A/N: Sorry everyone about not posting in so long, but in case any of you didn't know already, school sucks. I've got AP and SOL tests coming up, so I can't guarantee that the next post will be soon. I will try to add-on whenever I can. Who knows, you may see more this weekend, but we'll see. Just one thing, if anyone is strictly against animal cruelty I just want you to know that I feel the same way you do, and the post I have in here just seemed to be what they'd do to test the gas, so it's not meant to offend anyone. Anywayz, keep reading and reviewing! Oh and also check out some of my work at fictionpress.net!
Chapter 23
Jack Bristow reached for his phone that awoke him from his slumber. "Bristow," he said, somewhat sleepily, but with more alertness than the average individual.
"I want to know what the hell your daughter and Agent Vaughn are trying to pull!" Jack instantly recognized the voice of Kendall, and he could tell that he was more than pissed.
"What has happened?" Jack asked.
"Agent Vaughn and Agent Weiss have completely shut down the power, knocked out a CIA agent, bailed Sydney out of CIA custody, and stole tech gear along with one of our unmarked vans! What the hell has happened to this office?" Kendall yelled, finishing his angry tirade.
"I assure you, Sir, that I have no idea what Agent Vaughn or my daughter are up to, but I'll do everything I can to find out," Jack said.
"Fine, get in here within the hour," Kendall said, hanging up. Jack slammed the phone down in anger and threw it against the wall. He loved Sydney more than he'd admit, more than he'd even show, but her actions were inexcusable. And Vaughn…he just needed to leave his daughter alone.
* * *
Vaughn, Sydney, and Weiss all stared at the Rambaldi crystal under the harsh fluorescent light. They were in the basement of Agent Melanie Spence, one of the agents who had been recruited for the mission. The outside of the Rambaldi watch had carefully been removed, to reveal a crystal, no taller than a dime. It was perfect in every way, and Vaughn currently held a hammer to it.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Weiss asked, looking uneasily at the hammer.
"No," Vaughn answered honestly, "but it's the only lead we've got." Vaughn raised the hammer just slightly below his chin and then brought it down upon the crystal. It broke apart just as easily as if it were a puzzle into twelve equally shaped crystals.
"Good, now everyone get their gas masks and come to the back yard. Weiss, grab the rat and meet us outside," Vaughn said, referring to the rat that he had stolen from the CIA lab.
The night was dark, as it always is at three-thirty in the morning. "Everyone put on your gas masks." Vaughn motioned towards Weiss, who set the rat in a box on the ground. Vaughn put one piece of the crystal in the box and pulled out a container of water and an eyedropper. He filled the dropper up halfway, took a quick glance at his audience to be assured their masks were on, and dropped one single drop of water onto the crystal. The reaction was instantaneous. Within seconds of dropping water on the crystal, the rat lay still in the box. The crystal was not a size smaller, and the gas hadn't even been visible.
Vaughn picked up the crystal and left the rat in the box. Vaughn smiled from behind his mask, and from the look in Sydney's eyes, she was smiling too. "You have a secure line Mel?" Agent Spencer nodded. It's time to call the meeting."
* * *
Within a half an hour, Agent Spence's basement was filled with eight new comers. Two agents that had originally planned to come couldn't be reached. Vaughn thought for a moment, trying to decide what to do, and Agent Spence picked up on it.
"Go ahead and start the meeting, Vaughn, I'll keep trying to reach Agent Conrad and Agent Richards." Vaughn nodded his thanks to her suggestions, and turned towards the agents.
"Thank you all for coming, especially in the middle of the night, and for our cause. Before we begin, I must inform you all that whether things go right or wrong, there may or may not be consequences for our actions. I'm giving any of you the option right now to leave this operation." Vaughn swallowed and waited. No one moved. "None of you will be thought of any less by leaving." Vaughn paused again, but again, no one moved.
"Okay, you were all giving a brief layout of what we plan to go down when I contacted you, but here is the rest. Now, thanks to Agent Bristow," Vaughn passed Sydney a quick glance, "we can finally put the plan into action." Vaughn picked a piece of the Rambaldi crystal and held it up for everyone to see. "This is the Rambaldi crystal. There are twelve pieces of the crystal, which means each one of you will get one piece of the crystal. Hang on to it with your life.
"You'll also be given a canteen of water and a map of your SD facility. Your job is to get into the vents tonight unseen. At nine o'clock exactly, each of you will put the Rambaldi crystal into your canteen leaving the top off. Before nine o'clock you must be wearing your gas mask because as soon as the crystal touches the water, an invisible gas will begin to exit from the canteen. Once the all occupants on the floor have been knocked out, put the cap on the canteen and contact me. After you've contacted me and are assured that everyone is unconscious, leave the floor and disconnect the power, and phones." Vaughn stopped and motioned Sydney over. She took Vaughn's spot and continued on.
"On the maps you'll be receiving it is clearly marked where all vent entries are, where the power and phone controls are located, and where the emergency switch is that will automatically lock all the doors on the floor. You will then wait until the CIA arrives. Your gas mask will remain on at all times, and if there are any problems, contact Vaughn or me. Any questions?"
Agent Tom Willard raised his hand. "If we cut the power before we activate the emergency switch, how will the doors lock?"
"The doors are controlled by a separate remote controlled system that is being battery powered," Sydney explained. "Anyone else?" No one raised their hand.
"Vaughn?" Sydney said, calling him back over, just as the doorbell upstairs rang. Agent Spence ran upstairs to answer it, and came back with Agent Evan Richards.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I got…err…held up." Vaughn nodded his understanding, but looked concerned.
"Any word from Agent Conrad?" He asked Melodie.
"No, sorry, Vaughn."
"Agent Holmes, please catch Agent Richards up on what he missed. Weiss, can you pass out the maps please?" Weiss nodded, and Vaughn pulled Sydney aside.
"We need another agent," Vaughn said to Sydney.
Sydney gave Vaughn a weird look. "Why? We've got thirteen. That's enough for each one of us to go into a SD facility with one left over to watch over surveillance cameras."
"I don't want you to go in alone," Vaughn earnestly. "I want to go with you."
"Vaughn," Sydney said, getting slightly peeved at the idea that Vaughn may think her to be incapable of defending herself. "I can take care-"
"I didn't mean it like that, Syd. I've had almost as much time as you to analyze SD-6 and what they're capable of. There is no doubt that if something were to go wrong, they'd seek revenge." Vaughn turned his gaze to the floor.
"Vaughn, nothing's going to go wrong," Sydney whispered, stepping closer to him. "I promise." With that, Sydney's lips met Vaughn's in a kiss.
"Come on, love birds," Weiss said coming up between them, and giving them each a map. "We leave in half an hour."