Chapter Fifteen
Weiss hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep since he'd gotten the call that Vaughn was in the hospital. All he had been able to think then was that he hadn't parted well with his friend, and he hoped they would have time to patch things up over a cold beer. But that hadn't happened, and now Vaughn was gone again, leaving him to fix things on his own.
Weiss wasn't afraid of work or responsibility. He thrived under pressure and despite the fatigue that hit him every time he sat down, he never thought of quitting. He'd smoothed the way for Sydney and Vaughn, he'd made sure they would be safe from Sloane, and he was working around the clock to find a way to bring them back. That wasn't the problem that was making him want to throw in the towel. That problem was Jack Bristow telling him that they had to take SD-6 down within the next week did he feel like running far, far away.
"There's no way Devlin would go for it," he argued, knowing it was futile from the stubborn look on Jack's face. "You are still an important figure in SD-6, even if we can't bring Sydney back in. We need to infiltrate the Alliance or else we'll never get the rest of the web down."
"If we don't do this, Sydney, Mr. Vaughn, and his mother are as good as dead," Jack said simply. "Sloane won't stop until they're found and I'm in as much danger as she is until then. Don't tell me this hasn't occurred to you, Mr. Weiss. Considering the state things are in right now, I'm useless to the CIA. I'm suspended and if Sydney's not found, I'll be executed."
There was no denying the logic. Weiss rubbed his face and closed his eyes, trying to focus his suddenly chaotic thoughts.
"I'll get a team together that'll be ready to go in the next couple days. We'll study the information you've provided on SD-6's security and manpower. The people in there, the innocent ones, they cannot get any warning from you that anything is going to happen."
"I'm not a rookie," Jack said scornfully.
"I know," Weiss returned dryly. "I'm just telling you now that people will die, on both sides. People who believe that they're working for the good of their country will die, again on both sides."
"I can deal with that. Can you?"
"No.but I'll learn."
Jack nodded curtly. "Good. You're doing an admirable job, better than I expected. This is going to be your greatest achievement, Mr. Weiss. I suggest you not fail."
"Thanks for the pep talk."
"It wasn't meant to be. I'm speaking to you as a father."
Weiss looked up from his desk and saw the fear hovering in Jack's steely gaze, quickly disappearing beneath his immense control.
"You'll get her back," he promised.
"I better."
* * *
To have gotten to where he was, Sloane had to have a sixth sense about certain things. Danger, death, and all its cousins were on his mind at all times, his eyes constantly searching for signals to their coming. He was seeing those signs now. Sydney was as dangerous as her mother and father, and her disappearance was the beginning of the end. He didn't believe that Jack would let Sydney disappear without a trace without his knowledge of her whereabouts. Sloane tried to have him followed, but Jack was too good, and he'd lost the tail almost as soon as it had been put on him. The fact that Jack felt the need to do this raised alarms in Sloane's mind.
It was why he had put into motion his exit strategy. Unbeknownst to anyone else in SD-6, and the Alliance for that matter, he had put together a small team of specialists for his own protection should his extraction become necessary. It crept closer with each passing hour, and he was almost ready to leave. But before then, he had to destroy the evidence. He felt some sadness at having to destroy all that he'd worked hard to build, but it had to be done. He couldn't allow nostalgia cloud his judgment. As much as he liked the people who worked for him, they were evidence, and thus had to be destroyed with the rest of it.
The charges of C-4 planted underneath the building had not been touched since Cole's disastrous attempt at takeover, and he had armed them to explode in two days at eleven o'clock in the morning-the time when most employees would be in the building. Should anyone try to prevent the charges from going off, the C-4 would blow at the slightest hint at tampering. Naturally, Sloane was taking a chance by being in the office, but there was no reason for anyone to be tampering with the C-4 and he didn't want to draw suspicion by not showing up. He hardly ever took time off-though, after all this, he would have more time on his hands than he knew what to do with.
Upon further introspection, he realized that he knew exactly what he would do with his time.
