***
Chapter 6
***
Highway 79
Sunday, 12:22 AM EST
"This is insane," Josh muttered.
"Yes, it is," Sam agreed.
"I mean, what was I thinking? Looking for Donna somewhere in West Virginia. It's ridiculous, that's what it is."
"Yes, it is," Sam repeated.
"You're not being much help over there," Josh said, looking into the car from his position outside pumping gas.
"What do you want me to say? 'How is it possible that after eight hours of driving you still haven't managed to pinpoint Donna's exact position?' You're only human, Josh. No one's expecting you to find Donna."
Josh mumbled something under his breath that sound remarkably like, "I should though. I should be able to."
Just then the dull quietness that surrounded the service station was interrupted by a ringing cell phone.
"That you or me?" Josh asked.
"You," Sam replied, tossing the phone through the open window.
"Josh Lyman."
"Josh, it's Mike Casper again. I hope I didn't wake you."
Josh motioned to Sam who quickly got out of the car. "No, I'm up. Do you have any news?"
"Sort of. Did you ever meet with a guy named Jeff Breckenridge?"
"Yes," Josh shouted excitedly. "Yes, this is where everything started. He's dead, right?"
"We think so."
"You think so? What does that mean?"
"I'm not really at liberty to say - "
"Cut the crap, Mike," Josh interjected. "Have you found Donna?"
"No." Josh could feel his lungs deflating. "But we have reason to believe - that is to say, we think it's possible that - Josh, it's very likely that Donna may be working for an enemy of the United States."
***
Webster Springs, West Virginia
Sunday, 12:37 AM EST
"I don't understand," Donna repeated for the third time. She had collapsed onto the bed in a semi-state of shock. She hadn't experienced a feeling like this in quite some time.
"It's too risky," Sydney said, who was failing miserably in her attempts to comfort Donna. "The Triad may very well have already put a hit out on you since your escape. If you won't tell them what they want to know, they're not going to want you to tell anyone else."
"But I don't know anything!" Donna cried. "I'm just an assistant who works in the White House. They don't give me secret launch codes or fill me in on the location of the underground bunkers. This whole thing has got nothing to do with me."
"I know this all seems unfair," Sydney tried to say.
"Unfair? From what I can tell, I'm in this mess in the first place because of you! All I want to do is go home."
Sydney didn't respond. She was fixed to the spot, but the moment a car's headlights passed through the windows, she had her gun in her hand and stood ready next to the door. After what must have been at least a full minute of complete silence, Sydney relaxed her grip.
"I understand what you're going through right now. All you want to do is go back to your normal life. And I want to give you that."
Donna studied her carefully. There was a sadness in Sydney's voice that Donna hadn't noticed before.
"Okay," Donna whispered, unsure of what else to say.
"To do this - to get you home - we're going to have to get the Triad off your trail."
"And how do we do that?" Donna asked, skeptically.
"We improvise," Sydney replied with a sudden gleam in her eyes.
***
Highway 81
Sunday, 1:23 AM EST
"Don't say it," Josh said.
"I wasn't going to," Sam replied back. He was now the one in the driver's seat. They had given up driving through West Virginia and were now finding their way back to D.C. Josh, from his reclining position in the other seat, was speaking with his eyes closed.
"You were."
"I really wasn't."
"You want to say it," Josh offered.
"I don't have to."
"Oh, just say it," Josh moaned, giving in and sitting up.
"Okay, first, please bear in mind that I've been up for the past forty-six hours - "
"You didn't sleep last night?" Josh asked, concerned.
"It's fine. I'm fine. Anyway, bear that in mind and hear me out...what if Donna is a spy?"
"I told you not to say!" Josh cried.
"You just said I could!"
"She's not a spy, Sam. How can you even - she's not a spy, okay?"
"Okay. I'm just saying - and again this is the sleep deprivation talking - think about it...how much do you really know about Donna?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"C'mon, an intelligent woman like that drops out of college to support her loser boyfriend? If that doesn't scream cover story then I don't know what does. And have you ever met any of her family? In all the time you've known her, has she ever once gone home to Wisconsin for a visit?"
