Chapter 12
When Sydney entered the warehouse, she made it clear that she wasn't at all happy to be there. She stomped up to Vaughn and then stood glaring at him.
"What's wrong?" Vaughn was completely confused, and a little worried. He had bad news to tell her and he hated to have to lay it on her if she already had some of her own.
"Nothing's wrong," she said on a sigh. "It's just been a long day. Sloane was acting weird and it's had me on edge."
Vaughn looked down at the ground, knowing that what he was bout to tell her would not go over well.
"Syd, we agreed not to put Will into a protection program, and not to recruit him, because he knew the risks. He knew all of the risks. You, along with the CIA, assumed that it would be O.K. now that he fully understood the circumstances. We were wrong." He turned around and picked up a newspaper. On the front page was an article that read: Secret Government Agency Responsible For Local Doctor's Murder.
Sydney snatched the paper out of Vaughn's hands and started to read the article. She's only read the first few lines and already knew what was coming. She put her hand on her forehead to try to stop the spinning. "When was this published?"
"This morning. Syd There's more. Will called me."
"He did what?" She was shocked that Will would do something so stupid.
"He called my house at about 2:30 this morning and said that he wanted to talk about you."
Now Sydney needed to sit down. This was too much.
"I guess we should have told him that this house was probably bugged." Vaughn looked away.
"You didn't tell him? I thought we agreed that he needed to know everything."
"We didn't think that it would be a good idea to tell him that there are people watching everything he does and listening to everything that he says. You know what that's like. We didn't think that it was necessary to put him through that. We didn't want him to become paranoid."
Sydney knew what was coming. She had to go into witness protection. "Well.where am I going? When do I leave?"
"You have to leave tonight. Right now."
"Right now? What about Francie and Will?"
"We'll take care of them. Will will be entering the program also, maybe even Francie. By the way, what did you tell her about your injuries?"
She shrugged, "I told her the truth."
"You-" Vaughn didn't get to finish his statement. A gunshot blasted through the quiet warehouse. Vaughn and Sydney spun around and saw Jack standing over the body of a sniper. Luckily, the man hadn't put up a fight, because Jack would've been no match with his arm in a sling.
He looked up at the two with a solemn look on his face. "Sydney, you've been exposed. Sloane has ordered that you two, along with Will and Francie, be executed. He came in to tell me earlier today. I contacted Devlin. He's had it arranged that you, Will, and Francie will fly to Madrid tonight. It is very risky for the three of you to be together, but in this case, it's our only option.
"Wait a minute," Sydney was confused, "Why does Francie need to be in protective custody?"
"Sloane has lost all faith in you Sydney. As far as he's concerned, anyone that you are close to knows about SD-6. He won't take action against me; he still trusts me."
"Well, why are we all going to Madrid?"
"We still need you to run a few missions. You're going to need help, and we can't risk sending in any teams. You're not all going, Syd, Vaughn will be staying here."
"Now, wait a minute. You want Will and Francie to help me on missions? I can't believe I'm hearing this! You want me to use my two best friends in the world to accomplish my missions? Neither one of them have ever even shot a gun! Not even at a target! I don't even think they can fight!"
"That's why you have to train them."
"I have to what?"
"We tried to let them live normal lives Sydney." Vaughn could see that this wasn't going well. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. "We really did, but you know Sloane. He won't stop looking for them."
She sighed in resignation. "O.K., how's this thing gonna work?"
When Sydney entered the warehouse, she made it clear that she wasn't at all happy to be there. She stomped up to Vaughn and then stood glaring at him.
"What's wrong?" Vaughn was completely confused, and a little worried. He had bad news to tell her and he hated to have to lay it on her if she already had some of her own.
"Nothing's wrong," she said on a sigh. "It's just been a long day. Sloane was acting weird and it's had me on edge."
Vaughn looked down at the ground, knowing that what he was bout to tell her would not go over well.
"Syd, we agreed not to put Will into a protection program, and not to recruit him, because he knew the risks. He knew all of the risks. You, along with the CIA, assumed that it would be O.K. now that he fully understood the circumstances. We were wrong." He turned around and picked up a newspaper. On the front page was an article that read: Secret Government Agency Responsible For Local Doctor's Murder.
Sydney snatched the paper out of Vaughn's hands and started to read the article. She's only read the first few lines and already knew what was coming. She put her hand on her forehead to try to stop the spinning. "When was this published?"
"This morning. Syd There's more. Will called me."
"He did what?" She was shocked that Will would do something so stupid.
"He called my house at about 2:30 this morning and said that he wanted to talk about you."
Now Sydney needed to sit down. This was too much.
"I guess we should have told him that this house was probably bugged." Vaughn looked away.
"You didn't tell him? I thought we agreed that he needed to know everything."
"We didn't think that it would be a good idea to tell him that there are people watching everything he does and listening to everything that he says. You know what that's like. We didn't think that it was necessary to put him through that. We didn't want him to become paranoid."
Sydney knew what was coming. She had to go into witness protection. "Well.where am I going? When do I leave?"
"You have to leave tonight. Right now."
"Right now? What about Francie and Will?"
"We'll take care of them. Will will be entering the program also, maybe even Francie. By the way, what did you tell her about your injuries?"
She shrugged, "I told her the truth."
"You-" Vaughn didn't get to finish his statement. A gunshot blasted through the quiet warehouse. Vaughn and Sydney spun around and saw Jack standing over the body of a sniper. Luckily, the man hadn't put up a fight, because Jack would've been no match with his arm in a sling.
He looked up at the two with a solemn look on his face. "Sydney, you've been exposed. Sloane has ordered that you two, along with Will and Francie, be executed. He came in to tell me earlier today. I contacted Devlin. He's had it arranged that you, Will, and Francie will fly to Madrid tonight. It is very risky for the three of you to be together, but in this case, it's our only option.
"Wait a minute," Sydney was confused, "Why does Francie need to be in protective custody?"
"Sloane has lost all faith in you Sydney. As far as he's concerned, anyone that you are close to knows about SD-6. He won't take action against me; he still trusts me."
"Well, why are we all going to Madrid?"
"We still need you to run a few missions. You're going to need help, and we can't risk sending in any teams. You're not all going, Syd, Vaughn will be staying here."
"Now, wait a minute. You want Will and Francie to help me on missions? I can't believe I'm hearing this! You want me to use my two best friends in the world to accomplish my missions? Neither one of them have ever even shot a gun! Not even at a target! I don't even think they can fight!"
"That's why you have to train them."
"I have to what?"
"We tried to let them live normal lives Sydney." Vaughn could see that this wasn't going well. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. "We really did, but you know Sloane. He won't stop looking for them."
She sighed in resignation. "O.K., how's this thing gonna work?"