It was already noon, and she wondered how long they planned to keep her.
She'd been "talking" with Kendall for about forty-five minutes now. She
wasn't really listening. He was just rambling on, in true Kendall form,
about searching for her. Evidently he'd wanted to find her more then she'd
expected. She was waiting for him to finish so she could jump through the
CIA's many physical and mental "hoops". The tests were not hard just so
damn long.
"Sydney.."
"Yes Sir."
"These men will escort you to the different exams." He looked at her quizzically.
"I don't need them, but thanks."
"Now, Sydney you've been gone for a hell of a long time, and I don't know where you've been, what you've done, or who might want you back. Now I am not going to have you slip out from under my nose again. These agents will follow you wherever you go, but they're reasonably, they listen. So don't fight me on this one Agent Bristow." She opened the door and introduced her to Sam, Trey, and Wally. She couldn't have cared less.
So they took her around, first the physical exam. Not something Sydney was looking forward to. The first part was like a regular doctor's exam. They took blood, chevked her blood pressure all that jazz. They said they'd have all the results in a few days, and that they would contact her. But the second part was the really stupid part. She had to run on a tred-mill, and fight a very well trained agent. It was CIA required stuff. They needed to know if she was field-ready, or what exactly she lost, or forgotten while out there somewhere. She noted how out of shape she was. She used to be able to run a mile at full sprint and be ready for more. Now she only barely made it trough the mile. She fought the agent and though she remembered all of her skills, she and lost much of her speed and agility. She hadn't noticed before what the two years had done to her physically. It hit her hard to realize she had been looking for the differences in everyone else. Everyone but herself. To her this was the proof. She'd been gone for two whole years, and now she was different. All this and she couldn't remember why.
Next came hypnotherapy, and memory regression. This didn't take much. Sit in the chair follow instructions. It was easier than she'd expected. She was worried to go back to what had happened over the last two years but that didn't exactly happen. She didn't remember anything. Hypnosis was useless. Nothing was working to reveal what had happened. There was one thing the hypnosis revealed. She hadn't been in Hong Kong the entire time. She did remember being transported by plane. She was tied up with a black sac over her head. There were four men sitting all around her. They spoke in a language she had never heard before, and she didn't remember a word of it. Then she was put in a car, and dumped in Hong Kong. That was it. The doctor's said that she must have been reconditioned prior to being put into the plane. So she began to make the memories after the reconditioning. That made sense. But it wasn't a lot, hell it was nothing, to go on.
Next she saw Dr. Barnett. She remembered her well. She'd talked to her a lot at the beginning of .well three years ago. So she sat down and they talked. They talked about the felling of losing everything from the last two years. About what had happened on the night she'd disappeared. They talked about her father and mother. Her newly acquired brother. Dixon, and Will. And Vaughn. They talked about Vaughn a lot. Sydney could tell that Barnett knew more than she was letting on about Vaughn. She wondered what more there was to tell. He was married. He didn't work for the CIA anymore. And he'd said he still loved her. That was the hard part. She still loved him as if it were "yesterday".
When they were finished, they set a time to meet in a few days. To continue talking, of course. Then Dr. Barnett led the way out the door. When Barnett saw him stand she took a double take, and then looked at Sydney, who was now staring at Vaughn.
"Hi.Kendall told me you'd be finishing and I thought I come see .you." He took a step closer to her and paused. She'd been crying.
She smiled and turned to Dr. Barnett. "Thank you."
Dr. Barnett looked her firmly in the eye. "We can talk longer if you want." She glanced at Vaughn and then resumed looking at Sydney.
"No, thank you. I'll see you in a few days." She turned to walk down the hallway, away from Vaughn. The security agents followed.
Barnett looked at Vaughn with a question on the tip of her tongue, he could feel it. He moved to follow Sydney before she could speak. "Sydney, wait up."
She kept walking. "I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I know that, I just thought." She stopped walking. And he found himself face to face with her. "I just wanted to show you something." She looked puzzled. "Please Sydney. Let me show you this. It's not far. You can leave anytime. I promise, please." He said all this without really rationalizing what he was doing. He pleaded with her, with the sad puppy dog eyes. He was serious. She was skeptical.
"Alright."
"Great, you won't regret it I promise." He led her and her security dogs down the hall and to the parking lot. There he opened the door to his car for Sydney and she accepted sitting down in the front seat. He got in and started driving. The security agents followed close behind.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a nice suburban farm house. They both got out and Vaughn led the way to the front door. He opened the screen door and walked in.
"Mom it's me" He yelled. Sydney was surprised she'd never met his mother. After a moment a short elderly lady came bustling out of the kitchen.
"Oh Michael don't shout, he's sleeping." She said, and then looked to Sydney. "Oh, who's this."
"Mother this is Sydney a .friend of mine." He said awkwardly. His mother reached out a hand to Sydney.
"Oh dear it's so nice to meet you. I always enjoy meeting Michael's friends." She turned to Vaughn. "Now he's in the living room asleep. But you could wake him now."
"Thanks mom.could you uh.give us a minute." He rubbed his neck and looked down at her. She was puzzled but obeyed.
"Sure I'll just be in the kitchen making supper. You and Miss Sydney can stay if you like."
"No thanks mom we have to go." She retreated to the kitchen and Vaughn led her into the living room. In the middle of the room was a porta-crib. And inside a little boy lay sleeping. Vaughn ever so delicately reached inside the crib and picked the boy up. The baby stirred and then woke up and rubbed his little hands against his eyes. He yawned and then looked around. He then looked at Vaughn and gurgled a little.
