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Chapter 10
I was so stupid. I shouldn't have lied to him like that, I should have gone after him, I should have.... so many regrets. But today is a new day and I have a plan, no make that several, each contingency has been planned for. I have got to make him understand. Understand I only want him safe, understand that I love him.
I arrive at the JTF and park my car, I look around for Vaughn's car in the parking lot but it doesn't seem to be there. No need to worry, I tell myself, I have all the time in the world to make this right.
I walk into the operations centre to see Weiss sitting at his desk going through a ton of paperwork. I sit down at the desk next to him.
"Hey," I say my voice dejected.
He looks up, "Morning, what's up with you?"
Just as I open my mouth to speak he continues, "Lover's tiff?"
I start fiddling with a paperclip on the desk, "Worse.... we, I mean I told him we should cool our... relationship off..."
"You what?" Weiss practically screamed.
I can barely get the next words out, "I don't know what I was thinking."
"Clearly," he says staring at me shocked.
I explain to him why I did it and Weiss tells that he still has a little difficulty understanding, but knowing what I had been through it probably looked like a good idea at the time.
"Look," he says, "Mike isn't in yet and from what you've told me, he probably won't come in today, so let me drive you to his house and you two can sort this problem out."
On the way to Vaughn's house, Weiss comments, "What did I tell you about messing Mike around?"
"I know, but I am going to make this right."
We arrive at Vaughn's house, after ringing the bell and knocking several times, Weiss retrieves the spare key, which was taped under the window sill, "Maybe, he's still sleeping."
"Yeah," I reply.
We enter the house and call for Vaughn but no one seems to be home. We search the house for him but no sign, Weiss comes back down the stairs, "The bed doesn't look like its been slept in."
"But his car is parked outside," I glance at the small table I am standing next to, "here are his car and house keys, I mean he wouldn't..." I am interrupted by Weiss mobile phone ringing.
"Hello," he says, "Okay, be there soon."
"We have to get back to the JTF now," he states beginning to walk out the door.
"But... but what about Vaughn?"
"I am sure he'll reappear when he's ready."
We rush back to the JTF, when we enter the operations centre to see my father and Kendall with concern etched on to their faces, I instinctively know something is wrong. Seriously wrong.
"What's... what's wrong," I stutter.
My father begins to speak, "We received this e-mail in the last 40 minutes, it appears to be from Sloane..."
He hands me the printout of the e-mail, it reads:
ATTENTION:
CIA/JTF OPERATIONS,
Los Angeles CA
As of 10.00pm last night, we have taken hostage one of your agents, Michael Vaughn. Our aim is to make his captivity as short lived as possible, as long as the following conditions are met;
- Any files/ reports (medical or otherwise) attaining to Agent Sydney Bristow's case since her return are to be handed over.
- Agent Sydney Bristow is to be there at the exchange, herself.
- No additional CIA interference.
If you fail to met these conditions, we will have no choice in the matter but to kill your agent and we know how highly and affectionately Miss Bristow holds Mr. Vaughn.
Details of the exchange will be given in exactly 32 hours time.
Sloane.
I cannot believe what I am reading, it is all my fault, if I had not told him that we should.....
I can't think anymore and run off towards the ladies rest room. I empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I just sit there, leaning over the toilet heaving, tears streaming down my face, trying to bring myself under control.
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"Sydney," Jack said as she runs off, I grab his arm, knowing she'll probably want to be alone.
Jack nods understanding, "I'll go and see how she is in a moment," I say. Sydney would not appreciate her father trying to console her about Vaughn.
I pick up the e-mail off the floor where Sydney had dropped it, after a moment of reading it, I make my way to the bathroom to see how she is doing. I knock on the door, after I don't get a response, I push the door open slightly and try again, "Sydney?"
I heard a weak voice, "Come in," I enter the bathroom, to find Sydney walking out of the stall wiping her mouth with some toilet tissue, she had obviously been sick. She walks over to the sink area and leans on it.
"Syd," I say as I walk up to her.
She cups some water from the tap and sips some, "It's an exchange, me for him." She states.
"It didn't say that, you just have to be...."
"Damnit Weiss! Your not that naive, you know what it means, Sloane wants me back."
We stand in silence for a moment before she breaks it. "So, I guess that I have got to go missing again. I don't want anything to go wrong during this exchange, I want no way for Vaughn to get hurt, I...."
"Sydney, we will get both of you out of this."
She lets out a small sarcastic laugh, "This time I don't think that's gonna happen." I have a bad feeling about this.
After a few minutes, we made our way back out into the JTF. Where Jack is figuring out a strategy for extraction of Vaughn, if we can find intel. Around an hour later myself and Sydney are looking through reports and intel to try to give us a lead as to where Vaughn could be, when Jack orders a meeting in the debriefing room immediately.
"We have some new intel as to where Vaughn is and we should move on it in the next couple of hours." Jack announces.
"Where did this intel come from?" Sydney asks.
Jack slightly hesitates, "Your Mother."
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TBC..................