Chapter Four- Learning Things
Los Angeles
Abandoned Warehouse- Parking LotAs Sydney left the warehouse where she had met with Will and Agent Weiss, her cell phone rang. "Great, I bet it's Devlin. Just the man I want to talk to," Sydney groaned. "Hello?".
"Sydney? It's Dixon." Sydney gasped, in all that had happened recently she'd completely forgotten about their confrontation that night at the waterfront.
"Hi, Dixon. It's good to hear from you. How are you doing?" Sydney replied and then groaned at her lame question.
"Look, Sydney, I'm not calling you to chat. Meet me at the Observatory in a half an hour. If you're not there, I'm reporting you to Security Section. I don't want to have to do that, but your actions have given me no choice."
With that Dixon hung up. Sydney walked over to her car and got in. As she started the car her cell phone rang again, "What?" she snapped.
"Sydney? What's wrong now? You sound upset?" Jack asked.
"Dad, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just got off the phone with Dixon. If I don't tell him the truth, he's going to report me."
"I just met with Devlin. And I told him everything. He knows about what happened in Taipei and about Agent Vaughn and your mother. He also knows about Dixon's suspicions. You have clearance to tell Dixon the truth about SD-6 and your involvement with the CIA," Jack responded.
"Really?" Sydney asked, "What's the catch? That sounds too easy. Devlin wants me to do something, doesn't he?"
Sydney heard Jack sigh loudly. "Devlin wants Dixon to be brought into the CIA. I'm not too sure that's the best solution, but it's what Devlin wants."
"Why don't you want Dixon working as a double agent with us?" Sydney asked.
"I'm just not sure we can completely trust him," Jack replied.
"Not trust him? Dad, this is Dixon we're talking about. I trust the man with my life on a regular basis. Has he done something to make you wary of him?"
Jack sighed, "It's not what he has done, it's more like what he hasn't done."
"What do you mean?" Sydney asked.
"Well, he says he's been suspicious of you for a very long time. Why has he waited so long to confront you?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, maybe he just wasn't sure of anything. Look I have to get to my meeting with him, what should I do?"
There was a long pause while Jack thought about the situation. "Tell him everything. Offer him the job with the CIA, if he still doesn't believe you send him to me."
"Okay Dad. Thanks." Sydney hung up and made her way towards the Griffith Observatory.
Griffith ObservatorySydney walked up to Dixon who was gazing out at the Los Angeles skyline. "Kind of strange being here by ourselves, isn't it?" Sydney asked. "I can't wait to see what the place will look like when the renovations are finished."
Dixon didn't even look at Sydney. He turned to confront her. "I'm not here to make small talk with you Syd. You have to tell me what's going on. People have been talking about how strange you've been acting lately. They think you're still upset over losing Danny, but I know you're hiding something. What happened last week confirmed my suspicions. You need to tell me who you're working for. Why did you have the code name Freelancer when I was shot?"
Sydney took a deep breath and told Dixon the truth. "SD-6 is not what you think it is. We've been lied to by the people we thought we could trust the most. SD-6 is NOT a covert branch of the CIA, it's a member of a group called The Alliance. The Alliance is run by a group of men who have left their respective intelligence agencies to form what is basically a mafia-like group. They deal in anything you can think of; weapons of mass destruction, scientific equipment, biological weapons, and intelligence."
Sydney paused, as she watched the emotions move across Dixon's face. Doubt, fear, shock, horror; Sydney had felt them all. She remembered all too well how horrible it felt to be told these things for the first time.
"Danny was murdered because I told him what I did for a living. It was only after I learned what had really happened to Danny that I approached the real CAI. They showed me this… map of The Alliances operations. Dixon, I'd never seen anything like that before. They have their hands in every sort of field you can dream of. They have access to anything they need to cause huge problems in our country and abroad. So for the last year or so, I've been doing counter missions for the CIA. I've been feeding them as much information as I could without revealing myself as a mole. Dixon, I need you to believe that what I'm telling you is true. If you go to SD-6 and report me, all my months of work will be for nothing. You have to understand, Arvin Sloane will kill me if he finds out what I've been doing."
