Chapter 5: The Imperfect Crime
Disclaimer: Okay, these marvelous characters aren't mineā¦(Except Laura and Brandon)
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"You are Rambaldi's prophecy, Sydney. You are going to help me now."
"Never!" Sydney screams, her voice hoarse. She glares at the man in front of her with obvious hate.
"Oh, you will," Sloane says confidently. "Laura and Brandon would want you to."
She jerks mercilessly against the ropes holding her to the chair.
"What have you done with my children?!? Leave them ALONE!" she shrieks.
"Sydney, Sydney, they'll be fine as long as you cooperate."
With that he leaves.
Sydney spends several minutes jerking painfully and with all her strength against the ropes. She screams wildly all the while. Finally she stops, breathing heavily, and disolves into tears.
******************************************************************************************
Laura is upstairs in her house, hurriedly packing some clothes for herself and Brandon. Her father is keeping Brandon busy downstairs.
"Hurry, Laura, we can't stay much longer!" Vaughn calls softly up the stairs.
"I'm coming!" Laura calls back. She quickly stuffs clothes in the two suitcases. In Brandon's, she adds the old, worn blanket from his bed, a handful of his toy cars, and his box of Ninja Turtle action figures. At least it'll give him *something* to do, she thinks.
"Laura! We need to leave, now!" Vaughn yells urgently up the stairs.
Laura runs down the stairs. Something about his tone worries her. "Are they watching us?" she asks, spotting him at the window.
He decides to be honest with her.
"I think so, Laurie. I've seen the same car go by twice. I'm watching for it. As soon as it passes again, we make a run for it," he says.
She nods and takes Brandon's hand. She stands just out of view of the window. Vaughn notes again how bright she is.
"When we get in the car, you two get on the floor in the back seat and hold on," he whispers.
Laura nods.
"Okay. Just say when."
Vaughn watches the car go down the road and turn the corner.
"Now!" he hisses, grabbing the suitcases from her.
They run out and Laura dives into the back seat, dragging her brother with her.
Vaughn slings the suitcases to the passenger side of the front seat and guns the engine as soon as all the doors close.
Laura screams when she hears gunshots. She hears a couple of them ping off of the back and top of the car.
"Are you okay?" Vaughn yells, knowing none of the bullets pierced any windows.
"I'm fine! Sorry!" she cries.
Brandon is yelling and struggling to get his sister off of him so he can see what's going on, but Laura is too strong. She's yelling at him to be still.
Vaughn maneuvers the car onto a busy main road and yells above the noise that's it's safe.
Laura crawls up into the seat and pulls her brother up.
Laura realizes she is shivering so hard her teeth are clicking together. Her breathing is raspy and she has to try very hard not to cry.
Brandon is sullen because he missed the action.
Vaughn looks in the rearview mirror and pulls the car onto a deserted road and drives until the car in hidden. Then he jumps out and opens the back door.
He holds Laura just like he did when she was just a little girl.
******************************************************************************************
"I'm scared Daddy," I whisper, like I would when I had a nightmare as a kid. "Make it all go away. Bring Mom back. Please."
Daddy holds me tighter.
"I'm trying, Laurie, I'm trying."
What an odd sight we must make for anyone who might see us.
A teenage girl crying like a baby.
A little boy having a pity party.
A father who hasn't seen his kids in six years.
Too bad the secret agent mother isn't here to complete the picture.
******************************************************************************************
"Now, Sydney, don't make me go see Laura again."
Sydney stops fighting the ropes and glares at him. Her wrists are raw and painful.
"That's better. Now listen closely. The blueprints of one of Rambaldi's artifacts has been stolen form me. You're going to get it back," he says, pacing in front of her fearlessly.
"You'll be taken to the location and given instructions there. You'll be watched constantly. You'll be bugged. If you try to escape, it will be to find your precious children dead. Don't risk it. Now I'm going to untie you, but if you try anything, we're being watched through the crosshairs of rifles," he says as easily as if he's telling someone on a television set they're being filmed.
She sits completely still while Sloane unties her. She's formulating a plan, and it will do her no good to get herself shot now.
Hours later the van she's put in pulls into an old alley. The back doors open. She's wearing the black uniform and long blonde wig Sloane gave her. He climbs into the back of the van with her.
"You'll enter through this door," he begins calmly, showing her a floor plan of the building.
Soon she's slinking through the halls of the building. When she reaches the office where Sloane told her the blueprint is hidden, she is relieved to see a phone on the mahogany desk. She dials the CIA and taps out a message in Morse code, to avoid it being heard by the bug Sloane planted on her, on the desk:
"Mountaineer. Captured by Sloane. Claims to have kids. Location unknown. Trace."
