The sound of a baby crying woke her from her dream state. The room was
white, everything was hazy, she couldn't remember where she was or what was
happening.
"Sydney, you're awake." Vaughn said. As he spoke his face came into view. He was sitting beside her. She could feel him holding her hand. He'd been crying, his eyes were puffy.
"What's going on?" She said, her voice coming out, not as she remembered it. It was dry and scratchy.
"Sydney." Vaughn started. He stopped, unable to hold back tears.
"I must be dreaming. This isn't. I was in the warehouse." Sydney said, unsettled by her sudden change of scenery.
"No Syd." Vaughn said through is tears. He tried to continue but he was too filled with pain.
"This is a dream." She said looking around again. Her eyes were now more in focus. She was in a hospital room, or at least a make-shift one. There were white curtains and walls, and lots of lights. Sydney looked up. The only problem was that there was no ceiling. It went up forever. It was, as tall as the warehouse she'd been in before. The last few moments of her time with Sloane, rushed back to her all at once. She reached down and put her hands on her stomach, or where her belly used to be; where it should have been.
Without looking down, Sydney took a deep breath. Through her gown she could feel her stomach. It wasn't quite as flat as she remembered it, but it was no where near as large as it should have been. Slowly she lowered her eyes, and as they fell upon her very un-pregnant stomach she let out an ear- shattering scream. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vaughn felt like throwing up; again. The first time had been from the pain of being pistol whipped to the back of the head. He still had a huge welt there. He'd thought it was bad when he'd seen her. It was quite obvious that there was no longer a child growing within her. As he'd woken, sprawled out on the cold concrete floor of the small make-shift hospital, he hadn't been able to remember anything. He was fairly sure he had a concussion. Trying to stand, his suspicions had been confirmed, as the room took one giant spin above him. He'd fallen and hit his head yet again. After several more failed attempts at standing, he finally dragged himself to a chair, and slowly made his way into sitting position.
As he regained his sense of sight, his eyes fell upon her sleeping figure. The sight sobered him at first, before revealing to him the unbearable shock, rendering him unable to move for several hours.
She'd echoed his own thoughts. 'It must be a dream', he told himself over and over. But it wasn't. There had to be some explanation. Some one had to know what was going on. And as soon as his head stopped spinning, someone was going to pay. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She heard the scream from across the expansive room. She knew exactly what was happening. Her daughter had just woken and discovered that her child was missing.
Every fiber in her being told her to run to Sydney; Every part of her screamed to race to her side, every part except those which were sitting calmly collected before Arvin Sloane.
"I take it Sydney has gained consciousness again." Sloane said, a smile streaking across his face.
"You know what she's thinking Arvin. You have to tell her, she'll go insane." Irina pleaded, trying not to reveal what she was truly feeling.
"Perhaps you're right. Maybe you should go instead." Sloane suggested, his smile receding slightly. "On second thought maybe we both should." He said as he got to his feet. Irina stood as well.
"That sounds right." She said following him toward the opposite corner of the warehouse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jack was furious. They'd been to every warehouse facility he could find on the map. He couldn't get a hold of Irina or Vaughn. Nothing was going according to plan, nothing. They'd been in Taipei a total of 34 hours, and they hadn't come close to finding Sydney. Jack hadn't slept in almost 60 hours, he'd even been forced to skip a dose of his medication. He kicked himself sternly for not bringing an adequate supply. He coughed into is sleeve. The pain was throbbing from his chest.
Something was terribly wrong. They hadn't been through the third facility, when they'd realized that Vaughn was missing. They radioed, sent Weiss to search, but time was running short, and they had no idea where he was. It worried Jack immensely. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Sydney," Vaughn said, in between convulsions.
She couldn't speak. It was hard enough to remember to breathe. She looked at him, wiping the tears out of her eyes to see him clearly. After a moment of pulling together her strength she tried to speak.
"Tell me this is a dream." She whispered, breaking down again immediately.
Vaughn didn't know how to answer. "I." He stood, barely, and fell halfway onto the bed with her. He had no strength whatsoever. Somehow his arms managed to reach up and pull her close to him.
