Chapter 5
Sydney woke alone to the morning light falling across the bed. Casually she stretched, glancing up to check for the light. She was clear. She threw the quilt off and walked out into the other room. He wasn't there either. She had just come from checking the bathroom when she heard a faint tapping at the door. She went over and stood beside it. She looked up. The light was still off.
"Syd," came a low voice through the door. "Open up. It's Vaughn."
Sydney threw open the door and yanked him inside, closing it quickly behind him.
"What are you doing here?" She cried. "Are you crazy? You're going to get us both killed!"
"It's okay," he assured her. "Sark is downstairs and we've re-routed the cameras. We have 3 minutes."
"You know about the cameras?"
"Yeah. We've tapped into them; we're watching you too. That's how I knew Sark wouldn't be here." He omitted the part of having had to watch her sleep in Sark's arms all night.
She smiled. "My guardian angel."
He smiled back, in spite of himself. God, he missed her.
"You should go," she warned, "he could be back any minute. I'll get the disk. It's hidden."
She started to go when he stopped her. "You can give it to me later. Listen, I don't know what Sark's up to so I wanted to give you this," he said, and he handed her a necklace.
"What is it?" She asked, holding it up to look at it.
"It's a transmitter. Sorry, I didn't have much time. I barrowed the necklace from one of our local operatives, but it'll have to do. You can use it to contact me if you get into trouble. Just say the word and I'll pull you out."
"Thanks Vaughn." She smiled as she put it on. "How's it look?" she asked playfully.
"Pretty." He answered softly.
Her hand suddenly went to her face. "Oh, I must look a wreck."
"No, you don't." He said seriously. "So, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Sark's been ..... okay. He extended the mission."
"Did he say why?" Vaughn had been waiting to hear this.
She shrugged her shoulders, not sure where to begin. "Not exactly." Then suddenly she asked, "Do you know anything about a child being here?"
"I don't have any intell to suggest that. Why?" He asked, surprised at the question.
"It's probably nothing. Just something Sark mentioned. It's possible that's the reason he's extended.."
"Extended the mission? I find that hard to believe. Is that the reason he gave you?" He asked, bewildered.
"Not exactly. But why would he make that up? He seemed-
"You don't buy that do you?" He cut her off, negating the idea before she could even finish.
"No, I don't." She responded firmly. "Only, what if there is?"
"What if there's what?" He asked, taken aback.
"A child."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll check into it. Not that it would surprise me. It can hardly have just occurred to you. This place, the things that go on here, Syd, we're not in Kansas anymore."
"So we just accept it? You don't have a problem with that?"
"Of course I have a problem with it, what do you think? But right now, you're my problem. And whether there's a child or not, that's not the reason Sark's keeping you here."
"You seem tense," she observed a moment later, "more so than usual."
"I am tense Syd. I don't like what's going on here. You're not a long- term operative. You get in and get out. It's what you do best. I like it that way. I can keep track of you. Your staying here.. with him.. I'm worried I can't protect you."
"That's nice Vaughn," she smiled softly, "but I can take care of myself."
"I know that." He snapped. "It's Sark I'm worried about."
"He's taking care of me too. He has to. We're in this together."
'Yeah, I saw,' he thought to himself, and then he pointed out, "Until he decides he wants something else and you're in his way. The guy's a master manipulator. There probably isn't a child here. It's likely he's just playing on your sympathies to enlist your help with whatever he's really after."
"So you think he's after something." She reiterated.
He nodded. "I'm sure of it."
"What's my counter-mission?"
"Well, we're going to want to know what Sark's up to. Whatever he's after, it's safe to say we're after too. And since we don't even know what that is, complete your mission with Sark for SD-6 and do what you can for us. That's all I can come up with for now. I should know more later."
"You want me to go along with him?"
"I don't," he clarified, "but the Agency does."
She nodded, understanding.
"Keep me close," he reminded her, fingering the necklace.
"And the child?"
Vaughn sighed heavily. "And the child, if there is a child, and Syd, that's a big if, we can contact the local authorities, let them take care of it. Nothing can be done right now, it won't make any difference if we wait on that."
"I'd think it would make a difference to her." She said quietly.
Vaughn looked back at her helplessly, he hadn't meant that the way it sounded. They fell silent, looking at each other.
"I know," she whispered.