She leaves the phone off the hook to allow the CIA time to trace it while she breaks into the wall safe.
She makes sure her fingerprints are clearly on a piece of paper and drops it in front of the safe.
She hangs up the phone before sneaking out of the office.
She returns to the van and hands Sloane the blueprint. For good measure, she glares at him hatefully.
******************************************************************************************
Someone is shaking me, trying to wake me, but I cling to sleep as though it's a life preserver.
"Laura, wake up."
I open my eyes and sit up on the couch. I'd insisted on taking the den and Brandon thought sleeping on the floor was an adventure.
"Hmm?" I mumble. I pull the blanket around my legs, since I'm wearing another of Daddy's t-shirts.
"Laura, listen." I'm wide-awake now. "I have to work today. I want you to stay away from windows where someone might see you. You can go in here, or in the kitchen, since the curtains are closed in there. Don't turn lights on and off. You can turn the light on in here because there are no windows." He hands me a cell phone. "If you hear or see *anything*, call the CIA and tell them who you are. They'll put you through to me. If someone knocks on the door, ignore it unless it's me or Weiss or an agent slips an ID through the mail slot, okay? And try to keep Brandon quiet enough so that no one outside can hear him." He gives me a worried look.
"We'll be okay," I assure him, hoping I sound more self-assured than I feel. "If I hear *anything*, I'll call. I promise."
Daddy sighs and looks me in the eye.
"Laura, you're thirteen. You're still a kid. You don't have to be fearless. It's okay to be afraid. Even *I'm* afraid right now," he admits.
I nod and swallow back tears.
"Do you think Mom's okay?"
"I don't know, Laurie. I hope so." He gestures at the cell phone. "If it rings, answer it. It'll either be Weiss or me. I'll call around noon, okay?"
"Okay," I say in a small voice.
I surprise him by leaning forward and putting my arms around his neck.
"Bye, Daddy."
"Bye. Be careful."
I lie down and fall into a dream troubled sleep.
I'm nowhere. I'm in a sort of white infinity. I see Mom lying not too far away. I shake her, but she doesn't wake up.
"Momma! Momma! Wake up!" I scream.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, that was weird, I know. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon.
Disclaimer: Okay, these marvelous characters aren't mineā¦(Except Laura and Brandon)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"You are Rambaldi's prophecy, Sydney. You are going to help me now."
"Never!" Sydney screams, her voice hoarse. She glares at the man in front of her with obvious hate.
"Oh, you will," Sloane says confidently. "Laura and Brandon would want you to."
She jerks mercilessly against the ropes holding her to the chair.
"What have you done with my children?!? Leave them ALONE!" she shrieks.
"Sydney, Sydney, they'll be fine as long as you cooperate."
With that he leaves.
Sydney spends several minutes jerking painfully and with all her strength against the ropes. She screams wildly all the while. Finally she stops, breathing heavily, and disolves into tears.
******************************************************************************************
Laura is upstairs in her house, hurriedly packing some clothes for herself and Brandon. Her father is keeping Brandon busy downstairs.
"Hurry, Laura, we can't stay much longer!" Vaughn calls softly up the stairs.
"I'm coming!" Laura calls back. She quickly stuffs clothes in the two suitcases. In Brandon's, she adds the old, worn blanket from his bed, a handful of his toy cars, and his box of Ninja Turtle action figures. At least it'll give him *something* to do, she thinks.
"Laura! We need to leave, now!" Vaughn yells urgently up the stairs.
Laura runs down the stairs. Something about his tone worries her. "Are they watching us?" she asks, spotting him at the window.
He decides to be honest with her.
"I think so, Laurie. I've seen the same car go by twice. I'm watching for it. As soon as it passes again, we make a run for it," he says.
She nods and takes Brandon's hand. She stands just out of view of the window. Vaughn notes again how bright she is.
"When we get in the car, you two get on the floor in the back seat and hold on," he whispers.
Laura nods.
"Okay. Just say when."
Vaughn watches the car go down the road and turn the corner.
"Now!" he hisses, grabbing the suitcases from her.
They run out and Laura dives into the back seat, dragging her brother with her.
Vaughn slings the suitcases to the passenger side of the front seat and guns the engine as soon as all the doors close.
Laura screams when she hears gunshots. She hears a couple of them ping off of the back and top of the car.
"Are you okay?" Vaughn yells, knowing none of the bullets pierced any windows.
"I'm fine! Sorry!" she cries.
