Show No Emotion

Spoilers: No

Archive: Yes, but please let me know at freakrightout@hotmail.com

A/N: This takes place after Truth Takes Time. Tenses in this story will change. When it is in first person POV, it will be in present tense. When it is in third person POV, it will be in past.

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The sound of the steel door opening no longer fazed him. He had already been through hours (he had stopped counting) of endless torture and now, nothing could hurt him. He gave an involuntary shudder when a cold hand touched his bare chest. Well, almost bare. He was covered in fresh bruises, horrifying burns, and deep, painful cuts. He moaned softly when he heard a woman's voice say his name.

" Sark , wake up," she gently commanded. "Julian, open your eyes."

Hearing his first name revived him, and he obeyed. His eyelids slowly lifted, and he was greeted by a face lined with worry.

"Irina?" he whispered, his throat too dry to do much else.

"Shh," she soothed, unbuckling the harsh straps that held him down on the steel gurney. She helped him sit up and told him, "I only have 160 seconds left before the security cameras come back on, you have to listen carefully." She paused. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" He nodded, letting out a sigh of both pain and relief as Irina fed him water and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Jack, Sydney and Agent Vaughn are coming for you," she said. Taking note of his confusion, she quickly added, "I don't have time to explain, but Jack and I have been in communication. Do you remember the tracking device put on you?" Off Sark's nod, she continued, "They know where we are, and they're planning to take you back to Los Angeles . Sark , you cannot go back. I need you to come with me, I need your help. I am helping Jack take possession of all Rambaldi's devices so Sloane cannot fulfill the prophecy. Sark , I know you love my daughter. I heard it with my own ears. Now I need your help to save her. Are you hearing me?"

Sark was taken aback, but he knew Irina only had a few more seconds before the camera feed went live. "Yes," he croaked. For Sydney . Anything for Sydney . She nodded and brushed a few stray hairs from his face. She placed a light kiss on his head, an exchange of affection saved for only the most special of times. She rarely showed any emotion toward him, though he knew that beneath her tough exterior, she did care for him deeply.

"Thank you, mon fils," she whispered. Thank you, my son. He gave her a small smile to show that he understood her meaning. He then gave her a look of confidence when a device in her pocket let out a deafening ring. Their time was up.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her fist tensing. He nodded, preparing himself. She backhanded his face, causing him to fall hard back on the cold steel. "You son of a bitch," she snarled crudely, strapping him back down. "You are damn lucky that you're still alive."

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"Are you sure?" Sydney demanded.

"Yes, he's in there."

"You're positive?"

"Yes, Sydney ! Trust me, this is where he is."

"What are we going to do? How are we going to find them? The place is surrounded!"

"I'm not sure yet. Stay here, I'm going around to look for another entrance."

Without waiting for a response, Jack rushed out of the car, leaving Sydney, Vaughn, and an awkward silence. Sydney risked a glance at her ex and was surprised to find him looking back at her. She was about to speak when he interrupted her.
"I'm sorry, Syd."

"What? No, Vaughn, I should be the one who's sorry…"

"I shouldn't have blown up at you before, about…you know."

"I can't blame you. I would've done the same."

"Listen, Syd, I just want you to know…I'll always be here. Always."

She nodded. "I know, Vaughn."

"Just know that, you know. If you ever decide one day that…"

"I won't," she cut in. "But thank you." They sat in silence until Jack tapped on the window.

"I found a way in."

Sydney 's eyes widened. "Let's go."

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Irina stood at the side entrance of the building, waiting for her ex-husband, daughter and Vaughn. So far, all was going as planned. She could only pray that her temper wouldn't cause her to do anything rash. She wanted to kill Sloane for the pain he had caused Sark . He was her protégé. Her son. But she had made an agreement with Jack: Sloane for Sark . Although they would never admit it to each other, it pained both Irina and Jack to separate their daughter from the man she loved. But it was the only way to prevent Rambaldi's prophecy from being fulfilled. It was the only way to save Sydney 's life. With Sloane in CIA custody, Irina and Sark could work all the more quickly. Getting Jack and Sydney inside the building was the easy part. Getting all of them out alive was a different story. Irina turned when she heard footsteps, coming face-to-face once again with her daughter.

"Mom?"

"Hello, sweetheart."

"I don't understand," she said, shooting an accusing look toward her father.

"Sydney, your mother is going to help us find Sloane and Sark ."

"Wait," Vaughn interrupted, "you two have been working together?"

"There's not time for explanations, Sydney ," Irina said, ignoring the question. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"That sounds familiar."

" Sydney , listen to your mother," Jack said sharply. "If you want to get Sloane…if you want to help Sark , we have to trust her."

Sydney held back an irritated sigh and glared at Irina. "Fine, let's go. But I swear with God as my witness, if you betray us, I will kill you."

Irina hid a smile. That's my girl, she thought to herself. "Follow me."

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"Tell me what she said to you."

"What do you take me for, Mr. Sloane? A fool?"

"You won't be able to keep going like this for much longer, Mr. Sark, as I'm sure you've realized. You will break, and I am going to enjoy every glorious moment when it happens. If you tell me what Irina said, you will save yourself a lot of trouble."

"She said nothing. She was simply trying to beat answers out of me."

Sark rocked in his chair when Sloane struck him. "Don't lie to me! Irina is plotting to betray me, we both know it! Tell me what she said!"

