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: Just a reminder that in this story the CIA still thinks that, Sark and Khasinea are working for K-directorate. Sydney is the only one that knows the truth, and she currently can't remember it.
Chapter Nine - One Remembered
Vaughn had stayed at the hospital until Devlin had ordered him to go home and get some rest. Little good that did him. After a shower, he laid in bed until he heard the paper hit his front door. He got the paper and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. He sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and spread the paper out in front of him.
Vaughn stared at the date on the front page. He actually had to think for several seconds to figure out that it was Tuesday. Not that it mattered. He had no intentions to go into the office.
After four cups of coffee and 15 articles that he didn't care about, his cell phone rang. Vaughn answered it on the second ring. It was Devlin requesting that he come back to the hospital.
Vaughn was at the hospital in 25 minutes. He had no difficulty finding Devlin since there was an agent every 50 yards that could direct him. Devlin was outside Sydney's room.
"How is she?" Vaughn asked.
"The doctors seem to think that the drugs are out of her system now and we're trying to determine if she remembers anything."
"Can I see her?"
Devlin eyed Vaughn, knowing that Vaughn's intentions were different from his. "Agent Vaughn, you are her handler. Of all the agents in our office, you are uniquely qualified to determine her status."
Vaughn shook his head briefly as if he just woke up. "Yeah, of course." Vaughn hoped that he wasn't blushing. He walked quickly past Devlin and into Sydney's room.
Sydney was sitting up in the bed. She was pale, had deep circles under her eyes, and her hair was a mess. Even so, she took his breath away.
Vaughn surveyed the room. He was surprised to find Jack sitting in a wheelchair near Sydney's bed. Jack also looked pale, but considering that he was in surgery just three hours ago, he looked remarkably good.
There was a doctor standing on the opposite side of the bed, making notes on a clipboard, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. When he saw Vaughn, he walked over to him.
Speaking softly the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Carson. I'm the psychiatrist assigned to Ms. Bristow's case. I take it you are her handler?"
"Yeah, I'm Agent Michael Vaughn." The two men shook hands. "How is she?"
"Well, physically, she is doing well. But, she doesn't know who she is, where she is, and we've been unable to find anyone that she recognizes - not even her father."
"If she doesn't recognize Jack, then she's not likely to recognize me," Vaughn commented.
"That is most likely true, but we're bringing in anybody that was close to her hoping that she will remember somebody. Her recovery will be much quicker if we can find somebody that she feels she can trust."
Vaughn nodded. "What can I say to her?" Vaughn knew that they would be guarding what they said to Sydney until she felt more comfortable. The truth about her life would probably scare her even more than not being able to remember anything.
"You can tell her your name and that you are a co-worker. If there is anything the two of you have shared that might hold a powerful emotion for her you can talk about that. But, do not put it into the context of the CIA. If she asks you any questions, try to answer them truthfully, but do not offer any extra information."
Vaughn chuckled sadly. Obviously this guy knew nothing of his relationship with Sydney. Everything that they shared was in the context of the Agency. They had shared many experiences that would have created a powerful emotion in her, but they were all related to the Agency or they were left unsaid. Their feelings for each other - could something that had gone unspoken create a long-lasting, powerful emotion? He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and walked towards her.
Sydney eyed Vaughn carefully as he approached her. She watched as Jack and Vaughn silently greeted each other with a nod. She studied his face and waited for him to say something.
"Hi," Vaughn said. "How are you doing, Sydney?"
Sydney was silent, still studying his face. Slowly the look on her face changed from a blank stare to a one of confusion. "I know you," Sydney said slowly. "How do I know you?"
Vaughn couldn't help but smile. He shot a glance at Jack. Was it his imagination or was Jack giving him an envious glare? "You and I work together."
"What's your name?"
"Vaughn," Vaughn had naturally given the name she was familiar with. "Michael Vaughn."
"Vaughn," she repeated his name trying to remember. "Where do we work?"
Vaughn was still basking in the fact that she had remembered, and the question had caught him off-guard. "We, uh. we don't really work anywhere in particular. I mean, we're. uh, we're consultants. We work together to solve other peoples problems."
Sydney pondered that for a moment. "Do I like my job?" she asked.
"Uh, well, some days you do. And some days you don't."
"Do you like your job?" she asked.
"Yeah, most of the time I do," Vaughn answered honestly.
"How do you know him?" Sydney asked suddenly suspicious.
Vaughn was trapped. He didn't know what Jack had or had not told her.
