Chapter Two
***Panama***
Vaughn and I were in Panama, in our huge resort room. I had just put on my new bathing suit; a pair of jean shorts over it and flipped my sunglasses down over my eyes. I then put in the earpiece that Marshall had given me before we left and headed down to the pool.
"You can join me if you want," I called to Vaughn in my new touristy accent.
Vaughn just smiled as he turned on the TV. Golf. Figures, I take second place on the importance chart, and I lose to a stupid game where you swing the stick and hit the little round thing, and then chase it all over the course. I feel special.
I leaned back and let the warm sun cast a glow on my face. I read a magazine that I had grabbed from the room and occasionally looked up, scanning the pool area with my eyes.
"I see you," Weiss's voice in my ear almost made me jump.
"Oh really?" I asked with an amused grin.
"Yeah, our satellite is monitoring you, in the event that Sloane finds you and Vaughn."
"And so you're spying on me?"
"Of course." Typical Weiss.
My cell phone rang. I hoped it was Vaughn.
"Hello?"
"I see you, Miss Bristow." I didn't have to ask who it was.
"Sark. What did I do to deserve this lovely phone call?"
"You came to Panama. Your father came to Panama. Mr. Vaughn came to Panama."
Great, so Sloane knows that we're all here. Thrilling.
"I'd like to arrange a meeting to purchase the remainder of the Rambaldi documents."
Remainder of the Rambaldi documents? My mother took all of the Rambaldi documents. We got post-it notes. What would my mother have fed Sloane to make him think that we have more documents that we're holding back on?
I pick option a: lie and pretend that you know what you're talking about.
"What's in it for me?" I asked. "I mean, we're not just going to hand over our Rambaldi papers to two of the world's most wanted terrorists."
"Good point," his cocky, self-assured British accent comes over the phone. "We'll meet you at your hotel to discuss what might be an incentive to hand over the Rambaldi papers."
"We?" I asked.
"Your mother and myself. I have set up a conference room for you, and you alone, not your father, not Mr. Vaughn, you."
"All right," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure that I wanted to face my mother and Sark alone, but I was willing to do it.
"One-thirty, Miss Bristow. Come alone, and don't bother bringing the manuscripts. We don't need them, yet." He hung up.
"Weiss?" I asked slowly, seeing if he was still there.
"Syd? Are you all right?" his voice came through the radio, faint at first, but gradually louder.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You went dead all of a sudden. Our satellite was shut down too."
I sighed. Sark had cut off all of the CIA's communications.
"Sark called." Weiss's line went silent, so I continued. "I'm meeting both him and my mother in a conference room at one-thirty. Could you hack the security cameras?" I left out the part about the Rambaldi documents.
"You got it, Syd. Marshall and I will get right on it."
"Thanks. You're the best."
"I know. Give my best to Vaughn."
I looked up into the sky and just waved. I knew that wherever the satellite was, it'd pick up on me waving.
"Real funny, Syd," said Weiss.
"I'm going to go back upstairs. I feel like I'm being watched out here, not to mention that I look like I'm talking to myself."
"Okay. See you, Syd. Good luck."
I heard the click of Weiss disconnecting as I retreated to our room.
Vaughn was still in the same spot that I had left him in; on the bed, watching the stupid sport called golf.
"I'm meeting Sark in two hours," I said simply, tossing my magazine on the nightstand.
"That's nice," Vaughn said absentmindedly, tossing some popcorn into his mouth. "Wait- what did you say?" I had his attention now.
"I said that I'm meeting Sark, and my mother in a conference room downstairs in two hours."
"Why?"
"My mother told Sloane that we still have more of the Rambaldi papers, that she couldn't get all of them. Sark wants to buy them."
"We don't have any of the documents that they want."
"I know. Hopefully my mother can explain herself."
"I hope so, Syd, because we have nothing to give them, nothing to bait Sloane out of hiding. I hope so."
***
I knocked on the door to Conference Room B, and the door was opened by one of Sark's guards, or so I thought. I saw my mother, now a blonde, sitting across from Sark, who was now a brunette.
Sark motioned for me to sit down, and I did so, looking at the video camera watching us on the wall. I looked to the table and saw my missing bug killer, the one that I had "lost" before my mother had left. I guess that she was the one who took it.
"I looped the camera," said Sark, reading my mind.
"Syd, it's looped," Weiss's voice came into my ear.
My mother kicked me, hard under the table and slipped an envelope into my lap.
"What do you want, Sark?"
"Mr. Sloane, unfortunately, will be unable to join us for security reasons."
No, really, I had expected him to show up here to negotiate the terms himself. I kept my mouth shut and nodded.
