Two Weeks Earlier
The warm climate of Seville seemed a welcome change from Los Angelos, despite the
similar temperatures. The atmosphere was different - architecture, people, life in general.
A mariachi band was playing below a balcony. Birds flew overhead, where the stars were out
in force. Sydney sat, watching the scenes, at a small restaurant.
"Perdoneme, señorita. ¿En qué puedo servirle?"
She noticed the waiter who had approached.
"Ah. Sí. Quiero un vino blanco. ¿Cuál recomende?"
"Pues, el Beringer es bienisimo, pero pienso que se gustará el Montevino."
"Muchas gracias."
The waiter bowed and went to retrieve the bottle of wine. Sydney surveyed the crowd.
"Can you see him?" Dixon asked.
Her partner was in a room above the restaurant. He contacted her through a two-way radio.
"Yes," she whispered, "he's alone."
She had been given instructions to contact an enemy agent, one Miguel Chavez. She needed
to scan his eyes so she could later break into a safe. Her glasses would transmit a retinal
pattern to Dixon's computer, where contacts would be made. After she left the restaurant,
she would pick them up and move on to the safe. The waiter was SD3, and the wine would be
drugged to create a commotion for her to slip away and get to the lock with the contacts.
Inside the safe was another Rambaldi item. Supposedly. CIA Intelligence had learned,
however, that the artifact had been moved. Sloane didn't know. Sydney would meet with a
CIA team that would give her a wired forgery. She would give them the other thing Sloane
didn't know about. Disks bearing information that could destroy SD6 and the Alliance of
Twelve. Information that could end the lies Sydney had been telling for ten years.
The waiter brought the wine, with two glasses. Sydney waited a few minutes before
approaching the table in the corner.
"Hola, señor. ¿Te gusta el vino blanco?"
She held up the bottle. Chavez examined the label, and then let his eyes rake over
her. Sydney once again cursed the disguise department of SD6 for chosing skimpy outfits.
"Una seleción buena, señorita. Sientese, por favor."
Sydney smiled as sweetly as possible and sat down, pouring a healthy dose of wine into
each glass. She offered a toast, and locked eyes with him just long enough for the retinal
scan. Chavez tossed back the wine. In less than a minute, he had passed out.
"Díos mío!" Sydney yelled, jumped from her chair. "Llama un doctor!"
An ambulance was called, and amidst the chaos, Sydney slipped inside and ran up the
stairs, quickly retreiving the contacts and moving to the safe. The retinal scan picked up
the copied patterns, and the door creaked open. She grabbed the disks and ran to meet the
CIA team. She handed off the files and took the forgery, hiding it in her bag. She gave
them a smile and ran to meet Dixon in the alley way. The van was ready and waiting.
---------------------------------------------------------
Four hours later, Sydney sat on her couch. She had stayed home rather than go out with
Francie and Will. She told herself it was because she was tired, but deep down, she knew
she was waiting for the phone to ring. Finally, it did.
"Hello?"
"Joey's Pizza?"
She smiled. "No. Wrong number."
She hung up and jumped off the couch, pulling her jacket on. She drove quickly to the
warehouse. He was waiting. Sydney took a deep breath and entered. Meeting with Michael
Vaughn had a tendency to take her breath away. He was everything she'd ever looked for in a
man. Even though she couldn't have him, Sydney knew that she loved him.
"How was Spain?"
She smiled. "Beautiful. I could have stayed for weeks."
Vaughn smiled back warmly. "Well, maybe you can start planning a vacation."
"What do you mean?"
"The intel was amazing," he replied. "Devlin's set up a takeover operation."
Sydney sat down for fear that her legs would no longer hold her up. "What?"
He stepped towards her chair. "That information, Syd... added to what we already
have, it's everything we need to bring down SD-6 and the Alliance."
A grin spread slowly across her face. "Really?"
"Really."
Sydney stood and closed the distance between them, pulling him into her arms. They
stood in silence for several minutes, holding eachother, before she stepped away.
"Vaughn, I.. this.. this is amazing."
He smiled again. "Thanks to you."
"No, not just me."
"You got the intel."
"When's the operation?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"It'll be two weeks before Devlin's ready, but not much longer."
Sydney sighed. "I guess a few weeks should seen like nothing after ten years."
"You deserve to be free from all of this, Sydney. You deserve a normal life."
"I don't even know what that is. I don't know how to be normal anymore."
He sighed. "I don't think I could tell you either. I guess we're both screwed up."
Sydney laughed softly and looked up at her handler. His eyes were lit up, mirroring her
own happiness and excitement at the news.
"Does my father know yet?"
"No," Vaughn replied. "No, I thought you should be the one to tell him."
She nodded slightly. "He'll be thrilled."
The room filled with silence.
"Sydney, I, uh.."
"I know." She smiled. "So... are the Kings in town next month?"
He laughed. "Hopefully... if not, a movie will do. Hockey can wait."
"That sounds fine." She grinned. "But I think you just want to get me in a dark room."
Vaughn blushed lightly. "Well... now that you mention it..."
"Two weeks," She promised.
He smiled. "I can't wait."
Sydney smiled back widely before hugging him again and leaving the warehouse. As she
left, she felt her heart soaring. In only a few weeks, her life would finally be her own
again.