Vaughn's beeper sounded. "I have to go. My time's up. Be careful and stay in touch."
She nodded as he slipped out the door.
****************
By the time Sark returned, Sydney was dressed and having coffee out on the terrace.
"Where have you been?" She demanded hotly.
"I see you missed me." He flirted. "I missed you too. My arms have felt empty all morning-" he stopped short. Sydney was glaring at him, but he didn't notice, his eyes had gone immediately to her throat.
"What is that?" He questioned her sharply.
Her hand went up defensively to cover it. "It's mine," she lied. 'Damn' she thought.
He looked hard at her. "You'll have to take it off," he insisted, crossing over to her and unlatching it from behind. "No one would believe I'd given you this."
"Why?"
"Because a woman of mine wouldn't wear costume jewelry," he responded honestly, holding it up to the light. "We covered this. You're to wear only what I've provided for you." He said and dropped it into his pocket. "Anything else is distracting." He added irritably, walking away.
He poured himself some coffee and sat down. Sydney struggled for something to say, something to divert him.
"Where have you been?" She asked again, slightly more pleasantly.
"I was having a chat with Maurice."
"Maurice? About what?"
"I had a little request I thought he could help me with."
****************
Flashback to Sark and Maurice's conversation earlier ~
"Thank you Maurice, for indulging me. I felt sure you would understand."
"Of course, Mr. Sark, right this way."
Maurice led him down a back corridor of The Davincci to the security viewing room. "I've taken the liberty of removing hotel personnel in order to afford you a more private experience."
"I appreciate that."
Maurice smiled. "My pleasure. At the Davincci it is our goal to service our clients in any capacity they require, no questions asked. I'll just set the coordinates for your suite." Maurice began typing in a sequence of codes. Sark watched him from behind, taking note of the system. "You can customize the tape - duration, lighting, back-ground music, it's all here in the Menu. Of course, you could do all of this from your suite." Maurice looked up at him quizzically.
"Enya would not be comfortable if she were aware she was being filmed. There's also a concern for privacy." Sark explained.
"I understand completely." All the clients of the Davincci it seemed were eccentric in some form or another. Maurice smiled warmly. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I need to know there will be no access to this chamber while I am making use of it."
"Of course, that will not be a problem. Simply let me know when you're ready and I'll see to everything."
"Thank you."
"Enjoy your evening." Maurice smiled as he walked away. 'Fortunately," he thought, pulling out his cell phone, glancing over his shoulder to assure Sark was no longer within hearing distance, "it is not necessary to access the mainframe from this chamber.'
A voice answered on the first ring. "Yes?"
"Everything is in place."
****************
Back to Sark and Sydney ~
"When do you plan on filling me in on what's going on?" She demanded, glancing about the room. Her patience was coming an end.
"Soon. First I have some calls to make."
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Fine. I was thinking about going out anyway. Maybe I'll just stay out." She threatened.
She had started for the bedroom when she instinctively felt the cameras come on.
"Enya," Sark capitulated. "Come back."
Sark explained as if he was trying to make up to her. "Darling, you can go for a walk when you get home. Here, I don't want you to leave the room. Bringing you with me was a mistake. You'll be leaving soon." Sydney wondered what he meant by she'd be leaving.
She turned and walked slowly back over to where he sat. She was careful to lower her face enough so that the camera couldn't pick up her glowering expression. He pulled her on to his lap and enfolded her in his arms. Again she knew this move was to afford them the privacy they needed to talk, but 'this is getting to be a habit with him,' she thought. She laid her head obediently on his shoulder, reflexively inhaling his scent. It struck her his scent had already become familiar. He had a masculine, clean smell. 'A protective smell', she thought. She'd fallen asleep to it last night.. 'That was a mistake,' she mentally reproached herself.
"What did you find out?" She whispered up into his ear, trying to ignore this train of thought.
He leaned in to answer her then, kissing her cheek so slowly, so softly, it sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Closing her eyes, she prayed he wouldn't notice.
Of course he did and he smiled despite his best effort. Really, he hadn't been prepared for how much fun this would be. Purposely nuzzling her cheek softly back and forth, and feeling the bumps rise up on her skin, he whispered in her ear, "It seems the girl was procured from a local orphanage for another of Korin's guests', a certain General."
Sydney concentrated on ignoring the sensation of his lips meandering on her skin. "Why would Korin be getting a girl for a General?" She asked, slightly out of breath.
