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With the steel briefcase, Sydney and Sark silently snuck into the lab, where the energy cells, as Sloane came to identify them as, were kept. Carefully, they lifted each one up, and gently put them into the briefcase. "Are these going to be stable in here?" Sydney whispered as she carefully slid the third into place.
"Supposedly." Sydney quickly shut the case, and ran out, with Sark on her heals. They ran to where Sloane was waiting for them.
"Well, I'm glad you guys made it here. I decided to transport the machine rather than these nuclear energy cells." He said. They got into the helicopter, where Sloane took them to a large warehouse. They walked over to a makeshift vault, where the Machine was kept.
"Put these on." Sloane said, handing them pure white, plastic suits. They blended in perfectly with the bleak white walls of the vault. Like pulling a cover off of a car, Sloane removed the sheet covering the machine. Sydney marveled at the thing that will bring her peace, whether she be six feet under, or on cloud nine. For her, peace had become anywhere but there. Without anymore words, they began to unpack the briefcase. Sloane put the extra two in a built in storage facility, and the third he placed in the machine.
"How exactly does this thing work?" Sydney dared to ask.
"For sure, we're not sure. Physically, only your soul will be transported into your past self. The rest of you, we're not sure what happens. Rambaldi theorized that it will evaporate and spend eternity in a place between time, and between space." Sloane answered.
Sydney felt uneasy about this but her life had so little to offer as it was. Dying was second best. Sloane and Sark exited the immediate vicinity of the machine, and promptly took off their suits. "Are you coming Sydney?" Sloane asked.
She didn't know that she was invited to join them, so she quickly scrambled in taking off her suit to make up for lost time. Sloane had a bottle of champagne, opened, and poured into three glasses. He handed one to each of them "To the success of Rambaldi's time machine. May our lives with our loved ones be better than the one we are living now." He said, giving a short toast. The three clinked their glasses, and took a sip.
"Ok, let's go." Sloane said, after taking one sip of his champagne. He and Sark got back into their suits, but instructed Sydney not to get into one. Sydney sat down in the chair, unsure of what would happen. Sloane's voice boomed from outside of the vault.
30 seconds.
Sydney's palms began to get sweaty. Her breathing quickened.
20 seconds.
Sydney began to worry that it wouldn't work. Vaughn would only end up with Alice again.
10 seconds.
Sydney wondered if she should say a prayer.
9 seconds.
She attempted to remember a prayer from when she was a child.
8 seconds.
Her mother used to take her to church.
7 seconds.
Once she died, Sydney had never been back.
6 seconds.
No prayer came to mind.
5 seconds.
Help me lord! Her mind cried.
4 seconds.
Make sure I get my peace.
3 seconds.
Make sure Vaughn is ok.
2 seconds.
Make sure he will never forget me.
1 second.
"I love you Vaughn!" She cried out loud.
Time!
There was a brilliant flash of light. Sark and Sloane watched as Sydney's body went limp, and then began to dematerialize.
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