Francie walked to kitchen counter with her empty bowl of popcorn, and
dropped it in the sink. Will had walked up to the counter and was perched
on one of the stools. They were both silent, shaken by what they had just
seen on television.
"Wow, can you believe that?" Francie broke the silence. "I mean to drive yourself into the ocean, over a car of all things."
"Yeah, there are some desperate people out there," Will answered quite somberly. "Puts things in perspective though, don't ya think? Here we are living this comfortable life, going out with friends, jobs and all, all the while complaining.. and someone drives themselves into the ocean over a car."
"Hey, did Sydney call you yet?" Francie asked, attempting the conversation in another direction.
"No, did she call you?"
"No. Now that's weird, right. It's not like Sydney."
"Totally. Sydney's just.. I don't know.. Has she seemed distracted to you lately?"
"Yeah, her job sucks."
Will just grunted in agreement. Wherever she was, he hoped she was having a good time.
The clock on the wall chimed 8 times softly, as Vaughn with the phone perched between his ear and shoulder, shuffled through the various files in front of him, while snapping his fingers to get the attention of Weiss. The office was in a flurry of activities, everyone in the room, was on the phone. Vaughn slammed the phone down angrily, and looked up at Weiss, who was winding down his conversation.
"You got anything?" Vaughn asked.
"No, coastguard is not going to send down any divers tonight. It's too cold and dark, apparently," Weiss offered sardonically.
"My cop buddy said there have been no report of Sydney or a bo.. body," he choked out. He couldn't get the word out. Sydney dead was an impossibility. He wanted it to be impossibility. "Heard from Jack yet?"
"No," Weiss responded.
"The jet is still on land," Jeanie, Vaughn's assistant, reported, walking into the office.
"Michael, she's a resourceful woman. Don't forget it," Weiss tried to be positive.
"Yeah, I know."
The telephone on his desk rang noisily, making Vaughn twitch. He quickly picked it up.
A few seconds later, relief flooded his face, as he closed his eyes, exhaled out while pumping his fist slightly. He looked up at Weiss, while he thanked the caller and hung up.
"That was Jack. He just spoke to Sydney. She's on her way to the jet now," his smile mirrored the one on Weiss' face.
"I gotta have a talk with Sydney. This life and death stuff of hers in making me lose precious weight," he joked around. "How did she get out?"
"She breathed using the air in the tire, and then swam out. Good news is that the cops aren't looking for her, since she's supposed to be dead."
"Well, since our mission has been accomplished, wanna go for a drink?"
"Yeah, Jeannie, how about it?" Vaughn asked his assistant. "I feel like celebrating. Let me brief Devlin first."
Vaughn walked back to the table with a large pitcher of beer. Weiss rubbed his hands and chuckled aloud. Jeannie just poured herself another glass of beer. They'd been celebrating for over an hour. Weiss was well on his way to being drunk, so was Vaughn.
"So Devlin suspended Haladki, huh," Weiss inquired.
"Yeah. He was sputtering and making excuses. So pathetic. I still don't get what he's got against me though. Man, I would've loved to punch his lights out," Vaughn said.
Jeannie choked out laughing. "You better not. You'd get fired."
"Yeah, Devlin won't be too pleased with you," Weiss interjected.
"At least once, I'd like to punch his lights out. He crossed the line going after Sydney to hurt me."
"Ok guys. Before you plan Haladki's murder, and I have to be a witness, I'm outta here," Jeannie piped in, getting her belongings together. "Thanks for the drinks."
"Bye Jeannie," Weiss said, while Vaughn just saluted her, taking a sip of his beer, and licking away the foam.
"Sweet girl," Weiss continued, still staring at the departing Jeannie. "Sydney's not jealous, is she?"
Vaughn just glared at him. Weiss chuckled, taking a big gulp of his beer. "You know what we should do? We should invite Haladki to one of our games," Weiss went on. "We could kick his ass there, and nobody will be the wiser."
"Yeah, like Haladki is going to trust us when we invite him?"
"We could always get Driscoll or Jeannie to do it," Weiss suggested. At Vaughn's thoughtful look, Weiss continued "What would you do without me?" and clinked his glass with Vaughn's.
Sydney stared at the monitor in the front, and tried to pay attention to the mission objectives, as Sloane droned on. She was hard pressed to keep her eyes open, having flown all night to Mt. Sebacio, waiting two hours for the FBI extraction, and the flight back. Thankfully, her little sojourn had not been flagged by Security Section detail. Otherwise, she would again be clapped in irons, so to speak.
