Sydney opened her eyes and drew in a sharp breath. Standing above her,
shadowed by the sun, stood the man who had almost single-handedly ruined
her life two years earlier. In front of her stood Arvin Sloane.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked him angrily.
"It should be obvious to you by now, my dear," he replied in a mocking tone. "But what may come as a surprise to you is that you are not the only one named in Rambaldi's prophecy," he said, nodding over at Vaughn.
Sydney looked over and saw Vaughn lying in the chair next to her, motionless. Her eyes roamed his chest to see that it was safely rising and falling, but it was still.
"No," she said breathlessly, fearing the worst. "He's not - "
"Dead?" Sloane finished for her. "No, no, not just yet. Unconscious - he probably felt no pain, which is quite a shame, if you think about it. Should be out for a few more hours, though, which gives us just enough time, my dear."
"Enough time for what?"
"For you to fulfill the prophecy, of course."
Sydney stayed silent, unaware of how to respond.
"I will never fulfill do anything for you, you son of a bitch," she finally answered. She hoped that he didn't hear how much her voice was shaking.
Sloane said nothing, instead looking past her. She was about to do the same when she felt arms on either side of her, gripping her tightly. Sydney looked up and saw two large men, their faces shadowed by the sun behind them.
She screamed until her voice was hoarse, sometimes yelling out Vaughn's name, but to no avail. She pounded on their chests, but it had no affect. Tears were streaming down her face as they dragged her across the burning sand. The last thing she remembered was spitting sand out of her mouth as a bullet hit her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~
When she awoke, Sydney's shoulder was throbbing intensely with pain. She winced as she sat up a bit straighter, the soreness coursing through her arm. Her eyes opened to find an eerily pure white room with nothing distinguishable beyond a door and a thick metal pipe running along one wall. As she tried to stand, she realized that she was handcuffed to the pipe and sighed in frustration.
Her eyes searched around the room once more as she slumped down onto the floor, feeling defeated. Here she was, trapped by the man she despised most in the world, with no one to save her. Her father was dead, her mother was missing, and Vaughn, who loved her so much he would give up his life for her, was nowhere to be seen. The last time she had seen him, he had been unconscious. She blinked back tears as she thought of what could have happened to him by now. Sydney forced those thoughts to the back of her mind and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Sydney," she heard a voice as the door clicked open. She glanced up and saw Sloane, followed by several guards, enter the room.
"Where's Vaughn?" she asked him immediately.
"Mr. Vaughn is comfortable," he replied, his face emotionless and his eyes glassy. "Come, Sydney. It's time for you to fulfill the prophecy now."
Sydney looked up at him, confused by his passive state. He left the room and the guards walked over to Sydney, she assumed, to unlock her handcuffs. Quickly, she ran through the series of punches and kicks she knew in her mind. As they neared her, she swung her right leg up and kicked the side of his face, bloodying his nose. As he stumbled backwards, the other guard came at her, but she placed a well-aimed kick into his groin. It sent him flying, and Sydney was given a sudden boost of energy. She struggled to pull herself away from the pipe, focusing all of her energy into escaping from it.
After a minute or so of alternately pulling frantically on the handcuffs and glancing at the door for a sign of Sloane, she broke free. Hurriedly she ran out of the room and down a hallway of the same sterile white. The building was a maze of identical hallways, and she couldn't be sure she wasn't just running in circles. On the rare occasion that she passed a door or window, she paused to see if Vaughn was in the room, but there was no sign of him yet.
Four rights and seven lefts later (she at least tried to keep track), Sydney was still lost in the building and without Vaughn. She stopped and peered into a small window with little hope left in her heart.
"Vaughn!"
Okay, sorry, so very sorry that these chapters have been rather short lately, but I promise they'll be getting longer. And sorry it took so long to get this one up, Chapter 7 will be up in a few short days. Also, bonus points to anyone who guessed that it was Sloane in the last chapter. Here's my thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 5:
Sydney: Yay for guessing Sloane! But don't cry, girl! I don't want to make you do that!
Megan: Buddy? Haha! I took your advice, btw, it's now up at SD-1.
Jen: Indeedy? Indeedy?!
Sallene: Sorry to say, it was Sloane indeed. Oh, come on, every fic has to have a villain!!
Carrie: Thanks so much!! You're one of my favourite reviewers now for all of your kind words!! Thank you!!
Mockingbird: Yes, but from my perspective, the cliffhangers are so much fun! JACK?! No, he's very much dead, trust me. (Or is he?)
Vaughn-centric: No, you don't sound pushy. Ahaha, Vaughn with a helium voice? Too funny! Thanks for the compliments, and yeah, I really should write to JJ!
