Tomorrow's Promise
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.
Rating: PG for mild language.
Archive: Please ask first.
Feedback: Welcomed, especially if you like the story enough for me to keep writing it.
Author's Note: I have not done any research, so everything thing in here is fiction. I chose to spend my time writing instead of doing research. Now, if the Mr. Abrams comes knocking on my door, asking me to join his staff, I'll happily start researching.
Chapter Seven - The Tale of Two Planes
When the plane landed at 3:30 am at Cartnell Military Airfield outside of LA, it headed straight for a seldom-used hanger on the outskirts of the airfield. Jack had called Devlin three hours prior to their arrival. Devlin, of course, had more questions than Jack cared to answer at that time. Jack gave Devlin just enough information to convince him to arrange for a private hanger and two ambulances with a security detail. Devlin made it clear that Jack and Vaughn would have plenty of questions to answer as soon as they hit the tarmac.
Sydney woke up two more times while they were in the air. Each time she became a little more lucid - asking more questions and throwing fewer fits. When they landed, the EMT teams boarded the plane with two stretchers: one for Jack and one for Sydney. Luckily for all involved, Sydney was unconscious at the time they transferred her from the plane to the ambulance.
Devlin was waiting in front of the ambulances. The EMT teams came out first with Jack and Sydney. Vaughn and Will followed them. Vaughn counted at least ten agents in the hanger. He knew that there would be more in position outside the hanger and in the motorcade that would escort them to St. James, the government hospital. Vaughn recognized several of the agents, and was not surprised to see Weiss standing near Devlin. He looked to see if Haladeki was attached to Devlin's ass, but there was no sign of the little weasel.
As the EMTs pushed Jack past Devlin, Devlin shook his head and said, "What in the hell were you thinking, Jack?"
Jack was cool and calm as always, "I was thinking that if you had listened to me when I told you who the mole was I wouldn't have had to do anything."
"Yeah, well, lets talk about that mole, shall we?" Devlin replied. The paramedics folded up the stretcher and rolled Jack into one of the ambulances.
Vaughn walked up and stopped about one foot in front of Devlin. "Agent Vaughn, You have even more questions to answer than he does. Please join us," Devlin said as he dramatically swept one arm towards Jack's ambulance.
Prior to going to Taipei, sharing an ambulance with the Director and Jack Bristow would have been a nightmare to Vaughn, but not now. Vaughn simply nodded his head at Devlin and headed towards the ambulance.
"Hey buddy," Weiss said under his breath as Vaughn passed by. Vaughn wasn't ready to let him off the hook so easily. He hadn't had much time to think about Weiss' betrayal, but he certainly hadn't forgotten it. Vaughn climbed into the ambulance without acknowledging him.
"Mr. Tippin," Devlin addressed Will, "You look as though you are also in need of medical attention." Devlin motioned for Weiss. "Agent Weiss, escort Mr. Tippin to the hospital, and do not leave his side until I personally okay it. Understand?"
"Yes sir!" Weiss said. He followed Will into Sydney's ambulance and Devlin squeezed his way into the other ambulance. The vehicles started moving, no sirens, and no lights. Trying to attract as little attention as possible.
Knowing that Jack would be headed for surgery once they got to the hospital, Devlin started with his questions the minute the ambulance started to move.
"Jack, where have you been and what have you been doing?" Devlin asked. "And I want the truth, not whatever fairy tale you're going to write up and call a report."
Jack told Devlin most of what had happened - he didn't offer a lot of details, but he was totally honest.
"You gave Sark a crucial Rambaldi page?" Devlin exclaimed, turning red in the face.
"Yes, but we exposed it first," Jack said.
"And we took an entire roll of film on it before we turned it over," Vaughn said.
"What was on the page?" Devlin asked.
"We didn't have much time to study it," Vaughn replied.
"It looked much like all his other documents, full of sketches and measurements and probably not very useful by itself," Jack volunteered.
Devlin had questions about the Rambaldi device that Sydney had destroyed, but neither Vaughn nor Jack had any information on it.
"And, Agent Vaughn, how did you escape your watery grave exactly?"
"I don't know, sir. The way the water just started draining away. it was like someone had opened a flood gate or something."
"I'd venture to say that was not the first time they had to deal with a flood during the development of the device and they had safety measures in place," Jack said.