"Does it matter?" He asked, looking thoughtfully down at her, lightly lifting away a stray lock of hair that had fallen onto her face.
"Yes, especially since I'm not even sure there is one."
"A General?" He teased, smoothing her hair. It was so soft. 'Like an angel', he thought to himself.
"A girl."
"Oh. There is, and I couldn't say. I don't care really. It'll be his undoing." He said firmly.
Sydney looked sharply up at him.
"Why should I help you?" she asked.
"Besides that you've been ordered to? Don't you want to?" He goaded her. "Just because he deserves it? Just because we can?" She was intrigued by this. He saw it in her eyes.
She covered it quickly. "What's this really about? I don't believe this is about a girl. It can't just be about revenge," she argued.
He smiled against her. "This is turning out to be very much about a girl," he answered cryptically. "Anyway, you're just saying that because you think I'm one of the 'bad guys'."
"You are."
"Possibly, but you say that as if it's a bad thing," he teased.
Sydney started to push off, angry. She wasn't going to let him play her whether the CIA wanted her to or not. But he held her decidedly there.
"It's all in your perspective Sydney," he continued, cradling her tightly against his chest. He could feel her heart beating softly in time with his. "Don't be so naive. You, more than anyone, should know that no one is ever entirely bad. Just as no one is ever entirely good."
She looked up into his eyes. She felt as if he was trying to tell her something. He looked as if he would continue but then he seemed to think better of it and reverted back to their original topic, loosening his hold slightly.
"I'm aligning a plan for extracting the girl and framing the General for the disk."
Sydney nodded. She had thought as much. "And what about Sloane?"
"I've contacted Sloane. Our orders are to stay put until the disk is recovered."
"The disk is recovered."
"Yes." He answered distractedly. His face clouded with concern as he looked down on her. He placed his hand against her face, feeling the heat. With his thumb he touched her bruised cheek tenderly, caressing it; his touch so light, it caused her eyelids to flutter.
"When this is over," she gritted through her teeth, "I'm going to tear you apart."
He knew he shouldn't laugh, but he couldn't keep from grinning like an errant schoolboy. As childish as it was, it pleased him to know she was vulnerable to him.
They sat there like that in thoughtful silence, each one working the situation over in their head.
"It's still an unnecessary risk." She pointed out a few moments later, after she'd collected herself. "Why don't we just extract her or call the local authorities once we get back?"
"The local authorities? Sydney, don't you think they know? They won't do anything."
"How do you know?"
"I know. Even if by some miracle she does get taken out of here, either she or someone else will be back before the week is out. No," he shook his head, "this has to be done my way."
"But why involve the General?"
"Because that's the way it has to be if we're to be allowed to walk out of here with her."
"And you don't mind framing an innocent man for something that will likely get him killed?" She asked, bringing her hands up between them to bridge some distance.
"An innocent man that plays with children," he reminded her, sighing at her touch. "No, I don't mind."
****************
Vaughn - Back at the CIA safe house, he is on the phone ~
"Did Sloane say why he would sanction Sark keeping her here?" he asked Jack through a secured line on his cell phone. Jack had just come from a meeting at SD-6.
"Not exactly. He said new developments required them to stay where they were until additional information could be collected. He didn't seem concerned."
Vaughn turned and glanced back at the monitors depicting Sark cradling Sydney in his arms...again.
"This isn't right, Jack. There's something more. I have a bad feeling about this."
"She can handle it."
'Yeah, but can I?' He thought to himself, watching the screen. He'd regretted telling her to go along with Sark the instant he had. But those were his orders and she was his asset. 'She's a spy; it's what she does.' He reminded himself. Ignoring the rest, he watched her eyes. Even through the poor quality of the feed he could see her working him. 'She is so good. Just the right balance of interest and indifference." He thought. "It could almost be real.'
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
"This isn't going to be easy." He continued. "Security will be amplified and the fact remains that maintaining my cover is imperative to future operations."
Sydney started to speak but as she brought her head up her mouth suddenly came only a breath away from his and they both froze, staring into each other's eyes.
She suddenly felt very warm.
Sark lost his train of thought. "Sydney," he admonished her, "you're distracting me."
She looked away quickly, embarrassed. Sark closed his eyes for a moment, pausing to collect himself.
