2
Shit. Sydney thought. Shit. Shit. Shit.
She had barely managed to avoid him when he stopped by earlier before the heist, but now, there was nowhere for her to hide.
Simon turned back to her when he noticed she hadn't entered the room any further. "Julia," he said, "this is Mr. Sark, the man who hired us for the job. He's here to pay us for services rendered." Simon smiled.
Sark, still staring at Sydney, spoke smoothly. "Indeed. The remainder of your fee is being held in four separate accounts for each of you." His eyes finally glanced down, indicating a series of file folders sitting in front of him. "The account numbers and access codes are all detailed in these." Javier reached for them, but stopped as Sark continued. "I have another job for you." He finally turned his attention to Simon. "My employers were greatly pleased with your success, and wish you to complete another task for them. Your pay will be tripled upon completion of this mission."
"Tripled?" Simon said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at Javier and Russet, who both nodded their heads in approval. He looked back at Sydney. "What do you say, Julia? You didn't have any plans to skip out on me again, did you?"
Sydney managed a smile in response. The whole time Sark had been talking, she dared not move, dared not do anything except wish she had the gun she had left upstairs in her room. Not that she thought she could take out all four men and escape, but anything would be better than standing here completely unarmed and feeling naked under the hard gaze of Sark. Her eyes followed him as he rose from his seat and handed each man a file, and as he moved towards her. She readied herself for a fight.
His eyes never left hers as he handed her the file. "Julia," he said as a small smirk twitched on the corner of his lips, "Mr. Walker tells me that you are a valuable addition to the team. I'm looking forward to working with you." Sydney glared in response, and took the file. With that, he turned back to Simon. "I shall be in contact shortly with details on the operation." Simon nodded. Sark glanced back at Sydney one last time and left.
Sydney let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Simon was staring at her quizzically. "I'm going to bed." She said and walked out of the room.
She had to force herself not to break into a run as she made her way upstairs. What the hell is that son of a bitch up to? She asked herself as she shut the door to her bedroom behind her. Why didn't he blow my cover? She looked down at the file she still had gripped in her hand and opened it. The name of the bank, account number, access code, and the name under which the account was being held were all there. Sydney's eyes widened at the last item. Kate Jones. Her old alias from her SD-6 days. That was no coincidence. Sydney didn't believe in those anymore. Sark knew that she was the new member of the team before their meeting tonight. He knew I would be here. She laid the file on the bed, and grabbed her gun from under her pillow. She'd be damned if she was going to be caught unarmed like that again. She tucked it into the back of her pants.
She was startled out of her thoughts by the ring of her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Sydney."
"Dad." Her breath quickened as she walked quickly to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on her hair dryer to keep anyone from listening. She had phoned Dixon earlier before her shower to tell him what had happened, and that the tracking device she had planted on Vaughn needed to be activated immediately. She assumed her father was calling with news of Vaughn. She waited for Jack to continue.
"Vaughn has been found. Weiss tracked him to the location where you left him, and he's being flown back to LA."
Sydney shuddered out a breath. "How is he?"
A moment of silence passed before he answered. "We're not sure of that as of yet. He'd lost a significant amount of blood, and as of the last update, he was still unconscious. We'll be able to get a better idea of his situation once he's back home and in the hospital." Sydney bit her lip to keep the loud sob from escaping her throat. Jack must have sensed this, for he continued, "Sydney, you did the right thing, the only thing that you could do to save both yourself and Vaughn. You had no choice."
Sydney wiped at the tear rolling down her cheek. "I know. Thanks, Dad." Sydney took a moment to compartmentalize and steady her breath. "We have a problem. There was a meeting after the mission tonight, to receive payment for accomplishing the theft. Sark was there."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm still at Simon's safehouse." She rushed on before her father could interrupt her again. "I don't know what Sark is up to, but he knew it was me. I mean, he looked right at me, he spoke to me. He didn't blow my cover, though."
"Sydney, you have to get out of there. Immediately."
"Dad, I can't. Not only does the Covenant now have the pathogen, but also Simon's team has another job for the Covenant. I have to find out what that is. I have to stop their plans, whatever they may be." She swallowed hard. "I have to find out what Simon knows about "Julia". He's my only lead on those two years that I was gone."
"It's too dangerous."
"When isn't my life too dangerous?" Sydney laughed bitterly. "I can deal with Sark when I have to. I think I can trust that he won't reveal me to Simon, even if his purposes are to further his own means."
"Sydney."
Her eyes fixed to the shadow that moved over the crack of light seeping under the door from the bedroom. Sydney shut off the hair dryer, crept to the bathroom door, and pressed her ear to it. A slight rustle of movement confirmed that someone was in the room. "Dad, I have to go." She whispered as quietly as she could and turned off the phone. She pulled out her gun and steeled herself for combat. Clicking the safety off, Sydney reached for the doorknob, and wrenched the door open, ready to let loose a rain of bullets on whoever was waiting for her.