"Sam, I can't believe I'm hearing this!"
"Josh, are you listening to me? I'm joking."
Josh stared at him with a look of loathing. "That is not funny."
"I'm sorry," Sam said quickly. "I don't know, I thought I'd lighten the mood or something. Mike did say she might not even be who they're looking for."
"Yeah, I still don't get that. How could they not know?"
"Beats me. But then again, not much of what's happened today has made sense. We're here," Sam added, double-parking the car on the dark street.
Josh, who hadn't realized how close they were to Sam's townhouse, made a quick effort to exit the car as Sam did the same.
Walking a few steps toward the curbs, Sam stopped. "I-I really am sorry about what I said just now."
"Don't be," Josh said with a slight grin that had been absent from his face for the last few hours. "It is kind of odd how she never goes home."
"Call me if you need anything."
With a nod, Josh climbed back into the car and, on instinct, drove off toward Donna's apartment. He knew he should go home, knew he should try to get at least some sleep, but Josh had a feeling that sleep would not find him tonight.
***
Webster Springs, West Virginia
Sunday, 2:11 AM EST
"You're sure this is going to wash out?" Donna pleaded, her head bent over the side of the tub.
"Yeah. It only takes a couple of weeks," Sydney replied as she finished pouring out the contents of the small plastic bottle into Donna's hair.
"And you've done this before? Dye your hair and evade capture from the bad guys?"
"On occasion, yes. Although I haven't had to dye mine in a while now. Wigs work so much better. Which reminds me," Sydney said, getting up and walking into the bedroom. "I should probably brush some of them out."
"Wait, you brought wigs with you?" Donna cried from the other room. "Were you planning on doing this all along?"
"Well, no. Vaughn actually threw together a bag - just in case."
"Then why are we dying my hair?"
"All the wigs are blonde."
Donna's next question was cut off by Sydney's cell phone. From her position crouched between the toilet and the tub, Donna couldn't make out much of the conversation. She was relieved when Sydney came back into the bathroom.
"That was Vaughn. I told him about the plan. He's agreed to meet us in two hours."
"Um, who's Vaughn?" Donna asked hesitantly.
"Sorry," Sydney began, her cheeks blushing. "Vaughn's my handler - my CIA handler. I go to him for my counter-missions and when I have intel on SD-6."
"And?" Donna prompted, smiling.
"And...when I need to talk about...well, anything," Sydney said with a shrug.
Donna decided not to pay any attention to the sudden sparkle in Sydney's voice. "And he's the only one who knows you're a double agent?"
"Not the only one, no. There are some high-ranking CIA officers. And my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yeah."
"Not only does he know you're a spy, but he also knows you're a double agent? Isn't that, I don't know, dangerous or something?"
"He's a double agent, too."
Bewildered, Donna stared at Sydney. A different sort of thought entered her mind. "Is it okay that I'm asking all these questions? And that you're telling me all this? Isn't it all supposed to be top secret? You're not going to have to kill me, right?"
Sydney stifled a small laugh. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to know whatever you want to know. I think we can take that stuff out now," she said, motioning toward the gunk in Donna's hair.
Twenty minutes later, Donna could only gape at her reflection in the mirror. The transformation had been absolute. Donna's blonde locks were gone, replaced now with dark brown hair and auburn highlights.
"My god," Donna groaned softly.
"What? Too dark?" Sydney asked.
"No, it's not that," she replied, letting her fingers run through the side of her hair. "It's just...it's just, with this color...this is Amy's color."
"Who's Amy?"
"My boss' ex-girlfriend."
"Oh. Well, maybe we can cut it a little."
As Sydney turned to retrieve her bag from one of the beds, a hail of gunfire erupted through the window. The glass instantly shattered, but Donna was too terrified to notice. Nor could she hear Sydney's shouted orders to get down. Before she could move, she felt Sydney pulling her to the floor, and, for the second time that night, Donna was left with little other choice than to follow Sydney outside and into the darkness.
o
***
tbc...
