Three Weeks:
Will completed his review with Dr. Barnett and Jack Bristow. "I'm sorry, but I can't make any further assumptions... unless..." Will looked at Dr. Barnett who nodded at him. Will returned his focus to Jack. "...unless I am allowed access to the original pages."
"I don't think Kendall will allow..."
"My analysis is based on other people's opinion. That's why my comments are so generalized. Jack, just knowing what little I know, clues to the prophecy could be hidden within the page or the wording."
Jack looked at the other two participants. "You will have access by tomorrow morning." Jack stood to leave.
"I expect your analysis of the actual pages within the week. I will have Jenkins contact you with the details. The meeting complete, Jack exited the room.
Internally she smiled. 'This is it. I have been here for three weeks reviewing outdated intel and reports, waiting for this mission, the beginning of the destruction.' She already knew the mission, been briefed by Meelon. She and Vaughn would take custody of Sark, transferring him to federal custody, supposedly. At the proper moment she would disrupt their comms, Meelon assured her that Vaughn would detour when required and they would meet Sloan's team in Punta. The transfer would be made, Vaughn would be blamed and the internal ruin of the task force would begin. 'Sammy, this is what you are here to do.'
"Sydney... Vaughn... take whatever time you need today to prep for this. You will take custody of Sark at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Any other questions? OK... Dismissed." The other team members rose and left the room.
Sammy and Vaughn remained at the table. "We don't have much planning time." Sammy started. She did her best to contain the excitement she felt with the upcoming mission.
Vaughn looked at her, transmitting his opposing feelings. Sammy commented on this "You don't think this is a good idea?"
"You do? It came out sounding more upset than he really felt.
"Well, Kendall said since we have had no contact with Sloan for over two and a half years, its time we got Sark out of our hair."
"Since when did you become Kendall's echo? This mission is unnecessary and dangerous. It is bound to bring Sloan out of hiding."
"Maybe, when this mission IS successfully completed, we can put Sloan behind us and move onto other projects. Haven't we been stationary long enough?"
Vaughn looked at her, her eyes, a deeper brown than he remembered but no sparkle. 'Is her passion for this really showing through? He eyes used to sparkle when she was full of steam. What has changed?' "OK Syd. Let's pull this plan together." He said halfheartedly.
Sammy smiled.
Will entered the small conference room. The Rambaldi document was already there, under guard of course. He would not be allowed to remove the document or any piece of it from that room. He was searched on his way in, only allowed to carry in a pen and a small notepad. He would be searched again when leaving the room. He would be allowed all the time he needed with the document as long as he followed the rules.
He looked at the manual and thought, 'How can something so old and innocuous looking be so valuable and feared?' He sat down and began his search.
Vaughn watched her as she sat in the rear seat of the vehicle. She calmly looked into every nook and cranny accessible when seated in the rear of the vehicle. "Sydney, what are you doing now?" He thought she was way over stressing this mission preparation.
"I'm looking to make sure there is nothing back here that Sark will be able to use."
"Syd, use for what? He will be handcuffed to the crossbeam."
"Anything Sark could use to unhook his cuffs. I remember Sark... He uses any and every advantage..."
"Sydney, we will be OK. We have gone over everything... twice. We will be OK tomorrow."
She looked at him. "Maybe you're right. It's time to go home and get some rest."
She looked forlorn after that statement as she rose from the backseat of the car and shut the door. Vaughn was moved by her beauty and her lithe body. He spoke, almost without thinking. "Why don't we get some dinner? It's time we got out of here anyway."
Sammy looked at him, curiosity shrouded her eyes. "Vaughn, your WIFE may not want me tagging along." She added with too much emphasis on the word 'wife,' which woke Vaughn out of his haze.
"Well... uh..." not wanting to back out of the invitation, Vaughn sidestepped. "I'll call Meelon and... well, I'm sure she won't mind."
"Well, sure... if it's OK with Meelon, I would love to join you."
Vaughn took out his cell and dialed his wife while the pair walked toward their parked vehicles. Sammy smiled, thinking that Meelon probably put the idea in his head days ago, knowing that they would have to discuss the mission once it had been announced at CIA. She certainly had a hold over Vaughn's mind.
"Hey Syd, Meelon thought it a great idea. We're going to meet at Philippe's on Alameda. Know where it is?"
"Sure... Meet you there."
