Alright, here comes chapter nine-in my opinion the most suspenseful one of the story! I apologize if this chapter become too lengthy, however it will reveal a lot of happenings. I think this story is almost finished, probably one more chapter after this and maybe then an epilogue. But enough of my ramblings, I present to you chapter nine.
The sharp tone of the phone awakened her from a peaceful slumber. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt the stirring of the warm body so close to her. She rolled over in a sleepy stupor as the horrors of reality came crashing down around her. She sat up slightly and watched Vaughn extend an arm from underneath the covers, grab the shrieking cell phone from the nightstand and bring it to his ear.
"Vaughn." He answered groggily. Sydney rolled over and glanced up at the clock, 6:47. She reluctantly pulled the sheets away as she drug herself out of bed, listening to Vaughn's end of the conversation.
"Yes sir." He said as he sat up. "A meeting? Are you sure that's safe?" A pause followed. "You let Irina Derevko contact former associates?" He questioned in a shocked voice. "How did…?" He stopped abruptly, as Sydney strained to hear the other end of the conversation.
"Yes, yes I understand." He said as he stood up and started pacing the room. Sydney watched him from her corner by the window, allowing her thoughts get distracted by the way the early morning sunlight hit his face and seemed to bring out the vivid colors of his hair.
"Sir, I'm not comfortable sending my agent in blind. As you remember we did that last time…" He began heatedly. A long pause followed. "Alright."
"And there will be a full back up team." He confirmed. "Okay, I'll contact you then."
Vaughn looked up at Sydney as he hung up his phone. She gazed at him with questioning eyes, eager to find out the details of the conversation. Vaughn hesitated before he spoke to her. He motioned for her to sit before he began. She gave him a quizzical look as she sat down on a chair near the window, searching his eyes for information.
"That was Kendal," He began, stating the obvious. "They got in touch with some of Salvko's associates and set up at meeting between you and her. They want you to bring her into custody."
Her brow creased slightly as she learned the plan. He took a breath and continued, "You're supposed to meet her tonight at the La Vallée de Rivière Port on the Seine River, You'd have a full back up team, and I'd be monitoring everything."
She gazed out the window, deep in thought. He sat down beside her. "Syd, you don't have to do this." He spoke with concern, as he took her hand in his. "I think it's too dangerous, considering the amount of what you've gone through, not to mention the possibility of Salvko bringing in team or an ambush."
"Vaughn." She interrupted, speaking for the first time that morning. "I have to do this." She said determinedly. Vaughn was silent for a moment, staring at her hand in his.
"Alright," He began as he stood up again, "We need to go get some gear down at the CIA warehouse, along with the rest of op tech. I'll be on coms as usual, there will be a team assembled by the time the meeting takes place. You'll go in alone, but the team will be on stand-by outside and be ready to move if there's any sign of trouble."
She nodded, taking in all the information. "The building is being secured right now, the CIA is checking for hidden explosives, bombs, C-4 etc. You won't move in until we can confirm her presence, on the idea that if she tried to kill you she most likely would not want to kill herself in the process. Jack contacted SD-6 and talked to Sloane, we'll send the briefcase back to L.A, your father covered for you by saying you had ran into an old friend from college and are staying with her for a couple of days. Now, the CIA wants to capture Salvko, bring her in to custody for questioning as well as prosecution. Now that they are aware of her existence they may be able to link her to previously unsolved crimes."
"Nothing like a family reunion." She quipped.
He looked down at Sydney. "You okay?" He questioned. She shook her head a little as if digesting all the information and returned his gaze, "I'm fine." He looked at her worriedly, his concerns for her growing, along with the tenderness he felt in his heart for her. She noticed his worry and gave a small smile, "You done yet?"
He breathed, his mind going over all the details of the operation. "Uh, yeah." He said, returning her smile as he sat down next to her.
"I'm just going to go take a shower then." She stated, not moving from her seat so near to him. "So what time do we go to the warehouse?"
"A couple of hours." He replied but was interrupted by a loud growl.
He looked down at her stomach, as she quickly covered it with her hands and blushed. He gave a lopsided smile at her. "Hungry?" He quietly joked. She smiled back at him. "You want me to order up some breakfast?" Vaughn questioned.
"Sure, that'd be great." She said as she got up and moved towards the bathroom. "I'll be out in a couple minutes."
~~***~~
Three hours later they were headed out to the CIA warehouse. They spent most of the ride in silence, Vaughn staring at the black road ahead, Sydney intently studying the patterns of tiny squiggles that seemed to run wild over the interior of the car, both lost in thought. Finally they pulled up to the warehouse, tires crunching at the gravel underneath the long drive. Vaughn stopped the car, and turned towards Sydney.
"You should probably go in yourself. It's still too risky for me to be seen with you." He said softly, his forehead graced with worry lines.
She nodded in accordance with him as she adjusted her gun in her holster. As she moved to step out of the car, he called after her, "Be careful."
She turned and gave him a short half-smile. "I'll be fine." She replied easily.