"I work at the same consulting firm that you both work at," Jack said softly from over Vaughn's shoulder.
"I don't think any of you are telling me the truth!" Sydney said. She pointed at Dr. Carson, "I don't know you." She pointed at Jack, "I can't remember you, but you're making me nervous as hell." Finally she pointed at Vaughn, "And you. You seem familiar to me, but I feel sad when I look at you."
She waited for one of them to say something meaningful, but they could not. She gave them a disgusted look and said, "Just leave me alone! Go! And don't come back until you're ready to start telling me what I want to know!" She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
Jack and Vaughn waited for guidance from Carson. "Sydney, we will give you some time alone, but I will be back soon and we can start filling in things for you."
"Yeah, right," Sydney said sarcastically.
Carson pushed Jack's wheelchair out of the room and Vaughn followed. Before he let the door close, Vaughn looked back at her over his shoulder. She was watching him. Tears filled her eyes. It took every ounce of self restraint he had to keep from running to her and taking her in his arms.
"Agent Vaughn?" Vaughn suddenly became aware that Jack and Carson had been talking to Devlin and now they were all looking at him. Carson repeated his question, "Agent Vaughn, since you have the strongest connection with Ms. Bristow right now, I need you available at all times. Do you mind staying here at the hospital until further notice?"
"Of course not," Vaughn said. He'd do anything - anything to have her back. "Sir?" Vaughn asked Devlin if it was okay with him.
"If it is absolutely necessary," Devlin began.
"It is absolutely necessary if you are serious about forcing her recovery in four days," Carson replied.
"Very well," Devlin agreed. "I'll have somebody bring you your laptop so that you can start working on your report here, Agent Vaughn."
Devlin turned his attention to Jack, "We've got the film developed from the Rambaldi page, Jack. Do you feel up to taking a look at it?"
"Certainly," Jack said. Dr. Carson moved aside so Devlin could get take over. As Devlin started to push Jack's wheel chair down the hall he called to Vaughn over his shoulder, "Agent Vaughn, you might as well come with us."
"Yes, sir," Vaughn said as he fell in step with the Director.
*****
Devlin took them to the waiting room near the elevator. The entire floor had been sealed off and used solely for Sydney and the new elements of SD-6 case. A small command center had been established in the waiting room. Work tables had been set up, phones, computers, printers had been brought in. There was one agent working at one of the computers, and another agent was on the phone. The only other person in the room was standing in front of a bulletin board studying the photographs of the page.
"Mr. Shulte, this is Agent Jack Bristow and Officer Michael Vaughn," Devlin said. "This is Randy Shulte, the best analyst we've got. He's been studying the Rambaldi page most of the morning."
Shulte shook Jack's hand, "Agent Bristow, it is an honor." Shulte turned to Vaughn and shook his hand without comment.
Shulte was tall and slender. With blond hair and light colored eyes behind his large-framed, out-of-date glasses. In his early fourties, Shulte appeared to be like most of the other analysts that thrived in the secured basement labs of the LA office with the exception of his dress. He was wearing a crisp, wine dress shirt with an elegant tie in navy, wine, and yellow, and a pair of khakis that actually reached the top of his shoes instead of falling two inches short.
"Any luck?" Devlin asked Shulte.
"Not much. I've translated the Italian writing," Shulte pulled some papers off a nearby table and gave a copy to each of them. "It appears to be random notes - measurements, calculations, descriptions of buildings, locations of rivers. Much of the text is devoted to a key - Rambaldi wrote that this key was the most critical piece of master work."
Shulte turned to point at the photographs. "He has several sketches here that I think are part of his master work. Of course it is also possible that they are all just decoys meant to confuse his enemies.
"The one that I think has the most potential is this one here," Shulte pointed to an enlarged photo of one of the sketches. It was a flat, circular object with another circle inside of it. In the sketch it appeared that the center circle was rotating.
Vaughn studied the photograph and then turned to Shulte. "So, even though K-directorate has this page and a prototype of the master work, they would not be able to get it to work?"
"Yes, I believe that to be true."
"That is the best news I've heard in a long time," Vaughn mused.
"Do we have any intell on any of these Rambaldi gadgets?" Devlin asked.
"I don't remember any, sir, but I've got a team back at the office and another team at Langley searching all the Rambaldi documents and artifacts that we have."
"Good, keep us informed if you come to any conclusions," Devlin said.
Jack stared at the sketch. "I think I've seen that before," he said. "I just can't remember where."
