Sydney walked toward her usual meeting place with Vaughn and felt a small twinge of sadness at the realization that this would be the last time she would meet him here. She rolled her eyes at herself as she reminded herself that after tonight she wouldn't have to hid anymore.
Her father and Vaughn were already there when she arrived and she smiled warmly at the two of them. Ever since she had learned the truth about her mother, her father and her had grown much closer. Vaughn wordlessly handed her an earpiece and she placed it inside her ear.
Sloane had given her a week off after her last mission telling her that she deserved a little break. She had willingly agreed. It hadn't been more than a day into her vacation before Vaughn called and told her about this mission that would end it all.
"I'll be in contact with you the whole time," Vaughn said, pulling her from her thoughts. "You'll want to go in through the air vents."
"Once you get to the hallway let Agent Vaughn know," Jack said, "I'll only be able to disarm the security for five minutes, which should be just enough time for you to get to the office, get the information, and get back to the vents."
She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. She knew he would rather be going in himself then sending her in.
"They'll be a CIA team waiting just outside the building, that's where your father and I will be, come there once your out and we'll get the information to Devlin," Vaughn finished.
She nodded again as the pre-mission adrenaline rushed through her system.
"Good luck Sydney," her father told her before he turned and left to go meet the CIA team.
She and Vaughn stood in silence for a moment, "You sure you're ready?" he asked.
She smiled, "I've been ready for this for three years."
"Be careful Syd."
His concern was evident in his eyes and she gave him a reassuring smile. They'd been through thousands of missions together over the past three years and each time he had given her the counter mission that concern had been there, "I will," she promised. "I'll see you when I get out," she said before she left.
***
Sydney slid slowly through the air vents, "Ok, I'm there," she told Vaughn.
***
Vaughn turned to Jack, "She's there."
Jack turned and typed a few things into the computer where he was sitting- disabling the security within in the building. "Ok, she's got five minutes," he said turning back to Vaughn.
"Alright Syd, it's clear, you've got five minutes."
***
Sydney set her watch for four and half minutes, giving herself enough time to get back to the vents. She pushed away the cover and slid out. She made her way quickly down the dark hall, her back to the wall. She hadn't even known this hallway existed.
She found the office she was looking for and glanced down the hall, making sure no one was coming. Her gloved hands worked quickly with the lock picking set she had gotten when she joined SD-6. She bit back a laugh at the irony of the situation and concentrated on the job at hand. There was a soft click as the door unlocked and she quickly slid into the room, closing the door behind her.
The moonlight filtered in through a small window in the office, giving her just enough light to see by. She spotted the file cabinet immediately and went over to it. She checked her watch: 3:30. She reached for the first drawer to the filing cabinet and quickly picked the lock, hoping that the files she needed would be in there. She flipped through the files in the drawer, stopping herself from reading through each one.
She let out a frustrated sigh. The files weren't in here. She closed the drawer and went to the one below it. She was about to close that drawer when one of the files caught her attention. She pulled it out and began flipping through it. A slow smile spread across her face, this was it. She jumped slightly when her watch beeped, letting her know her time was up. She closed the drawer and stuck the file in her bag.
She pulled the door closed and heard the lock click back into place. She glanced around the hall once again before she took off for the vent and the end of the hall.
***
Jack watched as the seconds ticked by. "Is she out yet?" he asked Vaughn. The younger agent shook his head, glancing over at the clock also. 10 seconds.
***
Sydney pushed herself to run faster, she knew her time was almost up. She slid into the vent, pulling the cover on behind. "I've got it, I'm on my way out," she told Vaughn. She smiled softly as she heard Vaughn's relieved sigh before he told her father that she was out.
She began crawling out through the vents. That was easy, too easy. After three years of waiting she had been expecting a little bit more of a challenge, not that she was complaining. *Don't congratulate yourself yet, you still have to get out of here,* she reminded herself as she tried to slid through the vents as quietly as possible.
She paused as she suddenly heard footsteps and muttered voices below here. She couldn't make out everything they were saying but as their voices increased and their tones became harsher she assumed they'd figured out that something happened while their security was down. She started to move again and the voices paused, having heard the shuffle across the metal.
Sydney froze. She swallowed and she was sure the guards below her could hear it. One of them said something softly to the other and she prayed they would leave. There was another pause before something else was said and she heard their footsteps start off down the hall. She released the breath she had been holding, her tense muscles relaxing slightly.
She kicked the vent cover off and it landed loudly on the cement ground at the top of the building. She gracefully slid out of the vents and walked toward the edge. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. The guards yelled to one another and she suspected there were at least two of them. She grabbed the bungee cord from her bag and quickly slid into the harness. She connected the hook to the rail of the fire escape and stepped onto the ledge. The door to the stairs opened as she jumped, not bothering to look back.
Shots rang out behind her, hitting the steps of the fire escapes and the buildings around them.
***
Vaughn tensed when he heard the gunshots through Sydney's earpiece. "Syd?" he asked, his worried tone causing both Jack and Weiss to look over in concern. Vaughn tried to remain calm when he didn't get a reply and told himself that Sydney was fine.
"What happened?" Jack asked, more emotion in his tone than usual.
"I don't know," Vaughn replied, "Sydney?" There was still no reply and he did his best not to panic.
***
Sydney slid the van door open and jumped in, she shot Vaughn a brilliant smile, noticing the tense muscles in his face relax. She handed the files to him and looked at him and her father, "We did it," she told them happily as they headed back to headquarters. Now all they had to do was wait.
A/N: Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with school and musical-hope it was worth the wait. So do you still think I should continue? Hopefully I'll be able to get a new part up sooner this time but I don't know musical is pretty soon so practices are going to be longer, but it will all be over soon : ) Let me know what you though of this part!