* * *
Sydney watched the sun set from the porch swing, a feeling of calm settling over her. The events in her life that had spun wildly out of control were a distant memory as she watched ribbons of orange and yellow streak the nearly cloudless sky. Land stretched out for what seemed liked forever and she took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air. The swing creaked as she rocked, but she didn't mind it. It only seemed natural that it did.
As twilight crept up on her, she closed her eyes and tilted her face up. Unshed tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall, taking deep, slow breaths to try to find that peaceful place that she'd been in only moments before. But everything seemed to be catching up on her, and she realized that she didn't have the kind of emotional detachment her father had. God only knew that with the way she'd grown up, she could have easily become like him, but instead, she'd become the exact opposite. Fiery and passionate, she could only think that she'd taken after her mother. She felt everything and dealt with things using her heart. At least when the time was right.
Behind her, the front door opened and she didn't have to turn around to know it was Vaughn. Everything inside of her seemed to know whenever he was close by, showing her just how strong their bond was. Without saying a word, he sat next to her, hands clasped loosely in his lap. She didn't know how long they stayed silent, but she didn't feel the need to speak. They'd said all that needed to be said.
Almost.
"I love you, you know," she whispered as the crickets began to chirp.
"I know," was his simple reply.
She reached across the space between them and put a hand over his. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his lips curve into a quiet smile. In that moment, she knew that through all the hardship they would face, having him at her side would keep her sane. It was possible that they would live their lives running from place to place, changing identities and never putting down roots, but it strengthened her to think that at least he would know who she really was. He'd always known.
Geneviève started to open the front door to call them in to dinner, but something made her pause. They weren't touching, but she felt it in the air and her hand dropped to her side. She turned and went back to the kitchen to tell the cook to put their dinner in the oven for later.
Later, when the moon sat high in the sky, Vaughn stirred. He turned his head and reached out to tuck Sydney's hair behind her ear.
"Let's go to bed," he said.
She smiled and took the hand he held out. Together, they went back into their house and into their room.
Weiss hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep since he'd gotten the call that Vaughn was in the hospital. All he had been able to think then was that he hadn't parted well with his friend, and he hoped they would have time to patch things up over a cold beer. But that hadn't happened, and now Vaughn was gone again, leaving him to fix things on his own.
Weiss wasn't afraid of work or responsibility. He thrived under pressure and despite the fatigue that hit him every time he sat down, he never thought of quitting. He'd smoothed the way for Sydney and Vaughn, he'd made sure they would be safe from Sloane, and he was working around the clock to find a way to bring them back. That wasn't the problem that was making him want to throw in the towel. That problem was Jack Bristow telling him that they had to take SD-6 down within the next week did he feel like running far, far away.
"There's no way Devlin would go for it," he argued, knowing it was futile from the stubborn look on Jack's face. "You are still an important figure in SD-6, even if we can't bring Sydney back in. We need to infiltrate the Alliance or else we'll never get the rest of the web down."
"If we don't do this, Sydney, Mr. Vaughn, and his mother are as good as dead," Jack said simply. "Sloane won't stop until they're found and I'm in as much danger as she is until then. Don't tell me this hasn't occurred to you, Mr. Weiss. Considering the state things are in right now, I'm useless to the CIA. I'm suspended and if Sydney's not found, I'll be executed."
There was no denying the logic. Weiss rubbed his face and closed his eyes, trying to focus his suddenly chaotic thoughts.
"I'll get a team together that'll be ready to go in the next couple days. We'll study the information you've provided on SD-6's security and manpower. The people in there, the innocent ones, they cannot get any warning from you that anything is going to happen."
"I'm not a rookie," Jack said scornfully.
"I know," Weiss returned dryly. "I'm just telling you now that people will die, on both sides. People who believe that they're working for the good of their country will die, again on both sides."
"I can deal with that. Can you?"
"No.but I'll learn."
Jack nodded curtly. "Good. You're doing an admirable job, better than I expected. This is going to be your greatest achievement, Mr. Weiss. I suggest you not fail."
