Chapter 9
~The Plane~
"O.K., Will, I know you have questions, even more than the last time we had this conversation, but"
"But you can't answer them. Syd, I know, we've went over this."
"Yes, but now you've seen, and heard, too much. You have to have some answers. Most likely you'll end up being recruited now, seeing as how you know more than most people at the CIA do." It was obvious to everyone that this was just about the last conversation that Sydney wanted to be having. "We have a long flight ahead of us, so you can go ahead and ask me questions?"
"I don't know where to start."
"Maybe I should start." Syd went on to tell him about her being recruited and the things that followed, but Will stopped her when she got to the part about Danny.
"So they just killed him, no questions asked?"
"Yes."
"O.K., can I ask my questions now?" He continued when she nodded. "What was Danny really doing with those plane tickets?"
"He wasn't doing anything, Will. He never knew about them."
"Then why was he leaving with a woman named Kate Jones? Who is she?"
Sydney sat ram-rod straight, obviously shocked.
"You know her don't you?"
"What do know about Kate Jones, Will?"
"Nothing, really. All I know is that she was supposed to be going to some foreign country with Danny and was impersonated by a woman who was later murdered, despite the fact that she's supposed to be dead."
"Will," Syd paused trying to make this easier for him. When she couldn't think of a way, she decided that it would be easiest to be blunt. "I'm Kate Jones. It's one of my many aliases." She could tell that he was shocked. He starred blankly at her for a few moments, before turning to look out the window. "Will, look at me." He did. "You have to accept the fact that you know practically nothing about me."
"Yes I do Syd."
"No...you don't."
"Then tell me Syd. You know I love you, regardless of what you're about to tell me."
"Will..."
"It's not like that Syd. I'm not in love with you. At one point I thought that I was, but then after Danny was killed, everything changed. When I thought that I'd caught him cheating on you, I was furious. I kept asking myself, 'How could he do that to her?' Then I learned about SD-6, and my feelings started to change. Syd, you're like my little sister."
"How much do you know about SD-6?"
"Practically nothing, except that they're dangerous...and evil."
"That's for sure. Do you have more questions for me?"
"Yes. Ummm...I thought you're mom was dead."
Syd had tried to prepare herself for this question. She couldn't stand the thought that Will would know about what her mother had done...to her, and to her country. "I did too." She took a deep breath to keep her tears from falling.
"When did you find out?"
They both looked up when Vaughn walked back. He walked over and sat beside Sydney, and seeing her tears, put his arm around her shoulder. "What's going on?"
"I was getting ready to tell him about my mother."
"Syd..."
"He knows too much to be kept in the dark. He deserves to know the truth. Besides, we've pretty much thrown protocol out the window."
Vaughn nodded his approval.
"Wait a minute Syd. The first thing I want to know is why I've never seen this guy before. It's obvious that you care for each other. Why didn't you ever bring him around?"
"Well...because I work for the CIA," Vaughn answered.
"And..."
"And technically, we're enemies," Syd looked down at her feet when she said that. She was moments away from losing control.
"Enemies?"
She nodded. "I work for SD-6." Will didn't react. He just stood there. It was too much for Sydney to take. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." She turned and walked away, leaving Will and Vaughn alone.
"She--She's an enemy of the CIA?"
"No, not really. She's a double agent. She's been working for SD-6 for about seven years now, but she only learned the truth after Danny's death."
"A double?"
"Yes. She still works for SD-6, but she is...leaking information and trading artifacts to the CIA."
"Isn't that..."
"Dangerous? Extremely. That's why we can't be seen together. I'm her handler," he knew he needed to explain when he saw Will's confused face, "she gets her mission form SD-6, contacts us, and I give her her counter mission. If we are seen together, we'll be killed."
"I still don't understand, you obviously love her, couldn't you just get you CIA buddies to arrange a date for you two or something?"
"Well...no. Agent/Handler relationships are strictly forbidden. I could very well lose my job, or worse, when the CIA finds out what I'm doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Syd, Jack, and I, are all going against the CIA just being here. Sydney and Jack are in twice as deep because they're also going against SD-6, which if discovered will get them killed. Yes, Jack is also a double."
"Why are you going to be in so much trouble?"
"Well, the document that we traded for you..." her continued when Will nodded, "was priceless. Syd and Dixon stole it in Paris, that's why she was there. It can't be read until you use a certain liquid to reveal the ink."
"Well, what's so bad about that?"
"In order to get you back, Syd had to steal the page from SD-6, in the process possibly blowing her cover, and Jack had to steal the ampoule of liquid from the CIA."
"Wow..."
"I know."
"So what about Syd's mom?"
Vaughn went on to tell Will the story about how Syd had out about her mom.
"So when I saw her on TV..."
"She was escaping from the F.B.I."
"What's she really like? Sydney, that is. Tell me about her."
Vaughn took on a dreamy look when he started to talk about Sydney. His eyes strayed to where she sat at the other end of the plane. "She's amazing."
"What do you mean?"
"She's incredible. Everything in her life revolves around darkness and deceit, but she hasn't let it darken her." He looked back to Will. "Will, when I first saw her, she had this crazy pink hair, like your sister's I presume, and her cheek was all swollen from the same torture that you just recently went through. I could have sworn that she was insane, but then I got to know her. She'd just lost the man she loved, and found out that she was working for the enemy of the United States. Despite that, she was still strong." He looked back at Will and gave him a small smile. "You might find this interesting: She knows almost every major foreign language, she's a terrific actress, and could whoop Bruce Lee any day of the week."
Now it was Will's turn to stare at Syd. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Sydney Bristow?"
Vaughn smiled dreamily, "Yes, the one and only."
