A Missing Link
"Thanks for coming."
"Anytime, Syd." Kat was standing in the doorframe of Sydney's apartment. Sydney moved aside and she stepped into the room.
"Do you want some coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? It's kind of cold out there," Sydney asked nervously, wringing her hands out.
"Are you feeling all right? This is L.A.," she took off her hat and set it on the counter, "and I was born in Siberia. Northern Siberia."
Sydney nodded mutely and turned to face the stove. Kat sat down behind the counter and watched for a second before she spoke.
"There's a reason you called me here."
Sydney whirled around to face her friend. "Isn't there always? When you said you were checking your contacts, did you hear anything about a Julia?"
Kat's eyes clouded over with confusion. "Maybe a cross reference. Does this have something to do with your missing two years?"
Sydney leaned on the counter across from Kat. "When I was on a mission in Sevilla, I met a man who called me 'Julia.' I've never seen him before. His name is Simon Walker."
"Covenant. I don't know much about him."
"The CIA has me working as a double again."
Kat's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that a little soon? I mean, you just got out of SD-6, in your mind, a few months ago."
"It's fine. They've got me on a team that's in charge of a second job of biochemical weapons. I've already been nearly caught twice."
"No pressure then," Kat laughed to herself then gained a straight face. "It's rough, but if you're asking for intel, I have none. Remember, since I quit the agency, I've tried to stay out of the spy game. I must have tons of contacts in the older agencies, but the covenant is a new player. I don't know much about them."
Sydney walked around to the other side of the counter and sat down. She leaned forward onto her elbows. "I am so screwed," she stated calmly.
Kat raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"Because my dad told Dixion about Lazarey's murder." Kat's face became unreadable as she analyzed the statement.
"To keep it out of NSC hands, correct?"
"Why am I not surprised at the length of time it took you to figure that out?" Kat opened her mouth to respond, but Sydney cut her off. "Never mind. The thing about this situation is that I want to know so bad it's absolutely killing me inside. I've almost turned myself in so I can recover those memories. But I don't because my father keeps telling me not to. And it's convincing. It's..." she trailed off contemplatively.
"Like he's speaking from experience?" Kat asked quietly. Sydney gave her a questioning look. "Okay, I have not read every file on his record or even claim to know him very well at all. But I've met the man. There's nothing he'll oppose more than something that he's been through. I could be way, way overstretching, but I've seen the tendency."
Sydney didn't even want to consider those possibilities. "Back to the double thing. I think I've already messed it up."
"You've been on assignment for three days. How's that even possible?"
"The mission was to get the formula and stick a tracker to it so we could steal it back from them. I put the tracker on Vaughn when I stabbed him."
"You did what?" Kat exclaimed. Her eyes had gone wide in shock, which was not any easy emotion to get out of her.
"Another unfortunate part of my mission. Vaughn was found out, and I had to stab him in the stomach to probe my loyalties. He's recovering in the hospital now," Syd finished tiredly.
Kat looked her straight in the eye. "You saved his life. You don't deserve to have to make that much effort to not let your voice crack when you say 'I stabbed him.'"
"I know. But I do."
"Well, look at it this way," Kat reached out and patted her friend reassuringly on the shoulder. "It can't get much worse, can it?"
"Thank you. Now you've just invited it to." She smiled lightly.
Kat shrugged and stood up. "Now you're paranoid." She grabbed her hat off the corner and walked towards the door, turning back as she opened it.
"Good luck, Sydney."
"Thanks for coming."
"Anytime, Syd." Kat was standing in the doorframe of Sydney's apartment. Sydney moved aside and she stepped into the room.
"Do you want some coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? It's kind of cold out there," Sydney asked nervously, wringing her hands out.
"Are you feeling all right? This is L.A.," she took off her hat and set it on the counter, "and I was born in Siberia. Northern Siberia."
Sydney nodded mutely and turned to face the stove. Kat sat down behind the counter and watched for a second before she spoke.
"There's a reason you called me here."
Sydney whirled around to face her friend. "Isn't there always? When you said you were checking your contacts, did you hear anything about a Julia?"
Kat's eyes clouded over with confusion. "Maybe a cross reference. Does this have something to do with your missing two years?"
Sydney leaned on the counter across from Kat. "When I was on a mission in Sevilla, I met a man who called me 'Julia.' I've never seen him before. His name is Simon Walker."
"Covenant. I don't know much about him."
"The CIA has me working as a double again."
Kat's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that a little soon? I mean, you just got out of SD-6, in your mind, a few months ago."
"It's fine. They've got me on a team that's in charge of a second job of biochemical weapons. I've already been nearly caught twice."
"No pressure then," Kat laughed to herself then gained a straight face. "It's rough, but if you're asking for intel, I have none. Remember, since I quit the agency, I've tried to stay out of the spy game. I must have tons of contacts in the older agencies, but the covenant is a new player. I don't know much about them."
Sydney walked around to the other side of the counter and sat down. She leaned forward onto her elbows. "I am so screwed," she stated calmly.
Kat raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"Because my dad told Dixion about Lazarey's murder." Kat's face became unreadable as she analyzed the statement.
"To keep it out of NSC hands, correct?"
"Why am I not surprised at the length of time it took you to figure that out?" Kat opened her mouth to respond, but Sydney cut her off. "Never mind. The thing about this situation is that I want to know so bad it's absolutely killing me inside. I've almost turned myself in so I can recover those memories. But I don't because my father keeps telling me not to. And it's convincing. It's..." she trailed off contemplatively.
"Like he's speaking from experience?" Kat asked quietly. Sydney gave her a questioning look. "Okay, I have not read every file on his record or even claim to know him very well at all. But I've met the man. There's nothing he'll oppose more than something that he's been through. I could be way, way overstretching, but I've seen the tendency."
Sydney didn't even want to consider those possibilities. "Back to the double thing. I think I've already messed it up."
"You've been on assignment for three days. How's that even possible?"
"The mission was to get the formula and stick a tracker to it so we could steal it back from them. I put the tracker on Vaughn when I stabbed him."
"You did what?" Kat exclaimed. Her eyes had gone wide in shock, which was not any easy emotion to get out of her.
"Another unfortunate part of my mission. Vaughn was found out, and I had to stab him in the stomach to probe my loyalties. He's recovering in the hospital now," Syd finished tiredly.
Kat looked her straight in the eye. "You saved his life. You don't deserve to have to make that much effort to not let your voice crack when you say 'I stabbed him.'"
"I know. But I do."
"Well, look at it this way," Kat reached out and patted her friend reassuringly on the shoulder. "It can't get much worse, can it?"
"Thank you. Now you've just invited it to." She smiled lightly.
Kat shrugged and stood up. "Now you're paranoid." She grabbed her hat off the corner and walked towards the door, turning back as she opened it.
"Good luck, Sydney."