Chapter 7
Sydney paced angrily in her room at the safe house. She had seen no one since she had been escorted there earlier that afternoon, under guard. She paused again to check the windows and door, then ground her teeth in frustration. She wasn't going anywhere. She heard footsteps approach, and watched the door open to admit her father and Vaughn. Vaughn carried a small suitcase.
Jack turned to say something to the guards, then closed the door and turned back. He was met with a resounding slap. "How dare you?" Sydney seethed. "I am not a child!"
"Sydney!" said Vaughn, shocked. "What are you doing? It was for your own protection."
Jack waved his hand at Vaughn wearily. "It's okay, Vaughn. It's been that kind of day."
"Michael! What are you doing here?"
"For starters, I brought you some clothing," replied Vaughn, handing her the suitcase.
"You didn't have time to pack," Jack added dryly. "I asked Vaughn to collect some of your things." Sydney did not want to contemplate how her father had deduced that Vaughn would know where to find the things she needed.
"Thanks," she said shortly. "But I'm not planning to stay here very long."
"I brought Vaughn here because I might be going away for a while," said Jack, ignoring Sydney's comment. "Beside myself, Agent Vaughn is the only other person that knows your location. People at work think you're taking a much needed break. Francie thinks you're on a business trip. The guards," he gestured to the closed door, "believe you are someone completely different."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know," replied Jack humorlessly. "Wherever Sloane wants to take me."
Sydney frowned, perplexed. Vaughn opened his mouth then shut it again.
"Sydney, I wasn't completely honest with you earlier." Jack held up his hand to Sydney's muttered 'no kidding.' "I'm still not 100% confident in the security measures at your house. I gave Sloane the information he requested, but in a form he won't be able to use. I encrypted portions of it; the material is complex enough that it may take him several days to realize what happened. When he does-," he paused.
"He'll be furious," Sydney finished, wide-eyed.
Jack nodded. "He'll look for you first; when he can't find you, he'll come for me."
Vaughn interrupted. "I don't understand. What's the point of that?"
Sydney understood. "You're setting yourself up as bait? For Sloane?" she said with concern.
Jack smiled at her reassuringly. "It's not that much of a risk. I'll get Marshall to provide me a transmitter I can activate when I arrive at Sloane's location; a team can then surround us and capture Sloane and your mother at the same time. It won't be too bad."
Vaughn looked sharply at Jack but kept his opinion to himself.
"For this to work, I needed to be 100% confident that you would be safe. 100%, Sydney. Do you understand?"
Sydney nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I.overreacted earlier."
Jack turned to Vaughn. "I have reason to believe that Joint Ops is not secure. I trust Sydney, and I'm trusting you because I have to trust someone else. You'll run the extraction mission." Jack handed Vaughn an envelope. "Here are signed orders directing you to begin monitoring operations once I have gone missing, and to mobilize the necessary resources once I begin transmission. Until I begin transmission you are not to tell anyone what the purpose of the mission is. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," said Vaughn. He had some questions, but decided to save them.
"Okay, then, that about wraps it up," said Jack, in a deliberately casual voice. "Sydney, enjoy your vacation." He stood up, looked at Sydney uncertainly, and turned toward the door.
Sydney, used to reading her father's expressions, understood. "Dad."
Jack turned back. In two long strides Sydney had crossed the room and wrapped him in a hug. "Be careful, Dad," she whispered.
Gratefully, Jack hugged her back. "I'll see you in a couple of days," he promised.
**
Jack and Vaughn walked in silence to Jack's car. Once they were inside, Jack turned to Vaughn. "Vaughn. Trust nobody. With Sydney's location. With this mission. Even.Kendall." Jack locked gazes with Vaughn to make sure he understood.
Vaughn nodded. "I have a few questions."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was pretty clear."
"Why didn't you cover this off with Devlin?"
Jack shifted uncomfortably. "There's a bit of a problem with the information I exchanged to release Sydney. I'd prefer not to discuss it with Devlin quite yet."
"Oh," replied Vaughn, chewing his lip. "What was the information?"
Jack glanced sideways at Vaughn. "The prison term for being an accessory after the fact to theft of classified government secrets is 1-5 years. Are you sure you want to know?" he asked blandly.
Vaughn paled. "I have another question," he said, hurriedly changing the subject.
"Yes?" Jack sighed.
"Do you know which continent Sloane will take you to?"
"No," said Jack, watching Vaughn.
"You realize it could be at least 4 hours before I could have a team on site if you're outside the US? Maybe longer?"
"Yes."
"I see." Vaughn did see. Sloane would be furious, needed information from Jack, and would have multiple hours to try to obtain it. "There were no other options?"
"Do you think Sydney would like to be cooped up in a safe house for the rest of her life?" Jack asked rhetorically. He pulled a second envelope out of his jacket and handed it to Vaughn. "A release order for Sydney. In case.I'm unable to issue one. They tend to be a little bit bureaucratic about releasing prisoners accused of being KGB spies."
