"Recoil"

Author: Waterdancer aka AquarianLady

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Website: None at this time

Feedback: Yes.

Distribution: CD. Anyone else please ask.

Disclaimer: Um. If I owned any part of Alias, you'd know it. All Alias related material are the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot, ABC, Touchstone TV, and anyone else who has a claim. Diana Rochelle, Nikolai Ludin, Jacques Delacroix are mine.

Summary: A woman from Vaughn's past comes back.

Rating: R for language, and violence

Classification: Action/Adventure, General, dash of romance.

A/N are at the end.

***********

"Diana, you and I may not have fought on the same side, but the one thing that I've always respected is that you were loyal. However, I would have never thought that you would be one to follow so blindly," Nikolai said, pushing her in front of him.

Diana turned and glared at the tall man. "Follow so blindly, Nikolai? What are you talking about?"

"Where's the disk and the money, Diana?" he said.  She stepped back and examined her surroundings. His tall frame blocked every available avenue of escape. She could try to fight her way out; she was quick, but she remembered the night he discovered she was a CIA agent.  He was faster; not to mention stronger.

Diana's eyebrows drew together, and she tried to hide her surprise. "What disk? What money?"

"Please stop playing stupid, Diana. My employers are growing impatient. The money and the disk need to be returned to me."

She backed up against the wall. "I'll ask again, Nikolai: What money? What disk?"

He straightened out his jacket and placed his hand over her head.  He leaned forward.  "You lie with such innocence; I had forgotten how easy it is to believe your lies.  Now, Diana, where is the intel and the money?"

She shook her head and held her hands in front of her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Suka!" Diana's head snapped back as his hand struck her face. She worked her jaw back and forth, checking to see if anything was broken.  She was surprised at how upset she was at being called a bitch; maybe it wouldn't bother her so badly if she was actually lying.

She leaned forward and smirked. "Yeb vas."

He didn't look upset at being told to "fuck off". He looked her over and smiled slowly. "Good to see that you haven't forgotten your Russian."

"Good to see that you're still a dick," she said, rubbing her jaw. She glanced looked over the littered pavement to look for anything to use against him. Noticing a two by four leaning on the wall to her right, she returned her focus to his face.

 "What do I owe this visit, Nikolai? Run out of caviar in prison?" She chuckled and slowly inched towards the board.

"As you very well should know, prison is no place for a man of my caliber. People are easily bought, and I couldn't go another day without seeing my favorite CIA agent," he said, grabbing her face and turning it towards him. "Just give me the money and the disk, Diana, and I'll be out of your hair."

She knocked his hand away from her face. "I've already told you that I don't know what you are talking about."

"Lgun!" She couldn't argue; she was a liar by trade, but she wished he would get it through his thick skull that she was telling the truth.  He hissed as he grabbed her neck. "I don't want to hurt you, Diana, but I will if you do not tell me where it is." She squeezed her eyes shut as Nikolai applied more pressure to her throat. "Where is it, Diana?"

"Nikolai--" She struggled to speak; her hand moved across the brick wall towards the board. She grabbed it and swung it towards his midsection. His vice-like grip on her neck loosened as the board connected with his side.

"You son of a bitch!" she gasped as she started to cough.

********

Vaughn rushed into the market and headed towards its center.  He pressed on the comm link in his ear.

"Weiss? You there?" He whispered as he looked through the mass of people for anyone who stood out from the usual crowd of chefs and restaurateurs. He located his old friends' booth and headed towards it.

"I'm here, Vaughn. Any sign of Diana yet?"

"Not yet. Anything on your end?"

Weiss, who had entered from the south side, replied, "Nothing here either, Vaughn. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"That's what I was afraid of." He looked down at his watch. 4:00 pm. She had been missing for more than forty-five minutes. When he reached the booth, he waited while his old friend finished bagging some vegetables. Memories flooded Vaughn's mind as he thought back the first time he and Jacques had met. 

"So, you're the man that Diana loves?" Jacques said, looking over Vaughn with a slight smirk on his face. "I am," Vaughn replied confidently. Diana had explained to him that Jacques had been like a father to her since she'd been in the CIA, and she wanted Vaughn to meet him. Jacques walked around Vaughn as if he was sizing him up. "My Diana, she's made a good choice," he said as he finished walking around him.

"Jacques," Vaughn said quietly as the young woman walked away.