"Thanks for the pep talk."
"It wasn't meant to be. I'm speaking to you as a father."
Weiss looked up from his desk and saw the fear hovering in Jack's steely gaze, quickly disappearing beneath his immense control.
"You'll get her back," he promised.
"I better."
* * *
To have gotten to where he was, Sloane had to have a sixth sense about certain things. Danger, death, and all its cousins were on his mind at all times, his eyes constantly searching for signals to their coming. He was seeing those signs now. Sydney was as dangerous as her mother and father, and her disappearance was the beginning of the end. He didn't believe that Jack would let Sydney disappear without a trace without his knowledge of her whereabouts. Sloane tried to have him followed, but Jack was too good, and he'd lost the tail almost as soon as it had been put on him. The fact that Jack felt the need to do this raised alarms in Sloane's mind.
It was why he had put into motion his exit strategy. Unbeknownst to anyone else in SD-6, and the Alliance for that matter, he had put together a small team of specialists for his own protection should his extraction become necessary. It crept closer with each passing hour, and he was almost ready to leave. But before then, he had to destroy the evidence. He felt some sadness at having to destroy all that he'd worked hard to build, but it had to be done. He couldn't allow nostalgia cloud his judgment. As much as he liked the people who worked for him, they were evidence, and thus had to be destroyed with the rest of it.
The charges of C-4 planted underneath the building had not been touched since Cole's disastrous attempt at takeover, and he had armed them to explode in two days at eleven o'clock in the morning-the time when most employees would be in the building. Should anyone try to prevent the charges from going off, the C-4 would blow at the slightest hint at tampering. Naturally, Sloane was taking a chance by being in the office, but there was no reason for anyone to be tampering with the C-4 and he didn't want to draw suspicion by not showing up. He hardly ever took time off-though, after all this, he would have more time on his hands than he knew what to do with.
Upon further introspection, he realized that he knew exactly what he would do with his time.
* * *
Sydney watched the sun set from the porch swing, a feeling of calm settling over her. The events in her life that had spun wildly out of control were a distant memory as she watched ribbons of orange and yellow streak the nearly cloudless sky. Land stretched out for what seemed liked forever and she took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air. The swing creaked as she rocked, but she didn't mind it. It only seemed natural that it did.
As twilight crept up on her, she closed her eyes and tilted her face up. Unshed tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall, taking deep, slow breaths to try to find that peaceful place that she'd been in only moments before. But everything seemed to be catching up on her, and she realized that she didn't have the kind of emotional detachment her father had. God only knew that with the way she'd grown up, she could have easily become like him, but instead, she'd become the exact opposite. Fiery and passionate, she could only think that she'd taken after her mother. She felt everything and dealt with things using her heart. At least when the time was right.
Behind her, the front door opened and she didn't have to turn around to know it was Vaughn. Everything inside of her seemed to know whenever he was close by, showing her just how strong their bond was. Without saying a word, he sat next to her, hands clasped loosely in his lap. She didn't know how long they stayed silent, but she didn't feel the need to speak. They'd said all that needed to be said.
Almost.
"I love you, you know," she whispered as the crickets began to chirp.
"I know," was his simple reply.
She reached across the space between them and put a hand over his. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his lips curve into a quiet smile. In that moment, she knew that through all the hardship they would face, having him at her side would keep her sane. It was possible that they would live their lives running from place to place, changing identities and never putting down roots, but it strengthened her to think that at least he would know who she really was. He'd always known.
Geneviève started to open the front door to call them in to dinner, but something made her pause. They weren't touching, but she felt it in the air and her hand dropped to her side. She turned and went back to the kitchen to tell the cook to put their dinner in the oven for later.
Later, when the moon sat high in the sky, Vaughn stirred. He turned his head and reached out to tuck Sydney's hair behind her ear.
"Let's go to bed," he said.
She smiled and took the hand he held out. Together, they went back into their house and into their room.