Sydney finally stopped talking and looked Dixon in the eye. "So now you know everything. SD-6 is not what you think it is. You're working for the bad guys without even knowing it. That can change though. I've been given clearance by the Deputy Director to offer you a job with the CIA. You'd be a double agent inside SD-6, like myself. And my father."
Dixon finally spoke to Sydney. "That's quite a story."
"It's the truth, Dixon. I know you don't want to believe me, but I swear I'm not lying to you."
Dixon sighed and closed his eyes. "You've given me a lot to think about." He went back to staring out at the city. "I… need to be alone for a while. I'll give you a call when I've decided what to do."
Sydney turned to leave. "I'll be waiting."
Taipei
Warehouse District- Club- Back OfficeThe doctor turned towards Laura and Sark and said, "Well you're in luck. He doesn't have any permanent damage. He's comatose at the moment, though. And he'll stay that way until the swelling in his brain goes down."
Laura sighed unhappily, "How long until he regains consciousness?"
The doctor looked down at Agent Vaughn again, "A coma is a very tricky thing. The body may be ready to wake up in a few hours, but the mind could take longer. He has to be mentally ready to wake."
The doctor was interrupted by Laura, "So how long?"
The doctor shrugged, "Could be a few hours, could be a few days. I'm not sure."
Laura made a motion for the doctor to leave the room, "Thank you for your time, Doctor. We appreciate it. Mr. Khasinau will show you out." Khasinau ushered the man out of the room while an impatient Laura glanced down at Vaughn.
"A lot of help he was. Damn it! Everything is going to be ruined, I can feel it." Laura paced back and forth staring at Vaughn as if that would be the way to wake him up.
"Calm down Mother. Now is not the time to get anxious. We will get Sydney back. Even if we have to wait a little longer." Sark patted his mother's arm in an effort to ease her tension.
"I know I'm being silly. It's just that we had everything we needed for the device to begin to function properly and then it all was ruined. Now thanks to your sister we have to rebuild the device, which could take months. And we have to find Sydney again. It feels like everything is falling apart."
Laura got up to leave the room and gestured at Agent Vaughn. "He'll be a great help though."
Los Angeles
Arvin Sloane's HomeArvin Sloane gazed at his daughter, marveling at the fact that she knew so much about his life, and had now become so tangled in it, in a way he could have never foreseen. "Yes it's true. Sydney does work for me. She's been a wonderful asset to SD-6. She's done a lot of good."
Audrey nodded. "Which brings me back to the reason I want to work for SD-6. I want to do good. I know I can help you."
Sloane shook his head, "No, absolutely not. This life is much too dangerous for you."
Audrey quickly interrupted, "I'm not asking to be sent on some life or death mission on my first day, Dad. But I am very well trained. I assure you I could handle myself in any situation. Do you really think that I could work at that magazine knowing that I could be out there doing some good, feeling like I was making a difference in this world? I know I can help you. In many ways. Give me a desk job, I don't care. I just want to do SOMETHING."
At that moment the phone on Sloane's desk rang. "We'll finish this later."
Audrey nodded and left the room.
Sloane picked up the phone, "Hello? You haven't been able to contact Dreyer? Fine, put me through to Security Section…. Yes, hello. It appears we've had a breech. I need someone eliminated."
Safe HouseWill glanced around the safe house where Agent Weiss had taken him after his doctor's appointment. He walked over to the mirror and started talking to whoever was beyond it, "Why can't I go home yet? It's not like you people will be able to protect me. Anyone remember last time? You know when I was kidnapped by some crazy guy with a tranquilizer gun. The same guy who tied me to a chair and had some even more crazy son of a bitch with a tooth fetish perform surgery on me. While I was still CONCIOUS! I can't believe…" Will's rant was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Oh, no! There is no way that I am going to open that door," Will hollered.
