9
The sound of the doorbell was drilling through the thick blanket of sleep that engulfed her. Sydney lifted her head groggily from her pillow, and squinted at her clock radio. 10:47 am. She groaned and pushed herself up and off the bed. She wrapped herself in a robe and ran her hands through her hair, trying to smooth it into being somewhat presentable. She didn't have a headache, but her head felt congested, and her throat hurt from inhaling second-hand smoke all night.
She trudged to the front door and opened it. "Dad?"
Jack's eyes ticked over her disheveled appearance. "Sydney, I'm sorry. I thought you would have been up by now." He looked at his watch for emphasis.
Sydney stepped back from the door, allowing him to enter the house. "I went out with Weiss last night, just to blow off some steam."
"I see." He said as he followed her into the kitchen.
She went about making a pot of coffee. "Did Marshall have a chance to look at the information I brought in?"
"Yes." He said as sat on one of the stools beside the counter. "He's had a look at it, and there seems to be a section that is encrypted. He's attempted to decipher it with every code he knows, but to no success."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Currently, we're following several leads to locate a code key." He paused at this point, unsure as to whether he should continue. "Did Mr. Sark have any information for you."
"He did." Sydney glanced towards the coffee table in her living room, where she had left the file Sark had given her. She went to retrieve it. "Sark didn't know what to make of it, and frankly, I'm not sure either." She handed the file to her father.
His eyes flicked over the page and his frown deepened. "Sydney, we ran a multitude of tests after you came back. There was no evidence of mind control. This can't be referring to you."
"You said there was no evidence of "conventional" mind control. Maybe the Covenant has methods that we're unaware of; maybe they've turned me into some kind of sleeper agent."
"Sydney, stop." Jack said firmly. "We can't jump to conclusions with this. It's possible the woman described here isn't you."
Sydney was quiet for a moment. "That's what Sark said." Jack's mouth twitched, as though the idea of being in agreement on anything with Sark was repulsive. Sydney ignored it, and pressed on. "Dad, he told me something else last night."
"You met with him last night?" he asked, concern and suspicion tainting his tone.
"At the bar Weiss and I were at last night."
"Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with him again?"
"It wasn't planned. He just found me." Sydney continued, both irritated and warmed by Jack's worry. "Anyway, he said that he'd done a little more digging, and he discovered something else. Apparently, his father, Lazarey, was the man in charge of my recruitment into the Covenant. Normally, this wouldn't concern me so much. I mean, it fits doesn't it? I murdered the man that was responsible for my abduction and brainwashing. But. I had this dream the other night." She stopped, struggling with her words.
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her his strength. She smiled, and glanced down at her feet. "I dreamt about killing him. I was in the surveillance video you'd taped, and I killed him. I spoke as he lay dying on the floor. I said that I knew what he had done to me, and that Mom had been right in protecting someone. I said something about a prophecy. then, as I was leaving, I said 'Goodbye, Father.'" Sydney met her father's stare as the last words came out. He was silent. "I don't know what to think, Dad. Was it a memory?"
Jack offered a small smile. "I don't know. It's possible that whatever the Covenant did to you to erase your memories is wearing off, or malfunctioning, and your memories are starting to bleed through into your dreams." Jack wrapped his arm around Sydney, and she leaned her head into his shoulder. A tear slid down her cheek. "Or maybe it was only that; a dream."
"When I look back on those years I spent with SD-6," Sydney said, finding comfort in her father's embrace, "after I knew who Sloane really was, all I could think about was how incredibly screwed up my life was. I remember lamenting to you and to Vaughn about trying to find some sort of normalcy in any way I could. But now?" She choked back a sob. "I think I'd give anything to go back to that time. As complicated and as difficult as my life was back then, at least I had a sense of who I was, and at least I had my friends."
Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. "I don't even know who I am anymore. I've done things that I can't remember, things I can't even comprehend. and Francie's dead. We don't even know where she's buried. Will's gone. I understand that I have to stay away from him to keep him safe, but I miss him so much, every day. Vaughn's married; he can't even look me in the eye anymore."
