Chapter Five- Pieces of the Puzzle
Malibu
"This can't be happening," Sydney thought to herself as she stared at her friend. "Audrey, you need to listen to me. Go back to London as fast as you can. Tonight even. Forget about SD-6. You don't want my life."
Audrey laughed softly and went back to staring out at the ocean. "You sound just like Dad."
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Did he bring you into this?"
Audrey avoided Sydney's gaze. "No. He's as adamant about my going back to London as you are. At least he was up until yesterday, then it was all "welcome to the company." I don't know why he changed his tune so quickly, but I'm happy about it."
Audrey turned to face Sydney. "What is the problem with this? I know that working for the CIA is dangerous, but you people make it seem like the bad guys are going to hunt me down and kill me. And anyway, it's not like I'm going to be a field agent like you Syd. Dad said he was going to have me doing research. I'll be working with some guy named Marshall. So don't worry."
Sydney gave a little sigh of relief at hearing that. "How did you come to learn about SD-6?"
Audrey sifted sand through her fingers as she responded. "I was recruited in college. Like you."
Sydney's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "How did you know that?"
Audrey smiled at her. "There are a lot of things I know Syd."
Before Sydney could question Audrey, her beeper went off. "I should call back right away. It's my father."
Audrey nodded and got up to walk down the beach. "Hi, Dad. What's going on?" Sydney asked.
Jack anxiously replied, "We received a video in an e-mail about an hour ago. It's from your mother."
Sydney gasped. "What was on it? Did she mention Vaughn?".
"That's the thing Sydney, we need you to open it," Jack replied.
"What do you mean? Why aren't you able to open it?" Sydney asked.
Jack responded, "In the note that accompanied the video your mother wrote that only you would know the password. She sent a question along in the e-mail. Apparently the answer to that question will unlock the video."
Sydney rolled her eyes. It was just like her mother to do something like this.
Jack went on. "What is this? Does she think this is funny? I don't like what she's doing, playing these mind games with you."
Jack trailed off, allowing Sydney to speak, "Don't worry Dad, I will not allow her to have any affect on me. Now, tell me. What was the question in the e-mail?"
"She wants to know "What didn't you see?". I'm assuming this has something to do with the prophecy. Look, I don't like discussing this over the phone so just get down here to CIA headquarters as soon as you can", Jack demanded.
"I'll get there soon, but I'm in Malibu at the moment, so it might take a while", Sydney responded.
"What are you doing in Malibu?".
Sydney sighed and glanced back up, seeing Audrey approaching her, "I can't talk about that now, Dad. But it has something to do with Audrey and SD-6."
"What!!?" Jack practically bellowed, "If that bastard Sloane has pulled his daughter into this mess…"
Sydney interrupted her father before he could say anything else. "Dad, Dad, calm down!" Sydney said. "I'll explain when I see you later. I have to go now, okay. Bye." Sydney hung up quickly, before Jack could launch into another anti-Sloane tirade.
"Everything alright, Syd?" Audrey asked as she sat back down in the sand. "You look a little upset."
Sydney shook her head, "No, I'm okay. I just got a call from my dad. He has some information about a friend of mine who is in trouble and he wants me to come back to LA to look it over."
Audrey nodded her head and fiddled with the conch shell she had found along the water, looking like she was going to cry.
"I should be the one asking if you are alright, Audrey. Is there anything I can do for you?".
"No, Sydney, I'm okay. I was just thinking…" Audrey trailed off for a moment, trying to compose herself. "I was just thinking about how wrong everything has gone in the past week. I was happy in England, really I was. I had a boyfriend, good friends, I was going to start a great job at a magazine soon. Then I get a call from Agent Dreyer saying I was needed at SD-6. And I come home to find that everything has changed. It's just hard to fathom."
Sydney nodded in agreement, "I know how you feel. When Danny died, for months afterward, it just felt like everything had gone into a tailspin that I couldn't get out of. I know everyone has been saying this to you all the time over the past few days, but it DOES get better."
"I know Syd, really." Audrey sighed. "God, I'm sorry Sydney, talking about how happy I was with my boyfriend after… what happened."