"We think Ambassador Jafer not only know Khasinau, but is on his payroll. One of our undercover operatives, Wexler, has been his personal aide for the past two years. We've got him on film. Your mission is to go the masquerade ball held at the ambassador's residence, meet Wexler, and bring back the film," Sloane kept on.
"You'll be dressed as.. who else.. Josephine," he smiled benignly at Sydney. "Marshall will go over all items needed for this mission. Dixon will be there to help you out, as usual."
Sydney smiled at her partner, while everyone got up to leave the room. "Can I talk to you for a second," she asked Sloane, who stood back.
"I'll see you at OP Tech," Dixon walked away.
She turned back around to Sloane, who was waiting expectantly. She looked at her hands, trying to gather her strength. The last person she wanted help from was this damned excuse of man, but she was taught to use every vice possible to gain what you wanted.
"You knew my mother, before she died," she looked up at Sloane, who had a puzzled look on his face, while he nodded to confirm her assumptions. "Can you help me learn more about her? I mean the real truth," she continued. Sloane held his penetrating gaze on Sydney.
"Dad told me about Mom….. the truth, I mean. It wasn't easy for him. That's why I'm asking you. I want to know everything about her. Who she was before she became Laura Bristow.. what she did…. Can you help me," Sydney looked up at Sloane, and hoped that her look was as heartbreaking she hoped it was. She hoped he had a heart.
Sloane walked up to her, gathered her hands in his, and squeezed gently.
"I will get you everything I can on your mother. I promise." He squeezed her hands again, and Sydney kept her smile plastered on, until he walked out the room.
Vaughn looked up when he heard the familiar footsteps, and moved to open the gate to their safe haven. Sydney walked inside with the sweetest smile that he almost believed that this was a dream. The image of a car barreling towards the ocean then plunging beneath its watery surface flickered into his brain, and he swallowed hard.
"Hey, you're staring," Sydney said, still smiling at him.
"Yeah," he croaked out, and cleared his throat. "It's good to see you."
Sydney kept her gaze on him, and walked slowly to him. When she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around him and gently laid her head on his shoulders, breathing in his fragrance.
"I'm here, and I'm real," she said squeezing gently. She felt his hands wrap around her, and pull her in closer. She snuggled her head, into the crevice of his shoulder ever further. She felt a drop of wetness on her shoulder, and held him harder. He released her, slightly pushing away, swiping at his eyes, and breathing in harshly.
"Sorry. It's just when I saw.. saw the car.. I thought I'd never see you again," he flashed her a smile.
"Yeah."
He breathed in and out a few times before he spoke again. All the while, he held her hands in his, and Sydney marveled at the feelings of having this man hold her hand, as opposed to when Sloane had. She had wanted to pull away, had felt like she had leeches sucking her blood then. Now, she wanted to more than hold his hands.
"What's my counter-mission?" she shook him slightly, playfully.
" Your mission is actually an easy one," Vaughn quickly gathered himself, and smiled as Sydney rolled her eyes. "Just provide us with a copy of the film you get in Moscow, and give the original to SD-6," he pulled a out a small rectangular device. "This device can copy any image on a photo negative. You have to extreme close though. So on your flight back, go to the washroom, make the copy, and leave this inside the pocket of Seat 15C. That's it."
"Ok. That IS an easy one," she said taking the device.
"CIA wants SD-6 to have this information. As far as we can figure out, this is payback. Now all this Rambaldi thing was keeping us busy, Sloane had been busy trying to get the Alliance to go to war with Alexander Khasinau. That bug you planted in his house, worked beautifully. Your father reported that he left to Munich a day earlier than planned, and that he'd been confident that the vote would go his way. The day before he left he made a call to London, to Edward Poole. Do you know who that is?"
"Yeah, one of the twelve members of the Alliance. Why was Sloane calling him?"
"We don't know that. But two days later, the Montreal Gazette reported the murder of Jean Briault, and Sloane came home with Détente, instead of the outright vengeance of Khasinau."
"So, Poole promised Sloane the vote, if he killed Briault, and then double crossed him," Sydney smiled at the thought of Sloane being manipulated.
Let's see how he likes it….
"That's what your father thinks," Vaughn smiled back.
"Cool," Sydney smiled. "Hey, any plans yet to go to Barcelona?"
"We're working on a scenario. The CIA would like you to go on this mission, since you're so familiar with Rambaldi artifacts. Another agent wouldn't know what they are looking for," he slanted a look at her. "The problem is doing it without getting SD-6 suspicious. We'll probably have a scenario worked out by the time you get back. Good luck."