WannabeSyd47: Yeah, I wanted to write a nice beach scene too, but plot devices got in my way. ;=) I made up the Paracel Islands, by the way.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked him angrily.
"It should be obvious to you by now, my dear," he replied in a mocking tone. "But what may come as a surprise to you is that you are not the only one named in Rambaldi's prophecy," he said, nodding over at Vaughn.
Sydney looked over and saw Vaughn lying in the chair next to her, motionless. Her eyes roamed his chest to see that it was safely rising and falling, but it was still.
"No," she said breathlessly, fearing the worst. "He's not - "
"Dead?" Sloane finished for her. "No, no, not just yet. Unconscious - he probably felt no pain, which is quite a shame, if you think about it. Should be out for a few more hours, though, which gives us just enough time, my dear."
"Enough time for what?"
"For you to fulfill the prophecy, of course."
Sydney stayed silent, unaware of how to respond.
"I will never fulfill do anything for you, you son of a bitch," she finally answered. She hoped that he didn't hear how much her voice was shaking.
Sloane said nothing, instead looking past her. She was about to do the same when she felt arms on either side of her, gripping her tightly. Sydney looked up and saw two large men, their faces shadowed by the sun behind them.
She screamed until her voice was hoarse, sometimes yelling out Vaughn's name, but to no avail. She pounded on their chests, but it had no affect. Tears were streaming down her face as they dragged her across the burning sand. The last thing she remembered was spitting sand out of her mouth as a bullet hit her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~
When she awoke, Sydney's shoulder was throbbing intensely with pain. She winced as she sat up a bit straighter, the soreness coursing through her arm. Her eyes opened to find an eerily pure white room with nothing distinguishable beyond a door and a thick metal pipe running along one wall. As she tried to stand, she realized that she was handcuffed to the pipe and sighed in frustration.
Her eyes searched around the room once more as she slumped down onto the floor, feeling defeated. Here she was, trapped by the man she despised most in the world, with no one to save her. Her father was dead, her mother was missing, and Vaughn, who loved her so much he would give up his life for her, was nowhere to be seen. The last time she had seen him, he had been unconscious. She blinked back tears as she thought of what could have happened to him by now. Sydney forced those thoughts to the back of her mind and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Sydney," she heard a voice as the door clicked open. She glanced up and saw Sloane, followed by several guards, enter the room.
"Where's Vaughn?" she asked him immediately.
"Mr. Vaughn is comfortable," he replied, his face emotionless and his eyes glassy. "Come, Sydney. It's time for you to fulfill the prophecy now."
Sydney looked up at him, confused by his passive state. He left the room and the guards walked over to Sydney, she assumed, to unlock her handcuffs. Quickly, she ran through the series of punches and kicks she knew in her mind. As they neared her, she swung her right leg up and kicked the side of his face, bloodying his nose. As he stumbled backwards, the other guard came at her, but she placed a well-aimed kick into his groin. It sent him flying, and Sydney was given a sudden boost of energy. She struggled to pull herself away from the pipe, focusing all of her energy into escaping from it.
After a minute or so of alternately pulling frantically on the handcuffs and glancing at the door for a sign of Sloane, she broke free. Hurriedly she ran out of the room and down a hallway of the same sterile white. The building was a maze of identical hallways, and she couldn't be sure she wasn't just running in circles. On the rare occasion that she passed a door or window, she paused to see if Vaughn was in the room, but there was no sign of him yet.
Four rights and seven lefts later (she at least tried to keep track), Sydney was still lost in the building and without Vaughn. She stopped and peered into a small window with little hope left in her heart.
"Vaughn!"
Okay, sorry, so very sorry that these chapters have been rather short lately, but I promise they'll be getting longer. And sorry it took so long to get this one up, Chapter 7 will be up in a few short days. Also, bonus points to anyone who guessed that it was Sloane in the last chapter. Here's my thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 5:
Sydney: Yay for guessing Sloane! But don't cry, girl! I don't want to make you do that!
Megan: Buddy? Haha! I took your advice, btw, it's now up at SD-1.
Jen: Indeedy? Indeedy?!
Sallene: Sorry to say, it was Sloane indeed. Oh, come on, every fic has to have a villain!!
Carrie: Thanks so much!! You're one of my favourite reviewers now for all of your kind words!! Thank you!!
Mockingbird: Yes, but from my perspective, the cliffhangers are so much fun! JACK?! No, he's very much dead, trust me. (Or is he?)
Vaughn-centric: No, you don't sound pushy. Ahaha, Vaughn with a helium voice? Too funny! Thanks for the compliments, and yeah, I really should write to JJ!
WannabeSyd47: Yeah, I wanted to write a nice beach scene too, but plot devices got in my way. ;=) I made up the Paracel Islands, by the way.