TITLE: Past

AUTHOR: Carrie

DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere, just let me know so I can visit

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Alias or any of the characters that appear on the show.

NOTE: this chapter is really short too, but the next chapter is the actual mission, and it's really long.

CHAPTER THREE

Sydney received her 'Joey's Pizza' call about half an hour ago. She walked into the warehouse, happy to see Vaughn. She saw him right away, and smiled, only to have her smile fade when Agent Kendall emerged from the shadows.

"Hello Agent Bristow." He said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Hello." She replied, equally as unfriendly.

"Well, your mother's information has proved to be quite useful." He began. "We've known for sometime about the possibility of plans for remote satellite missiles, but we don't know how far along they are in the process. Despite your mother's warning about Cézanne's paranoia, this mission should be simple. Get in through the club, get into the lab, and take whatever plans and/or prototypes they might have." He paused and looked at Vaughn. "You two leave in 18 hours. Agent Vaughn will fill you in on the details of the mission."

Without so much of a nod, Kendall walked out.

Vaughn looked at Sydney.

"Well, he's a nice guy." Sydney commented sarcastically.

Vaughn chuckled a little bit. "Yeah.Okay, mission stuff. The club should be reasonably easy to get into. Our names, well, our aliases, will be on the list." Vaughn laid some blueprints out on the table. "Once we get into the club, we'll go out this door into the hallway. There are about six security doors between the hallway and the lab, and there's no way we can get there undetected. However, the hallway is lined with empty offices, and this one here," he pointed at the map, "has a large vent that leads right into the lab. We'll take the same way in and out. You'll grab any designs, and I'll take care of surveillance." Vaughn finished.

Sydney nodded. "Sounds good."

"Yeah, it should be fine." Vaughn said confidently, hoping that his plan was okay.

"Can I ask you something?" Sydney asked tentatively.

"Of course." Vaughn replied.

"Not that I mind, but why do they keep sending you on missions with me. I love having you as my partner, but handler's don't usually go into the field do they?" Sydney asked, hoping that Vaughn wouldn't be offended.

He wasn't. He knew this had been coming for a while. "Yeah, I don't know, I guess they figure that I'll try to go anyway, so they might as well send me. I like working in the field, and I like working with you." He replied, smiling.

Sydney nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're coming with me."

Vaughn looked up at her and was completely awestruck by her beauty. Her smile seemed to radiate off of her and onto him, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment.

But the moment passed, and they had to return to reality.

"I guess I'll see you in Rhone." Sydney said.

"Yeah, see you there."