"Recoil"
Author: Waterdancer aka AquarianLady
Email: jch114@hotmail.com
Website: None at this time
Feedback: Yes.
Distribution: Cover Me, and alias fanfiction list. Anyone else, please ask me.
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 are mine.
Summary: A woman from Vaughn's past comes back.
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Action/Adventure, General, dash of romance.
A/N are at the end.
*****
"Rochelle, you look like shit," Weiss said, grimacing
"Weiss, you have a hole in your leg," she responded holding her arm, pain searing through every part of her body.
"A fine pair we make, huh?"
"Yeah, the perfect couple," she replied, chuckling softly. "Eric, the sniper--can you tell me what kind of rifle he had?"
"Diana, I have a hole in my leg, and you're asking me about a gun?" he said, grimacing again.
"Eric," she said, her voice cracking. "Please, it's important. What kind of gun was it?"
He looked over at her and sighed. "Black, laser scope, ten round magazine, a semi-automatic. It looked like a Russian Dra--"
"A Russian Dragunov SVD." A chill ran over her body; she hadn't seen that gun since St. Petersburg.
"Diana, how did you know about that?" Eric asked, looking at her strangely.
"I've had a lot of experience," she responded, looking over at him. "I'm sorry that you were hurt, Eric."
A wry smile spread across his face. "Your concern breaks my heart. So, are you going to tell me how you know about that gun?"
"I can't, Weiss. It's classified information."
"Bullshit, Diana. I've known you for what? Five or six years now? What's going on?"
"Can you just trust me on this one?" she pleaded. "Please."
He frowned. "Diana, if this is going to get me into trouble--"
"It won't, Weiss. I just needed to know what kind of gun it was. That's all," she said, hoping that he would buy her explanation.
"Rochelle, whatever is going on--I just hope you know what you're doing." He tied the piece of cloth around his leg tighter.
"Unfortunately, I do," she muttered. She leaned back on the brick wall and closed her eyes.
"Agents Rochelle and Weiss?"
Diana opened her eyes and saw two men standing in front of them. "Where's Agent Vaughn?"
"He went back to the office. He told us to get you two to a hospital, and then Agent Rochelle you are to go back to his house."
She winced as she stood up. "I'm not going to his place. I need you to take me back to the safe house." She held her hand out to Weiss. "Give me your hand, Eric."
The younger agent looked at his partner and shook his head. "Agent Vaughn gave us specific orders. After the hospital, you're to go back to his house."
"I don't care what type of orders he gave you," she mumbled, as she strained to help Weiss up. "I need to go back to the safe house."
The agent looked at her with apprehension. "But Agent Vaughn--"
"Isn't here. Please take me to the safe house after the hospital, Agent--"
"Lareby," he told her after clearing his throat.
"Agent Lareby. Don't worry about Agent Vaughn. If he gets angry with you, tell him that I was the one who ordered you to take me back. I'll deal with it then."
The agent shook his head again. Diana could see his thoughts on his face. He was so young, and he hadn't learned the game face that most CIA agents have by their third year. She watched as he remembered all the gossip he'd heard about her—including her outburst against Haladaki—and then watched him decided that he didn't want or need the grief of fighting with her.
"Fine, whatever you say, Agent Rochelle." He walked over to them and took Weiss' other arm. "Let's get you two to the hospital."
***
Vaughn closed his office door behind him. He shrugged out of his vest, wincing as it brushed against the bruise from the bullet that had hit him just an hour ago. Walking over to his desk, he sat down, and began to rub his left temple.
"Agent Vaughn?" his assistant called out to him, opening the door slightly.
"Yes. What is it, Jackie?" he replied with a slight edge to his voice.
"One of the clerks brought this file up while you and Mr. Weiss were gone. I didn't want to leave it on your desk for prying eyes." She walked in and placed the two-inch thick folder in front of him. "I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thanks," he mumbled, opening the file.
"Is Agent Rochelle okay?"
"Hmm?"
"Is Diana okay?" Jackie asked, worry evident in her voice.
"Yes, she's fine, Jackie. A little bruised, but she's fine," he replied, looking up.
She took a deep breath and sighed. "That's good to know. I've always liked her."
"I have, too, Jackie," he murmured, turning his attention back to the file in front of him.
Vaughn took out several papers and laid them in front of him. He told himself that he wasn't betraying Diana's trust, and that he wasn't being a jealous idiot. He needed to know everything about this case if he was going to protect her.
"Skilled in the art of deception," he mumbled as he read over Patrick's profile. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Patrick Williams. Age: 35. Marital Status: Single.
10-18-2000: Agent Williams is showing signs of increasingly aggressive behavior during recent operations. Gets results, but needs to be brought in for evaluation.
11-30-2000: Agent Williams disobeyed a direct order to bring his team in. Claimed that they were in the middle of an operation in St. Petersburg. Is still providing positive results.
12-27-2000: Showing overly obsessive behavior towards certain members of his team. Unsure if this is affecting his work.
