Gearing Up



Sydney woke up the next morning to damp sheets. She figured the dampness was either from her first dream or the second. The second was more intense—screams and all—and Francie had come back into her room with the same questions. She said it was the same dream as before and Francie believed her.

In reality though, it was. The second dream had actually been of the same nature but much more passionate in Sydney's opinion. She sighed heavily and slowly got up from the bed. She marched into the bathroom and stripped off her clothes. She turned the shower on and held her hand under the water, waiting for it to warm up. When it had, she jumped in quickly and let the water stream over her.

There is no better stress-reliever than a hot shower.

Sydney stood in one place after cleansing, the one spot where the perfectly angled showerhead could spew water down her back and front keeping her entire body warm. She stood with her head tilted back slightly, her eyes closed.

Her mind wandered.

The Sark dream from the night before came back full blast and Sydney shook her head to rid herself of that kind of thought. She instead tried to think about her mission with Sark to Paris that she was leaving for tonight. If she wished, she would have the perfect opportunity to tell Sark how she felt.

It's Paris for Christ's sake. Could there be a more romantic city?

She smiled and tilted her head back again. She was lost in thought when Francie knocked on the door of the bathroom.

Hey, other people live in this house and would like to use the shower too, you know, Francie said in an exasperated tone.

Sydney muttered under her breath, Yeah, yeah, and people in Hell need ice water too. She cleared her throat and spoke clearly. Be right out!

Okay, thanks, Francie said and went into the living room.

Sydney shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself then grabbed another for her hair. She left the bathroom and wandered to her bedroom. She was stopped by Will on her way there.

He cracked a smile as he gazed at her hair in its tall cone shape wrapped in the towel. Nice beehive, Syd.

she muttered as she passed him and went to her room. She began rummaging through drawers and tossing things on her bed. She didn't realized that Will had followed her and was surprised when she heard laughter behind her.

Interesting choice, he said, holding up the pair of black lace panties that had been tossed his direction and that he had managed to catch.

Rolling her eyes, Sydney walked over to him and snatched them out of his hands and tossed them on the bed as she went back to her bureau. Not to be rude, Will, but is there a particular reason why you're here? I'm kind of in a hurry.

Well yeah, he began, then lowered his voice, how are things going with Sark?

Sydney said in an equally hushed voice, fine so far, and we have a mission tonight.

Will murmured, nodding. How do you think it'll go?

Good, I hope, but I can't be sure. She bit her lip. I want to trust him, but it's really hard.

I'll say, Will muttered.

I'm so sorry about all of this, she said quietly, before turning her attention to her closet.

It's not your fault, Syd, Will assured her.

It is, though, all of this is, just—everything, she said, looking him straight in the eye. Her shoulders shook and she turned back to the closet. Her hands were trembling as she attempted to pull out something to wear.

Hey, come on, Will said soothingly, walking over to her. He placed his hands on her bare shoulders and massaged them gently.

Sydney said quietly, but I wasn't lying when I said I was in a hurry.

Will said as Sydney turned back around. He gave her a quick hug and intended to kiss the top of her head when he pulled back. He studied her for a moment, trying to find a spot and they both shared a laugh before Will planted a kiss on her forehead. He left the room and Sydney got dressed.

She heard the phone ring as she went to grab her coat and raced to get it but Francie snatched it up first.

She sighed after hearing the response on the other end. Wrong number.

Who was that? Sydney asked casually, slipping on her coat.

Wrong number, Francie said with a shrug.

Sydney shot an almost pleading glance to Will who was sitting on the couch. He caught her drift perfectly and asked, Who were they trying to call?

Joey's Pizza, Francie said with a sigh, I swear, people call for them constantly. Our number must only be a digit off or something. She busied herself in the kitchen for a few more moments.

Will gave Sydney a wink when Francie had her back turned, and Sydney mouthed a thank you' before saying a quick farewell to both and going out the front door.


Vaughn greeted Sydney as she entered the warehouse.

She responded with a half-hearted smile and took a seat on one of the crates. She looked around for a moment and her brow wrinkled in confusion. Why isn't Sark here?

I am here, Sark said, stepping out of the shadows.

Sydney blushed and nodded then turned her attention back to Vaughn. What's our counter-mission?

Well, since we have the real gyroscope, we'll obviously be needing that mechanism. He dug into his pocket. You'll give SD-6 this, it'll allow the fake gyroscope you gave them to seemingly work. They won't know the difference.

Sydney said, taking it from him and putting it in her pocket.

Are you going into SD-6 today? Vaughn asked.

Sydney replied, then reading his mind, she added, don't worry, they won't see it.

Vaughn smiled and nodded. Sark looked at both of them before clearing his throat.

Speaking of SD-6, we should actually get going, Sloane's probably wondering why we're late.

Sydney and Vaughn both nodded at Sark's statement, then Sydney turned on her heel with Sark behind her.