage," Cole quipped jokingly, grinning once again. "What can I help you with?"
"Not here," I replied flatly.
"Of course." Cole turned, reaching back and pushing the door open. He glanced back at us, feigning a casual businessman smile. "Step into my office." He walked into the facility, leaving the door standing open for us. I glanced over at Vaughn, worried, and then we stepped inside.
OOOOO
Cole led Sydney and I into one of the back areas of the Covenant facility, past several of the guards I recognized from before. A couple of them glared at us, obviously unhappy to see us return so soon after what happened just days before, but no one said anything. I figured they all thought, as long as we were with Cole, we didn't pose a threat.
I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a very bad one.
"Now, to the business of this 'deal' here," Cole stated as he closed the door of his office, circling around the desk in the center of the room and taking a seat. I noted that the office was the only reasonably decorated room of the entire facility, with actual furniture and freshly painted walls, rather than the yellowed decay of the rest of the place.
"We're willing to share information with you, but on one condition. You have to have something we want, or you get nothing," Sydney stated, clearly outlining the protocol for this very awkward 'meeting'. I chose to remain silent, and Cole didn't seem to take much notice of this fact.
"I have a couple of things you might be interested in," Cole replied. "Among them, the Director of an NSA project facility. I believe you know him – guy named Kendall? Older, bald, not the best personality?"
"The Covenant has Kendall?" Sydney asked. Cole just grinned.
"Among other things," he shot back, remaining as vague as he could. "Of course, his release – if it comes to that – kind of depends on what information you have for me." Sydney paused for a moment.
"I know the Covenant is looking for a Rambaldi device. Something he referred to as the 'Sphere of Life'. I know that the North American cell of your organization was actively searching for that device," she explained.
"And?" Cole asked.
"I know who really found it," she replied. Cole nodded a little, wearing his 'poker face'. I could still see that he was very interested in what she said. "I don't know where, but I know that it's in the possession of another organization."
"Which?" Cole questioned.
"That depends on what you're willing to give us," she answered. He smiled a little. "I need to know if you have any information on the Followers of Rambaldi. Any possible connections they have to a CIA group called 'The Trust'."
"There are some Followers of Rambaldi that work for the Covenant now," Cole stated, leaning back a little in his chair. "Their aims are the same as ours – finding his artifacts, learning what he was working on when he died. It wouldn't surprise me that there are members of that group highly placed in the CIA as well. Though, what relevance that has is, sadly, lost on me."
"The Sphere of Life is in the possession of one of Rambaldi's followers," Sydney explained. She paused for a long moment. "My father. Who is presently working with, among others, Arvin Sloane and Julian Sark." Cole nodded a little, looking away at the mention of Sark. After all, he appointed him to his place within the Covenant, and now that Sark worked against him, I could see he felt betrayed.
"Of course. Mister Sark is quite famous for following whoever's got the treats," Cole snapped, sounding a little angry. "And you're looking to bring him down?"
"Yes," Sydney answered. Cole nodded again.
"And what happens to the sphere?"
"I guess that depends on what else you know. Give us something useful, and I'll see that it falls into your hands at the end of all this. If you've got nothing, you get nothing in return."
"Do you know the location of the sphere right now?"
"No."
"Hmm." Cole paused. "All right then. You tell me where it was last, so I can track it from there. In return, I'll let your friend Kendall go. He's already given us everything he knows."
"And information on these groups?"
"Sorry to disappoint, Miss Bristow. I haven't got anything for you." Sydney sighed, shaking her head a little. "Still, I'm sure securing the release of a fellow government officer is a victory, no matter how small."
"Last I knew, the sphere was in Rome." Cole smiled and nodded.
"All right. Thanks."
OOOOO
Cole knew nothing.
Vaughn and I stayed in his 'office' for over an hour, trying to figure out how much Intel our two 'groups' could share with one another. I eventually told him that my father's organization was in possession of Rambaldi's Sphere of Life, and that – last I knew – the artifact was located in Rome. He said, if we gave him that information, he would release Kendall.
However, for everything we gave the Covenant, Cole had no information on the Trust or my father. As we exited the building, I didn't know why I expected him to. If we didn't even know that my father was a Follower of Rambaldi until recently, why would the Covenant have access to that knowledge, or anything else we needed to know about his operations?
"Now what do we do?" Vaughn questioned. "We can't go back to the CIA – your father wants the code for the sphere."
"I know. He won't let me get away with handing him another false code," I stated, shaking my head a little. "We'll have to do something. Disappear, I don't know." I stopped once we were a good distance away from the facility, looking around and sighing deeply. "I guess I just thought Cole might know something."
"Even if he did, he might not have said anything," Vaughn stated. I nodded in agreement. I pulled out my small cell phone to call Dixon, to tell him that the meet with Cole was over so he would come pick us up from the middle of nowhere.
"We'll get back to the safe house and figure out our next move from there," I stated, dialing Dixon's number and waiting for him to answer. When he finally did, I explained our situation and that we needed a ride back to the safe house.
"Sydney, there's something you should know," he said when I finished speaking.
"What is it?" I questioned.
"Your parents are here, and so are Sloane and Nadia. I didn't see Sark, but I imagine he's with them," Dixon stated. I felt my eyes get wide, glancing over at Vaughn to display my surprise at Dixon's news. "They're in town, not far from here. And I think they have the sphere with them."
"Why did they come here?" I asked.
"I don't know. But, this could be our chance to figure out what their endgame is," Dixon replied. "Will's on his way to you. He'll drive you back into town, and I would suggest locating them as quickly as possible."
"Of course." I hung up.
"What?" Vaughn asked.
"It's my father," I stated, looking up at him again. "He's here."