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: Just a reminder that in this story the CIA still thinks that, Sark and Khasinea are working for K-directorate. Sydney is the only one that knows the truth, and she currently can't remember it.
Chapter Nine - One Remembered
Vaughn had stayed at the hospital until Devlin had ordered him to go home and get some rest. Little good that did him. After a shower, he laid in bed until he heard the paper hit his front door. He got the paper and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. He sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and spread the paper out in front of him.
Vaughn stared at the date on the front page. He actually had to think for several seconds to figure out that it was Tuesday. Not that it mattered. He had no intentions to go into the office.
After four cups of coffee and 15 articles that he didn't care about, his cell phone rang. Vaughn answered it on the second ring. It was Devlin requesting that he come back to the hospital.
Vaughn was at the hospital in 25 minutes. He had no difficulty finding Devlin since there was an agent every 50 yards that could direct him. Devlin was outside Sydney's room.
"How is she?" Vaughn asked.
"The doctors seem to think that the drugs are out of her system now and we're trying to determine if she remembers anything."
"Can I see her?"
Devlin eyed Vaughn, knowing that Vaughn's intentions were different from his. "Agent Vaughn, you are her handler. Of all the agents in our office, you are uniquely qualified to determine her status."
Vaughn shook his head briefly as if he just woke up. "Yeah, of course." Vaughn hoped that he wasn't blushing. He walked quickly past Devlin and into Sydney's room.
Sydney was sitting up in the bed. She was pale, had deep circles under her eyes, and her hair was a mess. Even so, she took his breath away.
Vaughn surveyed the room. He was surprised to find Jack sitting in a wheelchair near Sydney's bed. Jack also looked pale, but considering that he was in surgery just three hours ago, he looked remarkably good.
There was a doctor standing on the opposite side of the bed, making notes on a clipboard, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. When he saw Vaughn, he walked over to him.
Speaking softly the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Carson. I'm the psychiatrist assigned to Ms. Bristow's case. I take it you are her handler?"
"Yeah, I'm Agent Michael Vaughn." The two men shook hands. "How is she?"
"Well, physically, she is doing well. But, she doesn't know who she is, where she is, and we've been unable to find anyone that she recognizes - not even her father."
"If she doesn't recognize Jack, then she's not likely to recognize me," Vaughn commented.
"That is most likely true, but we're bringing in anybody that was close to her hoping that she will remember somebody. Her recovery will be much quicker if we can find somebody that she feels she can trust."
Vaughn nodded. "What can I say to her?" Vaughn knew that they would be guarding what they said to Sydney until she felt more comfortable. The truth about her life would probably scare her even more than not being able to remember anything.
"You can tell her your name and that you are a co-worker. If there is anything the two of you have shared that might hold a powerful emotion for her you can talk about that. But, do not put it into the context of the CIA. If she asks you any questions, try to answer them truthfully, but do not offer any extra information."
Vaughn chuckled sadly. Obviously this guy knew nothing of his relationship with Sydney. Everything that they shared was in the context of the Agency. They had shared many experiences that would have created a powerful emotion in her, but they were all related to the Agency or they were left unsaid. Their feelings for each other - could something that had gone unspoken create a long-lasting, powerful emotion? He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and walked towards her.
Sydney eyed Vaughn carefully as he approached her. She watched as Jack and Vaughn silently greeted each other with a nod. She studied his face and waited for him to say something.
"Hi," Vaughn said. "How are you doing, Sydney?"
Sydney was silent, still studying his face. Slowly the look on her face changed from a blank stare to a one of confusion. "I know you," Sydney said slowly. "How do I know you?"
Vaughn couldn't help but smile. He shot a glance at Jack. Was it his imagination or was Jack giving him an envious glare? "You and I work together."
"What's your name?"
"Vaughn," Vaughn had naturally given the name she was familiar with. "Michael Vaughn."
"Vaughn," she repeated his name trying to remember. "Where do we work?"
Vaughn was still basking in the fact that she had remembered, and the question had caught him off-guard. "We, uh. we don't really work anywhere in particular. I mean, we're. uh, we're consultants. We work together to solve other peoples problems."
Sydney pondered that for a moment. "Do I like my job?" she asked.
"Uh, well, some days you do. And some days you don't."
"Do you like your job?" she asked.
"Yeah, most of the time I do," Vaughn answered honestly.
"How do you know him?" Sydney asked suddenly suspicious.
Vaughn was trapped. He didn't know what Jack had or had not told her.