"Vaughn." She breathed. "Our baby." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Sydney, you're awake." Vaughn said. As he spoke his face came into view. He was sitting beside her. She could feel him holding her hand. He'd been crying, his eyes were puffy.
"What's going on?" She said, her voice coming out, not as she remembered it. It was dry and scratchy.
"Sydney." Vaughn started. He stopped, unable to hold back tears.
"I must be dreaming. This isn't. I was in the warehouse." Sydney said, unsettled by her sudden change of scenery.
"No Syd." Vaughn said through is tears. He tried to continue but he was too filled with pain.
"This is a dream." She said looking around again. Her eyes were now more in focus. She was in a hospital room, or at least a make-shift one. There were white curtains and walls, and lots of lights. Sydney looked up. The only problem was that there was no ceiling. It went up forever. It was, as tall as the warehouse she'd been in before. The last few moments of her time with Sloane, rushed back to her all at once. She reached down and put her hands on her stomach, or where her belly used to be; where it should have been.
Without looking down, Sydney took a deep breath. Through her gown she could feel her stomach. It wasn't quite as flat as she remembered it, but it was no where near as large as it should have been. Slowly she lowered her eyes, and as they fell upon her very un-pregnant stomach she let out an ear- shattering scream. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vaughn felt like throwing up; again. The first time had been from the pain of being pistol whipped to the back of the head. He still had a huge welt there. He'd thought it was bad when he'd seen her. It was quite obvious that there was no longer a child growing within her. As he'd woken, sprawled out on the cold concrete floor of the small make-shift hospital, he hadn't been able to remember anything. He was fairly sure he had a concussion. Trying to stand, his suspicions had been confirmed, as the room took one giant spin above him. He'd fallen and hit his head yet again. After several more failed attempts at standing, he finally dragged himself to a chair, and slowly made his way into sitting position.
As he regained his sense of sight, his eyes fell upon her sleeping figure. The sight sobered him at first, before revealing to him the unbearable shock, rendering him unable to move for several hours.
She'd echoed his own thoughts. 'It must be a dream', he told himself over and over. But it wasn't. There had to be some explanation. Some one had to know what was going on. And as soon as his head stopped spinning, someone was going to pay. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She heard the scream from across the expansive room. She knew exactly what was happening. Her daughter had just woken and discovered that her child was missing.
Every fiber in her being told her to run to Sydney; Every part of her screamed to race to her side, every part except those which were sitting calmly collected before Arvin Sloane.
"I take it Sydney has gained consciousness again." Sloane said, a smile streaking across his face.
"You know what she's thinking Arvin. You have to tell her, she'll go insane." Irina pleaded, trying not to reveal what she was truly feeling.
"Perhaps you're right. Maybe you should go instead." Sloane suggested, his smile receding slightly. "On second thought maybe we both should." He said as he got to his feet. Irina stood as well.
"That sounds right." She said following him toward the opposite corner of the warehouse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jack was furious. They'd been to every warehouse facility he could find on the map. He couldn't get a hold of Irina or Vaughn. Nothing was going according to plan, nothing. They'd been in Taipei a total of 34 hours, and they hadn't come close to finding Sydney. Jack hadn't slept in almost 60 hours, he'd even been forced to skip a dose of his medication. He kicked himself sternly for not bringing an adequate supply. He coughed into is sleeve. The pain was throbbing from his chest.
Something was terribly wrong. They hadn't been through the third facility, when they'd realized that Vaughn was missing. They radioed, sent Weiss to search, but time was running short, and they had no idea where he was. It worried Jack immensely. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Sydney," Vaughn said, in between convulsions.
She couldn't speak. It was hard enough to remember to breathe. She looked at him, wiping the tears out of her eyes to see him clearly. After a moment of pulling together her strength she tried to speak.
"Tell me this is a dream." She whispered, breaking down again immediately.
Vaughn didn't know how to answer. "I." He stood, barely, and fell halfway onto the bed with her. He had no strength whatsoever. Somehow his arms managed to reach up and pull her close to him.
"Vaughn." She breathed. "Our baby." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++