The next day, Sydney entered the conference room where Sloane, Dixon,
and Marshall were already waiting. Sloane greeted Sydney by giving her a
displeased glance.
As she sank down into her seat, she read the time off her watch. Ten o'clock sharp. She wasn't late.
"OK, we've just gotten info on the science fiction novelist Paul Johansson."
"Science fiction novelist?"
"Yes Agent Bristow. We have found out that his works aren't entirely fiction," Sloane replied, clicking a button that changed the screens of all the computers in the room. He focused on the large TV screen in the front of the room.
"This is Johansson. And this…" Sloane said, pressing yet another button on his remote. "Is the information we had intercepted from him to the KGB. Apparently, Johansson had been focusing on a small machine that would release a deadly virus with just a push of a button. That doesn't sound like much, because anyone could just take a strain of a fatal virus and infect people with it, but this gadget would make it possible for people, specifically the KGB, to possibly kill an entire country with just one push. Not a country with the size of the United States, but probably one like Japan. Marshall?"
"Right. Right. OK, Ms. Bristow? I would like to present you with one of our new inventions. The "See-Through" glasses. See, what you do, is put them on like this…and you know how some women like to fix their glasses all the time? Well, these glasses make it possible for you to see through things. Like walls, doors, as long as it isn't cement. But as we already know, well, you don't know yet…but you will. The entire safe and building where this small machine is located, is made of wood. Which is pretty stupid if you think about it, because it could just…OK, ahem. Well, you put these on, and push this tiny button down, right here, and then you'll see through everything. These will let you see if there are any security guards in the building through the walls. Pretty high-tech, huh?" Marshall grinned.
Sydney smiled at him.
"OK, Sydney, you and Dixon will go to Russia tomorrow, and exchange the small gadget with an identical one, that Marshall will supply you with later. It is vital that you obtain it," Sloane emphasized.
-----
"So what's my counter mission?" Sydney asked, looking down at her hands. She twirled her engagement ring around on her fourth finger.
Vaughn looked at her for a second, and replied, "Well, you'll do what they say, except you'll just give the real one to the CIA, and here, it's another identical one. You'll give this to SD-6," Vaughn handed her a small black gadget in a plastic Zip-Loc bag.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Sydney placed the plastic bag into her shoulder bag, and continued to look at her hands.
"Sydney –"
"I'm really sorry about yesterday," Sydney cut him off.
"Why?"
"Because…it's against protocol," Sydney replied, noticing that her ring was somewhat fading in luster.
"Sydney, I've said this before, and if you don't believe me, ask Weiss. Screw protocol," Vaughn said seriously.
"Plus, I probably woke you up. What was I thinking? Calling you at three?" Sydney scolded herself out loud.
"Actually, it was only two thirty," Vaughn said, smiling lightly.
"Vaughn…stop trying to make me feel better. I've said that before."
"Only if you'd stop making yourself feel bad," Vaughn promised.
Sydney was silent.
"But seriously, I'm glad you called. I remember telling you that you had my number," Vaughn reminisced.
"I remember too," Sydney smiled, feeling some kind of weird connection between the two of them.
"OK, let's stop with all the "do you remembers," and just concentrate on the present."
"Good idea," Sydney agreed. "But it might be a problem for me. Everything about me is about my past. My mom…Danny."
"You'll get past it," Vaughn replied. "And if you have trouble…call me. Believe me, it works to talk to someone about it. When my father died, I spilled my guts to my friend, and he helped me get over the fact that I would never see my father again."
"What happened to him? Your friend I mean."
"We were best friends throughout elementary, middle, and high school, but then we got into different colleges, and we just kinda…drifted apart. He got a new bunch of friends, and I got mine," Vaughn reminisced.
"Oh," Sydney replied lamely.
"Yeah," Vaughn smiled sardonically, as if he was ashamed or something about telling her about himself.
----
"I suppose the mission was a success?" Sloane questioned, taking the gadget which he assumed was real into his hands.
Sydney nodded. I suppose that's the reason I'm standing here right now, she thought sarcastically. Marshall's glasses had made everything so simple and easy, and she hadn't even encountered a guard.
"Good job Sydney," he smiled.
"Thanks," she mustered. How do I work for this evil man? Maybe I should take Will's and Francie's advice sometime…
"Well, I know you have other work to do, so I'll let you go. I'll page you if I need you."
----
"Good job Sydney," Vaughn greeted. "The CIA's running tests on the device, and after they're done, they'll lock it up somewhere, where people won't have access to it."
"I've never like science fiction," Sydney replied out of nowhere.
"Me either."
"So…" Sydney said, crossing her arms across her chest.
Vaughn looked up at her for a second, and then dropped his gaze down to his feet again, looking very uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Sydney asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You look preoccupied."
"I'm fine."
"Vaughn…"
"OK, OK…I kinda went on our database, and searched for that tattoo you described, the one with the skull and the letters EBC…and it turns out that it wasn't just something you dreamed up. The EBC is the European version of the KGB, and from what I've heard, they're even more deadly. Also, we have access to their computer system, through a bug we planted years ago, which miraculously, they haven't detected…and they're looking for the Rambaldi artifacts also. They've already killed a KGB agent to gain access to the fake code."
"EBC…what does that stand for?"
"European British Conquest," Vaughn replied.
"Interesting…Well, why haven't we learned about them before?"
"Probably because they've been keeping a low profile in the…business, but they're resurfacing again for the Rambaldi artifacts. The EBC already has the code to decipher something he wrote, but we don't know what yet."
"Wow, you did some researching."
"That's what happens when you have nothing else to do."
"The hockey game still stands," Sydney offered. Was he really that lonely? Sure, she didn't hear much about his social life, but then again, she never questioned…
"Sydney, you know we can't be seen in public, even though I want to."