"We have two things working in our favor," he said, getting back to business. "The first is that we are both very good at what we do. The second, commonly enough, is Korin's predisposition to want to see who's is bigger."
"Excuse me?"
"Despite the evidence, Korin still suspects me of stealing the disk. Because he can't prove it, he'll be looking for some way to discredit me. He dabbles in video blackmail."
"So what's the plan?"
"We'll need to make a tape to circulate through a looping cycle in order to give us time to access his system."
She visibly winced. "You don't want me to break into his office again?"
"No. If you happened to slam your face a second time, I doubt I could manage to convince him I'd beaten you twice." He smiled. "At least not with a straight face."
"What kind of tape?" She asked, suspiciously.
"Just a tape .. of us. It needn't to be long for what we have to do." He assured her. "And it will serve to lull Korin into believing I am otherwise ... occupied."
"Need I remind you..?"
"Sydney, this is work." He said seriously.
She sighed. "When?"
"Early this evening, before my meeting with Korin. I need to give him some time to prepare."
"Korin knows you're making a tape?" She asked.
"He should by now. I'm guessing he'll be very interested in ... watching us."
"What do you want me to do until then?"
"I'll be going out. I have some calls to make that I can't make from here, some other preparations. I'll begin the taping just prior to my arrival back here. I'd appreciate it if you worked out the parameters by then. Until then, just relax. I'll take care of everything," He assured her. "Oh, and remember, stick to the profile exactly."
"I know."
"I'll be counting on you Sydney."
"I know."
Sydney had remained cradled protectively in his arms. The light had gone off some time before but neither had bothered to check, they had become so engrossed in mentally developing their strategies. The ringing of his cell phone jarred them out of their mode all at once. Sark pulled back and checked it. A select few had the number to his phone and they weren't the sort he could talk to in front of Sydney.
"Sydney .... " he began.
Realizing she was still in his arms, she was immediately embarrassed. Checking to see the light was off; she jumped quickly up and walked out of the room without looking back.
Sark stared after her.
"Yes?" He answered irritably.
"Mr. Sark?"
"Yes, did you do what I asked?" He demanded, fully himself again.
"Yes, Mr. Sark," the voice replied, "I have what you want."
****************
Sydney woke alone to the morning light falling across the bed. Casually she stretched, glancing up to check for the light. She was clear. She threw the quilt off and walked out into the other room. He wasn't there either. She had just come from checking the bathroom when she heard a faint tapping at the door. She went over and stood beside it. She looked up. The light was still off.
"Syd," came a low voice through the door. "Open up. It's Vaughn."
Sydney threw open the door and yanked him inside, closing it quickly behind him.
"What are you doing here?" She cried. "Are you crazy? You're going to get us both killed!"
"It's okay," he assured her. "Sark is downstairs and we've re-routed the cameras. We have 3 minutes."
"You know about the cameras?"
"Yeah. We've tapped into them; we're watching you too. That's how I knew Sark wouldn't be here." He omitted the part of having had to watch her sleep in Sark's arms all night.
She smiled. "My guardian angel."
He smiled back, in spite of himself. God, he missed her.
"You should go," she warned, "he could be back any minute. I'll get the disk. It's hidden."
She started to go when he stopped her. "You can give it to me later. Listen, I don't know what Sark's up to so I wanted to give you this," he said, and he handed her a necklace.
"What is it?" She asked, holding it up to look at it.
"It's a transmitter. Sorry, I didn't have much time. I barrowed the necklace from one of our local operatives, but it'll have to do. You can use it to contact me if you get into trouble. Just say the word and I'll pull you out."
"Thanks Vaughn." She smiled as she put it on. "How's it look?" she asked playfully.
"Pretty." He answered softly.
Her hand suddenly went to her face. "Oh, I must look a wreck."
"No, you don't." He said seriously. "So, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Sark's been ..... okay. He extended the mission."
"Did he say why?" Vaughn had been waiting to hear this.
She shrugged her shoulders, not sure where to begin. "Not exactly." Then suddenly she asked, "Do you know anything about a child being here?"
"I don't have any intell to suggest that. Why?" He asked, surprised at the question.
"It's probably nothing. Just something Sark mentioned. It's possible that's the reason he's extended.."
"Extended the mission? I find that hard to believe. Is that the reason he gave you?" He asked, bewildered.
