Time
By Risa
Summary: A darker purpose lies behind Rambaldi's works and Sydney's caught in the middle of it…
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone/anything from Alias, I'm just borrowing them for a little while.
====================================================================
Chapter Two
"Elise Luciano has been captured."
"How?" Jack asked sharply.
"Sloane found out about our office in Madrid," Irina replied, a flicker of relief in her eyes as she glanced at Sydney. "She was there to supervise an operation and was captured in the raid about twenty hours ago. There's no sign that they know who she is or had any idea that she would be there. We've got a few leads that you might want to look at."
Jack nodded, as he stood up. As he left the conference room he said softly to Irina, "It might be better if Sydney hears the rest of this from you."
Irina nodded. For a long moment mother and daughter stared at each other warily, waiting for the other person to make the first move. Irina was all too aware of the strain that had been placed on their relationship as a result of her actions. The connection that had been slowly and cautiously built in the time she had spent in CIA custody had been severed by her betrayal. She only hoped that it wasn't beyond repair. Her greatest regret had been her failure to Sydney as a mother. But it wasn't in Irina's nature to dwell on what might have been. It wasn't a game, she couldn't change the cards that she had been dealt. All she could do was make the best out of the hand that she got. Finally, she said, "Sydney, I know how difficult this must be for you – "
"Difficult? Don't talk to me about difficult," Sydney said, frustration, anger and bitterness sweeping over her. "I'm sick of it. I'm sick of your games, your manipulations and your cryptic statements. You keep asking me to trust you. But how can I do that when I never know what your intentions are? I honestly don't know what to believe anymore."
"Sydney," Irina said gently, with a hint of resignation, "My actions then served one purpose – protecting you. I'll admit, when I left you and your father I was consumed by a thirst for power and control. When I found out about Rambaldi I became obsessed. I needed these things to fill the emptiness in my life. I thought they could patch the hole in my soul that you and your father had left.
"My pursuit of Rambaldi led me to Elise Luciano five years ago. She told me the truth about Rambaldi's plans, about his prophecy. Like I told you that night Sydney, the one in the prophecy is you."
"But how? I've seen Mount Sebacio – "
"It doesn't matter. That was just a minor technicality – it doesn't change the spirit of the prophecy."
"But it isn't possible," Sydney protested, her mind refusing to accept the possibility. "The prophecy claims that I'll bring destruction and desolation but I will never do anything like that."
"I know, Sydney. The prophecy isn't true. It existed for one reason – to discredit you, to lead to your persecution. Sydney, Rambaldi's target is you. He doesn't just want you dead, he wants you destroyed."
Sydney stared at her mother, scarcely believing her words. None of it made sense. Why would someone from the 15th century want her dead? She shook her head in denial. This was probably just another elaborate hoax by her mother.
Before Irina could explain, a man walked into the office. "Ms. Derevko," he said politely, "Mr. Bristow is asking for some input on the rescue operation."
"I'll be right there," Irina said, before turning her attention back to Sydney. "I know that all this sounds strange and far-fetched but I'm asking you to hold your judgment until we get Elise Luciano back. She has evidence that will support everything that I've said." With that, she stood up and walked out of the conference room.
Left alone in the conference room, Sydney stared blankly at the table in front of her. After years as a spy she had thought that she had seen it all. But the events of the past two days were just one shock after another. She felt overwhelmed and out of her depth. Her father seemed to trust her mother but it wasn't enough. The memories of her mother's actions were still too freshly imprinted in Sydney's mind.
During the months Irina spent in CIA custody, Sydney had begun to think that while their relationship would probably never be like that of a normal mother and daughter, there was still closeness, warmth and familiarity. But all that was shattered when her mother betrayed the CIA. Sydney didn't want to go down that road once more; she didn't want the disappointment, the hurt.
Elise Luciano seemed to be at the center of all of it. Sydney left the conference room, her expression determined. She will do all she can to help them find her. Maybe then she could finally make sense of this mess.
Vaughn pulled his car to a stop as the colour of the traffic light changed. He was on his way to meet Will for what was supposed to be a casual lunch. Will and Vaughn had been meeting regularly since Sydney's disappearance. Their shared worry and concern for her had drawn them closer together. Will had recovered rapidly from the mental and physical injury caused by Allison Doren and within months he was back at work with the CIA.
Six months ago their meetings gained an additional significance. As Sloane's influence over the CIA grew, Jack was increasingly left out of the loop on CIA activities, particularly with regards to the Rambaldi Order. It didn't help that Jack had been an easy target – many senior officers felt that his capabilities had been severely affected by Sydney's disappearance and Jack's constant disregard for authority and protocol hadn't gained him any favours. Eventually, Jack decided that he might be of more use at the Luciano Foundation. To the CIA it seemed as if he had completely disappeared from their radar.
At around the same time, Vaughn met Kate. Their first meeting seemed to be a chance encounter – a man meeting a woman at the bar. They started talking and became friends. Vaughn enjoyed her company but his heart remained with Sydney. It all changed a couple of weeks later when Vaughn was suddenly approached by Jack. He showed Vaughn photographs and audio recordings that proved Kate was working for Sloane. She had been sent to seduce Vaughn and prevent any further involvement with Sydney or any of her affairs. Vaughn was filled with anger and rage. It wasn't enough that Sloane had to take Sydney away from him but to manipulate him like this… He was about to confront Kate when Jack persuaded him otherwise.
"Why's he doing this?" Vaughn had said, his fists tightly clenched in restrained anger.