Brandon is yelling and struggling to get his sister off of him so he can see what's going on, but Laura is too strong. She's yelling at him to be still.
Vaughn maneuvers the car onto a busy main road and yells above the noise that's it's safe.
Laura crawls up into the seat and pulls her brother up.
Laura realizes she is shivering so hard her teeth are clicking together. Her breathing is raspy and she has to try very hard not to cry.
Brandon is sullen because he missed the action.
Vaughn looks in the rearview mirror and pulls the car onto a deserted road and drives until the car in hidden. Then he jumps out and opens the back door.
He holds Laura just like he did when she was just a little girl.
******************************************************************************************
"I'm scared Daddy," I whisper, like I would when I had a nightmare as a kid. "Make it all go away. Bring Mom back. Please."
Daddy holds me tighter.
"I'm trying, Laurie, I'm trying."
What an odd sight we must make for anyone who might see us.
A teenage girl crying like a baby.
A little boy having a pity party.
A father who hasn't seen his kids in six years.
Too bad the secret agent mother isn't here to complete the picture.
******************************************************************************************
"Now, Sydney, don't make me go see Laura again."
Sydney stops fighting the ropes and glares at him. Her wrists are raw and painful.
"That's better. Now listen closely. The blueprints of one of Rambaldi's artifacts has been stolen form me. You're going to get it back," he says, pacing in front of her fearlessly.
"You'll be taken to the location and given instructions there. You'll be watched constantly. You'll be bugged. If you try to escape, it will be to find your precious children dead. Don't risk it. Now I'm going to untie you, but if you try anything, we're being watched through the crosshairs of rifles," he says as easily as if he's telling someone on a television set they're being filmed.
She sits completely still while Sloane unties her. She's formulating a plan, and it will do her no good to get herself shot now.
Hours later the van she's put in pulls into an old alley. The back doors open. She's wearing the black uniform and long blonde wig Sloane gave her. He climbs into the back of the van with her.
"You'll enter through this door," he begins calmly, showing her a floor plan of the building.
Soon she's slinking through the halls of the building. When she reaches the office where Sloane told her the blueprint is hidden, she is relieved to see a phone on the mahogany desk. She dials the CIA and taps out a message in Morse code, to avoid it being heard by the bug Sloane planted on her, on the desk:
"Mountaineer. Captured by Sloane. Claims to have kids. Location unknown. Trace."
She leaves the phone off the hook to allow the CIA time to trace it while she breaks into the wall safe.
She makes sure her fingerprints are clearly on a piece of paper and drops it in front of the safe.
She hangs up the phone before sneaking out of the office.
She returns to the van and hands Sloane the blueprint. For good measure, she glares at him hatefully.
******************************************************************************************
Someone is shaking me, trying to wake me, but I cling to sleep as though it's a life preserver.
"Laura, wake up."
I open my eyes and sit up on the couch. I'd insisted on taking the den and Brandon thought sleeping on the floor was an adventure.
"Hmm?" I mumble. I pull the blanket around my legs, since I'm wearing another of Daddy's t-shirts.
"Laura, listen." I'm wide-awake now. "I have to work today. I want you to stay away from windows where someone might see you. You can go in here, or in the kitchen, since the curtains are closed in there. Don't turn lights on and off. You can turn the light on in here because there are no windows." He hands me a cell phone. "If you hear or see *anything*, call the CIA and tell them who you are. They'll put you through to me. If someone knocks on the door, ignore it unless it's me or Weiss or an agent slips an ID through the mail slot, okay? And try to keep Brandon quiet enough so that no one outside can hear him." He gives me a worried look.
"We'll be okay," I assure him, hoping I sound more self-assured than I feel. "If I hear *anything*, I'll call. I promise."
Daddy sighs and looks me in the eye.
"Laura, you're thirteen. You're still a kid. You don't have to be fearless. It's okay to be afraid. Even *I'm* afraid right now," he admits.
I nod and swallow back tears.
"Do you think Mom's okay?"
"I don't know, Laurie. I hope so." He gestures at the cell phone. "If it rings, answer it. It'll either be Weiss or me. I'll call around noon, okay?"
"Okay," I say in a small voice.
I surprise him by leaning forward and putting my arms around his neck.
"Bye, Daddy."
"Bye. Be careful."
I lie down and fall into a dream troubled sleep.
I'm nowhere. I'm in a sort of white infinity. I see Mom lying not too far away. I shake her, but she doesn't wake up.
"Momma! Momma! Wake up!" I scream.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, that was weird, I know. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon.