"Not exactly. But why would he make that up? He seemed-
"You don't buy that do you?" He cut her off, negating the idea before she could even finish.
"No, I don't." She responded firmly. "Only, what if there is?"
"What if there's what?" He asked, taken aback.
"A child."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll check into it. Not that it would surprise me. It can hardly have just occurred to you. This place, the things that go on here, Syd, we're not in Kansas anymore."
"So we just accept it? You don't have a problem with that?"
"Of course I have a problem with it, what do you think? But right now, you're my problem. And whether there's a child or not, that's not the reason Sark's keeping you here."
"You seem tense," she observed a moment later, "more so than usual."
"I am tense Syd. I don't like what's going on here. You're not a long- term operative. You get in and get out. It's what you do best. I like it that way. I can keep track of you. Your staying here.. with him.. I'm worried I can't protect you."
"That's nice Vaughn," she smiled softly, "but I can take care of myself."
"I know that." He snapped. "It's Sark I'm worried about."
"He's taking care of me too. He has to. We're in this together."
'Yeah, I saw,' he thought to himself, and then he pointed out, "Until he decides he wants something else and you're in his way. The guy's a master manipulator. There probably isn't a child here. It's likely he's just playing on your sympathies to enlist your help with whatever he's really after."
"So you think he's after something." She reiterated.
He nodded. "I'm sure of it."
"What's my counter-mission?"
"Well, we're going to want to know what Sark's up to. Whatever he's after, it's safe to say we're after too. And since we don't even know what that is, complete your mission with Sark for SD-6 and do what you can for us. That's all I can come up with for now. I should know more later."
"You want me to go along with him?"
"I don't," he clarified, "but the Agency does."
She nodded, understanding.
"Keep me close," he reminded her, fingering the necklace.
"And the child?"
Vaughn sighed heavily. "And the child, if there is a child, and Syd, that's a big if, we can contact the local authorities, let them take care of it. Nothing can be done right now, it won't make any difference if we wait on that."
"I'd think it would make a difference to her." She said quietly.
Vaughn looked back at her helplessly, he hadn't meant that the way it sounded. They fell silent, looking at each other.
"I know," she whispered.
Vaughn's beeper sounded. "I have to go. My time's up. Be careful and stay in touch."
She nodded as he slipped out the door.
****************
By the time Sark returned, Sydney was dressed and having coffee out on the terrace.
"Where have you been?" She demanded hotly.
"I see you missed me." He flirted. "I missed you too. My arms have felt empty all morning-" he stopped short. Sydney was glaring at him, but he didn't notice, his eyes had gone immediately to her throat.
"What is that?" He questioned her sharply.
Her hand went up defensively to cover it. "It's mine," she lied. 'Damn' she thought.
He looked hard at her. "You'll have to take it off," he insisted, crossing over to her and unlatching it from behind. "No one would believe I'd given you this."
"Why?"
"Because a woman of mine wouldn't wear costume jewelry," he responded honestly, holding it up to the light. "We covered this. You're to wear only what I've provided for you." He said and dropped it into his pocket. "Anything else is distracting." He added irritably, walking away.
He poured himself some coffee and sat down. Sydney struggled for something to say, something to divert him.
"Where have you been?" She asked again, slightly more pleasantly.
"I was having a chat with Maurice."
"Maurice? About what?"
"I had a little request I thought he could help me with."
****************
Flashback to Sark and Maurice's conversation earlier ~
"Thank you Maurice, for indulging me. I felt sure you would understand."
"Of course, Mr. Sark, right this way."
Maurice led him down a back corridor of The Davincci to the security viewing room. "I've taken the liberty of removing hotel personnel in order to afford you a more private experience."
"I appreciate that."
Maurice smiled. "My pleasure. At the Davincci it is our goal to service our clients in any capacity they require, no questions asked. I'll just set the coordinates for your suite." Maurice began typing in a sequence of codes. Sark watched him from behind, taking note of the system. "You can customize the tape - duration, lighting, back-ground music, it's all here in the Menu. Of course, you could do all of this from your suite." Maurice looked up at him quizzically.
"Enya would not be comfortable if she were aware she was being filmed. There's also a concern for privacy." Sark explained.
"I understand completely." All the clients of the Davincci it seemed were eccentric in some form or another. Maurice smiled warmly. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I need to know there will be no access to this chamber while I am making use of it."
