Disclaimer first chapter.
Chapter Four
Sydney was outside on the balcony, petting Donavan, Vaughn's dog. It had been six hours since Sark had come, six hours since Sydney had been inside. Will came out and sat down next to her. Francie settled in on the other side.
"I have to work with him, Will."
"You can't trust him. He will betray you."
"He's the only chance I have left."
"He kidnapped me, Sydney!"
"You know what it's like to be tortured, Will! Sloane is doing that to Vaughn now. Vaughn will never give us up, but Sloane will try again. He'll the try the easy way out speech, the truth syrum, my mother/his father, and if all else fails the we'll-find-her-anyways-so-you-might-as-well-save-yourself route. It's not easy. Sark is my only option. He's brilliant. Psychopathically brilliant, a genius even. He's the only one."
Will shook his head. Sydney picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
"Wonderful to hear from you, Luv."
"I'm accepting your offer."
"I'm ecstatic. I will be by to take you to another location. Be ready in twenty minutes."
Sark hung up the phone and Sydney turned away. Will watched her and could see she was torn. She didn't want to work with this jerk, but felt she didn't have any choice. He would have to accept Mr. Sark for now. Will leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"It's okay, Sydney."
"We're going with him. Be ready to leave in 15."
Will nodded and glanced at Francie, who was still trying to understand this all.
Sark opened the door to the apartment. He scanned the room, but didn't see anyone. He crept into the bedroom and found Sydney holding a gun at him.
"Darn it, Sark, you scared me. It's better to knock you know. So you don't get your head blown OFF!"
"Perhaps. I've always liked to live on the edge."
This made Sydney let out a nervous chuckle. She dropped the gun, shaking. Sark advanced to her. Sydney watched him steadily. Sark gently wrapped his arms around her. "Hey. It's okay, Miss Bristow. Now there are two of us." He cleared his throat, uncomfortably, letting her go.
"Now where are Mr. Tippin and Miss Calfo?"
"The other room."
"Are you ready?"
"I guess. Can we bring Donavan?"
"Donavan?"
"Vaughn's dog. In case SD-6 decides to shoot up his apartment."
"Fine."
Sark followed her into the guest room. Francie shrunk back a little. This caused Sark to smirk. Obviously his reputation had preceeded him. Will stood a little bit in front of the girl, trying to look like he was protecting her. Sark rolled his blue eyes and glaced at Sydney.
"We need to leave soon. Sloane will probably be here any minute." Sark requested.
"I'm ready."
"Me, too." Will replied, quietly. They followed Sark to a van in the garage.
Vaughn hung his head. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep. He heard the door open and he looked up. Like an angel, Sydney floated in.
"Sydney." He gasped.
"Hey. You're okay, Michael. I promise. I'm okay, also. Sloane didn't want to kill me. He just wanted to talk to me. See, he never even wanted to hurt me. How did you pick such a wonderful hiding spot?"
Vaughn squinted and shook his head.
"You're not her."
"Of course I am, Michael."
Vaughn shook his head. Sydney didn't call him Michael. Besides, Sydney knew the hiding place wasn't really a hiding place. Vaughn kicked up his leg, hitting her in the stomach. "You're not her. You could never be her."
With that, Vaughn passed out.
Sydney was at Sark's laptop, looking over his shoulder. He was hacking into SD-6's mainframe.
"You know, I'd work better if someone wasn't looking over my shoulder." Sark said, teasing.
"Well, that's too bad. I don't trust you, Mr. Sark, and I intend to monitor your every move."
"My every move?" Sark questioned, his smirk breaking through. Sydney growled.
"Do you want me to knock you out?"
"Feisty! I like it!"
Sydney sighed loudly. Will watched the two and shook his head. They were practically bantering, his best friend and his kidnapper, the man who tortured him. He had to try to understand. Sydney was trying to help Vaughn. He turned his attention back to the two, Sark was chuckling.
"You'd think SD-6 would have harder passwords to get into the main frame."
Sydney shrugged. "I couldn't have hacked in."
"That's because you are not nearly as intelligent as I am."
"Don't get to cocky."
Sark opened his mouth. Sydney held up her hand.
"Don't even..."
The two turned towards the computer. He scrolled down, clicking and typing. He got into board Three. They found a memo concerning a mole. Sark nudged Sydney and she leaned forward as the email came into focus.
TO THE ALLIANCE:
We have recently discovered that Sydney Bristow has been a double agent for the last year. We went to deal with this discovery accordingly, but she has disappeared. In turn, we have her contact with the other agency, but he has proved to be useless. He will not give up her location. We will have to terminate him in the near future. His disappearance could be futile with others searching for him. I just wanted you to be aware.
Arvin Sloane
Sydney collapsed against Sark. "Terminate him?"
"It's the way of the business, Sydney."
"Can we get to him?"
"We will devise a plan. Together, I believe we can. But..."
"And here's the catch."
"There's a Rambaldi artifact I wish to acquire."
"Mhm."
"A jewelry box. I believe you are familiar with it."
Sydney nodded.
"We will also be taking that from the vault as we rescue Mr. Vaughn."
"Okay."
"First, tell me, is that the real box, or a replica used for SD-6?"
Sydney thought for a moment.
"No lies, Miss Bristow. I can check it's authenticity."
Sydney tightened her lips. "It's the real one."
"Very well. Let's decide what we are going to do."
He leaned in conspiratorally and they began to come up with a plan.