The trio met at Philippe's for dinner. Vaughn was tense, thinking to himself... 'Why did I invite her? It seemed so easy to ask her, so right.' He was nervous about the reception Meelon would give Sydney at the restaurant and then what reception he would receive tonight. But, the ladies seemed to hit it off. Talk was light chatter throughout the evening. Talk about the house, decorating and location. Nothing about work or relationships or thankfully about Rambaldi, Sloan or Kendall. Vaughn stayed at the table to pay the bill while the ladies made their way to the restroom, seemingly as close as two friends. He sat back thinking 'Wow, that went a lot better than I would have ever imagined.'
Meelon and Sydney moved to the back of the restaurant where they could talk. "The mission is tomorrow at 10 a.m. We will pick up Sark from his current position and take him to the Federal Prison in Lompoc."
"Good, as you pass through Punta on US101, you must say 'Vaughn, why are you turning here?' Then use this device to jam the comms. Tonight I will instruct Michael to turn on Sunland Avenue. He will do it, but will quickly recover, so have your side arm out. The exchange will take place at the Access gate to Ocean View Drive. It's a key access gate and very secluded. We will take Sark and Vaughn and you will be incapacitated so the CIA will find you and retrieve you. Any questions?"
"No, we should be there around noon. Will you be following our comms?"
"Yes, and I will meet you there to escort Vaughn and Sark to Sloan's facility."
"OK then, see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
They returned to the table together talking about department stores and fashions. Once again, Vaughn was taken aback by their familiarity.
Will looked at his watch, 'Three a.m. and I'm only on page 35 of the manual.' More and more information was built up into each page. Will knew the pages culminated into a prophesy which concerned Sydney's mother. But, each page Will reviewed left him with more and more questions, especially the words intricately hidden into the drawings beginning on page 20. He hadn't noticed this until page 30, but went back through each previous page and found the words, seven so far.
Carus... Femina... Liberatio... Mei... Modo... Pravus... Recidivus...
He picked up his coffee mug, it was empty. "Hey Chris... can I get a refill? The night's not over yet."
Vaughn drove into the parking garage, his mind already on the impending mission in less than two hours. He exited his car and made his way to the office. He met up with Jack Bristow at the entrance. "Vaughn, are you ready for today?"
Jack made no move to enter the facility, so Vaughn also stayed outside. "Yes, we reviewed the route and the vehicle yesterday and everything should go smoothly."
"Sydney is ready?"
"She's ready..." He wanted to say she was even eager. That something had changed in her eyes and visage... But that would be crazy. She was Sydney; she just wanted to be active again.
Jack look at him, "Sydney is ready?" He asked again.
"Yes... We're both ready for this mission."
"Good." Jack said and held the door open.
Sammy's mind wandered as she walked with Michael Vaughn through the CIA holding facility. 'I've never officially met Sark. I wonder if he will be amenable to assistance from Sydney Bristow, or at least her visage.'
When they reached the holding cell, they found Sark ready for the transfer. Sammy approached the door and made a visual assessment of Sark. Clad in jeans and a blue T-shirt, it was quite obvious that Sark had kept up a physical regimen. His eyes were alert and blue as a crisp spring morning. Sammy took her time as her eyes scanned his physique. Unintentionally, Sammy licked her lips and Sark smiled at that.
"Welcome back Agent Bristow. I have missed you during your... sabbatical." His eyes followed Sammy's lead and moved up and down her black suit with a white silk shell beneath. Sark inwardly commented as to her simple beauty and her understated power. He knew she was deadly if need be and he would not instigate her wrath if he could help.
Sark turned his attention to her partner."... And Agent Vaughn. Good morning to you as well."
"It is a good day Mr. Sark and will get even better once you are out of our hair." Sark only smiled at the obvious animosity of the statement. "Let's go then." Vaughn continued as he opened the door to the cell and began to inspect the chains that held his prisoner.
Will looked at the page, his fourth time now. He saw it, the prophesy... the picture. The analysis had stated this was Sydney's mother. He now knew differently. This was Sydney and he had the proof. Will stood, took the page and exited the room. He was immediately stopped by the guards. "Mr. Tippen, you are not allowed to leave with any portion of the document."
"Of course. Contact Dr. Barnett and Jack Bristow immediately. Bring them here as soon as possible."