A cool draft wafted through the air as Sydney stepped into the warehouse. Everything was silent, but that wasn't unusual. Not many people worked here, only about one or two on average, and the warehouse was covered by state of the security-heat sensitive cameras, satellite imaging, the works.
She made her way through the familiar rows of storage, heading to a small desk at the rear of the warehouse, usually filled by some techie listening to headphones while updating inventory. Tall stacks of shelving filled the large space, filled with every technology imaginable. Her heels clicked on the concrete floor, sending an echo throughout the entire building.
Finally reaching a large empty area that held only the small desk in the center. Sydney froze in her tracks at the sight portrayed before her-blood splattered across the computer- blood from the techie who now lay slumped at the desk, killed with a single gunshot in the back. A chill ran through her entire body as she immediately sensed a presence. Sydney swiveled around, keen eyes scanning for danger. She instinctively reached for her gun, but only got as far as the holster.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A clear voice rang out from above. Sydney turned and spotted the source of the voice on the catwalk that hung from the tall ceiling.
"Nadia." She spoke simply, frozen, as a million thoughts raced through her mind.
The woman gave a short laugh in response. "That's correct." She said, a small smile playing upon her lips. She took a few steps, her gun trained on Sydney all the while. "You didn't actually think I'd meet you at the port." She said sardonically. "Come on Sydney, I thought you were smarter than that."
She paced about the platform that circled the perimeter of the building. "I thought the CIA was smarter than that." She added.
Sydney stood rigid, still unnerved at the sight of her twin, and utterly bewildered as to how to deal with the situation. She said nothing.
Nadia continued, "But I can see where your concentration might get a little cloudy, mine might too if I had such fine specimen such as Michael Vaughn at my disposal."
Sydney cringed as she heard the woman speak his name. She spoke up angrily, precisely matching the even tone of Nadia's voice, "What do you want?"
Nadia smirked at Sydney's reaction to Vaughn's name; it was exactly what she wanted. And she always got what she wanted. She paced along the catwalk again, clearly enjoying her power. "I want what everyone wants Sydney," She began. "I want to live, I want to live without pain."
Sydney said nothing and continued to gaze up at her. "I want to hurt those who hurt me. I want revenge." She concluded.
"Doesn't everyone?" She questioned as she met Sydney's curious eyes. "Isn't that how you got in this position in the first place? You're working to take down Sloane." She stated as she walked to the stairs leading down from the catwalk.
"Not for the good of your country," She noted, "But for revenge."
A silence filled the air. "You want revenge for Danny."
Sydney felt her breath catch in her chest as her mind reeled at the thought of how this woman- a complete stranger to her, knew so much about her, when she herself had only recently learned of her existence.
Nadia didn't stop there, "You want revenge, you think killing Sloane will somehow reciprocate for your lost years, the years he stole from you. The love he stole from you, most of all Michael Vaughn."
Her words struck a nerve as she finally was able to formulate words. "Listen here, you sick bitch, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you will not insult me and live to tell about it."
Nadia simply stared at her, making her way down the metal stairs, gun still trained on her.
She walked up to her, gun pointed at her forehead. Sydney swallowed as she studied the image of herself. "You know, life's a funny thing." She spoke in an eerily calm tone, removing Sydney's gun from her holster and tossing across the concrete floor. "You see, nature has been defied here, usually when two of the same being coexist, one of them dies. The weaker one dies, leaving the stronger one to prevail. It's called natural selection." She lectured. "Well I guess nature will finally take its course."
Nadia cocked her gun, held inches away from Sydney's head. She paused, as if in reflection. "But I guess this is what life's all about, survival of the fittest."
Sydney watched Nadia's finger tightening on the trigger, and she suddenly ducked and reached for the gun, forcing Nadia's arm to rise, the gun firing a bullet high into the air.
Nadia stumbled back in surprise but Sydney was all over her before she could recover. The two went crashing into the hard ground, struggling over the gun. Sydney managed to land a punch on Nadia's face, causing her to recoil, allowing Sydney to grasp the gun.
Filled with adrenaline, she rolled on top of Nadia as she pulled the gun on her, "I should have killed you when I had the chance." She spoke vehemently, ready to pull the trigger but rapidly felt a pain rip across her cheek. Nadia had somehow managed to pull a knife on her, slicing open her cheek.
Sydney gasped in pain as she instinctively reached up to cover the gaping gash. This allowed Nadia wriggle free as she forcefully landed a heavy punch on Sydney's wrist, causing her bone to crack and sending the gun airborne.
Nadia soon gained control as she rolled on top of her, forcing her knee into Sydney's chest, as she grasped the knife tightly and brought the knife to her throat. Sydney instinctively reached for Nadia's arm, desperately fighting to keep the knife away. It was her strength against her twin's, as they struggled on the floor.
Suddenly a voice filled the room, "Sydney!"
Both women turned at the sound, it was Vaughn, he had rushed in as soon as he heard the gun go off.
Sydney took advantage of the slight distraction and managed to jab Nadia in the shoulder, where she had shot her the night before, causing the knife to drop to the floor with a clatter. Nadia cried out in pain and drew back, allowing Sydney to once again gain control. She forced herself on top of her again, blood streaming from her face as she landed three good punches on Nadia's face.
