Author's Comments: Thank you everyone for reviewing. In this chapter, things become worse for Agent 3471 and for Vaughn. Beware, and please don't hate me.

Chapter 10

The word traitor hit Vaughn like a ton of bricks. It was something he hadn't even considered in Sydney's case. Jack Bristow voiced his protests before Vaughn even completed his thought.

"My daughter, Agent Kendall, would never, and I mean never, betray her country. She did after all, come to us when she found out that SD-6 was not a sub-unit of the CIA," Jack Bristow stated firmly.

"Be that as it may, Agent Bristow, but we have a delicate situation to take in to account and I'm not letting any leads go unchecked," Kendall said.

"Fine, but at least take into account that we've already eliminated the chance that she was the one Rambaldi was talking about in the prophecy," Vaughn added.

Kendall turned on him. "You two are the one's who eliminated that chance, and I'm not going to take Irina Derevko to Mt. Sebacio to prove you wrong."

Vaughn looked at Kendall with silent anger. Jack Bristow remained silent as well.

"Agent Vaughn, I expect that assessment to be completely filled out. I want to know of anything, and I mean anything that was unusual about Bristow. If you come back with nothing, I'll get someone else to look over her papers. I'm offering you this chance Agent Vaughn, take advantage of my generosity." Kendall paused. "Now, back to the attack. Do you have the note, Agent Vaughn?"

Vaughn grudgingly produced the note from his pocket and handed it over. Kendall opened it and read its contents. "Any idea what it means?" Vaughn shook his head. "Work on deciphering the note too. I want the assessment done by the end of the week."

As soon as Kendall was done, Jack reached over for the note. "Any ideas?" Vaughn asked Jack after reading it over.

"No, not yet," Jack answered distantly. He looked like he was debating over something. "I'm going to ask Derevko about it," he told Vaughn finally. "Maybe she'll have a suggestion."

Vaughn let a few minutes pass before them before asking his next question. "Do you think that Sydney's alive?"

Jack looked at Vaughn. "I really don't know." He looked back down at the note. "I'll give this back to you as soon as I'm done."

"Fine," Vaughn said, not looking forward to looking threw all of Sydney's old files to find evidence that she had betrayed the CIA. Jack gave a slight nod and headed down the hallway to visit Irina Derevko.

He waited as the gates rose once again, and headed straight for the window. Irina approached him.

"What's going on around here?" Irina asked immediately.

"Someone broke in last night a stole a Rambaldi artifact," Jack stated emotionless. "They think it was Sydney."

"Sydney?" Irina asked for confirmation.

"The likeness between her and the intruder are unbelievable," Jack stated.

Irina smiled to herself. "That's my girl." Jack's face-hardened.

"You think she's alive?" Jack asked.

Irina shrugged. "What's a mother to hope? I faked my death, Sydney could have done the same."

"Why would Sydney fake her death?" Jack inquired. Irina smiled at the line of questioning.

"You're pumping me for information," Irina stated.

"I'm merely curious. You seem to act as if you figured this was going on all along," Jack said matter-of-factly.

"Why'd you come, Jack?" Irina asked, a smile still on her face.

"I was wondering if you knew what this meant," Jack said, putting the intruder's note through the slot made in the window. Irina picked it up and read it carefully.

"Off hand, no, I don't. You want me to work on it?" Irina asked him.

Jack shook his head. "No, that's alright. I just wanted your intake on it." Irina gave a slight nod and turned her attention back to the note.

"On a quick glance, I'd say, black ball-point pen, feminine writer, who is using some sort of system within the words to relay a message," Irina said. "It doesn't seem to me that the words themselves have a specific meaning." Irina passed the note back threw the slot, and Jack took it back into his possession.

"Thanks for trying," Jack said as he turned away.

"Jack," Irina said stopping him. "You said before that it wasn't possible that Sydney could be alive. Now---"

"I don't know Irina," Jack said and left with the clanging of the three metal gates.

Jack headed back to the offices to give the note back to Vaughn. Irina's hypothesis about Sydney faking her death was a little unnerving. It would seem that if that was the case, then the Prophecy would be true. Jack shook his head to clear his mind. He didn't believe that Sydney would purposely put them all threw that, and then betray her country.

"Thanks," Jack said throwing the note on Vaughn's desk and preparing to walk away.

Vaughn looked up from a swarm of papers. "Wait, did Derevko have any input on it?"

"She thinks that the words don't mean anything. That there is some sort of system within the words that the intruder was using to convey a message." Vaughn nodded.

"Thanks. I'll work on it as soon as I finish this assessment."

"Right," Jack said heading towards his desk. Vaughn glanced back at the papers in front of him. Vaughn didn't know exactly what Kendall hoped to find. There was nothing suspicious about any of Sydney's missions. He kept a list of several missions that weren't successful, but they weren't terminal losses.

He'd even come across the case when he had felt that Sydney was hiding something. The case in which Weiss had taken it in his own hands to report, but nothing came about it.

"Vaughn!" Weiss called approaching him a manila folder in hand. "Your agent's going out again."

Vaughn nodded absent-mindedly. "Just set it on my desk. I'll call her in a minute."

"Vaughn?" Weiss inquired.

"I'm fine Weiss," Vaughn said sternly.

"Fine, see you later." Weiss said walking away so he wouldn't feel the wrath of his friend's foul mood.

Vaughn began to sort threw Sydney's papers again and put them away. He had another day to work on them before Kendall needed them. He looked at his watch, it was only noon. He decided to go have lunch and then call his agent. He grabbed his coat and the manila folder and headed to a small café of which he was a regular.

He ordered a sandwich and tea, and pulled open the folder to find out what her mission was and what the CIA wanted her to do in response. Apparently she was going to Tennessee to retrieve a video surveillance tape that the SD cells could use for blackmail on some high country officials. The counter mission was not to give SD-3 the tape. Whatever the tape actually contained, the CIA did not want SD-3 getting their hands on it. They would give her a different surveillance tape that would show SD-3 absolutely nothing.

Vaughn sighed and reached for his tea. He was tired, but not really hungry. He pushed his turkey sandwich away and threw some money on the table. Things were so complicated now. Where things going to work out the way he wanted? He didn't know, and he was scared to find out.

* * *

"Ever since your situation with your two agents, Arvin, we've been keeping an eye out," the SD-3 leader said over the phone. "And we've found a mole."

"You've alerted Security Section?" Sloane inquired.

"Yes, but they're on hold, waiting for my orders. The problem is we've already planned for the mission in Tennessee to retrieve the tapes."

Sloane sat back in his chair. "Have your mole continue with the mission. I'll send an agent out to bring back the tapes, and take care of your mole. It will look like an accident."

"Very good, Arvin. I like the way you think." Sloane put the phone down and smiled to himself. 3471 had proved her worthiness in the last mission. This mission seemed perfect to put her to the test again.