She was broken now, a torrent of tears and anger flowed out of her as she buried her face against his chest. Jack hugged her tightly, and remained silent, completely unsure of what to say. After a while, Sydney's sobbing receded, and she pulled away from him. She offered him a weak smile as her eyes fell on the wet stains on his shirt. "Sorry about that." She wiped at her cheeks.
Jack shook his head. "It doesn't matter."
Sydney turned and opened a cupboard to retrieve a mug. She poured the freshly brewed coffee into it. "Want to know what makes all this even worse?" She said as she turned back to him and leaned against the counter.
"What?"
"Besides you, the only person who seems to understand what I went through, who wants to help me, who doesn't look at me with constant pity in his eyes, is Sark."
"Sydney, you have to be careful with him. We still don't know if Sark can be trusted."
"Don't worry. I'd never be foolish enough to put my faith in a man like Sark. If he had planned on hurting me, though, he had the perfect opportunity at the hotel in Milan."
"Yes, well, we can't assume anything with that man as long as we don't know what his long-term agenda is." Jack replied.
There was a strange look on his face, Sydney noticed. She stared contemplatively into the depths of her mug and thought of Sark. Her feelings on him were hard to pin. On the one hand, she felt the same old adversarial contempt that had she had always felt for Sark, but on the other, she found herself more and more intrigued by him. The question of why he wanted her help in taking down the Covenant to begin with bothered her. Sark was an excellent operative; if he wanted to destroy them, surely he didn't need help. If he did, why had he chosen her? There was also the matter of her thawing iciness towards him. Why was she finding it so much easier to be in his company? They were very nearly civilized to each other, something that Sydney had never expected to happen when she'd first forged this alliance with him.
Sydney refused to think about the way her cheeks flushed when she remembered how Sark's tongue had tasted in her mouth, and how the way his hips fit into hers nearly undid her. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her coffee. "Do you want some coffee, Dad?"
"No, thank you. I have to get back to the office. Dixon wanted me to tell you that you may have to come in this afternoon, if we find anything on a code to break that encryption."
"Okay, sure." She smiled sweetly as Jack leaned in and kissed her cheek.
After he left, Sydney took a long shower, revitalizing her tired body with some citrus scented soap. She felt fresh and clean as she stepped into her bedroom and dressed for the day. She threw on a pair of jeans and a small, white T-shirt, and she went back out to the kitchen to get something to eat. She fixed herself a sandwich, grabbed her unfinished coffee, and settled down at her kitchen table. The newspaper from the day before still lay there, unread, and she began flipping through it.
She'd finished her sandwich and was draining the last of her coffee, when she felt a sense of unease prickle the hairs on the back of her neck. She put the mug down slowly, and turned in her chair. Sark stood behind her, his hands in the pockets of his dark suit, and look of amusement lit his face. "I was beginning to wonder when you would notice you weren't alone." He said with a repressed smirk.
"How did you get in my house?" Sydney demanded.
"You would think that someone in your type of profession would remember to lock her front door." He replied, his smirk on full display. "Really, Sydney. That's just sloppiness on your part."
Sydney swallowed her irritation, mostly because she knew he was right. "Can I help you with something? Or are you making a hobby of stalking me for your own amusement?"
Sark chuckled. "I think, perhaps, if I were going to begin stalking someone for personal amusement, I would choose a subject with a home life that's a little more risqué." His eyes indicated the open newspaper on the table.
Sydney rose to deposit her plate and her empty coffee mug in the sink. "My work is risqué enough, thanks. I don't need any excitement in my home life."
"All right, but if you're ever in need of a few thrills," he said as she turned back to face him, his lips still quirked in a smile, "I'd be more than willing to assist." He bit his lip suggestively.
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the amused smile that surfaced. "Sark, you're an ass."
"Indeed, but you seem to be warming to me nonetheless, Sydney." He stepped closer to her.
"If this partnership is going to work, it will be easier for both of us if we treat each other with a certain level of courtesy." She replied, ignoring the shiver that ran up her back as she noticed he smelled faintly of soap and something familiar, but unidentifiable.
"And that's the only reason for your change in attitude?" Sark asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"Sark," she sighed, exasperated, "the point of this little visit? Please?"
