Author's Note: I realise that they escape from the sub-basement was a bit too easy, but I can barely think straight, let alone plot out a difficult escape. Plus, it's ALIAS, and as much as I like the show, sometimes the escapes are way to easy.
Jack walked briskly through the offices of SD-6, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone else. He was desperate to make it back to the van, to see his daughter again. Images of the woman in the room with Sydney and Agent Vaughn kept repeating over and over in his mind. It was that woman, the one who lived with Sydney. What was her name again? Oh, yeah, Francie. What was she doing here? He increased his walking speed, fervently wanting to know the answers.
Weiss watched as Sydney, Vaughn and Francie walked into the elevator. Francie and Sydney seemed in pretty good shape- the dark bruising on Sydney's temple was a bit worrying, but didn't require urgent medical attention. It was Mike he was worried about. He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed and arms hanging listlessly at his sides. There was a large bruise covering his left temple, but it was his left hand that worried Eric the most. Mike was unconsciously favouring it, and it was no wonder why. It was swollen, covered in bruising.
Weiss looked from Vaughn to Sydney, who was looking at Vaughn with deep concern. Weiss cleared his throat and she looked at him. He nodded questioningly at Vaughn, and Sydney just shook her head. Weiss frowned, but before he could say anything, the elevator juddered to a halt, and the doors slid open. He jumped slightly, then looked outside the door. The coast was clear (again. SD-6 should really reconsider the efficiency of its security system).
*
Will tapped the steering wheel of the panel van, bored out of his mind. The silence in the carpark was beginning to get to him, so he started singing quietly to himself. Suddenly his radio crackled into life, startling him more than he'd like to admit. He quickly composed himself, then responded.
"They're coming up, we'll be there any minute," came Jack Bristow's gruff voice.
"Okay," said Will, as he turned the key in the ignition. The van revved to life, vibrating loudly in the silence. Will looked at the rearview mirrors, anxious for a glimpse of Sydney, so he could see for himself that she was all right.
Sydney crawled through the air conditioning ducts behind everyone else. She was finding this relatively easy, but it seemed she was the only one. There were regular sotto voce swear words from Weiss, sighs of annoyance from Francie and little gasps of pain from Vaughn. The latter was particularly worrying, and Sydney was only too happy that they were nearly out. Suddenly Weiss stopped, causing a chain reaction of crashing into the person in front of you and mumbled apologies. He shushed them quiet.
"Did you hear that?" came a small voice from somewhere underneath them.
"Yeah…I think it's coming from the ducts," came another voice. Sydney held her breath.
"Rats maybe?"
"No, too large. I think we should alert security." And with that they heard retreating footsteps. A stream of fervent swearing came from Weiss' direction, and he started crawling double speed. The noise was shocking, but there was no help for that, they had a few minutes on the outside before security arrived. Sydney bit her lip as she crawled, hoping and praying that they would make it.
Jack Bristow stepped out of the elevator and strode calmly to the van. He opened the door harshly, startling Will. Jack pretended not to notice, and Will turned back to the rear view mirrors. Jack sighed- he'd better tell him.
"There's something you should know…" Jack started. Will turned to face him, eyes wide.
"Is there something wrong with Sydney?" he asked anxiously. Jack shook his head.
"No, she's fine. It's about Francie."
"What about Francie?" asked Will, bewildered.
"She's with them," Jack stated. Will's eyes widened even further, and his mouth opened.
"Before you start asking me questions, I don't know any more about her role in this than you do. I just thought I should tell you that she's here." Will clamped his mouth shut and nodded. Jack turned to the side mirror, watching for some sign of his daughter.
Weiss sighed in relief when he finally reached the vent. Nearly home free! Those last few minutes had been the worst- the constant fear of being discovered. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the trusty screwdriver and went to town on the vent. The other three sat in the ducting, panting heavily. After about a minute, the vent fell to the ground with a resounding clatter. Weiss shrugged. Didn't matter now, security already know they were here. He stuffed the screwdriver into his pocket and dropped out of the hole and into the carpark.
Will watched in the mirror as first Agent Weiss appeared, followed by Francie (thank god Jack had warned him, she could have given him a heart attack), then someone he'd never seen before, and finally Sydney. Weiss pointed out the car, and they started walking towards it, wiping away sweat. Will watched, horrified, as they walked on calmly, oblivious to the security team standing with guns armed right at them. Jack hadn't seemed to notice either, leaving Will with no choice.
"Look out!" screamed a familiar sounding voice. Sydney whirled around instantly, just before the security team started firing. She swore vehemently, then grabbed Francie's elbow and started running. Weiss and Vaughn were right on their heels. The panel van revved, then started reversing towards them, the back doors swinging open.
"Get in!" called another familiar voice. Sydney complied, dragging Francie in with her. Weiss and Vaughn jumped in afterwards, pulling the doors shut after them. The sound of bullets impacting on the metal echoed throughout the van, and Francie gave a little sob of fear. The van tore out of the building, swerving wildly on punctured tires, then squealed into the night.
Author's Note: I think they still got away too easily, but hey, blame it on being sick. Yeah, that'll do. Once again, I thank EVERYBODY for their wonderful feedback (I love you guys!) and ask for more. I know, I'm just never satisfied. BTW, how does everyone feel about some romance? If you like, keep tuned. If you don't, keep tuned anyway, I want your feedback!