"Basically, what it comes down to, Miss Bristow, is that you have one crucial Rambaldi document, one that we need."
"What would you give me for it?" I decided to pretend that I knew what he was talking about.
"I would return to CIA custody," said my mother.
"No deal. You'd have done what you set out to do, and the CIA no longer trusts you."
"All right," Sark looked like he had just lost a major battle in a war. "What if I told you that Mr. Vaughn's life would be in danger if you didn't cooperate and sell us the document."
I froze. "What kind of danger?"
Sark smirked. "Death, torture."
"I don't know. How long do I have to consider it?"
"Forty-eight hours. We will contact you then."
They stood and left, leaving me alone in the empty room.
"Hey," I forced a smiled for Vaughn when I entered our hotel room.
"Hi. How'd everything go?" he looked worried.
"Fine," I opened the envelope that my mother had slipped into my lap. Inside was a page from the Rambaldi manuscript that she had taken- and a letter. I held the piece of paper in my hand, debating whether to unfold it and read it, or not. Reading it won.
"Sydney," it read. "Here is a piece of the document that I stole. Keep it from Sark and Sloane. I am still on your side, regardless of what Kendall thinks. Stay safe, Mom."
She's still on my side? Do I believe her? Do I believe that she'll come back to the CIA? Do I believe that she'll kill Sloane?
My cell phone rang. I debated answering the annoying little electronic piece of crap, or letting it go into voicemail. I answered it.
"Hello?"
"Miss Bristow?" It's Kendall. I decide to be annoying, shake him up a little bit.
"No, I'm sorry. This is Michael Vaughn."
"Very amusing, Miss Bristow. Agent Weiss has informed me of your meeting with Derevko and Sark. Tell Agent Vaughn to pull out."
"Kendall, I have the paper that they want."
"What?"
"My mother gave me the paper. I have it. She told me to keep it from Sloane and Sark."
"As in, we're supposed to believe Derevko?"
"I think we should."
"Miss Bristow, your mother had her tracking device removed, she escaped CIA custody, and is now with Arvin Sloane. I want Agent Vaughn out of Panama in twelve hours. I also want him back in the office, or else it will be you in that cell in the Ops Center, and not Irina Derevko. Is that clear?"
"Yes. Do you want me to sell the paper to Sark?" Stupid question.
"Of course not. When is he contacting you?"
"Forty-eight hours."
"Put Agent Vaughn on the next plane home, and don't sell the document. If he's not back in twelve hours, it'll be your head, Miss Bristow." He hung up.
"Vaughn, you're to be back in LA in twelve hours, or I'm taking my mother's place in her cell at the Ops Center."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"My mother gave me one of the papers to the Rambaldi document that she stole. It's the paper that Sloane and Sark want. The deal is that we wither sell them the paper, or your life is at stake."
"What kind of "at stake?" They're going to kill me? What is it, Syd?"
"Sark said torture, death, I don't really know," I shook my head.
"And Kendall wants me back in LA? That'll blow our cover, though." He pulled out his cell phone.
"Don't," I stopped him. "Just go," I kissed him.
"Syd, you can't stay here alone," he protested.
"Vaughn, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I smiled. "You don't have to stay just to take care of me."
"But our cover."
"I'll just say that my husband had to leave on a business trip and I'm staying until he comes back, if anyone asks."
"Syd, I."
"Vaughn, I'll be fine," I gently pressed his ticket into his hand. He picked up his suitcase that he hadn't even unpacked.
"You're sure you'll be all right?"
"Vaughn.Michael, I'll be fine," I kissed him. "Go, Kendall's waiting."
I watched as he disappeared into the elevator and the doors shut behind him. I'd be all right alone, wouldn't I?
***
Sark POV
I headed to go find Sloane. We now had all the information that we needed, thanks to the bug that we had placed in Sydney's room. Why was I even referring to her as Sydney? She's Agent Bristow, I reminded myself. Agent Bristow had the papers, Agent Vaughn was out of the way, and Irina was ours. I must say, bugging the room was an excellent idea.
"Mr. Sloane," I stood in the doorway as Sloane looked over the documents.
"Yes, Mr. Sark?" My, my, aren't we formal. Usually, I'm just Sark, or he doesn't even bother to refer to me by name.
"The bug successfully worked. Agent Michael Vaughn, Sydney Bristow's handler, is back on his way to LA. She is alone." There I go again, referring to her by her first name. Oh well, at least her last name was included on this one. It's not like I have some sort of obsession with her.
"Let him go back to the CIA. We have no use for him, yet. Arrange the second meeting. Make her believe that we have Mr. Vaughn."
"Yes, sir," I said, backing out of the room. This was going to be more fun than I thought. Arrange the second meeting with Sydney.this should be interesting.