She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek quickly, and walked out. He stood there, watching her retreating figure.
"Wow, can you believe that?" Francie broke the silence. "I mean to drive yourself into the ocean, over a car of all things."
"Yeah, there are some desperate people out there," Will answered quite somberly. "Puts things in perspective though, don't ya think? Here we are living this comfortable life, going out with friends, jobs and all, all the while complaining.. and someone drives themselves into the ocean over a car."
"Hey, did Sydney call you yet?" Francie asked, attempting the conversation in another direction.
"No, did she call you?"
"No. Now that's weird, right. It's not like Sydney."
"Totally. Sydney's just.. I don't know.. Has she seemed distracted to you lately?"
"Yeah, her job sucks."
Will just grunted in agreement. Wherever she was, he hoped she was having a good time.
The clock on the wall chimed 8 times softly, as Vaughn with the phone perched between his ear and shoulder, shuffled through the various files in front of him, while snapping his fingers to get the attention of Weiss. The office was in a flurry of activities, everyone in the room, was on the phone. Vaughn slammed the phone down angrily, and looked up at Weiss, who was winding down his conversation.
"You got anything?" Vaughn asked.
"No, coastguard is not going to send down any divers tonight. It's too cold and dark, apparently," Weiss offered sardonically.
"My cop buddy said there have been no report of Sydney or a bo.. body," he choked out. He couldn't get the word out. Sydney dead was an impossibility. He wanted it to be impossibility. "Heard from Jack yet?"
"No," Weiss responded.
"The jet is still on land," Jeanie, Vaughn's assistant, reported, walking into the office.
"Michael, she's a resourceful woman. Don't forget it," Weiss tried to be positive.
"Yeah, I know."
The telephone on his desk rang noisily, making Vaughn twitch. He quickly picked it up.
A few seconds later, relief flooded his face, as he closed his eyes, exhaled out while pumping his fist slightly. He looked up at Weiss, while he thanked the caller and hung up.
"That was Jack. He just spoke to Sydney. She's on her way to the jet now," his smile mirrored the one on Weiss' face.
"I gotta have a talk with Sydney. This life and death stuff of hers in making me lose precious weight," he joked around. "How did she get out?"
"She breathed using the air in the tire, and then swam out. Good news is that the cops aren't looking for her, since she's supposed to be dead."
"Well, since our mission has been accomplished, wanna go for a drink?"
"Yeah, Jeannie, how about it?" Vaughn asked his assistant. "I feel like celebrating. Let me brief Devlin first."
Vaughn walked back to the table with a large pitcher of beer. Weiss rubbed his hands and chuckled aloud. Jeannie just poured herself another glass of beer. They'd been celebrating for over an hour. Weiss was well on his way to being drunk, so was Vaughn.
"So Devlin suspended Haladki, huh," Weiss inquired.
"Yeah. He was sputtering and making excuses. So pathetic. I still don't get what he's got against me though. Man, I would've loved to punch his lights out," Vaughn said.
Jeannie choked out laughing. "You better not. You'd get fired."
"Yeah, Devlin won't be too pleased with you," Weiss interjected.
"At least once, I'd like to punch his lights out. He crossed the line going after Sydney to hurt me."
"Ok guys. Before you plan Haladki's murder, and I have to be a witness, I'm outta here," Jeannie piped in, getting her belongings together. "Thanks for the drinks."
"Bye Jeannie," Weiss said, while Vaughn just saluted her, taking a sip of his beer, and licking away the foam.
"Sweet girl," Weiss continued, still staring at the departing Jeannie. "Sydney's not jealous, is she?"
Vaughn just glared at him. Weiss chuckled, taking a big gulp of his beer. "You know what we should do? We should invite Haladki to one of our games," Weiss went on. "We could kick his ass there, and nobody will be the wiser."
"Yeah, like Haladki is going to trust us when we invite him?"
"We could always get Driscoll or Jeannie to do it," Weiss suggested. At Vaughn's thoughtful look, Weiss continued "What would you do without me?" and clinked his glass with Vaughn's.
Sydney stared at the monitor in the front, and tried to pay attention to the mission objectives, as Sloane droned on. She was hard pressed to keep her eyes open, having flown all night to Mt. Sebacio, waiting two hours for the FBI extraction, and the flight back. Thankfully, her little sojourn had not been flagged by Security Section detail. Otherwise, she would again be clapped in irons, so to speak.
