It was late afternoon. The sun had begun to descend for the day. Vaughn
and Sydney strolled down the street hands clasped tightly. Once they
reached their designation, a small bistro with a lovely view of their
target, the school, they asked the waiter to seat them outside.
Sydney was nearly unrecognizable, with her short black hair and blue contacts, light yellow pants, and floral print blouse. Vaughn had raised his eyebrow at her ensemble, when she emerged from the washroom at the airport. Gone was the suave and swanky Sydney Bristow, spy extraordinaire. Before him stood the bright eyed and excited homemaker, Evelyn Laundry from Red Deer, Alberta.
Vaughn leaned forward to take Sydney's hands in his, talking softly. To the world, it would have seemed like a young couple in love, whispering sweet nothing. No one would've ever thought there was a strategy session taking place for a break in.
They ordered a light repast. Once the meal was finished, Vaughn paid the bill, and they both stood up. They shared a look at each other, and began to walk, turning left at the alley, to the parked van. They quickly got into the van, Vaughn closing the door behind him. Sydney had already pulled on her uniform of a sewage worker over her outfit.
A few minutes later, the van pulled up in front of the school, and a couple of workers emerged from inside, carrying the various tools of their trade in two heavy bags. They casually made their way down the hall, down the stairs to the basement, occasionally consulting their map for guidance.
Vaughn peered over Sydney's shoulder to look at the map, before pointing to a door on the left. They jogged the short distance, and quickly entered what once would've been a utility closet, with a cabinet against the wall.
"This is it," Sydney said. "Help me push this out of the way."
Behind the cabinet, they found a small trap door that had been welded shut a long time ago. Vaughn brought a blowtorch out of one the bags, and began cutting away. Once he had finished cutting, Sydney sat down, brought her knees up to her chest, and kicked the door solidly.
"Remind me not to piss you off," Vaughn quipped, bringing a torch out, and shining it into the tunnel, while Sydney crawled through the opening.
"This way," Sydney said consulting the map, pointing to the tunnel on his right. Twenty minutes later, after turning left and right, repeatedly, they reached a dead end with a door, also welded shut. Vaughn set to work, cutting through the door again with blowtorch.
They entered the archives silently, carefully, Sydney moving ahead of Vaughn. She located the security panel, and quickly jogged her way to it. Pulling out what looked like a tube of lipstick, she opened it to reveal the same device used to override the safe at Sloane's house. She attached it to the security panel, and the words "Alarm Deactivated" flashed across the display.
"I wasn't sure it would work," Sydney breathed out, pulling the device free of the panel.
"Me neither," Vaughn admitted. "We've got 10 minutes. Find the portrait."
After a few minutes of walking down aisles, stacked with crates, Sydney found the portrait, and motioned to Vaughn to join her. They quickly disassembled the portrait, Sydney rolling the portrait carefully and securing it a tube, while Vaughn placed a fake in the frame.
Sounds of footsteps thundered close by. Sydney's hands froze in place, as she looked at Vaughn.
"Pack up. WE'RE getting out of here," he said, throwing all the tools in the bag. Sydney moved quickly, closing the tube, and slinging it over her head, and across her shoulder.
"Let's go."
Sydney and Vaughn quickly exited the archives, closing the door behind them, and ran down the tunnel. The footsteps kept clicking on behind them.
"We have to move fast. I think they are gaining," Sydney got out as she kept on running. As if to prove her right, bullets whizzed by her ear. She increased her pace, noticing out of the corner of her eyes that Vaughn was struggling with the bags.
"Leave the equipment," she said. He dropped the bags, and kept pace with, though sluggishly. They their way to the door at the school, and crawled through into the closet, Sydney replacing the door, and Vaughn pulling the cabinet back into place.
Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm, as she was about to exit the closet.
"Syd, I've been shot," he gasped out.
"What???"
He opened his uniform and pulled it to the left. A small patch of redness, just under his ribcage, was rapidly growing large. Sydney pulled his uniform off him, and proceeded to strip down of hers. She tried to rip one of them, cursing when the thick material wouldn't give way.
"We've got to put pressure on your wound. Take your T-shirt off," she ordered.
Vaughn complied sluggishly, fighting off waves of nausea that threatened to do him in, while Sydney looked around the tiny closet for anything that could help her to rip the uniform.
"This'll have to do," she muttered as she found an old screwdriver to stabbing holes in the uniform, and then ripping it to strips. She used some of the strips as padding, using the other to hold the pad in place over his wound. Once that was done, she helped Vaughn stand up, and helped into his T-shirt. She opened the closet door, and peeked outside, looking at both directions.
She put his arms around his waist, her palm over his padding, holding it tightly in place. The both walked out slowly, and made their way to the van parked outside. Sydney heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the vehicle. The momentary relief became dread when she noticed guards, fanning out towards the alley and the school.
"Just keep walking," she instructed Vaughn. She prayed that the guards wouldn't notice the rapidly growing blood stain under her palm as she passed by a couple of them. She smiled at one of the guards as she cuddled closer to Vaughn, wrapping her free hand around his middle as well. Vaughn threw one of his over her shoulder, more for balance than appearance.
They both breathed easily as the guards kept on walking, only giving them a momentary glance.
