Author's note: Post-"Double Agent", spoilers from the preview/TV Guide description of "Free Agent" may be referred to. This was intended to be a short vignette, but based on the feedback I've received I'm taking it in a different direction, and fulfilling some of that foreshadowing.
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The rest of the morning passes quickly, spent in the giant evidence bay, which is lined with long metal tables stretching from one end of the room to the other. Florescent lights hang low on steel cables, illuminating whatever item the team members are huddled around. There are about twenty items in the room at the moment, and at any moment anywhere from two to five technicians are bent over each item, examining, photographing, taking samples and comparing the item to thick files of existing intelligence on the artifact. It's really kind of fascinating. I circulate around the room, sharing any information I know on the items (many of which I've never heard of), especially those items that are CIA forgeries planted in SD-6. I don't know why they're analyzing those things – they probably helped create them – but when I ask, someone in a lab coat mutters something about protocol and scurries on to the next table.
I'm beginning to think "protocol" is the dirtiest word in the English language.
The team begins to filter out, singly and in small clusters, and I realize it's time for lunch. No sooner do I think the word than my stomach sends out a rather conspicuous growl. I'm surprised it didn't start bothering me earlier. I never did eat dinner last night.
Taking a much-needed break, I wander downstairs to see what Vaughn is doing for lunch. Today is a day of firsts -- I've never been allowed in the cafeteria here, since it's open to personnel with low-level security clearance. Time to try it out.
I'm just entering the bullpen when Vaughn storms in from the opposite direction, clearly glad to be out of whatever he was just in. He and Weiss are already talking as I approach, and I gather he's been in an extended briefing ever since we ran into Kendall this morning.
"…and after three hours I realize the point is Kendall has to take the whole thing to the Director but he wanted me to sit in a room with him for four hours first."
"Wow. Sucks. Makes my morning conference with Agent Phillips seem so tough."
"Oh, don't tell me."
"I'm telling you, Mike, it's hard to resist my boyish charm."
"Right."
At this point, it dawns on me they still haven't seen me and I'm effectively eavesdropping. I should feel guilty. I'll keep working on that.
"Speaking of which, I saw you come in this morning."
"Don't say it."
"I'm not --"
"I mean it."
"It's ju--"
"Don't."
"Fine," comes out as more of an exasperated sigh as Weiss leans over his work, muttering. "But that lipstick is really not your shade."
"What?" Vaughn's face instantly drains of color and he brings his hand up over his mouth, wiping his lips with a decisive motion. His hand comes away…clean.
"You s--"
"But, boy, did you look guilty."
I can't help it. I laugh out loud. Vaughn, who was already turning an attractive shade of pink, is positively scarlet when he sees me standing there. Weiss is looking a little flushed as well.
"I was just coming down to see if either of you guys wanted to grab some lunch, but clearly you have more, um, interesting subjects to discuss."
"Sydney--"
"Syd--" They start out at once. This is too much fun.
"So which one of you is buying?"
***********
We're not even done with lunch before we're summoned to one of Kendall's famous mystery briefings. Vaughn looks like he's about to snap. I give him a sympathetic smile as we all file into the conference room. We're joined by my father, Kendall, that cute analyst from the third floor, and a tech guy I vaguely remember from one of my early missions here.
"Thank you for coming in on such short notice. I was just given some information from one of our evidence teams that I needs our immediate attention."
A black-and-white photo flashes onto the screen behind him. I recognize it as a small Rambaldi sculpture I was asked to look at upstairs. It's barely a foot tall and carved from black marble. It's the image of a horse, raring up, front hooves pawing the air.
"We don't yet know the significance of this item, but we did notice one odd feature." Next photo. "The base, front hooves, and muzzle of the horse line up on a perfectly vertical plane. We weren't sure what this meant until about an hour ago." The photo behind him displays the vertical line of the statue, lined perfectly up against a large book.
"One of our agents in San Francisco just reported an event taking place tonight. It seems Arturo Salencia is throwing a party at his estate to unveil a new addition to his art collection. Salencia is a suspected SD-6 supporter who is known to have made much of his fortune in the drug trade. The item he is unveiling is a perfect match to the sculpture we have upstairs. The two are a matched set of bookends."
"So you want us to retrieve the other half?"
"Yes, Agent Vaughn. You and Agent Bristow will be attending the party this evening. One of you will keep Salencia occupied while the other makes the switch. We want to make sure he doesn't suspect anything until the party is over."
"And you want me to get close to him?" I ask.
"No, actually, we want Agent Vaughn to get close to him." Eyebrows all round.
"Given Salencia's typical company, we think Agent Vaughn stands a better chance of keeping him occupied."
I smirk. Weiss looks like he's about to wet himself. Vaughn studies the table.