1-19-01: Pictures of Agents Williams and Rochelle meeting with crime boss Desmond Petrov. Petrov is unrelated to any known operations.
He ran his hands over the glossy eight by ten photographs. He took a second glance at the blond haired Diana. He was always amazed at how much a simple dye job could change her appearance.
Vaughn eyes' widened as he looked at the next entry.
2-14-01: Desmond Petrov found dead. Agent Rochelle was the last person known to have been seen with him. Possible involvement with crime is unknown. Still unable to contact Agent Williams or anyone else on the team.
5-14-01: After three months of no communication, Agent Williams contacted his handler in Budapest. Unable to locate his handler after his scheduled meeting with Williams, but Agent Williams is still reporting in periodically. He has been assigned along with his team for more covert operations in Barcelona, Romania, and Berlin. He has been ordered to report in three months with detailed reports regarding his activity.
8-14-01: Agent Williams has provided the agency with information regarding Agent Rochelle. He has reported that there have been several times over the past three months that she has come close to killing several suspects. Cites that the job may be becoming more than she can handle. Assures his handler that he will keep an eye on her.
He thought about the pictures that he had seen of the two men from SD-4. He remembered the disturbed look in Sydney's eyes and how he'd ignored her concerns. The injuries Diana had inflicted on those men had been severe, and he'd told himself that she'd only been protecting herself, but now he was starting to wonder. He shifted in his chair and told himself that this was Diana. He knew her. He trusted her.
He pulled out a psychology evaluation that had been done by Dr. Barnette.
After reading over this profile, and the transcripts of the conversations that Agent Williams has had with his new handler and various CIA officials, I am of the opinion that he needs to be brought in permanently. He is starting to blur the line between fact and fiction. There have been several times that he has referred to himself as the alias he was using and not his name. His fixation on his agents is borderline obsessive and could prove detrimental to further operations.
Vaughn went through the file looking for some more information. His shoulders tensed as he read the entries regarding Patrick's behavior and Diana's troubles. Phrases like "reckless endangerment" and "no remorse" assaulted his senses. The file becoming more about Diana and less about Patrick.
What's going on?
He scanned the final page of entries and stopped at the one dated a week before Diana appeared back in his life.
Agent Williams has alerted us that he is suspicious of Agent Rochelle's behavior. He is concerned that during the operation into St. Petersburg two years ago, she became a double agent. Enclosed are pictures of her meetings with two members of K-Directorate: Nikolai Ludin and an unidentified man. Agent Williams has been told not to confront her and that an extraction team will come for the team at the safe house in Barcelona.
Extraction team under the guise of sanitation workers arrived at the safe house and found that a fire had gutted the building. Dental records identified the human remains. Agent Williams, unfortunately, was one of the victims, as was every member of his team except Agent Rochelle. Investigation pending. She is not to be trusted until we ascertain her true status.
Closing the file, he stood up from his desk. He shook his head as that last phrase in the entry played in his head. He wanted to trust her; in fact he had trusted her until now. She was still Diana, the woman he had fallen in love with five years ago. Stop fooling yourself, Vaughn. Diana's different; she's changed. He pulled out the pictures of Diana and Nikolai, laughing and smiling at each other. A small frown played on his face as he looked at Diana's wide smile. It was a look that was usually reserved for people she trusted and respected. Was she a double?
He opened his office door and called out, "Jackie, are Agents Rochelle and Weiss at the hospital, yet?"
"Yes, Mr. Vaughn. Agent Lareby just called to check in," she informed him as she put the phone back into its cradle. "Weiss was taken back immediately, but Diana's just now been taken back to an examination room."
"Good. If anyone is looking for me, I'll be at the hospital talking to Agent Rochelle."
*****
"Doctor Phillips told me to give you these pain killers; it should make the pressure in your neck subside a little," the nurse replied, handing Diana two small pink pills.
"Thanks," Diana said with a weak smile. She had not even been aware of much she was hurting until she had lain down onto the exam table. Which was fortunate, since there had been a bus crash on the freeway, and she had taken a back seat to the seriously injured. The doctor had only been able to spend a few minutes with her until he had rushed out of the room again for another emergency.
The nurse sat the medicine bottle back into a cabinet and locked it. Diana now had access to the final part of her plan.
Moaning, she laid down on the gurney. "I think something's wrong with my stomach."
The nurse rushed to her side. "You were fine just a minute ago."
"I know, but—"she grabbed her stomach tighter and turned over. "Just get the doctor, please."
"Okay, I'll go see if I can find him."
"Thank you," she gasped.
Hearing the nurse's shoes squeak their way out into the hallway, she sat up. Locating the cabinet by the door, she looked for something to pick the lock. Pulling at a bobby pin in her hair, she rushed over to the locked cabinet. One of her instructors had told her once that a bobby pin could be one of the handiest tools an agent could have. Diana had laughed then, but she now realized its value. She slid the pin in, played with the tumblers for a second, and thought a LA hospital should really have better security as she yanked open the cabinet door.