The warm climate of Seville seemed a welcome change from Los Angelos, despite the
similar temperatures. The atmosphere was different - architecture, people, life in general.
A mariachi band was playing below a balcony. Birds flew overhead, where the stars were out
in force. Sydney sat, watching the scenes, at a small restaurant.
"Perdoneme, señorita. ¿En qué puedo servirle?"
She noticed the waiter who had approached.
"Ah. Sí. Quiero un vino blanco. ¿Cuál recomende?"
"Pues, el Beringer es bienisimo, pero pienso que se gustará el Montevino."
"Muchas gracias."
The waiter bowed and went to retrieve the bottle of wine. Sydney surveyed the crowd.
"Can you see him?" Dixon asked.
Her partner was in a room above the restaurant. He contacted her through a two-way radio.
"Yes," she whispered, "he's alone."
She had been given instructions to contact an enemy agent, one Miguel Chavez. She needed
to scan his eyes so she could later break into a safe. Her glasses would transmit a retinal
pattern to Dixon's computer, where contacts would be made. After she left the restaurant,
she would pick them up and move on to the safe. The waiter was SD3, and the wine would be
drugged to create a commotion for her to slip away and get to the lock with the contacts.
Inside the safe was another Rambaldi item. Supposedly. CIA Intelligence had learned,
however, that the artifact had been moved. Sloane didn't know. Sydney would meet with a
CIA team that would give her a wired forgery. She would give them the other thing Sloane
didn't know about. Disks bearing information that could destroy SD6 and the Alliance of
Twelve. Information that could end the lies Sydney had been telling for ten years.
The waiter brought the wine, with two glasses. Sydney waited a few minutes before
approaching the table in the corner.
"Hola, señor. ¿Te gusta el vino blanco?"
She held up the bottle. Chavez examined the label, and then let his eyes rake over
her. Sydney once again cursed the disguise department of SD6 for chosing skimpy outfits.
"Una seleción buena, señorita. Sientese, por favor."
Sydney smiled as sweetly as possible and sat down, pouring a healthy dose of wine into
each glass. She offered a toast, and locked eyes with him just long enough for the retinal
scan. Chavez tossed back the wine. In less than a minute, he had passed out.
"Díos mío!" Sydney yelled, jumped from her chair. "Llama un doctor!"
An ambulance was called, and amidst the chaos, Sydney slipped inside and ran up the
stairs, quickly retreiving the contacts and moving to the safe. The retinal scan picked up
the copied patterns, and the door creaked open. She grabbed the disks and ran to meet the
CIA team. She handed off the files and took the forgery, hiding it in her bag. She gave
them a smile and ran to meet Dixon in the alley way. The van was ready and waiting.
---------------------------------------------------------
Four hours later, Sydney sat on her couch. She had stayed home rather than go out with
Francie and Will. She told herself it was because she was tired, but deep down, she knew
she was waiting for the phone to ring. Finally, it did.
"Hello?"
"Joey's Pizza?"
She smiled. "No. Wrong number."
She hung up and jumped off the couch, pulling her jacket on. She drove quickly to the
warehouse. He was waiting. Sydney took a deep breath and entered. Meeting with Michael
Vaughn had a tendency to take her breath away. He was everything she'd ever looked for in a
man. Even though she couldn't have him, Sydney knew that she loved him.
"How was Spain?"
She smiled. "Beautiful. I could have stayed for weeks."
Vaughn smiled back warmly. "Well, maybe you can start planning a vacation."
"What do you mean?"
"The intel was amazing," he replied. "Devlin's set up a takeover operation."
Sydney sat down for fear that her legs would no longer hold her up. "What?"
He stepped towards her chair. "That information, Syd... added to what we already
have, it's everything we need to bring down SD-6 and the Alliance."
A grin spread slowly across her face. "Really?"
"Really."
Sydney stood and closed the distance between them, pulling him into her arms. They
stood in silence for several minutes, holding eachother, before she stepped away.
"Vaughn, I.. this.. this is amazing."
He smiled again. "Thanks to you."
"No, not just me."
"You got the intel."
"When's the operation?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"It'll be two weeks before Devlin's ready, but not much longer."
Sydney sighed. "I guess a few weeks should seen like nothing after ten years."
"You deserve to be free from all of this, Sydney. You deserve a normal life."
"I don't even know what that is. I don't know how to be normal anymore."
He sighed. "I don't think I could tell you either. I guess we're both screwed up."
Sydney laughed softly and looked up at her handler. His eyes were lit up, mirroring her
own happiness and excitement at the news.
"Does my father know yet?"
"No," Vaughn replied. "No, I thought you should be the one to tell him."
She nodded slightly. "He'll be thrilled."
The room filled with silence.
"Sydney, I, uh.."
"I know." She smiled. "So... are the Kings in town next month?"
He laughed. "Hopefully... if not, a movie will do. Hockey can wait."
"That sounds fine." She grinned. "But I think you just want to get me in a dark room."
Vaughn blushed lightly. "Well... now that you mention it..."
"Two weeks," She promised.
He smiled. "I can't wait."
Sydney smiled back widely before hugging him again and leaving the warehouse. As she
left, she felt her heart soaring. In only a few weeks, her life would finally be her own
again.