"Agent Bristow, you'll be posing as an insurance agent charged with inspecting Salencia's security. Your job is to make the switch before the statue is unveiled. Agent Vaughn, your job is to ensure Agent Bristow is left alone with the statue." I glance up at Vaughn. That must be a very interesting table.
The tech guy I can't quite place pipes up.
"You'll be taking a couple things on the mission. This is the copy of the artifact." He lifts a heavy statuette onto the table. "Obviously, you can't carry this thing through the front door. Which is why it does this." He twists the base a bit and slides the statue in half, forming two slender vertical pieces. "The two halves will fit into a briefcase we'll provide you." His dry delivery is a stark contrast to Marshall, and I feel a pang at the thought. Kendall's promise I could speak to him today is obviously about to be broken.
"Agent Vaughn, you'll be wearing these." Oh, I can't wait for this. I don't even risk looking up at Weiss.
He opens a box containing, sadly, a set of cuff links. "The left one sends a signal that will disrupt the security alarm in the area around the statue. You'll activate it as soon as you have Salencia out of the way. The right one is your transmitter; Agent Weiss will be your contact." Ok, Weiss is seriously going to lose it. "As soon as the alarm is deactivated, notify Weiss. He will meet Agent Bristow at the servant's entrance for the handoff." Weiss gives him a professional nod, which I'm sure takes an incredible amount of self-control.
"The three of you will be leaving on our plane at four o'clock. That's all. Thanks, everyone."
We file out, and I can tell Weiss is just waiting to get Vaughn outside. When we get back to the bullpen, Vaughn shoots him a look that says, "speak, and our friendship is over." Vaughn turns to me.
"Do you want me to drop you off at the house? You can pick up your car."
Eyebrows from Weiss.
"No, there's something I need to do here first. Why don't you get ready and we can stop by my place on the way to the airport. I don't need much." He nods his assent and I take off before I can hear the hell Weiss is about to give him.
It's time to make a visit I've been putting off too long.
*****************
"I'd like to see the prisoner, please."
"Agent Bristow, we don't have this down as a scheduled visit."
"I'm leaving on a mission in half an hour. You can schedule the visit after I get back."
The doors open.
She's sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back turned to me. She stands before I approach the glass, as if she knows I'm there. She faces me through the partition, a slight smile on her face.
"Sydney. I was wondering when you would be down." As always, I'm guarded.
"Why is that?"
She looks mildly surprised. "After all that's happened? I'm surprised you haven't been down here earlier. I guess I should say congratulations." On the last sentence, she gives me a full-blown smile.
"How did you know?" And how much do you know?
"Your father told me. Don't look so surprised, Sydney. He came down here nearly two days ago."
"So, he told you everything?" The smile slides back into the sly grin.
"Oh, I'm sure he didn't tell me everything. But he told me about your victory over the Alliance. The raids, all the cells, Sloane's disappearance -- it seems your operation was very successful."
I can't help it; I smile brightly. It's still amazing to hear the words.
"I wouldn't count Sloane's disappearance as a victory."
She shakes her head.
"Sloane will turn up, Sydney, soon enough. Without his organization I doubt he can elude capture very long." She glances down, studying her hands for a moment. They're resting against the glass, not far from where mine rest on the other side. She looks back up, meeting my eyes.
"What I really want to know is what this means for you. You're free now, you know. You can leave. You can have the life you want." I drop my own gaze, not sure what I should tell her. I haven't even discussed this with Vaughn yet.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet."
"Sydney, you don't expect me to accept that. I know how much this life pains you, how much you want out. You're graduating soon. Don't you want to see what life has to offer?" Her tone is that of a mother admonishing her daughter before she graduates high school. I realize, with a start, that's not far off the mark. I look at her again.
"I haven't made any decisions yet. I know I have more options now--" I glance around, to make sure none of the guards is within earshot "-- but I want to wait until after graduation to make any decisions about the CIA. We still have a lot of SD-6 cleanup to do, and I want to at least be here for that." I realize I've just admitted to her more than I've admitted to anyone.
"And what does this mean for you and Agent Vaughn? He's not your handler anymore. The two of you can't keep hiding behind protocol."
"We weren't hiding--" I snap, breaking off before I say too much. She waits for me to continue. I don't.
"You're a woman, Sydney. Don't start thinking of yourself only as a spy, no matter how much everyone around you seems to. I know what a great mistake that can be." The pain is evident in her voice, and I find myself wondering about this woman, this spy -- a false marriage, a daughter she couldn't see, twenty years in exile. For the first time, I wonder how high a price my mother paid.
We stand there a moment longer, neither ready to speak and neither ready to leave. Finally, I take a deep breath, and it's back to professional mode.
"I have to go; I have a mission to prepare for."
"Goodbye, Sydney."
"Bye…Mom."