"What makes you think she's going to betray you? And even if she were, why would she tell me?"

"The disruption of the camera feed is proof enough. She should have known better, As for why she would tell you, well, you're her little pet. I would be more shocked if she hadn't told you her plans."

"What you're saying may be true, but if it were, what could you possibly do to stop her?"

"Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Sark?"

"Do you really want me to answer that, or should I just stare?"

Sark frowned angrily. "Any plan that Sydney Bristow and Irina Derekvo have formed to save you will fail. I have absolutely no intention of letting you go back with them."

"Yes, well, I agree."

Sloane smirked. "Do you, now?"

Sark returned the sneer. "Do you really think my love for Sydney is true? It was a ploy to lure her to the warehouse in Zurich . From there, I had good faith that your men would blast her and bloody father and boyfriend to the oblivion, and I would be free. So, in fact, Mr. Sloane, it was you who failed."

Sloane laughed in disbelief. "You're bluffing." His voice reeked of confidence, but Sark detected a hint of nervousness. That was enough.
"Perhaps."

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that."

"Believe what you like Mr. Sloane. But remember, I've been loyal to you thus far. I was you who betrayed me."

"You're a clever young man, Mr. Sark, and I respect you for that. But you're an assassin. You are trained to deceive, and I hate to break it to you, but Sydney Bristow could never love someone like you."

Sark raised an eyebrow. Sloane's game was obvious. "Then I suppose it's a very good thing that I have not fallen for her, isn't it?"

Sloane did not respond, and the two men sat in silence, glaring at each other for what seemed like hours until…

"Put your hands in the air!" she shouted. Behind her stood Jack, his gun pointed in the opposite direction, on guard and ready to shoot anyone who would interfere with their mission. "Turn around and put your hands in the air!" Sark caught Sydney 's eye and gave a small nod to her silent question.

Are you alright?
Yes. Yes, I'm alright, but not for long. Not without you.

"I won't tell you again! Put your hands in the air, damn it!" Sloane finally complied, raising his arms slowly above his head. Sydney immediately moved toward him, tightly cuffing Sloane's wrists.

" Sydney ," he started.

"Keep your mouth shut, you son of a bitch."

"You won't get out of here alive, trust me. At least, not everyone will."

"Yeah, I know. You should really look into hiring better guards."

"I'm curious, Sydney , where is your mother? Irina had to be in on this."

"You're damn right I was," a cold voice replied. Sloane turned to see Irina, her face set with bitter anger.

"How nice of you to join us, Irina."

Sydney shoved Sloane toward Vaughn, who had followed Irina through the door, and quickly moved to release Sark . When free of his binding, he pulled Sydney into a tight hug. He felt her tears fall freely onto his shoulders and shivered. He ran his hand through her dark hair, whispering assurances that he would be fine.

"I love you," she said softly, playing with the curls behind his neck.

"I love you, too, Sydney," he replied, his voice turning husky with compassion.

Their moment was ruined when a sharp voice called them back to reality.

"We have to get out of here before more guards find us," Jack said.

"Let's go," Irina agreed, motioning for Sark and Sydney to follow. However, Sark cried out and nearly crumpled to the floor when he tried to move.

"What? What is it?" Sydney asked worriedly.

It was a shattered ankle, courtesy of a particularly burly man that Sark had named Bojangles, merely for amusement. Bojangles was now lying dead at the door, and as Sydney helped Sark along, he wished the dead body a cursed lifetime in hell. After that, everything went by in a blur. Irina and Jack led the way, shooting any opposition, with Sark and Sydney following behind, and Vaughn bringing up the rear, forcing Sloane ahead. When the group finally reached the exterior of the building, Sark felt as if he could collapse right then and there. Irina and Jack stopped in front of the car that he, Sydney and Vaughn had arrived in.
"I'm taking this car," Irina said.

"What?" Sydney explained.

"There's a van waiting for you right around the corner," Irina explained. "The driver is completely reliable, and he will take you straight to the airport where CIA operatives are waiting for you to detain Sloane."

At the sound of his name, Sloane spoke, "I must admit, Irina, you had me fooled."

Irina waited a moment before she spoke again. "Sloane, you disgust me. And if you ever get out of CIA custody, I swear to you that I will be firs tin line to rip your throat out."

Jack was the first to break the tension. "We can't afford to waste any more time."

"Jack's right," Irina agreed. She turned to Sark . "We need to leave."

Sydney looked at him, the shock and pain plainly etched on her face. " Sark ?"

Sark felt his heart shatter to pieces. He cupped her face with his hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm so sorry, Sydney, but…I have to go."

"I don't understand…why…why are you doing this to me?"

" Sydney , I know you don't understand, but you will. Someday, you will, and I promise you, when that day comes, we will be together."
" Sark , please, you can't go."

"I promise you, Sydney . We'll be together. Do you trust me on that?"

Sydney held back a sob. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I trust you."

Sark wiped the single tear that fell from her eye. "I love you."

"I love you," she answered.

Sark flinched when Irina lightly gripped his arm. " Sark ," she said softly. "We have to go."

He nodded, giving Sydney 's hand one last squeeze. "I promise," he said again, before allowing Irina to help him into the passenger's seat of the car. Irina quickly ran to the driver's seat and started the car. As they drove away, Sark held Sydney 's gaze until he could see her no more.