Author's Notes: Okay, since my once-loyal beta reader (who will probably be reading this and hopefully get the hint) hasn't replied to my emails in over a week, this chapter hasn't been beta read. Also, I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter.*sob* although I'm pretty sure that it wasn't seen since Fanfiction.net didn't update until after there were twenty fics in front of mine.

So in conclusion to this little rant, please review- it makes me write faster and it makes me feel good too. You never know, if I get a lot of reviews, I might even get this up tomorrow (

Thanks and on with the story!

Chapter Three

Sark sat thinking in his cell as Agent Vaughn stormed in. Oh goody, he thought. Who should I thank for the surprise visit from Agent Pretty?

"What did you tell Sydney?" he demanded angrily.

Sark looked at him. He could have sworn that he saw smoke coming out of Vaughn's ears. He was in no mood for games. He decided on the easiest option- the truth.

"I told her the truth," he said simply.

"The truth?" it sounded like Vaughn was mocking him. "You told her the truth?" He thought a moment. "What exactly is the truth, Mr. Sark?"

"That she was doubled. In the six months that the CIA looked for her, she was doubled."

"Who is the double?"

"I'll tell you what I told Ms. Bristow, Mr. Vaughn. I will answer one of your questions, but in return, you have to answer one of mine. It's very simple, really."

"Fine," said Vaughn as irritably as Sydney had sounded, "I'll answer one of yours. Why was Sydney doubled?"

"Sloane still halfway believes that it is Irina in the prophecy and is the one that can bring forth the destruction. Sydney is the one- not Irina, and Irina knows it. She convinced Sloane to bring Sydney to her, and in return, he'd have another gofer, so everyone would be happy- Sloane would get what he wanted done and Irina would get to see her daughter, so everyone's happy right?" he asked in his sarcastic tone. "But there's one little problem," he slipped back into a serious tone. "Sloane discovered another Rambaldi device- one that can be used to pick one's memory. He tested it on Sydney, and unfortunately, it was successful. He also drugged her so that she couldn't escape and relay what she knew to the CIA, which is more than likely where she'd go."

"Fine," said Vaughn sullenly. "Your turn."

Sark thought hard. He didn't want to waste his one question from Vaughn. "Mr. Vaughn," he began. "What does Jack Bristow know about the prophecy?"

"As much as the directors and myself. Why?"

"Then I sure hope his training in torture is as good as Sydney's was. He's going to need it." With that, Sark turned back to his cell.

What? Thought Vaughn as he went back upstairs. It dawned on him what Sark's message was, and he began to run.

***

"Sloane has Jack," he breathed out as he made it to medical services where Kendall and Sydney were.

"What?" Kendall faced Vaughn.

"If I interpreted Sark correctly, Jack will be tortured for information on the prophecy."

"Sark said that?"

"It had hidden meanings, but what did Sydney tell you?"

"She told me that Sark had said that she'd been doubled. A load of shit, if you ask me."

"He wasn't lying," Vaughn said quietly. "He told me the same thing-and how they did it too. The six months that she was missing and then returned.all Sloane."

"Six months that I was missing?" Sydney piped up from the bed. They had forgotten that she was there.

"Syd," Vaughn started.

"Ms. Bristow," Kendall began. "After you killed Ms. Doren, you fainted and Agent Vaughn found you. After we had determined that you would be safe alone at a hotel while your apartment was being cleaned, you disappeared into nowhere. There was no ransom note, no clues. You were missing for six months. We searched and finally located you in an alleyway in Italy, thanks to a tip-off from Sark, which was confirmed by our triple agent- your mother. As we've now found out, you were gone for another eighteen months. When you called from Hong Kong, you were supposed to be in Paris, and when you turned up in Hong Kong, without your father, we panicked."

"And now Sloane has him," Sydney finished dully.

"Syd, we'll get him back," Vaughn sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "I love you," he murmured into her hair.

She nodded and closed her eyes peacefully as Kendall left the room.

***

"Prepare phase two," Sloane said into a cell phone.

"It's done," a Russian voice crackled back. "Shall I extract Sark?"

"Yes."

***

"Director Kendall!" an agent flew towards the bald man.

"What?" he snapped.

"It's Sark.he's been removed from the cell. Footage shows this," he played the fuzzy feed of a laser melting through the solitary window of Sark's cell and Irina Derevko's head pushing through it.