"I work at the same consulting firm that you both work at," Jack said softly from over Vaughn's shoulder.
"I don't think any of you are telling me the truth!" Sydney said. She pointed at Dr. Carson, "I don't know you." She pointed at Jack, "I can't remember you, but you're making me nervous as hell." Finally she pointed at Vaughn, "And you. You seem familiar to me, but I feel sad when I look at you."
She waited for one of them to say something meaningful, but they could not. She gave them a disgusted look and said, "Just leave me alone! Go! And don't come back until you're ready to start telling me what I want to know!" She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
Jack and Vaughn waited for guidance from Carson. "Sydney, we will give you some time alone, but I will be back soon and we can start filling in things for you."
"Yeah, right," Sydney said sarcastically.
Carson pushed Jack's wheelchair out of the room and Vaughn followed. Before he let the door close, Vaughn looked back at her over his shoulder. She was watching him. Tears filled her eyes. It took every ounce of self restraint he had to keep from running to her and taking her in his arms.
"Agent Vaughn?" Vaughn suddenly became aware that Jack and Carson had been talking to Devlin and now they were all looking at him. Carson repeated his question, "Agent Vaughn, since you have the strongest connection with Ms. Bristow right now, I need you available at all times. Do you mind staying here at the hospital until further notice?"
"Of course not," Vaughn said. He'd do anything - anything to have her back. "Sir?" Vaughn asked Devlin if it was okay with him.
"If it is absolutely necessary," Devlin began.
"It is absolutely necessary if you are serious about forcing her recovery in four days," Carson replied.
"Very well," Devlin agreed. "I'll have somebody bring you your laptop so that you can start working on your report here, Agent Vaughn."
Devlin turned his attention to Jack, "We've got the film developed from the Rambaldi page, Jack. Do you feel up to taking a look at it?"
"Certainly," Jack said. Dr. Carson moved aside so Devlin could get take over. As Devlin started to push Jack's wheel chair down the hall he called to Vaughn over his shoulder, "Agent Vaughn, you might as well come with us."
"Yes, sir," Vaughn said as he fell in step with the Director.
*****
Devlin took them to the waiting room near the elevator. The entire floor had been sealed off and used solely for Sydney and the new elements of SD-6 case. A small command center had been established in the waiting room. Work tables had been set up, phones, computers, printers had been brought in. There was one agent working at one of the computers, and another agent was on the phone. The only other person in the room was standing in front of a bulletin board studying the photographs of the page.
"Mr. Shulte, this is Agent Jack Bristow and Officer Michael Vaughn," Devlin said. "This is Randy Shulte, the best analyst we've got. He's been studying the Rambaldi page most of the morning."
Shulte shook Jack's hand, "Agent Bristow, it is an honor." Shulte turned to Vaughn and shook his hand without comment.
Shulte was tall and slender. With blond hair and light colored eyes behind his large-framed, out-of-date glasses. In his early fourties, Shulte appeared to be like most of the other analysts that thrived in the secured basement labs of the LA office with the exception of his dress. He was wearing a crisp, wine dress shirt with an elegant tie in navy, wine, and yellow, and a pair of khakis that actually reached the top of his shoes instead of falling two inches short.
"Any luck?" Devlin asked Shulte.
"Not much. I've translated the Italian writing," Shulte pulled some papers off a nearby table and gave a copy to each of them. "It appears to be random notes - measurements, calculations, descriptions of buildings, locations of rivers. Much of the text is devoted to a key - Rambaldi wrote that this key was the most critical piece of master work."
Shulte turned to point at the photographs. "He has several sketches here that I think are part of his master work. Of course it is also possible that they are all just decoys meant to confuse his enemies.
"The one that I think has the most potential is this one here," Shulte pointed to an enlarged photo of one of the sketches. It was a flat, circular object with another circle inside of it. In the sketch it appeared that the center circle was rotating.
Vaughn studied the photograph and then turned to Shulte. "So, even though K-directorate has this page and a prototype of the master work, they would not be able to get it to work?"
"Yes, I believe that to be true."
"That is the best news I've heard in a long time," Vaughn mused.
"Do we have any intell on any of these Rambaldi gadgets?" Devlin asked.
"I don't remember any, sir, but I've got a team back at the office and another team at Langley searching all the Rambaldi documents and artifacts that we have."
"Good, keep us informed if you come to any conclusions," Devlin said.
Jack stared at the sketch. "I think I've seen that before," he said. "I just can't remember where."