Summary: Will digs deeper when he follows Sydney to the warehouse...
Shattered Snowglobe, chapter 2
Sydney jumped into her car and burned rubber as she cautiously peeled out of her parking spot. She only had one thing on her mind: "I am not losing anyone else to SD-6."
She whizzed through downtown L.A. and skidded to a halt in front of Will's house. She got out of her red truck and impatiently knocked on his door.
She saw him not so subtly peer through the blinds and open the door eagerly.
"Syd!" Will smiled. "What's up?" The distressed look on Sydney's face made him ask if she was ok.
Sydney pushed him inside, making it clear that she was in control.
"I found out about your investigation."
Will opened his mouth to ask how she knew but Sydney played the Danny card before he could utter a word.
"I can't believe you would do something like this to me, Will. I'm finally starting to move on from Danny and here you are trying to dig him back up. I need you to leave this alone, completely alone. It's not a request," she warned him. Paradoxically, she prayed that she had hurt Will. Hurt him enough to save him.
"Syd, I'm sorry," he stammered, forgetting about how she had known about the story. "I thought you would want some closure and I thought I could give that to you. You know I would never..."
"I know," she cut him off. "But Will, just stop."
He came closer to offer an apologetic hug, but Sydney turned silently and left.
-------
Just when Sydney got home, it started to pour. She sat down to write a term paper, since SD-6 thought she was out sick. But her mind kept wandering back to Will and his story. What if he didn't stop? What if he got too close and SD-6 killed him? She couldn't handle losing anyone else.
"You got my number..." Vaughn's words suddenly entered Sydney's head.
Before she could act on that thought, Francie came barging through the front door.
"Man, it is treacherous out there!" she said, shaking the water off her coat. She came over to the counter and gave her roommate a hug. "Another paper, huh? Man, you never quit!" Francie said with a smile.
"I called in sick to the bank," Sydney informed her. "There was no way I could go to work and have this paper done on time!" she lied.
"Ugh, I don't blame you for not going to work! Damn bank--" Francie started to say, but was cut off by the phone.
"Wrong number," she uttered in frustration before hanging up. "If someone calls for that pizza place again..." Francie trailed off.
Pizza place. Vaughn. Sydney's heart skipped a beat.
"Ugh, you know, I have to go to the library to finish up my research for this paper, I'll see you in a few hours!" Sydney said. She packed up her books and headed out into the rain.
-------
Right when Sydney turned off of her street, Will turned on to the street from the other end and saw the back of her car disappear around the corner.
"Shit," Will thought, "I just missed her." He had come to talk to her about the story. Tell her the truth. Tell her how much he loved her and would never do this to hurt her. Will decided to follow her car. "She's probably just going to the store anyway," he told himself as he passed Sydney's house and turned off her street, glimpsing her car about a block ahead of his.
As Sydney's car led Will throughout unfamiliar terrain, he dropped back some. He didn't want her to discover him and think he was trying to stalk her or anything, but her joyride with its unknown destination had peaked his interest.
Fifteen minutes later, Will watched from afar as Sydney parked her truck and cautiously entered an old warehouse. What the hell was going on? Relying on his reporter's intuition, Will parked his car and tiptoed into the warehouse, following Sydney's path. He hid behind some boxes and saw her on the other side of a chain link fence, talking to a man he had never seen before. Will silently inched closer and strained his ears to listen.
-------
"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Vaughn asked Sydney.
"No," she replied automatically, having not noticed any tails because of the horrible visibility.
Silence.
"What happened after you left this morning?" Vaughn asked as he looked down.
"I went to Will's. I told him to stop," Sydney replied flatly.
"Does he know anything...about you?"
"Of course not," she said. "I told him that doing a story on Danny upset me too much." She paused. "I don't think he understands the big picture at all," she uttered softly.
"Well make sure he never sees it. Now, let's talk about your countermission for tomorrow."
"I'm not going. I told you I was calling in sick," Sydney replied sternly.
"I didn't think you were serious--"
"I said I wasn't going anywhere until I made sure my friend was safe."
"Sydney, you can't just back out of missions to take care of your friends! The fate of the country is at stake! You would help Will most by going and helping to bring down SD-6!" Vaughn reprimanded her.
-------
With all the things rushing his brain, Will had forgotten to breathe.
After that, his brain needed some serious oxygen.
"Sydney's a part of this SD-6 mess?" he thought. "How could Sydney possibly be involved with McNeil and the two murders? And this stuff about countermissions and the fate of the country? What the hell is going on?"
Will stepped out from his hiding place.
"Sydney!" he yelled, at a loss for any other words. Sydney and Vaughn whirled around, Vaughn pulling out a gun and pointing it at him.
"Put the gun away Vaughn, it's Will," she motioned, but he had already noticed.
"You better explain this Syd. What in God's name is going on here?"
Sydney stood still, not speaking. She was busy reaching into the dark corners of her mind, trying to think of some halfway rational explanation.
Vaughn looked at her, saw her eyelids blinking faster than normal.
And before Sydney could come up with anything she saw a red dot move across Will's cheek.
"Get down!" she yelled desperately, rushing towards Will to push him down.
Almost instantaneously, the warehouse became a waterfall of bullets. The three lay on the floor, covering their heads and trying to safely see who the shooter was with no avail.
Sydney slithered towards the gate on her stomach, finally stopping when she was staring at a pair of black leather boots. She looked up and squinted in the glare of the red light.