"A few more steps," Sydney said as they reached the van. She walked the passenger side, helping him in first, before running around the front to the other side. The van peeled rubber once Sydney had jumped in.
Sydney was nearly unrecognizable, with her short black hair and blue contacts, light yellow pants, and floral print blouse. Vaughn had raised his eyebrow at her ensemble, when she emerged from the washroom at the airport. Gone was the suave and swanky Sydney Bristow, spy extraordinaire. Before him stood the bright eyed and excited homemaker, Evelyn Laundry from Red Deer, Alberta.
Vaughn leaned forward to take Sydney's hands in his, talking softly. To the world, it would have seemed like a young couple in love, whispering sweet nothing. No one would've ever thought there was a strategy session taking place for a break in.
They ordered a light repast. Once the meal was finished, Vaughn paid the bill, and they both stood up. They shared a look at each other, and began to walk, turning left at the alley, to the parked van. They quickly got into the van, Vaughn closing the door behind him. Sydney had already pulled on her uniform of a sewage worker over her outfit.
A few minutes later, the van pulled up in front of the school, and a couple of workers emerged from inside, carrying the various tools of their trade in two heavy bags. They casually made their way down the hall, down the stairs to the basement, occasionally consulting their map for guidance.
Vaughn peered over Sydney's shoulder to look at the map, before pointing to a door on the left. They jogged the short distance, and quickly entered what once would've been a utility closet, with a cabinet against the wall.
"This is it," Sydney said. "Help me push this out of the way."
Behind the cabinet, they found a small trap door that had been welded shut a long time ago. Vaughn brought a blowtorch out of one the bags, and began cutting away. Once he had finished cutting, Sydney sat down, brought her knees up to her chest, and kicked the door solidly.
"Remind me not to piss you off," Vaughn quipped, bringing a torch out, and shining it into the tunnel, while Sydney crawled through the opening.
"This way," Sydney said consulting the map, pointing to the tunnel on his right. Twenty minutes later, after turning left and right, repeatedly, they reached a dead end with a door, also welded shut. Vaughn set to work, cutting through the door again with blowtorch.
They entered the archives silently, carefully, Sydney moving ahead of Vaughn. She located the security panel, and quickly jogged her way to it. Pulling out what looked like a tube of lipstick, she opened it to reveal the same device used to override the safe at Sloane's house. She attached it to the security panel, and the words "Alarm Deactivated" flashed across the display.
"I wasn't sure it would work," Sydney breathed out, pulling the device free of the panel.
"Me neither," Vaughn admitted. "We've got 10 minutes. Find the portrait."
After a few minutes of walking down aisles, stacked with crates, Sydney found the portrait, and motioned to Vaughn to join her. They quickly disassembled the portrait, Sydney rolling the portrait carefully and securing it a tube, while Vaughn placed a fake in the frame.
Sounds of footsteps thundered close by. Sydney's hands froze in place, as she looked at Vaughn.
"Pack up. WE'RE getting out of here," he said, throwing all the tools in the bag. Sydney moved quickly, closing the tube, and slinging it over her head, and across her shoulder.
"Let's go."
Sydney and Vaughn quickly exited the archives, closing the door behind them, and ran down the tunnel. The footsteps kept clicking on behind them.
"We have to move fast. I think they are gaining," Sydney got out as she kept on running. As if to prove her right, bullets whizzed by her ear. She increased her pace, noticing out of the corner of her eyes that Vaughn was struggling with the bags.
"Leave the equipment," she said. He dropped the bags, and kept pace with, though sluggishly. They their way to the door at the school, and crawled through into the closet, Sydney replacing the door, and Vaughn pulling the cabinet back into place.
Vaughn grabbed Sydney's arm, as she was about to exit the closet.
"Syd, I've been shot," he gasped out.
"What???"
He opened his uniform and pulled it to the left. A small patch of redness, just under his ribcage, was rapidly growing large. Sydney pulled his uniform off him, and proceeded to strip down of hers. She tried to rip one of them, cursing when the thick material wouldn't give way.
"We've got to put pressure on your wound. Take your T-shirt off," she ordered.
Vaughn complied sluggishly, fighting off waves of nausea that threatened to do him in, while Sydney looked around the tiny closet for anything that could help her to rip the uniform.
"This'll have to do," she muttered as she found an old screwdriver to stabbing holes in the uniform, and then ripping it to strips. She used some of the strips as padding, using the other to hold the pad in place over his wound. Once that was done, she helped Vaughn stand up, and helped into his T-shirt. She opened the closet door, and peeked outside, looking at both directions.
She put his arms around his waist, her palm over his padding, holding it tightly in place. The both walked out slowly, and made their way to the van parked outside. Sydney heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the vehicle. The momentary relief became dread when she noticed guards, fanning out towards the alley and the school.
"Just keep walking," she instructed Vaughn. She prayed that the guards wouldn't notice the rapidly growing blood stain under her palm as she passed by a couple of them. She smiled at one of the guards as she cuddled closer to Vaughn, wrapping her free hand around his middle as well. Vaughn threw one of his over her shoulder, more for balance than appearance.
They both breathed easily as the guards kept on walking, only giving them a momentary glance.
"A few more steps," Sydney said as they reached the van. She walked the passenger side, helping him in first, before running around the front to the other side. The van peeled rubber once Sydney had jumped in.