Sydney gave an awkward chuckle. "It's okay to talk about stuff like that around me. Yes, losing Danny still hurts, but it's getting easier to talk about this kind of stuff. Now, tell me, what's your boyfriend like?"
Audrey smiled for the first time in a while. "His name is Alex. He was a couple of years ahead of me at Oxford. We met in the library when we were both looking for the same book about Socrates. He's a great guy Syd, you'd like him."
Sydney gave Audrey a big smile. "I'm sure I will. And it's great that you've found somebody you care about." Sydney and Audrey both stood up. "I should go now, I've got to see my dad," Sydney said.
"Right. Good luck with your friend's situation. And thanks for coming all the way out here."
Sydney reached over to give Audrey a hug. "You're family Ree," Sydney said, using Audrey's childhood nickname. "I'll always be there for you."
Audrey smiled softly, "Thanks Syd. Bye."
Dublin
Downtown- Laura Bristow's Office"Alexander!" Laura Bristow yelled. "Come here. Quickly."
She then rolled her eyes when she saw both Khasinau and Sark coming towards her. She shook her head in an amused fashion, regretting her decision to name her son after her cousin.
"What's going on Mother? Is something the matter?" Sark asked.
Laura chuckled a little, shaking her head, "It seems that our trip has done Agent Vaughn some good. I think he's finally waking up."
The three glanced down at Vaughn who was beginning to move his arms and legs.
"He couldn't have done that a couple of hours ago?" Khasinau asked.
Sark nodded his head. "Yeah, our little home video would have been so much more entertaining had he been coherent."
Laura cast the two men a sharp look. "Both of you shut up! He's waking."
She walked over to the side of Agent Vaughn's bed and smiled down at the him, as he slowly opened his eyes. "Welcome back to the land of the living Agent Vaughn. You've missed quite a bit."
Los Angeles
CIA HeadquartersJack walked up to Sydney, "Sydney, you're here. Good. We've had agents trying to open the video without entering a password while we were waiting for you, but they've had no luck. Come into the office and have a look."
Sydney greeted the agents who had been trying to open the video, sat down at the computer and read through the short e-mail. She read, "You have something I want. I have something you want. Now tell me dear, what didn't you see? Your answer will unlock the accompanying video."
Sydney sighed loudly and asked, "What is it that I have that she wants? She obviously knows more about Rambaldi than me. She knows more about SD-6 than me. I don't have anything."
Jack sat down next to his daughter, "I can't answer that question Sydney, but maybe the video will. Can you think of any answers to that question?"
Sydney was lost in thought. "It could be anything. A town, a landmark, or a body of water maybe. But I really don't think that she would be so obvious as to choose an answer like that. It needs to be something more tricky. She was telling me that I didn't see what I need… that's it! The answer to the question of what I didn't see is… that I didn't see what I needed to!"
Jack glanced at his daughter and then back at the computer monitor, "Are you absolutely sure? We're afraid that if we type in the wrong answer the video will erase itself from the computer."
A look of doubt crossed Sydney's face for a split second, but she quickly nodded at Jack. "I'm positive." Jack leaned towards the computer keyboard and typed in the appropriate response. Sure enough, the video began to play.
Laura walked up to the camera and smirked.
"If you're watching this you've figured out the pass word. Clever girl you are. But I can't say I'm surprised. You are my daughter after all. Now it seems we've stumbled into a quagmire of sorts. We both have something the other wants. You've left your Agent Vaughn in my care. I'm sure you'll be wanting him back. And that will happen only if you do as I say. You are to go to New York, Strawberry Fields to be precise, on Saturday at six in the evening to learn of your further instructions. Come alone. One of my associates will meet with you. If he sees that you have not followed my instructions and have brought someone with you, that person will be shot by nearby snipers. So you don't forget about what is at stake, I'll allow you a brief glimpse of Agent Vaughn."
The camera pulled back to reveal Agent Vaughn lying still on a bed. It then pulled into a tighter shot to reveal that he was in fact breathing.
Sark walked into the shot and addressed the camera, "Our doctor informed us that your friend Agent Vaughn has suffered a fair amount of brain damage and is comatose at the moment. But don't fret. He could wake up at any moment. I keep wanting to test that theory by shooting at the wall behind his head, but Mum won't let me."