"Because Sloane knows that you'll do anything for Sydney," Jack said matter-of-factly. "And that makes you unpredictable, almost impossible to control. And it is this that makes you and Sydney so dangerous together."
"I'll kill him, I swear I will," Vaughn muttered. To even consider the possibility that Vaughn could forget Sydney… Sloane had underestimated him.
"Forget about your outrage and think," Jack said sharply. "If you act according to Sloane's calculations, you might be able to get valuable intel about Sloane and his organization through Kate."
Vaughn stared at Jack, incredulous. "There's no way I'm going to pretend to love someone else. That isn't fair to Sydney – "
"When Sydney returns Sloane is going to go after her again," Jack said impatiently. "If you do this, you might be able to protect her. We still don't know what Sloane's plans about Sydney are."
It made sense, Vaughn thought reluctantly. He sighed. Jack was right. He would do anything to protect Sydney and if this was the sacrifice that he had to make…
Not long after, Vaughn left the CIA and Will was the only one left. Will's ability to sniff out information had been an invaluable source of help in allowing the Luciano Foundation to stay informed of the CIA's activities and, to a lesser the degree, the Rambaldi Order's. Vaughn's marriage to Kate thus served another purpose. Will was able to pass information to Vaughn under the cover of a normal get-together among friends while Sloane continued to think that Vaughn was under Kate's control.
Vaughn pulled his mind away from the past as he got out of his car and walked into the restaurant. "Will," he greeted, as he walked towards the table that was tucked away in a corner of the restaurant. He took out a pen and turned the top barrel. This sent signals of a mundane, uninteresting conversation between Will and Vaughn for the bugs present.
"So how's Sydney?" Will asked as Vaughn took his seat. The news that Sydney had returned was a huge source of relief. He longed to see her again but that could compromise his cover and he couldn't take the chance.
"She's with Jack now… she seems fine, if a little disoriented."
"Well, you would be if you were suddenly hurled two years into the future." Will paused before saying quietly, "Did you tell her about Kate?"
"The cover story, not the truth," Vaughn replied with a sigh. "She didn't take it very well."
"That's expected. Sydney really loved you, probably more than she did Danny. I could sense it before you guys said anything. The sparkle in her eye and that smile she had whenever she talked about you…"
"I know," Vaughn said, his eyes shadowed with regret. "Not being with her is driving me crazy." Vaughn shook his head, pushing away his frustration and his longing. There were more important matters to deal with. He could save the brooding about his pathetic life till later. "You said you had something important to tell me?"
"Yeah," Will said, his expression dark. "Sark's escaped."
"What!' Vaughn said, shocked. "How?"
"Officially, there was a screw-up while they were transferring him from Camp Harris to another facility. The truth is Sloane used his contacts in the CIA to bust him out."
"So Sloane and Sark are working together again," Vaughn said dryly, "Things just keep getting better and better." Then he said, "There's something we need you to check out. Sydney was found in Hong Kong, which could mean that she was in Hong Kong when the machine sent her into the future. Just take a look at whatever labs or research facilities Sloane had in Hong Kong for the past two years and see if anything pops up. Maybe this could lead us to the time machine."
Will nodded and the conversation turned to more mundane matters. With Sydney's reappearance, things were finally coming to a head. Vaughn only hoped that they will be the ones left standing.
Elise Luciano regained consciousness to find herself surrounded in pitch black darkness. The air was hot and stuffy and her throat was dry. She blinked and struggled to see something – anything – in the darkness. But all she could see was black. Her mind was a complete blank. She had no idea how she had gotten there.
Then the memories flooded back. Images of a white gas, troops, gunshots… And the all-too familiar symbol of the Rambaldi order. She had been captured.
She cursed under her breath. This was too dangerous, too risky. Elise had enough training to resist most forms of torture but she wasn't sure that was enough against the inventiveness of the Rambaldi Order's eager members. If she cracked and revealed too much about the Luciano Foundation…
She couldn't take the risk.
There was one route left open to her. She closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths, allowing her mind to go blank and relax. 10… 9… 8… 7…
Self-hypnosis. If she blocked out everything about the Luciano Foundation's operations from her consciousness, she couldn't reveal anything. A safeguard that had been passed down her family for centuries. Even so, she didn't know how long the barrier will hold.
In the darkness Elise had no way of telling just how much time had passed. Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared. Elise blinked, her vision blurred as her eyes tried to adjust to the sudden influx of light. As her vision cleared she saw a face that she knew all too well.
"I'm curious," the man said pleasantly, "why are you resisting us?"
Sloane.
Elise stared at him, her black eyes steely and cold.
"After all, all we want to do is to get rid of the corrupt system that we have right now. No more lies, no more conflicts, a peaceful and happy society. What more can you want?" he continued in the same tone.
Elise spat in disgust. "You kill, torture and destroy. How can you build a 'peaceful and happy society' on such a brutal and inhuman foundation?"
"According to Machiavelli, it is best to be both feared and love but when it is not possible to have both, it is better to be feared," Sloane said reasonably. "Whatever we do it is for the improvement of human society."
Elise stared at Sloane, incredulous. She didn't know if he was putting on an act or if he truly believed what he was saying.
"You can make this more pleasant for yourself by telling us everything about who you're working for," Sloane said, the pleasant, effable image replaced by something dark and dangerous. "Or we could make this very painful for you."
Elise continued looking at Sloane, her face devoid of expression.
"I see you've made your choice," Sloane said, as something metallic was placed on her head. Then everything disappeared in a white, blazing flash of blinding pain.
*~ To Be Continued ~*