***Panama***
Vaughn and I were in Panama, in our huge resort room. I had just put on my new bathing suit; a pair of jean shorts over it and flipped my sunglasses down over my eyes. I then put in the earpiece that Marshall had given me before we left and headed down to the pool.
"You can join me if you want," I called to Vaughn in my new touristy accent.
Vaughn just smiled as he turned on the TV. Golf. Figures, I take second place on the importance chart, and I lose to a stupid game where you swing the stick and hit the little round thing, and then chase it all over the course. I feel special.
I leaned back and let the warm sun cast a glow on my face. I read a magazine that I had grabbed from the room and occasionally looked up, scanning the pool area with my eyes.
"I see you," Weiss's voice in my ear almost made me jump.
"Oh really?" I asked with an amused grin.
"Yeah, our satellite is monitoring you, in the event that Sloane finds you and Vaughn."
"And so you're spying on me?"
"Of course." Typical Weiss.
My cell phone rang. I hoped it was Vaughn.
"Hello?"
"I see you, Miss Bristow." I didn't have to ask who it was.
"Sark. What did I do to deserve this lovely phone call?"
"You came to Panama. Your father came to Panama. Mr. Vaughn came to Panama."
Great, so Sloane knows that we're all here. Thrilling.
"I'd like to arrange a meeting to purchase the remainder of the Rambaldi documents."
Remainder of the Rambaldi documents? My mother took all of the Rambaldi documents. We got post-it notes. What would my mother have fed Sloane to make him think that we have more documents that we're holding back on?
I pick option a: lie and pretend that you know what you're talking about.
"What's in it for me?" I asked. "I mean, we're not just going to hand over our Rambaldi papers to two of the world's most wanted terrorists."
"Good point," his cocky, self-assured British accent comes over the phone. "We'll meet you at your hotel to discuss what might be an incentive to hand over the Rambaldi papers."
"We?" I asked.
"Your mother and myself. I have set up a conference room for you, and you alone, not your father, not Mr. Vaughn, you."
"All right," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure that I wanted to face my mother and Sark alone, but I was willing to do it.
"One-thirty, Miss Bristow. Come alone, and don't bother bringing the manuscripts. We don't need them, yet." He hung up.
"Weiss?" I asked slowly, seeing if he was still there.
"Syd? Are you all right?" his voice came through the radio, faint at first, but gradually louder.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You went dead all of a sudden. Our satellite was shut down too."
I sighed. Sark had cut off all of the CIA's communications.
"Sark called." Weiss's line went silent, so I continued. "I'm meeting both him and my mother in a conference room at one-thirty. Could you hack the security cameras?" I left out the part about the Rambaldi documents.
"You got it, Syd. Marshall and I will get right on it."
"Thanks. You're the best."
"I know. Give my best to Vaughn."
I looked up into the sky and just waved. I knew that wherever the satellite was, it'd pick up on me waving.
"Real funny, Syd," said Weiss.
"I'm going to go back upstairs. I feel like I'm being watched out here, not to mention that I look like I'm talking to myself."
"Okay. See you, Syd. Good luck."
I heard the click of Weiss disconnecting as I retreated to our room.
Vaughn was still in the same spot that I had left him in; on the bed, watching the stupid sport called golf.
"I'm meeting Sark in two hours," I said simply, tossing my magazine on the nightstand.
"That's nice," Vaughn said absentmindedly, tossing some popcorn into his mouth. "Wait- what did you say?" I had his attention now.
"I said that I'm meeting Sark, and my mother in a conference room downstairs in two hours."
"Why?"
"My mother told Sloane that we still have more of the Rambaldi papers, that she couldn't get all of them. Sark wants to buy them."
"We don't have any of the documents that they want."
"I know. Hopefully my mother can explain herself."
"I hope so, Syd, because we have nothing to give them, nothing to bait Sloane out of hiding. I hope so."
***
I knocked on the door to Conference Room B, and the door was opened by one of Sark's guards, or so I thought. I saw my mother, now a blonde, sitting across from Sark, who was now a brunette.
Sark motioned for me to sit down, and I did so, looking at the video camera watching us on the wall. I looked to the table and saw my missing bug killer, the one that I had "lost" before my mother had left. I guess that she was the one who took it.
"I looped the camera," said Sark, reading my mind.
"Syd, it's looped," Weiss's voice came into my ear.
My mother kicked me, hard under the table and slipped an envelope into my lap.
"What do you want, Sark?"
"Mr. Sloane, unfortunately, will be unable to join us for security reasons."
No, really, I had expected him to show up here to negotiate the terms himself. I kept my mouth shut and nodded.
"Basically, what it comes down to, Miss Bristow, is that you have one crucial Rambaldi document, one that we need."