Sydney paced angrily in her room at the safe house. She had seen no one since she had been escorted there earlier that afternoon, under guard. She paused again to check the windows and door, then ground her teeth in frustration. She wasn't going anywhere. She heard footsteps approach, and watched the door open to admit her father and Vaughn. Vaughn carried a small suitcase.
Jack turned to say something to the guards, then closed the door and turned back. He was met with a resounding slap. "How dare you?" Sydney seethed. "I am not a child!"
"Sydney!" said Vaughn, shocked. "What are you doing? It was for your own protection."
Jack waved his hand at Vaughn wearily. "It's okay, Vaughn. It's been that kind of day."
"Michael! What are you doing here?"
"For starters, I brought you some clothing," replied Vaughn, handing her the suitcase.
"You didn't have time to pack," Jack added dryly. "I asked Vaughn to collect some of your things." Sydney did not want to contemplate how her father had deduced that Vaughn would know where to find the things she needed.
"Thanks," she said shortly. "But I'm not planning to stay here very long."
"I brought Vaughn here because I might be going away for a while," said Jack, ignoring Sydney's comment. "Beside myself, Agent Vaughn is the only other person that knows your location. People at work think you're taking a much needed break. Francie thinks you're on a business trip. The guards," he gestured to the closed door, "believe you are someone completely different."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know," replied Jack humorlessly. "Wherever Sloane wants to take me."
Sydney frowned, perplexed. Vaughn opened his mouth then shut it again.
"Sydney, I wasn't completely honest with you earlier." Jack held up his hand to Sydney's muttered 'no kidding.' "I'm still not 100% confident in the security measures at your house. I gave Sloane the information he requested, but in a form he won't be able to use. I encrypted portions of it; the material is complex enough that it may take him several days to realize what happened. When he does-," he paused.
"He'll be furious," Sydney finished, wide-eyed.
Jack nodded. "He'll look for you first; when he can't find you, he'll come for me."
Vaughn interrupted. "I don't understand. What's the point of that?"
Sydney understood. "You're setting yourself up as bait? For Sloane?" she said with concern.
Jack smiled at her reassuringly. "It's not that much of a risk. I'll get Marshall to provide me a transmitter I can activate when I arrive at Sloane's location; a team can then surround us and capture Sloane and your mother at the same time. It won't be too bad."
Vaughn looked sharply at Jack but kept his opinion to himself.
"For this to work, I needed to be 100% confident that you would be safe. 100%, Sydney. Do you understand?"
Sydney nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I.overreacted earlier."
Jack turned to Vaughn. "I have reason to believe that Joint Ops is not secure. I trust Sydney, and I'm trusting you because I have to trust someone else. You'll run the extraction mission." Jack handed Vaughn an envelope. "Here are signed orders directing you to begin monitoring operations once I have gone missing, and to mobilize the necessary resources once I begin transmission. Until I begin transmission you are not to tell anyone what the purpose of the mission is. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," said Vaughn. He had some questions, but decided to save them.
"Okay, then, that about wraps it up," said Jack, in a deliberately casual voice. "Sydney, enjoy your vacation." He stood up, looked at Sydney uncertainly, and turned toward the door.
Sydney, used to reading her father's expressions, understood. "Dad."
Jack turned back. In two long strides Sydney had crossed the room and wrapped him in a hug. "Be careful, Dad," she whispered.
Gratefully, Jack hugged her back. "I'll see you in a couple of days," he promised.
**
Jack and Vaughn walked in silence to Jack's car. Once they were inside, Jack turned to Vaughn. "Vaughn. Trust nobody. With Sydney's location. With this mission. Even.Kendall." Jack locked gazes with Vaughn to make sure he understood.
Vaughn nodded. "I have a few questions."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was pretty clear."
"Why didn't you cover this off with Devlin?"
Jack shifted uncomfortably. "There's a bit of a problem with the information I exchanged to release Sydney. I'd prefer not to discuss it with Devlin quite yet."
"Oh," replied Vaughn, chewing his lip. "What was the information?"
Jack glanced sideways at Vaughn. "The prison term for being an accessory after the fact to theft of classified government secrets is 1-5 years. Are you sure you want to know?" he asked blandly.
Vaughn paled. "I have another question," he said, hurriedly changing the subject.
"Yes?" Jack sighed.
"Do you know which continent Sloane will take you to?"
"No," said Jack, watching Vaughn.
"You realize it could be at least 4 hours before I could have a team on site if you're outside the US? Maybe longer?"
"Yes."
"I see." Vaughn did see. Sloane would be furious, needed information from Jack, and would have multiple hours to try to obtain it. "There were no other options?"
"Do you think Sydney would like to be cooped up in a safe house for the rest of her life?" Jack asked rhetorically. He pulled a second envelope out of his jacket and handed it to Vaughn. "A release order for Sydney. In case.I'm unable to issue one. They tend to be a little bit bureaucratic about releasing prisoners accused of being KGB spies."