"Of course, that will not be a problem. Simply let me know when you're ready and I'll see to everything."
"Thank you."
"Enjoy your evening." Maurice smiled as he walked away. 'Fortunately," he thought, pulling out his cell phone, glancing over his shoulder to assure Sark was no longer within hearing distance, "it is not necessary to access the mainframe from this chamber.'
A voice answered on the first ring. "Yes?"
"Everything is in place."
****************
Back to Sark and Sydney ~
"When do you plan on filling me in on what's going on?" She demanded, glancing about the room. Her patience was coming an end.
"Soon. First I have some calls to make."
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Fine. I was thinking about going out anyway. Maybe I'll just stay out." She threatened.
She had started for the bedroom when she instinctively felt the cameras come on.
"Enya," Sark capitulated. "Come back."
Sark explained as if he was trying to make up to her. "Darling, you can go for a walk when you get home. Here, I don't want you to leave the room. Bringing you with me was a mistake. You'll be leaving soon." Sydney wondered what he meant by she'd be leaving.
She turned and walked slowly back over to where he sat. She was careful to lower her face enough so that the camera couldn't pick up her glowering expression. He pulled her on to his lap and enfolded her in his arms. Again she knew this move was to afford them the privacy they needed to talk, but 'this is getting to be a habit with him,' she thought. She laid her head obediently on his shoulder, reflexively inhaling his scent. It struck her his scent had already become familiar. He had a masculine, clean smell. 'A protective smell', she thought. She'd fallen asleep to it last night.. 'That was a mistake,' she mentally reproached herself.
"What did you find out?" She whispered up into his ear, trying to ignore this train of thought.
He leaned in to answer her then, kissing her cheek so slowly, so softly, it sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Closing her eyes, she prayed he wouldn't notice.
Of course he did and he smiled despite his best effort. Really, he hadn't been prepared for how much fun this would be. Purposely nuzzling her cheek softly back and forth, and feeling the bumps rise up on her skin, he whispered in her ear, "It seems the girl was procured from a local orphanage for another of Korin's guests', a certain General."
Sydney concentrated on ignoring the sensation of his lips meandering on her skin. "Why would Korin be getting a girl for a General?" She asked, slightly out of breath.
"Does it matter?" He asked, looking thoughtfully down at her, lightly lifting away a stray lock of hair that had fallen onto her face.
"Yes, especially since I'm not even sure there is one."
"A General?" He teased, smoothing her hair. It was so soft. 'Like an angel', he thought to himself.
"A girl."
"Oh. There is, and I couldn't say. I don't care really. It'll be his undoing." He said firmly.
Sydney looked sharply up at him.
"Why should I help you?" she asked.
"Besides that you've been ordered to? Don't you want to?" He goaded her. "Just because he deserves it? Just because we can?" She was intrigued by this. He saw it in her eyes.
She covered it quickly. "What's this really about? I don't believe this is about a girl. It can't just be about revenge," she argued.
He smiled against her. "This is turning out to be very much about a girl," he answered cryptically. "Anyway, you're just saying that because you think I'm one of the 'bad guys'."
"You are."
"Possibly, but you say that as if it's a bad thing," he teased.
Sydney started to push off, angry. She wasn't going to let him play her whether the CIA wanted her to or not. But he held her decidedly there.
"It's all in your perspective Sydney," he continued, cradling her tightly against his chest. He could feel her heart beating softly in time with his. "Don't be so naive. You, more than anyone, should know that no one is ever entirely bad. Just as no one is ever entirely good."
She looked up into his eyes. She felt as if he was trying to tell her something. He looked as if he would continue but then he seemed to think better of it and reverted back to their original topic, loosening his hold slightly.
"I'm aligning a plan for extracting the girl and framing the General for the disk."
Sydney nodded. She had thought as much. "And what about Sloane?"
"I've contacted Sloane. Our orders are to stay put until the disk is recovered."
"The disk is recovered."
"Yes." He answered distractedly. His face clouded with concern as he looked down on her. He placed his hand against her face, feeling the heat. With his thumb he touched her bruised cheek tenderly, caressing it; his touch so light, it caused her eyelids to flutter.
"When this is over," she gritted through her teeth, "I'm going to tear you apart."
He knew he shouldn't laugh, but he couldn't keep from grinning like an errant schoolboy. As childish as it was, it pleased him to know she was vulnerable to him.