~The Plane~
"O.K., Will, I know you have questions, even more than the last time we had this conversation, but"
"But you can't answer them. Syd, I know, we've went over this."
"Yes, but now you've seen, and heard, too much. You have to have some answers. Most likely you'll end up being recruited now, seeing as how you know more than most people at the CIA do." It was obvious to everyone that this was just about the last conversation that Sydney wanted to be having. "We have a long flight ahead of us, so you can go ahead and ask me questions?"
"I don't know where to start."
"Maybe I should start." Syd went on to tell him about her being recruited and the things that followed, but Will stopped her when she got to the part about Danny.
"So they just killed him, no questions asked?"
"Yes."
"O.K., can I ask my questions now?" He continued when she nodded. "What was Danny really doing with those plane tickets?"
"He wasn't doing anything, Will. He never knew about them."
"Then why was he leaving with a woman named Kate Jones? Who is she?"
Sydney sat ram-rod straight, obviously shocked.
"You know her don't you?"
"What do know about Kate Jones, Will?"
"Nothing, really. All I know is that she was supposed to be going to some foreign country with Danny and was impersonated by a woman who was later murdered, despite the fact that she's supposed to be dead."
"Will," Syd paused trying to make this easier for him. When she couldn't think of a way, she decided that it would be easiest to be blunt. "I'm Kate Jones. It's one of my many aliases." She could tell that he was shocked. He starred blankly at her for a few moments, before turning to look out the window. "Will, look at me." He did. "You have to accept the fact that you know practically nothing about me."
"Yes I do Syd."
"No...you don't."
"Then tell me Syd. You know I love you, regardless of what you're about to tell me."
"Will..."
"It's not like that Syd. I'm not in love with you. At one point I thought that I was, but then after Danny was killed, everything changed. When I thought that I'd caught him cheating on you, I was furious. I kept asking myself, 'How could he do that to her?' Then I learned about SD-6, and my feelings started to change. Syd, you're like my little sister."
"How much do you know about SD-6?"
"Practically nothing, except that they're dangerous...and evil."
"That's for sure. Do you have more questions for me?"
"Yes. Ummm...I thought you're mom was dead."
Syd had tried to prepare herself for this question. She couldn't stand the thought that Will would know about what her mother had done...to her, and to her country. "I did too." She took a deep breath to keep her tears from falling.
"When did you find out?"
They both looked up when Vaughn walked back. He walked over and sat beside Sydney, and seeing her tears, put his arm around her shoulder. "What's going on?"
"I was getting ready to tell him about my mother."
"Syd..."
"He knows too much to be kept in the dark. He deserves to know the truth. Besides, we've pretty much thrown protocol out the window."
Vaughn nodded his approval.
"Wait a minute Syd. The first thing I want to know is why I've never seen this guy before. It's obvious that you care for each other. Why didn't you ever bring him around?"
"Well...because I work for the CIA," Vaughn answered.
"And..."
"And technically, we're enemies," Syd looked down at her feet when she said that. She was moments away from losing control.
"Enemies?"
She nodded. "I work for SD-6." Will didn't react. He just stood there. It was too much for Sydney to take. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." She turned and walked away, leaving Will and Vaughn alone.
"She--She's an enemy of the CIA?"
"No, not really. She's a double agent. She's been working for SD-6 for about seven years now, but she only learned the truth after Danny's death."
"A double?"
"Yes. She still works for SD-6, but she is...leaking information and trading artifacts to the CIA."
"Isn't that..."
"Dangerous? Extremely. That's why we can't be seen together. I'm her handler," he knew he needed to explain when he saw Will's confused face, "she gets her mission form SD-6, contacts us, and I give her her counter mission. If we are seen together, we'll be killed."
"I still don't understand, you obviously love her, couldn't you just get you CIA buddies to arrange a date for you two or something?"
"Well...no. Agent/Handler relationships are strictly forbidden. I could very well lose my job, or worse, when the CIA finds out what I'm doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Syd, Jack, and I, are all going against the CIA just being here. Sydney and Jack are in twice as deep because they're also going against SD-6, which if discovered will get them killed. Yes, Jack is also a double."
"Why are you going to be in so much trouble?"
"Well, the document that we traded for you..." her continued when Will nodded, "was priceless. Syd and Dixon stole it in Paris, that's why she was there. It can't be read until you use a certain liquid to reveal the ink."
"Well, what's so bad about that?"
"In order to get you back, Syd had to steal the page from SD-6, in the process possibly blowing her cover, and Jack had to steal the ampoule of liquid from the CIA."
"Wow..."
"I know."
"So what about Syd's mom?"
Vaughn went on to tell Will the story about how Syd had out about her mom.
"So when I saw her on TV..."
"She was escaping from the F.B.I."
"What's she really like? Sydney, that is. Tell me about her."
Vaughn took on a dreamy look when he started to talk about Sydney. His eyes strayed to where she sat at the other end of the plane. "She's amazing."
"What do you mean?"
"She's incredible. Everything in her life revolves around darkness and deceit, but she hasn't let it darken her." He looked back to Will. "Will, when I first saw her, she had this crazy pink hair, like your sister's I presume, and her cheek was all swollen from the same torture that you just recently went through. I could have sworn that she was insane, but then I got to know her. She'd just lost the man she loved, and found out that she was working for the enemy of the United States. Despite that, she was still strong." He looked back at Will and gave him a small smile. "You might find this interesting: She knows almost every major foreign language, she's a terrific actress, and could whoop Bruce Lee any day of the week."
Now it was Will's turn to stare at Syd. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Sydney Bristow?"
Vaughn smiled dreamily, "Yes, the one and only."