Chapter Two: To Find and To Lose
A/N: THANK YOU REVIEWERS!!!!! You totally made my day! At the end of the chapter should be a list of all the people who have reviewed so far, with special thank you's to the reviewers who REALLY made writing this story worth writing! I hope this chapter is just as good!
Dedication: To my friend and html handler, Daphne Wu. Sorry I forgot to thank you last chapter, Daff! (See, I told you I'd publicly apologizeJ)
Help me, please! What's a beta reader? Everyone seems to have one and I don't. Whatever it is, I need one! My e-mail address is girlpest@yahoo.com if anyone wants to volunteer. *looks up with puppy dog eyes*
As usual, any reviewers will be credited in the next chapter!!
Summary: Like last time, no summary because of major plot twists (REALLY major this time). Wouldn't want to spoil the story for you!!
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*Vaughn's POV* (while he is in the water-filled room)
I knew when the door closed that my life was over. While the waves of water slammed onto my body, I prepared for death: I thought about life. My life, it hadn't been too bad. I hadn't had the most glamorous or high-paying job or the best house, but I really would miss the simple pleasures of life. I would miss talking and joking with Weiss, playing with my dog; hell, I would even miss yelling at Haladki. But most of all, I would miss Sydney, her bright smile and sunny personality that could light me up inside. We were never in a "relationship" together, but I could honestly say that I loved her.
And I regret not telling her that; I regret not having the opportunity to maybe-just maybe-think of her as something other than a spy who I just happened to be the handler of.
Keeping my mind occupied helped me get through the most difficult moments of my life. It wasn't the lack of oxygen or the thought of death that terrified me-it was Sydney's face. I'd never seen her look like that before, as she tried again and again to release me from that hellhole. A mixture of the familiar Sydney determination and a new expression that I couldn't quite place. Was it helplessness? Sadness? Whatever it was, it made me almost believe that she loved me, too. Almost.
After a while, I no longer cared whether I lived or not. Dying wasn't too bad, I thought. But no matter what happened, I refused to let Sydney see it. So with the last of my strength I pushed against the door, thrusting myself into the depths of the inky room. And just as I closed my eyes and felt myself slipping into blessed unconsciousness, the water in the room started draining away as quickly as it had been filled.
Knowing that getting air in the next few seconds was my only chance of survival, I mustered all the energy I had left into one swift kick and, after what seemed like an eternity, broke the water's surface, gasping for air. The burning in my lungs was worse than after any workout I'd even been through but right then at that moment, all I could feel was relief. The relief quickly turned to a feeling of caution and even fear, however, as I began wondering who was behind my rescue. I prayed that no one unfriendly has staged this and that they could not see me in the semidarkness of the hallway. No such luck. My heart jumped into my throat as I heard a voice crackle through an intercom somewhere on the ceiling.
"Stay where you are, Mr. Vaughn. Unless you want to get hurt, that is."
The lights flickered back on and I could now see that the walls of the hallway were retractable and that they had slid back slightly to allow the water to seep through.
With a loud bang, the sliding door opened and before I could even react, armed guards grabbed me and pinned me to the ground. Through the doorway stepped another person, a woman this time, her heels clicking on the floor. A woman that I would recognize anywhere: Sydney's mother, the woman who had murdered my father in cold blood. Before I could speak, she silenced me with a wave of her hand.
"Hello, Mr. Vaughn." I detected a slight Russian accent. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. You remind me of your father."
At these words, the rage within me broke out. Spitting out a string of expletives, I strained futilely against the guards' grasps, only to have them tighten their hold on me.
Sydney's mother, far from looking affected by my violent reaction, looked almost amused.
"I suppose you've heard of me, then. I'm Sydney's mother, otherwise known as the Man."
She abruptly spun on her heel and walked out of the room.
Not giving me a chance to think, much less go after her, the guards pressed a disgustingly sweet cloth to my face. Darkness ensued.
The darkness pressed down all around me, and my vision swam. Half-unconscious still, from the powerful dose of morphine I had been given, I stumbled to my feet with some effort. Rubbing my eyes, I perceived that I was in a small, dingy, closet-like room, where the Man most likely kept his prisoners. Oh, yeah. The Man wasn't a he; he was a she-Sydney's mother, I thought with a small amount of dry sarcasm.
The key to cell door turned and the room was suddenly bathed in fluorescent light. Blinking, I drew in a sharp breath as I made out the features of…the Man. Once again, guards, who quickly came and restrained me in case I tried anything, accompanied her.
Without saying a word, Derevko turned around and the guards followed, roughly dragging me with them. We went down a series of twisting passages, so it got that my already spinning head became dizzy to the point of collapse. Closing my eyes, I let myself be led along.
"I have a surprise for you Mr. Vaughn." Irina's mouth was so close to my ear I could feel her hot breath on my earlobe. Seeing me shudder in repulsion made her chuckle.
I didn't want to know what the surprise was.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice. I was literally thrown into the room, and landed painfully on my knees. Dreading what was to come, I dared to look up. And what I saw was…Sydney….
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*Sydney's POV* (picking off from last time)
Was it possible to feel so much joy and relief at one time? I thought. Vaughn wasn't dead. He wasn't dead; I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore.
"Awww…isn't sweet? Agent and handler reunited." I didn't like the sound of Irina's voice.
She walked over to the table that had been brought in, and picked up a steel poker. From the heat that it emitted, I could tell that it had been very recently put into a fire.
Smiling nastily, her eyes wandered from Vaughn to me, possibly deciding who to kill first.
Striding purposely over to Vaughn, she said to him, "Ever been burned my a hot poker Mr. Vaughn? It hurts. A lot. And I judge from your _expression that you wouldn't like to experience it. Well, I'm afraid the only person that can save you is Sydney. But, you know, I have a feeling it might take some persuasion." Her voice was dripping with fake innocence.
"Yes, Sydney, you heard me right. You're the only one who can save lovely Mr. Vaughn here. But it won't be that easy. I'll let him go……..that is, only if you abandon your career with the CIA and join me."
"And if you decide not to join me," she said, tracing Vaughn's jaw line with a fingernail "let's just say the fun part is still to come."
"I'll give you a while to think about it."
Guards grabbed Vaughn again, pulling him out of the room, and she followed, the door creaking to a close behind her.
A/N: Sorry if I disappointed anyone. I know this chapter wasn't as well written as the last, but I can't concentrate on style and action at the same time! Well, stay with me, cause I've got a BIG HUGE MAJOR plot twist coming up. The first two are NOTHING compared to the one that's to come. Yes, I know I'm evil. Below should be a list of the people who reviewed last chapter. You have no idea how much I love ya'll!!!!!
Christina
ecd
Spotlight85
Lurker
Anonymous
Kendra
Odessa
Masquerade
Extra Hugs and Kisses to:
Couch
CrimsonRose
Placebo
Ann
Songbird
Shonda01
Thanks soooo much to everyone who reviewed. YOU are the reason I write!