Sitting in my office long after everyone has left, I contemplate the agents
who work under me. Vaughn, Weiss, Haladki, and Bristow… both of them. What
a crew.
Agent Sydney Bristow is dead. I could tell the instant it happened by the sudden silence from Vaughn's office and the way Haladki's face lit up. I was suddenly saddened by the loss of yet another valuable agent… no, yet another person.
And this one, as it is with so many of them, is my fault. I approved the vehicle requests, I arranged for the jet to be standing by. While I might not have actually taken a physical part in her escape, I certainly helped set it up.
And there are other ways that this is my fault. I've seen Vaughn become attached to Bristow, far more than is appropriate for an agent/handler relationship. Yet I've left them alone… well for the most part. Perhaps if I'd separated them at the very beginning, he wouldn't have felt driven to help her and she would still be safely in the hands of the FBI.
Or I could have told her father no. Granted, saying no to Jack Bristow is not an easy thing, but I could have done it. After all, I am his boss, even though we're friends. I could have chosen not to let our friendship sway me when he asked for my help regarding his daughter.
I know that they will all blame themselves, Jack and Vaughn most notably. But when it comes down to it, I am the senior officer and I made the choice. To quote President Truman, "The buck stops here." An agent of mine is dead, and it's my fault.
Agent Sydney Bristow is dead. I could tell the instant it happened by the sudden silence from Vaughn's office and the way Haladki's face lit up. I was suddenly saddened by the loss of yet another valuable agent… no, yet another person.
And this one, as it is with so many of them, is my fault. I approved the vehicle requests, I arranged for the jet to be standing by. While I might not have actually taken a physical part in her escape, I certainly helped set it up.
And there are other ways that this is my fault. I've seen Vaughn become attached to Bristow, far more than is appropriate for an agent/handler relationship. Yet I've left them alone… well for the most part. Perhaps if I'd separated them at the very beginning, he wouldn't have felt driven to help her and she would still be safely in the hands of the FBI.
Or I could have told her father no. Granted, saying no to Jack Bristow is not an easy thing, but I could have done it. After all, I am his boss, even though we're friends. I could have chosen not to let our friendship sway me when he asked for my help regarding his daughter.
I know that they will all blame themselves, Jack and Vaughn most notably. But when it comes down to it, I am the senior officer and I made the choice. To quote President Truman, "The buck stops here." An agent of mine is dead, and it's my fault.