Disclaimer: same
A/N: I am SO SORRY that this took so long to get updated! I just want to assure everyone I haven't forgotten about this story or let it die or anything. Between work and moving into my new apartment and fighting with the cable company to get the Internet set up, it's been crazy. I finally got chapters 51 and 52 written and edited, and I'll post them both tonight for a double update since it's been so long since I was here last.
Thanks to ArodLoverus2001, Danielle87, Christie, and Mizzle fo' Rizzle for reviewing chapter 50. Here's the new chapters - once again I am sorry it took so long!
OOOOO
I ran after Bill and Nadia, not knowing what I might find in the next room, and not really caring. I knew that I had to keep both of them away from the artifact, and find some way to destroy it before Sloane caught up.
There was a short, twisted corridor that led into the next room. And, despite my rush to catch up with Bill and my sister, when I stepped into this new room, I had to stop for a moment and take a look around.
I knew we had to be underground still, and it suddenly occurred to me that the entire temple was built above ground, and over the past five hundred years, it sank into the sand until just the very top of the structure remained. There was no way the room I now stood in was built underground.
The ceiling rose at least twenty feet high, the walls covered in large sheets of the metallic material that gave off that eerie orange light. The ceiling was made of the same smoothed brick I saw upstairs, the ancient writing covering the stone there. The room was well lit because of the metallic panels, however, giving me a better chance to get a look around. Most of the room stood completely empty, but I saw a large pedestal of some kind in the center, a small object atop it.
I saw Nadia and Bill, off on the other side of the pedestal. Something caught the corner of my eye, and I looked down at the floor for a moment. Etched in the stone under my feet was the Eye of Rambaldi, the pedestal sitting directly in the center. I looked back up at Bill and my sister, seeing that both of them stared at the object on pedestal that I couldn't quite see from where I stood.
Keeping my gun at the ready just in case, I began to circle around the center of the room. As I rounded the pedestal, I looked over at the object sitting on top of it; something that I couldn't quite classify. It was about a foot tall, mostly round in shape, and glowed with a deep blue luminescence. Rambaldi's 'greatest power'.
I saw Nadia look over at me, a kind of sadness etched on her face that I couldn't explain. I glanced back over my shoulder at the doorway that led into this room, wanting to get away from the artifact before Sloane made his way inside.
"We have to get out of here," I stated matter-of-factly. Nadia looked at me for a moment, and then returned her gaze to Bill. He didn't even look over at me, just kept his gaze locked on the object in the center of the room.
"This is the final step in all of this," he said quietly, apparently lost in his own thoughts. For a long moment, no one said anything, and he finally looked over at me. "No one is leaving this room until it's over. Surely you know that."
"We're leaving," I stated again, stepping closer to Nadia and raising my gun. "Now."
"Sydney, don't be so rash." I turned again at the sound of that voice, seeing Sloane and my parents step into the room. The first thing I noticed was the smirk on Sloane's face. The second thing was the gun my mother pressed into my father's temple. "After all of the things each of us has been through, you must understand that no one is going to leave this room so easily."
"I will kill you before I let you near that artifact," I snapped.
"Don't, Sydney," my father warned me. I looked over at him, once again shocked to see my mother pressing a gun to his head.
"We've been in this predicament before," Sloane reminded me. "This can all end peacefully. Just step aside so I can claim what's rightfully mine."
"It's not 'rightfully' anyone's," I shot back. I turned my gun away from Nadia and aimed it at Sloane. He smiled.
"If you have to shoot me, go right ahead," he stated almost cheerfully. "I'm sure it will be easy to explain to the CIA why your ignorance got your father killed." I swallowed thickly, locking eyes with my father for a moment. I could see that this was no ploy. My mother played us again, and if I so much as thought about shooting Sloane, my father would suffer the consequences.
I lowered my weapon. Sloane's face broke out into a full-on grin.
"I knew you would understand the logic of my position sooner or later," he said. "Now, if you would kindly step aside, I would like to see what it is I came for." I did as he asked, moving out of the way. Nadia shot me another glare, and I knew I spoiled her plan somehow but didn't know exactly what she expected me to do. Sloane stepped past her and to the artifact.
Suddenly, I heard a gunshot go off. I looked over at Bill to see that he fired a round from Nadia's gun into the ceiling, and now he had his weapon aimed at Sloane. Before I could react, all manner of hell broke loose. Nadia sprang into action, running over to the pedestal to try and snatch the artifact before Sloane could get to it. Sloane grabbed her arm, pulling her back and struggling with her for a moment. I instantly turned my gun on my mother, firing a round into her shoulder to make her drop her gun.
She cried out and jerked away in surprise, my father snatching her gun off the floor and nodding to me that he was all right. I turned my attention back to Sloane and Nadia, seeing that he eventually managed to win out and throw her to the stone floor of the room. I aimed my weapon at him, seeing out the corner of my eye that my father pinned my mother into a corner on the other side of the room.