Her father and Vaughn were already there when she arrived and she smiled warmly at the two of them. Ever since she had learned the truth about her mother, her father and her had grown much closer. Vaughn wordlessly handed her an earpiece and she placed it inside her ear.
Sloane had given her a week off after her last mission telling her that she deserved a little break. She had willingly agreed. It hadn't been more than a day into her vacation before Vaughn called and told her about this mission that would end it all.
"I'll be in contact with you the whole time," Vaughn said, pulling her from her thoughts. "You'll want to go in through the air vents."
"Once you get to the hallway let Agent Vaughn know," Jack said, "I'll only be able to disarm the security for five minutes, which should be just enough time for you to get to the office, get the information, and get back to the vents."
She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. She knew he would rather be going in himself then sending her in.
"They'll be a CIA team waiting just outside the building, that's where your father and I will be, come there once your out and we'll get the information to Devlin," Vaughn finished.
She nodded again as the pre-mission adrenaline rushed through her system.
"Good luck Sydney," her father told her before he turned and left to go meet the CIA team.
She and Vaughn stood in silence for a moment, "You sure you're ready?" he asked.
She smiled, "I've been ready for this for three years."
"Be careful Syd."
His concern was evident in his eyes and she gave him a reassuring smile. They'd been through thousands of missions together over the past three years and each time he had given her the counter mission that concern had been there, "I will," she promised. "I'll see you when I get out," she said before she left.
***
Sydney slid slowly through the air vents, "Ok, I'm there," she told Vaughn.
***
Vaughn turned to Jack, "She's there."
Jack turned and typed a few things into the computer where he was sitting- disabling the security within in the building. "Ok, she's got five minutes," he said turning back to Vaughn.
"Alright Syd, it's clear, you've got five minutes."
***
Sydney set her watch for four and half minutes, giving herself enough time to get back to the vents. She pushed away the cover and slid out. She made her way quickly down the dark hall, her back to the wall. She hadn't even known this hallway existed.
She found the office she was looking for and glanced down the hall, making sure no one was coming. Her gloved hands worked quickly with the lock picking set she had gotten when she joined SD-6. She bit back a laugh at the irony of the situation and concentrated on the job at hand. There was a soft click as the door unlocked and she quickly slid into the room, closing the door behind her.
The moonlight filtered in through a small window in the office, giving her just enough light to see by. She spotted the file cabinet immediately and went over to it. She checked her watch: 3:30. She reached for the first drawer to the filing cabinet and quickly picked the lock, hoping that the files she needed would be in there. She flipped through the files in the drawer, stopping herself from reading through each one.
She let out a frustrated sigh. The files weren't in here. She closed the drawer and went to the one below it. She was about to close that drawer when one of the files caught her attention. She pulled it out and began flipping through it. A slow smile spread across her face, this was it. She jumped slightly when her watch beeped, letting her know her time was up. She closed the drawer and stuck the file in her bag.
She pulled the door closed and heard the lock click back into place. She glanced around the hall once again before she took off for the vent and the end of the hall.
***
Jack watched as the seconds ticked by. "Is she out yet?" he asked Vaughn. The younger agent shook his head, glancing over at the clock also. 10 seconds.
***
Sydney pushed herself to run faster, she knew her time was almost up. She slid into the vent, pulling the cover on behind. "I've got it, I'm on my way out," she told Vaughn. She smiled softly as she heard Vaughn's relieved sigh before he told her father that she was out.
She began crawling out through the vents. That was easy, too easy. After three years of waiting she had been expecting a little bit more of a challenge, not that she was complaining. *Don't congratulate yourself yet, you still have to get out of here,* she reminded herself as she tried to slid through the vents as quietly as possible.
She paused as she suddenly heard footsteps and muttered voices below here. She couldn't make out everything they were saying but as their voices increased and their tones became harsher she assumed they'd figured out that something happened while their security was down. She started to move again and the voices paused, having heard the shuffle across the metal.
Sydney froze. She swallowed and she was sure the guards below her could hear it. One of them said something softly to the other and she prayed they would leave. There was another pause before something else was said and she heard their footsteps start off down the hall. She released the breath she had been holding, her tense muscles relaxing slightly.
She kicked the vent cover off and it landed loudly on the cement ground at the top of the building. She gracefully slid out of the vents and walked toward the edge. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. The guards yelled to one another and she suspected there were at least two of them. She grabbed the bungee cord from her bag and quickly slid into the harness. She connected the hook to the rail of the fire escape and stepped onto the ledge. The door to the stairs opened as she jumped, not bothering to look back.
Shots rang out behind her, hitting the steps of the fire escapes and the buildings around them.
***
Vaughn tensed when he heard the gunshots through Sydney's earpiece. "Syd?" he asked, his worried tone causing both Jack and Weiss to look over in concern. Vaughn tried to remain calm when he didn't get a reply and told himself that Sydney was fine.
"What happened?" Jack asked, more emotion in his tone than usual.
"I don't know," Vaughn replied, "Sydney?" There was still no reply and he did his best not to panic.
***
Sydney slid the van door open and jumped in, she shot Vaughn a brilliant smile, noticing the tense muscles in his face relax. She handed the files to him and looked at him and her father, "We did it," she told them happily as they headed back to headquarters. Now all they had to do was wait.
A/N: Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with school and musical-hope it was worth the wait. So do you still think I should continue? Hopefully I'll be able to get a new part up sooner this time but I don't know musical is pretty soon so practices are going to be longer, but it will all be over soon : ) Let me know what you though of this part!