Chapter 6
***
Highway 79
Sunday, 12:22 AM EST
"This is insane," Josh muttered.
"Yes, it is," Sam agreed.
"I mean, what was I thinking? Looking for Donna somewhere in West Virginia. It's ridiculous, that's what it is."
"Yes, it is," Sam repeated.
"You're not being much help over there," Josh said, looking into the car from his position outside pumping gas.
"What do you want me to say? 'How is it possible that after eight hours of driving you still haven't managed to pinpoint Donna's exact position?' You're only human, Josh. No one's expecting you to find Donna."
Josh mumbled something under his breath that sound remarkably like, "I should though. I should be able to."
Just then the dull quietness that surrounded the service station was interrupted by a ringing cell phone.
"That you or me?" Josh asked.
"You," Sam replied, tossing the phone through the open window.
"Josh Lyman."
"Josh, it's Mike Casper again. I hope I didn't wake you."
Josh motioned to Sam who quickly got out of the car. "No, I'm up. Do you have any news?"
"Sort of. Did you ever meet with a guy named Jeff Breckenridge?"
"Yes," Josh shouted excitedly. "Yes, this is where everything started. He's dead, right?"
"We think so."
"You think so? What does that mean?"
"I'm not really at liberty to say - "
"Cut the crap, Mike," Josh interjected. "Have you found Donna?"
"No." Josh could feel his lungs deflating. "But we have reason to believe - that is to say, we think it's possible that - Josh, it's very likely that Donna may be working for an enemy of the United States."
***
Webster Springs, West Virginia
Sunday, 12:37 AM EST
"I don't understand," Donna repeated for the third time. She had collapsed onto the bed in a semi-state of shock. She hadn't experienced a feeling like this in quite some time.
"It's too risky," Sydney said, who was failing miserably in her attempts to comfort Donna. "The Triad may very well have already put a hit out on you since your escape. If you won't tell them what they want to know, they're not going to want you to tell anyone else."
"But I don't know anything!" Donna cried. "I'm just an assistant who works in the White House. They don't give me secret launch codes or fill me in on the location of the underground bunkers. This whole thing has got nothing to do with me."
"I know this all seems unfair," Sydney tried to say.
"Unfair? From what I can tell, I'm in this mess in the first place because of you! All I want to do is go home."
Sydney didn't respond. She was fixed to the spot, but the moment a car's headlights passed through the windows, she had her gun in her hand and stood ready next to the door. After what must have been at least a full minute of complete silence, Sydney relaxed her grip.
"I understand what you're going through right now. All you want to do is go back to your normal life. And I want to give you that."
Donna studied her carefully. There was a sadness in Sydney's voice that Donna hadn't noticed before.
"Okay," Donna whispered, unsure of what else to say.
"To do this - to get you home - we're going to have to get the Triad off your trail."
"And how do we do that?" Donna asked, skeptically.
"We improvise," Sydney replied with a sudden gleam in her eyes.
***
Highway 81
Sunday, 1:23 AM EST
"Don't say it," Josh said.
"I wasn't going to," Sam replied back. He was now the one in the driver's seat. They had given up driving through West Virginia and were now finding their way back to D.C. Josh, from his reclining position in the other seat, was speaking with his eyes closed.
"You were."
"I really wasn't."
"You want to say it," Josh offered.
"I don't have to."
"Oh, just say it," Josh moaned, giving in and sitting up.
"Okay, first, please bear in mind that I've been up for the past forty-six hours - "
"You didn't sleep last night?" Josh asked, concerned.
"It's fine. I'm fine. Anyway, bear that in mind and hear me out...what if Donna is a spy?"
"I told you not to say!" Josh cried.
"You just said I could!"
"She's not a spy, Sam. How can you even - she's not a spy, okay?"
"Okay. I'm just saying - and again this is the sleep deprivation talking - think about it...how much do you really know about Donna?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"C'mon, an intelligent woman like that drops out of college to support her loser boyfriend? If that doesn't scream cover story then I don't know what does. And have you ever met any of her family? In all the time you've known her, has she ever once gone home to Wisconsin for a visit?"