He smiled. "Of course. I suppose your father has already informed you that a portion of the chip we stole is encrypted."
"Yes, he did. Marshall is working on cracking it right now."
"His attempts will be unsuccessful."
"Why?"
"I've been ordered to retrieve a code from a storehouse in St. Petersburg. The Covenant has reason to believe that this code is the only way to decipher the encryption."
"Okay, so what do I do?"
"Fly to St. Petersburg. The code is disguised in the text of a book. Tomorrow night, I'll retrieve the book, but you must intercept me as I'm leaving with it. You can take the book back to the CIA." Sark said.
"What about your cover with the Covenant? You have to be careful not to lose their trust."
"Your concern is touching."
"If the Covenant suspects treachery, you said they'll likely have you killed." Sydney pointed out. "As much as I hate to say this, I need your help. If you die, that poses as a severe disadvantage to me."
He smiled. "Of all the ways you have changed since you reappeared in my life, it's refreshing to know you still retain certain qualities that have always amused me about you."
"What? What are you talking about?" Sydney demanded.
"Well, you're quite self-absorbed, aren't you?"
Sydney glared, and refused to allow him to bait her into another one of his paltry arguments. "Stop trying to annoy me. What do you suggest we do to avoid suspicion?"
"This storehouse has a fairly decent level of security. Nothing that can't be easily surpassed, of course." Sark replied. "I suggest we arrange to "run into" one another, and engage in a physical confrontation. The surveillance cameras will record this, and if the Covenant has any doubts, they need only gain access to the security tape to see that you took the book from me. What is it, Sydney?" He asked, as she was grinning widely.
"I get to kick your ass."
Sark's eyes rose to the ceiling, and he let out a sigh. "Really, do try to be a grown up about this." Sydney answered with an even wider grin. "Right, if you're going to be so juvenile, then I'm leaving. I'll call you tonight with more details." He turned and headed towards the patio doors. "I'll see you in St. Petersburg." He said over his shoulder.
"Oh, I look forward to it, Mr. Sark." She called after him, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice.
The sound of the doorbell was drilling through the thick blanket of sleep that engulfed her. Sydney lifted her head groggily from her pillow, and squinted at her clock radio. 10:47 am. She groaned and pushed herself up and off the bed. She wrapped herself in a robe and ran her hands through her hair, trying to smooth it into being somewhat presentable. She didn't have a headache, but her head felt congested, and her throat hurt from inhaling second-hand smoke all night.
She trudged to the front door and opened it. "Dad?"
Jack's eyes ticked over her disheveled appearance. "Sydney, I'm sorry. I thought you would have been up by now." He looked at his watch for emphasis.
Sydney stepped back from the door, allowing him to enter the house. "I went out with Weiss last night, just to blow off some steam."
"I see." He said as he followed her into the kitchen.
She went about making a pot of coffee. "Did Marshall have a chance to look at the information I brought in?"
"Yes." He said as sat on one of the stools beside the counter. "He's had a look at it, and there seems to be a section that is encrypted. He's attempted to decipher it with every code he knows, but to no success."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Currently, we're following several leads to locate a code key." He paused at this point, unsure as to whether he should continue. "Did Mr. Sark have any information for you."
"He did." Sydney glanced towards the coffee table in her living room, where she had left the file Sark had given her. She went to retrieve it. "Sark didn't know what to make of it, and frankly, I'm not sure either." She handed the file to her father.
His eyes flicked over the page and his frown deepened. "Sydney, we ran a multitude of tests after you came back. There was no evidence of mind control. This can't be referring to you."
"You said there was no evidence of "conventional" mind control. Maybe the Covenant has methods that we're unaware of; maybe they've turned me into some kind of sleeper agent."
"Sydney, stop." Jack said firmly. "We can't jump to conclusions with this. It's possible the woman described here isn't you."
Sydney was quiet for a moment. "That's what Sark said." Jack's mouth twitched, as though the idea of being in agreement on anything with Sark was repulsive. Sydney ignored it, and pressed on. "Dad, he told me something else last night."
"You met with him last night?" he asked, concern and suspicion tainting his tone.