They sat there like that in thoughtful silence, each one working the situation over in their head.
"It's still an unnecessary risk." She pointed out a few moments later, after she'd collected herself. "Why don't we just extract her or call the local authorities once we get back?"
"The local authorities? Sydney, don't you think they know? They won't do anything."
"How do you know?"
"I know. Even if by some miracle she does get taken out of here, either she or someone else will be back before the week is out. No," he shook his head, "this has to be done my way."
"But why involve the General?"
"Because that's the way it has to be if we're to be allowed to walk out of here with her."
"And you don't mind framing an innocent man for something that will likely get him killed?" She asked, bringing her hands up between them to bridge some distance.
"An innocent man that plays with children," he reminded her, sighing at her touch. "No, I don't mind."
****************
Vaughn - Back at the CIA safe house, he is on the phone ~
"Did Sloane say why he would sanction Sark keeping her here?" he asked Jack through a secured line on his cell phone. Jack had just come from a meeting at SD-6.
"Not exactly. He said new developments required them to stay where they were until additional information could be collected. He didn't seem concerned."
Vaughn turned and glanced back at the monitors depicting Sark cradling Sydney in his arms...again.
"This isn't right, Jack. There's something more. I have a bad feeling about this."
"She can handle it."
'Yeah, but can I?' He thought to himself, watching the screen. He'd regretted telling her to go along with Sark the instant he had. But those were his orders and she was his asset. 'She's a spy; it's what she does.' He reminded himself. Ignoring the rest, he watched her eyes. Even through the poor quality of the feed he could see her working him. 'She is so good. Just the right balance of interest and indifference." He thought. "It could almost be real.'
****************
Back with Sark and Sydney ~
"This isn't going to be easy." He continued. "Security will be amplified and the fact remains that maintaining my cover is imperative to future operations."
Sydney started to speak but as she brought her head up her mouth suddenly came only a breath away from his and they both froze, staring into each other's eyes.
She suddenly felt very warm.
Sark lost his train of thought. "Sydney," he admonished her, "you're distracting me."
She looked away quickly, embarrassed. Sark closed his eyes for a moment, pausing to collect himself.
"We have two things working in our favor," he said, getting back to business. "The first is that we are both very good at what we do. The second, commonly enough, is Korin's predisposition to want to see who's is bigger."
"Excuse me?"
"Despite the evidence, Korin still suspects me of stealing the disk. Because he can't prove it, he'll be looking for some way to discredit me. He dabbles in video blackmail."
"So what's the plan?"
"We'll need to make a tape to circulate through a looping cycle in order to give us time to access his system."
She visibly winced. "You don't want me to break into his office again?"
"No. If you happened to slam your face a second time, I doubt I could manage to convince him I'd beaten you twice." He smiled. "At least not with a straight face."
"What kind of tape?" She asked, suspiciously.
"Just a tape .. of us. It needn't to be long for what we have to do." He assured her. "And it will serve to lull Korin into believing I am otherwise ... occupied."
"Need I remind you..?"
"Sydney, this is work." He said seriously.
She sighed. "When?"
"Early this evening, before my meeting with Korin. I need to give him some time to prepare."
"Korin knows you're making a tape?" She asked.
"He should by now. I'm guessing he'll be very interested in ... watching us."
"What do you want me to do until then?"
"I'll be going out. I have some calls to make that I can't make from here, some other preparations. I'll begin the taping just prior to my arrival back here. I'd appreciate it if you worked out the parameters by then. Until then, just relax. I'll take care of everything," He assured her. "Oh, and remember, stick to the profile exactly."
"I know."
"I'll be counting on you Sydney."
"I know."
Sydney had remained cradled protectively in his arms. The light had gone off some time before but neither had bothered to check, they had become so engrossed in mentally developing their strategies. The ringing of his cell phone jarred them out of their mode all at once. Sark pulled back and checked it. A select few had the number to his phone and they weren't the sort he could talk to in front of Sydney.
"Sydney .... " he began.
Realizing she was still in his arms, she was immediately embarrassed. Checking to see the light was off; she jumped quickly up and walked out of the room without looking back.
Sark stared after her.
"Yes?" He answered irritably.
"Mr. Sark?"
"Yes, did you do what I asked?" He demanded, fully himself again.
"Yes, Mr. Sark," the voice replied, "I have what you want."
****************