Chapter Six

"What were you doing here?" the double asked, twisting Sydney's wrist violently to the right. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out. The double twisted her wrist harder, just enough to keep it from breaking. "What are you doing here, Sydney?" the double sneered.

Sydney bit down harder on her lip and tasted blood.

"I'll be back, Agent Bristow. I'd strongly reconsider my decision to not talk, because your wrist just might break if I twist it again," she closed the door and Sydney and Jack were plunged into darkness.

"Sydney?" she heard her father ask from the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Hold on." She bit down on her lip again as she moved her left wrist, her bad wrist; to push the button on the watch that Marshall had told her to push.

***

Flashback

"Okay, see this watch? It's an ordinary watch, really, but with one little additional perk: it's got a videophone in it. Now I know you're thinking "Marshall, how did you get a phone in my watch?" but it's really not a phone, or sort of.well.uh.basically, what you do is push this button on the side and it has a two way link with the other one. See?" he held up a watch identical to Sydney's. "Now Agent Vaughn is going to have this one, so all you have to do is push the button, and presto! You'll be on with him. Try it!"

Sydney pushed the button and Marshall's face appeared on the screen. "It works," she said, amused."

"Of course it works. It's a Marshall gadget. Did you ever have any doubt?"

***

"Syd?" she heard Vaughn ask into the darkness.

"Vaughn, I'm here. Listen, if I come back to the CIA, kill me."

"Sydney, what's wrong? Why is it dark?"

"I'm locked in the room with my father. He doubled back and Sloane caught us." Her watch started beeping.

"Syd, what's that?"

"The battery's probably low. Vaughn, just do it."

"I will, Syd," he said before they were cut off.

Sydney and Jack drifted into silence even though so many questions were racing through Jack's brain. Where was she? Why did she double back? Why was she doubled?

"You shouldn't have come back," she said quietly, almost as if she had read his mind.

"You went back for something. Sydney, I had to follow."

"Sloane knew you would. This whole thing was probably a setup. I was never here. The CIA sent us in to find you." She leaned back and closed her eyes. She finally let go and let herself drift off.

***

"We have to go in," Vaughn pleaded. "Now Sydney and Jack are both in danger. We have to send a tactical team in."

"Agent Vaughn, we did that once for Jack and it failed. We can't risk losing any more agents, even for the sake of your father-in-law and your wife. At least we know that they're safe for now. I'm sorry," Kendall walked away and Vaughn didn't even bother to correct him.

"Mr. Vaughn," someone came up behind him.

"Irina," he said coldly.

"I can help you find my husband and daughter. I have a private jet waiting. Do as I say," she said as they left the Joint Task Force.

***

"Have you decided to talk?" asked the double. Sloane was with her. The double began to wrench Sydney's arm upwards and Sydney bit down again on her lip.

"Any second now," muttered the double. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and the double dropped Sydney's arm.

"Freeze!" Vaughn's voice rang out and Sydney's heart soared. Sloane and the double each took one look at Vaughn and his team and shot out the glass in the small window. A chopper was on the other side.

Sark pushed the chopper door open and allowed Sydney's double and Sloane to climb in. Sloane smirked before taking off and closing the door. Sark may still have been partially loyal to Sloane, but he eagerly awaited the day that Irina gave him permission to put the chopper on autopilot and allow it to crash into a building, with Sloane still inside.

***

"How did you find me?" asked Sydney.

"Your mother offered to defy Kendall," he said as they walked around the hotel. Vaughn had arranged for Sydney, Jack, and Irina, along with himself, to stay in a hotel in Slovenia overnight. Jack and Irina were in one of the rooms upstairs.

"Want to head back?" asked Vaughn.

"Sure," said Sydney as they entered the glass elevator and allowed themselves to be transported away from the bright lobby.

Vaughn inserted his key into their lock and pushed open the door. They walked in and saw Jack and Irina on the couch with the TV on. Sydney walked around to the front of the couch, since her parents didn't appear to have heard them come in and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Mom? Dad?" she asked with a grin. Vaughn chuckled. They had just intruded on her parents kissing.

"Hey, honey," Irina said as they jumped apart.

"Is there something that you want to tell me?" she asked.

"No. Why?" asked Jack.

"I'm tired," said Irina, yawning and stretching. "I'm going to bed," she stood up and quickly left.

"Me too," said Jack, following her out the door.

Vaughn smiled as he took Sydney into a passionate embrace. "Somehow," he murmured into her hair, "I don't think that the third hotel room is ever going to get used."

"Me either," smiled Sydney as she leaned up and kissed Vaughn. "Me either."