Preparation
Sydney sat on the couch after Will left, just relaxing, something she rarely got a chance to do. She sighed contentedly and slid down so that she was lying on her back. She reached and found a throw pillow and rested it behind her head. With another sigh, she folded her hands over her stomach and closed her eyes.
She had just started to doze off when the phone rang. She rolled her eyes. she muttered as she reached for the phone. she mumbled with a yawn.
Joey's Pizza?
Wrong number, she said with a sigh as she hung up. She brought her feet to the floor and stood up. She stretched and ran a hand through her hair. She made certain she had her keys and headed out the front door.
she greeted Vaughn as she slid open the chain link fence and went to stand by him.
Vaughn sighed. I just came from a meeting with Kendall. I have your instructions for bringing in Sark.
Sydney nodded and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against a table. Vaughn continued.
You're to write out a meeting place and a time and discretely give it to Sark. We suggest tossing it in a trash can by his desk, if there is one.
Sounds easy enough, Sydney said with a nod. What do I tell him when we meet?
You'll bring him here after you tell him that he's been approved to work for us. It would be best if you met sometime at night, after work preferably, Vaughn told her.
Yeah, Kendall mentioned meeting after work, Sydney said with a nod. Is that all?
Vaughn nodded and Sydney turned to leave. he said quietly. Sydney turned to look at him. Just be careful, Sark might have an agenda we don't know about.
Sydney said again and left.
You're late, Sloane announced when Sydney walked into the conference room and took a seat next to her father.
I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling that well this morning, and I was too out of it to call in sick, Sydney mumbled, looking down at her lap.
Sloane nodded and shook his head slightly, then turned to the monitor behind him. I'm assuming you remember this man, he said, gesturing to the photo of a man in a suit on the monitor.
Carl Shatz, Sydney supplied automatically.
Sloane said with a nod. Anyway, about the gyroscope you retrieved last week, there is a piece missing. He turned and nodded to Marshall who stood up.
Thank you, okay, well, you know that the gyroscope is supposed to guide missiles, well, there's this tiny little mechanism inside— he used his thumb and index finger to create a space of about a quarter of an inch, —that if removed, renders the gyroscope useless. He chuckled before continuing, It's possible that it was removed to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands to be used by some rogue organization for their own destructive—
Sloane cleared his throat.
Marshall blushed a bit and glanced at the other people in the room—Sydney, Jack, and Sark—before turning back to Sloane and sitting down. Sydney raised an eyebrow at Sark in reference to Marshall's comment when Sloane was looking elsewhere. Sark responded with a smirk and a half-nod.
Moving on, Sloane said, an edge of impatience in his voice, we need to retrieve this missing piece. Sydney, you and Sark will go to the hotel Shatz is staying at for the moment in Paris. It'll be up to you to find a way into his room. You leave tomorrow night. He slid folders across the table to Sydney and Sark, then dismissed everyone.
Sydney stood up and followed Sark out of the conference room to his desk as she reached into her pocket for a crumpled piece of paper. Sark sat down at his desk and began looking over the information in the folder. Sydney cleared her throat as she walked by and dropped the paper into the wastebasket by Sark's desk.
Sark glanced behind him at Sydney's retreating figure then waited a few minutes before taking the paper out of the trash. He opened it and read it to himself.
Park after work.
He stuffed the paper into his pocket and read over the mission details.
Later that night, Sark drove to the park where he and Sydney had met the previous night. He got out of his car and walked to the bench to find Sydney already sitting there waiting for him. He sat down next to her, his leg lightly brushing against hers. Sydney shivered and Sark noticed.
he asked gently.
Sydney replied firmly.
Sark nodded. You might want to make your messages a bit more discrete from now on.
Sydney looked over at him. How so?
Well, your note was a bit—shall we say—obvious, Sark told her.
Sorry, but I didn't have much of a choice, Sydney snapped.
Sark sighed a little. I have an idea.
Sydney muttered under her breath.
Sark touched her arm lightly and Sydney shivered at the sensations that shot through her body. You could use a color piece of paper, say, green, or something, and just toss it in. When I see it, I'll know to meet here.
Why green? Sydney asked suddenly, before groaning as she looked at the willow tree on her left and realized the obvious. Tree, green, right. She nervously wrung her hands and stared down at her lap.
So I'm assuming they've decided to take me up on my suggestion, Sark said, changing the subject.
Oh, yes, they have, Sydney barely got the words out, as she was still a tad embarrassed from missing the green paper, green tree' connection. Her cheeks were almost scalding to the touch of her ice-cold hands and flushed completely scarlet.
Sark, seeing her discomfort, gently rested a hand on her arm. Once again, Sydney shivered, but this time she stood up. Uh, we have to go to headquarters and you'll be briefed there. Her lower lip was trembling, her shoulders were shaking, and her cheeks were still red. She couldn't believe Sark could have this kind of effect on her. She found it odd that she hadn't felt it the night before...or had she, and she just didn't notice? She swallowed hard. We better get going. Just follow me, all right?
Sark said, standing up. He squeezed her shoulder and started walking to his car.
Sydney gasped a bit and watched him walk away from her. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. She noticed her already tight shirt had been pulled even tighter by a new development. She mouthed a curse and tried to tell herself it was only because it was cold out, not because she was aroused by Sark. She rolled her eyes and buttoned her coat.