Devlin chewed them both up for the numerous rules and regulations that they had broken, but he was most upset about the fact that they involved Will in the rescue and that the whole thing jeopardized Jack and Sydney's cover.
"And, just because you made it back to LA without SD-6 finding out does not mean that we're in the clear yet, you know," Devlin said.
"I'm well aware of that, Ben," Jack said. "Our main concern is Sydney. I'll be back at SD-6 before they get suspicious."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that after you spend several hours in surgery," Devlin said. Devlin stared at Jack for several seconds, debating whether to ask the next question. "Jack, would you be surprised if I told you that Haladeki was found shot to death the same night you ran off to Taipei?"
Jack turned his head to look Devlin in the eyes. "No, I wouldn't," Jack paused briefly. "I told you he was the mole."
While Haladeki's death didn't surprise Jack, Vaughn was shocked.
Jack and Devlin were in a face off. "Hmmm," Devlin said nodding his head minutely. "You were right, Jack. Our investigation has yielded plenty of ties to Khasinau."
"Well, maybe if you had started investigating him when I first suggested it, Mr. Tippin would never have been taken to Taipei, I wouldn't have two bullets in my shoulder, and my daughter would actually know who I am," Jack said coldly.
"Listen to me, both of you," Devlin was really angry now. "You have violated so many agency regs I would be totally justified in assigning you to a desk job in a basement closet for the rest of your careers." All three of them knew Vaughn was the only one in danger of getting reassigned. Jack was two valuable of an asset.
Devlin exhaled sharply and looked at Vaughn. Vaughn could not meet the Director's eyes. "Consider yourself officially reprimanded, Agent Vaughn." Vaughn was visibly relieved. He nodded his head solemnly and continued to stare at the floor of the ambulance.
As the ambulance pulled up to a secured entrance to the hospital, Devlin said, "If either of you participate in another loose cannon operation like this again, I will personally see to it that your career in intelligence is over."
*****
Two hours after the CIA caravan arrived at the hospital, a private plane landed at LAX and unloaded its passengers at a private hanger. A few well- placed bills allowed the party of seven men and one woman to leave the airport without going through customs. Three men and the woman climbed into a waiting limo, and the remaining four men got into a black sedan and followed the limo out of LAX.
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.
Rating: PG for mild language.
Archive: Please ask first.
Feedback: Welcomed, especially if you like the story enough for me to keep writing it.
Author's Note: I have not done any research, so everything thing in here is fiction. I chose to spend my time writing instead of doing research. Now, if the Mr. Abrams comes knocking on my door, asking me to join his staff, I'll happily start researching.
Chapter Seven - The Tale of Two Planes
When the plane landed at 3:30 am at Cartnell Military Airfield outside of LA, it headed straight for a seldom-used hanger on the outskirts of the airfield. Jack had called Devlin three hours prior to their arrival. Devlin, of course, had more questions than Jack cared to answer at that time. Jack gave Devlin just enough information to convince him to arrange for a private hanger and two ambulances with a security detail. Devlin made it clear that Jack and Vaughn would have plenty of questions to answer as soon as they hit the tarmac.
Sydney woke up two more times while they were in the air. Each time she became a little more lucid - asking more questions and throwing fewer fits. When they landed, the EMT teams boarded the plane with two stretchers: one for Jack and one for Sydney. Luckily for all involved, Sydney was unconscious at the time they transferred her from the plane to the ambulance.
Devlin was waiting in front of the ambulances. The EMT teams came out first with Jack and Sydney. Vaughn and Will followed them. Vaughn counted at least ten agents in the hanger. He knew that there would be more in position outside the hanger and in the motorcade that would escort them to St. James, the government hospital. Vaughn recognized several of the agents, and was not surprised to see Weiss standing near Devlin. He looked to see if Haladeki was attached to Devlin's ass, but there was no sign of the little weasel.
As the EMTs pushed Jack past Devlin, Devlin shook his head and said, "What in the hell were you thinking, Jack?"
Jack was cool and calm as always, "I was thinking that if you had listened to me when I told you who the mole was I wouldn't have had to do anything."
"Yeah, well, lets talk about that mole, shall we?" Devlin replied. The paramedics folded up the stretcher and rolled Jack into one of the ambulances.
Vaughn walked up and stopped about one foot in front of Devlin. "Agent Vaughn, You have even more questions to answer than he does. Please join us," Devlin said as he dramatically swept one arm towards Jack's ambulance.