'The drive to Lompoc has been incredibly uneventful,' Vaughn thought to himself. 'So far. And quiet too.' Vaughn looked in the rear view mirror at Sark. The man looked quite relaxed, his eyes closed and head leaning back on the head rest. Even with shackles and in prison garb, he looked overly confident and almost arrogant. Even though he knew there was no chance of escape, this man looked calm in the face of a lifetime in a high security Federal prison. Vaughn reviewed the precautions in his mind: Sark was chained – arms and legs and the chains were attached to a reinforced steel bar welded to the car frame. The car's progress was being monitored remotely back at their CIA office. Both his and Sydney's comms were also being monitored. If these systems had been compromised either he or Sydney, or both, would have been notified. Also, a trailer car was following them about five miles back. Vaughn had requested this precaution without Sydney's knowledge. Something in the back of his mind, the change in her eyes maybe, caused him to request this caution. As they entered Punta City limits, almost 80 miles into the 150 mile trip, Vaughn wondered to himself why he thought he could not trust Sydney with this information.
In his peripheral vision Vaughn saw her shift in her seat to check on Sark. He remembered her looking at Sark earlier in the cell. 'She used to look at me with those eyes; the sparkle, the depth. Her eyes have changed... She has changed.'
"Vaughn..." He looked at her; she was fumbling with a small handheld device. "...Why are you turning here?"
Sark opened his eyes. The vehicle had not turned. Vaughn was looking straight ahead. Sydney removed her sidearm. 'What's going on?' Sark thought to himself. Vaughn turned the vehicle to the right at the next cross street. He then looked around, as if he as just awakening. Sydney had her sidearm trained to his right temple. "Turn left here. Then stop next to those vehicles."
"Sydney, what's going on... why?"
"Stop talking Vaughn. Do as you're told. You won't be hurt."
Dr. Barnett and Jack Bristow sat down with an obviously over anxious Will Tippen. "I found it... the trigger... this is it... this page brings it all together... this is Sydney..."
Jack immediately spoke up, "This isn't Sydney... we proved it about three years ago. She has been to Mount Sebatio.
"That doesn't matter. If Dr. Barnett's theory is correct, a person could become a totally different person. When the trigger is spoken, the mind changes. The host may not remember anything."
"What does the manual say about the change? If this is Sydney can we protect her from changing?"
"Jack... have you seen her lately? I think she has already changed."
Jack looked at Will Tippen. "What do you mean she has already changed?"
"Have you talked with her lately? Have you looked at her? Until this, I attributed the change to stress, but her temper has increased, her features, her eyes... changes are subtle, but are there... 'unseen marks'... Sydney has changed. Her personality has changed."
"If I decide to accept your analysis and believe that my daughter is no longer Sydney Bristow, how can we get her back?"
"We can't... only one person can call Sydney back for good... Mei... modo... carus."
Dr. Barnett translated, "My only love."
Jack Bristow closed his eyes, "Vaughn."
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the doorway. Jack stood and opened the door to Weiss. The two agents looked at each other. "Jack, there's a problem. We lost mission comms and the car's position."
"Johnson and Immer are in a back up vehicle. Send them to the last known position. Tell them to find Sark, Vaughn and Sydney. I'll be at control in five minutes."
Weiss left the area. Jack closed the door. "Tippen, put together a procedure based on the document to bring Sydney back. I want it in an hour." Jack left the room.
Vaughn stopped the vehicle. "Sydney, what are you doing?"
"Out of the car Vaughn, quickly!" Vaughn exited and was immediately taken into custody by two men.
Sydney also got out of the car and opened Sark's door. He looked up at her as she opened the cuffs that held him in place. "I was wondering when you would defect, Agent Bristow. I am glad I could give you the opportunity."
"Mr. Sark, it's nice to meet you. You can call me Sammy. Sydney Bristow is buried and won't be coming back. You go in that van and I will meet you later."
Sydney and Sark walked to the van, behind the hand cuffed Vaughn. The side door slid open and Meelon exited the vehicle. "Hello Michael. Good of you to join us." She looked deeply into his stunned eyes. Suddenly Vaughn collapsed and was loaded into the van by the two holding him.
Sark sees Meelon and greets her. "Meelon, I see you have finally entered the fray. It's wonderful to see you after so much time."
"Mr. Sark, honestly there is no time for dawdling. Please be seated. I need to talk to Sammy."
She then turned toward Sammy. "I'm sorry; I'm going to have to knock you out. I will contact you in a few days." Meelon stares at Sammy and she also collapses, onto the road. Meelon aims her gun and shoots. Meelon leaves the agent bleeding, unconscious and lying in the middle of a dirt road. The van quickly departs the scene.
A/N: So, how am I doing so far? I hope you are not too miffed about the length of time between these last chapters. I have been working hard this summer and that leaves little time for writing. But, good news, this lengthy story is almost complete. Hope you have been enjoying it. Please drop me a line and give me your opinion.
Thanks, Maxie.