Same Disclaimer Applies: Have I mentioned lately that I am addicted to
reviews. I have oh, well anyway, I would like to thank everyone who has
sent reviews. They are great!!! I'm trying to review a little quicker
this time. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!!!!!
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
"Sloane is coming here!" Dixon yelled. He along with most of his colleagues tensed around the table.
"Did he give any estimated time?" Irina asked calmly.
"He said he had stops to make and for you and Mr. Bristow to get a good nights rest." Oovrum watched the gears turning behind her employer's eyes.
Irina leaned back in her chair and nodded other woman. "He isn't coming until tomorrow than. Thank you Oovrum."
"You are welcome Ma'am." Oovrum left the terrace in favor of the air conditioned house.
"What are the chances that Sloane will be aware of the operation's outcome when he arrives here tomorrow?" Irina stated somewhat distractedly.
"It will depend on what we decide to tell him." Jack answered his wife. "There has been no formal report to the CIA therefore Sloane will not have been able to gather the appropriate intelligence on the mission. We have twenty-four hours to settle on a course of action." Jack addressed everyone at the table.
"We set a trap. Sloane walks in here and we take him out. He isn't expecting all of us to be here so it will be the ideal opportunity." Dixon spoke with a determined timber.
"What about the Rambaldi machine? If we take Sloane into custody now, he is likely to never tell us its location." Sydney commented.
"Precisely." Jack acknowledged the validity of Sydney's statement.
Irina circled her finger around the edge of her orange juice glass. Her head was tilted to the side and she was not meeting anyone's eyes. When she spoke her words were more drawn out then usually, telling Jack that she was working the problem out simultaneously with her speech. "Sloane is still not aware of Sydney's appearance and I believe it should remain that way. If Sydney is found he may have reason to question our loyalty to him thus weakening his trust in us again. Making Sloane believe we were successful in Alger may give him cause to let us in on the rest of his plot. We will hand over the last set of codes to him; to Sloane Jack has always been his best friend and he wants nothing more that to have that friendship back with no reservations." She paused. "Sloane will disclose the location of the machine and we will arrive at there with back up in the form of the CIA." Irina finished, finally looking up at everyone around the table. Kendall looked skeptical while Jack smiled in admiration at his wife.
"You are putting a lot of faith in Sloane giving you the location of the machine." Vaughn said offhandedly. Irina took no offence to his comment, knowing he was only looking at all angles of the situation.
"Sometimes Mr. Vaughn, you have to have a little faith." Irina's eyes shifted from Vaughn to Jack quickly then back again.
"So uh- does that mean that we to leave before Sloane arrives here or do like have a secret passage we can wait in until he leaves again?" Marshall looked keen after his suggestion of a secret passage.
"You'll be safe from detection if you are upstairs." Jack stated and bit back a laugh at the disappointed look that crossed Marshall's face.
"I don't mean to whine but the heat is starting to become stifling. If no one minds I think I'm going to excuse myself." Weiss got up from the table.
"We should all retire to the house." Jack announced, rising as well. Oovrum made an appearance before they could leave the terrace and began clearing the table. To the utter surprise of everyone else, Jack and Irina helped her before joining the group in the living room.
"Would you mind if we checked out the rec. rooms you mention before?" Dixon had been delegated to ask.
"Not at all. Make yourself at home." Irina smiled.
Vaughn lingered for a second, making eye contact with Sydney. She silently communicated to him that she was going to stay behind and speak to her parents and he should go find Weiss and Marshall.
Sydney turned to her parents suddenly at a loss for words. "Is there something you wanted to speak to us about Sydney?" Jack asked softly.
She opened her mouth then closed it again. Her shoulders set in a firm line before she got her first words out. "I don't know how to voice what I'm feeling. It feels so childish and truly absurd. I mean I'm a grown woman, I don't know why this is bothering me." She sat down on the sofa and dropped her head in her hands.
"What is it you want to say Sydney? I hope you know that you can say anything to us." Jack responded but he looked uncertainly at Irina.
"You two just seem so happy." Sydney lifted her head from her hands but stayed hunched over.
"I suppose we are." Both her mother and father smiled at her.
"I just- this is going to sound pathetic, but while I was gone you two found happiness. I guess I thought- I don't know what I thought." The hurt and bewildered expressions both her parents wore struck a nerve with Sydney. "It isn't that I wanted your lives to stop with my disappearance but I guess I just didn't expect them to have progressed so much without me. I-" Sydney trailed off, unsure where exactly she was going with her emotional outburst.
"Come with me. I'd like to show you something." Irina took Sydney's hand and pulled her to her feet. She then walked in the direction of the study with Jack bring up the rear.
Irina opened the doors large wood doors to the study and ushered her daughter in. What Sydney saw made her stop short, causing her father to turn suddenly to avoid running into her.