"What would you give me for it?" I decided to pretend that I knew what he was talking about.
"I would return to CIA custody," said my mother.
"No deal. You'd have done what you set out to do, and the CIA no longer trusts you."
"All right," Sark looked like he had just lost a major battle in a war. "What if I told you that Mr. Vaughn's life would be in danger if you didn't cooperate and sell us the document."
I froze. "What kind of danger?"
Sark smirked. "Death, torture."
"I don't know. How long do I have to consider it?"
"Forty-eight hours. We will contact you then."
They stood and left, leaving me alone in the empty room.
"Hey," I forced a smiled for Vaughn when I entered our hotel room.
"Hi. How'd everything go?" he looked worried.
"Fine," I opened the envelope that my mother had slipped into my lap. Inside was a page from the Rambaldi manuscript that she had taken- and a letter. I held the piece of paper in my hand, debating whether to unfold it and read it, or not. Reading it won.
"Sydney," it read. "Here is a piece of the document that I stole. Keep it from Sark and Sloane. I am still on your side, regardless of what Kendall thinks. Stay safe, Mom."
She's still on my side? Do I believe her? Do I believe that she'll come back to the CIA? Do I believe that she'll kill Sloane?
My cell phone rang. I debated answering the annoying little electronic piece of crap, or letting it go into voicemail. I answered it.
"Hello?"
"Miss Bristow?" It's Kendall. I decide to be annoying, shake him up a little bit.
"No, I'm sorry. This is Michael Vaughn."
"Very amusing, Miss Bristow. Agent Weiss has informed me of your meeting with Derevko and Sark. Tell Agent Vaughn to pull out."
"Kendall, I have the paper that they want."
"What?"
"My mother gave me the paper. I have it. She told me to keep it from Sloane and Sark."
"As in, we're supposed to believe Derevko?"
"I think we should."
"Miss Bristow, your mother had her tracking device removed, she escaped CIA custody, and is now with Arvin Sloane. I want Agent Vaughn out of Panama in twelve hours. I also want him back in the office, or else it will be you in that cell in the Ops Center, and not Irina Derevko. Is that clear?"
"Yes. Do you want me to sell the paper to Sark?" Stupid question.
"Of course not. When is he contacting you?"
"Forty-eight hours."
"Put Agent Vaughn on the next plane home, and don't sell the document. If he's not back in twelve hours, it'll be your head, Miss Bristow." He hung up.
"Vaughn, you're to be back in LA in twelve hours, or I'm taking my mother's place in her cell at the Ops Center."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"My mother gave me one of the papers to the Rambaldi document that she stole. It's the paper that Sloane and Sark want. The deal is that we wither sell them the paper, or your life is at stake."
"What kind of "at stake?" They're going to kill me? What is it, Syd?"
"Sark said torture, death, I don't really know," I shook my head.
"And Kendall wants me back in LA? That'll blow our cover, though." He pulled out his cell phone.
"Don't," I stopped him. "Just go," I kissed him.
"Syd, you can't stay here alone," he protested.
"Vaughn, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I smiled. "You don't have to stay just to take care of me."
"But our cover."
"I'll just say that my husband had to leave on a business trip and I'm staying until he comes back, if anyone asks."
"Syd, I."
"Vaughn, I'll be fine," I gently pressed his ticket into his hand. He picked up his suitcase that he hadn't even unpacked.
"You're sure you'll be all right?"
"Vaughn.Michael, I'll be fine," I kissed him. "Go, Kendall's waiting."
I watched as he disappeared into the elevator and the doors shut behind him. I'd be all right alone, wouldn't I?
***
Sark POV
I headed to go find Sloane. We now had all the information that we needed, thanks to the bug that we had placed in Sydney's room. Why was I even referring to her as Sydney? She's Agent Bristow, I reminded myself. Agent Bristow had the papers, Agent Vaughn was out of the way, and Irina was ours. I must say, bugging the room was an excellent idea.
"Mr. Sloane," I stood in the doorway as Sloane looked over the documents.
"Yes, Mr. Sark?" My, my, aren't we formal. Usually, I'm just Sark, or he doesn't even bother to refer to me by name.
"The bug successfully worked. Agent Michael Vaughn, Sydney Bristow's handler, is back on his way to LA. She is alone." There I go again, referring to her by her first name. Oh well, at least her last name was included on this one. It's not like I have some sort of obsession with her.
"Let him go back to the CIA. We have no use for him, yet. Arrange the second meeting. Make her believe that we have Mr. Vaughn."
"Yes, sir," I said, backing out of the room. This was going to be more fun than I thought. Arrange the second meeting with Sydney.this should be interesting.