"Sam, I can't believe I'm hearing this!"
"Josh, are you listening to me? I'm joking."
Josh stared at him with a look of loathing. "That is not funny."
"I'm sorry," Sam said quickly. "I don't know, I thought I'd lighten the mood or something. Mike did say she might not even be who they're looking for."
"Yeah, I still don't get that. How could they not know?"
"Beats me. But then again, not much of what's happened today has made sense. We're here," Sam added, double-parking the car on the dark street.
Josh, who hadn't realized how close they were to Sam's townhouse, made a quick effort to exit the car as Sam did the same.
Walking a few steps toward the curbs, Sam stopped. "I-I really am sorry about what I said just now."
"Don't be," Josh said with a slight grin that had been absent from his face for the last few hours. "It is kind of odd how she never goes home."
"Call me if you need anything."
With a nod, Josh climbed back into the car and, on instinct, drove off toward Donna's apartment. He knew he should go home, knew he should try to get at least some sleep, but Josh had a feeling that sleep would not find him tonight.
***
Webster Springs, West Virginia
Sunday, 2:11 AM EST
"You're sure this is going to wash out?" Donna pleaded, her head bent over the side of the tub.
"Yeah. It only takes a couple of weeks," Sydney replied as she finished pouring out the contents of the small plastic bottle into Donna's hair.
"And you've done this before? Dye your hair and evade capture from the bad guys?"
"On occasion, yes. Although I haven't had to dye mine in a while now. Wigs work so much better. Which reminds me," Sydney said, getting up and walking into the bedroom. "I should probably brush some of them out."
"Wait, you brought wigs with you?" Donna cried from the other room. "Were you planning on doing this all along?"
"Well, no. Vaughn actually threw together a bag - just in case."
"Then why are we dying my hair?"
"All the wigs are blonde."
Donna's next question was cut off by Sydney's cell phone. From her position crouched between the toilet and the tub, Donna couldn't make out much of the conversation. She was relieved when Sydney came back into the bathroom.
"That was Vaughn. I told him about the plan. He's agreed to meet us in two hours."
"Um, who's Vaughn?" Donna asked hesitantly.
"Sorry," Sydney began, her cheeks blushing. "Vaughn's my handler - my CIA handler. I go to him for my counter-missions and when I have intel on SD-6."
"And?" Donna prompted, smiling.
"And...when I need to talk about...well, anything," Sydney said with a shrug.
Donna decided not to pay any attention to the sudden sparkle in Sydney's voice. "And he's the only one who knows you're a double agent?"
"Not the only one, no. There are some high-ranking CIA officers. And my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yeah."
"Not only does he know you're a spy, but he also knows you're a double agent? Isn't that, I don't know, dangerous or something?"
"He's a double agent, too."
Bewildered, Donna stared at Sydney. A different sort of thought entered her mind. "Is it okay that I'm asking all these questions? And that you're telling me all this? Isn't it all supposed to be top secret? You're not going to have to kill me, right?"
Sydney stifled a small laugh. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to know whatever you want to know. I think we can take that stuff out now," she said, motioning toward the gunk in Donna's hair.
Twenty minutes later, Donna could only gape at her reflection in the mirror. The transformation had been absolute. Donna's blonde locks were gone, replaced now with dark brown hair and auburn highlights.
"My god," Donna groaned softly.
"What? Too dark?" Sydney asked.
"No, it's not that," she replied, letting her fingers run through the side of her hair. "It's just...it's just, with this color...this is Amy's color."
"Who's Amy?"
"My boss' ex-girlfriend."
"Oh. Well, maybe we can cut it a little."
As Sydney turned to retrieve her bag from one of the beds, a hail of gunfire erupted through the window. The glass instantly shattered, but Donna was too terrified to notice. Nor could she hear Sydney's shouted orders to get down. Before she could move, she felt Sydney pulling her to the floor, and, for the second time that night, Donna was left with little other choice than to follow Sydney outside and into the darkness.
o
***
tbc...