Sydney stood in shock at the sight before her. Vaughn .the baby..what did this mean? Vaughn then turned to her and the little boy looked right at her.
"Sydney I would like you to meet Caleb, my son."
"Sydney.."
"Yes Sir."
"These men will escort you to the different exams." He looked at her quizzically.
"I don't need them, but thanks."
"Now, Sydney you've been gone for a hell of a long time, and I don't know where you've been, what you've done, or who might want you back. Now I am not going to have you slip out from under my nose again. These agents will follow you wherever you go, but they're reasonably, they listen. So don't fight me on this one Agent Bristow." She opened the door and introduced her to Sam, Trey, and Wally. She couldn't have cared less.
So they took her around, first the physical exam. Not something Sydney was looking forward to. The first part was like a regular doctor's exam. They took blood, chevked her blood pressure all that jazz. They said they'd have all the results in a few days, and that they would contact her. But the second part was the really stupid part. She had to run on a tred-mill, and fight a very well trained agent. It was CIA required stuff. They needed to know if she was field-ready, or what exactly she lost, or forgotten while out there somewhere. She noted how out of shape she was. She used to be able to run a mile at full sprint and be ready for more. Now she only barely made it trough the mile. She fought the agent and though she remembered all of her skills, she and lost much of her speed and agility. She hadn't noticed before what the two years had done to her physically. It hit her hard to realize she had been looking for the differences in everyone else. Everyone but herself. To her this was the proof. She'd been gone for two whole years, and now she was different. All this and she couldn't remember why.
Next came hypnotherapy, and memory regression. This didn't take much. Sit in the chair follow instructions. It was easier than she'd expected. She was worried to go back to what had happened over the last two years but that didn't exactly happen. She didn't remember anything. Hypnosis was useless. Nothing was working to reveal what had happened. There was one thing the hypnosis revealed. She hadn't been in Hong Kong the entire time. She did remember being transported by plane. She was tied up with a black sac over her head. There were four men sitting all around her. They spoke in a language she had never heard before, and she didn't remember a word of it. Then she was put in a car, and dumped in Hong Kong. That was it. The doctor's said that she must have been reconditioned prior to being put into the plane. So she began to make the memories after the reconditioning. That made sense. But it wasn't a lot, hell it was nothing, to go on.
Next she saw Dr. Barnett. She remembered her well. She'd talked to her a lot at the beginning of .well three years ago. So she sat down and they talked. They talked about the felling of losing everything from the last two years. About what had happened on the night she'd disappeared. They talked about her father and mother. Her newly acquired brother. Dixon, and Will. And Vaughn. They talked about Vaughn a lot. Sydney could tell that Barnett knew more than she was letting on about Vaughn. She wondered what more there was to tell. He was married. He didn't work for the CIA anymore. And he'd said he still loved her. That was the hard part. She still loved him as if it were "yesterday".
When they were finished, they set a time to meet in a few days. To continue talking, of course. Then Dr. Barnett led the way out the door. When Barnett saw him stand she took a double take, and then looked at Sydney, who was now staring at Vaughn.
"Hi.Kendall told me you'd be finishing and I thought I come see .you." He took a step closer to her and paused. She'd been crying.
She smiled and turned to Dr. Barnett. "Thank you."
Dr. Barnett looked her firmly in the eye. "We can talk longer if you want." She glanced at Vaughn and then resumed looking at Sydney.
"No, thank you. I'll see you in a few days." She turned to walk down the hallway, away from Vaughn. The security agents followed.
Barnett looked at Vaughn with a question on the tip of her tongue, he could feel it. He moved to follow Sydney before she could speak. "Sydney, wait up."
She kept walking. "I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I know that, I just thought." She stopped walking. And he found himself face to face with her. "I just wanted to show you something." She looked puzzled. "Please Sydney. Let me show you this. It's not far. You can leave anytime. I promise, please." He said all this without really rationalizing what he was doing. He pleaded with her, with the sad puppy dog eyes. He was serious. She was skeptical.
"Alright."
"Great, you won't regret it I promise." He led her and her security dogs down the hall and to the parking lot. There he opened the door to his car for Sydney and she accepted sitting down in the front seat. He got in and started driving. The security agents followed close behind.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a nice suburban farm house. They both got out and Vaughn led the way to the front door. He opened the screen door and walked in.
"Mom it's me" He yelled. Sydney was surprised she'd never met his mother. After a moment a short elderly lady came bustling out of the kitchen.
"Oh Michael don't shout, he's sleeping." She said, and then looked to Sydney. "Oh, who's this."
"Mother this is Sydney a .friend of mine." He said awkwardly. His mother reached out a hand to Sydney.
"Oh dear it's so nice to meet you. I always enjoy meeting Michael's friends." She turned to Vaughn. "Now he's in the living room asleep. But you could wake him now."
"Thanks mom.could you uh.give us a minute." He rubbed his neck and looked down at her. She was puzzled but obeyed.
"Sure I'll just be in the kitchen making supper. You and Miss Sydney can stay if you like."
"No thanks mom we have to go." She retreated to the kitchen and Vaughn led her into the living room. In the middle of the room was a porta-crib. And inside a little boy lay sleeping. Vaughn ever so delicately reached inside the crib and picked the boy up. The baby stirred and then woke up and rubbed his little hands against his eyes. He yawned and then looked around. He then looked at Vaughn and gurgled a little.
Sydney stood in shock at the sight before her. Vaughn .the baby..what did this mean? Vaughn then turned to her and the little boy looked right at her.
"Sydney I would like you to meet Caleb, my son."