"Will, it's me. Let me in."
Will hurried over to the door and threw it open. "Sydney! You have to get me out of here. I can't stand it anymore. You have to let me go home."
Sydney shook her head and sat down, "Will you've only been here an hour. Calm down."
Will blushed a little, looking sheepish for the way he had accosted Sydney. "I'm on pain medication, it makes me jumpy. But I DO really want to go home."
Sydney took Will's hand, "You can't go home just yet. We need to be one hundred percent sure that everything is safe there. Soon though."
Will laughed, "You think those people took the time to booby trap my house after they kidnapped me? That's ridiculous."
Sydney smiled at Will, "We just want to make sure that there aren't any more threats on your life. You'll go home eventually, don't worry."
Sydney stopped talking when her phone rang. "I have to answer this, it's important. Hello? Dixon hi, have you made a decision?… That's wonderful news!… Yes, we'll set up a meeting for you with Devlin. You'll get all the information you need then…And Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for believing me. I'm so sorry that I've had to lie to you for so long, but I was never allowed to tell you until now…I appreciate that, bye."
Sydney hung up her phone and smiled happily, at least she wouldn't have to worry about Dixon anymore.
Will sat down next to Sydney and asked, "What next?"
Sydney glanced up. "What do you mean what next?" she asked.
"I mean what do I do now? These people, your mother and whoever else she's working with know all about me. Can I really go back to my job at the newspaper?"
Sydney took Will's hand, "I'm going to be honest with you, Will. I don't think it will be safe. Basically you have two options; joining the Witness Protection Program or becoming a CIA agent."
Will laughed, "My two options are just wonderful. My career is ruined either way. So whichever decision I make, I'm still screwed. What do you think I should do?"
Sydney looked Will in the eye, "As much I love you Will, I think you should leave and join the Witness Protection Program. I mean think about it, which life is better? You could be somewhere living safely away from all this mess or you could be right in the thick of it, putting your life in jeopardy on a regular basis. I couldn't bear to see something happen to you again."
Will shook his head. "I don't want to leave here. I just can't disappear from this place forever. Los Angeles is my home."
"So you're saying that you want to join the CIA?" Sydney asked.
"I don't know what I want anymore Syd."
Mitchell Brothers Funeral HomeTwo days passed without any contact from Laura or Sark, Sydney was beginning to worry that they had already killed Agent Vaughn. She couldn't think about that now though. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door, dreading the next few hours. Sydney was heading to Emily's memorial. The fact that she was gone forever still hadn't completely sunken in. Sloane had not been at work Monday and Tuesday and she hadn't heard from Audrey either. It just wouldn't seem real until she had spoken to one of them.
"That bastard Sloane is the cause of this. He's made a mess of Audrey's life," Sydney thought as she pulled up outside the funeral home.
She got out of her car and headed towards the hall where the memorial was located, stopping when she noticed someone hovering in the entrance hall.
"Audrey!" Sydney exclaimed, "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry."
Audrey turned and hugged Sydney, "Thanks, Syd. Yeah, it's been hard. I can't believe this is really happening."
Sydney hugged Audrey back hard, "I'm so sorry I didn't call. I just figured you wouldn't want to be bothered while you were trying to find a way to get back home."
Audrey shook her head. "I wasn't in England when Mom died, I was here. I came back because I needed to talk to my father about something, and when I got home… well you know the story. I was going to call you, but I just needed to be alone for a while. I drove to Malibu yesterday and pretty much spent the entire day staring out at the waves. Surprisingly, it made me feel a little bit better."
Sydney nodded, understanding that need to escape all too well. "It's good that you did that. Being alone helps sometimes."
Audrey agreed, "That it does." Audrey paused and glanced hesitantly at the entrance. "I guess we should go inside."