Chapter Four
Sydney was outside on the balcony, petting Donavan, Vaughn's dog. It had been six hours since Sark had come, six hours since Sydney had been inside. Will came out and sat down next to her. Francie settled in on the other side.
"I have to work with him, Will."
"You can't trust him. He will betray you."
"He's the only chance I have left."
"He kidnapped me, Sydney!"
"You know what it's like to be tortured, Will! Sloane is doing that to Vaughn now. Vaughn will never give us up, but Sloane will try again. He'll the try the easy way out speech, the truth syrum, my mother/his father, and if all else fails the we'll-find-her-anyways-so-you-might-as-well-save-yourself route. It's not easy. Sark is my only option. He's brilliant. Psychopathically brilliant, a genius even. He's the only one."
Will shook his head. Sydney picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
"Wonderful to hear from you, Luv."
"I'm accepting your offer."
"I'm ecstatic. I will be by to take you to another location. Be ready in twenty minutes."
Sark hung up the phone and Sydney turned away. Will watched her and could see she was torn. She didn't want to work with this jerk, but felt she didn't have any choice. He would have to accept Mr. Sark for now. Will leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"It's okay, Sydney."
"We're going with him. Be ready to leave in 15."
Will nodded and glanced at Francie, who was still trying to understand this all.
Sark opened the door to the apartment. He scanned the room, but didn't see anyone. He crept into the bedroom and found Sydney holding a gun at him.
"Darn it, Sark, you scared me. It's better to knock you know. So you don't get your head blown OFF!"
"Perhaps. I've always liked to live on the edge."
This made Sydney let out a nervous chuckle. She dropped the gun, shaking. Sark advanced to her. Sydney watched him steadily. Sark gently wrapped his arms around her. "Hey. It's okay, Miss Bristow. Now there are two of us." He cleared his throat, uncomfortably, letting her go.
"Now where are Mr. Tippin and Miss Calfo?"
"The other room."
"Are you ready?"
"I guess. Can we bring Donavan?"
"Donavan?"
"Vaughn's dog. In case SD-6 decides to shoot up his apartment."
"Fine."
Sark followed her into the guest room. Francie shrunk back a little. This caused Sark to smirk. Obviously his reputation had preceeded him. Will stood a little bit in front of the girl, trying to look like he was protecting her. Sark rolled his blue eyes and glaced at Sydney.
"We need to leave soon. Sloane will probably be here any minute." Sark requested.
"I'm ready."
"Me, too." Will replied, quietly. They followed Sark to a van in the garage.
Vaughn hung his head. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep. He heard the door open and he looked up. Like an angel, Sydney floated in.
"Sydney." He gasped.
"Hey. You're okay, Michael. I promise. I'm okay, also. Sloane didn't want to kill me. He just wanted to talk to me. See, he never even wanted to hurt me. How did you pick such a wonderful hiding spot?"
Vaughn squinted and shook his head.
"You're not her."
"Of course I am, Michael."
Vaughn shook his head. Sydney didn't call him Michael. Besides, Sydney knew the hiding place wasn't really a hiding place. Vaughn kicked up his leg, hitting her in the stomach. "You're not her. You could never be her."
With that, Vaughn passed out.
Sydney was at Sark's laptop, looking over his shoulder. He was hacking into SD-6's mainframe.
"You know, I'd work better if someone wasn't looking over my shoulder." Sark said, teasing.
"Well, that's too bad. I don't trust you, Mr. Sark, and I intend to monitor your every move."
"My every move?" Sark questioned, his smirk breaking through. Sydney growled.
"Do you want me to knock you out?"
"Feisty! I like it!"
Sydney sighed loudly. Will watched the two and shook his head. They were practically bantering, his best friend and his kidnapper, the man who tortured him. He had to try to understand. Sydney was trying to help Vaughn. He turned his attention back to the two, Sark was chuckling.
"You'd think SD-6 would have harder passwords to get into the main frame."
Sydney shrugged. "I couldn't have hacked in."
"That's because you are not nearly as intelligent as I am."
"Don't get to cocky."
Sark opened his mouth. Sydney held up her hand.
"Don't even..."
The two turned towards the computer. He scrolled down, clicking and typing. He got into board Three. They found a memo concerning a mole. Sark nudged Sydney and she leaned forward as the email came into focus.
TO THE ALLIANCE:
We have recently discovered that Sydney Bristow has been a double agent for the last year. We went to deal with this discovery accordingly, but she has disappeared. In turn, we have her contact with the other agency, but he has proved to be useless. He will not give up her location. We will have to terminate him in the near future. His disappearance could be futile with others searching for him. I just wanted you to be aware.
Arvin Sloane
Sydney collapsed against Sark. "Terminate him?"
"It's the way of the business, Sydney."
"Can we get to him?"
"We will devise a plan. Together, I believe we can. But..."
"And here's the catch."
"There's a Rambaldi artifact I wish to acquire."
"Mhm."
"A jewelry box. I believe you are familiar with it."
Sydney nodded.
"We will also be taking that from the vault as we rescue Mr. Vaughn."
"Okay."
"First, tell me, is that the real box, or a replica used for SD-6?"
Sydney thought for a moment.
"No lies, Miss Bristow. I can check it's authenticity."
Sydney tightened her lips. "It's the real one."
"Very well. Let's decide what we are going to do."
He leaned in conspiratorally and they began to come up with a plan.