Her hands ran over the various bottles. A small smile came to her face as she found what she was looking for. Diazepam. Hopefully, I won't have to use this. She took four pills out of the bottle and placed them in her jeans pocket. She strolled back to gurney and lay back down.
***
Vaughn walked quickly down the hallway towards the exam room. The file that held the pictures of Diana and Nikolai was held tightly in his hands. Diana, you'd better have a good explanation for this. He knocked on the door and cracked it open.
"Diana?" The antiseptic smell of the room attacked his senses. He had never liked the smell of hospitals.
"I'm over here, Michael," a voice said from the corner of the room. "You can come in."
He walked in and saw her looking out a window. "What did the doctor say?"
"I'm fine. Just a little bruising. Nothing serious."
Vaughn examined her back with a critical eye. From where he was standing, she did look fine. A slow breath of relief left his body.
"I'm not going back to your house, by the way," Diana declared as she swung around to face him. "You know that's a bad idea."
His prepared arguments—because a stuttering Agent Lareby had already told him that she had refused to return to his house--vanished from his mind as he saw her. With the dimming sunlight passing over her face, he could see every ruptured blood vessel Nikolai had inflicted upon her.
Her left eye was almost completely bloodshot and a cotton bandage was taped to her forehead, protecting another cut. Her lower lip had started to swell; the open wound above her lip was already starting to heal.
"You should sit down, Diana," he said, closing the door.
"I'm fine. How's your side?" she asked, nodding towards him.
He gingerly touched his side. "There will be a bruise there, but I'm okay."
"Did I tell you thank you?"
"For what?"
"For saving my life. I'm not sure I would be here, if you hadn't come along. So, thank you, Michael. I mean it."
"You would've done the same thing for me, Diana," he said, leaning against the counter. He thought about the pictures he had brought with him. He wondered if she would take the chance of being killed to protect him. "I need to talk to you about something."
"I'm listening," she said, rubbing her forehead.
He reached into the folder and pulled out the color photographs. "Care to explain how you knew the man who attacked you?"
Diana walked over and took the pictures from his hand. "Where did you get these?"
"They were in Patrick's file." He braced for her response.
"How--Why did you pull his file?" she asked, anger evident in her voice.
"Does it matter, Diana?"
"Yes, it damn well matters!" Diana exploded. "Who do you think you are pulling his file? Patrick was my friend, and he died trying to help me, and now you're what? Investigating him?"
"I wanted to know what the hell was going, Diana! I wasn't checking up on Patrick. I was trying—"
Diana threw her hands up in the air. "You never liked Patrick."
"No, I didn't. But I knew he was a good agent, and I'm glad I pulled his file, Diana, because there is a hell of a lot that needs to be explained."
"Explained." Her fists clenched at her side as she took two steps forward. "I'll explain. We were in deep cover for most of the last five years. We did what needed to be done to protect this country. Patrick was a good man, and you have no right to suspect him of anything!"
"He's not the only one I'm suspecting, Diana!" Vaughn fired back.
Vaughn watched as her head snapped back. "What did you say?"
He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Diana, I'm sorry."
"Don't bother," she said, disgust showing on her face.
"What am I supposed to think, Diana? I see pictures of you smiling at the man who attacked you, and I'm not supposed to ask questions?"
"You are supposed to trust me!" she shouted.
He wanted to believe her, and last year he wouldn't have even doubted her for a moment. But then he had met Sydney Bristow and learned that even those closest to you can betray you. She had learned she worked for the enemy, which her father had known and never told her until he was forced to. He watched her struggle as she discovered that her mother wasn't the person she had thought, and then he had seen the despair in her eyes when she learned that a man she once loved was an assassin. He had told Sydney at the warehouse that Diana wasn't Noah, but he couldn't find it within himself to totally forget the possibility that she'd changed over the years
"You do trust me?" she asked, her voice quiet.
I want to, Diana. God, I want to.
"Can you tell me about the relationship between you and Nikolai?" he questioned. Tell me something tangible, Diana.
"It's classified," she said evenly. She walked over to the door and opened it slightly. "Agent Lareby?"
She turned to face Vaughn. "As long as I've known you, Michael, you've never questioned my loyalty to the job or to this country. And now because you've seen photographs, you're going to throw all that away. I just need you to trust me, Michael. Can you do that?"
He wanted to say yes; he wanted to scream it. But the entries in the file and the photographs made it hard for him to say it. What he had learned this last year by watching Sydney kept him from opening his mouth.
She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Your silence speaks for itself." She opened the door wider to let the other agent in. "If the CIA needs to talk to me, I'll be at the safe house. Thanks again for saving me, Michael. I'll never forget it. Let's go, Agent Lareby."
***
A/N: Thanks to Robin and Celli for the wonderful beta. It's been a bumpy ride, kids, thanks for still being there. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's almost done!!
Research: Russian Dragunov SVD, information can be found at http://www.world.guns.ru/sniper/sn18-e.htm