Sark moved away from the camera as it focused on Laura once again. "So my dear, make your decision. Give me what I want and you'll get Agent Vaughn back. If we don't meet with you in New York, Agent Vaughn dies. It's up to you now."
With that last remark, the tape finished and the computer screen went black.
Jack and Sydney both stared at the computer screen for a few seconds and then they both began speaking at the same time, "I have to…" Sydney began.
"There is no way that you…" Jack started to say.
Jack held up a hand and continued to speak, "There is no way that I will allow you to meet with one of your mother's cronies alone."
Sydney sighed exasperatedly. "Dad, I have to. You heard what she said, if I don't meet with the contact, she'll kill Agent Vaughn. I can't allow that to happen. If I don't do everything in my power to get him home safe and he dies, I'll never be able to live with the guilt of losing him."
"But Sydney…" Jack began.
Sydney shook her head and interrupted her father, "No, Dad! I have to do this. You're not going to talk me into changing my mind." Sydney got up and left the room with Jack following right after her.
"Remember what I said about your cavalier attitude, Sydney? Well, here it is again."
Sydney whirled around to face Jack, "How the hell am I being cavalier, Dad? Why is it so careless of me to want to bring Agent Vaughn back home? I can't believe you. Look, you are not going to stop me from going to New York. End of discussion."
"Sydney Bristow, I am your father and I will not have you speak to me in that manner!" Jack yelled.
Sydney chuckled and responded, "Do you really think that you have the right to play that card? I'm twenty-eight years old, I'm not a child. You do not have the right to tell me anything!"
"You are my child Sydney, that's my right! I can't watch you go into a potential deathtrap alone to save a man who could already be dead."
Sydney took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I'm still going, I'll wear a wire and you'll be able to hear everything, but you can't stop me from going. Vaughn has been my biggest support system for the past few months, I can't just give up on him. He wouldn't give up on me."
Jack closed his eyes and sighed, knowing that once Sydney made up her mind, nothing would stop her. He looked her in the eyes, "I don't want you to think that I'm giving up on rescuing Agent Vaughn. I'm not. We just need to be careful. I don't like to see you making rash decisions. I'm going with you."
Sydney shook her head. "But you heard what she said."
"They won't shoot me", Jack responded and then dropped his voice to a whisper. "When I spoke with you before, you mentioned something about Audrey Sloane being involved with SD-6. I want you to tell me about that, but not here."
He took hold of Sydney's arm and led her out of the building. Once they were far enough away from the entrance, Jack resumed his line of questioning, "Did she say how she found out about SD-6?"
"She said that she was recruited in college by Agent Dreyer."
Jack shook his head angrily. "That bastard! I always knew there was something wrong with him. The way he went after you when he thought you were the mole, his behavior towards myself and Sloane. He knew he had something that he could hold over our heads."
Sydney tried to follow Jack's train of thought. "What are you talking about, Dad? I mean, I know why he would want to punish Sloane, but why you?"
"We have a past Sydney. When I first began working at SD-6 I went to Sloane and told him I was suspicious of Dreyer's behavior. He was behaving strangely; leaving headquarters at odd hours, not being where he was supposed to be when he was off work, little things that made me suspicious."
"Well, what happened?" Sydney asked.
"I tailed him for a few days and found that he was meeting with someone who had ties to K-Directorate. I went to Sloane with the information, but I was never able to prove that he was selling information." Jack replied.
"I still don't understand what bringing Audrey into SD-6 has to do with you." Sydney asked.
"Well, Audrey is my goddaughter." Jack replied. "He thinks bringing her into SD-6 will be payback."
"But what about Sloane? What does Dreyer have against him?" Sydney asked.
"That I don't know. Maybe he knows what SD-6 really is and is trying to blackmail him into giving him a position in The Alliance." Jack responded.
"So what do we do about Audrey? She obviously doesn't know about The Alliance."
Jack sighed and paused before responding, "I'll speak to Devlin about it , then we'll decide how to proceed."
"I think we should bring her in to the CIA." Sydney said.
End Episode Five.