"I know you didn't want our lives to stop Sydney, but that doesn't mean you weren't constantly on our minds. Your father and I needed each other or we would have never made it through the last two years. My greatest fear was that you would never be found and subsequently would never know how much I love you."
Sydney took in all of the papers and screens showing various searches for a woman of her description. The entire room appeared as though it had been transformed into a missing persons search station.
"Almost every day was spent looking for you but by the time night fell and we still had no leads on you, it was more important than ever to have your mother there." Jack placed his arm softly around Sydney's shoulders. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before turning fully and wrapping her arms around him.
Jack held on tight to her and ran his hand soothingly down her head. He met Irina's eyes over Sydney's head and found she too was on the brink of tears. Irina moved closer to her husband and daughter and ran her hand down Sydney's back. Without a word Sydney turned from her father and embraced her mother.
"I'm sorry. I told you it was absurd." Sydney wiped at her tears and smiled self-consciously.
"Never be sorry for the way you feel Sydney." Irina smiled in reassurance.
Sydney's smile widened and lost its hesitancy. "You used to tell me that when I was younger."
"Well, it remains true today." It was quiet for a while then the air became more serious.
"Sydney, you mentioned your disappearance at breakfast this morning, but is there anything else you remember?" Jack spoke with caution.
"I-" She stopped and sighed heavily.
"Why don't you take us through what you have been remembering. Don't leave out any images or sounds you may think irrelevant." Irina sat down and Jack and Sydney followed.
"I see two locations and that is it. One is my apartment and the other I'm not sure." She paused and thought for a second. "When I'm at my apartment I'm unable to move. I blacked out for a few minutes after fighting Alison but voices brought me back around."
"What voices?" Jack questioned.
"Men. Probably five or six of them but they weren't speaking English. Then I see red and gold sometimes, both at home and in the other location." Sydney tried to keep her breathing even despite sudden anxiety.
"Do you remember what you were feeling in the other location?" Jack asked again.
"I feel apprehensive but I don't feel as though I'm in danger. The CIA medical team found that my liver had been re-grown or rejuvenated; they're not sure which yet." Both her parent's brows furrowed at that. "The first time I had flashbacks I saw snow but I haven't seen it again."
"Sydney, can you repeat any of the words that were spoken? We may be able to determine what language it is." Irina leaned forward in her seat.
"I don't recognize it but it does sound familiar." Sydney bit her bottom lip in concentration then rambled off a sentence in the foreign tongue.
Irina looked confused and bit her lip similar to her daughter. "Why would they be speaking Nepalese?"
Please Review (-:
Ooooo getting interesting. How much longer do you think it will take Sydney to figure out where she has been...dundunda!!!
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
"Sloane is coming here!" Dixon yelled. He along with most of his colleagues tensed around the table.
"Did he give any estimated time?" Irina asked calmly.
"He said he had stops to make and for you and Mr. Bristow to get a good nights rest." Oovrum watched the gears turning behind her employer's eyes.
Irina leaned back in her chair and nodded other woman. "He isn't coming until tomorrow than. Thank you Oovrum."
"You are welcome Ma'am." Oovrum left the terrace in favor of the air conditioned house.
"What are the chances that Sloane will be aware of the operation's outcome when he arrives here tomorrow?" Irina stated somewhat distractedly.
"It will depend on what we decide to tell him." Jack answered his wife. "There has been no formal report to the CIA therefore Sloane will not have been able to gather the appropriate intelligence on the mission. We have twenty-four hours to settle on a course of action." Jack addressed everyone at the table.
"We set a trap. Sloane walks in here and we take him out. He isn't expecting all of us to be here so it will be the ideal opportunity." Dixon spoke with a determined timber.
"What about the Rambaldi machine? If we take Sloane into custody now, he is likely to never tell us its location." Sydney commented.
"Precisely." Jack acknowledged the validity of Sydney's statement.
Irina circled her finger around the edge of her orange juice glass. Her head was tilted to the side and she was not meeting anyone's eyes. When she spoke her words were more drawn out then usually, telling Jack that she was working the problem out simultaneously with her speech. "Sloane is still not aware of Sydney's appearance and I believe it should remain that way. If Sydney is found he may have reason to question our loyalty to him thus weakening his trust in us again. Making Sloane believe we were successful in Alger may give him cause to let us in on the rest of his plot. We will hand over the last set of codes to him; to Sloane Jack has always been his best friend and he wants nothing more that to have that friendship back with no reservations." She paused. "Sloane will disclose the location of the machine and we will arrive at there with back up in the form of the CIA." Irina finished, finally looking up at everyone around the table. Kendall looked skeptical while Jack smiled in admiration at his wife.
"You are putting a lot of faith in Sloane giving you the location of the machine." Vaughn said offhandedly. Irina took no offence to his comment, knowing he was only looking at all angles of the situation.
"Sometimes Mr. Vaughn, you have to have a little faith." Irina's eyes shifted from Vaughn to Jack quickly then back again.