"Vaughn," Jacques replied. He walked towards the back of his booth. "Please come back here."

"Jacques, we don't have time. Just tell me—"

"Come back here, Michael," he said, this time with more edge in his voice. 

As they reached the back, Jacques pulled a sack from underneath the back table and handed it to him. "Take this."

Vaughn looked at the brightly colored bag and frowned. "Vegetables, Jacques?  You tell me that Diana is missing, and you're giving me fucking vegetables?"

"Goddammit, Michael!" Jacques said, throwing his free hand up in frustration. "For once, stop thinking that you are Captain America and look in the bag."

Glaring back at him, Vaughn reached into it.  His shoulders relaxed as he felt a Kevlar vest.  "What's going on, Jacques? Why didn't you call me the minute you saw her? I told her to stay at my house."

"Michael, when have you ever known Diana to listen to anyone but herself?  Look," he said, holding his hands out in front of him. "There were two men who are here. The one who took Diana, and there's one in the building directly in front of this booth. I believe that both men are armed.  Are you alone or is someone with you?"

As if on cue, Weiss walked up behind Vaughn. "Vaughn, any word yet?"

Vaughn motioned towards Weiss. "It's just the two of us."

Jacques looked over Weiss and nodded. "I would suggest that you two spilt up. One of you take the man in that building, and someone try to find Diana before it's too late." He pointed at Weiss. "Are you armed?"

Weiss lifted the side of his jacket to show his gun.

"Good," Jacques replied. He bent over and took another bag from underneath the table.
"Put the vests on and go help her."

After putting his vest on, Weiss turned to Vaughn. "She's going to be okay, Vaughn. You know that, right?"

Vaughn shrugged into his vest and looked up at the old brownstone building in front of the booth. The glass from the windows shimmered in bright sunlight as Vaughn raised a hand to shield his eyes. The rays of the light splashed off the panes, blinding him. He was fumbling with his sunglasses when a sudden movement from the far-left window caught his attention. What was that? He studied the area and, a second later, received an answer to his question.

"Do you see that?" he asked Weiss, nodding slightly towards the building.

Weiss looked at the building. "See what?"

"Third floor window. In the corner."

Weiss put his sunglasses on and looked at the window again. "I see him," he said quietly, before looking back at Vaughn. He adjusted his suit jacket. "I'll take care of it. You just go get Diana."

"Eric, you'll need help up there," Vaughn said hesitantly, glancing at the dusty third story window.

"Mike, I'll be okay. Go find her."

"Thanks, Weiss," he called over his shoulder as he walked towards the area where Jacques said he saw her last.

*****

Nikolai fell back onto the crates with a grunt. Diana stood over him with the two by four in her hand. "Get up, you bastard! Get up!" she shouted.

Diana stepped back in shock as she heard Nikolai start to laugh. "Fuck, Diana. Still using weapons instead of your bare hands to take down your enemy? I thought I trained you better than that."

"That was a long time ago, Nikolai.  St. Petersburg is in the past, and you should be in prison. What are you doing here?"

He stood up and straightened out his jacket. He stepped dangerously close to her and said, "Like I told you, Diana. I want the disk and the money, and I'll leave you alone."

She tossed the board down to the ground and glared at him. "And like I told you, Nikolai, I do NOT know what you're talking about."

"You're a professional liar, Diana. Loyal to your country and your fellow agents; what were the names again?  Daniel, Marisa and— "

"You shut up, Nikolai! Shut up!" she shouted, her voice betraying her emotions.  Her chin trembled as he mentioned her dead team members' names. Of course, he had heard about what happened in Barcelona. He always made sure he had the right information to get the job done. "Shut up," she whispered.

Noticing her lack of control, Nikolai stepped closer to her. "How did they die, Diana?  Bound and shot in the head? It's a pity that they died like that--"

"Shut up!" Diana said again, this time lunging at him. He quickly moved to the left, and she fell to the littered pavement. He reached down and pulled her up by her hair. "Diana, I'm growing impatient with this little game we're playing."  He held her by the neck against the wall.  "I'm only going to ask one more time: Where is the disk and the money?"

Diana clawed at his huge hand and tried to get him to loosen increasingly tight grip. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt herself losing consciousness.

*****

Weiss carefully sprinted up three flights of stairs, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. He rounded a corner on the third floor, keeping his back straight against the dusty cinderblock walls, his gun drawn. Inching closer to the room where he suspected the sniper was located; he steadied himself with a few deep breaths.