"At the bar Weiss and I were at last night."
"Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with him again?"
"It wasn't planned. He just found me." Sydney continued, both irritated and warmed by Jack's worry. "Anyway, he said that he'd done a little more digging, and he discovered something else. Apparently, his father, Lazarey, was the man in charge of my recruitment into the Covenant. Normally, this wouldn't concern me so much. I mean, it fits doesn't it? I murdered the man that was responsible for my abduction and brainwashing. But. I had this dream the other night." She stopped, struggling with her words.
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her his strength. She smiled, and glanced down at her feet. "I dreamt about killing him. I was in the surveillance video you'd taped, and I killed him. I spoke as he lay dying on the floor. I said that I knew what he had done to me, and that Mom had been right in protecting someone. I said something about a prophecy. then, as I was leaving, I said 'Goodbye, Father.'" Sydney met her father's stare as the last words came out. He was silent. "I don't know what to think, Dad. Was it a memory?"
Jack offered a small smile. "I don't know. It's possible that whatever the Covenant did to you to erase your memories is wearing off, or malfunctioning, and your memories are starting to bleed through into your dreams." Jack wrapped his arm around Sydney, and she leaned her head into his shoulder. A tear slid down her cheek. "Or maybe it was only that; a dream."
"When I look back on those years I spent with SD-6," Sydney said, finding comfort in her father's embrace, "after I knew who Sloane really was, all I could think about was how incredibly screwed up my life was. I remember lamenting to you and to Vaughn about trying to find some sort of normalcy in any way I could. But now?" She choked back a sob. "I think I'd give anything to go back to that time. As complicated and as difficult as my life was back then, at least I had a sense of who I was, and at least I had my friends."
Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. "I don't even know who I am anymore. I've done things that I can't remember, things I can't even comprehend. and Francie's dead. We don't even know where she's buried. Will's gone. I understand that I have to stay away from him to keep him safe, but I miss him so much, every day. Vaughn's married; he can't even look me in the eye anymore."
She was broken now, a torrent of tears and anger flowed out of her as she buried her face against his chest. Jack hugged her tightly, and remained silent, completely unsure of what to say. After a while, Sydney's sobbing receded, and she pulled away from him. She offered him a weak smile as her eyes fell on the wet stains on his shirt. "Sorry about that." She wiped at her cheeks.
Jack shook his head. "It doesn't matter."
Sydney turned and opened a cupboard to retrieve a mug. She poured the freshly brewed coffee into it. "Want to know what makes all this even worse?" She said as she turned back to him and leaned against the counter.
"What?"
"Besides you, the only person who seems to understand what I went through, who wants to help me, who doesn't look at me with constant pity in his eyes, is Sark."
"Sydney, you have to be careful with him. We still don't know if Sark can be trusted."
"Don't worry. I'd never be foolish enough to put my faith in a man like Sark. If he had planned on hurting me, though, he had the perfect opportunity at the hotel in Milan."
"Yes, well, we can't assume anything with that man as long as we don't know what his long-term agenda is." Jack replied.
There was a strange look on his face, Sydney noticed. She stared contemplatively into the depths of her mug and thought of Sark. Her feelings on him were hard to pin. On the one hand, she felt the same old adversarial contempt that had she had always felt for Sark, but on the other, she found herself more and more intrigued by him. The question of why he wanted her help in taking down the Covenant to begin with bothered her. Sark was an excellent operative; if he wanted to destroy them, surely he didn't need help. If he did, why had he chosen her? There was also the matter of her thawing iciness towards him. Why was she finding it so much easier to be in his company? They were very nearly civilized to each other, something that Sydney had never expected to happen when she'd first forged this alliance with him.
Sydney refused to think about the way her cheeks flushed when she remembered how Sark's tongue had tasted in her mouth, and how the way his hips fit into hers nearly undid her. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her coffee. "Do you want some coffee, Dad?"
"No, thank you. I have to get back to the office. Dixon wanted me to tell you that you may have to come in this afternoon, if we find anything on a code to break that encryption."
"Okay, sure." She smiled sweetly as Jack leaned in and kissed her cheek.