"So uh- does that mean that we to leave before Sloane arrives here or do like have a secret passage we can wait in until he leaves again?" Marshall looked keen after his suggestion of a secret passage.
"You'll be safe from detection if you are upstairs." Jack stated and bit back a laugh at the disappointed look that crossed Marshall's face.
"I don't mean to whine but the heat is starting to become stifling. If no one minds I think I'm going to excuse myself." Weiss got up from the table.
"We should all retire to the house." Jack announced, rising as well. Oovrum made an appearance before they could leave the terrace and began clearing the table. To the utter surprise of everyone else, Jack and Irina helped her before joining the group in the living room.
"Would you mind if we checked out the rec. rooms you mention before?" Dixon had been delegated to ask.
"Not at all. Make yourself at home." Irina smiled.
Vaughn lingered for a second, making eye contact with Sydney. She silently communicated to him that she was going to stay behind and speak to her parents and he should go find Weiss and Marshall.
Sydney turned to her parents suddenly at a loss for words. "Is there something you wanted to speak to us about Sydney?" Jack asked softly.
She opened her mouth then closed it again. Her shoulders set in a firm line before she got her first words out. "I don't know how to voice what I'm feeling. It feels so childish and truly absurd. I mean I'm a grown woman, I don't know why this is bothering me." She sat down on the sofa and dropped her head in her hands.
"What is it you want to say Sydney? I hope you know that you can say anything to us." Jack responded but he looked uncertainly at Irina.
"You two just seem so happy." Sydney lifted her head from her hands but stayed hunched over.
"I suppose we are." Both her mother and father smiled at her.
"I just- this is going to sound pathetic, but while I was gone you two found happiness. I guess I thought- I don't know what I thought." The hurt and bewildered expressions both her parents wore struck a nerve with Sydney. "It isn't that I wanted your lives to stop with my disappearance but I guess I just didn't expect them to have progressed so much without me. I-" Sydney trailed off, unsure where exactly she was going with her emotional outburst.
"Come with me. I'd like to show you something." Irina took Sydney's hand and pulled her to her feet. She then walked in the direction of the study with Jack bring up the rear.
Irina opened the doors large wood doors to the study and ushered her daughter in. What Sydney saw made her stop short, causing her father to turn suddenly to avoid running into her.
"I know you didn't want our lives to stop Sydney, but that doesn't mean you weren't constantly on our minds. Your father and I needed each other or we would have never made it through the last two years. My greatest fear was that you would never be found and subsequently would never know how much I love you."
Sydney took in all of the papers and screens showing various searches for a woman of her description. The entire room appeared as though it had been transformed into a missing persons search station.
"Almost every day was spent looking for you but by the time night fell and we still had no leads on you, it was more important than ever to have your mother there." Jack placed his arm softly around Sydney's shoulders. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before turning fully and wrapping her arms around him.
Jack held on tight to her and ran his hand soothingly down her head. He met Irina's eyes over Sydney's head and found she too was on the brink of tears. Irina moved closer to her husband and daughter and ran her hand down Sydney's back. Without a word Sydney turned from her father and embraced her mother.
"I'm sorry. I told you it was absurd." Sydney wiped at her tears and smiled self-consciously.
"Never be sorry for the way you feel Sydney." Irina smiled in reassurance.
Sydney's smile widened and lost its hesitancy. "You used to tell me that when I was younger."
"Well, it remains true today." It was quiet for a while then the air became more serious.
"Sydney, you mentioned your disappearance at breakfast this morning, but is there anything else you remember?" Jack spoke with caution.
"I-" She stopped and sighed heavily.
"Why don't you take us through what you have been remembering. Don't leave out any images or sounds you may think irrelevant." Irina sat down and Jack and Sydney followed.
"I see two locations and that is it. One is my apartment and the other I'm not sure." She paused and thought for a second. "When I'm at my apartment I'm unable to move. I blacked out for a few minutes after fighting Alison but voices brought me back around."
"What voices?" Jack questioned.
"Men. Probably five or six of them but they weren't speaking English. Then I see red and gold sometimes, both at home and in the other location." Sydney tried to keep her breathing even despite sudden anxiety.
"Do you remember what you were feeling in the other location?" Jack asked again.
"I feel apprehensive but I don't feel as though I'm in danger. The CIA medical team found that my liver had been re-grown or rejuvenated; they're not sure which yet." Both her parent's brows furrowed at that. "The first time I had flashbacks I saw snow but I haven't seen it again."
"Sydney, can you repeat any of the words that were spoken? We may be able to determine what language it is." Irina leaned forward in her seat.
"I don't recognize it but it does sound familiar." Sydney bit her bottom lip in concentration then rambled off a sentence in the foreign tongue.
Irina looked confused and bit her lip similar to her daughter. "Why would they be speaking Nepalese?"
Please Review (-:
Ooooo getting interesting. How much longer do you think it will take Sydney to figure out where she has been...dundunda!!!