Rising
Chapter Nine
Conversations
AN: Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. I couldn't get into ff.net for awhile and then I got in a car accident. But it's here now. Thanks again for reading the story.
Sydney woke up groggily, taking in her surroundings.
"Vaughn?"
"Sydney! How are you feeling?!"
"Awful. Where am I?"
"CIA's renewal wing."
Sydney closed her eyes, trying to recall the previous events.
"I left the restaurant and I was surrounded. What happened after that?"
"Geiger took you hostage, as if he knew Mr. Sark would want to save you."
"Where is he now?"
"He was arrested after he put you in a wheelchair."
"What? No."
Sydney leaned up fromt he matress, but collapsed back into the pillows.
"Take me to him."
"Sydney, you need your rest."
"Michael Vaughn, I can hardly feel my legs, but I will crawl to that cell if I have to."
Vaughn began to protest, but Sydney's determined glare stopped him short. He held his hands up in surrender.
"All right."
He brought the wheel chair to the side of her bed and lifted her into the wheelchair. She grimaced, but didn't make a sound, no matter how much pain she was in. He wheeled her towards the cell.
The bars slowly lifted. Vaughn stopped her in front of Sark's glass cage. He was sitting on the metal slab staring at the opposite wall. His arm was put in a sling and he seemed to be concentrating on a specific block of wall. Sydney lifted her unbroken arm and tapped lightly. Vaughn whispered, "I'll be back in a few moments."
Vaughn exited to watch the exchange on the monitors.
"Hey." Sark said quietly, placing his hand on the plexiglass. Sydney smoothed her hand at the same outline.
"You look terrible." He continued.
"Thanks."
Sark smiled at her a little.
"I was worried about you. No one would tell me if you were okay. They kept saying, 'You're a mass murderer, you don't deserve to know.' "
"You were worried?" Sydney began to cough.
"Well, yes. It was my fault you were caught in the first place."
"Why did you come to the CIA?"
Sark blinked, breaking their eye contact, dropping his hand to the iron caging. Sydney did the same.
"I couldn't just leave you behind."
"Vaughn could have brought me in."
Sark sighed. "I know. I just couldn't."
"Sark."
"Don't tell me it was stupid." He slapped the glass. "This is exactly why I don't form emotional attachments. They endager yourself and everyone around you."
"You formed an emotional attachment to me?"
"No."
Sydney was smiling openly.
"Stop. I'm just saying that when you start to trust people other than yourself, things always go wrong."
"You'd rather go through your life without anyone to listen to you, trust in you, love you?"
Sark turned to her. "You love me?"
"What? No. It's just a hypothetical question."
Sark motioned to the small cell that lay around him.
"Doesn't matter anyways. I'm in this tiny cage. I'll probably be in here forever."
Sydney felt tears spring to her eyes. She didn't know why, so she bit them back. Sark studied her for a moment before walking to the metal slab again.
He called back to her, "You're probably glad. I'll be out of your way."
"You'll get out. I'll make sure you do."
"Don't worry about it. It's not your problem anymore. Forget about me."
"Sydney! Time's up!" Vaughn called out, walking back into view.
"I want you to heal, Sydney. Take SD-6 down. Get your life back. Heaven knows, we both deserve a life."
Sydney tried to smile for him.
"Whatever, Andrew."
Vaughn nodded to Sark and rolled Sydney away from him. Sark watched her go, then his eyes flicked to the camera spying on him. He took his time, carefully opening his fist. A small scapel lay in his hand, flat enough to fit into the screws that held the wall up. He took his place in the center of the slab, and began to unscrew the wall with much care to make it look like he wasn't doing anything.
"Thank you for taking me to him." Sydney said as she rested into the pillows.
"I don't know why you wanted to see him."
"He saved us both, Vaughn."
She patted the side of her bed.
"That's okay, Syd."
"Vaughn, we're about to have one of those sit down conversations."
He nodded reluctantly and took his spot at the edge of her matress. They stared at each other for a brief moment, connected through lies and betrayals as usual.
"Are you aware of who Geiger is?"
Vaughn shrugged. "It's true?"
"Yes. He is your dad."
"How long have you known?"
"A few days."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to hurt you. I know how much suffering is induced when you find out the person you idolized your entire life is very much alive and evil."
"You wanted to coddle me. Isn't that what you hate so much? You yell at me and your father for doing the exact same thing."
Sydney gave him this pitiful look.
"I know. But I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure and then I was captured."
"But you shared your theories with Mr. Sark?"
"He was the one who started to investigate Geiger. He just let me get involved."
"Let you?"
"We joined forces. You know he is the best. And I needed to know."
"So you trusted an enemy of the United States."
"He's not as awful as we all like to think."
Vaughn shook his head, standing up quickly.
"I can't believe you're taking up for him."
"He did a lot for me."
"He's also done a lot to you."
"It doesn't matter. We have to let Sark out. He's the only one who can take Geiger down."
"He's in U.S. custody."
"Vaughn..." She reached to him.
"No, Sydney." He pulled out of her grasp and left the room.