"We think Ambassador Jafer not only know Khasinau, but is on his payroll. One of our undercover operatives, Wexler, has been his personal aide for the past two years. We've got him on film. Your mission is to go the masquerade ball held at the ambassador's residence, meet Wexler, and bring back the film," Sloane kept on.
"You'll be dressed as.. who else.. Josephine," he smiled benignly at Sydney. "Marshall will go over all items needed for this mission. Dixon will be there to help you out, as usual."
Sydney smiled at her partner, while everyone got up to leave the room. "Can I talk to you for a second," she asked Sloane, who stood back.
"I'll see you at OP Tech," Dixon walked away.
She turned back around to Sloane, who was waiting expectantly. She looked at her hands, trying to gather her strength. The last person she wanted help from was this damned excuse of man, but she was taught to use every vice possible to gain what you wanted.
"You knew my mother, before she died," she looked up at Sloane, who had a puzzled look on his face, while he nodded to confirm her assumptions. "Can you help me learn more about her? I mean the real truth," she continued. Sloane held his penetrating gaze on Sydney.
"Dad told me about Mom….. the truth, I mean. It wasn't easy for him. That's why I'm asking you. I want to know everything about her. Who she was before she became Laura Bristow.. what she did…. Can you help me," Sydney looked up at Sloane, and hoped that her look was as heartbreaking she hoped it was. She hoped he had a heart.
Sloane walked up to her, gathered her hands in his, and squeezed gently.
"I will get you everything I can on your mother. I promise." He squeezed her hands again, and Sydney kept her smile plastered on, until he walked out the room.
Vaughn looked up when he heard the familiar footsteps, and moved to open the gate to their safe haven. Sydney walked inside with the sweetest smile that he almost believed that this was a dream. The image of a car barreling towards the ocean then plunging beneath its watery surface flickered into his brain, and he swallowed hard.
"Hey, you're staring," Sydney said, still smiling at him.
"Yeah," he croaked out, and cleared his throat. "It's good to see you."
Sydney kept her gaze on him, and walked slowly to him. When she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around him and gently laid her head on his shoulders, breathing in his fragrance.
"I'm here, and I'm real," she said squeezing gently. She felt his hands wrap around her, and pull her in closer. She snuggled her head, into the crevice of his shoulder ever further. She felt a drop of wetness on her shoulder, and held him harder. He released her, slightly pushing away, swiping at his eyes, and breathing in harshly.
"Sorry. It's just when I saw.. saw the car.. I thought I'd never see you again," he flashed her a smile.
"Yeah."
He breathed in and out a few times before he spoke again. All the while, he held her hands in his, and Sydney marveled at the feelings of having this man hold her hand, as opposed to when Sloane had. She had wanted to pull away, had felt like she had leeches sucking her blood then. Now, she wanted to more than hold his hands.
"What's my counter-mission?" she shook him slightly, playfully.
" Your mission is actually an easy one," Vaughn quickly gathered himself, and smiled as Sydney rolled her eyes. "Just provide us with a copy of the film you get in Moscow, and give the original to SD-6," he pulled a out a small rectangular device. "This device can copy any image on a photo negative. You have to extreme close though. So on your flight back, go to the washroom, make the copy, and leave this inside the pocket of Seat 15C. That's it."
"Ok. That IS an easy one," she said taking the device.
"CIA wants SD-6 to have this information. As far as we can figure out, this is payback. Now all this Rambaldi thing was keeping us busy, Sloane had been busy trying to get the Alliance to go to war with Alexander Khasinau. That bug you planted in his house, worked beautifully. Your father reported that he left to Munich a day earlier than planned, and that he'd been confident that the vote would go his way. The day before he left he made a call to London, to Edward Poole. Do you know who that is?"
"Yeah, one of the twelve members of the Alliance. Why was Sloane calling him?"
"We don't know that. But two days later, the Montreal Gazette reported the murder of Jean Briault, and Sloane came home with Détente, instead of the outright vengeance of Khasinau."
"So, Poole promised Sloane the vote, if he killed Briault, and then double crossed him," Sydney smiled at the thought of Sloane being manipulated.
Let's see how he likes it….
"That's what your father thinks," Vaughn smiled back.
"Cool," Sydney smiled. "Hey, any plans yet to go to Barcelona?"
"We're working on a scenario. The CIA would like you to go on this mission, since you're so familiar with Rambaldi artifacts. Another agent wouldn't know what they are looking for," he slanted a look at her. "The problem is doing it without getting SD-6 suspicious. We'll probably have a scenario worked out by the time you get back. Good luck."
She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek quickly, and walked out. He stood there, watching her retreating figure.