They both went inside and went through the motions. Sydney and Audrey spent their time saying hello to Emily's friends, consoling long lost family members, and trying not to cry. Jack, who dropped in for a short time, noticed that they both carefully tried to avoid any interaction with Sloane. The hours passed and it was soon time to go home. Everyone said their goodbyes and went home to prepare for Emily's funeral.
Los Angeles Memorial CemeteryThursday morning dawned bright, sunny, and unseasonably warm. Sydney spent the morning grumbling about how wrong this was, "It shouldn't be like this," she said to Francie, "One of the most wonderful people in my life is dead and the world keeps going on like nothing has happened. She should be here on a day like this. When I would visit Emily at her house she was always saying how she couldn't wait for the warm weather so the three of us- Emily, Audrey, and me- could have a picnic in the park."
Sydney laughed, remembering. "We always used to do that when Audrey and I were kids. I'd always pretend that Emily was my mother and Audrey was my little sister. Everything was so happy then. Now…"
Sydney trailed off as the tears that were threatening all morning finally fell.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Sydney hugged Francie, "Thanks, but no. I really should get going anyway."
"Emily Sloane's time on this earth was short, but beautiful. There were so many lives made better by her presence. Every one of us here today has so many stories to tell about Emily and her wonderful…"
The minister's voice trailed off as Sydney focused her attention on Audrey and Arvin Sloane. They were standing closest to Emily's casket. Audrey was gripping Sloane's arm tightly as she gazed at Emily's coffin with tears flowing down her cheeks. It angered Sydney to see Audrey leaning so heavily on her father.
"If she only knew what kind of person he really was," Sydney thought to herself.
Sydney glanced at her own father who gave her a small consoling smile. He reached over and squeezed her hand quickly, giving Sydney more comfort from that gesture than he ever knew he could.
"Thank you for coming Sydney," Sloane said as he hugged her after Emily's funeral. "I'm sorry I didn't get to speak with you yesterday at the memorial."
Sydney nodded. "So am I, there were just so many people there." She paused awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. Sydney gestured towards a red-eyed Audrey standing a few feet away talking with Jack. "How's she holding up?"
Sloane sighed. "This has been very difficult on her. Did she tell you she was in the room when Emily died? I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing. At least she got to say goodbye. They were always so close."
Sloane trailed off as Audrey approached them. "Hey sweetie. Are you alright?"
Audrey managed to smile at her father. "I'm okay Daddy. Please don't worry about me."
Sloane nodded. "I'll let you two talk then."
They both watched as he walked over to Jack and began a conversation. Audrey closed her eyes and sighed, "Thank God this part is over. I don't know how I survived."
"This is always the worst part," Sydney replied.
Audrey nodded. "They say it gets easier, but I'm not sure how. I can't imagine my life without her."
Sydney sighed. "It's difficult at first, but I promise you it will get better. I know you'll never forget your mother, neither will I, but every day won't be as painful as today is."
Sloane walked back over and said, "Audrey it's time to leave, I'll be in the car."
Audrey nodded at her father and responded, "I'll be right there."
Audrey turned back to Sydney and hugged her, slipping a note into her hand as she did so, "Thank you, Syd. For everything." Sydney nodded and pocketed the note, curious as to what Audrey had written.
Malibu
Beach Parking LotSydney took in the panoramic view of the beach and ocean as she approached Audrey. "It sure is beautiful out here."
Audrey turned around and smiled, "I'm sorry to drag you all the way out here, but I needed to talk to you someplace private." They both stood there for a while watching the waves break against the shore.
Sydney finally broke the silence. "Is something wrong?"
Audrey shook her head. "No Syd, something's right for a change."
She paused and began walking closer to the ocean.
Crouching down to pick up a shell, Audrey looked up at Sydney, "All my life I've felt like I was put on this planet to do something." Audrey and Sydney both sat down on the sand. "Now I finally know what."
Sydney glanced at Audrey, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean?"
Audrey smiled. "When I was a sophomore in college I was recruited by SD-6. I start work there on Monday."
Sydney gasped.
End Episode Four