Unexplained

Chapter Eight

Trapped

Nairobi, Africa

Sydney stepped off the plane after Sark and Jarod did. She tightened her ponytail, examining the country around her. Jarod rented a car to take them out to the compound where Sloane was supposed to be hiding. Jarod removed his cell phone, dialing a number he knew by heart. The timid voice answered with a shaky, "Hello?"

"Broots. It's me. Have you checked in with Miss Parker?"

He'd made Broots check on Miss Parker because he definitely couldn't call her on the plane she was on with Raines. He was about to leave an anonymous tip to the CIA about the Centre, but he had to make sure everything was going according to plan.

"Oh, yeah. Jarod, everyone's out of here. Lyle, Raines, Angelo, Ethan, Miss Parker. Even some sweepers are missing. Sydney and I took some DSA's, some of Sydney's files, and my laptop. We're on our way out. And Miss Parker says that everything is fine."

"I'm going to call the CIA, so you better be out of there and on your way to Carthis."

"I've just got to pick up Debbie."

"Great. Bye, Broots."

Jarod disconnected the phone call and immediately dialed the next number. Sydney and Sark stayed silent as Jarod continued his plan. In the meantime, Sark removed some rope. He twisted it around Sydney's arms and then Jarod's when he'd completed the tip.

"I'm going to have to tie you both up to make this entire situation look believable. My intent is to leave the rope loose enough for both of you to escape. Possibly try to be Houdini."

Jarod grinned. "I read a book about Houdini once."

"Well, hopefully that'll get you far enough to get out. It'll be up to you two to destroy the machine."

"Why should I trust you, Sark?"

"You're here, aren't you, Sydney?"

She nodded slowly. "Fine. But you betray us,"

"And you'll send me to a cell if you get out alive. But I'm not going to betray you. I'm going to betray my father."

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired of this."

"Tired of what?"

Sark hesitated before replying.

"Nevermind. Jarod, I'm going to try to distract Raines, Lyle, and Sloane."

"Three evil men at once. That's going to take some talent."

"Yes, well, I'm another evil man, so it's not hard to deal with. Now get ready. The compound is up ahead."

Sark snapped the rope on their wrist and waited for the car to pull up in front of the warehouse.

Los Angeles, California

Vaughn jogged the corridors of the Operations Center searching for Jack. Sark, Sydney, and Jarod had suddenly disappeared. He was afraid Sark had taken both Sydney and Jarod hostage. He didn't even want to consider the possibility that Jarod was a double agent. He found Jack in a deep discussion with Kendall and Weiss. Marshall was sitting at his computer, typing as fast as his fingers could. A blueprint of some building was up on the screen and beside him was a map of Delaware. "Jack, I need to speak with you." Vaughn cut in to the conversation.

"Later. We've just gotten a tip on a surviving branch of the Alliance in Blue Cove. We've got to gather a team and get up there."

"Sydney's missing. So are Sark and Jarod."

Jack blanched visibily.

"I knew he was tricking her. She told me to trust her, but it wasn't her I was distrustful of. She said that Sark wasn't going to try to hurt them anytime soon, but she was wrong."

"Jack, this is an immediate priority. You, Agents Vaughn and Weiss must get up to the Centre yesterday! We'll look for Sydney after you destroy this branch. We've got a team assembling in Delaware. Get the three of you on a chopper and get out of here. And take Flinkman with you. You might need to get into some computers."

Marshall flushed completely. He never got to go on missions. Except that one Sloane sent him on with Sydney for the CIA, or the Alliance. Whatever. He hadn't been able to help the country and he'd been kidnapped. That was cause enough to be worried. He watched Jack, who seemed thoroughly ticked off. Vaughn was shifting impatiently. "Fine. Start searching for Sydney's whereabouts with Tippin, okay?"

Kendall paused, indignant that Jack was again trying to order him around. But he didn't say anything this time. "All right. Now get out of here!"

Vaughn, Weiss, Marshall, and Jack hurried out to the helipad to make it to Blue Cove before it was gone.

