*AN: Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews! You are the best readers anywhere! I appreciate them so much and it helps keep me motivated. I'm sorry this chapter was a week coming, but my home pc died. Ack. Anyway, here you go! Enjoy.
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For a time, Sark and Allison worked quietly side-by-side. There was tension in the air and neither felt inclined to speak. It was rather easy to manipulate the video and audio feeds, for Sloane had a massive amount of footage of Sydney and of the CIA. Sark was worried about Sydney the whole time. At least since he was here, he could protect her, within his limits, anyway. It was funny, really, that he wanted to protect her now. Normally she was fairly capable of taking care of herself. Still, she definitely needed him now. He had questions that he wanted to ask Allison, but he wasn't about to do it. He was angry with all that he had learned and hurt, on top of it, which he wasn't used to. It was hard to believe that the woman beside him that he had thought he knew so well was really a complete stranger. He understood more than anyone that people did what they had to do, but it really hit home that he had been deceived so thoroughly.
Allison looked sideways at him as she noticed his scrutiny. "Problem?" she snapped. He was making her uncomfortable. It was bad enough that they had to work together on this, but the silence was terrible. She wished he would just come out with it because he was obviously brooding.
"No, not at all," replied Sark. He had a hell of a problem with her. But, he wasn't about to strike up a conversation just to get his hostility out in the open. Instead he focused on finishing up the job they were working on.
Allison decided that it was time to speak. She looked sideways at Sark and began. "Look, I just wanted you to know that I didn't want to deceive you, but I didn't have a choice. I've always worked for Sloane. I didn't expect to develop feelings for you once I was inside Derevko's operations." She trailed off, gauging his reaction before speaking again. "I know that you feel betrayed by me, but it was all means to an end. My loyalties do not lie with Sloane."
Sark sighed as Allie spoke. He had cared for her so much, and now she was trying to explain. Should he listen or just brush it off. Sighing again, and running his hands through his hair, he decided to speak. "Just like you didn't know that you would care for Tippin?" He berated himself for letting that slip. He retreated back to his business like self. "Allison, none of that matters now. We will be working together, and as you know, it's best to put personal feelings aside in matters such as these."
Allison was getting angry at Sark. "I'm trying to explain things to you. I haven't totally betrayed you, you know. I have some interesting information that I have not shared with Sloane. And, I'm willing to help you." She knew Sark well enough to know that anything that would give him more information would intrigue him. And, despite everything she still cared for him.
"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Sark decided to take the bait. After all, he knew that anything else he could learn would be of assistance to them. Besides, he wanted to believe her.
Allison gazed at him for a few moments before softly speaking. "I know who you really are."
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When Sydney woke up, she had a pounding headache, her eyes wouldn't focus, and her mouth was dry. She found herself strapped to a table in a large room. She shook her head to try to clear it a bit as she looked around. There wasn't much to see except a few small machines that were obviously there to monitor her vitals. She saw no indication of surveillance equipment. She couldn't help but be relieved that she wasn't hooked up to Il Dire, if that was Sloane's plan for her. The last things she remembered were Sark agreeing to work with Sloane and Sloane shooting her with a tranquilizer. Her mother! How was her mother? She frantically looked for a way to get loose. It was to no avail. She could only hope that Irina would be ok. As for Sark, well, he had better have one hell of a plan in mind. At first, she thought that maybe he was fully intending to double-cross them. Then he lied about having been following her, so she caught on. Where was he now? Her thoughts were cut short as the door screeched open. She turned her head to see who it was. "You!"
"Hello Sydney," Allison said as she smirked at the helpless woman on the table. She was happy to see that Sydney was not comfortable. She couldn't help but detest the woman before her. Sydney had always been foremost in Sloane's interests, and Sark's too. Not to mention she had a few scars from gunshot wounds from Sydney. Yes, it was good to see her helpless. But, she was holding the upper hand now, and Sark was smart enough to see that.
"What do you want?" hissed Sydney. She visibly blanched as she saw someone else enter behind Allison. Sark. As if it wasn't enough to see the bitch, now Sark was willingly working with her?
"Tsk, Tsk, Sydney, dear. I thought you would be happier to see me," jibed Allison. "After all, we parted on such good terms." She laughed as Sydney tried in vain to break free from the restraints.
"I have nothing to say to you," Sydney hissed through clenched teeth. "You killed Francie and pretended to be her!" Tears of anger threatened to overtake Sydney, but she gulped them back. "You should be dead! I shot you three times!"
Sark decided it was time to cut in. "Sydney…." Sydney flashed a look at him for using just her first name in front of Allison. "You need to calm down." He tried to will come measure of clam into her. "Allison is going to help us." He surveyed both women. Neither looked pleased at the turn of events, but he had already talked it through with Allison. She agreed not to tell Sloane about what she knew. In exchange, she wanted to help destroy him. Not surprising, given what Sloane had put her though. Who didn't want to kill the man?
"The only help she will give is the help of a knife into your back!" Sydney could not believe her ears. There was no way that Allison would really be helping them. And there was no way that she would work with Allison even if it were true. Allison murdered her best friend. She lived with Sydney and Will, pretending to be Francie, and then tried to kill them both. And what about Aidan? There was obviously a history between the two, and that made her angry. She had developed feelings for him and now his dead girlfriend, or whatever she was, was back.
"Trust me, Sydney," Allison said as she glared at the other woman, "If it were just you, I'd happily kill you myself. But, I happen to care about Sark, so I'm doing this for him."
Sark cut in again. "Sydney, please. We have to enlist her help. If we don't, we will not be able to get rid of Sloane. Allison knows who I am," with this Sydney gaped at him "and has not told Sloane. I think that is a good indication that I can trust her." He knew that he couldn't really trust Allison, but he couldn't risk not taking up her offer of assistance. If she told Sloane who he was, then there wouldn't be any hope.
Sydney still wasn't convinced. No one could ever persuade her that Allison was trustworthy. "You of all people should know that you can't trust her," Sydney snapped at him. She knew her remark had hit home as she saw his jaw clench.
Allison was surveying the two in front of her. Yes, she was doing this for Sark. Otherwise… She inwardly laughed at the look of hatred and frustration on Sydney's face. "Well, Sydney, the way I see it, you really don't have much of a choice. I'm your only hope right now."