After he left, Sydney took a long shower, revitalizing her tired body with some citrus scented soap. She felt fresh and clean as she stepped into her bedroom and dressed for the day. She threw on a pair of jeans and a small, white T-shirt, and she went back out to the kitchen to get something to eat. She fixed herself a sandwich, grabbed her unfinished coffee, and settled down at her kitchen table. The newspaper from the day before still lay there, unread, and she began flipping through it.
She'd finished her sandwich and was draining the last of her coffee, when she felt a sense of unease prickle the hairs on the back of her neck. She put the mug down slowly, and turned in her chair. Sark stood behind her, his hands in the pockets of his dark suit, and look of amusement lit his face. "I was beginning to wonder when you would notice you weren't alone." He said with a repressed smirk.
"How did you get in my house?" Sydney demanded.
"You would think that someone in your type of profession would remember to lock her front door." He replied, his smirk on full display. "Really, Sydney. That's just sloppiness on your part."
Sydney swallowed her irritation, mostly because she knew he was right. "Can I help you with something? Or are you making a hobby of stalking me for your own amusement?"
Sark chuckled. "I think, perhaps, if I were going to begin stalking someone for personal amusement, I would choose a subject with a home life that's a little more risqué." His eyes indicated the open newspaper on the table.
Sydney rose to deposit her plate and her empty coffee mug in the sink. "My work is risqué enough, thanks. I don't need any excitement in my home life."
"All right, but if you're ever in need of a few thrills," he said as she turned back to face him, his lips still quirked in a smile, "I'd be more than willing to assist." He bit his lip suggestively.
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the amused smile that surfaced. "Sark, you're an ass."
"Indeed, but you seem to be warming to me nonetheless, Sydney." He stepped closer to her.
"If this partnership is going to work, it will be easier for both of us if we treat each other with a certain level of courtesy." She replied, ignoring the shiver that ran up her back as she noticed he smelled faintly of soap and something familiar, but unidentifiable.
"And that's the only reason for your change in attitude?" Sark asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"Sark," she sighed, exasperated, "the point of this little visit? Please?"
He smiled. "Of course. I suppose your father has already informed you that a portion of the chip we stole is encrypted."
"Yes, he did. Marshall is working on cracking it right now."
"His attempts will be unsuccessful."
"Why?"
"I've been ordered to retrieve a code from a storehouse in St. Petersburg. The Covenant has reason to believe that this code is the only way to decipher the encryption."
"Okay, so what do I do?"
"Fly to St. Petersburg. The code is disguised in the text of a book. Tomorrow night, I'll retrieve the book, but you must intercept me as I'm leaving with it. You can take the book back to the CIA." Sark said.
"What about your cover with the Covenant? You have to be careful not to lose their trust."
"Your concern is touching."
"If the Covenant suspects treachery, you said they'll likely have you killed." Sydney pointed out. "As much as I hate to say this, I need your help. If you die, that poses as a severe disadvantage to me."
He smiled. "Of all the ways you have changed since you reappeared in my life, it's refreshing to know you still retain certain qualities that have always amused me about you."
"What? What are you talking about?" Sydney demanded.
"Well, you're quite self-absorbed, aren't you?"
Sydney glared, and refused to allow him to bait her into another one of his paltry arguments. "Stop trying to annoy me. What do you suggest we do to avoid suspicion?"
"This storehouse has a fairly decent level of security. Nothing that can't be easily surpassed, of course." Sark replied. "I suggest we arrange to "run into" one another, and engage in a physical confrontation. The surveillance cameras will record this, and if the Covenant has any doubts, they need only gain access to the security tape to see that you took the book from me. What is it, Sydney?" He asked, as she was grinning widely.
"I get to kick your ass."
Sark's eyes rose to the ceiling, and he let out a sigh. "Really, do try to be a grown up about this." Sydney answered with an even wider grin. "Right, if you're going to be so juvenile, then I'm leaving. I'll call you tonight with more details." He turned and headed towards the patio doors. "I'll see you in St. Petersburg." He said over his shoulder.
"Oh, I look forward to it, Mr. Sark." She called after him, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice.