Nairobi, Africa

Sark pulled up in front of the warehouse, a cloud of dust rising behind the jeep. He turned off the ignition and took one last glance at Sydney. Her hair was in a low ponytail, but that didn't stop the tendrils from falling into her face. She looked beautiful at the moment, perfectly untainted. He opened the door to the backseat. He lightly pushed one particular strand of hair off her forehead and tucked it behind the curve of her ear. The look Sydney gave him was so lost and confused he had to resist the urge to kiss her right then. So, he pulled the pretender and spy out of the car and put on his own agent mask. A man with brown hair was strolling towards him with a devil-may-care attitude and for a second Sark wondered if he was Lucifer. "Mr. Sark. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Mr. Lyle. Why don't you bring the prisoners inside?"

Jarod struggled against Sark's hold, looking quite perplexed. Lyle started to chuckle.

"Not happy to see me, Jarod. I'm surprised. I had all sorts of fun planned for us after the mission is completed."

"I can hardly wait."

Sark pushed Jarod on in through the door before calling out clipped, "Watch her. She'll kick your arse if she has a chance."

"She's feisty. I always have liked feisty women. They have such spice to them."

He leered at Sydney before running his hand down her bare arm. Sydney shivered at the stranger, totally disgusted with what she was having to put up with. Sark was right. She'd kick him from her to Antarctica for touching her like that when this was over. Lyle took a hold of her hands and took her on inside with the announcement, "Mr. Sloane, Sydney's arrived. All we need now is my sister and father."

"We're already here, Lyle."

"Hey, Sis. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"I was sent on a wild goose chase concerning Jarod right before...Jarod!"

She pulled out her gun as if to shoot him. Raines lowered her arm, shaking his head. "Never shoot the Pretender. He's tied up, Miss Parker."

"What is he doing here, Daddy?"

"Well, it's all part of the plan. To make the Parkers and the Sloanes succeed."

Miss Parker sighed and put the gun back in her waistband. She scanned the room and noticed Ethan sitting in the corner next to Angelo.

"Ethan!"

"Hi, Miss Parker. I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going."

"It's all right, Ethan. Now is this some kind of screwed up family gathering. Daddy, Lyle, Ethan, Angelo, Jarod, Sark. All the Lab Rats together again?"

"Not exactly, Miss Parker." Raines wheezed. "We're completing our destiny. Now have a seat. We must get started immediately. Arvin."

Sloane stepped forward with the scrolls reverently. He placed them on the crate in front of Raines and they both stared.

Blue Cove, Delaware

Jack burst down the doors to the company in Blue Cove. It was exactly like SD-6. It was a research facility of many kinds. The kind for pharmacueticals and cosmetics that everyone knew about and the kind for human experiment. The lower they got on the sublevels the more obvious it became. The front of the building, the first few levels were all innocent workers. Then they got to the levels of people who knew exactly what they were doing. For a moment, this place seemed familiar. Almost like he'd been here years ago. Realization dawned on Jack Bristow. This is where he and Arvin had met with William Raines about Project Christmas. It made sense now. He realized Marshall was flanking him, looking quite nervous. "Get on one of the computers. See if you can find anything out."

"That could take hours, Mr. Bristow."

"If anyone can do it, Marshall, it's you."

Marshall beamed at the praise and set down in a plush office. A nametag stated that it was Lyle Parker's office. He tapped the keys patiently, coaxing the information out of the machine in a way only the techie could. Jack was standing over him, his foot hitting the cold tile floor with a resounding click every second or so. Marshall took a deep breath. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

"Anything about Rambaldi. Or Sydney. Or the Vespetian monks. Or................uh, what did Arvin call it? The Heptagon."

Marshall stared intently at the screen as the search continued. Guns were being fired outside the door as the sweepers battled the agents.

"The Heptagon! There's a list of names. Sydney Bristow, Jarod, Andrew Raines, Lyle Parker, Marina Parker, Ethan Parker, Angelo. And the only other thing it says is Nairobi."

"Seven people. They can make the configuration of a heptagon shape. Why would they need that?"

"I don't know, Sir. Why do two of them not have last names?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe they were projects here. Or something. They've got Sydney. Jarod. Jarod Masters! They must be the same person."

Marshall nodded in agreement.

"He must be helping Arvin in this insane Rambaldi expedition. I don't know who anyone else is except for Sydney and Jarod. Listen. I'm taking Vaughn and Weiss to Nairobi with me. You fly back and contact Tippin. Both of you research these people and call me when you find something out."

"Yes, Sir."

Jack turned abruptly, running out the door to find the two agents. They were going to Nairobi.