Shit. Sydney thought. Shit. Shit. Shit.
She had barely managed to avoid him when he stopped by earlier before the heist, but now, there was nowhere for her to hide.
Simon turned back to her when he noticed she hadn't entered the room any further. "Julia," he said, "this is Mr. Sark, the man who hired us for the job. He's here to pay us for services rendered." Simon smiled.
Sark, still staring at Sydney, spoke smoothly. "Indeed. The remainder of your fee is being held in four separate accounts for each of you." His eyes finally glanced down, indicating a series of file folders sitting in front of him. "The account numbers and access codes are all detailed in these." Javier reached for them, but stopped as Sark continued. "I have another job for you." He finally turned his attention to Simon. "My employers were greatly pleased with your success, and wish you to complete another task for them. Your pay will be tripled upon completion of this mission."
"Tripled?" Simon said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at Javier and Russet, who both nodded their heads in approval. He looked back at Sydney. "What do you say, Julia? You didn't have any plans to skip out on me again, did you?"
Sydney managed a smile in response. The whole time Sark had been talking, she dared not move, dared not do anything except wish she had the gun she had left upstairs in her room. Not that she thought she could take out all four men and escape, but anything would be better than standing here completely unarmed and feeling naked under the hard gaze of Sark. Her eyes followed him as he rose from his seat and handed each man a file, and as he moved towards her. She readied herself for a fight.
His eyes never left hers as he handed her the file. "Julia," he said as a small smirk twitched on the corner of his lips, "Mr. Walker tells me that you are a valuable addition to the team. I'm looking forward to working with you." Sydney glared in response, and took the file. With that, he turned back to Simon. "I shall be in contact shortly with details on the operation." Simon nodded. Sark glanced back at Sydney one last time and left.
Sydney let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Simon was staring at her quizzically. "I'm going to bed." She said and walked out of the room.
She had to force herself not to break into a run as she made her way upstairs. What the hell is that son of a bitch up to? She asked herself as she shut the door to her bedroom behind her. Why didn't he blow my cover? She looked down at the file she still had gripped in her hand and opened it. The name of the bank, account number, access code, and the name under which the account was being held were all there. Sydney's eyes widened at the last item. Kate Jones. Her old alias from her SD-6 days. That was no coincidence. Sydney didn't believe in those anymore. Sark knew that she was the new member of the team before their meeting tonight. He knew I would be here. She laid the file on the bed, and grabbed her gun from under her pillow. She'd be damned if she was going to be caught unarmed like that again. She tucked it into the back of her pants.
She was startled out of her thoughts by the ring of her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Sydney."
"Dad." Her breath quickened as she walked quickly to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on her hair dryer to keep anyone from listening. She had phoned Dixon earlier before her shower to tell him what had happened, and that the tracking device she had planted on Vaughn needed to be activated immediately. She assumed her father was calling with news of Vaughn. She waited for Jack to continue.
"Vaughn has been found. Weiss tracked him to the location where you left him, and he's being flown back to LA."
Sydney shuddered out a breath. "How is he?"
A moment of silence passed before he answered. "We're not sure of that as of yet. He'd lost a significant amount of blood, and as of the last update, he was still unconscious. We'll be able to get a better idea of his situation once he's back home and in the hospital." Sydney bit her lip to keep the loud sob from escaping her throat. Jack must have sensed this, for he continued, "Sydney, you did the right thing, the only thing that you could do to save both yourself and Vaughn. You had no choice."
Sydney wiped at the tear rolling down her cheek. "I know. Thanks, Dad." Sydney took a moment to compartmentalize and steady her breath. "We have a problem. There was a meeting after the mission tonight, to receive payment for accomplishing the theft. Sark was there."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm still at Simon's safehouse." She rushed on before her father could interrupt her again. "I don't know what Sark is up to, but he knew it was me. I mean, he looked right at me, he spoke to me. He didn't blow my cover, though."
"Sydney, you have to get out of there. Immediately."
"Dad, I can't. Not only does the Covenant now have the pathogen, but also Simon's team has another job for the Covenant. I have to find out what that is. I have to stop their plans, whatever they may be." She swallowed hard. "I have to find out what Simon knows about "Julia". He's my only lead on those two years that I was gone."
"It's too dangerous."
"When isn't my life too dangerous?" Sydney laughed bitterly. "I can deal with Sark when I have to. I think I can trust that he won't reveal me to Simon, even if his purposes are to further his own means."
"Sydney."
Her eyes fixed to the shadow that moved over the crack of light seeping under the door from the bedroom. Sydney shut off the hair dryer, crept to the bathroom door, and pressed her ear to it. A slight rustle of movement confirmed that someone was in the room. "Dad, I have to go." She whispered as quietly as she could and turned off the phone. She pulled out her gun and steeled herself for combat. Clicking the safety off, Sydney reached for the doorknob, and wrenched the door open, ready to let loose a rain of bullets on whoever was waiting for her.