"Hello Sydney," buzzed the deep voice of Anna Espinosa.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Shattered Snowglobe, chapter 2
Sydney jumped into her car and burned rubber as she cautiously peeled out of her parking spot. She only had one thing on her mind: "I am not losing anyone else to SD-6."
She whizzed through downtown L.A. and skidded to a halt in front of Will's house. She got out of her red truck and impatiently knocked on his door.
She saw him not so subtly peer through the blinds and open the door eagerly.
"Syd!" Will smiled. "What's up?" The distressed look on Sydney's face made him ask if she was ok.
Sydney pushed him inside, making it clear that she was in control.
"I found out about your investigation."
Will opened his mouth to ask how she knew but Sydney played the Danny card before he could utter a word.
"I can't believe you would do something like this to me, Will. I'm finally starting to move on from Danny and here you are trying to dig him back up. I need you to leave this alone, completely alone. It's not a request," she warned him. Paradoxically, she prayed that she had hurt Will. Hurt him enough to save him.
"Syd, I'm sorry," he stammered, forgetting about how she had known about the story. "I thought you would want some closure and I thought I could give that to you. You know I would never..."
"I know," she cut him off. "But Will, just stop."
He came closer to offer an apologetic hug, but Sydney turned silently and left.
-------
Just when Sydney got home, it started to pour. She sat down to write a term paper, since SD-6 thought she was out sick. But her mind kept wandering back to Will and his story. What if he didn't stop? What if he got too close and SD-6 killed him? She couldn't handle losing anyone else.
"You got my number..." Vaughn's words suddenly entered Sydney's head.
Before she could act on that thought, Francie came barging through the front door.
"Man, it is treacherous out there!" she said, shaking the water off her coat. She came over to the counter and gave her roommate a hug. "Another paper, huh? Man, you never quit!" Francie said with a smile.
"I called in sick to the bank," Sydney informed her. "There was no way I could go to work and have this paper done on time!" she lied.
"Ugh, I don't blame you for not going to work! Damn bank--" Francie started to say, but was cut off by the phone.
"Wrong number," she uttered in frustration before hanging up. "If someone calls for that pizza place again..." Francie trailed off.
Pizza place. Vaughn. Sydney's heart skipped a beat.
"Ugh, you know, I have to go to the library to finish up my research for this paper, I'll see you in a few hours!" Sydney said. She packed up her books and headed out into the rain.
-------
Right when Sydney turned off of her street, Will turned on to the street from the other end and saw the back of her car disappear around the corner.
"Shit," Will thought, "I just missed her." He had come to talk to her about the story. Tell her the truth. Tell her how much he loved her and would never do this to hurt her. Will decided to follow her car. "She's probably just going to the store anyway," he told himself as he passed Sydney's house and turned off her street, glimpsing her car about a block ahead of his.
As Sydney's car led Will throughout unfamiliar terrain, he dropped back some. He didn't want her to discover him and think he was trying to stalk her or anything, but her joyride with its unknown destination had peaked his interest.
Fifteen minutes later, Will watched from afar as Sydney parked her truck and cautiously entered an old warehouse. What the hell was going on? Relying on his reporter's intuition, Will parked his car and tiptoed into the warehouse, following Sydney's path. He hid behind some boxes and saw her on the other side of a chain link fence, talking to a man he had never seen before. Will silently inched closer and strained his ears to listen.
-------
"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Vaughn asked Sydney.
"No," she replied automatically, having not noticed any tails because of the horrible visibility.
Silence.
"What happened after you left this morning?" Vaughn asked as he looked down.
"I went to Will's. I told him to stop," Sydney replied flatly.
"Does he know anything...about you?"
"Of course not," she said. "I told him that doing a story on Danny upset me too much." She paused. "I don't think he understands the big picture at all," she uttered softly.
"Well make sure he never sees it. Now, let's talk about your countermission for tomorrow."
"I'm not going. I told you I was calling in sick," Sydney replied sternly.
"I didn't think you were serious--"
"I said I wasn't going anywhere until I made sure my friend was safe."
"Sydney, you can't just back out of missions to take care of your friends! The fate of the country is at stake! You would help Will most by going and helping to bring down SD-6!" Vaughn reprimanded her.
-------
With all the things rushing his brain, Will had forgotten to breathe.
After that, his brain needed some serious oxygen.
"Sydney's a part of this SD-6 mess?" he thought. "How could Sydney possibly be involved with McNeil and the two murders? And this stuff about countermissions and the fate of the country? What the hell is going on?"
Will stepped out from his hiding place.
"Sydney!" he yelled, at a loss for any other words. Sydney and Vaughn whirled around, Vaughn pulling out a gun and pointing it at him.
"Put the gun away Vaughn, it's Will," she motioned, but he had already noticed.
"You better explain this Syd. What in God's name is going on here?"
Sydney stood still, not speaking. She was busy reaching into the dark corners of her mind, trying to think of some halfway rational explanation.
Vaughn looked at her, saw her eyelids blinking faster than normal.
And before Sydney could come up with anything she saw a red dot move across Will's cheek.
"Get down!" she yelled desperately, rushing towards Will to push him down.
Almost instantaneously, the warehouse became a waterfall of bullets. The three lay on the floor, covering their heads and trying to safely see who the shooter was with no avail.
Sydney slithered towards the gate on her stomach, finally stopping when she was staring at a pair of black leather boots. She looked up and squinted in the glare of the red light.
"Hello Sydney," buzzed the deep voice of Anna Espinosa.
TO BE CONTINUED...