Plans
Back in Los Angeles, Vaughn—after returning from Las Vegas—was briefing Jack, who had just returned from London.
We put tracking devices on their clothes, Vaughn was saying, so we could know where they were as well as make an estimate as to what time they would arrive in Virginia.
And somehow they got separated, Jack said tersely. Either Sark has his own agenda or—
—Sloane got to them and had them separated, Vaughn finished.
Jack looked closely at the screen, following the blips with his eyes.
Where's the next nearest safehouse?
St. Louis, Vaughn replied.
They'll probably stop there, Jack began, whether Sloane is involved or not. If Sloane is involved, he'll want to be noticed. He'll want us to chase him and find him. Send a team. If we're lucky, Sydney and Sark may have just stolen a car and decided to travel separately in case something were to happen. It we're not, the team needs to be ready for anything.
Vaughn nodded. Am I right to assume that we'll be accompanying the team to St. Louis?
Jack nodded. Yes, now let's get going.
Sark continued to drive. A few hours had passed. He figured Sloane would go to the safehouse that he and Sydney had planned to go to next. He wasn't sure why, but somehow it made sense. Sloane probably intended to torture Sydney there and eliminate anyone who set foot near it.
The SUV was long gone, so Sark dug into the glovebox and pulled out the second map he had and made sure he was on the right road in his journey to St. Louis. His fingers had brushed over a towel in the very back and he had pulled it out. There was something wrapped inside of it, so it was somewhat heavy.
With one hand on the wheel, he unwrapped the package on the passenger's seat.
It was his gun.
He inspected the silencer and checked to make sure the gun was loaded and tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
As he continued to drive, he thought about Sydney. He wondered if she was okay and tightened his grip on the wheel when he thought of what Sloane might do to her or had already done to her.
He clenched his teeth and pressed the pedal all the way to the floor.
Vaughn and Jack were on their way in a helicopter with a small team. They figured that with any luck, they'd at least arrive before Sloane was able to do anything particularly damaging to Sydney or Sark. They hoped, however, that they would be able to arrive first and have the advantage of surprise.
But it wouldn't happen that way.
Sloane checked his watch. A few more hours and we should be there, he said with a yawn.
Sydney said in a flat tone, and what fun activities are in store for us?
Sloane turned around and grinned at her. I'm so glad you asked.
Sydney rolled her eyes and Sloane backhanded her across the face again with his left hand.
The hand with the ring.
Tears stung Sydney's eyes. She tasted blood again. The wound had been reopened and she was now bleeding profusely. Sloane had a smile on his face that could only be described as triumphant as he watched the blood stream down onto Sydney's shirt.
Sydney forced herself not to break down and start sobbing though she knew she was incredibly close to doing so. Sydney tentatively let her tongue touch her lips to see how much more damage Sloane's ring had done to the already bad cut. She gasped when she located the gash. It was deeper than it had been and blood continued to pour out and onto her shirt. The material of the shirt was thin and Sydney could feel the blood seeping through it and onto her skin.
A while later, after what had seemed like an eternity, the man driving the SUV made a right and parked in the gravel in front of the safehouse. Sloane got out first and instructed the men sitting with Sydney to take her out of the backseat.
Once Sydney was standing in the gravel, Sloane went to the (unlocked) front door and opened it. He turned back around and one of the men standing behind Sydney gave her a hard shove. Being caught off-guard and having cuffs around her wrists and ankles, Sydney lost her balance and fell forward. She reacted quickly enough and was able to land on her side, minimizing the damage considerably than if she had landed facedown. Jagged rocks grazed her cheek and she vaguely noticed blood from a new cut on the ground as Sloane's men dragged her to her feet.
Once inside, she was practically thrown onto the floor of the safehouse. Sloane sat on the couch and dismissed his men to the bedrooms down the hall so he could be alone with Sydney.
She was facing away from him as she lay on her side. Sloane frowned. He wanted her to be looking at him.
He leapt up from the couch and walked around her. He tilted his head down slightly as his eyes burned into hers. He saw genuine fear in them and he was filled with a sick happiness.
He kicked her.
In the chest.
He was aiming for her stomach. She cried out in pain and tears spilled from her eyes.
Seeing Sydney hurt created a sense of utter delight in Sloane and he kicked her again. This time it was smack dab in the middle of abdomen. Sydney cried out again and involuntarily rolled over from the force of yet another kick.
Sobs erupted from her. Sloane roughly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her onto her back. He straddled her and clenched a fist. He observed her blood- and tear-stained face. The cut on her cheek from the sharp rocks wasn't that deep but it had been enough to bring forth a waterfall of blood. He smiled at the gash in her lip. It still had blood pouring from it. He looked at her shirt, which was covered in blood. His eyes drifted to what he could see of her stomach, then he glanced back at her face and saw her breathing coming in short gasps.
Beating Sydney to a bloody pulp would never make up for what she had done to him and he was well aware of that. But, knowing that he had control over her and that she was completely helpless filled him with an indescribable satisfaction.
Sydney stared up at Sloane. She was incredibly dizzy but she still managed to focus on him long enough to realize that he was laughing at her.
He just wants nothing more than to stand next to my corpse and laugh at me. Laugh at me for being stupid enough to join SD-6, laugh at me for being stupid enough to try to escape, and laugh at me for being stupid enough to think that I actually could.
His laughter seemed to echo all around her as she thought back to what she had said to Sark.
Sark.
More tears filled her eyes. She knew she would probably never see him again. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Sloane raise his fist.
she murmured, barely loud enough for Sloane to hear. She vaguely saw his fist surge towards her and her world went black.