"Don't move!" I barked at Sloane. He looked over at me, and I could see the fury in his eyes. "You take one step and I will kill you."
"You can't stop what's happening here, Sydney!" my mother called out to me from her position on the floor, clutching her wounded shoulder. I didn't even glance over at her, keeping my eyes locked on Sloane. "The only way you stand a chance is to give up now."
Suddenly, Bill ran at Sloane, knocking him aside and to the ground. Nadia was already on her feet, going back towards the door. I didn't know what her intentions might be, and it appeared that Bill chose my side while Nadia sided with her father, despite their brief struggle. So, I turned again to point my weapon at her, startled when I heard a gunshot go off again.
It took me a moment to realize what happened. Sloane got a hold of the gun that Bill took from Nadia. I looked over at the two of them, seeing Bill on the floor and Sloane with the weapon aimed at my father. Time seemed to slow as I turned again, looking over at my father. He looked down at his torso in surprise, and I could see the gunshot wound in his abdomen.
Without even thinking, I ran to his side as he stumbled slightly, dropping the gun as he fell to the floor. Nadia scooped it up, aiming it at me and stopping me in my tracks just a few steps from my father. I looked in shock from him up to her face, seeing the determined look there.
"I told you to stay out of this," she snapped.
"Sydney… Go," I heard my father choke out. I looked down at him, seeing blood flowing rather freely out of his wound and over his fingers. My eyes went back up to Nadia. I had my gun aimed at her still, and I could see Sloane watching us out of the corner of my eye.
"No," I refused. "I won't let Sloane get his hands on that artifact." Nadia smiled cruelly.
"Then you will die."
OOOOO
I didn't even bother to secure Sark before making my way into the other room. The light I saw came from some small objects scattered on the floor. When I stepped into the large room, the first thing I noticed was how many different paths there were. I didn't know which one would lead me to the correct room, and didn't want to waste anymore time looking around for the right path.
After a couple of moments, however, I heard a gunshot. It was pretty easy to figure out where it came from, and I started down the last corridor on the right-hand side of the room. As I got closer, I heard another shot, followed soon after by some yelling and a third shot, much louder this time.
I cursed myself, once again, for letting Sark trick me into hitting the wall and leaving me with my very unsteady right hand to try and hold my gun. I followed the corridor until I saw that same orange light coming from somewhere at the end of the path, much brighter than it was in the rest of the temple. I stepped into the room, shocked at the sight before me.
Near the door, leaning against the wall to my right, I saw Irina. She clutched a wound in her shoulder, watching everyone else with a kind of grim expression on her face. Not far from her I saw Jack, pale and unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot to the stomach. On the far side of the room, I saw my father, either unconscious or staying down for the moment to avoid being hit. Next to him stood Sloane, holding a gun but watching the center of the room.
In the center of the room stood Sydney and Nadia, one of them on either side of a large pedestal with some kind of round, shimmering blue object sitting on it. They both held guns, aimed at each other.
"You all understand that if things continue to progress this way, everyone will end up dead," Sloane stated, sounding less than amused with the events thus far. I saw Sydney look over at me, relieved to know that I was all right but still keeping most of her attention focused on Nadia.
"Sydney, Nadia, don't do this," Irina pleaded, looking over at her daughters. I knew both of them listened to her words, but neither made a move to stop the confrontation. "Please, no good can come of this."
A long, very tense moment passed over the room. Sloane kept his eyes on the artifact sitting on the pedestal, which I assumed was the greatest power. I glanced down at Jack, knowing that he didn't stand much of a chance if this whole standoff didn't get resolved soon.
I looked over at Sydney again, our eyes locking once more. Silently, I tried to plead with her to just drop her gun. I knew that letting Sloane get the artifact would be devastating, but had to admit that Sloane was right. If everyone just kept shooting each other, no one would make it out of here alive.
Even without saying anything, I understood the emotions I saw in Sydney's eyes. She wanted to keep Sloane away from the artifact. She thought she stood some chance to get it away from him, to force this to go our way. I just shook my head a little, stating the obvious. We already lost this fight.
She narrowed her eyes a little, clenching her jaw and looking back at her sister. Finally, she lowered her weapon. Nadia seemed surprised, but realized what happened and shot a glance over in my direction before turning to her father.
"I'm glad we're all in agreement," Sloane stated. He smiled a little as he stepped up to the pedestal, gently lifting the artifact up off the stone. It didn't look like it was very heavy. He started back to the door, Nadia following him and keeping her weapon at the ready in case anyone tried anything.
"You won't get away with this," Sydney said to Sloane through clenched teeth. He looked back at her, smiling and shaking his head a little.
"Oh, my dear Sydney," he stated sadly. "I already have."
