Rising
Chapter Five
Clandestine Meetings
Sydney sat down on the hard bench of the observatory. She shivered as the wind blew her hair all about her face. Sark leaned over her shoulder. "Hey."
She jumped. "Finally. I was afraid I came to the wrong place. You're late and I always thought you were known for your punctuality."
"I was occupied. So sorry to keep you waiting." The sarcasm bit into her heart, but she tried to ignore how cold she seemed to get. He took a seat next to her, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He removed two pieces of paper and handed them to her.
"I narrowed the search down to two of the matches I found that could be Geiger."
"Sark..."
"No, Sydney. You and I agreed to work on this. William Vaughn and James Montrose are the two matches. The only way..."
"Sark."
"The way we can find out is to find the remains..."
"Sark!" She finally yelled, her voice echoing into the canyon.
"What?"
"He's William Vaughn."
Sark watched her steadily.
"How do you know?"
"My mother didn't kill him. She recruited him and faked his death."
Sark stretched against the back of the bench.
"How do you know that for sure?"
"I did my own research."
"So, if you know so much, what are we going to do about it?"
"You're mad that I found out who he was before you."
"No, I'm not."
"Should we approach him?"
"He could go on the run, plus it'd blow our covers with the Alliance."
"Our covers?"
"Now that I know who he is, I need to come up with a good plan."
"Okay. Since we're here, should we start working on it?"
"Security Section might get suspicous if the bugs are jammed for too long."
"Right."
They fell quiet for a couple of minutes, staring at each other, drinking in the sight of the other, tension thick in the air. "I'll contact you when I have my plan."
"Okay."
Sark stood up, straightened his suit jacket, rebuttoning it. He started to walk to his convertible, but stopped when he reached the door. He looked back and saw a very lost looking Sydney on the bench. She had wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make herself warm again. Her chocolate tresses were flying wildly about, making her look almost crazed.
"Sydney?"
"You're still here?"
"Are you okay?"
Her voice was hard, but her eyes were much softer.
"I'm fine."
Sark bobbed his head. "Fine." He opened the car door, started the engine, and pulled away, trying to ignore the frightened little girl he had just seen in Sydney.
Vaughn layed back in his bed. Sydney had been acting odd lately. It was like she was hiding something. But there was nothing he could put his finger on, no concrete evidence. What disturbed him even more was that she seemed to be confiding in Sark. Jack had told him about the conversation he had with Sydney. Sydney trusted Sark. She was slowly believing in Sark. That worried him even more. He had called her that very night and Sydney never came to the werehouse. Will finally contacted him to say he had no idea where Sydney was. Millions of thoughts ran through his head. He wondered if she'd been discovered, captured, tortured, but the scariest thought he had of all; that she was with Sark. He turned over in bed, knowing he would never sleep.
Francie heard the door open at 12:30 in the morning.
"Sydney? Are you all right?" Sydney glanced up, surprised to find her friend so worried.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You usually call if you're going to be late."
"Oh, am I late?"
"It's 12:30 and you said you didn't have any plans."
"It is?"
"Syd?"
"Right. I didn't mean to worry you. I just got preoccupied."
"Will's been worried about you even more. He wouldn't tell me why."
"Where is he?"
"Asleep."
"Oh."
"Sydney?" Will stood in the door way to Francie's room.
"Yeah. It's me."
"Where were you? People have been worried about you."
Sydney's mind flashed to Vaughn.
"I was at the observatory and I lost track of time."
"So everything is okay?"
"Fine. I'm tired. Good night, you guys."
Sydney walked away, dejectedly, leaving Francie even more confused and Will even more worried.
Chapter Five
Clandestine Meetings
Sydney sat down on the hard bench of the observatory. She shivered as the wind blew her hair all about her face. Sark leaned over her shoulder. "Hey."
She jumped. "Finally. I was afraid I came to the wrong place. You're late and I always thought you were known for your punctuality."
"I was occupied. So sorry to keep you waiting." The sarcasm bit into her heart, but she tried to ignore how cold she seemed to get. He took a seat next to her, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He removed two pieces of paper and handed them to her.
"I narrowed the search down to two of the matches I found that could be Geiger."
"Sark..."
"No, Sydney. You and I agreed to work on this. William Vaughn and James Montrose are the two matches. The only way..."
"Sark."
"The way we can find out is to find the remains..."
"Sark!" She finally yelled, her voice echoing into the canyon.
"What?"
"He's William Vaughn."
Sark watched her steadily.
"How do you know?"
"My mother didn't kill him. She recruited him and faked his death."
Sark stretched against the back of the bench.
"How do you know that for sure?"
"I did my own research."
"So, if you know so much, what are we going to do about it?"
"You're mad that I found out who he was before you."
"No, I'm not."
"Should we approach him?"
"He could go on the run, plus it'd blow our covers with the Alliance."
"Our covers?"
"Now that I know who he is, I need to come up with a good plan."
"Okay. Since we're here, should we start working on it?"
"Security Section might get suspicous if the bugs are jammed for too long."
"Right."
They fell quiet for a couple of minutes, staring at each other, drinking in the sight of the other, tension thick in the air. "I'll contact you when I have my plan."
"Okay."
Sark stood up, straightened his suit jacket, rebuttoning it. He started to walk to his convertible, but stopped when he reached the door. He looked back and saw a very lost looking Sydney on the bench. She had wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make herself warm again. Her chocolate tresses were flying wildly about, making her look almost crazed.
"Sydney?"
"You're still here?"
"Are you okay?"
Her voice was hard, but her eyes were much softer.
"I'm fine."
Sark bobbed his head. "Fine." He opened the car door, started the engine, and pulled away, trying to ignore the frightened little girl he had just seen in Sydney.
Vaughn layed back in his bed. Sydney had been acting odd lately. It was like she was hiding something. But there was nothing he could put his finger on, no concrete evidence. What disturbed him even more was that she seemed to be confiding in Sark. Jack had told him about the conversation he had with Sydney. Sydney trusted Sark. She was slowly believing in Sark. That worried him even more. He had called her that very night and Sydney never came to the werehouse. Will finally contacted him to say he had no idea where Sydney was. Millions of thoughts ran through his head. He wondered if she'd been discovered, captured, tortured, but the scariest thought he had of all; that she was with Sark. He turned over in bed, knowing he would never sleep.
Francie heard the door open at 12:30 in the morning.
"Sydney? Are you all right?" Sydney glanced up, surprised to find her friend so worried.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You usually call if you're going to be late."
"Oh, am I late?"
"It's 12:30 and you said you didn't have any plans."
"It is?"
"Syd?"
"Right. I didn't mean to worry you. I just got preoccupied."
"Will's been worried about you even more. He wouldn't tell me why."
"Where is he?"
"Asleep."
"Oh."
"Sydney?" Will stood in the door way to Francie's room.
"Yeah. It's me."
"Where were you? People have been worried about you."
Sydney's mind flashed to Vaughn.
"I was at the observatory and I lost track of time."
"So everything is okay?"
"Fine. I'm tired. Good night, you guys."
Sydney walked away, dejectedly, leaving Francie even more confused and Will even more worried.