Chapter Nine
Conversations
AN: Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. I couldn't get into ff.net for awhile and then I got in a car accident. But it's here now. Thanks again for reading the story.
Sydney woke up groggily, taking in her surroundings.
"Vaughn?"
"Sydney! How are you feeling?!"
"Awful. Where am I?"
"CIA's renewal wing."
Sydney closed her eyes, trying to recall the previous events.
"I left the restaurant and I was surrounded. What happened after that?"
"Geiger took you hostage, as if he knew Mr. Sark would want to save you."
"Where is he now?"
"He was arrested after he put you in a wheelchair."
"What? No."
Sydney leaned up fromt he matress, but collapsed back into the pillows.
"Take me to him."
"Sydney, you need your rest."
"Michael Vaughn, I can hardly feel my legs, but I will crawl to that cell if I have to."
Vaughn began to protest, but Sydney's determined glare stopped him short. He held his hands up in surrender.
"All right."
He brought the wheel chair to the side of her bed and lifted her into the wheelchair. She grimaced, but didn't make a sound, no matter how much pain she was in. He wheeled her towards the cell.
The bars slowly lifted. Vaughn stopped her in front of Sark's glass cage. He was sitting on the metal slab staring at the opposite wall. His arm was put in a sling and he seemed to be concentrating on a specific block of wall. Sydney lifted her unbroken arm and tapped lightly. Vaughn whispered, "I'll be back in a few moments."
Vaughn exited to watch the exchange on the monitors.
"Hey." Sark said quietly, placing his hand on the plexiglass. Sydney smoothed her hand at the same outline.
"You look terrible." He continued.
"Thanks."
Sark smiled at her a little.
"I was worried about you. No one would tell me if you were okay. They kept saying, 'You're a mass murderer, you don't deserve to know.' "
"You were worried?" Sydney began to cough.
"Well, yes. It was my fault you were caught in the first place."
"Why did you come to the CIA?"
Sark blinked, breaking their eye contact, dropping his hand to the iron caging. Sydney did the same.
"I couldn't just leave you behind."
"Vaughn could have brought me in."
Sark sighed. "I know. I just couldn't."
"Sark."
"Don't tell me it was stupid." He slapped the glass. "This is exactly why I don't form emotional attachments. They endager yourself and everyone around you."
"You formed an emotional attachment to me?"
"No."
Sydney was smiling openly.
"Stop. I'm just saying that when you start to trust people other than yourself, things always go wrong."
"You'd rather go through your life without anyone to listen to you, trust in you, love you?"
Sark turned to her. "You love me?"
"What? No. It's just a hypothetical question."
Sark motioned to the small cell that lay around him.
"Doesn't matter anyways. I'm in this tiny cage. I'll probably be in here forever."
Sydney felt tears spring to her eyes. She didn't know why, so she bit them back. Sark studied her for a moment before walking to the metal slab again.
He called back to her, "You're probably glad. I'll be out of your way."
"You'll get out. I'll make sure you do."
"Don't worry about it. It's not your problem anymore. Forget about me."
"Sydney! Time's up!" Vaughn called out, walking back into view.
"I want you to heal, Sydney. Take SD-6 down. Get your life back. Heaven knows, we both deserve a life."
Sydney tried to smile for him.
"Whatever, Andrew."
Vaughn nodded to Sark and rolled Sydney away from him. Sark watched her go, then his eyes flicked to the camera spying on him. He took his time, carefully opening his fist. A small scapel lay in his hand, flat enough to fit into the screws that held the wall up. He took his place in the center of the slab, and began to unscrew the wall with much care to make it look like he wasn't doing anything.
"Thank you for taking me to him." Sydney said as she rested into the pillows.
"I don't know why you wanted to see him."
"He saved us both, Vaughn."
She patted the side of her bed.
"That's okay, Syd."
"Vaughn, we're about to have one of those sit down conversations."
He nodded reluctantly and took his spot at the edge of her matress. They stared at each other for a brief moment, connected through lies and betrayals as usual.
"Are you aware of who Geiger is?"
Vaughn shrugged. "It's true?"
"Yes. He is your dad."
"How long have you known?"
"A few days."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to hurt you. I know how much suffering is induced when you find out the person you idolized your entire life is very much alive and evil."
"You wanted to coddle me. Isn't that what you hate so much? You yell at me and your father for doing the exact same thing."
Sydney gave him this pitiful look.
"I know. But I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure and then I was captured."
"But you shared your theories with Mr. Sark?"
"He was the one who started to investigate Geiger. He just let me get involved."
"Let you?"
"We joined forces. You know he is the best. And I needed to know."
"So you trusted an enemy of the United States."
"He's not as awful as we all like to think."
Vaughn shook his head, standing up quickly.
"I can't believe you're taking up for him."
"He did a lot for me."
"He's also done a lot to you."
"It doesn't matter. We have to let Sark out. He's the only one who can take Geiger down."
"He's in U.S. custody."
"Vaughn..." She reached to him.
"No, Sydney." He pulled out of her grasp and left the room.