Prior to going to Taipei, sharing an ambulance with the Director and Jack Bristow would have been a nightmare to Vaughn, but not now. Vaughn simply nodded his head at Devlin and headed towards the ambulance.
"Hey buddy," Weiss said under his breath as Vaughn passed by. Vaughn wasn't ready to let him off the hook so easily. He hadn't had much time to think about Weiss' betrayal, but he certainly hadn't forgotten it. Vaughn climbed into the ambulance without acknowledging him.
"Mr. Tippin," Devlin addressed Will, "You look as though you are also in need of medical attention." Devlin motioned for Weiss. "Agent Weiss, escort Mr. Tippin to the hospital, and do not leave his side until I personally okay it. Understand?"
"Yes sir!" Weiss said. He followed Will into Sydney's ambulance and Devlin squeezed his way into the other ambulance. The vehicles started moving, no sirens, and no lights. Trying to attract as little attention as possible.
Knowing that Jack would be headed for surgery once they got to the hospital, Devlin started with his questions the minute the ambulance started to move.
"Jack, where have you been and what have you been doing?" Devlin asked. "And I want the truth, not whatever fairy tale you're going to write up and call a report."
Jack told Devlin most of what had happened - he didn't offer a lot of details, but he was totally honest.
"You gave Sark a crucial Rambaldi page?" Devlin exclaimed, turning red in the face.
"Yes, but we exposed it first," Jack said.
"And we took an entire roll of film on it before we turned it over," Vaughn said.
"What was on the page?" Devlin asked.
"We didn't have much time to study it," Vaughn replied.
"It looked much like all his other documents, full of sketches and measurements and probably not very useful by itself," Jack volunteered.
Devlin had questions about the Rambaldi device that Sydney had destroyed, but neither Vaughn nor Jack had any information on it.
"And, Agent Vaughn, how did you escape your watery grave exactly?"
"I don't know, sir. The way the water just started draining away. it was like someone had opened a flood gate or something."
"I'd venture to say that was not the first time they had to deal with a flood during the development of the device and they had safety measures in place," Jack said.
Devlin chewed them both up for the numerous rules and regulations that they had broken, but he was most upset about the fact that they involved Will in the rescue and that the whole thing jeopardized Jack and Sydney's cover.
"And, just because you made it back to LA without SD-6 finding out does not mean that we're in the clear yet, you know," Devlin said.
"I'm well aware of that, Ben," Jack said. "Our main concern is Sydney. I'll be back at SD-6 before they get suspicious."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that after you spend several hours in surgery," Devlin said. Devlin stared at Jack for several seconds, debating whether to ask the next question. "Jack, would you be surprised if I told you that Haladeki was found shot to death the same night you ran off to Taipei?"
Jack turned his head to look Devlin in the eyes. "No, I wouldn't," Jack paused briefly. "I told you he was the mole."
While Haladeki's death didn't surprise Jack, Vaughn was shocked.
Jack and Devlin were in a face off. "Hmmm," Devlin said nodding his head minutely. "You were right, Jack. Our investigation has yielded plenty of ties to Khasinau."
"Well, maybe if you had started investigating him when I first suggested it, Mr. Tippin would never have been taken to Taipei, I wouldn't have two bullets in my shoulder, and my daughter would actually know who I am," Jack said coldly.
"Listen to me, both of you," Devlin was really angry now. "You have violated so many agency regs I would be totally justified in assigning you to a desk job in a basement closet for the rest of your careers." All three of them knew Vaughn was the only one in danger of getting reassigned. Jack was two valuable of an asset.
Devlin exhaled sharply and looked at Vaughn. Vaughn could not meet the Director's eyes. "Consider yourself officially reprimanded, Agent Vaughn." Vaughn was visibly relieved. He nodded his head solemnly and continued to stare at the floor of the ambulance.
As the ambulance pulled up to a secured entrance to the hospital, Devlin said, "If either of you participate in another loose cannon operation like this again, I will personally see to it that your career in intelligence is over."
*****
Two hours after the CIA caravan arrived at the hospital, a private plane landed at LAX and unloaded its passengers at a private hanger. A few well- placed bills allowed the party of seven men and one woman to leave the airport without going through customs. Three men and the woman climbed into a waiting limo, and the remaining four men got into a black sedan and followed the limo out of LAX.