Vaughn had his gun trained on the battling duo, but was utterly lost. Not being able to tell who was who, he couldn't to shoot Nadia, in fear of shooting Sydney.
But Nadia was not one to give up. She was trained not to lose, she reached down beside her, stretching to reach the discarded knife. Sydney neglected to notice her movement as she went to land another punch on Nadia but was instead greeted by the feeling of cold steel in her ribs. She cried out in pain, as Nadia stumbled to her feet, scrambling to retrieve the gun.
Vaughn rushed over to the bloodied sisters but was soon apprehended by two burly guards that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, no doubtedly part of Nadia's entourage. Vaughn quickly reacted, and was able to take one down with a forceful kick, but was brought to a sudden halt when he felt the barrel of a gun roughly shoved into his back by the other guard.
Sydney immediately saw Nadia's intentions as she tried to stand, in order to retrieve the other gun. She struggled to her feet, nearly doubling over in pain but felt another rush of adrenaline course through her as she watched Nadia pick up her gun. Sydney ran to collect the other gun as Nadia fired off bullets. Sydney dodged the shots and rolled to the floor, reaching the gun and quickly darting to take cover behind the metal staircase that led up to the catwalk. A rain of bullets ricocheted off the metal. Sydney took a second to catch her breath, her chest heaving from exertion.
Unexpectedly, an eerie silence overcame the warehouse once again, leaving a distinct feeling of fear in Sydney's mind. Her eyes scanned the entire area, frantically searching for her enemy, but she had disappeared. Knowing Nadia wouldn't leave until achieving revenge, Sydney's senses were alert, her body ignoring the pain as searched for the woman, deciding to go on the catwalk to attain a better view.
Sydney's entire body ached as she forced herself to climb the metal stairs, gun drawn, pain searing through her. She carefully proceeded around the perimeter of the room, spying no movement below. She turned a corner and suddenly found herself face to face with Nadia, who stood still, calmly awaiting her arrival. It only took Sydney a few seconds to notice Nadia's gun pointed directly at Vaughn, who was forcefully being tied to a metal chair below them.
At that moment, time seemed to move in slow motion. Sydney watched as the corners of Nadia's mouth started to turn up into a smile, how her finger began to apply pressure to the trigger of the gun that was about to kill the man she loved. She knew she'd rather die herself than watch Vaughn die. All in a second, she took a chance and lunged for the woman.
Nadia quickly sensed the movement and rapidly turned, quickly pulling the trigger of the cold gun.
A loud noise echoed through the room as Sydney felt a burning pain course throughout her shoulder. Her body too overcome by pain to fight any longer, she collapsed onto the hard metal grate, her head slamming down on it with a thump. She faintly heard Vaughn scream out her name as Nadia's body came into view.. Nadia stood over her defeated body as she spoke to Sydney in a cold voice, "I'm just returning the favor."
Nadia turned and walked a few steps towards the stairs before swiveling back to face Sydney. Vaughn watched in horror as Nadia shot the defeated woman, lying helplessly on the catwalk.
Vaughn clamped his eyes shut, hoping in vain that what he just witnessed was a dream, and not reality. He opened his eyes again, and saw Sydney standing in front of him.
Reality came crashing back down on him as it took him a moment to realize that the woman standing in front of him was only her twin. He watched as she twirled her gun around on her fingers, while eying him curiously before she spoke.
"Well Mr. Vaughn, it looks like you fell in love with the wrong sister." She turned to the guards, "Leave us alone," She commanded, "He'll be done in five minutes." She said, turning her attention back to Vaughn. She waited until the even footfalls of her guard faded into the distance before she resumed.
"It's a pity really," She went on, "You and me that is, we would have made such a cute couple."
She smiled at him as he stared back at her with hatred in his eyes, refusing to speak to the woman. "It's a shame she's dead already. It would have been fun to see the look on her face when I kill you." She paused, focusing on his face with almost an indifference. "But I imagine it would have been quite similar to the one on your face right now."
She stepped close to him, bringing her hand to his face, as she caressed the strong outline of his jaw. Vaughn immediately stiffed at her touch as he unsuccessfully tried to back away, struggling with the course ropes that bound his hands behind the back of the metal chair. Nadia's hands wandered from his face, down his neck, resting on his strong chest.
She circled the chair, her hands pressed against his shoulders. She stopped in front of him once again, bringing her face close to his, so close he could feel her hot breath on his lips, "You know, I like the strong silent type." She breathily whispered.
"Too bad you're not strong enough." She said, disdain suddenly laced in her voice as she stepped back and drew her gun, aiming directly at his forehead.
Vaughn held his breath, 'I love you Syd. I love you Syd.' The repeated the mantra played in his head a thousand times in the few split seconds it took for her to pull the trigger.
The thunder of a gunshot was the last sound to reach his ears.
TBC…
Oooh I know! Mean cliffhanger, whahaha (evil laugh!) Tell me if y'all like it!
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