Just as he was about to make his move into the room, he stopped, having heard a voice.

It was deep, strangely calm--and speaking Russian.

Feeling one last breath float in and out of his lungs, he lunged into the room, which appeared to hold the dilapidated remains of a former office.

"CIA! Freeze!" His voice, deep and powerful, came as a surprise to him, but not to the sniper, who was already standing and facing the doorway, poised for battle.

Shocked, Weiss belted out one last warning. "Put the gun down, NOW, shithead!"

"I think it would be best if you put your gun down," the sniper replied in an accent that sounded like a strange mix of British and Russian, his eyes bearing down on Weiss.

"Sorry, pal, that's not gonna happen," Weiss snapped, trying to bolster the courage to stare down this stranger.

"It is too bad, then," the man, dressed in black fatigues, continued. "Your friend Diana will be dead within minutes."

"You're bluffing," Weiss spat angrily, hoping he was right.

"I am?" The man brought pressed on his earpiece; gun still trained on Weiss. "Nikolai--"

A long-drawn out Russian phrase followed. The man raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes. "Still think I'm bluffing?"

Weiss bit his lip as he tried to mentally run through his options. None, except surrendering, would ensure Diana's safety. And even then--it wasn't guaranteed.

He knew he had to make a decision when a red laser sight swept over his face and settled between his eyes, casting an eerie rosy glow over his vision.

"Moment of truth," the Russian said in a steady tone. "Put down your weapon."

Weiss felt his finger involuntarily twitch on his handgun. The decision was made at that moment.

"Fuck you, asshole."

And before he could pull the trigger, the red glow descended in a blur and he felt a bullet tear through his leg.

Weiss tumbled to the old wood floor with a grunt of pain, dropping his gun as he grabbed his wounded thigh.

"Sonofabitch," Weiss cried out, not wanting to look at his wound. He could feel the blood ooze from his body and coat his hands. The man advanced slowly, rifle still pointed at Weiss. He bent to pick up the handgun and without another word, snatched Weiss's comm link and transmitter.

He was gone a short time later.

*****

Vaughn jumped as he heard a shot through his earpiece, and then saw birds flying from the rooftop of the building that Weiss had disappeared into.

"Eric?" He whispered as he pushed on his comm link.  Silence greeted him.  "Weiss?"

This time static answered him. "Fuck!" Vaughn muttered to himself. Where is he?"

He continued to walk further into the alley that was next to where Diana was last seen. He pulled off his sunglasses. His eyes struggled to adjust to the dimmer light. He pulled out his gun from his shoulder holster and waited for any sign of her or her captor. He listened for glass shattering or boxes falling to the ground. There was only silence.  He loosened his grip on the gun as he walked further into the dark alley. 

He stepped back as a cat crossed his path and meowed. "Shhhh," he said as the cat sat down in front of him.  "Go on. Get out of here," he ordered.  It continued to sit there. "Move," Vaughn said again, reaching down to push the cat out of the way.  Hissing, the cat ran further down the alley. "Stupid cat," he mumbled as he stood back up.

"Suka."  Vaughn stopped as he heard someone talking in Russian. His grip tightened again on his gun. His eyes widened as he heard a woman's voice respond in the same language.

"Udirat' ot ja."

"Diana," he said as he started to walk towards the two voices.

As he reached the corner of the alley, he pressed himself against the wall, careful not to make a sound.


"You are making this harder than it needs to be, Diana," said the man with the deep voice. "I've already received the order to finish this job." Vaughn strained to hear her response. He winced as he heard her take a sharp breath and start to cough.

"Nikolai, I've already told you: I don't know what you're talking about."

He could hear her being picked up. "Diana, I'm tired of fighting with you. Tell me where the money and the disk are or you die right here."

Vaughn's pulse quickened as he heard the stranger draw his gun. "You have one minute, Diana.  What's your choice?"

"Go to hell," she mumbled.  Vaughn could hear the smirk on her face in her voice. Typical of her. She has a gun aimed at her head, and she's making jokes.

"Very well.  Goodbye, Diana."

Vaughn made a split second decision and put his gun back in his holster. He just hoped it wouldn't be the end for him and Diana.

"You know killing an agent is a federal offense," Vaughn said loudly as he walked around the corner.  "You should put that gun down."

Diana looked at him and slightly shook her head. "Michael--what are you doing here?" she said weakly. 