"I know."
As she sank down into her seat, she read the time off her watch. Ten o'clock sharp. She wasn't late.
"OK, we've just gotten info on the science fiction novelist Paul Johansson."
"Science fiction novelist?"
"Yes Agent Bristow. We have found out that his works aren't entirely fiction," Sloane replied, clicking a button that changed the screens of all the computers in the room. He focused on the large TV screen in the front of the room.
"This is Johansson. And this…" Sloane said, pressing yet another button on his remote. "Is the information we had intercepted from him to the KGB. Apparently, Johansson had been focusing on a small machine that would release a deadly virus with just a push of a button. That doesn't sound like much, because anyone could just take a strain of a fatal virus and infect people with it, but this gadget would make it possible for people, specifically the KGB, to possibly kill an entire country with just one push. Not a country with the size of the United States, but probably one like Japan. Marshall?"
"Right. Right. OK, Ms. Bristow? I would like to present you with one of our new inventions. The "See-Through" glasses. See, what you do, is put them on like this…and you know how some women like to fix their glasses all the time? Well, these glasses make it possible for you to see through things. Like walls, doors, as long as it isn't cement. But as we already know, well, you don't know yet…but you will. The entire safe and building where this small machine is located, is made of wood. Which is pretty stupid if you think about it, because it could just…OK, ahem. Well, you put these on, and push this tiny button down, right here, and then you'll see through everything. These will let you see if there are any security guards in the building through the walls. Pretty high-tech, huh?" Marshall grinned.
Sydney smiled at him.
"OK, Sydney, you and Dixon will go to Russia tomorrow, and exchange the small gadget with an identical one, that Marshall will supply you with later. It is vital that you obtain it," Sloane emphasized.
-----
"So what's my counter mission?" Sydney asked, looking down at her hands. She twirled her engagement ring around on her fourth finger.
Vaughn looked at her for a second, and replied, "Well, you'll do what they say, except you'll just give the real one to the CIA, and here, it's another identical one. You'll give this to SD-6," Vaughn handed her a small black gadget in a plastic Zip-Loc bag.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Sydney placed the plastic bag into her shoulder bag, and continued to look at her hands.
"Sydney –"
"I'm really sorry about yesterday," Sydney cut him off.
"Why?"
"Because…it's against protocol," Sydney replied, noticing that her ring was somewhat fading in luster.
"Sydney, I've said this before, and if you don't believe me, ask Weiss. Screw protocol," Vaughn said seriously.
"Plus, I probably woke you up. What was I thinking? Calling you at three?" Sydney scolded herself out loud.
"Actually, it was only two thirty," Vaughn said, smiling lightly.
"Vaughn…stop trying to make me feel better. I've said that before."
"Only if you'd stop making yourself feel bad," Vaughn promised.
Sydney was silent.
"But seriously, I'm glad you called. I remember telling you that you had my number," Vaughn reminisced.
"I remember too," Sydney smiled, feeling some kind of weird connection between the two of them.
"OK, let's stop with all the "do you remembers," and just concentrate on the present."
"Good idea," Sydney agreed. "But it might be a problem for me. Everything about me is about my past. My mom…Danny."
"You'll get past it," Vaughn replied. "And if you have trouble…call me. Believe me, it works to talk to someone about it. When my father died, I spilled my guts to my friend, and he helped me get over the fact that I would never see my father again."
"What happened to him? Your friend I mean."
"We were best friends throughout elementary, middle, and high school, but then we got into different colleges, and we just kinda…drifted apart. He got a new bunch of friends, and I got mine," Vaughn reminisced.
"Oh," Sydney replied lamely.
"Yeah," Vaughn smiled sardonically, as if he was ashamed or something about telling her about himself.
----
"I suppose the mission was a success?" Sloane questioned, taking the gadget which he assumed was real into his hands.
Sydney nodded. I suppose that's the reason I'm standing here right now, she thought sarcastically. Marshall's glasses had made everything so simple and easy, and she hadn't even encountered a guard.
"Good job Sydney," he smiled.
"Thanks," she mustered. How do I work for this evil man? Maybe I should take Will's and Francie's advice sometime…
"Well, I know you have other work to do, so I'll let you go. I'll page you if I need you."
----
"Good job Sydney," Vaughn greeted. "The CIA's running tests on the device, and after they're done, they'll lock it up somewhere, where people won't have access to it."
"I've never like science fiction," Sydney replied out of nowhere.
"Me either."
"So…" Sydney said, crossing her arms across her chest.
Vaughn looked up at her for a second, and then dropped his gaze down to his feet again, looking very uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Sydney asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You look preoccupied."
"I'm fine."
"Vaughn…"
"OK, OK…I kinda went on our database, and searched for that tattoo you described, the one with the skull and the letters EBC…and it turns out that it wasn't just something you dreamed up. The EBC is the European version of the KGB, and from what I've heard, they're even more deadly. Also, we have access to their computer system, through a bug we planted years ago, which miraculously, they haven't detected…and they're looking for the Rambaldi artifacts also. They've already killed a KGB agent to gain access to the fake code."
"EBC…what does that stand for?"
"European British Conquest," Vaughn replied.
"Interesting…Well, why haven't we learned about them before?"
"Probably because they've been keeping a low profile in the…business, but they're resurfacing again for the Rambaldi artifacts. The EBC already has the code to decipher something he wrote, but we don't know what yet."
"Wow, you did some researching."
"That's what happens when you have nothing else to do."
"The hockey game still stands," Sydney offered. Was he really that lonely? Sure, she didn't hear much about his social life, but then again, she never questioned…
"Sydney, you know we can't be seen in public, even though I want to."
"I know."