Vaughn looked over at her. "Are you okay?"

"A little banged up, but I'll live," she said. His heart was hurting, as he looked her over. Her face that had been smooth the night before was now spotted with bruises, and what looked like dry, caked blood.  The eyes that always told him how she felt before she could even speak to him were now blood shot.  She favored her right arm, as the Russian stranger held his gun to her head.

Nodding, Vaughn turned to Nikolai. "Why don't you let her go? She obviously doesn't know anything."

"Sorry, I can't do that. She knows what I'm looking for. All I need is that information and per her usual stubborn behavior, she isn't telling me anything, Agent--?"

"Agent Vaughn, and you are?"

"Nikolai Ludin. As I've said, Agent Rochelle isn't giving me what I'm looking for, and I'm tired of wasting my time. Goodbye, Diana."

Vaughn drew his gun. "Let her go," he said with authority that surprised even him.  "Killing her won't solve anything."  He relaxed his grip on his gun as he watched the other man lower his gun from Diana's head.

"No, you're right, Agent Vaughn. Killing this suka won't solve anything. You could torture her to death, and she'd go to her grave with her secrets. That was one of the things I admired about her.  One of her weaknesses was that she ALWAYS broke when a fellow agent was in danger. Almost got her killed a few times--- "

Vaughn watched as Diana's eyes showed recognition.  She narrowed her eyes and looked at him strangely. "Vaughn," she said, her voice calm, and even. "Get out of the way."

"What?" A flash of red blurred his vision.

"Just get the fuck out of the way!" she shouted.

A single shot rang out, missing his neck by an inch. "What the—" He realized that there was someone else in the area. Must be the sniper that Weiss was supposed to stop. He felt a sinking sensation growing in his stomach.

"Vaughn! Move!" Diana shouted from the corner of the alley. He ran and jumped behind a stack of crates as the second bullet missed his leg.

Nikolai watched the whole scene with amusement. "See, Agent Vaughn, I'm in agreement with you. Killing her wouldn't solve anything, but killing you?  Much more interesting."

Vaughn hid behind the crates and considered his options.  He counted to ten as he tried to slow his breathing.  It had been a while since he'd been at the shooting range, and concern flooded through him as he tried to remember the last time he'd hit his target.

"I'll admit you took me by surprise, Ludin.  Not many people can do that even once," he said standing up, his gun drawn.

"Vaughn? What are you doing?" Diana said from her position on the alley wall.

"Showing our Russian friend here that I don't like surprises."

"You understand that there's a sniper who could take you out?" Diana asked.

Vaughn realized that Diana knew Nikolai's modus operandi better than he did.

"I do," Vaughn said quietly. "I'm willing to bet that the sniper is good, but not that good. I can put one bullet between our friend's eyes before the sniper can take me out."

"Are you willing to bet your life, Michael?"

"For you? Yes," he said with sincerity.

Nikolai looked between the both of them with amusement dancing on his weathered face.  "How sweet." He grabbed her arm and held her in front of him.  "The moment I move, the sniper will take fire.  Who he kills, I don't know, but one of you will die today." He reached around and kissed Diana forcibly on the lips. "Do svidanija, Diana." He spun her around and let her go.

As if in slow motion, Vaughn grabbed her, and they both fell to the pavement. He flipped her over, and lay on top of her to protect her from the shower of bullets. He grunted as he felt the pain of a bullet bouncing off the vest hidden beneath his jacket. He didn't want to think about the bruise he would have from it.

Their breathing became in sync as the bullets finally stopped. Vaughn realized that the sniper had left with Nikolai.  "Diana," he said as he brushed the hair out of her face. "Are you hurt?" 

"I'm good, I think.  How did you find me?"

He rolled to her left and sat up. "Jacques called me at the office."

"Oh." She sat up next to him. "Are you alone?"

"No, Eric is here. But we lost—"

"Vaughn."

Both of them turned around and saw Weiss standing there with a piece of cloth tied around his leg. "Did I miss much?"

*****

A/N: Thank you especially to Robin for being my beta throughout this whole thing so far. It's been a great ride, and I appreciate everything that you've done.  Karen T, for listening to me bitching and moaning about fic and other things. Credit to Rach for the Weiss scene and for being my plot tramp during the day. The sniper is all hers as well.

Russian translations:

"Udirat' ot ja." Get away from me.